Great reads for cooks...

                                  Great reads for cooks...

  I just received one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, and it isn't on the market!
It's a unique mixture of my family members' favorite recipes, typed up and pictures of each person and the completed dessert included! This treasure was a gift to me from one of our sons, for my birthday. It is my favorite cookbook because it possesses all three of my criteria, highlighting the personal connection aspect!  

  After looking through this homemade cookbook, I began thinking about what constitutes a memorable cookbook, and I think I have some ideas to share on this:

1.) Personal connection-each cookbook that I return to over and over again has this characteristic for me. Notice that I said that I return to over and over again...not necessarily make a recipe out of. This is a critical distinction, as some cookbooks are just for ideas and inspiration, and others are for actual use.
A cookbook I own that holds a deep personal connection for me is a beat-up copy of The Ford Treasury of Favorite Recipes from Famous Eating Places, copyright 1954, and given to me by my father. The personal connection comes from that fact, along with the Pine Tavern, Bend, Oregon entry for Wild Rice Dressing. My parents lived in Bend for 14 years, and I've eaten at the Pine Tavern with them a few times over the years.

2.) Inspiring- this is a difficult characteristic to describe, and is unique to each cook. For me, the clear directions of a recipe combined with some nice color pictures is enough to provide inspiration. A good example of this is Lidia's Italy by Lidia Bastianich. This cookbook capitalizes on close-up color photos, along with regional specialties from ten different regions in Italy.

3.) Challenging- if a cookbook looks too basic or easy, then I lose interest. I've been cooking long enough to recognize a basic beginner cookbook when I see it. 
Two cookbooks that have always kept my interest are: Monday Night at Narsai's by Narsai David, and The San Francisco Chronicle Cookbook. These two books never fail to offer challenge because of their wide variety of recipes.

~Kathy~

German Chocolate Brownies

             
                                                German Chocolate Brownies
                                            (from Bon Appetit Magazine)


Brownies:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

6 large eggs

Topping:

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

6 large egg yolks

1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

24 ounces sweetened flaked coconut

2 cups chopped pecans

Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 17x11x1-inch rimmed baking sheet. Whisk flour and cocoa in medium bowl.

Using mixer, beat sugar and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Beat in eggs.

Add flour mixture and beat just to blend. Spread to edges on prepared baking sheet.

Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean...about 23 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet on rack.

Topping:

Stir half and half, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla in large saucepan over medium heat until mixture thickens and thermometer reads 180 degrees, stirring constantly...about 15 minutes (do not allow mixture to boil). Fold coconut and pecans into topping. Chill for 1 hour. Spread topping over brownies.

Julia's Tarte Aux Fraises

                                         
                                              Tarte Aux Fraises-Fresh Strawberry Tart

                                   (from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

                                                                     by Julia Child)

10-inch fully baked sweet pastry crust

1 1/3 cups flour

3-7 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. double-acting baking powder

7 Tbsp. fat: 5 Tbsp. chilled butter and 2 Tbsp. chilled vegetable shortening

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place the flour, sugar, butter, vegetable shortening, and baking powder in mixing bowl. Rub the fat and dry ingredients together rapidly with the tips of your fingers until the fat is broken into bits the size of small oatmeal flakes. Blend in the egg and vanilla, and knead the dough rapidly into a ball. Place on a board, and with the heel of your hand gently knead the dough together. The dough will be very sticky if you have used the full amount of sugar. Form into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and chill for several hours until firm.

Roll out, and fit into 10-inch springform pan. Bake in preheated 375 degree ovenfor 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden.

1 cup red currant jelly       Boil the currant jelly and sugar in a small saucepan
                                     until the candy thermometer registers 228 degrees.
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar   Paint the interior of the pastry shell with currant 
                                      glaze. Let the glaze set for 5 minutes. This will 
                                      give the shell a light waterproofing. Reserve the
                                      rest of the glaze for the strawberries.

1 1/2 to 2 cups chilled custard filling:

Creme Patissiere

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 cup granulated sugar       Gradually beat the sugar into egg yolks and
                                       continue beating for 2-3 minutes until the mixture
5 egg yolks                       is pale yellow and forms a ribbon (the mixture will
                                       thicken enough so that when some is lifted with a
                                       spoon and allowed to fall off the spoon, it forms a
                                       slowly dissolving ribbon on the surface of the 
                                       mixture.

1/2 cup flour                      Beat in the flour.

2 cups boiling milk             Beating the yolk mixture, gradually pour on the 
                                       boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.

                   

                   Pour into saucepan and set over moderately high 
                                       heat. Stir with a wire whip constantly, making 
                                       sure to adjust the heat so the bottom of the
                                       custard doesn't burn or stick.As sauce comes to a                                        boil it will get lumpy, but will smooth out as you
                                       beat it. When boil is reached, beat over 
                                       moderately low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook the 
                                       flour.Be careful not to scorch custard in bottom of                                        pan.

1Tbsp. butter                     Remove from heat and beat in the butter and 
2 tsp. vanilla extract           flavorings. If not used immediately, dot with
3 Tbsp. rum                       butter to prevent a skin from forming on the
                                        surface. This can keep for a week in the
                                        refrigerator, or it may be frozen. 
                                            

To put together the strawberry tart:

Spread 1/2 inch layer of custard in the bottom of the pastry shell. Arrange a design of strawberries over the cream. Cover each berry with a thin coat of currant glaze. Serves 8.

                                      

Bon Apetit!

Baking with Julia Child...

                                                                 Baking with Julia Child

O.K., let's get this cleared up...I don't mean baking with the Julia Child, as sadly, she passed away in 2004. What I mean is baking Julia's dessert recipes from her Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Yesterday as I looked through the dessert recipes in this masterpiece cookbook, I thought to myself- I can do this! This confident thought was most likely influenced by my recent rereading of Julia's My Life in France, and furthered along by watching the film Julie and Julia for the fifth time. I love that movie!

So, I will begin this challenge by making Tarte Aux Fraises ( Fresh strawberry tart), using Julia's recipe. This will force me to use more recipes in this expensive cookbook, given to me by one of our sons (Matt), for Christmas in 2009.

Stay tuned! Bon Appetit!

~Kathy~
                             

Key Lime Pie

                   

                                            Key Lime Pie
                                                      (from The Cracker Kitchen Cookbook)


1/2 cup fresh Key Lime juice

4 tsp. grated lime zest

2 large egg yolks

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

graham cracker crust

whipped topping (optional)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the lime juice, lime zest and egg yolks together    
    until smooth. add the condensed milk and beat until thickened.

3. Fill the crust with the lime mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, till the center is set.

4. Let cool, then refrigerate until cold. Top with whipped cream if desired.
    Serves 6.

Baking on the pavement...

             Baking on the pavement, or, what to bake when it's 100 degrees?



   I LOVE to bake! Hopefully this has become obvious over the course of this blog. However, as much as I love to bake...I hate to bake when it's HOT outside! Currently, the mercury is hovering around 100 degrees in the shade...prime time for heading to the beach or pool...but not for mixing up batter in the kitchen!

   So, as the temps stay high, I will search for cool and cold "baked" goods for my blog....nothing that I have to use the oven for...this should be an interesting challenge! Stay tuned!


~Kathy~

Refrigerator Spice Cookies

                                                     Refrigerator Spice Cookies 
                                        (from The Fannie Farmer Baking Book)

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 Tbsp. water

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/2 tsp. powdered ginger

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1/2 cup chopped dates (optional)


1.  Cream the shortening and sugar together, then add the egg and water, and beat until light and fluffy. 

2.  Stir and toss together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger. Add to the creamed mixture, and beat until the dough is completely mixed.

Stir in the nuts, or dates, or both...if you wish.

3.  Shape the dough into rolls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Flour your hands and the work surface if necessary to prevent the dough from sticking. Wrap in waxed paper, and chill until firm. 

4.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two cookie sheets. With a thin, sharp knife, slice the dough into rounds about 1/3 inch thick. Place about 1-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets, and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned. Transfer to racks to cool.Makes about 25-30 cookies.