Apple Blackberry Coffee Cake

(What are in bold and in parenthesis are amounts for a 10-inch cake)

1 1/2 C flour  (2 1/4 C)
2 t bp  (3 t)
1/2 t salt  (3/4 t)
6 T unsalted butter, melted  (9 T or 1 stick plus 1 T)
3/4 C brown sugar   (1 C) 
1/2 C milk  (3/4 C)
2 large eggs  (3 eggs)
2 med granny smith apples, peeled and sliced into 8 wedges each  (2 large)
1 C blackberries (1 1/2 C)
2 T brown sugar & 1/4 t cinnamon, for topping  (3 T Brown sugar & 1/4 t cinnamon)

Preheat oven to 375 deg.
Butter a  9″ springform pan or 8″ sq pan, and dust with granulated sugar.(9″ springform is same size as 8″ sq pan) (10-inch springform pan)

Mix flour, bp and salt in large mixing bowl.
In smaller bowl whisk together melted butter, 3/4 C  (1 C)  brown sugar, milk and eggs. Whisk into flour mixture.
Spread batter evenly into pan. Arrange apples wedges over batter.
Sprinkle with blackberries. Gently press fruit into batter, arranged like spokes of a wheel.
Combine the 2 T  (3 T ) brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over fruit.
Bake until top is dark gold, apples are tender, and a skewer comes out clean, about 45 min  (45 min).

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Cho Koo (brown turtle cake)

Skin:
1 medium taro root or 10 little ones
1 1/2 lbs dark brown sugar
3 lbs glutinous rice flour

Filling:
1 1/2 lb split skinless mung beans
1C sugar
2 1/2 t salt
1 – 1 1/4 C fried onions
1/2 C oil

To make the skin:
Peel and cut taro into 3/4″ cubes.
Steam taro 15-30 min, till soft.
Grind in food processor, gradually adding small amounts of water to form a smooth paste.
Bring brown sugar with a small amount of water to a boil.
Add taro paste and stir to mix. Add flour gradually and mix to form a soft dough. Should have some flour left to flour the mold.

To make the filling:
Soak mung beans overnight.
Steam till soft 15-30 mins.
Grind beans till fine in food processor.
Stir fry beans in oil with sugar, salt. Add fried onions.

To assemble:
Form balls of dough about 2″ in diameter.
Flatten a ball of dough into a 4″ circle.
Add a 1/4 C of filling, tamped down to reduce the looseness of the filling.
Form skin around the filling.
Flour the mold generously.
Tamp the ball into the mold.
Upturn the mold and tap gently. Turtle cake should fall out easily.
Place on piece of parchment or banana leaf.
Rince off the flour.
Steam for 10 min. Brush surface of cake with oil.
Refridgerate extras. Can resteam. Delicious if pan fried. Freezes well.

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Mango Frozen Dessert

1 pint Haagen Dazs mango sorbet
1 small package Jello Vanilla Instant Pudding (regular or sugar free)
1 C cold 2% or fat free milk
8 oz tub Cool Whip (regular or sugar free)
Mango slices

Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with foil.
Soften sorbet (if frozen hard) by microwaving on medium (50%) for 10-15 sec.
Spoon sorbet into prepared pan and smooth surface with spatula.
Freeze 10 min.
Whisk pudding and milk for 2 min, spread over sorbet. Smooth over with spatula.
Freeze at least 3 hours.
To serve: unmold onto plate. Remove foil. Let stand 10 min. before cutting into 3/4 – 1″ slices. Serve with fresh mango.
I also sometimes use silicone muffin molds or heart shaped molds to make pretty individual portions.
The recipe is also delicious with raspberry sorbet and fresh raspberries. Mint leaves serve as a beautiful and fragrant garnish.

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