Armenian Orange Cake

My Arizona friend Nancy gave me this superb Autumn recipe 16 years ago. I can’t believe I’ve waited all this time to try it! When I did, it instantly became a favorite!

Who could resist its lightly orange-flavored crumb crust, the orange-flavored cake batter over that, the crunch of lightly toasted nuts, and the orange-liqueur in its whipped cream topping? Not only is this cake delicious - it’s easy!

Armenian Orange Cake:

2 c. (500 mL) brown sugar

2 c. (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 c. (125 mL) butter or margarine

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

2 tbsp. (15 mL) freshly grated orange zest (See Note)

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) powdered allspice

1 c. (250 mL) dairy sour cream

1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/2 c. (125 mL) chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line bottom of 9-inch (23 cm) square metal or glass baking pan or dish with parchment. Spray-grease sides of dish or pan.

In medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, butter, salt, zest, and allspice. Cut and mixture with pastry blender or two knives until crumbly and well blended. Spoon half crumb mixture into pan, lightly patting into place. 

Combine sour cream with baking soda. Quickly blend with egg. Pour into remainder of crumb mixture with egg, mixing quickly but thoroughly. Pour batter over crumbs spreading right to edges. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 40-to-45 min. until toothpick poked into center comes out clean.

Note: One medium orange produces about 1 tbsp. (15 mL) zest. Be sure to zest extra for the topping!

Prepare Orange Whipped Topping while cake bakes. Serve cake warm, with orange topping.

Orange Whipped Topping:

1 c. (250 mL) heavy cream (whipping cream)

2 tbsp. (25 mL) icing sugar

1 tsp. (5 mL) freshly grated orange zest

2 tbsp. (25 mL) orange-flavored liqueur 

Whip cream until stiff. Stir in sugar, peel and liqueur. Refrigerate about 1 hr., to blend flavors.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans

I adapted this recipe from one that appeared on inspiredtaste.net - a charming site that reeled me in with its great photos and interesting recipes. But after diverging and diverging and diverging from a filled squash recipe on that site, I found no reason to say I’d used one of the site’s recipes. Filling squash with ground meat, a sauce, veggies, or nuts is not uncommon. So  here’s what I arrived at by using what was in my cupboard at the time. I must add that it was delicious … I’ll definitely make this again! Pecans can be expensive … Use walnuts, if you prefer.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans:

1 medium acorn squash (each approx. 5 in. or 12.7 cm long)

1-t- 2 tbsp. (15-to-30 mL) canola oil

3 tbsp. (45 mL) demerara sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tbsp. (30 mL) butter or margarine

3 tbsp. (45 mL) roughly chopped pecans, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. (I used a toaster oven). Cut unpeeled squash in half,  scooping out seeds with a grapefruit knife. Slice each half into another half. You will now have four wedges. 

Place wedges on parchment-lined baking sheet or toaster oven tray. Brush with oil. Press sugar into cavity of each wedge, seasoning lightly. Bake (see Note) until soft, 25-to-30 min.

As squash bakes, melt butter in small pan. Add lightly toasted pecans, cooking 20-to-30 sec. Spoon into center of each squash wedge. Serve hot. Yields 2 servings. 

Note: The word “Roasted” sounds more compelling than good ol’ “Baked,” so I’ve used it.

We grew this fat little squash in our garden!

Scoop out the seed-filled centers. 

And cut in half again. 

Brush a little oil ...  

On the inner surface of the squash.

Fill with demerara sugar; season lightly.

Serve hot. One small squash serves 2.

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins

As muffins go, those made in our village coffee shop are superb. What sets them apart from the norm, is the addition of three - not the usual two, but three - interesting ingredients. I’ve begun doing that in my own muffin-making, and it’s definitely tasty. Don’t be afraid to experiment when you bake: Muffins are a good place to start.  

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins:

2 c. (500 mL) all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. (15 mL) baking powder

1/4 tsp. (1.25 mL) salt

1 c. (250 mL) granulated sugar

3-1/2 oz. (100 g) dried mango slices

5-1/4 oz. (150 g) dried, sugared ginger slices

1/2 c. (125 mL) walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped 

1/3 c. (80 mL) canola oil

1 c. (250 mL) milk                                               

Mango, Ginger, and Walnut Muffins

1 egg

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) orange or lemon extract

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) orange or lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Spray-grease muffin papers for standard muffin pan. Bring water-filled kettle to a boil.

In large bowl, throughly combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Set aside. 

Pour enough boiling water over mango slices to cover. Set aside 10 min. Drain and blot reconstituted mango dry with paper towel, chopping mangos coarsely. You should have a loose (not packed) measure of about 1/2 c. (125 mL). Chop ginger slices into bite-sized pieces. You should have a loose (not packed) measure of about 1 c. (250 mL). 

In small bowl, combine mango, ginger, and walnuts. Add to dry ingredients until evenly distributed. In separate bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, extract, and zest. Making a “well” in dry ingredients, add wet ingredients all at once. Mix quickly, just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon or ladle into prepared muffin cups in pan, adding slightly less than 1/2 c. (125 mL) batter to each muffin cup. Bake 25-to-30 min. until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out dry. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.   

Shirley’s Grammy’s Famous Fruit Salad

 Today marks my friend Shirley’s 85th birthday! Sometimes, she’d rather be 60. Wouldn’t we all?

We celebrated yesterday, over lunch. 

I’ve known Shirl 20 years. She’s on the left; I’m on the right. Wine … Always the wine. 

Lunch and a glass of vino loosened Shirley’s lips. 

I pried those lips open wide enough that Shirley parted with her highly prized recipe for her grandmother’s (aka “Grammy’s”) fruit salad - a recipe so deliciously simple that Grammy didn’t serve it as dessert, but as a side dish for special dinners. 

Naturally, the proportions vary with the number at the table, but make plenty because everyone will want seconds. Make this at least two-to-four hours in advance, giving the marshmallows time to soften in the juices the fruits release.

Shirley’s Grammy’s Famous Fruit Salad:

Bananas, sliced as coins

Apples, peeled in bite-sized chunks 

Oranges, peeled in bite-sized chunks

Red grapes, rinsed, blotted dry, halved or quartered

Mini-marshmallows (Grammy had to quarter big ones … Ain’t progress grand?) 

Heavy cream (“whipping cream”), as desired, but enough to mix throughout the salad

Icing sugar (confectioner’s or powdered sugar), as desired

Gently combine fruits and marshmallows. Cover and refrigerate 2-to-4 hr. Beat cream with icing sugar until cream is lightly sweetened and stands in soft peaks. Combine cream with fruits until completely distributed.

I can’t be sure, but this salad may just have been a factor in Shirley’s and Grammy’s long lives (Don’t get me started on how Grampy used to chase Grammy around even after she’d lost both legs and was confined to a wheelchair. This is not an XXX-rated recipe blog).

Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Excellent, even though simple and fuss-free!

Cranberry-Orange Sauce:

1 c. (250 mL) water (see Note)

1 c. (250 mL)) granulated sugar

3-to-4 c. (675 ml-to-1 L) fresh or frozen cranberries

1 tbsp. (15 mL) orange zest

1 tbsp. (15 mL) marmalade

Simmer water (or water and orange juice) and sugar in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add cranberries, zest, and marmalade, continuing to simmer 8-to-10 min. Serve chilled.

Note: Or use equal parts water and orange juice to make 1 c. (250 mL)

For more cranberry recipes like this one, see One Click: Cranberry Sauces, Relish, and Chutney.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples

I met her at the supermarket, over a bin of brussels sprouts. As women do, she asked: “How do you cook brussels sprouts?” Little did I know this was a leading question - leading in to her sprout recipe, which she generously gave me on the spot. 

“That sounds like a fantastic recipe!” I cried. “It is,” she said, without one shred of modesty. “If we have any sprouts left over, I eat them cold, the next day.” Too bad we didn’t exchange names. We were picking sprouts from the bin as she gave me her recipe.

This recipe has no proportions, because everything depends on the number of brussels sprouts you intend to cook.

Not to worry! Experienced cook that you are, you’ll figure it out. Newbies and klutzes, ask your mother or auntie or BFF and you’ll figure it out, too. What follows is what the very nice lady told me.

Brussels Sprouts with Apples:

Prepare and array all ingredients in advance. Take some red onion, a little olive oil, brussels sprouts (du-uh!), a little apple juice, one or more apples, (peeled and cubed into about 1/2-in. or 1.3 cm squares), and a dollop of balsamic vinegar. When the cooking’s done, add fresh grindings of salt and freshly ground pepper.

To prepare sprouts, rinse those of similar size (Let those less discerning shoppers buy the older, larger, woody sprouts - not you!). Your sprouts should be pleasantly green - not dull green. 

Trim away yellow or loose leaves. Cut away the woody part of the stem, slicing each sprout in half. This will help them cook more quickly. 

If you were one of those less discerning shoppers, cut an X in each sprout stem if you prefer them whole, or halvie those big ol’ sprouts to improve their appearance and make them look kinda sexy. I haven’t looked kinda sexy for more than 50 years, so I wanted to halve my sprouts, for sure. So, let’s get started!

Peel and slice as much of the onion as you like, remembering that the sprouts - not the onion - are the star of the show. To a skillet of a size appropriate to your needs, add oil. Sauté onion in oil on medium-to-medium high heat. Then!

Add and sauté the sprouts with the onion, stirring frequently. Sprouts should look slightly charred. Toss in some chunked, peeled apple. Or not, as you please. Next!

Apple juice. You don’t need much … Just enough to start steaming the sprouts before you slam a lid on the skillet. Immediately reduce the heat under the skillet to medium low, and keep a close watch. You don’t want the sprouts to burn, but nor do you want them over-done. They should be hot, slightly seared, and just cooked through. Finally!

The balsamic vinegar. Drizzle it on. It’s powerful stuff. 

For more recipes like this one, see One Click: Brussels Sprouts.

Stir-fry red onion and halved brussels

sprouts in oil, lightly charring sprouts.

Add apple chunks (if desired) with

a little apple juice to steam sprouts.

With lid on skillet, steam 1 or 2 min. 

I served these crisp brussels sprouts 

between carrots and Oven Roasted Yams.

My Very, Very Favorite Pecan Pie

I never make this pie. Never, ever, ever! That’s because it’s incredibly simple and sinfully delicious. If you use a commercially made pie crust, this pie takes 35 min. from start to finish. Why do I never make it? From the lips to the hips, Dollinks … 

My Very, Very Favorite Pecan Pie

My Very, Very Favorite Pecan Pie

Pastry for single-crust 9-in. (23 cm) pie

1 c. (250 mL) halved pecans, lightly toasted and cooled

1/3 c. (75 mL) butter or margarine

3 eggs

2/3 c. (150 mL) granulated sugar

Dash salt

1 c. (250 mL) golden corn syrup

Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Line pie pan with pastry crust, fluting edges above top of pan. Sprinkle pecans evenly over unbaked pastry. Set aside.

Melt butter or margarine. Set aside to cool slightly. Combine remaining ingredients, beating until frothy. Add melted butter, continuing to beat. Pour well-beaten ingredients over pecans. Bake 10 min. 

With pie still in oven, lower heat to 350 deg. F. Continue baking 25 min. more. Slice into 8 portions. Serves one (me!).