Sunday, September 28, 2014

Banoffee Pie


1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 14oz Can (400ml) sweetened condensed milk
3 bananas
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
hot chocolate powder or cocoa powder for dusting.



1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°c)
2. Mix graham cracker crumbs and softened butter and press
mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Bake 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Place the Unopened can of condensed milk (do not open
can) in a saucepan and cover with water.
4. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and let
the can boil for 3 hours. IMPORTANT – Don’t even let the
saucepan boil dry. Keep checking on it and add more
water if necessary, to keep can covered with water.
5. Remove can from water carefully and wait a few minutes
before opening can in sink, carefully. The condensed milk
will look like creamy brown caramel.
6. Stir the caramel in the can with a fork to remove any lumps,
then pour into your pie crust and let it cool. When it is
cooled, place in refrigerator until it is very cold.
7. Whip the cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla together
and pour half of it over the toffee filling.
8. Slice bananas thinly and place evenly over cream filling.
9. Spread remaining cream evenly over bananas.
10. Dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Butter Biscuits (Butter Cookies)





2 sticks butter (NO SUBSTITUTES … USE ONLY BUTTER)
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour



  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
  2. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy
  3. Add flour – mix well
  4. Roll into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet
  5. Flatten slightly with spatula (not too thin)
  6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes

NOTE: COOKIES (Biscuits) DO NOT GET BROWN

Blackberry Jam Cake


Preheat the oven to 350° F (176°C). Butter and flower a large tube pan, or use a flour-based baking spray such as Baker's Joy. Set the pan aside.
Separate the eggs, putting the yolks and whites in different mixing bowls. I another large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of the flour mixture with the black walnuts and raisins.
Add the brown sugar, butter, and blackberry jam to the egg yolks, and stir together thoroughly. Stir in the buttermilk. Add the flour mixture.
Beat the egg whites until they turn white but are loose and runny, not too "airy." Fold the egg whites into the batter. Then mix the nuts and raisins, blending only enough so that they are equally distributed in the batter.
Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, it's done.
Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Then loosen the cake from the sides of the pan by running a knife around the edge. Invert a cake plate over the pan, and invert the tow together. Lift off the tube pan.
Slice and serve.
Apple Dumplings


INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe pastry for double-crust pie
6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups water
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


DIRECTIONS:
    Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C). Butter a 9x13 inch pan.
On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a large rectangle, about 24 by 16 inches.

Cut into 6 square pieces. Place an apple on each pastry square with the cored opening facing upward. Cut butter into 8 pieces.

Place 1 piece of butter in the opening of each apple;reserve remaining butter for sauce
.
Divide brown sugar between apples, poking some inside each cored opening and the rest around the base of each apple. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg over the apples.

With slightly wet fingertips, bring one corner of pastry square up to the top of the apple, then bring the opposite corner to the top and press together. Bring up the two
remaining corners, and seal. Slightly pinch the dough at the sides to completely seal in the apple. Repeat with the remaining apples. Place in prepared baking dish.

In a saucepan, combine water, white sugar, vanilla extract and reserved butter. Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour over dumplings.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Place each apple dumpling in a dessert bowl, and spoon some sauce over the top.

Enjoy !!!!



Sunday, September 21, 2014

Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake


    3 eggs
    1 cup honey
    1 cup sugar
    2 tsp. baking soda (mix into coffee)
    1 cup warm coffee
    ½ cup oil
    2 tsp. baking powder
    2 ¾ cups flour
    2 tsp. vanilla extract
    1 tsp. cinnamon



In a large bowl, combine eggs, honey, and sugar; mix well. Add baking soda to coffee. Add to mixer with oil. Add remaining ingredients and beat well. Pour into greased tube pan. Bake at 325°F (163°C) for one hour, or until done.




SPICED APPLES


½ cup butter or margarine
8 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg


Melt butter (or margarine) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and remaining ingredients. Sauté 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are tender.


Carrot, Sweet Potato, & Apple Stew


3 carrots, sliced
4 sweet potatoes, sliced
3 granny smith apples, sliced
½ cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons chicken fat or vegetable oil
1 cup water
salt & pepper to taste


Cook the carrots and sweet potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside.

Pare, quarter, core, and slice apples, but not too thin.

Alternate these in layers in a 2½ quart baking dish; season each layer with brown sugar, salt pepper. and fat.(or oil).

Add water. Cover and bake in a preheated 350°F oven. (176°C) for 30 minutes, or until apples are tender.

Remove cover and continue baking until top is golden brown.

Serve hot.

This should make about six servings.


Sweet & Sour Cucumbers

Fresh cucumbers (see note below recipe)
1 small onion, sliced thin
Salt & Pepper
Sugar – (about 1 teaspoon)
Vinegar


Pare and slice cucumbers quite thinly.
Add the onion, salt, pepper, and sugar.
Cover with vinegar.

Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

NOTE: I have also made this recipe, using fresh Zucchini instead of cucumbers.
All the other ingredients and the instructions are the same.


Graham Cracker Pie Crust




1½ cups crushed graham cracker crumbs (24 squares)
¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter (no substitutes)




Directions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar; add butter and blend well. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.

  1. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before filling, or bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack before filling. Yield: 1 pie crust (9 inches).

Saturday, September 13, 2014

TEA CAKE


  1. cups all-purpose flour
  1. teaspoons baking powder
    ¼ teaspoon salt
  1. pkg. (8oz.) cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
  1. cup butter (NO SUBSTITUTES)
    1½ cups sugar
    4 eggs
  1. tablespoon treacle
  2. teaspoons vanilla
    ½ cup raisins (Sultanas)
    ½ cup currants

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C)
  2. Generously butter and lightly flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan or tube pan.
  3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  4. Cream butter and cream cheese until blended. Beat in sugar until smooth.
  5. Add eggs. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping bowl often.
  6. Add treacle and vanilla.
  7. Slowly stir in flour mixture until well blended. Mix until flour is completely incorporated into batter. Batter will be rather heavy.
  8. Stir in Sultanas and currants by hand; not in electric mixer.
  9. Turn into prepared pan and bake for one hour or until tester inserted near center comes our clean.
  10. Let cake stand in pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Then invert and place on wire rack to cool thoroughly. Place on serving platter and lightly dust with powdered sugar.


Jammy Dodgers


Ingredients

¾ pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

your favourite jam


Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C)

In an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1¼-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 1 ounce.) Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly, and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop ¼ teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Kathy's Tea Biscuits




2 sticks butter (NO SUBSTITUTES … USE ONLY BUTTER)
½ cup sugar
2 cups flour
Raspberry or Strawberry Jam (*)


  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
  2. Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy
  3. Add flour – mix well
  4. Roll into small balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet
  5. Make a small hole in each ball and fill with jam
  6. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes

NOTE: COOKIES DO NOT GET BROWN

(*) You may use any kind of jam. DO NOT use jelly or preserves.

Burbon Cream Biscuits


For the Biscuits:

3½ tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons soft light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoons golden syrup
1¾ tablespoons plain flour (1 cup plus 1 3/4 TBS)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder (not the drink mix).
pinch salt
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 to 2 teaspoons milk
golden caster sugar for sprinkling

For the filling:

3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sifted icing sugar (generous half cup)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sifted
1 to 2 tsp bourbon (or vanilla extract)

Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ Line a baking sheet with baking parchment paper. Set aside.

Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the golden syrup until smooth. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, salt and soda together in a beaker. Sift this into the creamed mixture. Add the milk a bit at a time, until yo uget a soft even dough. It should be a bit crumbly, but should have the promise of holding together. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute, until it comes completely together. Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin about 1/4 inch thick. (I rolled mine out onto baking parchment so that I did not have to use a lot of flour.) Cut out into rectangles. If you like you can dot holes into the dough with the end of a skewer. Sprinkle with caster sugar and then carefully lift onto the prepared baking sheet with a metal spatula, leaving some space in between the biscuits.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely before proceeding.

To make the filling, cream the butter together with the icing sugar, cocoa powder and enough bourbon to give you a fluffy evenly coloured mixture. Spread a heaped teaspoon onto each of half the baked biscuits and then top with another one, pressing down lightly. Repeat until all the biscuits are filled. Store in an airtight container.

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Saturday, September 6, 2014

Sabbath Meat Loaf

1½ lbs. Ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 small onion, minced
½ cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons tomato juice
3 hard-cooked eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Tomato Slices
Onion Slices
Mix together, ground beef, salt, pepper, beaten egg, minced onion, and bread crumbs.
Pack half of the meat mixture into a well-greased 9”x5”x3” loaf pan,
smoothing the surface.
Gently press the 3 hard-cooked eggs down the center, the length of the pan. Cover with the remaining half of the meat mixture.
Arrange tomato & onion slices on top of the meat loaf and then drizzle the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over the tomato & onion slices.
Cover tightly with foil.
Bake in a pre-heated oven 350°F (176°C) for 1½ hours. Remove foil and bake for an additional ½ hour.

Serve hot or cold.

Steak Pie

    1 lb. steak, cubed
    salt & pepper to taste
    2 cups reserved liquid
    3 large carrots, diced
    3 potatoes, cubed
    1 cup green peas
    3 tablespoons cornstarch
    1/3 cup water
    2 (9 inch) pie crusts






Directions

  1. In a saucepan over medium heat, brown the pieces of meat on all sides. Pour in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until meat is tender: about 2 to 3 hours. Transfer meat to a large mixing bowl. Save the liquid.
  2. In another 2 quart saucepan over medium heat, pour in the reserved liquid and add carrots and potatoes. Cook until almost tender; about 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C).
  3. When the carrots and potatoes are done, transfer to the large mixing bowl with the beef; leaving the liquid in the pan. Combine the peas with the carrots, potatoes and beef.
  4. Dissolve the cornstarch with the 1/3 cup of water. Pour into the saucepan of beef broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat; cook for 5 minutes.
  5. Line a 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts. . Place the beef mixture into the pie crust. Pour the gravy over the top of the mixture, then cover with the other pie crust. Bake in a preheated oven until the crust is golden brown; about 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Soup

2 lbs. Boneless chicken breast
2 lbs. Boneless chicken thighs
Boiling water to cover
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup sliced carrots
1 small onion – cut in half
1 cup sliced celery
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes


  1. Place chicken in large soup pot. Add boiling water to cover the chicken.
  2. Add the salt.
  3. Bring to boiling. Then add the vegetables and the parsley.
  4. Cover and cook gently until the chicken is tender. About 3 hours.
  5. Remove the chicken from the soup. Place on a plate and cut the chicken into pieces. Return chicken to soup pot.
  6. Serve with noodles or knaidlach....(recipe below)


* * * * * * *

Matza Knaidlach

2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons chicken fat (or vegetable oil)
½ cup hot water
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup Matza Meal

Beat egg yolks with the chicken fat (or oil) until thick and well-blended. Pour over the hot water and beat well. Fold in the Matza Meal mixed with the salt and then fold in the egg whites that have been beaten until stiff, but not dry.
Chill for about ½ hour.
Wet hands with cold water and shape mixture into small balls. Drop gently into 2 quarts of boiling salted water.
Reduce heat, cover, and cook gently for 20 to 25 minutes.

Matza Knaidlach
(Passover Dumplings)



2 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons chicken fat (or vegetable oil)
½ cup hot water
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup Matza Meal


Beat egg yolks with the chicken fat (or oil) until thick and well-blended. Pour over the hot water and beat well. Fold in the Matza Meal mixed with the salt and then fold in the egg whites that have been beaten until stiff, but not dry.
Chill for about ½ hour.
Wet hands with cold water and shape mixture into small balls. Drop gently into 2 quarts of boiling salted water.
Reduce heat, cover, and cook gently for 20 to 25 minutes.

Potato Latkes


Ingredients:




    2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
    1 tablespoon grated onion
    3 eggs, beaten
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying



Directions:




  1. Wash, shred, and strain potatoes, but not too dry.
  2. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together.
  3. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!
Makes 10 to 12 latkes