Caramel Brownies ; cookies

 1 German Chocolate cake mix 

2/3 cup evaporated milk

3/4 cup melted butter

6 oz chocolate chips 

Pkg caramels

Mix 1/3 cup milk, butter and cake mix.  Put 1/2  batter in 9 x13” pan and bake 6 minutes at 350.  Remove from heat.  Pour melted caramel mixed with 1/3 cup evaporated milk over baked batter.  Sprinkle with choc chips and dot with remaining batter.  Bake 16-18 minutes more. We  

Concord Grape Pie; pie

Ingredients

Some friends spent some time in the northeast and loved this pie!  She shared this recipe, but we weren’t to fond of it

6 cups Concord grapes (about 2 pou nds or 2 quarts)

2 Tablespoons instant tapioca

2/3 cup sugar

Your choice of pie crust

1. Wash the grapes.

2.  Slip the skin off the grapes.. Gently squeeze the grapes until the green pulp pops our and separates from the skin.  Put the pulp in a sauce pan andthe grapes skins in a separate bowl.

3.  Place the saucepan with the pulp on medium heat and bring to boiling.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for             Minutes.  The pulp should break down and the seeds should start floating to the top.

4.  Put the boiled pulp through a colander too remove seeds ( or use a nut bag or cheesecloth) Put the pulp in the same bowl as the grape skins.

5.  Add the tapioca and sugar to the bowl of grape skins and grape pulp and stir well.

6.  Refrigerate the mixture for at least an hour to allow it to gel.

7.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees

8.  Fill pie crust top with a floating crust or late evening or cut vent hoes

9.  If you like brush pie crust with an egg wash 

10.  Put a cookie sheet under the pie in the oven because filling tends to bubble over the edges of the pie plate.

11.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes then check the edges and cover them with a pie shield or foil if they are brown.  Continue to bake until the middle of the crust in light brown about 30 minutes

Mile High Lemon Meringue Pie

 The Meringue in this pie is not typical. It is very smooth and even those who don’t like meringue like this .

Lemon Filling:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 cup lemon juice (6 lemons)

1/2 cup water - if you want tart pie use 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 teaspoon table salt

8 large egg yolks - reserve 4 whites for meringue

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon zest

3Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 9 inch pie crust, baked and cooled.

For the filling: Whisk  sugar, lemon juice, water, cornstarch and salt together in a large saucepan until cornstarch is dissolved.  Bring to simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until mixture becomes translucent and begins to thicken, about 5 min. Whisk in yolks until combined.  Stir in lemon zest and butter.  Bring to simmer and stir constantly until mixture is thick enough to coat back of spoon, about 2 minutes.  Strain through fine-mesh strainer into pie shell and scrape filling off underside of strainer.  Place plastic wrap directly on surface and chill 2 hours to 1 day

MERINGUE:  This is a smoother more delectable meringue.

1/2 cup water

1 cup of sugar

4 large egg whites

Pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cream of tar tar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Adjust rack to middle and heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine water and sugar in small saucepan.  Bring to vigorous boil over medium-high heat.  Once syrup comes to rolling boil, cook 4 minutes (mixture will become slightly thickened and syrupy) Remove from heat and set aside while beating whites.

With electric mixer, beat egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, about 1 minute.  Add salt and cream of tarTar and beat. Gradually increasing speed to medium-high, until whites hold soft peaks, about 2 minutes.  With mixer running SLOWLY pour hot syrup into whites.  Add vanilla and beat until meringue has cooled and becomes very thick and shiny, 5 to 9 minutes.

Mound meringue over filling, making sure meringue touches edges of crust.  Use spatula to create peaks all over meringue.  Bake until peaks turn golden brown.  About 6 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature.  Serve.

3

French Macarons, cookies

100 grams ground blanched almond flour
180 grams confectioners sugar
100 grams of “aged” egg whites at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tar tar
35 grams of superfine or castor white sugar

Separate eggs at least 23 hours before using, put in fridge and bring to room temp before using

Have 3 baking sheets lined with parchment.  Make a template.  Draw 20 1/2 inch circles, spacing them about 2 “ apart.  Place the template under the parchment wo you can use it as a guide.

Place ground almonds or almond flour anc confectioners sugar in a food processor until finally ground (about 1-2 minutes). Sift to remove any lumps.  Sift again.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment (you can use a hand mixer) beat egg whites And cream of tar tar until foamy.  Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until meringue just holds stiff peaks. When you slowly raise the mixer the merengue “beak” is straight up no drooping (do not over mix the merengue or it will break.

Then in three additions sift the almond flour mixture over the merengue.  When folding cut through the merengue then up and over making sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Once it is folded into the merengue, the batter will fall back into the bowl in a thick ribbon it is time to pipe the macarons.

Fill a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch tip, with about half the batter.  Pipe 1-1/2  rounds onto the parchment paper..  Then gently tap the baking sheet on the counter to release any air bubbles

Let the macarons sit at room temp for 30-60 minutes until tops of the macarons are no longer tacky.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 325 with the oven racks on the top and bottom third of the oven. Bake cookies two sheets at a time for about 14-16 minutes.  Rotating top to bottom and front to back about half way through.  The macarons are done when you can just barely separate the macarons from the parchment paper.  Let the macarons cool completely on baking sheet on cooling rack

To assemble the macarons take two cookies and sandwich them together with your filling.  Popular choices are Swiss buttercream, lemon curd, chocolate ganache, jam or dulce de Lethe.

While you can serve the macarons the day they are made, these cookies really need to mature for a day or two in the refrigerator.  Best served at room temperature

Dumplings,soup

DUMPLINGS:

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup 2% milk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Mix dry ingredients, mix butter and milk.  Combine and drop onto boiling soup cook covered 18 to 22 minutes

Biscuits Supreme, bread

3 Cups flour
1 Tbl baking powder, aluminum free
1 Tbl Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. Cream of tartar
3/4 Cup butter
1 Cup milk

Preheat oven to 450
In a large bowl stir together flour baking powder, sugar salt and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a well in the flour.Add milk all at once.  Using a fork stir until just moistened.
Turn out on lightly floured board 4 to 6 strokes just until dough holds together.  Pat or roll dough to 3/4 “ thick.  Cut out and place 1 “ apart on baking sheet or pan.  Bake 10-14 minutes.

Alba???

 Alba was like: 2 tablespoons sugar free pudding mix 2/3 cup powdered milk 2/3 cup water Blend in a blender on low speed to mix Add 7-8 ice cubes Blend until smooth Drink

Or
1 Cup cold milk
2 T. Cocoa powder
2T sweetener (sugar, monk fruit whatever)
1 tsp vanilla
5-7 Ice cubes
Blend in a blender yum