Best Cake Recipes

Fresh Fruit Trifle

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:52:00 -0700

Fresh Fruit Trifle
English trifle is traditionally assembled in a large clear glass bowl, so that all the layers can be seen. We prefer to use fresh fruit, rather than the customary jam, but our trifle still conjures up images of Victorian English holidays. This dessert has a place in Italian cuisine also, where it is called Zuppa Inglese (English Soup). The variations are endless.

Ingredients:
5 to 6 cups leftover pound cake, broken into slightly larger than bite-sized chunks
1 cup liqueur (brandy, sherry, rum)
2 cups Vanilla Custard Sauce
2 cups fresh fruit (peaches, oranges, cherries, berries)
2 cups heavy cream, whipped with
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and maple syrup, honey, or powdered sugar to taste

Procedures:
Prepare the fresh fruit. Peel, pit, and slice peaches. Peel, seed, and section oranges. Pit cherries.
Gaze fondly upon labor-free berries.
Using a large bowl or individual dessert cups, arrange a layer of pound cake chunks on the bottom.
Pour some of the liqueur over the cake and allow it to soak in. Spoon the custard over that and then sprinkle on the fresh fruit.
Layer everything again using all the ingredients. Top with whipped cream and decorate with more fruit. Chill.

Special Pound Cake (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:47:00 -0700

Special Pound Cake

Moist, dense, and buttery pound cake is our standard for cake at Moosewood — perfect unadorned, or served with fresh fruit and whipped cream, or frosted, or in a trifle. Once you've mastered the basic cake, try one of our variations and then make up your own.

Ingredients:

1 pound butter, softened

1 cup milk

3 cups sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla, almond, or lemon extract

6 eggs

4 cups unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add two cups of flour and beat well.

Mix in the milk and extract. Combine the baking powder and the remaining 2 cups of flour and then add to the batter. Beat well.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan. Bake about 1 hour, until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

When the cake is done, turn it upside down on a plate to cool, leaving the bundt pan on top of the cake for about 20 minutes, so the cake will hold its shape.

Variations

•Butterscotch Pecan Pound Cake: Use pure vanilla extract, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, and add 2 cups of toasted pecan halves.

•Oasis Cake: Use apricot juice or coconut milk (see Appendix) instead of milk and add 1/2 cup each of shredded coconut, chopped dried apricots, and chopped dates.

•Cashew or Peanut Cake: Use pure vanilla extract, replace half of the butter with cashew butter or peanut butter, and add 1 cup of cashews or toasted peanuts.

•Cherry-Almond Cake: Use pure almond extract, reduce the milk to 1/2 cup,add 1 cup ground toasted almonds with the flour, and at the last minute fold 1 1/2 cups of fresh, pitted whole cherries into the batter. The fruit adds a lot of liquid to the cake during baking, so this batter is stiffer than usual.

•Whiskey Cake: Replace all or part of the milk with whiskey. This is good served with Vanilla Custard Sauce (p. 278) and peaches.

•Chocolate Yogurt Pound Cake: Replace the milk with plain yogurt, reduce the flour to 31/2 cups, and add 1 cup cocoa. If you wish, brush melted sweet chocolate on the cooled cake.

•Marsala Walnut Pound Cake: Use pure vanilla extract, replace the white sugar with brown sugar, replace the milk with marsala, and add 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts.

•Layered Pound Cake: Carefully cut the cooled basic pound cake into 5 layers with a long, serrated bread knife. Spread raspberry butter or conserve between the layers as you rebuild the cake. Frost with chocolate butter cream frosting

Amaretto Cake (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:40:00 -0700

Amaretto Cake

If you love the fragrance of almonds, this cake will drive you wild with its heady triple almond whammy — essence, nuts, and liqueur. A cup of capuccino is the perfect partner.

Igredients:
1 pound butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoons pure almond extract
4 cups unbleached white flour
3/4 cup milk
1 cup amaretto (almond liqueur)
2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted to remove the lumps
2 cups toasted almonds, ground

Procedures:
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Generously butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar. The butter should be soft, but not melted.
Add the beaten eggs and almond extract and mix well. Blend in two cups of the flour.
Combine the milk and 1/4 cup of the amaretto and stir into the batter, mixing well.
Add the remaining flour and the baking powder, mixing well. Fold in the ground almonds and pour the batter into the bundt pan.
Bake for one hour or until a toothpick tests clean.
Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes and then pour the remaining 3/4 cup of amaretto over the warm cake.
Let the amaretto soak in and then invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the pan from the cake when thoroughly cool.

Mississippi Mud Cake (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:32:00 -0700

Mississippi Mud Cake

This is a very dark, moist, adult chocolate cake. It keeps well and travels well. The recipe is from Sarah Begus, a famous Baltimore hostess.

Ingredients:

2 cups unbleached white flour

5 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

13/4 cups strong freshly brewed coffee

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup bourbon, brandy, or a coffee,chocolate, or mocha liqueur

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 275°. (Yes, that really is 275°.)

Generously butter a 10-inch Bundt pan and dust it with cocoa.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Heat the coffee and liqueur on low heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the chocolate and butter and stir until melted. When this mixture is smooth, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Let the mixture cool for several minutes and then transfer it to a large mixing bowl.

Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture about a half-cup at a time, beating after each addition until smooth.

Then add the eggs and vanilla. Beat for another minute.

Pour the batter into the Bundt pan and bake for about 11/2 hours, until the cake pulls away from the sides

of the pan and springs back when touched in the middle. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes in the pan.

Then invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the Bundt pan when the cake is completely cool.

This cake is good plain or with whipped cream.

Or brush the surface of the cake with 2 or 3 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted and mixed with 1 or 2 tablespoons of cream or coffee.

Russian Chocolate Torte (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:25:00 -0700

Russian Chocolate Torte

Dense and moist with potatoes, crunchy with almonds, frosted with mocha, flavored with rum, oozing with preserves, this is a rich, rich, rich, Russian sweet.

Ingredients:

CAKE

1 cup softened butter

2 cups sugar

4 eggs, separated

'/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup mashed potatoes 1 cup ground almonds

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons rum

1 teaspoon cinnamon

11/2 cups unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

FROSTING

3 tablespoons butter, softened 11/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons strong, warm freshly brewed coffee

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted 1 tablespoon strong, dark rum

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract FILLING

1/2 cup raspberry butter or jam or 1/2 cup stewed dried apricots, pureed

16 whole almonds or 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Generously butter and flour a 10-inch springform pan.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, and then add the next four ingredients, beating until smooth.

Mix in the vanilla and rum. Sift together the cinnamon, flour, and baking powder and add to the batter, mixing well.

Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, and fold them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 11/2 hours or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool about 15 minutes in the pan, then slide a knife between the sides

of the cake and the detachable side of the springform pan. Remove the pan.

While the cake is cooling, prep= the frosting. Cream together the butter and powdered sugar.

Add the rest of the ingredients and beat until smooth.

Perfect Chocolate Cake (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:19:00 -0700

Perfect Chocolate Cake

Yields a 3-layer 9-inch cake

This cake is a fantasy fulfilled of that perfect, one-cherry-on-the-top cartoon cake served by Minnie Mouse at Pluto's birthday party. We have on occasion doubled this recipe (baking it in 13-inch round cake pans) and satisfied masses of chocolate lovers.

Ingredients:

CAKE

1 cup cocoa (unsweetened)

2 cups boiling water

23/4 cups unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter

21/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

21/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

FILLING

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 3500

Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

Combine the cocoa with 2 cups of boiling water, stirring until smooth. Cool completely.

Sift together the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Add the dry ingredients alternately with the cocoa mixture to the creamed mixture.

Do not overmix. Blend just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.

Pour the batter into the cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Cool in the pans for 10 minutes and then remove the cake from the pans to cool completely before frosting.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the frosting. In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate and butter.

Stir in the cream until smooth. Remove the pan from the stove and place it in a large bowl filled with ice.

Using a whisk orelectric mixer, beat in the powdered sugar until the frosting holds a stiff shape. Chill.

Whip all the filling ingredients together until stiff. Chill.

Construct the cake when all the parts are cool. Spread the filling between the layers and the frosting on the top and sides.

Plan to serve the cake soon after completion or provide a large space in the refrigerator to keep it cool until it is served.

Spice Cake with Prunes and Pecans Cake (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:10:00 -0700

Spice Cake with Prunes and Pecans

A rich, dark, nutty cake that will stay moist almost forever. It's particularly good for the holidays, with all its spices and nuts. With this cake you never know.

is one slice enough? Are three too many?

Ingrdedients:

1 cup prune purée

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups flour (a mixture of unbleached white flour and whole wheat pastry flour is good)

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

11/2 cups pecans, chopped

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Butter and flour a 10-inch bundt pan or a 9 X 13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and prune purée.

Sift together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda and stir these into the wet ingredients.

Mix well, then fold in the pecans.

Pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the pan,

until a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Aunt Minnie's Fresh Apple Cake

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:05:00 -0700

Aunt Minnie's Fresh Apple Cake

Our Sara Robbins' Aunt Minnie was a renowned Southern cook. This easy-to-make, homey, and moist cake is one reason why.

Ingredients:

11/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

3 tablespoons apple juice, milk, orwater

3 cups sifted flour (half whole wheat

3 cups chopped apples white flour works well)

pastry flour and half unbleached

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts,or almonds)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Procedures:

Butter a 10-inch bundt pan, two 9-inch round cake pans, or one 9 X 13-inch sheet pan.

Sprinkle the bottom and sides of the pan with the sesame seeds.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Beat the oil and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time,

beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, leavenings, and spices.

Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture along with the apple juice and vanilla, beating with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.

Fold in the chopped apples and nuts.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, depending upon the size of the pan, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle the top with sifted powdered sugar when the cake is cool.

Special Ginger Mouse Cakes

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 18:02:00 -0700

Special Ginger Mouse Cakes

Yields 1 cake or 12 muffins

Maureen Vivino was given this old Irish family recipe by Stella Malloy, her grandmother. We like it because it has all the dark spiciness of gingerbread with the bouyant spring of a cake.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup molasses

11/2 teaspoons baking soda

21/2 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup hot water or hot strong freshly

1 teaspoon cinnamon

brewed coffee

Procedures:

Butter an 8 x8-inch cake pan or a muffin tin and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. In a large bowl,

beat the egg into the molasses and add the creamed mixture.

Sift together the dry ingredients, except the baking soda. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 3500

Dissolve the baking soda in the water or coffee and add it to the batter, beating vigorously for several minutes.

Spoon the batter into the cake pan or muffin tin. Bake the cake for 45 minutes to an hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bake muffins about 30 minutes.

Top Ginger Cakes with Lemon Custard Sauce (p. 276) for a real treat.

Jewish Honey Cake (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:57:00 -0700

Jewish Honey Cake

This is the traditional Jewish honey cake or lekach eaten at the beginning of a new year to ensure a sweet year. Once you try it, you'll want to have it much more than just once a year.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

31/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon pinch of ground cloves

1 cup honey

1 cup warm, strong, freshly brewed coffee

1/2 cup almonds or walnuts, chopped

powdered sugar

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Butter and flour a 5 x9-inch loaf pan and set aside.

Beat the eggs and sugar until well mixed. Add the oil, stirring until smooth.

Sift together all the dry ingredients and spices and set aside.

Dissolve the honey in the coffee. Add the dry ingredients and the coffee mixture alternately to the egg mixture, about half of each at a time. Stir until the baiter is smooth. Then add the nuts.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 15 minutes and remove from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar.

This cake keeps very well if tightly wrapped or covered and often tastes even better one or two days later.

We like it with a "shmear" of cream cheese or a scoop of ice cream.

Hazelnut Cheesecake

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 17:50:00 -0700

Hazelnut Cheesecake

Americans have only lately begun to appreciate the glories of the hazelnut, so beloved throughout Europe. Once you've tasted Hazelnut Cheesecake, you will have experienced one of the great earthly joys.

Ingredients:

CRUST

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

FILLING

2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

5 eggs

11/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

1 cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground

TOPPING

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

12 whole hazelnuts

Procedures:

Butter the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Make graham cracker crumbs by rolling the crackers between two sheets of waxed paper with a rolling pin or by grinding them in a blender or food processor. Lightly blend the crumbs, butter, and sugar with a fork and press this mixture into the bottom of the springform pan.

Preheat the oven to 3500

Using a food processor or an electric beater, whip the cream cheese, and add the eggs one at a time, until the batter is thin and smooth.

Add the sugar and whip again until smooth. Add the lemon peel and ground hazelnuts and blend well. Pour the batter onto the crust.

Bake for 1 to 11/2 hours until golden brown and firm. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan for at least one hour.

When the cake is completely cool, remove it from the pan to a serving plate. Combine the sour cream, powdered sugar,

and vanilla and spread on top of the cheesecake. Decorate the outer edge of the cake top with the whole hazelnuts.

Speckled Cheese Tart (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 21:00:00 -0700

Speckled Cheese Tart

This tart features a rich cookie-like crust with a creamy chocolate-flecked filling.

Ingredients:

CRUST
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached white flour    grated
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

FILLING
11/2 pounds ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ounces sweet or semi-sweet chocolate,

Procedures:
Cream together the butter and sugar. Mix in the egg, sour cream, and vanilla. Sift the flour, soda, and salt into the bowl with the creamed mixture.
Form into a soft dough. Refrigerate for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 3500
Beat the ricotta cheese until smooth. Stir in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and grated chocolate.
With floured hands, pat the chilled dough into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie plate.
It will be thin, but will rise during baking. Pour in the filling and bake about 40 minutes,
until the filling is set and bounces back when lightly tapped. Cool and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Lemon Tart

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:56:00 -0700

Lemon Tart

A very tart tart with a cookie crust, this is a refreshing, sophisticated finale for a rich meal, especially welcome on sultry summer evenings. We like to serve this bright lemon tart on a cobalt blue plate.

Ingredients:

TART PASTRY
11/2 cups unbleached white flour
7 tablespoons butter
pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, sliced in very thin rounds

FILLING
4 lemons
5 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs, well beaten
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Procedures:
Cut the butter into small pieces and work it into the flour with a pastry cutter, two knives, or your finger tips.
Mix in the salt, vanilla, and sugar, and then just enough ice water to bind.
Press the dough with your fingers into a 9- or 10-inch drop-bottom tart pan. Chill the crust 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425°.
Line the chilled crust with waxed paper and fill with dried beans or rice to prevent the crust from buckling during baking.
Bake at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and waxed paper.
Lower the oven temperature to 350°.
Mix together the juice of 4 lemons, the butter, and the sugar and heat until the butter melts and the mixture is just warm.
Pour the beaten eggs slowly into this mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly.
Continue to stir on low heat until the mixture thickens into a custard.
Stir in the vanilla. Pour into the baked crust and bake for 35 to 50 minutes or until the custard sets and the top becomes golden.
Serve chilled and garnished with thinly sliced rounds of lemon.

Fresh Pear Tart (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:50:00 -0700

Fresh Pear Tart

Serves 4 to 6
A lush dessert, fragrant with vanilla, nutmeg, and fresh fruit.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked
10-inch pie shell (p. 253) CUSTARD
6 tablespoons unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
12 ounces butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
3 medium pears peeled

Procedures:
Sift together the flour and nutmeg. Melt the butter. Remove it from the heat and add the sugar.
Whisk in the flour-nutmeg mixture. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, then the extract.
At this point the custard should be thick and smooth.
Cut the pears into eighths, lengthwise. Core the slices and arrange them in the pie shell.
Cover with the custard. Bake at 3500 for 45 to 50 minutes until the custard is firm and golden.

Apple and Cheddar Cheese Pie (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:46:00 -0700

Apple and Cheddar Cheese Pie

Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a hug and a squeeze. This apple pie has the cheese right in the pie, with a sweet crumbly streusel topping.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked 10-inch pie shell (p. 253)
STREUSEL TOPPING
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
8 tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
(6 ounces)

Procedures:
In a large bowl, dust the apple slices with the flour and sugar, then drizzle them with the lemon juice.
Give the mixture a few turns with a big spoon. Preheat the oven to 425°.
Prepare the streusel topping in a food processor or by hand with a pastry cutter.
Mix the flour and sugar and cut in the butter until the topping becomes crumbly. If it seems too sticky, add a little more flour.
Fill the pie crust with the apple slices, sprinkle the grated cheese over the apples,
and cover the cheese with the streusel. The streusel prevents the cheese from burning. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes,
until the pie is bubbling and golden brown.

Southern Nut Pie Eudora

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:42:00 -0700

Southern Nut Pie Eudora

Our dessert chef, Susan Harville, was excited when she heard that one of her favorite writers, Eudora Welty, was coming to Ithaca to give a reading from her work. Susan made this pie to present to Miss Welty as a token of her appreciation. Miss Welty very graciously accepted the pie and said, the pleasure you've had from reading my work? Why, surely it couldn't add up to a whole pecan pie!

Maple syrup, one of our favorite harvests from Ithaca's surrounding hillsides, gives a Northern twist to our version of a Southern classic.

Ingredients:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (p. 253)
3 eggs, well beaten 1 cup maple syrup
11/2 cups pecan or walnut halves
1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract    apple slices
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
freshly whipped cream or ice cream V2 teaspoon salt

Pocedures:
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Spread the nuts evenly across the bottom of the unbaked pie shell.
Set aside. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter, vanilla, and flour.
Add the salt, eggs, maple syrup, and cream and mix thoroughly.
Pour the liquid mixture over the nuts in the pie shell. The nuts will float.
Push them down into the liquid with the back of a spoon to wet them, so they won't burn during baking.
Bake at 375° for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clea
Let the pie cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve plain or with a few crisp apple slices and a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.

Pie Crust (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:39:00 -0700

Pie Crust

This recipe for an easy-to-handle pastry dough which we use for both dinner and dessert pies is from Tom Walls, our resident pastry-maker, who rolls out the tenderest, flaky crusts.

Ingredients:
9-INCH SINGLE PIE CRUST
10-INCH SINGLE PIE CRUST
1 cup unbleached white flour (up to 1/2
1½ cups unbleached white flour (up to
cup whole wheat flour may be
3/4 cup whole wheat flour may besubstituted)
1/3 cup chilled butter
1/2 cup chilled butter
2 tablespoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon salt (if unsalted butter is used)
3 tablespoons ice water
1/2 teaspoon salt (if unsalted butter is used)

Procedures:
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces and sprinkle onto the flour.
Working quickly so that the butter will remain cold, use a pastry cutter,
two knives, or your fingertips to cut the butter into the flour until the butter pieces are pea-sized.
Sprinkle the ice water over the flour, a little at a time, as you turn the dough with a wooden spoon.
As the water is incorporated, a ball of dough will form. Add a little more ice water if the dough fails to come together.
Roll out the dough immediately on a lightly floured board, or chill until firm, 30 to 60 minutes, before rolling.

Custards (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:34:00 -0700

Custards

Serves 8
It's no trouble at all to have some of these smooth and wholesome high-protein treats in the refrigerator for after-school snacks, dessert, or a quick breakfast.

Ingredients:
8 eggs
4 cups milk
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

Procedures:
Preheat the oven to 3500
Blend the first four ingredients together in a blender. Pour into oven-proof dessert cups.
Place the cups in a shallow pan and pour boiling water into the pan to a level about half way up the sides of the cups.
Sprinkle the tops of the custards with grated nutmeg. Bake for about 1/2 hour or until the custards are firm and lightly golden.
Chill several hours before serving.
Variations
Cashew Custard: Reduce the milk to 3 cups and add 1 cup of cashew butter.
Peach Custard: Reduce the milk to 3 cups. Add about half a fresh peach,
peeled and sliced, to each dessert cup, before pouring in the custard.
Coconut Custard: Use coconut milk (see Appendix) instead of milk. Before you add any honey or maple syrup, taste — the coconut milk may be sweet enough. Sprinkle grated coconut on top instead of nutmeg.
Banana-Coconut Custard: Make Coconut Custard, adding 2 bananas to the blender.

Pots De Creme Au Chocolat (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:55:00 -0700

Pots De Creme Au Chocolat

Serves 6 to 8
This impressive chocolate custard may seem to belong solely to the province of fancy French restaurants. In fact, this is a very quick and easy dessert to make. You can vary the richness by the proportion of cream you use; made with all cream, it's very rich, indeed, and a small portion satisfies.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
8 ounces sweet chocolate
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
heavy cream, whipped with vanilla and sweetening

Ingredients:
In a double boiler or (carefully) in a heavy pan, heat the milk and chocolate until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is a smooth uniform color.
In a blender, whip the eggs and then pour the hot milk-chocolate into the whirling blender until smooth and thick.
If it doesn't thicken enough, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook it on low heat, stirring until thick.
If it is cooked too long or too rapidly, it will become slightly curdled.
Then another quick whirl in the blender will smooth it.
Add the vanilla and stir. Pour into dessert cups, filling about half full.
Chill. Serve with plenty of the freshly whipped cream.

Creamy Rice Pudding

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:44:00 -0700

Creamy Rice Pudding

Serves 6 to 8

This superb rice pudding has a number of virtues over its cousins: it uses leftover rice, it bakes in the oven, and it's unusually wholesome and delicious. In fact, this dessert may become so popular in your household that you find yourself cooking rice especially to make rice pudding. It's been known to happen.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked brown rice (seeAppendix)
21/4 cups half-and-half or milk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons grated orange peel (the peel of 1 orange)
2/3 cup raisins
2 medium apples, cored and finely
chopped (optional)
freshly whipped cream

Procedures:
Butter a deep casserole dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a blender or mixing bowl combine the half-and-half, eggs, vanilla, spices, and honey.
In a large bowl thoroughly mix the rice, egg mixture, grated orange peel, raisins, and chopped apples.
Pour the pudding into the casserole dish and bake uncovered for an hour, until the custard is set and the pudding begins to brown lightly at the edges.
Stir the pudding thoroughly at 20-minute intervals while it is baking and add a small amount of milk if it becomes too dry.
Serve Creamy Rice Pudding hot from the oven or chill it and serve it cold later.
A dollop of fresh whipped cream adds the perfect finishing touch to each serving.

Chocolate Ricotta

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:39:00 -0700

Chocolate Ricotta "Moose"

Serves 6
This is one of our most often requested recipes. It makes a foolproof, almost instant, rich and velvety dessert.

Ingredients:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup heavy cream, whipped with a
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract little vanilla and maple syrup
honey to taste (about 1/3 cup) fresh fruit or shaved chocolate

Procedures:
Blend the melted chocolate, ricotta cheese, vanilla, and honey in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Pour into dessert cups and chill.
To serve, mound whipped cream on top and garnish with a fresh, ripe strawberry, a few raspberries, an orange or kiwi fruit slice, or shaved chocolate.

Italian Pudding (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:33:00 -0700

Serves 6

This smooth, rich, high-protein pudding, studded with multicolored jewels of fruit, can be dessert, a satisfying salad for luncheon, or a special breakfast.

Italian Pudding Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dried apricots
1/4 cup raisins or dried currants
1 pound ricotta cheese
1/4 cup almonds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 cup raspberry butter or
1 cup heavy cream, whipped preserves
2 to 3 cups fresh fruit

Procedures:
Slice the dried apricots. If you're using unsulfured apricots,
soak them in warm water for 20 minutes to plump before slicing.
Using an electric beater or a food processor, whip the ricotta cheese until smooth.
Mix in the vanilla and raspberry butter or preserves (make the pudding as sweet as you like by adding more or less).
Fold in the fruits and nuts. To insure fluffiness, add the whipped cream not more than two hours before you intend to serve the pudding.
Fold in the whipped cream and — voila!
Serve the pudding in a beautiful bowl and decorate the top with more fruit.
We also like Italian Pudding piled on melon wedges for brunch.

Fruit Cobbler (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:28:00 -0700

This very simple and quick recipe is about 100 years old. Most cobblers have a biscuit topping, which becomes hard overnight. This topping is more like cake, so it stays moist. The cobbler should be made with soft fruits, such as peaches, berries, nectarines, or plums, which may be fresh, canned, or frozen.

Fruit Cobbler Recipe

Ingredients:

FRUIT FILLING

5 cups soft fruit
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in
1/4 cup water or fruit juice
BATTER
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
11/2 cups unbleached white flour
1 tablespoon baking powder freshly whipped cream

Procedures:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Prepare the fruit. Wash whole berries; wash, pit and slice fresh fruits;

drain the juice from canned or defrosted frozen fruit and reserve it to mix with the cornstarch.

Prepare the filling by mixing sliced fruit or whole berries with the maple syrup or honey,

lemon juice, cinnamon, and cornstarch mixture. Set aside.

To make the batter, add the maple syrup or honey to the melted butter.

Beat in the eggs, milk, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.

Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan and pour in half the batter. Spoon in the fruit filling and then top with the remaining batter.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and springy to the touch.

Apricot Baklava (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 01:18:00 -0700

Apricot Baklava Recipe

Yields 24 pieces
Sweet and buttery, this traditional pastry of the Middle East is always made with honey and nuts.
In our version, the unorthodox apricot custard layer in the middle comes as a welcome surprise.

Ingredients

2 cups dried apricots
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups apple or apricot juice or water
1 pound phyllo dough (see Appendix)
4 eggs
1 cup honey
3 cups almonds, toasted and finely chopped

Simmer the dried apricots in the juice or water for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Purée the cooled, cooked apricots with the eggs in a food processor or in two batches in a blender.
Using a pastry brush or a small paint brush, butter a baking sheet. Unroll the phyllo dough.
Carefully place two leaves of phyllo on the baking sheet. They should be flat and unwrinkled.
Brush the top with butter and sprinkle with chopped almonds.
Work quickly or keep the remaining unbuttered phyllo dough covered or it will dry and crack and become difficult to use.
Continue this procedure until about half of the phyllo is used. Then spread the apricot purée evenly on the top layer of phyllo.
Continue layering phyllo, butter, and almonds, ending with a buttered leaf of phyllo sprinkled with chopped almonds.
Before baking the baklava, score it with a sharp knife, cutting through the top few layers, but not as deep as the custard layer, to form a diamond or rectangular pattern, each piece a serving size, about 3 inches across.
Bake at 3500 for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden.
When it has cooled about 20 minutes but is still warm, cut it all the way
through the scoring and then drizzle the honey evenly over the entire baklava.
Serve with an aperitif or a cup of your favorite coffee or tea. Store refrigerated and well covered.

Cheese Halawa (Recipe)

von_ouier_18@yahoo.com (roy) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:05:00 -0700

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup supply sugar
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup semolina Flour Mills
1/4 kilo mozzarella cheese
1 tbs. rose water A speck of Mistica Sugar syrup

Cream Sauce:

1 cup supply milk powder
3 cup water 3 tbs. supply sugar
3 tbs. corn starch
1 can thick cream ( geemar 170g)

For Garnish:
Pistachio, ground

PREPARATION;

Boil water and miscast, add cheese and semolina stir quickly, until you get one ball, remove from heat and then add rose water.
Spread little sugar syrup on marble base, flatten cheese mixture by using a rolling pin to a rectangle, shape with 2 mm thickness, cut into longitude rectangles, spread cream sauce in along rectangles, fold as a roll, cut into small diagonal squares, repeat with remaining rectangles, arrange in a serving tray, pour a lit-tle sugar syrup, garnish with pistachio powder, stand in fridge until served. Cream Sauce:
Combine all ingredients together and cook over heat continuously stirring until thick, stand to cool. then add thick cream.