A Recipe for the Holidays...or Any Time

Papanasi

Of all the dessert recipes I’ve made and consumed over the years, many stand out for their deliciousness and for the many requests over holidays, gatherings, and birthdays. But these days, since a large number of my "boomer" friends and family need to watch what they eat (and not just from plate to fork), I’ve had to find ways to adapt them for a variety of dietary concerns. My father, for instance, was diabetic; my brother-in-law doesn’t eat dairy; another has developed allergies to a gazillion foods; and I have cholesterol issues and need to avoid salt for my blood pressure. While almost anything in moderation can't be too bad, sometimes it’s not possible or even desirable to avoid the urge to splurge.

Take the Romanian delicacy, papanasi (pronounced pop-a-nosh). I tasted it for the first (second and third) time while visiting Romania in 2000. From Bucharest, my friend and I traveled to scenic Transylvania to the mountain resort of Sinaia and to the medieval city of Brasov, where I had the equivalent of gastric euphoria after sampling what my kids (and many others) have come to refer to as Romanian jelly donuts. They used rose petal jam in the restaurant, which was heavenly. My friend and I split a serving, consisting of two of those darlings.

Because they are fried in oil, papanasi is perfect for Hanukkah, along with latkes (yum), and other artery-choking, heart-stopping delights. Papanasi are lighter in texture than donuts and distinctive due to the soft cheese that is an integral ingredient in the dough.

I wish to thank my dear friend (and moose enthusiast), Professor Liliana Popescu, for sending me this recipe back in July 2001, which I have used on more than one occasion for our Festival of Lights celebration feast.

By the way, papanasi, or dumpling, can be prepared and cooked in a number of ways for a number of purposes (think of shrimp a la "Bubba" Buford from “Forest Gump”). The following recipe is as close to the papanasi I remember from my trip. Most of the online recipes nowadays feature an actual donut shape, topped with a munchkin. (The comments in parentheses are mine.)

Papanasi cu branza de vaci

(Fried dumplings with “Cow Cheese”)

makes four large “donuts” or eight small ones

Ingredients:

400 g. soft cheese such as farmer cheese (make sure it’s Breakstone), cottage cheese, ricotta

500 g. flour

250 g. sugar (use your judgement; sugar probably is not necessary)

3 eggs

Zest of one lemon

½ tsp. rum extract

Oil for frying

1 Tbs. confectioners sugar

Jam or preserves

Sour cream or crème fraiche

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients (except the oil, jam, powdered sugar) until the batter is the consistency of a sticky dough.
2. Mould the papanasi into balls (the ones in the Brasov restaurant must have been nearly tennis ball-size)
3. Fry in hot oil until golden (best done submersed until they rise, or turned frequently).
4. Dry on paper towels
5. While still warm use a spoon to pierce the papanisi to create an opening for the jam or preserves
6. Fill with your choice of jam or preserves
7. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with sour cream or crème fraiche

Enjoy!

 ~*~

Kathy Fischer Brown is a BWL author of historical novels, Winter Fire, "The Serpent’s Tooth" trilogy: Lord Esterleigh’s Daughter, Courting the Devil, The Partisan’s Wife, and The Return of Tachlanad, an epic fantasy adventure for young adult and adult readers. Check out her BWL Author page or visit her website. All of Kathy’s books are available in e-book and in paperback from a host of online and brick and mortar retailers. Look for Where the River Narrows (wriiten with BWL author Ron Crouch), the 12^th and final novel in BWL’s Canadian Historical Brides series, coming in July 2018.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

A Recipe for a Holiday Dessert by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

http://bookswelove.net/authors/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

 

 

The following is a recipe for a dessert that I made for many years for my husband’s birthday and Christmas and when requested for other gatherings. It is simple to make but takes a while because you have to let it cool between layers. It is very rich and each person only needs a small piece.

 

Cherry Delight

Bottom Layer

1 ½ cup graham crumbs

¾ cup brown sugar

½ cup melted butter

Mix these together and pat down into a nine by nine inch pan. Put in refrigerator to harden.

Middle Layer

1 cup whipping cream

1 4oz package softened cream cheese

¾ cup icing sugar.

Whip the cream until almost stiff. Blend in cream cheese and icing sugar and beat until mixed well and stiff. Spread on bottom layer and return to fridge until set.

Top Layer

Open a can of cherry pie filling and spread on top.

 

Enjoy

A Holiday Recipe by Anita Davison

The winter holiday season in England begins after Bonfire Night on November 5th when thoughts turn to Christmas food.

A majority of my family don't like Christmas pudding, so I came up with this alternative which has become something of a tradition. It's made by the melting method, thus the mixture is thin and warm when it goes into the tin. If you are not accustomed to this it might seem strange but it works perfectly and shouldn't be baked in too hot an oven to prevent the top going crusty. Soft and moist is the byword for this cake which is almost a pudding.

Sticky Ginger Cake

Ingredients

225g Self Raising Flour
115g Butter
115g Light Muscovado Sugar
115g Black Treacle
115g Golden Syrup
250ml Semi skimmed Milk
1 large egg
25g cornflour
85g stem ginger - chopped
85g fresh ginger - peeled and finely grated
1 rounded teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder [7g]
18cm diameter deep cake tin with base and sides lined with greaseproof paper -
this prevents not only sticking but keeps a soft surface to the cake.


Method:

1.   Combine flour, cornflour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon together
2.   Melt butter and brown sugar, syrup, treacle and milk together in a saucepan
      until smooth and warm but not hot.
3.   Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the liquid mix until smooth
4.   Fold in the beaten egg
5.   Pour mixture into cake tin
6.   Bake for 50 min - 1 hour at 160 Deg in a fan oven [170 Deg non-fan]
7.  When cool, decorate by dribbling thin royal icing mixture over the top and sprinkle with chopped
stem ginger.

This cake is great served warm with whipped cream as a dessert, but also superb cold with coffee.
The longer it's kept in an airtight tin, the more moist and sticky it becomes. Not that it's ever lasted more than 48 hours in my family, so I cannot confirm that statement.

Envy the Wind - A story about Prince Edward Island in 1905

Scheduled for release Summer 2018

The Woulfes of Loxsbeare Series

Decadent Delights for Any Season by Victoria Chatham

The days when I catered for myself, three children, four boarders and three dogs are long gone but memories of a small, steamy, productive kitchen remain. My kitchen at that time would, if squared up, have been approximately 8 feet by 8 feet in size. In fact, a marketing expert for a kitchen installation business once referred to it as a cubbyhole, not a kitchen.

However, I had the basics: stove, sink, fridge and a twin-tub washing machine that did double duty as my counter space. Meals for 8 people came out of that kitchen every day, with more on Sundays with the addition of family and friends. Everyone, of course, expected pudding after the main meal. 

These traditional English puddings ranged from simple milk puddings like rice and tapioca to fruit pies with custard, the more exotic steamed sponge puddings, especially Spotted Dick, baked egg custard, crème brulee and crème caramel. 

Spotted Dick

In summertime, lighter fare of jellies, fruit fools, trifles, fruit flans, crumbles and torts, lemon meringue pies and Queen of Puddings were included on the menu. Oh yes, and all this was from scratch, nothing came out of a packet.

Queen of Puddings

The tradition of the great English pudding faded as more and more people joined the workforce and would not spend the time on making them. Then there were all the ‘no fat’ or ‘low fat’ food fads which cut out the kind of fats, which science now says we need, so people stopped using butter and shredded suet in these dishes. Cheesecakes were a later addition to the dessert and pudding menu, but the household Christmas favorite, after Christmas pudding with brandy butter or Cornish clotted cream, was Bailey’s Cheesecake.

I believe everyone must be familiar with Bailey’s, that wonderful blend of Irish whiskey and cream. It’s great on its own and can be served in a variety of cocktail mixes, but it also adds a little kick to many recipes. My favorite cheesecakes are always baked cheesecakes and this is my recipe.  

Ingredients:

Bailey's Cheesecake

1 cup of coarse graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup of butter, melted

1 (15 oz) carton of ricotta cheese

1 (8 oz) package of Philadelphia cream cheese

4 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup of sugar

1/3 cup of Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur

1 tsp. good vanilla

¼ tsp. salt

Combine the crumbs and butter, press over the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill.

Beat together the ricotta and cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, beating until smooth. Pour the mixture over the crumb base. Bake in a pre-heated 325-degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until firm in the middle. Cool for 20-30 minutes before removing from the pan. Cool completely before serving. Decorate with whipped cream swirls, topped with shaved, dark chocolate and cherries. Serves 8 – maybe.

Why don't you give it a try? I bet it will become one of your favorites, too.