Tuesday Recipes - Afternoon Party

Sometimes, we just need to kick back with friends and family for an hour or two. Here are six recipes that will help with your next get-together. Enjoy!

SPARKLING LEMONADE

As hot as summer gets, what's better than a refreshing lemonade? This if from Vegetarian Times' June 2014 issue, page 33. It begins, "The acidity of the lemon juice slows the yeast activity for this soda, so start it about a week before you plan to serve it." Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

1 cup sugar, plus more if desired

1 pinch salt

2 cups fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. champagne yeast

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add sugar and salt, and stir to dissolve both. Cool, then stir in lemon juice.

Pour juice mixture into clean 2-liter soda bottle using funnel. Top off bottle with water, leaving at least 1 inch headspace. Taste, and add more sugar if desired. (Extra sugar will dissolve on its own.)

Add yeast to juice mixture. Screw on cap, and shake bottle to dissolve and distribute yeast. Let bottle sit at room temperature away from sunlight 5 to 7 days, or until lemonade is carbonated. Check bottle periodically; lemonade is ready when bottle feels rock-solid with very little give.

Refrigerate overnight, or up to two weeks. Open bottle very slowly over sink to release pressure gradually and avoid bubble-ups. Store in refrigerator.

nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 111; Protein: less than 1 g; Total Fat: less than 1 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 29 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 18 mg; Fiber: less than 1 g; Sugar: 27 g; Vegan; Gluten-Free

STRAWBERRY ITALIAN ICE

Cool off with this icy cool dessert. From Vegetarian Times' September 2004 issue. This one begins, "Here’s a cool, fat-free and refreshing treat." Serves 6.

To view this online, click here.

1 16-oz. pkg. frozen strawberries, well-drained, or 1 qt. fresh strawberries, hulled

1 Tbs. lime juice

1/2 cup evaporated cane juice

4 cups ice cubes

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Place a metal 10-inch cake pan in freezer. Combine strawberries, lime juice and evaporated cane juice in a food processor, and blend until cane juice has dissolved. Add ice, and blend until smooth.

Transfer strawberry mixture to cake pan, cover and freeze until frozen around edges but still soft in center, about 1 hour. Stir mixture, spoon into dessert cups and garnish with mint leaves. Serve immediately.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 99; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 24 g; Sodium: 6 mg; Fiber: 1 g; Sugar: 22 g; Vegan

WATERMELON GRANITA WITH MINT AND LIME

From the July 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times'. It begins, "Watermelon lovers go wild for this dessert: Freezing watermelon juice with a sugar syrup intensifies the fruit flavors." Serves 4.

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1/3 cup sugar

1 small fresh mint sprig

1 2-inch piece lime zest

2 1/2 Tbs. lime juice

3 lb. watermelon, cut into chunks

Combine sugar, mint, lime zest and 1/3 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook 1 minute, or until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and cool. Strain, and remove mint and zest.

Purée watermelon in blender or food processor. Strain liquid. You should have about 2 cups juice.

Combine watermelon juice and lime juice in large bowl. Add sugar syrup and stir to combine. Pour into 9×9-inch baking tin, and freeze 45 minutes. Stir with fork. Continue to freeze 3 to 4 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour to fluff crystals and prevent granita from turning solid. Cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until dessert time. Scoop into bowls with fork or small spoon, and serve.

nutritional information Per SERVING: Calories: 100; Protein: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Sodium: 1 mg; Sugar: 24 g; Vegan

ALL-IN-ONE CHOCOLATE CAKE

This comes from Nigella Lawson, from The New York Times' cooking newsletter. If you haven't signed up for their newsletter, I highly recommend it. Nigella writes, “This is the perfect chocolate cake: beautiful, melting, intense but not heavy. The batter comes together quickly in a food processor, and the cake bakes at 350 degrees for a while, giving the baker time to assemble the frosting, which is given a luscious sheen by a bit of corn syrup. Use the best chocolate you can find for the frosting, and gild it however you like: with a few flowers, some birthday candles or nothing at all.” Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; 10 to 12 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

Butter for greasing baking pans

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup best-quality cocoa powder

6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature

For the Frosting:

6 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces

3 ounces (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preparation

For cake: heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter sides of two 8-inch cake pans, and line bottoms with parchment paper. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a knife blade, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, butter, eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Process to make a smooth, thick batter.

Using a rubber spatula, divide batter between pans, and smooth tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before removing from cake pans.

For frosting: Combine chocolate and butter in a large heat-proof bowl, and heat until melted in a microwave oven or over a pan of simmering water. Remove from heat, and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in corn syrup, sour cream, and vanilla. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until very smooth. Frosting should be thick and spreadable. If necessary, add a teaspoon or two of boiling water to thin it, or additional sifted confectioners' sugar to thicken.

Cut four strips of waxed or parchment paper, and place them side by side on a cake plate, covering the surface. Place one cake layer domed-side down on plate.

Spoon about a third of the frosting onto center of cake, and use a knife or a spatula to spread it evenly. Place the other cake on top, domed side up. Spoon another third of frosting on top of cake, spreading to make swirls or a smooth finish. Spread sides of cake with remaining frosting, and allow to sit for a few minutes until set. Carefully remove paper strips. Place cake under glass or in an airtight container, and set aside in a cool place until serving.

CHOCOLATE DUMP-IT CAKE

This deliciousness comes from Amanda Hesser in The New York Times' cooking newsletter. Amanda writes, “A couple of years ago, my mother taught me to make her dense but moist chocolate birthday cake. She calls it 'dump-it cake' because you mix all of the ingredients in a pot over medium heat, then dump the batter into a cake pan to bake. For the icing, you melt Nestlé's semisweet-chocolate chips and swirl them together with sour cream. It sounds as if it's straight from the Pillsbury Bake-Off, but it tastes as if it's straight from Payard. Everyone loves it.” Time: 1 hour 45 minutes; 10 servings

To view this online, go to http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9404-chocolate-dump-it-cake.

Ingredients

2 cups sugar

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate

1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups Nestle's semisweet-chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups sour cream, at room temperature

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a baking sheet on the lowest rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes on the middle rack. In a 2- to 3-quart pot, mix together the sugar, unsweetened chocolate, butter and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally until all of the ingredients are melted and blended. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk and vinegar. Grease and flour a 9-inch tube pan.

When the chocolate in the pot has cooled a bit, whisk in the milk mixture and eggs. In several additions, and without overmixing, whisk in the dry ingredients. When the mixture is smooth, add the vanilla and whisk once or twice to blend. Pour the batter into the tube pan and bake on the middle rack until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack. (This can be tricky -- if someone is around to help, enlist him.) Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, then let cool to room temperature. Stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth.

When the cake is cool, you may frost it as is or cut it in half so that you have 2 layers. There will be extra icing whether you have 1 or 2 layers. My mother always uses it to make flowers on top. She makes a small rosette, or button, then uses toasted slices of almond as the petals, pushing them in around the base of the rosette.

NAKED CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER LAYER CAKE

This comes from The Baker Chick (otherwise known as Audra). Here’s part of what Audra wrote: “My favorite basic chocolate cake is layered with rich chocolate ganache and fluffy peanut butter frosting. I chose to make a naked cake because I’m so obsessed with the look of them, but many different options would work for this. The cake could be made in a bundt pan with the frosting slathered on and the ganache poured on top. Or, you could frost it more traditionally, frosting it all perfectly smooth and then once again pouring the ganache on top. Whatever you decide, if you are a chocolate/peanut butter lover I know you’ll adore this cake.” Yield: 10-12 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder*

2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 and 1/4 cups sugar

2 and 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

4 1/2 tablespoons safflower oil

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Frosting:

12 tablespoons of butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

For the Ganache:

4.5 oz dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

peanut butter cups to garnish (optional)

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour your cake pans, lining with a circle of parchment paper. (This can be 6, 8 or 9 inch pans, I would use at least 3 pans if doing 6 inch though.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Stir in the water, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and eggs, continue to stir until batter is smooth.

Divide batter amongst the pans and bake for 25-35 mins, or until a cake tester inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

For the Ganache:

Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer on the stove-top, and then pour over the chopped chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Allow to cool and thicken before using. (I pop mine in the fridge or freezer.

For the Frosting:

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar until well combined. Fold in the whipped cream until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

To assemble:

Using a serrated knife, level each cake layer, slicing off the "domed" top to make it even. Place the bottom later on a piece of parchment paper on a cake turntable (if you have one.)

Spread a layer of ganache over the first layer of cake, sticking it into the fridge or freezer if needed to firm it up. (I stuck the whole cake into the fridge between each frosting layer.)

Follow with a layer of frosting, then another layer of cake, more ganache, more frosting etc. Add some frosting to the outside of the cake, smoothing with a spatula. Top with chopped peanut butter cups.

Notes:

* Base cake recipe adapted from Martha Stewart