Steakhouse Rolls

You know those rolls served at a certain genre of steakhouse—the kind of joint with an all-you-can-eat buffet and a soft serve machine? I’m talking about those giant, buttery rolls that are at once light and incredibly substantive after you’ve eaten six or seven of them. If your mouth is watering, then you know that these rolls are really the only reason to go to the kind of restaurant that I describe.

I hadn’t had one of these rolls in years (probably since I was an undergrad and my friend Danny and I tried to visit every all-you-can-eat buffet in Charlottesville—we failed). However, Jon recently mentioned these buttery delights and I began a long quest to try to recreate this flavor memory from childhood.

After many pitiful, failed attempts, I think I finally nailed it. The trick to perfecting this dough is time and patience—neither of which I’m particularly known for possessing. I unveiled my version of the “steakhouse roll” at Friend Thanksgiving last weekend. As you can imagine, I love Thanksgiving more than most every other holiday and enjoy sharing the occasion with both family and friends. My pal Robin hosted a fantastic vegetarian feast for a number of our friends and it was certainly something to give thanks for.


If you decide to try these rolls for your Thanksgiving this year, allow yourself plenty of time to fool with them. There is a lot of idle time while the dough is rising so you can accomplish other tasks, but it is very important that you not rush the process. With a little patience and a lot of butter, you can wow your guests with a showstopper.


4 tablespoons and 3 tablespoons butter, separated
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
¾ cup and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 extra large eggs
4 1/4 ounce packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
½ cup lukewarm water
7 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 ¼ cups milk
1 teaspoon olive oil

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and shortening with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs slowly, one at a time, and blend to create a homogenous mixture.

Warm ½ cup of water to about 110 degrees F. Warm water from the faucet will often suffice, but make sure that the water is not too hot. Dissolve the yeast in the water and add the honey to the mixture.

Sift flour and salt. Add half of the flour and half of the milk to the shortening-butter mixture and mix until just combined. Add the dissolved yeast and mix until incorporated. Finally, add the remaining milk and flour and mix to form a soft dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes.

Lightly flour your working surface and turn dough out. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes or until elastic and smooth.

Grease a large bowl with olive oil and place the dough inside, turning once to evenly coat the outer surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place (about 90 degrees F) until the dough has doubled in size (this generally takes about 2 hours).

Turn dough onto working surface and knead lightly. Return the dough to the bowl and allow it to rise again until doubled in size (about 1 additional hour). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. When the dough has risen again, turn it onto the working surface and shape pieces into rounds a bit smaller than a tennis ball. Place the rounds about an inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of each roll with melted butter and set aside in a warm area and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.

Then, bake the rolls at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops are gold brown and slightly crisp. Remove the rolls from the oven and immediately brush tops with butter again and serve warm.

(Yields: 24 rolls; Ready In: 4 hours)

Red Pesto

Last week I was talking with a friend who said that she went to dinner with her family at a restaurant that prided itself on pretty much everything but its vegetarian fare. When someone in my friend’s party let it slip that she was a veg, the waitress said, “ Ooooh, well we have some wonderful salads and a nice pasta option.” Most vegetarians and vegans have found themselves in a similar situation. I know I’ve had bland noodles in a bland sauce from a number of restaurants—and people wonder why I’m not crazy about pasta.

But I actually love pasta when it’s done well— but so much depends upon the sauce. I like making fresh sauces, especially in the summer when tomatoes and fresh basil are ubiquitous. This fall, I’ve been experimenting with heartier flavors and I found a sauce that delivers. The sun-dried tomato base in this red pesto may remind you of bright, summer days, but the flavors are heavy enough to keep you content on a chilly fall night. And it really couldn’t be easier to make. Throw everything in the food processor and brag that you made your sauce from scratch.


14 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)
¼ cup grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon thyme
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
¾ cup pasta cooking water

In the bowl of a food processor, combine sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan, red pepper flakes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and thyme. Pulse until the components are evenly distributed.

In a dry skillet, toast the walnuts over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until just golden brown. Add toasted walnuts to the food processor and pulse 4 or 5 more times.

In the meantime, you’ve probably been cooking your pasta. I like to serve this sauce with an earthy ravioli stuffed with crimini or Portobello mushrooms, but it works well with any pasta that can hold a dense sauce. Reserve about ¾ cup of the cooking water as you drain your pasta.

Pour ½ cup of the cooking water into the food processor and pulse to combine with the pesto. The mixture should form a thick, chunky sauce. Add more water to achieve your desired consistency.

If you plan to store the sauce for a few days, you can do so. However, after you transfer the pesto into a jar or container, pour about ¼ inch of olive oil on top of the sauce to seal the mixture and prevent discoloration.

(Yields: 6 servings; Ready In: 15 minutes)

Sweet Potato Crisp

Sweet potatoes are a staple in my kitchen, but come November I get a hankering for some of those old-fashioned casseroles with marshmallow cream and brown sugar. However, I’ve found ways to use the classic fall flavors of the casseroles we all love without giving myself a cavity. I make this sweet potato crisp in small ramekins to allow the flavors to mix while baking. However, you could most likely achieve the same effect in a glass baking dish. Hopefully this take on a classic will satisfy your autumn sweet tooth.


2 medium sweet potatoes
1 ½ teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon and 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar, separated
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
8 tablespoons apple butter
¼ cup roasted pecan pieces

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Dice the sweet potatoes into ½ inch chunks, distribute them into a single layer on the cookie sheet, and rub them with the canola oil. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, and cinnamon over the potatoes and rub to coat evenly. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, dice the cold butter into very small, pea-sized bits. Mix with flour, 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar, and nutmeg until the bits of butter are coated by the dry ingredients and evenly distributed throughout the mixture to make a streusel topping.

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Spread 1 tablespoon of apple butter across the bottom of 4 small ramekins. Next, distribute the roasted sweet potatoes evenly among the ramekins, layering the potatoes on top of the apple butter. Top the layer of sweet potatoes in each ramekin with another tablespoon of apple butter. Distribute the streusel evenly among the ramekins and finely top each with a sprinkling of roasted pecan pieces.

Place the ramekins on the cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

(Yields: 4 servings; Ready In: 55 minutes)

Vegetarian Pot Pies

This fall has been very busy, leaving me little time to blog. I wrote and defended my M.A. thesis, began teaching at UNC, and took up at least a couple of new TV shows. But I’m back in the kitchen and I’m very excited that I’m fast approaching my 100th post on Collard Green.

So, in honor of my return to blogging, let’s talk about one of the ultimate comfort foods—pot pies! These little savory pastries weren’t a staple of my diet until I was in college, but at some point I discovered them through the fast food world. The great thing about a pot pie is that it doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. There’s also no requirement that the pies be absolutely loaded with bad fats.

The following recipe illustrates just how easy it is to make a quality one-pot meal almost from scratch. I use pre-packaged puff pastry for convenience on weeknights, but you can whip up a traditional piecrust without too much fuss. I tend to make my pies in single-serving ramekins so that leftovers are already packaged for the next few days. Also, experiment with the flavors of the filling, adding or subtracting ingredients to fit your unique taste.


2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
2 carrots, diced
½ head broccoli, chopped into florets
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ yellow onion, diced
8 ounces baby bella mushroom, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup Asiago or Swiss cheese, grated
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 415 degrees F.

In a medium pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. Cook for 5 minutes. Add frozen peas and cook for 1 additional minute. Drain the cooking vegetables and immerse in an ice bath to halt cooking and set the color. Drain vegetables again.

In a medium skillet, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Cook the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms until the latter have released their juices and the onions are golden brown. Add the mushrooms, peppers, and onions to the other vegetable mixture.

Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the flour until absorbed to make a roux. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer until thickened. Add cheese, egg yolks, salt, and pepper to the mixture and remove from heat.

Combine the sauce and vegetables. Set the mixture aside to cool.

Unroll a sheet of thawed puff pastry (see package instructions). Using a ramekin, outline six circles of puff pastry; the circles should be large enough to hang slightly over the edges of the ramekins.

Spray the inside of each ramekin with cooking spray, then add the vegetable mixture until each dish is 4/5 full. Top each ramekin with one of the pastry rounds and use your fingers to seal the edges by tucking the dough under the lip of the ramekin. Using a small knife, cut four slits in the top of each pastry to allow steam to escape while cooking.

Combine the beaten egg with 1 teaspoon cold milk. Brush the top of each pastry with the mixture.

Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastries are golden brown.

(Yields: 6 servings; Ready In: 50 minutes)

Butternut Squash Soup

As fall is almost upon us, I thought I would wrap up this series of family recipes with a dish bursting with autumn flavors. My dad’s dad kept an impressive garden during most of my childhood. He grew just about everything—from tomatoes and green beans to potatoes and squash. Granddaddy was a World War II veteran and at some point during his time in the armed services, he spent some time in culinary school. I’m a little fuzzy on the details of just why he attended culinary school, but suffice it to say, he was a wonderful cook. Though he may not have made this particular soup, I think he would definitely appreciate its fresh-from-the-garden flair. I know that the earthy flavors of this dish always call up my sense memory of Granddaddy’s row of pumpkins and squash blooming in the early fall.


2 tablespoons butter
1 small white onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
4 cups vegetable stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Melt butter in a large soup pot. Saute onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash for 8 minutes, until the onions are slightly golden.

Add 4 cups of vegetable stock. The vegetables should be covered by the cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer for 40 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.

Transfer the soup mixture to a blender and mix until smooth. Return the blended soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Add additional vegetable stock to attain desired consistency.

(Yields: 4 servings; Ready In: 60 minutes)

Dad’s Buttermilk Biscuits

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my grandmother made the best biscuits I ever remember eating. For a long time, my dad worked to replicate her recipe and he seems to have done it. Dad likes his biscuits thin and crunchy and I agree that this is the ideal genre of biscuit to be drenched in gravy. I’ve tweaked my dad’s recipe a little—because as he would point out, I can’t leave well enough alone. These biscuits are a great old-fashioned complement to most any meal.


3 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons chilled butter
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Cube butter and shortening and add to the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until the butter and shortening form pea-sized clumps. Add buttermilk and mix until just combined.

Flour your workspace and rolling pin well. Roll the dough out until it is about ¼ inch thick. Use a round cutter (or a Mason jar) to cut the dough into10 circles.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place each round of dough about ¼ - ½ inch apart. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush the top of each round.

Bake for 5-6 minutes. Biscuits are done when the tops are golden brown.

(Yields: 10 biscuits; Ready In: 20 minutes)

Garden Greens

My Granny cooked some of the best greens I’ve ever had. Collards. Mustard. Poke. Turnip. They were all amazing when she got done with them.


I sometimes cook Granny’s Southern-Style greens with a vegetarian twist. But I recently developed a recipe that combines seasonal greens with other fresh vegetables straight from the garden. Most everyone in my family has been an avid gardener, so I think they would all appreciate the wealth of fresh flavors combined in this recipe. For those who don’t particularly care for greens, this may be a gateway dish. As Granny said after presenting almost any meal, “Try it. You’ll like it.”



1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 bunch fresh collard greens, chopped
3 cups vegetable stock
2 tomatoes, chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

In a large saucepan, combine oil and butter over medium heat. Saute onions, jalapenos, and bell pepper until softened, about 3 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, salt, and garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add collard greens and cook 1 additional minute.

Add vegetable stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and cook until greens are tender and cooking liquid has dissipated, about 45 minutes.

Remove greens from heat and transfer to a serving dish. Top the greens with chopped tomatoes and a dusting of black pepper and paprika.

(Yields: 6 servings; Ready In: 55 minutes)

Mom’s Freezer Jam

For the last few years, my dad has grown red raspberries in his garden. The yield on his crop was so extreme that my mom had no idea what to do with so many berries, so she started making “freezer jam.” My granny made jams and jellies using this particular method and as you’ll see below, freezer jam is a much faster and easier way to preserve fruit than the traditional cooked jam method. Additionally, freezer jam maintains the fresh taste of fruit and is easily spreadable whereas traditional jams require you to cook the fruit and yield a firmer gel.

While I was visiting my parents recently, my Uncle Pete brought a gallon of fresh, wild blackberries, and I helped my mom make a few batches of jam. The following recipe is specific to blackberries or raspberries, but when you purchase most brands of fruit pectin, the container will include an insert that lists variations of ingredients needed to produce the perfect freezer jam.

3 cups crushed raspberries or blackberries (about 3 pints fresh berries)
5 ¼ cups sugar
¾ cup water
1.75 ounces (1 box) natural fruit pectin

Thoroughly wash fresh berries. Fit a food mill with its finest blade. A food mill is a fantastic way to remove seeds from berries, but if you don’t have one, use a potato masher to crush the fruit one cup at a time. You may also use a food processor, but make sure not to puree the berries; pulse them to a fine chop. If using a food mill, crush the berries about ½ cup at a time until you have rendered 3 cups. The seeds and pulp left behind after milling can be used to plant next year’s crop.


In a large bowl, combine crushed berries with sugar. Though this sounds like an absurd amount of sugar, don’t skimp or the jam will not set. Most brands of fruit pectin come in low- and no-sugar varieties if you are concerned about the amount of sugar in this recipe. Mix berries and sugar well and allow them to stand for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

In a small saucepan, combine water and pectin. Bring to a boil on high heat. Boil 1 minute (until mixture achieves a syrupy consistency), stirring constantly.

Stir pectin mixture into the berry mixture. Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes. Make sure that the mixture is no longer grainy.

Pour the mixture into prepared containers. For freezer jam, 1 to 2 cup plastic containers are advised. Leave ½ inch space at the top of each container for expansion during freezing. Cover each container with a tight fitting lid and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until firmly set.

Jam may then be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or stored in freezer for up to 1 year. Before serving frozen jam, thaw in refrigerator.


(Yields: 7 cups; Ready In: 20 minutes preparation + 24 hours)

Breakfast Gravy for Vegans

Everyone in my family loves to talk about how much I loved biscuits and gravy as a kid. It’s true. I would have eaten it for every meal if I’d had my druthers. And that’s where grandparents’ enabling can really work to one’s advantage.

My mom’s parents had an awesome Jeep Cherokee that I, for some reason, was obsessed with. It looked a lot like the one pictured below, but without the jacked up monster truck tires.


I remember hopping in the Cherokee with my Paw many mornings and heading to Hardee’s for their signature biscuits and gravy. I haven’t been to a Hardee’s since they ran that gross ad with Paris Hilton (except when I’m really craving a greasy egg and cheese biscuit on a Saturday morning, but that totally doesn’t count). I imagine that their biscuits and gravy are nowhere near as awesome as I remember them being.

Since becoming a vegetarian, I’ve experimented with a number of recipes for veg-friendly breakfast gravy. The following recipe is my favorite. I know when you look at the ingredients you might be incredulous that they could produce anything remotely approaching breakfast gravy, but this is one you have to try to believe. It may not include a ride in a sweet retro Jeep Cherokee, but I guarantee that this is as good as any gravy Hardee’s can produce.


2/3 cup water
1/3 cup raw cashews
1 1/3 cups water
2/3 teaspoon salt
1 .34 ounce packet of condensed vegetable broth
2/3 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes
10 2/3 teaspoons unbleached white flour
¾ cup veggie breakfast crumbles (any soy sausage product will work, though I prefer the soy-free Quorn variety)

In a saucepan, bring 2/3 cup of water to boil.

Using a food processor, blend the cashews, 1 1/3 cups water, salt, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and nutritional yeast. Add the flour last and blend until just homogenously combined.

Pour the blended mixture into the boiling water, stirring vigorously with a whisk until the mixture comes to a boil. Add the Vegan breakfast crumbles and continue to stir 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately.

(Yields: 4 servings; Ready In: 30 minutes)

Grandmother's Angel Food Cake

My grandmother’s angel food cakes are legendary. Though my dad’s mother passed away when I was quite young, many of my fondest memories of her are set in the kitchen. I remember her amazing technique for shaping biscuits—she would pinch off bits of dough and pat them into perfectly symmetrical rounds using her hands. Her pies and baked goods were phenomenal— especially her light, airy angel food cakes.


Angel food cake is a terrific summer dessert. It pairs well with fresh fruit (especially berries and peaches) and is nowhere near as sinful as richer cakes. This recipe approximates my grandmother’s as best as I can. Though this is a fairly simple cake to make, don’t try to skip the sifting and idle time. Also, this cake can be notoriously fickle. My grandmother told many stories about a cake “falling” if the barometric pressure was not right or if someone walked too close to the oven while it was rising. Don’t let that scare you away, though. The results are divine.


11 extra large eggs
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons cream of tartar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon almond extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar

Carefully separate eggs, measuring 1 ½ cups egg whites. Refrigerate yolks for scrambled eggs or other use. Place 1 ½ cups egg whites in a large mixing bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl, sift confectioners sugar and flour together three times.

Add cream of tartar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt to the egg whites. Using an electric mixer, beat on high. Gradually add sugar, beating until the sugar is completely dissolved and stiff peaks form. The mix is complete when a beater can be removed from the mixer and inverted while the mixture holds its peak.

Using a rubber spatula, gradually fold in the flour mixture, ¼ cup at a time. When the batter is completely mixed, gently transfer into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through the batter with a knife to remove air pockets.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until cake is golden and spongy when touched. Remove from oven and invert the tube pan. Cool completely before removing the cake from the pan.

(Yields: 10 servings; Ready In: 60 minutes)