Burek (Borek)

Burek (Borek) or a few other names is a pastry showing roots in European countries all the way to Turkey, Greece and that area of the world.

• It is more assembly than cooking or baking a recipe but it does involve rolling phyllo sheets so it is a little tricky until you get the hang of it.


• When making the pastry, I lay one or two sheets of phyllo dough on a tea towel that just overhangs the counter edge.


• I then brush melted butter on phyllo.


• For cheese filling, I pipe a line from left to right but not quite to the edges. (I use a zip lock bag with a corner cut off)


• Then I take hold of the left and right edges of the towel nearest my stomach and gently lift so the phyllo rolls to a cigar shape.


• Cut the cigar shaped pastry in half at the middle so there are two pieces. Roll like a snail shape and place on a small sheet pan.


• Brush all with melted butter and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.

The technique is similar for any other filling.

My cheese filling...

16 ounces Ricotta cheese

8 ounces Cream cheese

2 Eggs, beaten

1/4 Cup Chopped parsley

1 T Dill weed

Cream the cheeses in a food processor.

Add eggs, parsley and dill weed.

Continue processing and then place in a zip top bag with the corner clipped for piping.

...............................................................................................................................................

Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gourmet) has a recipe for a meat filling that is pretty standard. Liberties can be taken with usually good results.

These baked meat rolls are shaped like snails and filled with a flavorful ground beef mixture. Serve as an entree or make smaller versions for appetizers.

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped 1 pound ground beef 1 teaspoon allspice 2 teaspoons Hungarian paprika Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 box phyllo pastry sheet (12 inches x 17 inches) 3/4 cup butter, melted

Preparation:Heat a large frying pan and add the oil. Saute the onion until soft, and then add the ground beef, allspice, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until the meat is crumbly but not dry. Cool completely before you continue. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on the counter. Brush with some of the butter. Place a heaping 1/3 cup of meat mixture across the sheet along the long side, 2 inches from edge. Fold the bottom over the meat mixture and roll into a snake shape. Cut the roll in half and coil each roll into a snail shape. Place on a nonstick baking sheet and butt the end up against the edge of the pan to prevent uncoiling. Brush with additional butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until just golden. Keep the remaining sheets of phyllo dough covered with plastic, and work quickly to prevent in from drying out. Hint on handling phyllo dough: Be sure the dough is at room temperature before you open the box. Place the sheets of dough on a large cookie sheet and cover them with plastic wrap and then a heavy towel. In this way, they will not dry out while you are working with them. Work fast for best results and do not have the butter too hot when brushing the dough. Yield: 18 to 20 Recipe Source: The Frugal Gourmet On Our Immigrant Ancestors by Jeff Smith

Browned Butter Brown Sugar Shorties

Browned Butter Brown Sugar Shorties
Book: steve's recipes 3

Chapter: Cookies
Serves: 36

This shortbread cookie recipe was posted on CL 22 by claymonkey, linked to smittenkitcen.com crediting as being adapted from Gourmet.

People had trouble with texture and difficulty in baking these.

I have reworked and modified the recipe, keeping most of smittenkitchen.com's text.

This modified recipe seems to work very well.

They are NOT diabetic friendly.

8 ounces unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups AP flour

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt (I used Kosher)

Kosher Salt to finish the roll

Demerara or other coarse sugar to finish roll

Cut butter into four or five pieces and cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it has a nutty fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a light brown, anywhere from 4 to 7 minutes.

It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning.

Transfer butter to a bowl and chill until just firm, about 1 hour.

Beat (cream) together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.

Beat in vanilla and egg, then mix in flour, corn starch and salt at low speed until just combined.

Transfer dough to a sheet of wax paper or parchment and form into a 18-inch log, 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Chill, wrapped in wax paper, until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Unwrap dough and roll it in coarse sugar and Kosher salt and press the granules in with the paper you’d been using to wrap it.

Slice dough into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, arranging 1 1/2 inches apart on an un-greased baking sheet.

Bake until surface is dry and edges are slightly darker, 10 to 12 minutes.

Let sit on sheet for a minute before transferring to a rack to cool. (Cookies will quite fragile at first, but will firm up as they cool.)

Dough keeps, chilled, up to 1 week, or in the freezer, up to one month. Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

NUTRITION FACTS Amount per Serving

Calories 57

Calories From Fat 16 %

Total Fat 2g 3%

Saturated Fat 0g 0%

Cholesterol 8mg 3%

Sodium 31mg 1%

Total Carbohydrate 10g 3%

Dietary Fiber 0g 0%

Sugars 5g

Protein 0g

Vitamin A 1%

Vitamin C 0%

Calcium 0%

Iron 1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Banana Rum Bread w/ Coconut Rum Glaze

This recipe was originally posted by rwd on Craigslist Foodfo (22).

Set aside to soak:
2-3 very overripe bananas, broken into chunks
1/4 c dark rum, suggest spiced

Melt gently in large microwaveable bowl:
1/2 c butter
3/4 c brown sugar
Add:
1 beaten egg
Add to banana rum mixture

Mix the following dry ingredients together
2 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 3/4 c flour

Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Don't over mix; it destroys the texture.

Optional add-ins: 1/2 c chopped apricots, 1 t fresh lemon/orange zest, 1/2 c chopped dates, 1/2 c toasted pecans.

Scrape batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for at least an hour (usually 70 - 80 minutes).

Coconut Rum Glaze
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. rum of choice

Cook's notes:
I soaked the bananas for an hour in Whalers Dark Rum, which is thick and dark - the color of molasses. It has a wonderful rich flavor.
I used Coconut flavored rum in the glaze. If your rum does not have a strong coconut flavor you can add coconut into the mix and strain it out (or not) before serving.
I served the bread with vanilla ice cream and drizzled the glaze over all.

Cornmeal Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from AB

Pineapple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake



Book: Steve's Diabetic Recipe Book ll
Chapter: Bakery

Recipe from Alton Brown's Good Eats, with the carbs lowered to make it diabetic tolerated. It is not necessarily considered diabetic friendly.
Serves: 12

His original recipe called for 8 ounces of brown sugar and 3/4 cup white. Everything else is the same.

3/4 cup milk
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
4 ounces butter
4 ounces splenda brown sugar blend
6 pineapple slices
6 maraschino cherries
1/3 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons pineapple juice (from the canned pineapple)
3 eggs
4 3/4 ounces AP flour
3/8 cup sugar
3/8 cup splenda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canola oil



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a microwave-proof dish, bring the milk to a boil. Remove the milk from the microwave and add the cornmeal. Stir and let soak at room temperature for 30 minutes. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully place 1 slice of pineapple in the center of the pan. Place the other 5 slices around the center slice in a circle. Place the cherries in the centers of the pineapple slices and sprinkle the nuts evenly over the fruit. Drizzle pineapple juice over top.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar to the eggs and whisk to combine. Add the canola oil and whisk. Add the cornmeal and milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Add this to the flour and stir just until combined. Pour the batter over the fruit in the skillet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes in the skillet. Set a platter on top of the skillet and carefully invert the cake. Serve.




NUTRITION FACTS
Amount Per Serving
Calories 306 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 43mg 14%
Sodium 234mg 10%
Total Carbohydrate 39g 13%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 13g
Protein 2g
Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 13%
Calcium 3% Iron 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Buche de Noel

Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated.com

Dark Chocolate Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs unsalted butter
6 oz high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 Tbs cognac (may use brandy, amaretto or any chosen liqueur)

Espresso-Marscapone Cream Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp espresso powder (instant espresso)
6 Tbs confectioners' sugar (1-1/2 oz)
16 oz marscapone cheese (2 cups)

Roulade:
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (about 1-1/4 oz) plus more for dusting
6 oz high-quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into two pieces
2 Tbs cold water
1/4 cup high-quality Dutch-process cocoa (3/4 oz) sifted, plus more for dusting
1/8 tsp table salt
6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar (2-1/3 oz)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

For Dark Chocolate Ganache:
Bring cream and butter to simmer in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Place chocolate in the bowl of food processor fitted with steel blade. With the machine running, gradually add hot cream and cognac through feed tube; process until smooth and thick (about 3 minutes). Scrape down sides of bowl once or twice during processing. Transfer the ganache to a medium bowl and let it stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, until thickened and spreadable (about the consistency of soft icing.) If the ganache has not quite set by the time you need to use it, you can place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to hasten the thickening.

For Espresso-Marscapone Cream:
Bring cream to simmer in a small saucepan over high heat. Remove from the heat and stir in espresso powder and confectioners' sugar; cool slightly. With rubber spatula, beat marscapone in medium bowl until softened. Gently whisk in cooled cream mixture until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

For Roulade:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400°F. Spray an 18 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet (professional half-sheet pan) with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the pan with parchment paper trimmed to fit and spray parchment with nonstick cooking spray as well. Dust baking sheet with flour to coat all surfaces evenly, and tap out excess. Set pan aside.

Bring 2 inches of water to a low simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Combine chocolate, butter, and water in a small heatproof bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set bowl over simmering pan; reduce heat to medium-low and heat until butter is almost completely melted and chocolate pieces are glossy, have lost definition, and are fully melted around the edges of the bowl (about 15 minutes). Do not stir or let water in the saucepan come to a boil. Remove bowl from the heat, unwrap, and stir until smooth and glossy. While chocolate is melting, sift together cocoa, flour and salt into a small bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat egg yolks at medium-high speed until just combined, about 15 seconds. With mixer running, add half of the granulated sugar. Continue to beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary until yolks are pale yellow and mixture falls in a thick ribbon when beaters are lifted (about 8 minutes). Add vanilla and beat to combine, scraping down bowl once, about 30 seconds. If you have a second clean bowl for your mixer, just set the yolks aside and switch to your clean bowl. Wash and dry your beaters well. If you do not have a second mixer bowl, transfer the yolk mixture to a medium clean bowl and wash and dry your mixer bowl and beaters well. There can be no trace of yolks or fats left on the bowl or beaters to whip a successful meringue in the next step.

In the clean bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until foamy (about 30 seconds). With mixer running, add about 1 tsp of the remaining sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form (about 40 seconds). Gradually add remaining sugar and beat until egg whites are glossy, supple and hold stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted (about 1 minute longer). Do not over beat. If whites look dry and granular, they are over beaten. While whites are beating, stir slightly cooled chocolate mixture into egg yolks. When whites are beaten, stir 1/4 of the beaten whites into the chocolate and yolk mixture with a rubber spatula to lighten it. Fold in the remaining whites gently until almost no streaks of white remain. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the egg and chocolate mixture and fold in quickly but gently to incorporate smoothly.

Pour batter into prepared pan; using offset icing spatula and working quickly, smooth surface and spread batter into pan corners. Bake in preheated oven until the center of the cake springs back when touched lightly with your finger (about 8 - 10 minutes); rotate pan halfway through baking time. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

While cake is cooling, lay a clean (non-terry) kitchen towel over a clean and dry work surface, and sift 1 to 2 Tbs of cocoa powder over the towel. With your hands, rub cocoa powder into the towel. Run a paring knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cake; invert cake onto towel and peel off parchment.

Immediately roll cake and towel together into a jelly roll shape, starting at a long side. Let cake cool, rolled, for 15 minutes, then unroll cake and towel. Remove Espresso-Marscapone Cream filling from the refrigerator while cake is cooling. Using an offset spatula, immediately spread the filling over the unrolled cake almost to the edges. Re-roll cake gently but snugly around the filling. Set a large sheet of parchment paper on an overturned rimmed baking sheet and set the roulade seam-side down on top of the pan. Trim both ends of cake on the diagonal, reserving cut pieces. Arrange cut ends next to the main roulade to form stumps on the log. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the ganache for attaching meringue mushrooms. Spread ganache over roulade with a small icing spatula, leaving ends of the log and stumps exposed. Use a fork to make wood-grain striations on the surface of the ganache before it has set. Refrigerate cake, uncovered, on baking sheet to slightly set icing (about 20 minutes.)

When ready to serve, carefully slide 2 wide metal spatulas under cake and transfer it to a serving platter. Arrange meringue mushrooms around the cake, attaching them with dabs of the reserved ganache. Sift light dusting of cocoa powder over meringue mushrooms. Sift yule log lightly with confectioners' sugar. Serve within 2 hours. The roulade is best served at room temperature.

Serves 8 - 10

Cook's Illustrated Notes:
Make the ganache, then the filling, then the cake while the ganache is setting up. The cake can be baked, filled and rolled, but not iced, then wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. If you make the roulade for use the next day, do not make the ganache until you are ready to finish assembling the cake.

My Notes:
I elected not to make the meringue mushrooms, and chose instead to use Holly decorations from a local decorating supply store. In my haste to finish the log and serve Christmas dinner, I forgot the dusting of confectioners' sugar, but that ended up being okay as we don't get much snow around here in Texas anyway!

I also used more than 1 Tbs of cocoa powder when dusting the towel for rolling the roulade, as I found that 1 Tbs the recipe called for was a bit on the skimpy side for full coverage.

In spite of the lengthy process, this yule log was very easy to make, delicious, and scored a 10 on the WOW factor from my family. I'll definitely make one again, and will play around with the flavors of the filling as well. I'm thinking of almond-amaretto for next year!

Date Nut Bread (pressure cooker recipe)

Date nut bread (pressure cooker recipe)

Book: Steve's Diabetic Recipe Book ll
Chapter: Bakery

Easy quick bread. Very tasty. Inspired by a recipe from the Official Presto Pressure Cooker Cookbook posted to the internet by Robert-Miles@usa.net Aug 19, 98.
Serves: 16

1 1/4 cups AP flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons splenda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped dates
1 egg
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup miracle whip or mayo
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Served with Danish or other cream cheese



Mix flour, walnuts, dates, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the egg, water, Miracle whip, and vanilla until smooth. Add to the flour mixture. Stir until moistened.
Spray Pam into a 1-quart casserole or souffle dish that fits loosely in a 6-quart pressure cooker.
Pour in batter.
Cover casserole with aluminum foil. Place cooking rack and 3 cups of water in pressure cooker.
Place casserole on the rack.
Cook for 40 minutes at 15 pounds pressure.
Let pressure drop by natural release.
Remove and cool in casserole on wire rack.
Remove bread from casserole.
Refrigerate at least one hour.
Cut into thin slices and serve with cheese.

NUTRITION FACTS
Amount Per Serving
Calories 102 Calories from Fat 38
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 7%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 10mg 3%
Sodium 170mg 7%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Sugars 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1% Iron 3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

New York Style Cheesecake

This is a recipe from Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet. I've been making it for years and it's always a favorite. It uses fewer ingredients than many other recipes but it is one of the best I've ever had.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter
1 ½ cups sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pound cream cheese, broken into small pieces

Blend the cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, and ¼ cup melted butter, and line the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch ungreased spring-form pan.

Blend sour cream, ½ cup sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a food blender for 1 minute. Add the cream cheese. Blend until smooth.

Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter through the top of the machine. Pour into the spring-form pan.

bake the lower third of a 350 oven for 45 minutes.

When baking is finished, remove from oven, and turn oven on to broil. Broil the cheesecake until the top begins to show attractive spots of brown.

Refrigerate for 4 hours, preferable overnight, before cutting and serving.

Creamy Nectarine Sorbet

Ingredients:

2 1/2C pureed nectarine

1 1/2C simple syrup

3/4C heavy cream

2T peach schnapps

Directions:

Pit but don't peel 5 large nectarines, chop and put them in a food processor to puree, mix with 1 1/2 cups of the simple syrup, add the cream and schnapps and stir. Chill for 1 hour or overnight and freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. this batch in a self contained unit took 35 minutes. Place in a container and place in your freezer for an hour or so to get a firmer texture.

Notes:

The simple syrup is made from 3C sugar, 2C water, and 1/2C corn syrup (find one without HFC)

Raspberry Vanilla Ice Cream

I've poured through scores of ice cream recipes and most use a custard base. Since fast and simple recipes are more to my liking, I've embarked on an excursion into ice cream recipe formulation. It involves a lot of taste testing on my part, but somebody has to do it!!!

Ingredients:

2C raspberry puree

1C half & half

1C simple syrup

1/2C heavy cream

2t vanilla paste

Directions:

When fresh berries are unavailable use 2 bags of frozen berries and add them half frozen to a food processor, then puree until the seeds are broken up. I confess, I'm lazy; I tried forcing the puree through a sieve and realized it was useless. We need more fiber in our diets anyway!

Add the other ingredients to a large measuring cup and measure out 2 cups of the puree, add it to the liquids, then stir until well incorporated. Pour into your ice cream freezer and follow manufacturer's instructions.

Lemon Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, chilled
1 1/4 cups sugar
Grated peel of 2 lemons, plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt


1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 3 large cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper; set aside. Using an electric mixer, combine the butter, 1 cup sugar, the lemon peel and juice until fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt and combine.

2. Chill the dough until firm enough to handle. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets a few inches apart. Bake until golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookie sheets to racks to cool completely.

Some notes: I found this recipe on the food forum and it evidently had been published in the Rachael Ray food magazine. The original recipe didn't call for vanilla, but in tasting the dough before baking it was definitely flat. Also make the cookies smaller than you think. The 1st tray I made the same size as I usually do snickerdoodles and they spread into each other. Also parchment only works marginally.. Silpats are much better. It also doesn't say to chill the dough but I found it was too soft to roll in sugar without chilling.

BERRY CLAFOUTIS

For Berries
1 1/2 - 2 C berries
I used blueberries and raspberries
Toss the berries with 1T Splenda Blend Brown Sugar and
1t corn flour
Place the berries in a pie plate sprayed with cooking spray

Dry Ingredients
In food processor add 2/3C Bobs Red Mill GF AP flour
It is a gluten free flour made from chickpea flour and other ingr
1/3C skinless almonds - toasted a bit - I used Marcona
1t baking powder
Pulse until almonds have been ground but retain some crunch

Other Ingredients
4 whole eggs
Pinch of salt
1/2 vanilla bean scraped
1/2C Splenda Blend Brown Sugar
Whisk these in bowl and add flour mixture from processor
Add 1c milk
1/2 stick melted butter
Whisk batter and pour over fruit
Sprinkle top with cinnamon
Bake in preheated 400' oven 20-25 minutes
Let cool and dust with powdered sugar (process splenda white sugar to powder)

A traditional Clafoutis uses stoned cherries with a bit of Kirsch
You can also caramelize apples with the Splenda Blend and pour your batter over this
Dolma

Ginger Apple Cheesecake - no bake

CRUST
1 1/2C Ginger cookie crumbs - process about 20 cookies
1/3 cup pecan meal
2T Splenda brown sugar
Mix in bowl and add: 1/3C melted butter
Stir all and press in bottom and sides of prepared pie dish (spray bottom of pan with nonstick cooking spray)

APPLES
Slice 6 apples into a bowl of water and fresh lemon juice
In large saute pan melt 1/3 stick butter
Drain apples and add to butter - let them start to soften and colour
Add 2T Splenda brown sugar
Grate some fresh ginger to your taste
Add 1/3C chopped pecans - just cook until gooey - pull and cool
When cool - pour over your crust

CHEESE FILLING
Spread 1 large container of Philly cheesecake filling over apples
Garnish with candied ginger

Dolmas Birthday Cake

Pistachio Loaf Cake

Pistachio Cake




I used 2 6 X 4.5 X 2.5 aluminum meatloaf tins. Seemed to work fine.
Inspired by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers
from Italian Easy: Recipes from the London River Cafe.

The first set of ingredients is what I found worked best for me. The second set and instructions are from Grey and Rogers's original version.

Serves: 12


6 ounces unsalted butter
1 lemon
1 vanilla bean
2/3 cup blanched almonds
3/4 cup pistachio nuts
3/4 cups superfine sugar
1/2 cup splenda
4 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Topping:
1/2 cup pistachio nuts
1/8 cup superfine sugar
1/8cup splenda
1 lemon
============================================================================
Kitchen Notes: (1) The recipe requires a 12 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pan, a somewhat unusual size that I did not own. This gave me an excuse to go shop for one at Bridge Kitchenware. All the better, since it produces the long, narrow shape you see in the picture above. (2) The recipe indicates "beating" the butter into the sugar and then the eggs. I actually tried to accomplish this by hand using a whisk, which was pretty challenging. Next time, I would try using an electric mixer to cream the sugar and butter together and combine the eggs.

Pistachio Cake
by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers
from Italian Easy: Recipes from the London River Cafe


2 1/4 sticks Unsalted butter
1 Lemon
1 Vanilla bean
2/3 cup Blanched almonds
3/4 cup Pistachios
1 1/4 cups Superfine sugar
4 Eggs, organic
1/2 cup All-purpose flour

Topping
1 Lemon
1/2 cup Pistachios
1/4 cup Superfine sugar


Heat the oven to 300 degrees.

Grease a 12 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4-inch loaf pan with 4 tsp of the butter and line with baking parchment.
(Steve’s note… 4 tsp to grease a pan seems like a lot to me but a typo from ¼ appears too little)

Soften the remaining butter. Finely grate the lemon peel. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Finely grind the almonds and pistachios together.
( Steve’s note…read this as "grind to flour consistency")

Beat the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the lemon peel and vanilla seeds, then fold in the nuts and sift in the flour.

Spoon the batter into the pan and bake for 45-60 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan, then turn out.

For the topping, grate the lemon peel and squeeze the juice. Halve the pistachios. Mix the lemon juice with the sugar, boil until reduced to a syrup, then add the peel. Stir in the pistachios and pour over the cake.

Recipe reprinted with permission. Copyright 2004 Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers.

=============================================================================



NUTRITION FACTS
Amount Per Serving
Calories 200 Calories from Fat 98
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 17%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 64mg 21%
Sodium 65mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 10%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 21g
Protein 3g
Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 8%
Calcium 3% Iron 4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Roasted Pineapple with Raspberry Sauce

Original recipe from Mayo Clinic William-Sonoma Cookbook

1 pineapple
1/3 cup rum (I usually use Whalers dark rum for desset recipes. It is dark as molasses and sweet and delicious)
1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 c. Raspberry Sauce (recipe to follow)

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat glass 13x9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Peel, quarter, and core the pineapple. Cut each quarter lengthwise into thirds and then cut all of them in half. Place the spears into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with rum, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Stir to coat the pineapple evenly (I did this in a seperate bowl)

Bake, stirring every 10 min. until pineapple is tender and the pan juices have mostly evaporated, about 30 min.

To serve, place an equal amount of the sauce on individual plates. Top with an equal number of pineapple spears. Drizzle sauce on top. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Raspberry Sauce


2.5c. (10 oz) fresh raspberries or frozen sweetened raspberries, thawed
1/3 c. water
1T lemon juice
2T. sugar

In blender or food processor, process raspberries and water. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and strain to remove seeds (I had to stir a lot with a rubber scraper to push it through the sieve). Add lemon juice and sugar and stir until sugar dissolves. Fresh raspberries may need more sugar. Serve now, or place in airtight container for up to 5 days.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Should make 2 - 9x5 inch loaves

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 oz) can Pure Pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

To a mixer add sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice. Beat till just blended.

Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just till moistened. Fold in cranberries. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake for 1 hour or until wooden toothpick stuck into center of loaf comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10-20 minutes. Remove from loaf pan to cool completely.

Black Bottom Coconut Cream Tart with Macadamia Nut Crust*

Ingredients:

Macadamia Crust:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 oz. Macadamia nuts, finely ground

Chocolate Ganache:
3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Coconut Cream Filling:
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup milk, scalded
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut (or more to taste, I use 1 cup)

Garnish:
1/4 cup packed sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted.

Directions:

For the macadamia crust: in a large bowl, combine flour, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and salt. Beat until mixture is well combined and crumbly. Stir in macadamia nuts.

Press mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake tart crust in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.

For the chocolate Ganache: Put chopped chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a boil. Immediately pour over chocolate and whisk until smooth. Spread chocolate ganache over the bottom of the crust.

For the coconut cream filling: In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks lightly. In a small saucepan, whisk together cornstarch and sugar. Whisk in milk and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Pour about one quarter of the milk mixture into the egg yolks and whisk until blended. Pour egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, whisking constantly until thick. Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Stir in coconut. Pour into tart, spreading the filling to the edges. Sprinkle with toasted coconut. Chill completely before serving.

*From The Mauna Loa Cooking Treasury by Leslie Mansfield. © Celestial Arts 1998. w/ slight modifications