Favorite Moosewood Baked Things and Sandwiches

The Baked Things and Sandwiches section of The New Moosewood Cookbook is the slimmest. There are just a smattering of simple ideas here, nothing too fancy or complicated. This is a good thing, because I am easily intimidated by words like yeast and kneading and baby's bottom. Actually, that last one is pretty fantastic.

The recipes in this section are a wild conglomerate of simple open faced sandwiches, breads to serve with dinner, and fun lunch ideas. I loved them all. Having to choose just three wasn't easy, but I think I found a well rounded bunch to showcase the many delights of this section.

First up, Focaccia! The link to the blog post has less than ten words in it ... sorry about that. The bread is studded with rosemary and the directions felt super fool proof: let it rise, lay it on a pan, and bake it. The bread is moist and flavorful. It would totally work as an accompaniment to an Italian feast or as a sandwich bread for a yummy panini. Mmm, makes my mouth water!

The next recipe I chose as a favorite is Broccoli and Friends. This is an open face sandwich that I devoured. It was so stinkin' good! Do you ever go through phases of eating a really specific food morning, day, and night? Whenever this happens to me, I assume it is because my body needs said food. In this case, I couldn't get enough broccoli, and cooking it up with cheese and sourdough sent my taste buds over the moon.

And here it is folks, my favorite recipe from the Baked Things and Sandwiches section: Popovers! This was my first attempt at popovers and I totally fell in love. They are easy to make and come out light and fluffy every time.

Custardy Popovers
Adapted from Mollie Katzen's New Moosewood Cookbook

2 to 3 tablespoons melted butter for the pan
2, 3, or 4 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush the insides of 12 muffins cups with melted butter.
2. Beat together the eggs and milk in a bowl. Add the flour and salt, and beat with a whisk until reasonably well blended. It's fine if the batter has a few lumps.
3. Fill each muffin cup about 1/2 full. Bake 25 minutes if using 2 eggs, 30 for 3 eggs, 35 for 4 eggs. Try to refrain from opening the oven during baking.
4. Remove the popovers from the pan immediately, and prick each with a fork to let the steam escape. (This helps them hold their shape.) Serve as soon as possible, either pan or with butter and jam.

A Happy Taste Notes
I make these with two eggs every time. I always lean towards fewer eggs in all of my baked goods.
These taste the best on the same day they are made.