Cook's Catalyst - Chapter 11 - Comfort Food Makes Life Worth Living

Cook’s Catalyst - Chapter 11 Comfort Food Makes Life Worth Living Cream puffs always remind me of my favorite egg pudding. Sometimes that was indeed the filling for our dessert puffs. I have found it to be good alone or gracing a slice of plain cake. My Favorite Egg Pudding 2/3 cup granulated sugar 4 tablespoons cornstarch dash salt 4 cups milk 6 egg yolks, slightly beaten 4 tablespoons margarine or butter 3 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract Grated zest of one orange, optional Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt and yolks in a large saucepan. Whisk thoroughly. Stir in milk gradually. Cook mixture over low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and begins to boil. Continue to boil for approximately one minute. Remove from heat; stir in margarine, extracts and orange zest. Best eaten slightly warm or cold. Can be served with fruit, cake, layered with jam, crumbled cookies or topped with whipped cream. It all depends on what is in your mind and in the refrigerator. It can provide a pre-payday dessert without a trip to the market. Your family will begin to think you are a magician. If strawberries are in season and you have a batch of Egg Pudding cooling, it would behoove you to get a Pound Cake baking to be smothered in these two delicacies. There are many recipes for Pound Cake and you may have a favorite of your own. In the event, you are still searching for one, or didn't even realize you needed one, here is my version. Fresh and Lively Pound Cake 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup softened butter (margarine will be okay but butter is terrific!) 1 generous cup of granulated sugar 5 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon orange zest Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a vegetable spray, prepare a regular-sized loaf pan. Combine the dry ingredients and set aside. With an electric mixer, beat the butter until very light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar until well incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Add the nutmeg, extracts and zest. Gently fold in the dry ingredients. Smooth into the loaf pan. Bake for approximately an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be well-browned and cracked. Cool thoroughly in pan before removing and slicing. If you are feeling adventuresome and want to create a spectacular meal time memory without too much fuss and bother, double the above Pound Cake recipe and save a loaf and go continental! Make an English Trifle. As with most recipes, the tastes of the cook are reflected in the final presentation. Trifle is a personal favorite because if you have the cake, you can always find the rest of ingredients close at hand. It needs a little foresight but not an undue amount of time. Barbara's English Trifle One baked pound cake One recipe of Favorite Egg Pudding 2 pints of heavy cream 1 jar of your favorite jam (raspberry is good, apricot interesting) 1 small package frozen, sliced strawberries, defrosted 3 tablespoons brandy Juice and zest of one orange, mixed together with brandy One can chunk pineapple, well-drained Maraschino cherries to garnish Although you can use an ordinary, large serving bowl, if you have a big, glass one, it makes a nice display. Have it cleaned, shiny and standing by! Place your heavy cream in an electric mixing bowl and beat until stiff and thick. Have your Egg Pudding at your work station. Slice the Pound Cake into ½-inch slices. Cut them into triangles. Spread your choice of jam over each slice. Place a layer of cake in the bottom of your serving dish. Sprinkle with a little brandy mixture, some pineapple, a thin layer of strawberries and a good serving of Egg Pudding. Add a layer of whipped cream and repeat until you end up with a top layer of cake. Whatever you have left at this point in the way of fruit, layer it on and top with a final layer of Egg Pudding. Cover the top with the rest of the whipped cream, garnish with cherries and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you have other preferences on fruit for your English Trifle, just about anything works! The main ingredients are the cake, pudding and whipped cream. Your imagination and the contents of your cupboard will design your own dessert.