Recipes from "Catering to Nobody"

Goldy’s Marvelous Mayonnaise

1 Large egg, purchased from a salmonella-free source
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ Tablespoon dry mustard
½ Tablespoon salt
1 Cup safflower oil

Put the egg, juice vinegar, mustard and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until well blended, about 30 to 40 seconds.

Place the oil in a small pitcher, and with the food processor running, dribble the oil into the egg mixture in a thin stream. When all the oil has been added, turn off the processor and scrape the mayonnaise from the bowl and the blade into a small bowl that can be tightly covered. Keep the mixture well chilled. It is best to use homemade mayonnaise within 24 hours.


Wild Man’s Wild Rice Salad

½ Cup raw wild rice
2 Cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon tarragon vinegar
½ Teaspoon Dijon mustard (or more, if desired)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Scallions, finely chopped
3 Radishes, diced
1 Small tomato, drained, seeded, and diced
1/3 cup jicama, peeled and diced
1 Cup baby spinach leaves, well washed and drained, plus extra for lining platter
Salt and pepper to taste

The night before you are to serve the salad, thoroughly rinse the rice, place it in a glass bowl, and completely cover the kernels with water. Allow the rice to soak overnight.

The next morning, carefully strain the rice and discard the water. In a large pan, bring the broth to a boil and add the rice. Cover the pan and immediately lower the heat to the lowest setting. Allow the rice to cook, covered about 1 hour to 1 ¼ hours, or until the kernels have puffed and taste done (i.e., they are not chewy or hard). Drain the rice and measure it. You should have between 1 ¾ and 2 cu[s cooked rice. Spread the kernels out on two plates to cool completely. For the salad the kernels must be dry and cool. Pat the kernels dry with paper towels, if necessary.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and mustard, and whisk well. Add the oil in a thin stream whisking all the while, until you have a smooth, blended dressing. In a medium-sized bowl, gently combine the cool rice kernels with the scallions, radishes, tomato, jicama, and spinach. Pour the dressing over this mixture and mix very gently. Taste and correct the seasoning. Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Turn out onto a small platter that you may line with spinach leaves, if desired. The salad must be consumed the day it is made; it does not keep well.


Goldy’s Dream Cake

Crumb Mixture:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces, well chilled

Cake:
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
6 cups reserved crumb mixture
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups sour cream
2 teaspoons almond extract

Filling:
1 pound (two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
½ cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup red raspberry preserves, sieved to remove seeds

Topping:
2/3 cups raw whole almonds
2 cups reserved crumb mixture
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9- or 10-inch spring form pans and set aside.

In the large bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, blend the flour and sugar until well combined, about 5 seconds. With the motor running, quickly drop the butter pieces through the chute, blending until the mixture resembles small, sandy crumbs, less the than a minute. Measure out 6 cups o this mixture for the cake. Measure the last 2 cups of the mixture for the topping and set aside.

For the cake, gently stir the baking powder, soda and salt into the 6 cups of reserved crumb mixture. In a separate bowl, mix the beaten eggs with the sour cream and almond extract, stirring until well combined. Pour the egg mixture over the crumb mixture and stir until smooth and thick. Spread the cake batter over the bottom and up the sides of each of the prepared pans.

For the filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla extract in the large bowl of an electric mixer until smooth. Spread half of this mixture over the cake batter in each of the prepared pans. Top with cream cheese mixture in each pan with ½ cup of the sieved preserves.

For the topping, whirl the raw almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until chunky. Mix the almonds into the 2 cups reserved crumb mixture and sprinkle half of this mixture over the preserves layer in each pan.

Bake the cakes for 45 to 55 minutes. Test with a toothpick for doneness. (All that should adhere to the toothpick is cream cheese and preserves, not cake batter. Cool the cakes thoroughly on racks, then cover with foil and refrigerate several hours or, even better, overnight. Serve in the morning with coffee, if desired.

Makes 2 large cakes.

Dungeon Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 13- inch baking pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Turn the mixer to low, and bet in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Carefully stir in the flour mixture, oats, and raisins until well combined. Spread in the prepared pan (batter will be thick). Smooth the top. Bake from 20 – 30 minutes, until the batter has puffed and flattened, is brown around the edges, no longer appears wet in the center, and testes d one with a toothpick. Cool slightly. While warm, cut into 32 bars. Allow to cool completely on a rack. Serve with best quality vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Makes 32 bars

Goldy’s Terrific Toffee

2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
2 pounds (8 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for pans
2 pounds best-quality milk chocolate (Lindt)
4 cups packed brown sugar

Note: A candy thermometer is essential for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread the pecans in two 9-inch glass pie plates, and roast until the nuts have turned slightly darker and are well toasted, about 10 minutes. Stir once or twice during the roasting process to ensure even browning. Remove the pecans from the oven, spread out to cool on paper towels, and set aside until you finish the toffee.

Butter two 9 x 13 inch glass pans and set aside. Unwrap the chocolate and divide between tow plates. Break all the chocolate into squares and set aside. Using a deep, heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter with the sugar and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer hits 285 degrees to 290 degrees, the soft-crack stage. (Candy will be very hot: be sure to protect your skin and clothing through the cooking and pouring process.) Pour the toffee into the prepared pan and immediately place the squares of chocolate in rows across the toffee (1 pound of chocolate per pan). When the chocolate has softened, spread it to the edges of the toffee. Sprinkle 1 cup of the roasted pecans over the chocolate in each pan. Allow to cool, then cover with foil and chill.

Using a large, heavy-duty knife, break the toffee into 1- to 3-inch pieces.

Makes approximately 6 dozen pieces

 
Honey I’m Home Gingersnaps

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup solid vegetable shortening
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon finely minced lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter two cookie sheets.

Sift together the flour, soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large mixer bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and honey until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture and the zest, stirring until well combined, with no traces of flour visible.

Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, measure the cookie onto the cooking sheets, keeping them two inches apart. Do not attempt to make more than one dozen per sheet. Bake the batches one at a time, until the cookies have puffed and flattened and have a crinkly surface, 10 – 12 minutes per batch.

Cool the cookies completely on racks.

Makes 32 cookies


Holy Moly Guacamole

1 large or 2 small avocados, peeled, pitted and mashed to make 1 cup
1 ½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated onion
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon picante sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
Corn Chips

Place the mashed avocado in a non-metallic bowl. Mix the juice, onion, salt, and picante sauce until well blended. Spread the mayonnaise over the top to the edges, cover the bowl, and refrigerate. At serving time, uncover the bowl and thoroughly mix in the mayonnaise. Serve with corn chips

Makes 1 ¼ cups