Crack Into These ‘Nutty’ Recipes MAPLE PEANUT DELIGHTS 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened Vi cup butter, softened 6 cups confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon maple flavoring 2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating 1 cup chopped peanuts In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar and flavoring until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls. In a heavy saucepan (or microwave), melt candy coating, sprinkle with peanuts. Place on waxed paper lined baking sheets. Refrigerate. Yields about 8 dozen. Kari Martin Lancaster County Dairy Princess TOASTED ALMOND CARAMELS 1 teaspoon plus Vi cup butter, divided 2 cups sugar 1 cup light corn syrup Vi teaspoon salt 1 cup whipping cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped almonds, toast ed Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and butter foil with 1 tea spoon butter; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, com syrup, salt, and remaining butter. Bring to a boil over medi um heat, stirring constantly. Re duce heat to medium-low; boil gently without stirring for 4 min utes. Remove from the heat; slowly stir in cream. Return to the heat; cook, without stirring, over medi um-low heat until a candy ther mometer reads 245° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla and almonds. Pour into prepared pan (do not scrape sides of saucepan). Cool com pletely. Cut into squares. Wrap indi vidually in way paper or foil; twist ends. Yields about 4 dozen. Kari Martin Lancaster County Dairy Princess FRUIT CAKE 1 cup sifted flour Vi teaspoon baking powder 'A teaspoon cinnamon 'A teaspoon allspice 'A teaspoon cloves A teaspoon mace 1 cup figs, chopped 1 cup dates, chopped 1 'A cup raisins 1 cup orange peel, chopped Vi cup maraschino cherries, chopped 1 cup chopped nuts '/: cup shortening Vi cup sugar 3 eggs, unbeaten Recipe Topics If you have recipes for topics listed below, please share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you include ac curate measurements, a complete list of ingredients, and clear instructions with each recipe you submit. Be sure to include your name and address. Recipes should reach our office one week be fore the publishing date listed below. Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. March 15 Favorite Suppers 22 Springtime Desserts 29 Ethnic (Asian) Recipes April 5 Italian Recipes Vi cup maraschino cherry juice Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices and mix with fruit and nuts. Cream shortening, add sugar gradually and cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, singly, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add mixed dry in gredients and fruits alternately with liquid. Pour batter into an Bxsx3-inch loaf pan, which has been lined with oiled brown paper, or wax paper. Bake in a low oven (250°) about l/i hours. Mrs. Myrtle E. Sorge Sicklcrville, N J. PECAN CAKE ROLL 4 eggs, separated 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 2 cups ground pecans 1 cup whipping cream 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons cocoa Vi teaspoon vanilla Chocolate shavings and addi tional confectioner's sugar, optional In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and confectioner’s sugar until thick, about five minutes. In another bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form; fold into yolk mixture. Fold in pecans until well blended (batter will be thin). Grease a 15xl0xl-inch baking pan; line with waxed paper and grease and flour paper. Spread batter into pan. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touch ed. Turn onto a linen towel dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in towel, starting with short end. Cool on wire rack 1 hour. Mean while, beat the cream, sugar, cocoa and vanilla in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Care fully unroll cake. Spread filling over cake; roll up again. Refriger ate. If desired, garnish with choc olate shavings and confectioner’s sugar. Makes 10-12 servings. Note: This cake does not contain flour. Vera Jane Newswanger Morgantown, Pa. CANADIAN RUM CAKE 1 pound chopped, pitted dates 1 pound chopped walnuts Va cup butter I'A cups firmly packed light brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup boiling water 3 eggs, well beaten 2'A cups sifted all-purpose flour 'A teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons rum Cream butter and sugar until well blended. Add dates and nuts. Mix soda with water and pour over first mixture. Add eggs. Stir in flour and salt, beat ing until smooth. Add rum and blend well. Turn into greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 300° over for VA hours. Optional rum glaze: Mix 'A cup confectioner’s sugar with 2 teaspoons milk and 1 ta blespoon rum. Spread on warm cake. Deborah Goff Riegelsville, Pa. MACADAMIA NUT FUDGE 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces) 1 cup macadamia nuts, coarse ly chopped 1 ounce unsweetened choco late, finely chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2'A cup sugar 1 5-ounce can evaporated milk 12 large marshmallows Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line the bottom of the pan with foil. In a large bowl, com bine the butter, chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, unsweetened chocolate, and vanilla. Attach a candy thermometer to a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, evapo rated milk, and marshmallows. Bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring constantly to pre vent burning. Cook stirring con stantly until mixture reaches 238°. Pour the hot mixture into the bowl and let stand for 30 minutes. Stir until the mixture begins to thicken, about 1 min ute. Spread evenly in the prepar ed pan. Let stand until complete ly cooled. Cover with foil and let stand over night to allow the flavors to mellow. Invert the fudge and remove the foil. Reinvert and cut into squares. Store the fudge at room tempera ture in an airtight container. Makes about 2 pounds. Cristin Crile Washington County Dairy Princess EARTHQUAKE CAKE 1 cup chopped pecans 1 cup flaked coconut 1 chocolate cake mix 3-3 /i cup sugar 'A cup margarine 8 ounces cream cheese Grease and flour 9x13-inch pan. Sprinkle in bottom of pan, pecans and coconut. Cream sugar, margarine, and cream cheese. Set aside. Mix chocolate cake mix as directed and pour over coconut. Spoon cream cheese mixture over top of cake and bake at 350° for 45-60 min utes. Don’t use too large a cake if using own recipe or it may run over. Janet Rosenberry Chambersburg, Pa QUICK ENGLISH TOFFEE Vi cup chopped pecans Vi cup butter Vi cup firmly packed brown sugar Vi cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces Sprinkle nuts in buttered 9-inch pie plate. Melt butter in heavy IV2 quart saucepan; add sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly to 290° on candy thermometer (hard crack stage). Pour toffee over nuts. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces; when melted, spread with a spat ula. Cool. Refrigerate to set choc olate. Break into pieces. Wrap and store in refrigerator. Melissa Wolfe Sun Area Dairy Princess (Turn to Page B 8) Almonds dress up this entree Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts Stuffed With Smashed Almonds, Mascarpone, and Lemon. Featured Recipe The truth about nuts is finally out of its shell. Despite the fact that adding nuts to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can help lower levels of LDL cholesterol (or “bad” cholesterol), when substituted for foods high in saturated fat, a recent survey by Roper Starch revealed that 61 percent of Americans think that nuts are high in cholesterol. In the past decade, people have avoided fat in foods in pursuit of weight loss, better nutrition and healthier living. The problem with this is that there are foods, such as nuts, which contain fat that can be a positive addition to a healthy diet and beneficial to the body. Findings of several studies reveal that adding nuts to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol can help lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol when substituted for foods high in saturated fat. The re sults of these studies have also linked diets high in monounsaturat ed and polyunsaturated fats, such as the fat in nuts, with maintain ing “good” cholesterol (also known as HDL cholesterol). Much of the fat found in nuts including peanuts, almonds, wal nuts, cashews and hazelnuts, macadamias, and pecans is monoun saturated and polyunsaturated fat. With their unique combination of fats, carbohydrates and proteins, along with a wide variety of vi tamins and minerals, nuts can fit perfectly into a healthy eating plan that is high in the good fats and low in saturated fats and cho lesterol while being calorie-balanced for weight maintenance. The good news about nuts is especially important for today’s in creasingly busy families. Many families are eating meals on the go and fitting in quick snacks between activities. Nuts offer a nutrient dense, convenient snack alternative. More information on nuts and nutrition, plus quick recipes from Nabisco, can be found at www.planters.com. PAN ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS STUFFED WITH SMASHED ALMONDS, MASCARPONE, AND LEMON x h cup of roasted almonds with coriander, chili and olive oil (see recipe) 6 large heaped tablespoons of mascarpone cheese Zest and juice of 1 lemon 4 large boneless chicken breasts (free range, skin on) V* cup chicken stock olive oil sea salt ground black pepper 2 bulbs of fennel 1 pound fresh spinach olive oil salt and pepper Blend the roasted almonds in a food processor or in a pestle and mortar until roughly smashed. Then mix 4 tablespoons of the mascarpone, roasted almonds, lemon zest and juice. Blend and season. Working from one side of the chicken breast slip your Angers in between the skin and the flesh, being careful not to complete ly remove the skin. Push one good spoonful of the aimond-mas carpone paste in the gap of each breast then press the skin firm ly back, saving any leftover paste. Take a hot non-stick pan, drizzle it with a little olive oil and place the breasts skin side down. After a minute, when lightly golden, turn to seal the other side. (If you don’t have a pan with a metal handle, transfer to a roasting tray at this point.) Place in the pre-heated 425°F oven for around 10 minutes until cooked. Meanwhile cut the fennel in half lengthwise, then into thin slices. Throw into a medium hot pan with a little olive oil and seasoning, stir in a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover and leave to cook slowly about 5 to 10 minutes. When the chicken is cooked, remove to a warm plate and rest for S minutes whilst you move the pan or tray back on the heat and add the stock; allow to cook down to almost nothing, not forgetting to scrape the pan bottom for all its goodness. Finish the sauce by stirring in the rest of the mascarpone and any re maining paste; keep on the heat so it continues to simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Season to taste. By this point the fennel should be just cooked. Season and chuck in the spinach, leave to wilt down. Serve the chicken with the fennel and spin ach, drizzle the sauce over and around the chicken. Servings: 4 This recipe is from the Almond Board of California
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