Braille Monitor April 2006
The recipes this
month are from members of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois.
Herb Dip
by Patti Gregory-Chang
Patti Gregory-Chang, first vice president of the NFB of Illinois, supervises
other lawyers for the city of Chicago. She uses fresh herbs that she grows in
her garden when making this dip. It is great on any firm cracker.
Ingredients:
40 crackers or small triangles of toast
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh chives
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh coriander or cilantro
1/4 cup fresh garlic
1 pinch paprika
Method: Soften cream cheese. Mix in garlic. Then mix in all
of the herbs. You can add some sour cream if the dip is too stiff. Sprinkle
paprika on top for color. Chill this dip and then spread on crackers or small
triangles of toast. I have used this at barbeques with success.
Flourless Almond Cake
by Elizabeth Browne
Dr.Elizabeth Browne is a longtime Federationist and has contributed
stories to the Kernel Books and articles to the Braille Monitor. She
is the author of two books and is working on a third. She is a professor in
the seminary at Loyola University of Chicago and a member of the Chicago Chapter
of the NFB of Illinois.
Ingredients:
6 unpeeled clementines
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
2 1/3 cups crushed almonds
Method: In a large saucepan or pot place six unpeeled clementines
covered by cold water. Cover, bring to boil, and let simmer for two hours. (Start
with enough water so pan does not boil dry.) Drain water, cut clementines in
half, and begin to chop in blender or food processor, removing all seeds before
blending fruit. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter and line a nine-inch springform
pan with parchment or wax paper. Beat six eggs. Add sugar, baking powder, and
almonds. Now add chopped clementines to batter, mixing ingredients well by hand
or with a whisk. Pour cake mixture into prepared pan and bake for one hour.
When cake has baked for forty minutes, cover cake with foil and let it finish
baking. Cake is done when skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake
cool completely before removing from the pan. To serve, loosen cake from sides
of pan and invert on a plate before removing pan. Dust top with confectionary
sugar if you like. You can serve this alone or with ice cream or whipped cream.
Variations: if you don�t have enough crushed almonds, you can supplement with
crushed pecans. Also lemons or tangerines may be substituted for clementines
as long as a comparable amount of fruit is used.
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Coconut Cranberry Bars
by Connie Davis
Connie Davis serves as editor of the Braille Examiner, the
NFB of Illinois newsletter.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups vanilla or white chips
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries,
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup pecans
Method: Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into
a greased 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. In a bowl combine the remaining ingredients.
Mix well. Gently spread over the crust. Bake at 350 degrees for twenty-five
to twenty-eight minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
Cut into bars. Yields three dozen
Chocolate Caramel Brownies
by Connie Davis
Ingredients:
1 box (18 1/4-ounces) German or other chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) margarine, melted
2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 packages (7 ounces each) chocolate covered caramels (You can buy a 12-ounce
package, but don�t try it. See note below.)
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
Method: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking
dish with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl combine the cake mix, margarine,
1/3 cup evaporated milk, and the pecans, stirring with a spoon until a dough
forms. Press half the dough into the baking dish and bake for six minutes, reserving
the remaining dough. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the caramels with
the remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips over the
warm dough. Spread the melted caramel mixture over the chips, then crumble the
remaining dough over the top. Bake for twenty minutes. Let cool, then refrigerate
for at least one hour before cutting. Note: If you prefer, you can use plain
caramels rather than chocolate-covered ones.
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Frozen Banana Split Dessert
by Kelly Doty
Kelly Doty, a sixth-grade teacher, serves as treasurer of the NFB of
Illinois.
Ingredients:
Graham crackers or vanilla wafers, crushed
4 or 5 bananas
Vanilla ice cream
Syrup Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/3 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Method: Pat 1/4 inch graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs
into a 13-by-9-inch pan. Slice bananas over crumb crust. Spread half a gallon
of softened vanilla ice cream over bananas. Place pan in freezer.
To make syrup, melt chocolate chips and margarine together. Add two cups powdered
sugar and 1 and 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Cook for eight minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add vanilla. Cool until almost cold. Spread syrup over
ice cream. You may sprinkle nuts or additional wafer crumbs on top. Return to
freezer until dessert is solidly frozen. Remove from freezer a little while
before serving so that it will cut more easily.
Roast Cuban Chicken
by Joe Monti
Joe Monti, now retired, taught high school and college physics and math
for thirty-nine years, most of those as a blind person. He currently serves
on the state board of Illinois and is first vice president of the Chicago Chapter.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 chicken, cut up as desired
1 heaping cup white grain rice (uncooked)
6 ounces white wine
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon turmeric
6 ounces Sofrito brand salsa Suprema (may substitute Salon Supreme or other
salsa)
1/2 10-ounce package frozen peas
Method: Brown chicken in olive oil and garlic. Place in roasting
pan and add all the other ingredients except peas. Cover and bake at 350 degrees
for forty-five minutes. Add the peas and bake fifteen minutes longer.