Vanilla Sauce

  

Ingredients

 1 3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean scraped

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

3 tsp cornstarch

1/8 tsp salt

 

Preparations

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch and salt.

In a medium saucepan bring the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent it from scorching. Whisk 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture. Pour this egg mixture into the saucepan, constantly whisking it into the hot milk to prevent clumping. Heat the mixture over medium heat until thickened. Do not let it boil.  Strain the vanilla sauce through a fine mesh sieve.  Serve immediately or let it cool and store covered in the fridge. Will keep for up to 3 days. Can be served cold or reheated to serve warm.  Makes about 2 1/2 cups of Vanilla sauce.    

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Berliner (German Donuts)

  

 Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1 cup milk, room temp, plus more as needed

  2 large eggs @ room temp

1 large egg yolk, room temp

5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temp

1 1/2  tsp pure vanilla extract

1cup raspberry jam, or jam/filling of choice

granulated sugar, (about 1 cup)

 pinch of cinnamon

powdered sugar(about 1/2 cup)

oil for frying, choose a neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point like avocado or canola. 

 

Preparations 

Place the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine. Add the eggs, butter, vanilla extract, and milk. With the dough hook attached, knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it's no longer sticky but is soft and supple. Add more milk if the mixture is too dry, add more flour if it's too wet.

Form the dough into a ball, spray the bowl with oil, and place the dough ball back in the bowl.

Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough in the center. Divide the dough into uniform pieces. I like to weigh the dough to get themas close to equal as reasonably possible. At about 80 grams per piece you'll get 15 Berliner donuts.

Using the palms of your hands, roll the dough pieces into balls and place them on a lined baking sheet, keeping space between them to allow them room to rise. Cover them with a clean towel or cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for another 30-60 minutes or until nearly doubled in size and nice and puffy.

Make sure to give the dough balls adequate time to rise as this will be crucial for achieving the right texture. Heat the oil in a deep pan. The oil should be at least 2 inches deep. Keep the temperature between 350-365 F. If it's not hot enough the donuts will soak up the oil and be greasy. If the oil is too hot the outside will burn before the inside is fully cooked. I like to keep it at just over 350 F. Working in batches, carefully lower a few of the dough balls into the hot oil. The temperature should be such that the Berliner will cook for on each side for about 2 minutes or slightly less. After about 2 minutes, or when the bottom is a deep golden brown, carefully flip the donuts over and continue to cook for about another 2 minutes or until deep golden brown. Do not at any point submerge the Berliner under the oil otherwise they will not develop the white rim around the center that is characteristic of Berliner. Remove the Berliner and place them on paper towels to drain. Repeat the process for the remaining donuts. Once the Berliner are cool enough to handle, it's time to fill them. Place the jam in a piping bag fitted with a filling tip . Push the filling tip into the side of Berliner, along the white rim, and squeeze some jam into the donut. Repeat this for all of the donuts.  

Place the granulated sugar into a wide shallow bowl and mix in just a touch of cinnamon. Place a donut on the sugar, scoop some sugar on top of it, and roll it around in the sugar until well coated. Repeat for all remaining donuts.

Place the sugar coated donuts on a wire rack and dust the tops with powdered sugar.

Berliner donuts are best eaten while still a little warm and definitely on the same day, but will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container at room temperature.

 

 

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Lemon Granita

 

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 cup granulated sugar

2-3 large strips lemon peel, unwaxed organic recommended

1 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice(about 4-5 lemons)

mint leaves for garnish, optional

 Preparations

Place the water, sugar and lemon peels in a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is melted. Don't let it boil. Pour the mixture into a shallow metal pan or glass dish and let it cool to room temperature.

Remove and discard the lemon peels. Stir in the lemon juice. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap and freeze for 45 minutes or until ice crystals have formed around the edges but it's still slushy in the middle. Use a fork to lightly break up the ice crystals from around the edges and thoroughly stir the mixture. Cover and freeze for another 30-45 minutes, repeating the process. Continue this process over the course of 5-6 hours or until the granita is frozen to a light, fluffy and fairly dry consistency.

To serve, use a fork or spoon to scrape the lemon granita into bowls, glasses, or hollowed-out frozen lemons.

Notes

Storage Tips: Store your lemon granita ice in a shallow container with a lid and press a layer of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the ice. Keeping it airtight is key to preventing freezer burn or the development of larger ice chunks. Store it in the back of the freezer to prevent temperature fluctuations. Before serving, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes (it tends to freeze pretty solid) and then use a fork to scrape and fluff it up to a slushy consistency. It’s best consumed within 1-2 weeks.  

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Cherry Clafoutis

Ingredients

 3/4 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs , room temperature

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp salt

3 cups cherries , pitted (fresh or frozen; if frozen thaw and drain completely)

powdered (confectioner's) sugar for sprinkling

 

Preparations

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Place the cherries in the bottom of the baking dish.Put all remaining ingredients (except for the powdered sugar) in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the batter over the cherries, place the baking dish on the middle oven rack, and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is a rich golden brown, the clafoutis is set but still slightly jiggly. Remove it from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla custard.

 

 

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Candied Ginger

     

Ingredients

1 pound fresh ginger (preferably young ginger)

2 cups reserved water (from boiling ginger)

2 cups granulated sugar, plus extra for final coating

 

Preparations

Peel the ginger using the edge of a spoon. 

Slice the ginger. Use a sharp knife to slice the ginger ⅛-inch thick. You can slice the ginger into rounds or wider pieces, it's up to you. Note: the ginger slices will reduce in size from boiling. 

Boil the ginger. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat and add the sliced ginger. Boil for 30 minutes, covered, then drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving the water.

Simmer with sugar. Add the ginger back to the pot along with 2 cups of the reserved water and two cups of sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the simple syrup has evaporated and the ginger is tender. Note: if your simple syrup is evaporating more quickly, you might be simmering too hot. You can always add a little bit more water.  Drain and cool. Drain the ginger again in a colander over a bowl to save the ginger simple syrup for future use  ( can be used while you make tea, or used in carrot cake instead of sugar, as it has all the goodness of ginger in it). Then, lay the ginger in a single flat layer on a cooling rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Let cool for 30 minutes. Toss in sugar. While the ginger slices are still sticky, toss them in a bowl with extra sugar for a final coating.  Dry and store. Lay the ginger flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet to completely dry (I prefer to let them dry overnight). Then store in a sealed container.   

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StroopWaffel

  

 Ingredients

Stroop filling

7oz Dutch Stroop(⅔ cup )*

4 oz brown sugar(½ cup)

3 oz unsalted butter 

1tsp cinnamon pdr

⅛ tsp salt

*  If you can’t find Dutch stroop you can use half light corn syrup and half molasses.

Waffle Dough

2 oz whole milk(¼ cup, warm)

2 ¼ tsp dry yeast(7 g or 1 packet)

2  large eggs(room temperature)

 6 oz unsalted butter(melted)

5 oz granulated sugar(⅔ cup)

½ tsp cinnamon pdr

¼ tsp salt

15 oz all purpose flour(3 cups)

Instructions

Combine 7 oz Dutch Stroop, 4 oz brown sugar, 3 oz unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon table salt in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the sugar and butter are melted and the mix just comes to a boil. Transfer the filling to a bowl and set aside to cool. 

Combine 2 oz whole milk and 2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl. Use the beater and mix until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 large eggs, 6 oz unsalted butter(melted) and 5 oz granulated sugar. 

With the mixer running on low, add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon table salt. Add 15 oz all purpose flour and mix until most of the flour is incorporated. Turn the dough out into a lightly floured surface and knead into a ball. The dough is quite soft. 

Divide the dough into 18 pieces, each piece should weigh about 50g. Roll each piece to a ball and line them up on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic wrap and set the dough aside for 1 hour.

Preheat the waffle iron. Take a ball of dough and flatten it to a disc. Place it on the waffle iron and close the iron. Bake until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. Use a fork to lift the waffle off the iron. Immediately use a knife with a thin sharp blade to split and open up the waffle. Generously spread the inside of the waffle with stroop (about a tablespoon) and sandwich the two halves together. Continue with the remaining dough.

 

 

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Carrot Cake Thumbprint Cookies

  

Ingredients

3 carrots, peeled  

1 cup flour  

3/4 tsp. kosher salt  

1/2 tsp. cinnamon  

1/2 tsp. ginger  pdr

1/3 cup granulated sugar  

1/3 cup brown sugar  

1 stick unsalted butter, melted + 4 Tbsp. butter at room temperature  

1 egg yolk  

3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats  

1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped  

3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped  

1/4 cup powdered sugar  

2 oz. cream cheese  

1 1/2 tsp. apricot jam

Preparations

Pulse the carrots in a food processor until they are finely shredded. Set 3/4 cup aside. 

Meanwhile, in a bowl, add flour, salt, cinnamon and ground ginger and whisk well.  

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, stirring in between. Then, mix in the oats, raisins, and carrots. Combine well, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Roll out the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, then coat each one in pecans. 

Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet then bake for 10 minutes at 350°F/ 180 C

Remove from the oven and press at the center of each cookie, baking for a further 10 minutes. 

In a bowl beat 4 tablespoons of butter and powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the cream cheese until combined then swirl in the jam.   

Pipe this filling into the center of each cookie. Then serve and enjoy!

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Lemon Lush

  

 Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup pdr sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 (8- ounce) blocks cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 (3.4- ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix

3 cups cold milk (2% or whole milk)

zest of 2 lemons

1 (8- ounce) container whipped topping

 

Preparations

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with non stick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, powdered sugar, salt, and butter with a pastry cutter. The mixture will come together like a dry cookie dough. You can use your hands if you need to as well to mix.

Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the crust is cooled combine the cream cheese and the granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and mix until creamy. Spread this layer evenly on the crust.

In another bowl whisk together for 5 minutes the pudding, milk, and lemon zest until it’s thick. Spread the pudding layer on the cream cheese layer.

Finally spread the whipped topping on the pudding layer.

Cover airtight and chill for at least 4 hours. This is great to make a day ahead too.

Notes

Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Freeze airtight for up to 2 months for best freshness. Thaw in the refrigerator.

 

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

https://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com  for info on cancer and health related topics

https://GSiyers home remedies.blogspot.com   is the latest addition to my blogs