Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

I wonder how many girls began their love of baking with Hasbro’s Easy Bake Oven.  They have been around since 1963 and make it easy and safe for young people to experiment in the kitchen.  There are even myriads of recipes on the internet if you run out of the mixes that come with the oven.

Rachel’s cousin Keenan got an Easy Bake Oven from her Aunt Kristen this year and because we were all snowed in, they spent some time making cookies together.

I predict that it will not be long until she is making cakes like this in the real oven.  This Italian Cream Cake was both beautiful to look at and delicious to eat.  The top was sprinkled with coconut and studded with pecans.  Keenan’s Grandmother, Becky, brought the cake to our Christmas dinner and was kind enough to share the recipe with me.  She is a great cook.  I remember one year she brought the most beautiful salad in the shape of a wreath.  The greens were sprinkled with cherry tomatoes and other edible decorations that made it very festive.

You had to be quick with your camera to get a picture of this cake.  Slices kept disappearing in a blink of an eye.  Because it is a three layer cake, it looks impressive.  The cream cheese frosting is easy to spread and I think even I, the reluctant baker, could make a cake like this.  Thank you for the recipe Becky.

ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

1 stick of margarine (or butter)
2 cups sugar
2 cups self-rising flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 small can of coconut
5 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 cup crisco shortening
5 egg yolks
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter, crisco and sugar.  Beat until mixture is smooth.  Add egg yolks and beat well.  Combine flour and baking soda and add alternately with buttermilk.  Stir in vanilla.  Add coconut and nuts.  Fold in egg whites.  Bake in 3 (8 inch) greased and floured cake pans in 350 degree F. oven until done.

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 box of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
shredded coconut for top
pecan halves for top

Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well combined.  You may have to add a little milk to make the right consistancy to spread.  Assemble and frost cake.  Decorate top with coconut and pecan halves.

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Christmas this year has been delightful.  After opening our presents Christmas morning, we traveled from our Son and DIL’s home in Cary to Jacksonville NC to join the other family members at Kristen’s sister’s and brother-in-law’s home.  Jeff is a grill master.

The 12 pound beef brisket was smoked on the grill for 15 hours.  Jeff maintained a temperature of 180 degrees for most of the time, but cranked up the heat to 250 degrees for the last two hours of cooking. The pans of water helped to maintain the moisture while they cooked.  The pork ribs were grilled at some point in the process.  We had them as appetizers with an array of other goodies.

Dinner was a feast.  The brisket was moist and tender.  To add to the splendor on the buffet we had a cajun deep fried turkey.  Unfortunately I did not take any pictures because I was too busy admiring and eating.

We awoke this morning to a snow storm.  We were planning to drive to Lake Lure today but the roads are covered with snow and traveling is dangerous.  We have all hunkered down in the house, the kids have been playing in the snow and there are good smells coming from the kitchen.

Peppers and beef being sauteed by Kim for Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.

Sandwiches hot out of the oven.  They were delicious.

If you are hosting get togethers during the holidays, this is a very easy and festive appetizer.  We have travelled to North Carolina to be with our family for Christmas so I have not had an opportunity to post much during the last week.  This afternoon I visited the Trader Joe’s in Cary and picked up a package of their store brand puff pastry.  It is made with all natural ingredients which is great, but if all you can find is the Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, it works just as well.  For appetizers for a crowd use both sheets in the package which will make 16 hors d’ oeuvres.

Simply cut each sheet into an 8″ or 9″ circle,  prick them, spread them with boursin cheese and sauteed red peppers, sprinkle with thyme and seasoning and bake until browned and puffed.  It could not be easier.

RED PEPPER AND BOURSIN TARTS

2 red bell peppers, quartered lenghtwise, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (17 1/2 oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1/4 cup herbed Boursin cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Cook bell peppers in oil in a large nonstick skiller over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes, then cool.

Unfold passtry sheets on a ligthly floured surface and cut out an 8″ or 9″ round from each.  Transfer rounds to a buttered large baking sheet and prick all over with a fork, leaving a 1/2 inch border around edges.

Spread 2 tablespoons cheese evenly over each round, then scatter with peppers and sprinkle with thyme, kosher salt, and pepper to taste.

Bake tarts in middle of oven until puffed and golden brown, about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool slightly.  Cut each tart into 8 wedges and serve warm.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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These are small.  They are just a taste of croissant, chocolate and raspberry goodness.  I did spend a lot of time actually making my own puff pastry at one time.  See this post.  But you know what?  The frozen puff pastry works very well.  I have been looking for a small pastry addition for my Christmas breakfast and I have decided that these easy turnovers are just the thing.  I would serve them with a breakfast casserole and a beautiful fruit tray.

The turnovers are filled with raspberry jam and chocolate.  I would recommend you buy a good quality jam because that will be the dominate flavor.  The milk chocolate is best if it is finely chopped so that it doesn’t make bumps in the pastry.  The recipe was in an old issue of Gourmet magazine which is still one of my favorite “go to” sources for all things delicious.

I love these!  Once the puff pastry is thawed it is a labor of love to cut and fill them.  Take your time and enjoy the morning.  The coffee is brewing and a crispy turnover awaits you.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TURNOVERS

1 (17 1/4 oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 large egg
1/3 cup raspberry jam
3 1/2 oz fine-quality mild chocolate, finely chopped

Put oven rack in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet into a 12 inch square on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, then brush off excess flour from both sides.  Cut into 16 squares.

Whisk together egg and a pinch of salt.  Place 1/2 teaspoon jam and 1 teaspoon chocolate in center of each square, then brush edges of squares with some of the beaten egg.  Fold each square in half to form a triangle, pressing edges to seal.  Brush tops of pastries with some of remaining egg and transfer to a lined baking sheet.  Chill on sheet while making 16 more pastries in same manner, transferring to second baking sheet.

Bake pastries, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until golden and cooked through, about 20 minutes.  Cool on sheets on racks 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

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After spending the day Christmas shopping, I returned home, brought in all of the potted plants and herbs, and turned on the oven to cook a meal to usher in the coldest night of the year in Florida.  The wind chill factor was supposed to be in the teens; not what I had anticipated when we decided to spend the Winters in the Sunshine State.  But it was a good excuse to cook a pork roast.

One of my favorite cuts of pork is a rib end, bone in roast.  Say what we will about boneless pork loins, there is nothing better than a cut with the bones included.  The roast I got from my local Publix was a 6 bone roast and when cooked, sliced easily into 6 large chops.  They were moist, tender and with the pan juices and cooked onions scattered over the top, worthy of company.  This is an easy preparation so I am not detailing a recipe.  I brown the roast on all sides in an iron skillet with a sliced onion in the pan, add herbs and wine, cover it with foil and bake it in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

With the roast I served a Paula Deen recipe that was worth passing on to you.  It is Spinach and Black-Eyed Peas. I love the combination and it goes together quickly using frozen black-eyed peas and fresh baby spinach.  I am considering this as a side dish for the traditional New Years Day dinner.  The whole meal, including mashed potatoes was on the table in no time at all.  It made me wish we had invited company to share it with us.

SPINACH AND BLACK-EYED PEAS

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
1 ham hock
2 (16 oz) packages frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 (10 ox.) package fresh baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat.  Add onion and garlic; cook for 4 minutes, or until onion is tender.  Add chicken broth and ham hock; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes.  I cooked it for 15 minutes.  Stir in black-eyed peas, hot sauce, and sugar; cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until peas are tender.  Add spinach and salt; cook for 4 minutes.  Remove ham hock and shred any meat that is on the bone and return it to the pot.  Serve hot. (I strained off some of the liquid.

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