breakfast

• First of all, brown the butter. (Note that this can be done a day ahead of time with the butter stashed in the fridge; set at room temperature to soften again or briefly and carefully, zap in microwave before mixing into recipe.) In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until it becomes brown and embodied by a nutty fragrance. Remove from heat and cool for a while, then transfer to a small bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for 2 hours, at minimum, to make firm.
• Preheat oven at 325-degrees. Apply nonstick spray with flour to coat inside of a large bundt pan. Soften the browned butter a bit.
• Prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cups of chopped pecans, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 teaspoons of flour. Add 3 Tablespoons of the browned butter and work it in with a fork until it makes a crumbly mix.
• In another bowl, mix together the 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
• In a big mixing bowl, beat together the remaining browned butter with the rest of the brown sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Take turns mixing in the dry ingredients and the yogurt until just combined. Fold in the remaining 1 1/4 cups pecans.
• Pour about half the batter into the prepared pan and even it out. Sprinkle filling over it all the way around. Pour in the rest of the batter and spread it even again.
• Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle. Let cool for about 20 minutes, then invert it onto a rack to completely cool.
• Make the coffee icing. Stir together the milk, espresso powder, and confectioners’ sugar, adding more milk or sugar as needed to make an icing of a good consistency. Drizzle over cake.
• Store at room temperature. Can be sliced and frozen for later enjoyment.

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• Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crust to about a 10-inch diameter circle. Transfer it to the baking sheet and set in fridge while the other ingredients are prepared.
• Peel, core, and thinly slice the apples, placing them in a large bowl. Pour in the lemon juice, calvados, cornstarch, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Toss the apples to coat them completely.
• Pull out the chilled crust. Begin to arrange apple slices in the middle, fanning them out and stacking them, but leaving a 2-inch border of dough around the outside. DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID IN THE BOWL! Once the apples are arranged, fold the dough over to partially cover the apples.
• Start baking the galette for 15 minutes. While that is cooking, pour the leftover liquid into a small pot on medium-high. Stay close to the stove and stir liquid often. As soon as it gels, which is right at right about boiling temperature, remove it from heat. Set aside.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350-degrees. Bake galette for another 20 minutes.
• Pull out the galette. Drizzle the gel over the exposed apples in the middle of the galette then use basting brush to coat every nook and cranny. Measure out maple syrup. Use same brush (no need to wash it) to coat the top crust, then sprinkle maple sugar or coarse sugar over it to add a crystalline crunch.
• Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until apples in middle are fork-tender.
• Let cool slightly before cutting–a pizza cutter is ideal. Leftovers can be kept wrapped up in foil in the fridge for days.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, blend the butter, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt, until smooth and creamy. Mix in the egg and pumpkin puree. Gradually mix in the flour followed by the pumpkin kernels.
• Divide dough in half. Place each piece spaced out on parchment. Dough will be very sticky, so shape with plastic spatula or greased or floured hands into 1-inch high flat rectangular logs.
• Bake biscotti for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let set for 5 minutes. Use a long bread knife and slice down--don't saw--into long, even cookies. Space out cookies upright, if possible, or lay on sides.
• Bake for another 25 minutes; if cookies are laying on sides, flip them to other side halfway through. Set out on stove or counter to cool and dry for several hours.
• Melt chocolate in microwave or using a double-boiler on the stove. Drizzle chocolate over the ends of the biscotti and set again on parchment to set.
• Store biscotti in sealed containers at room temperature for days or weeks.

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• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit long-ways in a loaf pan, sticking up on either side as a sling. Apply nonstick spray into pan, place paper, then spray again. Set aside.
• In a big bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, 1 cup white sugar, and salt. Gradually mix in the milk, vanilla extract, oil, and egg, until just combined.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon.
• Spread about half the batter in the loaf pan. Sprinkle half the cinnamon-sugar on top, followed by about half the nuts (if using). Add rest of the batter. Use a knife to swirl batter, bringing the blade up and down a bit, to marble the layers together. Sprinkle rest of the cinnamon-sugar across the top followed by the nuts (if using). Swirl the batter again.
• Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick stuck deep in the middle comes out clean. About halfway through the bake, add foil over the top to prevent overbrowning.
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then use parchment sling to lift loaf onto a rack to fully cool.
• Well-wrapped loaf keeps at room temperature as long as 5 days. Slices can also be frozen for later enjoyment.

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• Using the microwave and a safe dish, heat the milk to between 120 and 130 degrees. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the flour, white sugar, yeast, and salt at very low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Slowly add the warm milk to incorporate. Add 2 of the eggs along with the vanilla, and beat for about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook attachment. Beat at low speed until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Add butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each piece incorporate before adding the next, about 8 minutes total. (If it refuses to incorporate, switch back to the paddle for this stage.) Beat until a smooth and elastic dough forms, about 6 minutes.
• Lightly flour a stretch of counter or tabletop and dump the dough there. Knead it for a minute or so and form it into a smooth round.
• Apply cooking spray inside a large bowl. Place the dough inside and give it a spray, too, to prevent sticking. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap in a warm spot to rise until doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Cut parchment paper to line pan going up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray to pan, then lay both strips inside the pan and spray the top-most sides.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch square. Score a 9-inch square in center of dough (using the pan as a reference, if needed). Fold outside 2 inches over score mark, creating a crust around edges.
• Place dough in the prepared pan, making sure it is even and fills corners of pan. Cover and let rise until puffed, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the cream cheese filling. Beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla bean paste (or extract), and salt until well combined. Gradually add cream cheese, beating until smooth. Add egg to incorporate, followed by the flour.
• Preheat oven to 325-degrees. Using your fingertips to dimple the center of dough back down, leaving outside crust as is. Pour the cream cheese mix into the center of dough. Make small indentations in the cream cheese then add dollops of the preserves. Use a knife to swirl the fruit in a bit more.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 tablespoon water and remaining egg. Brush the crust with the egg wash, then finish by sprinkling the pearl sugar all over the edge.
• Bake until the crust is golden brown with the filling set around outside edges, about 35 to 40 minutes. (If desired, check the temp: an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of filling should register 175°F.)
• Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then use the parchment sling to lift up the tart onto a serving plate or rack. Eat fresh, or let cool.
• Tart keeps for days well-wrapped in fridge. Eat slices cold, or make pieces even more delicious with a short zap in the microwave.

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Make the dough

• Mix together the dough ingredients by hand or using a mixer with dough hook, until well-incorporated and not stiff. Place dough in a greased bowl to let rise about 2 hours, or until puffy; if poked with a finger, the dent in the dough should remain and not bounce back.
• Prepare a deep round cake pan or casserole dish (at least 4 inches) by greasing thoroughly.
• Also lightly grease a large stretch of counter top or table. Gently deflate dough and transfer to the surface, and flatten dough to an 8x10-inch rectangle.

Prepare the filling

• Core the apples but leave on the peels. Chop apples into chunks about 1/2 to 3/4-inch in size. Should equal about 3 cups total. Toss pieces in cinnamon and sugar.

Assemble the bread

• Spread half the apples in the center of the dough. Fold one short edge over the apples to cover them, and press down the edge to seal them inside.
• Place the remaining apples on top of the existing apple-dough mound. Cover these apples with the other flap of dough, patting again to seal. It's okay if it is bulging and messy!
• Use a bench knife or paring knife to cut the dough down the middle, long-ways. Then cut again along the long side, edge to edge, to create a series of broad, messy stacks of dough with apples overflowing onto the surface.
• Start transferring pieces of dough and scattered apples into the prepared pan, forming a bottom layer, then keep stacking more dough and fruit on top until everything is in the pan.
• Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise for another hour, until it is puffed again.
• Preheat oven at 325-degrees, with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
• Uncover the dough. Brush the top with an egg beaten with a tablespoon of water. If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar all over the top.
• Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the top is deep brown. As the dough is so thick, if a kitchen thermometer is available, use it to test the middle; bread should be at least 190-degrees.
• Set pan of bread on a rack to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove bread from pan.
• Serve challah warm, ideally with extra honey drizzled on top. Store covered at room temperature up to 4 days. Bread can also be sliced and frozen.

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