Cookaholics Bulletin Board

My sympathy to all who are dealing with loss, impending or actual - it does make the holidays a little dimmer. We have both children here for the first time in a couple of years and that will definitely make it special here. No goose this year - first time in over 30 years - but am substituting duck breasts. Still mulling over the dessert - buche de noel has worn out its welcome (I think because we end up throwing so much of it out and we don't have a "compost" pile) but am still mulling over a rolled cake. Have some raspberry jelly I made in September when our local farm had tons to pick, so that may be the way to go. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Lindsay, I've posted this here before but quite like this rolled cake and it would be lovely with raspberry jam.

Tangy Lemon Spiral – Emily Richards
Fresh lemon rind and juice offer a sweet tang to the filling of this rolled cake. Serve this cake dusted with icing sugar and a soft whipped cream to feed a crowd.
Cake
4 eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt

Lemon filling
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter, cubed
2 tbsp grated lemon rind
½ cup fresh lemon juice.

Lemon filling- In heatproof bowl, set over pot of simmering water (water should not touch the bottom of the bowl) and whisk together egg yolks, eggs and sugar in the bowl. Cook, whisking frequently for about 8 minutes or until thickened and pale in colour. Whish in butter, one piece at a time, not adding another piece until the last one is melted. Add lemon rind and juice; whisking constantly for about 4 minutes or until thickened to the consistency of pudding. Scrape into small bowl and cover surface directly with plastic wrap (touching the filling) and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until cold and thick.

Cake- In large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, lemon rind and juice with an electric mixer until well combined and sugar is dissolved. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt. Beat into egg mixture on low speed until combined well. Spread into 15*12 inch parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake in centre of 350 oven for about 15 minutes or until light golden and springs back when gently touched. Let cool slightly.

Sprinkle icing sugar on large clean tea towel. Turn out warm cake onto tea towel and remove parchment. Roll up into towel from one short end (jellyroll style) and cool completely.

Unroll cake and spread lemon filling evenly, leaving 1 inch at one end. Roll cake back up and wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days. Sprinkle with icing sugar before cutting into 1 inch slices. Garnish with mint and blueberries if desired.

Note- Whip ½ cup whipping cream and fold into filling to lighten if desired.
Spread a thin layer of jam on cake before the lemon filling.
Jean’s notes- I roll from the long end for a bigger cake as that is what she did in the class.
Cake filled with lemon or orange sherbert makes an awesome icecream cake.

I talked my dad into buying a prime rib, since we cook for him every night. (Technically my sister does, as they live next door.) I am thinking I'll use the recipe in All About Roasting. It is the only one I've ever made. You rub it down with dry mustard, salt/pepper, and rosemary 1-2 days ahead.

How big should it be for basically 6 adults and 4 kids? I will make Yorkshire pud, but I am not sure what else. Hmmm.

I am also making Flour's gingerbread cake with coffee glaze, and my sister is making lemon pie. I can't wait!

I'm mirroring Lindsay's sentiment in saying that my sympathy too, goes to all who are dealing with loss, impending or past. Having endured losses 2 years in a row it certainly does make the holidays dimmer.

I'm flying to LA tomorrow (leaving DH home alone, another story ) to visit with my brother and family and have no idea what our Christmas meal will be. They're not a very food-adventurous family so I don't have high expectations but hey, that's fine, it's family time. And since my 10 yr old niece and 13 yr old nephew still look forward to seeing me it's even better!!! I expect that their level of excitement will start to wane as they enter their teenage years .

Happy Holidays to you all!

Nance

Nance, enjoy them when you can. They will be back to appreciate you when they are older. Have a great holiday.

I usually count 2 persons per rib. If everyone ate like we do, it would be 3 or 4 per rib, but those with bigger appetites balance that out.

Thanks Kathy, for both sentiments!!!
Nance

Jim,

Can you post the recipe? MIL's apple trees were extra productive this year, and the back corner of the garage is full of Apple Compost already.

Thanks so much, Emily. I will definitely make it for New Year's Eve. My daughter flew in last night with a jar of real mincemeat that she and her English boy friend put up last January, so we're having mincemeat tartlets for Xmas. Never had real mincemeat before so this should be very interesting.

Ok guys,
What cha making this year?

Nothing exciting here, but, hopefully tasty nonetheless. Unless I agree to prime rib on the menu, Harold would probably pack his bags and split.

So, we are having:

The new, new, new, not the most perfect prime rib, from CI. Seriously though, I'm looking forward to it.
The 2013 version has you salt and air dry overnight, then cook slowly, finish in a turned off oven. I'll probably change a couple of steps though. The ribs are roasting for au jus as I type(this highbrow village doesn't carry oxtails, and Rod failed his assigment when he was in Lexington Saturday).

The 2013 version of croissants, which looks like a tedious pita, but I'm sure they'll turn out great.
The fondant potatoes from the current issue of CC. I made these a cpl weeks ago and Harrison loved them, requested these over pommes Anna.

The spinach gratin from this years CC.

And, to further our waistline, creme brûlée.

Merry Christmas y'all!