The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (125 page)

cheese strata

SERVES 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more, softened, for the baking dish

8 slices white bread

1½ cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

1½ cups grated Swiss cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

4 large eggs

2 cups milk

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/
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teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
Butter an 8-inch-square baking dish; line the bottom with 4 slices bread. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Top with chives. Layer with the remaining bread and cheese.

2.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 6 hours (or overnight).

3.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bake the strata until puffed and golden, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

broccoli-cheese frittata

SERVES 8

2 heads broccoli (about 2 pounds)

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 small onions, peeled, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 cup water

1½ teaspoons coarse salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Cooking spray

3 large whole eggs

9 large egg whites

½ ounce grated Parmesan cheese (¼ cup)

2 ounces goat cheese (
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/
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cup)

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the broccoli stems into ½-inch pieces, and cut the florets into 1-inch pieces; set aside. Melt the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions; cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli stems, and cook until they begun to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the florets and water, and cook until the broccoli is tender and the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl to cool completely.

2.
Wipe out the pan; coat with cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the eggs and egg whites. Beat until extremely light and foamy, 8 to 10 minutes. Heat the pan over medium-high heat. Fold the Parmesan and the broccoli mixture into the eggs. Add to the pan; dot the top with goat cheese. Cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes.

3.
Transfer to the oven; bake until the top is golden brown and the frittata is set, about 30 minutes. Let cool 1 minute before sliding out of the pan. Serve hot or at room temperature.

FIT TO EAT RECIPE
PER SERVING: 128 CALORIES, 103 MG CALCIUM, 5 G FAT, 87 MG CHOLESTEROL, 381 MG SODIUM, 12 G PROTEIN, 4 G FIBER

ultimate streusel cake

MAKES ONE 10-INCH CAKE

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for the pan

1 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1¼ cups sour cream (or 1 cup buttermilk)

Pecan Streusel Filling (recipe follows)

2½ cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

¼ cup milk

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside. Butter a 10-inch Bundt pan (or other tube pan with 3-quart capacity); set aside.

2.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined. Add the vanilla; stir until combined. Add the reserved flour mixture and sour cream, and stir just until well combined. Spoon half the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan. Make a well in the batter, and crumble
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/
₃
of the streusel mixture into the well. Top with the remaining batter, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the remaining streusel evenly over the top. Bake until golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 1 hour.

3.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and milk; set aside, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to use. Cool the cake until just warm before drizzling with icing.

pecan streusel filling

MAKES ENOUGH FOR ONE 10-INCH CAKE

1½ cups lightly packed light-brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1½ cups chopped pecans

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

Combine the sugars, pecans, flour, cinnamon, and cloves in a medium bowl. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until well combined and crumbly; refrigerate until ready to use.

breakfast blintzes with caramelized rhubarb and sour cream

MAKES 12

Cooking blintzes takes a bit of practice. A nonstick skillet is a great help. The first blintz is almost never perfect; just discard it and start again. The blintzes can be made through step 4 up to 2 hours ahead.

11 tablespoons butter (1
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/
₈
sticks), plus more for the pan

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2¼ tablespoons sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

1½ pounds trimmed rhubarb, cut into ½-inch lengths (about 5 cups)

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons brandy

½ pint sour cream, or more if desired

1.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter; let cool.

2.
Combine the flour, salt, ¼ tablespoon sugar, eggs, milk, and 2 tablespoons reserved melted, cooled butter in the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator at least 1 hour or overnight.

3.
Fill a large bowl with ice and water; set aside. Melt the remaining 9 tablespoons butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar over the butter; cook until the sugar has dissolved and starts to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the rhubarb; cook, shaking the pan vigorously to coat it in caramelized sugar, until the rhubarb is tender and just starting to fall apart, about 5 minutes. Add the brandy to the pan, shake the pan, and cook just until the liquid comes to a boil, about 30 seconds; remove from heat. Transfer the rhubarb to a small bowl; set into the ice bath to stop the cooking.

4.
Heat a 10-inch nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Melt about ½ tablespoon butter in the sauté pan; swirl to coat. If the butter pools, gently wipe with a paper towel. Pour a scant ¼ cup chilled batter into the hot sauté pan. Swirl the pan to form a thin, even layer; cook the blintz until the bottom is very lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Do not turn over. Loosen the edge of the blintz with a spatula; slide out of the pan onto a piece of waxed paper. Continue making blintzes until all the batter is used (you may not need to add butter to the pan each time); place a piece of waxed paper between each.

5.
Transfer a blintz, cooked side up, onto a plate. Spoon a generous ¼ cup rhubarb filling (getting a nice amount of fruit to liquid) into the center of the blintz. Carefully fold up the blintz, creating an envelope for the filling; set aside, seam up, on a baking sheet. Continue filling and folding until all the blintzes and filling have been used.

6.
Melt just enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of large sauté pan (use the same nonstick sauté pan or a slightly larger sauté pan, if you wish, over medium-low heat). Arrange 2 or 3 filled blintzes at a time, depending on the size of the pan, in the sauté pan; cook until the blintzes are golden and crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Serve immediately with sour cream.

blueberry blintzes

MAKES 12; SERVES 6

for the crêpes

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon coarse salt

3 tablespoons canola oil

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

for the sauce

1 pint blueberries (about 2 cups)

6½ tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon cornstarch

Pinch of coarse salt

for the filling

16 ounces cottage cheese

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved, bean discarded

½ pint blueberries (about 1 cup)

1.
Make the crêpe batter: Whisk together milk, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in flour and salt; set aside.

2.
Make the sauce: Combine blueberries, sugar, butter, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring often, until berries begin to break down and release their juices, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

3.
Make the filling: Purée cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla seeds in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in blueberries.

4.
Make the crêpes: Stir together the remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter and the oil in a small bowl; reserve ¼ cup for cooking blintzes. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush pan using remaining butter-oil mixture. Pour a scant ¼ cup batter into pan; swirl to form an even layer. Cook until bottom is lightly browned, about 1½ minutes. Using a heatproof spatula, flip crêpe; cook 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining butter-oil mixture and batter.

5.
Transfer a crêpe to a clean work surface. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons filling onto crêpe 1 inch from bottom and sides. Fold bottom over filling. Fold in sides, and roll up. Set aside, seam down. Repeat with remaining crêpes and filling.

6.
Heat the reserved ¼ cup butter-oil mixture in a clean pan over medium heat. Working in batches of 3, fry blintzes, turning once, until golden and crisp, 2 to 2½ minutes per side. Place 2 blintzes on each plate. Spoon warm sauce over top, and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

rachel good’s glazed potato doughnuts

MAKES ABOUT 36

These are best eaten slightly warm.

8 ounces russet potatoes, peeled and sliced

¼ cup warm water, plus 6 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup milk, scalded

¼ cup solid vegetable shortening

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more, if needed, for the dough and work surface

2 quarts vegetable oil, plus more for the bowl

4 cups confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.
Have ready 2 parchment-lined baking pans. Place the potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer or food mill and into a medium bowl; set aside.

2.
Place ¼ cup warm water in a small bowl; sprinkle with the yeast, stir gently, and let stand until creamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the milk, shortening, ¼ cup sugar, and salt. Let stand until cooled to just warm. Add the yeast mixture, reserved potatoes, and eggs; beat until combined.

3.
Switch to the dough hook. Add 5 cups flour, and mix on medium-low speed until combined, adding more flour if necessary, until a smooth and elastic dough is formed, about 5 minutes. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl; cover. Let stand in a warm place until the dough is doubled in size, about 55 minutes.

4.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll out to ½ inch thick. Using a 2½-inch-diameter doughnut cutter, cut and place on prepared baking pans. Loosely cover with plastic wrap; let stand in a warm place until the dough has risen by about one-third, about 30 minutes.

5.
Combine the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and remaining 6 tablespoons water in a medium bowl, stirring until smooth; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and cinnamon until well combined; set aside.

6.
In a large, low-sided saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375°F. Drop the doughnuts into the oil; fry in batches until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to several layers of paper towel to drain. Place the drained doughnuts on a wire rack set over a baking pan. Dip half the doughnuts in the glaze; return to the wire rack. Roll the remaining doughnuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until well coated.

applesauce coffee cake

MAKES ONE 10-INCH CAKE

Vegetable oil cooking spray