I wish everyone a wonderful 2012
Pause and Remember – 12/8/2011
On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.
The great-grandchildren visit Santa Claus
Christmas Cherry Mince Tarts
In 1987, my oldest daughter came up with an idea to add tart cherries to a dried fruit mincemeat that I made. We enjoyed it so much that it ended up replacing the regular mince pie on our holiday menu. This is a small English-style Christmas tart version. It was our dessert today on a snowy December afternoon.
CHRISTMAS CHERRY MINCE TARTS
- Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, finely chop0ped
- 1/4 cup prunes, chopped
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup frozen tart cherries
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tblsp. toasted walnuts, chopped
- Dash of salt
- 1 Tblsp. quick cooking tapioca
- 1 tsp. milk
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Divide pastry dough into five portions. Use four portions to line small tart/pie pans (mine measure 4 inches diameter across the top). Set aside.
In a small pan, combine finely chopped apricots, chopped prunes and raisins along with the 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until liquid is absorbed – about 4 minutes – stirring occasionally and keeping a close watch so the mixture doesn’t burn.
Remove from heat and stir in frozen cherries (no need to defrost). Stir in cinnamon, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, chopped walnuts, salt and tapioca. Mix well and divide among the four unbaked tart shells.
Roll the remaining portion of pastry dough and with a 3-inch cutter, cut out a design and place one on each of the tarts. Brush with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Place tarts on a large sheet to catch spills and bake @ 400 degrees F
for approximately 25 minutes until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.
Makes four 4-inch tarts
A nice treat when it’s cold, windy and snowy outside.
Carrot Bars with Orange Cream Frosting
We got our first major snowfall of the season and my oldest daughter came to spend the day with me and do a little shoveling. For supper, I made our go-to meal on a cold winter day – potato soup with homemade yeast rolls.
Here are my previously posted recipes for Potato Soup and Yeast Rolls.
For dessert, I went back to a recipe I had first made in 1989 from a cookbook called Blue Ribbon Cookies. It was a nice finish to a hearty, body-and-soul warming meal.
CARROT BARS WITH ORANGE CREAM FROSTING
Carrot Bars:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×9″ baking pan
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 egg
- 2 Tblsp. water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tblsp. sour cream
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. ground ginger
- 3 Tblsp. chopped nuts
- 3 Tblsp. raisins
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, egg, water, sugar, sour cream and vanilla.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and ginger. Add the dry ingredients to the oil mixture and blend well. Stir in the nuts, raisins and grated carrots.
Spoon mixture into a 9×9 greased and floured baking pan. Bake @ 375 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown. Cool in pan placed on a rack.
When the bars are cool, frost with:
ORANGE CREAM FROSTING
- 1 Tblsp. softened butter
- 1-1/2 oz. softened cream cheese
- 3/4 Tblsp. orange juice concentrate
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Place above items in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Frost top of bars.
Cut into squares to serve.
I’m not a big fan of snow, but being able to share a meal with my daughter in front of the fireplace makes it a lot more pleasant.
