Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
I've heard from several Alley Kats (and Toms) who have misplaced favorite seasonal recipes lately.
The following are worth repeating for everyone.
First is this toffee recipe from Carol Allin, wife of late Our Town columnist Richard Allin.
Irene Wassell wrote: "It's melt-in-your-mouth delicious, but easy to make." The recipe last appeared in this column in 1995.
Carol Allin's Toffee
1 pound butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
8 (1.75-ounce) chocolate candy bars
Place butter, sugar and nuts in a heavy saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees. Pour immediately onto an 11-by-15-inch baking sheet (jellyroll pan) with sides, lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Place chocolate bars evenly on top. They will melt immediately. Swirl slightly as they melt. Let cool. Break into pieces as you do peanut brittle.
Next up are these rum cakes.
This one is from a 1994 Idea Alley column, and comes together quickly thanks to packaged cake mix.
Rum Cake
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1 package pudding-in-the-mix yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup rum
Rum Sauce (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease a large Bundt pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts on the bottom.
In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, cooking oil, water and rum for 6 minutes on medium speed of electric mixer. Pour over nuts in pan.
Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Prepare Rum Sauce about 10 minutes before the cake is done. When you take the cake out of the oven, pour all of the sauce over cake while it is still in pan. Let sit until the sauce is well-absorbed, 20 to 30 minutes. Invert onto plate.
Makes 12 to 16 servings.
Rum Sauce
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup water
In a saucepan, stirring constantly, bring the butter, sugar, rum and water to a boil. Boil slowly for 2 minutes.
This one is from The Joy of Cooking. It is a bit more complicated, but sounds delicious.
Orange Rum Cake
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
Grated zest of 1 large orange
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup heavy cream
5 tablespoons dark rum
Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze (recipe follows) OR confectioners' sugar
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-by-2-inch round pan or line the bottom with wax or parchment paper. Melt butter and let cool.
In a large bowl, beat sugar, salt, eggs and orange zest on high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes.
Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold into sugar and egg mixture. Stir in the cooled, melted butter and heavy cream. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the edge to detach the cake from the pan. Invert the cake and peel off the paper liner, if using. Cool right side up on the rack. Puncture the cake all over with a wooden skewer. Spoon dark rum over the top. Cool completely and glaze with Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze or dust with confectioners' sugar, as desired.
Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze
6 ounces bittersweet OR semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons freshly brewed coffee, water OR milk
Pinch salt, optional
6 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons liqueur, optional
In the top of a double boiler or in a microwave on medium, heat chocolate and water or coffee or milk, stirring often until it is smooth.
Remove from heat and, using a rubber spatula, stir in salt and 2 or 3 pieces of the butter at a time. Continue to stir, do not beat, until smooth. Stir in liqueur, if desired.
For a pourable glaze: Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until the mixture cools to 90 degrees.
For frosting: Let stand until spreadable. If the frosting becomes too stiff, set the pan in a larger pan of hot water and stir gently with a rubber spatula; or remelt and cool to 90 degrees for use as a glaze. This frosting will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature, up to 3 weeks refrigerated, and up to 6 months frozen. Soften or melt before using.
REQUEST
• Fannie Farmer Fruit Cake recipe that uses only dried fruit (no candied fruit) and a variety of alcohols for Mary Gray. The recipe appeared in the Fannie Farmer Baking Book, but not the Fannie Farmer Cookbook.
Send recipe requests, contributions and culinary questions to Kelly Brant, Idea Alley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, Ark. 72203; email:
kbrant@arkansasonline.com
Food on 12/10/2014