Bishop's Fingers

In my quest for the perfect shortbread, I am avidly baking many different recipes from my British cook book collection! I'll be busy for quite a while, that's for sure.
To date, this is my favorite, partly because almond is one of my go-to dessert flavors. Just heavenly!

Shortbread

I've been obsessed with shortbread for the past few weeks, so I've been experimenting with different recipes. This one is by Lorraine Pascale who is just totally adorable, and has a lovely way with baking!

1 1/4 sticks butter, softened
 

1/4 C sugar, plus a little extra for sprinkling
 
1/2 cup flour
 
1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp cake flour 

2 1/2 oz rice flour  

pinch of salt 
8 inch loose-bottomed cake pan 
Cream together the butter and the sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. 

Add the regular, cake, and rice flour and salt, and stir well until the mixture is smooth. 
 Roll the mixture together, and then press into the pan, flattening it out with the back of an offset spatula. 
Crimp the edges and then gently score the top into 8 slices. 
Prick each triangle with a fork, and chill in the fridge for about half an hour. 
Preheat the oven to 325° F. 
Bake the shortbread for about 30 minutes or so until it is a nice light golden color, then remove from the oven and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top. 
After letting it cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, carefully allow the shortbread to come to room temperature on a cooling rack before cutting it into 8 slices. 
Once cold, cut into 8 pieces and serve. Delicious!

Coffee Crumb Cake

This recipe is adapted from the Pioneer Woman. Most desserts tend to be too sweet for me, so I reduce the amount of sugar to suit my taste. This recipe was delicious and received rave reviews! 

Cake 
1-1/2 stick butter, softened 
1-1/2 C sugar 3 C flour (white whole wheat), sifted 
4 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp salt 
1-1/4 C milk 
3 whole egg whites (whisked until stiff) 

Crumb Topping 
1-1/2 sticks butter, softened 
3/4 C flour 
1 C brown sugar 
2 TBsp cinnamon 
1-1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven too 350 degrees. 

1. In one bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 
2. In a second bowl whisk the egg whites and set aside. 
3. In a large clean bowl cream together the butter and sugar. Add the flour mixture and milk alternately until combined but don’t over mix. Then, fold in the whisked egg whites with a spatula. 
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the crumb topping ingredients with a pastry cutter until you have a crumbly mixture. 
5. Pour the cake batter into a in a buttered 9” x 13” Pyrex baking pan, and then sprinkle the crumb topping over the top. 
6. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through. 

Venison Stew

2 sticks celery, cut into chunks 
1 onion, chopped 
3 carrots, chopped into large chunks 
5 bay leaves 
3/4 tsp thyme 
1 Tbsp vegetable oil 
1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp plain flour 
2 TBsp tomato purée 
2 TBsp Worcestershire sauce 
2 beef stock cubes, crushed 
1 lb venison, cubed 

Heat the oven to 320. 
 Put the celery, onion, carrots, bay leaves and thyme in a large Dutch oven with the oil and butter. Cook the vegetables gently for about 10 mins. Then add the flour and mix together until the flour has been absorbed by the vegetables. 
Add the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock cubes.
 Add 2-1/4 cups boiling water, and stir so that the stock cubes begin to dissolve. Add the venison and bring to a simmer. 
Cover and cook for 2hrs 30 minutes, then uncover and cook for an additional 30 minutes or so, until the meat is extremely tender and the sauce has begun to thicken.

Sweet Potato Pie

This is a very easy pie to make and is just the perfect thing to have on a cold evening! It has a similar texture to pumpkin pie, and I'm sure it would be lovely with some ice-cream.

4 oz cream cheese (softened in the microwave for about 20 seconds)
2 C sweet potato (baked and mashed)
1/3 C brown sugar
1/4 C light cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 store bought graham cracker pie shell
vanilla ice-cream for serving

Bake about 5 sweet potatoes in a moderate oven for about 1-1/4 hour until done.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes, then peel and mash them.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Put 2 cups in a medium mixing bowl, add the softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Add the sugar, cream and beaten eggs and mix well. Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla and then pour the mixture into the graham cracker pie shell.