Khrustyky –Fried Angel Wings

Khrustyky –Fried Angel Wings

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 egg yolks

1 whole egg

2 – 3 tablespoons brandy or dark rum

1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

1/8 tsp salt

Directions

Place 2 cups of flour into a large bowl make a well add in the yolks, whole egg, salt and confectioner’s sugar. Bring the ingredients into together until it is ball shaped.

Sprinkle ½ cup flour on a board then knead for 10 minutes. Divide into 4 parts and wrap Let rest for 1 hour minimum.

Heat 3- 4 inches oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer or large heavy pot.

On a floured board or pastry cloth, roll out the dough paper thin 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a pastry wheel or sharp knife into 2 ½ - 3 inch   by 4-5 inch strips in length diagonally.

Slit each strip in the centre, pull one end through lightly. Fry few at a time never over crowding the pot to a delicate brown.

Drain on paper towels.

Dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Cayenne Toast w/Sun Dried Tomato Spread

Cayenne Toast w/Sun Dried Tomato Spread

Cayenne Toast:

3 French bread loaves

Topping:

1 cup Olive Oil

2 tsp. Cayenne

1 tsp. Paprika

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper-freshly ground

Mix in 2 quart bowl

Cut bread into 1/4" thick slices and coat one side with topping. Cook in 200 degree oven for about 1 hour.

Sun Dried Tomato Spread:

1 1/2 oz. Dried Tomatoes

1 cup Olive Oil

1 tsp. Dried Basil

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Cayenne

Pinch of sugar

2 large garlic cloves

2 Parsley sprigs

1 green onion

2-4 oz. Goat Cheese Rounds

Put tomatoes on steamer rack and steam 45 minutes.  Add tomatoes to bowl.  Add all other ingredients except cheese, cover with lid and refrigerate 2 days.  Process in food processor until smooth - leave same texture.  Pour mixture over cheese and serve with Cayenne Toast

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

1 cup raisins

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pre-baked pie shell

In a bowl soak raisins in water to cover by 2 inches at least 8 hours and up to 1 day. Drain raisins in a sieve.

On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out dough into a 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) and fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate (1 quart). Trim dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and crimp edge decoratively. Chill shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425° F.

Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork and line shell with foil. Fill foil with pie weights or rice and bake shell in middle of oven 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake shell until golden, about 8 minutes more. Cool shell in pan on a rack.

Reduce temperature to 400° F.

Separate eggs. Chill whites until ready to use. In a bowl whisk together yolks and sour cream and whisk in 1/2 cup sugar, flour, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and raisins. Pour filling into shell and bake in middle of oven 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F. and bake pie 30 to 40 minutes more, or until filling is set.

Remove pie from oven but keep temperature at 350° F. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat whites until they just hold soft peaks. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until meringue just holds stiff peaks. Spread meringue over warm pie, covering filling completely and making sure meringue touches shell all the way around.

Bake pie in middle of oven until meringue is golden, about 10 minutes. Cool pie on rack and serve at room temperature.

Goulash (Gulyasleves)

Goulash (Gulyasleves)

2 lb. beef chuck

1 tsp. salt

2 onions, white or yellow

2 Tbsp. lard or bacon drippings

2 Tbsp. imported sweet paprika (most important to use real Hungarian paprika for ultimate flavour)

2 bay leaves

1 qt. water or beef stock

4 peeled and diced potatoes

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut beef into 1 inch squares, add 1/2 tsp. salt. Chop onions and brown in fat, add beef and paprika. Let beef simmer in its own juice along with salt and paprika for 1 hr. on low heat. Add water, diced potatoes and remaining salt. Cover and simmer until potatoes are done and meat is tender. Prepare egg dumpling batter:

1 egg

6 Tbsp. flour

1/8 tsp. salt

Add flour to unbeaten egg and salt. Mix well. Let stand for 1/2 hour for flour to mellow. Drop by teaspoonful into Goulash. Cover and simmer 5 minutes after dumplings rise to surface.

Serve hot with dollops of sour cream.

Key lime pie

Key lime pie

6 oz graham crumbs

3 oz melted butter

6 egg yolks

2/14 oz cans sweeten condensed milk

1 cup strained lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime zest - optional

1 cup heavy cream

Juice and zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.

Graham Cracker Crust:  Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of 10’ inch pie or tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling. 

Filling: In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment beat the egg yolks into the condensed milk one at a time and beat until you have a light and fluffy mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the lime juice and zest until thick 

Pour the filling into the crust and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the filling is set. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once it has completely cooled, cover and refrigerator until serving time. (The pie can be made to this point and stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.) Just before serving make the whipping cream.

In a separate bowl, beat the whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, lime juice and zest then beat until stiff peaks form. Either pipe or place mounds of whipping cream on top of the filling.

Homemade Horseradish

Homemade Horseradish

1 cup peeled and cubed horseradish root

3/4 cup white vinegar

2 teaspoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

In an electric food processor or blender, process horseradish root, vinegar, sugar and salt. Carefully remove the cover of the processor or blender, keeping your face away from the container. Cover and store the horseradish in the refrigerator

* Blender gives a finer finished product

My Mother’s Walnut Torte

My Mother’s Walnut Torte 

1/10” cake 350 Fahrenheit

10 large eggs separated

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cup sugar finely ground walnuts

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare 10” cake pan butter and flour and lined with parchment paper.

Beat egg yokes with ½ cup sugar until light lemon colour.

Add walnuts and bread crumbs into egg mixture and beat for 2 minutes.

With clean beaters beat the egg whites until soft peaks add the remaining sugar then beat until stiff.

Fold egg whites into egg and walnut batter.

Pour cake batter into prepared pan.

Rap pan to settle cake batter. With a sharp knife and score cake batter to eliminate air pockets.

Bake until light brown and cake springs back when touched.

Turn cake out to cool.

Sponge cake

1/10” cake 350 Fahrenheit

8 eggs (large) – separated

¾ cup sugar minus 1 tablespoon

1 ½ cup cake flour (sifted)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Zest of 1 lemon (optional)

Beat egg whites to soft peak add ¼ of sugar beat to stiff peaks set aside. Beat egg yolks with remaining ½ cup sugar until light lemon colour. Mix flour and baking powder together then add to egg yolk batter mix until smooth. Fold egg whites into the batter pour into a buttered and floured cake pan lined with parchment paper.

Mocha Butter Cream

1 lb. butter – room temperature needed soft cut into bits

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 tablespoon brandy

1 tablespoon strong instant coffee – dissolve in brandy and vanilla

1 ounce chocolate semisweet grated

2 cups sifted icing sugar

Put eggs and sugar in mixing bowl then put over simmering water and whip until mixture is cooked about 5 minutes.

Place bowl on mixer and whip at medium add chocolate whip a couple of minutes until melted then add the vanilla, brandy and coffee mixture. When cool add the butter bit by bit add icing sugar whip until smooth.

Assembly

Cut cakes in half alternating layers with butter cream sandwiched between. Spread cake with remaining butter cream then sprinkle ground walnuts on cake. Serve and enjoy.

Chicken under a Brick

Chicken under a Brick

3 pound frying chicken, backbone removed and spread flat
2 bricks, foil-wrapped (or other weights)

Marinade:
Chicken Under a Brick

1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons to film skillet
1 cup mixed chopped herbs, including rosemary or sage, in any combination of parsley, thyme, basil, mint, chervil or oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large, 2 small cloves garlic, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried red pepper, or to taste

Turn the chicken breast side down on the cutting board and remove the backbone with poultry shears or a sharp chef's knife. Cut along one side of the backbone and then back down along the other. You'll cut through the rib cage at one end and the thigh joint at the other.

Remove the keel bone. Cut a short incision in the middle of the top of the keel bone (this has cartilage on the top end) and flatten the chicken. The keel bone should partially pop out. Trim the rest of it away with a paring or boning knife.

Slide a sharp paring or boning knife under the ribs on both chicken halves and carefully cut them out.

Mix together olive oil, herbs, garlic, salt, juices and zest in a large sealable bag. Add chicken to marinade and turn to coat. Chill at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Even better, marinate overnight.

Heat the oven to 450°F. If you don’t have bricks, use a smaller pan weighed down with something ovenproof.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator; let the excess marinade drain off;

Set a large cast-iron or other ovenproof pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with a thin layer of oil. Put the chicken, skin side down, into the pan, topping with both bricks. Reduce the heat to medium and cook (without moving the chicken) until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked about halfway through, approximately 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over, spray the bricks lightly with oil so skin doesn’t stick to them, and transfer pan to the oven to finish roasting. Roast for another 15 minutes, removing bricks in last 5 minutes of cooking. The thigh should reach 165°F. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, covered in foil.

Potato and Sauerkraut Soup

 Potato and Sauerkraut Soup

Time 50 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

6-7 medium size potatoes. cut it into small chunks

1 (15 ounce) can/jar sauerkraut. drained

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced

1 - 2 ribs of celery, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds, 1 bay leaf, 5 pepper corns and a sprig of thyme or rosemary tied in a small piece of cheesecloth

Note: If you have Juniper Berries in your cupboard, then add a couple to the above blend

salt and pepper to taste

2 - 3 Tbsps. sour cream

1 lb. Polish kielbasa, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp. vinegar

Parsley for garnish

Directions

Place onions, garlic and celery into the saucepan with a splash of oil and sauté over low heat until onions are light golden in colour but do not brown.

Add enough water to cover the potatoes with salt and bouquet garni

Allow to cook for 15 minutes then add sauerkraut and Polish kielbasa.

Cook for at least 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Add sour cream, pepper and vinegar if needed.

Garnish with chopped parsley.

Note: If you are not familiar with the term "bouquet garni" it is a bundle of herbs tied into a piece of cheesecloth. This is done so that you taste the essence of the herbs without actually consuming the seeds, stems or leave

Shoofly Pie

Shoofly Pie

Pastry for 9-inch crust

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup warm water

¾ cup unsulfured molasses

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie dish with pastry and set side. Using a pastry cutter or food processor, work the flour, sugar and butter to a  oose crumb, then add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a separate bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and combine with the molasses. Pour the liquid into the unbaked pie shell, and then fill with the crumb mixture.

Be certain the crumbs are spread evenly along the sides; this will help prevent overflow during baking. Bake the pie in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the center of the pie is firm and cake-like.

Serve hot from the oven or Serve at room temperature.