Red Velvet Cake

A strikingly looking cake with an unexpected hint of chocolate flavor. Its only caveat is that you are left with a lot of bowls to wash. It's all worth it, though :). Recipe from Joy of Baking, of course.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
2 1/2 cups (250 g) flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons (15 g) Dutch-processed cocoa powder*
1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (300 g) sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk**
2 tablespoons liquid red food coloring
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda

* As a substitute use 2 tablespoons natural cocoa and throw in a pinch of baking soda.
** Or, to make your own, stir 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 cup of milk, and let it sit for 10 minutes before using.

For the frosting:
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy whipping cream
16 oz (450 g) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (115 g) confectioners' (icing or powdered) sugar

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C) and place rack in center of oven.
Butter two 9 inch (23 cm) round cake pans and set them aside.
In a mixing bowl sift (this is one of those recipes where sifting *is* important!) together the flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a separate bowl beat the butter until soft.
Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a separate cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring.
With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the red buttermilk in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda.
Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter.

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.
Speed is of the essence here, as your only rising agent is the vinegar-soda mix, and it dissipates quickly.

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, then invert them on a wire rack and cool completely. Once completely cooled, wrap cakes in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for at least an hour. (This is done to make filling and frosting the cakes easier.)

For the frosting:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar and process until smooth.

In a separate bowl (I told you there are too many bowls!) whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
With a large spatula, gently but quickly fold a little of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it.
Then fold in the remaining whipped cream, in two stages.

Recipe advises to place the frosting in the refrigerator for an hour if it is not thick enough to spread, but I've never had that problem.

To assemble:
With a serrated knife, cut each cake layer horizontally in half to get four layers.
Place one of the cake layers, top facing down, onto a plate.
Spread the cake layer with a layer of frosting.
Place another layer of cake on top of the frosting and continue to frost and stack the cake layers.
Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Garnish with coconut if desired.

Ricotta Cheesecake

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup (100 g) graham cracker (digestive biscuit) crumbs
1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted

Recipe also adds 2-3 tablespoons sugar but I figure graham crackers are sweet enough by themselves.

For the filling:

2 1/2 cups (570 g) ricotta
8 oz (230 g) cream cheese at room temperature*
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup berries
The zest of one lemon or orange

* So says the recipe. I've tried several other proportions of ricotta and cream cheese, depending on what I have in the fridge and it's always fine. More ricotta makes the cake creamier, more cream cheese makes it, well, cheesier :).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and butter a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan.
Wrap the outside of the pan with two layers of heavy aluminum foil (otherwise water leaks in and cheesecake leaks out). How to line a springform pan.

For the crust:

In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter.
Press the mix evenly over the bottom of the springform pan.
Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For the filling:

Recipe says to drain the ricotta first. I must be buying some fake ricotta, because I swear!, there is nothing to drain there.

Beat softened cream cheese until smooth.
Add the ricotta and sugar and beat until smooth.
Beat in the cornstarch.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating about 30 seconds after each addition.
Beat in the lemon zest and vanilla extract until incorporated.
Fold in the berries.
Take the crust out of the fridge and pour the filling in it.
Place the springform pan in a large roasting pan.
Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of your springform pan.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the top of the cheesecake has browned and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken.
Remove the pan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Pumpkin Roll

Very flavorful and not too pumpkin-ey in texture. Source.

Ingredients:

For the roll:
3/4 cup (100 g) flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves*
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg*
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup (150 g) pumpkin puree

* Recipe has 1/4 teaspoon allspice, but I find clove and nutmeg more suitable for pumpkin.

For the filling:

8 oz (226 g) cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (115 g) confectioners' (powdered, icing) sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven.
Oil a 15 inch x 10 inch (38 x 25 cm) baking pan, line it with parchment paper, and then butter and flour the parchment paper.
Sift (do sift!) flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together.
In a separate bowl beat eggs with sugar on high speed until thick, pale yellow, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
Beat in the vanilla extract and pumpkin puree.
*Gently* (by hand, no mixer!) fold in the sifted flour mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread it evenly with the help of an offset spatula.
Bake for about 10 - 13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the center of the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Remove from the oven and immediately flip onto a clean dish towel that has been sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.
Carefully peel away the parchment paper, sprinkle lightly with confectioners' sugar, and roll up with the towel while the cake is still hot and pliable.
Place on a wire rack to cool.

Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
Add the sugar and beat until smooth.

Once the roll has cooled, unroll it, spread the filling, and reroll.
Cover and chill in the fridge.
Recipe says, and my experience confirms that chilling it for a few hours sets the filling and makes the roll easier to slice (and eat!)

Plum Cake

Very delicious, especially if you like tart fruit in cakes. Recipe from here. Cup = a standard American cup that holds 250 ml liquid.

Ingredients (for a 9-inch cake):

~ 1 lb plums (10 big ones or 20 small ones), we like it best with tarter varieties but any sort will do.
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
150 g (5 oz, 3/4 cup) butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C)
Set aside 1/4 cup sugar and 50 g (1/4 cup) butter.
Beat rest of the sugar with rest of the butter, baking powder and vanilla.
Add the eggs, milk and flour and mix well.
Cut plums in half and discard pits.
Put your baking dish on the stove (yes, the stove), and melt the 50 g butter in it.
Stir the 1/4 cup sugar in to caramelize it: how to caramelize sugar.
Watch it carefully, as caramel burns fairly quickly. It also burns fingers badly, but I assume you know better than I do and won't try to touch it :).
Arrange the plum halves, cut side down, on the caramel.
Pour batter on top.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once baked, cover cake with a clean towel and let it cool for 15 minutes.
Flip on a serving plate (the plums should be on top) and let it cool completely before cutting.

Lemon Bars

Or, in my case, lemon wedges, as I don't have a square baking pan. Either way, they are good :). Recipe from I don't remember where :P.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
113 g (4 oz, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar

For the filling:
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
the juice and zest of two large lemons (~ 3/4 cup juice, 2 tablespoons finely grated zest)

Directions:

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
Cut butter into slices.
In a food processor, or with a mixer on low speed, mix together flour, butter and sugar until they form a mix of buttery crumbs.
Pour mix in a 20 cm x 20 cm (8"x8") baking pan and flatten with your palm.
Bake for 8-9 min or until light brown.
Take out of the oven and let it cool.

For the filling:
Beat all ingredients together.
Pour on the cooled crust.
Put everything back in the oven and bake on 350 F/180 C for 20-25 min. Check doneness like with cheesecake - when you gently shake the pan, the middle should still wobble a little bit*.
Cool on a wire rack.
Once cooled, refrigerate for 2 hours. (Don't take it out of the baking pan yet, put the whole thing, pan and everything in the fridge).
Once it's chilled, take out of pan, cut into bars, triangles or squares and dust with confectioners' sugar.

*If you take them out on time, the squares have a light, creamy texture. If you overcook them, they become less creamy and more dense, but are still good.

Fruit Tart

I love fruit tarts - they are fun to make, look pretty and have a perfect summery taste. This recipe is from the Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients:

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose (plain) flour + a pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick, 8 oz, 113 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 egg

For the cream:
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1/8 cup (20 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
3 tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch (or wheat-, potato-, whatever- starch)
Optional: 3/4 tablespoon (10 ml) liqueur

For the glaze: (optional, but recommended)
1 tablespoon apricot jam or preserves
1 teaspoon liqueur or water or a combination of the two

For the topping:
2 - 3 cups fresh fruit, such as berries, kiwi, bananas, plums, pineapple, melon, peaches, or whatever else you think belongs on a fruit tart.

You also need a tart pan or a springform pan, or another pan with detachable sides.

Directions:

For the crust:

Sift or whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.
Beat butter until softened. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the egg, beating just until incorporated.
Dunk flour mixture all at once and mix just until it forms a ball of dough. Don't overwork or pastry will be hard when baked.
Flatten dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry into an 11 - 12 inch (28 - 30 cm) circle that is about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.

* So says the recipe. To avoid a floury mess, I like to cover both the rolling pin and the counter with plastic wrap, so the dough doesn't stick to either.

To make sure it is the right size, take your tart pan, flip it over, and place it on the rolled out pastry. The pastry should be about an inch larger than pan.
When the pastry is rolled to the desired size, lightly roll pastry around your rolling pin, dusting off any excess flour as you roll.
Unroll onto top of tart pan.
Gently lay in pan and lightly press pastry into bottom and up sides of pan.
Prick bottom of dough (this will prevent the dough from puffing up as it bakes).
Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes to chill the butter and to rest the gluten.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
Line unbaked pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Fill pastry shell with rice or beans, making sure the weights are to the top of the pan and evenly distributed over the entire surface.
Or, you know, use *proper* ceramic pie weights if you have them :).
Bake crust on the center rack for 20 to 25 minutes until it is dry and lightly golden brown.
Remove weights (or rice, beans, whatever) and cool crust on wire rack before filling.

For the cream:

In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together
Sift the flour and cornstarch together and then add to the egg mixture, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the milk and vanilla and bring to a boil
Remove from heat and add slowly to egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
Place the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until boiling, whisking constantly.
When mixture boils, whisk it constantly for another 30 - 60 seconds until it becomes very thick and hard to stir.
Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the liqueur (if using).
Pour into a clean bowl and cool.

For the glaze:

Heat the apricot jam or preserves and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted. Remove from heat and strain through a fine strainer to remove any fruit lumps.
If using, add the liqueur at this point.
Let glaze cool until it is only slightly warm.

Assembly:

Brush a thin layer of the glaze over the bottom and sides of the cooled pastry shell to prevent the crust from getting soggy.
Let the glaze dry 20 - 30 minutes.
Spoon the cream into the tart.

Wash and slice the fruit you are using.
Arrange fruit (in concentric circles or randomly) on top of the cream, making sure no cream is showing.
Rewarm glaze and lightly brush on fruit.
Chill and serve.

Store covered in the fridge.

Berry Pie

I've been eyeing this recipe for a while, especially since it's from a book that I am contemplating getting. I finally got a chance to make it - my first ever American pie, yay! It's delicious too :). The crust takes in from the filling and gets wonderfully juicy, but not soaked and it holds the filling beautifully. And the filling has this divine tartly sweet taste that cooked berries have. OK, enough with the self-promotion, on with the recipe :).

Ingredients for one two-crust 9-inch (23 cm) pie:

For the crust:
14 tablespoons (7 oz, 200 g) unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups (320 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water*
1 tablespoon vinegar**

* Ice water = water with ice in it. I don't remember why the cold temperature is so important, but it is.

** The vinegar's purpose is to prevent the dough from forming tight gluten bonds and help it stay flaky. You can't taste it, so don't skip it. The recipe said cider vinegar, but I used wine vinegar. I assume any type will do.

For the filling:
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons (20 g) cornstarch (cornflour)
a pinch of salt
the zest of one lemon (about 2 teaspoons), finely grated
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups (about 1 lb, 500 g) berries. The recipe uses fresh blackberries, I used a mix of frozen raspberries, blueberries and marionberries.

Directions:

For the crust:

* The crust is not labor-intensive, but it takes a while to make, as it has to rest in the fridge a few times in increments of 1 hour, 30 min, and 1 hour, so a total of 2 and a half hours. The resting is important, as it allows the dough to settle, not shrink during baking and form the flakes that it should. If you don't care to wait, just use store-bought crust.

Divide the 14 tablespoons of butter into 2 portions: 9 tablespoons and 5 tablespoons (130 g and 70 g).
Refrigerate the 9 tablespoon portion and freeze the 5 tablespoon portion for at least 30 minutes.
Place the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Process for a few seconds to combine.
Add the refrigerated butter, cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, and process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add the frozen butter, cut into 3/4 inch (2 cm) cubes, and pulse until the frozen butter is the size of peas.
Add 5 tablespoons of ice water and the vinegar and pulse 6-7 times
Pinch a small amount of the mixture to see if it holds together.
If not, add another 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3 times.
Try pinching again to see if it holds together.
If not, add the final 1 tablespoon water and pulse 3 times.

At this point, my dough still looked like a mess of dry crumbs, but I am happy that I resisted my urge to add more water in it :).

Divide the dough in half. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and flatten into discs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Remove one disc of pie dough from the fridge.
If it's too hard to roll, let it sit out for about 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch (0.3 cm) thick and about 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter.

I always have trouble rolling buttery doughs, as they tend to stick to the counter and tear. So I cover the counter with plastic wrap, cover the rolling pin with plastic wrap and roll it like that. Easy to clean up too!

Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan.
Trim the dough edge to about even with the edge of the pan.
Cover with plastic and let dough rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

For the filling:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest.
Whisk in the lemon juice to make a slurry.
Add the berries and gently toss them to coat with the slurry.
Mine were frozen and easy to handle, but if you are using fresh, be careful not to crush them.
Let sit for about 15 minutes.

Assembling the pie:

Toss the berries once more and then pour the mixture into the bottom crust.
Roll out the remaining disk of dough to about 12 inches in diameter.
Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and gently place the top crust over the berries.
Tuck any overhang under the bottom crust and press down to seal the two crusts.
With the tip of a knife, cut 3-5 slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent.
Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before baking.

Set your oven rack to the lowest position, so that the bottom crust bakes well.
Preheat oven to 425F (220 C).
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juice.
Bake for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.
Check the pie after 20 minutes and protect the edges from over-browning (mine did!) with a ring of foil if necessary.
Allow pie to cool on a rack for at least 4 hours before serving. This is not only to protect you from burning your mouth :) but also to allow the filling to settle.

Baklava

In honor of St. Teodor's Day (which falls on March 15 this year), nameday boy has requested the insanely calorific dessert that is baklava. I remember I posted my family recipe on BtN and someone commented that it looks really complicated. It is not!

Ingredients:

500 g (1 lb) phyllo (fillo) dough
500 g (16 oz, 2 cups) butter, melted
250 g (9 oz, 2 cups) chopped walnuts (or pistachios) + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the syrup:
500 g (2 1/2 cups) sugar
350 ml (1 1/2 cup) water
3 teaspoons lemon juice or 1 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Directions:

Melt the butter and set one half aside.
Mix walnuts with cinnamon.
Brush the bottom of a 10" x 14" (25 cm x 35 cm) baking pan with butter.
Put in one sheet of phyllo dough. Brush it with butter.
Put another sheet on top. Brush with butter and sprinkle some walnuts.

Continue layering the baklava, putting butter on every phyllo dough sheet and walnuts on every other phyllo dough sheet.

It may look like the walnuts are too sparce but you end up with about 10 layers of walnuts on top of each other, so every piece gets decently walnutty.



* Walnuts on every other sheet is the way we like it layered in my family. Some people put all the walnuts on one layer in the middle of the baklava. Some put walnuts after every sheet. It's pretty much up to you.

End with a phyllo dough sheet on top.

Cut into diamond shapes:


Carefully pour the butter that was set aside on top of the baklava, making sure you get the edges, as that's where it is likely to remain dry.

Bake at 250F/120C for 20 min or until golden. There is nothing that needs to be cooked per se, you just need the phyllo dough to get crunchy.

Let the baklava cool before proceeding to the next step.

Mix the water and sugar for the syrup.
Bring to a gentle boil and let boil for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Do not under- or overboil. Less than 2 minutes will result in a runny syrup; more than 5 minutes will result in a thick syrup that will give you quite a sticky baklava.

Take syrup off the stove and stir in lemon juice or lemon extract.
You can omit the lemon juice/extract, but keep in mind that you can't really taste it anyway. Its purpose is to prevent the syrup from forming a sugary coat on the baklava.

Pour the *hot* syrup on the *cooled* baklava.

You need to let it stand at least 12 hours (ideally 48 hours) so it takes in all the syrup.

Cinnabon (tm) Knock-off Cinnamon Buns

I love Cinnabons but I rarely have them as they are incredibly fattening and somewhat expensive. So when I found this recipe, I *had* to try making them at home. They turned out really good, though not quite as good as the real thing. This is not your everyday dessert, as they are quite filling, but they are great for special treat, and they come up to about 75 cents a pop, which is way cheaper than the real thing.

Ingredients (for 10-12 rolls)

Rolls:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1/2 cup (100 g) white sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose (plain) flour

Filling:
1 cup (220 g) packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup (75 g) butter, softened

Icing (Frosting):
1/4 cup (60 g) butter, softened
1/4 cup (60g) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup (190 g) confectioners' (powdered) sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract
~ 1 tablespoon water or more to achieve desired consistency

Directions:

For the rolls:
Put all the ingredients for the rolls in the bread machine and use the dough setting. The resulting dough was a bit too soft for my bread machine, and it kept getting under the paddle. Other than that, the machine did just fine. If you don't have a bread machine, see the recipe on top for instructions on making it manually.

On a piece of plastic foil flatten the dough into a rectangle approximately 21 inches long, 16 inches wide (53 cm x 40 cm), and about ¼ inch (1/2 cm) thick. Or so says the recipe, but next time I am going to split it into two balls and two smaller rectangles, as the resulting buns were too big for me.

For the filling:
Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough rectangle, and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly on top.

With the help of the foil form the dough rectangle into a tight roll along the longer (21 inch) side. Tight is the operative word here, or the cinnamon filing will fall out when the roll is cut.

When working with a roll like this, I like to stick it in the freezer for 15 min so it's easier to cut. Don't overdo it though, as freezer temperatures kill the yeast.

Cut the roll into 2 inch (5 cm) thick slices and place slices on a greased baking sheet.

Proof until they double in size (about 30 minutes).

Bake for 10 minutes at 400 F (205 C) until they are golden on top.

While buns are baking, beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, then add the flavorings and enough water (or milk) to obtain the desired consistency. Mix on high speed again until the icing is smooth and fluffy.

Let the buns cool for about 10 min and cover with frosting.

As you can see, my frosting skills are pretty much non-existent:

Meatballs with White Sauce

My big problem is that husband likes fried meatballs, while I hate frying for both health and cleaning reasons, and I am not too crazy about meatballs either. This recipe is a decent compromise. Makes 5 servings of 2 meatballs each, and eats a lot of bread :).

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:
1 lb (450 g) ground meat (mince)
1 egg
1 small onion, finely diced
1/4 teaspoon of each: salt and black pepper or other spices to taste

For the sauce:
1 egg
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup yogurt
1 bay leaf
lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the products for the meatballs. Form into 10 balls.
Put the meatballs in a deep sauce pan and cover with water. Add bay leaf.
Bring water to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until meatballs are no longer pink inside.
Remove from heat.

Beat egg, mix with yogurt and flour.
*Gradually* spoon about 1 cup of the hot broth from the meatballs into yogurt mixture. Stir continuously.
When the yogurt mixture and the meatball broth are at pretty much the same temperature, pour yogurt mix into saucepan.
Cook over medium heat stirring continuously for 2 more minutes or until the sauce is at desired density.
Season with lemon juice.
Remove bay leaf before serving.

Cranberry Muffins

Original recipe from here. Those are American-style, not English muffins. Cups are American standard cups that hold 240 ml of liquid. This recipe makes 12. You will need one 12-cup (or 2 6-cup ones) regular muffin pan, for which the cups measure about 3 inches/7.5 cm in diameter.

As far as the filling goes, that recipe is very versatile. You can substitute other berries for the cranberries, or substitute the walnuts with chopped apple for cran-apple muffins. Or make some combination of fillings - as long as you keep everything to 2 cups, you should be fine.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups (165 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
2/3 cup (135 g) white sugar + 1/3 cup (70 g) brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon*
1/3 cup (70 g) shortening
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk**
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts

* Original recipe also calls for nutmeg and ginger but I skip them
** Recipe uses orange juice, but I prefer them with milk

Directions:

The main principle of making muffin batter is to mix the wet and the dry ingredients separately, and combine them in the end, mixing with a wooden spoon (no mixer!) just so all the dry ingredients get moistened. Proper muffin batter may be lumpy, but that's OK. Overmixing creates a dense heavy texture, and that is not the purpose here.

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. In a small bowl beat egg, milk, vanilla and shortening together. Stir into dry ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in cranberries and walnuts.

Spoon into muffin pan - this one is more dough-like than batter-like, so pouring is kind of difficult. Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 25 minutes or until brown.

Vegetarian Paella

This was unbelievably delicious, even if the rice didn't cook quite through. I recommend using minute rice or cooking the rice half-way beforehand. Also, unless you're made of money, use tumeric instead of saffron. I'm still amazed that a teaspoon of something could cost $7.

Recipe, as always, from Vegetariantimes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips
• 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 15-oz. can vegetable broth
• 2 cups uncooked quick-cooking brown rice
• 1 tsp. saffron threads, dissolved in small amount of hot water
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions:

1. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.
2. Set aside half the red pepper strips for garnish. Add all remaining pepper strips to onion mixture and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes (with liquid), broth, rice, saffron mixture, thyme and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
3. Stir in artichoke hearts, peas, half the parsley and salt. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste and add a little water to moisten if needed. Cook, stirring, just until heated through, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer paella to large, shallow serving dish and garnish with circle of reserved red pepper strips. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve hot.

We just used green peppers, as red were twice the price. :-)

Raffaello Cake

Recipe by natalyna. This is a light sponge cake with a deliciously rich icing that makes a nice alternative to chocolate or whipping cream icings.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
6 eggs
7/8 cup (180 g) sugar
1 1/4 cup (160 g) all-purpose/plain flour

For the icing:
14 oz (400 g) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (9 oz, 250 g) butter, softened
1 1/2 cup (100 g) shredded/flaked coconut

Edited to add: there is no chemical leavener (baking soda or baking powder) in sponge cake. My book says that all the raising is done by the denaturation of egg protein (thus the huge amount of eggs required) and the expansion of the air trapped in during the mixing. That is why it's very important to follow the mixing and baking instructions exactly, including sifting of the flour.

It does rise, but don't expect it to double in size.

Directions:

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 325 F (165 C).
Separate egg whites from yolks.
In a small bowl beat egg whites until peaks form.
In a large bowl beat yolks with sugar until they form a pale yellow foam.

* From this point on, mix with a wooden spoon only.

Little by little incorporate beaten whites into egg yolk mixture.
Sift flour (do sift it!) and add it little by little to egg mixture.
Butter and flour a 9-inch pie form/24 cm pie dish.
Pour batter in pie dish.
Place pie dish at the lowest part of the oven that you can.
Bake at 325 F (165 C) for 30 to 40 min or until it's golden in color and springs back to touch.
Avoid opening the oven door for the first 20 minutes of baking.
Cool on a wire rack.
Cut cooled cake into three layers.
I used a 12-inch pie dish instead of a 9-inch one, and the cake was wider and shorter, so I only cut it into two layers.

For the icing:
Beat softened butter and condensed milk until smooth.
Add coconut flakes and stir. You may add a bit more coconut if you feel that the icing is too runny.
Leave in fridge for about an hour to stiffen.

I find that cake, and sponge cakes in general, a bit dry but husband likes it as is. If it's too dry for your taste, you can drizzle the layers with milk or juice before icing them.

Glue layers with icing, ice top and sides.

A slice:

Cream Pie 2

This is one of my mother-in-law's recipes but it looks like a spin-off from Chrisell's recipe a few posts down, so for the sake of consistency, I'll call it Cream pie 2.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup + 3 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 lb (500 g) heavy whipping cream
1/2 oz (14 g) gelatine, for Americans, that's two envelopes of Knox gelatine.
1 cup fruit - berries work best, but sliced banana is good too
1/4 cup of cold water

Directions:

For the base:
Separate one egg white from the yolk - for how to, see here.
Set egg white aside, beat yolk with the remaining 2 eggs, 3 teaspoons of sugar and the flour.
Pour batter into a buttered pie dish.
Bake at 350F/175C for 6-7 minutes or until lightly brown.
Let base cool.

For the filling:
In a large bowl beat whipping cream with sugar until it forms soft peaks.
In a separate bowl beat egg white until it forms soft peaks.
When egg white is properly beaten, it should cling to the bowl when the bowl is flipped.

That is not of paramount importance in this recipe, but it is if you are making meringue.

For gelatine:
Soak gelatine in cold water.
Put the dish containing gelatine in another dish filled with water and put the whole constuction on the stove on low heat.
Continously stir until gelatine is dissolved.
Let it cool a little bit.

OT: should we make one post with instructions on how to work with gelatine, separate egg whites etc., so everybody can reference to it?

Add fruit (chopped or sliced if necessary) to whipped cream mixture and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon - no mixer at this point!
Add whipped egg white and stir.
Add gelatine and stir.
Pour everything on the cooled base and leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

I didn't get to take a picture before the pie was cut:

Strawberry Cream Pie

I made this pie for a dinner party on Friday night, and it went down very well. It's very sweet and rich, but the blandness of the cream layer nicely counterbalances the very sweet strawberry filling.

Please let me know if there are any products in this recipe that don't make sense to non-Australians!

Biscuit (Cookie) Base:

Ingredients:

250g sweet biscuits (US: cookies) (I used Arnotts Choc Ripple - any plain chocolate biscuit/cookie will work)
120g margarine, melted

Method:

1. Place biscuits (cookies) in food processor and blend until finely crushed.

2. Add melted margarine and blend until it can be rolled into balls

3. Press into the base of a ~20cm (8 inch) diameter pie dish or springform tin, and refrigerate until firm (a couple of hours). I used a pie dish and greased it with margarine beforehand to make sure the pie came out easily.

Pie Filling:

Ingredients:

1 85g (3oz) packet strawberry jelly crystals (US: jello)
2 x 1/2 teaspoon gelatine
3/4 cup (185mL) hot water
~425g (1 pound) can strawberries in syrup
300mL whipping cream
1/4 cup (62mL) cold water

Method:

1. Blend strawberries and syrup in a food processor on high for ~2 minutes until strawberries are completely dissolved

2. Put jelly, gelatine and hot water in a saucepan.

3. Stir over medium heat until jelly is dissolved.

4. Combine the strawberry mixture with the jelly mixture. Stir thoroughly then pour on top of set biscuit base. Refrigerate until firm (I left it overnight to be certain).

5. Place the cold water in a small bowl and sprinkle gelatine over the top.

6. Place the bowl containing the gelatine over a bowl of hot water (like when melting chocolate) and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool slightly.

7. Whip cream until it is forming soft peaks. Stir in the gelatine and water mixture.

8. Spread cream mixture over pie and refrigerate until firm (a couple of hours).

9. To decorate, top with sliced strawberries or chocolate curls, or dust with cocoa.

Stefanie Roll

This is a Bulgarian meatloaf-type dish. I have no idea who Stefanie is and why the dish is called like that :).

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

1 lb (500 g) ground meat (AUS: mince)
2 eggs
1 dill pickle, quartered
1 carrot
2 celery sticks
1/4 teaspoon of each: salt, black pepper, marjoram, cumin (or, season to taste)

Directions:

Hard boil one of the eggs (for how to, check here). Cut into quarters lengthwise.

Cut carrot lengthwise.

Steam carrot and celery sticks for 5 min. You can also boil them until they are tender, but steaming is faster and healthier.

Mix the other egg (raw!) with ground meat. Add spices.

Spread the ground meat mixture on aluminum foil forming a rectangle that is about an inch (2.5 cm) thick.

Arrange pickle, carrot, celery and egg along the long side of the meat rectangle.

With the help of the foil, form in a tight roll.

Tightly wrap into foil and roast at 500 F/260 C for 30 min. It's important for the roll to be tight so that it doesn't break later when cut.

Unwrap, lower oven temperature to 350 F/175 C and roast for about 10 minutes more.

Let it cool down for 10-15 min before cutting. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Pavlova Roll

I will be making this next Friday for friends so will have picture then.
This is in metric measurments.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 30-50 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients -
4 egg whites
½ cup or 110g caster sugar + 2 extra TBS
2 cups or 500ml whipped thickened cream
250g strawberries, halved
1 or 85g kiwi fruit, sliced
2 TBS passionfruit pulp

Directions -
Preheat oven to 200c or 392f.
Grease 26cm X 32cm swiss roll pan, line base with baking paper or foil (I prefer foil), extending paper 5cm over edges of long side of pan.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; add sugar, in batches, beating until dissolved between additions.
Spread the mixture into prepared pan and bake for 10 mins or until lightly browned.
Turn meringue onto sheet of baking paper, sprinkle with extra sugar.
Gently peel away baking paper, stand for 2 mins.
Spread a third of whipped cream over slightly warm meringue.
Place strawberries and kiwi fruit length ways in centre and then roll firmly from long side.
Refrigerate for 30 mins.Trim ends, cover top with remaining cream and decorate with passionfruit pulp.

Note: You can use different fruits, I often add banana and pinapple.

Creole-style Jambalaya

Jambalaya allegedly started as Spanish settlers tried to recreate paella in the conditions of the New World. It was later adopted by the Creoles of Louisiana, and later yet - by the Cajuns. This is a yummy (spicy!) and quite filling dish from the ex-French colony, modern-day US state of Louisiana.

The difference between creole- and cajun-style jambalaya is in the presence of tomatoes - this one has them :). I got this recipe from the friend of a friend whose mother is from Louisiana. It gets pretty close to the ones I've had at restaurants, so I consider it authentic.

As is, the jambalaya is flavorful but not very spicy. For more kick adjust the amount of cayenne pepper or shake in some hot sauce (Tabasco or the like). Maximum flavor is achieved when the jambalaya sits overnight before baking, so it's perfect for a Monday night meal when you've done the majority of the work the night before. But I've also baked it right after making it and it's still delicious. It tastes best right after baking. Leftovers reheat well but tend to lose the spicy kick. Makes 6 servings (which is to say husband and I finish the whole thing in 3 evenings).

I've put 1 pound to be 450 g for easy translation into metric. If anyone wants to be super exact, take note that 1 pound = 454 grams :).

Ingredients:

1lb (450 g) sausage, sliced
1lb (450 g) cooked chicken, cubed
1lb (450 g) tail-off shrimp (cooked or not, doesn’t matter)
¾ cup chopped green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped celery
32 oz (900 g) canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 ½ teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons oregano
½ tablespoon creole seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 cup rice

Directions:

Cook chicken (I use chicken breast), cube, reserve broth.
In a separate pan sauté sausage.
In a big pot sauté green pepper, garlic, parsley, celery (~5 min).
Add tomatoes, all spices.
Add rice.
Add chicken and sausage.

Cover and cook for 30 min over low heat, stirring occasionally. If liquid dries up (never happened to me), add some of the chicken broth.

Add shrimp and cook until pink or defrosted.

*Can be refrigerated at this point and baked later.

Spread in a baking dish (should fill a 9" x 13"/22 cm x 32 cm). Add 1 cup of the chicken broth to keep moist as baking. Bake at 350˚F (175˚C) until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

(Please ignore my ugly counter and even uglier stove - I rent!)

Chocolate Chip Muffins

'Tis the season of sugar-induced coma, so here is a recipe for chocolate chip muffins. I got the recipe from here, and made some adjustments. A few notes: those are American-style, not English muffins. Cups are US standard cups that hold 240 ml of liquid. This recipe makes 12. You will need one 12-cup (or 2 6-cup ones) regular muffin pan, for which the cups measure about 3 inches/7.5 cm in diameter. Metric conversion courtesy of http://allrecipes.com/

Ingredients:

2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
1 tablespoon (10 g) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1/3 cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
3/4 cup (150 g) miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

The main principle of making muffin batter is to mix the wet and the dry ingredients separately, and combine them in the end, mixing with a wooden spoon (no mixer!) just so all the dry ingredients get moistened. Proper muffin batter may be lumpy, but that's OK. Overmixing creates a dense heavy texture, and that is not the purpose here.

In a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg, milk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.

Grease muffin cups, or line them with paper cups. Fill them about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes and remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chicken Potato Patties

Basic Information on the Recipe:
I found this fabulous cook-book at the library - The Best Recipes in the World - while it's a mammoth cook-book, it looks really good. The author is a real cook, though, and expects one to have cheesecloth laying about. When I get my own home, I'll have those items around. Right now, I don't. :-D So after cutting many recipes out because I'd have to buy too many unnecessary ingredients that wouldn't be used, I found this one. While this is a North African recipe, it's an American cookbook. So the measurements are American.

I made it tonight, with a few changes. First, I couldn't get it form patties, and it was a LOT of oil anyway. The potatoes weren't cooked throughly as well. I ended up dumping all of it into a skillet with a half-cup of flour and 12 ounces of stock (chicken broth), simmered for about 30 minutes, and it worked out perfectly. Makes quite a lot of food, is incredibly filling, and fairly good for you.

Chicken Potato Patties - North Africa
These are chicken croquettes with North Africa Flavors. Leftover mashed potatoes and chicken are absolutely acceptable (and will make it far easier to mash - siri) and you can use cooked cod or other white-fleshed fish in place of chicken.

Ingredients:
Salt
1.5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (or at least 2 cups of left-over mashed potatoes)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced. (Or be like me and add twice as much. ;-)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground turmeric
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
black pepper
Flour, as needed
Neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed, for shallow frying

Instructions:
1) Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Cook the potatoes until easily pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, then add the chicken; cook until it is done, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the chicken (reserve some of the cooking water), cool it, then dice it finely.
2) Use a fork to mash the potatoes - they should remain a little chunky - in a bowl with the garlic, onion, and egg, then the chicken, parsley, cinnamon, turmeric, cayenne and salt and black pepper to taste. If the mixture seems dry, add a little of the cooking liquid; then add enough flour to enable you to shape the mixture into patties. (If you chill it first, this will be easier, but it isn't necessary)
3) Wet or flour your hands and shape the mixture into patties of any size, or simply scoop large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan, flattening them with the back of a spatula.
4) In a heavy skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of oil to 350 degrees (Fahrenheit! 176 degrees Celsius!) when the oil is ready - a pinch of flour will sizzle, and the oil will thin and start to shimmer (don't let it smoke) - slide in the chicken -potatoe patties and cook until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, garnished with the parsley or cilantro.