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Puds

July 4th Cookies

So they have a big celebration here on July 4^th... I think it's in preparation for my birthday which is very sweet of a whole nation. And much disdain was cast my way because I didn't have anything red, white or blue to wear on the holiday run. Seriously. So I thought I'd better make up for it. As chance would have it - I had 6 egg yolks to deal with after making meringue for Squirrel Nut Mess - another special recipe for summers here. A quick google of "egg yolk cookies" (what else??) led me to this great place (thank you to Cindy Lynn):

http://www.food.com/recipe/egg-yolk-cookies-63803?mode=us&scaleto=60.0&st=null

So could I do something red, white and blue to salvage my place with the East End Runners? Well the judgment will be written up in their blog but I think I am safe for a while....

Paula from Pitt

USA cups in red

• 6 egg yolks or 3 whole eggs
• 225g butter 1 cup = 2 sticks
• 300g sugar 1 ¹/₂ cups (I used organic raw stuff)
• 350g plain flour 2 ¹/₂ cups
• 2 tspn baking powder
• 1 tspn pure vanilla essence
• 100g ^1/₂ - ²/₃ cup good quality white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)
• 100g dried fruit ¹/₂ - ²/₃ cup (50g unsweetened blueberries + 50g Bing cherries)
• 2-3 tbspn brandy

The realtively sharp fruit offsets the sweetness of the white chocolate and sugariness that many cookies have. Put dried fruit in a small heavy based pan with a lid and add just enough brandy to come ¹/₂ way up fruit. Bring to boil and take off heat. Leave lid on for 30-60mins. Just to get brandy into fruit and plump fruit up. You could do the same with water.

Heat oven to Gas mark 4, 180C, 350F. You will probably need two baking sheets (cookie sheets) lined with bakinng parchment or well greased.

Cream butter and sugar in a bowl until as light and fluffy as your machine or tired arm can get.

Beat egg yolks and vanilla essense in a small bowl. Add to butter/sugar and blend well.

Mix baking powder and flour in yet another bowl.

Gradually add flour mix to wet ingredients.

Add choc chips, dried fruit. At this point my kitchen was in the low 30Cs (80Fs) ie very warm! I picked the wrong day to make meringue, cookies and then pecan praline.... So cookie mix was quite easy to work. You could chill the mix if it seems too soft at this point.

Make into balls about the size of a walnut and place on baking sheet. Flatten with a fork but not too much (slide the fork off to one side, gently holding the cookie to get stripes).

Bake for 10-14 minutes - very approximate. I was trying to get a little colo(u)r but you don't want to over cook or you will lose the chewiness in the centre. Take out of over and place tin on cooling rack.

Brit Abroad - Chocolate Brownies for the East End Runners

Chocolate brownies are like Chardonnay - too many dreadful versions. But Nigella Lawson is the Redeemer... This recipe comes from her Express book which Kier (one brother) got me for Christmas. Along with being able to play the USA national anthem on a harmonica and trying to remember to use the word "mailbox" instead of pigeon hole (where do they keep their pigeons then?) - I figured I had to master this national culinary signature. And they're flourless, though that means you have to share them with more people.

This is a USA recipe but I bet the recipe is in the UK book. UK translation (italics). My modifications (purple). The most important thing is the chocolate. Green & Blacks where you can but Ghirardelli make a close runner up and is available in the Squirrel Hill Giant Eagle!

Paula from Pitt

• 8oz semisweet chocolate (4oz each of semisweet and 60% cacao Ghirardelli) (225g dark 70% cocoa solids)
• 1 cup (2 sticks) (225g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar (200g)
• 2 tspn vanilla extract
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1&1/2 cups ground almonds (150g)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (100g)
• pure cocoa powder G&Bs or Ghirardelli's natural unsweetened cocoa

Preheat oven to 325F (170C Gas 3). Melt chocolate and butter gently over low heat in a heavy bottomed pan.

Take pan off the heat and add sugar and vanilla to the pan, let it cool a little.

Beat eggs into pan with ground almonds and walnut pieces. Turn into 9inch (23cm) square baking pan (N suggests using a foil one).

Bake 25-30 minutes (ish) top should have set but mix will still be gooey (I cook a bit longer checking the consistency - top set firm, middle still a bit sticky on a cake tester). When cooler, cut carefully into little squares.

Final trick - this works with any chocolate cake thing that sticks a bit in the pan.... turn upside down and dust fairly liberally with the cocoa. Betty's couldn't make it look better.

Twice as Nice Curry

Ever thought curry is nicer the day after? I went into my laboratory and came up with this modification of a simple curry recipe that has the cooked-in qulaities of a day-after curry. The secret? Finish the cooking in the oven...

Proper American Pancakes

DON'T, from some misguided egalitarian impulse, wrap them in a cloth or put them in a warm oven until you've cooked the lot, as they'll go flaccid and lose a great deal of their charm. Pancakes are an action breakfast

Lemon, Almond & Gin Tart

As promised.  Easy if somewhat time consuming so I make the pastry one night, then filling & baking the next, so it's ready the day before you want it.  I've set the recipe up for this.  This gives you time to trickle the gin syrup in and let it soak.  Use any left over juice/zest in another part of the recipe.  I found this in a magazine years ago at a mate's house - sorry I have no idea who owns the copyright!

Heaven's own pud.

Paula

Witte Rijst met Krenten

This recipe may well make you believe that Dutch cuisine deserves the reputation that British cuisine has, but if you, like me, love rice and, like me, love currants, and, like me, have a sweet tooth, you might think this is the best dish in the world.

The other day I had eaten a big bowl of soup earlier on and neither fancied eating a complete meal, nor going out to the shops to buy a snack. Looking in our cupboards, I noticed all the ready-made snacks had already disappeared in our stomachs. My wife, who as always shared my predicament, decided to just boil some rice and snack on that. I would have gone along with that, had it not reminded me of one of the greatest dishes I had as a child.

Chocolate & Prune Cake Revised

I'm not a chocoholic but I adore a piece of seriously dark chocolate (+/-cake) with coffee in the morning.  I search continually for the ultimate chocolate cake to feed my pals at dinner. Moro do a cardamom one which you love or hate.  So in my new Ursula Ferrigno book I found Ursula's search echos my own.  And this could be it - tried and tested on Sat night to a 100% yum rating.  Don't be put off by the prunes - by the time you've brandied them they are a far call from English hotel breakfast prunes (which I actually love!)

Paula

Banana, date & walnut cake

Due respect to Nigella for this. Glut of overripe bananas, Domestic Goddessery and the usual lack of the right ingredients lead me to this one day. I'm sure her original is at least as yummy. I used to say I don't like banana cake....

Oznei Aman's Cakes

Oznei Aman's recipe which your mother wouldn't make... translated with the help of Matthew and Sarah.

Kijlaj

Aqui va la receta de los Kijlaj de nuestra infancia:

~Childhood recipe for Kijlaj cakes from Paola the Bogotanita.