Crème Pâtissière - pastry cream

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This is really yummy stuff. I use it for princess cake or stuffing cream puffs or put as the base of a fruit tart or ...

5 oz milk - see note
1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk

1-2 tablespoons butter (optional, used for richness)

note: the 5 oz milk plus the 2 tablespoons milk = 3/4 cup milk. So just measure out the 3/4 cup, remove the 2 tablespoons to a small dish, and you're good to go.

Scald the 5 oz of milk in a saucepan.
Combine the 2 tablespoons milk, cornflour, salt, sugar, egg yolk.
With the milk on medium low heat slowly wisk in the other ingredients and cook until the right consistency.
At this point you may add a flavoring of your choice if you like - vanilla, almond, orange, etc.
Stir in butter, if desired, and chill.

Chocolate Truffle Cake

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This is an awesome decadent dessert for a dinner party. It's easy and impressive and people really like it. It can easily be made as the second dessert, as two desserts are better than one à mon avis.

8 oz chocolate, semi-sweet or dark - your choice
2 oz butter (or 2 1/2)
1 Tbl flour
1 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl brandy
2 eggs, separated

1/2 cup whipping cream
1 Tbl sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Grease the bottom of a 5 1/2 - 6 inch loose bottom pan.
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler,
or a glass bowl placed over steaming water.
Add the flour, sugar, and brandy and blend well.
Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not brittle.
Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites.
Turn into the pan and bake for 15 minutes.
The cake will look a bit undone.
Let cool and chill.

When ready to serve, whip the cream and sugar and vanilla until fairly stiff, but not butter, and place on top.
The cake will likely have sunk in the middle, and placing the whipped cream on top fills in the sunken area beautifully.

If you double the recipe use an 8 inch pan and cook for a bit longer, say 20 minutes.

White Mountain Frosting

My children always loved this frosting. But I have to tell you right up front, it's a bit tricky.

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 Tbls water
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a saucepan.
Cover and heat over medium heat, till it comes to a good boil.
Uncover and heat to 242 degrees.
While heating the sugar, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not brittle.
When the sugar is hot enough, with the egg whites still being beaten, slowly pour the hot sugar mixture over the whites in a very thin stream. When thoroughly incorporated, add the vanilla. Beat on high speed until nice and stiff.

Quiche

I was surprised to find that I had never posted quiche. I make it fairly often, but probably never the same quiche twice. So this will just be a general instructions kind of recipe. Quiche Lorraine is of course the most common, a great starting off point. This is a picture of Maria Teresa of Habsburg Lorraine. I believe Marie Antoinette had the same title, maybe the two are the same person. I'll have to look into that.


Crust:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 stick cold butter, diced up
2 Tbls shortening (to keep the crust in line)
2 - 3 Tbls iced water

Filling:
this is the whatever you like and have on hand
for example:
- onion
- leeks
- zucchini
- cherry tomatoes
- yellow squash
- mushrooms
- ham
- bacon
- shrimp
- whatever

plus cheese - whatever kind is in the regrigerator
- my favorites are Gruyère or Swiss or Cheddar or Monteray Jack
- or you name it.

Then you need the custard:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk, whole milk is good, or you can make part of this cream (the less fat, the more likely the quiche will curdle just a bit, this is okay, but not the most desirable)
pinch of salt
some nutmeg if you like
some herbs in you like, not too much

Begin by making the dough for the crust. See Pie Crust for instructions.
Put the wrapped dough into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Start organizing what you want to put into the quiche.
You will want to fry up the onions or leeks and of course the bacon if you have selected it.
The veggies need to be cooked just a wee bit.
Shred the cheese or cheeses that you have chosen, maybe about a cup.
I put the prepared ingredients into separate places, but then that's just me.

Then roll out the pie crust and put into a quiche dish, pushing the sides down gently to make sure that the crust will not shrink unnecessarily. Then cut off the excess using the rolling pin - just roll it over the dish.
Dot the base of the shell with a fork and put the empty shell in the oven while you mix up the custard.
When all the ingredients are ready take out the shell and start adding the ingredients. I begin with the onions, then the veggies and meat or fish, then I sprinkle on the cheese.
Then carefully pour the custard all over everything. If you like you may add a sprinkling of Parmesan or something like that.
Put into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Check it every once in a while. When done it wants to be golden and not all jiggly, Let cool for just a bit before serving. I like to serve this with a green salad or yummy green vegetable and French bread.


You can make quiches in all kinds of sizes you like. My quiches (or tart) dishes go from 5 inches to 11 inches. You just have to adjust the cooking time.

Tarragon Chicken for two

Cooking for two is a bit of a challenge for me. I began life cooking for 10.

1 chicken breast, in two halves
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
3 tablespoons dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
a good pinch of sea salt, or any salt you have
some freshly ground black pepper
fresh tarragon, or in my case I used several dashes of a Parisian seasoning mix which contained tarragon (Parisien Bonnes Herbes from Penzeys)

Turn the oven to 375 degrees.
Fry the chicken pieces in the butter and olive oil for about five minutes.
Place the pieces into a small baking dish and put into the oven for 15 minutes.
Keep the pan just as it is still on the stove, waiting for later use.

When the chicken is done, take out of oven and pour the liquids in the dish into the pan that you had fried the chicken in. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until reduced to about half. Pour the sauce over the chicken to serve.

Cherry Coconut Pudding

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Annie and I were having Shepherd's Pie for dinner and were going to watch the new Upstairs Downstairs while eating it, and it seemed to me that a British sort of dessert would be nice to go with it. To me the quintessential British dessert is pudding. This is not from a cookbook or anything, but I don't think British women need official recipes for their puddings.


2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
3 Tbs melted butter
1/2 cup coconut (I used Baker's, not desiccated)
1/3 tsp vanilla
handful of dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Generously butter an 7 inch souffle dish, or something of that nature.
Start putting the ingredients (except for the cherries) into a mixing bowl, stirring with a fork with each addition.
Pour into the buttered dish, and then gently drop the cherries one at a time over the top.
Bake for about 50 minutes.
Eat while still warm, as it's really tasty then. But it's very good later also.

Shredded Brussel Sprouts

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Have you ever felt like you were the last person in the world to discover something. Well that's what it feels like with shredded Brussel sprouts. In early December I was visiting with friends in Seattle, and Lynn told me about sauteing shredded Brussel sprouts. I listen, but not so well as to memorize the recipe. Then for Christmas dinner I bought a bunch of Brussel sprouts, thinking I'll try to remember what Lynn said. What I did turned out to be a really big hit. This is among absolute die-hard Brussel spout haters! I've since discovered that you can add all kinds of things with shredded Brussel sprouts.

Brussel sprouts

butter or olive oil, or a combination of the two.

pancetta or ham or bacon, diced up

some minced onion

salt and pepper

a bit of sugar (optional)

maybe some balsamic vinegar, or maybe some other kind (optional)

nuts of your choice (optional)

You can shred the Brussel sprouts in the food processor, or do it by hand. I prefer the hand method. Saute the onions, then add the meat and saute to cook. Then add the Brussel sprouts. They don't take long to cook. Stir them a bunch. Add the seasons you like and cook just a bit and taste to see what you think. Actually, everything but the Brussel sprouts is optional. Well you need butter or oil too.

Chocolate Armagnac Pecan Pie

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Pie Crust:
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 tsp salt
3/4 stick butter, cold and cut into small chunks

1 Tbl shortening (this helps keep the crust consistent)
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate,
chopped up

3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons Armagnac
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

Crust: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and shortening and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle on the ice water and work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Use your hand to press the whole thing together when done. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, flatten to a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Cover the disc of dough with flour and roll out on a piece of waxed paper into a circle. It will be a little bigger that the waxed paper. Using the waxed paper, flip the dough over and into a 9-inch pie plate. Carefully press the dough into the plate so it fits tightly and tuck under the excess dough and crimp the edges.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling: melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, remove from heat and let cool. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl until frothy and then blend in the sugar. Stir in the corn syrup, vanilla, bourbon, salt, and the melted butter mixture until well blended.

Arrange the pecans on the pie crust and carefully pour the egg mixture over them.

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set and rather puffy.

Cool the pie completely.

Serve with whipped cream:

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons sugar

a splash of vanilla

Combine and whip with an electric mixer until firm, but not butter.

Rum Raisin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 Tbls rum

1 cup butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup organic raw sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbls wheat germ (or a little more if you like)

2 cups oatmeal

1 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 cup chocolate chips (more if you like)

Put the raisins to soak in the rum.

Preheat oven to 370 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar

Mix in the egg and vanilla.

Combine the flour and salt and baking soda and add to the creamed mixture.

Add the raisins and the rum, then the chips and nuts, and finally the oatmeal.

Mix well.

Bake for about 8 minutes. Your oven will influence the baking time.

They want to be lightly golden brown.

Cool and a baking rack, and store.

Moist and yummy chocolate cake

This is really a yummy moist cake, and it's great for when you need a cake but don't want to spend too much time making it because you have other things to do. It stays moist for days if covered. And it can be eaten by just holding a piece in your hand.

2 cups flour (9 ounces)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup cocoa (preferably Drost or Hershey's Special Dark)
1 tsp baking soda
1/s tsp salt

1/3 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cups cold water
1/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350.
Grease and flour a bundt pan, not too big will do, but bigger is okay.
Combine the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
Add the wet ingredients and stir well, but don't stir to death or the baking soda will be spent.
Pour into the prepared pan. It should not fill more than 3/4 of the pan. If it does you will have cake overflowing its pan.
Bake until the cake springs back to the touch and a pick comes out clean.

This cake is very moist so you must make sure it is done enough.
I'd start the timer at about 50 minutes. This is probably not long enough, but you need to sneak up on it. Let cool for maybe 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate.

German Chocolate Cake

My youngest daughter has asked for a German chocolate cake for her birthday - she'll be thirty. I am quite excited for the opportunity to make one, as I've never made one before. So here's a recipe I've found, and I'm going for it.

Prepare three 9" cake tins lined with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350.

4 oz German's Sweet Chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup boiling water

8 oz butter
15 oz of superfine sugar

4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

10 oz cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

4 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Melt the chocolate gently in boiling water.
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add egg yolks, vanilla, and chocolate.
Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
Pour into the three 9" pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Frost only the tops of the layers with the traditional German chocolate cake coconut pecan frosting, leaving the sides unfrosted.

coconut pecan filling and frosting:

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecan nuts

Combine all ingredients except coconut and pecans in a saucepan.
Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 12 minutes. When the mixture thickens, remove from heat.
Stir in the coconut and pecans.
Cool until the mixture is spreadable.

Or should I use this classic old recipe from the inside of the chocolate package.

GERMAN Sweet Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate
1/3 cup boiling water
2 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
1-1/3 cups Sugar
3 Eggs, separated
3/4 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 cup Buttermilk

Coconut-Pecan Filling and Frosting

4 Egg yolks
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1-1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1-1/2 cups Sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
1 pkg. (7 oz.) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut (about 2-2/3 cups)
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

BEAT egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan with wire whisk until well blended. Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
ADD coconut and pecans; mix well. Cool to room temperature and of desired spreading consistency.
USE to frost your favorite cake or cupcake recipe.

Creamy Fetta Vinaigrette

1/4 olive oil

1/4 rice wine vinegar

1/4 water

juice of 1/2 lime

heaping Tbl sugar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

pinch salt

dash pepper

some Sunny Paris (Penzeys) , if you have some, or some herbe de Provence

1 clove garlic

a little piece of red onion or a piece of green onion

about an inch square hunk of fetta

Put it all in the blender and process on liquify until liquified.

Sunny Paris: shallots, chives, green peppercorns, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil and bay leaf