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Posted on » by Dana & Nancy » Theme:

Beet Pierogies

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beet-Pierogies/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups roasted & peeled, chopped beets
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons and 3 teaspoons butter
1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
Roast the beets in 450 degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes.  While beets are roasting, melt 1 tsp. butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add red onion and saute until tender.

In a food processor add beets and onion.  Add the butter, start the machine, and pulse several times to finely chop the beets.

Whisk together the egg and water until thoroughly mixed, then mix in the flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 8 minutes.

Divide the dough in half, and form each half into a ball. Roll out a ball until it’s 1/8 inch thick or less. Using a cup or cookie cutter, cut out dough circles. Repeat with remaining dough.

To fill, place a dough circle into the palm of your hand, and stretch the dough out slightly. Place about 1 tablespoon of the beet filling in the center of the dough, and fold the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges of the dough together to seal completely, and use your index finger to make small crimped indentations all round the sealed edges. Dust the completed pierogi with flour.

Fill a large pot with water, and bring to a boil. Drop the pierogies into the water, 1 or 2 at a time, and stir to prevent them from sticking. Reduce heat to a gentle boil, and cook until the pierogies float to the top, about 5 to 8 minutes.

While pierogies are boiling, heat large fry pan over medium heat.  Melt 2 Tablespoons butter.  Once pierogies are boiled, drain and saute in butter until browned, approximately 2-3 minutes, making sure to turn.

Serve warm with sour cream, if desired.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Raspberry Sorbet with Ginger and Mint

Published July 1, 2012. From Cook’s

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

For our raspberry sorbet recipe, we super-chilled the base and used just the right ratio of sugars to water to ensure the finest-textured ice crystals possible. We also bumped up the berries’ natural amount of pectin to give the sorbet stability both in the freezer and out

MAKES 1 QUART

Super-chilling part of the sorbet base before transferring it to the ice cream machine will keep ice crystals to a minimum. If using a canister-style ice cream machine, be sure to freeze the empty canister for at least 24 hours and preferably 48 hours before churning. For self-refrigerating machines, prechill the canister by running the machine for five to 10 minutes before pouring in the sorbet mixture. Allow the sorbet to sit at room temperature for five minutes to soften before serving. Fresh or frozen berries may be used. If using frozen berries, thaw them before proceeding. Make certain that you use Sure-Jell engineered for low- or no-sugar recipes (packaged in a pink box) and not regular Sure-Jell (in a yellow box).

INGREDIENTS

  • 1cup ginger beer
  • 1teaspoon Sure-Jell for low-sugar recipes(I could only find regular so that’s what I used)
  • 1/8teaspoon salt
  • 20ounces (4 cups) raspberries
  • 1(2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and sliced thin
  • 1/4cup mint leaves
  • 1/2cup sugar
  • 1/4cup light corn syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ginger beer, Sure-Jell, and salt in medium saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until Sure-Jell is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and allow mixture to cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

2. Process raspberries, ginger, mint, sugar, corn syrup, and ginger beer mixture in blender or food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer 1 cup mixture to small bowl and place remaining mixture in large bowl. Cover both bowls with plastic wrap. Place large bowl in refrigerator and small bowl in freezer and cool completely, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. (Small bowl of base will freeze solid.)

3. Remove mixtures from refrigerator and freezer. Scrape frozen base from small bowl into large bowl of base. Stir occasionally until frozen base has fully dissolved. Transfer mixture to ice cream machine and churn until mixture has consistency of thick milkshake and

4.  Transfer sorbet to airtight container, pressing firmly to remove any air pockets, and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. Serve. (Sorbet can be frozen for up to 5 days.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 1: TOO HARD TO SCOOP

 

THE TESTS: VARY WATER AND SUGAR AMOUNTS

 

For sorbet that’s soft enough to scoop, some water should freeze but some should remain liquid and “free” to flow between the ice crystals, providing the sensation of creaminess. Added water and sugar are critical. Water ensures that there’s enough of it in the mix to remain free. Sugar aids the process by getting in the way of the water freezing.

 

 

ROCK SOLID: Straight fruit puree with no added water or sugar freezes into an impenetrable mass.

GETTING SOFTER: A half cup of water plus ¾ cup of sugar creates some free water, and the sorbet starts to soften.

JUST RIGHT: One cup of water and nearly 1 cup of sugar and corn syrup produce a creamy, scoopable texture.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 2: ICY, GRAINY TEXTURE

 

THE TEST: SPEED UP FREEZE TIME

 

Big ice crystals turn ­sorbet grainy. Freezing the base as fast as ­possible is the antidote. First, it doesn’t give the base time to form large crystals. Second, once small “seed” ­crystals get started, they trigger a chain reaction, ­continuously turning more unfrozen water into equally tiny crystals.

 

TRADITIONAL SLOW FREEZE: When the whole base is transferred directly to the ice cream maker, it freezes slowly, giving large, grainy ice crystals time to form.

FAST FREEZE: Freezing 1 cup of the base allows it to freeze rapidly, forming small “seed” crystals. When it is combined with the refrigerated remainder, it initiates a chain reaction, causing more small crystals to form immediately.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 3: CRUMBLY TEXTURE, DULL TASTE

 

THE TESTS: CALIBRATE CHURN TIMES

 

Too much churning has a negative effect on the final texture of sorbet: Because the dessert has no fat or protein to stabilize the air bubbles ­incorporated ­during ­churning, longer churning times produce sorbets that are loose, crumbly, and dull-tasting.

 

40 MINUTES: Overchurned sorbet looks promisingly thick but freezes up crumbly and dull-tasting.

30 MINUTES: As the churning time is reduced, less air is incorporated, improving the texture of the final product.

20 MINUTES: Churning just long enough for the mixture to reach the consistency of a thick milkshake produces dense, flavorful sorbet.

RECIPE TESTING

PROBLEM 4: RAPID MELTING

 

THE TESTS: TRY STABILIZERS

 

Sorbet is prone to rapid melting once it is scooped and served. Commercial manufacturers stave off melting by incorporating ingredients like guar gum and locust bean gum that trap some of the free water so it won’t readily leak out at room temperature. Instead of those additives, we tried gelatin and pectin.

 

NO STABILIZER: Once out of the freezer, stabilizer-free sorbet quickly melts into a watery mess.

1 TSP GELATIN: While it greatly improves stability, gelatin creates a sorbet that is strangely rubbery.

1 TSP PECTIN: Pectin, which is also found naturally in berries, slows melting and produces a ­likable texture.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Raspberry Candy (Fondant)

Raspberry Fondant

Raspberry Fondant is made with fresh raspberries, so it packs plenty of flavor into these smooth raspberry creams. They’re delicious on their own, but these raspberry fondants are even better dipped in chocolate. Be sure to check out this photo tutorial showing how to make fondant if you have any questions about making old-fashioned fondant.This recipe calls for citric acid, which adds a pleasant sourness. It can be found in many specialty baking stores and large grocery stores—I found mine in the bulk spices section of a nearby grocery store. It can be omitted, but the fondant might be missing a fruity “bite.”

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cream
  • 3 tbsp light corn syrup
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen raspberries
  • ½ tsp citric acid
  • 1/3 cup marshmallow cream
  • Pink or red food coloring (optional)
  • 1 lb white or chocolate candy coating

Preparation:

1. Place the cream, corn syrup, sugar, salt, baking soda, and raspberries in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then brush down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert a candy thermometer.

2. Cook the candy without stirring until the thermometer reads 240 degrees F (115 C). Once it reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and take out the thermometer.

3. Pour the candy onto a greased baking sheet and allow it to sit until it feels just warm to the touch. Depending on the temperature of the room, this might take 10-20 minutes.

4. Once warm but no longer hot, sprinkle the citric acid on top, and stir in the marshmallow cream and a few drops of pink or red food coloring. The food coloring is optional, but without it the candies are more of a dull reddish-pink.

5. Begin to stir everything together with a wooden spoon. This is called “creaming” the fondant and it works best if you move in a figure-8 pattern, scraping the fondant together, working it into an 8 shape, then scraping it back into the center.

6. As you cream the fondant, it will go from shiny and translucent to shiny and opaque and start to get thicker. Continue to work it, and it will eventually lose its shine and become more opaque and have a fudge-like texture and dull finish. This creaming process takes awhile, perhaps 20 minutes, so prepare yourself and alternate arms if necessary.

7. Once the fondant is thick and stiff, test it out by rolling a piece into a ball. If it holds its shape and doesn’t collapse, the fondant is ready. If it doesn’t, continue working it with the spoon until it is stiff enough. You can either wrap it in cling wrap and store it at room temperature, or roll it into balls right away for dipping.

8. If you have rolled it into balls, store them in the refrigerator to firm up while you melt the candy coating in the microwave.

9. Once the coating is melted, dip the raspberry fondant centers into the chocolate one at a time, and place the dipped centers on a foil- or waxed paper-lined baking sheet to set. Sprinkle the tops with any desired decorations while the chocolate is still wet.

10. Place the tray in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate for about 15 minutes. Store dipped Raspberry Fondant in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and allow them to come to room temperature before serving for best taste and texture.