10
in other words
december21
2017
An Unusual Culinary Column: Holiday Sweets
evenly on top and sides. Allow to hard-
en.
By Karen Kain
Happy Holidays folks! I have
been doing lots of dedicated research
and think I have found some fabulous
desserts to share with you. It is quite
possible that I have gained weight from
just writing this column.
My first recipe is an amazingly
decadent, delicious, and dangerously
addicting chocolate cake. This is a su-
per easy recipe to make, and if you love
chocolate you will love this cake! This
cake is like a slap and a kiss. You will
love it because it is sinfully delicious but
hate it because you will want to devour
every morsel, even if it means that you
will be up all night from a chocolate
high. You have officially been warned.
The next few recipes are not so
threatening but equally as delicious. The
Blueberry Lime Cheesecake takes a bit
of planning but is totally worth it. This is
a beautiful dessert that I think all of your
guests will enjoy. The Peanut Brittle
makes great gifts, that is, if you have
any left.
I hope you are all staying warm
and enjoying this holiday season. I wish
you all a joyous season and Happy New
Year!
Fudgy Pecan Cake
Ingredients:
¾ Cup butter melted
1½ Cups sugar
1½ Teaspoons vanilla
3 Egg yolks
½ Cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa
½ Cup unsifted all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons water
¾ Cup finely chopped pecans
3 Egg whites, at room temperature
1 / 8 Teaspoon cream of tartar
1 / 8 Teaspoon salt
Chocolate glaze*
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the bot-
tom of a 9-inch springform pan with alu-
minum foil; butter the foil and side of the
pan. Set aside. Combine ¾ cup melted
butter, the sugar and vanilla in a large
mixer bowl; beat well. Add egg yolks,
one at a time, beating well after each ad-
dition. Blend in the cocoa, flour, oil and
water; beat well. Stir in chopped pecans.
Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt
in a small mixer bowl until stiff peaks
form. Carefully fold into chocolate mix-
ture. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake at
350˚ F. for 45 minutes or until top be-
gins to crack slightly. The cake will not
test done in the center. Cool for an hour.
Cover, chill until firm. Remove side of
pan.
Prepare the glaze, the recipe
is below. Pour over the cake and allow
the glaze to run down the sides. With a
narrow metal spatula, spread the glaze
*Chocolate glaze
Ingredients:
4 Ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely
chopped ¾ cup
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1 Tablespoons whole milk
2 Teaspoons light corn syrup
Directions:
Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl
set over a saucepan of simmering water,
stirring until smooth. Remove from heat
and stir in the milk, and corn syrup. Use
immediately.
Vegan Blueberry Lime Cheesecake
(You must start this the day before, a
good one to make a few days ahead)
Ingredients:
Crust:
¾ Cup walnuts
½ Cup almonds
1 Cup medjool dates
½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
A splash of water for blending
Cheesecake:
2¼ Cup raw cashews soaked in water
overnight
¼ to 1 / 3 Cup maple syrup or honey
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ Cup lime juice
1 / 3 Cup coconut oil, melted
1 Teaspoon lime zest, more for garnish
1 Cup blueberries, more for garnish
Directions:
For the crust:
Put the crust ingredients into a food pro-
cessor and puree until you get sticky
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PIHL
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crumbles. Add a splash of water if need-
ed. Press the crust into a 7 inch spring-
form pan lined with parchment paper.
For the filling:
Soak the cashews in a bowl of water
overnight. Drain and rinse. Put the ca-
shews into a food processor and blend
until they are smooth. This may take a
few minutes. Scrape down the sides as
needed. Add the lime juice, ¼ cup of
sweetener, the zest, and vanilla then
blend. Slowly add in the melted coconut
oil and blend until well combined. Taste
and add more sweetener, if needed. Pour
the filling into the crust to make a 1 inch
layer. Put the cheesecake into the freezer
for 30 minutes. Add the blueberries and
the remaining sweetener to the remain-
ing filling and blend until smooth. Pour
the mixture onto the cheesecake. Gar-
nish with a sprinkle of lime zest. Cover
and freeze for 3 hours to firm.
Holiday Peanut Brittle
Ingredients:
1½ Teaspoons baking soda
1 Teaspoon water
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1½ Cups sugar
1 Cup water
1 Cup light corn syrup
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Pound shelled unroasted peanuts
Directions:
Heat the oven to 200˚ F. Butter two bak-
ing sheets. Put the baking sheets into the
oven to keep warm. In a small mixing
bowl, mix together baking soda, 1 tea-
spoon water and the vanilla, set aside. In
a quart saucepan, mix the sugar, 1 cup
water and corn syrup together. Cook over
medium heat, stir occasionally. Bring the
temperature to 240˚ F, test with a candy
thermometer. The syrup is done when
you drop a small amount into ice water
and it forms a soft ball that flattens when
removed from the water. Stir in the but-
ter and peanuts. Cook, stirring constant-
ly. Bring the temperature up to 300˚ F. It
is ready when you drop a small amount
of the mixture into ice water and it sepa-
rates into hard, brittle threads. You do
not want the mixture to burn, so watch
carefully. Remove from heat and quickly
add the baking soda. Be careful here, the
mixture will become light and foamy as
you stir. Pour onto the two heated cookie
sheets and spread to ¼ inch thick. Cool
completely then break into pieces.
Karen Kain can be reached
KarenKain8@icloud.com.
at
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