Best Laurie Colwins Bread Recipes

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LAURIE COLWIN'S GINGERBREAD



Laurie Colwin's Gingerbread image

The writer Laurie Colwin had an obsession with gingerbread, publishing a few different essays and recipes exploring its charms. In the essay that precedes this moist, cakelike rendition, from her book "Home Cooking," she writes that it is "home food" - not fancy restaurant food, that is, but soothing cold-weather food that is simple to make, ideal for an afternoon spent holed up indoors. The essay is also a paean to Steen's cane syrup, from Louisiana, which comes in cheerful yellow cans. Steen's is easy to find online, if not at your local supermarket, but the recipe does not suffer if you use another brand of light molasses instead. Serve the cake plain with whipped cream, or with fruit and a dollop of crème fraîche, or glazed with lemon icing, as Ms. Colwin often did. (The New York Times)

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     dessert

Time 45m

Yield One 9-inch cake

Number Of Ingredients 12

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, additional for buttering pan
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light molasses
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger, or to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons lemon brandy or vanilla extract (see note)
1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk with a little plain yogurt beaten into it)

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch cake pan and set aside. Cream remaining 4 ounces butter with the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy, add molasses, then beat in eggs.
  • Add flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
  • Add lemon brandy or vanilla extract and buttermilk and turn batter into pan.
  • Bake for 20 to 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Cool on a rack.

LAURIE COLWIN'S BAKED MUSTARD CHICKEN



Laurie Colwin's Baked Mustard Chicken image

This old-school chicken, Sunday-night-supper chicken, even dinner party chicken, is baked for about two hours (yes, you read that correctly: two hours) until its bread crumb-coated skin is crisp - yet the meat miraculously maintains its moisture. The recipe, adapted from the great food writer Laurie Colwin, is so simple to make that her original version was written out in a brief paragraph, casually instructing the home cook to coat the chicken with mustard, garlic, a little thyme, a pinch of cinnamon. We have adapted the recipe to include measurements and more specific direction, but that shouldn't stop you from absorbing her nonchalance and confidence as you make it, the certainty that it will turn out delicious every time. (The New York Times)

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     dinner, easy, weekday, main course

Time 2h15m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

3/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and black pepper
2 cups fine dry unseasoned bread crumbs
2 chickens, 2 to 3 pounds each, quartered, rinsed and dried
1 tablespoon sweet paprika, or as needed
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine mustard, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place bread crumbs in another large bowl.
  • Working in batches, coat chicken quarters on all sides with mustard mixture. Shake off excess mustard, then coat completely with bread crumbs. Arrange in a single layer in a large, shallow baking pan.
  • Dust the chicken with paprika and scatter butter pieces on top. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and crispy, about 2 hours. (Depending on the oven, the size of the pan and the size of the chickens, baking time may be as long as 2 1/2 hours.) Serve hot or at room temperature.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 772, UnsaturatedFat 28 grams, Carbohydrate 30 grams, Fat 48 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 54 grams, SaturatedFat 15 grams, Sodium 1059 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams

LAURIE COLWIN'S CREAMED SPINACH WITH JALAPEñO PEPPERS



Laurie Colwin's Creamed Spinach With Jalapeño Peppers image

This recipe is from the celebrated food writer Laurie Colwin, and in some ways it is quintessentially hers. There's the delicious richness of the dish, its unfussiness and nostalgic value. There is the constant awareness of the plight of the busy home cook, those who would just as soon use a package of frozen spinach if the results are just as good as if you washed and chopped an untold number of bunches of fresh spinach yourself. And there is a twist: the jalapeños, which are a preventative measure against the gloppy blandness of steakhouse creamed spinach, adding sharpness to the dish but not too much heat. You can use either fresh or pickled jalapeños here - the latter add nice zing - and panko bread crumbs are a good substitution for fresh if you don't have them (or a few pieces of stale bread) in the pantry. (The New York Times)

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     easy, weekday, casseroles, dips and spreads, side dish

Time 1h10m

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

2 10-ounce packages whole-leaf frozen spinach (do not thaw)
4 tablespoons butter, additional for buttering pan
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup evaporated milk
Black pepper
3/4 teaspoon celery salt
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into cubes
1 pickled or fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped, or more to taste
1/2 cup soft buttered bread crumbs (see note)

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 300 degrees. Meanwhile, cook spinach according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of liquid, and chop finely.
  • Butter a shallow 8-inch-square casserole dish or other shallow 4- to 6-cup baking dish. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan and add flour. Blend and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown. Add onion and garlic.
  • Add the spinach liquid slowly, then add evaporated milk, some black pepper, celery salt and cheese. Mix well and add jalapeño and spinach. Cook until all is blended.
  • Turn into the casserole dish, top with buttered bread crumbs and bake until lightly browned, about 45 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 205, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 11 grams, Fat 14 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 251 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams

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