This time of year, the Texas Valley has a great variety of citrus at the peak of flavor.  Why not get out your grandmother’s canning equipment and try your hand at making your own marmalade?  Homemade marmalade takes effort, but the taste is rewarding.  With oranges and lemons at about $1 per pound, how can you resist?  I recently made this recipe with Valley lemons and blood oranges from Central Market.  The result —  a beautiful jeweled marmalade with a slight bitterness that I will be reluctant to share. Definitely try it on an English muffin with a bit of good butter slathered on it.  Heaven!

Blood Orange and Valley Lemon Marmalade

2 pounds unpeeled bitter oranges (blood oranges or Seville oranges)
8 ounces unpeeled lemons (Valley lemons or Meyer lemons are a great choice if available)
8 cups water
6 1/2 cups sugar, divided use

Chill the citrus, then halve crosswise, snip out tough centers, and thinly slice, removing any seeds.  (I put them in the refrigerator overnight before slicing to make it easier.)  Combine the sliced citrus in a bowl with their juice and add the water.  Cover and let stand overnight in the refrigerator, then simmer until the citrus peel is tender.

Divide the mixture in half into two saucepans.  In each pan, add 3 1/4 cups sugar.  In these two batches, boil rapidly, stirring frequently unit reaches the jelling point (I use the temperature method— the jelling point is between 220 and 222 degrees).  Remove from the heat and skim off any foam (While cooking, a little scum may float to the center; remove it to produce a crystal clear marmalade.)

Combine the batches before packing into hot, sterilized jars (To sterilize jars and tools, put them in a large pot, cover with 1 inch of water, and boil for 10 minutes.)   Leave 1/4-inch headspace and process for 10 minutes.

Allow the jars to sit overnight and test if they are properly sealed (the lids should be sucked down).  If not, store in the refrigerator.  Otherwise, they will last at least one year in the pantry.

Makes about 8 (1/2-pint) jars.

Adapted from”Joy of Cooking: All About Canning & Preserving” edited by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker

(photos: Nicholas N. Mistry)

When you make a basic Hollandaise, but add the flavors of fresh tarragon, shallot, tarragon vinegar, a pinch of black pepper and maybe even a bit of spicy cayenne pepper, the sauce turns from rich-but-tame to rich-but- piquant.

Béarnaise sauce is often used as a topping for filet mignon or grilled lamb. But, it’s also delicious and decadent  on top of poached eggs. Use in place of Hollandaise for eggs Benedict, for instance. Or, put it on poached or roasted salmon or sliced duck breast.

The recipe that follows is adapted from French chef Anne Willan’s recipe for Hollandaise sauce, in her book  “Cook it Right” (Reader’s Digest, $29.95).

Béarnaise Sauce

1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1/2 cup tarragon vinegar or white wine vinegar (or mixture of the two)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon plus 1 teaspoon, divided use
2 teaspoons minced fresh shallot
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
Pinch black pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Pinch red (cayenne) pepper, if desired

Put butter in a small, heavy-bottomed pan to melt on the stove slowly. Skim off the white foam that collects on top and discard.

In another small pan put the tarragon vinegar, 1 tablespoon of the fresh chopped tarragon and the shallot. Turn the heat on medium-low and let the liquid reduce by about half. Strain this mixture, reserving 4 tablespoons of the seasoned vinegar. If you don’t have 4 tablespoons of liquid, add some water to it.

Set the melted, clarified butter off to the side of the stove and put a ladle into it. Next to the butter, on the counter, put a thick dishtowel.

Put a pan of water on the stove and bring to a simmer.

In a steel bowl that will fit just a little ways down into the pot of water, whisk together the 4 egg yolks with the 4 tablespoons of the tarragon vinegar liquid until the eggs are frothy and light in color. Now, put the bowl over the simmering water in the pot, and whisk vigorously to form a mousse that is creamy and thick enough to hold a ribbon train for 3 seconds.  Just 3-4 minutes or so, no more.  Don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the hot water, or the eggs will cook too quickly.

When the eggs are thick, but not curdling, take the bowl off the water bath and put it on the dishtowel to steady it while you whisk in the butter. Pour the butter in with the ladle, slowly, a little at a time, whisking the sauce as you go. When the sauce is incorporated into the eggs, add the lemon juice along with the rest of the chopped fresh chopped tarragon and pinch of cayenne, if you wish, and whisk some more.

Set aside in a warm place for a few minutes, but use as soon as you can.

Makes 1 1/2 cups sauce.

Adapted from Anne Willan, “Cook it Right”

A truism about cooking the main meat for a holiday dinner is that roasts are easy.

They are easy in the sense that you set the oven at the correct temperature, season the roast (or turkey or goose),  then put it into the oven and forget about it for a couple of hours while you do other things.

Roasts only cause problems if the cook hasn’t thought through the preparation. Here are a few pointers:

• It would be very good if you had a meat thermometer and know exactly what your target temperature is.
• Remember that when you take the roast out over the oven it will continue to cook as it slowly loses heat. So, if you want a pork roast at, say, 165 degrees, take it out at 160, or a little lower.
• When you take the roast out of the oven, it would be excellent if you’ve thought ahead and have a good, big open space on the stove or counter top on which to put the hot pan.
• If you have overcooked the roast, there’s no going back, so try to err on the side of undercooking — at least you can cut into the meat and see if it’s done, and put it back in the oven if it is not. But, if you have a trusty thermometer and use it correctly, you shouldn’t have this problem.
• Give the meat a chance to “rest” after the roasting, at least 15 minutes, before cutting. If you don’t, the meat juices don’t have a chance to reabsorb into the roast. That means the meat won’t be as uniformly juicy as it might have been.
• Be sure you have a sharp knife to carve the roast, preferably on a cutting board with a groove around the edges to catch juices. You don’t want these running onto the floor; you do want these in your gravy.

We prepared a crown roast for a SavorSA get-together recently. I’d never made one, though I’d thought about doing it for years. It turned out well and wasn’t difficult to make, especially as good meat markets and butchers will either have the crown roasts on hand or prepare them (by shaping and tying the roast) for you.

What the butcher does is take a couple of lengths of bone-in pork loin, trims it of some fat. Then, the rib ends of the chops are frenched, or closely trimmed to expose several inches of the ribs.  The butcher also cuts little notches between ribs to make the strip of ribs bend more easily. Also, these can be guides as to where to carve.  Then, the butcher stands the ribs up on the meaty ends and ties the roast (securely, you hope) into a circle.

Your part is easy. Take the roast home, season it, put stuffing in the center and put it in the oven. And, of course, take it out at the right time!  I bought an 8-pound roast with 12 chops in it, and it fed seven of us generously, plus there were leftovers.

Here are the steps. (Also, click here for general tips on making a good roast of any kind.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Unwrap roast and set it in a large roasting pan. Season it with salt and pepper (or try Tyler Florence’s Pork Loin Seasoning Rub). Let loin sit awhile to bring it to room temperature, or close.
3. Stuff the center with Jalapeño, Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing. This will give you a good-looking presentation, juicy stuffing and helps push the roast into a round shape. (Some recipes say to add stuffing an hour and a half or so into the baking, but I put it in right away and was pleased with the results.)
4. Top the stuffing and the ends of the ribs that stick up in the air with foil. About 15 minutes before the roast is done, take the foil off the stuffing so that the stuffing browns.
5. Put the roast in the oven; you might have to lower the rack to accommodate its height. Put the meat thermometer into the thick part of the meat. You want it to read at 155 or 160 degrees, depending on how done you want the pork. The 8 pound roast I made took about 2 hours and 20 minutes to roast. I took it out at about 156 degrees and let it sit for about 20 minutes. It was cooked through, maybe with just a hint of pink. You can take the foil off the rib ends now.
6. Parade the roast around the house so that everyone sees its beauty. (Or, invite them into the kitchen.)
7. We let the roast sit 20-30 minutes to redistribute the juices. If you want to make gravy, take the roast out of the pan and put it on a large plate in a warm place to rest. Then, proceed with making gravy.
8. Take the stuffing out of the roast and put it in the center of a large, preferably warm, serving platter
9. Cut the strings off of the roast with a kitchen scissors.
10. With a sharp carving knife (I used my French knife, which worked fine) slice off as many chops as you have guests (these will be big chops). Arrange them, ribs toward the center and pointing up, as much as possible, over the stuffing. Put a serving fork and spoon on the platter so guests can lift off a chop and spoon out some stuffing.
11. Hint: If you want to further enhance the presentation, either on the roast or the chop plate, make little bunches of parsley and put tiny grape tomatoes on them: It’s Christmas-y and pretty.
12. What about those paper booties that we see on crown roasts or racks of lamb? I discussed this with someone who, as do I, considers these things. We agreed that they might be a little passé. If you want them, you can find them in a well-stocked supermarket (ask the butcher, too). Or, make some yourself out of pretty gold foil Christmas gift-wrap – passé maybe, but fun!

Instead of paying high prices for peppermint bark, consider this fast, easy recipe.  In less than one hour, you will have a great treat to give or keep for yourself.

Time to make peppermint bark. All the ingredients, ready to go.

Peppermint Bark

2 pounds white chocolate, chopped into 1/2″ pieces (white chocolate morsels work well, too)
12 large candy canes
1/2 teaspoon peppermint oil

Line an 11″ x 17″ baking sheet with parchment and set aside.  A reusable Silpat also works well.

In the top of a double boiler, melt white chocolate, stirring constantly.  If you do not have a double boiler, set a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water making sure not to get any water into the chocolate.

With a chef’s knife or meat tenderizer, cut or pound candy canes into 1/4-inch pieces.  The easiest way to do this is to seal the canes in a zip-top bag and then pound them.

Stir pieces of candy canes and peppermint oil into the melted chocolate.  Remove from heat, and pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet; spread evenly.  Chill until firm, 25 to 30 minutes.  Break into pieces and serve.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or up to one week.

Note: One great way to vary this recipe is to add a dark chocolate layer.  After the first layer sets in the refrigerator, you can melt 2 pounds of dark chocolate morsels as described above in a double boiler and pour over the white chocolate sheet.  Refrigerate again for 30 minutes.

Makes 2 1/4 pounds  or one 11-x-17-inch sheet.   With optional dark chocolate, yields 4 1/4 pounds.

Adapted from MarthaStewart.com

(photos: Nicholas Mistry)

Making an elegant tart for the holidays can be easy, if you set your ingredients out beforehand. When you do that, it’s simply a matter of adding ingredients into your mixer. Your dough is ready in a matter of minutes, and your tart will be baking before you know it.

This is a variation of an Italian dessert called fregolotta. (For recipe, click here.) I first came across the recipe in one of pastry chef Cindy Mushet’s cookbooks, but I’ve tinkered with it so much that it has become my own. For example, I found the original recipe a little stingy on fruit. A friend who has copied the recipe found my version equally stingy, so feel free to add as much or as little as you would like.

The first step is to make sure your butter and your jam or jelly are both at room temperature before you start. This makes the process of assembling everything so much easier.

First, cream your butter for about 1 minute at a medium speed, then add the oil and whip for another minute. This allows air into the butter and it will make your tart lighter. Slowly add the sugar and salt. I like to use a coarse salt because the combined flavor of salt, butter and fruit when you bite into it is spectacular.

Now is the time to add the almond extract. If you are allergic to nuts or just don’t like the flavor or texture, you can substitute vanilla at this point and omit the almond slivers from the topping

Reduce the speed to its lowest level before adding the flour. This is a must to prevent flour from spraying back at you.

Once the flour has been incorporated and your dough has formed, remove 3/4 of a cup of dough and press it onto a plate. (If your dough has crumbled, which can happen because of the butter and the humidity of the day, just leave it in crumbles.) Place this in the freezer, so it’s good and cold when you place the tart in the oven.

Then press the dough in your tart pan or 9-inch baking pan (can be square or round). Cover with whatever amount of jam you wish (room temperature jam is easier to spread and won’t tear your dough). To me, the tart is about the flavor of butter, though who can resist fig, raspberry or apricot preserves in the mix? You aren’t limited in your choice of what to use. It could be cherry, a perfect partner with almond, or marmalade

.

Crumble the dough from the freezer on top. Sprinkle on your almonds and bake. The baking process depends on the type of oven you are using. An electric oven will usually bake the tart in half the time of a gas oven. You’ll know it’s done when the dough takes on a more golden glow

.

You can easily double this recipe. I’ve tried to triple it before, because I make about 100 of these as presents each year in various sizes, but my Kitchen Aid bowl is not big enough to hold all of the ingredients and mix them without flour flying everywhere.

If you want to add a snowy touch, sprinkle powdered sugar on top, but only before serving. The moisture of the tart will absorb much of the powdered sugar after awhile. This tart keeps unrefrigerated for several days.

(Photos: John Griffin & Nicholas Mistry)

Making the gravy for the Thanksgiving meal is often a last-minute thing. In my case, I like to use the flavorful juices from the roasted turkey, as well as the water the potatoes cooked in.

Why? Because my mother makes it this way.

I follow her general method, but have come up with three  simple things that for me have ensured success every time:

• I make a thick, smooth mixture of flour and water and have it handy in case the gravy just won’t thicken.

• I keep a good-sized strainer nearby as well. Using it to strain out lumps is not against any cooking law that I know of.

• If one uses a raw flour-and-water thickener, be sure to let the thickened gravy cook at least 15 minutes. It will take on a satiny-sheen when the flour is thoroughly cooked.

Here is my gravy method:

First, siphon off 1/4 cup of the turkey fat from the roaster. Pour it into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add to it a generous 1/4 cup of flour. Turn on the heat and stir the mixture until the flour is lightly browned. Now, add 4 cups of liquid. I like to use warm broth made from simmering the turkey giblets and neck with herbs and an onion, while the turkey is roasting. You may also save 1 or 2 cups of  the potato water, which adds flavor and nutrition, or warm up 1 quart of chicken broth. De-greased juices from the turkey are good, too. Anything that will give the gravy a full flavor.

My mother would actually take the turkey out of the white-speckled blue roaster and pour off all but that 1/4 cup of fat. She cooks the flour in the remaining fat in the roaster, set over a burner over medium-low heat. She scrapes up the pan bits and then adds the liquid gradually, whisking. Her gravy always seemed to thicken just fine, but I always run into trouble right about here — hence the flour/water paste to help thickening. Just add some of this gradually, whisking all the while, until you notice the gravy getting thick. When it is about where you want it, stir a little longer, then let it cook another 15 minutes or so. If it gets too thick, add a little more warm liquid.

This method generally means no lumps, or very few, in the gravy. But, again, if there are lumps, there is no shame in employing that strainer.

I like to season gravy with plenty of salt and a little white pepper. The cooked turkey giblets might be cut up and added at this point. I actually don’t like giblets — except in gravy at Thanksgiving!

Finally, I usually make more dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy than I know I will need at the Thanksgiving meal. That is because I dearly love to make a casserole out of sliced turkey, smothered in gravy, topped with dressing (and some more gravy) and then mashed potatoes. Put a couple of these in the freezer. This dish tastes fabulous reheated in the oven and served on a cold night in January.

So, you have decided to cook a turkey.  It doesn’t matter if this is the  “coming of age”  step where you show your friends you can do things like big kids.  It doesn’t matter if it is just the bait to get your scattered relatives to gather once a year.  You have made the decision, so now it’s time to plan the meal.

There are many ephemeral articles that will give you ideas for decoration, invitation, or theme.  There are many recipes listed to stir your imagination.  But here I am just offering tips you can use to slice your Thanksgiving turkey.

1. Let the big bird rest!  This gives it a chance to let the juices inside settle so they stay in the bird (making it moist) and not pouring out all over the counter.

2. While it is resting, move it into a shallow baking pan.  You know, it has a lip but isn’t more than 1 inch deep.  Then, when you slice, any juices that do drip can be poured over the breast slices or added to the huge cauldron of gravy!

3. Pick up your toaster and cut the turkey.   No!  You wouldn’t use a toaster to cut a turkey.  So don’t use a big chef’s knife; use a thin-long-sharp carving knife!  Yeah, that knife you never use because you can’t chop with it and it is way too long for paring an apple.  Now is the time!  When the blade is sharp and only about an inch wide, you get less “drag” as you slice.  Now is the time to get your knives sharpened before Thanksgiving.

4.  Grasp the end of the drumstick and slice the skin that attaches it to the main body.   Then you can lean the leg and thigh away from the breast.  This will show you where the thigh joins the turkey.  Cut through the joint and remove the hindquarter from the bird. Repeat on the other side of the bird.  Separate the thigh and drumstick at the joint.

5. Then cut along the bones and slide the meat off the leg and thigh, then slice.

6.  Insert a fork in the wing to steady the turkey.  If the wing is too loose, just cut it off at the joint.  Make a long horizontal cut above wing joint through to the body frame.

7. Measure in 1/2 inch and slice down the breast.  Slice straight down with an even stroke. When knife reaches the cut above the wing joint, the slice should fall free on its own.  Continue to slice breast meat easily by starting the cut at a higher point each time.

8. Relax.  If all goes well, great!  If it doesn’t, you have something to talk about!

Roland Treviño fries several turkeys every Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving dinner became a lot easier for many with the rising popularity of frying the turkey. Not only is the cooking time far less than it is to roast or smoke, you don’t have to baste the bird or worry about it while it is cooking.

Yet in the annals of Thanksgiving Day meal disasters, fried turkey nightmares have formed a unique category. Stories abound about fires, oil sprays and other catastrophes that could have been easily avoided. That is, if people had paid attention to a few rules.

To learn to fry a turkey the best and simplest way, we talked with Roland Treviño of Los Barrios and La Hacienda de los Barrios, who has been in charge of frying the big birds for his family for about nine years now.

The process has changed over the years. In the early days, Treviño merely cleaned the bird, which should weigh about 10-15 pounds, and then fried it. Nowadays, a host of flavor injections exist to enliven the bird and keep it moist.

That’s where Treviño begins these days. One day before frying, insert the turkey stand that comes with the fryer and place the bird in the empty frying pot. Cover it with water and then remove the bird, he said. Then mark the spot, because the level of water left is the amount of peanut oil you will need to use.

Place the turkey in the pot and fill with water. Remove, then mark the water level, so you know how much oil to use.

“I learned that from watching Emeril Legasse,” Treviño says.

It proved especially handy with Treviño’s first fry pot, which did not have markings denoting how many gallons of oil the pot could contain.

The first thing to do is remove the giblets and neck. This is a step many forget, and the plastic wrap could melt when the turkey is fried.

Rinse and dry the bird off, insert the turkey stand and set it in a garbage bag, Treviño says. Then add your marinade or inject the bird with whatever flavor you choose, he says. He likes a Cajun marinade to give the bird some spice, while the kids like a sweeter flavor. Since he fries a number of birds each year, everyone gets the flavor he or she wants.

Once the bird is flavored, Treviño likes to tie the wings to the breast to prevent oil from splattering.

Make sure your pot is safely away from the house.

Season your turkey a day before frying.

The following day, set up your fryer away from the house. This is important, and it’s one rule people seem to forget. “Keep it away from the house,” Treviño says. If the oil overflows, you could stain your floor or concrete or set a wooden deck on fire.

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees.

While it is heating, dry the bird completely. One drop of water could cause oil to spatter, Treviño says. “The last thing you want to do is put wet turkey in hot oil,” because that can cause burns, he says.

Make sure the turkey is dry. Oil could spatter if any water hits it.

Before you lower the bird into the oil, make sure the temperature is hot enough. Oil that has reached 350 degrees is hot enough to sear the outside of the turkey, allowing the meat to cook without losing the juices inside. If prepared properly, the bird will be extremely moist but not greasy. If the oil is not hot enough, the turkey will become like a sponge and absorb the oil.

Once you’ve checked the temperature, carefully lower the bird into the oil. You can do this with a hook, but if you’re wary of the weight, you may want to make this a two-person job. Treviño often inserts a broomstick into the metal hook that links into the turkey stand before he and one of his sons lower it into the bubbling vat.

Cover the pot to prevent spattering, and make sure the temperature rises again to 350 degrees while it cooks. It takes about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per pound to fry the turkey, or just under 40 minutes for a 10-pound bird.

The turkey skin turns dark brown as it boils.

You should watch the fryer during this time to prevent any other unavoidable disasters. For some, this is the time to grab a beer and relax. Just don’t drink too much. You have to remove the turkey as carefully as it was lowered. You may also want to have a fire extinguisher on hand in case an accident happens.

The skin will get dark brown and incredibly crispy while it cooks.

When the turkey is done, some say when the bird floats to the top of the oil, remove it with the same diligence as you lowered it into the oil.

Carefully remove the bird when it's finished.

One other aspect to bear in mind is how you store the oil before frying, Treviño says. Don’t let it get too cold before you start to heat the pot. If the oil has been left outside on a frosty night, it will take hours to heat in the pot. To prevent that from happening, Treviño keeps the oil in the house before pouring it into the pot.

Cleanup after frying a turkey is easy, he says. The turkey stand gets cleaned and the pot, but not until the day after its use and the heat has dropped. He filters the peanut oil and uses it again at Christmas time. (You can use any vegetable oil in place of peanut oil, but peanut oil is the only one suggested for re-use.)

Treviño has his own horror story, of sorts, to share.

The first time he fried a turkey, the skin came out black. It wasn’t inedible. It was simply unappetizing to the eye. So, he decided to play a trick on his family, in keeping with a family tradition for practical jokes. He served up the bird and apologized for burning it. Everyone was horrified – at least until they tasted the moist meat inside.

After that, a fried turkey has been a part of every Treviño Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

Remove the turkey stand before carving.

Frying a turkey seals in its juices, leaving the meat moist.

Photos by Nicholas Mistry.

Great tasting cinnamon rolls are best with fresh ingredients and good cinnamon. Invest in another jar of fresh spice if you think your cinnamon has been sitting around in the cupboard for years.

After using this recipe, I made some changes it in it. I cut the sugar added to the dough to one quarter cup. I also cut down the amount of brown sugar in the filling from 2 cups to 1-1/2.  I thought even that was a little too much, so next time I will probably cut the packed light brown sugar to a cup.  (The recipe below reflects these changes.)

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

2 (1/4-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
5 1/2 cups flour
1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons  grated orange rind (try to not get any of the white, just zest)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Non-stick cooking spray

Filling:
3/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup chopped toasted pecans
3/4 cup dried cranberries OR currants OR raisins
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Glaze:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Boil peeled, diced sweet potatoes until tender. Drain and mash.

For Rolls: Pulse yeast, water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a food processor 4 times or just until combined, using the metal blade. Remove metal blade, scraping yeast mixture into food processor bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. (If making by hand, stir together these ingredients in a large bowl and let stand 5 minutes.)

Stir cooled potatoes and 1/2 cup flour into the yeast mixture and blend well, then add the rest of the flour.

Insert short plastic dough blade into food processor; add 1/2 cup flour to processor bowl and process 2 minutes. Add mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, buttermilk, the rest of the sugar, butter, orange rind, salt and and soda, along with 4 cups flour; process 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 cup flour, and process 2 minutes or until a dough forms, coming together to hold a shape. (If making by hand, mix in ingredients and stir in same order as above, then knead the dough on a flat, lightly floured surface, for at least 5 minutes.)

Place dough in a well-greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

If you're making by hand, turn dough out on a floured surface to mix and knead a few times before placing it into a clean, lightly oiled bowl, covered, to rise in a warm place.

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into a 10- by- 18-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with Filling. Roll up dough, jelly-roll fashion, starting at 1 long side. Cut into 12 (1 1/2-inch) slices, and arrange in a lightly greased 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 30 minutes. (For me, this dough made closer to 18 cinnamon rolls.  These fit just fine into a buttered 9-by-9-inch baking pan.)

Roll out dough in a large rectangle and spread on brown sugar and cinnamon filling. Start rolling the dough in from one of the long sides, as you would for a jelly roll. Then, start cutting rounds from one end.

Bake rolls at 400° for 10 minutes. Remove rolls from oven; drizzle Glaze slowly over rolls, starting at 1 edge of pan and drizzling in a circular pattern.

Bake rolls 7 to 10 more minutes or until lightly browned and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove rolls from oven, and invert onto a baking sheet. Invert again, glaze side up, onto a serving platter. Let cool 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

When rolls are done, let them cool awhile before you put on the glaze or icing (while the rolls are still warm).

For Filling: Stir together butter, sugar, pecans, raisins or dried cranberries, until blended.

For Glaze:  Stir together sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a light boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in cream and vanilla.

Makes 12-15 rolls.

Adapted from Domino Sugar