Laurie Colwins Bread Recipes

The writer Laurie Colwin had an obsession with gingerbread, publishing a few different essays and recipes exploring its charms. In the essay that precedes this moist, cakelike rendition, from her book "Home Cooking," she writes that it is "home food" - not fancy restaurant food, that is, but soothing cold-weather food that is simple to make, ideal for an afternoon spent holed up indoors. The essay is also a paean to Steen's cane syrup, from Louisiana, which comes in cheerful yellow cans. Steen's is easy to find online, if not at your local supermarket, but the recipe does not suffer if you use another brand of light molasses instead. Serve the cake plain with whipped cream, or with fruit and a dollop of crème fraîche, or glazed with lemon icing, as Ms. Colwin often did. (The New York Times)

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     dessert

Time 45m

Yield One 9-inch cake

Number Of Ingredients 12

• Ingredients

In her "Home Cooking", Laurie quotes "English Bread and Yeast Cookery" by Elizabeth David. It says "It's really a question of arranging matters so that the dough suits your time table rather than the other way around. The preparation time indicates actual hands on. Raising is not included.

Provided by ctrmom

Categories     Yeast Breads

Time 1h20m

Yield 1 loaf

Number Of Ingredients 8

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : Calories 1138, Fat 11.6, SaturatedFat 5, Cholesterol 25.6, Sodium 2427.9, Carbohydrate 220.9, Fiber 16.2, Sugar 0.9, Protein 39.7

This recipe is from the celebrated food writer Laurie Colwin, and in some ways it is quintessentially hers. There's the delicious richness of the dish, its unfussiness and nostalgic value. There is the constant awareness of the plight of the busy home cook, those who would just as soon use a package of frozen spinach if the results are just as good as if you washed and chopped an untold number of bunches of fresh spinach yourself. And there is a twist: the jalapeños, which are a preventative measure against the gloppy blandness of steakhouse creamed spinach, adding sharpness to the dish but not too much heat. You can use either fresh or pickled jalapeños here - the latter add nice zing - and panko bread crumbs are a good substitution for fresh if you don't have them (or a few pieces of stale bread) in the pantry. (The New York Times)

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     easy, weekday, casseroles, dips and spreads, side dish

Time 1h10m

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 205, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 11 grams, Fat 14 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 10 grams, SaturatedFat 9 grams, Sodium 251 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams

This old-school chicken, Sunday-night-supper chicken, even dinner party chicken, is baked for about two hours (yes, you read that correctly: two hours) until its bread crumb-coated skin is crisp - yet the meat miraculously maintains its moisture. The recipe, adapted from the great food writer Laurie Colwin, is so simple to make that her original version was written out in a brief paragraph, casually instructing the home cook to coat the chicken with mustard, garlic, a little thyme, a pinch of cinnamon. We have adapted the recipe to include measurements and more specific direction, but that shouldn't stop you from absorbing her nonchalance and confidence as you make it, the certainty that it will turn out delicious every time. (The New York Times)

Provided by The New York Times

Categories     dinner, easy, weekday, main course

Time 2h15m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 772, UnsaturatedFat 28 grams, Carbohydrate 30 grams, Fat 48 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 54 grams, SaturatedFat 15 grams, Sodium 1059 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams, TransFat 0 grams

Here is a straightforward roast chicken recipe from the writer Laurie Colwin, who swore by simplicity - in the kitchen and in life. Not many people will take the time to stuff and truss a chicken, and Ms. Colwin famously abandoned the practice when she found her child making spider webs with her expensive trussing string. Try the trussing and stuffing sometime, though. A little time, simply spent, rewards with tender meat and a savory stuffing, an easy feast for a night at home.

Provided by Pilar Viladas

Categories     dinner, main course

Time 2h15m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

• Ingredients