Guinness Stout Ginger Cake for St.Patrick's Day

"An invitation to tea in Ireland is no small matter of a simple cup of tea and biscuit! You sit down at the table in the dining room and the usual everyday tea stars with slices of brown Irish soda bread and slices of homemade white bread lavishly buttered, a pot or two of jam for the bread, hot crusty scones, a plate of cookies, a "sponge sandwich" cake (two layers of sponge cake, jam between and sugar sprinkled on top) and a chocolate cake with thick, creamy, chocolate icing - or warm gingerbread full of spices. Cups of hot tea all around three or four times and you"ll last till suppertime."

Mulled Wine - Perfect Drink for a Holiday Season

We have many beautiful holidays a head of us, Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. For these occasions, nothing is too beautiful. Once a year, one can indulge in an accumulation of crystal, silver, china, an abundance of light and reflections, without fear of criticism. But as always, good taste will keep the display within bounds. A successful holiday party can be an enchanted memory for a whole year.

September Dessert - Cardamom Pear Compote over Vanilla Tapioca with Meringue and Pistachio

Ingredients:

For the vanilla tapioca:

• 2/3 cup large tapioca pearls
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp  ground cardamom
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

For the pear compote:

• 4 firm, but ripe pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into thick slices
• 1 1/5 cup water (or for adult version you can use sweet white wine)
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom pods
• 2 cloves
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• lemon zest from 1/2 lemon

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup pistachio, crushed

Directions:

Prepare the vanilla tapioca:
In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in the water for an hour. Drain and discard the water. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the tapioca, milk, almond milk, honey and cardamom to a boil. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into saucepan; add bean. Lower the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the tapioca looks translucent. Remove from the heat, discard vanilla bean and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.

Prepare the pear compote:
Combine water, sugar, lemon zest, cardamom,allspice berries and cloves in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Add pears and simmer until tender, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to medium bowl. Boil liquid in saucepan until slightly thickened and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Pour over pears.

Prepare the meringue:
Preheat an oven to 275°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the egg whites and sugar. Place over simmering water and whisk until the mixture is hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the bowl to a mixer and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture is lukewarm, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a soup spoon, drop the batter in large mounds spaced 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with pistachio. Bake until crunchy outside and still chewy inside, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool completely before removing the cookies from the parchment.

When ready to serve the dessert, spoon the tapioca into the bottom of each of 6 glasses, dividing it evenly. When the pear compote is cool, divide it in between the serving glasses on top of the tapioca. Top with meringue cookies.

Bon appetite!!!

Spiced Apple Cider - Have a Sweet Weekend!

"It was the sight of apple blossom 
on the tree outside the kitchen window
that set me to begin a book.
I didn't know then what I saw
or what it was I did
but hope was there, full as buds.

and now I eat the apples
and the book feeds me.

Yesterday
I dragged the ladder out
and climbed the tree,
its branches circled my waist
as if we where about to dance.
I plopped the apples down,
they made the beat of music"...

Kate Llewellyn



Ingredients:

• 6 cups apple cider
• orange juice from one orange
• brown sugar to taste
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 whole cloves
• cardamom to taste
• 2 small pieces of peeled fresh ginger (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer mixture 15 minutes to blend flavors. Strain cider into mugs, and serve hot with a pie crust tops.

Chilled Summer Soup from Young Beets

There can hardly be a more delightful way to start a summer lunch or al fresco dinner than with a refreshing chilled soup. Borscht from Young Beets is a healthy vegetarian soup, which just good served on hot day.



Adapted from “A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes,” by David Tanis

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds beets
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 medium red onion, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoons red-wine vinegar, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• fresh fennel
• crumbled feta for serving

Directions:

Peel and slice the beets and put them in a large saucepan. Cover with 4-5 cups water and add the garlic, red onion, bay leaf, cloves, cayenne, sugar, vinegar, oil and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Check the seasoning of the broth. It should be distinctly sweet, sour, peppery and flavorful. Correct the seasoning, adding salt and cayenne if necessary, and freshly ground pepper. Cool slightly.

Remove the bay leaf. Purée the soup well in a blender, then strain into a large bowl. Chill in the refrigerator or over ice until cold.

To serve, pour into small water glasses. Garnish with freshly ground pepper and, if desired, fresh fennel and crumbled feta.

Country Pate with Pistachios

There is nothing more delightful than a complete luncheon of hors d'oeuvres, especially on a hot day in in summer. The color and variety of the various dishes, particularly when accompanied by well-chilled bottle of fine white wine, reawakens the most heat-dulled appetite.

This country pate with pistachios may be served as a first course with a light entree and a fruit dessert to follow; or a luncheon may be made up entirely of various hors d'oeuvre dishes. In the latter case you would want to serve some vegetable dishes, fish hors d'oeuvre, and certain accompaniments.



Recipe from “Cuisine Rapide” by Pierre Franey and Bryan Miller

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 1/2 cup shallots, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lb veal liver, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 tsp dry thyme
• 1/2 bay leaf, crumbled
• 3/4 lb lean veal, cut into 1-inch cubs
• 1 lb lean pork, cut into 1-inch cubs
• 1/2 lb cooked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled, toasted
• 1/8 tsp groung allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• pinch ground cinnamon
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Heat the butter in a heavy skillet and add the shallots. Cook briefly, stirring. Add the liver and sprinkle with the thyme and bay leaf. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put the veal in a food processor or blender and blend it slightly finer than store-bought hamburger. Empty the veal into a mixing bowl. Put the pork in the food processor or blender and blend it a little coarser than store-bought hamburger. Add the pork to the veal.



Put the liver mixture in the food processor or blender and blend it as finely as possible. Pour and scrape it into the bowl with the pork and veal. Add the ham and pistachios.  Add the allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, wine, salt and pepper and blend well with your fingers. To test the mixture for seasoning, shape a small portion into a patty and cook it, turning once, in a nonstick skillet until cook through. Taste the patty and add more seasonings as desired.



Pack the mixture in a 5- or 6-cup loaf pan. Smooth the top, rounding it slightly. Cover tightly with foil and place the pan in a heatproof baking dish. Set the dish on the stove and pour in boiling water around the loaf pan. Bring the water to a boil.  Place the pan in the water bath in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.



Remove the pan from the oven and carefully drain off any excess fat. Let stand until ready to serve. The pate is excellent hot or cold. You may cool it in the dish and chill until cold, preferably overnight. Cut into 1/2-inch slices and serve with pickled vegetables.

Note: In France, cornichons (small dill pickles) and mustard are traditional accompaniments for pate and terriines along with slices of crusty baguette. Serve it for an elegant picnic or a cold buffet.