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The first thing I did was to prepare the focaccia. From start to finish, it will take approximately two hours to prepare. You need to allow time for the yeast to foam in warm water, kneading the dough and proofing, which will take anywhere from one to one and a half hours.
After I made the dough, I made the simple syrup followed by the filling. You’ll find the focaccia dough to be very sticky. Once it’s done rising, I used a large rimmed baking sheet for baking. If you watch School Night Vegan’s video on his Instagram page, it appears he baked his focaccia in a 9-inchx13-inch baking dish. I was afraid that the dough may rise over the sides of the dish so I used an 11x16-inch rimmed baking sheet. To bake, the dough is placed on a greased baking tray/rimmed sheet pan and sprinkled either with semolina or cornmeal. The dough is transferred to the baking vessel and stretched into all corners. The dough then rises again for another 45 minutes. When done, the almond filling is piped over the top and drizzled with melted butter. You will use your fingers to push down and create dimples on the focaccia. The top is covered with Demerara sugar and sliced almonds. As a precaution, I placed two baking sheets on the rack below the focaccia. It’s a good thing I did as the butter seeped over the top of the baking sheet. Unfortunately, it also spilled onto the bottom of my oven. I had smoke alarms going off on the first and second level of my home. After the focaccia cools for five minutes, it’s brushed with amaretto syrup. To store, cut into squares or rectangles and store in a tin; before serving, dust with confectioner’s sugar. What a scrumptious dessert. It had all the flavors of an almond croissant, but lighter tasting. The pockets of almond filling were delicious. As I didn’t have amaretto for the simple syrup, I used dark rum. I would have preferred a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar along with the dark rum as I felt the water diluted the flavor. My husband loved the lighter taste and my neighbor and my daughter enjoyed it too. There’s nothing like a one pot meal that requires minimal prep. Such is the case with One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Caramelized Lemon from Dan Pelosi of The New York Times. For the recipe you’ll need bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, salt, pepper, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, extra-virgin olive oil, lemons, Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives, fresh garlic, shallot or onion, long grain white rice, chicken broth and fresh parsley. The recipe starts by seasoning the chicken with salt, pepper, dried oregano and crushed red pepper. It’s browned in a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven for approximately five minutes then removed. The lemons are sliced 1/4 inch thick, cooked until caramelized, softened and removed. Next, the olives, garlic, shallot and seasonings are added and sautéed until the garlic is fragrant. The broth and rice are added and brought to a boil. The chicken is returned to the pan and topped with the lemon slices, it’s then covered and baked for approximately 30 minutes or until the rice and chicken are cooked. A squeeze of lemon and garnish of parsley is added before serving. What a tasty meal! The complexity of flavors were delightful. You had the brightness from the lemons, olives were tangy with a bit of bitterness and both the rice and chicken were perfectly cooked. I did, however, substitute chicken breasts for thighs as this is our preference. It was a great meal, perfect for a weeknight supper. For the olives I used Kalamata. I had to be at my daughter’s very early last week. With the extra time with Lucy, my youngest granddaughter, I thought she might enjoy making some brownies. The New York Times just published the supplement “A Decade of NYT Cooking.” It contained its top 25 recipes based on users five-star ratings, went viral on social media or were the most commented on. On this list I’ve made the Shakshuka, No-Knead Bread, Crisp Gnocchi with Brussels Sprouts and Brown Butter, Pork Chops in Lemon Caper Sauce, French Onion Grilled Cheese, Gochujang Caramel Cookies, Marchella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce and now Katherine Hepburn’s Brownies. The brownies are very simple to make with basically pantry staples, however, you do need good cocoa. I’ve used Dutch cocoa from an online supplier, nuts.com. Not only do they have nuts, but cooking and baking products, dried fruit, chocolate and sweets to name a few. For the recipe you’ll also need butter, eggs, sugar, all-purpose flour, chopped walnuts or pecans, vanilla and salt. I pre-measured all the ingredients for Lucy so that she only had to mix them together. First, the butter is melted and the cocoa added and stirred until smooth. It’s cooled slightly before adding the eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, the sugar, flour, nuts and salt are combined. The butter mixture is added and stirred until combined. The mixture is slightly stiff, so Lucy decided to let Nana finish. The brownies are baked in a greased 8x8-inch square baking pan for 30 to 35 minutes. Make sure not to over bake; these brownies are meant to be gooey. Oh, my goodness, what a delicious brownie! Like the recipe description said, they are to be gooey and they are rich tasting. I made 9 squares out of the recipe, which yielded the perfect size for such a decadent brownie. I used chopped walnuts which gave the brownies a nice bite. A fabulous recipe with minimal effort. The next time I make these, I think I will make a parchment sling for easier removal. Although I sprayed the baking pan, some of the edges got stuck on the sides. The parchment paper should alleviate this problem.
Almond Croissant Focaccia
From @schoolnightvegan https://schoolnightvegan.com/ For the Dough: 400 ml warm water (1⅔ cups) 1 tbsp white sugar 200 ml plant milk, room temperature, unsweetened and unflavored (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) (whole or 2% milk) 7 g sachet instant yeast (approx. 2¼ tsp) 400 g plain white flour, aka all-purpose flour (3¼ cups) 200 g strong white bread flour, aka bread flour (1⅔ cups) (substituted all-purpose flour) 1.5 tsp fine sea salt 30 g vegan butter, melted and cooled (2 tbsp) (unsalted butter) Almond Paste Filling 210 g almond meal, aka ground almonds (2 cups) 140 g caster sugar (⅔ cup) (also known as granulated sugar) 60 g vegan butter, melted (4 tbsp) (unsalted butter) 1.5 tsp almond extract 90 ml plant milk, room temperature, unsweetened and unflavored (⅓ cup + 2 tsp) (whole or 2% milk) For Baking 40 g vegan butter, melted (3 tbsp) (unsalted butter) 40 g flaked almonds (⅓ cup) Amaretto Simple Syrup: 25 g caster sugar (2 tbsp) (also known as granulated sugar) 65 ml water (¼ cup + 1 tsp) 2 tsp amaretto (dark rum) To Make the Dough
Make the Amaretto Simple Syrup
Make the Almond Paste In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, caster sugar, melted vegan butter, almond extract, and plant milk. Mix until a smooth, thick paste forms. If it seems too thick to pipe, add a little more plant milk, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches a pipeable consistency. Transfer the paste into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Prepare the Dough for Baking
Apply the Amaretto Simple Syrup to the Focaccia While the focaccia is still warm, brush the amaretto syrup generously over the top, allowing it to soak into the dimples and crevices. Repeat if necessary - you don’t need to use all the syrup. Dust, Cool, and Serve Dust the focaccia with icing sugar, leave to cool fully in the tin, then slice into squares or rectangles. 
One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Caramelized Lemon
By Dan Pelosi The New York Times/NYT Cooking Total Time: 55 minutes Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds) Salt and black pepper 2 teaspoons dried oregano Crushed red pepper 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 lemons 1cup pitted Castelvetrano or kalamata olives, smashed and roughly chopped 6garlic cloves, minced 1 medium shallot or ½ medium onion, minced 2cups long-grain white rice, rinsed 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley, for serving Preparation
Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies
The New York Times Total Time: approximately 45 minutes Yield: 12 brownies Ingredients ½ cup cocoa ½ cup butter (1 stick) 2 eggs 1 cup sugar ¼ cup flour 1 cup chopped or broken-up walnuts or pecans 1teaspoon vanilla Pinch of salt Preparation
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