Archives for December 2006

Now that we know all about the Protection and Preservation of Fruitcake society, let’s take a look at some of their recipes.  Whew!  Some of these babies make a whole lotta fruitcake!  So, if you’re feeding an army or a football team, check this one out!

I’m going to stick with a smaller yield with this White Fruitcake recipe from Kelly Wolske in the Mojave Desert.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pounds butter
• 2 c sugar
• 6 eggs
• 4 c sifted flour
• 3 t b powder
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 c juice and rind of one lemon
• 2 T vanilla
• 8 oz citron
• 4 rings pineapple (2 red 2 green)
• 2 lb white raisins
• 2 c plus coconut
• 3/4 lb blanched almonds

What’s Next:

Cover raisins with cold water, bring to a boil, drain and cool. Dredge the fruit in 1/2 cup of the flour. Line pans with three layers of brown paper.

Reserve a cup or so of batter before the fruit goes in; smooth over the cakes before baking (this helps prevent fruit from sticking out the top and burning. Recip makes four small loaf pans. Bake at 275-300 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Eat well & Laugh often!

With those 2006 Food Blog Awards, I better get a move on!  I know Christmas means different things to many people, and that goes as well for what’s cooking in the kitchen.  What I love to enjoy next to the fireplace on Christmas Eve is a nice mug of hot chocolate & some Christmas Baklava.  I wasn’t born into a Greek family, but I have such a strong affinity for this delicious sweet treat, I have integrated it into our holiday traditions.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds phyllo dough (approx. 40 sheets)
• 6 ½ cups finely chopped walnuts
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ pound unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 ½ cups honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

What’s Next:

Grease a 13×9 pan (bottom & sides) and set aside.

Mix well the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 300 F or 150 C. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack.

Note: When working with phyllo be sure to work fast and keep the unused portion covered with plastic wrap at all times, as it tends to dry out pretty fast. Also, be sure to carefully follow the defrosting instructions on the phyllo.

Set aside one full-size sheet of phyllo dough. Cover with plastic wrap.

Cut remaining phyllo sheets into 13×9 sheets. Actually, measure your pan and cut the sheets to match the actual inside dimensions.  With a big sharp knife you should be able to cut all of the phyllo at the same time. You will most likely have a lot of left over phyllo – consider finding another dish where you could use the smaller pieces of leftover phyllo dough.

Carefully lay the full-size phyllo sheet into the greased pan, folding over the pan edges. With a pastry brush, liberally apply melted butter.

Lay a cut sheet of phyllo into the bottom of the pan, and with a pastry brush liberally apply melted butter. Repeat 9 more times, so that you have the one full sheet and 10 smaller sheets as your bottom layer.

Sprinkle 2 cups of the walnut mixture into the pan. Lay 6 more sheets of phyllo on top, making sure to liberally apply the melted butter between each sheet. Repeat this 3 more times, so that you have 4 separate layers of the walnut mixture. For the top layer place as many phyllo sheets on top as you have remaining, again making sure to liberally butter between each sheet.

Using a sharp plastic spatula, carefully fold over the large sheet of phyllo that should still be extended over the edge back onto the top, so that you can see down the inside edges of the pan. In effect you now have one big baklava package wrapped with your initial phyllo sheet.

Using a very, very sharp serrated knife, carefully score the baklava into whatever shape you want. A diamond pattern is the traditional shape. Try to cut about half-way down into the baklava when you do this.

Bake for 2 ½ to 3 hours at 300 degrees until nice and brown.

About 5 minutes before removing the baklava from the oven, combine the honey and lemon juice and heat over a medium heat until runny. Do not boil it, just heat it well so it has a consistency more like water.

Remove the baklava from the oven and very carefully drain the butter that it will no doubt be floating in.

Set the baklava on a cooling rack, and pour the honey mixture completely over it.

Cover the baklava and let sit for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best (if you can wait that long!)

When you are ready to cut the pieces, cut through the score marks with a sharp knife, and use a spatula to remove the pieces. Have patience with this step, if you are not careful here you can make a real mess of it!

Whew!  That’s it, you’re done & so is that baklava.  Take a break & enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Eat well & Laugh often!