Holiday and Christmas Recipes:
Caroling Party & Dessert Table

Coffee or Tea
Wassail
Sour Cream-Lemon Pound Cake
Chocolate-Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake
Quad L Ranch Cheesecake
Pumpkin Tiramisu
Chocolate Torte Lili
Angel Food Squares
Caramel Dream Tassies

Wassail

750 ml. red wine
1 orange, sliced
1 apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
2 1/2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves, ground

Add the wine and fruit to a saucepan. Heat over low flame until starting to steam (do not boil). Add the sugar and spices to a disposable paper coffee filter. Tie with string and add to the wine. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 4-6

Sour cream-Lemon Pound Cake

3 c. cake flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3 c. sugar
6 eggs, room temperature
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 T. grated lemon peel
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 c. sour cream

Preheat oven to 325F. Grease a large tube or Bundt pan, dust with cake flour, tap out excess. 

Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. With mixer, cream butter in large bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, and beat 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just till combined after each.

Using a rubber spatula, mix in dry ingredients. Mix in sour cream. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hr.  Let cake cool on rack 15 min. Cut around cake in pan, turn out. Carefully turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely. Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.

Chocolate-Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake

2 1/2 c. chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate squares, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 c. hot strong coffee
3 (8 oz) pkg. cream cheese, cut into 1" cubes
8 oz.  carton sour cream
1 c. sugar, divided
2 eggs
2 T. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup Chambord or other raspberry-flavored liqueur

Garnish:
Whipped cream
Fresh mint sprigs

Raspberry Sauce:
10 oz. pkg. frozen raspberries, thawed
2 tsp. cornstarch

Cheesecake:  Combine wafer crumbs, butter, and 1/2 c. sugar; blend well. Press on bottom and 1 1/2" up sides of a 9" springform pan. Set aside.

Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add chocolate cubes, and process until finely ground. With food processor running, pour hot coffee through food chute. Process until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add cream cheese cubes and next 6 ingredients, and process until mixture is smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides of processor bowl. Pour mixture into prepared crust, and bake at 350F for 55 minutes. (Center will still be soft.)  Let cheesecake cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 8 hours. Carefully remove sides of pan. Place each serving on a pool of Raspberry Sauce.  Garnish, if desired, with whipped cream and mint.

Raspberry Sauce:  Drain raspberries, reserving juice.   Put raspberries through a food mill, and discard seeds. Combine raspberry juice, puree, and cornstarch, stirring until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring until smooth and thickened. Let cool. Yield: 3/4 c.

Pumpkin Tiramisu

(Double recipe to use in large trifle bowl.)

1 pkg. authentic Italian ladyfingers (they're hard, not soft)
8 oz. Mascarpone cheese
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg (to taste)
 1 1/2 c. powdered sugar (or to taste)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or orange extract
2 1/2 c. heavy cream, whipped and chilled
1/8 c. either Frangelico liqueur, rum or orange juice
Crystallized ginger

Arrange ladyfingers on the bottom of a 9" square pan. Pour liqueur over ladyfingers. Mix Mascarpone with the pumpkin, spices, sugar and extract. Fold in 1 1/2 c. of the whipped cream. Pour mixture over lady fingers. ( If using large trifle bowl, you can layer the ladyfingers and cream mixture: just make sure you sprinkle lady fingers with liquid--juice or liqueur--before covering with cream mixture). Gently spread remaining whipped cream on top of mixture. Sprinkle decoratively with additional cinnamon and crystallized ginger. Cover and chill at least two hours, or overnight.

Serves eight generously.


The Quad L Ranch and Mercantile is my best friend's country gift shop located near Ellwood City, PA. This is the cheesecake I came up with for one of Jody's spring open house celebrations.

Quad L Ranch Cheesecake

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 oz. small curd creamy cottage cheese, softened
4 T. melted unsalted butter
4 med. eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 T. frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted
6 drops Lorain orange oil flavoring (*see note)
Small amount red food coloring
3 T. cornstarch
3 T. flour
16 oz. sour cream
Fresh kiwi, peeled and sliced thin
1 jar apricot preserves
1 T. Grand Marnier, Triple Sec or orange juice

Place cream cheese and cottage cheese in food processor or mixer bowl and process until smooth.  Add butter, eggs, sugar, juice and flavorings. Process or beat until very smooth. Add dry ingredients, mix just until blended - do not overmix. If using processor, place batter in bowl. Blend sour cream in by hand with spatula. Place in 10" springform pan. Bake at 425F. for 15 min. Lower heat to 325F., bake for 35-40 minutes more. Allow to cool in oven two hours. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat preserves in small saucepan until melted. Strain into a bowl; add 1 T. liqueur or juice, stir well. Using a pastry brush, gently brush a thin layer of mixture on top of cake. Make a layer (design if you're very talented...) of Kiwis on top. Brush Kiwi slices with more of apricot mixture, making sure to cover all fruit - this seals it.

Refrigerate until serving time. Do not top until shortly before time to serve.

Can also make cake, top with a can of pineapple pie filling.

Serves at least 10, depending on how thick you slice it. Must be kept refrigerated.

*Note: Lorain oils are the small bottles of oil used in candy making. Pure oil - go easy. You might want to add just 3-4 drops, then taste.

Chocolate Torte Lilli

1 c. strong cold coffee
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
2 T. Grand Marnier
2 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs (if unsure about eggs, use substitute or pasteurized eggs)
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips, melted
40 vanilla wafers
1 c. whipping cream
more cream for garnish

Combine coffee, sugar and liqueur; set aside.   In a bowl, combine butter, eggs and cooled chocolate; whip well.

Line a 2 lb. bread pan with foil, allowing enough foil that you can cover the top. Arrange a layer of wafers on bottom of the pan. Sprinkle generously with coffee mixture. Spread with some of the chocolate cream. Continue layers until all the cream is used, ending with a layer of cookies. Fold foil over top. Set an identical pan on top. Weight this down with a heavy can or stones. Refrigerate for 24 hr.

To serve, remove from pan; carefully remove foil. Turn out on serving dish. Whip cream, sweetening with a couple T. of confectioners' sugar.  Ice the torte with the cream. Slice thin, garnish with more cream.

Serves 12. VERY rich, but heavenly!

Angel Food Squares

Loaf angel food cakes
Confectioner's sugar icings (sugar and milk, coloring and flavoring)
Very fine coconut

Rub all brown off of cake. Cut into cubes using a piece of thread or electric knife. Mix icing thin, making colors and flavorings match. Roll cubes in icing, coating all sides; then roll in coconut  (I put coconut in processor, briefly, so it is finer). Set on waxed paper to dry.

Green icing = peppermint; yellow = lemon; light yellow = banana or pineapple; orange = orange; pink = peppermint; red = strawberry etc.

Caramel Dream Tassies

14 oz. pkg. caramels (unwrapped, <g>)
3/4 c. evaporated milk, divided
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
2/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Ground nuts

Melt caramels with 1/2 c. milk in microwave or double boiler. Spoon into baked Tassie shells, about 2/3 full.

In a small bowl, blend butter and shortening, mixing well. Set aside for 20 minutes. In another bowl, blend sugar, remaining 1/4 c. milk, and vanilla. Set aside for 20 minutes. Combine the two bowls into a large bowl. Using a mixer, whip on high until cream. Spoon this frosting on top of caramel layer, sprinkle with ground nuts. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Dough:

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt (opt.)

Mix well. Shape into 48 small balls. Place in tassie pans (miniature cupcake/muffin pans). Press up sides gently. Bake at 350F, until done.   Cool and fill.  Makes 4 dozen.