Penny Rubin’s Almond Roca

You’ll want to lock yourself in the bathroom and eat this Almond Roca until you feel sick. That’s not wise. You’ll want to do it, anyway, but it helps to know that this candy makes a great gift. 

My dear friend Penny Rubin Fishman gave me this recipe in - yikes! - 1973. Although she died 25 years ago, I think of Penny each time I make this outstanding treat. I hope she knows I’m sharing this recipe with you. I think she’d be delighted! 

Penny Rubin’s Almond Roca:

1-½ c. plus 2 tbsp. (355 mL) whole almonds, toasted (skinned or natural), divided

1 c. (250 mL) butter or brick-style margarine

1-⅓ c. (330 mL) granulated sugar

3 tbsp. (45 mL) cold water

1 tbsp. (15 mL) light corn syrup

6 oz (300 g) pkg. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Spread whole almonds over baking sheet, stirring often for 5-to-7 min. until nuts start to brown. Measure 1 c. plus 2 tbsp. (280 mL) whole almonds to equal 1 c. (250 mL) coarsely hand-chopped almonds. Set this cup of almonds aside. Hand-chop remaining almonds to equal ½ c. (125 mL) finely chopped. Divide as two ¼ c. (60 mL) portions of almonds. Set these two portions aside.

Combine butter, sugar, water, and corn syrup in large, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, about 20 min. (see Note) or until candy thermometer reaches 300 deg. F. Add 1 c. (250 mL) coarsely chopped, toasted almonds to mixture in pot, stirring well to ensure even distribution. Immediately pour onto well-greased baking sheet with sides. Using silicone spatula, spread to desired thickness. Cool to room temperature before refrigerating 30 min. to set.

Melt milk chocolate in double boiler over stove top or in microwave oven (see Index for How to Melt Chocolate). Spread half of warm chocolate over cooled Roca, sprinkling with ¼ c. finely chopped toasted almonds. Refrigerate 30 min. or until chocolate is set and loses its sheen. 

Slip a thin metal spatula between pan and chilled, hardened mixture, freeing Almond Roca from pan. Turn candy over,  repeating with remaining warm chocolate and remaining finely chopped almonds. Refrigerate 30 min. to set chocolate. Break into serving-sized pieces, storing in airtight box in refrigerator. 

Note: The size of your saucepan will determine the exact cooking time of the butter-sugar mixture. In the wide base of the large pot I used, the mixture took slightly less than 10 min. to reach 300 deg. F. - about half the 20 min. Penny’s pot required. It’s essential to keep a close watch on your candy thermometer.

Bring butter-sugar mixture to 300 deg. F. 

Chop portion of toasted almonds fine; some coarse.

Melt milk chocolate in double boiler or microwave.

Coat Almond Roca with chocolate and almonds. 

Refrigerate 30 min. Turn; repeat. Break into pieces.

Have a happy holiday season!

Christmas Carrot Cake

These moist, personal-sized carrot cakes make a great gift! Made ahead of the festive season, the frosted cakes can go directly into the freezer, wrapped, boxed, and labeled. 

The frosting freezes well, so I ice the cakes (without the holly) before tucking them into the freezer. What I like so much about this easy recipe that you can just dump everything into a large bowl - kerplop! - ignoring the usual preparation steps most cakes require. 

Naturally, if you decide to mix the ingredients a day ahead of baking, omit the baking soda and powder as well as half the flour. When you’re ready to bake the cakes, combine the remaining flour with the baking soda and powder, mixing into the other ingredients well. As you know, grating the carrots in a food processor will save considerable time. If you don’t already have a food processor or grater attachment to your electric mixer, buy yourself one for Christmas!

Christmas Carrot Cake:

2 c. (500 mL) canola oil
2 c. (500 mL) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3-⅓ c. (830 mL) all-purpose flour
1-¼ tsp. (6.2 mL) baking soda
1-¼ tsp. (6.2 mL) baking powder
2-½ tsp. (12.5 mL) cinnamon
1 tsp. (5 mL) salt
2-½ c. (625 mL) grated carrots
One 14-oz. (830 mL) can crushed pineapple with juice
1-⅓ c. (coarsely chopped walnuts
1-⅓ c. (330  mL) raisins, plumped (see Index for How to Plump Dried Fruits)

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Add all ingredients to large bowl, mixing until thoroughly combined. Pour into your choice of greased and floured pans:

• A 13x9-in. pan, baked about 70 min.
• Twelve personal-sized bundt pans measuring 3-in. in diameter, baked about 35 min.
• Two 9x9-in. cake pans, baked about 60 min.  

Cool on rack. When thoroughly cool, top with Christmas Cream Cheese Frosting.

Note: Depending on your oven and altitude, baking times may vary slightly. Cakes are done when a skewer inserted at or near their centers comes out clean.

Pour combined ingredients into pan/s.

Ready for the oven!

Baked: Still moist but golden brown!

A skewer is a reliable test for doneness.

Cranberry-Orange Chutney

Holiday meals are built on tradition, but gradually introducing a couple of “new” traditions makes for a welcome change. Yesterday, I made this chutney for the first time. It was so good that I plan to include it in this year’s “traditional” holiday meal. Bottled and presented with a flourish, this chutney also makes a great hostess gift. 

Cranberry-Orange Chutney:

3 large oranges

4 c. (1 L) fresh or frozen cranberries

2 c. (500 mL) water

1 c. (250 mL) white vinegar

3 c. (750 mL) brown sugar

¼ c. (60 mL) honey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 c. (500 mL) light or dark raisins

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) each cinnamon, allspice, ginger, mace, and cayenne

1 tsp. (5 mL) salt

⅛ tsp. (0.63 mL) crushed chili pepper flakes

1 tbsp. (15 mL) Grand Marnier or other orange-flavored liqueur (optional)

Finely grate enough zest from oranges to equal 4 tbsp. (see Note) Peel oranges, slicing away as much of the white pith as possible. Slice fruit into small chunks. Set aside. In a large pot (6 qt.-to-8 qt. or 6-to-8 L) over high heat, bring cranberries, water, and vinegar to a rolling boil. Stir frequently and continue boiling, uncovered, 3-to-4 min. or until cranberries soften and “pop.” 

Add all remaining ingredients except oranges and orange-flavored liqueur, stirring until mixture returns to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 90 min., stirring occasionally. Add oranges. Simmer 30 min. longer, until mixture is the consistency of thick jam. 

Remove from heat, adding orange-flavored liqueur, if desired. Cool to room temperature on wire rack. Pour into sterilized jars or solid-sided containers. Cover and refrigerate for short-term storage of up to two weeks. Yields 6 c. (1.5 L) chutney.

Note: Never waste orange zest! If you can’t use extra zest right away, let it dry at room temperature before bottling, labeling, and freezing for later use.  

For more cranberry recipes like this one, see Sauces Relishes Chutneys Jams Jellies and Preserves: One Click

Use fine-cut grater to remove zest from oranges.

Combine berries, water, and vinegar in large pot.

Bring to a boil until berries “pop.”

Add most other ingredients, simmering 90 min.
Add oranges, simmering a further 30 min.

Cool, package, and label.

Don’t be shy! Tell the world you made it yourself!
Craft stores stock these or similar labels.

Christmas Cream Cheese Frosting

If you find yourself with extra time and extra cream cheese, why not make and freeze this simple frosting for future use? The Index features a couple of other Cream Cheese Frostings; it’s always handy to have a few from which to choose, depending on the taste you prefer and the ingredients you have on hand. I used this to frost the carrot cakes in the post above.

Christmas Cream Cheese Frosting:

Two 8-oz. (250 g) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

½ c. butter, softened

2 c. sifted icing sugar (“confectioners” sugar or “powdered” sugar)

1 tsp. white vanilla extract

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until well blended. Gradually add sugar, beating after each addition until thoroughly mixed. Add vanilla. Refrigerate or freeze any remaining frosting after use. Yields 3 c.

Beat all ingredients together.

This frosting takes only 1 min.

Lavishly frost an “at-home” cake to be served straight from dish.

Spread fancier cakes with thin “crumb frosting” to hold 
crumbs in place. Chill until set. Frost with final coat.

Place in parchment-lined tin for gift-giving.

These two-portion cakes make a welcome surprise!

Prize-Winning Chili

This bean-free chili deserves its name! Once you’ve browned the beef, set it and forget it in a crock pot - such an easy thing to do in the busy days before Christmas! 

Prize-Winning Chili:

2 tbsp. (30 mL) vegetable oil
2 lb. (1 kg) boneless beef round, sirloin, or chuck, in 1-½-in. cubes
Two 14-oz. (398 mL) cans tomato sauce
½ c. (125 mL) beef stock
½ c. (125 mL) water
1 c. (250 mL) coarsely chopped onion
3 tbsp. (45 mL) chili powder
1 tbsp. (15 mL) light brown sugar
1-½ tsp. (6.25 mL) garlic powder
1 tsp. (5 mL) cumin
1 tsp. (5 mL) dried oregano
½ tsp. (2.5 mL) tarragon
¼ tsp. (1.2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
Dash ground allspice
2 medium bay leaves, crumbled

Add oil to large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add beef in batches, stirring until well browned. Add remaining ingredients, bringing just to the boil. Transfer to crock pot (see Note). Cook, covered, 5-to-6 hr. over low setting or until meat is tender. Serves 6-to-8.

Note: If you prefer, cover and simmer chili on stove top about 2 hr., stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, adding more water as needed.

Chili Con Carne Mexicana

This is an excellent chili. Having said that, I haven’t made this recipe since 1996, and before that, 1982. Perhaps as you do, I sometimes get stuck in a rut, making my favorite chili (posted Feb. 4, 2012) over and over. But when I recently promised to send a friend a great chili recipe for a pre-Christmas dinner party, this was the one that came to mind. 

“Different” from most North American chilis, this is a “mole” (pronounced “moh-lay”) - a spicy meat dish made with chili peppers, their flavor softened with a little chocolate. In making this dish again last night, it was just as good as I remembered it. The recipe serves four, but doubles and quadruples well.

Chili Con Carne Mexicana:

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-in. pieces
2 c. coarsely chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. (454 g) lean ground beef
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 c. tomato sauce
½ c. beer or ale
½ c. water
2 tbsp. chopped, canned green chili peppers
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 bay leaf, crumbled
¼ tsp. salt
One 19-oz. (540 mL) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained 
½ c. pitted, sliced, drained black olives (“ripe” olives)
One 1-oz. (28 g) square semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp. hot sauce
Sour cream, as garnish
Parsley, as garnish

In large, heavy skillet, stir-fry bacon over medium heat until soft and slightly browned. Add onion and garlic, continuing to fry 5 min. Stir in ground beef until no pink remains, breaking beef up as it cooks. Stir in chili powder, cooking 2 min. longer. Add tomato sauce, beer, water, canned peppers, cumin, bay leaf, and salt. Cook just until mixture boils; cover and reduce heat, simmering 1 hr. 

Add kidney beans, olives, chocolate, and hot sauce, stirring just until chocolate melts. Cover and cook 15 min. longer. Serves 4.

Fry bacon until soft and barely colored.

Add onions, garlic, and ground beef.

Add tomato sauce, beer, water, peppers, and seasonings.

Simmer, covered, 1 hr.

Stir in beans, chocolate ...

… Ripe olives, hot sauce.

Serve at once!

Tomorrow, another outstanding chili recipe - this one, made with top-grade stewing beef.

White Bean Soup with Truffle Oil

This soup sounds veddy-veddy elegant, but isn’t. It’s just good ol’ bean soup, hearty, delicious, and great for winter weather. If the butler has the day off and you can’t find the truffle oil, leave it out. This soup freezes well.

White Bean Soup with Truffle Oil:

2 tbsp. (10 mL) olive oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 large Russet potatoes, peeled and chunked into 16ths
8 c. (2 L) commercial or homemade poultry or vegetable stock
Two 19 oz. (540 mL) cans white beans, drained and rinsed (see Note) 
1 c. (250 mL) milk
2 (10 mL) tsp. salt
¼ tsp. (1.2 mL) pepper (white, if available)
Squeeze of juice from ½ fresh lemon (optional)
3 tbsp. (45 mL) white truffle oil, as garnish (optional)
Finely minced parsley, as garnish

Add oil to large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic just until soft; do not brown. Add potatoes and stock. Bring to a boil and immediately lower heat. Cover and simmer 15 min. Add beans, simmering a further 10 min. Cool to room temperature before puréeing in batches on high speed in blender goblet. Reheat, adding milk and seasonings. Stir in a squeeze of lemon. Drizzle with truffle oil and sprinkle with parsley. Serves 10.

Note: Use white kidney beans (also called cannellini beans), pinto beans, or navy beans. With those unavailable, I used Romano beans. 

Combine onions, garlic, potatoes, and stock.

Purée soup cooled to room temperature.

Reheat, stirring in milk and seasonings.

Garnish with truffle oil and parsley.

Quick Sausage Hash

This excellent and very economical dish makes a fast breakfast, brunch, or lunch - exactly what you need at this busy time of year!

Quick Sausage Hash:

2 tsp. (10 mL) canola or other cooking oil
4-to-8 breakfast sausages, sliced into ¾-in. (1.9 cm) pieces
4 c. (1 L) frozen shredded hash browns
¼ c. (60 mL) chopped onion, finely chopped
¼ sweet red bell pepper, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. (15 mL) fresh parsley or cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 poached eggs (optional)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to hot skillet, frying until lightly browned. Add hash browns, onion, and red bell pepper to fat in skillet, flipping and frying until hash browns are golden and onion and pepper are soft. Season and sprinkle with parsley just before serving. Top with poached egg. Serves 2. 

Toss sectioned sausage into heated pan

Flip ’n’ fry … flip ’n’ fry!

Prepare to serve in less than 10 min.!

Martha’s Peppermint Hot Chocolate

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! This Yuletide recipe originates with the December, 2006 edition of Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food. I’ve made a couple of minor

Mmmm-mmmm!

changes, but the basic recipe is hers. As an optional addition, you may want to try ¼ oz. (30 g) peppermint schnapps in each mug.

Martha’s Peppermint Hot Chocolate:

⅓ c. (80 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder
4 c. (1 L) whole milk
½ c. (125 L) semi-sweet chocolate chips 
7 peppermint sticks (3 crushed to make ¼ c. (60 mL); 4 left whole)
Dash salt

Place cocoa in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk until cocoa has dissolved. Add chocolate chips and crushed peppermint; simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chocolate and peppermint melt, 8 to 10 minutes. Bring to boil and immediately remove from heat. Add dash salt and ladle into mugs, topping each with peppermint stir stick. Serves 4.

Use the flat end of a meat mallet ...

… to break up a small candy cane to garnish this drink.

Even Frankie, our chauffeur, personal secretary, and pet fish,
is in a holiday mood! To see more about Frankie, put his 
name into the search engine at the top left of this page.

René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza

A totally anonymous reader (okay, my brother René) has emailed one of his favorite  pizza recipes. Ah, but here’s René now, smiling as ever! 

René. 

René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza:

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Have all ingredients assembled and prepared before starting. Roll The Perfect Pizza Crust Version 1 onto a lightly greased baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Most pizzas start with a good pizza sauce. Vary the proportions as you wish, but René and Leslie’s Tomato Pizza includes a combination of tomato sauce and tomato paste, blended with a little pesto.

To this base, add some or all of the following toppings:

Tomato slices, blotted dry to remove excess liquid 

Cooked bacon, sliced into squares

Red and green bell peppers (capsicum), chopped finely 

Black olives, sliced

Artichoke hearts, blotted dry and sliced

Fresh baby spinach, rinsed, dried, and stemmed

Asiago cheese, grated

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Hard feta cheese, drained, blotted dry, crumbled

Chanterelle mushrooms, sliced, fried, blotted dry, and frozen for use out-of-season 

Red onion, chopped

Deli meats as required and desired!

Bake 16-to-18 min.on middle oven rack for fully loaded pizza in baking pan as shown. Writes René: “When we divide the crust recipe between two 12-in. (30 cm) pizza pans, we bake them one at a time - about 14 minutes for a moderately-loaded pizza.” René and Leslie adjust the time accordingly for less-loaded or more-loaded pizzas. 

With the pizza still on the middle rack, they then set the oven to broil for a further 2 min., or a total of 16 min. per 12-in. round pizza. René and Leslie live at a high elevation not far from the Canadian Rockies. 

Red and green bell peppers (capsicum), chopped finely 

Black olives, sliced

Artichoke hearts, blotted dry and sliced

Fresh baby spinach, rinsed, dried, and stemmed

Asiago cheese, grated

Mozzarella cheese, grated

Hard feta cheese, drained, blotted dry, crumbled

Chanterelle mushrooms, sliced, fried, blotted dry, and frozen for use out-of-season 

Red onion, chopped

Deli meats as required and desired!

Bake 16-to-18 min.on middle oven rack for fully loaded pizza in baking pan as shown. Writes René: “When we divide the crust recipe between two 12-in. (30 cm) pizza pans, we bake them one at a time - about 14 minutes for a moderately-loaded pizza.” René and Leslie adjust the time accordingly for less-loaded or more-loaded pizzas. 

With the pizza still on the middle rack, they then set the oven to broil for another 2 min., or a total of 16 min. per 12-in. round pizza. René and Leslie live at a high elevation not far from the Canadian Rockies. They suggest this may affect the pizza’s baking time. I agree.

It’s a Build Yer-Own Pizza Party - for your household 

only, during the coronavirus pandemic.

If you live at sea level or at moderate elevation, bake this pizza about 25 min. If you live at a high altitude, check out The Accidental Scientist: Baking at High Altitude.

For more pizza recipes, see One Click: Pizza or Pizza: One Click.

Cream of Onion Soup

Another onion soup, you ask? For others, go to One Click: Onion Soup or Onion Soup: One Click.

Long story, cut short: So when I tried to hoist the bag, my knees buckled and it wouldn’t budge. “This is the heaviest bag of onions I’ve ever tried lifting,” I thought to myself. 

“Need help with those onions?”

Ooo-la-laaah! Ripping muscles. Smiling eyes. Name tag … OK, name tag with the supermarket’s name, but you can’t have everything. He ignored the carts he’d been corralling and raised his eyebrows as if to ask “Well ..?” 

Suddenly, I was channeling Marilyn Monroe’s breathy voice: “Ohhhh … How sweet of you! If you wouldn’t mind … I just feel so …so weak.”

“No wonder you feel weak!” he said. “This bag of onions weighs 50 pounds!”

“Fifty - whaaaa?” I’d thought the bag was a really, re-ee-lly heavy 25-pounder. At less than $9 for the whole bag, I thought it was an amazing sale at 25 pounds. At 50 pounds, it was extraordinary. Mr. Muscles had already picked up the bag, whisked me through the check-out, and deposited the thing in the trunk of my car for Ron to deal with later. He was gorgeous (Ron … yeah, Ron!) and I was too embarrassed to say I’d make a mistake. Fifty pounds! Each of those onions was a monster - bigger than a softball! 

Fifty pounds of onions for $9 bucks. Breathtaking!

So we’ve been using a lot of onions, lately. And sharing them with the neighbors and our family. And hoping someone might break in and steal them from the back porch. 

Live with it. You’re getting another onion soup recipe. Play your cards right, and it may even be a different recipe from the ones I’ve already given you. This one’s remarkably quick to make, and lip-licking delicious.

Cream of Onion Soup:

¼ c. (60 mL) butter or margarine

1 tbsp. (15 mL) canola or olive oil

2-to-2-½ c. (500-to-625 mL) coarsely chopped onions

1-½ tbsp.(15-to-23 mL) all-purpose flour

½ tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

1 c. (250 mL) evaporated milk

3 c. (750 mL) poultry stock (see How to Make Poultry Stock)

4 egg yolks, beaten

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Parsley, as garnish (optional)

In large, heavy-based pot over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil together. Add onions all at once, stirring constantly and gradually lowering heat to medium-low. When onions are soft and start to yellow, add combined flour and salt, stirring 1 min. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and stock, heating between additions and stirring until mixture begins to thicken. 

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, 5-to-10 min. Stir about a cup of hot soup into yolks. Turn heat under pot off. Immediately add warmed yolk mixture to soup in pot, stirring well until heated through. Taste for seasoning, adding Worcestershire sauce. Garnish if desired. Serves 4.

Cook onions in butter and oil until soft and pale yellow.

Slowly add evaporated milk and broth to onion-flour mixture.

Simmer, covered, on low heat.

Whisk four egg yolks ...

Add a little hot soup to beaten yolks.

Deliciously creamy … just as onion soup lovers desire!