Glazed Lemon, Poppy Seed Cake (Diana and Hanne)

Ingredients
2 sticks softened butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
poppy seeds to your liking
1 cup buttermilk
2 tightly packed Tbs grated lemon zest
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Lemon icing:
1/2-1 pound confectioners’ sugar
1 stick butter
3 tightly packed Tbs grated lemon zest
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Cream butter, sugar and mix well
Add eggs one at a time
Mix in dry ingredients and buttermilk alternately
Add lemon juice and zest
Pour in greased 10” tube pan in a pre-heated 325 oven for 1 hour and 5 minutes(or until cake pulls away from the sides)
Put in the middle rack
Make the icing
Cool cake for 10 minutes and ice while the cake is still cool

Recipe for Hot Fruit (Deb and Phil)

Ingredients

Original...
1 x 16 oz pkg prunes (or less)
1 1/3 cup dried apricots (1 pkg)
1 x 20 oz can pineapple chunks + juice
1 can cherry pie filling
1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine (dry) or sherry
add more wine while cooking if needed

For Pesach...
8 oz pkg dried pears
8 oz pkg dried peaches
8 oz pkg dried apricots
12 oz pkg pitted prunes
1 x 20 oz can pineapple chunks + juice (optional)
some currents (raisins will do as well)
12 oz jar of raspberry or cherry jam
1 cup water
1/2 to 1 cup wine


Directions
Put first 3 fruits in 9 x 13 casserole pan. Combine next 3 ingredients and pour over fruit. Cover and bake 350oC for at least 1 1/2 hours. Longer is better. Reheating improves it like many stews. Serve

Comments
Basically any dried fruits that you like (can find) and a jam that you like will work! Create away!

Heavenly Pie (Diana and Hanne)

Ingredients
Crust-
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
4 egg whites

Filling-
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
3 Tbs squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbs lemon rind
1/8 tsp salt
1 pint whipped heavy cream

Strawberry sauce, strawberries (optional)

Directions
Crust-Preheat oven to 275oF
Beat until mixture is soft and glossy. Spread in greased 10-11” pie plate so bottom is 1/4” and sides are 1” thick
Bake for 1 hour and cool

Filling-Beat egg yolks with wire whisk on LOW flame or double boiler
Stir in sugar, lemon rind, lemon juice, salt
Cook on LOW flame, stirring until thick for about 8 minutes
When cool, fold in whipped cream-you can reserve some for garnish on top
Fill shell, refrigerate 12-24 hours for best tasting

Comments
WE LOVE THIS DESSERT AND MAKE IT FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS
I was told this recipe was a must for the Galson cookbook. I also make this for Passover since it is a flourless dessert.

Cranberry Crisp (Diana and Hanne)

Ingredients
3 cups (1 package) cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
1cup sugar (save
a few spoons)
½ cup melted margarine/butter
2 eggs
1 cup flour

Directions

Pour cranberries on bottom of 9" greased pie pan, sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar on top.

Mix in bowl: melted margarine/butter, eggs, 1 cup sugar minus a few spoons of sugar to sprinkle on top before baking, flour

Pour on top of cranberries and bake at 325 F for 1hr.

Microwave Chocolate Sauce (Wendy and Susan)

Ingredients
12 ounce bag dark chocolate chips
¼ cup evaporated milk
1 ½ tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Combine all ingredients except the vanilla in the Pyrex container
Microwave on high power for one minute
Add vanilla
Stir vigorously until smooth

Implements
2 cup Pyrex measuring cup, or any microwave safe glass jar
Bamboo chopstick or small wooden spoon, or any small stirring implement
Microwave oven

Comments
Quantities are approximate; experiment for the combination that yields your preferred texture)

Pour over ice cream or fresh fruit. Use as a chocolate fondue dipping sauce. Leftovers, if any, may be frozen.

(adapted from the original stovetop version as introduced by Steven)

Chocolate Cheesecake (David and Diane)

Ingredients
18 Chocolate wafers (1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm)
¼ cup butter
¼ tsp. Cinnamon
8 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate
1 ½ lbs cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. Cocoa
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup sour cream

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350 deg.
Crush the wafers, melt butter, mix together w/ cinnamon and press into the bottom of a spring form pan.
Put on the side and chill.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
Beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
Beat in each of the following, one at a time:
- sugar
- eggs
- melted chocolate
- cocoa
- vanilla
- sour cream
Pour into pan. Bake 1 hour and 10 minutes (less in convection oven)
Cool to room temperature, refrigerate then remove from pan

Comments

Flourless Chocolate Cake (Jessie and Steven)

Ingredients
12 oz bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup (1 ½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 large eggs separated
12 Tbs sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Whipped cream (if desired)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350o F. Butter 9-inch diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper, butter paper.

Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth (can also microwave). Remove from heat. Cool to lukewarm, stirring often.

Using mixer, beat egg yolks and 6 Tbs sugar in large bowl until mixture is very thick and pale, about 3 minutes. Fold lukewarm chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then fold in vanilla extract.

Beat egg whites in another large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 6 Tbs sugar, beating until medium-firm peaks form. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 3 additions.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until top is puffed and cracked and toothpick inserted into center comes out with some moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. Cake will collapse and this is okay!

Gently press down crusty top to make evenly thick cake. Using a small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Place 9-inch diameter tart pan bottom or cardboard round atop cake. Invert cake onto tart pan bottom. Peel off parchment paper.

Comments
Steven and I learned how to make this in a cooking class for a friend’s birthday party. You can serve it warm with whipped cream. It’s also a good option for a Passover dessert.

Cheesecake (Deb and Phil)

Ingredients
Filling – Part 1:
1 lb cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
3 medium eggs
3/4 tsp vanilla

Filling – Part 2:
1 pt sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Crust:
2 cup crushed crackers (~ 1 1/2 packages Cinnamon Graham crackers or Matza meal if it’s Pesach)
1/2 cup powder milk
1 cup butter, melted

Directions
Crust:
Crush crackers in ziplock bag with rolling pin. Mix ingredients and form into a crust in a 10” spring form pan. Press crackers over bottom and up sides about 3/4 height using spoon back or fingers as works best for you. It’s good to place pan on baking sheet for this and later when baking as sometimes butter leaks out.

Filling:
Preheat oven at 375 ˚ F. Beat all the filling - Part 1 ingredients together for 2-3 min. Gently pour into crust lined pan. Bake at 375˚ F for 20 min. Let cool 15 min. Meanwhile put oven to 475˚ F and prepare filling – Part 2 by blending all the ingredients. After the 15 min cooling period, gently & slowly pour filling – Part 2 from side onto cake. Bake at 475 ˚ F for 10 min.

After cake is cooled, one may add fruit on top if desired.

Comments
This recipe was originally received from Nirelle and was one of the cherished recipes carted off as I left home for college and other parts. I always seem to make this to take someplace which is resented by the rest of the family!

Dutch Butter cookies (Diana and Hanne)

Ingredients
2 1/4 sticks butter
1 cup sugar
2 1/3 cup flour
1 egg

Directions
Mix following ingredients in Cuisinart: softened butter, sugar, 3/4 of the egg (mix the egg in a little bowl), and flour. It will clump together because it is so heavy. Plop into a greased 9" pie plate. Brush on remainder of the egg. With a knife draw criss cross lines on where you will be later cutting up into bars. Bake at 380 F, 25-30 minutes

Terry’s Brownies (Jessie and Steven)

Ingredients
3 oz unsweetened chocolate
6 Tbs butter or margarine
11/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
11/2 tsp vanilla

Directions
Butter a 9-inch square cake pan. Melt the chocolate and the butter in a bowl or pot over simmering water until smooth (you can also microwave it). Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, eggs, salt, flour, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Combine well. Spread in the pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes

Comments
These brownies are also known as “come to my meeting” brownies. Terry is a colleague of Steven’s who makes these whenever she wants a good turnout at her meetings. They are famous throughout the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (FDA).

Bread Pudding (Allen and Nirelle)

Ingredients
8 slices bread
3 ½ cups scalded milk with 4 Tbs butter
¼ cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
½ cup sherry
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
1 cup raisins

Directions
For starters one needs stale bread. At least that is how I remember it. Of course you can artificially stalize the bread by drying it in the oven. And the final result will be affected by the type of bread that is used. We used Monk’s bread – a dense white bread. The idea is to cube or crumble the bread, soak it in scalded milk for ten minutes. Blend in the remaining ingredients. Pour into buttered 1 ½ quart baking dish. Place the dish in a pan of hot water and bake at 350oF for one hour. We used a deep dish but a shallow dish yields more crust per cubic inch of pudding. Selection of baking dish configuration is determined by your affinity for crust.

Comments
We used to make bread pudding when the kids where young and they liked it then, perhaps because of the liquor. Each took this recipe when they went to college. Why not now? And I remember my grandmother baking it oh so many years ago.

Apple Sweet Potatoes (Ed and Eva)

Ingredients
1 40 oz can cut sweet potatoes
3 apples, pealed and sliced
1/3 cup apple juice
3 TBS brown sugar
3 TBS maple syrup
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions
Combine juice, sugar, syrup, and spices. Turn sweet potatoes and apple slices in the mixture to coat, then arrange in a single layer overlapping slightly. Cover tightly with foil, and bake in 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Turn sweet potato and apple slices over and bake for another 20 minutes, covered. May be garnished with chopped walnuts.

Comments
The recipe also calls for 2 TBS of dark molasses, but I left that out of my version, so I can't vouch for this addition. (Eva)

Apple Cranberry Pie (Betsy and Paul)

Ingredients
½ cup sugar
11/2 Tbs cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
5 cups sliced apple
½ cup cranberries
½ cup raisins
½ cup pecans, chopped
Egg wash: 1 egg with 1Tbs water
Sugar for sprinkling

Directions
Filling: Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, sliced apple, cranberries, raisins,and pecans, chopped. Place in pie shell, dot with butter and cover with top crust. Brush crust with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, reduce to 350 and bake another 30 minutes.

Comments
I started making apple pies when I was in high school. Norma Schlessinger, who ran the Everson Museum café, kindly let me put them on the dessert menu. My crust would get rave reviews. I simply used the crust recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook (given to me by my parents when I was 11). Actually, I wrestled with this crust and as time became an issue I switched to Pillsbury’s prepared crusts. Also, over the years, I embellished on the filling. So, the following recipe is not at all my famous apple pie from high school, but still a classic – if you like nuts and raisins

Country Bear Good Neighbor Apple Cake (Wendy and Susan)

Ingredients
4 cups apples peeled and thinly sliced
Mixed together:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Sifted together dry ingredients:
• 1 cup flour (whole wheat is good, but any flour is OK)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
Combined wet ingredients:
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tsp water
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup melted butter, cooled

Directions
Preheat oven to 325oF
Place apples in a 9” round well greased tin.
Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture.
Sprinkle walnuts over.
Add wet to dry ingredients all at once.
Mix until smooth.
Pour over apples.
Bake 1 hour or until golden

Comments
This recipe came from a children’s book about how Bear made this cake by borrowing each of the ingredients one by one from his neighbors, and then inviting them to tea.