Summer recipes that are sure to be a big hit

The start of summer is about upon us and with that comes cool salads, beverages and maybe a special dessert. Today I have just that for you, a nice assortment of recipes suitable for warmer temperatures and the embrace of summer.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

Our college intern at the senior center, Samantha McGill is finished now, but we could not part company without exchanging a few more recipes. This recipe was the last one she gave me, and it is a keeper, because it is so good and because it is a special memory of her.

For the cookies:

1 box red velvet cake mix (Duncan Hines)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the white chocolate drizzle:

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted

To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

To make the cheesecake filling, using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 10. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy. If you are going to store the cookies for more than a day, you may want to keep them in the refrigerator. You can make the cookies smaller. Just use less dough and filling. You want to make sure you completely wrap the cookie dough around the filling before baking, so it doesn't leak.

Spaghetti Pasta Salad

My friends Jack and Janet Herron from the Senior Center shared this recipe with me as it is one Jack's favorite salad recipes. He said it makes a large batch, so plan accordingly.

1 (16-ounce) package thin spaghetti

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 (10-ounce) jar pitted green olives, drained and chopped

4 to 6 green onions, top and bottoms, chopped

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon flavor enhancer, such as Accent

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain, rinse and drain well again. Transfer to a bowl; toss with oil to coat. Add olives. If serving that day, add green onions. Mix well. In a bowl, combine vinegar, flavor enhancer, black pepper, sugar and garlic powder. Pour over pasta and mix well. Cover and refrigerate up to 8 hours or overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature. If making the salad the night before, add green onions shortly before serving so they stay crisp. Yields about 8 servings.

Strawberry Limeade

I love cold refreshing beverages and usually have sort of strange juice concoction in our refrigerator at all times. This is really great and is especially good with crushed ice, or stop by Sonic and buy a bag.

1 1/2 cups quartered fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh lime juice

5 cups cold water

3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar (depending on how sweet the strawberries are)

Ice cubes

Lime slices-for serving, if desired

Blend strawberries and lime juice in blender or food processor until smooth. Pour strawberry and lime mixture into a large pitcher. Add cold water and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add in ice cubes and pour into individual glasses. Garnish with lime, if desired. Pour over ice cubes in tall glasses; garnish each with strawberry or lime wedge, if desired.

Spinach and Raspberry Salad

Fresh spinach or spring mix

Raspberries

Nectarines, sliced

Dressing Recipe:

1 nectarine, chopped, pit and skin removed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing:

In a blender add all of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. Taste to adjust seasonings if necessary. Add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over salad greens, nectarines, and raspberries. The dressing will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Recently the congregation of Fellowship Baptist Church brought an enormous basket filled with cookies and mini cupcakes to the Senior Center to share with the volunteers and staff at the Center. We were having a pretty rough morning when these two delightful and joy filled church volunteers stepped into the office with this heavenly basket of goodness. All of a sudden our morning did not seem so bad. One of the cookies was a chocolate chip bar. This may not be her exact recipe, but it sure hit the spot on that particular morning.

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

Sea salt, for sprinkling over bars-optional

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Sprinkle cookie bars very lightly with sea salt, if desired. Bake cookie bars for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. Cut bars into squares and serve.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.

Source:http://www.semissourian.com/story/1853476.html

Keep cool this summer with fun and flavorful frozen dessert recipes

As temperatures climb this summer, cool down with tasty and colorful frozen treat recipes for your next backyard barbecue or pool party. Offer everyone's favorite summertime treats - ice cream, sherbet and sorbet - in unique and unexpected ways, such as in refreshing beverages, delicious cake bars or whimsical parfaits. Mold frozen ingredients into bite-size treats using melon ball scoops for mini ice cream sandwiches, or use ice cube trays to make mini-popsicles as mid-afternoon pick-me-ups.

Summer is also a great time to pair frozen treats with seasonal fruits like watermelon, berries and peaches. Present these ingredients within vibrant, layered parfaits or use the fruit shells to act as novel serving bowls. For a more decadent spin, combine the frozen ingredients with more traditional dessert elements such as graham cracker crusts, shortbread or fruit pie filling.

"There's nothing more satisfying than a flavorful, chilled confection on a hot summer day," says Stan Frankenthaler, Baskin-Robbins executive chef and vice president of innovation at Dunkin' Brands. "Using a ready-made, frozen treat as a recipe base, then combining it with fresh, seasonal ingredients, is a quick and easy way to delight the taste buds of your friends and family, all while keeping them cool. Your guests will appreciate your creativity while they satisfy their sweet tooths."

Watermelon Chip Sorbet Punch

Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Approximately 8 (3/4 cup) servings

Ingredients:
* 1 small watermelon
* 2 cans of ginger ale
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1 pint Baskin-Robbins Watermelon Chip Sorbet

Directions:
1. Cut an oblong hole in the top of the watermelon. Scoop out the watermelon, remove seeds, and mash half of the watermelon, reserving its juice.
2. Mix the watermelon juice, lime juice and ginger ale together in a bowl.
3. Pour the punch into the hulled out watermelon shell to one inch below its rim. Use the remaining punch to refresh as needed.
4. Top with small scoops of Baskin-Robbins Watermelon Chip Sorbet, and garnish each glass of punch with an additional scoop of sorbet.

Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Bars

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Yield: 24 servings

Ingredients:
* 1 3/4 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
* 7 tablespoons butter, softened
* 2 quarts Baskin-Robbins Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream, softened
* 1 jar (12 ounces) blueberry pie filling

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine the shortbread cookie crumbs and butter until well blended. Pat the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan or dish.
2. Spread the Baskin-Robbins Blueberry Cheesecake ice cream carefully over the crust.
3. Spread blueberry pie filling evenly over ice cream.
4. Freeze three hours or until firm.
5. Slice into squares and serve.

Source:http://www.lvrj.com/sponsored/keep-cool-this-summer-with-fun-and-flavorful-frozen-dessert-recipes.html?ref=525

With easy recipes, making dessert is a piece of cake

Donald Harmon's search for a cake recipe his mother used to make resulted in a deluge of recipes - and reminiscences.

"My father, who is 78 years old and who grew up in Granite City, Ill., remembers quite fondly a cake called 'busyday,' " wrote his daughter, Debbie Harmon of Milton, Ga.

"He would love for me to find this cake recipe and bake it for him. (It's just the simple things in life that are the best.)"

The recipes began to pour in as soon as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published Harmon's request in January.

Most of the recipes are for one-bowl yellow cakes topped with coconut, nuts or both. A few are for chocolate cakes, and a few are for cobblers.

Sources included Betty Crocker, Pillsbury and Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks. One reader unearthed a 1940 advertisement for Gold Medal flour that promoted its version of Busy Day Cake.

The names of the readers' recipes varied, but most alluded to the ease of assembly: Slapped-Together Cake, Panic Dessert and Kitchenette Cake.

Despite that, modern cooks might find some of these early recipes a bit more involved than what they usually make. As Arleen Herring of Elsberry, Mo., said: "Baking methods have really changed. Sift three times in a recipe for a busy day struck me."

Eleanor Mosser of Staunton, Ill., sent a version from "Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book."

"Found this a while back, probably on a cold, snowy day and didn't want to go out to buy a mix," she wrote. "After making it, I had to say to myself, 'Why get it in a box?' This is easier."

Some bakers have been making Busy Day Cake for decades.

"It seems I was raised on Busy Day Cakes. Those and the pies made from the fruit of our orchard were my mother's specialities," wrote Marilyn McDougall.

"My aunt lived with my mother and me when I was growing up," wrote Betty Hoppe of St. Louis. "Money was scarce, and therefore we rarely had desserts. My aunt would make this Busy Day Cake on special occasions.

"I really loved this cake, and when I had a family, I made it for them, and they thought it was great too."

Wrote Joan Elsey of Potosi, Mo., "This request brought back childhood memories to me as my mother, who lived in Shenandoah, Iowa, baked this cake quite often. My sister and I could barely wait until it was finished baking so we could consume it."

And Donna Glass of Chester, Ill., wrote, "I learned to bake in the mid-1960s with this recipe from the red-and-white plaid 'Better Homes and Gardens' cookbook that belonged to my mom.

"We topped it with a broiled topping, and it was very good."

Jean Kan of Webster Groves, Mo., contributed the published recipe for Busy Day Cake; Sandy Pilarski contributed the Busy Day Chocolate Cake recipe; and Anne Hixson of Washington, Mo., contributed the Lazy Day Cobbler recipe.

Source:http://www.leadertelegram.com/features/food/article_ef2754b6-2941-593b-a56d-6de5e82c84cf.html

A Simple and Delicious Strawberry Dessert

Last spring I waxed eloquent about the joys of strawberries, which are delicious in salads, smoothies and (of course!) home-canned jam. And, while I still encourage you to try all the crazy strawberry recipes out there, one after the other, the more realistic side of me knows it's just not possible at this time of year.

So today I'm going to keep it very simple with a recipe for strawberry cake that takes just a little time and uses ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and pantry. Chances are you have a graduation, shower or cookout to attend in the next couple of weeks, and instead of buying yet another overpriced package of pre-cut vegetables, you can bring this lovely, rustic dessert.

Here's what you'll need to get started:

4 cups (1 pound) strawberries
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

To prepare the strawberries, simply wash them and slice off the green tops (you can use a huller, but I find it more trouble than it's worth.) I actually used frozen strawberries for this recipe, so I dumped them in a colander and rinsed with cold water to thaw them slightly.

The batter goes together quickly, so preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you butter a standard-sized pie or cake pan with a tablespoon of the butter. Then combine the butter and almost all the sugar (save a tablespoon or so for the top) and beat until light and fluffy. This is a lot easier with a stand mixer, but can be done by hand too. Beat in the egg, then the milk and vanilla, and finally add the dry ingredients.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan (it should be a little thick, more like cookie dough than pancake batter) and arrange the strawberry halves on top, cut-side down. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, checking frequently; if the edges start to get crispy (this is more likely in a larger pan, like mine) turn down the heat a bit.

Allow to cool before serving, and enjoy. Happy spring!

Source:http://catonsville.patch.com/articles/dinner-tonight-a-simple-strawberry-dessert-ac3e2ba1

Strawberry Dessert always requested at potlucks

We want to share your best recipes each week on this page.

This one comes from Jennifer McShea of Vero Beach. This dessert is the dish people always request her to bring to picnics and potlucks.

Strawberry Dessert

Ingredients

2 cups crushed pretzels

3/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 8-ounce container Cool Whip

1/2 cup sugar

1 20-ounce bag frozen strawberries, thawed

1 6-ounce box of strawberry Jell-O

2 cups boiling water

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 400 F and spray a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2 Mix pretzels, melted butter and sugar and pat evenly into the bottom of pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

3 Meanwhile, whip 1/2 cup sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Stir in Cool Whip until well mixed. Spread evenly on top of the pretzel layer and cool.

4 Boil water and stir in Jell-O until completely dissolved. Add strawberries and slowly pour on top of cream cheese layer.

5 Refrigerate until firm.

Source:http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/may/17/no-headline---tc_fea_reader_recipe/

Famed chicken recipe meets grill

When I was young, Julia Child was as much a fixture in my family's kitchen as she was on television.

Not only did my mother watch her, she cooked right along with her, as well. The local public television station sent the recipes in advance and my mother collected them in a three-ring binder that she still has.

My favorite menu was what we referred to as “French Chicken,” a butterflied chicken that is slathered with a mustard, white wine and scallion sauce that bakes on during roasting, becoming a delectable crust and infusing the chicken with the heady flavors of Dijon.

The vegetable was fresh peas cooked with Boston lettuce, and dessert was a delicious apple tart with Grand Marnier-spiked applesauce and a layer of apricot-glazed apple slices on top. This menu often was served as a birthday meal, so it is a fitting menu as we near Child's 100th birthday celebration.

I lived in Paris for a while, and when I came back to the U.S., I started working in the food world. Much to my delight, even though Child was a reigning culinary icon and getting on in years, she attended conferences and was always front and center at the seminars.

I was thrilled to meet her, and was impressed that even then she still wanted to learn more, even from people far less accomplished than herself. That characteristic influenced my life as much as her food did. I try to live everyday like I envisioned Julia Child living, eternally curious and listening to what others have to offer.

So, it is no surprise that I took my favorite childhood chicken dish and adapted it to the grill. The grill facilitates the browning and crisping of the skin and the mustard glaze, making this one chicken that you have to eat skin and all!

It may not be exactly as Julia intended, but it certainly brings her spirit into my home every time I make it, and I hope it will bring her into your home.

Source:http://www.mydesert.com/article/20120516/LIFESTYLES02/205150340/Famed-chicken-recipe-meets-grill

Cooking with fruit yields sweet surprise

When Nigel Slater’s book Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard appeared on my desk a few weeks ago, I stopped what I was doing to immediately go through it.

I’ve been a fan of the British food writer since my equally British friend introduced me to his cookbook Appetite and then let me pore over it for about an hour.

His latest, a rather large book dedicated to recipes based on fruits (and a nut or two) is just as easy to get lost in.

The gorgeous photos — though not one for each recipe — along with poetic prose make it a treat to read and cook from.

(And who can resist recipe names like A Quivering Jelly or A Deeply Appley Apple Crumble?)

I love the conversational tone of Slater’s writing; his instructions read as if he’s standing in the kitchen next to you, gently coaxing you along. Not that any of the recipes in this book appear particularly complex or arduous; despite its rather thick size, this is a good book for those of all skill levels.

He offers advice on good (and some unexpected) pairings for the fruits, quick ideas for other ways to use each one, along with historical tidbits and even gardening tips.

After going through it a few times, I found myself coming back to his recipe for a Blackberry Focaccia — a flatbread topped with the juicy berries, a drizzle of olive oil and a sugar sprinkle.

I’ve been tempted before by recipes that combine this Italian flatbread with fruit, so I had high hopes.

And they were not in vain.

Let me put it this way: I ate two pieces, still warm, right over the sink, possibly moaning between bites.

The focaccia is slightly sweet, fluffy but with a good amount of chew. The dusting of icing sugar (and slight sprinkle of berry sugar before baking) offsets the tart blackberries.

The bread was so good I might even use this recipe — minus the sugar and berries — as a savoury focaccia, maybe topped with olives or caramelized onions.

A few notes, though. First, my focaccia didn’t want to come off the pan, so I might suggest greasing it lightly before putting on the dough. Second, although it says to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, mine was cooked to perfection at the 22-minute mark, so check early.

Source: http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/Cooking+with+fruit+yields+sweet+surprise/6625731/story.html#ixzz1v2NQuS5K

Cornbread cake is a sweet dessert

When Wanda Ellis brings her Cornbread Cake to work, people gather around her desk for a taste -- especially her boss.

She works in the Haines City Public Works Department for Public Works Director Mike Stripling.

She said she got the recipe from her "Great Aunti" Beadie Tanner, who lived in Georgia.

Her family is from Douglas, Ga. and published all the old family recipes in the "Guthrie Cookbook."

"I was looking through it and saw this recipe and I thought I'd try it," she said.

"I don't remember eating it when I was younger but I could have," she said.

Even though it's called Cornbread Cake, there's no cornbread in the recipe.

"The chopped pecans are what give it the cornbread texture I guess," she said.

She serves it as a dessert.

"This is quick and easy," she said.

CORNBREAD CAKE

1 1/2 c. self-rising flour

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

1 c. cooking oil

4 large eggs

1 cup chopped pecans

1 t. vanilla

Mix together and pour in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Source:http://www.newschief.com/article/20120516/NEWS/205165005/1009/living?Title=Cornbread-cake-is-a-sweet-dessert

Mango Recipes in Minutes

If you can't get enough of your favourite summer fruit, then you are going to love these easy-to-make mango recipes. Whether in a salad or a dessert, mango seems to go perfectly well with both! Take a look at these recipes for Cilantro Prawns with Mango Salad and Fresh Mango with Creme Brulee.

Cilantro Prawns with Mango Salad

Ingredients
150 gms prawns
20 gms coriander Leaves
5 gms green chilly

For the Dressing
20 ml mango juice
1 ripe mango
5 gms chilly flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

For the Mango Salad
10 gms raw mango
10 gms avocado
5 ml lime juice

Method
1) Marinated the prawns with the coriander leaves and the rest of the ingredients. Grill /Saute it till done.
2) For the dressing mix all the ingredients well and season as required.
3) Make a salad with raw mango, avocado and ripe mangoes, season with salt, pepper and lime.
4) Combine the mango and avocado with a touch of curry powder and lemon juice.
5) Finally add salt and pepper.
6) Garnish with coriander and alfa sprouts.

Source:http://idiva.com/news-work-life/musttry-mango-recipes-in-minutes/12707

Tebow's Special Ice Cream Pie

From the kitchen of Pam Tebow
8 Comments
Servings:6-8
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 30-60 min

This ice cream pie with a Rice Krispies crust, made with love by his mother, Pam Tebow, has always been a favorite of star quarterback Tim Tebow.

For more recipes from Taste of Home, check out their website here.
Ingredients
2-1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons light corn syrup, divided
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 quart (4 cups) vanilla ice cream, softened
Cooking Directions

Combine the corn syrup, the brown sugar, and butter in medium size saucepan.

Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to boil.

Remove from heat. Add rice krispies cereal, stirring until well coated.

Press evenly in 9 in. pie pan to form crust. Stir together peanut butter, fudge sauce, and the 3 T. corn syrup. Spread half the peanut butter mixture over crust. Freeze until firm.

Allow ice cream to soften slightly. Spoon into frozen piecrust, spreading evenly. Freeze until firm. Let pie stand at room temperature about 10 minutes before cutting. Warm remaining peanut butter mixture and drizzle over top.

Source:http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe/tebows-special-ice-cream-pie-16312522

Make your own stuffed pizza crust

QUICK, NO-YEAST STUFFED CRUST PIZZA

2 1/2 cups flour

2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon cornmeal

4 ounces string cheese

1/2 cup chopped peppers and onions (optional)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add 3/4 cup water and 2 1/2 tablespoons of the oil. Stir until dough forms a ball, adding more water or flour if necessary. Knead on a floured surface for 3 or 4 minutes.

Sprinkle cornmeal over a greased 14-inch pizza pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-inch circle. Transfer to pan, letting dough drape over the edge. Cut string cheese in half lengthwise, and arrange on dough around the edge of the pan. Top with chopped vegetables. Fold dough over this stuffing, pinching to seal. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork, and brush with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil. Bake 5 minutes.

Remove crust from oven, and top as desired with pizza sauce, pepperoni and grated mozzarella cheese. Bake for 18 to 20, until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Makes 8 slices.

Source: http://www.macon.com/2012/05/14/2024816/cooks-corner-make-your-own-stuffed.html#storylink=cpy

So where did the pudding originate?

A NEWLY-DISCOVERED ancient recipe for Bakewell Pudding has served up a heated culinary conundrum about the origins of the world-famous dish.

The handwritten formula was found in an old cook book compiled by Clara Palmer-Morewood, who lived in Alfreton Hall.

It is clearly titled Bakewell Pudding and dated 1837 – casting doubt over local legend that the delicious dish was created by accident by Ann Greaves, the landlady of Bakewell’s Rutland Arms, about 30 years later.

But Paul Hudson, her great-great-great grandson, said the newly-discovered formula bore no resemblance to his famous ancestor’s original recipe, which has been passed down through the family.

The cook book, which was bought by Derbyshire County Council for a collection on the Palmer-Morewood family, contains hundreds of recipes and medicinal cures.

Record Office staff came across the Bakewell Pudding recipe on page 95 and excited archives manager Sarah Chubb promptly made it for colleagues to try.

“It was delicious and very easy to make,” said Sarah.

She added the recipe’s discovery was a “terrifically exciting find”.

Cllr Andrew Lewer, leader of the authority, said: “This will certainly raise questions about when Bakewell Pudding was invented.”

However, Mr Hudson maintained his great-great-great grandmother originated the Bakewell Pudding in the Rutland Arms sometime between 1851 and 1857.

Local legend states an inexperienced waitress was preparing dessert under Mrs Greaves’ orders.

The flustered waitress made a mistake with the ingredients - but hotel guests loved the tasty, new sweet and shrewd Mrs Greaves made a note of the amended recipe.

Mr Hudson said: “Just the other night my wife made a Bakewell Pudding using Mrs Greaves’ original recipe, which is handed down through the family on marriage.

“I can promise you it tasted wonderful and bore no resemblance to the recipe in this newly-found cook book.”

Clara Palmer-Morewood’s Bakewell Pudding recipe

Lay a Puff paste over a tin, open

tart mould, put into it two dozen

raisins stoned and chopped fine

(Dryed cherries would be better) Almonds cut thin, candied orange peel, or any kind of Preserve. Beat well the yolks of four eggs, & the white of one, add ¼ lb of clarified butter, & some powdered sugar, beat all together & fill up the mould with the mixture, (Lemon would improve it) bake it in a slow oven – to be eaten cold & sprinkled over with powdered sugar.

n Meanwhile, the Original Farmer’s Market Shop in Bakewell have already taken stock of the recipe and tried it for themselves.

The first batch was cooked by Carolyn and will be constantly available from this weekend onwards for the public to sample.

Source:http://www.matlockmercury.co.uk/news/local-news/so-where-did-the-pudding-originate-1-4540251

Summer fruit fool with biscuits

A simple dessert that looks and tastes fantastic. The fruit can be varied depending on what is in season

What you'll need

For the fruit fool

350g/12oz soft fruit

Zest and/or juice of 1 lemon

125ml/4floz whipping cream

50g/2oz caster sugar

Fresh blackcurrants

Sprigs of mint

For the biscuits (makes 12)

225g/8oz butter

110g/4oz caster sugar

1 egg

275g/10oz plain flour

50g/2oz ground almonds

½ tsp vanilla essence

50g/2oz flaked almonds

25g/1oz icing sugar for dusting

Serves 2-4

Purée the fruit by passing through a sieve or placing in a blender and add the lemon juice and/or zest.

To make the fool, beat the cream into soft peaks, being careful not to overbeat. Fold two-thirds of the puree into the cream, add the sugar and mix lightly. Taste and add more sugar if necessary.

Place a few berries in the base of the glasses, then spoon in alternate layers of the puree and the fool.

Fill until the glasses are topped up. Decorate with a few blackcurrants or strawberries and a sprig of mint.

Place the butter, sugar, egg, flour, ground almonds and vanilla essence in a blender. Blitz until the mixture starts to come together as a soft ball. Add the flaked almonds and pulse for just a few seconds more.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly-floured surface and knead gently. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1cm/½ inch and using a plain or fluted cutter (2½- 5cm/1-2 inches approximately in diameter), cut out the biscuits.

Place the biscuits on a greased baking sheet and bake in the oven at 180°C/gas 4/350°F for 12-15 minutes until cooked, golden and firm.

Dust with icing sugar.

Source:http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/woman/recipes/recipe-summer-fruit-fool-with-biscuits-16156794.html

From frozen to fancy, lemon treats refresh

FIRST off, a correction for one of last week's recipes. The recipe for crackers comes not from Jodi Lee but from her good friend, who blogs about daily life on an urban farm at littlecityfarm.blogspot.com. Jodi, who writes about gluten-free cooking at www.lifefromscratch.ca, adds that the crackers, which are made with spelt, are NOT gluten-free.

I received an overwhelming response to the call for lemon recipes. Thanks to Edna Mroz, Olga Barthow, Helen Glowienka, Cecile Olivier, Heida Bottrell, Lynn Hamilton, Marilyn Trickett, Jeanette Johnston and Enid Barnes. (I hope I haven't missed anyone.) It was so hard to choose, but I ended up going with two recipes that both start with frozen lemonade concentrate. Bernice Polischtak sent in her prize-winning "millionaire-themed" recipe from the days of the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? TV show. Lynn Shead offers a frozen lemon meringue dessert, a family favourite that comes from her sister, Charlotte, in Halifax.
Frozen lemon meringue

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Frozen lemon meringue (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

This week we have a few requests. Jo-Anne Shadlock is looking for a recipe for an apricot slice that's made with chocolate wafer crumbs and apricot baby food, and Maureen Zilinsky is hoping somebody has the secret to Eaton's fish batter. If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you'd like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

Millionaire mille feuilles (Poor boy French pastry)

40 graham wafers

3 eggs

1 x 355 ml can (12 oz or 1 1/2 cups) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

355 ml (1 1/2 cups) water

125 ml (1/2 cup) white sugar

125 ml (1/2 cup) cornstarch

30 ml (2 tbsp) butter

250 ml (1 cup) Nutriwhip

500 ml (2 cups) icing sugar, sifted

15 ml (1 tbsp) butter, softened

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

30-45 ml (2-3 tbsp) whole milk

60 ml (1/4 cup) chocolate chips, melted with 2 ml (1/2 tsp) vegetable oil

Butter a 33x22 cm (13x9 in) pan and line with half the wafers, cutting the last row to fit tightly. In top of double boiler, beat eggs and then add lemonade concentrate, water, sugar and cornstarch and continue beating until smooth. Cook over simmering water until thick, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 30 ml (2 tbsp) butter. Cool and spread over graham wafers. Beat Nutriwhip until thick and spread over cooled lemon layer. Cover with another layer of graham wafers, cutting to fit, and make sure that the top is even. In a small bowl, combine icing sugar and 15 ml (1 tbsp) butter. Add vanilla and enough milk to get a good consistency and beat until smooth. Pour over graham wafers and quickly but gently spread to cover. Drizzle with melted chocolate. Refrigerate, tightly covered, overnight. Makes 12-16 servings.

Tester's notes: This is smart take on the Napoleon pastry, and though it has a few steps, it's really quite easy for such a fancy-looking result. When assembling, allow a few extra wafers since you might get some breakage. If you prefer whipping cream to Nutriwhip, you will need to add a little sugar and probably stabilizer so that the cream will hold up. And a note: It seems as if the new standard size for lemonade concentrate is smaller than 355 ml, so make sure to check.

Frozen lemon meringue

Crust:

114 g (1/2 cup) butter, melted

500 ml (2 cups) graham cracker crumbs

75 ml (1/3 cup) brown sugar

Filling:

6 egg yolks

2 x 300 ml (10 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

1x 341 ml can (11.5 oz or about 1 1/2 cups) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

30 ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice

500 ml (2 cups) whipping cream

Topping:

6 egg whites, at room temperature

175 ml (3/4 cup) white sugar

Preheat oven to 175C (350F). In a medium bowl, stir melted butter, crumbs and brown sugar until combined. Press into an ungreased 22x33 cm (9x13 in) pan, bake for 10 minutes and let cool. In a large bowl, beat yolks until frothy. Add sweetened condensed milk, lemonade concentrate and lemon juice and beat until thickened. In another bowl, beat cream until stiff. Fold whipped cream very slowly and gently into lemon mix and spread over cooled crust. Cover tightly and place in freezer. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar very gradually, beating constantly, and continue beating until mixture is glossy and holds stiff peaks. Spread over lemon mixture right to the edges of the pan, place under a heated broiler and watch carefully for a minute or so, until golden. Cool and then freeze. Bring out about 15-20 minutes before serving to allow dessert to soften slightly but store remainder in the freezer.

Tester's notes: This lovely and refreshing lemon meringue is like an Italian semifreddo or "half-frozen" dessert, with a texture somewhere between mousse and ice cream. Lynn likes to use a few smaller high-sided springform pans instead of one big pan -- the sides help protect the meringue in the freezer. Just ensure that the overall area remains the same. The dessert will keep for a week or two in the freezer, but the texture can become harder after the first week.

Patience is a virtue when folding the cream into the lemon mixture -- you want to mix thoroughly but retain the airiness of the whipped cream, so do be slow and gentle. Because the standard size of concentrated lemonade cans seems to have gotten smaller, make sure to check the measurement on the can. (And a note: This dish contains partially cooked eggs, so use fresh, unbroken eggs, and do not serve to pregnant women or anyone with a compromised immune system.)

Source:http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/from-frozen-to-fancy-lemon-treats-refresh-150729515.html

A meal to make mom's day

DID YOU KNOW: Mother's Day is the third-largest card-sending holiday in North America, with more than 155 million cards exchanged annually. It's second only to Christmas as a gift-giving occasion. -- Hallmark Cards.

The secret to what mom really wants for Mother's Day? How about someone else making the meal.

That's right -- get someone else in the kitchen. Research shows as much as men love to get into the pots and pans, the onus on the meal planning and creating the dishes tends to fall on mom's shoulders more often than not.

This Mother's Day, give her a break from the cooking, the multitasking, the cleaning and the constant worrying over everyone else.

Here's a selection of recipes that are perfect for a lovely Sunday brunch -- and don't forget to clean up afterwards!

TURKEY QUINOA SALAD WITH CRANBERRY

A great salad to enjoy for lunch or a light dinner. It can be served hot or cold on a bed of greens. Recipe courtesy Ontario Turkey.

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) quinoa, rinsed

2 cups (500 ml) turkey or vegetable broth

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. (5 ml) chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup (125 ml) dried cranberries

2 tsp. (10 ml) canola oil

1 boneless, skinless turkey breast, about 1 1/4 lb/625 g, chopped

4 green onions, sliced

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) white wine vinegar

2 tsp. (10 ml) Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp. (1 ml) freshly ground pepper

2 cups (500 ml) baby arugula

Directions:

In saucepan, combine quinoa, broth, garlic and thyme; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Uncover and stir in cranberries; remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat and cook turkey and green onions for about 10 minutes or until browned and no longer pink inside. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar, mustard and pepper. Using fork, fluff quinoa into large bowl and stir in turkey mixture. Add arugula and stir to combine.

Makes 8 servings.

MINTED GARLIC GOAT CHEESE RAVIOLI

Making ravioli is so easy and this filling celebrates the flavours of spring. Recipe courtesy Ontariogoatcheese.ca.

Ingredients:

1 small log (140 g) goat cheese

2 Tbsp. (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup (50 ml) fresh sweet peas or frozen thawed

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. (45 ml) chopped fresh mint

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) chopped fresh oregano

16 wonton or dumpling wrappers

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup (50 ml) butter

Chopped fresh mint

Directions:

In a small nonstick skillet heat oil over medium heat and cook garlic and peas for about 2 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in goat cheese, mint and oregano.

Lay out a few wonton wrappers and place a heaping tsp. (5 ml) of goat cheese mixture in centre. Brush edges with egg and fold over corner to corner, pushing out air around filling to seal to make a triangle. Repeat with remaining filling and wonton wrappers. Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and set aside to dry slightly.

In skillet heat butter over medium heat and melt and stir until golden brown and fragrant; keep warm.

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook ravioli for about 5 minutes or until they float to surface and pasta is tender. Using slotted spoon remove ravioli to shallow dish. Drizzle with browned butter and sprinkle with mint, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

LEMON PUDDING CAKE

Show mom lots of love with this citrus infused spring dessert. Serve with whipped cream and a simple dusting of icing sugar. Recipe courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cup (300 ml) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (125 ml) all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt

1 1/2 cups (375 ml) 2% milk

1/4 cup (50 ml) butter, melted

4 eggs, separated

1 Tbsp. (15 ml) finely grated lemon rind, about rind of 1 lemon

1/2 cup (125 ml) lemon juice, (juice from about 3 lemons, depending on size)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup (250 ml) sugar with flour and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk milk, butter and egg yolks. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture. Whisk in lemon rind and juice. Set aside.

In separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp. (15 ml) at a time, until stiff but still moist peaks form. Fold beaten whites into lemon mixture to ensure the batter stays light and fluffy. Scrape mixture into a greased 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish.

Place glass baking dish in larger shallow pan. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up sides of glass baking dish. Bake in 350F (180C) oven until cake is light golden, fluffy and springs back when touched lightly in centre, about 45 minutes.

Remove from water bath and let glass baking dish cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Spoon into serving dishes. Garnish with whipped cream.

Serves 6.

Modern Mother's Day gestures

In a world filled with e-messaging, connecting all day everyday has become the norm. Take advantage of social media to declare how much you love your mom!


Source:http://www.torontosun.com/2012/05/07/a-meal-to-make-moms-day

Make your own masala

Masalas are blended spices that come in two forms. The powdery version uses different dried spices, while the paste combines dry spices with fresh ingredients such as onion, ginger and fresh herbs. The flavours can vary from mild and fragrant to hot and spicy, depending on the type of masala, the dish it is used in and personal preference. These spice mixes are a cornerstone of cooking in India, as well as in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

In New Zealand, the most commonly known example of a dry masala is garam masala. ''Garam'' means hot or warm.

Garam masala is sold in supermarkets and food stores but it's worth making from scratch at home - the result is a far superior product. Add your own personality to any masala by adding more of your favourite spices and herbs. Garam masala is traditionally sprinkled over a finished dish but can also be added at the start.

Chaat is a snack served in India by food hawkers on the street and can be made of papaya, guava, apples and, as in the following recipe, bananas. Chaat masala is the spicy mixture used to season the fruit. Yoghurt adds a creamy, soothing element to this somewhat tart dish.

Green masala is a fabulous example of a fresh paste masala. Use your imagination and personal taste for this recipe when choosing spices.

CHAAT MASALA

Serve as a snack, as part of a banquet or even a simple dessert.

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp celery seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1tsp dried pomegranate seeds

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp mango powder

Pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garam masala, optional

4 bananas, peeled and sliced

1 cup natural yoghurt

Dry-fry the peppercorns, celery and cumin seeds until fragrant, about five minutes. Place in a spice grinder with the pomegranate, salt, mango powder, cayenne and garam masala (if using) and grind to a fine powder. Mix banana and yoghurt together and sprinkle over desired amount of spice. Serves four as a snack.

GREEN MASALA

This is a versatile and vibrant paste to have on hand in the fridge. Cover the top with a small amount of vegetable oil to prevent oxidisation; it can be kept for up to four weeks.

20 cardamom pods

3 cloves

1 tsp ground turmeric

3 garlic cloves

1 small knob ginger, peeled, sliced

100g mint leaves

50g coriander leaves

4 long green chilli, chopped

200ml vegetable oil

Salt

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Use a stick or bar blender to blend all ingredients to a smooth paste. Serve with seafood, poultry, lamb or pork. Makes about 500mls.

GARAM MASALA AND RED LENTIL DHAL

Red lentils cook quickly and are a great colour but you can substitute your favourite lentils in this recipe. I like French-style puy lentils that hold their shape. Add some coconut cream for extra richness. Store garam masala in an airtight container for two weeks.

3 tbsp coriander seeds

3 tbsp fennel seeds

3 tbsp cumin seeds
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1 tbsp white peppercorns

15 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick, broken up

5 cloves

4 dried bay leaves

1/2 tsp ground mace

300g red lentils, rinsed

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 litre water

100g butter

1 medium brown onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp chilli flakes

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

Salt

1 cup coriander leaves, washed

To make the garam masala, place coriander, fennel, cumin, peppercorns, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves in a frypan and place over a medium heat. Gently dry fry for five minutes, moving spices around until they are fragrant and refreshed. Place in a spice grinder with bay leaves and mace and grind to a fine powder. Sieve if necessary. Reserve.

To make the dhal, place lentils, turmeric and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook until lentils are just soft. In a frypan, melt butter and fry onion, garlic and chilli flakes until soft and starting to colour. Add tomatoes to onion mix then stir the mix through the lentils. Season with salt. Serve with fresh coriander and a sprinkle of garam masala on top. Serves 4-6.

Source:http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/6882074/Recipe-Make-your-own-masala

How to Make Cranberry Apple Kuchen

This simple, tender cake lets the fruit shine through. It’s fine as it is, but the hot cream sauce is a good compliment and can be poured over slices as liberally as desired. The sauce adds a nice touch, making the cake even more special and memorable as it soaks up all that warm richness.

Ingredients: makes 8 servings

For kuchen:

6 tablespoons (3 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus butter for the baking pan
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup milk or light cream
3 to 4 Gravenstein or Golden Delicious apples
1 cup cranberries or firm blueberries
Cinnamon sugar: 1 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For hot cream sauce:

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter

Directions:

For the kuchen:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan. In a mixer bowl or by hand in a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and egg together until the mixture is fluffy and lightened in texture. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add dry ingredients and the milk alternately to the butter mixture. Do not overbeat; mix just until the ingredients are combined Peel and core apples. Slice them into 1/4-inch wedges

Spoon batter into the pan. Press apple slices, about 1/4-inch apart and core side down, into the batter, working in a circular pattern around the outside edge (like the spokes of a wheel. Arrange most of the cranberries in a ring inside the apples and sprinkle remainder around the edges of the kuchen. Sprinkle kuchen with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the center of the kuchen comes out clean. Set on a rack to cool briefly, or let cool to room temperature.

For the hot cream sauce:

Combine the cream, sugar, and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat (to reduce the chances of scorching or boiling over) and let sauce simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, to reduce and thicken slightly. Serve hot sauce with the kuchen.

Source:http://medfield.patch.com/articles/recipe-how-to-make-cranberry-apple-kuchen

Rude Food: Bite Into Sweet, White Snow

I ate my first Floating Island at a top chefs’ dinner in 1985. The dish was the dessert course at a meal cooked by some of Europe’s greatest chefs. Even now, I can remember the chefs gathering (over many glasses of champagne – most of them were French) to discuss the menu for the evening.
There were several Michelin Three Star chefs, including the great Pierre Troisgros, Jean Lameloise, Jean-André Charial, Pierre Romeyer and Eckart Witzigmann. There were famous Two Star chefs too: Michel Rostang and Alain Dutournier.

After selecting a very French menu for the dinner (Fish in Saffron Sauce, Civet de Poulet etc.), Pierre Troisgros instructed the chefs to cook what he called ‘Iles Flottantes’ (French for Floating Island) for the dessert.

Touch it up: Michel Roux offers a variation of the Floating Island with strawberries at Le Gavroche in the summer

I still recall the pudding. It consisted of a custard sauce in which there floated little lumps of egg white.

Given the standard of the rest of the meal (the chefs were phoning it in so the food was pretty bad), I was not surprised to find the pudding course entirely unmemorable. There was nothing wrong with it. It just wasn’t very good or at all special.

Chastened by that experience, I avoided Floating Islands for the next couple of years. If the world’s best chefs couldn’t make them taste very good, then what was the point of the dessert?

Then, in the early 1990s, somebody ordered me a Floating Island at a simple bistro in Paris. The dessert was a revelation. At the base was a lake of freshly made Crème Anglaise (what you and I call custard), tasting of milk, cream and orange egg yolks. Floating on the lake was a giant iceberg of the whitest and fluffiest meringue I had ever eaten. Biting into the meringue was like biting into the sweetest, most delicate snow. It was, I decided, going to be my favourite dessert from now on.

EggsAnd so it has remained (edging out bread and butter pudding and even an airy hot soufflé). Except that I haven’t had the chance to eat as many Floating Islands as I would have liked. Most chefs consider it a boring, old-fashioned dessert not worthy of their talents, and spend their time devising new riffs on expensive chocolate (isn’t it odd how they all want to brag about using Valrhona or Amedei or some other obscenely-priced chocolate on their menus?) or making silly little pastries. Real puddings, like the Floating Island, rarely hold their interest.

One of the few places you can still be reasonably certain of finding a Floating Island, however, is France. The French have two names for it. Oeufs à La Neige translates as Snow Eggs which is a good description of the taste of the dessert. And IIes Flottantes translates as Floating Island.

Some chefs make a distinction in that a single iceberg of meringue is called Ouef à La Neige while the kind of thing the Three Star chefs cooked in 1985, with three or four little blobs of meringue on a puddle of custard gets called Floating Island. But basically, as far as I can tell, the names are used interchangeably for the same pudding depending on the chef’s personal preference. (There is also – according to Larousse Gastronomique – a completely different dessert made with slices of sponge cake that is also called Floating Island, which adds to the confusion).
Desert wish: Chef Raymond Blanc says that he hopes that Floating Island will be the dessert at the last supper he ever eats

The French do not regard the Floating Island as a haute cuisine dish. (The Three Star chefs were phoning it in when they made it their dessert course at our dinner and refused to do anything more elaborate). It is a bistro dish, found in small restaurants where the owners cook themselves. When Michelin-starred chefs offer it on their menus, they usually feel the need to tart it up by adding berries or some other variation and then make the point that it was cooked this way by their mothers or grandmothers by way of explanation/apology. Some – like Raymond Blanc – are honest enough to concede that it is a great pudding, far better than most of the poncy desserts that Michelin-starred chefs have created. Blanc even says that he hopes that it will be the dessert at the last supper he ever eats.

One reason why haute cuisine chefs do not bother with Floating Island is that it is relatively easy to make – for a chef anyway. (I would slash my wrists in the kitchen if you asked me to cook it.) While researching this article, I looked up as many Floating Island recipes as I could find. They were all broadly the same. The dish has three components. The first is the custard. The only point of difference between chefs is in the consistency of the custard. Some say it should be thin. Others incline to my view that it should be a relatively thickish sauce so that it forms a contrast to the lightness of the meringue.

The second component is the egg. All recipes advise the same thing: beat the egg whites till stiff and add sugar. The point of divergence is the next step. In one set of recipes, you poach the egg whites for a few minutes in either water or milk. Another set of recipes requires you to put the whites in the oven.

The third component is the value addition. Do you add a layer of caramel? Some praline perhaps? Some fresh fruit flavours? Chocolate, even? Depending on which value addition you choose, the recipe can vary.

But otherwise, it is the same straightforward method: make a custard, poach (or bake) beaten egg whites and then add Something Else for variety. You can see why fancy chefs don’t find it particularly challenging.

While the Floating Island is still easy enough to find in France, it is hard to get elsewhere. The only places in England that serve it are old-fashioned restaurants run by French chefs. Raymond Blanc does it at the Manoir and Michel Roux offers a variation at Le Gavroche in the summer. And that’s about it. Otherwise, you really have to search for the pudding.

But two years ago I discovered an incredible Floating Island at the unlikeliest of places. Coffee Beans by Dao is a chain of Thai restaurants that serves excellent versions of the local cuisine at reasonable prices. The branch I go to (at Soi Ruamrudee – I am not willing to vouch for the other branches) also has a counter that sells cakes, desserts and biscuits to either eat on the premises or to take away.

My guess is that the desserts are made in a central commissary somewhere in Bangkok and then dispatched to the chain’s branches all around the city. And I am happy to concede that there is nothing particularly fancy about the puddings. (They are not going to give Pierre Hermé sleepless nights).

But here’s the thing: they are cheap and delicious. I would gladly eat those desserts over anything produced at a fancy French patisserie. In particular, I love the crème caramel, the banoffee pie and the cheesecakes and I stay awake at nights thinking of the utterly and completely wonderful Floating Island.

You can get an excellent riff on the Coffee Beans by Dao Floating Island at the new On The Waterfront on the grounds of Delhi’s Aman Hotel. (They also do a brilliant bread and butter pudding, but that’s another story). I’ve ordered it each time I’ve gone (and that’s something like six times already!) and I sometimes think I only go there to eat the Floating Island.

You also get an upmarket Floating Island at Delhi’s Le Cirque. The food at is usually good but that is because of chef Mickey Bhoite’s determination to lighten Le Cirque’s leaden recipes. When it comes to desserts, alas, the restaurant sticks too closely to the heavy-handed traditions of the original in New York where I imagine each recipe begins with these worlds: “Take a classic French dessert. Now, make it as stodgy as possible…”

But if you can’t get to any of these places, don’t worry. You are probably a better cook than I am (and I am the world’s worst cook) so it should be easy enough for you to make your own Floating Island. Try the recipes I’ve included, and cook it yourself.
You are going to love it!

The Le Gavroche Floating Island
This is the recipe from one of London’s best regarded old establishment French restaurants. They serve it on the summer menu when strawberries are in season.
Serves 4
500g strawberries
100g sugar or to taste
6 egg whites
340g caster sugar
300g caster sugar for caramel and poaching liquid

strawberriesTo make the strawberry compote, simply sprinkle a little sugar over some washed and hulled strawberries. The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the berries. Bring this to the boil, then immediately take off the heat, cover, and leave to cool.

Beat the egg whites with a whisk until frothy, then add 340g caster sugar. Continue to whisk until firm and smooth. Using a big kitchen spoon dipped in cold water, scoop out a big
island of meringue and plunge the spoon into simmering sweetened water. The island should come off the spoon and poach in this liquid.

Carry on doing this until all the egg whites are used, not forgetting to flip the island over after 3-4 minutes to cook on both sides. Once cooked, gently take the islands out of the liquid with a slotted spoon. Place on a rack to cool and drain. When cold, pour freshly made caramel over the top – simply heat some sugar in a heavy pan until liquid and golden.

To serve, place some compote in each bowl, followed by Crème Anglaise flavoured with vanilla, and finally the caramel-coated floating islands.

The Leela’s Floating Island
This is pastry chef Sayed Alam’s own recipe. It is not the leaden Le Cirque recipe from the same hotel.
Crème Anglaise
125ml fresh milk
125ml fresh cream
5 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod (optional)

Method
Scrape seeds off vanilla bean halves into a heavy small saucepan, add beans, milk and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, cover and stand for five minutes.
Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar for about two minutes or until thick. Gradually whisk in warm milk mixture, stir over low heat until custard thickens and runs down the back of a spoon. Strain custard into small bowl, cover and chill for at least three hours to set.

Floating Meringue
100ml egg whites
50g caster sugar
200g fresh milk
40g castor sugar
Pinch of salt

Method
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl until foamy, add a pinch of salt and beat until whites hold soft peaks. Add sugar one tbsp at a time, beat until whites are stiff and fluffy.
Scoop some meringue (about the size of an egg) onto a large oval spoon. Then, using another large spoon, gently transfer the meringue from spoon to spoon, and drop the meringue into the milk.
Shape two or three meringues, dropping each into milk, simmer for one minute. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, turn meringues over the milk. Simmer for another minute.
Repeat the process, shaping and then poaching six meringues. Transfer to a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least one hour and up to three hours.

Source:http://www.hindustantimes.com/Brunch/Brunch-Stories/Rude-Food-Bite-Into-Sweet-White-Snow/Article1-851086.aspx

Meet my favourite sweet Italian

Sadly for me, this delicious dessert is boombah heaven, full of mascarpone cheese, sugar, eggs, grog and coffee-soaked savoiardi biscuits -- all delicious, but not good on the waistline.

I'm still a big fan of the Italian treat, so I came up with my own de-boombahed version (right).

I call it "cream of tiramisu" because it has all the flavour and texture of the real thing, but I left out all the big, fat mamma bits in favour of light cream and Greek yoghurt.

I also use coconut sugar, which is low on the Glycemic Index and much better for you than regular processed cane sugar.

You can find coconut sugar at health food shops, and the health food sections of bigger supermarkets.

But the most important tip to remember when making this dessert (and all meals) is to keep the serving sizes small.



JANE'S TIRAMISU

Serves 4

1 cup light cream

2 tsp coconut sugar

1/2 cup light Greek yoghurt

1/2 cup espresso coffee (or

1 tbs instant coffee in 1/2 cup boiled water, cooled)

1 tbs Kahlua or other coffee-based liqueur

1 tbs good quality cocoa powder

* Whip the cream with the coconut sugar until it forms nice peaks. Gently fold through the yoghurt with a rubber spatula. Gently fold through the coffee, a little at a time. Gently fold through the liqueur.

* Place the mixture in individual shot glasses and sift the cocoa powder over each glass.

* Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Source:http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/meet-my-favourite-sweet-italian/story-fn6bn9st-1226347768532

Rich Butterfinger Cheesecake With Chocolate Sauce

Whether you're celebrating or just feeling a little bit indulgent once in a while, sometimes you want just a taste of a totally extreme dessert. For some people, the ultimate is chocolate cake, others dig pie, and I know plenty who will always, without question, gravitate to cheesecake.

There's certainly something to be said for plain cheesecake, but how about cheesecake made with a time-honored candy fave? For instance, cheesecake bursting with Butterfinger crunch? OMG. See. Extreme -- extremely awesome!

Butterfinger Cheesecake adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:

1 pound cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/4 cup caramel
1/4 cup chocolate covered peanut butter bars, coarsely chopped (recommended: Butterfinger)
1/4 cup chocolate sauce



More from The Stir: Butterfinger Cupcakes Are Beyond Delicious

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and sour cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix until smooth in texture, with no lumps.
Add the caramel and peanut butter bar pieces and mix well. Pour mixture into desired cake pan that has been sprayed with vegetable oil.
Bake in the oven in a water bath for approximately 1 hour, until internal temperature of the cheesecake is 170 degrees F. Cool overnight. Drizzle with chocolate and caramel sauces.

Source:http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/137017/rich_butterfinger_cheesecake_with_chocolate

How to reduce sugar in desserts

For an incurable sweet tooth, one way to reduce the sugar load is to become your own dessert chef. You can cut the sugar by exercising more control over the ingredients in foods you fix yourself.

Cutting back on sugar has multiple benefits. You’ll eat fewer calories and make more room for foods that, unlike sweets, contribute important nutrients.

You can also reduce your risk of tooth decay, lower your blood triglyceride level, and better manage blood sugar if you’ve got diabetes.
Click here to find out more!

Getting started is easy, but some recipes require more thought than others. It doesn’t always work to simply slash the sugar.

In baking, for example, the exact proportions of ingredients – including sugar – are important.

In baked goods, reactions between ingredients such as baking powder, baking soda, salt and liquids can make the difference between a cake with volume and a flat flop.

When you bake muffins, quick breads, cupcakes or cookies, sugar contributes to not only the flavor but also the texture, moistness and color of the finished product.

In general, you can usually reduce sugar by 25 percent in recipes for baked goods and still get a good result.

Don’t count on sugar substitutes such as Equal and Splenda. They may not hold up to the heat in baking, and they don’t contribute like sugar does to qualities such as color, texture and moisture.

You have to experiment with sugar substitutes and blends to see what works in your recipes.

You’ll have the best luck using them in desserts such as puddings or sauces that require exposure to lower temperatures or shorter cooking or baking times.

My own preference is to avoid artificial sweeteners and compensate for less sugar in other ways. For example, you might try some of these ideas:

• Add flavor by increasing the amount of vanilla, almond flavoring or spices you use such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom or allspice.

• Use bits of fruit for added sweetness. Try raisins, chopped apples or pears, dried apricots or cherries, dates and mashed, ripe bananas.

• Replace frosting on cakes and cookies with a dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa.

• Serve unsweetened applesauce instead of chocolate or caramel sauces over ice cream or cake.

Cut the sugar and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing your desserts are healthier ones.

Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/02/2037839/how-to-reduce-sugar-in-desserts.html#storylink=cpy

Dream dessert includes oats

If my family members had their way, rolled oats would be banned from the pantry.

They are not fans of oatmeal.

That changed recently when I blended rolled oats with sweeter, richer ingredients in a confectionery recipe called Chocolate Dreams from "Fiesta: Favorite Recipes of South Texas."

The Junior League of Corpus Christi published the cookbook in 1973 to celebrate the "feel, gusto and uniqueness of the area." According to an order slip in the back, the 310-page book retailed for $5.95, and sales tax was only 5 percent.

An interesting style note about the book is the listing of recipe donors by their married and birth names. Women's groups who put together cookbooks in previous decades usually listed their participants only by their husband's name.

Some of the recipes are marked to indicate they can be prepared quickly and easily. One of those recipes is Chocolate Dreams, submitted by Mrs. Gerald A. Reeves (Lois Arnett). The recipe title is nondescript. Who dreams of mixing chocolate with oatmeal and chopped peanuts?

But, the dessert is good and would be ideal for casual gatherings with family and friends.

CHOCOLATE DREAMS

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

Dash salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

3 cups quick oats

1 cup peanuts, chopped or whole

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Roll out 2 feet of wax paper onto counter.

2. In a 3-quart pot mix sugar, cocoa, salt, butter and milk. Bring to a rolling boil.

3. Add remaining ingredients, stir well and remove from heat.

4. Drop by a teaspoon onto waxed paper. Cool. Makes 5 dozen.

SOMETHING SPICIER

Another easy recipe to assemble is Jalapeno Pie, which is listed in the appetizer section of the cookbook. The recipe was submitted by Mrs. Nixon McNeil (Margaret Beecroft).

"Pepper heads" who like their palate to be slapped around with intense heat will enjoy this three-ingredient dish.

Another serving idea is as a breakfast taco filler. The flour tortilla will blanket some of the spiciness.

JALAPEÑO PIE

Ingredients

1 11-ounce can pickled, sliced jalapeño peppers

10 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4 eggs, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

2. Spray a glass pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Line the pan with jalapeños. Pat cheese over jalapeños, rounding slightly in the middle. Slowly pour in the beaten eggs.

3. Bake for 45 minutes. Slice and serve hot or at room temperature as a first course. Or, serve as a filler for breakfast tacos.

Source:http://www.reporternews.com/news/2012/may/02/dream-dessert-includes-oats/

From Brownies to Pasta, 8 Recipes for Eating More Beans

Beans are a food I have every intention of eating more often, and then don’t. There’s the long cooking time for fresh beans, making them not an option during the slim window of time during which dinner needs to get made, and the mushy sameness of canned beans that’s so unappetizing my brain immediately shifts gears to pasta.

Finally, deciding I wanted this protein source in my family’s diet in more than just theory, I made two decisions: to be better about preparing slow-cooking items on Sundays, so they’re ready to go for weekday meals, and to have a handful of go-to bean recipes that are realistic for weeknights — meaning they don’t require an hour alone in the kitchen or anything I likely don’t already have or can’t quickly pick up between my daughter’s daycare spot and our front door.

Here’s what I came up with. I hope this list also helps you during the dinner rush — or, better, helps hasten you to a calm evening at the table — and that in the comments section you’ll share your favorite quick dinner ideas.

Tortilla Salad — this 101 Cookbooks recipe was inspired by the lovely pink hues of the cranberry beans that go into it.

This Kale and Bean Soup, adapted from the Columbus Dispatch by Sweet Amandine, calls for canned cannellini beans and chickpeas. Given that they’re paired with kale and parmesan — two of my favorite things — in addition to being lightly mashed, this is when canned beans in the pantry are a good idea.

Linguini, Smoky Avocado Sauce, Black Beans and Lime. Black beans, avocado, red onion and cilantro are a lovely foursome, but until this convincing photo in Taste with the Eyes, I’d never have thought they could get friendly with linguini. I stand corrected.

Kidney beans, red peppers, celery and onion cozy up to some fluffy white rice in Deborah Madison’s Red Beans and Rice recipe.

Rancho Gordo sells the most flavorful, deeply savory beans I’ve ever tasted — beans that negate the need for the ham hock that beans are so often paired with. I can’t recommend them highly enough as a source for purchasing beans, among other things. Plus, RG’s Cannellini-Anchovy Spread (roasted garlic could make a nice anchovy replacement) on a toasted baguette is just type of thing that can turn a big summer salad into a satisfying dinner.

The title of this Epicurious.com recipe, Squash and Black Bean Stew with Tomatoes and Green Beans, nearly says it all. It pairs canned black beans with a Kabocha or butternut squash.

And, what’s dinner without dessert? Heidi Swanson promises that neither these Amazing Black Bean Brownies nor these Marathon Cookies (with navy beans, great northerns or white kidney beans) actually taste like beans. I believe her. But I still plan to find out for myself.

Source:http://www.forbes.com/sites/michellemaisto/2012/04/30/from-brownies-to-pasta-8-recipes-for-eating-more-beans/