3/28/18 Cook’s
Corner
Betty Kaiser
Easter came early this year. So, my mind started
wandering down the path of wondering why the date and month vary from year to year. I looked it up and of course, the explanation
was complicated. I chose the following because I could understand it. It is from
the Roman Catholic church’s Loyola Press:
“In the early days of our Church (like today),
there were many different beliefs. The society was agricultural and many
religions used the seasons to celebrate special feasts. It was important, in
teaching about Jesus, to have people connect the Gospel message to their daily
lives. Since Jesus' resurrection was the beginning of a whole new life and
occurred so near the spring feasts, it was determined that Easter would always
be calculated as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal
equinox (that is, the first day of spring).”
Got it? Me too. Now
we can start thinking about what we’ll be serving for Easter dinner. Most of us
don’t vary the entrée and side dishes that we serve on that day. Some families enjoy
baked ham, others eat prime rib. Vegetarians might enjoy a grilled vegetable
platter with Portobello mushrooms. Still others may choose not to cook and go
out to dinner at a restaurant instead.
After a big meal, my
family looks forward to a nap and then something special for dessert. Spring
has sprung and our tastes have lightened up but we all crave a sugary treat. Our
tummies may be full from dinner but we all want to know—what’s for dessert?
Now, take it from me.
If you’re having company, try any new recipe before you have company. Friends
recently invited us to dinner and I offered to bring dessert. I tried a quick
lemon cheesecake. I still don’t know where I went wrong but it didn’t set up
and was tasteless. It was too late for a do-over, I took it, we ate some and
threw the rest away. Embarrassing? You bet.
Following are two
tried-and-true recipes. My husband’s grandmother and her sister were great
cooks. They owned a German bakery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their maiden names
were “Butter.” (That’s the truth.) Following is a Schaum Torte recipe, one of
their family’s favorite desserts. Also,
if you want to feed cheese cake to a crowd, try the Philadelphia Mini-Cheesecake
recipe. Delicious. Enjoy!
MILWAUKEE SCHAUM TORTE
Torte shell:
6 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring.
Preheat oven at 250° for one hour.
Butter a 9-inch spring form pan
In large mixing bowl, beat room temperature egg whites until
foamy. Add cream of tartar and vinegar. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks
form. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating on high speed until very
stiff peaks form.
Pour into pan, place in oven and bake for one hour. Turn off
oven, leave door shut and let stay in the oven for another hour. Remove from
oven to cool.
Betty’s Pineapple
filling:
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch’
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup crushed pineapple, well drained
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan. Gradually stir in
pineapple juice. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 min. Remove from
heat, stir in butter and lemon juice. Cool thoroughly.
Whipped cream:
1 cup whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat cream until
nearly stiff, gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff.
To assemble:
Remove torte from pan. Spread filling across top and finish
with whipped cream. Slice and serve 10 lucky guests.
EASTER MINI-CHEESECAKES
Kraft recipe
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¾ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup plus 2
Tablespoons coconut
54 speckled chocolate eggs
Heat oven to 325° F.
Mix graham crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter; press
into the bottoms of 18 paper lined muffin cups.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar with mixer
until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each just
until blended. Spoon onto crusts in pan.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until centers are almost set. Cool
completely. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Top each cheesecake with 1 tablespoon toasted coconut shaped
into a nest. Fill each nest with 3 speckled chocolate eggs. Serves 18.
Contact Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner at bchatty@bettykaiser.com
