Cream Horns

Oh, the joys of pressing nose and palms against a refrigerated pastry case to spy Cream Horns in all their glory! I remember doing that! As well I should … I was 57 or 58, at the time. Cream Horns are not all that difficult to make. They’re also beautiful served on an occasion as special as Valentine’s Day! All you need are some Cream Horn molds, a pastry bag, and a fluted tip to pipe the pastry with whipping cream. With those few items in place, you’re ready to rock ’n’ roll, Dollinks!

Cream Horns:

One 7-½ oz. (397 g) pkg. frozen commercial puff pastry, thawed

Granulated sugar, as required

2-½ tbsp. strawberry or raspberry jam
1 c. heavy cream
2 tsp. icing sugar (confectioner’s or powdered sugar)

⅓ oz. (10 g) package or 1 scant tbsp. whipping cream stabilizer (see Note)
Sifted icing sugar (confectioner’s or powdered sugar)

On a lightly floured work surface, roll pastry into a 21 x 7-½ in. rectangle. Cut lengthwise strips ¾-in.-wide. I use a ruler: Don’t eyeball this! Working with one strip at a time, dampen pastry lightly with water. Starting at wide end of Cream Horn mold, press one end of pastry against outside of mold, moist-side out. Do not press pastry over bottom edge of mold. With your thumb inside to rotate mold, wind pastry strip around it, overlapping edges slightly. Seal pastry at pointed end of mold (this will get easier as you practice it). Dip one side of horn in granulated sugar. Place horn sugar-side up on parchment-lined baking sheet. Continue winding remaining pastry strips onto molds.

Preheat oven to 425 deg. F. Bake pastry-wound molds 10-to-12 min., until pastry is puffed and golden. Cool slightly before carefully sliding molds from baked pastry. Pastry will be fragile. Transfer unmolded pastry horns to wire rack until completely cool. Using a very small spoon, place 1 tsp. jam inside the tip of each baked, cooled horn, ensuring it drips right to the bottom. Whip heavy cream with 2 tsp. icing sugar and stabilizer until stiff peaks start to form. Transfer cream to pastry bag, piping into fully cooled pastry. Yields 8.   

Note: I have previously recommended that you buy Dr.Oetker’s “Whip It” whipping cream stabilizer (see my October, 2011 blogs for Pavlova and for Macadamia Nut Cream Pie). While this is an excellent product, it’s a little pricey. I’ve just discovered that many baking supply stores sell whipping cream stabilizer in bulk. You can buy this product online through www.scoop-n-save.com This company sells worldwide, but make sure you’re buying enough to make the cost of shipping worthwhile. Alternately, check baking supply specialty outlets in your area or read How to Stiffen Whipped Cream in the post below this one.

Further Note: The secret to a good cream horn is to roll the puff pastry quite thinly. You may need to practice this until you get the knack of it. Pastry rolled too thickly expands too much, reducing the amount of cream you can pipe inside and making the pastry gummy at the horn’s wide mouth.  

Start with a block of puff pastry

Begin rolling it out ... more, more, MORE!

Measure pastry rectangle as you work

Thinner, thinner, THINNER! 

A woman in need of a manicure? Nope!
Cream horn molds

Slice pastry into strips 3/4-in. wide x 21 in. long.
Moisten outside edge so overlapped pastry will stick  

Wind pastry strip over mold

With thumb inside, rotate mold

Wind remaining pastry strips
over molds 

Dip horns in granulated sugar

Bake 10-12 min. at 425 deg. F.

Baked horn should easily slip from mold

Cool completely before filling

Let jam drip into tip of horn

Prepare to whip cream

Fill piping bag with stiffened cream

Pipe directly into cream horn

Flute top of cream, dusting horns with
a little sifted icing suar 

How to Stiffen and Stabilize Whipped Cream

To prevent whipped cream from separating over several hours, you need to add a whipping cream stabilizer. A stabilizer helps the cream hold piped rosettes and stiff peaks when presentation is key. While you can buy a commercial stabilizer to do this (check the baking aisle of your nearest supermarket or a bakery supply store), you can make your own quite easily. 

To stiffen 1 c. (250 mL) of heavy cream, set the cream momentarily aside. Soak ½ tsp. (2.5 mL) unflavored gelatin in 1 tbsp. (15 mL) cold water in a very small bowl for 5 min. Dissolve gelatin by placing the bowl over a small pot of simmering water (I use a jar lid to elevate the bowl above the water). Stir gelatin until fully liquid; set aside to cool. 

And now, the cream: Whip cream until it starts to form soft peaks. Add cooled, melted gelatin and continue whipping until cream reaches desired consistency for piped or swirled garnishes. Use as recipe directs.

Cherry Cream Cheese Bites

These not only taste fabulous, but look gorgeous - just like you, Dollinks!

Cherry Cream Cheese Bites:

1 8-oz. (250 g) pkg. brick-style cream cheese, softened

⅓ c. icing sugar

Dash of salt

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

19 oz. (540 mL) can crushed pineapple, well drained

1 tbsp. juice from maraschino cherries

20 maraschino cherries, coarsely chopped, drained

1 c. mini-marshmallows

2 c. sweetened, long-grain coconut

Combine well and chill all ingredients except 1 c. of the coconut. Roll into 1-in. balls, chilling further. Using two spoons, roll chilled balls in remaining coconut. Serve semi-frozen.

Cherry-Almond Nanaimo Bars

Love is in the air! I have a clutch of Valentine’s Day recipes coming your way over the next few days! Forgive me, but I’m not going to photograph every recipe I’m presenting for this romantic day. These sweet treats are lusciously calorific, but if your darling has a sweet heart and an even sweeter tooth, these pink, cherry-filled triple-layer bars are really quite wonderful! They’re among my tried-and-true favorites.

Cherry-Almond Nanaimo Bars:

To Prepare the Bottom Layer:

½ c. (125 mL) butter or margarine

¼ c. (60 mL) granulated sugar

⅓ c. (80 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. (5 ml) vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

1 c. (250 mL) sweetened medium-thread coconut

1-¾ c. (390 mL) graham wafer crumbs

½ c. (125 mL) finely chopped almonds

Add the butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and beaten egg to a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in coconut, graham wafer crumbs, and almonds. Pat firmly into greased 9-in. square pan. Chill at least 1 hr.

To Prepare the Filling:

¼ c. (60 mL) butter or margarine, softened

2 tbsp. (30 mL) cherry juice

1 tsp. (5 mL) almond extract

2 c. (500 mL) sifted icing sugar

⅓ c. (80 mL) coarsely chopped maraschino cherries

Cream butter, cherry juice, and almond extract. Gradually beat in icing sugar until mixture is completely smooth. Stir in cherries. Spread over chilled bottom layer in pan. Chill at least 30 min., until firm.

To Prepare the Top Layer:

Two 1-oz. (28 g each) squares semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped 

1 tbsp. (15 mL) butter or margarine

Partially melt chocolate and butter over - not in - simmering water. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Drizzle chocolate over chilled cherry-almond filling. Chill until set. Makes approximately 30 bars.

Note: If you love this sweet treat, try The Original Nanaimo Bars, too.

Tex-Mex Nachos

Over the past few days, I’ve made several slurs against football for which I now apologize. Some of my best friends watch football, which - as everyone knows - is exactly like tennis, but played with a bigger ball and different shoes. Back in the days when the losing team had to aerate the winning team’s lawn, football players wore spikes on their shoes. Today, team salaries being what they are, everyone has a gardener.

There are, in truth, several good things about football. I like that the guys pray in a little circle before the player known as the “designated hitter”  tosses the ball through his knees. This is called a “Hail Mary pass.” Not only are atheists, agnostics, and fans of different faiths strangely quiet about that, but I haven’t heard any protests that Madonna is singing at half-time.

In a nod to the game’s international audience, each team retreats to the locker room for a hearty dish of Scrimmage (a type of kimchi served with perogies) when the game is over. The winning team takes home the Davis Bowl, which they fill with iced beer during frat parties, where guests have Scrimmage, too (I tried to get the recipe, but the teams’ agents played hard ball - a game similar to pickle ball, but with a bigger bat. They wanted too much money for the rights. So much for the term “free” agent).  

I’m of the opinion that one highly questionable football play should be outlawed. Nothing justifies the “Pooch Kick.” Blog reader Jim Lefevre’s golden receiver, Rusty, is up in arms about that, and Rusty doesn’t even have arms. The “Red Dog” and “Hot Dog” also concern him, and while Rusty does enjoy chasing the occasional “Loose Ball,” all those perfect lawns and teams of gardeners have left him with a kidney problem. 

Now that everyone understands football, let’s move on to something yummy to serve during the game! 

Tex-Mex Nachos:

3 medium avocados, well ripened

2 tbsp. (30 mL) lemon juice

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) pepper

1 c. (250 mL) sour cream

½ c. (125 mL) mayonnaise

1- 1.2 oz. (35 g) package taco seasoning or 2 tbsp. (15 mL) Cajun spice

1 - 14 oz. (398 mL) can refried beans

1 large bunch green onions, chopped fine

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup (250 mL) chopped or sliced black olives, rinsed and drained

2 c. (500 g) grated cheddar

Nacho chips

Peel, pit, and mash avocados in a bowl with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, and taco seasoning. Spread refried beans on bottom of large glass bowl. Top with avocado mixture and layer with seasoned sour cream. Sprinkle with green onions, tomatoes, and olives. Cover with grated cheese. Serve with nacho chips. Yields 10.

Note: You can also make your own Creole or Cajun Seasoning.

Further Note: If you like this recipe, try my Southwest Taco Salad. 

Nicole’s Favorite Chili Con Carne

There’s no real trick to making chili. Throw in a few kidney beans, chuck in an onion, add a little (or a lot) of spice, some ground beef … But let’s back up a moment. Some people like it hot - others, not. Purists don’t add beans. Vegetarians don’t add meat. Some chill lovers use ground beef; others prefer cubed steak. And some add chocolate, for a molé. Other than that, just as I’ve said, there’s no real trick to making chili. I like mine con carne - with plenty of meat! 

With tomorrow’s Super Bowl looming, you gotta admit that chili and football go together like cheerleaders and testosterone. I’ve always been a sucker for a man who wears padded shoulders, so I’m making chili for the big game! While I have many chili recipes, this is one of my very favorites. 

Nicole’s Favorite Chili Con Carne:

1 tbsp. (15 mL) vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and sliced paper thin

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1-½ lb. (0.680 kg) ground beef

2 - 19 oz. (540 mL each) cans red kidney beans, drained

1- 28 oz. (796 mL) can diced tomatoes with juice

7-½ oz. (213 mL) can tomato sauce

3 tbsp. (45 mL) chili powder

3/4 tsp. (7 mL) salt

1 bay leaf 

¼ tsp. (1.25 mL) cayenne pepper

Dash of hot sauce

Sour cream, as needed

Grated cheddar cheese, as needed

Heat oil in large, heavy saucepan. Add onion, green pepper, and beef, breaking beef apart and separating onion rings to brown all surfaces. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce. Cover and cook gently over low heat 45 min., stirring occasionally. Remove cover, cooking a further 45 min. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a generous sprinkle of grated cheddar. Serves 6.

Chop green pepper, slice large onion.

Stir pepper, onions, and beef, breaking beef apart.

Drain kidney beans.

Add beans and tomatoes to chili.

Add hot sauce, spices, bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low 45 min.; uncover and repeat.

Serve in a bowl ...

Or, for an even more nutrious choice,  
serve overcooked butternut squash.

Saucy Jumbo Shrimp

The term “jumbo shrimp” is an oxymoron. This means that the first word is logically at odds with the second, just like the terms “fish fingers,”  “cherry tomato,” “cold hotdog,” “cotton candy,” and “eggplant.” I’m one of those people who happens to believe that “football fever” is an oxymoron. How can you get a fever in your foot? Or in … Moving right along!

Today’s recipe is succulent and delicious! Make it once and everyone will ask for more! You’ll be so busy in the kitchen that you won’t even have to watch the game! (If I were a betting woman, I’d say either the Patriots or the Giants are going to win. So why bother watching?) 

Saucy Jumbo Shrimp:

1-½ lb. (700 g) jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, split butterfly-style 

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

¼ c. tempura batter mix (dry)

½ c. vegetable oil

¼ c. Honey-Garlic Sauce or Honey-Mustard Sauce or Sweet and Sour Sauce 

Marinate shrimp in oyster sauce for 20 min.; coat with dry tempura batter mix. Heat oil in deep skillet until smoking. Flash-fry shrimp 1 min. Serve with choice of sauce on the side.

Honey-Garlic Sauce:

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. hoisin sauce

2 tbsp. liquid honey

1 tbsp. dry sherry or chicken stock

1 tbsp. plum sauce

1-½ tsp. cider vinegar

1 small garlic clove, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat or microwave, uncovered, at full power 1-to-2 min., just until sauce starts to boil. Serve warm or cold.

Honey-Mustard Sauce:

2 tbsp. dry mustard

¼ c. granulated sugar

2 tbsp. white vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat or microwave, uncovered, at full power 1-to-2 min., just until sauce starts to boil. Serve warm or cold.

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

½ c. ketchup

2 tbsp. white vinegar

1-½ tbsp. granulated sugar

1-½ tsp. cornstarch or tapioca starch

1-½ tbsp. cold water

Combine all ingredients except starch and water in a small saucepan over medium heat or microwave, uncovered, at full power 1-to-2 min., just until sauce starts to boil. In a small bowl, stir  cornstarch and water into a smooth paste. Combine with ketchup mixture, stirring well. Serve warm or cold.

Tortilla Flats

Food and football are a natural pairing. Even if you have no interest in Super Bowl Sunday, pause in front of the TV as you serve these, saying something profound such as “All ri-i-ight!” and “Way to go!” and (conversely) “No wa-a-ay!” Then zip it and retreat to the bedroom to paint your toenails or split the atom. When the crowd calls for a beer, plead a touch of ebola and suggest they serve themselves. The great thing about this football snack is that you can make plenty the night before, and the guys can help themselves. Better yet, the guys can make plenty the night before, and you can make whoopee. 

Tortilla Flats:

8 oz. (250 g) pkg brick-style cream cheese, softened

⅓ c. mayonnaise

1 tbsp. chili powder

½ tsp. granulated sugar

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

⅔ c. raw broccoli, stems removed and finely chopped

Eight 7-in. (18 cm) flour tortillas

Combine all ingredients except tortillas. Spread 2-to-3 tbsp. of mixture on each tortilla, rolling tightly. Wrap tightly in cello, refrigerating  overnight. Unwrap immediately before serving, slicing on the diagonal into ½-in. pieces. Makes about 50.

Classic Cheese Fondue

Football! Love it or leave it, it’s here to stay. 

There! This qualifies as the Perfunctory Pigskin Proclamation in Super Bowl Week, suggesting a level of knowledge I do not now and never will possess. Halfbacks … quarterbacks ... piggybacks (the guys who run around with the ball) ... touch downs ... smack downs ... eiderdowns ... It’s all the same to me, but I am given to understand that the New Zealand Patriots and the Oakland A’s (or is it the San Francisco Giants?) will be going at it this Super Bowl Sunday. 

My job (should I choose to accept it) is to prepare some Super Bowl snacks that I’ll blog today through Saturday. No pictures this time, Dollinks! If I actually ate all the stuff in my recipe file, let’s just say that I wouldn’t exactly have a tight end. In fact, I’d be larger than the Goodyear blimp. I will say that I’ve made these recipes in the past, and that every single one is delicious. So let’s sideline the usual nachos and chips as we make an end run for … 

Classic Cheese Fondue:

12 oz. Swiss Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (about 3 c.)

12 oz. Swiss Gruyere cheese, coarsely grated (about 3 c.)

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour or 1-½ tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca starch

3 c. dry white wine
1 large whole garlic clove

Coarsely ground pepper and nutmeg, to taste

Dash of salt
3 tbsp. Kirsch

2 Italian or French-style baguettes, cut into 1-in. cubes (see Note)

In a large bowl, combine grated cheese with flour or cornstarch. Set aside. Add wine and garlic to medium pot over high heat, boiling 1 or 2 min. before removing garlic with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to simmer. stirring in grated cheese mixture one handful at  time, stirring between additions until melted and smooth. When all the cheese has been added and mixture is smooth, add Kirsch. Season to taste. Transfer to cheese fondue dish over lit flame, just so mixture barely simmers. Serve by dipping and twirling cubed bread into the hot cheese with long-stemmed fondue forks. Serves 6-to-8.

Note: For a healthier fondue, substitute chunks of fresh broccoli, cauliflower, or carrot spears for the bread.

Cheddar and Beer Fondue

If you’d still like to make a fondue but would prefer to cut costs - and Honey, who wouldn’t? - try this budget recipe!

Cheddar and Beer Fondue:

½ c. butter or margarine

½ c. flour

½ tsp. dry mustard

2 - 12 oz. (1 - 355 mL) bottles or cans of beer

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1-½ lb. grated cheddar (about 6 c.) 

2 Italian or French-style baguettes, cut into 1-in. cubes

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, blending in flour and mustard. Gradually stir in beer and Worcestershire sauce, continuing to cook until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat, stirring until smooth and thickened. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring between additions until cheese melts and mixture is smooth. Transfer to cheese fondue dish over lit flame, just so mixture bubbles. Serve by dipping and twirling cubed baguettes into hot cheese with long-stemmed fondue forks. Serves 6-to-8.