Pine Nut Cake With Poached Cherries And Caramel Sauce Recipes

MARASCHINO CHERRY NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and lightly flour two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans or one 9x13-inch cake pan.
• Reserve 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice. Coarsely chop the cherries to make 1/2 cup. Set aside.
• Sift cake flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and set aside.
• Beat shortening in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 1/3 cups white sugar and beat until well combined. Add the egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each.
• Combine 2/3 cup milk and reserved 1/4 cup cherry juice. Add the flour and milk mixture alternately to the shortening mixture, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined. Stir in the chopped cherries and nuts. Pour batter into prepared pans.
• In preheated oven until cake springs back when lightly touched with a finger or a tester comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes for round cakes (or 30 to 35 minutes for a 9x13 inch pan). Cool cakes in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.
• To make frosting: beat 3/4 cups butter in a large bowl till fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar; beat well. Slowly beat in 1/3 cup milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Gradually beat in the remaining 3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. If desired, tint the frosting pink by adding 6 drops of red food coloring.
• Once cake is completely cool, frost with butter frosting and decorate with maraschino cherries with stems.

PINE NUT TORTA WITH MARSALA-POACHED AUTUMN FRUIT

Steps:

• For fruit:
• Combine 3 cups water, Marsala, sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon peel in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add prunes and apricots. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until fruit is just soft but not mushy, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer fruit to medium bowl. Boil liquid until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour syrup over fruit. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• For cake:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter and flour 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Whisk egg yolks, egg, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1 cup sugar in medium bowl until pale and creamy. Gradually add flour, beating until mixture resembles coarse meal. Using rubber spatula, gently stir egg mixture into butter mixture (batter will be thick). Spoon batter into prepared pan; smooth top (cake will be thin). Sprinkle pine nuts over top; press lightly to adhere.
• Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Run small knife around cake edges to loosen. Remove pan sides. Cool cake completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.)
• Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar. Serve with poached fruit.

CHERRY NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottoms of 2 greased 9-in. round baking pans with parchment; grease paper., In a large bowl, cream butter, shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. In a small bowl, mix cream and cherry juice. In another bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with cream mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in cherries and walnuts. With clean beaters, beat egg whites on medium speed until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold into batter., Transfer batter to prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely., In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form. Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate; spread top with half the whipped cream. Top with remaining cake layer; spread with remaining whipped cream. Decorate with cherries.

CHERRY POLENTA CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for indirect heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the hot coals on one side only. If using a gas grill, heat one side only to medium-high heat.
• Vigorously whisk together the eggs and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cornmeal, flour and salt, smoothing out any lumps. Whisk in the milk and almond extract.
• Add the butter to a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet over direct heat. When the butter has melted, swirl it around to coat the bottom of the skillet. Right before you are ready to pour the batter into the pan, give the batter another whisk. (Cornmeal tends to sink to the bottom so re-whisking right before pouring it in is important.) Pour the batter into the cast-iron and cook until the batter begins to set, about 5 minutes. Every few minutes, using a rubber spatula, move some of the batter from the edges to the middle, like making scrambled eggs, to help it cook.
• Remove the skillet from the grill and distribute the cherries evenly over the surface of the cake. Place the cast-iron over indirect heat, close the grill and bake until puffed and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the cake from the grill and immediately sprinkle it with the remaining teaspoon of granulated sugar. Allow to cool slightly before loosening and sliding it onto a plate. Slice and serve dusted with confectioners' sugar.
• (Alternatively, you can begin to bake the cake over medium-high heat on a stovetop, then finish it in a 375 degrees F oven for 30 minutes.)

ITALIAN PINE NUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Whip the granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and egg white by hand or in a mixer fitted with the whip attachment until pale and doubled in volume. Whisk in the oil, lemon zest and vanilla.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour and salt. Add this to the egg mixture and stir just until blended. Stir in the toasted pine nuts and scrape the batter into the prepared pam. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the untoasted pine nuts and bake for about 40 minutes, until the top of the cake is a rich golden brown, with slightly darker golden edges. Cool the cake in the pan before turning out to serve.
• * To toast pine nuts, spread them on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake them for 10 minutes in a 350 F oven. Cool before using.

PEARS IN HONEY AND PINE NUT CARAMEL WITH ARTISANAL CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook unsalted butter in large nonstick skillet over mediumhigh heat until beginning to brown. Add pear halves, cut side down, to skillet. Drizzle honey over pears and swirl pan slightly to blend butter and honey. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until pears are tender when pierced with paring knife, swirling skillet occasionally and adding a few tablespoons water to skillet if caramel sauce turns deep amber before pears are tender, about 12 minutes.
• Transfer pears, cut side up, to serving platter. Top pears with cheese. Return skillet with caramel sauce to medium-high heat; add pine nuts to skillet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Cook until sauce in skillet is brown and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Spoon sauce over pears and serve.
• WHAT TO DRINK:
• Finish this meal on a sweet note with a late-harvest dessert wine. The honeyed pear and quince flavors of the 2006 "Le Vol des Anges" ($30) from California's Bonny Doon Vineyard are perfect with this dessert. Plus, the Roussanne grapes the wine is made from are produced using biodynamic practices.

PINEAPPLE CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Evenly sprinkle pineapple in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Carefully spread with pie filling. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. , Bake until top is golden brown, 50-60 minutes.

PINE NUT DESSERT

Steps:

• Mix syrup and cream and pour over pine nuts. Serve cold. It's that easy!

CHERRY NUT CAKE III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, eggs, milk and vanilla. Mix well, then stir in nuts and cherries. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

WINE POACHED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY BASIL/PINE NUT SAUCE

Steps:

• Sauce: In a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and garlic.
• Add the lemon juice and basil leaves and whir until everything is green.
• Add the pine nuts and whir for just a second.
• Add pepper and salt to taste.
• Chicken: Poach the chicken breasts in the White Wine for approx 15 minutes.
• Once cooked, tear the chicken breasts into smaller pieces, and return to simmer in the white wine for another few minutes then remove from the mixture.
• Green beans: Cook until tender-crunchy (usually 10- 15 min.) After the chicken and green beans are cooked, combine with the sauce red onion.
• Serve with rice and sprinkle with the pine nuts.