Grandma's Cake

Hi Haley,

I miss having you in Victoria. Thanks for passing on the photo shoot of Grandma's B-day. I particularly like the one of Atley delivering cake. He's one of the better servers I've seen in action. When we open our restaurant we'll have to hire him. Right now he gets pretty excited over pennies and nickles to add to the leather man's wallet he totes around. I'm thinking his labour price could be right.

I won't give you the entire chocolate cake recipe, as there are a million and one good chocolate cake recipes out there. If you don't have one, use the six minute cake. It's actually one of my top chocolate cake recipes.

What I did in creating this towering cake, was use a bunt pan instead of 2 nine inch pans. I increased the baking time to about one hour. When the cake cooled, I sliced them horizontally into three pieces and spread them with blueberry jam (any flavour will do). Then I iced the outside of the cake in this most excellent frosting.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (best to use good quality)
1/2 a pound cold butter, diced (use room temp butter if you don't have a stand mixer)
1 and 3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp coffee liqueur (optional)

Melt the butter in a double boiler and in the meantime, beat the butter in a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Slowly add the chocolate and mix until combined. Stop the mixer, add the icing sugar, and mix on low until smooth. (If you mix on high you will be enveloped in a white cloud). Add the salt, vanilla, sour cream, and coffee liqueur and mix until very smooth.

Ice your cake!

Take a bite out of that-

Rach-

Part of being on maternity leave is to give the impression that you're Super Mom - you know, stimulating the mind of your active almost-3 year old through carefully constructed teachable moments, nursing and fostering the cognitive, physical, and emotional development of your angel babe, keeping your house immaculate, appearing effortlessly gorgeous in your Mommy lulu lemon uniform, and always being a lovingly doting wife- all while masking any sleep deprivation (because that may take away Angel Babe's rock star status). I know that you're probably chuckling right now because yes, I am sometimes self-aware, and do acknowledge that I don't meet any number of those criteria.

This became painfully obvious when I was in Victoria last week fielding phone calls from a frantic Mike; he needed his passport to cross the border for a principals conference. After finally helping him locate the passport, he commented on the amount of 'junk drawers' that we have. Oh well, being Super Mom is overrated I'm sure. In order to compensate for my hidden messes I need to go above and beyond in the one Super Mom category that I am capable of achieving - sneaking in a chapter or two of my novel while Finn plays quietly-that is making nutritious meals for my crew.

The latest on the dinner front? Whole wheat pitas from the original Moosewood. They turned out beautifully, puffing out nicely and just asking to be stuffed with deliciousness. For a filling I made: chicken patties with peanut sauce, sauteed onions and mushrooms, bean sprouts, avocado, feta, and tzaztiki sauce. A bit eclectic but tasted amazing.

Here is the Moosewood pita recipe (I made with 1/2 whole wheat flour):

PITA BREAD

Prep. time: about 2 hours (most of which is raising time) Yield: 6 larger (or 12 smaller) pocket breads

1 Cup wrist-temp. water

1 1/2 teaspoons ( half of a 1/4-oz. packet) active dry yeast

1 Tablespoon sugar or honey

1 teaspoon salt

about 3 1/2 cups of flour (1 cup of it can be whole wheat)

OPTIONAL: 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

a little oil for the dough extra flour for rolling out

oil or cornmeal, for the baking tray

1) Place the water in a medium-sized bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes-it will become foamy

2) Add sugar or honey and salt. Stir until everything dissolves.

3) Add three cups of flour, one cup at a time, mixing enthusiastically. As the dough thickens switch to your hand. Knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour, as needed, to combat stickiness. When the dough is smooth, oil both the bowl and the top surface of the dough. Cover with a clean tea towel, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

4) Punch down the dough and transfer it to a clean, floured surface. Knead it for about five minutes, then divide it into either 6 or 12 equal pieces I wanted smaller pitas so I did 12. Use a floured rolling pin to flatten the pieces into a thin circle (flour surface and sprinkle flour on dough). The diameter of each circle is unimportant, as long as it is no thicker than 1/8 inch. Let the circles rest for 30 minutes.

5) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a baking tray in the oven for a minute or two, to heat it. Then brush it with oil (I used cooking spray) - or dust it with corn meal. Place as many circles on the tray as will fit without touching, and bake for just 6-8 minutes, or until puffed up and very lightly browned. Hot oven is key.

6) Remove from the oven, and wrap the breads in a clean, slightly damp tea towel, then place in a brown paper bag, close up, for 15 minutes. This will keep the breads supple. I didn't have any paper bags so I just left them between two tea towels - worked beautifully.

I miss you - it was great hanging out last week!

Sunnyside-Up Over Rice-

Rach -


Thanks for logging me onto your school computer - I'm living in a luddite world at the present, I'm computer-free at Mom and Guy's this week. I'm going to see if I can actually get to posting a recipe - it all depends on how long Guy can entertain Finn in the classroom next door. I'm looking forward to being on the island for a few more days, and yes, eating with you (all in the name of blog-material of course).

What is this food wonder? A fried egg on a brown rice risotto (my take on a Spanish Rice kind of risotto). Even if you don't follow my risotto method, all you really need to take away from this post is that: you need to put a fried egg on your next meatless rice dish. You'll love me even more, if possible, than you do right now.

Here's what I did (please realize that this the amounts listed here are very approximate- don't try this if you are someone who needs precise measurements - yes I often give this warning but this time I mean it):

First I sauteed over a long slow heat: 1 finely minced onion and 2 cloves garlic garlic.

I added: 2 diced tomatoes and after cooking for a few minutes I pureed the lot with my immersion blender (this is unnecessary for most, necessary if you live with a texture-phobe).

Then I added: 1 cup medium grain brown rice and 1/2 tsp or so salt, pepper, a sprinkle of garlic powder, and an MSG-free beef bouillon cube.

Still with me? Then I slowly added over med-high heat about 1 cup of water (if you have beef or chicken stock you can skip the bouillon and use that in place of the water), mixing frequently with the lid off. Everytime the water seemed absorbed I gave the mixture a stir, put the heat up a notch, added another 1/2 cup or so, stirred again and then put the heat low again to simmer. I don't know how much liquid I added, maybe 3 cups?, but time-wise I did this over about 45 minutes.

At this point the rice still had a slightly chewy texture -I ensured that the rice was 'loose' with a bit more liquid, and then put the lid on and turned the heat off.

I left the pot for about half an hour and then, when Mike phoned me to let me know he was en route home from school (giving me about 15 minutes), I turned the heat back on under my rice, adding another 1/3 or so cup liquid and 1 cup of peas.

About 10 minutes to eating time, I started frying the eggs - you could also do a poach if have the gift of poaching (I don't). I like a soft yolk for this dish, I'll leave this up to your preference.

Right before serving I did a final seasoning taste, then plated the risotto, and sprinkled with grated old cheddar (parmesan would be great but I didn't have any) and chives from my garden. The final step? Place your fried egg atop.

Next time I make this I am going to try simplifying it by just adding all the liquid at once pilaf-style.

The verdict? Even Mike and Grace, of the white-rice camp, declared this to be delicious.

OK, I better go see what Finn and Grandpa are up to. Oh, and I think that the chocolate cake you made for Grandma's 88th festivities this past Sunday was on par with, or possibly even surpassed, your coconut creation . Sorry, this is a shamless recipe request.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Rach-

After dinner, after I kiss my sweet babe to sleep, and while Mike cuddles into the car bed swapping 'Dream Stories' with Mr. Finn, I sneak out the back gate and do my four laps of the park. You can probably guess that while I pretend that this is for exercise, it's delicious to be alone - without my busy little sidekick, my sous chef -no it's just me and the mountains. This evening, on my way back into the yard, I found that my seeds had sprouted - tiny pea sprouts and delicate little Swiss chard leaves that I am already dreaming of devouring.

Once again, almost eerily, our ovens are baking in unison. This weekend I harvested my first rhubarb of the season; while you squared yours up I went the coffee cake route. This was a nice friendly cake - moist, with a lovely sugary topping. I merged a few different recipes to come up with this one, which I will be making, along with your squares, all spring and summer long.

First make your topping.

Combine:
2 T melted butter
1/3 brown sugar
1/4 flour
1 tsp cinnamon

Then make your cake.

First chop 2 cups of rhubarb. I sprinkled the rhubarb with 2 T sugar and then put the lot into the microwave for 2 minutes - next time I'm skipping this step, but I thought that the rhubarb looked a bit green.

Cream:
1/3 cup butter (or you could sub canola oil) with 3/4 cup brown sugar
Add:
2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla

Add the following, but don't stir until you have added all the dry ingredients (this should be done in a separate bowl, but I don't like to wash more dishes than I have to):

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and add 1 cup buttermilk, or in my case 1 T lemon juice plus milk to equal 1 cup. Fold in the rhubarb. Pour into a 9 inch springform and sprinkle/dab the topping on top. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

To Rhubarb!

Bars and Binoculars

Dearest O-Choo-Me(e) Ebab, (Haley's third nickname, Moocho Babe backwards, pronounced with a slight accent.)

To answer the questions posed in you last post, we ate the mango, although it was lying on the table for a day previous, not quite having made it into the fruit basket. I admit, I left it in the photo for purely aesthetic reasons. I think you can agree that I made the right choice. The binoculars are C's, not mine. He uses them for a variety of activities: one, squirrel monitoring (He's big, pesky and grey and digs up the neighbour's garden. I don't think they realize.) Two, humming bird watching. (Three humming birds visit the tree below our kitchen window. C. is interested and excited by their presence. I've lost interest.) Third, chem trail examinations. (Chem trails are the white clouds left by jets, for which C. has formed a mild obsession). So far, we have resisted the urge to train the lenses on the neighbour's window.

Now, for the food, as usual we are in the same head space. I also experimented with squares this weekend. I bought my first stocks of Rhubarb last week. Yes, very exciting. And went looking for a new recipe in which to use the bounty. This crumble bar recipe came from the Smitten Kitchen blog, although where she uses raspberries, I subbed rhubarb. With excellent results, I have to say. These bars are incredibly yummy. The one other itsy change I made was to cut out the second addition of butter. I'm not going to rewrite the recipe. Instead check it out on this mother of food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Squares

Happy Saturday Rach-

I love the picture in your last post. Were those the random items on your table? Was Caleb about to devour a mango and a cookie while peering out at Victoria through his binoculars, all after downing a beer and twirling a thingy-majig around his finger?Were you playing a memory game? Writing a story about a mango-eating peeping Tom?

Speaking of writing, I feel that most of our readers don't know that you are a published author - that several of your short stories have appeared in print. I tried to find your non-Reems Eats writing online and came across your short story for Room Magazine (the link from the link appears on the left-hand side of their page). All right, I'm done bragging, and need to move onto the topic on hand - peanut butter brownies.

After drooling over the recipe for about a year, this winter I finally tried, and was slightly disappointed with the Rebar Cookbook's Peanut Butter square. Now, after making Smitten Kitchen's peanut butter brownies, I know where Rebar wasn't working for me, and plan to meld the two into one square very soon. The Rebar square had a peanut butter-frosting which, using natural peanut butter, just wasn't the over-the-top kind of peanut butter square that I was looking for. Deb from Smitten Kitchen finished her brownie off with a chocolate ganache. This was it, the amazing chocolate finish that the squares needed. With the oatmeal-y, milk chocolate chunk Rebar base, and a chocolate finish I'm going to have one awesome square. I realize that this post is premature as this mystical, magical peanut butter chocolate square is very hypothetical at this point; however, the Smitten Kitchen squares are amazing and delicious as is, so I thought that you needed to know about them. You can imagine how much daydreaming time-and yes- much of it will happen as I happily drift off to sleep- will be devoted to the upcoming peanut butter square-recipe-morphing extravaganza.

I followed the recipe to the dot - I even, after much deliberation, added the extra egg yolk that I thought was unnecessary. In the future I will not be adding this additional yolk, but I am trying something crazy and unorthodox: I have decided that the first time I make a recipe I am going to follow the recipe exactly as stated. Then, if I like the recipe, I will administer my usual tinkering on subsequent attempts. I know, crazy things are brewing in my kitchen. With these great intentions, I did make slightly less of that ganache than the recipe called for- but I did add that egg yolk.

OK, Finn is out with Mike on their 'Saturday Morning Adventure' (Translation: I get to drink coffee, read the paper, and have a shower in glorious solitude) and I need to get back to the Travel Section for my vicarious vacation.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Peanut Butter Square

An Everyday Cookie

Hi Haley!

A birthday cake is a heady thing. It's a licence, really, to enact your sugar fantasies. By the way, I've been enlisted to produce Grandma's eighty-eighth. Stay tuned. I for one, am not at all appalled to hear that you made your own cake, but that's because I know how much satisfaction it gave you, and how many nights you fell asleep mulling over which frosting, which combination of flavours. (I'm thinking three, maybe four nights).

But aside from birthdays, regular, non-sushi days chug on and I'm trying to cook less and clean more. This sounds wrong, I know. Maybe it is wrong... Key word remains: 'trying'. I wanted to ask you what the website was that dictates chores to errant house-wives. I'm not really a house wife, the breadwinner, actually, but I would like to make a pass at cleanliness. You see, the other day I reached for a big mixing bowl that I had stored up on top of my fridge. My fingers were instantly sticky upon contact with the invisible top of the fridge. I rinsed them off and that seemed to take care of the problem. Then I dropped a fork and it slid under the stove. Upon fishing for it, I made a few discoveries I'd rather not share lest Joan (for new readers, Joan is our saintly clean and disgustingly health-conscious mother) should happen to read this post. Anyways, I was out of rags...

Chocolate chip cookies are the cure for most problems. (See the blog on Grade Nine Blondies). This is a really nice every-day cookie recipe. It tastes a lot like a granola version of a choc chip cookie, which is why I like it. I'm sure you'll agree that there is something about oats... Anyways, this recipe is straight from one of Peter Reinhart's (I'm way to lazy to look up the correct spelling of his name but probably should) books.

Energy Cookies a la Peter Reinhart

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 sup sesame seeds

1 Tbsp flax seeds

2 cups flour

1/2 cup choc chips

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/s tsp baking powder

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup raisins plumped in 1 cup hot water

Begin by toasting the seeds.

Combine the seeds in a bowl with the dry ingredients. Drain the raisins, reserve the water. Add the raisins and add to the bowl along with the honey and the oil. Mix!

Add water until you can mix it into a stiff batter.

Scoop the batter in mounds onto a prepared cookie sheet. Flatten the mounds with your hand as they won't spread when you bake them off.

Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are just beginning to brown.

Birthday Cake

R-
Thanks for the birthday wishes. It's true, a Reems birthday is a big deal - and as a true Reems- March 30 is a day that I shamelessly look forward to. After having 31 special days, I still spend too much time deciding what the meal lineup on my birthday will look like - in the past it was what restaurant Mike would be taking me to, now it's what form of take-out will grace our table. For we have a new birthday champion that can no longer be excluded from a birthday dinner - Finn has taken on birthdays with all the excitement that an almost 3-year old can drum up. He has figured out that with birthdays comes presents, and cake, and balloons, and if he's really lucky- candy.

The highlight of Finn's young life was taking home a goodie bag from his friend Ben's third birthday party. This was a loot bag that I was not be able to first sneak into and 'censor' - no Finn was aware of all the glorious sugary contents. He devoured about half of the treats while sitting in the buggy on the way home, and then proceeded to lock himself into his bedroom to polish 'er off. Even though I had acknowledged that the treats were his, he still saw me as a potential roadblock to sugar nirvana.

This year, the dinner meal was decided on - Hana Sushi - followed by a cake made by myself and Finn. Grace was scandalized that I was going to be making my own birthday cake; however, I have learned that if you want something to taste amazing you need to make it yourself. Mike, like Caleb, had to be introduced to the all-out Reems birthday extravaganza. He plays along gamely and makes sure that I am sufficiently spoiled- from the start of our relationship he was always the ultimate gift buyer. Gifts are his love language and he does them well - the only part of the special day missing from his itinerary? The cake. Each year when this was pointed out, Mike obligingly whisked me off for a birthday blizzard, or selected a chocolate bar at the birthday movie - yet, I still felt the need for a cake. I finally had the eureka moment this year that if I wanted the perfect confection I was going to need to roll up my sleeves. Finn and I were up for the challenge and, in an attempt to replicate my all-time favourite cake- Victoria's Dutch Bakery Mocha Point- we rolled up our sleeves and got busy.

I made two 9-inch yellow cakes and then sliced them in half to be filled with a vanilla cream filling and mocha whipping cream. To be finished off with more mocha whipping cream. Finally, I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and drizzled them on parchment and then broke them up randomly to be sprinkled on top (chocolate shavings would also be great but I didn't have a block of the good stuff). I'm not going to give the individual recipes but I am going to reveal my secret for an amazing whipped frosting.

Take 500 mL of whipped cream. Add 1 T instant coffee. Put in fridge for about an hour until the coffee is dissolved (real coffee would make your cream to watery, and the hour lets the coffee dissolve nicely). Then add 1/3 cup (or more if you have a sweet tooth) icing sugar (which has corn starch in it to make the cream a bit stiffer) and then whip that cream with your electric mixer. You could add 1/3 cup cocoa but I am trying to model the Dutch Bakery with a more strict coffee flavour.

OK, that might not be a secret, but it did taste amazing. Oh, and thanks for the Happy Birthday sung on the phone. You and Carmen get better every year -though in your case it may have been Caleb's lovely harmony.

Happy Birthday Haley

Dear readers,

(To wish Haley a Happy Birthday, please comment on this post!)

When C., my husband, entered our family circle, first as a boyfriend, later a hubbie, he was shocked by the gusto and intensity with which we tend to celebrate a birthday--in our twenties we still recieve hand-made banners, balloons, numerous phone calls, BBQs, our favourite cakes, etc. Plus birthday boy or girl gets to call all the shots throughout the day. The real kicker for C. was my Grandma's eighty-ith. Picture Mings, the slightly classy Chinese restaurant in downtown Victoria, a round table of elderly Dutchies (plus my immediate family), not yet prescribed hearing aids. One has to speak at a shout to be heard. And everyone wants to be heard. Ome Willam, in a red vest and bowties, black thick-rimmed glasses and a shock of white hair, is snapping at the not-so-young Chinese-Canadian waiter and calling him 'boy.' Ome Gerritt, much to the delight of Dad and B., is calling C. 'Gayleb,' a nickname which still surfaces today...I think Grandma had fun. She certainly was mad when we tried to slip the party just before nine o'clock. I think she said repeatedly, 'but it's my birthday.'

She was right. The birthday takes precedence. Which is why I'm a little ashamed that I failed to announce Moochie's birthday a few days ago. On the last day in March the beautiful Haley turned thirty-one. Wow...two babies, one Mike, still cooking, still looking hot. You've done good Mooch!

To wish Haley a Happy birthday please comment on this post.

Spinach Filo Quiche

Rach -

Happy Easter. Finn just had the sweetest phone call from his cousin Atley- Please visualize, no, I need you to 'hear-ize' in a super cute 2-year old voice- 'HAPPY EASTER FINN!' Finn thinks it's so awesome that someone not a grandma wants to talk to him on the phone, that he starts laughing uncontrollably, and then moves onto yelling random nonsense words into the mouthpiece. Hopefully his social skills pick up before kindergarten.

The annual bun-fest was delicious as always. The overnight rising had us savouring hot-cross buns for a Good Friday breakfast, as opposed to the usual later coffee brunch-fest. I added one cup of finely chopped apple, but it almost absorbed into the dough, anyway we didn't even notice this addition.

I loved the look of your new hot cross bun recipe and I like the idea of the whole wheat - I need to point out though, that I found no evidence of any type of dried fruit in your recipe (must have been the sun in your eyes). What did you put in, how much, and when should I add said fruit? Waiting a whole other year for hot cross buns seems a little long so I might be a little wild this year and pull out, just for kicks, a Canada bun on July 1st (maybe with a maple syrup glaze?), or maybe a special Harvest Bun with cranberries for Thanksgiving? The possibilities are endless. I could rhapsodize about buns at length but had better move on to more exciting topics.

Such as spinach quiche. With filo. This is a post dedicated to those who want to be able to make a meal with 20 min or less prep time. It's also a dish that I like to have the ingredients in my freezer for, so that when I realize that my fresh veggie supply has dwindled, I can whip it up without having to make an impromptu grocery run. Finally, this is a great meal for you Rach - as less than a month since you posted pictures of a splayed brick chick, you and Caleb are now off meat.

What you need for this seriously easy dish is a box of filo and some frozen spinach in your freezer. Here's what I used:

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 package defrosted spinach drained, or the equivalent fresh pre-cooked spinach
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup or so chopped green onions
• 1/3 tsp salt and pepper
  
• 1 cup shredded cheese - I used aged cheddar
• 8 (or so) sheets of filo. Defrost this in your fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. You won't use all the sheets but I have successfully re-frozen the remainder of the filo for another day.

This is a flexible recipe. The filling is forgiving and you could easily saute some minced garlic and onion, or any carnivores out there could add some diced bacon or pancetta.

First, while the filo is still covered, make your filling. Combine the eggs, milk, spinach, green onions and cheese. I have to be honest, I don't actually measure the ingredients so you are making this with a leap of faith. I didn't have any feta left, but for a play on spanakopita this would be a great addition.

Next you need to layer your filo into your pie plate. I really took the fast route and used (close your eyes for a second Rach - or please don't judge me) a quick spray of Pam between the sheets. I know, the contents in a can of aerosol Pam can't be good for you. Brushing some olive oil or melted butter between the layers would be the more real food alternative. If the filo breaks a bit no worries. Leave the edges hanging over the pie plate until you've done the layers.

Then you need to pour your filling into the shell. Put the edges of the filo over the filling and bake in the oven for about 40 min at 350 degrees - or until the filling looks set and the crust is brown.

Let it set for 10 minutes or so, toss a salad and there you have it.

Hot Crosses

Hey H.,

How did this morning's bun-fest go? Was the over-night-garage-rise method as trusty as always? I'm going to keep this blog brief as I'm huddled up against my kitchen window in order to maintain an Internet connection. A ray of sunlight is hitting me right in the eyes and bouncing off the computer screen. If this is full of typos it's because I can't see a thing.

We had M and M over for breakie. I think they were sufficiently impressed by our spread of eggs, fruit salad, and hot cross buns. Sigh, sad that so much of what you and I make is less about love and more about showing off. Look what I can do.

I made 100% whole wheat buns because I'm on one of those whole-grains kicks. Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book has become my new best friend. I'm loving the hippy-style, healthy approach the book takes to bread making. While these are nice and grainy, they're still fairly rich... Here's the basic recipe, although I made some fairly significant changes.

3 to 3.5 cups whole wheat flour
1.5 TBsp instant yeast
3/4 cups to 1 cup warm water
1 cup yogurt
1 egg
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp butter

Combine 1 cup of the flour with the yeast. Add the water. Stir smooth. Add the wet ingredients except for the butter. Add the remaining flour 1/2 a cup at a time. The dough will be sticky. Add more flour by the spoonful if necessary. Wet your hands in order to keep the dough from sticking and knead for five minutes. Knead the butter in. The dough should be sticky but smooth. Let rise until doubled (one to two hours). Deflate the dough; reshape it into a ball and let it rise another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, or until it is back to doubled in size.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into buns. Let rise until doubled.

Mix one egg with 1 TBsp of water and brush over the buns before baking in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, mix 2 Tbsp honey with 1/2 Tbsp water and heat in a saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat.

When you take the buns out of the oven brush them with the honey glaze. You may add the decorative cross using an icing mixture but I omitted that step.

Serve them hot. If you plan to serve them later in the day, reheat the buns in a 350 degree oven.