Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

From a Hepburn Family recipe, as found in At Home With Kate:  Growing Up in Katharine Hepburn's Household by Eileen Considine-Meara

Recipe
( Makes about 16 1-inch square brownies )
2 eggs at room temperature
¼ sweet butter
2 squares Baker's chocolate (unsweetened)
1 cup granulated (regular white) sugar
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon flour

Directions:  Preheat the oven to 325° F.  In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth.  Transfer to mixing bowl.

With a wooden spoon, add the sugar and salt and blend.  In a cup, beat the eggs with the vanilla, then pour the mixture into the mixing bowl.  Stir in the chopped walnuts.  Add a big rounded tablespoon of flour and blend it in.  Beat this mixture as hard as you can; if you find it is too limp, you can add up to a tablespoon more flour.  Pour the mixture immediately into a greased pan and quickly place the pan in the hot oven.  Bake for 40 minutes.  When the brownies are cool, cut them into 1-inch squares. 

My Sister's Cheesecake
Recipe provided by Maria from Verplank

Ingredients:

• 2c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1stick butter
• 1c. sugar
• 4pkg cream cheese
• 2tsp. vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1c. sour cream
• 1-2 tbs cornstarch

*melt butter,mix with graham crumbs,cinnamon and 2tbs sugar.

*press mixture into bottom of springform pan and place in freezer

*mix cream cheese and remaining sugar until creamy

*add eggs one at a time

*add vanilla and cornstarch

Pour into chilled springform
Bake at 450* for 10 min
Reduce to 200* and bake for 45 min

Let cool in oven with door ajar
Garnish with fresh fruit or melted chocolate

Enjoy!

Coquito (Puerto Rican Egg Nog)
Recipe provided by Clare Diaz from Mohegan Lake

Ingredients:

• 6 egg yolks (use medium size eggs-found in Pathmark)
• 4 cans of evaporated milk
• 1 can of condensed milk
• 1 can of Coco Lopez
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of Liquor 43
  
  Place egg yolk and condensed milk in mixer and mix in low speed until the condensed milk and eggs are mixed thoroughly.

Add Coco Lopez and mix again until well blended Add vanilla extract and mix again Add one can of evaporated milk and mix until well blended.

Transfer the milk mixture to a very large bowl and add the remaining cans of evaporated milk and mix by hand. Use a hand mixer.

Lastly, add the liquor and mix well.

Transfer mixture very carefullly to various bottles for storing in refrigerator. I serve my coquito over ice in a small elegant wine glass with a little cinnamon on top. It is meant to be sipped slowly to enjoy the flavor.

Coquito is a must have during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Puerto Rican families always have coquito.

There are various recipes for Coquito. This recipe is very easy and tasty. I have used for over 15 years.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups arils from 2—3 large POM Wonderful
• Pomegranates
• 8 oz. fine quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Score 2—3 fresh pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranates under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 2 cups of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)

2. Line a shallow 11 x 16 x ½-inch baking sheet with parchment paper.

Not a long-standing tradition...found this recipe only recently but it quickly became a huge family favorite.

Triple Chocolate Cherry Cake
Recipe from Yvonne from Maybrook

Ingredients

• 1 box cake mix- chocolate
• 1 can of cherry pie filling
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1 can of chocolate frosting

Directions

preheat oven to 350 degrees

grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan.(metal works best I have found)

gently mix- cake mix,cherry filling,eggs and choc chips. be sure there are no dry spots.

spread in pan and bake for approx 30 minutes- use the toothpick test ( if you insert a toothpick one inch from edge and it comes out dry then the cake is done)

let cool and spread frosting on.

My family also likes it with just powdered sugar sprinkled on top. If you want to make it fancy, sprinkle the sugar over a paper doily, remove the doily very carefully and oooh so pretty. ENJOY!

Grandma Cahill's Sweet Cream Scones

(serve with nice, hot, strong tea ... or a giant hot cocoa smothered in whipped cream!)

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted chilled butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup light cream
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup currants or raisins

Directions

combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl.  cut chilled butter into small pieces.  cut  butter into dry mixture with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  add currants.  set aside.  in small bowl beat egg with fork; mix in milk and cream.  stir egg mixture into flour mixture until just blended (do not over mix.) turn onto floured board; sprinkle with flour.  cut into rounds with biscuit cutter or drinking glass.  place 1 inch apart on buttered cookie sheet.  bake @ 375 for 12 minutes or until golden brown on bottom.  serve hot, with butter or jam.  they freeze well also.

other ingredients you can substitute for raisins:

craisins
chocolate chips
fresh blueberries

Slainte!

L & B Martini

Created in honor and celebration of my daughter Lauren's wedding, the L & B Martini (named for Lauren & Brendan) is a combination of their favorite drinks, swirled together and topped with a healthy splash of champagne : Deb from Peekskill.

1 oz. Grey Goose Vodka
1 oz. Lemonade
1 oz. Cranberry Juice
1/2 oz. Cointreau

Shake well with ice & Strain.
Top with generous splash of Champagne.
Garnish with a lemon curl

Cheers!

Italian Kisses Baci Molten Lava Cake
By Francine Segan,
www.dolceitalia.com

Serves 2

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2 teaspoons all purpose flour
2 Perugina Baci chocolate candies
Raspberries or sliced strawberries, as garnish, optional

Butter two 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. With an electric hand mixer, beat the cocoa, sugar and butter in medium bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg yolks, then the whole egg and flour. Divide the batter between the two prepared ramekins. Press one Baci, nut side down, in the center of each ramekin. (If you like, at this point, you can refrigerate them for up to 24 hours before baking). Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the cakes uncovered until edges are firm, about 18 minutes. Cut around the cakes with a butter knife to loosen them, then turn out onto plates.

textarea: A romantic oozy drippy decandent dessert for two. The cake batter can even be made the day before so you can just pop them into the oven right before dinner so on the big night you'll be well rested and have time to enjoy with your guests!

Raspberry-Blackberry Crisp

Serves 4 to 6

I don't like blueberries, which, I know, for many summer fruit lovers is a sin. On the other hand, I adore raspberries and blackberries, so when I make the proverbial summer fruit crisp—that generations of bakers have made in cast-iron skillets—they are the berries I choose. I think you'll find the combination is fabulous!

Unsalted butter to grease the skillet
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 cups mixed fresh blackberries and raspberries
1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar, depending on how sweet the berries are
2/3 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Put a baking sheet in the middle of the oven. Lightly butter a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

In a large bowl, stir the cornstarch and lemon juice together until blended; add the berries and sugar, and gently stir to combine them evenly. Scrape the mixture into the skillet.

In the same bowl, combine the oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter. Using a fork or your fingers, stir the mixture until it is crumbly and blended, and scatter it over the berries. Transfer the skillet to the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the topping is set and the berries are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving the crisp from the skillet with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top