Blueberry Orange Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter (175 ml)
1 1/2 cups white sugar (375 ml)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely chopped peel of 2 oranges
2 cups all-purpose flour (500 ml)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (7 ml)
3/4 cup milk (175 ml)
1 1/2 cups blueberries (wild, fresh preferably)  (375 ml) *
2 Tbs all-purpose flour

* If you are using frozen wild blueberries, rinse them to get the ice crystals off, and then dry in paper towels.

Glaze

3 Tbs frozen orange juice concentrate (50 ml)
1 cup sifted icing sugar (250 ml)

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C)

1.  Grease a 10-inch (25 cm) tube pan and dust with flour.

2.  Cream the butter until light and fluffy; slowly beat in the sugar with an electric mixer (or you can use a sugar substitute) until blended.

3.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and orange peel. Peel the orange rind using a potato peeler, and avoid getting any of the white part of the peel. Then finely chop the peel with a knife.

4.  Sift 2 cups of flour and baking powder together; add to batter alternatively with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula. Mix only until blended.  Do not overmix.

5.  Toss the blueberries with the 2 tablespoons of flour and gently fold into the batter.
 Spoon into the prepared pan. And spread out evenly with a spatula.

6.  Bake at 350F (180C) for 50-55 minutes or until the center of the cake is firm. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out to cool on a rack.

For the glaze, mix the sugar with the orange juice concentrate and add more liquid if needed. While the cake is still warm, drizzle the icing over the top. The glaze is optional. You can also just dust the top of the cake with sifted icing sugar (powdered sugar).

Henry's Sauerkraut

This recipe is from my friend Nadine. Her husband makes this sauerkraut and we tried it at Christmas with perogies. It was delicious. Probably the bacon!

Ingredients 

1 Jar of Sauerkraut (drained)
2 medium Onions, chopped
8 or more slices of bacon (chopped)
1/2 tbs of brown sugar

Directions

Henry says:  Don't skimp on the onions. Don't skimp on the bacon.
Fry the bacon slowly in the pot.
Remove the bacon and save.
Fry the onions in the pot, in the bacon grease. Use low-medium heat to caramelize them.
You can put some water in half way through to keep them moist and avoid burning.
Put the sauerkraut, and bacon into the pot. Add the pinch of sugar. Stir well.
Cover and put in the oven to keep warm Add some water if it gets a bit dry.

Coconut Macaroons

When living in Toronto, we used to sign up for cooking classes with Bonnie Stern's cooking School downtown. It always a fun night out with your girlfriends. In this recipe,  you can drizzle melted chocolate on the macaroons (dark semi-sweet), for a finishing touch.
Ingredients
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 cups unsweetened dried large flaked coconut
Directions
Place egg whites, vanilla and salt in a large stainless steel bowl. Stir in sugar and then coconut. 2. Set bowl in a skillet of gently simmering water and stir for 5 to 7 minutes with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until hot to the touch. Let batter rest 30 minutes at room temperature. 3. Mound about 2 tbsp of coconut mixture for each cookie on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated 350F oven about 5 minutes until just barely starting to brown at the tips of the coconut. Reduce oven temperature to 325F, rotate pans and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer until cookies are different shades of cream, gold and brown. Cool on racks.

Almond Pistachio Cherry Bark

Use the best chocolate you can find for this recipe. 

Ingredients 

1 lb. bittersweet Callebaut Chocolate (chopped into pieces) 

1/2 cup roasted unsalted almonds

1/4 cup unsalted pistachio nuts

1/4 cup dried cherries

Directions 

1.  Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in a bowl over simmering water. 

2.  If you don't have roasted almonds, buy raw almonds and bake them in a 350F oven for about 10-15 minutes till they're lightly toasted.  Cool them before adding to the chocolate. Add the nuts/fruit and mix well.

3.  Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap or parchment paper.  Spread the chocolate mixture out to a thin bark.  Spread the nuts and fruit equally so it's about 1/4" thick. 

4.  Put in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to cool.

5.  Remove plastic and break the bark into pieces.  Store at room temp. 

You can use cashews, orange peel, raisins or other dried fruit to make different kinds. 

The chocolate is available at Whole Foods or Wild Oats or kitchen specialty shops.  Bittersweet is preferable, but semi-sweet works as well.

Tuna Fish Spaghetti

You see this tuna sauce in Italy. We had it growing up as my Italian grandmother would make it for us. It's lighter than a meat sauce and served with a thin spaghettini pasta.

Ingredients

1 jar of your favorite sauce (Hunt’s, RAO, Marinara) 

2 cans of Chunk or solid tuna in oil*

1 Tbsp olive oil 

¼ cup of chopped carrots

¼ cup of chopped onion 

¼ cup of chopped celery 

¼ cup pitted black olives (optional) 

3 whole cloves 

¼ cup chopped Italian Parsley 

1 package of dried or fresh spaghettini pasta. 

Directions

Fry the onions, celery and carrots in the olive oil till lightly browned.  Add the tomato sauce and heat through.  Add the cloves, olives and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tuna and heat through. Stir gently. You want to leave large pieces of the tuna in the sauce and if you stir it too much, the tuna will flake.

Add the fresh parsley and serve over spaghettini pasta cooked al-dente. 

Add capers as a garnish. 

* Look for the Italian brand Unico or Pastene tuna. There is also another brand called TONNINO which is sold in glass 6.7 oz jars. It is excellent and I prefer this tuna to canned tuna. 

Rugalahs (Cinnamon Crescents)

This recipe is from a 1980's cooking class with Bonnie Stern in Toronto.
Check - www.bonniestern.com for some excellent recipes. 

I’ve made these crescents every Christmas, and they are an excellent hostess gift if you can part with them! They’ll stay fresh in a cookie tin for a few days.

Pastry

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces 

1 cup all-purpose flour 

4 oz cream cheese, cold and cut into pieces 

1/2 cup of seedless raspberry jam (to brush on the pastry)

Filling 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts) 

1 Tbsp cinnamon 

1 Tbsp cocoa 

1 tsp finely rated orange peel 

Glaze 

1 egg 

2 Tbsp cream  

2 Tbsp coarse white sugar to sprinkle on top 

1. Put the butter, flour, and cream cheese in a food processor and process until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half and shape into two balls. Refrigerate until ready to use. If you don’t have a food processor, in a medium bowl, cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender. Add the cheese and blend until crumbly. Knead the dough a few times, then divide in half and refrigerate. (about an hour).
2. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon, cocoa and orange peel. 
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. 
4. Roll out each ball of dough into a circle, about 12” in diameter. Spread each one with a thin layer of jam (1/4 cup per circle). Sprinkle the filling over the jam and pat it down. 
5. Cut the dough into 12 wedges like a pizza. Roll each wedge up tightly from the wide edge. 
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the crescents on the sheet (12 per sheet) and curve them slightly.Combine the egg and cream by mixing them with a fork.  Brush the cookies with the glaze and then sprinkle with sugar. 
7. Bake about 20-25 minutes until golden. I find 22 is just about right.  Let cool slightly on the baking sheet and then remove to a rack to cool completely. 

Makes 24  

Chocolate & Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened (4 oz) 

3/4 cup pure organic cane sugar, or white sugar 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1 egg at room temperature 

1/4 tsp vanilla 

1 cup flour 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt 

3/4 tsp cinnamon 

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats 

1/4 cup dried cherries 

1/4 semi sweet chocolate chips 

1/4 cup chopped pecans 

You can omit the pecans, and add more cherries/chips.

You can use a sugar substitute like Z-sweet for the white sugar.

Method: 

Preheat the oven to 375F. 

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars together. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. 

Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add to the butter mixture alternating with the oats until fully incorporated. Use a wooden spoon. 

Mix in the cherries, chocolate chips and nuts till combined. 

Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Using a small scoop or spoon, make a round ball from the dough and flatten them slightly. Bake 12-14 minutes till light brown on the edges and light brown on top. Do not overbake.  Let cool on baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool. 

Makes 15-16 cookies