Actually, I inaugurated the new year running down a hill in the rain to catch the last glimpse of fireworks, drunk and disheveled, hauling a man in my wake and accidentally abandoning a fleet of friends.
I hosted a party and proceeded to be the wrecked hostess, forcing ramekins of rum-raisin bread pudding and cupfuls of truffle popcorn into guests' hands. Manically alternated between bossy and silly, stubborn and ridiculous. I was so fuckered-up I remember, as I kicked everyone out of my apartment at 11:45 (except for one party angel who had passed out on my bed), being astonished that no glasses were broken. Of course, the next day I broke a glass on my head. Some motha left a drinking glass full of red wine on top of my fridge (not a wine glass, mind you, despite the fact that there were actually clean ones). When will boys learn that shorties don't look up? I was bent down, rooting around in my crisper when it fell and broke on my head, shooting red wine and blue glass all over my kitchen! Very painful, but I learned my head is quite resilient.
The next day, cradling my bumped cranium and cleaning my apartment, I emptied out a half bottle of totally decent Mountain Dome sparkling wine and forsook my uneaten bread pudding. I suddenly and desperately missed my Queen B in California! She would have helped me be "on the ball" as we like to say, to be a better, tidier, more pulled-together hostess. Slightly mopey and missing my team mate, I gave her a call and we decided that a reunion was in order. So she bought tickets to Seattle for a 10-day stay in March!
Queen B, you already made my year.
So did the cinnamon rolls. I did all my prep work on New Year's Eve so I could enjoy a freshly baked bun slathered in cream cheese frosting for my first breakfast of 2010. I saved my remaining rolls and baked them up the following day, sharing them with a few girlfriends. Pulling apart the hot rolls, drinking spiked coffee, the conversation twisted from the sweet to the obscene and back again, wrapping tightly around our interwoven lives like dough spiraled around sugar and cinnamon. I love my friends and I love sharing meals with them. Here's to more of both in the new year!
Cinnamon Buns
Adapted from Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson's The Grand Central Baking Book (The main change was removing currants and adding marzipan):
Sponge
2 ½ cups tepid water (about 80 degrees)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons molasses
½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup eight-grain cereal with cracked—not rolled—grain
2 cups unbleached white flour
Final Dough
2 ½ to 3 cups unbleached white or bread flour
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup marzipan paste (optional)
To make the sponge, combine ingredients in a bowl with high sides and whisk or beat until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap at let sit at room temperature for 2 hours or in the refrigerator for about 12 hours. It should bubbly and a bit stringy when you stir it.
Combine the fermented sponge with the flour, butter and salt in a fowl. Use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment if you have it. I like to knead by hand while listening to music.
When the dough is a shiny, smooth cohesive mass, turn into a bowl lightly brushed with butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. If you have time, chill the dough for an hour. It will be stiffer and easier to form into rolls.
Combine your filling ingredients, reserving 1/3 cup to sprinkle on top of the rolls. If you’re addition the optional marzipan, a fork and some muscle are required to mix it into the sugar. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a combination of gentle stretching and light rolling to shape into a 20”x12” rectangle. Spread 6 tablespoons butter over the entire rectangle of dough and top with the filling. I flexible rubber spatula would probably work well for spreading butter, but I decided to forgo tools and make a mess with my hands. This works fine, too.
Roll the dough tightly to create a log 20-24 inches long and 2-3 inches in diameter. Cut the rolls using a serrated knife. Gently tuck the tail under the center and goose to creat a conical shape. Arrange the rolls in 9”x13” pan, greased with your remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let them rise for 30-60 minutes in a warm spot (atop the preheating oven is ideal) or refrigerate overnight and let them rise in the morning. When the rolls have swelled, top with the remaining cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.
Enjoy with coffee and good company.
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