It's less than a week until Christmas and Hanukkah, so I'll be posting food this week to help with celebrations. Enjoy!
Note: In case you missed yesterday's cookie post, check it out!
VICTORIA SPONGE CAKE
This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “This traditional British layer cake is made up of two buttery, tender spongecake rounds that sandwich a thick layer of jam and, often, a dollop of sweetened whipped cream. It’s a simple, homey confection that works as well with a cup of afternoon tea as it does for dessert. Feel free to substitute other flavors of tart jam for the raspberry. Apricot and blackberry work particularly well.” Yield: 8 to 10 servings.
This was featured in “‘The Great British Bake Off’ Changes the Way the British Bake” and can be viewed online at here.
Ingredients
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened, more for greasing pan
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 cup raspberry jam, more to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Heat oven to 350 degrees and place a rack in the center. Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, then beat in milk, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in flour mixture until combined, then scrape into prepared cake pans, smoothing the top.
Bake cakes until golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then unmold them onto a wire rack to cool completely, flat side down.
Transfer one cake (the less attractive one) to a serving platter, and spread jam evenly on top. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla just until it holds stiff peaks. Dollop about half the cream on top of jam, then top with remaining cake. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve immediately, with the extra whipped cream on the side.
BLACKBERRY CRISP WITH MAPLE-PECAN TOPPING
This recipe is from page 60 of the September 2012 issue of Vegetarian Times. It starts off, “Tangy blackberries have a great affinity for pecans and maple, but you could certainly make this crisp with blueberries or a combination of berries. Leftovers are delicious for breakfast!” Serves 8.
This recipe can be viewed online here.
5 Tbs. maple syrup, divided
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
6 cups fresh blackberries (1 3/4 lb.)
3 Tbs. sugar
16 Tbs. all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 tsp. plus 1/8 tsp. salt, divided
2/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs. canola oil
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat deep baking dish with cooking spray.
Whisk together 2 Tbs. maple syrup and vinegar in bowl. Place blackberries in large bowl, and drizzle maple mixture over them. Add sugar, 3 Tbs. flour, and 1/8 tsp. salt to berries; toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
Combine remaining 13 Tbs. flour, oats, pecans, brown sugar, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in separate bowl. Drizzle oil and remaining 3 Tbs. maple syrup over dry ingredients. Use fingers to combine thoroughly until small clumps form. Arrange topping clumps over berries.
Bake 30 to 45 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and berry juices are bubbling just around edges of crisp.
nutritional information Per 1-cup serving: Calories: 319; Protein: 5 g; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: less than 1 g; Carbohydrates: 50 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 115 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 27 g; Vegan
STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE
This comes from Smuckers. Makes 2 1/2 C or 20 servings (2 Tbs).
1 C Smucker’s sugar free strawberry preserves
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1/4 C Dijon mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp ground pepper
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/2 C water
In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk, whip together the preserves, vinegar, mustard & pepper, until thoroughly emulsified. Gradually whisk in 1/2 C oil, then 1/2 C of water (more, if desired).
STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES
This came from an old Weight Watchers email several years ago. 1 point/serving (old value). Serves 4. Adding 1 C each of baby corn & water chestnuts changes recipe to 2 points/serving. (*) foods are filling foods.
1 spray cooking spray
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C sugar snap peas or pea pods, trimmed (*)
2 C carrots, thinly diagonally sliced (*)
2 scallions, chopped (*)
1 1/2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
Coat wok or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray & set over medium-high heat. Add oil & heat. Add garlic & stir-fry 1 minute. Add sugar snap peas, carrots & scallions; stir-fry 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add soy sauce & cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat & stir in cilantro. Yields about 1/2 C per serving.
BAKED MACARONI AND CHEESE
This is from an old Weight Watchers' email. Serves: 8; 5 Points (old points value).
12 oz uncooked macaroni, elbow-type
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
12 oz fat-free evaporated milk
8 oz low-fat cheddar or Colby cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp dried bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt; drain & transfer to a large bowl. While pasta is still hot, stir in sour cream; set aside.
Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear just around the edges. Reduce heat to low, add cheese & simmer until cheese melts, stirring constantly with wire whisk, about 2 minutes; remove from heat & stir in mustard, salt, pepper & nutmeg.
Add cheese mixture to pasta; mix well. Transfer to a 4-quart casserole dish. Combine bread crumbs & Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over pasta. Bake until top is golden, about 30 minutes. Yields about 1 cup per serving.
APPLE CRISP
This comes from a long-since-forgotten-emailing-list.
4 large apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core & slice the apples. Put apples in a bowl & mix in 1/2 cup brown sugar. In a separate bowl, using a fork, mix together 1 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, & 1/4 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, beat together 1 egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter & 1/2 cup water. Add them to the dry ingredients. This is the topping. Put apples in baking dish & pour topping over them. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes. When done, apples should be soft & topping golden and crisp. Remove from oven & let cool.
