I grew up baking a version of this holiday classic of cranberry-orange pecan bread using canned orange juice concentrate. When it came time to develop a recipe for Grand Central Bakery, we updated the family favorite by replacing the concentrate with freshly squeezed orange juice and plenty of zest. The result is a a pecan bread with more subtle orange flavor that allows the tartness of the cranberries to shine through.

convert Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (1 pound, 1 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups (15 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) vegetable oil or canola oil
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces) buttermilk
Zest and juice from one large orange (about 1 1/2 tablespoons zest plus 1/4 cup juice)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup (1 3/4 ounces) pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

2. Measure the flour, salt, and baking soda into a bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and oil on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined; the mixture will look sandy.

4. Crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and whisk together. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the eggs. Increase to medium speed and continue to mix for 2 minutes more. Mix the wet ingredients, then alternate additions of the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.

5. Whisk together the buttermilk, orange zest, and juice, and vanilla. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and incorporate on low speed, then increase the speed to medium. Mix for 1 minute. Add half of the buttermilk mixture and mix briefly to incorporate, then turn the speed down to low. Add half of the remaining dry ingredients, and incorporate before increasing the speed to medium for 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk mixture and the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

6. Fold the cranberries and pecans into the batter by hand, scrape the sides of the bowl, and then divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Each should be slightly more than half full.

7. Bake the cranberry-orange pecan bread for 60 to 75 minutes, rotating the pans every 20 minutes or so. The loaves will be golden brown with cracked tops, and a skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.

Recipe © 2009 Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Bread pudding is normally found in the dessert chapter of a cookbook. When I was a baker, I arranged my baking schedule so that these bread puddings were still warm when the lunch crowd arrived. But there always seemed to be more customers asking for bread pudding early in the day. Not one to stand in the way of people who enjoy dessert for breakfast, I started baking the bread pudding earlier and earlier, until it wound up in the breakfast pastry lineup as bread pudding muffins. Since Grand Central bread pudding is baked in muffin cups and tastes quite a bit like French toast, this seems fitting. If you can’t think about bread pudding before noon, don’t hesitate to bake this for dessert. Finish it with a boozy hard sauce or fresh berries mixed with a bit of sugar to draw out their juices.

convert Ingredients
1 pound crusty artisan white bread
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Method
1. Slice the bread and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Put it in a large bowl and toss it with the cinnamon.

2. Make the custard by whisking the eggs, sugar, cream, milk, and vanilla together until well combined. Pour the custard over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or generously grease with butter.

4. Scoop a heaping 1/2 cup of the bread pudding mixture into each of the 12 muffin cups; each one should be nicely mounded. Top off each bread pudding with any remaining custard.

5. Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the muffin tin halfway through the baking time. The bread puddings should be lightly golden brown on top. Dust them with confectioners’ sugar while they’re still warm.

Recipe © 2009 Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Like any good pastry, jammers—biscuits with a jam bursting from their centers—are irresistible warm from the oven. Remember, the higher the quality of jam, the better the jammer. I recommend preparing the ingredients the night before. When you bite into one of these warm jam-filled biscuits first thing the next morning, you’ll consider the time well spent.

convert Ingredients
4 cups (1 pound, 4 ounces) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (10 to 12 fluid ounces) buttermilk
About 3/4 cup good quality preserves or jam

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

2. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a bowl with high sides or the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.

3. Dice the butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Use your hands or the paddle attachment of the stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the texture of the flour changes from silky to mealy. There should still be dime- to quarter-size pieces of butter remaining. If you’re preparing the dough the night before, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight; otherwise proceed with the recipe.

4. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk in one addition. Gently mix the dough just until it comes together; it will look rough. Scrape the dough from the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add another 1/4 cup buttermilk and mix again to incorporate any floury scraps. The majority of the dough will come together, on the paddle if you are using a stand mixer. Stop mixing while there are still visible chunks of butter and floury patches. The dough should come out of the bowl in 2 to 3 large, messy clumps, leaving only some small scraps and flour around the sides of the bowl. If the dough is visibly dry and crumbly, add up to 1/4 cup more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing no more than one rotation after each addition.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use the heels and sides of your palms to gather the dough and gently pat it into an oblong shape 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick. It won’t look smooth or particularly cohesive; that’s okay. Use a biscuit cutter to cut the jammers into circles at least 21/2 inches in diameter. Layer the leftover scraps on top of one another and gently pat them out to a thickness of 1 1/2 to 2 inches and again cut into circles.

6. Use your thumb to make an indentation the size of a fifty-cent piece in the middle of each biscuit. While gently supporting the outside edge of the biscuit with your fingers, use your thumb to create a bulb-shaped hole that’s a bit wider at the bottom and that goes almost to the bottom of the biscuit (think pinch pot). Try to apply as little pressure as possible to the outside of the biscuit, to avoid smashing the layers, which are the key to flaky jammers. Fill each indentation with 1 tablespoon of jam and put the jammers on the prepared baking sheet with 1 1/2 inches between them.

7. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. The jammers should be a deep golden brown.

Recipe © 2009 Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Crumpets are a British tradition, especially in hotels. Located in the heart of London’s Mayfair district, the Chesterfield (35 Charles Street) was once the home of the Earl of Chesterfield. The hotel still retains the charm and character of a bygone era and in its airy Conservatory, guests can choose from four distinctive afternoon teas—Devonshire, Champagne, Traditional, or Chocolate. Crumpets (adapted here) and scones follow the sandwich course and are served warm with lots of butter and jam.

convert Ingredients
1/2 cup water, heated to 110°F (43°C)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 envelope active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups milk, warmed
Butter, at room temperature
Strawberry or raspberry jam for serving

Method
1. In a large bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes, or until foamy.

2. Stir in the flour, salt, baking soda, and milk. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture has risen.

3. Butter a large nonstick skillet and place it over low heat.

4. Generously butter crumpet rings or 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutters. Place the rings in the skillet and fill each halfway with batter. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, or until small holes appear and the top of the crumpets have started to dry. Remove the rings, turn the crumpets over, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining batter.

5. Serve the crumpets warm or toasted with butter and jam.

Recipe © 2009 Margaret M. Johnson. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Uova in Purgatorio

This simple dish, called eggs in purgatory because the sauce the eggs float in bubbles hotly as they’re simmered, is an amazing, flavorful dish as long as you use the very freshest eggs and the best good quality tomatoes. This is no place to use generic canned tomatoes!

Note: Instead of cooking the eggs whole, you may also scramble the eggs into the tomato sauce and serve as they are.

convert Ingredients
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoons chopped parsley
8 basil leaves, fresh, torn in pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
8 large eggs
8 slices grilled or toasted bread

Method
1. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, shock them in cold water, then peel the skin. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove most of the seeds, and then cut them in large dice; set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a sauté pan or saucepan that has a cover over medium heat with the garlic. Just before the garlic starts to take on any color, about 1 minute, add the tomatoes, parsley, and basil. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a simmer over low heat, and let cook for 10 minutes, until tomatoes become “saucy,” but are still a little chunky.

3. Break the eggs, one at the time, into a cup or dish and then gently slide them, one at the time and without breaking the yolks, on top of tomato sauce. Try to keep them separated.

4. Cover the pan and let cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until the eggs are done, but still soft. Immediately serve them on a large round plate with the tomato sauce. Serve the grilled or toasted bread on the side.

Wine Suggestion: Albana Secco

Recipe © 2009 The Culinary Institute of America. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.