Pineapple Cream Torte
Ingredients & Directions 8 oz Vanilla wafers, crushed 1/4 c Butter, melted 2 Eggs 1 pn Salt 1 1/2 c Confectioners sugar 1/2 c Butter, softened 1 c Whipping cream 1/2 ts Vanilla 1 cn (13 oz) crushed pineapple, -well drained Reserving a 1/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs for the top, mix remaining crumbs with melted butter. Pat evenly on the bottom of an 8 x 12 x 2″ pan. Mix until very creamy the eggs, salt, confectioners sugar and 1/2 c softened butter. Carefully spread over the vanilla wafer crust. Spread the pineapple evenly over this layer. Whip the cream, add vanilla, spread over the pineapple; sprinkle with remaining vanilla wafer crumbs. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Yields 1 Servings
Lemon Yogurt Cake With Fresh Berries
Ingredients & Directions MAKES ONE LAYER Non-stick cooking spray 3 tb Vegetable oil 1/2 c Sugar 1 Lemon; grated zest 1 ts Vanilla extract 1/4 c Fat free milk 1/4 c Lowfat yogurt 1 c Sifted cake flour; not -self-rising 1/2 ts Baking soda 2 lg Egg whites Salt Confectioner’s sugar Ripe berries Sweetener This cake is based on a recipe from Chef-author Jacques Pepin. It’s a low fat alternative to a basic white cake. Make it with yogurt, egg whites, skim milk and a small amount of vegetable oil and sugar. Serve with berries or other fresh fruit. 1. Heat the oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. 2. Whisk together the oil, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and yogurt. Sift in the flour and baking soda and stir gently just until blended. 3. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until nearly stiff. Gently fold into the batter. Transfer to the cake pan. 4. Bake until the cake is golden and springs back when pressed, about 30 minutes. Cool briefly, in the pan, or on rack, then invert onto the rack and cool completely. Sprinkle the cake with confectioners’ sugar. Cut into wedges and serve, with berries alongside. Berries may be sprinkled with granulated sugar. REF: Richard Sax and Marie Simmons in Lighter, Quicker, Better. (1995: Wm Morrow) Yields 8 servings
Biscuit Bonanza
Ingredients & Directions ———–BISCUIT BONANZA— In France, dessert is often constructed from towers of flaky puff pastry, and in the Middle East, paper-thin phyllo dough is either left crispy or made soggy with syrup. But the U.S. has biscuits to call its own. Biscuits–moist, tender and rich–are used as an alternative to a yeast-leavened bread. Biscuits are closer in technique to making pie crust than to making bread. The steps follow the same order: Cut the shortening into the flour mixture, add some liquid and roll it out. Once you’ve mastered the technique, you can not only delight in the aroma of biscuits browning for breakfast, you can also bake scones for a proper English tea. (The difference is there are eggs in scones and not in biscuits). Biscuits are similar to real shortcakes, rather than the hockey pucks made from cellulose sponges found next to the red glop in the produce department. And you can crown fresh fruit with a biscuit dough topping and call it a cobbler. Start by sifting the dry ingredients ~-flour, baking powder or soda, salt, sugar and so forth. Then cut in the butter or shortening until the mixture resembles a fine meal, like breadcrumbs. While a wire-blade pastry blender is useful, you can use two knives, pulse a food processor fitted with the steel blade on and off a few times, or use your fingertips. The third step is adding the liquid. The trick is to accomplish this quickly, so that the ingredients are just blended enough to hold together. It’s tempting to do more, but that’s what makes biscuits or their first cousins tough. Once liquid is added to flour the gluten formation begins, and any agitation intensifies this process. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, such as a counter or a pastry board, and use the same restraint that went into adding the liquid. Don’t knead it more than 10 times, just enough to give it a push in the oven, but not enough to make it chewy. Now either roll or pat the dough into the proper thickness. The dough should be less than 1 in thick. Cut it into desired shapes. No fancy cutters? Use juice cans (a 2 in diameter) or an upside down glass. From Yields 1 Servings
Eggless Applesauce Cake
Ingredients & Directions 2 c Flour 2 ts Baking soda 1 ts Nutmeg 1 c Nutmeats 1 ts Cinnamon 1 c Raisins 3 tb Cocoa 1 1/2 c Applesauce 1 ts Cornstarch 1/2 c Salad oil 1 c Sugar Sift dry ingredients, add raisins and nuts, then applesauce and oil. Beat well. Bake in greased 9 x 13 pan in 325 degree F. oven. Good without nuts, with a few extra raisins, or try a cup of Toasted Oatmeal. From “This For That: A Treasury of Savvy Substitutions for the Creative Cook,” by Meryl Nelson, ISBN 0-88247-847-6. Typos by iris grayson Yields 1 9 x 13
Dillbrot (dill Bread)
Ingredients & Directions 1 pk Yeast; Active Dry 1/4 c ;Warm Water(110-120 degrees) 1 c Cottage Cheese; Creamed * 2 tb Sugar 1 tb Onion; Minced 1 tb Butter; Melted 1 ea Egg; Large 1 ts Salt 2 ts Dillseed 2 1/4 c Flour; Unbleached Or Bread * Creamed Cottage Cheese should be heated to lukewarm. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++ Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl, except add the flour a little at a time (it may take up to 2 1/2 cups of flour). Beat until well mixed and mixture is stiff but not heavy. (Standard bread dough feeling). Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Punch down and put dough in a bread pan, or arrange in a round shape on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise again. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes at 350 degrees F. While warm, bursh loaf with soft butter, sprinkle well with salt. Makes 1 loaf. Yields 4 Servings
Sweet Bishop's Bread
Ingredients & Directions 2 1/2 c Flour 2 c Light brown sugar 1/2 ts Salt 1/2 c Butter 1 ts Baking powder 1/4 ts Baking soda 1 1/2 ts Cinnamon 1 Egg 1 c Buttermilk Mix together flour, salt, sugar and butter until crumbly. Measure and set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture. To the remainder add the baking powder, soda, cinnamon, egg, and buttermilk. Beat until smooth. Spread batter in a greased 8″ square pan. Bake in preheated 350 deg f oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Cut into 9 pieces and serve warm. Yields 9 Servings
Mini-cheesecakes
Ingredients & Directions 12 Vanilla wafers 2 pk Cream cheese,softened(8oz) 1/2 c Sugar 1 ts Vanilla 2 Eggs 1. Line muffin tin with foil liners. 2. Place one vanilla wafer in each liner. 3. Mix cream cheese, vanilla and sugar on medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs. Mix well. Pour over wafers, filling 3/4 full. 4. Bake 25 minutes at 325’F. 5. Remove from pan when cool. Chill. Top with fruit, preserves, nuts or chocolate. Be creative! Yields 12 Servings
