Fresh Ginger Beer

If you like ginger ale, you'll love this tangy beverage. Add your favorite rum to create a memorable cocktail. If you can't find superfine sugar, place granulated sugar in a blender, and process until fine. You can find bottled ground fresh ginger in the produce section of the supermarket.


Yield
8 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients
2 cups cold water
1 cup fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3 cups sparkling water
Lime slices (optional)

Preparation
Combine water, juice, and ginger in a blender; process until blended.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth. Strain mixture over a pitcher; discard solids. Add sugar to pitcher; stir until dissolved.

Add sparkling water just before serving. Serve over ice. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.

Chocolate Panna Cotta with Port

Port wine and balsamic vinegar deepen the fresh fruit flavors in the cherry sauce. Be sure to get started at least one day ahead; the panna cotta custards must chill for 24 hours before serving.


Servings: Makes 6.


Ingredients
Panna Cotta
Canola oil
1 cup whole milk
2 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cherries
1 pound cherries, stemmed, pitted
3/4 cup ruby Port
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preparation

For panna cotta:

Brush six 3/4-cup glass custard cups with canola oil. Pour milk into medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over; let stand until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

Stir cream and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil; remove from heat. Add chocolate; whisk until melted. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into gelatin mixture; stir to dissolve. Stir in vanilla. Working in 2 batches, transfer mixture to blender and use only 3 on/off turns to just fully blend mixture (do not overmix). Divide mixture among custard cups. Cover and chill 24 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

For cherries:

Stir cherries, Port, sugar, and vinegar in heavy large skillet over high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer until cherries are soft and wooden spoon leaves path in sauce when drawn across bottom of skillet, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing.)

Set custard cups in large baking dish. Pour enough hot water into dish to come halfway up sides of cups. Let stand 11/2 minutes. Take cups out of water; wipe bottoms dry. Invert each onto plate, shaking gently to dislodge panna cotta. Spoon cherries and sauce over panna cottas and serve.

Christmas pudding‏

I went to a Tupperware party a few night ago, the first one I have been to in years. The demonstrator gave us this recipe, to cook in the one litre red microwave jug. As soon as I get mine I am going to try this!



Ingredients
1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
2 cups mixed dried fruit
1 cup of milk
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup of sherry
2 tbsp butter
1 tspnmixed spice
1 tsp bicarb soda

Method
Pour sherry over mixed fruit & allow to stand overnight.
Heat milk & butter until boiling then add bicarb soda.
Mix in all of the other ingredients.
Place in a greased Tupperware 1 litre microwave jug,
cover & cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium.

Christmas Creamy Egg Nog

2 quarts


INGREDIENTS
4 egg yolks
1 (5 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups milk
4 egg whites
1 fluid ounce rum
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until they are thickened and light. Gradually stir in condensed milk, sugar, vanilla and milk. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then add them to the milk mixture. Stir rum into the mixture (to taste). Garnish with nutmeg

Browned Green Beans

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method


-------- ------------ ------------ --------- --------- --

1 1/2 pounds Green beans
1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1/2 cup Low-salt chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons Fresh lemon juice

Trim ends from beans and remove strings. Cut beans in half lengthwise,
slicing through the seam on each side of beans.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add beans, and cook 5 minutes
or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium and
gradually add broth, salt and pepper; cook 2 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Yield: 6 servings (serving size:
3/4 cup).

CALORIES 53 (42% from fat); PROTEIN 1.9g; FAT 2.5g

From COOKING LIGHT magazine, July 1995.

Sweet Chocolate Braided Bread

While challah is a traditional bread baked for the Jewish Sabbath, it has become popular with everyone, everywhere. It's attractive and has a firm, egg-rich texture that works for dinner, sandwiches, or French toast. It is typically braided with three, four, or six strands of dough.


(The braided strands are symbolic of love.) Challah is really very easy to make. There is a sense of satisfaction in working the dough by hand and crafting such an attractive bread and it certainly will impress your guests.

In this version, we added chocolate for the dough and a chocolate cream cheese filling and then we drizzled the bread with a chocolate cream cheese glaze. It may not be real challah but it is absolutely scrumptious—maybe our best chocolate bread ever.

Braiding bread is not complicated; it just looks impressive. To see illustrations for braiding bread, check out the instructions earlier in this section.

This recipe can be doubled.

Ingredients
3 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 packet instant active dry yeast
3/4 cup water, heated to 110 degrees
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg at room temperature

For the filling
5 ounces cream cheese
1 ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Chocolate glaze directions follows.

Directions
1. Mix about one cup of the flour, the yeast, and the heated water until smooth. This will hydrate the instant yeast. If you are using other than instant yeast, hydrate the yeast separately.

2. Add the brown sugar, cocoa, butter, salt, and egg and mix. Add enough of the remaining bread flour to make a soft but not tacky dough. Knead until the gluten is developed, about four minutes with a stand-type mixer at medium speed. Set the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it stand until doubled, about one hour.

3. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add the melted chocolate while it is still hot and mix until smooth. Add the sugar, flour, egg yolk, vanilla, and nutmeg and mix until smooth.

4. Once the dough has risen, use a knife to divide the dough into three equal
pieces. Roll the dough pieces with a rolling pin to rectangles 15 inches by 5
inches. Spread one-third of the filling down the center of each leaving a one-inch

Crispy Salmon with Herb Salad

Rest salmon fillets atop fresh herbs tossed with a light lemon dressing. Because they're left whole, use small basil and mint leaves; if you have only large leaves, tear them in half. Refrigerate the herb mixture before preparing the salmon so it won't wilt.


Yield
6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups arugula leaves
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup small fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup small fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
Cooking spray
6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
6 lemon wedges

Preparation
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Combine juice, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and garlic, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Sprinkle salmon with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add fish to pan; cook 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, turning once. Combine arugula mixture and juice mixture; toss well to coat. Place 1/2 cup herb salad on each of 6 plates; top each serving with 1 fillet. Serve with lemon wedges