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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014
THE SUMTER ITEM
Call Rhonda Barrick at: (803) 774-1264 | E-mail: rhondab@theitem.com
From breakfast to dessert
We have your Easter covered
You’ll find loaves of frozen bread dough in the grocer’s freezer section. Jars of lemon curd are alongside the jams and jellies. Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours (30 minutes active) Servings: 15
STORIES AND ART FROM The Associated Press
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STICKY LEMONY BREAKFAST BUNS
aybe it’s the bright color. Maybe it’s the
1/4 cup granulated sugar Zest of 1 lemon Two 1-pound loaves frozen white bread dough, thawed and allowed to come to
fresh, vibrant taste. Whatever the reason, Easter has become inextricably linked to
lemon (and chocolate, of course). So we decided to do a
room temperature 1/2 cup lemon curd 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Line a baking sheet with kitchen parchment. In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Sprinkle half of it on a clean counter. Place 1 loaf of the dough on the sprinkled counter, then roll it out to form an 8-by-16-inch rectangle (with one of the long sides facing you). Sprinkle the dough with the remaining sugar, then gently run the roller over the dough to ensure the sugar mixture sticks. Roll out the second loaf to the same size, then set it on top of the first. Spread the lemon curd over the dough, leaving a 1-inch strip bare along the long edge farther from you. Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the dough up into a log. Pinch the dough along the seam to seal it. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 1-inch-wide rounds. Arrange the rounds on the prepared baking sheet, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until puffy. After 15 minutes, heat the oven to 350 degrees. When the buns have risen, uncover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. The internal temperature of the buns should read 185 degrees. Allow to cool slightly before icing. To make the icing, in a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Drizzle over the tops of the buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.
refresh of the conventional breakfast cinnamon bun, infusing it with lemony goodness three different ways. We start by replacing the cinnamon sugar with sugar spiked with lemon zest. Then we fill the buns with purchased lemon curd (a decadent, tangy treat that also is good simply spread onto toast). Finally, we drizzle our finished buns with icing made from lemon juice and powdered sugar. The result is vibrantly lemony, but not mouth puckering. And to keep things fast and easy, we use purchased frozen bread dough as the base for the buns. All you need to do is thaw the dough, roll it out, fill it, then roll
Nutrition information per serving: 250 calories; 50 calories from fat (20 percent of total calories); 6 g fat (1.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 25 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 17 g sugar; 7 g protein; 370 mg sodium.
it back up before slicing and baking. These buns are the perfect way to start Easter — or any spring — morning.
GLAZED SWEET POTATO-STUFFED HAM
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t Thanksgiving, we stuff turkeys. At Easter we stuff...? Hams! It’s not as crazy as it sounds. And it’s much easier than you think. We created a delicious and beautiful baked ham that is stuffed with layer upon layer of sweet potato slices. The trick is to use a spiral-cut ham. All those slices are the perfect place to insert a bit of flavor and color to your ham. Simply start at one slice, use your fingers to gently peel apart the layers, then insert thin slices of sweet potato. And if sweet potatoes aren’t your thing, the same approach would work with butternut squash or Yukon Gold potatoes. Just be certain to slice the vegetables as thinly as possible. A mandoline is your best bet.
Start to finish: 3 hours (20 minutes active) Servings: 16 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled 7- to 9-pound spiral-cut ham 10-ounce jar apricot preserves 1 teaspoon ground black pepper Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mandoline, slice the sweet potatoes thinly. Place the ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan. Carefully separating the layers of the ham, insert
slices of sweet potato into each layer. Repeat this until every layer of the ham has been filled. In a small bowl, stir together the apricot preserves and the black pepper, then spread the mixture all over the surface of the ham. Bake for 2 to 3 hours, or until the ham is heated to 160 at the center and the potatoes are tender. Allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition information per serving: 400 calories; 200 calories from fat (50 percent of total calories); 23 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 110 mg cholesterol; 19 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 31 g protein; 1860 mg sodium.
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hocolate seems to reign supreme when it comes to Easter. And while it’s hard to deny the appeal of cocoa, this spring holiday also begs for something fresh and citrusy. So we created these dairy-free mini cakes that are rich with olive oil and
lemon juice — in fact, 1 cup of each. The tender cakes — which deliver a delicious punch of lemon — also are covered with strawberry jam, then with a layer of toasted and chopped pecans. Delicious, fresh and simple. But these cakes also are versatile. If
pecans aren’t your thing, coat the cakes in flaked coconut or chopped pistachios. If strawberry jam doesn’t do it for you, any variety of jam can be substituted. And if you don’t like lemon, any other citrus juice can be substituted.
LEMON-OLIVE OIL MINI CAKES WITH PECANS AND STRAWBERRIES Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (45 minutes active) Servings: 10 2 cup sugar 4 eggs 1 cup olive oil 1 cup lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 9 1/2-ounce jar strawberry jam 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans Fresh strawberries, to garnish Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, then line it with kitchen parchment.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and eggs on high for 2 minutes. While the eggs and sugar beat, in a measuring cup combine the olive oil and lemon juice. Into a small bowl, sift together the salt, baking powder and flour. Add half of the oil-juice mixture to the eggs, then half the flour mixture, beating just to combine. Repeat with the remaining oil-juice and flour mix-
tures. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix one more time. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Allow to cool in the pan. Using a food processor, puree the strawberry jam until smooth. When ready to assemble, use a 2 1/2-inch round cutter to cut 20 discs from the cake. Use care
to hold the cutter straight so that your cake rounds have straight sides. To assemble each mini cake, spread a small amount of the strawberry jam on 1 round of cake. Sandwich a second cake on top. Spread a thin layer of strawberry jam over the sides and top of the cake, then carefully roll the entire thing in the pecans. Garnish the top with a fresh strawberry. Repeat with remaining cake rounds to assemble a total of 10 mini cakes.
Nutrition information per serving: 580 calories; 300 calories from fat (52 percent of total calories); 33 g fat (4.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 70 mg cholesterol; 69 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 40 g sugar; 7 g protein; 270 mg sodium.