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![[graphic]](../images/winery.jpg) Culinary Crime: Second Seating Volume 18, No. 3, Fall 2002
MAIN COURSES
Lady Margaret Roasts a Chicken
by Joyce Christmas (New York, New York)
(I know this recipe exists in various forms in several cookbooks. I can't remember where or when I found it originally, but when I make it now, I do it from my head, not from a book, so I consider it mine. And in the interest of full disclosure, Margaret herself may have told me how to make it while we were debating the virtues of lemon chicken versus Kung Pao chicken. It's one of her favorite showpieces for an intimate yet hearty at-home dinner with De Vere.)
1 roasting chicken 4-5 pounds, giblets removed, washed, and drained.
3 large lemons, 2 left whole, plus the juice of the third, peel reserved, cut into narrow strips.
1 small peeled onion, left whole and stuck with 8-10 cloves.
A few tablespoons of softened butter, or better yet, butter-flavored cooking spray (e.g. PAM).
Unsalted garlic/herb powder (I like Mrs. Dash) or plain granulated garlic powder and some Italian seasoning.
To complete the meal, frozen peas, a handful of sliced mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with water, packaged stuffing, a bottle of decent Chardonnay.
Dry the chicken and insert two lemons, peel slashed in a few places, in the cavity, plus the onion stuck with cloves. (If the lemons are too large, cut them in half.) If you have an extra lemon, cut it in half and stick a half in the neck cavity. Sprinkle some of the garlic/herb mixture in both cavities, plus salt and pepper.
Place the chicken in a shallow roasting pan lined with foil, sprayed with the cooking spray to keep the bird from sticking. Slather the breast and legs with the butter (or spray it all over with cooking spray), then sprinkle liberally with the herb/garlic mixture or the garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Drizzle the juice of the third lemon over the chicken and lay strips of the peel on the breast and legs.
Roast in a 375° pre-heated oven for hour (an hour and a half for a larger chicken), until the juices run clear when you poke the chicken with a fork and the drumsticks wiggle. (According to the experts, if you use a meat thermometer, it should read 185°.) Or simply follow the time and temperature instructions on the chicken's packaging. Heed the pop-up thermometer if the chicken comes equipped with one. You want the skin to be nicely browned, but it doesn't need much attention, no basting necessary but you can squeeze more lemon juice on it midway through. Cook the stuffing according to directions alongside the chicken in a separate baking dish.
When the chicken is done, remove and discard the lemons and onion, and let the chicken stand outside the oven on a platter for 20 minutes before carving. That gives you time to make gravy with the chopped giblets (simmered in water in a small pan for 20 minutes while the chicken roasts) and pan juices plus a cup and a half of water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil and thicken with cornstarch mixed with water. Slice mushrooms into cooked green peas, have a glass of white wine. Light a few candles around a centerpiece of flowers, and pour more white wine.
De Vere is a sucker for this meal, and even Betty could manage it if she put her mind to it, although Tina would demand her share of the chicken liver.
For Whom the Bell Pepper Tolls
by Jaqueline Girdner, aka Claire Daniels (Mill Valley, CA)
(With Ernest apologies to Mr. Hemingway)
Yield: Massacre for 4... and final triumph.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon innocent sesame oil
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1/4 teaspoon chopped ginger
1 handful sundered fresh basil
1 bunch amputated green onions
1/2 cup broken red bell pepper bits
2 tablespoons suspiciously sweet maple syrup
1 tablespoon silent soy sauce
1/4 cup wet sherry (or apple juice)
1/2 cup hewed eggplant
1 cup flayed and slashed mushrooms
1/2 cup hacked zucchini
1 pound dismembered, marinated tofu
1 tablespoon hot and sweet mustard
Directions:
1. Stalk your ingredients in local markets. Carry a stun gun. You never know when veggies will get wise to you.
2. Use revolver to blow away the ends of the zucchini and eggplant, then hack them into desired state of submission.
3. Drown the mushrooms and scrub them till they hurt before slashing to bits.
4. Place tofu in your favorite marinade. Then dismember the soy body.
5. Place unsuspecting sesame oil in frying pan, then scald. Add garlic, ginger, basil, green onions, bell pepper, maple syrup, soy sauce, and sherry. Keep the heat on until they squeak for mercy.
6. Add eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, and tofu. They deserve it!
7. Continue cooking until the vegetables limp.
8. Stir in the mustard, hot and sweet, the ultimate irony.
9. Serve over seething soba noodles or rice. It won't do them any good. You may now eat and celebrate your single-minded mastery.
10. Hide the remains.
(From A Sensitive Kind of Murder, Berkley Prime Crime.)
The Resnick Sandwich
by John Harvey (London, England)
This is Charlie sharing a meal with one of his cats in his first book, Lonely Hearts:
"The sandwich was tuna fish and egg mayonnaise with some small slices of pickled gherkin and a crumbling of blue cheese; the mayonnaise kept dripping over the edges of the bread and down on to his fingers so that Dizzy twisted and stretched from his lap in order to lick it off. Billie Holiday and Lester Young were doing it through the headphones, making love to music without ever holding hands."
It's all pretty much there, the mix of ingredients, the contrast between the care that has gone into the making of the sandwich and the necessarily messy way in which it is eaten; the close equation between food and sex, eating and making love.
My most recent book, In a True Light, is not a police procedural (though there are two prominently featured New York cops) and Sloane, the central character, is a painter rather than a policeman. If he doesn't exactly major in the art of making sandwiches, how's this for an impromptu meal, mid-canvas.
"He wanted breakfast, he wanted something, he wanted lunch.
"What he found were a tin of sardines soaked in oil, another of cannellini beans, a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, as yet unopened, and, hiding behind the marmalade, a slim, black and silver tin of anchovies. All of these he emptied into one large bowl, stirred with a fork, added a splash or two more of olive oil, then took the bowl upstairs and sat cross-legged on the floor opposite the painting, eating with fork and fingers both, finally licking his finger ends. Finished, he set the bowl aside and continued to sit."
Luau Roast Pig/Pua'a
by Elaine Hatfield (Honolulu, Hawaii)
"What's underneath the pig?" Rosie asked. "It looks like more stones."
"That's right," Maile said. "The guys construct the imu in layers. Last night the whole crew came by and hollowed out an enormous pit in the sand, filled it up with paper, kindling, and logs, and ignited it. They wait until the imu is red hot and then they add the lava rocks."
"The rocks have to be the right kind and size, like cannonballs," said a middle-aged Japanese man, who was standing next to Maile. "Otherwise they explode."
"The guys let the rocks heat up overnight," Maile continued. "Then, first thing in the morning, they come back, load up the pig with white-hot rocks, and dump it in the pit. It's a lot harder than it sounds." She concluded: "Pig plus rocks probably weighs 700 pounds."
"The pua'a's been baking 12 hours now," their Japanese informant said.
"Now," said Maile, "comes the really hard part."
-from Rosie (SterlingHouse, 2000)
Cassie Burdette's Company Hot Dog Casserole
by Roberta Isleib (Madison, Connecticut)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
6-8 best quality hot dogs, sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons barbeque sauce
2 tablespoons molasses or brown sugar
1 very large can B&M baked beans
Worcestershire sauce
Sauté onions and peppers in small amount of olive oil. Set aside. Sauté hot dog slices until brown. Mix these ingredients with the baked beans, pork fat removed and discarded. Add mustard, barbeque sauce, molasses or brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Mix and pour into a greased 9x11 casserole. Bake at 350° until bubbly.
Filet of Sole Veronique
by Peter King (Sarasota, Florida)
When the Gourmet Detective is not eating at a top Restaurant, he may be cooking at home. Here is one of his recipes:
1/4 cup butter
1 lb small filets of sole
paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. chervil
1/2 cup seedless white grapes, cut in half
cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. lemon peel
Melt butter in heavy pan. Add filets of sole and cook about 5 minutes or till lightly browned. Turn carefully and sprinkle with salt, lemon juice and cayenne. Pour wine over fish and cook till fish is done, about 5 minutes. Lift fish on to heated plates and sprinkle with paprika. To sauce in pan, add grapes, lemon peel and chervil. Bring sauce to boil and simmer a few minutes till grapes heated. Pour over fish. Serves 4.
Sweet and Sour Chicken and Shrimp Kabobs on a Bed of Rice
by Sharolett Koenig (Hamilton, Michigan)
6 servings; cooking time: 20 minutes
1. Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent burning.
2. Cook rice according to directions. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add 1 cup of uncooked rice. Simmer for 20 minutes.
5 Tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup water
6 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 slices lemon
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Cold water
3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 pound large shrimp, shelled
2 large zucchinis, cut in 1-inch pieces
3 small onions
2 green peppers, cut in 1-inch squares
12 cherry tomatoes
3. Combine first five ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend cornstarch with a small amount of cold water; add to sauce. Stir until smooth and bubbly.
Parboil whole onions 1 minute, then add zucchini and peppers, and boil 1 minute more. Refresh under cold water. Quarter onions. Thread chicken, shrimp and vegetables alternately on 6 long skewers. Grill kabobs over medium hot fire, basting often with sauce. Grill 12-15 minutes or until done. Shrimp should be pink. Serve with rice.
Dessert Kabobs
Pound cake, cut in 1-inch squares
Large marshmallows
Fruit, cut in 1-inch pieces
Chocolate syrup
Alternate cake, marshmallows and fruit on skewers. Grill just until marshmallows start to turn golden. Serve on a paper plate and drizzle with a spoon of chocolate syrup for a s'more-like treat.
Pineapple Chicken
by Peter May (St. Michel Loubejou, France)
2 medium to large pineapples
2 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
1 large onion
2 spring onions
1/2 red bell pepper
6 medium-sized mushrooms
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
For The Sweet & Sour Sauce:
Pineapple juice
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon minced chilli)
1 1/2" fresh ginger, grated (or 1 heaped tablespoon minced ginger)
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons runny honey
2 teaspoons light soy
1 teaspoon salt
1) Trim and cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle with salt, place in a bowl and set aside.
2) Trim the leaves from the tops, and the stalks from the base of the pineapples. Cut the top 1" off the pineapples and scoop out the flesh to make lids. Hollow out the pineapples, either with a pineapple corer or a grapefruit knife. (The flesh can be chopped into chunks, combined with the juice of a lemon and a tablespoon of runny honey, and placed in the fridge to be eaten any time over the next few days as a dessert with ice-cream.)
3) Drain off all the pineapple juice from the empty shells, as well as the juice which collects when the flesh is chunked. Place the juice in a bowl and combine with all the other sauce ingredients and mix well.
4) Chop the onion, spring onions, red pepper and mushrooms, and combine with the sweet and sour sauce, mixing well.
5) Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken pieces until they turn white and are completely sealed (about 2 minutes). Drain and remove from the wok.
6) Place the pineapple shells in an oven-proof dish to collect any overspill juice during cooking. Fill the shells with alternate layers of chicken and the sweet and sour sauce/vegetable mixture until they are packed. Place the lids on the shells, secure with a couple of toothpicks, and bake in a pre-heated oven for 1 hour at 200° C (Gas 6).
7) Remove from the oven, serve the whole pineapples individually in deep plates, removing the lids, placing them at the side of the pineapples and pouring any of the overspill juices back into the shells. (The pineapple juice tenderizes the chicken so it melts in the mouth, but the vegetables, although cooked, remain crunchy.)
Hearty Home-Made Tomato Soup
by Radine Trees Nehring (Gravette, Arkansas)
Dump two cans tomato soup in large pot, add two cans water, and any, or all, of the following: a peeled, chopped tomato (fresh from the garden, or a frozen whole tomato from the basement freezer), chopped onion (from the braided string of onions hooked on the garage rafter), fresh basil (from a pot in the greenhouse), a handful of quick rice, and/or tiny pieces of finely chopped canned ham. Serve with fresh fruit, and bread sticks from a pop-open tube.
Voila! No one guesses it started in red and white cans.
-from A Valley to Die For
Oatmeal Cookie Bars
(Carrie is in the kitchen waiting for Susan, the niece of her murdered friend, and decides to cook while she waits.)
"Let's see... a stick of margarine, one-fourth cup dark corn syrup, half-cup sugar, tablespoon molasses, two and a half cups oatmeal, pecans. She had all that on hand. Turn oven knob to three fifty, melt the margarine in a pot, stir in sugar, corn syrup, a blob of molasses that looks about like a tablespoon, plus the oatmeal. Line an eight-inch square baking pan with greased foil, spread the gooey stuff in it, add pecans on top, and stick it in the oven." (No, I didn't leave out flour. Carrie's oatmeal cookies have no flour in them. She was out of both flour and eggs the day she invented this recipe, and people living in a remote Ozarks forest don't just rush off to the grocery store to buy missing ingredients.)
"Thirty-five minutes later, Carrie was taking the first pan out of the oven when Susan appeared..."
-from A Valley to Die For
Magic Two Meatloaf
(She figures quantities are easier to remember if they're all the same number.)
2 lbs. lean ground beef
Scant 2 cups dry poultry stuffing mix
2 cups tomato juice, or enough to soften the stuffing mix
2 eggs
2 tsp. salt
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 quarter-cups minced onion (For most people, that's a half cup.)
Pepper to taste
Soften stuffing mix in juice. Beat eggs. Mix all ingredients well and shape into a loaf in a roasting pan. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for at least 1 hours. Put small whole peeled potatoes around the loaf for the last hour of baking.
Carrie serves this with home-made apple or pear sauce (peel, slice, and cook fruit, season as you wish, whir in blender), fresh or frozen green beans from the garden, and crescent rolls from a Pillsbury Doughboy pop-open tube.
Carrie's Cookie Crisps
Spray cooking oil in a 9"x13" baking pan.
Line the bottom of the pan with plain graham crackers. (You'll have to break a few to fit around the edges.) Boil one-half cup margarine and one-half cup brown sugar together for one minute, stirring during cooking. Pour this mixture over the graham crackers as evenly as you can. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake at 350° for twelve minutes. Slice into squares while still warm, then cool in pan.
Osso Buco
by Kris Neri (Granada Hills, California)
4 veal shank pieces
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 celery stalks, cut into thin slivers
3 carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
1 medium onion, chopped
3 (or more to taste) garlic cloves, chopped or pressed
Salt and pepper
2 cups canned tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups dry white wine
1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or to taste)
1 sprig of fresh thyme (or to taste)
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Zest of 1/2 lemon
In a heavy pot, heat the olive oil on high heat. Season both sides of veal shanks with salt and pepper. Brown both sides of the shanks. Lower heat and add the celery, carrots and onions. Sauté until tender. Add tomato sauce, wine and stock, along with rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce to low temperature and simmer for 2 hours, or until meat is very, very tender. Remove herb sprigs and bay leaf. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
The sauce may be served in its textured state, or may be pureed into a thick vegetable sauce in a food processor or with a portable "boat motor" processor in the pot. Stir in the fresh parsley and lemon zest just before serving. Serves four.
Angie's Chicken Saltimbocca
by Joanne Pence (Boise, Idaho)
2 whole chicken breasts, boned and skinned
8 paper-thin slices prosciutto
1/8 lb. fontina cheese, cut into 4 sticks
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbs. water
1/2 cup packaged Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion (scallion), sliced fine
2 Tbs. butter
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. parsley, chopped fine
Place chicken between two pieces of waxed paper and pound with mallet or rolling pin until thin. Cover each piece of chicken with two slices of prosciutto; add one stick of fontina cheese. Roll chicken to enclose prosciutto and cheese; hold together with toothpicks.
Add water to egg and whisk lightly. Dip chicken into egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Melt butter in pan, then sauté garlic and onion until soft. Add breaded chicken. Cook over medium heat about three minutes (until golden), then give 1/4 turn, cook 3 minutes more, and so on, until chicken is completely golden.
Put chicken broth and wine into pan; cook covered 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove chicken (keep warm). Add parsley to broth mixture and cook down until it reaches thin sauce consistency. Spoon sauce over chicken to serve. Makes 4 servings.
Excellent with fettuccini or pasta with pesto!
Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Madeira Mushroom Sauce
by M. Diane Vogt (Tampa, Florida)
This recipe was reputedly enjoyed during Thomas Jefferson's time. The ingredients are certainly classic enough. Whether it's true or not, I've served this dish to many a guest and never had one complaint! This recipe is suitable for a five-pound beef tenderloin or a seven-pound prime rib. Bon Appetit!
One hour before roasting, rub beef with the following mixture and allow to stand at room temperature:
2 Tablespoons Chutney (I use London Pub, Major Grey Chutney, made with mangoes, but there are several brands on the market)
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried mustard
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
Roast the rubbed beef in an open roasting pan at appropriate temperature until desired doneness. Be sure to preheat oven. (As an example, prime rib should be seared at 450º for ten minutes and then roasted at 250º for 25 minutes per pound for medium rare; beef tenderloin should be roasted at 450º for 55 minutes for medium rare.) Prime rib should be roasted rib side down. If you choose to use the tenderloin, get flat beef bones at the butcher and place the meat on the bones for roasting. This is a very lean cut of beef and it will not produce enough drippings for the sauce without the beef bones. The tenderloin should not touch the metal in the pan while cooking.
Remove beef from pan and transfer to warm platter. Keep warm while making the sauce.
Sauce is made in the roasting pan on top of the stove. Brown pan drippings. If there is not enough fat, add two tablespoons of butter. Add:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup Beef Consomme
Cook until mushrooms are desired doneness. Just before serving, add and cook for thirty seconds to one minute:
2 Tbsp Madeira wine
More sauce can be made by increasing all of the sauce ingredients.
Grilled Wild Salmon
by The Sisters Wells (Seattle, Washington, and Sequim, Washington)
(Adapted from Jo Dereske's Miss Zukas and the Island Murders, Avon, 1995.)
Serves 6
2 pounds center-cut wild salmon fillets with skin
1/2 C. mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 tsp. white wine vinegar
4 sprigs fresh dill
Cracked pepper to taste
2 T. butter
Parsley sprigs
Lemon wedges
Place salmon, skin side down, on ungreased heavy duty aluminum foil. Whisk mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Spread topping over top and side of salmon, covering completely. Top with dill sprigs. Close foil over top of salmon loosely. Grill at moderate heat until almost cooked through (salmon will feel almost firm when pressed with finger), about 35 minutes. Open foil, add pepper to taste, and grill at low heat for additional 5 minutes, or until salmon is firm to the touch. Garnish with butter, parsley and lemon slices.
DESSERTS
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
by Lou Allin (Sudbury, Ontario)
Mix dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Beat:
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil with
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
Add:
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp grated lemon rind
3 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
Combine dry mixture with wet mixture and beat well.
Bake in greased pans at 350 degrees for one hour. Makes three small loaves or two large ones.
-from Blackflies Are Murder
Gran's Fudge Cake with Mocha Frosting
by JoAnna Carl (Lawton, Oklahoma)
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
3 cups cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
5 eggs, separated
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cream sugar and shortening. Beat in egg yolks. Add cocoa. Sift flour with soda and salt. Add this alternately with buttermilk. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold in gently. Bake at 375 degrees for layers, or at 350 for a sheet cake. This makes four layers or a great big sheet cake.
Frosting
1 stick margarine
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 pound powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
Mix until smooth.
Afghani Rice Pudding
by Cathie Celestri (Loveland, Ohio)
3/4 c. uncooked, white Jasmine rice
1 1/2 c. water
3 c. whole milk
1/2 c. half and half
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Garnish: finely-chopped pistachios
Bring the rice and water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat and cook, covered, over low heat until water is absorbed, approximately 20 minutes. Add the milk, half and half, sugar, and cardamom. Raise the heat to keep mixture at a gentle boil for 35-45 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick like porridge. Pour into serving dishes. Sprinkle with finely-chopped pistachios and chill. Pudding will thicken even more in refrigerator (Note: To make this an Indian Rice Pudding, stir in 2 Tbsps. each of raisins and flaked coconut for last five minutes of cooking. Garnish with toasted, sliced almonds.)
Doppelganger Chocolate Cake
by Denise Dietz (Sidney, British Columbia)
2 cups sugar and 2 cups of flour, mixed together in large bowl.
In a saucepan, place:
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup oil
4 Tablespoons cocoa
1 cup water
Bring saucepan ingredients to a boil, pour over sugar and flour, and mix well.
Add to mixture:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
Mix well and pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 about 30 minutes or until done.
Frosting:
Melt 1 stick of butter or margarine, 4 tablespoons cocoa and 3 tablespoons milk. Bring to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and add one package powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 cup chopped nuts. Frost warm cake.
Ellie Bernstein, diet club leader, says that if you use margarine and a sugar substitute, this recipe is Weight Winners approved. Ellie adds that you should not count the one cup of water as part of your required 8 cups a day.
Macaroons
by Carola Dunn (Eugene, Oregon)
1 egg white
50 gms/2 oz ground almonds
50 gms caster (US: granulated) sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
few split almonds
Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with rice paper [kitchen parchment].
Whisk egg white until stiff and fold in the ground almonds, caster sugar and almond essence. Place teaspoonfuls of mixture on baking sheets -- leave room for spreading. Top each biscuit with a split almond. Bake 20-25 minutes until firm to the touch and beginning to colour. Cool on tray, then trim rice paper around each biscuit.
Chocolate Chip Crunch Cookies
by Joanne Fluke (Granada Hills, California)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 beaten eggs
2 cups corn flakes
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips
Melt butter, add the sugars, and mix. Add soda, salt, vanilla and eggs. Mix well. Crush the corn flakes with your fingers. (I measure mine, put them in a baggie, and squeeze them -- it's more fun than a stress ball.) Add the crushed corn flakes, flour, and chocolate chips, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Place walnut-sized scoops of dough on a greased cookie sheet, 12 to a standard-sized sheet. Flatten them slightly with a floured or greased fork in a crisscross pattern.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove the cookies to a wire rack to complete cooling. (The rack makes them crunchy.)
Carol Sabala's Reverse Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Vinnie Hansen (Santa Cruz, California)
1 c. sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 c soft, unsalted butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/4 c milk
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg
1/4 tsp. soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white chocolate chips
walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use a melon ball scoop or ice cream scoop to drop cookies onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Press down with your favorite method. I use a fork lightly dusted with flour. My mom uses a glass dipped in water, then sugar. The larger cookies from an ice cream scoop take approximately 15 minutes to bake. The smaller cookies from the melon ball scoop take approximately 10 minutes to bake.
-from One Tough Cookie
Death By Turtle
by Gay Toltl Kinman (Alhambra, California)
1 German chocolate cake mix
2 c. soft caramels
1 c. sweetened condensed milk
1 stick margarine
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. coarsely chopped pecans
Grease and flour 9x13 glass dish. Prepare cake mix according to directions. Pour 1/2 of batter (2 1/2 cups) into dish and bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes. Melt caramels, milk and margarine in microwave on high about 7 minutes. Pour melted mixture over baked portion of cake. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans evenly. Pour remaining uncooked batter on top and bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Let cool before cutting.
Almond Gateau with Pears
by Janet Laurence (Somerton, Somerset, England)
Here is one of my favourite recipes, the ground almond gateau that my mother used to produce for dinner parties. This is a very simple but quite delicious dessert. The combination of the moist, almond cake with the clean, sweet flavour of the pears, set off by the cool cream, is out of this world. If you haven't got time to poach the pears, don't worry, for this recipe tinned ones taste just as good.
225 g/ 8 oz/ 1 cup ground almonds
225 g/ 8 oz/ 1 cup caster (US: granulated) sugar
5 egg whites (225 g/ 8 oz)
Mix together the ground almonds and the caster sugar until quite smooth (best in a processor). Whip the egg whites to stiff peak, scatter over the nuts and sugar mixture then very carefully fold together.
Pile into an 20 cm/ 8" diameter tin lined with silicon paper and bake for approximately 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 180° C/ 350° F/ Gas Mark 4, until golden brown and set. Place the tin on a rack until the cake has cooled, then turn out carefully.
To serve:
5 to 6 pears poached in white wine OR a large tin of pears
300 ml/ 10 fl oz/ generous cup double (whipping) cream
Drain pears, slice and arrange on top of cake. Whip cream until it will just hold its shape, spread over the pears. The cake is best prepared a couple of hours or more before serving.
The cake base freezes extremely well and can be served on its own with coffee or tea.
Mocha Brownies
by Lev Raphael (Okemos, Michigan)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces milk chocolate
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder, dissolved in...
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup brewed coffee, warm or cool
1 tablespoon ground coffee (regular grind)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat your oven to 350°. Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. Melt butter and chocolate together either in a double boiler or a microwave. Stir till smooth, then set aside.
3. Using a mixer set to medium, beat eggs for 1 minute in a large bowl. Add brown sugar and coffee-vanilla mixture. Beat for 2 minutes. Stir in the other 2 coffees.
4. Add chocolate/butter mixture, mix well at medium.
5. Add flour and salt just until blended at low speed.
6. Pour brownie mixture into pan, bake until firm (20-25 minutes) on the middle rack.
7. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares. These brownies can be frozen for six months in plastic wrap and foil, or refrigerated in an air-tight container for a week. But who can wait even that long?
Mrs. Hark's Cream Puffs
by Margaret Searles (Grover Beach, California)
Put 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup boiling water. Heat until butter melts.
Add 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and a dash of nutmeg. Stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Add 1 egg. Beat. Add a second egg and beat some more. Mixture should be very stiff. If not, let it stand 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Lightly grease a cookie sheet with butter. Arrange the cream puff batter by teaspoonfuls, with about 1 inch between puffs. They will triple in size as they bake, so keep them small.
Bake for 10 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 10 minutes more. Take one cream puff out, and if it does not flatten, they are done. Let cool and prepare filling.
Filling:
Mix in a small, heavy pan: 1/2 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. flour, few grains salt.
Stir in 3/4 cup milk. Cook and stir over low heat until the mixture thickens (about 5 minutes).
Add 1 slightly beaten egg. Cook and stir 3 minutes more.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla, stir and cool.
To fill the cream puffs, Mrs. Hark cut a small hole and squeezed the filling in with a pastry tube, so her cream puffs would be portable (she carried them on a tour bus in an insulated, drawstring pouch). If you don't have that problem, you can slice the tops almost off and spoon in the filling.
Quick Fruit Desserts
by Lucille Gang Shulklapper (Coral Springs, Florida)
When you find you're in a last-minute pinch for dessert, think of simple fruit desserts. Fruit looks particularly appealing when served in a large balloon wineglass. Here are some suggestions:
strawberries with a splash of balsamic vinegar and freshly ground black pepper;
cut up nectarines or peaches with Muscat Canelli;
blueberries with a vanilla crème anglaise;
sliced ripe pears with chunks of roquefort;
dried cherries marinated in a brandied sugar syrup and served in compote dishes with crumbled Stilton cheese;
sliced and peeled apples or pears sauteed in butter and then carmelized with sugar, spooned over French vanilla ice cream;
fresh figs, quartered and served with honey ricotta cheese;
sliced oranges with candied orange zest.
Death by Chocolate Cookies
by Robert Weibezahl (Westlake Village, California)
Forget the frozen leg of lamb. Just serve enough of these cookies to your intended victim and wait for his or her arteries to slowly harden...
2 packages (16 squares) semisweet baking chocolate, divided
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop 8 squares (1 package) of the chocolate and set aside. Microwave remaining 8 squares in large microwave-safe bowl on high, 1-2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stir in sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla, and blend well. Stir in flour and baking powder. Fold in reserved chopped chocolate and nuts. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12-13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and feel set to the touch. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen.
Dying for Chocolate
by Janet A. Rudolph (Berkeley, California)
1 lb plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I like Hershey's)
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 lb unsalted butter
6 extra large eggs
3 Tbsp instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 12" x 18" x 1" baking sheet.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture in the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add to the chocolate batter. Pour into baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake. Allow to cool, refrigerate and cut into large squares.
(Of course I never wait and the brownies sometimes crumble some, but who cares? They're great hot from the oven, but if you're serving others, put them in the refrigerator before you cut them).
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