Crinkle, Crinkle Little.........Cookie

There was this little cookie shop in one of our local shopping malls that use to make the best chocolate crinkles. They were a really good size cookie, about 4 inches in diameter and about 3/4 of an inch thick. I bring up the size merely to point out the fact that one cookie should have been enough to satisfy me but they were so good I have actually eaten 3 or 4 at a sitting (Just call me El Pork-O). After awhile it was easy to get this cookie monster thing under control, I would just stay away from the shopping mall.
But then one fateful day, while taking a healthful well paced walk through town this wonderful aroma came wafting my way. Well what do you know, someone opened a really cute little bakery and what’s that in the window along side all the other mouth watering goodies? Crinkles! Chocolate Crinkles, Lemon Crinkles, Vanilla Crinkles and my new favorite, Ginger Crinkles. I’m going to have to do a lot more walking and preferably in a different direction.

Ginger Crinkles

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup dark molasses

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Extra granulated sugar, for rolling

Pre-heat oven to 350

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Blend in molasses and egg. Sift together the dry ingredients; add to butter mixture and beat well. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets for at least 3 minutes, until cookies are set, makes about 4 dozen.

Relishing the Thought of Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it’s time to start deciding on which of the family favorites will be gracing the table this year. I was going through my cupboard and noticed a can of the jellied cranberry sauce which I do like but I thought this year I would much rather have my grandmother’s uncooked version of cranberry relish. It has such a nice bite to it. It’s not too tart and not too sweet; it has a wonderful crunchy texture and does a great job at cutting through some of the richness of the other foods and creating a nice balance. What is also great about this relish is that it can last way beyond the thanksgiving fare and grace many different dishes and still be around for Christmas (well maybe if you make a double batch).

Meema’s Uncooked Cranberry Relish

1 lb. cranberries
1 whole orange
2 cups sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon of salt, this is optional but the salt really does heighten the flavor.

Grind cranberries. Grind all of orange (skin too) except inner white part, just the colored zest in food processor or blender. After grinding place in bowl add sugar, salt and walnuts then stir together well. Place in covered jars or covered plastic containers, refrigerate and allow to sit 2 days before using.

Here's a "Rarebit" of Nostalgia For All To Enjoy

Here is something that came up in conversation the other day. How many of you remember taking home economics class in high school? Talk about a blast from the past; “sewing, cooking, entertaining, housekeeping even learning proper etiquette”. I remember not minding home economics as long as we were doing something related to the kitchen and cooking. I absolutely hated sewing, I never felt a desire to sew and besides all that I had an aunt who was a seamstress, so I felt that I was already pretty secure in the sewing department. Plus the fact that the blouse we had to make to be graded on required both sleeves to be the same length……unlike mine which was a combination of a long sleeve on one arm and a much, much longer sleeve on the other arm. For some reason I got a very poor grade on that blouse but I always knew I was guaranteed of bringing my grade up when we got to the cooking portion of class. One of the first recipes that we were taught was for “Welsh Rarebit”. Up to that day I had never had Welsh Rarebit before, I had heard of it……granted I could have sworn that it was called; “Welsh Rabbit…….a meat dish”? Imagine my surprise when I realized that it was really toasted bread with a delicious cheese sauce poured over it.
Anyhow, I got an “A” on my Welsh Rarebit technique and discovered a new and delicious food to eat in the process.

Welsh Rarebit

4 tablespoons of butter
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of prepared mustard
1 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, grated ( Swiss Cheese also makes for a great rarebit)
1 cup Ginger Ale or beer (During my school days it was ginger ale, now I go straight for the beer).
2 eggs, slightly beaten

Melt butter, seasonings and cheese in a double boiler until cheese is soft. Add beer and slowly add eggs. Cook until thick. Serve very hot on toast points, will serve 6 people nicely.

They've Turned Me Into a Flan-atic

My family in California taught me their recipe for “California Flan”. I believe that the only reason that it is called this is because the people who are making it are from California. This recipe is similar to a great many flan recipes that are already out there. Don’t get me wrong this is a really good recipe, I have had flan on different occasions and some were better than others. I find some recipes for flan to be overly complicated, this one is not and it is also very smooth and creamy unlike some that are a little gelatinous. I would have to say that my family turned me into a big fan of flan.

California Flan

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 cup water

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Place sugar in a small heavy skillet. Heat slowly until sugar melts and turns golden brown (watch carefully, it will caramelize quickly). Pour into a warm 1 quart baking dish. Tip and turn the dish quickly to coat the bottom and sides thinly. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until foamy. Stir in the milk and beat it until well blended. Add the water and vanilla. Stir again. Pour into the caramel coated dish. Set the dish in a larger baking pan on the oven shelf. Pour 1 inch of boiling water in the larger pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 1 hour at 300 degrees until almost set, but still soft. Do not over bake, as it will set as it cools. Remove at once from the pan of water and cool on a wire rack. Chill. When ready to serve, loosen sides with a knife and invert onto a plate.

That Doesn't Taste Like A Tomato.....

Yes they do look an awful lot like tomatoes but that is definitely where the similarity ends. I think the flavor varies a little by variety but for the most part they taste like a spicy pumpkin, I mean spicy like cinnamon and clove.
In America we call them Persimmons but in Israel they are known as the Sharon Fruit. Persimmons have been historically labeled as the fruit of the Gods.
They can be eaten like an apple but their skin tends to be a little tough but is quite easy to peel.
I have tried persimmons at different times in my life and haven’t always enjoyed the experience. I think mainly because I may not have always had them at their proper ripeness. But those poor experiences have only been when eating them as is. I have always loved their flavor when used in recipes. I think one of the most common uses is a pudding which tends to be served as holiday fare for some families. But persimmons can be used in just about anything; “Breads, cookies, salads”. As far as the pudding goes I have heard people talk about many variations. One friend said that their family makes their persimmon pudding with corn meal rather than white flour. My family has never made persimmon pudding that I know of so I had to pick the brains of those around me and this is the recipe that I landed on, it is really quite good.

Persimmon Pudding

3 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups persimmon pulp
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter,melted

Wash persimmons well, removing stem and force pulp through a colander. Beat together first four ingredients. Add persimmon pulp. Sift dry ingredients together and add to persimmon mixture. Stir in vanilla and butter. Bake in greased 9 x 13 inch pan at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

Where's The Beef?

Until spending time with an old friend many years ago I had never heard of any other style of stroganoff other than beef stroganoff. While at my friends house her and her mother got to reminiscing about the stroganoff her mother made using ham. They went on and on about how good it was and it made us all so hungry just talking about it we ended up having to run to the store for the ingredients. It took her mother no time at all to put this meal together and let me tell you it was delicious. Now I have another great use for leftover ham.

Ham Stroganoff

1 lb. cooked ham, cut into strips
1/2 chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
1 small can cream of mushroom soup (do not dilute)
1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms, not drained
1 (8 oz.) sour cream
1 pound bag of Extra Wide Egg Noodles

Sauté ham and onion in butter until onion is tender. Stir in soup and mushrooms; cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in sour cream and cook just until thoroughly heated. Serve over Egg Noodles

Empanadas for Dessert

I had the pleasure of meeting a gentlemen who runs a very successful Empanada business along with his family. Luckily for me he sells his delicious empanadas at our public farmers market, so now I know where to stop for a delicious little nosh while shopping. His main focus is savory empanadas; beef, pork and chicken. There are also a few breakfast varieties and meatless versions as well. But what really caught my eye was one of his seasonal dessert empanadas made with apples. Being right in the middle of the farmers market, surrounded by all those fresh picked apples I knew this was going to be good. It came to me still warm with just a light dusting of powdered sugar. A nice crisp day, a warm apple empanada and a steaming hot cup of dark roast coffee……there’s really nothing left to say.

Apple Empanadas

FILLING:
8 cups sliced apples

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 1/2 teaspoons of apple pie spice

2 tablespoons of butter
3 teaspoons of cornstarch plus ½ cup of water

Filling: Bring first four ingredients to a boil for 45 minutes until apples are soft. Add cornstarch to 1/2 cup of water, add cornstarch mixture to filling to thicken, add butter and allow filling to cool before making your empanadas.

DOUGH:
6 cups flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons apple pie spice

1 cup shortening (Crisco)

1 cup of Warm water

Dough: Make dough like you would for flour tortillas (just mix ingredients together and knead until dough is smooth). Let it stand for 10 minutes. Make balls (whatever size you wish your empanadas to be, then roll out into a flat round disk) Put filling in center, fold one side over. Press sides with fork to seal. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until done.