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Romance Recipes

Chicken & Dutch Dumplings

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 2-3 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 4 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 2-3 gallons chicken broth chicken
  
  Mix flour and salt together well. Cut in butter. Add water and beaten eggs, and mix until dough forms a ball. Divide dough if necessary and roll out on a well floured board. This should be rolled out *very* thin, ~1-1.5 mm thick. Cut the dough into 2-3 inch square pieces and set aside for the moment. Make sure the dough is not overlapping when you set it aside...it CANNOT be stacked.
  
  In the meantime (at the beginning) prepare the chicken broth and season to taste. When all the dumplings are cut, quickly drop them one by one into the boiling broth. Allow to cook for 1/2 an hour. If the dumplings are too thick, they will come out tough. It's better to err on the thin side when rolling them out. This dish can be served with fried chicken, or with the chicken chopped up in the broth. Makes ~8-10 servings.

  Chocolate Toffee

• 1 cup nut pieces
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 6 oz. package of chocolate chips
  
  Spread the nuts on the bottom of an 8" x 8" pan. In saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the sugar. Bring mixture to a low boil stirring constantly and boil for 7-12 minutes,(depending on how crispy you like your toffee).
  
  Pour toffee over nuts as evenly as you can. Sprinkle chips over the top and put something on top of the pan to hold the heat in, such as a cookie sheet. When the chips are soft, spread the chocolate over the toffee. Refrigerate until hard.
  
  Switch the type of nuts you use (pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanuts) or leave nuts out altogether. Or put nuts in but leave off the chocolate. Or use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet. I no longer grind the nuts 'cause too many nuts get left behind in the pan. Or you can grind the nuts and mix them in with the toffee before you put it in the pan. And/or put nuts on top of the chocolate before refrigerating. I usually get impatient, so I put it in the freezer.

  King Cake

• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 T. butter or margarine
• 1/4 c. warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  
  Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it steams; remove from heat. Add sugar, salt and butter, stiffing until butter is melted. Let cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve.
  
  Add egg and 1 1/2 cups flower; beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the rest of the flour. Beat until the dough is smooth and leaves the side of the bowl.
  
  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured pastry cloth. Knead until dough is satiny and elastic and blisters appear on the surface.
  
  Go to the directions in the other recipe (the ***'s) to finish. If you want to use the cimmamon and sugar, just follow the ingredients & directions from the other recipe.

  Lemon Parfaits

• 1/2 cup strained lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 large eggs, separated into whites and yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup, well chilled, heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• slivered lemon rind for garnish.
  
  In a small heavy saucepan, combine the lemon juice, grated lemon rind, the egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar. Beat the mixture until it is well combined. Cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Do not let the mixture boil. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool.
  
  In a bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until they hold soft peaks. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating. Beat the meringue until it holds stiff peaks.
  
  Fold the meringue into the lemon mixture.
  
  In a chilled bowl, beat the heavy cream until it holds soft peaks. Beat in the confectioners sugar and bet the mixture until it holds stiff peaks.
  
  Fold the whipped cream into the lemon/meringue mixture.
  
  Divide the mixture among 8 ounce parfait glasses. Chill the glasses in the freezer for 2 hours.
  
  Garnish the deserts with the slivered lemon rind and serve