Tag: Baking

A Tradition

SadieLeave a comment

When I’m at home visiting my parent’s house, my mom and I like to try out new recipes and play around with menu ideas for dinner.  Even though we love to try new ideas, there are a few meals every year where the menu remains the same.  One of them is Christmas dinner.my flower arrangement

For Christmas dinner we do what we call “The Italian Feast.”  When my brothers and I were younger and still all living at home, it was a meal that would be made every couple  months or so for a nice family dinner.  The past few years, Christmas is the only time this menu roles around.  The menu includes: Chicken Parmesan, Garlic and Oil Pasta, Steamed Broccoli, Caesar Salad, and Garlic Bread.  The “piece de resistance” (read that with a french accent), however, is the special Christmas day Chocolate Soufflé.  That’s how we roll in our house hold.  It gets pretty fancy smancy around here on December 25th.dinner table

Nothing says Christmas like a perfectly timed delicacy served piping hot with a dab of cold ice cream or whipped cream.  You should give it a try.Dessert!

Chocolate Soufflé

An old recipe taken from the New York Times article about Cleo’s La Cuisine Catering, Published February 11, 1981

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk
  • 6 eggs, separated, plus 2 eggs whites
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate bits (my mom uses standard chocolate chips)

Method

  1. Scald milk in double boiler.
  2. Use an electric mixer to beat the six egg yolks with the sugar for about 4 minutes, until it forms a “ribbon.”  Add the flour gradually and continue to beat until smooth.
  3. Transfer the egg mixture to a double boiler and gradually add in the scalded milk.  Beat vigorously making sure to temper the eggs and not let them get cooked.  Beat for about five minutes.
  4. Add chocolate to the mixture and stir until melted.  Remove from the heat and let it cool.
  5. Beat all eight egg whites wand a pinch of salt until stiff but not dry.
  6. Fold the egg whites into cooled chocolate mixture.
  7. Preheat the oven to 350.
  8. Butter a two quart soulfe dish and sprinkle with a little sugar.  Fill the soufle dish with the batter and bake 80-90 minutes until there is about a two inch cap above the rim of the dish.right out of the oven!
  9. Enjoy it right out of the oven with colder accompaniment, but wait a sec so you don’t burn your mouth!ready to serveplating it up!

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie

Carrie1 Comment

This recipe is simple, but it gets the job done.  Simply use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust such as Pillsbury to line a pie dish.  In a bowl, combine a 15 oz. can of pumpkin, a can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, and one tsp. pumpkin pie spice.  Fill the pie shell with this mixture.  Place in the oven at 450 for ten minutes.  Then reduce heat to 350 and cook for another 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  It’s simplicity at its best and will please any taste buds during this harvest season.

Raspberry Almond Cream Cheese Bars

Carrie3 Comments

Ingredients

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 c. flour
2/3 c. sliced almonds
1 small jar of raspberry jam
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, sugar, salt and vanilla in a bowl.  Add the flour and mix well. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture in a separate bowl.

2.  In an ungreased 9×9 non-stick pan, pat the cookie mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan.  Cook crust for 10-15 minutes and set aside.

3.  In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk.  Mix together until well blended and smooth in texture.  Poor this mixture over cookie crust.

4.  Mix the raspberry jam up in the jar with a tiny bit of warm water until it becomes slightly syrupy in texture. Spread raspberry jam over cream cheese mixture.

5. Add sliced almonds to the reserved 1 c. cookie mixture until combined. Crumble this over the cream cheese/raspberry swirl layer.  Cook in the oven for 25- 30 minutes.

Enjoy!