Cooking
From Compagniit
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Saturday, May 19: Italian cooking
Reena, Noemi, Laurence, and Asami got together with Sabrina at her house to spend a nice afternoon and evening together and cook three Italian dishes: Pizza with onions and red and yellow peppers, Roman-style artichokes, and Tiramisù. It was a fun and delicious time.
The recipes follow (in Italian). English translation to come. Buon appetito a tutti!
Carciofi alla romana (ANTIPASTO)
4-5 Carciofi Romani (del Lazio, quelli grossi) con gambo
Sale
Un limone
Olio d'oliva
Pepe
Mentuccia Romana (o prezzemolo)
Aglio 2-3 spicchi
4 cucchiaini di Pangrattato
Condizioni essenziali per la riuscita di questo piatto sono: la scelta dei carciofi e la loro pulizia.
Riempire una bacinella che conterrà i carciofi e i gambi, con acqua fredda e inserire mezzo limone tagliato in 4 spicchi.
I Carciofi devono essere puliti bene sino ad arrivare alle foglie più tenere, a volte si butterà anche più di mezzo carciofo!
Tagliare la punta del carciofo in modo da eliminare anche le spinette che si trovano sulle foglie più piccole; raschiare il gambo in modo da lasciare solo la parte più interna e morbida. Tagliare il gambo a 2 cm dal carciofo. Strofinare i gambi e i carciofi con l'altro mezzo limone, e inserirli nella bacinella (uno ad uno, man mano che vengono puliti, questo serve per non farli annerire).
Preparare un pesto di aglio, mentuccia, pangrattato, sale e pepe e un goccio d'olio.
Prendere i carciofi uno ad uno e batterli sul banco della cucina, in modo di aprire leggermente il cuore, nel quale inserirete un cucchiaino della mistura pocanzi preparata.
Inserire i gambi e carciofi a testa in giù in una pentola in cui stiano giusti (uno vicino all'altro). Riempire la pentola con un dito d'olio e raggiungere il livello dell'inizio del gambo aggiungendo acqua (acqua e olio in rapporto 4:1); salare. Coprire e far cuocere per 30 minuti, scoprire e continuare la cottura lasciando evaporare l'acqua, ma il tempo varia, quindi provare se sono pronti inserendo una forchetta nel cuore, di tanto in tanto, dopo aver terminato la cottura coperta; quando il cuore è morbido sono pronti.
Roman-style artichokes (APPETIZER)
4-5 Roman artichokes (from Lazio, big round ones without spines) with stem
salt
lemon
olive oil
pepper
Roman mint (or parsley)
garlic, 2-3 cloves
4 tablespoons of bread crumbs
The necessary ingredients for making this dish successfully are: choosing the artichokes and cleaning them.
Fill a bowl that will hold the artichokes and stems with cold water and put in half the lemon, cut into 4 sections.
The artichokes must be well cleaned until you arrive at the most tender leaves--it's possible to throw away more than half the artichoke!
Cut the point of the artichokes so as to get rid of the tiny spines that are found on the smallest leaves; scrape the stem to leave only the inside, soft part. Cut the stem 2 cm from the artichoke. Rub the stems and the artichokes with the other half of the lemon to prevent the flesh from turning black, and put them in the basin (one by one, as they are cleaned).
Prepare a crushed mixture (pesto) of garlic, mint, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and a drop of oil.
Take the artichokes one by one and beat them on the kitchen counter so as to open up the heart slightly, and then insert a spoonful of the garlic-mint mixture.
Cook the artichokes and stems in a pot with a little oil and water (ratio 1:4). Cooking times vary depending on whether you use a pressure-cooker or a regular pot with a lid. It takes about 30 minutes in a regular pot, 10 to 15 in a pressure cooker. Test by inserting a fork in the heart--when it is tender, they are ready.
PIZZA (Impasto con lievito di birra fresco)
Ingredienti:
500 gr. di farina di frumento integrale o semiraffinata (tipo 2)
25-30 gr. di lievito di birra fresco
acqua q.b.
30-40 gr. d'olio extravergine d'oliva (c.6-8 cucchiai)
sale
Preparazione: Disporre la farina a fontana su una spianatoia o su un tavolo o un piano adatto, preferibilmente di marmo. Sbriciolatevi nel centro il lievito, scioglietelo con alcuni cucchiai di acqua tiepida, aggiungetevi il sale, l'olio e tanta acqua quanto ve ne serve per ottenere un impasto facile da lavorare, liscio e abbastanza morbido (se volete, potete sciogliere preventivamente il lievito in poca acqua tiepida o latte tiepido e quindi versarlo al centro della fontana che avete preparato sulla spianatoia). Lavorate quindi energicamente l'impasto, sinchè sia diventato abbastanza morbido ed elastico, di una consistenza che ricordi il lobo dell'orecchio. A questo punto formate una palla, infarinatela, copritela con un canovaccio pulito ed umido e lasciatela lievitare in un luogo caldo e al riparo da correnti d'aria per circa 2 ore e mezza o, comunque, sino a quando abbia almeno raddoppiato il suo volume. Se vi sembrasse che il luogo non sia abbastanza caldo, collocate un recipiente con dell'acqua calda sotto la ciotola in cui avrete deposto la palla da lievitare. Trascorso il tempo di lievitazione previsto, infarinate nuovamente il tavolo o la spianatoia, posateci la pasta e stendetela con il mattarello o semplicemente con le mani in una sfoglia dello spessore di 1/2 centimetro circa, rotonda o rettangolare a seconda della teglia nella quale farete cuocere la pizza.
Disponetela quindi nella teglia appena unta d'olio o direttamente sulla piastra di cottura del forno (se lo preferite, potete evitare l'uso dell'olio, purchè provvediate a infarinare con cura la parte della pizza a contatto della teglia), stendetevi sopra il sugo di pomodoro e infornate in forno caldo per circa 15-20 minuti, mantenendo una temperatura intorno ai 200-250°C., a seconda del forno che usate, poi sfornate, aggiungete gli altri ingredienti previsti dalla ricetta che vi apprestate a eseguire e rimettete in forno ancora per una decina di minuti prima di portare in tavola.
Pizza (Dough with fresh yeast)
Ingredients:
500 gr. of whole wheat or semirefined flour (type 2)
25-30 gr. of fresh yeast
water as needed
30-40 gr. extra virgin olive oil (around 6-8 spoonfuls)
salt
Preparation: Pour the flour on a clean working surface (preferably marble). Make a well in the center, crumble the yeast into it, dissolve the yeast with a few spoonfuls of tepid warm, add the salt, oil, and as much water as needed to obtain a dough that is easy to kneed, smooth and fairly soft. (Alternatively, you can dissolve the yeast first in a little warm water or milk and then pour it into the center of the flour well.)
Knead the dough energetically, until it has become pretty soft and elastic, of a consistency similar to an earlobe. At that point, form it into a ball, dust it with flour, cover it with a clean, damp dishcloth, and let it rise in a warm place away from air currents for about 2 1/2 hours or in any case until it has doubled in volume. If you feel that the place is not warm enough, put a container with hot water under the bowl in which the dough is rising.
Once the dough is finished rising, dust the work surface with flour once again, place the dough on it and roll it out with a rolling pin or simply with your hands to a thickness of about 1/2 cm, round or rectangular depending on the pan on which you will cook the pizza.
Put it onto a lightly oiled pan or directly onto the cooking stone (you can avoid using oil if you like by putting enough flour on the parts of the pizza in contact with the pan). Spread the tomato sauce on top and cook in a hot oven for 15-20 minutes, at a temperature of about 200-250°C., according to the stove you are using. Then take it out, add the other ingredients that you would like, and put it back in the oven to cook for another 10 minutes or so before serving.
TIRAMISU’ (DOLCE)
Ingredienti:
500 g di mascarpone
80 g di zucchero
4 uova
250 g di savoiardi
4 tazzine di caffè espresso (oppure una moca da 4 preparata con tanto caffè)
1 bicchiere di Marsala all'uovo (facoltativo)
cacao amaro in polvere q.b.
* eventualmente scaglie di cioccolato fondente
Preparazione
Separare i tuorli dagli albumi. Montare i tuorli insieme allo zucchero fino a ottenere un composto il più possibile chiaro e spumoso. Unire al mascarpone il composto di uova e zucchero, amalgamandolo bene, possibilmente con una frusta a mano. Montare gli albumi a neve ben ferma con un pizzico di sale e aggiungere con delicatezza alla crema di uova e mascarpone. Miscelare il Marsala con il caffè a temperatura ambiente. Immergere velocemente i savoiardi nella bagna così ottenuta: i biscotti dovranno risultare ben imbevuti, ma non completamente zuppi. L'ideale sarebbe bagnare solo la metà inferiore dei biscotti, in modo che assorbino anche un po' dell'umidità della crema di mascarpone. Coprire il fondo di una vaschetta in plastica per alimenti con uno strato di savoiardi. Quindi stendere uno strato di crema al mascarpone, livellandolo con una spatola.
Procedere con un secondo strato di biscotti e coprire con la rimanente crema, avendo cura di tenerne da parte una piccola quantità per la decorazione.
Decorazione
Inserire la crema rimasta in una tasca da pasticciere e ricoprire tutta la superficie del dolce con una serie di rosette. Spolverare d’abbondante cacao amaro e rifinire con una manciata di scaglie di cioccolato. Riporre in frigorifero per almeno sei ore.
TIRAMISU’ (DESSERT)
Ingredients:
500 g of mascarpone
80 g sugar
4 eggs
250 g of ladyfinger cookies
4 small cups of espresso coffee
1 glass of egg Marsala (optional)
cocoa powder as needed
* possibly dark chocolate curls (optional)
Preparation
Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with the sugar until you obtain a pale, foamy paste. Combine it with the mascarpone, mixing well, possibly with a hand whisk. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they become firm but not stiff and add very carefully to the egg and mascarpone cream. Mix the Marsala with the room-temperature coffee. Dip the ladyfingers quickly in the liquid: the cookies should end up well soaked, but not sopping. The ideal is to wet only the bottom half, such that they also absorb a little of the mascarpone cream humidity. Cover the bottom of a deep pan with a layer of ladyfingers. Then add a layer of mascarpone cream, smoothing it out with a spatula.
Proceed with a second layer of cookies and cover with the remaining cream (leaving aside some cream if you plan to use it as decoration).
Decoration
Put the remaining cream in a pastry sleeve and cover the top of the dessert with a series of rosettes. Dust with plenty of cocoa powder and add a handful of dark chocolate curls. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
Saturday, June 2: Indian cooking
Noemi, Sabrina, Asia, Yael, Gianpaolo, and Asami got together with Reena at her house to spend a nice afternoon and evening together and cook some Indian dishes: Gulab Jamun (sweet milk balls), Shahi Paneer (home-made cheese in tomato gravy), Mango Lassi (yogurt and milk fruit drink), and chappatis (flat bread). It was a fun and delicious time. Fabrizio and Xavier had a good time playing together.
Gulab Jamun
Recipe on back of mix box: 
Shahi Paneer
From: http://www.bawarchi.com/cookbook/gravyveg2.html
Ingredients:
250 gms. paneer (cottage cheese)
3 tbsp. ghee or butter or vegetable oil
1 onion chopped fine
1/2-inch piece ginger chopped fine
2 green chillies chopped fine (optional)
4 tomatoes chopped fine
2 cardamom pods crushed
1/4 cup beaten curd or yogurt
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder (or according to taste)
1/2 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. tomato sauce
To garnish:
2 tbsp. grated paneer
1 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander
Method:
Chop the paneer into 2-inch fingers.
Heat half the ghee (or butter or oil). Add onion, ginger, green chilli and cardamom. Fry for 3-4 minutes. (Reena added a spoonful of cumin seeds first.)
Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, covered.
Add curd and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water and cool.
Heat remaining ghee, add gravy (tomato sauce) and other ingredients except milk and paneer.
Boil to get a very thick gravy.
Just before serving, heat gravy, add milk and paneer fingers and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander and grated paneer.
Making time: 45 minutes.
Makes for: 6
Shelf life: best fresh.
Mango Lassi
Ingredients:
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango(peeled and stone removed)
4 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)
Method
Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, if it seems dense add a little water then pour into individual glasses, and serve.
Sprinkle with a little cardamom.
The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
If fresh, ripe mango is not available, use mango juice/nectar. In this case you can just whip everything together in a bowl until it is well blended.
Sunday, June 10: Polish cooking
We met at Asia's house--there were Sabrina, Asami, Noemi, Reena, Valentina, and Stefania with Oma and Ide. Luca took care of Xavier and Fabrizio was with Giorgio (thank you!). The three Polish dishes we made were: Zapiekanki, Pierogi, and Ciasto Drożdżowe (similar to babka). Yum!
Zapiekanki
These are like a pizza or a croque-monsieur--very nice as an appetizer and easy to make.
200 g mushrooms
2 onions (should come out to less than the mushrooms)
oil for frying
salt
pepper
100g grated cheese (Emmental, Edamski, etc.)
1 or 1-1/2 baguette (long bread)
butter (optional)
ketchup (optional)
Peel and chop the mushrooms and onion in small pieces. Sauté in pan with oil until they are cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the baguette into halves lengthwise and then into short pieces. Remove a little of the soft part to make room for the toppings. Put a little bit of butter in the hollow to help the toppings stick. Spread a heaping spoonful of the mushroom and onion mixture on each piece of bread. Then put the grated cheese on top.
Arrange the pieces of bread on a piece of baking paper on a pan. Bake in a 180 deg. C / 350 deg. F oven for 15-20 minutes--enough time for the cheese to melt. Serve with optional ketchup.
Pierogi
These little ravioli can be made as they are here, with potatoes and cheese, or with fermented cabbage, or with meat. They are very popular throughout Eastern Europe.
400 g fresh, slightly acid farmer's (dry cottage) cheese
(in Italy: use 150 g Quartirolo + 250 g Ricotta)
3 cooked potatoes
salt
pepper
3-4 onions, chopped
oil
sour cream (optional)
For the dough:
1 kg plain flour
salt
water as needed
Mash the potatoes and cheese together to obtain a homogeneous mass. Sauté the onions in oil. When translucent, add about half to the potato mixture (reserve the other half for dressing the pierogi when done). Season with salt and pepper.
To make the dough, mix a little water at a time with the flour and a little salt, and knead vigorously until you obtain a soft but not sticky dough.
Break off a chunk at a time and roll it out to about 1 mm thickness.
To make the pierogi, make circles in the dough about 3 inches in diameter with a glass. Put a spoonful of the potato mixture in the center and fold over the dough to form a semi-circle/half-moon. (It's fine to stretch the dough to reach around, as long as you do not tear it or make it dangerously thin.) Pinch the edges together tightly. Lay the pierogi on a tray covered by a towel, not touching each other, to prevent sticking (you can layer the towel in between pierogi layers).
Boil salted water and throw some of the pierogi in at a time (not all of them). Let them cook 3-4 minutes, the time it takes for them to bob back up in the water. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Serve hot with sour cream and/or the reserved sautéed onions in oil.
The pierogi we made for the kids didn't have any pepper in them. And they were very much appreciated!
Ciasto Drożdżowe (Babka)
This slightly finicky yeast-based cake is quite light, perfect for enjoying with tea or coffee.
1/2 liter milk
10 g fresh yeast
1 kg plain flour
1 cup sugar
3 eggs (2 yolks + 1 whole + 1 white)
250 g margarine, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla / 1 pkg vanilla sugar
For the topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
125 g margarine
125 g butter
Heat a little of the milk until it is hot but not boiling. Dissolve the yeast in the hot milk with a little of the sugar. Let it sit until it gets foamy, 5-10 minutes.
In a large bowl, pour the flour and make a well in the center. Pour in the rest of the milk and sugar. Mix the liquid with a spoon or a whisk, being careful to only incorporate a tiny little bit of the flour at a time. Do NOT incorporate all of the flour, leave most of it as the outside of the well.
Add the dissolved yeast to the liquid in the middle of the flour. Cover with a towel and leave the bowl in a warm place until the yeasty liquid overflows the top of the flour (could be an hour).
Make the topping for the cake by mixing together the flour and sugar with the margarine and butter. It is supposed to come out as crumbs, but if the butter and margarine are soft, it will be more of a paste. Either way is ok. Set aside in a cool place.
Once the yeasty liquid has risen, mix in the vanilla along with 2 egg yolks and a whole egg. Mix the liquid in with the flour using a whisk or your hands. The dough is very soft. Pour a little of the melted margarine at a time underneath the dough, and mix it in. If the dough gets too soft or sticky, add a little flour at a time. The final dough should be quite soft but should not stick to your fingers.
Grease a deep pan, 30 cm by 40 cm. Spread the dough in the pan. Spread an egg white over the top. Sprinkle (or spread) the butter/margarine topping on top of the egg white.
Bake in a 180 deg. C / 350 deg. F oven for about 50 minutes. When the cake is done, it pulls away from the edges of the pan.
Sunday, June 17: Australian cooking
Affrica welcomed Noemi, Reena and Valentina to her home and to her favorite foods--if not all authentically Australian, all of them enjoyed heartily in her homeland nonetheless. We made Vietnamese spring rolls, Thai green curry, and Pavlova (meringue dessert).
Vietnamese spring rolls
Yummy!
Thai green curry
Mmmmm!
Pavlova
scrumptious
Sunday, July 1: Japanese cooking
KAKIAGE (fritelle di verdure)
per 6 persone
Kakiage e' fritto, la versione leggera di Tempura.
Farina 6 cucchiai
Fecola di patate 6 cucchiai
uova 3
acqua 6 cucchiai
un po' di sale
olio d'oliva / olio leggera
(verdure)
zucchine 2
carote 2
cipolla 1
gambero 10-15 (a propria scelta)
- Tagliate le verdure sottile e corti di 2-3cm.
- Mescolate farina, fecola di patate, uova, acqua e sale in una ciotola.
- Sgusciate i gamberi e lavate brevemente sotto acqua.
- Mettete le verdure e i gamberi nella ciotola di 2, e mescolate bene.
- Riscaldate l'olio tra 170 - 180 gradi.
- Prendete un mestolo di 4, poi mettete lentamente nell'olio.
- Quando e' abbastanza fritto, togliete dall'olio.
- Sono pronti da mangiare con il brodo. (ricetta di brodo e' sotto)
IL BRODO per KAKIAGE per 6 persone
Salsa di soia 2 cucchiai
MIRIN (sake dolce) 2 cucchiai
SAKE (liquore) 2 cucchiai
acqua 1 bicchiere
brodo di pesce 1 cucchiaino
Mettete tutti gli ingredienti nella pentola piccola, fateli bollire una volta e poi lasciate raffreddare un po'.
ONIGHIRI (PALLA DI RISO)
per 6 persone
(PREPARAZIONE DI RISO)
Riso 5 bicchieri
acqua 5 bicchieri
- Lavate bene riso sotto acqua corrente, finche l'acqua sia trasparente.
- Mettete riso e acqua insieme in una padella con un coperchio.
- Fateli bollire sul fuoco forte. Quando bolla e si vede il vapore esce da sotto coperchio, lasciatela cosi x 5-6 minuti.
- Poi spegnete il fuoco e lasciate sempre coperto con coperchio.
- Vaporato bene, poi togliete il coperchio e mescolate con cucchiaio o bachette.
(ONIGHIRI)
- Bagnate le mani, prendete un po' di sale sulle palme.
- Prendete una palla di riso (attenzione, molto caldo!), poi formate come volete. Di solito si fa una forma di sacco di paglia, o triangola.
Si puo aggiungere un mezzo cucchiaino di, per esempio, marmelatta di prugna sottaceto (umeboshi), nel mezzo della pallina.
ZUPPA DI SOIA (MISO-SOUP)
Miso 4 cucchiai
Wakame (le alghe giapponese)2 cucchiai
verdure a propria scelta
acqua 6 bicchiere
brodo di pesce 1 cucchiaino
tofu in pezzeti (a scelta)
Il miso e' un tipo di pesto fatto di soia e riso o orzo fermentati, che si usa come brodo. Il tofu e' un tipo di "formaggio" fatto di latte di soia.
- Mettete brodo di pesce e le verdure nell'acqua bollente.
- Quando sono abbastanza bollite mettete il miso e fatelo sciogliere. (Non bollire il miso.)
- Mettete wakame 20 secondi prima di spegnere fuoco.
Saturday, September 22: French cooking
Affrica, Reena, Laurence and Marie, Asami, Valentina, and Sabrina and Fabrizio came to cook French food at Noemi's house.
Gratin Dauphinois
Ingredients
- 2lb (1kg) potatoes
- 1 or 2 cloves garlic, mashed
- 2 oz butter
- 2 cups (50cl) whole milk
- 5 oz (160g) French or Swiss Gruyère cheese, grated
- sprinkling of cream
- Salt and pepper
Peel and wash the potatoes. Butter an oven-proof dish and rub with mashed garlic. Slice the potatoes very thinly. Put a layer of potatoes, followed by cheese and a sprinkling of cream. Repeat until all the potatoes are in. Season with salt and pepper, then add milk and a final layer of cheese and a few pieces of butter. Put the dish in the oven and cook for 1 hour at 360ºF (180ºC). Gratin Dauphinois is ready when the top is gold and brown and a knife pokes easily through the potatoes.
Ratatouille
There are many ways of making ratatouille. Basically if you end up with a tomatoey stew of vegetables that include eggplant, you are on the right track. Here is how we did it.
Ingredients
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- olive oil
- 2 small eggplants
- 1/2 kg zucchini, scrubbed, and cut into slices
- 2 red bell peppers
- a cup of ripe tomatoes, chopped coarse
- 2 small cans of peeled/crushed tomatoes
- salt, pepper, herbes de provence (rosemary, thyme, etc.)
Roast the eggplants and peppers in a dish containing water for an hour, then let them cool in a heatproof container to steam off the skin. Peel them and chop them in pieces. Chop the onion. Cook it in a large pot with the garlic in olive oil over moderate heat until the onion is softened. Add the zucchini and stir occasionally. When the zucchini is softened, add the pepper and eggplant, stir. Add in the tomatoes and stir. Season with salt, pepper, and herbes de provence. Let simmer on low heat for as long as possible. Best reheated the next day.
Salade verte avec vinaigrette
Wash and dry lettuce. In a large salad bowl, pour oil, 1/3 as much vinegar (preferably balsamic) as there is oil, salt, and a forkful of Dijon mustard. Beat well with a fork to emulsify. Add lettuce leaves, ripping them into smaller pieces if they are too large. Stir with salad tongs and serve.
Baguettes et fromage de chevre
from http://www.famousfrenchdesserts.com/french-bread-baguette-recipes.html
Preparation Time: about 25 minutes
Cooking Time: about 25 minutes
Resting Time: about 4 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 cups / 1 lb / 440 g Flour
- 1-2 tsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. Dry Active Yeast
- 2 cups Warm Water
- Oil for bowl
How to make it:
- In a bowl, mix together the flour and the salt.
- In another bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and half of the flour/salt mixture. Mix until it forms a wet dough. Then, cover with a dish cloth and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours. It should triple in size.
- Gently incorporate the rest of the flour/salt, using your hands.
- Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. It should be supple and elastic when you stop kneading.
- Lightly oil a bowl. Place dough in bowl. Cover with a dish towel. Let sit for 1 hour. It should double in size.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Knead again. Then cut dough into 3 parts and form each part into a long baguette. Place on a baking sheet. Let sit for at least 20 minutes.
- Place a bowl of water in the oven. Bake baguettes for about 25 minutes (more or less--bread should sound hollow when tapped). Remove the bowl of water after 15 minutes of baking.
Serve with goat cheese, if you like.
Clafoutis
Clafoutis is a very easy dessert that you can make with any type of fruit. The most common fruit to use is cherries, but since cherries are no longer in season, we used plums.
Here is the recipe we used, modified from one by Raymond Oliver.
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup milk
- enough plums cut up in pieces to cover the bottom of your pan in one layer
Mash together sugar and butter until you obtain a paste. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add in flour and beat to a smooth batter. Stir in milk. Put fruit into heavily buttered baking dish. Pour in batter over cherries. Bake immediately on lower rack of preheated 350-400 oven for 40 minutes. Let cool before serving. If you like, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
The time and temperature will depend on the size and depth of your pan. Check it by looking for the top to be golden brown.
