Cakes revisited

Chiffon Cake
I'm happy to repost my Chiffon Cake recipe from an earlier post- June 14,2008 under the Title "Pineapple-Strawberry Chiffon Cake". (Thanks Katherine for asking-I'm delighted to do it.) This is what it looked like then:





This is the vanilla pudding-pineapple cream icing which you slather on to the cake. This hides all the knife nicks that can't be hidden when you just put on a light lemon glaze as in the last photo.* From here you can go crazy and pile on any fresh fruit and rename it accordingly. I sometimes add some dark chocolate bits or drizzle chocolate onto it to add a different touch.





Leaving it plain or by adding a simple glaze of icing sugar, lemon rind and juice plus enough hot water to make a thin glaze, gives you many options such as adding strawberries or blueberries etc served with ice cream. I really like the lemon flavor served with the lemon cream. It's my latest favorite.

Recipe:
Chiffon Cake
(adapted from my tattered old Robin Hood cookbook of bygone years)

1-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons grated orange or lemon rind (optional)
6 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
Beat egg whites in a large mixing bowl-add cream of tartar and beat until peaks form
Mix dry ingredients together-make a hollow and add oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and rind. Mix with beater until smooth.
Fold flour mixture gently into the egg whites using a sturdy rubber spatula.
Pour into ungreased 10"x4" tube pan.
Bake for 55 minutes, then increase temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking 10-15 minutes. Cake is done if top springs back when touched lightrly.
Turn pan upside down resting tube pan on a narrow necked bottle. (I use an old tabasco bottle and then brace it against my toaster oven and a teapot which I have next to the oven.) Let cake stand until cold before removing from pan.
Frost and decorate according to the occasion!

Frosting pictured:
Whip 500ml whipping cream
Add about 2 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding
Add 1 tin crushed pineapple - drain most of the juice
Split cake in half horizontally and put a layer of whip cream filling on the bottom half
Add sugared strawberries
Place other layer on top - press down gently
Cover cake with cream mixture working carefully from top to bottom all the way around
filling in the center whole
Decorate with kiwi slices and strawberries
Chocolate squizzles all over the cake also make a great addition.

An orange or lemon glaze made with icing sugar also is wonderful. Here is the cake I served the other day with only a lemon glaze. Serve lemon cream on the side. (See October 22 entry for lemon cream recipe.)

*This post should have appeared one slot earlier but I got bogged down with my computer and so here it is now.

Rhubarb Custard Pie

Today we savoured the first of the tender rhubarb from our garden. I'm using this picture from last spring's crop. At that time I posted the picture but didn't include the recipe.

I've altered the original recipe from the MEI Cookbook to suit a gluten intolerant diet. Today I also included the whole eggs in the recipe and omitted the meringue just because I had a late start:

Rhubarb Custard Pie
2 eggs - beaten
2 tblsp milk (I used almond milk)
1 1/2 cups sugar - I could have used a wee bit less
3 heaping tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups rhubarb - cut in not too small chunks
1 tblsp melted butter

Stir and pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 400o for 40-45 minutes.

Today I baked the filling in a round casserole without a crust - it was a most delicious custard dessert!

Happy New Year!

Ever since I can remember New Year's Eve meant Portzelky-(raisin fritters.)How we looked forward, as children, to those tasty deep-fried morsels, a grand finale to the festive Christmas season. (It's hard to imagine in our society of indulgence, a time when snacks were rare and measured. In a large family such as ours, it just had to be that way in order to keep the household running efficiently. Of course none of the popular snacks of today had even been dreamed of back then. In our family a snack meant a hearty chunk of home-made bread with peanut butter and honey and this only after school. -There actually was a time when our favourite snack was bread with catsup! - But with all the many options that we have at our finger tips our kids still all love those Portzelky!)

Portzelky
Mix together:
2 cups warm milk
1 cup warm water
1/3 cup melted butter
6 eggs - beaten
2 teaspoons salt

Add:
4+ cups flour to which
4 teaspoons of yeast has been added

Blend and beat with wire whip until fairly thick (this is the tricky part for me every year - since I only make them this one time of the year, I guess at how 'soft or hard' to get the dough -softer than harder is better but if too soft you get greasier fritters. Add more flour as needed.

Now add lots of washed raisins - at least 4 cups. More raisins gets them cooked faster.

Cover the mixture and let rise in a warm place, about 1 hour.
Heat lots of oil in a fryer or electric pan to about 350o. Drop batter carefully by large wooden spoonsful into hot fat. Don't crowd. Cook until golden brown and then gently turn to brown underside. Each batch requires only about five minutes frying time. Lift with tongs into large tray lined with paper towelling. Yummy! We always ate ours without sugar since the raisins are so sweet, and I still do, but many like to dunk the fritters into sugar.

Lentil Soup

Unlike the tradition of the fritters, lentil soup is something I often make but never for a New Year's Eve dinner. We found it to be a wonderful combo with the fritters and one I'll try again. I wasn't that pleased with the photo since I quickly took it before sitting down for our meal with Olga and Linda our special guests.

The 'croutons' on top of the soup are actually nacho chips. A year ago while vacationing in Mexico at Nerdfiesta, we were served a delicious soup called 'Tortilla Soup' on New year's Eve as an appetizer in San Miguel de Allende. It was a vegetable type soup with lots of tortilla strips on top. Now we often add crunchy chips to our soups as a topper. I'll try to post the recipe another time. This is getting too long and the New Year beckons!

One comment about the dishes we used at our dinner. They are made in Mexico and ones which we've brought back with us at various times. I love the vibrant colours and life they portray. We were remembering Mexico and part of our family, Andrew, Dana, Eva and Micah, who make their home there.

I first began entertaining the idea of blogging two years ago. With that in mind I had this photo of Portzelky on file thinking I would like to blog about that some time. So this picture shows the fritters that I made two years ago and which were consumed with great gusto at an extended family gathering that New Year's Day.

Borscht... Buns...Dessert

Winter is here and those turkey bones will be ready to stew into a healthy, hearty soup stock. With that in mind I'm posting these photos together...because what is borscht without a bun followed by something sweet? Apple pie of course would be the 'creme de la creme' but I don't have a picture of the apple pie we had in honour of Colin's birthday the other day. The raspberry cake is a close second though. This is equally good with fresh or quick frozen raspberries or blueberries. The buns, twirly buns as our kids always referred to them, are a derivative of a wonderful large recipe from my sister Herta. Years ago she made them by the dozens and I followed suit when I started whipping around in my own kitchen. Since then I've dropped the milk and eggs from the original recipe and make a mere fifteen or so, using only a very basic formula to suit my breadmaker. Now I simply divide the breadmaker dough into two portions patting each down in a circle. I cut them into wedges and roll them up. Proof in a warm oven until chubby, then bake and eat.

Borscht is my very favourite soup and - everybody has their own version of the best borscht. My soups are never the same from one time to another. My mother said the cabbage was important - fresh, crisp cabbage. The cabbage I had for this batch had been sitting in my basement fridge since September, very ready to be used. But after severe trimming of that massive head, we found the soup to be delicious even so! But I do know from personal experience that a fresh cabbage in summer makes it even better. Sometimes I use the cabbage and carrots from a packaged chopped coleslaw. That speeds up the process when in a hurry. Sometimes I add a yam or turnip - very nice. But basically I use what I have in the fridge like pickled beets instead of fresh beets. Before sealing the hot soup in sterilized jars, I add as much chopped turkey as I've got or want. Refrigerate the jars when cool and use as needed.

Borscht - this recipe

Cook turkey bones in water for several hours.
Chop and saute in small amount of oil: (do this right in heavy soup pot)
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic
1 medium Cabbage

Add boiling water to cover and simmer. Meanwhile chop and add carrots, celery, peppers, green onions, potatoes. Now add the strained turkey stock, or chicken or beef or just plain water adding bouillon as needed. Simmer gently. Add a bunch of parsley and dill. When vegetables are done season with salt, peppercorns in a tea ball, 1-2 bay leaves, a few red pepper flakes, about 1/2 cup of salsa and a large splash of catsup. Bring back to boil and then simmer. (I added a liter of chicken bouillon to thin the vegetables.) This is when we have our first bowl of borscht - it's good but we know that tomorrow's soup will be even better...it just is.

Easy Twirly Buns

In breadmaker mix:
13 oz water
1/8 cup oil plus 1 tablespoon of soft butter-or more
4 cups white flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

Set on dough cycle. Roll dough, let rise then bake at 400o for 14 minutes

Raspberry Cake
Recipe from my Aunt Anna - Tante Anna

1/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspooon salt
1 cup milk
2 cups raspberries

Cream butter and sugar. Add well-beaten egg, vanilla. Add dry ingredients with milk, beating just enough to keep batter smooth. Pour into greased/floured 9"x13" pan*. Sprinkle with raspberries.

Bake at 375o 30-40 minutes. Drizzle with thin vanilla icing while warm.

*I baked the pictured cake in a springform pan for aesthetic purposes. Doing this I had to bake it a lot longer since the center stayed soft much longer.

Decorate with fresh raspberries, fresh mint (from my garden) and serve with ice-cream.

Raspberry Jam

My family loves jam...any kind of jam but especially raspberry jam. And raspberry jam is the easiest jam to make. I make sure I get a lot of fresh berries into the freezer during July and then I can make it throughout the year. I've started to add a small ratio of frozen blueberries-Raspberry Blues I call this jam- which I also get in summer and freeze. Most people seem to enjoy receiving some of this jam from time to time. I've started using smaller jars in order to keep up. After Daniel finished with baby food jars last year, Jenn kept many for me and I started using these jars and found them to be great for jam. Way too small for anything but a couple of pieces of toast for sure but a nice treat just the same. Now he's long out of baby food and I've used up the last of my neat little jars with this batch of jam.

Yesterday I sterilized jars -different sizes...one a quart size especially prepared for Al for his unrestricted use- and lids, then made jam from a very simple recipe which my mother used for every kind of jam.

Recipe:
1:1 Ratio: 1 part prepared fruit to an equal part of sugar (no pectin is required)

In very large heavy pot thaw raspberries on very low heat. (I measure the berries after they are thawed and have bubbled somewhat. The fruit can be left on the lowest heat without much attention once the juices have started to flow)

Add some frozen blueberries but only about a quarter as many as raspberries or even less depending on how you like the ratio.

After everything has come to a gentle bubble - adjusting heat accordingly - I pour the mixture into my 8 cup measuring cup. (I've found any quantity greater than this doesn't let the jam gel as nicely as if the batch is no more than eight cups.) From this you can see the amount of fruit you have. Add the same amount of sugar and return to stove with the heat on high. Now the jam has to come to a rolling boil but make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom. Once it's boiling hard - only a minute or two - reduce heat to low and boil gently for 4 more minutes. Now your quantity has increased. Pour hot jam immediately into measuring cup in order to fill clean, hot jars almost to the top. Make sure the lip of the jar is clean before sealing.

While the jam is boiling I place all the lids into a small pot of boiling water to sterilize. The jars are waiting in the sink, clean and filled with boiling water from the kettle. When everything's ready, empty the jars and set them upside down on a clean towel beside the sink. They're ready to go. I let the finished jars sit on the counter for 24 hours to gel and then refrigerate them. This morning I labelled and wrapped them in fancy cellophane ready to share with someone during this festive season.

Tasty Treats - gluten free

Since Al seems to be allergic to foods containing gluten and does so much better without regular wheat bread and other wonderful foods made with wheat, Jennifer has been vigilant looking for recipes, experimenting with new ideas and using us as welcome "guinea pigs". Through a sister who is a celiac we've been made aware of how complex that kind of a restricted diet can be. I take my hat off to her and to the many others who have to find their way through a maze of extra steps...and sticky fingers when using rice flour...in finding the right foods and balance that works effectively for them.

Today there are a myriad of gluten-free products available even in regular grocery stores. I've been using a white gluten-free cake mix called "Celimix". It is excellent warm. After I bake the cake and use what is needed, I cut the rest into serving-size pieces and freeze them. With just a few seconds of "nuking" the cake comes out beautifully and can be used as a great shortcake with berries and cream.

The following three recipes come from Jennifer. The rice krispie* treats are a real taste treat. The cornmeal muffins are wonderful when heated, to have along with a bowl of soup or as a snack. The "Dump Cake", which I don't have a picture for, is very delicious and goes a long way. I'll include the recipe here and add the picture later when I get around to making it.** Jennifer brought hers over right out of the oven...very yummy!

*Rice Krispies are not completely gluten-free because they contain malted barley.

Crispy Roll
Ingredients:

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp butter
6 cups Rice Krispies

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1 cup cocoa
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Bring the first 4 ingredients to a boil and then mix in the Rice Krispies. Press mixture onto greased parchment/wax paper in a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick. Let cool for 15 mins while you make the filling.

2. Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl with hand mixer until smooth. Spread over rice mixture and roll
as you would a jelly roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate at least 30 mins before thinly slicing.

Cornmeal Muffins
Preheat oven to 425F. Grease 12 cup muffin tin
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup shortening, melted

Mix cornmeal, salt, baking powder and soda in a bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk. Add to dry ingredients, stirring until thin. Stir in melted shortening.

Heat muffin tin in preheated oven(5 mins). Spoon batter into hot tins and bake for 18 mins or until brown and crusty

I adapt this recipe somewhat by adding at least 1 tablespoon sugar. I fill the muffin tins to about two thirds to the top, then add 1 teaspoon raspberry jam, top with remaining batter and pop into oven.

Dump Cake--Don't let the name fool you!
9x13 pan
350° Oven

Ingredients:

1 can cherry pie filling
1 can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 box of yellow cake mix, or celimix
1/2 cup melted butter
Optional: almonds, coconut, flavourings

Directions:

1. Mix the tins of fruit in pan. Sprinkle with the cake mix(and nuts or coconut if using). Pour melted butter over the dry cake mix but do not stir together.
2. Bake at 350° for 45 mins, or until golden. Serve warm with whipped cream.

**Jennifer baked another Dump cake and sent me a picture of it in the pan and also served up beautifully in a glass dessert dish. Thanks Jenn! Very Nice.

Jennifer adapted it by using a "Celimix" cake mix which worked very well.