Sweet Taste of Victory

 

Canada's Ladies know how to party!

Pepper Cake

Pepper Cake

3 cups flour

4 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

2 ¾ cup molasses

1 cup melted butter

¼ cup milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp clove

½ tsp fresh black pepper

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts - optional
1 cup of sultana raisins- optional

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and lightly flour 9-inch round baking tins. I used a Bundt mold.
Dissolve the baking soda in the milk. Beat the eggs together with the sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the milk mixture along with the molasses. Whisk together the flour and spices. Stir this into the batter to combine completely. Stir in the melted butter, walnuts and raisins.
Bake for 1 hour, or until the cake tests done and springs back when lightly touched, or when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
* can be aged like a fruitcake

BAKED FISH (PSARI PLAKI)

BAKED FISH (PSARI PLAKI)
3 - 4 lb. cod
Juice of 1 lemon
3 chopped onions
1 can stewed tomatoes
Parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic
Have fish cleaned and scaled. Wash thoroughly, rub with salt and pepper and sprinkle with lemon juice. Put chopped onions in oil and fry until golden brown; add wine, tomatoes and seasonings. Lay fish in greased baking pan and add above mixture over fish. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garlic. Add a little water and bake at 350 degrees, 45 minutes.

No more pancakes!

Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Pancakes
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/3 c. buttermilk or sour cream or yogurt or milk
1 c. Sourdough Starter (at room temp.)
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. Melted butter
Combine first 5 ingredients in a non-metal bowl; stir well. Add buttermilk, Sourdough Starter and egg; beat just until large lumps disappear. Stir in butter.. Wrap and place in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge and let sit at room temperature for at least one hour. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Turn pancakes when tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Yield: 12 (4 inch) pancakes.

Sourdough starter
2 cups unchlorinated water
2 cups unbleached flour

Let it sit out from 2 to 5 days, stirring it once a day. The starter is ready when it develops a pleasant sour smell and looks bubbly.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp each baking powder and baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-3/4 cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp) butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla – optional
1 tbsp canola oil

Preparation:

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, butter and vanilla; pour over dry ingredients and whisk until combined but still slightly lumpy.

Lightly brush large nonstick skillet or griddle with some of the oil; heat over medium-high heat. Using scant 1/4 cup per pancake, pour in batter; spread slightly to form pancakes. Cook until bubbles appear on top, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; cover and keep warm in 250°F oven. Serve with maple or birch syrup and cultured butter.

Palacinka

Palacinka

Chocolate & Walnut

For the palacinka

2 eggs – separated

1 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup soda water

½ cup melted butter

2 lemons, zest of, finely grated

For serving

10 ounces excellent bittersweet chocolate or semisweet chocolate (for extreme chocolate lovers use 12 ounces, (or more)

1 1/2 cups walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 cup heavy cream chilled (plus sugar to taste)

To make the palacinka batter, beat egg yolks, sugar and until light lemony coloured, whisk in milk, the rum, vanilla, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, until well blended. Sift the flour on top, a bit at a time, whisking each addition in until smooth. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons of the melted butter, whisking until the batter has slightly thickened, with the consistency of melted ice cream. Finally, Beat egg whites stiff but not dry, fold into batter whisk in the lemon zest, soda water. Put the remaining 4 tablespoons of melted butter in a small cup and keep it warm.

Break or chop the chocolate into small pieces, and put them in a bowl set in a pan of hot (not boiling) water. When the chocolate begins to melt, stir until completely smooth, and keep it warm, in the water, off the heat.

Set the crêpe pan or skillet over medium-high heat until quite hot. Pour in a couple tablespoons of the reserved melted butter, quickly swirl it all over the pan bottom, then pour excess butter back into the cup, leaving the bottom lightly coated with sizzling butter. (If the butter doesn't sizzle, heat the pan longer before adding the batter.) Immediately ladle in a scant 1/3 cup of batter, tilt and swirl so it coats the bottom, and set the pan on the burner.

Lower the heat to medium, and cook the palacinka for a little less than a minute, until the underside is lightly browned in a lacy pattern. Flip it over with a spatula, and fry for ½ minute or longer, until the second side is lightly browned, then remove it to a warm platter. Heat the empty pan briefly, then rapidly coat it with butter, fill it with batter, and cook another palacinka. Repeat the sequence, stacking up the finished palacinka on the platter, until all the batter is used up.

Fill and serve the palacinka as soon as possible, while fresh and warm. Keep the platter in a warm spot, and cover the stack with a tent of foil or a large bowl turned upside down. Whip the heavy cream, unsweetened or with sugar to taste, to soft peaks. Stir the melted chocolate, and reheat it if necessary so it is smooth and warm.

Take one palacinka off the stack, and place it with its lacy patterned side down. Spoon a generous tablespoon (or more) warm chocolate in the center of the pancake, and spread it over the palacinka, leaving an inch-wide border uncoated. Scatter a spoonful of chopped walnuts on the chocolate layer, then fold the round in half, hiding the fillings, and fold again into a plump quarter-round.

Fill and fold all the palacinka the same way. For each serving, place two quarter-rounds, overlapping, on a dessert plate, heap some cream on top, scatter some nuts on top of the cream, and drizzle warm chocolate in streaks and squiggles over the palacinka and the plate.

Cottage cheese filling

1 cup cottage cheese (dry curd)
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp raisins
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream

Almond filling

½ cup crushed blanched almonds

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoon sugar

¼ cup sour cream

Fillings 

Jams – apricot and prune are traditional

Sugar

Poppy seed

Nutella
* Note you can double the eggs and increase the milk if you like.

* My favourite filling is sugar, sprinkled on a warm palacinka the sugar slightly melts

Indian pudding

Indian pudding

4 cups milk-plus 1 cup cold milk

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup molasses

1/4  cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a non-stick (or heavy bottomed) sauce pan add 4 cups milk and heat on medium heat until nearly bubbling at the edges and steaming.

Slowly whisk in the meal and whisk slowly until the meal is suspended in the milk, meaning none hanging out at the bottom of the pot. Continue whisking off and on until it reaches a medium thick hot cereal consistency. Again you *can* walk away and whisk every 5 minutes or so.

Turn stove to low heat and continue to whisk off and on while it thickens. No need to be afraid. I have left it unattended for over 10 minutes and it will not scorch, lump or stick.

When it reaches 'thick hot cereal' stage, stir in remaining ingredients. I usually whisk. Mix well to combine evenly.

Leave pudding on low, stirring/whisking occasionally until thickened a bit more; 10-15 minutes approximately.

Pour into a well buttered baking dish, place on the middle rack at 300 degrees bake for one hour, then top with the one cup of cold milk, bake another two hours.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.