CAPPUCINO MOUSSE

Mousse means foam in French. Tiny air bubbles whipped into a rich pudding like sweet preparation provides the light, foamy texture and silky-smooth mouthfeel in this dessert item is known as mousse. Whipped cream is usually the basis of the foam while whipped egg whites may add further lightness. Flavorings vary widely. In this recipe it is milk and very strong espresso coffee, thus the name cappuccino mousse.

The only caveat in its preparation is when to fold the whipped cream and egg white foam into the cooling liquid. Fold it in too soon and the liquid and foam will separate. But fold it in too late when gelatin begins setting the liquid and you cannot make a smooth foam; the partly set mousse remains chunky. But don’t despair—this is just esthetic imperfection, it doesn’t harm the final product (in the photo this is exactly what happened). Your guests don’t need to know that mousse needs to be perfectly homogenous as long as you don’t point it out.

1 c milk

1¼ c sugar, divided ¾, ¼ and ¼ c

1 packet unflavored gelatin

¼ c cold water

6 Tbsp fresh-brewed very strong espresso

1 T orange zest, finely minced

2 egg whites

1 c heavy cream

Ø Heat milk with ¾ cup sugar in a small, heavy sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin over cold water, let rest for a minute and add to hot milk. Continue heating while thoroughly blending until quite hot but well below boiling. Add espresso and orange zest, stir and chill. Monitor often to catch the exact time to fold in egg whites and cream. The liquid should just begin to set (at about 75⁰ to 80⁰F).

Ø Beat egg whites until it starts to get thick, then add ¼ cup sugar and continue whipping until soft peak stage. Remove from the bowl.

Ø In the same bowl whip cream with remaining ¼ cup sugar.

Ø Fold both egg white foam and whipped cream into the setting liquid with a rubber spatula. Spoon into eight 4-ounce ramekins and chill.

Serves 8.

WALNUT KISSES

If you like kisses, you’ll love these little cookies called walnut kisses. Their flesh is mainly ground walnuts, and the glue holding the sweetened walnuts into a cohesive mass is egg white and eggs. Even better, if you are concerned about your weight and/or cholesterol, there is no butter or oil added to the dough, it only contains the natural walnut oil. One egg in a batch adds a bit of cholesterol but the cookies may be prepared using egg whites only.

Using a food processor, the dough is prepared in a minute. Hand processing is more time consuming and takes some muscle work before the dough is cohesive and workable.

2¼ c walnuts

1 c + 2 Tbsp sugar

¾ c flour

1 egg

1 egg white

(or use 2 egg whites)

Grind walnuts, sugar and flour in a food processor until very fine, about a minute. Slowly add egg and egg white (or two egg whites) through the feeding tube and process until a cohesive dough is formed in a few seconds. Dump it on a flour-dusted work surface, and shape it into 24 to 28 round balls.

Preheat oven to 325⁰F.

Cover two baking sheets with parchment or foil. Place balls 1½ inches apart and press a small walnut piece in the center of each. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven while still slightly soft to the touch.

Peel cookies off paper or foil after they completely cooled.

Makes 24 to 28 kisses.

POPPY SEED ROULADES

Though this is not hard to prepare, it is not for the novice baker. With baking experience, you have 30 to 40 minutes total work before the roulades are ready for the oven.

But there is a trick. Ground poppy seed is best when fresh-ground and so far I was unable to find any appliance that grinds the tiny seeds except a genuine hand poppy seed grinder. If all fails, buy ground poppy seeds that come in cans.

Dough for two roulades

2¼ c all-purpose flour

¼ c sugar

1 tsp salt

1½ tsp dry yeast

¾ to 1 c milk

8 oz unsalted butter, chilled

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 egg yolk (reserve a little for egg wash)

Poppy seeds filling (for two roulades)

6 oz poppy seed, ground

14 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp lemon zest

½ c milk

½ c raisins

To prepare dough, combine dry ingredients, including yeast. Cut in cold butter until pea sized.

Combined egg yolk (reserving a little for the egg wash), lemon zest and milk and add to dry pastry. Kneed for a few minutes to form soft, pliable dough. Cover and chill.

To prepare filling, combine all ingredients in a small pan and heat gently for a minute, stirring all the time. May need more milk so it’s spreadable. Put aside, cover and cool.

Let chilled dough warm up for about 30 minutes, cut it into two and roll each into a thin rectangle on a floured work surface. Spread half of filling on each, spreading it uniformly within half inch from edges. Roll up tightly starting from the longer side, moisten and seal edges, and place on parchment-covered baking sheet seam side down.

Combine reserved egg yolk with a little water and brush top and sides of roulades with this egg wash. Let rise covered for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350⁰F.

Brush roulades again with egg wash and dock top with a fork.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until firm and slightly brown on top. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Makes two roulades, about 15 thin slices each.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE

Most people with sweet tooth agree: flavors on the top of the list are chocolate and lemon. I have a serious sweet tooth and I love both flavors. Since I bake regularly, these two often receive frequent attention.

Today it was lemon and I spotlighted it in an old-fashioned lemon meringue pie. Over the many years of baking I experimented and tested lemon meringue pies (as well as their close cousins and siblings) yet I found that the simplest is the best. The recipe below could not be simpler though a beginning baker would have a nice baking challenge to perfect it. For the more experienced baker it is half hour’s work the most, once the pre-baked crust is ready and waiting.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Prebaked crust

1 c sugar

6 Tbsp cornstarch

¼ tsp salt

½ c cold water

6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

4 egg yolks

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1½ c boiling water

2 Tbsp butter

Meringue

4 egg whites at room temperature

¼ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp vanilla

½ c sugar

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in cold water and lemon juice, stirring constantly with a wire whip or a large spoon. When smooth, stir in egg yolks and lemon zest, then slowly the boiling water and butter while keeping up stirring. Bring slowly to boil over very low heat while stirring gently until thickens (5 to 8 minutes). Pour into baked pie shell.

2. Preheat oven to 400⁰F.

3. To make the meringue, beat egg whites with cream of tartar, when soft peaks appear, add vanilla and gradually pour in sugar. Keep whipping until foam is soft, firm but avoid overbeating to a stiff foam stage.

4. Spread meringue over hot filling leaving the top raggedy.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes until top is nice a brown. Cool, then chill before serving.

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HUNGARIAN SZÉKELY GULYÁS

HUNGARIAN SZÉKELY GULYÁS, an interesting and flavorful combination of two neighboring cuisines, Hungarian and Romanian, is a favorite in southern Hungary and southwestern Romania where people of the two countries are intermingled as the result of centuries of political squabbling over border position. In general, Hungarians don't use much sauerkraut in their cooking but Romanians do -- in this dish the cooking style of Hungarian gulyas and sauerkraut are combined resulting in an unusual and terrific flavor.

1½ lb lean pork, in small bite-sized pieces

8 oz (one large) onion, finely chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp caraway seeds

1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

1½ tsp salt

1½ lb sauerkraut, rinsed under running water

4 Tbsp (2 oz) sour cream

Ø Brown meat on high heat in heavy sauté pan in small amount of vegetable oil (may need to do it in several batches). Remove from pan and place into cooking pot.

Ø In the same sauté pan cook onion on medium heat adding little more oil, during last minute add garlic, paprika, caraway seeds, pepper and salt. When onion is golden, add these to meat in the cooking pot.

Ø Sauté well-drained sauerkraut lightly in a film of oil in the sauté pan. Combine with onion and meat, adding little water or wine if needed. Simmer for 1½ hours over very low heat, adding more liquid as needed.

Ø Just before serving, stir some liquid from pot into sour cream in a small bowl and combine with the sauerkraut dish.

Serve with fresh-cooked rice.

Serves 6.