September 1, 2018

Apple Roses

Posted by HI Cookery under 09 September | Tags: , , , , |
Leave a Comment 

Apple Roses

September-November: National Apple Months

Highlander’s late father and late sister, Nancy Z., and her family lived in Tyler, Texas, the “Rose Capital of the World”. While visiting this East Texas city, we toured the beautiful Tyler Municipal Rose Garden and Tyler Rose Museum. The garden officially opened in 1952 after several years of preparing the grounds. There are 14 acres featuring 35,000 rose bushes and more than 500 varieties of roses. The 7,500 square-foot museum, opened 40 years later in 1992, is located by the garden and showcases Tyler’s rose-growing industry and regal gowns, crowns and memorabilia collected from the annual fall Rose Festival (since 1933).

Inspired by the flowers from Tyler, we made “apple roses”, a dessert using puff pastry and thinly sliced apples. This is a simple and sweet reminder of the town where Highlander’s dad and sister are resting in peace. Apple roses are also appropriate to make during National Apple Months.

Recipe

(Adapted from Puff Pastry)

Ingredients

  • 2 apples (red delicious)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • flour
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
  • 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Directions

Fill a large bowl halfway with water. Stir in the lemon juice (this helps prevent the apple slices from browning too much). Wash and dry the apples. Cut them in half down the middle. Discard the core. Cut into paper thin slices (if it is too thick, the slices will not be as flexible when rolling). Microwave for about 3-5 minutes to soften the apples. Set aside.

Unwrap the thawed puff pastry onto a lightly floured clean surface. Use a rolling pin to stretch the dough to a 12×9 inch rectangle. Slice into 6 strips (2×9 inches long). In a small bowl, combine two tablespoons of water with the apricot preserves. Microwave for about a minute. Stir. Brush this mixture on the strips of puff pastry.

Drain the apple slices. Pat dry. Place an apple slice partly above the top edge of the strip. Place another apple slice to overlap with the previous slice. Repeat until you reach the end of the strip. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Take the bottom edge of the puff pastry and fold up in half. Carefully roll the strip from one end to the other.

Set in the well of a lightly greased cupcake pan. Continue making the rest of the apple roses. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the puff pastry is cooked through (see Notes). Remove the apple roses from the pan and let cool slightly on wire racks. Place on plates. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar. Serve warm.

Notes

  • To prevent the apple skins from burning too much, remove from the oven after 30 minutes and cover loosely with foil. Continue to bake until the puff pasty is cooked through.
  • Try the rose-flavored tea cupcakes or the rosé wine cake recipes.
  • Search our blog for other apple recipes.
 

August 22, 2018

Mary Queen of Heaven Cake

Posted by HI Cookery under 08 August | Tags: , , , |
Leave a Comment 

Mary Queen of Heaven Cake

August 22: Feast of the Queenship of Mary

Hail, Holy Queen! Mary Queen of Heaven was the inspiration for the cake we made for a prayer party at a Catholic university in South Texas where Islander’s brother ministers/works/lives on campus. The sparkly accents reflect her regal splendor while the white cake symbolizes her virginity and purity. The contrasting blue cake balls inside represent the precious baby boy, her son Jesus, whom she carried in her womb.

Many honorific titles are given to Mary. This down-to-earth maiden who was chosen to be the Mother of God had a great responsibility, which she accepted gracefully. For her love and sacrifice, she is both humbled yet exalted. Likewise, our Mary Queen of Heaven cake is simple yet elegant. But it was appropriate for our celebration during the Feast of the Queenship of Mary.

Recipe

For the blue cake balls

Directions

In a bowl, combine the cake mix, water, oil and egg whites. Blend until the batter is smooth. In a greased cake ball/pop pan, fill the wells with the batter. Secure the top part of the pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Cool and remove from the pan. Trim the excess from the cake balls.

For the white cake

Directions

Line two 8-inch round pans with waxed paper. Mist with cooking spray. Arrange blue cake balls in the pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix, water, vegetable and egg whites. Blend until smooth. Divide batter into two. Pour over the cake balls in each pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, testing the cake for doneness. Remove from the oven and let cool completed. Slice off the top mound to make the cake even. Smear a cake board with a little vanilla buttercream. Invert the cake onto the board.

Frost the top and sides with vanilla buttercream. Dust a clean surface with powdered sugar or cornstarch to prevent the fondant from sticking. Roll out 1/8 inch thick and large enough to cover the cake.

Smooth the fondant on the cake and trim away the excess. Position the decorations on the cake (crown, initial M and rhinestone ribbon). Place the cake on a pedestal. Slice and serve.

Notes

  • We used two blue cake mixes to make several cake balls. We used two white cake mixes to make two 8-inch cakes and one 10-inch cake.
  • Try changing the color combinations of the cake mixes for different occasions.

 

 

August 21, 2018

Spumoni

Posted by HI Cookery under 08 August | Tags: , , , |
Leave a Comment 

Spumoni

August 21: National Spumoni Day

Another hot summer day calls for a cool dessert like spumoni, a colorful confection created by the ever-clever Italians with three layers and flavors of gelato (or ice cream). Similar to Neapolitan ice cream with its pink (cherry or strawberry), vanilla and chocolate layers, spumoni, which is the plural form of spumone, derived from the word “foam”, consists of cherry, pistachio and either vanilla or chocolate Italian ice cream flavors. Some have fruit and nuts between the layers.

We chose to make our spumoni with the fruit and nuts already embedded in the gelato. And we combined pistachio, vanilla (instead of chocolate) and cherry flavors to make a pastel version of the Italian flag.

Have a slice of simple spumoni during the summer and on National Spumoni Day.

Recipe

Ingredients

  • Pistachio gelato or ice cream, softened
  • Vanilla gelato or ice cream, softened
  • Cherry gelato or ice cream, softened
  • Red food coloring

Directions

Line a large loaf pan with plastic wrap, extending over the sides so that it is easier to lift out when unmolding the spumoni. Spread the softened pistachio gelato or ice cream as the bottom layer about an inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm. Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Spread the softened vanilla gelato or ice cream on top of the pistachio layer about an inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. In a large bowl, stir the softened cherry gelato or ice cream with a few drops of red food coloring until it turns pink. Spread this on top of the vanilla layer about an inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Remove the loaf pan from the freezer and take off the top plastic wrap. Grab the plastic wrap from the sides and lift out the entire spumoni and unmold onto a cutting board. Slice and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Canada’s National Spumoni Day is on November 13.
  • Neapolitan ice cream is also of Italian origin (Naples). Inspired by the colors of pink, white and brown, we made macarons and a rosé wine-chocolate naked wedding cake.
  • Search our blog for other ice cream recipes.

 

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »