Need Cookie and Cake recipes.

[Penn]

Snow monkey, you live in one of my favorite places on earth, Utah. I’ve spent a great deal of time there. In fact, every year when my kids were little I would take them to Sundance during winter school break. One of the most cherished things I own is a photograph of them silhouette against the snow covered peaks at the top of the salmon run. It’s just so perfect. And Sundance has great food and the staff is so nice. The kitchen really sticks to their recipe file, because every time I go back the base is either the same, or they have improved upon it. It gets my attention, because when I was about fifteen or sixteen I meet this twenty-six year old nurse who worked at the hospital down the street from the all catholic boy’s high school that I attended. At any rate, she had long strawberry waist length blond hair and if I remember correctly, was about five foot six or so. She would pick me up every day after school and take me to her apartment which was on the top floor of a converted grand Victorian home; for some reason I have total recall of that apartment, well polished hardwood, candles and incense burning, beads strung from the doorways, Simon and Garfunkel playing, big pillows scattered and arranged in groups around the floor, a bathroom with one of those big deep boat tubs that you can fit two people and still move around in and a kitchen where every day she would prepare dinner. She really taught me a lot about food and how to enjoy it and how to eat it, and that she really went out of her way to teach me. She once told me that at her age she was like a ripe avocado. Over that school year I experienced some fantastic recipes there that I still use today. I mean when you get something thats really great you want to savor it, take your time, taste the sweetness and rap your tongue around the firm soft textured of what you are eating, like eating a ripe avocado, you want to involve your full sensual spectrum in the beauty of the experience. She taught me that and also showed me some great techniques. Her recipes were wonderful. Lately, I ve been thinking about going into therapy, to be hypnotized, just so I could recall how special that cooking was, I mean there is nothing like a good recipe that is developed over time and is a personal expression spread out before you to enjoy.

[SnwMnkys]

Great story Penn. Glad you enjoy it here. I take my motorcycle over the top of Sundance, or hike Stewart falls as often as i can during the summer. I live right at the mouth of Provo canyon which leads you into Sundance, so I'm only 20 minutes away. We had an awesome snow season this year, but unfortunately I missed out on it and didn't get to go up there.

[Penn]

SM,
I think you missed the point. My Story was to tell you the recipe you posted was not a recipe. It was instructions to read box labels.

It was nothing personal. Good recipes invoke memories and create at their very best, family passion, tradition and history. Great food stimulates wonderful conversation and endears friendship. Hence, the phrase “breaking bread……

Sharing a recipe is personal. Asking us to read some box label is insulting.

If you are going to post in the thread please take the time to consider that there are some extremely serious cooks here.

This is not a site for snow surfers with the munchiees!

[SnwMnkys]

Understood, didnt mean to insult.

[Defender968]

Penn, my wife isn't classically trained but she is a heck of a cook, she works with many of the high end chefs in our area due to her job and has picked up many of their tricks. She makes a homemade apple pie with the flakiest crust you could ask for. Her secret (which she got from Cooks Illustrated) is substituting vodka for half the water, something about the way the alcohol inhibits gluten formation, she's a science type and gets into the why, I just know it works. Anyway I can say from personal experience it's probably the best, most flakey pie crust I've ever had. Here it is the recipe she got the idea from; I cut and pasted it from the Cooks Illustrated website. She actually modified it by using vodka in a simple pie crust recipe, I can get that for you if you'd like, but it'll be a couple of days as I'm not at home right now and she assures me this one works like a champ as well, it's just a little more complicated than hers.

Foolproof Pie Dough For a Single-Crust Pie
11/2007

Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup).

For one 9-inch Single-Crust Pie

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 2 pieces
2 tablespoons vodka , cold
2 tablespoons cold water


1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

4. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against rim of pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes.

5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp.

[nmap]

I have a favorite chocolate cake - it's simple to make, too.

A scoop of super-premium vanilla ice-cream, served while the cake is still warm, is a nice addition.

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Chocolate Fudge Cake

BATTER:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cocoa
1 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 beaten eggs, at room tempera¬ture
3 teaspoons vanilla
¾ cup hot water

For Batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-by-13-by-2-inch pan. (If making cupcakes, line muffin pans with 24 paper baking cups.) In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa. Add oil, buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and hot water; mix well. Pour into prepared pan (or baking cups) and bake on the mid¬dle rack for 30 to 40 minutes, (about 25 to 30 minutes for cupcakes), or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Makes 12 generous cake servings or about 24 standard cupcakes.

---------------------------------

ICING:

4 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 stick butter or margarine
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans


Icing: While cake is baking, make a paste of the cocoa and milk in a deep, heavy saucepan or in the top of a double boiler. Add butter and slowly bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly. Immediately remove from heat and add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat well until smooth.

Add chopped nuts.

Pour warm icing over the still-hot cake in the baking pan.

[nmap]

Here are a couple more:

Shortbread
2 sticks butter
½ cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter mixture, mix well, and rollout ½ inch thick. Cut into squares, prick with a fork (making your initials if you wish), and bake at 325° for 20 minutes until lightly browned.

Yields two dozen cookies.

(This is quite easy to make. I suspect it would make a truly remarkable bottom crust for a dessert of some sort!)

---------------------------------------
Rich Chocolate Pecan Torte
Yield: 12 servings
Preparation: 1 hour plus baking and cooling times.

Caramel Pecan Crust:

1 cup pecan pieces
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

Chocolate Filling:

10 bars (1.5 ounces each) Godiva Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups heavy cream Cocoa Cream:
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the caramel pecan crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Spray side and bottom of 9-inch springform pan with vegetable cooking spray.

2. Place pecans, sugar, nutmeg, flour and butter in food processor bowl. Cover and process until nuts are ground and mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan.

4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Make the chocolate filling::

1. Place chopped chocolate in medium heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Whisk in egg yolks.

2. Heat heavy cream in small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a gentle boil. Slowly add hot cream to chocolate mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour filling over crust. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

3. Loosen torte from side of pan. Remove side of springform pan. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

Make the cocoa cream: Beat cream, sugar, cocoa and vanilla in large bowl until soft peaks form, using electric mixer at high speed. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tip (such as Ateco #4) with cocoa cream. Pipe shells or rosettes over top of torte, covering it completely.

[PSM]

My wife got this from my maternal grandmother and says it's great. I'm not a dessert guy, but it is flaky.

4 C all purpose flour
1 3/4 C lard (or Crisco)
1 T sugar
2 t salt

Mix well and cut in lard.

In a separate bowl, beat:

1 T vinegar
1 egg

1/2 C cold water

Combine with first mixture. Knead, mold into a ball, and chill for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.

Makes 2 9-inch double crust pies.

The recipe was credited to a woman who was the Oklahoma State Garden Club president. I don't have the year.


---


Pat

[Penn]

PSM, This is the recipe I've been searching years for, I will make it later today and post the result. Just from the measurements I have a feeling its going to be really fantastic. I'll do an Apple or Jersey Peach Pie.

[PSM]

Originally Posted by Penn

PSM, This is the recipe I've been searching years for, I will make it later today and post the result. Just from the measurements I have a feeling its going to be really fantastic. I'll do an Apple or Jersey Peach Pie.

Good to hear, Chef.

!'ve only had it with her quiche. She uses Crisco, but I'll have her use lard next time just for comparison.

Pat

[Penn]

PSM, Did an apple pie, the peaches were to moist.The crust is perfect, the taste is buttery and flaky, a real old school recipe.

[PSM]

Originally Posted by Penn

PSM, Did an apple pie, the peaches were to moist.The crust is perfect, the taste is buttery and flaky, a real old school recipe.

Did you use lard or butter?

Pat

[LibraryLady]

Originally Posted by PSM

... recipe ...

Originally Posted by Penn

PSM, Did an apple pie, the peaches were to moist.The crust is perfect, the taste is buttery and flaky, a real old school recipe.

I tried this recipe for a family picnic this weekend. Made a pineapple one crust pie. Love the way it works up - I started to make the pie, got a call to go have a drink with a friend, put the crust in the fridge and was able to work it straight from the fridge in the morning with no warm-up time.

When I get to the picnic I'm talking to my aunt, telling her about the new crust and she laughs and says it's the one her and her MIL have used for years. I well remember how good their pies are. They say the crust will keep in the fridge for a month and they've frozen it uncooked just fine.

The only difference between this recipe and theirs, is they use 2 cups of Crisco/lard.

LL

[Penn]

PSM, I cut the lard 50/50 with butter. As much as I wanted to do the recipe intact; it hard to tell clients that the dough is made with 14 .oz of pure fat.

[LibraryLady]

I’ve been meaning to put these up and finally got around to it.

I ship a batch to my mom for Mom’s Day every year and every woman (no exceptions!) who has tasted them has swooned. They are an excellent traveling bit of stunning chocolate overload – I’ve had reports from the sandbox they do rather well getting over there too. That said, I don’t ship them in the summer.

Absolutely Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies from Death by Chocolate by Marcel Desaulniers of the Trellis Restaurant

I’ve made a few changes from the original recipe – increased the butter a little (12 T to 1 cup) and went from a 8:4 ratio on the chocolate to 6:6 – I like the lessening of sweetness. The recipe drops them in 2T size, but I find that too rich/big for some people - I use a 1T scoop and if people want more, they can just have 2!

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
.5 cup Nestle unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 oz semisweet chocolate
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
1.5 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Sift together the dry stuff. Heat chocolate with double boiler until just smooth, then let cool a bit. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla, beat until very creamy. Add melted chocolate and combine thoroughly. Add the sifted dry stuff until combined. Fold in chips. Use two cookies sheets on the top and middle shelves of the oven, drop in whatever size you like - cook for 18-22 minutes rotating sheets halfway through. Cool on sheets for a couple minutes before moving to racks to thoroughly cool.

I’ve dipped them in ganache as the ultimate decadence, though they don’t go to the sandbox like that. I’ve added cinnamon on occasion and used the swirled raspberry chips too. I’m thinking of trying them with the cinnamon chips now that I’ve found them to try in Shar’s oatmeal raisin cookies.

btw - the cookbook is absolutely FULL of really cool chocolate recipes... (don't like the brownie one, though...) All the ice cream recipes are great!

LL