Australian Sticky Toffee Pudding

Recipe By : Jill Dupleix
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 cup dates (180g) — pitted and chopped
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup soft brown sugar (150 g)
2 eggs.
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour (180 g) — sifted
Toffee Sauce:
1 cup soft brown sugar (150 g)
3/4 cup light whipping cream.
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons butter

Mix dates and baking soda in a heat-proof bowl. Pour boiling water on top
and leave to stand. Cream butter and sugar until pale, then add eggs one
at a time, heating well after each addition. Gently fold in sifted flour,
stir in the date mixture, and pour into a lightly buttered 18cm or 7″
square or round cake tin. Bake in a preheated oven (180 C) for 30-40
minutes, until an inserted skewer comes clean.
Combine sugar, cream, vanilla essence and butter in a saucepan, bring to
the boil, stirring, and simmer for five minutes. Set aside until ready to
serve, then quickly reheat when needed. Cut pudding into squares and place
each square in the centre of a warm dinner plate. Pour hot toffee sauce
over each square and serve with fresh cream.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Title: Jamaican Rice and Peas
Categories: Vegetarian, Vegetables
Yield: 4 Servings

1 c dried red kidney beans, washed
coconut milk (see NOTE)
1 ea sprigfresh thyme
1 ea clove garlic, crushed
1 ea green onion, chopped
salt, to taste
3 sl hot pepper, such as Scotch Bonnet (optional) 2 1/4 c uncooked
long-grain, regular or parboiled rice In a medium saucepan with a
tight-fitting lid, place the washed beans. Add the coconut milk and
bring to boil. Reduce the heat. Cook until the beans are tender, 1 to
2 hours. Add the thyme, garlic, green onion, and salt. Add the hot
pepper if desired. Simmer for a few minutes. Add the rice.

The liquid should come up to 1-inch above the rice. Add water if
needed. Cover the pot. Bring to a boil again. Reduce the heat to
low. Cook for 15 minutes (for regular rice) to 20 minutes (for
parboiled). It should not be necessary to add more water, but if to
much liquid boils away, replace it with boiling water.

The rice is ready when the liquid disappears and the grains of rice
are separate. Stir just before serving to evenly distribute the red
kidney beans. Makes 4 to
6 servings.

NOTE: For coconut milk, crack 1 mature coconut with a hammer, cut off
the brown shell, and grate the coconut meat. Into a bowl, add
the coconut meat and 6 cups of water. Mix well, then squeeze to
extract as much liquid as possible. Press through a sieve and
use as directed above.

Etoria says his preferred method to separate the coconut
meat from the brown shell is with a butter knife (“or the
dullest knife you have”) to prevent cuts. Slip the knife
between the white flesh and the shell, and it should come
away easily.

Stanley Etoria, chef of the Reggae Cafe, 6100 Westheimer,
Houston, Texas

MMMMM

Title: Empress Frosting
Categories: Ghirardelli, Cakes
Yield: 1 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c Half half
1/2 c Butter, cut up
2 tb Sugar
1 1/2 c Ghirardelli Sweet Ground
-Chocolate
1 ts Vanilla

DIRECTIONS: In 2 quart heavy saucepan, heat half half with butter
and sugar, stirring until blended. Add Ground Chocolate, mixing with
wire whip until smooth. Heat on medium low until mixture is thick and
shiny and runs off the spoon like syrup and the first bubble appears
on the surface (160-F). Do not boil or overcook frosting. Cool 5
minutes, then add vanilla. Place pan of frosting in bowl holding a
tray of ice cubes and some water. Beat slowly with a spoon until
frosting holds a shape. Frost cake; refrigerate if necessary to firm
frosting.

Source: Recipes from Ghirardelli Chocolate Company of San Francisco;
recipe on box of “Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa”

From: Sallie Austin

MMMMM

Title: Cucumber Soup with Pistou
Categories: Vegetables, Soups
Yield: 6 servings

1 tb Olive oil
1 Leek (white part plus 1 inch
-of green) chopped
1 Stalk celery with leaves,
-chopped
1 lb Cucumbers, peeled, halved,
-seeded, and chopped
2 ts Lemon juice
4 c Chicken stock
Pistou:
2 Cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 c Minced fresh basil
4 ts Finely chopped walnuts
2 ts Parmesan cheese
4 ts Olive oil
1/2 md Sized tomato, peeled,
-seeded, and chopped

To prepare the soup: In a medium-size saucepan, heat oil over low
heat. Add leeks and celery and cook until vegetables are soft, about
10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cucumbers, lemon juice and
stock. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and
simmer for 20 minutes, or until cucumbers are tender. Cool slightly.
To prepare Pistou: With a mortar and pestle, mash together garlic,
basil and walnuts to a paste. (you can also use a bowl with a wooden
spoon). Work in a little cheese and oil and one-third of the tomato.
Keep adding cheese, oil and tomato. The mixture will not be a true
emulsion but a barely fluid paste.

Transfer cucumber mixture to a food processor or blender and puree, in
batches, until smooth. Ladle soup into serving bowl. Pass the
pistou. Allow 1 tablespoon of pistou per serving to be placed in the
center of the bowl, then swirl into soup.

Enjoy David….

**>>April<<** MMMMM

Title: GARLIC CHIP COOKIES
Categories: Cookies, Desserts, Garlic
Yield: 60 servings

10 Cloves fresh garlic
Boiling water
-specialty stores carry this
1/2 c Maple syrup
1 c Butter, softened
3/4 c Brown sugar
3/4 c Sugar
2 Eggs
1 ts Vanilla
1/2 ts Salt
2 1/4 c Chocolate chips
1/2 c Chopped nuts
2 1/2 c Flour
1 ts Baking soda

Drop garlic cloves into boiling water for about 5 minutes until tender.
Peel and chop garlic and soak in Maple syrup for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile,[back at the ranch
:)] cream butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla together until light and fluffy.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to cream mixture. Then stir in
chocolate chips and nuts. Drain garlic and add to cookie batter. Blend
well. Drop cookie batter by tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2
inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly
browned. Remove from oven and cool on racks.

—–

GOLDEN BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Chili

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 tb Olive Oil
2 Onions, cut in 1/4″ dice
2 tb Garlic, finely chopped
2 Red bell peppers, 1/2″ dice
3 tb Chili Powder
2 tb Ground Cumin
1/4 ts Ground Allspice
1 1/2 tb Dried Oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
2 cn 28oz, Plum tomatoes, peeled,
-chopped, with their juices
1/2 c Dry red wine
2 Butternut squash, peeled,
-cut into 1/2″ dice **
1 Finely grated zest of orange
Salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
2 cn 15 1/2 oz ea Red kidney bean
-,drained
2 tb Chopped fresh cilantro leaf
2 tb Chopped flat-leaf parsley

** NOTE: Butternut squash can be difficult to cut, because the pulp
is very firm and the outer skin is slightly tough, so work carefully.
I find that the easiest way to work with it is to cut the squash in
half crosswise at the base of large neck. Then carefully cut in half
lengthwise. Scoop out any seeds in the cavity and slice the halves
into 1/2 inch lengths crosswise. Peel the skin from each piece and
then cut into dice. 1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large,
heavy pot. Add onions, garlic and red peppers. Cook for 10 minutes,
stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have wilted. Add the
chili powder, cumin, allspice, oregano and red pepper flakes; cook
for 1 minute longer, stirring to coat vegetables well with spices. 2.
Add the chopped tomatoes with their juices, red wine, diced butternut
squash and orange zest. Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat
to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until squash
is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste, and adjust seasonings. 3.
Add the kidney beans and fold in gently. Cook 10 minutes more. Just
before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro and parsley.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Title: Tomato Chicken Stir-Fry
Categories: Poultry, Main dish, Stir-fry
Yield: 4 servings

3/4 lb Boneless chicken
4 tb Teriyaki Baste Glaze
– (Kikkoman), divided
2 tb Vegetable oil
1 Garlic clove; minced
1 ts Minced fresh ginger root
2 Green onions tops
– cut into 2-inch lengths,
-separating whites from tops
2 md Tomatoes
— cut into thin wedges

Cut chicken into thin slices; combine with 1 Tbsp. teriyaki baste glaze.
Let stand 30 minutes. Heat oil in hot wok or large skillet over high
heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook until fragrant. Add chicken and whites
of green onions; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, green onion tops and
remaining 3 Tbsp. baste glaze. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are
thoroughly heated and coated with glaze.

Source: The Art of Stir-Frying Made Easy with Kikkoman Sauces
Reprinted with the permission of Kikkoman International Inc.
Electronic format courtesy of Karen Mintzias

—–

1 Loaf of Frozen Bread Dough
Butter
Garlic Powder
Spaghetti Sauce (or something comparable)
Parmesan Cheese

First, you’re going to need some frozen bread dough. You can
pick up frozen bread dough in bags of five at the grocery store
in the frozen section. Costs only a couple of bucks.

Once you have the bread at home, take out one of the frozen
loaves, and let it thaw. I recommend sprinkling flour on the frozen
loaf, and then wrapping it up in Saran wrap to thaw. It will
take about six hours or so for the bread to be thawed nicely.
(The reason I recommend sprinkling the flour on the frozen loaf
and wrapping it up in Saran wrap is that when the bread is
thawing, it will get really sticky, thus making it difficult to
peel off from the Saran wrap. The reason it is in Saran wrap
is that also while it is thawing, it will get a skin, which
would usually be the crust if you were making a regular loaf of
bread.)

Once you have the bread thawed, you should heat the oven to 375
degrees. While the oven is heating, take the bread out of the
Saran wrap, sprinkle some more flour on it, and then flatten
it. It works best with a roller, but using your hands will do.

Once the bread is flattened, use a pizza cutter to slice the
bread into strips. Then place the strips on a baking sheet.
When the oven is ready to go, place the baking sheet with the
bread slices into the oven.

While the bread is cooking, melt some butter. The right amount
usually seems to be about a tablespoon or two, but you’ll just
have to gauge it yourself through trial and error, to see how
much is right for you. When the butter is melted, add some
garlic powder to it (again, no set amount, just whatever suits
you). Mix it together with a brush.

Also, you should be heating up some spaghetti sauce if you want
something to dip the bread sticks in.

Now, to tell when the bread is done, periodically look into the
oven to determine if the bread has turned light brown on top.
It takes roughly ten minutes, but you’ll have to experiment on
just how *done* you like your sticks. I prefer them softer and
chewier, as opposed to crispier, so I tend to take them out as
soon as a little bit of brown appears.

When the bread is done, take it out of the oven, and use the
brush to soak the sticks with your butter/garlic combination.
How much you brush on each stick is also a matter of taste.

Once you have brushed the butter/garlic combo on it, sprinkle
the top with Parmesan cheese.

Voila! There you go… awesome bread sticks, with not too much
preparation time. It does take a little more time than if you
were just to pop something from the store in the oven, BUT
TRUST ME, these bread sticks are so awesome it will be well
worth the effort!

CHRISTMAS MORNING CRANBERRY MUFFINS

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 9 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads Holiday

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 c Cranberries
1/4 c Sugar
1 1/2 c Flour
1/4 c Sugar
2 ts Baking powder
1 t Salt
1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/4 ts Allspice
1 Egg
-beaten
1/4 ts Orange rind
3/4 c Orange juice
1/3 c Butter -ÿÿ
1/3 c -margarine
-melted
1/4 c Nuts
-chopped

Coarsely chop cranberries, sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar
set aside. Preheat oven to 375oF, prepare pans.
Combine flour, 2nd measure sugar, baking powder, salt,
cinnamon allspice. In another bowl combine egg,
orange rind juice and melted butter. Add dry mix to
wet mix stir to moisten. Fold in cranberry mixture
nuts. Spoon into pans bake for 15-20 mins or until
golden. Makes 9 large muffins.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

FRESH CHERRY PIE

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts Pies
Fruits

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 Pie shell — 9", double crust
4 c Cherries — fresh, pitted
1 1/3 c Sugar
1/3 c Flour, all-purpose
1 t Almond extract
1 tb Butter (or marg.)
Whipped cream — opt.

Line a 9-inch piepan with pastry. Combine cherries, sugar, flour, and
almond extract. Pour into unbaked pie shell, and dot with butter. Cover
with top crust, and seal edges. Cut slits in center of crust to allow
steam to escape. Bake at 400 degrees about 40 to 50 minutes or until done.
Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

To freeze, omit baking and wrap securely. To serve, bake frozen pie at 400
degrees from 55 minutes to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until done.

SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine, June, 1974. Typed for you by Nancy
Coleman.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –