Lamington

453. A Lamington is a simple yet complex sweet.  It is cake-candy-cookie-dessert and yet it is a pastry all wrapped up in one.  Simple is the size and a perfect size to lift and bite but, complex, because of the process necessary to create these little delicacies.

These sweet delights are an Australian treat although I have seen them in Italian bakeries for years.  You can find a recipe online very easily.  Lamingtons by Allrecipies

Although the recipe is time consuming, it is a labor of love.  Australians celebrate National Lamington Day each year on July 21st.  Good to know!

"There is nothing more than the lamington that you need in the afternoon to lighten up your mood."

"National Lamington Day messages are for all people in the world to enjoy a day from the bottom of their hearts. The original recipe called for the sponge cake to be dipped in chocolate and then rolled in desiccated coconut.  Today, there are many variations of the lamington, but the most popular version is still the original. So if you’re an Australian and looking for an excuse to enjoy a delicious lamington, head down to your local bakery on National Lamington Day – you won’t be disappointed. If you’re not an Australian but still want to try it, then you can search for the recipe online and make it by yourself."

Cherry Cheese Danish

343.  Sunday afternoon calls for fresh ground coffee and cheesy, fruity sweet danish.  

All you need is Puff Pastry sheets, cream cheese and some type of fruit jam, any fruit flavor.

Place one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut into 9 equal squares.  Cut each square as pictured above.  Brush with egg white/water wash.  Mix 4 oz. cream cheese with 1/4 cup powder sugar and 2 tsp of agave.  Dollop cream cheese into the center of each square.  If using fruit jam, dollop on top of cream cheese.

To create the crossover effect watch this video:

The cross over happens by lifting the clean cut corner up and over the filling to the opposite side. Gently press to seal the dough.  Repeat with the other side.

Brush with egg wash and sprinkle sugar crystals over the dough.

Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes.

 Cool the danish.  Make a drizzle of 1 cup powdered sugar and a drop of vanilla extract and a few tablespoons of milk, a bit at a time, till a thick drippy consistency results.  Drizzle over the danish.  Let drizzle set then move to a serving platter.  The danish will be crispy on the bottom and sides and soft and cheesy/fruity in the center with an additional crunch from the sugar crystals.

This is perfect for a Sunday afternoon treat.  You know you need this!!

"It often runs in families, " she remarked: "just as a love for pastry does."
~ Lewis Carroll

Strawberry Peach Jam

336. No breakfast is complete without fresh fruit jam to slather on toast, muffins or croissant.  Walking down the grocers' aisle you can find a large variety of jam fruit flavors.  They always look so appetizing and delicious.  But when compared with a home made fresh fruit jam, there is no comparison. Occasionally you can pick up a great quality jam at a farm market or specialty store, but I am addicted to made-in-my-kitchen fresh fruit jam.  And I have the ability to add a pinch of this or that to design it to my exact taste.

Traditionally, home cooks would cook fruit with sugar till it would reach a thickened state when it coated the back of a cold spoon.  Unfortunately, some fruits have less pectin and it would take so long that the fruit would loose its beautiful bright color, turn brown and have an over cooked taste.  

I simply follow the Certo brand pectin directions which come in every box. Here is a beautiful pdf booklet you can download or print out for all jam, jelly and marmalade recipes from Certo. Find your fruit and follow the directions.  You can mix fruits as well,  peach with strawberries,  fig with plum or rhubarb with strawberries or figs. It's your choice.  Often when I have mixed fresh fruit salad left overs, I will measure and place the fruit in a saucepan, add sugar to the same measurement of fruit, place a pat of butter and bring it to a boil.  Add my Certo packet and place in sanitized jars.  Mixed fruit jam!  And I've done this with pineapple, kiwi, oranges and the like.  They all make beautiful jam when mixed together.

This jam was made with 5 cups of peaches and 1 cup of strawberries all cleaned and coarsely chopped, 7 cups of sugar, Tablespoon of lemon, 1 Tablespoon of butter (cuts down on foaming), pinch of cinnamon.  Mix all till completely blended and place on high heat and bring to a boil.  Once the jam is at a rolling boil that does not stop when you mix it, add your packet of Certo quickly.  Stir and bring back to boil.  Boiling for a full minute.  Turn off heat and ladle hot jam into sanitized jam size jars.  Wipe the glass rim and side rim of the jar with a clean wet towel so any drips do not interfere with the seal.   Cover with sanitized sealing lids that you are heating in boiling water off to the side.  Tighten lid and place up-side-down on a towel in a safe place on counter.  Jars will be very hot.  After 15 minutes turn your jars up-right and wait to hear the lovely sound of the seals popping on every jar.  It's a symphony!

You can use any jar that has a rubber seal on the lid.  Be careful that it is sanitized in very hot water and I use a little bleach to be extra careful with bacteria and a very hot rinse.  Then I place them upside-down until ready to fill.

I recycle these jars over and over but always careful that there are no scratches on the inside lids and that you sanitize and boil them before use.  The great thing about canning lids is that you can purchase just the round seal without buying a new lid band.  These seem to never wear out...unless of course they are old from a yard sale or your grandma's collection.  Walmart carries canning jars and supplies as well as Ace Hardware.  

Making jam is not hard...just takes time and diligence to follow the steps.  

“I'm sure I'll take you with pleasure!" the Queen said. "Twopence a week, and jam every other day."
Alice couldn't help laughing, as she said, "I don't want you to hire me - and I don't care for jam."
"It's very good jam," said the Queen.
"Well, I don't want any today, at any rate."
"You couldn't have it if you did want it," the Queen said.
"The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never today."
"It must come sometimes to 'jam today'," Alice objected.
"No it can't," said the Queen. "It's jam every other day: today isn't any other day, you know.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

“Jam on a winter day took away the blues. It was like tasting summer. ” 
― Sandra Dallas

Ripe Plums

90.  A plum tree grew outside our back door by the patio of my childhood home.  This tree was shade for our picnic table, provided a great opportunity for climbing and in the month of July gave us small oval shaped Italian plums.  My wonderful mother would bake all sorts of delicious plum cakes & plum crumbles, but my most favorite use of those ripe plums were plum dumplings.  Yes, dumplings!  She would make a soft dough, wrap the whole plum in the dough and drop them in boiling water till they would float to the top.  Then we would place them in a bowl, drizzle melted butter over them and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar liberally over the dumplings.  When you would take your spoon to break into the dumpling, it would squirt red plum juice.  They were hot, sweet, buttery and so delicious!  I would love a bowl right now!

Plums are a versatile fruit... delicious when eaten right from the tree but so very delicious in a pie, crumble, plum syrup to drizzle over ice cream or cheesecake, jam or jelly.  But how often do you hear of plum recipes?  Not often, so I have a plum recipe for you to try.  

It is a "Plum Crisp".

Plum Crisp

4 cups sliced plum, skin on

1 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 egg, optional

pinch of nutmeg

1 stick butter, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350º.  Prepare a baking dish, (pie plate, 9 x 13 baking dish or deep dish casserole dish) by spraying with oil or wipe dish with butter.

Cut plums and place in bottom of baking dish.  Lightly sprinkle plums with ¼ cup of the sugar and a sprinkling of cinnamon.  

In a mixing bowl place ¾ cup sugar, cinnamon, flour, oats, egg and nutmeg.  Melt half stick of butter and place in bowl.  Mix all together till a crumbly consistency.  Pour crumbs over the plums and spread to the edges of the dish.  Cut the remaining half stick of butter in pieces and dot over the crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes or till the plum juice is bubbling and crumbs begin to brown lightly.

I serve the Crisp hot with vanilla ice cream.

I found another recipe, Italian Plum Crisp that is very similar.

Not only did the Plum Crisp turn out delicious but I made plum jam with the extra plums.

A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. 

A good deed is never lost; 

he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, 

and he who plants kindness gathers love. 

~ Saint Basil