5 years ago
Monday, January 31, 2011
Butter Cake
Butter Cake
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Madagascar Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 cup of milk
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Lightly spray square 8 inch baking pan with nonstick spray
Dust the bottom with flour to make sure it doesn’t stick
Mix together the flour, salt, ground cinnamon, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside
Using the creaming method add the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar into a mixer and blend until it has fully incorporated itself into the butter
Add 1 egg at a time and mix
Once all the eggs are added add the vanilla extract and blend
Alternatively add milk then flour only until it has been mixed throughout
Mixing too much will cause gluten to develop and a denser cake to form
Turn off mixer and pour into the cake pan
Bake for approximately 50-60 minutes or until the cake can spring back when touched
*For the decoration of the cake I found that the Wilton website gives me ideas and very useful tips on what to use and do for my cakes.*
Friday, January 14, 2011
Baked Stuffed Apples
Ingredients:
• 5 red apples
• 4.25 ounce container of mixed dried fruit
• 3 ounces almonds chopped
• 3 ounces walnuts chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground Madagascar vanilla
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 stick of unsalted butter
• 1 cup of apple cider
• 1 lemon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit
Slice lemon into quarters and squeeze into a medium sized bowl and fill halway with water
Core apples almost to the bottom and slice them 3/4 of the way down 4 times
Put into the lemon water bowl so help prevent browning
Into a bowl add the dried fruit and nuts and mix together
Add the nutmeg, ground vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, and butter into a bowl and blend together until evenly mixed
Add the butter mixture into the dried fruit mixture and with your hands mix
Drain the apples and pack with the filling
Place into a glass casserole dish standing up and pour the apple cider into the bottom of the dish around the apples
Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes
If you want a crunchy bite in the apple only cook for 20 minutes.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Brodetto (Italian Seafood Stew)
Ingredients:
• 2 sauté cut large onions
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 1/2 cups white wine (dry)
• 2, 1/2 pound packages frozen assorted seafood (includes: shrimp, octopus, calamari, mussels, etc)
• 1, 12 ounce package frozen fillets of fish
Garnish Ideas:
• Slice a French roll and add fresh grated parmesan on top and bake in oven to melt the cheese and place 1 on top of each bowl of brodetto
Directions:
Take frozen seafood out of freezer
Add oil and cut onions into a large sauce pan and sauté until golden brown
Add garlic and lemon zest and cook for another minute
Add tomatoes and the juice from the cans and cook on medium heat
Add salt and pepper to your liking
Pour in the white wine and bring to a boil and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the alcohol taste has gone away
Reduce heat to simmer and add the 2 packages of assorted seafood
Cook for 5 minutes
While cooking cut the fish fillets into small bite sized pieces
Add the fish into the stew and let cook for another 20 minutes or until the seafood has been cooked fully.
Enjoy
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