Saturday, April 13, 2013

St. Josephs Day Zeppole


Sfingi or St. Josephs Day Zeppole

INGREDIENTS

Ricotta Cream Filling
One 15 Ounce Container Ricotta
¾ Cup Confectioners’ Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
¼ Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Candied Citron Or Orange peel

CREAM FILLING 1/4 cornstarch 
2 cups milk 
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 
3/4 cup granulated sugar 
2 large egg yolks 
1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Almond Extract

Dough
1 Cup Water
4 Tablespoons (1/2 stick) Unsalted Butter
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Unbleached Flour
4 Large Eggs
Vegetable Oil For Frying

Candied Cherries – Cut In Half For Garnish

2 Tablespoons Chopped Unsalted Pistachios For Garnish (Optional)

Confectioners’ Sugar

In a medium Bowl, whisk the ricotta, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips and candied fruit. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

To make the puffs, bring the water, the butter and the salt to a boil over medium heat.

Remove from the heat, add the flour all at once and stir well with a wooden spoon until the flour is completely incorporated.

Return the saucepan to medium heat.

Cook, stirring constantly and turning the dough often, until the dough begins to leave a thin film on the bottom of the saucepan (about 3 minutes).

This dries the dough so the puffs will be crisp. With a rubber spatula, scrape the dough into a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Continue to beat until smooth – about 2 minutes more.

In a deep heavy saucepan or deep fryer, heat about 3 inches of oil until the temperature reaches 375° F on a deep frying thermometer or until a small bit of the dough dropped into the oil sizzles and turns brown in 1 minute.

With a tablespoon, scoop up a rounded spoonful of batter and with another spoon, carefully push the dough into the oil so that it doesn't splash. Continue to add the dough by the spoonfuls without crowding the pan.

The dough will puff up and double in size to do not add too many at one time or they will stick together.

Cook, turning them often, until the dough breaks open – about 4 minutes. Continue to cook 1 to 2 minute more or until crisp and golden brown.

Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon or skimmer and place them on paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining dough. Let cool slightly.

With a small knife, split fritter partway open. Spoon the cream inside, allowing it to show through the split.

Press a cherry half into the cream and sprinkle with pistachios (optional). (If it is not St. Joseph’s Day, you can just shake these, without the filling in a bag with confectioners’ sugar and serve like donuts).

Dust the sfingi with confectioners’ sugar. These are best right after they are made. Makes 12

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Chocolate Éclair Cake


Chocolate Éclair Cake

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large box (5.1 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
1 8 oz. container cool whip (you won’t use the whole container) or one batch of homemade whipped
cream
chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9″X13″ glass baking pan.

Éclair Crust: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in
flour. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing completely before adding another egg. Spread mixture into pan,
covering the bottom and sides evenly. *If the sides of your pan are too greased you won’t be able to get
the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown (Mine only took 25 minutes.) You may want to check it
occasionally-you don’t want to overcook the crust, it will ruin the cake! Remove from oven and let cool
(don’t touch or push bubbles down).

Filling: Whip cream cheese in a medium bowl. In separate bowl make vanilla pudding. Make sure pudding
is thick before mixing in with cream cheese. Slowly add pudding to cream cheese, mixing until there are
no lumps. Let cool in fridge.When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in. Top with layer of cool
whip however thick you want it and serve with chocolate syrup. *If you want to make this even better use
homemade whipped cream.

Pot Roast

Rub

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons light brown sugar


Chuck Roast

1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
2 onions, peeled and quartered
10 small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoon soy sauce

Instructions

Place in crock pot on low for 10 hours.

Pat roast dry with paper towels. Separate roast into 2 pieces along natural seam and
trim fat to ¼-inch thickness. Tie kitchen twine around each roast at 1-inch intervals.

Remove roast. Tent meat with foil and let rest 20 minutes. Discard onions and bay leaves. Using slotted spoon, place carrots and potatoes on serving platter. Strain contents of roasting pan through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator. Let liquid settle, then pour defatted pan juices into serving bowl.

Remove kitchen twine from roasts. Slice roasts thinly against grain and transfer to
platter with vegetables. Pour ½ cup pan juices over meat. Serve with remaining pan juices.

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