Raspberry Cordial

Here's the Raspberry Cordial recipe we used for our Swedish Rice Pudding.  Perfect timing for us, since we're in the middle of Anne of Green Gables!

Raspberry Cordial

19 ounces frozen raspberries

1 ¹⁄₄ cups sugar

4 cups boiling water

3 Tbsp  juice

·         In saucepan add sugar to frozen raspberries and cook for 10-25 minutes, until sugar has dissolved. Then mash the mixture thoroughly.

·         Pour the mixture through a strainer and discard pulp.

·         Add the strained juice of two lemons, stir.

·         Add the 4 cups of boiling water. Let cool, then refrigerate.

*Raspberry pulp can be used as an ice cream topping.

Swedish Rice Pudding (Ris à la Malta)

I tried to add some traditional dishes from our heritage to our Christmas menu this year and this was one everyone liked.  Don't triple the recipe though... you'll have enough to feed a herd of elephants!;)

Swedish Rice Pudding (Ris à la Malta)

Rice pudding

110 g (½ cup) pudding rice (short grain sticky rice)

½ tsp salt

500 ml (2 cups) whole milk (full-fat milk)

1 cinnamon stick

2 tbsp powdered (superfine) sugar

1 packet of quick dissolving gelatine

180 ml (¾ cup) whipping cream

2 tsp vanilla sugar

1 almond, optional

1.      Place the rice and salt in a saucepan. Add 220 ml (1 cup) of water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

2.      Add the milk and cinnamon stick. Mix well, cover and leave on a medium-low heat until the rice has absorbed the milk, which will take 30-45 minutes (stir every now and then to prevent sticking).

3.      When the rice is cooked, mix the gelatine packet in a few tablespoons of water and then quickly whisk into the pudding

4.      When the rice is fairly cold, but not set, whip the cream and vanilla sugar together and then fold into the cold rice. Taste and add sugar if necessary.  Refrigerate the puddings for at least 3 hours.

Raspberry sauce

500 ml (2 cups) raspberry cordial (syrup)

1 tbsp potato flour or cornflour (corn starch)

100 g (½ cup) fresh raspberries, optional

2 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

1.      Pour the cordial into a saucepan and whisk in the flour. 2. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously, until it just boils. 3. Stir in the raspberries (optional) and the sugar. Taste and add more sugar if necessary. Serve lukewarm.

**Doubled recipe makes quite a lot.

Iced Pumpkin Coffee Cake

This is so delicious!  We made it at Thanksgiving time and I'm making it again for Christmas brunch.  I doubled the recipe...I used 1 can on pumpkin and baked it in a 9x13 pan, which took 35 minutes to bake.  But don't double the glaze.  I did that, too, and we had way too much...duh!  :)

Iced Pumpkin Coffee Cake

★★★★★4.8 from 6 reviews

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: serves 9

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An incredibly moist and flavorful spiced-pumpkin coffee cake, piled high with a crumb topping and finished with a simple glaze.

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Ingredients

CRUMB-TOPPING

·         1/2 cup (62g) all-purpose flour

·         1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons or 60g) unsalted butter, cold

·         1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

PUMPKIN COFFEE CAKE

·         2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/2 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cloves*

·         1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree

·         1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar

·         1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil if you prefer)

·         1/4 cup (82g) pure maple syrup

·         1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk*

VANILLA GLAZE

·         1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar

·         2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice coffee creamer or milk

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Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch square or round baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2.    Make the crumb topping first: In a small bowl, toss the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cold butter using a pastry blender or a fork. Mix to create clumps and crumbs. Set aside.

3.    Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves together in a large bowl until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, oil, maple syrup, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until *just* combined. Try not to overmix the batter. It will be very thick. Spoon/pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Spread to make an even surface. Pour the crumb topping evenly on top and gently press them down into the batter.

4.    Bake the cake for 30 minutes. Check the cake’s doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If the toothpick comes on clean with a moist crumb or two, the cake is done. If the toothpick has wet batter on it, bake the cake for 5 more minutes. The cake takes 32 minutes in my oven.

5.    Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar and 1 Tablespoon of creamer/milk together until smooth. Add more creamer/milk to thin, if desired. Drizzle over cake. Enjoy cake warm or at room temperature. Cover cake tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Notes

1.     Freezing Instructions: This cake may be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.

2.     Spices: Instead of nutmeg + ground cloves, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice can be used in addition to the cinnamon.

3.     Milk: I prefer to use buttermilk in this coffee cake. Buttermilk makes the cake even moister than any other kind of milk. I highly recommend it. However, regular cow’s milk or dairy-free milk would be just fine.

Find it online: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/iced-pumpkin-coffee-cake/

Garlicky Melting Potatoes

These were so delicious.  They take a bit to bake, but they're really easy.  It calls for gold potatoes, but I was cheap and went with russet.  Still delish.

Garlicky Melting Potatoes

Tbsp. canola oil 2
Tbsp. butter
2 lb. gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
2 tsp. minced rosemary leaves
¾ tsp. salt
1 cup chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, smashed

Instructions Position rack in upper-middle of oven and preheat oven to 500°F. In small pot over low heat, stir oil and butter until butter is melted. On rimmed baking sheet, toss potatoes with butter-oil mixture, rosemary and salt. Arrange potatoes in a single layer. Roast 15 minutes. Flip potatoes and roast another 15 minutes. Carefully add stock and garlic cloves and continue roasting another 15 minutes. Serve warm.