CCAST IRON CHARRED CORN SALAD

Cast Iron Charred Corn Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ears of corn, husks and silk removed
• 1/4 cup bacon, cut into small dice
• 1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Vidalia onion, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. chives, minced

PREPARATION

To remove corn kernels, cut off the ends of each ear to make flat surfaces. Then, stand ears in a wide casserole dish and, one at a time, carefully cut down the sides with a sharp knife. Next, hold each cob over a bowl and scrape with the back of a butter knife to remove the milk and pulp. Discard cobs and set liquid aside.Heat a cast-iron pan on medium-high. Add cut corn and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bacon and continue to cook until kernels are slightly charred. Remove from heat and set aside.In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low. Add onion and cook until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add pulp liquid, charred corn, and heavy cream. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

ALMOND CREAM CAKE

Almond Cream Cake

Light, moist and velvety, this Almond Cream Cake has a homemade cooked, whipped frosting that pairs perfectly with the almond cake. Top with sliced almonds.

Prep Time

50 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 35 mins

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanKeyword: cake dessert, cake recipes, cream cake, dessert recipe Servings: 15 servings Calories: 650kcal Author: Lizzy T

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 cups cake flour* (345 grams) spooned & measured carefully
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk 2% milkfat
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3/4 cup egg whites plus 3 tablespoons*

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons white flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
• 2 cups butter softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• Sliced almonds and whole almonds for decorating

Instructions

• Using a stand mixer, beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment until they are stiff and form peaks. This may take a minute or two. Pour the egg whites into another bowl and place them in the refrigerator until you're ready to add them to the batter.
• Using the same bowl that you used to beat the egg whites, place the softened butter in and cream the butter for about 2 minutes (using the beater blade attachmenuntil it is white in appearance.
• Add the sugar to the butter and beat until fluffy (about another 1-2 minutes).
• In a small bowl, combine the flour (measured carefully*), salt and baking powder. Set aside.
• In another bowl, combine the milk and almond extract.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture alternately with the milk.
• Add the stiffly beaten eggs to the cake batter. Fold the egg whites in gently. Do not overmix at this point. If you do, your cake will become more dense.
• Grease and flour 2 9" round cake pans. Pour the cake batter equally into the prepared cake pans.
• Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until the top bounces back when you touch it.
• Allow the cakes to cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the edges and remove them from the pans to a wire rack, allowing them to cool completely.
• While the cakes are cooling, prepare the frosting. In a saucepan, whisk the flour into the milk over medium-low heat until it thickens. Stir it constantly, lowering the heat to low if needed. The consistency should be very thick, like mashed potatoes. This step took about 12-15 minutes.
• Remove the pan from the heat and set the pan in a bowl of ice for 5-10 minutes to quicken the cooling process. The temperature of the mixture should be at room temperature.
• Stir in the almond extract.
• If you have a food processor, process the white sugar for a minute or so so that the granules become finer.
• While the mixture is cooling, cream together the butter and processed sugar using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy. Do this for 5 minutes until the sugar is completely creamed and there is no graininess left.
• Add the cooled flour mixture and beat it until it all combines and looks like whipped cream. This will take about another 3-5 minutes of beating. Keep scraping the sides of the bowl while the mixture is beating together so that everything gets well incorporated. Once the mixture has the texture of fluffy whipped cream, you are ready to ice the cake.
• Once the cakes are cool, place one cake on a cake plate. Spread frosting on top of that layer, then place the other cake on top of the frosted cake. Use the remainder of the frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake.
• Decorate the sides and top with sliced and whole almonds, as the picture shows, if desired.

Notes

*This is about 6 large egg whites. *Some are having problems with the cake being too dense. This can happen when you mistakenly add too much flour. When you measure the flour, spoon it from the flour container gently into the measuring cup. Do NOT pack it down at all. This technique will help you not put too much flour into the cake.

SOAKING DRIED FRUIT FOR RICH FRUITCAKE

How to soak Dry Fruits for Rich Fruit Cake

Soaking dry fruits for all your Christmas and Holiday bakes is an easy thing to do. If you like rich, boozy fruit cake then this is your thing.

Cuisine European

Keyword gluten-free

Prep Time 15 minutes

Author Chandrima

Ingredients

Nuts

• 100g- Almonds

• 100g- Cashew nuts

• 25g- Pistachios

Dried fruits

• 50g- Sultana/Golden raisins

• 50g- Currants

• 50g- Tutti frutti

• 25g- Glazed cherries

• 25g- Dried Apricots

• 25g- Dates

Alcohol

• Rum or Brandy as required

Instructions

1 Chop the nuts, dates, and apricots. Cut the glazed cherries into slices lengthwise. I don’t chop raisins and currants but depending on your preference you can chop them.

2 Mix all the fruits and nuts in a bowl. Now transfer them to a clean wide-mouth glass container/jar with a tight lid. Pour rum or brandy on this. The dry fruits and nuts should be covered completely with alcohol. Stir gently with a clean, dry spoon to mix everything well. Close the lid. 

3 Keep this in a cool, dark place. And don’t forget to stir this mixture after 2-3 days. Keep doing this until you bake the cake.

4 You’ll notice the alcohol quantity will reduce with time; this is natural because the fruits absorb the alcohol. So, add some more rum/brandy at this stage. The top layer of fruits needs to be covered with alcohol always.

Recipe Notes

• You can add candied peel into this. Add candied orange peel and candied ginger peel 2 tbsp each if using.

• This fruit mixture can be stored up to one year.

• Keep the jar refrigerated if the weather is hot and humid.

• The minimum time duration of soaking the dry fruits is one week before baking the cake.

• Always store the fruit mixture in a glass container.

OXTAILS II

Marla's Oxtails

• Level: Easy
• Yield: 10 servings
• Total: 9 hr 35 min
• Prep: 15 min
• Inactive: 8 hr
• Cook: 1 hr 20 min

Ingredients

5 pounds oxtails

2 tablespoons vinegar

5 cloves garlic

3 stalks scallions

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 small onion

1 small fresh tomato

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

Salt and ground pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons sugar

Red beans and rice or white rice, for serving

Directions

WATCH

Watch how to make this recipe.

Cut and trim the oxtails. Wash with water and vinegar. 

Combine the garlic, scallions, fresh thyme, onion, tomato, cilantro and some salt and pepper in a food processor or blender. Rub the paste into the oxtails and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

Place the oxtails into a pressure cooker and cook according to manufacturer's directions until the meat is almost falling off the bones, 45 to 60 minutes. 

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the sugar and let it melt until it gets to a brilliant brown color. Add the oxtails to the skillet (be careful, the sugar may splatter). Let it cook for another 20 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve with red beans and rice or over white rice.

OXTAILS I

I don’t know many people that have ever made Oxtails, and most people I know dont know what they are. Oxtails are just that, the tail of a cattle. Beef. Meaty and tender when cooked properly, buttery and rich, with a lot of flavor. They’re actually pretty healthy once you trim down the fat.

Oxtails

3lb Oxtails – fat cut off

1 onion cut in quarters

8 garlic cloves

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon seasoning salt

4 tablespoons white vinegar

2 table spoons of all purpose flour

1 8oz can of crushed tomatoes

After rinsing the meat off with cool water, trim excess fat off. Add oxtails to a cold bath of water mixed with the 4 tablespoons of vinegar, rinse them very well.

Add just enough oil to cover the bottom of your pot and heat until glassy. Season oxtails with seasoning salt, pepper, and a little garlic and onion powder. Add them to the pot and brown on all sides. You won’t be able to get them all done in one batch, so take them out and set aside as they’re finished. When all of the meat has been seared set it aside. Add a little of the broth to your pot and scrape the flavor from the bottom, add the rest of the broth and bring to a boil. Add one tablespoon of flour and whisk continuously until all lumps are gone, repeat with second tablespoon.

Add whole garlic cloves, quartered onion, and tomatoes, then add the oxtails back to the pot. They wont be fully covered in liquid, but they’ll create some of their own while cooking. Place a lid on the pot, and put in a 350° oven for 2 1/2-3 hours.

I serve mine with rice on the side, and steamed cabbage

BUTTERSCOTCH PIE

Butterscotch Pie

INGREDIENTS

1. Basic pie crust:
2. 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
6. 1/2 cup ice water, or more as needed
7. Butterscotch pie:
8. 1/2 recipe basic pie crust
9. 2 cups milk
10. 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
11. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
12. 2 large egg yolks
13. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
14. 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. For basic pie crust: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter and toss to coat in the flour, then mix with a pastry blender — or the back of a fork, though that will take longer — until the butter is cut into tiny bits and incorporated through the dough. Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water and mix in until the dough just comes together, adding more water a tablespoonful at a time, if necessary. (The ingredients can be mixed in a food processor, but should be done in two batches.)
2. Dust a work surface with flour and turn the dough out of the bowl. Cut it in half and form 2 discs. Dust them with more flour, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
3. When ready to roll out the crust, dust your work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to at least 12 inches across. Carefully line a pie pan with the dough and cut away any excess hanging over the sides. Refrigerate the crust until ready to fill. The second disc can be used for another pie or as a top crust in double-crusted pies.
4. For butterscotch pie: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prebake the pie shell for 12 minutes, until the crust on the rim has browned.
5. In a bowl, combine the milk, flour, and cornstarch. Whisk in the egg yolks until incorporated.
6. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and heat until the sugar softens and melts into the butter. Off the heat, slowly whisk in the milk mixture. Put back over medium heat and cook, whisking, until it is smooth. Cook for 5 minutes longer, until the mixture begins to thicken.
7. Pour the mixture into the prebaked pie crust and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.