Recipe and Cooking Tips
Holiday Recipes
Editors Favorites
Citrus Punch
Red Pepper
and Pesto Cheese Spread
Caper Shallot and
Green Tea Cream Cheese
Pepper Jelly Cheesecake
Gingerbread
Cookie Cutouts
CITRUS PUNCH
1-large can pineapple juice
1-12oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
1-12oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2-10oz packages frozen sliced strawberries
1-quart ginger ale
2-quarts soda water
Combine the pineapple juice, orange juice concentrate, lemonade concentrate
and strawberries in a punch bowl and mix well. Add the ginger ale and
soda water at serving time and mix gently. Yields 30 servings
NOTE: Make a quick ice mold to keep punch cold by filling a bunt
pan with ginger ale, orange slices and strawberries. Allow to freeze
over night. When you are ready to use put bunt pan under warm water for
one moment. The ice should melt enough to slide mold out of pan. Place
in punch bowl.
Caper Shallot and Green Tea Cream Cheese
Makes ½ up
½ cup whipped cream cheese, regular or low-fat
2 teaspoons green tea leaves, finely ground
2 teaspoons small capers, drained and rinsed
½ tablespoon hot water, or more as needed
2 tablespoons minced shallots
Combine the cream cheese, tea, capers, and ½ tablespoon hot water in an electric blender and beat until smooth, adding just enough water.
To smooth out the mixture. Scrape into a bowl, stir in the shallots, cover and refrigerate until needed. Serve chilled.
Note: spread on prosciutto and wrap around asparagus spears, use as a dip or on bread for tea sandwiches.
Red Pepper and Pesto Cheese Spread
1-12oz jar of sliced sweet red peppers drained
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1-8 oz container of cream cheese, softened
1-8oz jar of prepared pesto
Drain the peppers and cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
Spread the cream cheese in a serving dish. Drain the pesto of any
excess oil. Spread pesto over the cream cheese. Arrange the
peppers over the pesto. Serve with cracked pepper water crackers.
Yields 6 to 8 servings.
Pepper Jelly Cheesecake
2 - 8 oz. Packages cream cheese
2 eggs
2 cloves of garlic
10 oz. Sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. Pepper jelly
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 4 ingredients in processor. Add ½ jelly (4 oz.) and blend. Oil a 9” spring form pan and pour mixture in it. Place another pan filled with water on oven Floor. Bake for about 45 minutes until brown, then refrigerate for several hours. When ready to use remove rim and spread remaining jelly on top.
Gingerbread Cookie Cutouts
These are perfect for a Holiday gathering. Enjoy!
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Mix flour, baking soda, ginger, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
in a bowl. In a separate bowl beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.
Add egg, molasses and lemon juice to butter mixture. Beat until blended.
Gradually add dry mixture to butter mixture. Separate into four balls.
Wrap in saran and refrigerate at least 3 hours (and up to one week ahead).
Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thick flouring rolling pin as needed.
Using cookie cutters cut cookies, place on greased cookie sheet and bake
8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Viennese Almond Buttercream Torte
This is delicious cake and perfect with Darjeeling tea.
Enjoy!
See Cooking Tips
Cake
6 Eggs
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate grated
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt *see
cooking tips
3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted
Buttercream Frosting
1-1lb box of confectioners sugar (3 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup raspberry jam
1 cup sliced almonds
Cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease and flour two 9-inch
cake pans. * See cooking tips. Beat eggs
in large bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly add sugar, beating
2-3 minutes or until mixture is thick. Add almond extract. Combine
flour, chocolate, baking powder and salt in a small bowl; mix well.
Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed just until moistened.
Gently fold in butter. Spread evenly into pans. Bake 25-30
minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.
Cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely.
Slice each cake horizontally in half to create four layers.
Frosting:see cooking tips
In medium bowl, combine all frosting ingredients except raspberry jam and almonds; beat until smooth. To assemble
Place 1 cake layer on serving plate, spread with 1/4 cup raspberry jam. Top with a second layer and spread with 3/4 cup frosting. Repeat for two more layers. Frost sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Press almonds to sides of cake. Garnish with fresh raspberries and chocolate curls, if desired. Makes 16 servings
COOKING TIPS
Remove cake from pans with ease.
Cut two pieces of parchment paper the exact size of pans. Grease pan;
fit paper in pan and grease paper. Pour cake batter into pans and bake. When the cake is cooled run a knife around
edge of pan and flip cakes on cooling racks. Peel and remove paper from
cake and discard.
When baking never omit the salt in the recipe
Many times people omit salt from a recipe to lower the sodium content,
however, the salt is needed when baking to allow a chemical reaction to
occur with the baking powder, allowing the cake to rise properly
Frosting cakes; tricks of the trade
Before frosting any cake heat currant jelly until all lumps have melted.
Spread over cake layers with a pastry brush. This seals and smoothes
cake layers making it easy to apply frosting. Note: currant jelly is preferred
over other kinds of jelly because its unobtrusive flavor.
Currant jelly is also the secret ingredient used by professional bakers
to glaze the fruit on fruit tarts leaving them shiny and visually appealing.
FIVE STEPS TO
BREWING QAULITY LOOSE LEAF TEA
1) Fill a kettle with cold fresh spring water.
Why not tap water or distilled water?
Tap water generally contains chlorine and fluoride which can harm the flavor of quality tea.Distilled water lacks minerals, which seem to enhance the flavor of quality tea in the brewing process.
2) Warm the inside of your teapot prior to brewing tea by pouring a small amount of boiling water into the pot and pouring it out through the spout.
3) Place one heaping teaspoon of loose-leaf tea in the teapot or infusing basket for every person having tea. Some people like to add one extra teaspoon for the pot as well.
4) Pour boiling water over the tea leaves, cover and infuse. Most teas steep well with boiling water others steep best 20-30 degrees cooler.
Note: In general black and oolong teas best steep at boiling or just off the boil for about 3-5 minutes. Green teas steep best at aprox 170-185 degrees for 1-3 minutes
Note: See tips on removing caffeine from tea at this point5) When using a teapot with infuser basket simply remove the basket of steeped leaves and pour. When using a teapot without a built an infuser simply pour tea from pot into a teacup through a cup strainer catching the leaves as you pour.
More Recipes:
Chai Tea Recipe
