International Recipes:December,2010

Chocolate Hearts (serduszka czekoladowe)

1 egg white

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup ground, unblanched almonds

3 squares grated unsweetened chocolate

juice and grated rind of 1/2 lemon

Beat 1 egg white with 3/4 cup of sugar, mixing in 1 cup ground unblanched almonds, 3 squares

grated unsweetened chocolate and the juice and grated rind of 1/2 a lemon. On sugar-sprinkled board, roll into finger-thick rolls and form into hears. Bake on baking sheet in 325 oven 15-20 min. Spread with white or chocolate glaze.

Walnut or Almond Macaroons

3 egg whites

1-1/4 c. powdered sugar

1/2 cup ground walnuts or almonds

Beat 3 egg whites over boiling water in double-boiler with 1-1/4 c. powdered sugar, sifted. Stir in 1/2 cup ground walnuts or almonds, mix lightly and spoon mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Dry in 250 oven for about 1 hour.

Butter Bowtie Cookies

Prepare ingredients:

1 pound (450g.)sweet (unsalted) butter,
1 cup (240ml) sugar,
4 hard-boiled egg yolks, finely crumbled,
4 ½ cups (1050ml) white flour,
1 ½ teaspoons (7ml) vanilla extract.

Thoroughly mix the butter, sugar, egg-yolks and vanilla extract, then slowly mix in the flour and knead. If the mixture appears to be too liquid, add a little flour.
Place the kneaded ball into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Roll out the mixture on a board until about ¼ inch thick (about 7mm) - this is the thickness of a standard pencil.
Cut strips about ¼inch wide (12mm) and 6 inches (150mm) long, and twist into a figure-eight, like a pretzel.
Break an egg, and smear the bow-ties. Sprinkle with colored sugar. (Alternatively, you may sprinkle with poppy seed instead).
Place on baking tray and insert into oven preheated to 400°F (200C) for 20 to 25 minutes.
Watch carefully towards the end as the cookies burn very easily.

Christmas Honey Spice Cake

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 T. honey-spice cake seasoning

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup honey

3 cups flour

chocolate glaze

Cream 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar until white. Add 1 T. honey-spice cake seasoning, 1 teaspoon

baking soda dissolved in 3 Tablespoons water, 1 cup honey and 3 cups flour sifted. Work ingredients well into a dough, then kneed awhile on floured board. Sprinkle with flour and roll out 1/2 -inch-thick. Cut into rounds or whatever other shapes you like (Christmas shapes). Place on greased baking sheet and bake in 400 oven about 10 min. Store in airtight tin or jar and add glaze before serving. Chocolate-covered honey-spice hearts are traditionally passed out to youngsters by St. Nicholas.

Angel Wings

4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons rum or brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
3 cups vegetable shortening for frying
Confectioners' sugar for topping

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg yolks, egg and salt. Beat on highest speed until mixture is thick and drops softly from the beaters, 7 to 10 minutes,

Beat in sugar, a small amount at a time. Beat in rum and vanilla extract. Remove from mixer. Fold flour into mixture by hand until incorporated.

Turn dough onto generously floured surface. Knead dough until blisters form on the dough, about 10 minutes. Add small amounts of flour as needed to surface to keep dough from sticking. Divide dough in half. Cover one half with inverted bowl, towel or plastic wrap to prevent drying.

Roll out other half of dough as thin as possible, (about an 8 x 12-inch rectangle). If dough resists, let it rest for a few minutes and resume rolling. Cut dough into 2 x 4-inch rectangles. Make a 2-inch slit from center almost to end of each dough strip. Pull opposite end of strip through slit to twist the dough. Repeat with remaining dough.

In a large skillet, heat vegetable shortening until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fat fry thermometer. (This is important, if the oil is too cool, dough will absorb too much oil; if it is too hot, the pastry will burn on the outside and not cook properly on the inside.)

Add a few angel wings at a time and fry until golden on both sides, turning about halfway through cooking time, about 1 1/2 minutes total. Remove to drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining angel wings until all are fried. Cool completely and dust liberally with confectioners' sugar. Store in airtight container.