WESTERN PRODUCER — Entertaining with family and friends is easier if you follow these simple guidelines.
First, make a plan including the menu and a time schedule. Choose serving dishes and place them on the buffet table if that helps to visualize the food.
Second, decide what can be made ahead of time. Many bread and bun doughs can sit overnight or up to a few days in the refrigerator. Breakfast stratas are often completely made the day before, refrigerated and ready to pop in the oven the next morning.
Don’t be afraid to delegate. Ask guests to help by bringing food. If they have a specialty, that would be ideal or even give them the recipe you want made.
Ham biscuit sandwiches
- 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for work surface 875 mL
- 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder 22 mL
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda 3 mL
- 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar 22 mL
- 1 tsp. kosher salt 5 mL
- 1/2 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 125 mL
- 2 tsp. melted, unsalted butter 10 mL
- 1 3/4 c. cold buttermilk 435 mL
- sliced ham
- sliced extra-sharp cheddar and lettuce leaves, for serving
Preheat oven to 450 F (220C).
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or fork until coarse crumbs form.
Stir buttermilk into flour mixture until just combined. Turn out dough onto a well-floured work surface and knead lightly three or four times. Pat into a 3/4-inch (1.9 cm) thick rectangle. Cut into nine squares and transfer to a baking sheet, placing close together but not touching. Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.
Halve biscuits and top with ham.
Serve with apricot mustard, cheddar and lettuce alongside.
Apricot mustard
- 1/2 c. apricot jam 125 mL
- 2 tbsp. whole-grain mustard 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 155 mL
Whisk together apricot jam, whole-grain mustard, and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Makes 2/3 cup (150 mL).
Oatmeal muffins
- 1 c. flour 250 mL
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder 6 mL
- 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 3 mL
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats or rolled oats 375 mL
- 1 c. whole milk 250 mL
- 1/3 c. vegetable oil 75 mL
- 1/2 c. packed light brown sugar 125 mL
- 1 c. dried cranberries, roughly chopped 250 mL
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Oil a muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Add the brown sugar, oil, dried cranberries and eggs to the oat mixture. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture and stir together just until combined. Divide the batter among the muffin tins. You can sprinkle the tops with extra oats or coarse sugar, if desired.
Bake for seven minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F (180 C) and continue baking for 12 to 15 minutes or until the centres are springy to the touch and the muffins are golden brown. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes.
Remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely or serve warm. Makes 12.
Spring pasta with salmon and spinach
- 12 oz. salmon fillets 365 g
- cooking oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. short pasta, like macaroni or penne 500 g
- 1/2 bunch fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. In the last minute, before draining the pasta, add the spinach. Drain pasta and spinach mixture in a colander.
Add cooking oil to lightly cover the bottom of a skillet. Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Sauté on both sides until desired doneness. Remove and discard the skin. Cut into one inch square (2.5 cm) pieces and cool.
Combine the pasta with the salmon and enough ginger salad dressing to moisten.
Serve or chill until serving time. Makes six servings.
Ginger salad dressing
- 1/2 c. minced onion 125 mL
- 1/2 c. canola oil 125 mL
- 1/3 c. rice vinegar 80 mL
- 2 tbsp. water 30 mL
- 2 tbsp. minced, fresh ginger 30 mL
- 2 tbsp. minced celery 30 mL
- 4 tsp. soy sauce 20 mL
- 2 tsp. granulated sugar 10 mL
- 2 tsp. lemon juice 10 mL
- 1 tsp. minced garlic 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 mL
Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, about 45 seconds.
Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 1 3/4 cups (425 mL).
Cinnamon rolls
- 2 c. whole milk 500 mL
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil or melted butter 125 mL
- 1/2 c. sugar 125 mL
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- 4 + 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, divided 1.125 L
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder 2 mL
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 mL
- 1/2 tbsp. salt 7 mL
- 1 c. butter, melted 250 mL
- 1/2 c. sugar 125 mL
- cinnamon
Heat the milk until just before the boiling point. There will be small bubbles around the edge and a scum will form on the surface. Pour into mixing bowl. Add vegetable oil and sugar. Let cool.
When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but not hot, sprinkle in yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast blooms.
Then add four cups (1 L) of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour or until it doubles in size. Now add 1/2 cup (125 mL) flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Stir mixture together.
At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it — overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to rise out of the mixing bowl, punch it down.
When ready to make the buns dust countertop generously with flour. Take the dough, form a rough rectangle and roll the dough about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out. Now drizzle 3/4 to one cup (250 mL) melted butter over the dough. Next, sprinkle 1/2 cup (25 mL) sugar over the butter, followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Roll the long side of the dough in a neat line. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Pinch the seam to the roll to seal it.
Cut into 12 or 14 buns. Fit into a 9 x 13 inch (22 x 33 cm) cake pan or two round nine inch (22 cm) cake pans that have been sprayed with cooking oil. Set in a warm place and cover with a clean kitchen towel until doubled in size.
Bake at 375 F (190 C) until very browned, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto a cooking rack. When fully cooled, glaze with your favourite icing.
Orange sweet rolls
Use the recipe for cinnamon buns and add to dough the zest from one medium-sized orange. Substitute 1/2 cup (125 mL) orange juice for 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the milk. Use only two teaspoons (10 mL) of cinnamon in the filling along with the butter and sugar. Finish with a glaze made with one cup (250 mL) of icing sugar, three tablespoons (45 mL) of orange juice, one teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla extract and zest from one orange.
Sarah Galvin is a home economist, teacher and avid supporter of local food producers. She has been a market vendor, grew up on a farm in southeastern Saskatchewan and is a member of TEAM Resources.
