This is a recipe I got from the First Magazine in 1992.

Tip:

Don’t remove the green hulls before rinsing strawberries.  The leaves keep the berries from absorbing water and getting mushy.

Serves 16

Ingredients

• 2-1/4           cups white flour
• 2                  cups sugar
• 1                  tbsp  baking powder
• 1                  tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4               tsp salt
• 6                  eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2               cup butter melted
• 3/4               cup water
• 1-1/2            tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4               tsp cream of tartar
• 1                  qt strawberries
• 2- 1/2          cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine flour, 1 cup of the sugar, the baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Separate eggs.  Combine the yolks, melted butter, water and 1 tsp of the vanilla.  With an electric mixer set at low speed, gradually beat egg yolk mixture into flour mixture until just smooth.
4. With clean beaters, beat egg whites with cream of tartar, at medium speed, until whites hold soft peaks.  Beat in 1/2 cup of the remaining sugar, adding it gradually.  Continue beating until whites hold stiff peaks.
5. With a rubber spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
6. Pour into an ungreased 10” angel-food-cake pan.  Bake until a toothpick stuck in the centre comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.  Cool.
7. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of the cake and set aside.  Cut a tunnel about 1 1/2 inch deep in the cake.  The cut should be about 3/4 inch from the centre and from the outside of the cake.  Remove cake with a fork to form a tunnel.
8. Hull and chop half the strawberries.  Beat heavy cream with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla until the cream holds stiff peaks.  Combine 1 1/2 cups of the whipped cream with the chopped strawberries.
9. Fill the tunnel with the strawberries-and-whipped cream mixture.  Replace the top of the cake.
10. Frost cake with remaining whipped cream.  Shortly before serving, hull and half the remaining strawberries.  Decorate the cake with the berries.

makes 30 pieces

Ingredients

Base

• 1/2            cup Butter
• 5               tbsp cocoa
• 5               tbsp sugar
• 1/2            tsp vanilla
• 1                egg
• 2                cups graham wafer crumbs
• 1                cup coconut
• 1/2            cup chopped walnuts

Icing

• 4                tbsp butter
• 2                tbsp vanilla custard powder
• 2                tbsp milk
• 2                cups icing sugar

Chocolate  Cover

• 2                 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 1                 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Place softened butter, cocoa, sugar, vanilla and egg in a bowl.  Set bowl in a pan of bowling water.  Stir mixture until butter has melted and is the consistency of custard about 5 minutes.
2. Mix wafer crumbs, coconut and nuts together.
3. Add to the cocoa mixture and mix well.
4. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9 inch square pan and spread with icing.

Icing

1. Cream butter, milk, vanilla custard powder and icing sugar till nice and creamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Spread this over chocolate base,  and return it to the fridge for a couple of hours till the icing has hardened.

Chocolate Cover

Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt it in the microwave, covered, for 1 minute, mix it well and spread it over the icing.  Return it to the fridge and let it set,, about 10 minute.  Cut it in squares and serve.

Speculaas (German Spice Cookies) are considered the traditional St. Nicholas Cookie. 

Ingredients

• 3                      cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2                tsp ground cinnamon
• 1                      tsp ground cloves
• 1                      tsp ground ginger
• 1/8                   tsp baking powder
•                         pinch salt
• 1                      cup butter
• 1 1/4                cup light brown sugar
• 1                      egg
• 1/2                   cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Combine flour, cinnamon, cloves,  ginger, baking powder and salt onto wax paper.
2. In a large bowl, of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg. 
3. With a wooden spoon, stir in half of the flour mixture, then beat in rest of the mixture and the almonds, mixing with hands if necessary.
4. Refrigerate, dough covered, several hours.  
5. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Lightly grease several cookie sheets.  Remove one fourth of the dough at a time from refrigerate. 
6. Roll out dough, one quarter at a time, on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut cookies with a cookie cutter. (Any size and shape you want).
7. Place cookies 1” apart on a prepared cookie sheets.  Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are light brown around edges.
9. Remove from cookie sheets to wire racks.  Cool completely.

You can use a cookie mold, to shape the cookies.

To Store:

Keep in a tightly covered glass jar or cookie tin in a cool dry place several weeks.

Makes about 4 dozens

Ingredients

• 1 cup         soft butter
• 1/2 cup      light brown sugar
• 2                egg yolks
• 2 tsp          vanilla extract
• 2 cups        all purpose flour
• 2                egg whites slightly beaten
• 2 cups        finely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 4 tbsp        red jelly or jam

Directions 

1. In a medium bowl, with wooden spoon, beat butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla until smooth.
2. Stir in flour just until combined. 
3. Preheat oven to 375F.  Using hands, roll dough into balls 1 inch in diameter.  Dip in egg white; then roll in walnuts.
4. Place, 1 inch apart, on ungreased  cookie sheets.  With thimble or the handle of a wooden spoon, press centre of each cookie.
5. Bake 10 – 12 minutes, or until a delicate golden-brown.  Remove to wire rack;  cool.
6. Place 1/4 teaspoon jelly/jam in centre of each cookie.  (Diced candied fruit may be used, instead of jelly, if desired)

I have used plum jam

The crispy crumbly texture and richness of Parmesan in these savory biscotti make them ideal for nibbling while sipping beer.

This is a recipe I got from Canadian Living Holiday Issue Fall 2008

Makes about 40 Biscotti

Ingredients

• 2                     cups all purpose flour                   500ml
• 1                     cup  finely grated parmesan
•                        cheese                                          250m
• 1-1/2               tsp baking powder                            7ml
• 1-1/2               tsp cracked black pepper                 7ml    
• 1/4                  tsp  salt                                             1ml
• Pinch              cayenne Pepper
• 1/2                  cup cold butter, cut into                125ml
•                        small cubes
• 2                     eggs
• 1/2                  cup half and half                           125ml 

Directions:

1. In a Bowl, whisk together flour, all but 1 tbsp of the cheese, the baking powder, pepper, salt and cayenne.  Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until  mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs with all but 2 tsp of the half and half; stir into flour mixture to form smooth dough.
2.  
3. Divide dough in half.  On lightly floured surface, roll each into 10 inch (25cm) long log, 2 inches (5cm) apart, on parchment paper-lined or greased baking sheet; press to flatten slightly.
4.  
5. Brush with remaining cream; sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake in 300 degree F (180 degree C) oven until light golden and just firm to the touch, about 30 minutes.  Let cool on pan on rack for 10 minutes.
6.  
7. Transfer logs to cutting board.  Using chef’s knife, cut into 1/2-inch (1cm) thick slices.  Stand slices up, 1/2 inch (1cm) apart on baking sheet.  Bake in 325 degrees F (180degrees C) oven until almost dry, about 35 minutes.  Transfer to rack ; let cool. 
8.  

Store layered between wax paper in airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Today I am going to a dinner party and have offered to take a dessert. I decided to make trifle. This is one of the first fancy desserts I learned to make in high school. Trifle is a cold English dessert consisting of sponge cake and fruit, topped with layers of Jello, custard and whipped cream.   You can use any fruit you like (eg. fresh berries) or use mixed fruit.  You can make a sherry trifle by soaking your cake in sherry.  When I was a teenager we lived on a farm and there was always an abundance of milk, eggs, butter and whipping cream- all the key ingredients in this dessert. Trifle has to be made in stages, so it is a little time consuming to make.  You have to make your cake, jello and custard in advance and you also need a couple of hours for everything to set.  It’s best to make trifle a day in advance.

To save time you can buy a store bought cake and canned custard. You can use sponge cake or Swiss Roll.  (swiss roll may also be known as jelly roll)

Swiss Roll

Ingredients

• 3               eggs
• 4               oz caster sugar (also known as Berry Sugar)
• 4               oz flour
• 1               tbsp hot water
• 2               tbsp  Berry sugar for dredging
• 2               tbsp warm jam to fill

Instructions

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl placed over a pan of hot water. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick and fluffy, and stiff enough to retain the impression of the whisk for a few seconds.
2. Fold in the flour, very lightly with the hot water and a metal spoon.
3. Pour the mixture into the greased and lined baking sheet.
4. Bake in a preheated hot oven 425 degrees for 7 – 9 min.till golden and springy to the touch. Have ready a sheet of greaseproof paper liberally sprinkled with berry sugar. Turn the cake on to this and remove the lining paper.
5. Using a sharp knife, trim off all the crisp outer edges, and quickly spread the surface of the roll with some warmed jam to within ½ inch of the edge.
6. Make a long cut half- way through the sponge, 1” from the near end and roll up the sponge as tightly as possible, using the paper to help manipulate it. Cool on a wire rack.

Trifle 

 Ingredients

• 1                swiss Roll
• 1-85           g  package lime jello
• 1 –85         g package strawberry jello
• 2 1/4          cup half and half
• 2                tbsp custard powder
• 3                tbsp sugar
• 1                (398 ml) can fruit salad
• 2                cups whipping cream

Instructions

Make the Jello:

1. Stir 1 cup boiling water into jello powder and stir till completely dissolved. Add a cup of cold water.
2. Let the lime jello set. Strawberry jello can set on the fruit in the trifle bowl
3. Slice the swiss roll into ½ “ slices and line a glass bowl. Put a couple of the slices in the bottom of the bowl. Drain the fruit and put this in the bowl. Add the strawberry jello on the fruit and let it set.
4. When the strawberry jello is set, pour the cooled custard on it.
5. Cube the lime jello and put it on the custard.
6. Whip the cream till it is thick, spread this on the custard.
7. Decorate with cut up fruit, nuts and or chocolate.

Make the custard:

On The Stove

1. In a Medium saucepan boil 2 cups milk over a high heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the custard powder and sugar in a 1/4 cup of milk. 
3. Add this to the hot milk, and cook on medium heat stirring constantly till the mixture thickens. 
4. Pour it in a bowl, cover the custard  with plastic(to stop the skin forming)  and cool it in the fridge.

In the microwave

1. Pour the milk in a large microwaveable bowl.  
2. Microwave the milk on high for 5 minutes.
3. In a small bowl mix the custard powder, sugar and 1.4 cup milk.  
4. Pour this in the hot milk and microwave for 2 minutes, Stir and microwave for 2 more minutes.  The custard should be thick.
5. Put the plastic on the custard(to stop forming a skin)
6. Cool it in the fridge.