Fourth of July Vegan Cupcakes

Can vegans be patriotic? It’s a question I ask because I think there are some who who doubt it. I believe being patriotic is more than wearing a flag pin on a jacket lapel. It’s also more than eating these Fourth of July Vegan Cupcakes, but I think they’re a really good start.

I grew up in a small town in a rural area of Missouri. We celebrated the Fourth of July in the way that small towns do, with firecrackers, bottle rockets, and a few other things that go boom in the night.

I don’t live in that same small town today. So now I celebrate this national holiday a little differently. It doesn’t begin with a trip to a fireworks stand. I leave that up to the professionals.

No, my patriotic festivities begins with a trip to the grocery store. That’s usually followed by at least three repeat trips when I realize I’ve forgotten some key ingredients. Cursing ensues and that’s probably the part where those in my quiet, suburban neighborhood might question my patriotic values. Swearing on the Fourth of July. Who ever heard of such a thing!

Anyway. The thrill I seek today comes from a burst of flavor; delighting the senses in a more savory (or sweet) manner. Like these Fourth of July Cupcakes. It’s red, white, and blue deliciousness in a cupcake!

There are many ways to celebrate Independence Day and I hope you enjoy yours. Here’s to a happy (and safe) Fourth of July to us all, vegan or not!

Patriotic Vegan Cupcakes

1 batch Easy Vegan Vanilla Cake
1 batch Hazelnut Cream Frosting
Raspberries and blueberries for garnishing

Easy Vegan Vanilla Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
¾ cup ground raw cashews or almonds
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
½ cup Earth Balance margarine (softened to room temp)
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 cups cold water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup raspberry jam (optional)

Preparation:

Heat your oven to 350° F and place cupcake liners in muffin pans. For this recipe I made 18 regular cupcakes and 6 mini cupcakes.
Use either a food processor or coffee grinder to pulse the raw cashews into a course flour. Be careful not to blend it too long or it will turn into a paste. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, ground cashews, baking soda, baking powder, corn starch and salt.
In a mixing bowl, combine the margarine, oil and sugar and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add remaining wet ingredients and mix again until well combined.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and use your mixer on medium speed until well combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners. If you’d like to try the raspberry filling, drop a teaspoon of jam onto the top of each cupcake before baking.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until a piece of uncooked spaghetti or a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean (no batter on it). That’s your sign that the cupcakes are ready to come out of the oven.

Hazelnut Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup vegetable shortening, softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
⅛ tablespoons salt
1 – 2 tablespoons So Delicious Coconut Milk Hazelnut Flavored Creamer

Preparation:

In a medium bowl beat butter at medium-high speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and salt and continue beating until well combined. Scrape any bits of the mixture that might be trying to escape from the bowl into the rest of the mixture and continue mixing another 15 – 20 seconds. Add the Hazelnut Flavored creamer and continue with your mixer until the frosting is light and fluffy. This might take several minutes. If you’re feeling bored, hold the mixer with one hand, and do some squats or plies to increase your leg strength. Hold those for several seconds at time. Then stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, begin mixing again and switch to the other side. You can get quite a little workout in while cooking. Who knew!
Fourth of July Cupcake Assembly

After the cupcakes have cooled, cover them with the Hazelnut Cream Frosting. Place 3 fresh raspberries and blueberries on the top of each cupcake. The combination of colors and flavors are perfect.

Final step? Enjoy!

Source:http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/recipe-fourth-of-july-vegan-cupcakes/

Super breakfast

This delicious high fibre, wheat free breakfast is the perfect start to any day.

Recipe: Jean Davy Photography: Danielle Hickson
Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp pumpkin seed meal
1 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp flaxseed oil
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 to 2 tbsp milk (dairy or alternative)
1/2 cup blueberries
4 strawberries, sliced

Method

In a medium sized bowl combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, chia, pumpkin seed meal, sunflower seeds and honey. Add the hot (not boiling) water to cover the oat mix. Stir in the flaxseed oil.

Add the milk and leave to soak for 10 minutes.

Divide between two small bowls and top with each with blueberries and strawberries.

Source:http://www.abc.net.au/health/healthyliving/dietrecipes/recipes/stories/2012/06/19/3466531.htm

Torta all Alancia (Orange Cake) Recipe

This light, moist, citrusy cake is one of my favorites. It rises nice and high and it's very easy to make. I especially enjoy serving it at coffee time. When I was working, I would get a call from my sister almost every day in the late afternoon and she would ask, "Coffee time?" My answer was always yes! We would go to our mother's house, where we were always greeted with the most amazing aroma of freshly percolated coffee, pizzelle, or cakes just like this one. And we never left empty-handed. My mother would send us on our way with freshly made sugo di pomodoro (tomato sauce), lasagne, cannelloni, or fresh bread. I look forward to these types of rituals, not because of all the goodies, but because it's time to catch up and spend quality time with my family. I believe it's one of the reasons our large family remains so close.

Ingredients:
Cake:
6 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tspn pure vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 tbsp superfine sugar, divided
grated zest of 2 oranges
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 tspn cream of tartar

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup superfine sugar
zest of 1 orange in large strips (with no pith attached)
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeded
2 to 3 tbsp Cointreau or other orange liqueur

Preparation:
Cake:

Separate the cold eggs. Place the yolks in a large bowl and the whites in a stand mixer. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and allow the eggs to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Very lightly coat with butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch tube pan with feet and removable bottom.
Using a fine-mesh sieve, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to combine well.
Use a handheld mixer to beat the egg yolks, oil, vanilla, and 1 cup sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the orange zest and juice.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating to just combine.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, beginning at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high. When the whites are foamy, add the cream of tartar. At the soft peak stage, add the remaining 2 tbsp sugar.
Using a large flexible spatula, fold one-third of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten the batter, then carefully fold in the remaining egg whites until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula.
Bake until golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately invert the pan onto a wire rack. Let the cake cool completely in the pan upside down on the rack.
While the cake bakes, prepare the orange syrup.


Orange Syrup:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the orange juice, sugar, orange zest, and the vanilla bean and seeds to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add the liqueur, and continue to simmer until the syrup reduces and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into a pourable container. Allow the syrup to cool slightly.

Flip the cake over, carefully run a thin knife around the edges of the pan, and turn the cake out onto a serving plate or cake stand.
To serve, place the cake on dessert plates and serve with warm orange syrup.

Source:http://blog.seattlepi.com/recipesyndicate/2012/06/27/torta-all-alancia-orange-cake-recipe/

Fun and flavorful summer 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.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2012-06-28/Home_%28and%29_Garden/Fun_and_flavorful_summer_frozen_dessert_recipes.html

The Amazing 4-Ingredient Chocolate-Apricot Nut Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dried apricots
1/2 cup raw almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut, toasted
Coarse salt
1/2 ounce dark chocolate, melted

Directions

Pulse apricots, almonds, 1 tablespoon coconut, and a pinch of salt in a food processor until finely ground.

Line a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment, leaving an inch overhang on all sides. Transfer mixture to pan and press firmly to form a rectangle.

Use parchment overhang to remove from pan. Drizzle mixture with chocolate and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Transfer to refrigerator and leave until firm, about 15 minutes. Slice into six bars.

Cook's Note

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Source:http://www.wholeliving.com/172998/chocolate-apricot-nut-bars

coconut mascarpone cake with mascarpone buttercream recipe

When you read this, my partner David and I will be celebrating our civil partnership: just another two gay people recording our love and commitment to each other, and nothing that should alarm any sane person. Yet while the politicians and church debate whether this is a marriage, with a degree of hate-mongering rhetoric for good measure, equally it's clear to me that old wedding traditions don't apply, either. A Skype camera at the town hall will film the event so Mum and Dad can watch it in Australia, and as no religion is involved, the words will be our own, and the food will be simply what we want to eat. So, as much as I admire the traditional iced fruit cake in the abstract, when it's our ceremony, I can think of many other cakes I'd rather choose.

If you're eating your celebration cake after the meal, try to balance the main course to suit, so you don't leave everyone feeling bloated. The chefs from Comptoir Libanais will be cooking simple, light, Lebanese-inspired dishes for us, so there'll be room for richness in the dessert.
Coconut mascarpone cake

This is the cake we'll be eating after the ceremony today. You'll find the crumb rich, moist and not overly fluffy, so it will slice well without crumbling and stay soft for a few days. Layer and fill with buttercream, if you like, and pipe a simple decoration around the outside. Makes one large square cake, enough for 25 servings.

350ml coconut milk
125g desiccated coconut
4 tsp vanilla extract
500g caster sugar
75g arrowroot or corn flour
75ml sunflower oil
125g white chocolate, broken into small pieces
200g mascarpone
8 medium eggs
375g plain flour
4 level tsp baking powder

Line the base and sides of a 23cm or 25cm square cake tin with nonstick paper. Bring the coconut milk to a boil, take off the heat, mix in the desiccated coconut and leave for 30 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, sugar and arrowroot. Put the oil and chocolate in a saucepan, warm until it melts, then beat through the coconut mix with the mascarpone. Beat in four whole eggs and four egg yolks, then sift in the flour and baking powder, and fold through evenly. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold evenly through.

Spoon into the tin, cover loosely with foil – this helps keep the top of the cake level – and bake for about 90 minutes at 170C (150C fan-assisted)/335F/gas mark 3, removing the foil after 45 minutes. When a skewer comes out clean, it's baked. Leave to cool in the tin, then slice it level across the top before decorating.
Mascarpone buttercream

Boiling the mascarpone with sugar first makes it stable for use in a buttercream for piping decorations with. It's ever so rich, so, if you're serving the cake after the meal, a spoonful of tart fruit compote will set it off well. You'll need one batch of buttercream to fill the layers and hold the crumb in place, one more to give the outside a smooth finish and another to decorate with.

250g mascarpone
150g caster sugar
250g icing sugar
250g unsalted butter, softened
Vanilla extract or other flavouring

Spoon the mascarpone into a saucepan, stir in the caster sugar and bring to a boil. Leave to cool, then chill. Using the whisk attachment on an electric mixer, gradually beat the icing sugar and butter, chopped into rough pieces, until light and fluffy, then beat in the chilled mascarpone mixture just until mixed, no more.

Work with the buttercream while it's cool but not fridge-cold, because the texture roughens when the butter gets hard. And if it gets too soft, just chill it a little and whip it gently again.

Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/jun/22/coconut-mascarpone-cake-recipe-wedding?newsfeed=true

3 keys to perfect panna cotta

I've spent a good chunk of the last two weeks surrounded by spreadsheets, crumpled paper packets, cartons of dairy products and dirty ramekins. Josef Centeno has a lot to answer for.

A couple of weeks ago I stopped in at his Bädco Mercat restaurant in downtown Los Angeles for a lunch that ended with one of the best panna cottas I've ever had. You know what I mean: Delicately sweet, it was like a dream of cream held together by faith and just a little bit of gelatin.

It struck me — how long had it been since I'd had panna cotta? A few years ago you couldn't go anywhere without seeing it. Then just as suddenly it went away. It makes no sense. A good panna cotta is as good as dessert gets. Vowing I would never again leave my panna cotta cravings to the whims of restaurant fashion, I determined to master the dish.

How hard could that be? There's not a lot to a panna cotta recipe. It's just dairy, sweetened and bound with gelatin. A bit of vanilla for flavor. That's basically it. Why, then, are some of them so wonderful and others so blah?

That's where the spreadsheet came in. Never underestimate the lengths a food geek will go to in order to master a simple dish. I analyzed a dozen recipes for panna cotta for three main attributes: the percentage of butterfat, the amount of gelatin and the sweetness.

The jiggle:

The reason for the gelatin is obvious — a perfect panna cotta should have just enough that it seems the cream is barely holding together. It quivers when you touch it. When there's too much gelatin, the custard feels stiff and cheesy. Too little and, well, you've got a puddle on the plate when you unmold it.

Breaking the recipes into pieces, I found ratios of gelatin to dairy ranging from 1/2 teaspoon to almost 3 teaspoons per cup. After a day in the kitchen experimenting with various amounts, I found the best consistency was at the shaky end of the spectrum — 3/4 teaspoon per cup.

The cream:

The butterfat takes a little explaining. It's not a calorie thing, but I find too much of it leaves your mouth feeling coated and thick; the ideal panna cotta tastes light and clean.

Fortunately, analyzing butterfat doesn't require sending it off to a lab. You can simply average the percentage of butterfat in the various dairy components. Heavy cream is 36 percent, half-and-half is 12 percent and whole milk is 3.25 percent. Therefore, a recipe that calls for a cup of half-and-half and 2 cups of cream will have a butterfat percentage of 28 percent.

I tested dairy mixes ranging from 34 percent to 18 percent (resisting the urge to completely geek out on this, I did it in 5 percent intervals ... if you want to dial it in tighter, you're on your own). Until you get toward the lowest end of that spectrum, the less butterfat the better — though when I tasted the 23 percent next to the 18 percent, I did find that the slightly higher fat content carried the flavor better while still tasting fresh.

The sweetness:

Sweetness was relatively easy to figure. I did batches ranging from 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, stepping up by the tablespoon. I was looking for a panna cotta that was definitely sweetened but not sweet, if you know what I mean. Again, light and clean. Five tablespoons was perfect.

So, 2 1/2 cups of cream and 1 1/2 cups of whole milk, plus 5 tablespoons of sugar, set with 1 tablespoon of gelatin. I'd cracked the code!

What's really remarkable, though, is that a dish so delicious can be made so quickly and easily. Bring the cream and sugar to a simmer, stir in the gelatin, whisk to room temperature and pour into ramekins. It takes about 20 minutes before chilling.

The only thing easier would be going to a restaurant. But when you buy panna cotta, you've got dessert for a day; when you figure out how to make it, you've got dessert for life.

TRICKS FOR PERFECT PANNA COTTA

Recipes are lists of ingredients; technique is what turns good recipes into great dishes. And in the course of all of that panna cotta testing, I found a couple of little tricks that are really important, because there is little more disappointing than thinking you've perfected a recipe only to have it flop.

On two occasions, panna cotta recipes that had previously worked failed. I unmolded the ramekins to find that somehow the mixture had separated into a thin layer of clear gel at the bottom and a stiff custard on top. It's not an uncommon problem.

There are two easy steps to prevent it. First, before you take the pan from the heat, rub a little bit of the cream mixture between your fingers — there shouldn't be any grit from undissolved sugar or gelatin. Then whisk the mixture in an ice bath until it's lukewarm.

PANNA COTTA

Total time: 40 minutes, plus chilling time

Servings: 8

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon powdered gelatin

Oil

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

5 tablespoons sugar

1 (2-inch) section vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the water in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Stir to distribute, and set aside to soften 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Wipe the insides of 8 (one-half-cup) ramekins with a light coating of neutral oil and set aside. Half-fill a large bowl with ice and add enough water to make an ice bath and set aside.

3. In a small saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar and split vanilla bean, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, and whisk in the softened gelatin and the vanilla extract, if using. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the bean pod into the mixture, and discard the pod.

4. Set the saucepan in the ice bath (making sure the top of the saucepan is well above the surface of the water), and whisk until the mixture is lukewarm. Rub your fingers together: There should be no grit from undissolved sugar or gelatin.

5. Ladle the mixture into the oiled ramekins and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. If you're going to keep them longer than overnight, cover them with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap gently against the panna cotta to prevent a skin from forming. Be aware that preparing the panna cotta more than 24 hours in advance will result in a somewhat firmer set.

6. About 10 minutes before serving, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the ramekin. Dip the ramekin briefly in a bowl of hot tap water, and then carefully invert onto a serving plate. If the panna cotta doesn't unmold right away, tap the ramekin lightly on the countertop to loosen it. If it still doesn't unmold, return it to the hot water bath for another five seconds and repeat. Panna cotta can also be served without unmolding.

Each serving: 320 calories; 4 grams protein; 12 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 29 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 107 mg cholesterol; 10 grams sugar; 50 mg sodium.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2018485245_pannacotta20.html

Nearly Fat Free Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I am on a never-ending quest to satisfy my chocolate tooth. The challenge is to do so healthfully. I am not a big fan of guilt; especially guilt tied to food, so I choose to eliminate it from my life by creating dessert dishes that are both healthy and satisfying.

I Last year I had the good fortune to go to Hugo’s Tacos in LA and experience their amazing vegan soft-serve ice cream (click HERE to read my post about it). I was shocked and thrilled to learn that they use sweet potatoes as the base of their ice cream. That revelation has led to me ALWAYS having a stash of steamed sweet potatoes in my refrigerator. I eat them constantly and throw them into smoothies on a daily basis for the simple fact that they are a natural fat-free source of creaminess and wonderfully high in Dietary Fiber (aka they keep you full).

Another ingredient that makes it into my smoothies daily is zucchini. According to Nutrition Data, zucchini has a glycemic load of zero and is a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Zinc, Copper and Manganese.

The other day as I was drinking my smoothie I had a revelation; why not make chocolate pudding with a base of zucchini and Japanese sweet potatoes?

You didn’t know chocolate pudding could actually be good for you, did you?

Ingredients:

Makes 6 cups

3 cups zucchini, quartered and diced
¾ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 tsp Singing Dog pure vanilla flavor (alcohol free)*
6 large Medjool dates
6 packets SweetLeaf stevia
1/2 cup cocoa (I used fat-free Wonderslim Wondercocoa)
1 generous scoop SunWarrior Chocolate Warrior Blend protein**
4 cups steamed Japanese sweet potatoes, peeled and packed tight

Preparation:

Prepare the Japanese sweet potatoes by washing them and steaming them for 30-35 minutes. Once steamed and cooled, peel the skin off of the sweet potatoes.
Place the zucchini, almond milk, vanilla, and stevia in your high speed blender. I do not believe a standard blender will yield the same silky-smooth results, so definitely aim to use a high speed blender.
Blend on high until completely smooth using the center agitator as necessary (will take approximately 2 minutes).
Once the mixture is smooth, add the cocoa, protein blend, and steamed and peeled Japanese sweet potato.
Blend the mixture on high for another 2 minutes. The mixture will be thick, so be sure you use the center agitator to help the blender blend the ingredients well.

I know it is hard to wait, but trust me when I say that this pudding is even better cold. Try to restrain yourself from eating it at this point (you can lick the blender afterward) and pour the pudding into a glass container and refrigerate until cool, then serve.

*It is very important to use alcohol-free vanilla. Standard vanilla tastes bitter unless it is cooked.

**If you avoid protein powder, you can eliminate it and use a total of ¾ cups cocoa.

Source:http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/recipe-nearly-fat-free-vegan-chocolate-pudding/

Shortcake delight: Sweet, juicy berries piled atop rich, crumbly cake

I'm visiting with my mother, and she is trying to describe the dimensions of the strawberry patch they had back on the farm in Nebraska. Big enough that you could pick enough berries to make strawberry shortcake for 25. One of the hired hands just loved strawberry shortcake, she remembers. He'd ask my grandmother, "Mrs. Jones, could we have strawberry shortcake for dinner?"

"If you pick 'em," she'd answer. It must have been a sweet relief from harder work, picking strawberries in that patch under that unwavering blue sky, filling a deep basket with those crimson berries. Sometimes, my mother says, there would be as many as 20 hired men at the table. And my grandmother cooked for them three times a day.

With the strawberries, she would be busy making her shortcake with butter and cream from the farm and a little precious (because it was store-bought) baking powder. My mother usually got KP duty, hulling and washing those berries, slicing them into a giant bowl. But she really wanted to be outside, doing the more interesting men's work, which probably is why, despite all the time in the farm kitchen, she picked up only rudimentary baking skills

My grandmother was renowned for her baking. It was she who taught me to whip cream by hand to a soft cloud and to add only a pinch of sugar, not too much. Her shortcake was rich and crumbly, served warm from the oven, split open, lavished with those juicy, home-grown berries and crowned with a generous dollop of softly whipped cream.

Heaven.

I don't know how it happened, but I never got my grandmother's recipe before she died. She cooked by instinct and probably didn't have one anyway. My mother made wonderful strawberry shortcake, but hers came from a Bisquick box. She doctored the recipe, though, by substituting a little cream for the milk.

In strawberry shortcake matters, I follow my mother's lead. Except I don't use Bisquick. I use Lindsey Shere's recipe from her "Chez Panisse Desserts," which is basically a cream biscuit. One recipe makes six 4-inch shortcakes, and I count about half a basket of strawberries per person. The trick is to hand-shape the dough into rough patties about a half-inch thick. (That's my trick: Shere rolls hers out and cuts rounds with a cookie cutter.) No rolling, which makes them very quick to make. And I don't reheat them. Since they take just 10 to 15 minutes to bake. I'll have the dry ingredients already measured out. And as guests are finishing their main course, I'll cut the butter into the dough with a pastry blender, stir in the cream, form the patties and slip them into the oven.

A chilled whisk makes quick work of whipping the cream by hand. It's important to prepare the strawberry mixture before dinner. You want the berries juicy -- and very cold, the better to contrast with the warm shortcake.

Unlike my mother, I've never been able to get anyone in my household or any of my friends to agree to a shortcake supper, so I usually serve strawberry shortcake after dinner. Even better, though, is to have it by itself in the afternoon.

That's my tradition.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKEMacerated strawberries

3 (16-ounce) pints strawberries

About 3 tablespoons superfine sugar

Two to four hours before serving, wash and hull the berries. Roughly slice or quarter two-thirds of the berries into a large bowl. Sprinkle the sugar over the berries and, using a wire pastry blender, smash the berries so they begin to juice. Halve or slice the remaining berries into the bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Shortcakes

2 cups (8.5 ounces) flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream, divided

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like cornmeal with a few larger pieces of butter in it. Use a pastry blender or two knives, if you like; I just rub the mixture quickly between my fingers. Mix in three-fourths cup of cream, just until most of the dry mixture has been moistened. Turn out on a board and knead a few times until the dough just comes together. Divide into six portions and lightly pat into flat rounds about one-half-inch thick.

3. Place on an unbuttered baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining 2 tablespoons cream, and bake until the tops are lightly browned and the dough is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.

Whipped cream

1 cup (more if desired) heavy whipping cream

Pinch superfine sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. While the shortcakes are cooling, whip the cream. Using a balloon whisk, whip the cream in a large bowl until it is thick, but not stiff. Whisk in the sugar and vanilla extract.

2. To serve, split the shortcakes in half. Ladle lots of strawberries on the bottom half, cover with the top half and spoon the whipped cream over.

Each serving: 629 calories; 7 grams protein; 55 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 44 grams fat; 27 grams saturated fat; 143 mg cholesterol; 18 grams sugar; 471 mg sodium.

Total time: 40 minutes, plus macerating and cooling times

Servings: 6

Source: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/06/20/4083972/shortcake-delight-sweet-juicy.html#storylink=cpy

Peach and raspberry sponge pudding recipe

A FRUITY treat is just the ticket for dessert in the season for comfort food.

Serves 6

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking: 1 hour

Ingredients:

300g frozen raspberries

¼ cup cornflour

½ cup caster sugar

825g can peach slices in syrup, drained

2 eggs

⅓ cup self-raising flour

Thickened cream, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Toss frozen raspberries, 1 tablespoon cornflour and 2 tablespoons sugar together in a bowl. Combine raspberry mixture and peaches in a 6-cup capacity ovenproof dish. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until hot.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and remaining sugar for 8 minutes or until mixture is thick and creamy. Triple-sift flour and remaining cornflour together. Using a spatula or whisk, gently fold flour into egg mixture until just combined.

3. Spread sponge mixture over fruit. Bake for 45 minutes or until sponge is golden and just firm to touch. Serve with cream.

Source:http://www.couriermail.com.au/life/fooddrink/recipe-peachy-keen-on-berry-pudding/story-fn9htopt-1226400898079

Recipe of the Week: Carrot Cake

For whatever reason, when I think of summer desserts, I think of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

I can hear you already: “Amanda, I’m trying to get into bikini shape, you’re not helping me here.”

But alas, this recipe, taken from Better Homes & Gardens “Family Favorites Made Lighter,” includes less oil and eliminates the egg yolks typical of the traditional recipe.

Here’s what you need:

Nonstick spray

1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 ¾ cup sugar

½ cup oat or wheat brand

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups finely shredded carrot

2/3 cup cooking oil

6 egg whites

¼ cup corn syrup

Here’s what you do:

Spray a 13-by-9 inch baking pan with nonstick coating and dust lightly with flour, then setting is aside.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, oat or wheat bran, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Add the carrots, cooking oil, egg whites and corn syrup.

With an electric mixer, combine the ingredients until they are mixed properly.

Then, pour batter in a the pan.

Back at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool thoroughly and frost with the cream cheese icing.

Speaking of the cream cheese icing, here’s what you need to do:

In a medium mixing bowl, beat together ½ cup of light cream cheese, 2 cups of sifted powder sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla and ½ teaspoon of grated lemon or orange peel. Gradually beat in 1 ¼ cup of sifted powdered to make frosting that can easily be spread.

After that?

Enjoy!

Source:http://peters.patch.com/articles/recipe-of-the-week-carrot-cake-5e463bf9

Mango Cake Recipe: An Exotic Mango Dessert

You might be wondering how to experiment with mangoes this season. Get into a 'Tropical Paradise' with a bite of tasty and delicious mango cake. A mango cake recipe will give you a great delight of the taste buds. It is not only yummy but looks inviting too.

If you are bored by mango shakes and salads then try out this mango cake recipe. Children will simply fall in love this fruit cake recipe. And your friends will definitely demand for a slice of mango cake every time they come to your home. You need to use mango pulp and essence to grant your fruit cake recipe an exotic aroma.

Give a place to the 'King of all fruits' in your cake and see how it generates appreciating tones in your favour. Here is the mango cake recipe for you.

Ingredients For Making Mango Cake:

Cake pans of 8 inches- 2
All Purpose Flour (maida)- 250gms
Butter- 200-250gms
Eggs- 5-6
Baking Powder-1½ tbsp
Sugar- 150-200gms
Salt- ½tsp
Mango Puree- 1 cup
Mango Essence- 1tbsp
Cashew Nuts- 50gms
Cream- 3-4 cups
Mango- 2-3
Strawberry- 1
Raisins- 50gms
Butter Paper- 3-4

Procedure Of Making A Mango Cake:

Pre heat oven to 135 degrees.
Apply some butter on the surfaces of all the round cake pans.
Dust flour on the cake pans and finally place two butter papers at the bottom of each.
Beat the eggs and butter in a container and keep it aside.
Mix the flour and baking powder and pass it through a sieve.
Now add 4-5tbsp of sugar,salt, mango puree and mango essence into the egg-butter mixture.
Beat the mixture well for about 3-4 minutes.
After the mixture blends well, add the cashew nuts and raisins into it.
Now slowly stir the contents in the bowl for 1-2 minutes and leave it to rest.
Pour the contents of the bowl into the two baking pans in equal proportions.
Place it inside the oven.
Allow it to bake for 45-50 minutes or until done.
Till the cake gets baked you can take the cream and the rest of the sugar in a bowl and mix the contents well.
Keep the mixture aside.
Cut the mangoes into small cubes and keep it in a bowl.
After your cake gets baked bring it outside and place it gently on a plate.
Cover all sides of the cake with the cream
And at last place a strawberry in the middle and decorate it with mango cubes for garnishing.
Your mango cake is ready to be served.

This mouth watering mango cake recipe is a treat worth giving while the mango season lasts.

Source:http://www.boldsky.com/cookery/sweet-tooth/fruity-bakes/mango-cake-recipe-029711.html

5 Recipes to Celebrate National Strawberry Shortcake Day

You can't go wrong with a strawberry shortcake for dessert during the summertime. Fresh, juicy and sweet strawberries paired with a moist, fluffy biscuit cake and a massive heap of smooth whipped cream (I love whipped cream) just scream summer.

Today is National Strawberry Shortcake Day, so I encourage you to treat yourself to something sweet, something delicious and something downright scrumptious. Here are five recipes, including the original, that will help you celebrate this wonderful food holiday.

5. Classic Strawberry Shortcake

This is the recipe we have all grown to know and love, with a simple Bisquick mix with milk, sugar and butter, to make the subtly sweet biscuits for the base of this dessert. I can't resist these warm and soft biscuits once they are done baking -- they're best when they're fresh out of the oven. Add as many strawberries as you want and dollop the whipped cream on top to your liking.

4. Angel Food Cake Strawberry Shortcake
For those who have a sweet tooth and like an airy, sticky cake with their strawberries and cream, substitute angel food cake for the traditional biscuit. The fluffiness of the angel food cake soaks up the juice from the strawberries, giving the cake a heightened natural sweetness. It's a no-bake recipe that you can throw together in minutes.

3. Grilled Strawberry Shortcake
In 2009, I watched an episode of Grill It! with Bobby Flay, in which strawberry shortcakes were grilled instead of baked. Genius! The guest grilled the biscuits in a grill pan for about 15 minutes, giving the them grill marks just like a steak, then added strawberries to the pan and sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. Once everything was piping-hot, she split the biscuits down the middle and filled them with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. Talk about the perfect dessert on a hot summer day in Houston.

2. Roasted Strawberry Shortcake Shake
Say that five times fast. Now for those who love the creaminess of the strawberry shortcake, this recipe is for you. After roasting the strawberries in the oven with white balsamic vinegar (which really brings out the strong strawberry flavor), sugar and extra virgin olive oil, the berries are blended with pound cake, vanilla ice cream and milk. And if that's not enough, they are topped with whipped cream and pound cake crumbles. Sure, it's decadent and probably over the top, but it's totally worth it.

1. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
Who doesn't love a cookie? Especially when it's a wonderful concoction of summer flavors. Martha Stewart's recipe is one of the best renditions of a strawberry shortcake cookie that I have come across. The cookie serves as the biscuit and is mixed with strawberries and heavy cream to give the cookies a light, luscious and creamy texture. One bite of these, and it's just like the real thing.

Source:http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2012/06/_you_cant_go_wrong.php

Bi-Rite Creamery’s Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones: Review and Recipe for Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream

What to do when it's too darn hot? Make ice cream, of course! And just in time for this summer's inland heat wave come Bi-Rite Creamery's Sweet Cream and Sugar Cones and the Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream Book, two much-anticipated recipe books from a couple of our favorite local scoop shops. This week, we'll go to Bi-Rite; check in next week to see how Humphry Slocombe fares.

If you ever need proof of San Francisco's food obsession, just stroll by Bi-Rite Creamery on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Or a windy Tuesday, or a foggy Friday...it's a rare hour of the day, no matter what the weather, that this standing-room-only ice cream shop doesn't have a line stretching down the street and around the block. Of course, its prime Dolores Park location would be a draw even if they were selling Otter Pops and Good Humor bars. But as any fan can tell you, the ice cream is consistently delicious, in rotating flavors that offer a good mix of kid-friendly (cookies and cream, mint chip, malted vanilla with peanut brittle and milk chocolate) and foodie-pleasing (salted caramel, balsamic strawberry, honey lavender). If you can't stand the line, there's a take-out window down the street selling soft-serve swirls, plus divine seasonal fruit popsicles, cookies, and ice-cream sandwiches.

Bi-Rite Creamery founders Anne Walker and Kris Hoogerhyde got their ice-cream start in 2000, as pastry chefs at the now-closed but well-loved 42 Degrees restaurant. Even though their little shop sold close to half a million scoops last year, they still make their ice cream and ice-cream treats in small batches, using organic Straus dairy from Marin, coffee beans from Ritual Roasters, and a lot of organic and/or local produce sourced through their sister business, Bi-Rite Market. (Walker is married to Bi-Rite owner Sam Mogannam.)

The book, written by Walker and Hoogerhyde with Bi-Rite Market's Eat Good Food author Dabney Gough, is bright, chatty and friendly, accessible to all skill levels thanks to smart, detailed instructions that don't just rely on cooking times, but give readers visual and textural tip-offs as well. An initial Master Instructions chapter gives thorough step-by-step instructions for making ice-cream base, sorbet, granita, ice cream cakes and pies, in fuller detail than the following recipes. Even if you've never made ice cream before, reading these instructions is like having a helpful chef pal hovering at your elbow, trouble-shooting and encouraging you at every step. Besides the ice creams, there are recipes for all kinds of sundae-bar delights, from chocolate and vanilla cake bases and homemade marshmallows to hot fudge, peanut brittle, brownies, snickerdoodles (for making their signature cinnamony ricanelas ice cream), lemon curd, gingersnaps, gingerbread, and more.

Once you've mastered the vanilla ice cream, you can make any recipe in the book, as every ice cream variation starts with the same basic stovetop-custard base of heavy cream, lowfat milk, sugar, salt, and egg yolks, put together the same way. Perhaps in wanting to appeal to the broadest possible base of home cooks (and families), the authors don't give temperature measurements for their basic custard recipe, relying instead on the traditional direction to cook until it "coats the back of a spatula." In my experience, most home cooks are very jumpy around custard mixtures, and usually undercook them in their hopes of avoiding a scrambled mess. Using an instant-read, digital thermometer to gauge doneness solves this problem and gives the most consistent results; it would have be helpful if the authors had included stage-by-stage temperature readings for their more advanced, gadget-minded cooks, along with the typical visual cues.

The chapters are organized by main ingredient, so if you're craving caramel, you can turn to the caramel chapter and find everything brown and sugary, from Brown Sugar Ice Cream with a Ginger-Caramel Swirl to Toffee Chip Cookies, Brown Sugar Graham Crackers, and Caramel Sauce. It can make for some flipping back and forth if you want to make a variety of toppings, however, since the sauces—Vanilla Butterscotch, Hot Fudge, Espresso Fudge, Caramel, Blueberry-Lemon—aren't listed one after the other in a toppings chapter but separated, respectively, into the Vanilla, Chocolate, Coffee and Tea, Caramel, and Berries chapters. I also wish there was a stone-fruit chapter; homemade peach ice cream is a food of the gods, and I'm sure Walker and Hoogerhyde could make an appropriately celestial version.

And before a second edition is printed, I hope the copyediting team at Ten Speed Press does another proof-read, since at least two recipes have embarrassing gaps where significant items are mentioned in the ingredient list and then never seen again. In the Caramelized Banana Ice Cream, for example, the bananas are caramelized, pureed, and set aside, with no mention of when or how they should be added to the ice-cream base. Pumpkin puree is listed as an ingredient in Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream, but never mixed in. Small oversights, but having been a cookbook editor, I know that these are the types of mistakes that drive readers crazy. (According to Ten Speed, the authors have since fixed these omissions for future editions, and the corrected instructions are available on the book's Frequently Asked Questions page.)

Overall, I'd give this two-and-a-half scoops. The ice cream (and dairy-free fruit popsicle) recipes are fun, tasty, and very of-the-moment, and the numerous side recipes for cakes, cookies, and toppings makes this as much a dessert cookbook as an ice cream one. Plus, buying the book is the only way to find out how to make their madly popular Salted Caramel ice cream, since that's the one recipe that reviewers and bloggers can't get permission to reprint. The secret? Sugar and salt. For the rest of it, you'll have to buy the book.

Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream
Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream Cake. Photograph: Paige Green

Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream
In the United States, peanut butter and jelly are considered a perfect match. In Italy, it's the same thing with strawberries and balsamic vinegar, a classic combination that makes a simple, refreshing dessert. If you've never had this stellar pairing, give our frozen version a shot. The vinegar is subtle and adds depth to the bright sweetness of the strawberries. We add it in two stages (with the cooking berries and just before churning) for an even more complex flavor.

Reprinted with permission from Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House.

Prep Time: 15 minutes, plus 2 hours' chilling time
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes, plus 2 to 6 hours' chilling time
Yield: 1 quart

Ingredients:

For the Strawberry Puree:
1 1/2 pints strawberries (3 cups), preferably organic, hulled and halved or quartered
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

For the Base:
5 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup 1% or 2% milk
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Cook the Berries
1. Combine the berries with the 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons vinegar in a large nonreactive skillet. Put the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the strawberries are soft and the liquid they have released has reduced somewhat, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Let cool slightly, then transfer the berries and their juice to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the Base
3. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in half the sugar (1/4 cup). Set aside.

4. In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, salt, and the remaining sugar (1/4 cup) and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.

5. Carefully scoop out about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with egg yolks. Repeat, adding another 1/2 cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the yolks. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the eggs-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.

6. Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, 1-2 minutes longer.

7. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. Set the container into an ice-water bath, wash your spatula, and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool. Remove the container from the ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Freeze the Ice Cream
8. Whisk the strawberry puree and the remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar into the chilled base.

9. Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions. While the ice cream is churning, put the container you'll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Enjoy right away, or, for a firmer ice cream, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Source:http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/2012/06/14/bi-rite-creamerys-sweet-cream-and-sugar-cones-review-and-recipe-for-balsamic-strawberry-ice-cream/

Eat your greens in your desserts

Chocolate and zucchini cake
moist baked delight with all things good

Prep time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 20 minutes
Serves: Six

Ingredients
50 g dark cooking chocolate
6 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cocoa powderv
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4th tsp baking soda
100 g castor sugar
3 tbsp butter
75 ml buttermilk
1 egg
40 g zucchini, shredded

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees c.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk the butter and sugar. Add the egg and whisk till well incorporated.
3. Melt the chocolate and add to the above mixture. Stir in the shredded zucchini.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
5. Now add the flour mixture and buttermilk alternately starting and ending with the flour.
6. Spoon in to a 6 inch greased cake tin and bake for 15-20 minutes or till a skewer comes out clean.

Beetroot and white chocolate truffles
A chocolate with a dash of health- perfect excuse for that sinful bite

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 1 hour approx

Ingredients
90 ml beetroot juice
40 ml cream
250 g white cooking chocolate, chopped (use compound blocks)
25 g butter
Melted white chocolate, for dipping

Method
1. Bring the beetroot juice and cream to a boil.
2. Pour over the white chocolate and slowly whisk it till you get a homogenous mixture.
3. Add in the butter and finish whisking.
4. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours.
5. Using your palms, shape the ganache in to 1 inch balls.
6. Dip in melted white chocolate and refrigerate till set.

Source:http://food.femina.in/recipes/eat-your-greens-in-your-dessertsWhen:09:28:52Z

Pure Silk, Pure Delicious, Pure Heaven

Panna Cotta

Recipe courtesy "How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food," by Mark Bittman (www.howtocookeverything.com);
illustrations by Alan Witschonke. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., publishers (2008), www.wiley.com.

3 cups cream, or 1 1/2 cups cream and 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 package (1/4 ounce) unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or to taste) or 1 vanilla bean
1/2 cup sugar

1. Put 1 cup cream in a medium saucepan and sprinkle gelatin over it; let sit for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and cook, stirring, until gelatin dissolves completely.
2. If using vanilla extract, add remaining cream and sugar to gelatin mixture and heat gently, just until sugar dissolves; add vanilla and proceed to Step 3. If using vanilla bean, cut it in two, lengthwise. Scrape out seeds; add seeds and bean pod to pot, along with the sugar and remaining cream. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until steam arises. Turn off heat, cover, and let steep for 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Remove vanilla bean, if you used it. Pour mixture into 4 large or 6 small custard cups. Chill until set, about 4 hours. Serve in cups, or dip cups in hot water for about 10 seconds, then invert onto plates. Serve within 24 hours.

Mark Bittman's Panna Cotta Variations

Buttermilk Panna Cotta
Substitute 1 1/2 cups buttermilk for half the cream. Use all buttermilk in Step 1. Proceed with the recipe.

Almond "Panna" Cotta (with almond milk)
Almond milk replaces the cream: Substitute almond milk for the cream, almond extract for the vanilla and 2 teaspoons agar for the gelatin, if you like. In Step 2, use the directions for the vanilla extract. Proceed with the recipe.

Tembleque (with coconut milk)
A Caribbean dessert made with coconut milk: Substitute coconut milk for the cream. Dissolve the gelatin in 1/2 cup coconut milk (as directed in Step 1), combine it with the remainder of the coconut milk, and skip to Step 3. Garnish the unmolded custards with a dusting of ground cinnamon just before serving.

Karo(R) Raspberry Sauce

So Easy!
Recipe Source: Karo(R), Ach Food Companies, Inc. (www.karosyrup.com)
1 (10-ounce) box Birds Eye Deluxe Whole Red Raspberries in Syrup
1/2 cup Karo Light Syrup
Puree raspberries in blender, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove seeds. Makes about 1 1/4 cups sauce.

Source:http://peninsulaclarion.com/arts-entertainment/food/2012-06-13/pure-silk-pure-delicious-pure-heaven

Matt Preston's basic sweet recipes

NOWHERE are ratios more important than in the sweet kitchen.
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If you look at all the high-end pastry books these days, you'll notice that only weights are listed because "a cup of broken chocolate" can contain vastly varying quantities of chocolate depending on how small the chocolate has been broken.

Like last week's, these are basic recipes designed to be a starting point. Use these basics and then work to improve them to create your own perfected version of each.

Also take note that the wonderful thing about these recipes is the impact that technique can have on the finished outcome of each dish.

Here, we are largely playing with the same suite of ingredients but see how versatile they can be.

SHORTBREAD

The recipe: 6 parts flour, 4 parts butter, 2 parts sugar, 1 part cornflour

THIS is one of the first ratios I learnt by heart - six ounces flour, four ounces butter, two ounces sugar and one ounce cornflour makes a damn fine shortbread that can be scoffed with a pot of tea or work as the base of a dessert. To make, cream the butter and sugar together in a mixer until almost white. Then sift in flours (and a little salt) while the mixer is still going. Turn out on to a floured bench and pull together with cold hands into a smooth dough. Press into a baking tray 1cm thick. Score out shapes and decorate. Rest in fridge and then bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes at 170C.

Any multiple of these quantities will work, such as 60g flour, 40g butter, 20g sugar, 10g cornflour; or 240g flour, 160g butter, 80g sugar, 40g cornflour.

SPONGE CAKE

The recipe: equal parts sugar, eggs, flour and butter

THE sponge and the pound cake both start at the same place and with the same equal quantities of sugar, eggs, flour and butter (ie, 200g or one pound of each). The difference is that for the sponge you get bigger bubbles in the cake by whisking the eggs and sugar together first and folding in the flour, then the butter - in a cooled but melted form. Cook in a preheated oven at 180C.

How long your sponges will take depends on whether you make one large cake or lots of little ones. The sponge is done when a skewer plunges into the centre of the cake and comes out clean of any mix.

This sponge can be filled, torn up for use on a fruit dessert or sodden with a lemon or alcohol syrup to become the centrepiece of a pudding.

Using warm ingredients will help incorporate the ingredients and add lightness to the cake.

CUSTARD

The recipe: 4 parts milk, 1 vanilla bean, 1 part sugar, 1 part egg yolk

WHETHER you pour it on your apple pie or chill to turn into ice cream, this custard ratio works. Just simmer 400g milk and/or cream with a split vanilla bean. Then remove from heat and leave to infuse; scraping the vanilla seeds into the milk. Whisk 100g sugar and 100g egg yolks together until frothy. Pour the warm (but not hot) milk over other egg mix while whisking. Return this combo to the pan and stir over a gentle heat until it thickens to a spoon-coating consistency.

Serve or strain into a bowl set over iced water to cool.

To make creme brulee from this custard, first preheat the oven to 170C and place a high-sided baking tray in the oven - one that you have half-filled with warm water. Pour your custard into ramekins and place them in this water bath to bake for 30 minutes or until just set. Then remove and brulee their tops with burnt melted sugar.

CRUMBLE

The recipe: 3 parts butter, 3 parts oats, 2 parts brown sugar, 2 parts plain flour

A CRUMBLE is the most forgiving of toppings and can incorporate anything from nuts and seeds to muesli, Weetbix or breadcrumbs. This 3:3:2:2 ratio is an easy one to remember - just mix together 90g soft butter, 90g rolled oats, 60g brown sugar, 60g plain flour and a good pinch of salt.

Once you've mixed your crumble, you needn't just use it to top fruit. Why not toast in on a baking tray in the oven and then just sprinkle it on to add crunch to other dishes like ice cream or Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit for a breakfast treat?

SUGAR SYRUP

The recipe: 1 part sugar, 3 parts water

I USE a light sugar syrup for poaching fruits by warming

1 cup sugar with 3 cups water so the crystals dissolve.

Then I'll add flavourings or spices like vanilla, saffron, star anise or cinnamon. Only then will I add my fruit. When the fruit is cooked, remove the fruit and reduce the syrup to make a sauce. You can use wine instead of water for poaching.

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

The recipe: equal parts butter, cream and brown sugar

THIS obscenely decadent butterscotch sauce is the perfect partner to sticky toffee pudding or vanilla ice cream.

Heat all the ingredients together to a boil and then reduce the heat to thicken.

To give the sauce a little edge, add some salt and a splash of vinegar to the mix.

SCONES

The recipe: 6 parts flour, 1 part butter, 3 parts milk

USING your fingertips, rub 100g of butter into 600g self-raising flour so what's left looks like breadcrumbs and so you can see little lumps of butter. Add a good pinch of salt and a handful of sugar.

Pour 300g of milk (or 50/50 milk/lemonade mix) into the flour mix together but cutting it together with a table knife.

Gently pull it together into a loose dough. Flatten the dough to 2cm and cut out scone shapes. Bake these all huddled together in a pre-heated 220C oven for 10 minutes. Serve while warm.

You can halve these quantities if you don't want to make as many scones.

PANCAKES

The recipe: 1 part flour, 1 part egg, 1.5 parts milk

MIX 1 cup flour with one egg. Now slowly whisk in 1.5 cups of milk. Add a knob of melted butter, a pinch of salt and a little sugar. Leave to thicken in the fridge for half an hour before using.

MERINGUES

The recipe: 3 parts egg whites, 1 part caster sugar

THIS is one of the simplest ratios of all. Just whisk 3 egg whites to soft peaks and then slowly beat in 1 cup caster sugar until it looks glossy.

Now pipe on to a non-stick back sheet and cook in preheated 120C oven for 1 hour. Then turn off the oven and leave meringues to dry out a bit.

Sandwich together equal halves of meringue with whipped cream as the base for a fancy dinner dessert or break them up to mix with whipped cream, fresh berries and a little raspberry coulis for a take on Eton Mess.

Adding a pinch of cream of tartar to the whites when they are frothy will help them plume and hold peaks.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

The recipe: 1 part cream, 1 part chocolate

WARM 200g cream and then pour over 200g broken pieces of chocolate to melt it. Stir until combined, then use.

Add more cream to making a pouring sauce. Why not go exotic and flavour the cream with alcohol

Source:http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/matt-prestons-basic-sweet-recipes/story-fn6cc38y-1226391099685

Some Tasty Ways to Celebrate Fathers Day this Year

Taste of Home is offering a surefire way to Dad's heart this Father's Day - an unforgettable meal on the grill. The cooking magazine has put together some of their favorite recipes with non-traditional grill items. All of the recipes are made with easy to find ingredients from local grocery stores.

Grilled Romaine Toss Recipe – A spin on a salad favorite, grilling lettuce adds the perfect fresh, summer flavor to any meal. Shared by Trisha Kruse of Eagle, Idaho.
Grilled Corn Salad - Nothing beats the flavor of grilled vegetables. Whip up this salad and put it in the fridge to marinate. It's even better the next day. Submitted by Teri Kman of Laporte, Colorado.
Jalapeño Ribs Recipe –These ribs are unique because of the spicy rub and the combination of sweet brown sugar and spicy jalapeno peppers in the sauce. Submitted by Shirley Manthey of Omaha, Nebraska.
Grilled Barbeque Chicken Pizza Recipe - So fast and so easy with refrigerated pizza crust, this entree will bring raves with its hot-off-the-grill, rustic flavor. Submitted by Alicia Trevithick of Temecula, California.
Honey-Rum Grilled Bananas - These grilled bananas are the perfect dessert following a Father’s day cookout. Submitted by Lori Wendt of Mahomet, Illinois

Source:http://loganville.patch.com/articles/some-tasty-ways-to-celebrate-fathers-day-this-year

Grill Up The Perfect Father's Day Meal

Make Father's Day a success with some recipe ideas for the grill. These come from Taste of Home, a cooking magazine read by 16 million people nationwide each month. They put together some of their favorite recipes using non-traditional grill items, just in time for Father’s Day. All of these tasty, summer-filled recipes are made with easy to find ingredients from local grocery stores.

Check out the Taste of Home Father’s Day menu must-haves:

Grilled Romaine Toss Recipe – A spin on a salad favorite, grilling lettuce adds the perfect fresh, summer flavor to any meal. Shared by Trisha Kruse of Eagle, Idaho.
Grilled Corn Salad - Nothing beats the flavor of grilled vegetables. Whip up this salad and put it in the fridge to marinate. It's even better the next day. Submitted by Teri Kman of Laporte, Colorado.
Jalapeño Ribs Recipe –These ribs are unique because of the spicy rub and the combination of sweet brown sugar and spicy jalapeno peppers in the sauce.Submitted by Shirley Manthey of Omaha, Nebraska.
Grilled Barbeque Chicken Pizza Recipe - So fast and so easy with refrigerated pizza crust, this entree will bring raves with its hot-off-the-grill, rustic flavor. Submitted by Alicia Trevithick of Temecula, California
Honey-Rum Grilled Bananas - These grilled bananas are the perfect dessert following a Father’s day cookout. Submitted by Lori Wendt of Mahomet, Illinois

Whether you’re a beginner or a grill master, Taste of Home has a handy How-to-Grill guide here to you prepare a memorable Father’s Day meal for Dad. All of these recipes and more are available at TasteofHome.com.

Taste of Home is America’s connection to the personal recipes of people who cook at home as a way to bring family and friends together, particularly at the holidays. Each year, thousands of people from across the United States and Canada submit more than 40,000 recipes, of which 3,000 are published. Every recipe that is published is carefully evaluated and selected by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, which ensures that it can be prepared with affordable, everyday ingredients.

Source:http://summit.patch.com/articles/grill-up-the-perfect-fathers-day-meal

Almond blancmange with Amaretto syrup and sugar shards

This sweet cream and sugar dessert is given a crowning touch with the accompanying Amaretto syrup and crunchy sugar shards.
Equipment

You will need eight 1/2 cup moulds for this recipe.
Ingredients (serves 8)

250g blanched skinned almonds
2-3 drops almond essence
350ml single cream
4 sheets (20g) leaf gelatine
110g caster sugar
300ml thick cream
Amaretto syrup
1 cup caster sugar
3 tbs Amaretto liqueur
Sugar shards
125g slivered almonds
1/4 cup dried rose petals (see note), optional
1 cup caster sugar

Add above ingredients to your shopping list
Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Spread the blanched almonds on a tray and cook in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly toasted.

Grind in a food processor until fine, transfer to a saucepan, add the almond essence and single cream. Bring to the boil, stirring, over low heat then set aside for 15 minutes to infuse.

Place gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften.

Line a sieve with a sheet of muslin or a clean Chux cloth and pour the almond milk through. Discard the almond meal. Return to the saucepan over low heat and add the sugar, stirring to dissolve.

Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine and add to the milk. Turn off the heat and continue stirring for a few moments. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes until it begins to thicken slightly.

Whip the thick cream in a bowl, then fold in the almond mixture. Pour into moulds and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 180°C.

To make the sugar shards, spread the slivered almonds on a lined baking tray and roast in oven for 5 minutes. Add the rose petals to the tray and mix.

Place the sugar in a saucepan with 3 tablespoons of water, stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. Increase heat to medium and cook until a light golden brown.

Pour over the nuts and petals and set aside to cool completely. Break into shards.

To make the Amaretto syrup, place the sugar in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Cook for 5 minutes, add the Amaretto and simmer for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Briefly dip the moulds in warm water to loosen the blancmange and turn out onto serving plates. Serve with a sugar shard and Amaretto syrup.

Notes

Dried rose petals are available from Middle Eastern stores and good delicatessens.

Source:http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/6311/almond+blancmange+with+amaretto+syrup+and+sugar+shards

Food recipe: Banana Cream pie

Oh happy day, all of you passionate for pie.

The judging committee of the American Pie Council/Crisco National Pie Championship has just released the recipes from their 18th annual competition, held six weeks ago in Orlando. From hundreds of competitors, we have the top winners in the amateur and professional divisions.

And boy, do they sound yummy.

Peg’s Banana Cream Supreme is the work of John Sunvold of Winter Springs, Fla., a college professor who is no stranger to pie prizes. This is his second Best of Show and seventh first place in this competition. He created the pie based on a favorite childhood dessert, and spent three years perfecting the recipe.

“Since the ingredients make it a top-heavy pie and the graham cracker crust doesn’t offer much support, I really had to work to perfect the recipe,” Sunvold said in a press release. The pie is named after his wife.

Susan Boyle, of DeBary, Fla., won the professional division with her Coffee Toffee Crunch a Bunch Pie. She, too, has many pie honors, winning 15 first place awards in the National Pie Championships since 2007. This is her first Best of Show award. She created it in honor of her father, a coffee shop owner who passed away two years ago. “Coffee Toffee” was one of the shop’s signature drinks, and her father had always asked her to create a pie with the same flavor.

I have to admit, both recipes seem a little complex. But if you love pie, the effort apparently is well worth it.

PEG’S BANANA CREAM SUPREME PIE

Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 finely chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter

Mix all ingredients together and press mixture into a 9 or 9 1/2-inch pie plate. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 10 minutes, or until brown. Allow to cool down to room temperature.

Cream Cheese Layer:

6 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup powdered sugar
6 ounces Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Fold in the Cool Whip and chill. If you are using a smaller pie pan, make sure you get around a 1/2 inch layer of this cream cheese layer (use the rest for a fruit dip).

Bananas and Cream:

2-4 ripe bananas (should have yellow stems and have a few brown spots).
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup heavy cream
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter

Mix sugar, salt, and starch in a pot. In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and cream slightly. To the pot, slowly add the milk, then the egg yolk and cream mixture. Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbling (but not rapidly boiling). Once the cream is bubbling, continue to cook and whisk for 30 more seconds. Finally, add the butter and vanilla and mix until the cream is smooth. Set aside.

Cut bananas into even pieces. Place a layer of bananas on the cream cheese layer. Try to cover as much as possible as this acts as an insulator and keeps the heat away from the cream cheese. Add a layer of hot cream, a layer of bananas, and then top off the bananas with as much of the cream as possible. Place a plastic sheet over the cream in order to prevent a skin from forming on the cream filling. Place in refrigerator until completely chilled.

2-4 cups sweetened whipped cream
1/8 cup caramel topping
1/4 cup nut topping

Top with your favorite whipped topping (whipped cream recommended, Cool Whip not recommended). Drizzle with (room temperature) caramel sauce and top with a prepared nut topping (such as Fisher Nut Topping). Keep cold. (Tastes better the next day). Serves 8.

— American Pie Council/Crisco National Pie Championship

COFFEE TOFFEE CRUNCH A BUNCH PIE

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 toffee crunch milk chocolate bar, melted*

Combine crumbs and sugar. Slowly add butter and mix well. Press into bottom and sides of pie plate. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Once cool, brush melted toffee crunch milk chocolate bar on bottom and sides of crust before filling. *(Divine is one type of toffee crunch milk chocolate bar, or if you can finely crush up a Heath bar and melt).

Filling:

1 large box vanilla pudding mix

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup strong coffee

1 teaspoon caramel flavoring

5 crushed English toffee bars

1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping

Whip pudding mix, half and half, heavy whipping cream, coffee, and caramel flavoring until creamy but firm. Fold in by hand the crushed toffee bars. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Spoon 1/2 cup caramel topping on bottom of pie crust that has been brushed with melted chocolate. Spoon filling on top of caramel layer. Return to refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours.

Garnish:

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

crushed or whole toffee bars

Whip cream and sugar until stiff. Decorate pie as desired with whipped cream and toffee bars.

Source:http://www.cantonrep.com/life/food/x1067106272/Food-recipe-Banana-Cream-pie?zc_p=1

Strawberries jubilee recipe

Serves six

Strawberries treated three different but simple ways – a wine jelly, macerated fresh berries and a cream with elderflower. It's a more complicated dessert than I usually make, but it's special.

For the jelly
300g (10½oz) strawberries
150g (5½oz) caster sugar
6 small sheets gelatine
300ml (10fl oz) rosé wine

For the cream
3-4 tbsp elderflower cordial
200ml (7fl oz) double cream
3 tbsp caster sugar

For the fresh berries
350g (12oz) strawberries
3 tbsp caster sugar

Make the jelly first. Hull and halve the berries and put them in a pan with the sugar and 100ml (3½fl oz) water. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cook for about eight minutes. The berries should be completely soft but not collapsed into a purée. Strain, reserving the fruit, and measure the syrup. You should have 200ml (7fl oz). If necessary, top up with water. Carefully spoon the white froth off the top.

Soak the gelatine in cold water until it is completely soft – about five minutes. In the meantime heat the wine until it is just warm, but not hot (and certainly not boiling). Lift the gelatine out of the water and squeeze out the excess. Put the leaves in the warm wine and stir to help it dissolve. If the liquid is too hot it ruins gelatine's setting properties, so be careful.

Add the strawberry syrup, stir and pour into six glasses to set (use glasses that have enough room for the jelly, a layer of sliced berries on top and then the cream on top of that). Put in the fridge to set – allow about four hours.

Purée the cooked strawberries with the elderflower cordial. Whip the cream and stir in the purée. It's nice if this is marbled rather than completely incorporated. Set the cream aside until you're ready to serve (if you put it in the fridge make sure it comes out well before serving or it will be solid and 'fridge cold' – not pleasant).

For the fresh berry layer just hull the fruit then cut lengthways into slices about the thickness of a 50p coin. Toss in a bowl with the sugar and leave to macerate for 30 to 45 minutes (no longer, as they will get too soft).

To serve, spoon the strawberries over each jelly and top with the cream.

Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/9297305/Strawberries-jubilee-recipe.html

Double Layer Ice Cream Pie, Double Delicious

Summer is here, we need a cool dessert and we need it fast. What to do? Make an ice cream pie. You're finished making it almost before you begin. It's delicious and will keep in your freezer.

Here's how: makes 2 pies

2 chocolate cookie crumb pie crusts, homemade or store bought (Obviously, if you're going for the quickest of quick you'll choose the store bought.)
2 ½ gallon cartons of ice cream, 2 different flavors (Pick flavor combos that make you smile. A favorite of mine is coffee and chocolate.)
Toppings: Again, go with choices that make you smile. I like hot fudge, whipped cream and/or toasted chopped almonds or pecans.

Allow ice cream to soften on counter for 30-40 minutes (Please note that I mean soften on the counter while remaining inside of the carton. You can imagine the potential problems otherwise.)
Spread half of one container of ice cream into the bottom of each crust.
Spread the other half of the remaining container on top of the ice cream that you've just put into the crust, making your second layer.
Cover pies tightly and freeze for a couple of hours to harden.
Top individual servings with your favorite toppings or better yet, let your guests add their own.
If you have difficulty smoothing the top of your ice cream layers, dip your knife or spatula into some water and that should do the trick.

It will take you less than 10 minutes to make a couple of these. Stick them in your freezer and when company comes, or you're looking for a late night snack, bingo – problem solved.
About this column: Carol Frey is the author of two humorous cookbooks, "Have You Considered Cooking?" and "The Grits Shall Rise Again!" In her column she brings us her own cooking ideas as well as recipes and stories from Johns Creek residents.

Source:http://alpharetta.patch.com/articles/double-layer-ice-cream-pie-double-delicious-cd53011a

How to Make Strawberry Salad

Every BBQ and potluck growing up my mom would make this great strawberry salad. Spinach, strawberries, jicama and a light, fresh dressing come together to make this fresh salad perfect for any day when the sun is shining.

Have fun sharing this easy salad recipe with everyone. With a slight sweetness to the dressing and delicious seasonal ingredients that provide flavor with a crunch, this salad will please all audiences.

Ingredients:
Dressing
½ - ⅓ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 scallions chopped
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp paprika
Optional: splash of balsamic vinegar

Salad
2 bunches spinach (washed) or 1 large bag spinach leaves
4 cups Strawberries
1 cup Jicama

Materials:
1 Large Salad Bowl
Serving/Tossing Utensils
1 Knife

Directions:
1. Mix and blend all dressing ingredients. Set aside.
2. Hull and slice strawberries into pieces, straws, or slices.
3. Wash, peel, and Julianne cut Jicama.
4. Place spinach, strawberries, and Jicama in a large salad bowl.
5. Add dressing to bowl and toss until mixed well.

Source:http://medfield.patch.com/articles/recipe-how-to-make-strawberry-salad

On the Grill: Brined Rotisserie Chicken

With grilling season officially here—at least for the fair weather grillers among us—I'll begin featuring a grilling recipe and/or tips of the week.

While others might just be getting around to cleaning the grill and getting it ready for the summer, I tend to grill year-round. I especially love knocking the snow off of the top of my trusty Weber kettle grill to fire it up on a cold winter day.

It helps me hold on to my summer memories and drives the neighbors crazy at the same time!

Whether you're a fan of propane, charcoal or electric grills—or cooking over a campfire—there's nothing like sitting down to a dinner of grilled meat (or something like portabello mushrooms, if you're a vegetarian) roasted vegetables and potatoes cooked over an open fire. And grilled pineapples make for a fine dessert!

To kick off this column, I give you Weber's Recipe of the Week—grill master Jamie Purviance offers his Brined Rotisserie Chicken with Cuban Flavors.

The prep time is only 15 minutes, but the chicken has to be refrigerated for 24 to 36 hours after being brushed with oil and rubbed with seasonings, so it isn't a last-minute meal idea.

Source:http://dundalk.patch.com/articles/this-chicken-recipe-looks-delicious