by Amy Sedaris
2 teaspoons oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
½ pound Kasseri cheese, cut into 8 thin slices
16 sheets of phyllo dough (I use more and just butter more layers for each piece of chicken)
Divide each chicken breast in half. Rub chicken with garlic and lemon. Sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Center a slice of cheese on each chicken portion and roll up neatly. Line a cookie sheet with foil, brush with melted butter, and set aside.
Unwrap phyllo, and cover with wax paper and damp paper towel to prevent drying out. Brush a single phyllo sheet with melted butter. Top with a second sheet and brush with butter. Wrap one chicken roll in phyllo and brush liberally with melted butter. Continue procedure for all rolls. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.
The Cavity Hole
GRANDPA LEONARD’S PIECRUST (MAKES 2 CRUSTS)
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted 1 t salt
½ cup shortening
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup water
Mix flour, salt. Cut shortening with pastry blender until fine meal.
Cut ¼ cup shortening into flour so it looks like large peas. Sprinkle water over mixture and form into a ball.
BLUE RIBBON PIECRUST
1 cup sifted flour 1 pinch salt
1/3 cup Crisco
Work into little balls, do not knead it. Work into ball, making sure that it does not get too soft.
Then use rolling pin.
Yields 1 9-inch piecrust including top and bottom for blueberry pie.
Courtesy of Ann McCullen.
BLUEBERRY PIE
4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 3 tbsp. flour
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Optional: 2 tsp. cinnamon
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add blueberries, lemon juice, and vanilla—toss well. Pour into pie shell and dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Crimp or flute and cut several vents. Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes, turn down to 350ºF and bake for 30–45 minutes.
PILOT PANCAKE’S PECAN PIE
Buckle your seat belts.
1 unbaked pie shell
2 cups pecans, chopped into pieces, plus enough whole pieces to go around the edge
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
½ cup light Karo corn syrup
½ dark Karo corn syrup
2 T melted butter
1 T pure vanilla extract
1 T Maker’s Mark bourbon
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together the last 7 ingredients.
Add chopped pecans and pour into the unbaked pie shell, reserving 8 T of the liquid.
Place whole pecans around the edge of the pie shell and drizzle the reserved liquid over the whole pecans.
Bake in the center of a 350-degree oven for 50–55 minutes.
ANTONIA’S CHERRY PIE
Pastry Dough:
Mix in large bowl:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. white sugar
1 tsp. salt
Add:
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
Cut the fat directly into other ingredients by cutting in opposite directions with two knives, one held in each hand. When you are through some of the fat should remain, the rest should be reduced to the consistency of course crumbs.
Drizzle over the flour and fat mixture:
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp. ice water
Using a rubber spatula, cut with the blade side until the mixture looks evenly moistened and begins to form small balls. If the dough has stuck together, you’ve added enough water, if not, drizzle 1 to 2 more tbsp. ice water. The dough should have a rough quality, not smooth. Divide the dough in half, press each half into a round flat disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to several hours.
Roll half the dough in to a 13-inch round disk using a little flour to ease the rolling. Fit it into a 9-inch pie pan and trim the overhang to ¾ inch all around. Refrigerate. Roll the other half into a rectangle and cut into strips for lattice. Refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Pie Filling:
Combine in a large bowl and let stand for 15 minutes:
2 to 2½ pounds pitted sour or Bing cherries
1¼ cups sugar for sour cherries or ¾ cup for Bing cherries
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. strained fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. cinnamon
Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and dot with:
2 to 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Cover the top with lattice and then seal the edge, trim, and flute. Brush the overhang and top crust with cold water. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Place a baking sheet beneath it, reduce oven temperature to 350ºF and bake until thick juices bubble through, 25–35 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack before serving.
JERRI’S HOT FRUIT
Heat can of fruit on stove. Chill.
Serve room temp.
YELLOW SHEET CAKE FOR DECORATIVE CAKES
3 cups flour
1 t baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1-½ cups of milk
3 t pure vanilla extract
Mix flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time to the sugar and cream mixture. Then alternately stir in dry mixture and milk. Add vanilla and mix well.
Pour batter into two 9-inch rounds, or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 35 minutes until a straw from your broom comes out clean.
LEMON CAKE FOR LINO
½ cup of butter
1-½ cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of lemon extract
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 tablespoon plus ¾ teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
3 cups of sifted cake flour
1 cup of milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix ingredients together like you would for any standard cake.
Grease two 9-inch cake pans, bake 18–20 minutes.
Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
½ cup of butter
4 cups of powdered sugar
¼ cup of fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Beat all ingredients together, add lemon-colored food coloring till you see the color you want.
Beat in mixer for about 2 minutes at high speed.
Frost your cake.
Chocolate Sheet Cake For Decorative Cakes
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 stick unsalted butter
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Melt butter and mix in water, oil, cocoa, and vanilla. Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. Whip eggs and sour cream lightly, add to chocolate mixture and again mix well. Pour into a greased and floured sheet tray, 9 x 13 inches, or two 9-inch rounds. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20–25 minutes. Check by sticking a toothpick or broom straw in and if it comes out clean, it’s ready.
CARROT CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE TOPPING
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2 t soda
2 t baking powder
3 cups grated carrots
2 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1-½ cup oil
4 eggs
Mix oil and eggs. Add carrots. Mix dry ingredients and add to carrot mixture. Pour into
3" x 8" greased cake pan or sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25–30 minutes.
CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:
1 8-oz. package
cream cheese
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 t pure vanilla extract
1 box confectioners’ sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
Beat and spread on cake. Top with chopped nuts.
Sheet Cakes
You will need:
2 eggs
2 sugar cubes
Lemon extract
Crack eggs in half and discard top part of shell, white, and yolk (or use for the cake). Clean the two bottom shells well, removing the skin that lines them; this will allow for longer burning. Soak sugar cubes in the lemon extract, place one cube in each shell and pour one capful of extract over the cube. Ignite. Scary.
Cut-up Cake Ideas
See You in Five to Seven Years
Merci Beaucoup
Be My First Mate
Happy Coming Out
We Can Fix It
FLUFFY COCONUT CAKE
Genoise Cake:
6 large eggs
200 grams sugar
125 grams sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
100 grams unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F and lightly grease two 8-inch round pans.
Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and stir until combined. Set the bowl over a double boiler on low heat, and keep stirring for 5–8 minutes (or until warm to the touch).
When the eggs are lukewarm and look like bright syrup, remove from the heat and beat on high speed for a good 10 minutes. Scrape once in a while and keep on beating until the egg mixture becomes fluffy, cool, and tripled in volume.
Sprinkle in the flour, a little at a time, then gently fold in the melted butter and vanilla. Do not over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 20–25 minutes or until cakes pull away from the sides of the pan and basically look golden brown.
Remove from the pans and cool on a rack.
Makes one 8-inch cake, which serves 8–10.
For My Darling Niece
Coconut Pastry Cream:
2 cups milk
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup cream
225 grams sugar
150 grams cornstarch
4 egg yolks
4 whole eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
40 grams butter
½ teaspoon coconut extract
Combine milk, coconut milk, cream and half the sugar and bring to a boil.
Whisk cornstarch, other half of the sugar, yolks, eggs, and vanilla until the mixture whitens and no lumps are left.
Add a small amount of boiled milk mixture to egg mixture to temper the eggs.
Pour tempered egg mixture into pot with the rest of the milk mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens to look like custard.
Strain and transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the butter and the coconut extract until the pastry cream is smooth.
Transfer to a container and press a plastic wrap onto surface and cool (preferably overnight).
Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
240 grams pasteurized egg whites
450 grams granulated sugar
1½ lbs 83% unsalted butter
1 tablespoon coconut extract
Whisk together the egg whites and sugar over simmering water until the egg mixture is warm to the touch or the thermometer reaches 140 degrees F.
Transfer the egg mixture to a mixing bowl and whisk until it triples in volume and the meringue holds stiff peaks.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (Continued):
Let butter come to room temperature and then cut up into small pieces.
Start adding the butter into the meringue mixture and continue to mix until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Add the coconut extract and keep whisking for another minute or so.
Transfer to a container, refrigerate if not using immediately.
Assembly:
Take the bottom layer of the Genoise Cake and pipe a buttercream ring around the top edge. Fill inside the ring with coconut-flavored pastry cream. Top with the second layer of Genoise Cake. Frost the sides and the top with coconut-flavored buttercream. Sprinkle the top and the sides with unsweetened coconut flakes. Enjoy. This recipe is from Ayse Dizioglu, Polka Dot Cake Studio in N.Y.C. (the best I’ve ever had).
HUELLA’S CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 stick of butter
½ cup of sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tablets of good dark chocolate
1 small packet of almonds, ground
5 T or so of flour
Cream softened butter and sugar. Add yolks one at a time.
Melt chocolate with a few drops of water—you may add some coffee or rum instead. Add chocolate and almonds to batter. Beat egg whites ’til light. Sprinkle in some sugar and beat until peaks form. Stir ¼ of the whites into batter. Sift in some flour. Fold in whites, alternating with sifted flour. Finish with the whites.
Bake for 20 minutes or so in 350° oven, until knife comes out with melted chocolate—don’t let it get too dry (center should be moist). Cool 15 minutes and unmold onto plate.
AUNT JOYCE’S BROWNIES
4 eggs, beaten until fluffy
1 C sugar
1 C flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 12-oz. package chocolate chips
2/3 C unsalted butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Melt together chips and butter. Beat eggs and add in everything else.
Bake at 350° for 25 minutes.
Optional: Press pecans on top, down into dough.
Maybe Next Year—Mama’s Drinkin’
SWEET CREAM BISCUITS
2 cups flour
2½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
1¼ cups heavy cream
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and add heavy cream. Using wooden spoon or spatula pull together until it tightens and transfer to a well-floured surface. Form into a large ball and press out with the heel of your hand to 1" thickness. Cut into 2"x 2" squares and place on sheet tray. Moisten the tops with some heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 450ºF, 10–15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar, adjust to your taste
Sweet Cream Biscuits (see recipe, above)
Optional: split vanilla bean or 2 lemon peels
Summertime: De-stem and -leaf strawberries, and cut in quarters. Pour sugar on top and toss well. Allow to marinate overnight.
Wintertime: Put frozen strawberries in a pan with sugar and just enough water to cover the bottom. Cook mixture until bubbling and starting to thicken. Adding cornstarch is an option.
To assemble, cut the biscuit in half and ladle strawberries on top. Put the hood back on and slather with whipped cream.
LEMON CHESS TARTS
12 small baked tart shells
1¾ cups of sugar
7 tablespoons of fresh lemon
Rind of 2 lemons, grated
1 stick of butter
6 eggs
Mix everything but butter and eggs together.
Melt butter in a double boiler. Add sugar mixture and well-beaten eggs. Cook until very thick. Stir constantly. Cool, cover, refrigerate. Fill each tart shell and top with a dollop of whipped cream.
COCONUT CUSTARD ICE CREAM
This is very rich ice cream. It improves after a day or two in the freezer.
Combine and heat in the top of a double boiler over (not in) boiling water until very hot (about 175 degrees):
2 cups heavy cream (see note 1)
¾ cups sugar
¾ cups coconut cream (see note 2)
Beat well:
>
4 eggs (large)
Add to the egg mixture and whisk until combined:
½ cup milk (any kind)
When the cream is very hot, remove it from the boiling water. Leave the bottom pan on the heat and reduce the heat to simmer. While constantly whisking the eggs, add several large spoonfuls of hot cream to the eggs, one spoonful at a time. Slowly add the egg mixture back to the hot cream while constantly whisking the cream.
Add to the custard mix:
3 oz. grated coconut
Return the custard mixture to the double boiler. Stir constantly and slowly while cooking over simmering water. Remove the custard when it reaches 160 degrees. It should be velvety smooth and slightly thickened. Cool the custard and then chill in the refrigerator several hours.
Freeze the custard mixture in an ice cream freezer until very stiff. Place any ice cream that is not eaten immediately in an airtight container and store for one or two days in the freezer to improve the flavor.
Notes:
1. This recipe makes a super rich ice cream. To reduce the richness, substitute milk or half-and-half for part or all of the heavy cream (perhaps ½ to 1 cup). You can also use 3 eggs instead of 4.
2. Coconut cream is found in the grocery store along with cocktail mixes. The brand I am familiar with is Coco Lopez.
PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
I stayed pretty faithful to Fannie Farmer’s recipe.
12 T butter
1 C dark brown sugar
¼ C pineapple juice
5 whole pineapple rings
½ C milk
1 egg
1-½ C flour
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
½ C sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of an 8-or 9-inch cake pan or an ovenproof skillet. Stir in the brown sugar and stir until it dissolves. Take off burner and add your pineapple juice. Arrange the 5 whole pineapple rings in one layer in the pan. Set aside. Melt the rest of the butter. Remove from heat and stir in the milk and egg, beating well. Add all the dry ingredients together in another bowl and add the milk mixture to that and beat until smooth. Pour over the pineapple slices and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes and flip over onto a plate, pineapple-side up.
Serve with whipped cream.
COCONUT CUSTARD ICE CREAM VARIATIONS
Add ¾ cup crushed pineapple to the finished custard before chilling.
Add ¾ to 1 cup banana puree to the chilled custard before freezing.
