Jennifer Lata 12/24/24 Jennifer Lata 12/24/24

Christmas Morning Grammy Rolls

photo by Peter Frank Edwards for Southern Living Magazine

One of my favorite Christmas morning treats! I have so many fond memories of rolling these little pillows of dough in cinnamon sugar on Christmas Eve. The written recipe was lost to our family for several years, but we’ve finally recreated it to keep the tradition going. Merry merry!

Grammy Rolls
Serves 6-8

For the Dough:

2 cups whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
26 ounces (5 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour, more as needed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

To Assemble:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Confectioners’ sugar, for serving

In a small saucepan (or the microwave), gently warm together butter and milk until butter is melted and mixture reaches 95˚F. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add sugar and whisk to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast over the top and let stand for 5 minutes until active and foamy. Whisk in salt.

Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add flour 1 cup at a time until a shaggy dough starts to come together. Increase to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and tacky but will pull away cleanly from the sides. Add 1-2 tablespoons of flour as needed to achieve this texture.

Butter a large mixing bowl with the softened butter. Scrape dough into the prepared bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at a warm room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium bowl. Whisk together cinnamon and sugar. Butter a 11-inch tube pan with remaining tablespoon softened butter.

Scrape dough onto a clean work counter (dust with a bit of flour if necessary to prevent sticking). Portion into roughly 45 (1-ounce) pieces. Cup your hand on top of one piece of dough. Gently press it against the counter in a tight circular motion until you have a smooth ball. Repeat with remaining dough.

Dip each ball of dough in the melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat. Arrange dough in two to three layers in the prepared tube pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning (Christmas morning!), allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375˚F (conventional). Bake rolls until puffy and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Let rest in the pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding. While still warm, invert the pan onto a serving platter or cake stand and tap to gently release the rolls. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

Jennifer Lata 12/23/24 Jennifer Lata 12/23/24

Beef Tenderloin stuffed with creamed winter greens

A simple yet elegant holiday roast recipe. This recipe was written for my friends at Smithey Ironware using their beautiful oval roasting pan, one of my favorite carbon steel pieces. A center-cut beef tenderloin is butterflied, then topped with rich and creamy sautéed greens, rolled, tied, and roasted. You can butterfly the meat yourself with a sharp knife, or ask the butcher to do it for you. The creamed greens can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Beef Tenderloin Stuffed with Creamed Winter Greens
Serves 6

Creamed Winter Greens

8 ounces dark leafy greens, such as spinach, mustard greens, collards, and kale (tough stems removed)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan or asiago cheese
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Tenderloin

2 1/2 to 3-pound center-cut beef tenderloin, butterflied 1/2 inch thick (have your butcher do this)
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Horseradish Cream Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the filling:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add greens and cook just until color is set, about 1 minute. Transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Once cool, drain the greens. Use paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to squeeze out all excess moisture, then finely chop. You should have about 1 1/2 cups (5 ounces) prepared greens.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the shallot, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cream until smooth, then stir in the prepared greens. Cook 1-2 minutes longer, until mixture thickens and most of the moisture has evaporated.
Remove from heat and stir in the cheese, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool to room temperature (or, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead).

Make the sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together horseradish cream sauce ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.

Stuff and Roast the Meat:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap over the inside of the butterflied tenderloin, then gently pound the meat until it is an even 1/2-inch thickness.
Season the interior with salt and pepper, then spread the cooled creamed greens evenly over the meat, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Roll up the filet lengthwise and tie with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season the exterior with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or oval roasting pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add prepared roast and sear until deeply browned on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total. Turn the roast seam-side-down, then transfer the whole pan to the preheated oven and roast until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reaches 120˚F, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer beef to a cutting board and let rest for 6-8 minutes, then slice thick and serve with chilled horseradish cream sauce.

Jennifer Lata 12/9/24 Jennifer Lata 12/9/24

Recipes for Gifting

Homemade gifts are sometimes the most meaningful. My favorites include a sweet-and-savory granola, a sweet-and-salty party mix, and homemade buttermilk pancake mix that yields a tender, fluffy pancake in just a few minutes. I also love this homemade version of Nutella, made with pecans and completely free of preservatives and other processed ingredients. The homemade puppy chow is sweet and decadent, a treat for kids and grown-ups alike. And finally, my family’s favorite baking tradition: Butter Pecan Coffee Cake. I’ve never had a Christmas morning without it!

Whether you’re delivering these to friends and neighbors, or keeping them in your own pantry for holiday houseguests, here are some of my favorite recipes for gifting around the holidays.

**Olive Oil Granola**

Makes 6 cups

2 1/2 cups pecan pieces or roughly chopped pecan halves
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, optional
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 300˚F. In a large bowl, combine pecan pieces, oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower kernels, and sesame seeds.
In a separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne, if using. Whisk in olive oil until smooth. Pour mixture over the dry ingredients and fold with a rubber spatula until everything is coated evenly.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes, until golden brown, crispy, and fragrant. Let granola cool completely on the baking sheet, then transfer to airtight containers and store in the freezer for the best texture and shelf-life.

**Buttermilk Pancake Mix**

Makes 7 cups
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour
3/4 cup buttermilk powder
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup toasted chopped pecans, optional
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together both flours, buttermilk powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well so no lumps remain. Stir in toasted pecans, if using. Store in airtight containers at a cool room temperature (or, refrigerate or freeze to extend the shelf life and ensure freshness).
**Cooking Instructions:**
Stir together 1 ½ cups pancake mix, 1/2 cup water, 1 egg, and 2 tablespoons melted butter until combined (a few lumps is okay). This will make 6 pancakes using a ¼ cup scoop.

**Homemade “Nutella”**

Makes about 10 ounces
2 cups pecans
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 300˚F. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven until fragrant, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.
Add cooled pecans to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 1 minute until it forms a thick paste. Stop and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Process again until smooth and shiny, about 1-2 minutes longer.
Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, oil, vanilla, and sea salt and process again until smooth and creamy, about 1-2 minutes longer. Stop and scrape down the sides as necessary. Transfer to small glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Puppy Chow with Pecan Butter

Makes about 12 cups

2 cups (8 ounces) pecan halves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 (12-ounce) box of Chex rice or corn cereal (about 11 cups)
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chunks
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 300˚F. Spread pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove and let cool completely.
Add cooled pecans to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process for 1 minute, until you have a thick paste. Stop and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Process for 1 minute longer, until the paste begins to thin and become smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides again. Add vanilla and salt and process for 1 minute longer, until your pecan butter is super smooth and creamy.
Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each cook time, for about 1 ½ to 2 minutes). Stir in pecan butter until smooth.
Place cereal in a very large mixing bowl. Pour pecan-chocolate mixture over the top and gently stir with a rubber spatula until cereal is evenly coated.
Add 1 cup confectioners’ sugar to a gallon sized zip-top bag. Add half the cereal mixture and seal tightly. Shake very well until the cereal pieces are evenly coated. Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 1 cup confectioners’ sugar and cereal. Shake thoroughly, then spread onto the baking sheet. Toss gently by hand to make sure each piece is coated evenly, dusting with a bit more confectioners’ sugar if necessary.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Or, for the best texture and shelf life, store in the freezer for 3 weeks. (If it lasts that long!)

**Butter Pecan Coffee Cake**

Makes two 8-inch cakes
2 cups flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup cold butter, diced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 cup sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
Combine flour and sugars in a food processor. Add butter and pulse a few times until butter is cut into small pieces. Turn out into a large bowl and stir in cinnamon. Remove 1 cup and reserve for topping.
To the remaining dry ingredients, whisk in baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sour cream, eggs, and vanilla-add to dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula.
Divide into two buttered & floured 8" cake pans and top evenly with reserved dry mixture. Top each cake with 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
Bake at 325 convection (or 350 conventional) until just cooked through in the center, about 25-30 minutes-or maybe a litttttle jiggly in the middle, because gooey is good here. (Increase bake time to 30-40 minutes for conventional).

**Sweet & Salty Party Mix**

Makes about 12 cups
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, to taste
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
2 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Wheat Chex
2 cups pecan pieces
2 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
1 1/2 cups cheese crackers (Goldfish, Cheez-its)
1 cup pretzel sticks or mini pretzels
1 cup honey roasted sesame sticks
Preheat oven to 325˚F. Melt butter in a small pot. Whisk in Worcestershire, soy, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine all the cereal, pecans, pretzels, and crackers. Add warm butter mixture and stir thoroughly to coat all the pieces.
Spread onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 20 minutes at 325˚F, then remove pans and stir thoroughly. Lower the temperature to 200˚F and return pans to the oven until toasted brown and mostly dry, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Jennifer Lata 11/21/24 Jennifer Lata 11/21/24

Turkey Rice with Spring Vegetables

What’s for dinner?

Like death and taxes. This question is coming for you.

I am a professional recipe developer, food stylist, culinary school graduate, married to an award-winning restaurant chef. If I’m not cooking food, I am reading about it, discussing it, scrolling through pictures of it, shopping for it, scrubbing it clean from our pots and pans. We live and breathe it.

And also… I have three wonderful, growing, voracious young boys. And a husband that can’t get enough protein. We like to eat healthy and don’t like to scrape toddlers off the floor of a busy restaurant. So, I have to get to decide what everyone eats 357 days out of the year.

Decision fatigue is REAL.

Which brings me to this newsletter. I have lots of delicious, family-friendly recipes that I can’t wait to share for your inspiration. But let’s be honest—a shortage of recipe content is not the problem. Actually, I think maybe we’re all stunned into indecision by over-saturation. Just me?

Time to flip the script. There’s no cheating the time and energy it takes to cook good food. So how do we get ahead of it?

My short answer: lean in. Learn to treat your home kitchen like a restaurant kitchen.

Keep a constant influx of fresh, seasonal produce.

Break it down and clean it up. (Remove any unusable parts, wash, store.)

Have basic proteins at the ready.

Be open to inspiration, but don’t get buried in it.

Stock the pantry.

Be flexible.

Taste as you cook.

Buy a rice cooker.

Buy a Rice Cooker

I once pitched a story to a food editor singing the praises of the rice cooker. The story was turned down because they “don’t like to do features on single-use appliances.” And while I agree that many single-use appliances are unnecessary, there is nothing limiting about a rice cooker. Au contraire, it’s a beacon of possibilities.

On that uh oh day where you have nothing in the fridge and no time for shopping or cooking, you warm up a bowl of perfectly cooked rice and top with soft scrambled eggs, a touch of soy, and chili crisp to taste (bonus points if you happen to have ripe avocado). And you win the question, what’s for dinner, for all aged 1 to 100.

Each brand of rice cooker is different so read your instruction manual for the best cooking method. Our tried-and-true technique follows:

Rinse 4 cups rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. This takes a few minutes. Drain well. Add to rice cooker (turned off) and cover with 4 cups fresh cold water. Let sit for 20 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt and 3 fresh bay leaves. Plug in the machine and switch it on—when the cooking cycle is complete, fluff rice with a fork or rice paddle.

Rinse excess starch off the rice & soak before cooking.

The rice will keep warm for hours. Most manufacturers recommend removing the cooked rice after 12 hours and transferring it to the refrigerator. (True confession: we sometimes leave ours on overnight and live to tell the tale. Knock on wood.) Either way, directly from the cooker or cooled in the fridge, it is so handy to have rice at the ready. It beckons to be added to soup or stew, a bed for meatballs or sautéed veggies & salmon, or cooked down further into savory chicken congee or sweet rice pudding. (And if you have toddlers, you can smush it up into little golf balls and they’ll eat them like candy). It’s a building block to a working kitchen, and for us it’s a staple.

THE RECIPE: Turkey Rice with Spring Vegetables

Makes about 2 quarts to serve 6 (or 4 with leftovers)

The beauty of this recipe is its adaptability. It’s one of those not-recipe recipes. You can pretty much put any vegetable or cooked meat into it. Sometime we use ground pork or chicken. Sometimes I fold in diced leftover pork tenderloin or steak. My friends recommend adding a fried egg on top. The onion, garlic, ginger, and chilis are a constant, but the rest varies based on whatever looked amazing at the market or whatever’s left in the fridge.

Just make sure you cut everything small so that it cooks in the same amount of time and could be eaten with a spoon. Once you get the technique down, play around with it!

just a bit of knife work and you're almost there

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey ( I prefer the dark meat blend if possible)

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or avocado

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic clove

2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño, serrano, or fresno pepper (seeds removed)

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced spring onions, white and light green parts

2 cups small dice zucchini or squash

1 cup small dice carrots

2 cups chopped greens, such as kale or spinach

4 cups cooked rice, at room temperature

1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce *see note below

Coarse kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Chili crisp, to serve

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I use a 14-inch cast iron skillet or a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet for this).
Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer turkey to a bowl and reserve.
Add canola oil to the now empty skillet. Add ginger, garlic, chili pepper, spring onions, zucchini, and carrots. Season with salt. Sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the greens and cook 1-2 minutes longer until wilted.
Add the rice and the reserved cooked turkey meat to the skillet. Carefully stir until rice and meat and vegetables are mixed thoroughly, breaking up any large clumps of rice as you go. Let cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes without stirring, until you hear the bottom of the rice sizzle and start to caramelize. Using a metal spatula (for cast iron only; use a wooden spoon on a nonstick skillet!), scrape the bottom of the pan to reveal the caramelized bits of rice and fold into the tender white rice on top. Continue doing this all the way around the skillet until you have a good mixture of crispy and tender rice.
Remove from heat and stir in sweet soy sauce. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot with chili crisp drizzled over the top to taste.

Ingredient Note

I discovered sweet soy sauce during a recipe test for a client. We go through different types of soy or soy-like sauces—some artisanal, some Japanese-style (shoyu), and gluten-free tamaris. I honestly like them all and you can use whatever you have here. Add a bit at a time and taste until you’re happy. The sweet soy sauce, as its name suggests, contains more sugar and is a bit syrupy in texture. I use it sparingly, but our kids love it.