A Simple Cauliflower Puree

A recipe for a delicious cauliflower puree. It is simple yet elegant. It pairs perfectly with seafood and freshwater fish. 

A Simple Cauliflower Puree

Makes four servings.

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/4 teaspoon good quality garlic powder
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper

1.    Assemble the ingredients. Trim and wash the head of cauliflower. Cut the florets away from the core and into similar-sized pieces, as necessary.

2.    In a large stockpot, gently heat the olive oil and add the garlic, stirring until fragrant. Add the cauliflower, stirring gently. Add the chicken stock, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

3.    Transfer the mixture to a food processor, season, and process until it is a velvet-smooth puree. Keep warm until served.

Recipe Index For All Recipes

Note: Leftovers may be frozen and reheated. The recipe can easily be doubled.

Two Good Strawberry Pies

A recipe for a no-bake Fresh Strawberry Pie with an all-natural strawberry glaze and a delicious oven-baked Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie—two perfect spring desserts and "Two Good Strawberry Pies." 

Each of these pie recipes requires just four cups of berries.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

Makes one 8-inch pie

Strawberry glaze:

• 1 cup fresh strawberries
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Filling:

• 3 cups fresh strawberries

Pie crust:

• 8-inch pastry shell, baked and cooled

1.    Assemble the ingredients. Rinse and hull the strawberries.

2.    Place one-half of the strawberries, selecting the less perfect berries first, in a pot and crush them with the back of a spoon. Add the water to the pot with the strawberries and cook the mixture over medium heat to a simmer for about 3 minutes. Sieve the strawberry sauce, remove the seeds, and return the sauce to the pot. 

3.    Combine the sugar and cornstarch and add to the sauce. Cook over moderately high heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon for about 3 minutes.

4.    Slice the remaining half of the strawberries to your desired thickness or quarter them. Place one-half of these berries in the pastry shell. Pour half the sauce over. Repeat and chill.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Makes one 8-inch pie

• 4 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, sliced
• 1 pound fresh rhubarb, rinsed and sliced (do not use tough ends) to the same thickness as the strawberries
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons butter (chop while cold and keep chilled)
• Pastry for a double pie crust, bottom partially pre-baked with an egg white glaze

1.    Assemble the ingredients. 

2.    Preheat the oven to 350 F.

3.    Place one-half of the strawberries, selecting the less perfect berries first, in a pot and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the water to the pot and cook the mixture over medium heat to a simmer for about 3 minutes. Sieve the strawberry sauce, remove the seeds, and return the sauce to the pot. 

4.    Combine the sugar and cornstarch and add to the sauce. Cook over moderately high heat until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon for about 3 minutes.

5.    Combine the berries and the rhubarb. Place half the fruit in the pre-baked pastry shell; pour the sauce over and repeat. Sprinkle with the chopped butter. Cover with a lattice top or cut a free-hand design in the top crust for a steam vent. 

6.    Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the fruit is cooked and bubbling. Cool and refrigerate before serving.

Note: Rhubarb may be a bit regional, but it is often available nationwide in larger grocery stores for a short while.

More Dessert Recipes | Recipe Index For All Recipes

Chocolate Gateau

"This Chocolate Gateau is not only pretty and delicious but also fairly easy to make. It is perfect for any occasion where presentation matters and time is limited. I can easily prepare this cake on the same day I was entertaining guests."

Serves 12

For the cake:

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup whole, blanched almonds
• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the icing and finishing:

• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• Sliced almonds

1.    Assemble the ingredients.

2.    Preheat the oven to 350º F. Lightly grease a 9x9x2 inch round cake pan and line with waxed or parchment paper.

3.    Separate the eggs and place the whites in a small mixer bowl; reserve the yolks in a separate bowl.  Grind the whole almonds in a blender until fine; set aside. Melt the 5 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate over hot, not boiling water. 

4.    Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl, then gradually beat in the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat the reserved egg yolks into the creamed butter until light. Add the melted chocolate and continue beating until well combined.  

5.    Alternate adding the flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour, and mix until smooth. Stir in 1/4 cup of the ground almonds and vanilla extract.

6.    Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the cake batter until just combined. 

7.    Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. 

8.    Loosen the edge of the cake from the pan with a spatula, turn the cake onto a cooling rack, and continue to cool while preparing the icing.

9.    For the icing, melt 5 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate with the milk and butter over hot water. Stir until melted and smooth, and remove from the heat. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. 

10.    Frost the cake. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup ground almonds. Decorate the top of the cake with overlapping almond slices around the edge.  

More Dessert Recipes | Recipe Index For All Recipes

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

"I love this Chocolate Zucchini Cake. It is so moist, and the flavor is the best. This recipe was from a friend, a stellar southern cook from Atlanta, Georgia."

Serves 15 to 20

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2 cups grated fresh zucchini with skins on
• 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips

1.    Assemble the ingredients.

2.    Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 9x13x2 inch cake pan.

3.    Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl with a whisk.

4.    Combine the lemon juice and milk. 

5.    Cream the butter, oil, and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk, beating until well combined. Add the combined dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Mix until smooth. Stir in the zucchini. 

4.    Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips. 

5.    Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until done, testing with a toothpick. Cool before eating.

More Dessert Recipes | Recipe Index For All Recipes

The Original Frito Pie Recipe

The original recipe from the F. W. Woolworth Dallas store (Gourmet, Sept. 1994).

Serves 4

• 2 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 pound ground round
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cups water, plus additional, if necessary
• 1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 4 to 5 cups Frito brand corn chips
• 1/2 pound Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
• Diced fresh jalapeno chiles and chopped onion (optional)

1.    In a large, heavy skillet, cook the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp and fat is rendered. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring until the onion is soft.

2.    In a separate skillet, brown the beef. Pour off excess fat. Stir in salt, chili powder, cumin, and tomato paste. 

3.    Add the beef mixture to the skillet with the onions; slowly add the water. Simmer and stir for 10 minutes, adding water if the mixture is too thick. 

4.    Add the beans and simmer just until heated through.

5.    Divide the corn chips into four wide, shallow bowls and spoon the chili on top. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish as desired.

Recipe Index For All Recipes

Perfect Chocolate Cake

Monarch butterflies, my mother's flower garden, and family birthdays are just a few of my childhood memories. For our birthdays, my father brought my sisters and me a single flower from the local florist and my mother a beautiful bouquet of fragrant yellow roses, her favorite. 

My mother made us a cake of our choice and my dad McCall's Perfect Chocolate Cake for his birthday.   

Serves 10 - 12

Cake ingredients:

• 1 cup unsifted, unsweetened cocoa
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 3/4 cups
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Frosting ingredients:

• 1 6-ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 cup butter
• 2 1/2 cups unsifted powdered sugar

Filling ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
• 1/4 cup unsifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the cake:

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa with the boiling water, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Cool completely! Sift the flour with the baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Grease and then lightly flour three 9-inch round cake pans.

With a mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, scraping the bowl occasionally, until light, about 5 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour mixture in fourths, alternately with the cocoa mixture, in thirds (beginning and ending with the flour mixture.) Don’t overbeat the batter!

Divide evenly into the pans, smoothing the tops. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the surface springs back when gently touched. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides of the layers from the pans with a spatula, remove from the pans, and cool on racks.

To make the frosting:

Combine the semisweet chocolate pieces, cream, and butter in a medium saucepan, stirring over medium heat until smooth. Remove from heat, and blend in 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar with a whisk. In a bowl set over ice (especially in August!), beat until it holds shape.

To make the filling:

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate.

To assemble the cake:

On a plate, place a layer, top down. Spread with half the filling. Place the second layer atop, top-down, and spread with the remaining filling. Top with the third layer, topside up!

To finish the cake:

Frost with a spatula, sides first. Swirl the rest of the frosting on top. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Use a thin-edged sharp knife to cut.

Recipe from McCall's Cooking School Cookbook.

More Dessert Recipes | Recipe Index For All Recipes

Perfect Pie Crust

Makes one 8-inch pie crust 

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter (cut into four pieces)
• 1/4 cup ice water (at the most)

1.    Assemble the ingredients.

2.    Preheat the oven to 400 F.

3.    Combine the flour and salt. Cut the COLD butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the ICE water over the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing briskly with a fork until the mixture holds together. 

4.    Press the dough into a flat round and place it on a lightly floured pastry cloth or floured rolling surface of your choice. Flatten the round slightly from the center close to the edge, but without flattening the edge, leaving it raised somewhat. This will help prevent the edge from becoming too thin and developing large cracks as you roll it. 

5.    Quickly roll the dough out from the center in all directions equally, never quite rolling to the edge – again to protect the edge. Turn the dough slightly to prevent it from sticking to the rolling surface as you roll, adding flour if necessary. Roll evenly and with a sure hand until the circle is round and one inch larger than the pie plate, approximately 1/8 inch thick. Flour the top lightly. 

6.    Gently fold the rolled dough in half, lift the folded crust into the pie plate, unroll it, and gently fit it into the pan. 

7.    Trim the crust evenly to one-half inch beyond the edge of the pie pan, and then fold the extra crust under and pinch into a decorative shape or crimp flat with floured fork tines.

8.    To par-bake the pie crust, preheat the oven to 400º F. Line the crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil, shiny side down. Weight with dried beans or pie weights. 

9.    Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottom is set and the edges are slightly browned. Remove the paper or foil and weights for fruit fillings and brush the bottom crust with an egg white wash; bake another 2 minutes. The egg white wash will seal the bottom crust.

10.    For a baked single crust, prick holes in the pie crust, called docking, and bake, adding 5 to 7 minutes more to the baking time until the crust turns amber and begins to pull from the pie plate. 

Note: This is the crust I use for Two Good Strawberry Pies – Fresh Strawberry Pie and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

More Dessert Recipes | Recipe Index For All Recipes

Apple Slices

My mother made Apple Slices throughout my childhood. I was one of seven children, so a sheet pan of Apple Slices lasted just two days in our household. It was served a few hours after baking on the first day while still warm. Then, after overnight refrigeration, we ate more the following day. It was delicious, both warm from the oven and cold from the refrigerator. 

Serves 15 to 20

For the filling:

3 pounds tart cooking apples

1 cup water

1-1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the pastry crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup lard*

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 egg yolks, beaten

1/2 cup water

To make the filling:  

Bring the water, sugar, cinnamon, and salt just to a boil.  Add the apple slices and lower the temperature, cooking slowly for 10 minutes.  Blend the cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water; add to the apple mixture and stir.  Cool for 5 minutes, stirring gently.

To make the pastry crust: 

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Cut the lard into the sifted ingredients. Mix the lemon juice, egg yolk, and water and sprinkle over the flour mixture. Blend lightly, forming a soft dough.  Divide the pastry dough into two parts, one part just larger than the other.

Roll the larger piece of pastry dough to fit a 9 x 13 x 2-inch sheet cake pan and line the pan with the pastry crust.  Fill with the cooled apple mixture.  Roll the remaining dough to fit the top; cover the filling with the top crust and seal the edges.  Cut simple vents or a design in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated oven at 450 F for 20 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350 F and bake 30 minutes longer.

Ice the Apple Slices with a thin powdered sugar icing.  This dessert is excellent, warm from the oven (allow to cool first) and cold from the refrigerator.

* Lard is a monounsaturated fat, as are avocado, olive, peanut, and sesame oils for reference. Vegetable shortening may be used in place of the lard.

More Dessert Recipes | Recipe Index For All Recipes