Sticky Buns

I swear these buns are just as sticky as they look. But even more delicious than you would expect.

I made these buns for my most recent Gourmet Club dinner. We had the best theme yet: Breakfast/Brunch for dinner! It was a dream come true… a bit of a carb overload but still a dream 🙂

I decided to use a very easy recipe because our dinner was in the middle of the week so I didn’t have time to prepare anything too fancy.

I found a great recipe in my Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics cookbook that was perfect! I made a few changes, based on some reviews I found, but otherwise that was it.

I started these buns by combining butter, brown sugar, and pecans and placing about a tablespoon at the bottom of 12 muffin trays.

Next, I floured the table, rolled out a sheet of puff pastry, and covered it with melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans like so:

I then rolled up the sheet nice and tight, and sliced it into six pieces. I repeated this all again and placed the spirals in the muffin tray.

I baked the buns at 350°F for 40 minutes until they were golden brown.

Then I removed them from the tray and placed them bottom side up on the plate.

All done.

The buns were firm on the outside but were soft and ooey gooey in the center, just how I like them!

Here is the recipe, enjoy!

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics – Sticky Buns.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/4 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
  • 1 package (450g) or 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, defrosted overnight in fridge

For the Filling

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place 12-cup muffin tray on baking tray lined with parchment paper.

In an electric mixer, combine 1 1/4 sticks of butter and 1/3 cup of brown sugar until it has a paste-like texture. Place about a tablespoon in each muffin tray and sprinkle with a few pecans.

Flour a flat surface and roll out a sheet of puff pastry over top. Brush the entire sheet with 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle the sheet with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans, making sure to leave a 1-inch border. Roll up the pastry nice and tight, trim the ends, and slice into 6 equal pieces. Place each piece spiral side up into muffin tray. Repeat with second sheet.

Bake the buns for about 40 minutes, until they are golden brown and the edges are firm. Cool for 5 minutes then invert onto baking tray or plate.

Yours edibly,

Elana

P.S. Gourmet club pictures will be up shortly!

Kale Eatery

My friend Ali and I both share a special love for vegan, gluten-free, raw foods. When Ali told me about Kale Eatery, I was very excited to try it out.

Kale Eatery is probably the only place in Toronto where you can pile a plate high with stews, salads and slime, and feel great about eating it all.

We chose to eat from the salad bar. When colourful food stares me in the eye like that I just really don’t have the patience to order off an a la carte menu.

So this is Ali’s plate:

I am going to try my best to name everything on her plate from memory, from the top, going clockwise: green pea and cucumber salad, squash stew, cole slaw, portobello mushroom and egglant salad, steamed kale and broccoli with tofu miso dressing.

Now my plate:

Clockwise from the top: squash stew, tomato, avocado, and celery salad, portobello mushroom and eggplant salad, tofu, lentil, and leek salad, tofu miso dressing, herbed artichokes, and tofu curry salad in the center.

This place is delicious and nutritious — seriously. If you’re into this sort of thing then you should definitely pay Kale a visit. Although some of the salads were slightly under-seasoned for my taste buds, I have to cut the chefs some slack. It’s not easy making simple, raw food so tasty, and Kale’s selection of salads is pretty good.

You can find the menu on Kale’s website – check it out and let me know what you think.

Yours meatless-ly,

Elana