Spiced Up Carrot Cake

According to food historians, our modern carrot cake most likely descended from Medieval carrot puddings enjoyed by people in Europe. No one really knows where carrot cake came from, It looks like it did evolve from the Carrot Pudding of medieval times, during the middle ages sugar and other sweeteners were difficult or expensive to come by in Britain and carrots had long been used as sugar substitutes. Carrot cake and it's precursors took several forms including baked in pastry, like pumpkin pie steamed and served with sauce, like plum pudding baked in pans and served with icing, like cake.

I can find recipes for carrot pudding as far back as 1591 A Booke of Cookrye, John Evelyn's 'Discourse of Sallets' in 1699, Receipts (recipes) of Pastry and Cookery For the Use of his Scholars, By Ed. Kidder (1720-1740) and Hannah Glasse's 'Art of Cookery' of 1747, but no reference to carrot cake until the 19th century:

In her New York Cookbook (1992), Molly O'Neill says that George Washington was served a carrot tea cake at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan. The date: November 25, 1783. The occasion: British Evacuation Day. She offers an adaptation of that early recipe, which was printed in The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook (1975) by Mary Donovan, Amy Hatrack, and Frances Schull. It is quite close to the carrot cakes of today.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, separated
5 tbsp. hot water
2 1/2 cup flour, sifted
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 1/2 cup grated carrots
1 cup chopped pecans
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. lemon juice, preferably fresh

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine oil and granulated sugar. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time. Add water.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Add to egg mixture.
4. Stir in carrot and pecans.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat on high until mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold egg whites into flour mixture.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning out onto cake rack. Allow to cool completely.
8. Mix confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice together to form a glaze. Pour over cooled cake.

Aromatic Peach Deassert

Peaches in season is one of the most luscious gifts of the orchard. Fragrant of the summer sun and juicy as the refreshing rain, peaches bake into fantastic pies and desserts. This recipe by Chef Mario d'Orio of the Le Mahatma restaurant is one of these desserts. Fresh peaches are cooked in a syrup of sugar, Kirsch fruit brandy and water before its pits are removed. Into the hollow, the almond paste is stuffed, like the center of a flower. A garnish of English cream and filo pastry completes this wonderful summer dessert.

If you only have canned peaches on hand, you can still make this dessert but with less than stellar results since the peaches are already processed. So by all means, time your preparation when there is an abundance of the fruit from orchards to road side stand to the farmer’s market and fruit stands. You can use the juiciest cling peaches, even the white variety if that is available. Take care not to overcook the peaches so it remains firm (not mushy) and steady to hold the almond paste upright.

To select the best peaches, look at the background color of the peach. Make sure to get the ones with a tinge of orange gold since these tend to be sweet and full flavored. The ones with a hint of green needs a bit more time to ripen so if you do get them, time the dessert making after the peach ripens in a day or two at room temperature. Only when it is fully ripe that you should store your peaches inside the refrigerator.

The dessert takes its name from the edible peach blossoms, which you can also incorporate into the dish as a garnish or additional ingredient. Most often the peach blossoms are made into salads of other edible flowers. Serve the peaches with the cream only when everyone is ready for dessert so it remains fresh. A glass of Banyuls will enliven this bright dessert further.

Ingredients

4 peaches
For the English cream:
1 pint milk
7 tablespoons sugar
6 egg yolks
For the syrup:
1 lb. granulated sugar
1 lb. water
1 teaspoon Kirsch fruit brandy
1.8 oz. almond paste
butter
4 layers filo dough
3 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar
vanilla powder

1. To aid in removing the skin, blanch the peaches in a pan of boiling water. Immediately plunge the fruits in a bowl of ice water. Peel the peaches.

2. Prepare the English cream by mixing together the milk, sugar and egg yolks. Chill it in the refrigerator.

3. Prepare the syrup. In a pan, soak the peaches in the syrup. Add the Kirsch. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the peach pits and replace the pits with almond paste. Reconstitute the peach. Butter and wrap the peach in filo dough. Place in a buttered dish. Add some powdered sugar and vanilla powder. Heat for 2 minutes. Garnish with the English cream.

Asparagus and Egg Spaghetti

In this vegetable dish, fresh tomatoes and asparagus are served with Serrano ham as well as egg. To make the egg “spaghetti,” egg crepes are first created then sliced into thin strips similar to pasta. A dry-cured ham, Serrano ham is basically displayed along with Spanish as well as gourmet food in the shop. However, if Serrano is not available, you can opt for Italian prosciutto or jambon de Bayonne as an alternative. Blanching the asparagus in such a way that it is still mildly crisp though cooked is made possible by first pouring water into a pot and bringing it to a complete boil. Then ice water should be poured to fill a large bowl and leave it for a while. The trimmed and washed asparagus is then dropped into the pot with boiling water. It should be blanched for precisely 1 minute. Lastly, the asparagus is promptly removed from the pot and then dropped into the large bowl with ice water till it is fully cooled.

Ingredients

Egg Spaghetti
3 eggs
6 organic grape tomatoes, cut in half
10g hydrated porcine mushrooms
10g fresh oyster mushrooms, torn
1 tbsp olive oil
Tomato concasser
2 large hot house tomatoes
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp finely chopped shallots
1/2 tsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp olive oil

Serrano wrapped asparagus
2 thin slices of Serrano ham
5 pieces medium sized asparagus

1.For the egg spaghetti:The eggs are whisked and then sifted through using a fine strainer.With the use of a frying pan, the egg mixture is then made into very thin crepes.They are then rolled and sliced thinly. Afterwhich the mushrooms and tomatoes are sautéed in olive oil in the pan. The egg is then added and tossed several times. You may then season it after.

2.To prepare the tomato concasser: After quartering the tomatoes, some tomato flesh inside as well as the seeds are then removed. Afterwhich the tomatoes are diced finely. The shallots and garlic are then sautéed in olive oil. The tomatoes are then added and tossed. The parsley is then added and a bit of seasoning as well.

3.For the Serrano wrapped asparagus: The asparagus is blanched in fast boiling water. The ham is then laid out flat and the asparagus is placed across the ham. The stems are rolled around and wrapped tightly.

4.Using a pan, sear the ham and asparagus; the ham should be crisp on the outside.The egg spaghetti which is still hot is then placed on the plate with the asparagus propped on it. The asparagus base is then topped with the tomato concasser.

Pizza before Work

Every morning people find hard to wake up less alone cook for themselves, they then to look for quick and easy recipes to do. But some just turn to cereals or the just order food outside. Now here is quick and easy recipe and versatile in fact you can put anything you want on it.

Considered a peasant's meal in Italy for centuries we cannot say who invented the very first pizza pie. Food historians agree that pizza like dishes were eaten by many peoples in the Mediterranean including the Greeks and Egyptians. However, modern pizza has been attributed to baker Raffaele Esposito of Naples. In 1889, Esposito who owned a restaurant called the Pizzeria di Pietro baked what he called "pizza" especially for the visit of Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita. The first pizzeria in North America was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City. The first "Pizza Hut" a chain of pizza restaurants appeared in the United States during the 1930s. Frozen pizza was invented by Rose Totino.

Ingredients

2 cups biscuit baking mix

1/2 cup skimmed milk

1/2 cup preserved apricots

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

3.5 oz. package breakfast sausage, thinly sliced

1. Pour the contents of the biscuit mix into a large bowl. Add the milk and stir well to form a dough.

2. Make a round pizza-shaped base with this dough. Place the pizza base on a greased pizza pan.

3. Add preserves mixed with lemon juice in a thin layer over the dough. Sprinkle sausage over the top.

4. Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes.

A Pie for Chocoholics

Chocolate comes from a fruit called a pod that grows on the cacao tree. A seedling tree generally must mature for five years before it produces pods, with peak pod production happening at 10 years. A cocoa tree can bear fruit and produce pods for 30 to 40 years. Each pod is similar in size to a football, and contains up to 50 cocoa beans. To make one ounce of milk chocolate, it takes 4 cocoa beans, and one ounce of dark chocolate requires 12 beans. An average American or Canadian will consume about 12 pounds of chocolate per year. However, the Swiss are the world’s largest consumers of chocolate, eating about 22 pounds of chocolate per person per year! Chocolate can be bittersweet, and we don’t mean literally. Although chocolate has many benefits to your health, some facts about how chocolate is made may make you want to munch on a different snack, or at least lower your chocolate intake.

Heart Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:
Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup butter
1 can (14.5 oz) evaporated milk
1/2 cup honey
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup whipping cream


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter together.
3. When melted, remove from heat and blend in milk, stirring constantly.
4. In a mixing bowl, measure and blend together the honey, sugar, and cornstarch. Beat in the eggs.
5. Slowly add contents of bowl to chocolate mixture, beating constantly.
6. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes. Cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the top puffs up. The center may crack somewhat while cooking.
7. Allow pie to cool at least one hour and then refrigerate until chilled.
8. Top with whipped cream or ice cream and drizzle with honey before serving.

A Sour Suprise for Chicken

Broiled white meat is the cooking method of choice for many health-conscious people. However, there is a commonly encountered problem that people experienced with broiling chicken breast. It can result in a rubbery, dry, and bland tasting meat. There is a way of making the meat flavorful and moist without using fattening ingredients or complicated sauces and gravies.

Lemon-oregano chicken is a simple and healthy recipe of broiled chicken breasts rubbed with lemon, oregano, parsley, garlic, pepper, salt, and olive oil. This results in a brown and crispy crust with a juicy and tangy flesh. In this recipe, it is the lemon and the olive oil that add moisture to the flesh of the chicken. Instead of gravy, lemon-oregano chicken is served with yogurt sauce for a really healthy and delicious meal.

If you want the chicken to melt in the mouth, broil the chicken with the skin on, it contains a lot of fat that melts when cooked and gives amazing natural flavor to the meat. When broiling, start with the skin down so that it is turned toward the source of heat. When you see that the skin has turned a golden color and the flesh is opaque, flip the breast to the other side to finish your cooking. If the fat concerns you, remove the skin before eating the chicken.

Rub the lemon and spices on the skin and under the skin of the chicken before cooking, to give it superior flavor. To give the chicken extra moisture and enhance its flavor, some people like to cook the chicken breasts in chicken stock before broiling. The heat source should be about 5 to 6 inches away from the top of the chicken for best broiling it. Preheat the broiler for 10 minutes before placing the chicken breasts inside, so that the chicken does not dry out before it is through cooking.

Ingredients

1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon pepper (freshly ground)
2 large garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 chicken breast halves (skin in tact)
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup plain yogurt

1. Preheat the broiler. Cut lemon in half, then slice off 2 pieces and set aside. Peel the lemon and grate 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon peel then set aside. Squeeze 1 teaspoon lemon juice and also set aside.

2. Combine grated lemon peel, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, and pepper in a small mixing bowl then add garlic and salt and mix well.

3. Lifting up the chicken skin with your fingers spread ½ tablespoon of the lemon peel mixture between the skin and meat of all the chicken breasts. Then rub the breasts with oil and season with salt and pepper.

4. Again use a small bowl, combine the yogurt and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Add to the remaining lemon peel mixture and stir very well.

5. Broil the chicken breasts until cooked thoroughly. Turn the chicken once (about 12 minutes per side). Serve alongside the yogurt sauce.

Cranberry Sauce and Pork

With this gourmet recipe for cranberry steaks adapted from The Cranberry Cookbook try a new and exciting way to enjoy sirloin steaks. In this recipe, to seal in their juices sirloin steaks are seared until browned on all sides then cooked in the oven with a rich, tangy and savory sauce made with butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh cranberries, beef (or vegetable) stock, red wine vinegar, and cranberry sauce. The sauce is reduced later and combined with heavy cream and cornstarch and seasoned with salt and pepper to accompany the juicy and tender steaks.

Sirloin is a steak cut from the rear back portion. It can take the form of top sirloin, which is the most prized, the bottom sirloin, which is less tender and larger, and the sirloin tip roast. It is a fine choice of meat with a great flavor and wonderful succulence that when cooked just right melts in the mouth. A good sirloin steak will have a good amount of fat and substantial marbling.

Choose those that have been aged a minimum of 21 days and no longer than 36 days when buying sirloin steaks. This hanging process is a crucial step in tenderizing the meat and developing its flavor. It gives more depth and intensity to the meat. Good sirloin beef has a beautiful deep red color and has a good amount of marbling which are the little streaks of white fat running through the meat. These little streaks of white melt when heated and help keep the meat moist and juicy. They also help baste the steaks as they cook and give them tremendous flavor. You can trim off the creamy white fat around the sirloin steaks if you like but leaving them on will make a more flavorful and juicy dish. In a frying pan on high heat sear the steaks. Before you brown the steaks the pan should be smoking hot to seal in their natural juices.

Ingredients
4 sirloin steaks (about 6 oz. each and an inch thick)
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
4 ½ teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
12 fresh cranberries (crushed)
¾ cup vegetable or beef stock
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Then season the steaks with salt and pepper.

2. Place a skillet over medium high heat and melt the butter in it. Then add the steaks and brown on each side. Move the steaks to a casserole dish using tongs,

3. To the skillet add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cranberries, stock, vinegar, and cranberry sauce. Then bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan. Boil for 3 minutes. Then season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour this sauce over the steaks. Cover, and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the sauce from the steaks and pour into a saucepan. With foil cover the steaks to keep them warm.

5. Combine the cream and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour into the saucepan, along with the cranberry mixture. Stir. Boil for 1 minute. If desired, season with salt and pepper. Serve steaks with sauce on the side.