Flo's Standbys

Belgian Waffles

Servings: 4

4 c Flour	1 pinch Salt
1/2 c Powdered sugar	2 c Water
3 Egg yolks	3 Egg whites
4 oz Softened butter	2 c Milk

In a bowl combine flour, pinch of salt, powdered sugar, water, and egg yolks. Mix well. Add softened butter and beat to a smooth paste. Beat in milk until smooth.

In separate bowl beat egg whites until stiff, then fold gently into mixture. Spoon into a Belgian waffle iron and bake until golden and crisp.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Breakfast Cranberry Cake

Servings: 10

1 1/2 c Sugar	2 c Water
4 c Cranberries, fresh or frozen	1 Grated zest orange
2 1/2 c Flour	1 t Freshly grated nutmeg
1 t Ground cinnamon	1 t Salt
1 t Baking powder	1 t Soda
3 Large eggs	1 c Sugar
1/2 c Packed light brown sugar	12 T Unsalted butter, melted
1 c Buttermilk

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking pan.

Make the sauce: Combine the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, the cranberries. Cook in large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce has thickened and darkened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the orange zest, remove the pan from the heat, and let cool.

Prepare the cake batter: Sift the flour, spices, salt, baking powder, and soda together onto a piece of wax paper.

In a large bowl combine the eggs with the sugars and mix until they are thoroughly blended; then add the melted butter and mix well. Add the dry ingredients in thirds alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix quickly, stirring just until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Do not overmix.

Spread the cooled cranberry sauce into the prepared baking pan. Pour the cake batter over it, and smooth out evenly. Bake until cake is golden and springs back when touched, about 35 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes. Cut the cake, removing the pieces carefully with a spatula. Serve cranberry side up with creme fraiche for breakfast or vanilla ice cream for dinner.

This recipe is from the "Farmhouse Cookbook" by Susan Herrmann Loomis. I served it at my January 1993 brunch. - Flo Leighton, 1993

Easy Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Servings: 10

1 cup Sour Cream	1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
2 cups Flour	1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 pound (1 stick) Butter	1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs	1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup raisins	1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon	1/4 cup chopped walnuts

 

Mix sour cream with baking soda and set aside.

Sift flour with baking powder and set aside. Beat butter with 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and raisins.

Add sifted dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream in 2 additions, starting and ending with dry ingredients.

Pour into greased and floured 10 inch round pan. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts and sprinkle over top.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Cool on rack and unpan.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Cinnamon Rolls

Servings: 24 

1 pk Yeast	1/2 c Warm water
1 T Sugar	2 c Boiling water
1/2 t Salt	2 T Butter
2 T Sugar	2 Eggs
5 1/2 c Flour

 

Dissolve yeast in warm water, add sugar, and set aside. In large bowl mix together salt, butter, sugar and boiling water. Cool slightly. Add eggs and beat well. Cool. Blend in yeast mixture and add 4 1/2 cups flour. Beat well. (I use electric mixer with paddle attachment). Remove mixing bowl from stand and continue adding flour(1 to 2 1/2 more cups),stirring with spoon until soft, handable dough (cleans the spoon). Cover and let rise until doubled in size.

Prepare 2-11 by 13 pan by melting 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water--pecans, if desired, for each pan. Turn risen dough onto lightly floured board. Roll into a rectangle. Spread with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (as desired). Roll into 2 long logs, cutting into 12 rolls each. Carefully dip top of each cut roll in sugar mixture in pan. Turn over and pan. Let rise. Bake 350 degrees first on bottom rack, then on top rack to brown. Baking time 30-40 minutes.

You may also make balls, stretch out, tie in knots to form rolls.

This is a combination on my mother's recipe, the New Prague Hotel recipe and one from the Christian Science Monitor.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

Servings: 6

1 c Nabisco 100 % bran flakes	1 c Boiling water
1 c Sugar	1/2 c Shortening
2 Eggs	1/2 c Buttermilk
2 1/2 c Flour	3 t Soda
2 c Kellogg’s All Bran	1 t Salt

 

Pour boiling water over 100 % Bran. Cream sugar, shortening . Add eggs, buttermilk and soaked bran. Sift dry ingredients and add all at once with All Bran. Bake 15 or 20 minutes at 400 degrees. May be baked all at once or stores in the refrigerator indefinitely.

The original recipe was for 4 times this much. I got the recipe from Dot Plank, Sue Leighton's mother, who was a great cook. This is what I call a Ladies Aid Society recipe. A recipe is developed which sweeps the country. It is overused and burns itself out, when, in fact it is a good recipe that should not be lost. - Flo Leighton 1993

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Servings: 6

1/2 c Butter or margarine	3/4 c Sugar
2 Eggs, separated	1 t Grated lemon rind
1 t Vanilla	1 1/3 c Flour
1 1/8 t Baking powder	1/4 t Salt
1/2 t Soda	1/2 c  Buttermilk
2 1/2 T Poppy seeds

 

Cream butter, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the rind and the vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and the soda. Add mixture alternately with buttermilk to creamed mixture until just blended. Fold in poppy seeds.

Beat whites until soft peaks and fold into batter in two batches.

Spoon into muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees 15 or 20 minutes or until they are browning and springy to the touch.

© Flo Leighton 1993

Personal Pizzas

Servings: 8

Dough:

3 T Yeast	4 1/2 c Warm water (105-115 degrees)
1/2 c Olive oil	10 c Unbleached all purpose flour
2 1/4 c Whole wheat flour	1 1/2 T Salt
3 T Honey

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, add oil and stir to blend. Let stand five minutes. Combine all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt in a large bowl. Make well in center. Add yeast mixture and stir until stiff dough forms, adding more flour if necessary. Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding more flour to prevent sticking if necessary. Transfer to oiled bowl, turning to coat entire surface. Cover and let rise in warm, draft free place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Knead on lightly floured surface several minutes until smooth. Divide into 18 balls. Shape each ball into a 6-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Stack 6 rounds between sheets of parchment paper; wrap in plastic and freeze. Repeat with remaining rounds.

To Serve:

Prepare favorite tomato sauce. Provide a variety of toppings--cheeses, meats, vegetables, etc. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove crusts from freezer. Separate. Place in purchased foil pie pans and have each guest top with tomato sauce and toppings of choice. Bake pizzas until crusts are brown and toppings are bubbly, about 15 or 20 minutes. Check carefully to be sure they are done.

This is a recipe from the 1988 Bon Appetit Recipe Yearbook. - Flo Leighton, 1992

Wilderness Bread

Servings: 12

1/2 c Milk	2 T Unsalted butter
1/2 t Salt	1 1/2 c Cooked wild rice
1/4 c Lukewarm water	1 T Yeast
1 T Dark brown sugar	1 pinch Ground ginger
3/4 c Whole wheat flour	1 1/2 c Bread flour (approximately)
1 t Unsalted butter, melted

Heat milk, butter, and salt. Add cooked wild rice and cool to room temperature. Dissolve yeast, brown sugar, and ginger in lukewarm water until bubbly. Stir into rice mixture. Add whole wheat flour and then bread flour. Knead about 10 minutes. Place in lightly oiled bowl and let rise. This is a heavy bread so will not get as light as other breads. When light make into one loaf. When loaf is light slash down the center and brush with melted butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, then at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes longer. Remove from pan and cool. This bread makes excellent toast.

This is the bread I served at my 1991 Christmas brunch. - Flo Leighton, 1992

Pancakes

Servings: 4

3 Egg yolks	3 T Melted butter
1 T Sugar	1 1/2 c Flour
1 t Soda	1 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt	1 2/3 c Buttermilk
2 Egg whites, beaten

Mix beaten egg yolks, butter and sugar. Sift dry ingredients. Add alternately with buttermilk. Mix just until combined. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake on oiled griddle.

This is Jessie Hutton Leighton's recipe. - Flo Leighton, 1992

Queen's Viali

Servings: 10

3 c Dried apricots (1 lb)	1/2 c Sugar
1 1/2 c Water	1 T Yeast
1/2 c Warm water	1/3 c Butter or margarine, softened
1/4 t Salt	1/4 c Sugar
1 3/4 c All purpose flour	Sliced almonds

Combine apricots, sugar, and water in a 2 to 3 quart pan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, occasionally stirring gently, until apricots are tender when pierced, 5 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer apricots to a bowl to cool. Boil syrup, uncovered, over high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup. Watch closely. Set aside.

In a bowl, soften yeast in warm water. Stir in butter or margarine, salt, and 1/4 c sugar. Stir in 1 c of the flour and beat until dough is stretchy. Stir in another 3/4 cup of flour. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise, covered, until double in size.

Heavily butter a 10 or 11 inch pan. Punch dough down and transfer to pan and pat to edge of pan and up the side 3/4 inch. Arrange apricots on dough, pour syrup over and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Bake at 375 degrees on lowest rack of the oven about 40 minutes. The pie should have deep brown crust. Serve warm, dusted with powdered sugar. May be carefully loosened from pan and slid onto a serving plate.

This is a Sunset magazine recipe. It is a speciality of the Limburg region in the southern part of the Netherlands. - Flo Leighton, 1992