Poland – Chrusciki — Polish Angel Wings Cookies

 Cookies, Desserts, Easy Recipes, International Recipes  580 Responses »
Sep 092011
 
Here is Poland Take 1 – the cabbage rolls are still to come. The chrusciki was strangely addictive. It really didn’t have a tremendous amount of flavor and yet it all disappeared within seconds. …I would compare it to an elephant ear the fair except with powdered sugar instead of cinnamon and sugar.Ingredients: 2 eggs at room temperature
4 egg yolks at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) of brandy, rum, brandy, or whiskey

vegetable shortening, canola oil or lard for frying

confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Instructions: Makes About 6 Dozen Cookies

In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beateggs, egg yolks and salt until thick and lemon colored. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, brandy and alcohol of choice.

Change to the dough hook attachment on the mixer. Slowly mix in 2 cups of flour. Use the dough hook to knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be thick, almost like bread dough.

Rolling and Frying the Cookies
To roll the dough you will be working with small balls of dough. Keep the rest of the dough in the bowl, covered with a clean damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out while you are working.

Take a piece of dough about the size of a baseball. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out very thin — 1/8 of an inch at the most!

Take a sharp knife and cut the rolled out dough into strips about 2 inches wide. Then cut the other way on a diagonal to make pieces of dough that are about 2 inches by 4 inches (Photo 1).

Take your knife and cut a small slit (1 inch or less) in the center of each piece
To form the cookie, take one end and place it through the slit.
Very gently pull the end of the dough through the slit to form a bow shaped cookie

In a large pot or deep skillet heat about 3-4 inches of shortening, oil or lard until very hot. (You could alternatively use a deep fat fryer with clean oil.) Test the oil by putting in a small scrap of dough, it should sink to the bottom then immediately float to the top. When this happens your oil is ready.

Fry the cookies in small batches — depending on the size of your pot — no more than 6 at a time. Fry for about 30 seconds then use tongs to gently turn the cookies over. The cookies should just be barely golden brown. Drain on paper towels or on a wire rack set on a baking sheet. Dust liberally with confectioner’s sugar. Store cool cookies in an airtight container for a week or so.

By Cheri Sicard
Posted at FabulousFoods.com

Ghana Africa Accra Banana Peanut Cake

 Cakes Frostings and Fillings, Desserts, Easy Recipes, International Recipes  Comments Off on Ghana Africa Accra Banana Peanut Cake
Sep 082011
 
[singlepic id=1 w=320 h=240 float=left]1 1/4 cup butter Softened (the softening part is really important so don’t forget to do it like I did LOL)2 cups sugar

4 eggs, beaten

4 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 bananas, mashed

1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (I chopped them way to fine – You know the food chopper is great for stress and well I forgot to stop – Should have had some wine first)

1/2 cup sugar for sprinkling

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs a little at a time and beat to combine

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture alternately with the bananas and  peanuts

Pour the batter the 13 x 9 baker (lightly greased even if it is well seasoned – this is a sticky recipe)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (mine was more like 45 and I have a pretty good oven) or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Sieve together the half cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the cake as soon as you remove it from the oven.

Allow to cool on cooling rack – Don’t rush to cut. It was late and we wanted a taste but it made a big mess cutting it too early.

Scottish Stovies

 Beef, Easy Recipes, Entrée, International Recipes, Potatoes  218 Responses »
Sep 082011
 
Stovies a simple but classic Scottish dish that you cannot live without if you are a true Scot which apparently I am because I will not longer be able to live without it. Basically stovies consists of tatties (potatoes for the non Scots out there), onions, and meat. The meat that was traditionally used in the old days was whatever you had leftover from your Sunday dinner, such as lamb, beef or mutton.Scottish Stovies are/is (it really isn't plural) amazing. The pot roast on Saturday was mediocre at best. I tried to rush it as I did not get home until 4 pm. You can not rush pot roast. Maybe that should be my tip of the week LOL. It was turned into this wonderful mouth watering tender, flavorful, I'm sure it's not illegal dish. The aroma was out of this world. It did not look like would have enough to fill up my two hungry men (well 1 man and 1 teenager). Seconds were not needed though. It is very satisfying. This was four thumbs up (there are only 4 of us or I would give it more). It is one of the simplest meals that I have ever made and one of the most scrumptious.  I linked a video on facebook Around The World With Food – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=333008371450

 

 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter or lard (I used butter –  REAL butter)

2 medium to large onions finely chopped

2 pounds potatoes (which should peeled and cut into slices of various sizes no need to be neat)

Carrots chopped

Leftover pot roast (I used 5 good size slices but whatever you have will work)

Salt and black pepper (generous amount – I did a half a palm full)

Beef stock and 1/2 cup or water or what I did was add
Jar of chicken gravy (I don't care for the beef flavored ones) with a packet of beef bullion mixed in and I added the water so that it could boil

Directions:

You will need a large heavy based pan with lid.

Put the butter into the pan and allow to become smoking hot and add the onions until translucent.

Add the sliced potatoes and carrots Cover the pot and cook for approximately 10 minutes, stirring regulary to prevent sticking.

Add the gravy, meat, salt & pepper and mix well. Again, cover the pot and cook SLOWLY until the thin potatoes are mushy and the thicker ones soft…approx. 30 – 60 minutes should be sufficient  Mine was 45 minutes. You should only stir it once or twice during this time – don't let out the flavors.

The dish can be garnished with parsley and served with oatcakes and a glass of milk.

 

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