Pecan Coffee Ring

There is no better combination of flavors than the marriage of butter, pecans, cinnamon and sugar. Many a great desert has been born of this “Heavenly Matrimony”. This cake has all the best notes of both “Butter Pecan Ice Cream” and “Pecan Pie”. Enjoy!

 

Pecan crumb:

½ cup flour

½ cup sugar

1½   tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp butter (room temperature)

½ cup coarsely chopped pecans

 

Cake Batter:

1½ cup flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup plus 3 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 extra-large egg

 

Icing:

¼ cup cream cheese (room temperature)

2 tbsp corn syrup

3 tbsp milk

1½ cup confectioner’s sugar

 

Pecan crumb:

Place flour, sugar and cinnamon into bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, turn on mixer to slow speed and combine ingredients. Add butter and raise speed to medium. Continue to whisk for 4 minutes then turn off the mixer and stir in the chopped pecans. Set nut mixture aside until needed.

 

Cake Batter:

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

 

Combine oil, milk, vanilla and egg in a small bowl or cup.

 

Add wet ingredients to bowl of dry ingredients.

 

Stir until well combined. Batter will still have a few lumps.

 

Grease tube pan with butter then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.

 

Spread ½ of the batter into the bottom of the tube pan.

 

Add ½ of the pecan crumble to the pan.

 

Add remaining batter by spoonfuls to the pan. (it will finish spreading out by itself while baking).

 

Sprinkle remaining pecan crumble on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 28 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes before removing cake from the pan.  

Icing:

Place cream cheese, corn syrup and milk into bowl of stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment mix until it becomes creamy. Then add confectioner’s sugar a little at a time until desired consistency is achieved. I put icing in a plastic squeeze bottle with a pointed tip to make icing the cake easy.

 

Chippey is patiently waiting for a piece!

Puerto Rican Pastelillos de Carne (Empanadas)

 

Pastelillos de Carne are meat filled pastries that are a popular in Puerto Rico and throughout Latin America. They are also called Empanadas although Pastilillos in Puerto Rico usually have a thinner and crisper  shell than an Empanda. The filling varies depending on the country. This is my mother’s recipe with a few adjustments I have made over the years.

 

Picadillo Filling for Pastilillos:

 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

½ cup green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

½ cup onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried cilantro

½  teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper  

½  tablespoon cumin

1 pound lean ground beef

16 manzanilla olives, stuffed with pimento, sliced in half

8 ounces tomato sauce ¼ cup raisins

2 packages Goya Discos Grandes (large pastry shells)

 

Recipe:  Heat oil in sauté pan over medium low heat. Add oil, green peppers, onions, garlic, oregano, cilantro, cumin, salt, pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add add olives, tomato sauce and raisins to the pan then cover and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat. Place ground beef into a second pan and cook over medium heat and stir occasionally to break up the chunks of beef until meat is slightly browned and all of the pink is gone. Place the meat in a colander to remove excess liquid. After draining add the beef to the onion and pepper mixture and simmer for an additional 20 minutes over low heat. When done put the picadillo mixture on one end of a sheet pan then place pan on kitchen counter. Use a kitchen towel, to elevate one end of the pan. This will allow excess oil to drain from the picadillo. Then refrigerate the mixture to cool for at least 20 minutes.

Place shell on flat surface and wet outer edge with water. Place 2 large tablespoons of filling in center of a disc and fold disc in half over the filling, making sure the edges meet.

Then using a fork seal the edges tightly.  Pan fry Pastilillos in 2 inches of oil until golden then drain on paper towels.

Another option is they can be egg washed and baked at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden.

Viandas con Bacalao – Salt Cod With Tropical Root Vegetables

Viandas con Bacalao  is an “Heirloom” recipe That goes way back in my families history. Whenever my mother makes this she knows that she must call me and my sister or …else! The only way to describe Vianda is to say it is like potato salad with little bits of cod. This recipe contains an assortment of Caribbean root vegetables, plantains and salt cod. Vianda is so easy to make once you have found all of the ingredients. I was able to find them all at a local latin/american food store. The final result was well worth the search. I would like to know if you think you will try this recipe so I know if I should publish more like it, you can let me know by clicking the like button or by leaving  me a comment.

Thank you in advance,

Renee Lalane

A special thanks goes out to my mom (Ann Lalane) for teaching me this recipe. She also assisted me in the production of this blog recipe.

 

Ingredients:

! lb boneless salt cod (bacalao)

1 large Red onion (cut in half and thinly sliced)

1 ½ cup of light olive oil

½ cup of red wine vinegar

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 green plantains

2 ripe plantains (yellow with a lot of black spots to almost all black)

2 Batata ( Caribbean white sweet potato)

½ lb piece of peeled Calabaza, (West Indian Pumpkin) cut into  2″ pieces

1 package  Goya frozen Yuca

1 package Goya  frozen Yautia

1 package Goya  frozen Ñame

1 ripe avocado sliced

Cherry tomatoes for garnish

 

 

I begin by bringing 2 pots of water to a boil(1 large pot and 1 medium size pot). Then I rinse the salt off the cod under running cold water for 1 minute.

Then I place cod into a large pot of boiling water.

 

After 5 minutes I remove the cod from the pot. Save the water in the pot to use for boiling the root vegetables.

Then I place the cod into a small bowl of cold water for 20 minutes. This will remove more salt from the cod. At this point you can taste the cod and it should still be just slightly salty.

 

Then I shred the cod with my fingers into small bite sized pieces and place into a small bowl.

 

Then I add the onions, oil, vinegar  and black pepper. Toss to combine and set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour.

 

Cut all the plantains in half and remove the ends. Do not peel yet. 

 Then I peel and quarter the 2 Batata.  Place the all the Plantains  into the small pot of boiling water for 20 – 30 minutes or until fork tender. The reason for boiling the plantains separately is because the skin will release some of the green coloring which would discolor the other vegetables.Then I put the Batata, Calabaza, Yuca, Yautia and Ñame into the large pot of reserved water that had been used to boil the cod. Boil for 30 to 45 minutes or until fork tender. After about 30 minutes start testing the smaller pieces for doneness. They are done when a knife go in and out easily. As they are done cut into bite sized pieces and place into large bowl.

 

When the plantains are done remove them from the pot and when they are cool enough to handle peel and slice 1” thick. Add the plantain slices to the bowl of root vegetables.

 

Add the cod mixture to the bowl and toss gently. It should have a slightly glossy sheen. Add additional oil if necessary.

 

Place mixture into individual bowls and top with thin slices of avocado and garnish with cherry tomatoes. I like to drizzle each salad with additional olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar as they are being served.

Scottish Oatmeal and Fruit Scones

These scones are like having a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. I make them when I know I will not have time to sit down and eat breakfast the next day. They travel well and are so delicious.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tbs baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

½ cup cold diced butter – additional butter for greasing baking sheet

2 cups oatmeal

¾ cup sugar

1 cup Sunmaid dried fruit bits (hydrate fruit in warm water then squeeze dry)

1 tbs lemon zest

¼ cup milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp Confectioners sugar for decoration

Streusel Topping:

1 egg white for coating the scones

½ cup white sugar

½ cup flour

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp cold butter diced

Process:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place rack in middle of oven. Cover pan with a sheet of parchment paper and then grease the parchment paper.

Place the flour, butter, baking powder, baking soda and salt in food processor and pulse until butter is pea sized.

In a large bowl combine oatmeal, sugar and flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir in the dried fruit and lemon zest.

In a separate small bowl combine the milk, egg and vanilla. Add this mixture to the bowl and stir until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix the dough or the scones will be tough.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface then flatten and fold in half four or five times then cut the dough in half and form into 2 balls then pat each ball into a disc about 6 inches round and about 1 ½ inches thick. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Remove dough from the refrigerator and place side by side on prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with egg whites then add the streusel topping. Recipe to follow. Cut each circle into 6 pie pieces (think of a clock face and cut from 12 to 6, from 10 to 4 and from 2 to 8) but do not separate the pieces. This keeps the points from burning while baking. Bake the scones for 17 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before separating and removing to a rack to finish cooling. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving. Makes 12 scones.

Streusel Topping: Add the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter to bowl of stand mixer and mix at medium speed for 5 minutes or until it begins to look crumbly. Chill in refrigerator until needed.

Waldorf Salad goes Floribean

I hope you enjoy this Floribbean (Caribbean/Floridian) twist on the classic Waldorf salad. It is perfect for those hot summer nights when it is too hot to cook.

 

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tbsp lemon zest

Juice of half lemon

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups poached chicken breast, 1/2” dice (Poached in water lightly seasoned with cumin, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic powder)

1 apple peeled cored and sliced, cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup chopped walnuts (toasted)

½ cup fresh pineapple chunks, small

½ cup seedless grapes cut in half (red or green)

¼ cup finely diced red onions

¼ cup finely diced celery

Combine above ingredients in a bowl and chill for 1 hour. Serve over a bed of mixed greens.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Irish Soda Bread (Family Heirloom Recipe)

This is an heirloom recipe that my mom makes every year for St. Patrick’s Day. Now this recipe has been handed down to me by my mother and it is my job to make sure this tradition stays alive in my family. This recipe was given to my mother by a neighbor and friend Rosie Redmond over 30 years ago. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

4 cups un-sifted All Purpose Flour 

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1+1/2 cups Buttermilk

2 eggs

1 stick Butter-softened

1 cup Raisins 

1+1/2 Caraway seeds ( or more if you wish)

2  – (8) inch round cast iron fry pans or cake pans, greased and floured

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl, toss flour mixture with hands (this give bread a light and airy consistency).

Cut in softened butter to flour mixture, using hands or a pastry cutter.  Until evenly distributed.

Add raisins and caraway seeds. Toss with hands to mix thoroughly. Beat eggs in a separate bowl. Add buttermilk and blend well.

Pour egg mixture into flour mixture. Blend well with a spoon. The dough should be heavy but not too wet. (If it seems too dry, add a little more buttermilk) If too tacky to handle, add a little bit of flour, so that you can mold it to shape.

Divide batter between 2 prepared pans.

Dust hands generously with flour and mold dough into a round loaves. Dust top generously with flour. Using the wrong end of a fork cut a deep cross “X” into the dough. This is the cross of St. Patrick. This will prevent the bread from cracking, and will give it a traditional look.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until well browned (knife comes clean). Cool on a rack.

Note** By chance, I found out, that when I baked this bread in a cast iron fry pan, the bread rose higher than the one baked in the cake pans.

Butter Rum Caramel Apple Pie

The idea for this pie came to me after a recent trip to the supermarket. While at the market I saw a large bag of green apples on sale for $1.99. So I said to myself “Wow what a bargain”.  I took my bargain home, but after taking my first bite I realised that the bargain apples were way too sour to eat. Now what can I do with these sour little gems. Suddenly the saying “If life gives you lemons make lemonade” popped into my head.  Then I thought  about Julie Andrews in the movie “Mary Poppins” singing just a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down …so here is my latest sweet creation.

Dough:

1 cup flour

½ tsp salt

4 tbsp salted butter (diced and chilled)

¼ cup ice water

Filling:

5 Granny Smith apples or any bargain green apples you can find…(peeled cored and sliced)

2 tbsp lemon juice

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup flour

4 tbsp salted butter (diced)

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp Rum or Rum extract

½ cup heavy cream

1/ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Dough: Place diced butter in freezer for 5 minutes.

Put flour, butter and salt into food processor. 

Pulse 10 times.  Then pulse 10 additional times while slowly dripping the water into the chute of the food processor. Mixture should look wet and crumbly.

Drop mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap.

Cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Using a rolling-pin tap down the dough then roll it out to an 11’” circle.

Place dough while still wrapped in plastic in fridge for 20 minutes to an hour. After letting the dough rest in the fridge remove top sheet of plastic then flip the dough over and place in pie pan. Then remove final piece of plastic. Pierce the dough with a fork (bottom and sides).

Place pie pan into a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the shell to cool on a rack while preparing the filling.

Filling: Place the apples into a large bowl. Add lemon juice, sugar, brown sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Toss to coat the apples.

Pour apple mixture into a large skillet and cook for about 8 minutes at medium heat. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir for about 4 more minutes.

Pour apple mixture into cooled pie shell. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees then place pie pan on a sheet pan to catch drippings. 

Place pie into oven and bake for 45 minutes. Place cooked pie on rack for 1 hour to cool then place in fridge over night. This allows the caramel to firm up.

EASY BEEF RAVIOLI

What makes this recipe so easy is the use of the wonton wrappers to make the ravioli. This recipe makes about 48 ravioli. The wonton wrappers usually come 50 to a package.  After stuffing the ravioli they can be frozen. I always keep a zip lock bag of them in my freezer for a quick dinner.

 

3 tbsp olive oil

1 cup diced yellow onion

4 cloves garlic

¼ cup diced carrot

2 stalks celery diced

1 pound ground beef

¼ cup tomato sauce

¼ tsp allspice

¼ tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup grated Romano cheese

½ cup Italian bread crumbs

1 egg

1 package round wonton skins

 

Place onions, garlic, carrots and celery in food processor. Pulse vegetables to puree. Heat oil in a large sauté pan then add vegetables and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add ground beef, tomato sauce, allspice, oregano and basil to pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.  Place cooled mixture into a food processor. Add the cheese, bread crumbs and egg. Pulse mixture 10 times until it becomes a smooth paste. You should no longer see the beef crumbles. Now you are ready to stuff your ravioli.

I use the round wonton wrappers.

take small scoop and place on a plate and cut in half.

Place 1 half on wonton wrapper then wet edge with water on your finger.

Fold in half and seal by pinching tightly. Place on a cookie sheet with a damp towel until you are ready to cook them.

Cook ravioli in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water. When they rise to the top add 1 cup of cold water to the pot. The ravioli  will go back to the bottom of the pot. When they rise a second time they are ready. If you are going to freeze, place tray of uncooked ravioli in freezer for 15 minutes.  Then place ravioli into a large zip lock bag. This keeps them from sticking together  in the freezer.

Shrimp and Couscous Salad

This Mediterranean inspired salad is served cold and can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator until your guests arrive. You can adjust the portion size to make this an appetizer or a dinner and because there is no mayonnaise in this recipe it is great for outdoor parties in the summertime. If you leave out the shrimp and bacon and substitute vegetable broth, this recipe is good for your “Vegetarian friends” or you can tell them to stay home. Sorry I didn’t mean to offend anyone but I love bacon and shrimp!

Saute  peppers, onions and garlic in oil over high heat for 4 minutes until tender.

Add shrimp to pan and cook untill they turn pink (about 3 minutes).

Remove shrimp from the pan to a plate and place shrimp in the refrigerator to chill about 15 minutes.

After removing shrimp from the pan set sautéed peppers and onions aside.

Dice mangos into small pieces and set aside.

Dice tomatoes, slice scallions, chop the mint leave then set aside.

Toast sesame seeds to a golden brown in a dry pan and set aside then whisk the ingredients for the dressing together and set aside.

Dressing:

3 tbsp  Lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp brown mustard

1/4 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

Place couscous in a sauce pan with oil on low heat and cook for 3 minutes to give it light golden brown then add chicken broth to pan and raise heat to high and bring to a boil.When broth begins to boil, stir and adjust heat to low.  Cover pot and cook for 12 minutes stirring occasionally. When couscous is done place into large mixing bowl.

Add reserved scallions,mint, mango, tomato, sesame seeds,the peppers and onions from the pan and the dressing. Stir to combine.

Spoon mixture into molds.

Then flip the mold onto the plate.

Top with watercress, bacon and feta cheese.

Place shrimp on top then refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup diced red onions(small)

1/2 cup diced green peppers (small)

2 tbsp diced garlic

vegetable oil to use for saute

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

1 cup diced mango

1/2 cup diced tomatoes (seeds removed)

1/2 cup scallions (thinly sliced)

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup chopped mint

1/2 cup crispy bacon bits ( about 6 slices)

1 cup watercress leaves or micro-green of choice for garnishing

1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles

lemon wedges for garnish