Cream Scones

Cream Scones

Ingredients

2 cups flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

5 Tbsp frozen butter

½ cup currants or sugared ginger

1 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp sugar

Directions

Oven to 450 degrees

Cookie sheet covered in parchment paper

Combine flour sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.

Grate (use a box grater or a flat grater)  in frozen butter.

Add in other contents such as currants, ginger and or pecans. *

Mix together.

Add in heavy cream and till dough just starts to come together.

Turn out onto a floured surface and pat dough together to form either a circle or a rectangle.  If you are going to make blueberry scones, add berries to rectangle shape and fold it over on itself a few times to integrate without breaking up the berries.

Cut rectangle into wedge shapes and circle into pie wedges.

Dab on butter to wedges and then sprinkle on the sugar.

Separate on cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the tops are lightly golden brown.  Rotate cookie sheet halfway through baking if you do not have a convection oven.

Place on a wire rack and cool for ten minutes before enjoying.

*It is fun to come up with your own combinations.  Some of our favorites are ginger pecan, lemon zest and blueberries, orange pecan and sometimes just straight up raisins or currants.    Add them all before you add the cream!

Have a light hand and a lot of fun!

French Silk Pie

French Silk Pie-the pie that nobody wanted but Bryce

Crust

1/3 cup lard/shortening/butter or some combination of the three (COLD)

1 cup flour

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup ice water (or less if you can)

Filling

1 cup butter

1 ½ cup sugar

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate melted

1 tsp vanilla

4 eggs

Topping

2 cups heavy whipping cream

4 tsp powdered sugar

1 Tbsp vanilla

Chocolate shavings for garnish

Directions

Prepare crust

          Cut lard into flour mixed with salt

          Gradually add water until moist

          Roll out dough and place in a ten inch pie plate

          Blind bake the crust and then let cool

Prepare filling

          Beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy

          Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla

          Add eggs one at a time, beating for five minutes for each egg.  Do it, it is worth it!

          Pour into cooled pie shell and chill for four long hungry hours

Prepare topping

          Whip cream and sugar and vanilla until thick,

          Spread over cooled pie

          Garnish and Voila!   

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread Cake (Cook’s magazine)

Okay. Some weird looking ingredients but this combination really works well.

Ingredients

Cake

2.5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

16 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp pepper

4 large eggs (Room Temperature)

1 ½ cups sugar

4 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger

¾ cup dark molasses

¾ cup stout beer (Guinness)

Glaze

1 ¾ cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp ginger ale

1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

Oven to 375 degrees, use the middle rack.

Grease and flour a Bundt pan.

Whisk together Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until bubbling.

Add ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, pepper to butter for about 30 seconds.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Whisk eggs, fresh ginger and sugar in a bowl.

Stir in butter mixture and beat until frothy.

Add molasses and beer and beat mixture until no lumps remain.

Combine flour and butter mixture and whisk together.

Pour into prepared Bundt pan.  Tap sides of pan to get out air bubbles.

Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out of the center of the cake free of batter.

Let cool at least twenty minutes before turning out onto a wire rack.

Let cake cool completely before adding glaze.

Whisk together all glaze ingredients and pour over cooled cake. 

Let glazed cake stand for 15 minutes to set up before cutting.

Mashed Potato Casserole

Easy to prepare, easy to store and a snap to shove in the oven the day of the event.  I got this from Cook's magazine and made just one small improvement to it by adding Vegetable stock instead of Chicken stock for the vegetarian in my family.

Ingredients

4 Pounds Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
1/2 cup Half and half
1/2 cup vegetable stock
12 tablespoons of unsalted butter cut up into pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Process

Oven rack to upper middle position.  Oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare 13 by 9 baking dish with a little bit of cooking spray.  Okay, sometimes I sprinkle the sprayed on butter with Parmesan cheese.

Put peeled potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let sit for about 20 minutes.

Heat half and half, stock, butter, salt, mustard and garlic in a separate pan over medium-low heat until smooth-about five minutes, then just keep warm.

Drain potatoes and with a hand mixer, start the whipping process.  Add milk mixture and beat until most of the lumps are out.  Scrape down the sides and add the eggs one at a time and beat until just incorporated.  Do all four eggs.  Fold in Chives.

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.  Whip up the tops with a fork if you want it to look pretty.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Let it cool for 10 minutes and then serve.

The mixture above will be runny.  Don't worry about that.  It will be perfect.  Relax and enjoy!

Note:
The beauty of this recipe is that it can be assembled ahead of time (up to 24 hours).  If you do that, follow the instructions, let it cool down in the pan and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and then refrigerate.  When you are ready to cook it, let it come to room temperature (about an hour on the counter) and then bake uncovered for the regular cooking time plus ten minutes.

Orange-Avocado Shrimp

Orange-Avocado Shrimp

Another winner from Jim and Sherry.

What you need

-        1 pound frozen large peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed

-        Salt

-        1 lime (if small – I use 2)        

-        2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

-        1/8 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (I use more like a healthy ¼ tsp. of red pepper  flakes.)

-        2 oranges, peeled and chopped (I like the orange, so I use 2 large)

-        1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped (I use at least 2)

-        4 cups cooked rice

Directions

1.   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and opaque throughout, about 5 minutes. Drain well and rinse under cold running water until cool. (I chop the shrimp into small chunks so that it goes farther.)

2.   Into a large bowl, zest the lime and squeeze the juice. Whisk in the oil, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt. Add the shrimp, oranges, and avocado and gently fold together. Spoon over rice.

3.       We like to serve with Costco’s Mango-Orange bottled salsa

Pineappe Pudding Cake

Pineappe Pudding Cake

I got this recipe from Jim and Sherry Noeldner after spending a delightful weekend at their "B & B" in Hansville.  The cake was light and tasty and enjoyed by all present.

1 (18.5 oz.) box yellow cake mix (do not use the pudding in the mix type)

2/3 cup sugar  (I use about ½ cup)

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple (including the juice)

1 (6 oz.) package vanilla pudding mix

1 tub non-dairy whipped topping (I use the bigger tub)

Flaked or shredded coconut (I toast first)

Directions:

1.    Grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch cake pan, bake the cake according to package directions.

2.    Poke lots of holes into the top of the cake (best to use something like a wooden skewer, but a toothpick will work – poke about every inch.)

3.    Mix pineapple and sugar and pour over warm cake.

4.    Make the pudding according to package directions and pour over cake. (I use instant pudding – but recipe actually calls for cooked.)

5.    Chill in refrigerator. (I go ahead and do the next step before putting in frig to chill and it works just fine.)

6.    Spread whipped topping over cake and sprinkle coconut on top.

7.    Store in frig.

 

Cheesies

Cheesies
From Nanci Zombro

2 Cups grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Cup Butter
3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 tsp water
smoked paprika
pecan halves


Mix together the first seven ingredients.  Roll into a log and wrap in plastic wrap to chill.
When thoroughly chilled.  Cut into 1/4 inches slices.  Brush with egg water and sprinkle with paprika.  Place a pecan half on each round.
Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.

(Pecan halves are optional so you can do them without but then they're awfully plain looking)

Quiche Lorraine

I nine inch pastry dough

 (for Bryce and Rachel)

Ingredients

12 slices of bacon, lightly cooked and cut up

1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese (Gruyere or Comte’)

1/3 cup minced onion, lightly sautéed

1 TBSP flour

4 eggs

2 cups whipping cream

¾ tsp salt

¼ sugar

1/8 cayenne pepper

1/8 nutmeg

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees

Mix flour with bacon and onion at the last minute of sauté’

Sprinkle bacon, cheese and onions over bottom of the pie shell

Whisk eggs and add remaining ingredients.

Pour over bacon mixture.

Cook in hot oven for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 300 degrees and cook for 30 more minutes.

Quiche is done when knife comes out clean.

Let stand for ten minutes before cutting!

Voila’, you have a perfect Quiche!