Popovers

Here's a recipe I recently tried. I've done some reading and have discovered that many believe that popovers are the same as yorkshire pudding. This may be so. However, I actually made lemon popovers...I don't know if that constitutes yorkshire pudding!

Popovers more than double in size, and when cooked right have a crisp exterior with a soft and hollow interior.

The directions for lemon popovers are found in the 'variations' section at the bottom.

Popovers
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I substitute almond, rice or soy milk)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Grease and flour six 6-ounce custard cups.

In a medium bowl beat room temperature eggs slightly, Beat in flour, room temperature milk, baking powder and salt until just smooth; being careful not to overbeat. Fill custard cups, muffin tins, or ramekins 1/2 full.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for 20 minutes more. 

Remove popovers from the oven, and unmold onto a rack. Pierce the sides with the tip of a sharp knife to let steam escape (this will keep the exterior crisp, the interior moist, and prevent the popovers from collapsing), and serve immediately with lots of butter.
Variations:
Exchange the milk for lemon juice and top with lemon honey butter. (lemon honey butter can be made with equal parts lemon juice and honey and butter...or use half of the amount of lemon juice if you don't enjoy the tartness)

Lemon Squares

Like most kids who grew up before the 80s, my mom belonged to many clubs, including a bridge club. That also meant that at least once a month our house would host an evening bridge night.

Invariably, this also meant that along with helping to do some extra cleaning there was often baking cooling on the counter when we got home from school the night of the event. Baking that we were to keep our hands off of. 

One of my favourite desserts...or squares, or dainties as they were often called was a Lemon Square. The lemon square was that perfect combination of mouth puckering tartness and lovely sweetness.

I really like to cook with lemons and recently I decided I'd make this old standby.

Lemon Squares

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners'/icing sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 lemons, juiced
4 Tbsp lemon zest


in the oven, ready to cook


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour, confectioners' sugar and 2 Tbsp of the lemon zest. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden. In another bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, lemon zest and 1/4 cup flour. Whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.

4.Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

The squares will firm up as they cool.

After pan has cooled, cut into uniform 2 inch squares and serve.

Optional, sprinkle confectioners' sugar over the squares after cutting


Lemony goodness.

Quick Baked Beans with Apples

This recipe has been adapted from a recent Best Recipes show. (The show's picture is featured here)

Ingredients

1 cup apple cider
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of  crushed garlic
2 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper

Cook ingredients on medium in saucepan to combine the flavours and cook down the onions and garlic

Add:
2 cans Navy Beans that have been rinsed (until there are no more bubbles coming off of the beans) and drained
2 large apples cut into 1" chunks (they'll cook down)
Place in a casserole baking dish.
Place the slices of 2 large apples over the top of the beans mixture, overlap slightly.
Bake for 2 hours at 300 degrees

This recipe is called "Quick" because it uses canned beans. You can replace the canned beans with beans that have been soaked overnight.

Optional:
Some people prefer to have ham, bacon, or another type of pork in their beans. You can add chopped up meat in this dish, but there is also lots of protein in the beans.

Sorbet

I need some summer warmth for this treat, but maybe if I write about it, the weather will cooperate?
Raspberry Sorbet

Heat 1/4 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar and 1c grape juice
stir until sugar disolves
add 1lb frozen raspberries
add 2 tbsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt
pour mixture into a shallow dish and cool
freeze for 6 hours
break into chunks
put into a food processor and puree until smooth
freeze until ready to serve
You can dress it up with a sprig of mint, and a few fresh raspberries. You can also change up the fruit and the juice.
Try bartlet pears and red wine, or strawberries
I like sorbet because it doesn't have milk in it. It probably has too much sugar, but the real fruit helps to balance that out!
I don't have my own picture for this blog, yet, but will put one in as soon as I can!