Apple Tart

M-J’s Elegant Apple Tart is Made with a Flan Pan, Flaky Crust, Butter, Sugar, Cinnamon and Two Apples

Elegant, Economical British Dishes Presented by Elaine Lemm on Video

Delicious, Economical British Classics Presented by Elaine Lemm

Here are three classic British recipes presented in video form by Elaine Lemm on about.com: the Cornish Pasty (a favorite in my family for four generations, which I made for English-Speaking Union parties at my house many times); Bakewell Tart (invented in Bakewell, England), an elegant dessert, the taste of which  reminds me of Danish pastry; and Irish Colcannon–a vitamin-rich, green-and-white dish that could serve as an economical meal, which contains three vegetables.

M-J’s Elegant Walnut Shortbread Cookies

M-J’s Elegant Walnut Shortbread Cookies

M-J's Walnut Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

One half-pound of butter (two sticks)

Two and a half cups of flour

One cup of powdered sugar

One third-cup of granulated sugar

One half-teaspoon of salt

One third cup of buttermilk or regular milk

One teaspoon of vanilla (imitation vanilla is just as good as the real thing)

One cup of ground walnuts (I use a food-processor)

Method

Soften butter till just before melting point. Add and incorporate rest of ingredients. Form small balls of dough, set them on a cookie sheet, and flatten with a fork, or any tool you prefer which will put a texture on top of the cookies. A metal cookie- baller, much like a meat or melon-baller, could be useful for forming the cookies. Bake at 350* Fahrenheit for  half an hour.

~~Copyright M-J de  Mesterton, Elegant Survival~~

Transporting Cookies as a Gift

M-J Makes a Waxed-Paper Gift Bag for Cookies and Biscuits, Using an Old Iron and Pinking Shears

Walnuts

Simple, Elegant Cheesecake

Elegant Baked Cheesecake, Adapted from the Kraft Foods Recipe

See the Kraft Videos on Making Cheesecakes

Ingredients

1 cup of HONEY MAID Graham Crackers, processed into crumbs

3 tablespoons  of white sugar

3 tbsps. of melted, salted butter

2 pkg.  (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 16-ounce container of BREAKSTONE’S or KNUDSEN Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup of white  sugar

1/4 cup of white flour

1 tsp.  of vanilla (either pure or imitation vanilla will do)

3 eggs

Preparation

MIX crumbs, 3 tbsps. sugar and melted butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes.

INCREASE oven temperature to 450°F.

BEAT cream cheese and cottage cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add 1/2 cup sugar, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing just until blended after each addition. Pour mixture into crumb-crust.

BAKE your assembled cheesecake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F; continue baking it for 1 hour. Slip a thin knife into and around rim of pan to loosen cake; let cheesecake cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight to achieve the classic cheesecake texture.

Elegant Canapes and Dessert: Pâte à Choux; Choux à La Crème; Petits Choux au Fromage

Pâte à Choux; Choux à La Crème; Petits Choux au Fromage

Croquembouche: Photo and Recipe Copyright Elegant Survival, 2008 (click image to enlarge)

Two Cups Makes about Forty Choux or Puff Shells

In a two-quart, heavy saucepan, boil one cup of water,
Six tablespoons of butter,
One teaspoon of salt,
One teaspoon of sugar (OR one 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, depending upon whether the choux-paste will be used for cream puffs or savoury cocktail offerings),
and a pinch of nutmeg.

When butter has melted, remove pot from heat.
Pour into the mixture one cup of flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until the lot is blended.
Put pot back on cooker at high heat, and continue to beat until the contents separate from the sides of the pot. Remove pot from heat again.

Now, you will need four large eggs.
Making a well in the potful of paste, break one egg into it. Beat it into the mixture, and repeat with the following three eggs, one at a time. Continue beating by hand until the paste is smooth.

You are now ready to fill a pastry bag and squeeze the paste onto a buttered baking sheet. In the absence of a pastry bag, you may use a gallon-sized, disposable zipper-bag like Zip-Lock, cutting off a 1/2 inch at one corner of it to emit pâte à choux. If this is still a problem, you may use a spoon to drop the paste onto the baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 425* Fahrenheit.

Use the pâte à choux while it is still warm.

Form the pâte à choux into one-inch diameter circular mounds, 1/2 inch high. Space them two inches apart.

Brush each mound very lightly with beaten egg.

Bake for about twenty minutes. When the puffs are double their original size, golden brown and crusty, they may be removed from the oven. Make a 1/2 inch slit on the side of each puff to release steam.

I like to fill these puffs with Crème Pâtissière, or pastry cream:

In a 3-quart mixing bowl, beat
One cup of granulated white sugar into
6 egg yolks. Continue beating until the mixture is pale yellow.
Add one half cup of full-fat milk.
Beat in one cup of sifted white all-purpose flour. Mix this very vigorously until the small lumps of egg-yolk disappear into the flour and sugar.

Boil 4 cups of full-fat milk. Add it gradually, in a small stream, to the egg and flour mixture, while stirring. Pour the mass into a heavy 6-quart saucepan and set the stove burner on medium high heat. Stir with a wire-whisk or an electric mixer, careful to include the mixture at bottom of pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula at intervals. When this reaches the boiling-point, turn down the heat to low, continue to beat for 2 to 3 minutes in order to cook the flour thoroughly. Don’t let the custard at the bottom of the pot get scorched.

Remove from heat, and incorporate one tablespoon of butter and one teaspoon of vanilla.

Choux à La Crème

When the crème patissière is cool enough, use it to fill choux. Dust choux with powdered sugar, drizzle with melted chocolate or with hot caramel sauce.

Crème patissière will keep in the refrigerator for a week, or may be frozen.

Petits Choux au Fromage

To make these savoury cheese puffs: omit the sugar, add a half-teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and add a cup of grated Swiss or Parmesan cheese to the warm pâte à choux. Bake at 425*F for about twenty minutes or until golden brown. Pierce to release steam from each cheese-puff.

~~Copyright M-J de Mesterton, 2008

Elegant, Low-Carbohydrate Walnut Torte

M-J's Low Carbohydrate Walnut Torte Original Recipe by M-J de Mesterton Low-Carbohydrate Walnut Torte 6 Egg whites, brought to room temperature and whipped until stiff (add a sprinkling of salt to accelerate action; also, egg whites stiffen more swiftly in a copper bowl) One cup of walnuts, shelled and ground (I grind them in a blender on “pulse” setting) Two tablespoons of butter, softened One-fourth cup of heavy dairy cream One teaspoon of aluminum-free baking powder (in the absence of this, use a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda One half-teaspoon of Himalayan (or regular) Salt (see my health page for the most economical source) Ten packets of Splenda sugar-substitute One tablespoon of vanilla One tablespoon of dark corn syrup or treacle. In the absence of this, use a tbs. of brown sugar. Fold ingredients together to create a batter, being careful not to overwork it. Grease a pie-pan with manteca, shortening, lard or butter. Pre-heat oven to moderate high (350*F or its equivalent). Pour batter into pan, and bake for about thirty minutes. Cake will have turned from a pale batter to a warm medium brown. This torte is excellent with coffee as-is, or topped with whipped cream for dessert. TIP: You can serve pieces of this cake to guests who love sweets. Just pierce the cake and pour maple syrup over it. Then what you will have is a maple-walnut torte. You can convert my recipe into a “low-fat, high-sugar” torte by eliminating the Splenda and adding instead one cup of sugar (if you like, you can use brown sugar and skip the treacle) and one tablespoon of flour. Omit the cream and one tablespoon of butter. Walnut torte is high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial to your health. Recipe and Photo Copyright M-J de Mesterton,  June 2007

Finnish Pulla: Cardamom Bread for Christmas

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups milk
• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 9 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Stir in the lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, 4 eggs, and enough flour to make a batter (approximately 2 cups). Beat until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add about 3 cups of the flour and beat well; the dough should be smooth and glossy in appearance. Add the melted butter or margarine, and stir well. Beat again until the dough looks glossy. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is stiff.
3. Turn out of bowl onto a floured surface, cover with an inverted mixing bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes. Knead the dough until smooth and satiny. Place in a lightly greased mixing bowl, and turn the dough to grease the top. Cover with a clean dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down, and let rise again until almost doubled.
4. Turn out again on to a floured surface, and divide into 3 parts. Divide each third into 3 again. Roll each piece into a 12 to 16 inch strip. Braid 3 strips into a loaf. You should get 3 large braided loaves. Lift the braids onto greased baking sheets. Let rise for 20 minutes.
5. Brush each loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. I use Swedish pearl sugar, or parlsöcker
6. Bake at 375* for 25 to 30 minutes. Check occasionally because the bottom burns easily.

Pantry Essentials

Ingredients for a Well-Stocked Pantry
Elegant Survival Kitchen Essentials

• Frozen Apple Juice Concentrate or Bottled Apple Juice

• Cornstarch

• Unbleached White Flour

• Rye Flour

• Yeast

• Gelatine

• Almond Extract

• Vanilla, Imitation or Pure Extract

• Rum Extract or Flavoring

• Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

• Baking Soda

• Hershey’s Cocoa Powder

• Chocolate Chips

• Cinnamon

• Salt

• Peppercorns

• Dried Red Chiles

• Dehydrated Mixed Vegetables

• Brown Rice

• White or Basmati Rice

• Corn Meal or Grits

• Dried Pasta

• Alfalfa Seeds

• Wheat Berries

• Dried Parsley

• Dried Chives

• Dehydrated Onion

• Dehydrated Garlic or Garlic Powder

• Soy Sauce

• Powdered Ginger

• Toasted Sesame Oil

• Sesame Tahini Paste, Joyva brand of Brooklyn is best
• Almond Butter
  

• Popcorn, loose: Jolly Time Organic is better than Orville Redenbacher, at one-third the cost
• Peanut or Corn Oil

• Olive Oil

• Mustard Powder, Colman’s English

• Spanish or Hungarian Paprika

• Capers

• Green Peppercorns in Brine

• Rose’s Lime Juice

• Maggi or another brand of Chicken Bouillon Powder

• Canned Tomato Paste: store brand

• Canned Whole Tomatoes: store brand

• Canned Beets: store brand or generic

• Canned Small, Peeled Potatoes: store brand or generic

• Canned Green Chiles, whole or chopped

• Coconut Milk, Canned

• Whole Water Chestnuts, Canned

• Canned Ham

• Canned Vienna Sausage

• Canned Beef (usually from Argentina)

• Canned Pineapple, No Sugar Added

• Peanut Butter

• Raw Walnuts

• Almonds

• Powdered Sugar

• Brown Sugar

• White Sugar

• Molasses

• Honey

• Apple Cider Vinegar

• White Vinegar

• Boxed Red Wine, and a Cube of White Wine, both for Cooking

• Frozen Peas

• Dried Split Peas, Green or Yellow

• Freeze-Dried Coffee

• Coffee Creamer (not Coffee-Mate, which contains aluminum–check ingredients)

• Coffee Beans

• Tea Bags

• Non-Fat Dry Milk

• Powdered Buttermilk

• Powdered Eggs for Emergencies

• Bottled Lemon Juice
• Herbes de Provence (a combination of marjoram, thyme, rosemary and savory, available at Costco)
  

To Be Continued….

Compiled by M-J de Mesterton, 2008

Copyright M-J de Mesterton

Make Your Own Finnish-Style Cheese: Leipäjuusto

Leipäjuusto and Cloudberry Jam: Photo by Teemu Rajala

Click Image to Enlarge Recipe

My mother gave me a booklet in 1985, when it was published: Kitsi Finnish Foodways, a publication of Suomi College (now called Finlandia University) for FinnFest 1985. My copy of Kitsi is yellowed. I don’t think my dear, departed mother ever made squeaky cheese, but, working at Suomi College’s Finnish-American Heritage Center, she did draw the illustrations on Kitsi’s cover. Leipäjuusto is an unusual creation that I really like with rye bread, when in Finland. Here is the recipe for making your own Finnish Squeaky Cheese.

Update: I’ve just found my mother’s friend, Beatrice Ojakangas’ blog, where she hosts a richer recipe for leipäjuusto.

Copyright M-J de Mesterton

Here is a recipe for Finnish Apple Cake, by Beatrice Ojakangas, the Queen of Scandinavian Cooking

FINNISH APPLE SUGAR CAKE (Omenasokerikakku)
Makes 12 servings
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
dash salt
3/4 cup light cream or undiluted evaporated milk
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced about 1/2 inch
Cinnamon sugar: 2 tablespoons sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch cake pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together; add the eggs and beat until light. Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the cream mixture alternately with the cream. Mix until batter is smooth and spread into the prepared pan.
Insert the apple slices so that the outer edges of the apple slices are up. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean and dry. Serve warm.
~~Copyright Beatrice Ojakangas, The Finnish Cookbook, 1964

Click Here to Return to the Homepage of Elegant Cuisine

M-J’s Elegant Apple Pie

M-J’s Elegant Apple Pie

September 7, 2008 by Publisher

Photos of M-J’s Elegant Apple Pie Copyright Elegant Survival, 2008 and 2009

M-J’s Elegant Apple Pie Recipe

• 4 cups of white flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 stick of salted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¾ cup of chilled lard (“manteca”)
• 7 Fuji apples–cored, peeled, and thinly sliced (reserve peels and cores)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1/4 cup light-brown sugar (or more, according to your to your taste)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup of cold water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 additional half stick of butter
• An extra 2 tablespoons of sugar, either white or brown
• One cup of water
• DIRECTIONS

• 1. Make the dough: put one stick of cold butter into a large mixing bowl, together with the 3/4 cup of chilled lard and a teaspoon of salt. Add flour gradually, working it into the butter and lard. Add approximately 3/4 cup of cold water, then cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms small pea-shaped balls, and when formed into a large mound, it holds together. Sometimes less cold water is required–believe it or not, the amount needed to make a pie dough with this recipe depends upon the moon.’s current phase. Mix this by hand, since machine will create a tough pie crust. I use an old-fashioned wire potato masher and a wooden spoon. When the dough sticks together but doesn’t stick to your hands, shape it into 2 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• 2. Put all of your apple peelings and cores into a saucepan on the stove with a cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar, and boil until the liquid becomes syrup. Strain liquid from solids and reserve it. The peelings can then be eaten or ground into applesauce–it’s important not to waste any edible part of your apples.
• 3. Assemble the pie: heat your oven to 425°F. Roll out one ball of dough into a 12-inch round about 1/8-inch thick, on a lightly floured surface. Fit the dough into a 9 or10-inch pie pan. Place one layer of apple slices into the dough-lined pan. Cover them with two tablespoons of cornstarch and a quarter-cup of brown sugar. Repeat this process with apples, sugars and cinnamon. Distribute the half-stick of butter on top of the apples after slicing it into bits. Add your apple syrup over the top of the pie. Alternatively, I sometimes skip the step of creating syrup from my apple peelings, and just use some apple juice concentrate (found in grocery frozen juice section).
• Roll out the second ball of dough for the top crust. Brush the edges of the bottom crust with water or milk, and lay the top crust down, pressing the edges together to form a tight seal. Use your imagination to pierce or slice a design into the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Bake for ten minutes at 425*F, then lower your oven heat to 350* and bake for another hour. Let the apple pie cool for a minimum of two hours before serving.
• Elegant Apple Pie Recipe Copyright M-J de Mesterton 2008

Copyright M-J de Mesterton

Click Here to Return to the Homepage of Elegant Cuisine