for the 11th treat of Christmas, Valerie (merci) gave to us: Christmas Shortbread Cookies

Helen’s Almond Shortbread Sandwiches Cookie

(made by Valerie and Lauren, yes a mother-daughter bonding moment!)

1 ½ c berry sugar
2 cups flour (-2T and replace it with the cornstarch)
2T cornstarch
1 cup butter

directions:
Mix sugar and flour together, then work in butter. Knead well. Bake at 325 for 7-8 minutes.

Icing:
1c butter
2t almond extract
3-4 drops of green food colouring
3c icing sugar or one pound butter one bag icing sugar
4t almond extract
8 drops of green food colouring

directions:
Mix all together and knead well. Should be much like a fondant.

This recipe makes 2 trays, or 40 sandwiches. I double this recipe to make 8 sandwiches each Christmas, and the first icing recipe is usually ample for the doubled recipe.

after rolled out and cut and "forked" (i, Lauren, am the new "forking" expert- you make 4x4 dots with a fork, very simple really. according to Valerie, this is to prevent the short bread from puffing up. it did the trick. plus it looks nice).

endless piles (but remember, we are going to double and make sandwiches)

mom (Valerie) and i had quite a lot of fun with our photos. taking pictures of our creations is truly an art and i am still learning.

amid the finishing touches:
green icing goes in between, a glob of green icing on the top with the finishing touch of a silver edible ball. YUM!

for the 10th treat of Christmas, Valerie (who else?) gave to us: Sticky Toffee Pudding (yum yum!)

STICKY DATE PUDDING WITH TOFFEE SAUCE

TO DIE FOR (i promise!!!)

For Pudding:
1 3/4 cups packed pitted dates (about 10 ounces )
2 cups water
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs

For sauce:
1 3/4 sticks (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 and 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream Make pudding

Direcitions:
· Preheat oven to 375°F and butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan (2 inches deep), knocking out excess flour.
· Coarsely chop dates and in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan simmer dates in water, uncovered, 5 minutes.
· Remove pan from heat and stir in baking soda. (Mixture will foam.) Let mixture stand 20 minutes.
· While mixture is standing, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
· Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
· Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating after each addition until just combined.
· Add date mixture and with a wooden spoon stir batter until just combined well.
· Pour batter into baking pan and set pan in a larger baking pan.
· Add enough hot water to larger pan to reach halfway up sides of smaller pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
· Remove smaller pan from water bath and cool pudding to warm on a rack.
· Make sauce while pudding is cooling:
o In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderate heat and add brown sugar.
o Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and stir in cream and vanilla.
o Simmer sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Cool sauce to warm.
· Cut warm pudding into squares. Serve pudding with ice cream and warm sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

Source: GourmetYou Asked For It; Dalvay By The Sea, Prince Edward Island, CanadaMay 1998

my mother made them in mini cheesecake tins for individual servings. TO DIE FOR. i promise!

for the 7th treat of Christmas, Valerie (again) gave to us: Chocolate Salami

Chocolate Salami - It’s just a little bit of fun!

There is no raw meat and no baking involved. It’s a fairly simple recipe and I’m sure you would have tried something similar at one or other stage of your life. The only difference is the novel serving suggestion and then the name of course. A few years ago my boss brought chocolate salami back from Portugal. I thought it was wonderful, very clever and something I had not seen before. The flavour and ingredients reminded me of a treat that my mum used to make for me when I was a child. So I thought why not use that old recipe and give it a gentle face-lift.

ingredients: 1/3 c. unsalted butter

200g bitter chocolate, 70%

100g icing sugar

200g digestive biscuits

80g flaked almonds

80g dried cranberries

80g pistachios

2 egg yolks

2ml vanilla essence

80g Condensed milk

Pinch of salt

Cocoa powder

Instructions: Preparing your mixture

1. Break digestive biscuits in into large bowl and sprinkle and set aside.
2. Melt chocolate in microwave or medium bowl, do not let chocolate over heat. If you test the melted chocolate with your finger it should just be warm to the touch. If too hot let cool until warm to the touch. If chocolate is too hot when adding following ingredients, egg yokes could cook producing something resembling chocolate scrambled eggs. So make certain chocolate is melted but just warm to the touch before moving to step 2.
3. When chocolate has melted, add butter, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and stir well to incorporate. Mixture will start to thicken into a dough like consistency and pull away from bowl.
4. Add chocolate mixture to broken cookies.
5. Add vanilla, salt, and 1/2 of almonds and pistachios. Mix well until incorporated.
   

Instructions: Molding the Salami

1. Lay out a long sheet of wax paper of 28in/70cm length.
2. Roll the mixture onto the wax paper and shape into a salami shape length wise to the paper.
3. Mixture will be manageable by hand, now you can mold salami to the desired length and thickness. The length and thickness depends on taste, I would suggest somewhere between 7-10cm/3-4in - in diameter. This will enable nice size slices of approximately 3cm/1in, in thickness when done.
4. Sprinkle remaining almonds around salami and spread out as evenly as possible.
5. Bring salami to one side of paper and start to roll paper around log gently but firmly, once completely rolled, twist ends and refrigerate flat for at least 2 hours.
6. Take salami out of refrigerator 20min before cutting and serving. Note: Salami will be very firm when cutting slices, so its best to take it out of the refrigerator 20min before serving to facilitate cutting. Entire salami can be cut into slices and refrigerated to make it easier to serve later. Or if entertaining, salami can be presented whole and guests can cut their own slices, just like a real salami.
   
   
   
   

for the 5th treat of Christmas, Valerie gave to us: Brown Eyed Susan Cookies

Brown Eyed Susans
(Nancy O’Hara and Brenna from Grosvenor School 1981)

Cookie:
1c butter
3T sugar
1t almond extract
2c flour
½ t salt

Cream all together and roll into balls, flattening slightly on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, until bottom is barely brown.

Icing
1c icing sugar
2T cocoa
3T hot water
½ t vanilla

Combine sugar and cocoa. Add water and vanilla. Dot each cookie with icing, and top each with one whole blanched almond.

for the 4th treat of Christmas, Valerie gave to us: Turtle Cookies

Turtle Cookies

1c butter creamed add:

1c white sugar and 1c brown sugar, cream, and add one at a time:

2 eggs

2t vanilla

then sift together the following ingredients:

1t soda

2 ½ c flour

¾ c cocoa, and

add1 c finely chopped pecans (toasted, then chopped finely in the blender of food processor)

and fold into butter mixture.

Take 80 rolo chocolates, and roll a ball of dough around each candy. Dip each ball in sparkly sanding sugar, and place in buttered and floured mini tart pan (or a non-stick mini tart pan without flour and buttering), and bake for 8-9 minutes at 350. Remove from oven, and sit 5 minute (set the timer, or you will be sad).

Place a cutting board over the tart pan, and turn upside down to release these cookies. All usually come out, if not, place the pan upside down on the counter with a bump. Do not touch these cookies for about 10 minutes, until cool and set, or they will break when you pick them up“Glue” a whole pecan half on each with a bit of icing sugar and water (that is hidden by the nut).

These are the official RED DEER cookie. YUM!

valerie's poppycock

i was heading to a friends house last night and wanted to bring a treat. luckily i had all the ingredients for my mother's traditional poppycock, aka caramel popcorn. it is quite simple and SO yummy!

i had the opportunity to test out my vanilla i brought back from mexico... i think it made all the difference!

so you take 11 cups of popped popcorn in a BIG mixing bowl

and then on the stove you combine:

• 1 and 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 c. butter, and
• 1/2 c. corn syrup.
• bring it to a boil until temp of 250 (using candy thermometer)

take it off the heat and add:

• 1 tsp of vanilla and
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda. it makes it nice and foamy (i think this is the trick too so that the popcorn doesn't melt)
• you can add nuts or jujubes too if you'd like
• mix it ALL into the popcorn.

you can do 1 of 2 options, either place the entire contents into a bunt pan to let it hard and after a couple of hours you can take it out and it is a nice caramel popcorn cake which makes for a nice baked gift OR you can spread it onto a cookie sheet (as below) and let sit for a bit and then break it all up and put it in a bowl. either works and either are equally delicious.

ENJOY!