by susanapplegraass | Feb 11, 2021 | Texas History
You are loved . . . this year I am making heart-shaped petits fours for Valentine’s Day!
Petits Fours are loved by all.
Anything so dainty and beautiful must be a challenge to make. Surprisingly, not so at all. Here’s my recipe. Inspired by Helen Corbitt’s fondant icing recipe and tweaked to perfection!
Essential Equipment:
Candy Thermometer
Large Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl
Fondant Icing for Petits Fours
Here is the secret to making petits fours . . . fondant, a candy-like glaze!
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2
cups
sugar
-
2
T.
light corn syrup
-
1
T.
glycerin - optional
-
1/4
t.
salt
-
1/8
t.
cream of tartar
-
1 1/4
cups
hot water
-
6
cups
powdered sugar
Sponge Cake cut into bite-size squares. After the cakes bakes, cool and freeze before cutting into squares.
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In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the sugar, corn syrup, glycerin, salt, cream of tartar and water. Cook to 226Fº. Pour into a large stainless steel mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm(just about 5 - 10 minutes).
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Add the powdered sugar. Whisk until any lumps are gone and it is a consistency to pour.
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Set the bowl of fondant over a saucepan of hot water, about 2" depth of hot water, over low heat. This will keep the fondant from cooling off and hardening.
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Place the small cakes on a wire rack. Set the wire rack over the bowl of fondant.
Ladle the fondant over the cakes. Once should be enough. If the fondant is too thin, ladle a second coat onto them. Add any decoration now, before they dry.
Set aside to dry, an hour should be plenty of time.
-
Gently, slide a spatula under one petit four at a time and place on serving tray.
Sponge Cake
Adapted from Marion Cunningham's Lazy Daisy Cake in 'The Fannie Farmer Baking Cookbook', this is an easy cake recipe for beginners and tasty too!
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Preheat the oven to 350º.
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Line an 8" round cake pan with an 8" parchment circle. Grease and flour the cake pan. Set aside.
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Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside.
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In a small saucepan, heat the milk over low heat. Add the butter and stir until melted.
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Beat the eggs until they are foamy and lemon colored. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla.
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Add the dry ingredients and warm milk alternately to the first mixture. Mix well.
-
Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
-
Place on a rack for cooling.
by susanapplegraass | Nov 9, 2020 | Texas History
Homecoming means football, friends and tailgate parties. It’s a special time for friends and family!
For me, homecoming means a big family reunion. Our family reunions created so many happy moments. Little did I know, but years later these moments would become my fondest memories.
A Celebration Of Love And Connection
My Texas family reunions were down on the Hornsby Bend in Austin Texas. We celebrated with of potluck dishes, story telling, and kids playing.
Family reunions were a time to focus on our family. The reunions kept our families connected. Our family history was shared by adults passing along favorite stories to the next generation. Some stories reached back seven generations.
Early Texas settlers
In 1832, my ancestors, early Texas settlers, Reuben and Sarah Hornsby, along with their six children traveled on the steamboat Pocahontas from Mississippi to Matagorda Bay, and settled in present day, Travis County. Reuben surveyed land for Stephen F. Austin. In exchange for his work, Reuben and Sarah were granted 3,200 acres of land on the Colorado River, Hornsby Bend.
Hope
I’ve been thinking about these extraordinary people a lot these past days. The story of the early Texas settlers resonates for me and what our our country has gone through these last years. The early Texas settlers endured many hardships. They made it and we can too!
Favorite Potluck Dishes
- Deviled Eggs
- King Ranch Casserole
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Fried Catfish
- Fried Chicken
- Potato Salad
- Baked Beans
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Sunday Dinner Rolls
- Cobblers
- Cakes
I hope that your celebrations will be fun, creative and safe in accordance with the guidelines and conditions in your location. Long after COVID-19is behind us, these will be some of our fondest memories.
I am looking forward to sharing My Texas Kitchen’s potluck recipes. Stay tuned!
by susanapplegraass | Mar 25, 2020 | Texas History
Mark Twain once said, “Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education!”
In recent years, cauliflower has gained popularity. Chef Dan Barber of Blue Hill in New York tested a new dish with this simple vegetable. He cut it in thick slabs and roasted it to a deep brown. The result . . . a delicious vegetable steak was born! For another delicious and fabulous presentation, roast white, golden, and purple cauliflowers together.
How nutritious:
- One cup of cauliflower contains 80 units of vitamin A, 90 milligrams of vitamin C, 339 milligrams of potassium, and very high levels of folic acid, vitamin B.
How to buy:
- According to Bert Green of Greene on Greens “A good rule of thumb for freshness is a faint cabbage scent.” Also, look for a head of tightly packed florets and is unblemished, free of dark spots.Small heads are sweeter than larger heads.
How to keep:
- Store in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Cook it within three or four days.
How to prepare:
- Rinse, detach the leaves, turn up side down, trim out the core, set it aside, and cut the florets into small, uniform pieces so that they will cook evenly.
How to roast:
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a jelly roll pan with a piece of parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, toss the cauliflower pieces with excellent quality extra-virgin olive oil and coarse salt. Bake for about 15 minutes until tender. Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the hot cauliflower. Serve at once!
Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education!
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