Meringue
There are several types of meringue. The sweetened, uncooked beaten egg whites that form the “islands” of Floating Island (also known in French as Ile flottante), the partly cooked toppings of lemon meringue pie and other meringue pie and other meringue-topped desserts, and the classic dry featherweight meringue. Different preparation techniques produce these results. French meringue is the method best known to home cooks. Fine white sugar is beaten into egg whites. Italian meringue is made with boiling sugar syrup, instead of white sugar. This leads to a much more stable soft meringue which can be used in various pastries without collapsing. In an Italian meringue, a hot sugar syrup is whipped into softly whipped egg whites until stiff. This type of meringue is safe to use without cooking. It will not deflate for a long while and can be either used on pies and Baked Alaska, or spread on a sheet and baked for meringues. Swiss meringue is whisked over a bain-marie (water bath) to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools. Then it is baked.
INGREDIENTS
2 Egg Whites
¼ Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 Pinch Salt
½ Cup Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Preheat oven to 375° F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In medium bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and salt. Beat on high speed until stiff. Beat in sugar one tablespoon at a time. Fold in vanilla. Drop batter by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Place in oven and turn oven off. Leave in the oven for 5 hours. Makes 12
Crème Caramel
INGREDIENTS
Custard:
1 Quart Whole Milk
1 ¼ Cups Plus 3 Tablespoons Sugar
5 Jumbo Eggs
3 Jumbo Egg Yolks
2 ¼ Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
Caramel:
½ Cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Sugar
3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
3 Tablespoons Water
First arrange 8 (1 Cup) ramekins in a large roasting pan and set aside. To make the caramel: in a small saucepan, bring the sugar, water and corn syrup to a simmer over medium heat. Stir lightly to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 25 minutes or until a rich, amber caramel amber caramel forms. Pour an equal amount of hot caramel into each ramekin. If the caramel gets too hard, gently reheat it. Preheat the oven to 300° F. To make the custard: In a large saucepan, bring the milk and sugar just to a simmer over medium heat. Stir for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Let cool until warm. In a large bowl, whisk the whole eggs with the yolks. Slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture and then the vanilla. Strain the custard and pour into the prepared ramekins. Add enough hot water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan with 2 layers of plastic wrap. Bake the custard for 1 hour or until they are set, but still slightly wiggle in the center. Remove the hot custards from the water bath and let them cool on a rack until they are room temperature. Cover and refrigerate the custards overnight. To serve pour 2 inches of extremely hot water into a small bowl. Dip the ramekin in the hot water for 10 seconds and then run a thin knife around the edge of the ramekin to loosen the custard. Invert the crème caramel onto a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining crème caramels and serve. Serves 8
Julia’s Popovers
INGREDIENTS
¼ Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Sifted Flour
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
Extra Butter For Muffin Wells
Put 1/3 teaspoon butter in each muffin well. Heat the muffin tin in the oven for 5 minutes while you are mixing the batter. Sift the flour and salt into a medium sized bowl. In a separate medium sized bowl beat the eggs with a rotary beater. Now add the milk, butter and flour while beating on low. Mix only enough to make a smooth batter. Do not over mix. Fill the hot muffin wells 1/3rd full of the mixture. Bake in a preheated 450° F oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes turn the oven down to 350° F and bake for another 30 minutes or until brown and popped. Makes 12
Date Nut Bread
Serve this Date Nut Bread with butter or cream cheese. You will love it!
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Cups Chopped Pitted Dates
6 Tablespoons Butter – Cut Into Pieces
1 ¼ Cups Boiling Water
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
¾ Cups Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Large Lightly Beaten Egg
1 Cup Coarsely Chopped Walnuts
In a medium bowl, combine dates, butter and boiling water. Let stand until cool. Preheat the oven to 325° F and grease a 9×5 inch metal loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sir the egg into the cooled date mixture. Stir date mixture into the flour mixture just until the flour is moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack. Makes 1 loaf (16 Slices)
Warm Crab Dip
INGREDIENTS
1 ¾ Cups Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sour Cream
4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Pound & 2 Ounces Fresh Cooked Crabmeat
1 Cut In Half Garlic Clove
Butter For Greasing
Salt & Pepper
Fresh Dill For Garnish
Crackers Or French Bread To Serve
Combine cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Add the crabmeat, salt & pepper and gently stir together. Taste and add extra Worcestershire sauce if needed. Cover and let chill for up to 24 hours.
When you are ready to heat the dip, remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F. Rub the cut sides of the garlic cloves over the base and sides of an oven proof dish suitable for serving from. Then lightly grease and spoon the crab mixture into the dish and smooth the surface. Heat the dip through in the oven for 15 minutes.
The dip is best kept warm when served, traditionally by using a chafing dish heated by a candle. Either spoon the dip into such a dish, sprinkle with dill and set over the heat source or set the dip in its ovenproof dish over a fondue burner and garnish with dill. Serve with crackers or French bread pieces. Serves 8 to 12
Asparagus & Prosciutto Rolls
INGREDIENTS
18 Thick & Trimmed Asparagus Spears
2 Teaspoons Salt
6 Slices Imported Italian Prosciutto (such as Prosciutto di Parma)
4 Ounces Fontina Cheese – Cut Into Thin Slices
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter – Melted
Freshly Ground Pepper
Bring about 2 inches of water to a boil in a large shallow pan. Add the asparagus and salt. Cook until the asparagus are partially tender when pierced with a fork (about 4 minutes – depending on their thickness). Do NOT overcook. Drain the asparagus and rinse them under cool water. Pat dry with paper towels.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a large baking dish. Make 6 bundles of 3 asparagus each. Wrap a slice of prosciutto around the center of each bundle. Place the bundles in the baking dish. Lay the pieces of cheese on top of the prosciutto. Brush the butter over the asparagus. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the asparagus are tender. Serve hot. Serves 6
Tiramisu
INGREDIENTS
7 Egg Yolks
1 Cup Sugar For Egg Yolks
3 Cups Mascarpone Cheese
4 ½ Tablespoons Water
1 ½ Tablespoons Powdered Gelatin
3 Egg Whites
¼ Cup Sugar For Egg Whites
1 Cup Heavy Cream – Whipped
2 ½ Cups Cooled Espresso Coffee
½ Cup Kalhua
20 t0 24 Ladyfingers
1 Cup Chocolate Shavings
In a mixer whip yolks and sugar until thick and pale in color. Add the mascarpone and whip until well combined. Pour water into a small bowl and then pour the powdered gelatin over it. DO NOT STIR. Allow the gelatin to absorb all of the water which will take about 15 minutes. Next place the bowl on top of a small saucepan containing simmering water to create a double boiler. Immediately turn off the heat and allow the gelatin to dissolve completely. In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to a soft peak and gradually add the sugar. Next slowly pour in the dissolved gelatin. Whip to a stiff and glossy peak. Fold the egg whites into the mascarpone and egg yolk mixture and the fold in the whipped cream.
In a separate bowl, combine the espresso and kalhua. Soak 1 ladyfinger at a time in the espresso mixture. In an 8 x 10 inch pan, arrange the soaked ladyfingers close together in neat rows until the bottom of the pan is completely covered. Pour ½ of the “mousse” over the ladyfingers and smooth with a spatula. Sprinkle ½ of the chocolate shavings over the mouse. Create another layer and chill until set.
Serves 10 to 12
Basic Chocolate Truffles
INGREDIENTS
2 Pounds Good Quality Chocolate
1 Quart Heavy Cream
¼ Pound Butter
1/3 Cup Grand Marnier (or liqueur of choice)
Cocoa Powder
Melt chocolate and cream over a double boiler and whisk in butter & liqueur. Continue to whisk as the mixture cools and thickens. Pour into a storage container and refrigerate. To serve, scoop with a melon baller and roll in powdered cocoa. Truffles are soft and are not suitable for packaging as gifts. These truffles are easy to make and melt in your mouth good. Makes approximately 32
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Victoria’s Banana Bread
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Beaten Egg
1 Cup Sugar
¼ Cup Molasses
3 Ripe Bananas
¼ Cup Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease bottom and sides of 8x4x2 inch loaf pan and set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and set aside.
In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, bananas, molasses and olive oil. Add banana mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Spoon batter in prepared loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
INGREDIENTS
10 Ounce Package Spinach
14 ½ Ounce Can of Artichoke Hearts Drained
½ Cup Jar of Roasted Red Peppers Drained
1 Bunch Green Onions
¾ Cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Chopped Jalapenos
Juice of ½ Lemon
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Add drained spinach, drained artichoke hearts, drained fire roasted red peppers, jalapenos and green onions to a food processor and chop until you like the consistency. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Season with salt & pepper and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
