Bubble Loaf!

I've been wanting cinnamon rolls, but not the work it takes to make them. Bubble loaf is the closest approximation. Most people know this cinnamon-sugar sweet bread as Monkey Bread, but here in the Tatertot household, that term is verboten. Luke has a preternatural hatred of all things simian passed down through generations of his family.

This is not good for you. If you become an addict, I am not to blame, for you took it upon yourself to make and eat it.

I've made it before, but it took a lot of work, so I went with using the bread machine this time. It took about the same amount of time, but not nearly so much work.

Again, I am a cheater when it comes to bread making, but normal bread techniques apply.

Bubble Loaf
(375* 20-25 mins.
serves ?)

Dough:
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Delicious coating:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Place dough ingredients in bread machine and set for the dough cycle. When the cycle ends, remove the dough from the pan to a lightly floured surface and knead 10-12 times. Cut dough into 1" pieces. Combine the brown sugar and melted butter in a bowl and coat all of the individual dough pieces with it, dropping each piece into a Bundt or tube pan evenly. Preheat the oven and lightly cover the dough-filled pan with plastic wrap and rise in a warm place (I put it on top of the preheating stove) for about half an hour or until it has risen to the top of the pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins.

When the loaf is done, allow it to cool slightly before turning it out onto a plate and allowing people to devour it. Some people also put a confectioner's sugar glaze on it, but I think it's just fine as is.

In Spite of the Blight, Fresh Tomato Lasagna

I grew up with an Italian grandma. Garlic, basil and tomatoes are in my very DNA. That said, traditional lasagna is a lot of work. Delicious, yes, but also heavy and time consuming to make. Traditional lasagna is the sort of thing I crave when the leaves start to turn and the low spots bear frost in the morning. Fortunately for me, I have a wonderful friend who is also a wonderful cook. Molly Belle was my high school best friend's aunt and she would have the two of us over to her apartment in Cambridge (Massachusetts, y'all), take us to art-house movies and feed us artisan bread and spectacular dinners. This recipe is one she made us back in 2000 and it's been since then that I've had it. I'm making it tonight.

This morning I woke up and had to have this. We ran out to the smaller (better?) Hilldale farmer's market and grabbed an enormous bunch of basil, several plum tomatoes ($1.50/lb.!), some scallions and a huge number of patty pan squash for just over six dollars.

Mid-summer is a time for fresh vegetables and allowing them to show off their myriad wonders of flavor. Fresh tomatoes and basil cook down into a spectacular sauce that must be sopped up with a fresh loaf of Italian bread. Better yet, there is no fussing with pre-cooking lasagna noodles (though, I admit I gave that up the day Barilla introduced their no-cook noodles anyway).

Fresh Tomato Lasagna
(400* 1 hour)

6 large tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced
4 oz. fontina cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
lasagna noodles, as many as it takes
salt
fresh ground black pepper
olive oil

In the bottom of the dish (I am using an oblong 2 qt. Corningware) place a layer of tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place a layer of noodles on top, followed by another layer of tomatoes and salt and pepper. Next, layer all of the fontina, more noodles, all the mozzarella, 1/2 the Romano, further noodles and the remaining tomatoes, basil and Romano. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake.

As I said before, it's soupy. Serve it in bowls with the aforementioned bread, buttered. This is a summer meal that cannot be beat and the ease of preparation makes it all the more alluring.

(As a side note, I had half a tomato left over, along with basil and mozzarella. I must confess to being a lifelong raw tomato disliker and know it is more a textural issue than a flavor one, but I have been teaching myself to eat them. I made a tiny Caprese salad with the remaining bits and enjoyed it thoroughly. So, to the raw tomato haters, give it a shot by taking slices of tomato, slices of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves, layering them, sprinkling with s+p and drizzling with olive oil before eating. You may be surprised. Alternately, you can take those very same things plus some Italian or French bread, turn on the broiler and have a nice little pizza.)

Rustic Peach Tart

It's hot here in Wisconsin and, while I appreciate the fresh food of summer, I actually hate almost everything else about it. I'm guessing that this is due to the fact that I can't bake. I obviously tossed the no baking thing out the window yesterday, what with the muffins and all, but I loathe turning on the air conditioning and baking in upper-80s weather makes you have to.

Peaches are in season. I had to have some. I also had to bake with some. Initially I had planned to make a pie, but I didn't really want to invest that much time. Thus, a rustic (also termed free-form) tart. This can be done with any fruit or combination of things you want. I've done combinations of plum, raspberry and nectarine in the past.

Rustic Peach Tart
(425* for 45-55 mins.)

For the crust:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, shortening, lard (or combination thereof) cut into small pieces
1/8 - 1/4 cup ice cold water

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and drop bits of the chilled fat on top. With a pair of forks, pastry blender or your fingers work until you have the texture of coarse sand with some larger chunks here and there. Add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until dough comes together. Form a disk and place in the refrigerator or freezer until firm.

For the filling:

1 1/2 lbs. fresh peaches
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4-1/2 tsp. almond or vanilla extract.

Wash and slice peaches and place them in a bowl with the remaining ingredients and toss gently. Let them sit until you are ready to use them.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and, when the crust is sufficiently chilled, roll out the dough into a rough 14" circle. Gently transfer the dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet and spoon the peaches and accumulated juice into the center, leaving a 2" - 3" border. Fold the edges up against the mound of fruit, pressing gently so the folds adhere to one another. Brush with cream and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 45-55 mins. or until the crust is golden brown and the visible juices are bubbly.

Serve warm or at room temperature with good quality vanilla ice cream.

This is the first time I've used this crust. I usually go with the America's Test Kitchen version which includes a bit of corn meal for stability. When slicing time comes, we'll see if it holds up.

Zucchini Muffins

Our CSA has been churning out produce like crazy lately. It's hit full stride and I'm both overjoyed and a little overwhelmed. We've gotten tons of carrots, garlic, green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, sweet corn and now, that perennial summer veg, the zucchini. After receiving 2 last week and 2 this week, I decided something had to be done. That something was muffins.

Zucchini Muffins
(350* 20-25 mins. Makes 24
or 50-60 mins. and 2 loaves))

3 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (I used 1 1/2 whole wheat and 1 1/2 all purpose)
1 tsp. (heaping) cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried fruit or combination thereof

Preheat the oven to 350 and line 24 muffin cups with liners or grease and flour 2 5 x 9 in. loaf pans. Whisk together the eggs, oil, butter and sugar then add the zucchini and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine all the remaining dry ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and stir just until moist. Fill the muffin cups/loaf pans evenly and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for several minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.