Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - Michelle Wojtowicz [70]
Heat the cream and butter together in a small saucepan. Put the potatoes and garlic in a large mixing bowl, and mash them with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until they’re somewhat smooth but still chunky. Pour in the cream mixture and combine. Add the chives, parsley, scallions, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Parker House Rolls
Parker House rolls were invented at the Parker House, a hotel in Boston that also claims to be the birthplace of the Boston cream pie. They’re American cuisine at its best, and Thanksgiving is an ideal time to highlight these buttery rolls.
Parker House rolls are our staff’s absolute favorite, soft and perfect for dipping in gravy. While we are preparing Thanksgiving dinner, we like to make ourselves little sandwiches from these. The next day, we use the leftover rolls to make bread pudding.
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INGREDIENTS
2 ¼ cups whole milk
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
6 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup unsalted butter, melted, for coating the bowl and brushing
Makes 24 rolls
Put the milk in a small saucepan and warm it over very low heat until lukewarm. Remove the pan from the heat. Rain the yeast over the milk, stir, and set it aside to activate for 5 minutes.
In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the yeast mixture with 3 cups of the flour on low speed. Over a 1-minute period, add the remaining 3 ¾ cups flour and the sugar, salt, eggs, and softened butter. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Turn the speed up to high and mix for 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a buttered mixing bowl that is large enough to let the dough double in size. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm area for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough has doubled.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, cut it into 2-ounce pieces (about the size of walnuts), and arrange them in equal rows on the work surface. Cover them with a kitchen towel so they won’t dry out. Starting with the first piece that you cut, shape the dough pieces into balls and set them back in their rows, a few inches apart from one another. Let them rest, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and brush the parchment lightly with melted butter.
Working with 3 dough balls at a time, flip the balls over and use a rolling pin to stretch each one into an elongated oval. Brush them with the melted butter, and fold them to form a half-moon. Place the folded rolls on the prepared baking sheet so that they are close together, almost touching, in 4 rows of 6 rolls each. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter, and place the entire baking sheet inside a large plastic bag. Tie the bag loosely and let the rolls rise in a warm place in the kitchen until they double in size and are touching, 30 to 45 minutes.
While the rolls are rising, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Remove the baking sheet from the bag and bake the rolls for 25 to 35 minutes, until they’re evenly golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and while the rolls are still warm, brush them again with melted butter. Let them rest for a few minutes, and serve warm.
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Cranberry Sauce
It’s really easy to make homemade cranberry sauce—we like to make large amounts and store it in the refrigerator to have around during the colder months. The tartness of cranberries makes them