Serves: 6

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 store-bought puff pastry sheets

Filling cream

• 125g butter
• 125g sugar
• 125g ground almonds
• 3 eggs

Preparation time
30 minutes

Preparation
Puff pastry is too difficult to make at home and can be bought frozen at the supermarket; it must be thawed before you start preparing the galette. Some pastry shops also sell their own puff pastry, which of course will taste even better.

Preheat oven to 230° Celcius (450° F). To make the filling cream (called “frangipane”), mix the sugar and butter and beat until smooth. Add the almonds and the eggs, and beat until smooth again (this can be done in a food processor). On a slightly floured cold surface, cut 2 circles the size of dinner plates out of the puff pastry. Put one of them on a floured baking sheet. Spread the frangipane cream on the circle, starting from the center, up to 2cm from the border. Brush water on the edge around the cream and place the second circle on top of the first one. Press all around the edges to seal them together.

If desired, you can decorate the galette by drawing patterns with a fork and brushing the top with an extra beaten egg.

Bake the galette for 25 to 30 minutes at 230° Celsius (450° F) until brown.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound – 1 stick margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pint (1 cup) sour cream
• 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
• 7 or 8 ounce can whole cranberry sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Glaze

• 3/4 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 tablespoon warm water

Preparation time
30 minutes

Preparation
Cream margarine and sugar with electric mixer. Add unbeaten eggs one at a time, beating after each addition on medium speed.

Mix dry ingredients and add alternating with sour cream. Add flavoring. Grease a 6 or 9 inch tube pan. Put a layer of batter on bottom then swirl some cranberry sauce over batter and sprinkle with a few nuts. Add batter, more cranberry sauce, then the remaining batter and remaining cranberry sauce. Swirl the cranberry sauce into the batter with spatula or spoon. Sprinkle with nuts.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 55 minutes or until cake tests done with toothpick. Cool in pan for 5 minutes then turn out on rack to cool, or to serve. If desires, drizzle with glaze.

Glaze: Mix sugar, water and flavoring and drizzle over cooled or cold coffee cake.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Bread, slice: 1 pkt
• Milk: 1 litre
• Sugar: 500 gms
• Double cream: 250 gms
• Cashew nuts, chopped and roasted: 100 gms
• Almonds, soaked and chopped: 100 gms
• Saffron dissolved in a little milk: 10 gms
• Cardamom, powdered: 5 nos
• Butter: 250 gms

Preparation time
25 minutes

Preparation

• Cut an individual bread slice into four pieces and fry them in butter till it gets a nice golden brown colour.
• By adding ½ litre of water to the sugar make a syrup and boil for a few minutes.
• Now add the cardamom powder and the saffron dissolved in milk to the sugar syrup.
• Boil milk until it is thickens.
• In a plate arrange the fried bread pieces and sprinkle the chopped nuts on them.
• Next pour the sugar syrup, double cream and milk alternately over the bread pieces while they are still hot.
• Once your finish with the dish, place it in the fridge and serve as chilled dessert.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh raspberries, strawberries, or a combination
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tblsp cornstarch
• 1 pint light cream Slivered almonds

Preparation time
15 minutes

Preparation
Wash and drain berries (or defrost and save liquid). There should be 2 1/2 cups total. If fresh, add 2 cups of water and cook until berries are soft. Add sugar. Mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water. Add a small amount of berry juice, mix well and stir into berry mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until pudding thickens. Reduce heat, cook 10 minutes. Turn into serving dish. Let stand until cold. When serving, decorate with slivered almonds, passed around the table, followed by a pitcher of cream.