Category: dessert

Apple Pie

Pastry:

  • 5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 lb lard
  • 1 tbsp vinegar
  • 1 large egg

Filling:

  • 6 cups of peeled, tart apples (sliced very thin)
  • 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Topping:

  • 2 tbsp butter (melted)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp whipping cream

Directions (Pastry):

  1. Combine salt and flour
  2. Cut in lard
  3. Combine vinegar and egg in measuring cup and top up to 1 cup with water
  4. Gradually add liquid to lard and flour until mixture becomes sticky
  5. Divide and chill until use

Directions (Filling)

  1. Peel, core, and slice apples
  2. Mix apples with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning
  3. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt
  4. Mix with spices with apples

Directions (Topping):

  1. Melt butter
  2. Add brown sugar and whipping cream

Direction (Baking)

  1. Roll out two 9″ pie crusts
  2. Put first crust into pie dish, add filling, smooth filling, and top with remaining butter
  3. Cover pie with second crust
  4. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes
  5. Lay foil over the pie, and bake for another 20 minutes
  6. Remove from the oven when crust is browned
  7. Pour topping over pie and let sit

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 2 cups butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 5 cups oatmeal
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 packages of chocolate chips
  • 1 package of skor chips
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups chopped pecans
  1. Blend oatmeal in a blender to a fine powder.
  2. Cream the butter with both sugars.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.
  4. Add chocolate chips, skor chips and pecans.
  5. Roll into balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  6. Bake for 10 minutes at 375º.
  7. Yield: 112 cookies

napoleon torte

A note about this cake. I’ve searched high and low for this recipe, just to see if anyone else has it. No other exists like it. While my brother Nicholas was alive, we had spoken about how amazing this cake is, and how, given that the specifics of it were modified, it was likely that only a few dozen people have ever tried it. I would be delighted to hear your feedback, as it is certainly one of the best cakes I have ever had. Note that the recipe directions are not complete with baking instructions. This is a pastry dough, and the specifics of the temperature and time for baking are not given on the original recipe card. I have included modified temperatures and times based on other recipes, but it is advised to carefully monitor the dough while it bakes.

Cake

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 lb butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 tbsp salt

Frosting

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1 tsp rum
  • 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
  1. In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt together
  2. Gradually add milk, stirring until smooth
  3. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until very thick and bubbly
  4. Boil for one minute
  5. Remove from heat, cover and chill until completely cold
  6. Cream butter with flavourings
  7. Add 3/4 cup icing sugar and beat until fluffy
  8. Alternate between adding cold custard mixture and remaining icing sugar, beating until very light

Process

  1. Cut butter into flour until fine crumbs form
  2. Add sour cream and egg yolks
  3. Mix well and divide the dough into six parts, chill well
  4. Roll out dough very thin, and using a circular cake pan, cut the dough into a circle and bake (it is best to roll and bake on oiled paper) at 400ºF for approximately 7-8 minutes (until lightly golden and puffed)
  5. Alternate cooked frosting on one layer, and apricot jam filling on the next, with the cream frosting on the top layer

Refrigerate the cake until serving.

strawberry fritters

Ingredients

Batter:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups small-chopped strawberries, dried on paper towel
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla powder
  • 1 tbsp half & half (plus more to achieve desired consistency)

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
  2. Whisk together eggs and milk, then add vanilla and melted butter.
  3. Combine wet and dry, mixing just until combined
  4. Fold in strawberries.
  5. Heat 2 inches of oil in a Dutch oven to 375 degrees.
  6. Use a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop the batter, pouring into the oil using a broad shaking motion.
  7. Fry fritters until the bottom side becomes golden, flipping once until completely golden.
  8. Whisk together glaze ingredients in a bowl and drizzle over fritters once they have cooled for about 1 minute.

pralines

  • 5 cups pecans
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  1. Toast pecans on a baking sheet at 300° until fragrant
  2. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, stir together and heat to 237ºF
  3. Remove saucepan from the stovetop, and into an ice bath
  4. Whisk the mixture until it changes colour and becomes light in appearance. The praline mixture should have a matte appearance
  5. Spoon onto parchment lined baking sheet and let cool

apple fritters

  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 2 extra large eggs
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2-3 cups of firm apples cut into small (4mm) squares
  • 1.5 litres vegetable oil

Glaze:

  • 2 tbsp half&half
  • 1 tbsp powdered vanilla or 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Powdered sugar for consistency desired

1. Cream the sugar, eggs and vanilla.

2. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and milk.

3. Mix apple pieces with lemon juice.

4. Combine all ingredients and mix apple pieces into the batter. Batter will be runny.

5. Fry in 375° oil by spooning fritters into the oil using two large spoons, fry for approximately 2 minutes per side.

dutch baby

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 cup butter
  1. Pre-heat oven to 475F
  2. In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium heat
  3. Whisk all wet ingredients, then add flour
  4. When the saucepan is hot, pour in the batter, let it cook for approximately one minute on stovetop
  5. Transfer the saucepan to the oven for 18-22 minutes
  6. Serve with jam, fruit, powdered sugar, or nutella
  • Starting out in the frying pan, the dutch baby appears quite crepe-esque.
  • After being in the oven, the top begins to crack, and you may notice the batter expanding with large air bubbles or flared edges.
  • Dutch baby fillings are limited only by your imagination. Sweet or savoury, complex or simple.