Irish Whiskey Trifle

We had friends from our Dinner Club over for a belated, St Patty's Day dinner and served an Irish feast, right down to trying Mead, a traditional honey-based wine. After Irish appetizers, cheese and leek soup and beef stew, we finished up with this dessert. Here's a pic after adding the fruit and whiskey to the cake, but before the custard and whipped cream. Enjoy!

Irish Whiskey Trifle

Serves 6-8

6-7 inch sponge cake

8 oz raspberry jam

2/3 cup Irish whiskey

1 lb ripe, soft fruit (I used raspberries and blueberries)

1 ¼ cups whipping cream

Blanched almonds, candied cherries and angelica, to decorate (optional)

For the custard

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla pod (bean) or a few drops of vanilla extract

3 eggs

2 TBS confectioner’s sugar

1. To make the custard, put the milk into a pan with the vanilla bean if using, and bring almost to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the eggs and sugar together lightly. Remove the bean. Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture.

2. Rise out the pan with cold water, return the mixture to it and stir over low heat until it thickens enough to cover the back of a wooden spoon; do not allow the custard to boil. Alternatively, for a very slow method of cooking, use a double boiler, or boil over a pan of boiling water.

3. Turn the custard into a mixing bowl and add the vanilla, if using. Cover the custard and set aside until ready to assemble the trifle.

4. Halve the sponge cake horizontally, spread with the raspberry jam and make a sandwich. Using a sharp knife, cut into slices and use them to line the bottom and lower sides of a large glass serving bowl.

5. Sprinkle with the whiskey. Slice and peel the fruit (if applicable) and spread out over the sponge to make an even layer. Pour the custard on top, cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming, and leave to cool and set. Chill until ready to use. Before serving, whip the cream and spread it over the set custard. Decorate with the almonds, cherries and angelica if you like.

Tips

-     I tried making the custard above and failed. I got it too hot and it “broke”. I ended up using a store-bought custard mix that I have used before. The brand is Bird's Custard Powder which I get in the Irish foods section of the supermarket.

-     I made the whole dessert gluten-free by using a cake mix put out by Gluten Free Pantry, (also in the supermarket), gluten free jam and gluten free vanilla. The custard mix is gluten-free as well. The cake mix was easy to use and tasty. I’ll add a link to the blog at the bottom.

-     I left off the almonds, glazed cherries and angelica. This dessert has a lot going on and I don’t think it needs them.

-     I will be making this again and using whatever jam I have made last season!

Chocolate Berry Bars

My friends Linda and Gina asked for this recipe today so I wanted to post it. Another great recipe from my neighbor Kim. Sorry for the blurry picture. I'd take another but they are being consumed at a party at this very moment! Enjoy.

Chocolate Berry Bars

2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs

½ cup butter (one stick)

1 cup plain granola cereal

1 ¾ cup (10 oz pkg) 53% cocoa dark chocolate chunks (separated)

1 cup dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Melt butter and stir into cracker crumbs. Stir well and press into ungreased 9”X13” pan.

Layer granola, 1 ¼ cup of the chocolate chunks, dried fruit and almonds over graham cracker crust. Drizzle sweetened condensed milk over almonds.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until brown and bubbly around the edge. Cool completely on wire rack.

Microwave remaining ½ cup chocolate in small, heavy duty plastic storage bag on high for 30-45 seconds; knead until smooth. Cut a tiny corner from bag and squeeze to drizzle over top of pan.

Refrigerate overnight if possible. Cut into bars.

 

Tips:  - Any dark chocolate will do and chips work fine if you can’t find the chunks.

            - To toast the almonds I put them in a pan with a little oil on the cooktop and cook until barely brown.

Corn Flake Kisses

Here's another recipe from my great-grandmother's cookbook in her own handwriting!

Corn Flake Kisses

3 egg white

3 cups corn flakes

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla

Beat egg whites stiff and dry, then add them to sugar, coconut and corn flakes. Drop by teaspoonful on buttered tins and brown in a very slow overn.

Tips

            - I’m guessing that a very slow over would be 300°.

Queen of All Puddings

One of the recipes from the 1910, mostly hand-written, cookbook.

Queen of All Puddings

2 cups soft breadcrumbs

2 cups milk

2 eggs

¼ cup sugar

¼ tsp salt

½ cup chopped raisins

2 TBS red jelly

1 tsp butter

Pour the milk over the soft breadcrumbs. Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the crumbs; add salt, sugar and the chopped raisins: mix well.  Butter custard cups, pour in mixture and bake slowly 45 minutes. Remove from oven and spread with jelly. Beat the whites of the eggs until light and dry. Add one tablespoon of sugar and spread on the top: sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar and dry in moderate oven.

Tips:

            - I love these old recipes. If I had to guess I’d say that “bake slowly” means at a low temperature such as 325° and that a “moderate oven” would be more like 375°.

Toffee Bars

This is my mom's recipe. It's so simple. Happy Cooking!!

Toffee Bars

Graham crackers

2 sticks butter

½ Cup sugar

1 Cup nuts, chopped

Place a single layer of graham crackers in a jelly roll pan.

Melt butter and add the sugar. Bring a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over the crackers

Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Bake 10 minutes at 350°. Remove from pan while hot.

Cranberry Pie

My mom is a wonderful cook and has made this pie for years. It's a great mix of tart and sweet and almost requires the vanilla ice cream! I serve it no other way.  Happy Cooking and Happy Holidays!

Cranberry Pie

2 Cups fresh cranberries

½ Cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)

1 ½ Cups sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 Cup flour

¾ Cup butter, melted

Better a 10-inch pie plate.

Spread in bottom: cranberries, nuts and ½ cup sugar.

Beat the eggs and 1 Cup sugar and beat well. Add flour and melted butter. Beat well and pour over cranberries. Bake at 325 for 60 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Tip – The recipe is right, there is NO baking powder

Cinnamon Bars

These are my all-time favorite cookie! Always made at Christmas but other times as well, this is my grandmother's recipe and my mom made them when I was a kid. I baked them as recently as Sunday! Give them a try! Happy Cooking!!!

Cinnamon Bars

1 Cup Butter (softened)

1 Cup Sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

1 egg (separated)

¼ tsp salt

2 Cups flour

½ Cup nuts, chopped fine

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the cinnamon and the egg yolk. Slowly beat in the flour and the salt.

Spread into a 13x9 inch pan. (Put in spoonfulls over bottom, moisten fingers, and press down.) Brush with the egg white, beaten. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Tips:   I’ve made them with pecans or walnuts and both are great so you decide.

            Don’t overbake.

            Cool slightly before you cut them into bars.

Chocolate Nemesis

My neighbor Kim is a wonderful cook and was kind enough to share the recipe with me. I've made it several times and just love it. It is VERY rich and tastey.

Chocolate Nemesis

½ cup water

1 cup sugar

1 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped (or 1 lb. bittersweet choc chips)

2 sticks unsalted butter, cut up

7 large eggs, at room temperature

Softly whipped crème fraiche (or whipped cream)

Fresh raspberries for garnish

1)     Preheat oven to 325F. Grease bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Dust side of pan with flour. Set pan on wide sheet of heavy-duty foil and tightly wrap foil up outside of pan to prevent water from leaking in during baking. (I don’t have double wide aluminum foil so I join two pieces by folding over the edges a couple of times, wrap it around the pan and then do it again in the opposite direction to be sure the pan does not leak).

2)     In a 4-quart saucepan, heat water and ½ cup of sugar over medium-high heat until sugar completely dissolves, stirring occasionally. Add chocolate and butter to mixture in saucepan; stir constantly until melted. Remove pan from heat; cool chocolate mixture slightly, about 30 minutes.

3)     Meanwhile, in large bowl, with mixer at high speed (mix don’t whisk!), beat eggs with remaining ½ cup of sugar 6 to 8 minutes or until mixture thickens and triples in volume. With wire whisk, fold warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture until complete blended.

4)     Pour batter into prepared springform pan; place in large (17” by 11 ½”) roasting pan and set on oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up side of springform pan.

5)     Bake cake 30 – 35 minutes or until edge begins to set and a thin crust forms on top. Carefully remove springform pan from water bath and place on wire rack. Cook cake to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6)     About 30 minutes before serving, run sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cake; remove foil and side of pan. Invert cake onto waxed paper; peel off parchment. Turn cake right side up onto platter. Serve with whipped cream and berries.

Chocolate Rum Balls

These are SOOO good. A great friend of mine, who's a wonderful cook, gave me the recipe. They are more fudge than cookie and the rum and orange taste is subtle. Happy Cooking!!

Chocolate Rum Balls

6 oz. choc. chips

1/2 cup orange juice

3 TBS rum

1pkg. (8-5.oz) chocolate wafer cookies...crushed

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup walnuts finely chopped

1 container 4 oz. chocolate sprinkles

Melt chips in top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and blend in orange juice and rum. Stir in cookie crumbs, sugar and nuts. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Roll into balls and roll in the sprinkles. Store in a cool place in airtight container. If adding cookies to a Christmas tray, put in zip lock bag to keep moist.

Championship Chocolate Chip Bars

These are just plain evil!

Championship Chocolate Chip Bars

1 ½ Cup all–purpose flour

½ Cup packed dark brown sugar

½ Cup (1 stick) cold butter or margarine (I used real butter)

2 Cups (12 oz. package) Semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

1. Heat oven to 350˙.

2. Stir together flour and brown sugar in medium bowl; with pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips; press mixture onto bottom of 13X9X2-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla. Stir in remaining 1 ½ cups chips and nuts. Spread over baked crust. Continue baking 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars.

Makes about 36 bars. (I cut them smaller)

Pie Crust

As much as I love baking, I always shied away from pies because I could never make a decent crust.  I would even use store bought, ready-to-bake crusts because even those came out better than I could make. Fortunately, my sister-in-law Janice makes the best pie crust on the planet! After a visit where we both made an apple pie side by side, I got the hang of it.  Mine STILL don’t come out as well as hers do so the recipe is no guarantee, but if you follow it you’ll end up with a pretty darn good crust. Happy Cooking!

Pie Crust

For one, 9” pie

1 1/3 Cup sifted, all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ Cup Crisco shortening

3 TBS ice cold water

Put glass bowl, water and pastry knife in the freezer until very cold. When the water forms a skim of ice it’s perfect and the bowl and knife will be cold as well.

Mix flour and salt in cold bowl. Cut in the Crisco until dough forms pea-sized pieces. Do not overwork the dough. Toss with cold water until sticky – about 2-3 tablespoons. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 10 minutes.

Place two sheets of wax paper on counter. Sprinkle with flour. Flatten dough and sprinkle with flour. Cover with 2^nd sheet. Roll thin and transfer to pie shell.

Tips:

- Make sure everything is cold. That’s the secret.

- Don’t overwork the dough. It should just barely hold together in a ball.

- You can make the dough ahead of time and just roll it out when you need it.

Jim's Pecan Pie

I am a big pecan pie fan and tried at least 10 recipes. Eventually I just came up with my own recipe. Because I use a mixure of honey and molasses instead of kayro syrup, it's darker in color and not quite as sweet.

Jim’s Pecan Pie

Pastry for 9-inch One-Crust Pie

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup margarine or butter, melted

½ cup Honey

½ cup Molasses

1 cup pecan halves or broken pieces

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pastry. Beat eggs, sugar, salt, butter, molasses and honey with hand mixer. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.

Bake until set, about 40-45 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve warm or refridgerate.

Tips;

The pie will solidify somewhat as it cools so it will still be slightly jelly-like when you take it out. A knife will come out clean though when it’s done.

It freezes well so you can make it ahead of time. After baking, cool pie 2 hours. Freeze uncovered for at least 3 hours. Wrap and return to freezer no longer than one month.

It may look over-cooked but it’s the molasses that makes it dark so don’t worry about it.