Archive for the 'Desserts' Category

One of the things I believe I will miss most about Spain is the Roscon de Reyes – a rich sweetbread served on the night before or morning of the last day of christmas – the day of the kings.

It has now become traditional to fill these wonderful christmassy treats with sweet cream, custard or “trufa”. All of which are delicious when served with traditional hot chocolate. My personal favourite is a slightly crusty version filled with crema de trufa – a chocolatey cream that can add inches with a single glance.

It occured to me most recently that soon I will need to learn to make my own if I am to continue this now beloved tradition.

Ingredients:

* 4 cups flour
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 oz yeast
* 2/3 cup mixed lukewarm milk and water (of equal parts)
* 6 Tbsp butter
* 6 Tbsp sugar
* grated rind of 1 lemon
* grated rind of 1 orange
* 2 eggs
* 1 Tbsp brandy
* 1 Tbsp water
* 1 egg white, lightly beaten
* candied fruit pieces, cherries, oranges, etc.

Method:

Serves eight to ten people (and much less if they are greedy)

Sieve the flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Make a hole in the center.

In a small mixing bowl, stir and dissolve the dry yeast in the lukewarm milk-water mixture. Once it has thoroughly dissolved, pour the dissolved yeast into the center of the flour. Stir in just enough flour from around the bowl to make a thick batter (about the thickness of double cream).

With your hand, take about a teaspoon of the flour from the side of bowl and sprinkle it over the top of batter. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and leave in a warm draft free place. Leave batter about 15-20 minutes or until it becomes “spongey”

In a medium-size mixing bowl, use a hand mixer or whisk together the butter and sugar. The mixture should be smooth and creamy. Set to one side.

Add the grated orange and lemon rinds, eggs, brandy and water to the bowl with flour misture. Mix well. The dough will be sticky in consistency.

Beat the flour mixture until it is elastic and smooth. Add butter-sugar mixture and mix until the dough is smooth. Dough should be formed into a ball, then covered with oiled plastic wrap. Re-cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and leave it again in a warm place and allow to rise until it has roughly doubled in size. Usually takes about two hours.

Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil and set aside for use later.

Once dough has risen, remove the plastic wrap and punch dough down. Lightly flour a clean space of your counter / cutting board and place dough on it. Knead for a couple of minutes. Then, using a rolling pin, roll dough into a long rectangle, about 2 feet long and 5-6 inches wide.

Roll the dough on the long side into a long sausage shape and carefully place the dough onto the large baking sheet, connect the ends together, thus forming a ring. If you wish to be really traditional hide a bean or a small foil-wrapped, ceramic figurine under the dough. Cover with oiled plastic wrap again. Leave in a warm place and allow to double in size. This will take about an hour.

Heat oven to 350F degrees. Lightly beat an egg white in a small bowl. Uncover the dough and brush the top of the cake. Decorate the ring with the candied fruit pieces, and spinkle with sugar. Gently push them into the dough slightly so they do not seperate during cooking. Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.

Once done allow to cool on a rack.

If you do wish to fill with nata (cream), trufa (chocolate cream) or natilla (custard) this is the time to do it. Slice in half and fill the middle like a sandwich.

Serve with copious amounts of thick hot chocolate.

A Greek friend of mine told me he made this yesterday ready for New Year, and I have to admit I was immediately intrigued. I absolutely adore Greek food. I have only been to Greece once, but always intend to return. It was such an gourmet inspiration, and I sampled some absolutely delightful dishes.

On New Year’s Day families cut the Vassilopita to bless the house and bring good luck for the new year. A coin is wrapped and hidden in the bread by slipping it into the dough before baking. A piece of cake is sliced for each member of the family and any visitors present at the time, in order of age. Slices are also cut for various other people or groups, depending on local and family tradition. They may include St. Basil and other saints, the Virgin Mary, the Church, the poor, the king (formerly), and the Kallikantzaroi, commonly translated as goblins.

Saint Basil’s Feast Day is observed on January 1, the beginning of the New Year and the Epiphany season known as the Vasilopita Observance.(Wikipedia)

The Recipe is one that was graciously given to me by another friend of mine, and she has given me the permission to post it here – minus one secret ingredient which she states is a family secret and will remain that way for some time to come!

Ingredients::
1 tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
5 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
Zest from two oranges
Zest from two lemons
Washed coin, wrapped in foil, or small oven-safe trinket
Sesame seeds
Slivered almonds
A few drops of Mastika

Method::

1. Combine the yeast and warm milk in a small bowl. Rest until frothy.
2. Stir in one cup of the flour and allow to sit for an additional 30 minutes.
3. Melt the butter and set aside. Beat together the butter and four eggs until smooth and creamy.
4. Combine the remaining flour and salt in a separate large bowl.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the yeast mixture in the well. Mix well.
6. Stir in the melted butter, egg mixture, orange zest and lemon zest, kneading until a dough forms, then kneading for about 15 minutes longer.
7. Place the dough in a generously greased round cake pan. Insert the wrapped coin or trinket into the center, sealing up the hold afterwards.
8. Cover loosely with a damp towel and allow to rise for about an hour.
9. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
10. Beat the remaining egg with a bit of water and brush over the top of the dough.
11. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and slivered almonds.
12. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Allow to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Ingredients::
8 oz wholewheat biscuits, crushed
4 oz melted unsalted butter
Dash of Glayva Whisky liqueur
Filling:
2 blood oranges
2 fl oz Glayva Whisky liqueur
12 oz cream cheese
12 oz Mascarpone cheese
Base:
Crush the biscuits in a large plastic bag, put into a bowl and stir in the melted butter and a dash of Glayva Whisky liqueur then lightly press the biscuit mixture into the base of an 8? loose bottomed round cake or flan tin, refrigerate to set
Filling:
Take the zest off one orange using a zester, put to one side
Then peel and segment the oranges, removing all the pith
Place the segments into a bowl and pour over the Glayva Whisky liqueur, stir, cover and put to one side
Put the orange segments in a sieve set over a bowl to drain
Beat the mascarpone and cream cheese until smooth then fold in the orange segments, add a little of the liqueur – to taste
Spoon the mixture into the base and smooth the top, sprinkle over the orange zest
Chill for two hours

I made these late last night for lunch today. They look absolutely devine, and although not mentioned in the original recipe below I added some lime and lemon zest to the mix. If you chose to make this recipe you may do so or not. I liked the idea, and it makes for a much more attractive pudding.

Ingredients ::
3½ oz unrefined caster sugar
9 fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1 fl oz freshly squeezed Lime Juice
3 large eggs, beaten

Method::
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Put half the sugar in a small saucepan with 4 fluid ounces of water and cook over a low heat – stirring occasionally – until the sugar dissolves
When the sugar has completely dissolved, increase the heat and bring to the boil, cook until the mixture starts to caramelise
Pour the caramel into four ramekins – swirl around the sides then put the dishes into a roasting tin
Whisk the orange juice, eggs and remaining sugar together then carefully pour into the ramekins
Pour an inch of boiling water into the roasting tin and bake for 20 minutes or until just set
Leave to cool
Cover and chill overnight

Base:
4 oz Digestive Biscuits
2 oz butter
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
2 oz caster sugar
2 large eggs
Grated rind and juice from 1/2 lime
Topping:
4 oz strawberries, sliced
1 tbsp sifted icing sugar
Zest of ½ lime
¼ pint double cream

Place the digestive biscuits into a plastic bag, crush with a rolling pin. Melt the butter, but do not overheat, and mix in the digestive biscuits

Transfer to an 8” spring-form cake tin, press down gently, refrigerate until required

Put the cream cheese and sugar into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy and increased in volume, add the beaten eggs, lime zest and juice and whisk until combined

Spoon over the biscuit crust and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes, or until set, remove from the oven and leave to go completely cold

Put the double cream, sifted icing sugar and lime zest into a bowl and whisk until it forms soft peaks, place into a piping bag, pipe around the cheesecake and decorate with the sliced strawberries. Refrigerate until ready to serve

This is a very delicate cake which requires light handling.

Ingredients

• 25g (1oz) Cornflour
• 70g (2 1/2 oz) Plain Flour
• 2 tablespoons of good qualty cocoa powder
• 225g (8oz) Caster Sugar
• 1/2 Lemon
• 10 egg whites
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar

For the Icing

• 50g (2oz) Plain or Bitter Chocolate
• 40g (1 1/2 oz) Butter
• 100g (4oz) Icing Sugar
• 4 tablespoons of milk
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• Vanilla Essense

Set the oven at Gas Mark 4 (180c or 350f)

Prepare a 25cm or 10inch springform cake tin with a ring mould capacity. Flour lightly (do not butter!).

Sieve the flour, cornflour, cocoa and half the caster sugar together into a bowl and resift twice more to make them really light. Hold the sieve as high over the bowl as possible.

Rub 2 large bowls with the cut surface of the lemon, and divide the egg whites between them. Add pinch of salt and a squeeze of the lemon juice to each. Whisk until light and fluffy (and begin to foam). Add half the cream of tartar, and whisk until they form firm peaks. Then whisk in half of the remaining caster sugar. Repeat with the second bowl of egg whites. When complete you should have a very stiff meringue mixture. Transfer both lots of whites into the largest bowl you have, making sure that the bowl is free of grease.

Sift some of the flour and cocoa mixture over the whites, covering the surface only very lightly, and fold in very carefully using a stiff spatula or metal spoon. You are trying to keep as much air in the eggs whites as possible.

Turn mixture into the prepared cake tin and run a knife around the edges. Smooth the top.

Bake in oven for 40 – 45 minutes, or until the top feels firm but springy.

Remove and invert over a wire wrack. Leave to cool thoroughly. Only then slide a knife around the edges and remove from the tin.

Icing

Melt the chocolate, add the butter and stir until smooth.

Put remaining ingredients into a bowl and whisk lightly until smooth. Add chocolate and butter mixture, and continue to whisk until bulky and smooth (5 minutes should do the trick using an electric mixer).

Slice cake in half, and fill middle with less than half of the icing. Spread the rest over the top.

Got some left over cherries which are not exactly at their best – then consider this delicious way of reviving them. Wonderful served with yoghurt, ice cream or plain cream!

Ingredients
1llb of Cherries
100g of Sugar
50ml of Water
1tbsp of Cherry Brandy

Destone the cherries (or leave this to the eaters if you are willing to take them risk of them choking!).

Place the cherries in a saucepan, throw in the water, sugar and cherry brandy (can be substituted with other liquor if you wish).

Bring to boil and cook until a syrup forms on the bottom – a couple of minutes does the trick, be careful not to allow it to burn or stick! Reduce the heat and cook until the cherries are softened and glisten.

Allow to cool, place in an airtight container and keep in the fridge. Its that simple.

This is a very simple plum sauce I threw together when I had an abundance of plums – the local market was selling end of season plums for 1 euro for 2 kilos!

Ingredients

1 kilo of plums (preferably very ripe)
100g of Sugar
100ml of water

Wash and de-stone the plums. Throw them in a pan with the water and sugar. Cook on a low heat until they fall. Push through a fine mesh and cool.

Wonderful served with yoghurt, ice creams or anything else that takes your fancy. My most recent is a tart version of the plum sauce served as a sauce for Pavalova (my very own creation!)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup double brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature
4 tablespoons chocolate liqueur
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces godiva praline hazelnut biscuits (2 boxes)
16 ounces godiva petite mousse biscuits, crushed (4 boxes)
milk chocolate cocoa, as needed for dusting
8-10 godiva dark chocolate heart biscuits, 1 per serving (optional)

INGREDIENTS

1. Mix the brewed coffee and 2 tbsp of the liqueur in a bowl and set aside.
2. Set a double boiler.
3. Beat yolks. Add the sugar and salt to the yolks and beat continuosly over your double boiler until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F. When ready, the mixture should be thick and lemon-colored. Remove from heat.
4. Add the extra chocolate liqueur and beat into the egg mixture.
5. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to medium peak. Mix about 1/3 of the cream to the egg-mascarpone mixture, to lighten it. Then mix in the rest, folding lightly until no white steaks remain. Reserve.
7. Dip each of the Godiva Hazelnut Praline biscuits video poker strategyonline europa casinotop online kasinosrealistisches internet kasino,realistisches online casino,realistisches casinocasino spiele kostenlos spieleninternet online casinosunstar casino netrussisches rouletteamerican slotskasinospiele onlinetop internet casinoonline casino spielenonline casino livecasino tycoononline baccarat spielegluck spielcasino online hamburgkeno spielebaccarat rulescasino online pokerblack jackslotmaschinen spielenwww casino on net comkasinos im internetroulette casinosinternet kasinosglucksspiel gesellschaftplay baccarat onlinefreeware spiele casinocasino club comtexas holdem game,texas holdem poker online,texas holdem5 draw pokeronline poker geldpoker downloadenonline poker um geldpoker turnierewww poker net debwin poker bonus codetexas holdem kostenlos online spielenwww poker gameomaha poker onlineparadise poker bonusmindest einsatzstrip poker full gamepoker mit bonustexas holdem pceinzahlungs bonus code party pokerholdem poker spielanleitungpoker spielregeln downloadpoker regeln raise into the coffee-liqueur mixture for a moment. Place the biscuits in a serving dish ( a 9″ x 13″ ), repeat this process until you have a single layer of biscuits as your base.
8. Cover with a layer of the mascarpone mixture. Sprinkle the crushed Godiva Petite Mousse biscuits evenly across the mascarpone layer. Repeat the last 2 steps until you reach the top of the dish, finishing with a mascarpone layer. Dust the cocoa over the Tiramisu, cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
9. Garnish with a Godiva Dark Truffle heart biscuit and serve.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
* 3 tablespoons white sugar
* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 2 teaspoons cornstarch
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 cups white chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
* 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.