Yellow Cake Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Culinary Basics and Desert olga 9:14 pm

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs, kept at room temperature for 30 minutes
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup whole milk

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan (not dark) or 2 (8- or 9-inch) round pans.

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer (fitted with paddle if using a standing mixer) at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, and beat until thoroughly incorporated, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour mixture in 4 batches alternately with milk at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until batter is just smooth, then spread evenly in pan.

Bake cake in middle of oven until it begins to pull away from sides of pan and a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes (cake will be pale in color, not golden brown like a cake-mix cake). Cool 5 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack and cool completely.

 

Poppy Seed Cake Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Desert and Russian and Ukrainian olga 9:06 pm

INGREDIENTS:

Lots of poppy seed
½ Cup Sugar
Add little bit of milk to make kasha
Add 1 tea spoon of vanilla
Bring it to boil

DIRECTIONS:
Add little bit of milk to make kasha
Add 1 tea spoon of vanilla
Bring it to boil

 

Gratin De Fruits Rouges (Berries Gratin) Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Desert and French olga 6:59 pm

INGREDIENTS:

10 oz Morello cherries (fresh or frozen)
10 oz raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 1/2 oz sugar
5 Tbs sour cream
2 egg yolks
11/2 oz granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

DIRECTIONS:

Evenly display the fruits into the 4 ear-dishes
Pre-heat oven on grill.
In a salad bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar sharply so that the mixture becomes clearer and frothy. Add the sour cream and mix.
Pour the mixture evenly on the fruits, then sprinkle evenly the granulated sugar on top.
Put under the grill until it gets brown (reckon 10 minutes).
Serve right away.

 

Oreshki – Baked Walnut Cookies Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Desert and Russian and Ukrainian olga 6:57 pm

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 can condensed milk

Dough:
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ tsp baking soda
1 T vinegar
250 gr unsalted butter
3 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Filling:
Cover can of condensed milk with water, bring it to boil and cook on low for 3 hours.
When cooked, cool with cold water. Mix milk with walnuts.

Dough:
Heat over to 375 F
Mix sugar with egg yolks
Mix egg whites until they get foamy
Mix vinegar with soda
Combine sugar, egg whites, vinegar mixtures with flour, vanilla to make dough

Fill in walnut forms with dough and make it hollow for the filling later
Bake for 15 minutes, until the edges get golden. Let it cook off and use filling to put two shells together.

 

Fresh Strawberry Topping Sunday, Sep 28 2008 

Desert , olga 6:54 pm

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs strawberries, cleaned, hulled, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-to 1/8-inch slices
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 cup strawberry jam (about 11 ounces)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Toss berries with sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Let them stand for about 30 minutes to dissolve sugar, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, process jam in food processor until smooth; transfer to small saucepan. Bring jam to simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently until dark and no longer frothy, about 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; pour over strawberries and stir to combine. Let cool, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.

To serve, spoon a portion of topping over each slice of cheesecake, poundcake or scoop of vanilla ice cream!

 

Candied Orange Slices Tuesday, Jul 8 2008 

Culinary Basics and Desert , olga 2:01 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 orange

DIRECTIONS:

Bring water and sugar to boil in a heavy large skillet, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Thinly slice blood orange (you can substitute a regular orange); add to skillet, arranging in a single layer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and barely simmer until the white pith of the orange becomes translucent, turning the slices occasionally, about 40 minutes. Allow the orange slices to cool in the syrup, turning occasionally. Arrange the slices atop the tart and drizzle with some of the syrup just before serving.

 

Mixed Berries with Mascarpone Limoncello Cream Monday, Jul 7 2008 

Desert and Fruit and Italian and Mediterranean , olga 9:54 pm

ABOUT:

From Bon Appetit

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
1/2 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons limoncello (lemon liqueur)

8 cups assorted fresh berries (such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and hulled sliced strawberries; about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup raspberry preserves
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

DIRECTIONS:

Combine whipping cream, mascarpone, 3 tablespoons sugar, and limoncello in large bowl. Beat until soft peaks form.

Combine all berries, raspberry preserves, lemon peel, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in another large bowl; toss gently. Divide berry mixture among 8 coupes. Top with mascarpone cream.

 

Roasted Pears with Brown Sugar and Vanilla Ice Cream Sunday, Jul 6 2008 

Desert and Fruit and Italian and Mediterranean , , , olga 1:09 pm

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored (about 1 pound)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Arrange the pears cut side up in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Whisk the apple juice and sugar in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the butter. Pour the sauce over the pears. Bake until the pears are crisp-tender and beginning to brown, basting occasionally with the juices, about 35 minutes.

Spoon the pears onto plates. Top with ice cream. Drizzle with any juices and serve.

The pears can also be served frozen. To do so, cool the pears, then place them in the freezer until frozen solid, about 8 hours.

 

Orange Segments with Berries and Balsamic Cream Sunday, Jul 6 2008 

Desert and Fruit and Italian and Mediterranean , , , , olga 1:06 pm

INGREDIENTS:

4 navel oranges
3/4 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup creme fraiche
1 teaspoon sugar
12 ounces fresh strawberries, quartered

DIRECTIONS:

Cut the peel and white pith from the oranges. Cut between the membranes to release the segments.

Whisk the vinegar, creme fraiche, and sugar in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until it thickens and resembles a sauce, about 8 minutes.

Arrange the orange segments and strawberries decoratively on plates. Drizzle the warm balsamic sauce over the fruit and serve. Alternately, the balsamic sauce can be served at room temperature and spooned atop the fruit.

This is great served with frozen yogurt or ice cream.

 

Orange Tart Sunday, Jul 6 2008 

Desert and French , , , , , olga 11:49 am

INGREDIENTS:

Puff Pastry Shells, baked

2 large eggs, cold
2 large egg yolks, cold
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cold unsalted
butter, cut into 6 pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil in a pot that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl you will be using for the sabayon. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar for about 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth.

Set the bowl over the pot and, using a large whisk, whip the mixture while you turn the bowl (for even heating). After about 2 minutes, when the eggs are foamy and have thickened, add one-third of the orange juice. Continue to whisk vigorously and, when the mixture thickens again, add another one-third of the orange juice. Whisk until the mixture thickens again, then add the remaining orange juice. Continue whisking vigorously, still turning the bowl, until the mixture is thickened and light in color and the whisk leaves a trail in the bottom of the bowl. The total cooking time should be 8 to 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the bowl over the water. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time. The sabayon may loosen slightly, but it will thicken and set as it cools. Pour the warm sabayon into puff pastry shells.

Preheat the broiler. While the sabayon is still warm, place the tart under the broiler. Leaving the door open, brown the top of the sabayon, rotating the tart if necessary for even color; this will take only a few seconds, so do not leave the oven. Remove the tart from the broiler and let it sit for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve at room temperature or cold.

 

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