Sweet Potato Kugel recipe

 

Sweet Potato Kugel

Sweet Potato Kugel
original recipe from Leah Koenig

Kugel Base

6 small sweet potatoes, grated 3 apples, peeled, cored, and grated 1
cup gf flour blend1 cup raisins 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon
salt (sea salt is best) 1 1/2 cups water 2 Tablespoons maple syrup 2
Tablespoons cf margarine

Topping

1 1/2 cups pecan halves, chopped Pinch of salt Pinch of ground
cinnamon Pinch of ground ginger

Directions

Yield 12 ServingsPrep 30 minsCook 55 minsTotal 1 hr 25 mins
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix all kugel base ingredients together, then press
into a large glass baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together topping ingredients and set aside.
Place baking dish in oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove and cover
with topping mixture. Return to oven for another 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand for about 15 minutes. Cut into 12
squares and serve.
--
I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels.  Jewels
are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within. ~ Titus
Maccius Plautus

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How to make Apricot Jam

 

I need 1/4 cup of apricot jam for a chicken recipe. I have some Mediterranean apricots from Sun Maid (I guess they are dried, but feel moist to me), can I use these somehow to make a jam...maybe just put them in my Ninja and a little liqiud???? Thanks, Jamie

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Holiday Baking - Kransekake recipe

 

Kransekake

Note from BL: These special occassion cakes are a labour of love from
the cook to the recipients, but the cake is naturally gf and the dough
accomodating so even if you don't want to make a ring cake or a
basket, use the "snakes" of dough to make letters or other patterns
for special treats.

Kransekaka (Norwegian Almond Ring Cake)
By Kari Diehl

Kransekake, or "Ring Cake," is the signature cake of Norway, earning
pride of place on wedding, birthday, graduation, and holiday banquet
tables. Traditionally made from almonds, confectioner's sugar, and egg
whites, it is a splendid flourless, gluten-free alternative to
standard celebratory cakes.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
For Cake:

5 cups water
1 lb. raw whole almonds
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
3 egg whites
2 tsp. almond extract
2 Tbsp. potato starch flour

For Frosting:

3-4 cups confectioner's sugar
2 egg whites
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation:

Bring water to boil in large saucepan, then add 1/2 of the almonds.
Blanche until the nuts rise to the surface and the skins loosen, about
3 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and rinse the almonds in cold
water, then remove the skins. Spread them to dry on a paper
towel-lined cookie sheet (Note: you can speed this process by putting
them in the oven at low heat (about 170º) for 15 minutes, but be sure
not to let them roast). The nuts need to be completely dry before
grinding.

Grind the unblanched almonds in a coffee or spice grinder to form a
fine flour (Note: do not use a food processor, which will over-process
the nuts). Next, repeat the process to grind the blanched (now dried)
almonds. Of course if you have commercial almond flour you can skip
this step.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the two almond "flours" together along
with the confectioner's sugar. Then, grind this combined mixture a
second time.

Once the almond flour is ground, place it in a large saucepan, stir in
the 3 egg whites and almond extract, and place over a burner on low
heat. Use a wooden spoon to knead the dough over the heat until it
pulls away from the sides of the pan and shapes itself into a smooth,
shiny mass (this step is exactly like making homemade play dough; the
resulting almond paste is also the consistency of play dough).

Place the almond paste in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 400º. Flour a pastry board or clean counter with
potato starch flour; butter and dust six kransekake forms (if using)
with potato starch flour.

Roll the almond paste into 18 1/2"-wide "snakes," descending in length
- in 1/2-inch increments - from about 20" long to 14" long. Fit the
snakes into the forms, pinching the ends together tightly to form
rings (Note: this dough is very forgiving, so you can easily reroll a
few snakes if you've miscalculated the lengths so that they are evenly
divided to fit the graduated rings of the kransekake forms).

Alternatively, if not using kransekake forms, shape each of the 18
lengths into a ring and place on a parchment- or silpat-lined baking
sheet.

Bake in the center of oven about 15 minutes, until the rings turn a
light gold. Watch carefully, as they will burn quickly if unattended.

Remove from oven and allow rings to cool. If you have used the
kransekaka forms, leave the cakes cool in the pans.

Rap the pans lightly on a counter to loosen, running a knife between
the rings if necessary to separate. Then, carefully remove the largest
ring, invert it, and place it on a serving or cake plate.

Mix together the confectioner's sugar, 2 egg whites, almond extract,
and lemon juice to make a thick frosting. Place into pastry bag (small
tip) or in a plastic freezer bag with the end snipped off. Pipe the
frosting in a wavy pattern around the circumference of the bottom ring
(the frosting, while decorative, also serves as the glue that will
hold the cake together).

Repeat this step for each of the remaining rings, working from the
largest up to the smallest. The finished cake will look like a
Fisher-Price ring toy (but will taste far better!).

Decorate the completed cake with flags and candies, as the Norwegians
do, or with ribbons and edible and / or crystallized flowers for a
special occasion like a birthday or wedding.

Kransekake, like fine wine, improves by "aging" a day or two before
serving. Store in a tightly sealed container with a slice of apple or
gf bread in order to maximize this cake's unique soft-yet-chewy
texture. It can also be made ahead and frozen.

Alternate Presentations: The ring tower can also be built in reversed
order, with larger rings placed upon smaller ones, to form edible
baskets. Scandinavian bakers also often invert the tower to form a
cornucopia, which they fill with specialty cookies and candies.

Yield: 50 servings

--
I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels.  Jewels
are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within. ~ Titus
Maccius Plautus

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Torta Piemontese alle Mandorle (Piemontese Almond Cake) recipe

 

Piemontese Almond Cake

Piemontese Almond Cake - Torta Piemontese alle MandorleBy Kyle Phillips

Though Piemonte is better known for hazelnuts, the region also makes
good use of almonds, and this is a fine almond cake.

Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 100 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/4 cups almonds
2/3 cup finely ground corn meal
1/3 cup cf margarine or other cf solid fat (like palm oil or coconut oil)
1/3 cup all purpose gf flour blend
1/3 cup potato starch (not potato flour)
6 eggs
2/3 cup + a tablespoon raisins
Some maraschino liqueur
solid fat and gf flour for buttering the pan

Preparation:

Rinse the raisins and set them to soak in a little warm water. Blanch
and peel the almonds, and heat them through in the oven to dry them
(don't let them brown). Divide the almonds in half, and using about
1/4 cup of granulated sugar, grind the almonds to dust in a mortar
(you can also use a blender to do this, but take care not to overblend
lest the almonds give off their oil and form a paste).

Butter and flour a high-sided, 8-inch diameter cake pan. Melt the
margarine over a low flame and then let it cool to just above the
temperature at which it solidifies. Crack the eggs into an untinned
copper bowl with the remaining granulated sugar and whip the mixture;
heat it until it is tepid, whipping all the while (over a double
boiler will work), and transfer it to a larger bowl. Continue to beat
the mixture (an electric beater will be fine here) until it becomes
fluffy. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400 F (210), and pat the
raisins dry.

Sift the flour, cornmeal, starch and almond powder into the egg
mixture, making sure each ingredient is completely incorporated before
adding the next. Add the raisins last, following them with the cool
melted butter, added a little at a time, and 3 teaspoons of
maraschino. Pour the batter into the cake pan and put it in the oven,
reducing the temperature to 375 F (190 C), and bake the cake for about
40 minutes.

While it's baking, mince the remaining almonds. When it's done, remove
it from the oven and let it cool on a grate. When it has cooled whip
the confectioner's sugar with about a tablespoon of water to make an
icing. Spread it over the cake, sprinkle the cake with the minced
almonds, and it's done.

--
I would rather be adorned by beauty of character than jewels.  Jewels
are the gift of fortune, while character comes from within. ~ Titus
Maccius Plautus

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