Ingredients

Fruit Filling

• Four Ripe Pears
• 1 Cup Chopped Pecans
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Coffee Cake

• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Cups Sour Cream (or Creme Fraiche or Yoghurt)
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
• 8 Ounces Unsalted Butter At Room Temperature
• 1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Lemon Peel
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
• Dash Of Salt
• 2 Cups Granulated Sugar
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Preparation time
40 minutes

Preparation
Prepare your pan by buttering either a 10″ cake pan, or a 10″ bundt pan.

To prepare the filling, peel and core the pears. Cut the fruit into 1/2 inch dice. Mix together with the rest of the topping ingredients, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the eggs and sour cream with the vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg mixture, and on low speed mix well with the butter mixture.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix just until it is combined. Pour half the mixture into your prepared pan, and spread the filling mixture over top. Pour the rest of the batter over the filling and carefully spread evenly. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve either warm, or at room temperature.

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup sunflower seed
• 1/2 cup pine nut
• 1/2 cup roasted or blanched almond
• 1 cup raisins or 1 cup currants
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• filo sheets
• soft or melted ghee, for brushing
• sesame seed

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation

• Combine first seven ingredients in food processor. Process for about thirty seconds, just long enough to chop up the ingredients but not so long that it pulverizes them.
• Spread several filo sheets sparingly with soft ghee. Remember, the more ghee you use, the more calories from fat are added. Just use barely enough to hold the filo sheets together.
• Spread filling at one end and roll up, adding more ghee if necessary.
• Cut into small pieces, about two inches. Place on cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden. Cool completely before serving.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 1/2 c Butter
• 1/2 c Shortening
• 2 c Sugar
• 5 Eggs (separated)
• 2 c Flour
• 1 ts Soda
• 1 c Buttermilk
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1 cn Flaked coconut (3-1/2 oz.)
• 1 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Icing

• 8 oz Cream cheese (softened)
• 1/4 c Butter
• 1 lb Powdered sugar (sifted)
• 3 tb Water
• 1 ts Vanilla
• 1/3 c Pecans (finely chopped)

Preparation time
60 minutes

Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream butter and shortening; add sugar and beat until mixture is smooth. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Combine flour and soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Stir in vanilla. Add coconut and chopped pecans. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into 3 greased and floured 8 inch cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool.

Icing
Blend cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar and water, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and blend. Spread between layers and top and sides. Sprinkle top with pecans.

For more flavor and taste, coconut and pecans may be added between the layers.

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.

Recipe for:  1 pie

Ingredients

• 1 – 9 inch unbaked pie shell
• 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup walnuts

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In medium saucepan, melt chocolate and butter or margarine over low heat. Stir in coffee, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Pour filling into pastry shell. Top with walnuts.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until center is set. Cool.

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: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg + 3 egg whites
• 3/4 cup fruit sweetener
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 cups raw shredded carrot
• 2/3 cup chopped nuts
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation time
20 minutes

Preparation

• First Blend oil, eggs, vanilla & fruit sweetener and beat them well. Stir in pineapple.
• Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt. Mix all to the blended mixture.
• Stir in coconut, carrots and nuts.
• Pour into 9″ X 13″ cake pan which has been sprayed with non stick coating.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 C) for 30-40 minutes.
• Cool and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Serves: 18 canollis

Ingredients

Filling

• 3 cups Ricotta cheese (use the full fat kind)
• 1 1/4 cups Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup Finely chopped candied
• Citron (optional)
• 1/4 cup Semi=sweet chocolate pieces

Pastry

• 3 cups Flour
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 3 tablespoons Shortening
• 2 Eggs – well beaten
• 2 tablespoons White vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Cold water
• 2 ounces Pistachio nuts
• 1 Egg white – slightly beaten

Preparation time
45 minutes

Preparation

For filling
Combine and beat until smooth (about 10 minutes with an electric mixer at medium-high speed). Stir in, mixing thoroughly, citron and chocolate pieces. Place mixture in refrigerator to chill.

For pastry shells
Sift together first 4 ingredients into a bowl. Cut shortening in with a pastry blender until pieces are size of small peas. Stir in eggs. Blend in, a tablespoon at a time, the vinegar and cold water. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Use a small amount of additional flour if necessary to get a smooth dough. Wrap in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Set out six aluminum cannoli tubes (6 inches long, about 3/4-inch diameter). Set out deep saucepan or automatic deep-fryer. Add vegetable oil (or half vegetable oil and half olive oil) and heat to 360 F. Cut an oval shaped pattern from cardboard (about 6 x 4 1/2 inches). Blanche pistachios in boiling water, then cool and finely chop pistachios. Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut with a pastry cutter and using the oval pattern. Wrap dough loosely around tubes slightly overlapping opposite edges. Seal edges by brushing with egg white. press edges together to seal.

Fry only as many shells as will float uncrowded one layer deep in the hot oil. Fry about 8 minutes or until golden brown, turning occasionally in the oil. Drain over the pan before removing to paper toweling. Cool slightly and remove tubes, then cool completely. Continue forming and frying cannoli shells.

When ready to serve, fill with the chilled ricotta filling. Sprinkle ends with the chopped nuts and dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Butter or Margarine
• 1/2 Cup Sifted powdered sugar
• 1Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Tsp Salt 3/4 Cup Finely chopped pecan
• Additional Powdered sugar

Preparation time
25 minutes

Preparation
Cream butter in a large mixing bowl; Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Combine flour, salt & pecans gradually add to cream mixture, blending well. Chill until firm.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Roll in additional powdered sugar while warm. Cool on wire racks and roll again in powdered sugar.

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.