Apple and Honey Challah from Chef Lauren Braun Costello

Recipe from Chef Lauren Braun Costello (@itslaurenofcourse on Instagram & Facebook)

Apple & Honey Challah

Apples and honey are a staple food observance for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. This challah recipe features those flavors without any of the fuss, thanks to two special ingredients from BD Provisions: Green Apple Chips and Honey. The apple chips provide all the apple flavor without turning the dough wet. In fact, it is the dough that imparts moisture to the dried apples, reconstituting them while maintaining the bread's structure and desired texture. Adding honey to the second egg wash gives that glisten and sheen. Incidentally, this challah makes the best French toast or bread pudding the next day!

Equipment: measuring spoons, wet and dry measuring cups, two large mixing bowls, dough hook, standing mixer with dough hook attachment (optional), bench scraper, plastic wrap, baking sheet, parchment paper or nonstick baking mat, cooling rack

Ingredients
1 cup warm water (at least 95°F - 110°F)
1 package BD yeast (or 2¼ teaspoons)
1 teaspoon BD granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar (or ½ cup for sweeter bread)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
4 – 4½ cups BD all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water
1 tablespoon BD Honey
1 cup BD Green Apple Chips

Directions
1. In a small bowl or measuring cup, sprinkle yeast and sugar on warm water. Stir. Let stand for up to 10 minutes (it should look like the foam on beer).

2. In a large bowl, combine oil, sugar, salt, eggs, and then the yeast mixture. Stir in 2 cups of flour.

3. Gradually stir in most of the remaining flour.* Dough will be sticky.

4. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes (or use a standing mixer with the dough hook on a low speed), adding a little flour at a time as needed. If dough sticks to the counter, use a bench scraper to clean the surface and lightly flour the board to prevent further sticking. When done kneading, the dough will feel silky and smooth.

5. Put dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1½ hours in a warm, draft-free environment until approximately doubled (the bowl placed inside your oven with the light on is a good spot).

6. Punch down the dough with your floured fist. Divide the piece into 3 equal sections.

7. Flatten each piece of dough and spread with approximately 1/3 cup apple chips. Carefully roll each section into equal strands, about 12 inches long, tapering the ends as you roll.

8. Pinch the strands together at one end and braid, maintaining the same tension as you go so that the challah will be symmetrical. Pinch the other end as well when done.

9. Place dough on parchment paper or nonstick baking mat. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel as it goes through the final rise for 30 minutes to no more than 1 hour.

10. Right before baking, brush the bread with beaten egg wash (egg and water). Place the bread in the oven and bake for 17 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon honey to the egg wash and set aside.

11. After 17 minutes of baking, remove the pan from the oven (shut the oven door so the heat does not escape). Brush with additional honey egg wash, and rotate the pan when returning it to the oven. Bake for another 17 minutes.

12. Allow the bread to rest and cool for one hour before serving.
You can make the dough the night before, and place in the refrigerator to rise. Remove it 30 minutes before shaping. Then proceed as written above.

Yield: 1 loaf

Amount of flour used will vary, depending upon the moisture in the air. 

You can make the dough the night before, and place in the refrigerator to rise.  Remove it 30 minutes before to braid.  Then proceed as written above.

Heather Priests Super Amazing Top Secret Chili Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound 80/20 ground beef
½ pound bacon diced
1 large sweet onion diced
5 garlic cloves chopped
1 large link chorizo chopped fine
2 bottles negra modelo beer or another other lager with a rich flavor
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 cup each kidney, pinto, black and navy beans soaked and cooked or from the can. (directions for
soaking and cooking below)
2 jalapenos seeded and diced
2 serano seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
2-3 whole dried chilis (depending on level of spice you want) – Soaked in boiled water until
tender then seed and blend in food processor with a little water
2 tablespoons BD dried basil
1 tablespoon BD dried oregano
2 tablespoons BD dried cumin
1 teaspoon BD cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons BD chili powder
1 tablespoon BD chipotle chili powder
2 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Saute ground beef in a deep heavy bottomed pot or instapot.until browned. Remove meat
from pan and pour off the fat and juice.
2. Add bacon and cook until fat is starting to render out but bacon is not crisp. Remove bacon
from the pan, leaving the fat behind.
3. Add onion and garlic to pot and saute until vegetables start to sweat.
4. Add the beer and tomato paste and boil for 2 minutes.
5. Add your meat including the chopped chorizo back into the pot
6. Add tomatoes, peppers and spices to the pot and cook for about an hour
7. Add cooked beans to the chli and cook for another ½ hour
8. Add water if chili gets too thick making sure to stir occasionally to keep it from sticking to the
bottom.
9. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper
For Beans – soak beans overnight or for at least 6 hours. To cook the beans place them in a pot
covered with at least 3 inches of water. Add a piece of onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, bay leaf and
salt to the pot. Cook for one hour or until tender.

Serves 4

BBQ Pulled Pork

Recipe courtesy of Aquarian Caterers

Serves 6 People

5Lb Boneless Pork Loin

2 Tablespoons – BD Ground Chipotle

2 Tablespoons – BD Chili Seasoning

1 Tablespoon – BD Garlic Powder

3 BD Bay Leaves

2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt

1 16oz. Box Chicken Broth

1 Cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce

1 – Chopped Onion

In a small bowl add all the dry ingredients. Rub dry mix all over pork to coat fully. Chopped Onion into chunky pieces. Place onion on the bottom of crock pot. Place pork on top of onions, add the Bay leaves and the chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 5 hrs. When fork tender, take pork out of pot and with 2 forks start to shred the meat. Place the meat back into the pot and add the BBQ sauce. Serve on crusty rolls with coleslaw!

Buckeye Blondies- From Chef Lauren Braun Costello

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, melted 

1½ cups brown sugar tightly packed

¼ cup sugar

2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2½  cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup miniature buckeyes

¼ cup confetti sprinkles, optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking pan with parchment paper so that is comes up all four sides. Set aside.

2. Combine the melted butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add the whole eggs and yolk plus the vanilla extracted mix well. Set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.

4. Mixing on low speed, gradually ad the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until completely combined.

5. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, using your hands to press and spread the batter evenly into the pan. Top with the buckeyes and sprinkle with sprinkles (see photos).

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into squares or rectangles.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Makes 16 servings.

Black Thai Fried Rice from Chef Lauren Braun Costello (@itslaurenofcourse on instagram)

his fried rice dish is as easy as a typical fried rice but with that “wow” factor thanks to the dramatic color of the black rice. The following recipe is as simple as it gets, so feel free to add additional elements to satisfy your tastebuds, such as pickled ginger, pineapple, green peas, carrots, or cashews.

Essential equipment: wok or large nonstick sauté pan; dry and wet measuring cups; measuring spoons; box grater; wooden spoon or paddle

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked black Thai rice*

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)

2 large eggs, beaten with a fork

8 jumbo poached shrimp, each cut in fourths

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons chopped pickled ginger (optional)

½ cup diced fresh pineapple (optional)

½ cup green peas (optional) ½ cup diced carrots (optional)

½ cup roasted unsalted cashews (optional)

1. Heat a wok over high heat and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Swirl the pan to coat the sides with oil and immediately add eggs. Shake the wok to cook the eggs quickly, stirring with a wooden spoon if necessary. Remove the eggs from the wok and set aside.

2. Return the wok to the heat and add the other tablespoon of oil. Swirl the pan to coat the sides with oil and immediately add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry one minute or until fragrant. Add the scallions and stir fry for another minute. Then add the cold, day-old rice and break the clumps with a wooden spoon. Stir fry for two minutes until the grains of rice are not stuck to one another.

3. Add the soy sauce and toss well to coat. Add the shrimp and return the egg to the wok, breaking up the egg into pieces. Add additional, optional ingredients and incorporate.

4. Serve immediately.

“ILOC tip: Never ever use freshly made rice, whether it be steamed or pilaf, for fried rice. It is simply too moist and soft to make a proper fried rice, a dish whose marked characteristic is individual grains of rice that do not stick to one another.”

Makes 4-8 servings, depending on course/use.

Coffee Toffee Ice Cream from Chef Lauren Braun Costello for BD Provisions (@itslaurenofcourse on instagram)

Two of my favorite flavors–coffee and toffee–team up for a tasty grownup ice cream treat.

It just doesn’t seem like summer without a giant ice cream in hand on a sunny afternoon. This coffee toffee ice cream is a French custard-based recipe, meaning that it is made with eggs. The base of this ice cream is a cooked liquid custard, or crème anglaise, with a characteristically high ratio of cream to milk and eggs, which produces the most rich and smooth ice cream. Once cooled completely, the custard is churned in an ice cream machine before adding hand-chopped toffee. Drooling yet?

Equipment: cutting board; chef’s knife; wet measuring cup; dry measuring cup; medium saucepan; mesh strainer; whisk; wooden spoon; rubber spatula; cheesecloth; medium mixing bowl; ice cream machine

Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup coarsely ground coffee

1/2 cup sugar

6 large egg yolks

2 cups chopped toffee

“Decaffeinated coffee is a must for ice cream, by the way. You don’t want that late-night scoop to keep you up!”

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream, milk, ground coffee, and sugar. Set heat to medium-high and simmer until the sugar completely dissolves, approximately 3-5 minutes.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, and then gently whisk about a quarter of the hot cream into the yolks to temper them, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds. Whisk the yolk mixture back into the pot with the remaining cream mixture. Return the pan to medium-low heat and gently cook until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon or spatula, stirring constantly (see videos below).

3. Remove the pan from heat and allow custard to steep for 20-30 minutes to get the richest coffee flavor.

4. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to make sure that you do not leave any liquid behind. Discard the coffee grounds, clean and dry the mesh sieve/strainer, and line it with cheesecloth. Strain the mixture again into another bowl to help remove the smaller coffee grounds. You may even wring the cheesecloth dry to get all the strained custard you can. Cool the strained mixture to room temperature, then cover and chill overnight.

5. Churn the chilled coffee custard in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions (generally about 20 minutes). Stir in the chopped toffee, place in a container and store in the freezer.

Makes 6 servings.

Strain the Custard at Least Twice

“This might seem cumbersome, but it actually saves you time this way, counterintuitive as it seems. First strain the custard directly through a mesh sieve. This will get rid of the biggest grains of coffee, which will in turn make getting rid of the tiny ones a more targeted, effective task. For the second strain, use cheesecloth with the strainer. Since all the big pieces of coffee will have been removed already, you’ll have an easier time letting the liquid through the cheesecloth, leaving the coffee bits behind.”

Cowboy Coffee Rub – Made For BD Provisions By Chef Lauren Braun Costello (@Itslaurenofcourse)

Ingredients:

1 lb. 1-inch ribeye steaks

1/2 cup BD finely ground coffee (preferably a decaffeinated coffee)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons BD ground ginger

2 tablespoons BD garlic powder

2 tablespoons BD paprika*

1 tablespoon BD kosher salt

vegetable oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

2. Brush both sides of the steaks with oil and then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

3. Combine the coffee, sugar, and measured spices in a bowl. Rub each side of the steaks generously with the mixture until well coated, approximately 1-2 tablespoons.

4. Place the steaks on the hot grill and cook for 3-4 minutes. You want the grill very hot when you start but do adjust/lower the heat if needed so that you do not burn the steak. After 3-4 minutes, or once the surface proteins have sufficiently coagulated so that the steak is no longer sticking to the grill, flip the steak and continue cooking for approximately another 2 minutes for rare, 3 minutes for medium rare, 4 minutes for medium, and 5-6 minutes for well done (but I beg you do not do that).

5. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain to serve.

Serves 2-3 people.

“This rub could be used on pork chops or pork loin. If using the rub for a brisket, be sure to rub the brisket the night before you wish to cook–and wrap it and refrigerate it–so that you maximize the coffee flavor for that cut of beef.”