I have been making this bread at Yule for years
now, and it is a favorite among close friends. Its perfect to use
in circle!
YULE EGG NOG BREAD
4
cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2
cup sugar
3
tbs. butter
¼ cup
golden raisins
¼
cup chopped pecans
1
1/2 cup egg nog
1
pkg. dry yeast, in 1/2 cup warm water
Warm
everything to room temperature. Pitch yeast in warm water, with a pinch
of sugar. Mix flour, sugar, cut in softened butter. Mix in fruit and
nuts. When yeast is good and frothy, mix in egg nog and yeast mixture
and knead, adding flour as necessary. Let rise about an hour, punch down
dough, form into a ball, and let rise again; preheat oven to 350o. Bake approximately 30-45 minutes until done.
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This Stew is great when the weather is cold
outside.
Sicilian Seafood Stew
1
cup chopped onions
¼
cup olive oil
1
cup chopped celery
1
green bell pepper, chopped
1
red bell pepper chopped
3
garlic cloves, minced
Pinch
of crushed red pepper or cayenne
1
tsp. Dried oregano
1
tsp. Dried basil
1
tsp. Dried marjoram
2
cups bottled clam juice
3
cups undrained canned tomatoes, chopped or crushed (28-oz can)
½
cup sherry or cooking wine
½
lb. Scallops, rinsed
½
lb. fresh or frozen shelled shrimp
Juice
of 1 lemon
Ground
black pepper to taste
Lemon
wedges
Capers,
rinsed and drained
Chopped
black olives
In
a soup pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil on high heat for 2
minutes, stirring constantly. Add
the celery and bell peppers and sauté stirring for 2 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne,
oregano, basil, and marjoram. Lower
the heat, cover, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the clam juice, tomatoes, and wine. Cover and simmer for 15
minutes.
Add
the scallops and shrimp, and cook until the scallops are no longer
opaque, and the shrimp are just pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lemon
juice and season with pepper to taste.
Serve
with lemon wedges, and top each serving with a sprinkling of capers and
or chopped black olives if desired.
Serves
6
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Wassail
6
cups apple cider
2 1/2 cups apricot nectar
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon Whole Cloves
4 Whole Allspice
3 3-inch Cinnamon Sticks
Combine
all ingredients in a large pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer
15 minutes. Strain and discard spices.
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Nice
and colorful for Yuletide!
Couscous with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes
2 TBS olive oil
½
medium onion, chopped
2
cloves garlic, minced
2
½ cups vegetable stock
1
½ lbs. Medium zucchini, trimmed and cut into ½ inch thick slices
2
TBS chopped fresh thyme, or 2 tsp. dried
1
½ cups cous cous
1
TBS olive oil
24
cherry tomatoes
Heat
olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat
Add
onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add
garlic and cook stirring for 1 minute.
Stir
in the vegetable stock, and zucchini. Bring to a boil.
Cook until the zucchini is tender but not soft, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir
in thyme and stir in Couscous, and olive oil.
Remove
from the heat. Cover and let stand until the stock is absorbed, about 10
minutes. Fluff the Couscous with a fork and stir in the tomatoes.
Serve
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This
recipe sounds strange but it is delicious!
Sweet Potato-Banana
Casserole
·
4 medium sweet potatoes
·
1/2 cup chopped nuts
·
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
·
3/4 cup brown sugar
·
1/2 cup coconut
·
4 bananas, mashed
·
1 cup crushed corn flakes
·
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
·
1/4 cup brown sugar
Cook potatoes in
small amount of water until tender. Mash and beat. Add nuts, 4
tablespoons butter, sugar and coconut. If the mixture is dry, add either
a little cream or orange juice to moisten.
Pour 1/2 of the
sweet potato mixture into a buttered casserole. Cover with mashed
bananas and then top with rest of sweet potato mixture.
Combine crushed
corn flakes, 2 tablespoons butter and brown sugar. Cover top of sweet
potatoes.
Bake at 350
degrees for 20 minutes.
Serves 6 to 8.
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This
Gumbo says Yule all over it.
TURKEY-SAUSAGE
AND SEAFOOD GUMBO
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
3 low-fat Italian turkey sausages (about 10 ounces), casings removed
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
8 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 6-ounce catfish fillets, each cut into 4 pieces
Sprinkle flour over bottom of large, heavy pot. Constantly stir
flour over medium-low heat until flour turns golden brown (do not allow
to burn), about 15 minutes. Place browned flour into bowl. Over
medium heat, use same pot to heat oil. Mix in onion and bell pepper and
sauté until tender, about 7 minutes. Mix in garlic, thyme and bay leaf;
stir 1 minute. Combine with sausages and sauté until brown, breaking up
with spoon, about 5 minutes, then add browned flour. Add tomatoes with
juices, broth and Creole seasoning. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover
and simmer 20 minutes to blend flavors. Stirring frequently. Add shrimp and catfish to pot and
simmer just until seafood is opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Remove
bay leaf. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serves 4.
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This
one is sweet and yummy, and perfect for a Main Yule Dinner dish.
Strawberry-Glazed Ham
1 5-7-pound fully cooked smoked butt or
shank-half ham
1-1/2 cup Strawberry Preserves
1/3 cup prepared mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
With a sharp knife, score fat surface, making
uniform diagonal cuts about 1/8 inch deep and 3/4 inch apart. Place ham
fat side up on rack in a shallow roasting pan; bake in a 325° F oven
1-1/4 to 2-1/4 hours. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine preserves,
mustard, and lemon juice; cook over low heat, stirring until blended.
During last 20 minutes of baking time, brush ham with about 1/2 cup
glaze. Let ham stand 10 minutes for easier slicing. Heat remaining glaze
and serve as a sauce for the ham.
Makes eight to 10 servings.
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For the Vegetarians
Tofu Lasagna
1 lb. lasagna noodles (preferably whole wheat)
·
1 28 oz. can tomato puree
·
2 tsp. dried basil
·
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
·
1/2 tsp. oregano
·
8 oz. part skim mozzarella cheese, sliced
·
1/2 lb mushrooms, cut in half
·
1/4 cup chopped parsley (or 1 Tbs. dried)
·
1 cup tofu mashed
·
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
·
3 cloves garlic, crushed
·
1 lb. lowfat cottage cheese
·
1 10 oz. package spinach, fresh or frozen
Steam fresh spinach or thaw frozen spinach, set
aside. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. When done,
drain, douse with cold water, and set aside.
Mix together tofu, crushed garlic, cottage
cheese and 1 Tbs. of Parmesan. In a separate bowl, combine mushrooms,
parsley, spinach and artichoke hearts. Combine tomato purée, basil,
garlic powder and oregano. Spread a thin layer of this sauce in a large
baking dish (about 10"x15"). followed by a layer of noodles.
Top this with layers of the vegetable mixture, mozzarella cheese and the
tofu mixture. Spoon another layer of sauce over all this, followed by
another layer of pasta. Continue to build layers, reserving enough
tomato sauce to cover the final layer of pasta. Sprinkle with 3 Tbs.
Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes. Let
stand briefly before cutting and serving.
Yield: 6-8 servings
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I always have warm memories of my
Aunt's Gingerbread cake during holidays.
FRESH
GINGER CAKE
1
1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 cup light molasses
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup water
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons lemon zest, about 1 lemon
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup unsifted powdered sugar
Position
rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Generously
grease the bottom and sides of a ring mold pan and dust generously with
flour.
Pour
the flour, baking soda and salt in that order into a triple sifter. Sift
onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside. Crack the egg into a small
bowl and whisk just to combine the yolk and the white. Pour the
molasses, corn syrup and water into a liquid cup measure and stir to
combine. Place the butter in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer.
With
the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until it clings
to the sides of the mixing bowl and has a satiny appearance. Add the
sugar and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue to cream at medium
speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until the mixture is lighter in color and
fluffy. Keeping the mixer at a medium speed, add the egg, a tablespoon
at a time, to the butter mixture. Continue to cream, stopping the mixer
and scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once. After about 1 or
2 minutes, when the mixture is light and fluffy and has increased in
volume, remove the beater and bowl from the mixer. Scrape batter off the
beater. Stir in the lemon zest and the grated ginger. Using a rubber
spatula, stir in a quarter of the flour mixture. Then add 1/3 of the
molasses mixture, stirring to blend together. Repeat, alternating dry
and liquid ingredients and ending with the flour. Scrape the sides of
the bowl often and mix until smooth after each addition.
Pour
the batter into the ring mold and spread it slightly higher toward the
outer edge so it will bake more evenly. Bake for about 35 to 37 minutes,
or until the sides begin to contract from the mold, the surface springs
back slightly when lightly touched in the center and a wooden toothpick
inserted comes out clean.
Place
the cake on a rack to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. With mitts, tilt and
rotate the mold and gently tap it on the counter to see if the cake is
releasing from the sides of the mold. If not, run a small metal spatula
or the blade of a table knife around the outer edge to loosen the cake
from the mold. Place an 8 inch wide strip of parchment paper, then a
rack on the top of the cake, invert and carefully remove the ring mold.
Cool completely.
To
make a pattern for decorating the cake, place a cooling rack on top of
the cake. Pour the powdered sugar into a sieve and gently sprinkle the
sugar evenly over the cake. Remove the top cooling rack and transfer
cake to a serving platter.
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This
really puts me in the mood and is good to ground with after a ritual
along with some coffee.
Cranberry Spice Biscotti with White Chocolate
Biscotti
1
¼ cups dried cranberries
1/3
cup chopped crystalized ginger
3
1/3 cups all purpose flour
2
½ tsp baking powder
1
¼ tsp ground coriander
½
tsp ground cardamon
¼
tsp salt
1
cup sugar
1/3
cup unsalted butter
1
Tbl finely grated lemon peel
2
eggs
2
Tbl lemon juice
4
tsp light corn syrup
2
½ tsp vanilla
Glaze
8
oz. White chocolate, coaresly chopped
4
tsp shortening
Heat
oven to 450 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place cranberries and ginger in food processor, process until
finely chopped.
In
medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, coriander, cardamon, and
salt; mix well. In large
bowl, beat sugar, butter, and lemon peel at medium speed until light,
and fluffy and well blended. Add
eggs, lemon juice, corn syrup and vanilla: beat until blended.
Gradually
beat half of flour mixture into egg mixture just until well blended.
Beat in remaining flour mixture until well blended.
Stir in cranberry mixture until evenly distributed.
Divide
dough in half. Roll one
half on large sheet of plastic wrap; shapeinto 15 x 1 ¼ in log. Remove plastic wrap and place on baking sheet; repaet with
remaining half of dough. Arranging
logs as far apart as possible on baking sheet.
Press down logs to ¼ inch thickness.
Bake
30 to 35 minutes or until well browned and slightly cracked.
Place parchment paper and logs on wire rack; cool 20 to 30
mintues Keep oven at 350 F
Line
2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Transfer logs to cutting board. With serrated knife, cut
diagnolly into scant ½ inch thick slices.
Lay slices cut side down on baking sheets.
Return to oven bake 16 minutes or until lightly browned turning
once. Remove from baking
sheets cool on wire racks.
Line
2 baking sheets with foil. In
large, shallow microwave safe bowl combine white chocolate and
shortening. Microwave on medium 2 ½ minute to 3 ½ mintues, stopping
and tirring every 30 seconds. Until chocolate is almosat melted.
Dip
top edge of each biscotti in melted chocolate placeon baking sheet
let stand 10 to 20 minutes. Or until chocolate is set.
Store cookies in airtight container at room tempature up to 3
weeks.
About
4 dozen cookies.
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One
of my favorite desserts!
TIRAMISU
2
eggs*
2 egg yolks*
12 tablespoons sugar
500 grams Mascarpone cheese (1 large tub)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Pinch of salt
10 tablespoons Marsala wine
2 cups espresso, plus more if needed
1 large package Lady Fingers (4 sleeves of 12 biscuits)
1 whole cup chopped semisweet chocolate
Place
the 2 eggs and 2 whole egg yolks in an electric mixer bowl and add
approximately 8 tablespoons of sugar. With whisk attachment beat until
the mixture forms a good ribbon (should nearly have soft peaks). Once
the correct consistency is achieved, whisk in the Mascarpone cheese. In
a separate bowl, whip the cream along with 2 tablespoons sugar and a
pinch of salt. Once hard peaks form, add the whipped cream to the egg/Mascarpone
mixture and beat until smooth, adding approximately 2 tablespoons
Marsala. In a separate bowl, pour the hot espresso and add 2 tablespoons
sugar and 8 tablespoons Marsala.
Assembly:
One at a time, quickly dip each biscuit in the espresso mixture and then
place on the bottom of a 9 by 13 glass baking pan. Continue until you
have an entire layer of biscuits on the bottom of the pan. (Note of
Caution: Dip quickly or biscuits will become soggy.) Using a spatula
spread half of the mascarpone cream over the biscuits. Repeat the
process above to make a second layer. This should fill the pan.
Finish:
Refrigerate 8 to 10 hours or overnight. Grate the chocolate over the
top. Enjoy!
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