Recipes for May!

This month Laura is our hostess. She's chosen the Austin Women's Club Cookbook! I wasn't able to get the scan of the cookbook cover to work properly over there to the right - but you can see their lovely banner. Here we go!

Laura's recipe: Beef Wellington

4 - lb beef fillet roast
salt and pepper to taste
Pastry
Duxelles
1 egg
1 T. water
Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Pastry:
4 C. sifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/3 C. shortening
1/2 C. ice water

Duxelles:
1 lb. Mushrooms, finely minced
1/3 C. Minced green onion
1/4 C. butter
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Marjoram
1 tsp. Flour
Pepper to taste
1/4 C. Beef broth
3 T. Minced parsley
3/4 C. Minced, cooked ham

Salt and pepper beef; roast at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool; trim off fat. Roll pastry to rectangle about 3/4 inch longer than roast and 12 to 14 inches wide. Press Duxelles into pastry, leaving approximately 1 inch uncovered on all edges. After placing beef on pastry, moisten edges and enclose beef, sealing edges together. Trim pastry so that a single layer covers roast. With seam down, place roast in backing pan. For a more elegant dish, cut decorations from pastry trimmings and place on top of roast. Brush pastry with egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes or until browned. Let stand for 10 - 15 minutes before slicing.

Pastry: combine flour and salt; cut in shortening until fine. Add water and chill. The secret of pastry is to handle as little as possible.

Duxelles: saute mushrooms and onion in butter until onion is transparent. Add salt, marjoram, flour, pepper and broth; cook until mixture thickens. Remove from stove; stir in ham and parsley. Cool.

Italian Sausage Bread - Krissy

1 lb loaf frozen Bridgeford white bread
2 T. Olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. Italian sausage, casting removed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
Oregano
Red pepper flakes
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thaw bread in an oiled bowl until it doubles in size. Roll out on a floured piece of waxed paper. Roll to a size of 10x17 inches. Using a large skillet, pour in olive oil and saute sausage. Drain on paper towels. In a large bowl, combine sausage, onions, 1 egg, oregano and red pepper flakes. Spread on the bread and top with cheese. Using the waxed paper to lift the dough, roll up in jelly roll fashion. Baste with second egg and 1/2 tsp water. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Cool for about 15 minutes and slice to 1-inch thickness.


Potatoes Deluxe - Andrea

2 lbs. Frozen hash browns
2 cans cream of celery soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1/2 c. chopped onions
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 - 16oz container sour cream

Combine soups and sour cream. Add remaining ingredients; top with chopped parsley and paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.


Stewed Tomatoes - Tracy

1 - 15oz can tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
6 T. brown sugar
1 C. bread crumbs
1/4 c. melted butter

Heat tomatoes to boiling point; combine with salt and brown sugar. Place bread crumbs in baking dish and pour tomato mixture over them. Pour melted butter onto tomato mixture. Bake covered tightly at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Do not remove cover for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Decadence - Jeanette

Raspberry Sauce:
2 1/2 fresh raspberries
1/2 C. superfine sugar
1/4 C. Framboise or other raspberry-flavored liqueur

Cake:
1 lb semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
10 T. (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 extra large eggs at room temperature
1 T. sugar
1 T. all-purpose flour
1 C. heavy cream, whipped

Raspberry Sauce: Place the raspberries, sugar, framboise if using in a blender or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree until smooth. If you prefer a seedless sauce, pass the puree through a sieve.

Cake: Position rack in the middle of an oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Butter and 8 or 9 inch spring form pan or layer cake pan. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper or waxed paper cut to fit precisely. Butter the paper and dust with flour; tap out any excess. Place the chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl or the top part of a double boiler. Set over a pan of gently simmering water but not touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted and combined completely. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light, fluffy and tripled in volume, 5 - 10 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour. Using a rubber spatula, fold one-third of the egg mixture into the chocolate to lighten it; fold in the remaining egg mixture, taking care not to deflate the batter. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan; smooth the top. Bake for exactly 15 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature. Do not refrigerate or the cake will stick to the pan. Invert the cake onto a flat serving plate and peel off the paper. Cut into small wedges and serve each wedge atop some of the raspberry sauce. Top with whipped cream.

Makes 1 (8 or 9 inch) cake. Serves 12.