Alex and the Web - Tumblr Edition

Walnut Snowball Cookies Recipe

Notes: very nice and tender. No need to chill, food processor blitzing ok.

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts, finely chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 pound butter (at room temperature)
• Pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar, to coat (about 1 cup)

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 300°F and prepare a large cookie sheet.

2 Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, walnuts, salt, sugar) in a large bowl. Add the vanilla extract. Add the butter in little pieces, and combine everything together with your (clean!) hands until the mixture looks like a coarse meal with nut bits in it. Form the dough into small balls no larger than a walnut and place on the cookie sheet, spaced at least an inch apart from each other.

3 Bake for 35 minutes. When they are still warm, but cool enough to touch, roll the cookies in some powdered sugar. Set aside on a rack to cool completely. When cool, dust again in powdered sugar.

Makes about 20 cookies.

Rum Balls

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 2 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers
• 1 cup finely chopped, toasted walnuts

Directions

Into a large bowl, sift together 1 cup of the confectioners’ sugar, the cocoa powder and allspice. Stir in the rum and corn syrup. Stir in the vanilla wafers and walnuts, and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to firm up slightly, about 30 minutes. (The mixture may appear crumbly and dry; this is O.K.)

Place the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl or dish.

Using a tablespoon, scoop out portions of the chocolate mixture and press into 1-inch balls. Using your hands, roll the balls in the confectioners’ sugar, coating evenly.

Place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, placing waxed paper between the layers to prevent sticking

Polędwiczki

NOTE: ok, but very sour.

Składniki

• 2 polędwiczki wieprzowe
• 2 łyżki masła
• 1 łyżka mąki
• 1 szklanka białego wina
• 1/2 szklanki wody
• 1 łyżka ostrej musztardy
• 1 łyżka pieprzu czarnego
• odrobina pieprzu kolorowego
• olej do smażenia
• sól i pieprz do oprószenia mięsa

Krok 1.

Polędwiczki kroję na plastry i każdy lekko rozbijam. Posypuję z obydwu stron solą i pieprzem.
Krok 2.

Na patelnię wlewam olej, podsmażam polędwiczki z obydwu stron, a potem zdejmuję z patelni.
Krok 3.

Dodaję łyżkę masła i mąki i mieszam, następnie wlewam wino, wodę i dodaję musztardę, pieprz czarny i kolorowy i mieszam.
Krok 4.

Wkładam mięso i duszę na niewielkim ogniu.
Krok 5.

Po około 20 minutach danie będzie gotowe. Podaję na talerz polane sosem, smacznego :)

Meh

Listening to The Police’s “Synchronicity” always, weirdly, makes me think of sweltering Gulf coast summers, circa 2002-2004… state budget cuts, resulting drama, Columbia disintegrating amidst blue Texas skies, Bush’s “pre-emptive” moral crimes, Mexican dirt weed, infuriating engineers, pointless love, stuffed mushrooms, lunch at Shootey’s, giant shrimp, C&J and their apartment(s), ladies and gentlemen: the Death of Johnny Cash, painting in my room, tremendous fear of loss that nevertheless happened, cocktails at Molly’s, first determined steps towards a total, painful but ultimately successful life reconfiguration. Strange that one can miss such misery. Or maybe I just miss those friends.

Keks

Keks to wyśmienite ciasto, które może gościć na naszych stołach nie tylko w święta, ale przez cały rok. Jego niepodważalną zaletą jest wszakże trwałość i niezapomniany smak, jaki nadają mu bakalie użyte do pieczenia, będące jednocześnie jego cechą rozpoznawczą.

Składniki:

• 1 1/2 szkl. maki
• 1 szkl. cukru
• 5 jajek
• 1 kostka margaryny
• 1/2 łyżeczki sody oczyszczonej
• 1 łyżka wody
• orzechy, skórka pomarańczowa, figi, daktyle, rodzynki, migdały, owoce kandyzowane (ma ich w sumie być 1 1/2 szkl.)

Wszystkie bakalie (oprócz orzechów i migdałów)zalewamy gorącą wodą na pół godziny żeby zmiękły. Orzechy i migdały siekamy. Żółtka ucieramy z cukrem i masłem na jednolitą masę (jak kto ma uciera w makutrze, jak kto nie ma używa zwykłego robota kuchennego). Ubijamy pianę z białek i delikatnie mieszamy ją z żółtkami. Dodajemy sodę rozpuszczoną w wodzie. Orzechy i bakalie mieszamy razem z mąką i łączymy z pozostałą masą.

Przekładamy ciasto do wąskiej foremki wyłożonej papierem do pieczenia i wstawiamy do rozgrzanego do temperatury 180°C piekarnika na około 3 kwadranse.

Keksa wyjmuje się z foremki jeszcze ciepłego i pozostawia do wystygnięcia.

I wigilia i Wielkanoc to szczególny czas, kiedy nie może zabraknąć na naszym stole keksa.

Nutella Bottom Pecan Pie

6 tbsp butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup light karo syrup, (light refering to the color not health) 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp coconut extract 3 eggs, beaten (only use 2 if using extra large eggs) 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes 1 cup pecans 1 frozen 9” deep dish pie crust, unbaked 1/2 cup nutella Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in upper third of oven. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Add the butter, sugar, karo syrup and salt to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut extracts. Let cool for 10 minutes. While the sugar mixture is cooling, spread the Nutella evenly in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust. Place the crust onto the lined sheet pan. Once the sugar mixture has cooled, whisk in the beaten eggs until completely incorporated. Stir in the sweetened coconut flakes and pecans. Pour the pecan-sugar mixture into the pie crust over the nutella. Place the sheet pan with the pie on to the rack in the upper third of the oven. Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and when shaken the center is still jiggly like jelly but solid through. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before serving. Pie may be made 2 days in advance and stored, covered, at room temperature. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Pecan Crumb Bars

For the apples:
3 medium fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into a 1/2” dice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt

For the crumb:
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, soften
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg

For the icing:
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x11.5” glass or ceramic baking dish.

Place all ingredients for the apples into a mixing bowl. Toss to coat and evenly distribute all ingredients.

Place first 5 ingredients for the crumb into a mixing bowl. Blend the ingredients together using a pastry blender or a fork until the butter has been incorporated and there are crumbs the size of peas. Add the egg to the crumb mixture and lightly stir just until the egg has been incorporated. Try not to over work the mixture. You want for there to still be pea-sized crumbs after incorporating the egg.

Reserve 1 heaping cup of the crumb mixture. Pour the rest of the crumb into the prepared baking dish. Using your hands or the back of a spoon, gently press the crumb mixture into the dish to form a level crust.

Next evenly distribute the apple mixture over the crust.

Finally, sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture evenly over the apples.

Place into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 50 minutes or until crumb is golden and apples are soft.

Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour.

While the bars are cooling, make the icing. Add all ingredients into a mixing bowl. Whisk or beat until smooth.

Once the bars are cooled drizzle with the cream cheese icing. Cut into bars and enjoy! Bars can be made 2 days in advance. Simply cover the bars once they’ve cooled to room temperature.

Apple and Cinnamon Cake

(Recipe for 8 servings)

5 larges apples, peeled and cored
Juice of half a lemon
2 cups (250g) of flour
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
1 tsp of baking soda
3 large eggs
1 cup (200g) of sugar
¾ cup (175ml) of olive oil
5 tbsp of Rum*
1 tsp of vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Topping
2 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon

* Can be replaced with Calvados or Brandy


Preheat the oven at 350˚F (180˚C)

Cut 3 apples into ½ inch dice. Slice the remaining 2 apples into 8 wedges each and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Set aside.

Sift the flour with the cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, Rum, and vanilla extract. Mix well until the batter becomes pale and thick (About 8 minutes). Gradually add the olive oil, then the flour mixture.

Fold in the diced apples and pour the batter into a well-greased 10-inch springform pan. Organize the sliced apples on the top. Combine the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle the top of the cake.

Bake for 60 minutes or until golden. Insert a toothpick to make sure the cake is fully cooked. Let the cake cool down on a cooling rack, then release from the pan. Leave the cake on the cooling rack until completely cool.


Recipe adapted from the book: “The book of new Israeli food” by Janna Gur

Nanaimo Bars

- makes about 36 bite-size bars -
Adapted from a recipe found on the City of Nanaimo website

Ingredients for bottom layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
5 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg, beaten
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds (optional)
1 cup shredded coconut (sorry, coconut haters: this is not optional)

Ingredients for middle layer

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cream or half and half
2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder or instant vanilla pudding powder
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for top layer

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 ounce each)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Procedure

1. Prepare bottom layer. Melt the butter, sugar, and cocoa in a double boiler until fully incorporated, but do not let the mixture come to a boil. Add the beaten egg and stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press down firmly into an ungreased 8 x 8-inch pan; try to make the mixture as flat as possible in the pan. Let this cool for about an hour.

2. Prepare the middle layer. Cream the butter, cream, instant pudding powder, salt, and confectioners’ sugar together, beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Spread over bottom layer, once again trying to make the surface as flat as possible. At this point, I like to put the pan in the refrigerator, as it is easier to spread the top layer on when the buttery middle layer is a bit more solid.

3. Prepare the top layer. Melt chocolate and butter slowly over low heat. Once fully melted and incorporated, remove from heat and allow to solidify to the point where it is thick but still pourable. Pour over second layer as quickly as you can so that the middle layer doesn’t begin to melt.

4. Let the bars cool for at least one hour in the refrigerator before serving.

Pumpkin Walnut Cranberry Quickbread

- makes 10 -
Adapted from by The Sweeter Side of Amy’s Bread by Amy Scherber and Toy Kim Dupree.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 2/3 cups pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups sugar
Zest of 1 small orange
7/8 cup water
4 1/8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg
2 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 cups cranberries
1 1/3 cups toasted walnut pieces
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top of the loaves

Procedure

1. Position one rack in the top third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350&fegF. Grease the loaf pans.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, cooled slightly, with the eggs. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and sugar. Stir the orange zest into the water then add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk to combine.

3. In a separate bowl, add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and whisk together.

4. Pour the dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients and fold gently until almost combined, then add the cranberries and walnuts. Finish with a few gentle strokes combine without over-mixing.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle the top of each loaf lightly with the turbinado sugar, about 1 tablespoon per loaf, to form a crystal crust. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the loaf.

6. Cool the loaves in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully turn them out of the pans and place the loaves on a wire rack until completely cooled. Wrap in plastic film and store in the refrigerator. These loaves keep well for 3 to 4 days, and freeze well if wrapped in plastic and then foil.