Mango Coconut Crisp

How can I explain this photo? I was so engrossed in the engaging and delightful conversation with my dinner guests that I forgot about dessert sitting under my broiler. Two minutes turned to ten and before I knew it I had a full-scale oven fire on my hands. It happens. The key to handling this kind of situation with grace and ease is to remain calm, then lie about it and cover it up. Just casually scrape the burnt pieces off, add fresh topping, and start over. If there are any residual singed areas, cover them with ice cream, dim the lights in the dining room, and pretend like nothing happened. Nobody has to know! Unless you take photos of the whole thing and blog about it on the internet for everyone to see…

Despite my own kitchen disaster, this recipe really is quite simple and easy to make. Just be sure keep an eye on it while it’s under the broiler and you’ll be fine. Perhaps check the batteries in your smoke detector, just in case.

Makes 4 servings

4 mangoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup dried coconut flakes plus 2 tablespoons (unsweetened)

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup slivered almonds

3 tablespoons butter

vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Toast the 2 tablespoons of coconut flakes in a small pan over medium-low heat. When the flakes begin to smell fragrant and turn golden brown, remove them from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375F. Dice the mangoes into 1" pieces. In a bowl, toss the mango with 1 tablespoons of brown sugar. Arrange the mango into individual ramekins, leaving a little room at the top for the crisp topping. Alternatively, you could bake this in a 8" square baking dish.

Combine the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds until the mixture is combined but still coarse. Sprinkle some of the topping into each ramekin.  Bake for 25 minutes for ramekins, 35 minutes for an 8" square dish. Turn on the broiler and broil for about 2 minutes. I think it goes without saying that you should probably stay in the kitchen and watch it while it broils.

Remove from oven, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, sprinkle with the toasted coconut flakes, and serve.

Mini Pavlova with Balsamic Strawberries and Cream

Remember when you were a kid and you thought that clouds were soft, cottony, pillows that you could float on, if only you could somehow reach them? Perhaps there was a castle there and a room full of toys. No? Just me? Well, I used to dream that I could go there in my sleep and I'd never have to do chores, like sweeping, ever again. It was glorious. Then I lost my Les Miserables soundtrack and forgot all about it.

Now, of course, I understand that clouds are nothing more than water droplets suspended in the atmosphere. Here on earth, we have meringue. My favourite thing about this recipe is watching simple egg whites transform into velvety, billowing, meringue clouds. When baked, the meringue becomes slightly crisp on the outside and soft like a marshmallow on the inside. Top them with a fluffy dollop of whipped cream and just about any fruit you like, then serve one to your boyfriend in exchange for sweeping the floors. You'll be in heaven.

Makes about 16 Pavlova

For the meringue:
8 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white wine vinegar

For the topping:
2 cups chopped strawberries
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup strawberry coulis (see recipe)
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, combine the strawberries, balsamic, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside while you make the meringues (you can also do this step ahead of time and keep the berries in the fridge until you're ready to serve).

Preheat oven to 300F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper. Trace circles onto the parchment paper using a drinking glass that is about 10 cm in diameter. You should be able to fit 6-8 circles onto each parchment, depending on the size or your baking trays.

Combine the sugar and corn starch in a bowl. In a separate bowl or stand-up mixer, beat the egg whites on high (it's important to use a clean, dry bowl). While beating, gradually add the sugar/cornstarch one spoonful at a time. Continue to beat until the mixture is glossy and forms stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and vinegar and whip briefly to incorporate.

With a spoon or your fingertip, place a small dot of meringue under each corner of the parchment paper. This will help it stick to the baking tray and make it easier to sculpt the meringues. Spoon about 3/4 cup of meringue onto each circle. Using the back of a spoon, make a small indentation in each meringue to make room for the filling. Place the baking trays on the centre rack in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and let sit in the oven for another 30 minutes until the meringues are golden. Remove and transfer to a rack to cool.

Whip the cream with the remaining two tablespoons of sugar and vanilla. To serve, top each meringue with the whipped cream, a spoonful of strawberries, and drizzle of strawberry coulis. 

Cran-Apple Oatmeal Muffins

I was recently stocking up on some kitchen supplies when I came across a huge display of beautifully patterned paper muffin cups. Now normally I am more of the ‘cooking’ type but there is something about brightly coloured muffin cups that convinces me that I can be a better baker and, regardless of what is inside of them, if I use nicer cups my baked goods be more delicious. With this in mind, I purchased four packages of 60 cups each, effectivly signing myself up for a years worth of baking. I am happy to say that as good as these muffins are when baked inside a greased muffin tin, unwrapping them from a lovely paper cup makes them more of a treat!  I usually eat these as a breakfast on the go or packed as an afternoon snack.  The addition of grated apple keeps these muffins moist, making them great for freezing.

Makes 12-14 muffins

1 large apple, grated

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup cranberries, frozen

1 1/2 cups oatmeal, large flakes

1 cup flour

1 tbsp ground flax

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 375F.

Line muffin tins with papers and spray with cooking spray to grease.

In a medium bowl combine grated apple, milk, oil, egg, and vanilla and mix well.  Set aside.

In a large bowl combine oatmeal, flour, flax, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix well.  Add reserved wet ingredients to flour-oatmeal mix and stir to incorporate.  Stir in cranberries and almonds.

Fill muffin cups to the top and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick can be inserted in centre and removed cleanly.  Remove from muffin tin and cool completely on a cooling rack.

*If freezing, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then freeze.  To thaw, remove muffin from freezer, let stand overnight and enjoy in the morning.

Really French Toast a l'Orange

This recipe is proof positive that sometimes playing it safe and being ordinary simply won’t do.  Some days you have to go completely over the top.  Nobody knows this better than Sir Elton Hercules John, a man who dares to ask; "Why wear jeans and a t-shirt when you can sport a sequinned jumpsuit and pink rhinestone glasses?"

Indeed, I ask; "why use regular bread for your French toast when you can use buttery, flaky croissants drowned in custard?"  Well health might be one reason and it goes without saying that any recipe that begins with croissants and ends with butter and maple syrup is probably not the healthiest ... but it is the most delicious.  Thanks to my usually health-conscious mom for inspiring this recipe!

I bake this instead of frying because the croissants are very delicate and tend to fall apart. However, if you insist on frying, soak the croissants in the egg mixture for only a few seconds on each side as they soak up the custard much faster than bread.

6 croissants (best if they are a day old)
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup orange juice
zest of one orange
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg (freshly grated is best)
Butter for greasing the baking dish
Maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a medium sized baking dish with butter.  I usually use a 9 inch round x 3 inch deep casserole dish.

Slice each croissant in half lengthwise and pack them into the dish. If you can't fit them all in, don't worry, you can squish them down more once the egg mixture is added. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a bowl and pour about half of the the mixture over the croissants. Gently push the croissants down to help them soak up the egg mixture. Add the rest of the croissants if necessary and top with the rest of the mixture. The liquid should almost reach the top of the croissants with some pieces left sticking out. You can top it up with a bit of milk if necessary. Bake until puffed and golden, about 35-40 minutes.
Serve warm with maple syrup.

Banana Blueberry Almond Bread

I don't really like bananas. If you eat one that's too green, it's starchy and mealy. If you find a ripe one, you have to try ever so hard not to bruise it by gently placing it in your grocery bag with soft items like toilet paper. Then you return home, place it in the fruit bowl, and somehow the next morning it has countless brown spots (which to me means it's inedible).  I can never seem to get the timing right for a perfect banana and therefore end up with a lot of rotten ones. What other foods could we let sit on the counter for weeks, then consume in a tastier version than its usual form?  Anyway, my solution for these countless rotten bananas is no surprise: banana bread. However, this banana bread is a departure from your usual recipe as ground almonds replace some of the flour, which gives this bread a delicate, nutty, sweet flavour (yes, the sprinkle of almonds on top also provides nutty flavour, I know, but those with a discerning palate will know what I am talking about ). 

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup ground almonds

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup frozen blueberries

1 tbsp raw sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a loaf pan.

In a medium bowl combine flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

With an electric mixer and a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until well combined, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until well incorporated.  Add almond extract and bananas and mix to combine. 

Gradually add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, and mix until just combined.  By hand, stir in blueberries and mix until well distributed in the batter.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle top with sliced almonds.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Cool on a baking rack for 10 minutes in the pan then remove from the pan and cool completely.

Red Velvet Cake

I love red velvet cake! It reminds me of the best parts of other types of cakes; the chocolate from a Devil's food cake and the cream cheese frosting from a carrot cake - all dyed red, how festive!  I made this cake over the Christmas holidays, however, have also made it for birthdays and it's so good that any occasion that requires baking a cake, I will most likely be making this one.  My favourite thing about this red velvet recipe (named #1 in 2010 by the Joy of Baking) is actually the cream cheese frosting, as it combines cream cheese, mascarpone and whipping cream, making it lighter and less sugary than most frostings. (Note, I am not eluding to the fact the cream cheese, mascarpone and whipping cream are 'light' in the calorie department, more so light in flavour and mild in taste).  This recipe is a part of Lisa's treat linky! 

From:  The Joy of Baking

Red Velvet Cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp liquid red food colouring

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups icing sugar

1 1/2 cups cold heavy whipping cream (35% MF)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and line the bottom of two 9" pans with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a bowl soft together, flour, salt and cocoa powder.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a bowl with your electric mixer, beat butter until smooth, then add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat until, and mix until well incorporated, next add vanilla and mix until well combined.  Scrape sides of bowl down as necessary to ensure is well mixed. 

In a measuring cup combine buttermilk, and red food colouring.  Next with the mixer on low speed, alternately add flour and buttermilk in 3 additions, ending with flour.  In a small dish combine the vinegar and baking soda, allow the mixture to fizz, then add to the batter, and stir in until well combine.

Divide the batter into the two cake pans, and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Once baked, cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to completely cool.  Once cooled, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1 hour.  Cakes can be baked in advance and stored for 1 day in fridge, remove when ready to frost.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

In the bowl of your electric mixer or in a bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until smooth.  Add the vanilla and icing sugar and beat until smooth.  Next using the whisk attachment (if using electric mixer)  and gradually add the whipping cream and whip until frosting is thick enough to spread, about 5 minutes. Add more sugar or cream if necessary to achieve right consistency.

Assembly:

With a serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally in half.  You will now have 4 cake layers.  Place one layer onto your cake platter and frost, using a large, flat spatula.  Place next layer on top, frosting, and repeat with remaining layers then frost top and sides of cake.

Lemon Tart

Out of all dessert options, my favourite is anything with lemon. Even when I am too full to eat dessert somehow I can always eat a crumbly lemon shortbread, one scoop of lighter than air lemon gelato, or a slice of lemon tart.  This lemon tart embodies the name 'tart' as it is just that.  It has a shortbread-like crust and a tart, slightly sweet filling.  Garnishing with raspberries provides a bit of extra sweetness and makes for a lovely presentation.  (I think that T-Moo will agree with me that lemon desserts are most enjoyable; however, we may agree to disagree on whose lemon tart recipe is better. So, keep watch for T-Moo's lemon tart recipe to come as we want you, our loyal readers, to decide and let us know which lemon tart reigns supreme).

Crust
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted

1/3 cup icing sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes

Lemon Filling
5oz ~3/4 cup regular cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 pint of raspberries to garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 425F, and grease an 8" tart pan with a removable bottom.  Set aside.

For the Crust: In a food processor combine flour, icing sugar and salt.  Process to combine.  Add the cold butter and pulse until the pastry comes together and forms small clumps.  Place the pastry in the tart pan and using your fingertips, press the pastry into the pan, covering the bottom and up the sides. Once the pastry is covering the tart pan, you can use a silicone spatula or back of a soup spoon to smooth the surface. Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork about 10-15 times to prevent the pastry from rising up.  Chill the pastry in the freezer for about 15 minutes before baking to prevent the pastry from shrinking while it bakes (this is good time to clean out the bowl of your food processor as you will need it to prepare the filling). When the pastry is chilled, place the entire tart pan on a large baking sheet and into the oven. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden.  Remove the tart shell from the oven and place on a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 350F.

For the Filling:  Pulse the cream cheese in the food processor until smooth.  Add sugar and process until well combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and pulse until each is well incorporated.  Add the lemon zest and juice and blend until smooth.  Pour filling into prebaked tart shell and place in oven to bake for 25-30 minutes until the filling has set and no longer wobbles in centre.  Transfer to wire rack to cool (tart may develop a crack down centre while baking or cooling...no big deal, this just really proves it's homemade). Once cooled, cover and place in refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour.  If garnishing with raspberries,  wash and dry raspberries and place around outer perimeter of tart where the lemon filling meets the shell. Serve!

Whipped Lavender Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are light and delicate, once placed in your mouth they seem to dissolve and melt away like a sandcastle that's too close to the waters edge.  The addition of lavender provides a floral note and certain je ne sais quoi that is delightful. Serve with nice cup of tea, and try not to eat too many!

1 Cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 Cups all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup Icing Sugar, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp lavender buds, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer - mix the butter and vanilla for 2 minutes on medium speed.  While butter is mixing; in a bowl combine 1 1/2 cups flour, icing sugar and salt.  In another small bowl combine 1/4 cup flour and lavender buds and reserve.

Add the flour-icing sugar mixture to the butter ~1/2 cup at a time, mixing for 2 minutes between each addition. (Approx. 10 minutes)  Once all incorporated the mixture should be light and fluffy (almost like that of buttercream icing).  Next add the flour and lavender bud mixture and mix on medium speed for a final 2 minutes.

Drop dough by the teaspoonful onto baking sheet, and bake cookies for ~12 minutes or until the edges just barely start to brown.  Remove cookies from oven, and place on cooling rack.

Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Cups...

I have mixed emotions about sharing this recipe with you and encouraging you to go and make these on your own. Sure the pictures look great, you say, but what you aren't seeing is the disastrous kitchen mess resembling that of a chocolatey Jackson Pollock and the multiple 'smash modes' (my version of a hissy fit) that occurred while making these.  However, this is a blog about the MISadventures of cooking so I guess it is my moral obligation to tell you the tale of these chocolate peanut butter cups.  

My first million dollar idea was to use small confectioners cups.  These cups were so tiny that getting the chocolate into each nook and cranny was very tedious and time consuming. The cups, being small and flimsy, kept slipping out of my hands and every time this happened I let out a disgruntled sigh. After about the fifth time my sighs turned to yelling and muttering obscenities in frustration as chocolate was spraying all over me and the kitchen.  Yet I pressed onward and two T-shirt changes later, which would have been three until I had the bright idea to put on an apron, I was back on track: chocolate cups coated and into the freezer.

Next I mixed up the peanut butter mixture, no problems there. 

Then came the filling: with chocolate cups at the ready, I began piping small amounts of peanut filling into the cups. Annoyingly the seam of the Ziplock piping bag burst, sending a wave of gooey peanut butter down my hands and cascading over my precious little chocolate cups and onto the counter. At this point, it was just too much - more obscenities, yelling, tears of anger starting to squeeze from my eyes (a full on 'smash mode' if there ever was one). Luckily, before I just about dumped the whole plate of cups into the sink, my boyfriend who had been watching this whole production go down swooped in to calm me (this may have been a self serving act on his part to save the chocolate cups and ensure dessert for later).  After a 2 minute breather I was back at it racing to finish up with no further complications and, as you can see, the results turned out quite well.

So if you love chocolate, peanut butter and tedium, this is definitely the recipe for you!

Makes 36-40 peanut butter cups

40 confectioners size baking cups

1 large piping bag or Ziplock bag

3 100g 70% Lindt chocolate bars, broken into pieces

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup natual peanut butter

1/3 cup icing sugar, sifted

1 tsp butter, room temperatue

pinch of salt

Seperate baking cups, and arrange on a flat tray, that can be transferred into the freezer.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate and coconut oil and gently stir until smooth. Once melted, keep chocolate in double boiler on very low heat. 

Place small spoonful (~1/2 tsp - 1 tsp) of chocolate into a baking cup, twist and rotate cup until all nooks and crannys of the paper cup have been coated.  Place back on tray and repeat with all baking cups.  Once all cups are coated, place the tray of cups into the freezer for about 10 minutes to set the chocolate.

While cups are chilling, mix peanut butter, icing sugar, butter and pinch of salt in a bowl.  Once mixed, place into piping or Ziplock bag (if using Ziplock push mix into one corner, then cut off the corner of the bag).

Remove cups from freezer, and pipe peanut mixture into the centre of the chocolate cups. Leave some space around the edge of the peanut mixture so that when you fill with chocolate, it will surround the peanut mixture like a moat - doing this will help to build up the width of the side wall.

Once all cups are filled with peanut mixture, spoon over reamining melted chocolate to fill up 'moat' and cover peanut mixture entirely.  Once filled with chocolate, return tray to fridge and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Enjoy! (bonus points if you did it with no kitchen catastrophes)

Note - If you want a more substantial PB cup, small baking papers (think, mini cupcake size) would likely also work well.

 

Oatmeal cookies!

I’ve been struggling for 20 minutes to come up with something clever to say about oatmeal cookies. So far the best line was when I accidentally typed “oatmeat”. I giggled at that one for far too long.  What can I say? These cookies are delicious. Sometimes I add a sprinkling of dried coconut into the mix just for fun.  Eat them while they’re still warm with a glass of milk.

¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 ½ cups rolled oats
¾  cup chocolate chips
1 35g 70% Cacao Lindt Chocolate Bar, chopped



Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream together the butter, milk, vanilla, egg, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Some cookie recipes insist you combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl but I see no need to dirty another dish (dishes are my most hated chore). Instead, add the flour, baking powder, salt and oats on top of the butter mixture and stir them around a bit to distribute the baking powder before mixing the whole thing together. Add the chocolate chips and chopped lindt bar. To be honest, I usually eyeball the amount of chocolate chips so feel free to add more or less if you prefer.
Distribute spoonfulls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Carefully transfer to a rack to cool.

Seven apple two apple tart

This tart was largely influenced by Fleetwood Mac. After misreading a recipe that called for two apples, we found ourselves with seven peeled, cored, and sliced apples. A five apple surplus. Not wanting to put them to waste, we took our cue from Stevie Nicks, completely disregarded the original recipe, and decided to Go Our Own Way. This delicious seven apple tart was the result.

7 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced using a mandoline
juice from one lemon
2 + 1 tbsp vanilla syrup (recipe to follow)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
creme fraiche for serving

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Combine 1/3 cup of creme fraiche with 1 tablespoon of vanilla syrup and set aside. Toss the sliced apples with lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of vanilla syrup and cinnamon. Roll out the thawed puff pastry until it is about the size of a medium sized cookie sheet. Gently transfer the pastry to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer for a few minutes to chill.
Once chilled, pile apple mixture onto the pastry leaving a 1 1/2" edge. Fold the edges up on all sides. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is puffed and golden and the apples are tender. Serve with the vanilla creme fraiche.

Vanilla Syrup:

1 vanilla bean
1 cup sugar
2 cups water

Combine sugar and water in a small pot. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds, and add the seeds and pod to the pot. Simmer on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, then reduce to low and simmer gently for ten minutes. Strain out the vanilla bean before using.

The syrup is a great way to sweeten cocktails, whipped cream, or creme fraiche. It's also delicious drizzled over fruit or vanilla ice cream.

Challah

My friends and I share a lot of cottage traditions. Plaid shirts, late night dance parties, rousing games of Cranium and a game called Boxhead have all become staples of cottage weekends at Duclos Point, Oliphant, or Christie Lake. One of my favourites is the challah midnight snack. When everyone has worked up a hunger after a late night dance party, that's my cue to produce a warm, freshly baked challah straight from the oven. My friends and I gather around the loaf and descend upon it like locusts, devouring it in minutes, before retiring to the couch to digest while listening to my brother-in-law Scott play guitar or watch SNL's Best of Will Ferrell. Invariably, all that's left the next morning is a smattering of bread crumbs and an empty butter dish. Unless the neighbours stole it the night before, which has actually happened.

This recipe is a hyrbid of a few that I've sampled. I like to use honey but sugar is fine as well, though perhaps use only half a cup or so. I used to make this in my parents bread machine but I've finally developed the forearm strength to make it from scratch.

1/2 cup plus 2/3 cup warm water
2 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup honey
5 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
3/4 cup melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
7 cups all-purpose flour
Sprinkling of sesame seeds

Combine 1/2 cup warm water, yeast and sugar in a measuring cup or bowl and stir until the yeast dissolves. Let stand til foamy, about 10 minutes.

In the bowl of a stand-mixer, beat the eggs until blended (use the whisk attachment). Add the butter, salt, and honey and beat until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the water and yeast mixture and beat until well blended. Exchange the whisk for the dough hook. Gradually add the flour, one up at a time, until the dough begins to form a smooth ball. Continue to beat until the dough becomes elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough is wet, add a little more flour.

Sprinkle the counter or work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Knead for 2 minutes and form into a smooth ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Let rise in a warm area until the dough has doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and then let it recover and rise for another 30 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto the work surface and divide into two equal portions to make two loaves. For a 3-strand braided loaf, divide each portion into three, roll each into a 12-inch rope, and braid them together to form a loaf. I usually braid my challah into a 4-strand loaf, which is a little more complicated. I could type out the directions for this but it's much easier to watch someone do it on Youtube - just Google "4 strand challah". Alternatively, you can form the dough into buns by tying 4-inch lengths into a knots.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Once the dough is shaped, let it rise for another 30 minutes. Mix an egg yolk with a couple teaspoons of water and brush on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake til the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 20 more minutes. Serve warm with butter.