Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 53

1 -v Section Austin American-Statesman Thursday, December 5, 1985 Recipe swap, E2 Gourmet health, E4 Crumbs, E7 Food gift recipes declared winners Cranberry orange muffins take first in gift category of cooking contest V3 By Kitty Crider American-Statesman Staff Oven fresh: Lively pizza pretzels. I i -f- bowl, sift flour, salt, sugar, and soda. Add cornmeal and cranberries and stir to mix. In smaller bowl combine oil, eggs, buttermilk, orange liqueur and orange rind. Beat until well blended.

Add liquid ingredients to dry, stirring until flour is moistened but still lumpy. Do not overbeat. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until tops are peaked and golden. Let sit in pan for 5 minutes before removing.

Serve warm with butter. Makes 12. Sally Mathis, food gift winner Citrus honey 3 medium size lemons 1 medium size orange 1 cup sugar 2 cups honey Vz cup water Vt bottle fruit pectin Pare rind from fruit, reserve fruit sections. Cut rind into 2-inch thin strips. Combine rind, sugar, 2 cup honey, and water in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil. Cover. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, remove all membrane from fruit sections; dice fruit. Add fruit and juice to cooked mixture; bring to boil.

Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. You should have 2 cups of fruit mixture; if not, add enough water to make 2 cups. Turn into large saucepan; stir in lj2 cups of honey. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Add pectin; stir and skim 5 minutes. Pour into sterilized jelly glasses. Seal. Makes 4 six-ounce glasses.

Martha Strot, Farm Journal Christmas Idea Book Savory pizza pretzels 3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour cup grated Parmesan or romano cheese 2 tablespoons sugar teaspoon salt teaspoon basil Vi teaspoon oregano 1 package dry yeast 1 cup water 1 tablespoon butter 1 egg yolk, beaten 1 tablespoon water Coarse salt Mix 1 cup flour, cheese, sugar, seasonings and yeast. Heat 1 cup water and butter in microwave to 120 to 130 degrees. Gradually add to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add 2 cup flour, beat at high speed, 2 minutes. Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.

Knead 5 minutes on floured boaru. Set in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Coven let rise in warm, draft-free place for 40 minutes. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into 20-inch rope.

Shape into pretzels. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover; let rest 5 minutes. Mix egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; brush on pretzels. Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool on racks. Give with barbecue sauce or hot mustard for dipping. A good gift for men. Makes 1 dozen.

Lin Brinkman Chocolate banana rum cake cup margarine or butter flavored shortening VA cups sugar Sally Mathis, an attorney who remembers current events by foods, flavored golden corn muffins with orange and fresh cranberries to win the food gift category of the American-Statesman's Christmas Cookin' Contest The 1985 competition attracted 500 entries with the food gift category drawing the most recipes everything from sugared pecans to savory homemade pretzels. In addition to Sally Mathis cranberry corn muffins, finalists in this category included Frankie Schroeder's chocolate banana rum cakes, Martha Strot's citrus honey, Lin Brinkman's pizza pretzels, and Vivian Gresham's Christmas cake. These dishes, along with the five finalists in each of the other four categories, were brought to the American-Statesman on a recent Sunday afternoon for a taste-off. When the votes of 27 judges (including the finalists) were tallied, Mathis' cranberry corn muffins came up winners. It was a fitting moment for Mathis, a new mother who had forfeited a Sunday afternoon nap to participate in the taste-off.

(But the lack of sleep was worth it. She took top honors in two categories.) "I have always liked food. I remember current events by food. I was eating maraschino cherries when Kennedy was shot, and I was eating oatmeal cookies when I heard Elvis had died," said Mathis, an attorney who moved to Austin with her husband a year and a half ago from Washington, D.C Caring for a 12-week-old son doesn't allow her time to practice law these days, and Mathis doubts that she will return to the legal field. She is too fond of food.

was reading food magazines when I should have been studying case It was her keen cuisine interest that wooed her to split her studies between law and cooking classes, to work in a restaurant, and to dabble in catering. "I definitely plan to return to the food field when the time is right," said this talented cook. But for now she will continue adapting and creating outstanding recipes like the cranberry corn muffins and yellow velvet, her vegetable dish that won the holiday dinner category. (Watch for that recipe on Dec. 19.) Here's her food gift winner, as well as those of the other finalists, which are not to be ignored.

The votes were very close in this category. Cranberry orange corn muffins 1 cup all-purpose flour VA cups yellow cornmeal 1 cup sugar V4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon soda 1 cup cranberries, washed and patted dry 1 cup salad oil 2 eggs cup buttermilk 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (optional) 1 tablespoon grated orange rind Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottoms of 12-cup muffin tin. In large Staff Photo by Taylor Johnson Tangy: Citrus honey is a tasty gift. A real winner: Cranberry corn muffins VA cups mashed bananas (3 1 1 IvUIUI 11 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon rum flavoring Vi cup oatmeal 134 cups flour VA teaspoons baking soda cup buttermilk cup light rum, divided VA cups chopped pecans 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips Cream margarine and sugar thoroughly.

I y7 If I 1 A 'v 1 Dish it up: Liz's favorite holiday cake. Staff Photos by Smiiey N. Pool were the winning entry for Sally Mathis. Blend in bananas, eggs and flavorings. Stir in oatmeal.

Sift flour and soda together, combine buttermilk with y3 cup rum, reserving y3 cup for later. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk rum mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips. Bake in greased and floured 10-inch tube or Bundt pan (loaf pan) at 325 degrees for 60 to 70 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.

Invert on serving platter and brush top and sides of cake lightly with remaining rum. (This cake freezes well). I like to use a 1-cup mini-Bundt pan with VA cups chopped Oreos 2 cups sour cream Glaze: 1 cup whipping cream 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla For crust: Blend all ingredients in bottom of 9-to 10-inch springform pan, then press onto bottom and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. For filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Beat in 1 14 cups sugar and flour until blended. Beat in eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour half of batter into prepared crust Sprinkle with chopped Oreos.

Pour remaining batter over crumbs, smoothing with a spatula Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 225 degrees. Bake 50 minutes, covering top loosely with foil if browning too quickly. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Blend sour cream, remaining cup sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon va.iil-la.

Spread over cake. Bake 7 minutes. Refrigerate immediately after baking. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight For glaze: Scald cream in heavy saucepan over high heat Add chocolate and vanilla, stir 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir until chocolate is melted.

Refrigerate 10 minutes. Set cake on platter and remove springform. Pour glaze over top of cake. Smooth top and sides. Arrange halved Oreos around outer edge, and place cherry in center, if desired.

Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Cake should be prepared or day ahead, and glazed shortly before serving. Kathleen Speetzen, Bon Appetit, chocolate winner. Rum cakes: Chocolate adds extra zip. this recipe.

It makes 12 individual little Bundt cakes which I bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. (This original recipe won third place in a Nestle Tollhouse Morsels Contest) Frankie Schroeder Liz's favorite Christmas cake Cake: 3 to 4 cups red or green cherries andor yellow candied pineapple (chopped) 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 can thick applesauce 1 quart chopped pecans (12 ounces) 21A cups flour 2 teaspoons soda Vi teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon yA teaspoon ground cloves Icing: 1 box brown sugar V4 cup butter Vi cup whipping cream For cake: Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Mix and sift together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves and add to mixture. Add applesauce and chopped pecans.

Add 1 extra cup flour over fruit and dredge well. Stir into batter. This must be done with a big spoon. Pour into tube pan and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or longer. Ice when cool.

For icing: Bring all ingredients to a boil. Let boil until it forms a soft ball. Remove from heat; then beat. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla after mixture has cooled. Ice when right consistency.

Vivian Gresham Recipes Ellie Rucker Beef barley soup needs no magic Q. Do y'all have the recipe for beef barley soup from the Magic Time Machine? Or the minestrone soup? Suzanne Meyer A. Here's the beef barley. It makes a great winter lunch, served with rolls and a salad maybe the next time everyone's over for the game (It makes a Magic Time Machine's beef barley soup 2 cups chopped onion 2 cups chopped celery 4 tablespoons beef base (available at restaurant supply stores) VA teaspoons Lawry's seasoned pepper VA teaspoons paprika 1 cup pearf barley yA pcund tenderloin or sirloin, cut in -inch cubes Simmer the chopped onion and chopped celery in 1 gallon of water till tender (about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, in a separate skillet brown the meat Pour off excess fat Set aside.

hen the onion and celery are tender, add the beef base, the seasoned pepper, and paprika. Stir well. Add the pearl barley and the browned meat Simmer 30 to 45 minutes or till the meat is tender. i i )i a "v-f-yfr-' i kvr 4 Oreo cheesecake crowns chocolate competition By Kitty Crider American-Statesman Staff If you were a judge, would you pick Helen Longmire's rocky road fudge bars that are a cross between cheesecake brownies and Mississippi Mud cake? Ralph Love's deluxe chocolate crunch pie, a rich chocolate filling in a coconut cornflake crust, that has become the traditional birthday "cake" of his family? Kathleen Speetzen's Oreo cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, Oreo filling, and a Swiss fudge glaze? Laura Williams' chocolate apricot pecan torte, a rich chocolate layer, studded with cognac-soaked apricots, iced with a fudge frosting, and glazed with apricot jam? Ellen Salyers three-layer Brooklyn Street cake that is a Mexican chocolate adaptation of a chocolate Italian creme cake and the locally famous Drunk, Fat, and Happy Cake? That was the dilemma facing more than two dozen judges in the chocolate category of the American-Statesman's Christmas Cookin Contest It was a tough job but when all of the sampling and "mmmm's" were done, there was a clear-cut favorite. It was the Oreo cheesecake.

(Surprised?) Even people who aren't mad about Oreos fell for the creamy creation witu its secret layer of crumbled cookies. Kathleen Speetzen submitted this winning recipe, which originally came from Bon Appetit magazine. The mother of three girls, ages 22 months to 15 years, Speetzen returned to Austin about a year aso with her husband, an Army captain who is persuing a PhD in engineering at the University Texas. Originally from Minnesota and 'Wisconsin, the Speetzens Kathleen Speetzen, a former Austinite who's back home in Texas, swept the chocolate category with her Oreo I More Christmas cookin' This year's Christmas Cookin Contest had a little of everything. Finalists in the chocolate category and entries from the food gifts category will keep cooks busy trying out new ideas.

Pages ES, E18, Mod Ell A cup unsalted butter, melted A cup light brown sugar, packed 2 teaspoons cinnamon Filling: 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature VA cups sugar 2 tablespoons flour 4 extra large eggs 2 large egg yolks Vt cup whipping cream 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 Staff Photos by Smiley N. Pool Oreo cheesecake finished first in the chocolate category. lived in Austin 10 years ago, before a military stint in Georgia. "I love to cook. I have lots of cookbooks," said Speetzen, a first-grade homeroom mother and leader for the LaLeche League.

She learned to cook from her grandmother and specializes in baking yummy desserts like this Oreo cheesecake. Oreo cheesecake Crust: cups graham cracker crurrlbs.