I love food; not just eating it, but preparing it, reading about it, shopping for it and everything, perhaps, but cleaning up after it. I’m Lynette Gudrais, innkeeper at the Candlelight Inn and a self-confirmed foodie. Oh yes, I will be writing here about food.
My qualifications? Well, I started young, when given a choice between cooking and cleaning on Saturdays, I chose cooking (hello!) I was soon taking responsibility for the family’s dinner once a week and getting lots of positive feedback. I believe that’s the secret to making a foodie—pile up the compliments when they’re young and you’ve got a lifer. Just lie a little at first and soon you won’t have to. It didn’t hurt that my mom was a great cook (and her mom-and her mom…) and that she taught me a lot. She also had great cookbooks which I loved to read. I still do and now I have my own 3000 volume collection of cookbooks that have their own room at the inn. In addition, I have taken and taught cooking classes at Byerly’s Cooking School in St. Louis Park and Community Education in School District 196. I also had a catering business for several years before coming to Red Wing to operate the Candlelight Inn with my husband.
So, in addition to writing about food, I would invite everyone to e-mail questions about food and with the help of my library, I will attempt to answer them—or, perhaps, other readers will e-mail in their answers. What kind of questions? Anything, from can you find a recipe for __________ to how do you cook _______, or tips and suggestions of your own.
As I was having lunch with some friends last week, the conversation turned to my new column and one asked about the Scandinavian Almond Cake recipe going around. Her question was why when she made it, it turned out fine, but for her sister it wouldn’t finish baking and was underdone no matter how long she baked it. Intrigued, I went to the Uff Da shop, bought the special pan and the recipe. At home I discovered I already had a pan like it but had not known its use or origin. On to another search, revealing it to be a German “Rehrucken” pan which means “saddle of venison.” The German version is chocolate with almonds stuck in after frosting to look like a saddle of venison with garlic cloves in the classic German presentation. Leave it to the Scandinavians to make something buttery and sweet—and white! I baked two (one in each pan) and it was delicious. Never did find out why my friend’s sis’s didn’t bake. Did she turn the oven on?
Valentine’s Dayis past but if you own a special heart-shaped cake pan or a heart mold for Coeur a la Crème, you can undoubtedly get it out and make a special treat. But if you don’t own these items and don’t want to resort to the usual heart-shaped box of chocolates, why not make old-fashioned cherry berries on a cloud? (Gratis Betty Crocker). It doesn’t use any special equipment and is very easy. The only caveat is: make it the day before as it takes awhile to bake and gets better from sitting awhile.
My qualifications? Well, I started young, when given a choice between cooking and cleaning on Saturdays, I chose cooking (hello!) I was soon taking responsibility for the family’s dinner once a week and getting lots of positive feedback. I believe that’s the secret to making a foodie—pile up the compliments when they’re young and you’ve got a lifer. Just lie a little at first and soon you won’t have to. It didn’t hurt that my mom was a great cook (and her mom-and her mom…) and that she taught me a lot. She also had great cookbooks which I loved to read. I still do and now I have my own 3000 volume collection of cookbooks that have their own room at the inn. In addition, I have taken and taught cooking classes at Byerly’s Cooking School in St. Louis Park and Community Education in School District 196. I also had a catering business for several years before coming to Red Wing to operate the Candlelight Inn with my husband.
So, in addition to writing about food, I would invite everyone to e-mail questions about food and with the help of my library, I will attempt to answer them—or, perhaps, other readers will e-mail in their answers. What kind of questions? Anything, from can you find a recipe for __________ to how do you cook _______, or tips and suggestions of your own.
As I was having lunch with some friends last week, the conversation turned to my new column and one asked about the Scandinavian Almond Cake recipe going around. Her question was why when she made it, it turned out fine, but for her sister it wouldn’t finish baking and was underdone no matter how long she baked it. Intrigued, I went to the Uff Da shop, bought the special pan and the recipe. At home I discovered I already had a pan like it but had not known its use or origin. On to another search, revealing it to be a German “Rehrucken” pan which means “saddle of venison.” The German version is chocolate with almonds stuck in after frosting to look like a saddle of venison with garlic cloves in the classic German presentation. Leave it to the Scandinavians to make something buttery and sweet—and white! I baked two (one in each pan) and it was delicious. Never did find out why my friend’s sis’s didn’t bake. Did she turn the oven on?
Valentine’s Dayis past but if you own a special heart-shaped cake pan or a heart mold for Coeur a la Crème, you can undoubtedly get it out and make a special treat. But if you don’t own these items and don’t want to resort to the usual heart-shaped box of chocolates, why not make old-fashioned cherry berries on a cloud? (Gratis Betty Crocker). It doesn’t use any special equipment and is very easy. The only caveat is: make it the day before as it takes awhile to bake and gets better from sitting awhile.
Here’s the recipe with the lighter version for us perennial dieters in parentheses:
Cherry Berries on a Cloud
Meringue Shell (recipe follows) One and one half Cup chilled whipping cream (1 16-oz container Lite Cool Whip)
1 (3-oz) package cream cheese (1 3-oz
Package Neufchatel Cheese) 1 cup miniature marshmallows
One-half cup sugar Cherry Topping (recipe below)
One-half teaspoon vanilla
Bake meringue shell in heart shape. Blend cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Whip
cream, if using. Gently fold two-thirds of the whipped cream or Cool Whip and the
marshmallows into cream cheese mixture. Pile into shell. Top with cherry filling,
leaving a two inch rim around outside of heart. Make a border of extra whipped cream
around outside of cherries. Cover; chill at least 12 hours.
Meringue Shell
Heat oven to 275 degrees. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Beat three egg whites and one-fourth teaspoon cream of tartar until foamy. Beat in three-fourths cup sugar, one tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Do not underbeat. On parchment, shape meringue into large heart shape (approximately nine inches across widest part), building up side. Bake for one and one-half hours. Turn off oven; leave meringue in oven with door closed for one hour. Remove and cool away from draft.
Cherry topping
Stir together one can (one pound, five ounces) cherry pie filling (lite) and one teaspoon lemon juice
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