Kate Palmer » Desserts

Stewed Rhubarb Over Yogurt

Kate — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 04:40:02 +0000

A friend gave me some more rhubarb (thanks Kate!) so I thought I’d try out a new recipe. This is so simple and quick to throw together. I made it while our pizza cooked–yeah, it’s fast. The sweet tartness is really yummy on a hot summer evening. So you’ll need about 7 stalks of rhubarb washed and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Toss in 2 heaping tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. Grated, fresh ginger would be nice, but I didn’t have any on hand.

Add 1/4 cup of water, cover, and cook on medium heat until rhubarb is soft.

When the rhubarb is soft, remove the lid and let the mixture reduce. You can see there is almost no liquid left. That means it’s done.

Serve over vanilla yogurt. Enjoy!

Stewed Rhubarb Over Yogurt

7 stalks rhubarb, sliced into bit-sized pieces
2 heaping Tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 cup water

Place sliced rhubarb in a saucepan. Toss in 2 heaping tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover, and cook on medium heat until rhubarb is soft. When the rhubarb is soft, remove the lid and let the mixture reduce. When there is almost no liquid left, remove from the heat and serve over yogurt. Makes enough to top 8, 1/3 cup-servings of yogurt.

Dump Cake

Kate — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:58:57 +0000

Let’s make a birthday cake without an oven. My sister-in-law, Heidi, brought this recipe back from a Colorado ranch she worked on in the summers. This is so easy to do in your dutch oven. Plus, you can bake it in a 9 x 13 pan at 350° and get great results as well. Let’s get started.

2 large cans pie filling or 2 quarts of bottled fruit (The birthday girl chose raspberry pie filling.)
1 cake mix, you choose the flavor (I convinced the birthday girl that chocolate would be a good choice.)
1 cube butter, melted
1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Pour pie filling/bottled fruit into bottom of dutch oven (or 9 x13 pan).

Sprinkle cake mix to cover. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top.

Put lid on dutch oven and scatter coals on top and bottom. I used to know how many cooking degrees each briquette equaled, but that tidbit of useful info leaked out of my head some time ago so now I just scatter till it looks good. I could probably do a Google search and find it, but I’ve got to get this posted so I can have some writing time while the boys are still asleep. (However, maybe one of you know off hand and could leave it in the comments section.) Cook for 45 minutes while you make and eat dinner. (Those recipes will be coming later.)

It’s been 45 minutes so tear yourself away from the scrumptious BBQ Turkey and Killer Beans (recipes coming) to check on the Dump Cake. Yep. It’s done. Now take some pictures while a couple of campers pass by and wonder why you are taking pictures of something that smells so good instead of eating it.

Serve with ice cream if you didn’t run out of room in your coolers and have to leave it home in the freezer.

Stick one candle in–not the full fourteen–and sing Happy Birthday.

Let the Birthday Girl blow out the candle. Pull the candle out of the cake to see that the BOTTOM end is more melted than the wick end. Now all the siblings want to put a candle in their cake, blow it out, and see if the bottom of the candle melted. May as well let them since you only used the one candle.

And that’s it! So easy and tastes so good. You have to try this. Once I added a layer of marshmallows between the fruit and cake mix–very tasty. Enjoy!

Pour pie filling/bottled fruit into bottom of dutch oven (or 9 x13 pan). Sprinkle cake mix to cover. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Put lid on dutch oven and scatter coals on top and bottom. Cook for 45 minutes. (Place 9 x 13 pan in 350° oven and bake for 45-60 minutes.) Serve hot topped with ice cream if desired.

Stir Crazy Cake

Kate — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:19:22 +0000

This recipe comes from a cookbook compiled for the Sonberg family reunion held in 1999. I love recipes from these kinds of cookbooks for a few reasons. One being that people typically send their best and favorite recipes. Secondly, the stories behind them. The note with this recipe reads: “This is kinda interestin’ to fix, but a lot more interestin’ to eat.” This has become one my children’s favorite desserts partly because of the preparation method. This is a great cake to make if you’re out of milk, eggs, or butter. Let’s get started.

Put 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup cocoa, 2 tsp. soda, and 1/2 tsp. salt into an ungreased 13x9x2″ metal baking pan. I’ve always wondered what would happen if I used a glass baking dish. Would the cake stick to it? Hmmm …

Stir with a fork to mix. (I often use a wire whisk instead.) Form 3 wells in flour mixture. So I opened a new can of cocoa–a different brand than I usually buy. Those brown flecks are cocoa dots that didn’t mix. It turned out fine in the end; it just looks weird here.

Pour oil into one well, vinegar in one and vanilla in the last.

Pour cold water over all ingredients and stir with fork until well mixed. Do not beat.

Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake in 350° oven for 35 to 45 minutes. I baked mine at 325° in a convection oven for 30 minutes.

The cinnamon sugar makes a thin layer of crunchy topping.

Serve and enjoy! It tastes scrumptiously chocolatey with a hint of cinnamon. You don’t really need anything with this, but … when I skimmed the milk for dinner, the cream was so thick and perfect for whipping that …

it would have been a shame not to do this. You choose.

Stir Crazy Cake

2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 c. cooking oil
2 T. vinegar
1 T. vanilla
2 c. cold water
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Put flour, 1 1/2 cup sugar, cocoa, soda, and salt into an ungreased 13x9x2″ metal baking pan. Stir with a fork to mix. Form 3 wells in flour mixture. Pour oil into one well, vinegar in one and vanilla in the last. Pour cold water over all ingredients and stir with fork until well mixed. Do not beat. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over batter. Bake in 350° oven for 35 to 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Hasty Pudding

Kate — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:18:08 +0000

This recipe comes from my Grandma Hoth. It’s very English as was she. (My parents have a small three-ring binder of her handwritten recipes–at least my Dad’s favorites. Things like this are family treasures!) This steaming dessert is perfect for a cold day and so simple to make.

Let’s get started.

Mix together to make a paste:
1 T. butter
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:
1/2 tsp. vanilla,
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped nuts.
Spread in small greased casserole.

For the sauce, stir together:
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. boiling water
2 T. butter

Pour over batter and bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes.

And there you have a delicious pudding cake. It’s good topped with a drizzling of fresh cream. (I was out of cream on this day–a very rare occurrence in this house.) Enjoy!

Hasty Pudding

Mix together to make a paste:
1 T. butter
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:
1/2 tsp. vanilla,
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped nuts.
Spread in small greased casserole.

For the sauce, stir together:
1 c. brown sugar
2 c. boiling water
2 T. butter

Pour over batter and bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes.

Apple Pie

Kate — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:06:38 +0000

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE WE GET TO MAKIN’ APPLE PIE

Be sure to check back Monday and make a comment. Check out Karen’s blog here and you’ll know why I’m suddenly asking all you lurkers to come out into the light of day on Monday.

I love the smell of an apple pie baking. It makes your house feel all warm and cozy–and it’s easy–even the crust part. A friend recently asked me what pie crust recipe I used so here it is with pictures and everything. I use a very basic crust recipe.

First you must know that I started out as an awful crust maker. Nothing about my crusts were appetizing. So much so that my husband quickly took over the crust making task. I practiced in secret–okay, okay–he was at work and half the time that was in our unfinished basement furnace room. (The aesthetics were a little lacking considering he is a graphic artist. Maybe the lack of distraction got his creative juices going. But I digress.) I made many, many, horribly awful crusts before I understood not to add too much water. This one principle changed my pie making life. Let’s get started.

Mix 2 cups flour and a 1/4 tsp. salt together. You also need 1 cup of shortening. I like butter flavored if I have it. Today I didn’t. Then put a couple of ice cubes in a 3/4 cup measuring cup and fill with water.

Add the shortening to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to combine the flour and shortening. An electric beater could work if you don’t have a pastry blender. You are trying to turn the flour into flour-shortening crumbs–so keep at it until the shortening and flour mixture are incorporated together.

Now slowly drizzle ice-cold water over the mixture as you stir it with a spoon. Go easy on the water.

This is done. I won’t add anymore water. Divide the dough in half.

Place half the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll out quite thin.

Peel back the top layer of plastic wrap. I have all kinds of helpers today owing to the fact that it’s 4:30 on a fast Sunday. They’re starving! Lift the crust off the counter and carefully flip and place in a pie dish.

Gently peel off plastic wrap and lift the edges of the pie crust to help it settle into the bottom of the pie plate.

While I made the crust, my girls used the apple peeler, corer, slicer on about 20 very small apples.

We’ve gone through all of our tart apples and are now left with these sweet things. Here is the key to using sweet apples in apple pie: lemon juice–and lots of it. Don’t be shy about it.

Stir in some sugar. How much is up to you, but I’ll post a range at the end for anyone who’s nervous without specifics.

Add some nutmeg and…

some cinnamon, and…

some flour. Stir and taste it.

It was still too sweet so we added more lemon juice…sure wish we had some Elstar apples left.

Pour apples into waiting pie crust. Turns out 20 small apples was a few too many. No problem, the starving helpers finished off the leftovers before I finished the crust. Fast Sundays, with church ending at 4:00 and a Mom insisting we make dessert first so that maybe Dad will be home to join us for dinner when we sit down to eat, will do that to munchkins.

Roll out the second half of dough in the same manner. Place the crust on top of the apples.

Hold the pie plate in waiter-serving fashion with the hand that you don’t write with. Use the back of a table knife to cut the two layers of crust even with the pie pan.

You may have noticed the hole in the previous picture where the crusts didn’t quite meet. This is not a time for panic. Pick up a piece of the crust you just cut off and place it over the hole like so. You’ll see that I have two such places to mend. Pat the extra piece into place and trim the excess.

Gently tap the crust until you can’t see the mending line. (Or it’s very faint.)

There are a couple of ways to seal your two crusts together. This method is fast and easy. Check cookbooks for other methods. Pinch the crust all the way around.

Poke the crust with a fork at regular intervals. This allows the steam to vent. Sometimes Nate will cut out cool designs in the top of the crust because he’s pretty talented, but I just use a fork. Sprinkle with a good coating of sugar and bake. See, it’s not so bad. Now you can eat dinner while the smell of a baking apple pie fills your house and makes it all warm and cozy.

It’s best to let your pie set up for and hour or two before you serve it. That never happens at our house. Top with whipped cream and enjoy the taste of fall.

Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1/2 -3/4 cup ice-cold water

Mix flour and salt together. Use a pastry blender (or electric beaters) to combine flour and shortening. Slowly add ice-cold water until barely moistened. Makes two pie shells.

Apple Pie

6-8 cups apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 -3/4 cup sugar
1 T. flour (I increase to 2 T. if I use a lot of lemon juice.)
1/2-3/4 tsp. cinnamon
a sprinkling of nutmeg

Combine and stir to coat apples. Pour into pie shell and top with pie crust. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes. Let cool and top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!

(You may want to cover the edges with foil for the first 25 minutes to prevent over browning. I’ve never had to do that with my stoneware pie dish.)

AND REMEMBER (I’m pretty sure this falls under the rule about being able to hustle comments.)

If you’ve never left a comment on my blog, Monday is the day to do that. In fact, tell all your friends to visit and leave a comment as well. Why? you ask, because I really, really want to win a copy of a Everett Prusso’s new book Ghost Waves. Oh, and I’m a wee bit competitive. I like to win.

And if I win, you win. That’s right, everyone who comments on my one sentence post will be entered in a drawing to win a free book here. I will have six titles for you to choose from, and most are signed copies. Happy commenting.

So, how am I doing at hustling Karen? Have I stepped over the line yet?

Fresh Peach Pie

Kate — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:46:23 +0000

You need one pie shell cooked and ready to go.

First boil a pot of water for removing the peach skins. I like to use my pasta pans because of the ease of draining, but you can use a large saucepan or stock pot and a pair of tongs to remove the peaches.

Once the water is boiling, drop 3 peaches in. Yes, I realize there are eight in the picture–that’s for later. Just use your imagination. Let the three peaches sit for 30-60 seconds and then…

Remove them to a bowl of ice water. After 30-60 seconds you can begin removing the skins. (When I’m canning peaches I scrub the kitchen sink and then fill it with ice water for the ice bath.)

The way I like to do this is make a slice all the way around the peach. Then I use my thumb to slide the skin off.

Easy as…pie! You knew I’d say that. Now I insert my thumb into the slice I made earlier and pull the peach apart. Then I lay the halves in my palm, slice them, and place in the blender.

Blend in blender:
3 fresh peaches, peeeled and pitted
1/2 cup sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Pour into saucepan. Cook until mixture boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 tsp. almond extract and 1 T. butter. Cool in fridge.

Meanwhile dip 8 more fresh peaches in the boiling water and cool in ice bath.

Remove skins, pit and slice into pie crust.

Pour glaze over sliced peaches. You will have to lift the peaches and let the glaze run under and around or it will spill over. See the bottom portion of photo that I conveniently cropped off? Spillage. Now it wouldn’t do that if I would just follow the original recipe and only use 4-5 fresh, sliced peaches. But we like a lot of fruit in our pie!–and there’s plenty of glaze to spare for 8 peaches. Now put the pie in the fridge for 2 hours–no less!

Okay, okay. If it’s a school night and ten to eight and this is the FHE treat and you know there won’t even be a crumb to capture on film after your family gets through with the pie, then, and only then, you can remove the pie from the fridge after only one hour. But I’m warning you, it won’t be completely set and will be a little hard to photograph because it wants to ooze all over the plate instead of hold its shape–but the taste is divine–because it was never cooked it has a scrumptious fresh peach taste. Top with whipped cream unless of course your fresh cream refuses to whip and you’re too lazy to skim another gallon of milk to see if it has thicker cream. Then serve plain and…Enjoy!

Fresh Peach Pie

Ingredient list:

1 pie shell, cooked
3 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced for blender
1/2 cup sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 T. butter or margarine
8 peaches, peeled and sliced (Can use only 4-5)

Blend in blender:
3 fresh peaches, peeeled and pitted
1/2 cup sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Pour into saucepan. Cook until mixture boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 tsp. almond extract and butter. Cool in fridge while slicing remaining peaches into prepared pie crust . Pour glaze over peaches, lift and stir when necessary; chill. Top with whipped cream if desired.

(I also frequently omit the pie crust and stir the glaze and peaches together and serve as a fruit salad or dessert cup.)

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Kate — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:43:52 +0000

Maybe you’re like me and are inundated with zucchini about now. Understand I’m not complaining. I’m actually grateful that our zucchini is living up to its reputation. In years past I would pick one maybe two zucchini and wait two days–yes two whole days–before another zucchini was ready. So when I checked the zucchini a couple of weeks ago, I was unprepared for this turn of events.

Not bad, eh?

The novelty is beginning to wear off and I’ve already shredded, measured, and placed two cup portions into freezer bags and August is just beginning. Even the pigs have feasted on zucchini. This is when it’s time to pull out Nate’s Grandma’s Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe.

First shred the zucchini. You’ll need two cups of shredded zucchini. A hand grater works just fine. I used one for years before I got this attachment for my Bosch. You’ll notice I don’t peel it. Just give it a good wash.

Combine:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a separate bowl cream together:

3/4 cup butter or shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Add 1/2 cup of milk and 2 cups shredded zucchini. Then add flour mixture to creamed mixture a little at a time until combined. Grease the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.

Pour into a 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped nuts. Here I used pecans, but I’ve used walnuts and almonds with good success before. Also sprinkle with semi-sweet chocolate chips and either white chocolate chips or like I’ve done here Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips. There’s no specific amount–just do it till it looks purty. Then bake at 350° for 1 hour and enjoy.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Combine:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a separate bowl cream together:

3/4 cup butter or shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Add:

1/2 cup of milk
2 cups shredded zucchini.

Then add flour mixture to creamed mixture a little at a time until combined. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Sprinkle with:

1 cup of chopped nuts, your choice
semi-sweet chocolate chips
white chocolate chips or Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips

Bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Mini Cheesecakes

Kate — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:09:59 +0000

A friend from college introduced me to this delicious summer evening dessert. I’m so glad to get this recipe typed up and off of the stained and folded half-sheet of paper stowed in my recipe box. Here’s what you’ll need:

A muffin tin and cupcake liners, too.

Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Place one vanilla wafer in each liner.

Beat together:

2, 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour filling over vanilla wafers in muffin tin. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Please do not freak out at this point. When you pull the mini cheesecakes out of the oven 99% of them will have fallen in the middle. This is a good thing. It creates a divet to hold the pie filling. Carefully remove them to a cookie sheet and place in the fridge–or freezer if you’re like me and running behind and need to chill these puppies pronto!

Remove liner and top with pie filling of choice. Here I chose cherry and blueberry ’cause I like red, white and blue in July. Serves 18-24 depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners.

Mini Cheesecakes

Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Place one vanilla wafer in each liner.

Beat:

2, 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour filling over vanilla wafers in muffin tin. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Chill. Remove liner and top with pie filling of choice to serve. Serves 18-24 depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners. Enjoy!

Raspberry-Lemon Meringue Cake

Kate — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:26:21 +0000

A couple of months ago my husband and I went to Las Vegas. I left three of my children with a sister in-law who made this for them. When I picked them up the first thing my ten-year-old son said was, “Mom, Stacy has a recipe you need.” Later that night my then seven-year-old daughter said, “Stacy made strawberry shortcake with raspberries and lemons. Can you make that?” and still later my thirteen-year-old said, “We had a really good cake at Stacy’s.” So I had to get the recipe and try it out while I had fresh raspberries. It is scrumptious. Thanks Stacy!

Raspberry-Lemon Meringue Cake

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
Finely grated peel of 2 lemons, plus ½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 sticks (8ounces) unsalted butter, softened
2 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar
4 large eggs plus 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
One 11-ounce lemon curd
(or canned lemon pie filling, that’s what I used because my local grocery store doesn’t carry lemon curd)
1 ½ cups fresh raspberries

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with wax paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, stir together the milk, lemon peel and lemon juice.
Using a handheld mixer, beat the butter with 2 cups confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the whole eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and bake until springy to the touch, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let cool completely.
Clean the mixer. Beat the remaining ½ cup confectioners’ sugar and the egg whites. Place over a saucepan of barely simmering water and cook, whisking, until the confectioners’ sugar dissolves and the mixture is hot to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and the mixture is cool, 7 to 10 minutes.
Peel the paper off 1 cake layer and place bottom side down on a cake plate. Spread one-third of the lemon curd on the cake and arrange the berries on top. Drizzle the remaining curd evenly over the berries. Peel the paper off the remaining cake layer and place upside down on the filling. Top the cake with the meringue.
Preheat the broiler to high. Broil the cake just until the meringue peaks are golden, about 2 minutes.

Enjoy!