posted July 10, 2003 10:21 PM              

Sydney Omarr's Cooking with Astrology
By Sydney Omarr, with Master Chef Mike Roy

ARIES

Mike Roy: I heartily approve of the "convenience foods," and you'll find I make good use of them in these pages. But once in a while a great "scratch" recipe is downright satisfying. This magnificent dessert is one of them.

Orange Cake au Rhum

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup salad oil
6 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
Rum syrup
Marmalade glaze

In large mixer bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add oil, egg yolks, orange peel, and juice; beat at medium speed until smooth, scraping sides of bowl. Remove beaters; scrape off any bits of clinging peel and stir into batter. Using large clean bowl and beaters, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating at high speed until stiff, but not dry. Carefully fold batter into beaten whites, blending thoroughly. Pour into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 325F for 1 hour. Invert pan and let stand until cool. With long skewer or cake tester, pierce entire top of cake at 1-inch intervals. Slowly pour hot rum syrup over cake; refrigerate several hours. Remove cake from pan; spoon marmalade glaze over top. Let stand until cool.

Rum syrup
1/2 sugar
1 tablespoon rum flavoring
1/2 cup water

In small saucepan, combine sugar and water; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rum flavoring.

Marmalade Glaze
1 jar (12 ounces) pure orange marmalade
1 teaspoon rum flavoring

posted July 10, 2003 10:32 PM              

Mike Roy: Luxury, I repeat, is one of the loves of Taurus, according to Sydney Omarr. I can't think of a more luxurious dessert than this one.

Cherry Glazed Ice Cream Cake

1 nut crumb crust, baked in a 9-inch pan, chilled
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
2 cups (1-pound can) red sour pitted cherries
1/2 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
10-12 red food coloring
6 drops almond extract
1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped and sweetened

Spread ice cream in crust; cover with foil and freeze. Drain cherries; reserve juice. In a saucepan thoroughly mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually blend in juice from cherries. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Stir in cherries, food coloring, and extract; chill. To serve, remove foil from crust, spread cherries over ice cream, and sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately, topping each serving with spoonful of whipped cream.

Nut Crumb Crust
1 cup vanilla wafers
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
1/3 cup butter, melted

posted July 12, 2003 01:28 PM              

GEMINI

Mike Roy: And now, you're about to turn things around for a Gemini. Here's a dessert that will delight him to the point of where he'll end up talking to himself. (This one is a little on the generous side for this menu, but you'll probably be glad to have a little extra).

Upside-Down Peach Gingerbread

2 cans (1 pound, 4 ounces) sliced cling peaches
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
Maraschino cherry halves, drained
Pecan halves
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
2 eggs
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Whipped cream (optional)

Drain the peaches as dry as possible on paper toweling. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a heavy 10-inch skillet with an oven-proof handle. Add the brown sugar and corn syrup. Stir over medium heat until blended. Allowing to cool. Now arrange the peach slices in a circular pattern on top, covering as much of the sugar as possible. Fill in any spaces with marachino cherry and pecan halves. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

posted July 12, 2003 01:38 PM              

Mike Roy: The piquant flavor of rum in this cake will cleanse Cancer's palate of the last seafood vestige.

Lazy Rum Cake

1 package yellow or chocolate cake mix, already prepared and baked or any leftover cake

Rum
Apricot jam
Cherry jam
Whipped cream or buttercream frosting
Chopped nuts

Ideally this is a recipe for using leftover cake, but if you should just want to make a rum cake, use one package each of yellow and chocolate cake mixes. Prepare according directions on box, adding a tablespoon of rum to each of the batters.

When cake layers are done, remove from the pans and chill (if you desire, you can cut layers in half horizontally). Place a chocolate layer on a cake plate and sprinkle with rum. Spread thinly with a layer of apricot jam. Place a yellow (or white) layer on top of the apricot jam, sprinkle with rum, and then spread thinly with cherry jam (whipped cream may be used for one of these layers). Repeat procedure until you have a 4-inch layer (or 8-layer) cake. Sprinkle whole cake with more rum. Frost with whipped cream or your favorite buttercream icing. Spinkle with chopped nuts and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

posted August 09, 2003 11:36 AM              

Pale Lemon Moon Pie

Mike Roy: Something cool and refreshing should follow to bring your Leo dinner party to a smooth conclusion. This dessert is light and soothing.

Crust
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 egg
5 tablespoons water

Mix dry ingredients together, and cut in shortening. Add vinegar and egg to water, mix thoroughly, and gradually add to the ingredients. Roll out and place on pie pan. Bake at 325 F until done, about 15 minutes. Makes two pie crusts.

Lemon Filling
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup constarch
3 tablespoons cold water
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons milk
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine sugar, water, and butter; heat until sugar dissolves. Add constarch blended with cold water. Cook slowly until clear, about 8 minutes. Slowly add egg yolks, beaten with milk and bring to boiling. Gradually add lemon juice and peel. Pour into cool, baked shell.

posted August 12, 2003 01:08 PM              

Aphrodite you are just too sweet to post all of these They all sound so good... I could eat every one of them!

A virgo and I did actually eat a whole german chocolate cake once.. Ahh.. whatever.. it's funny to tell.

posted August 15, 2003 04:12 PM              

Not that I think you need a bib.

*scratches head*

posted August 15, 2003 06:05 PM              

Tomorrow, finishing up the rest. Pray for me to have typing stamina!

posted August 16, 2003 01:15 PM              

Mike Roy: I have emphasized several times Virgo’s need of, and love for, bread. The dessert is probably an unusual place to find it. But pancakes are considered a type of quick bread. This is probably one of the most exotic pancake recipes you’ll ever find.

Pancakes Mercury
(serves 4)

1 cup enriched flour, sifted
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup light cream
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 slightly beaten egg
Melted butter
Brown sugar
1 marshmallow mix
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved or quartered, and sweetened or 1 ½ ounce frozen

Sift together dry ingredients. Add milk, cream, and butter to egg and mix well; add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Bake 6-inch cakes on lightly greased, hot griddle. Brush melted butter on serving plate; sprinkle with brown sugar. Then spread each cake with melted butter and sprinkle brown sugar. Stack 6 or more cakes. Cover with marshmallow mix; broil til golden on top. Heat strawberries to boiling point. Cut stack of pancakes in wedges and serve with hot strawberries.

Marshmallow Mix

½ cup sugar
2 stiffly beaten egg whites
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon soft butter

posted August 16, 2003 01:16 PM              

Mike Roy: Here is a showpiece dessert that a Libra can make days in advance and store in the freezer. Listen for the “oohs” and “ahs” when you bring it to the table steaming like a volcano.

Frozen Orange Margo
(1 per serving)

1 large fresh orange
French vanilla ice cream
Tangerine sherbet
1 ounce orange curacao
Orange juice
Shelled nuts
Maraschino cherries
Food coloring (optional)

posted August 16, 2003 01:17 PM              

Mike Roy: To top of this Scorpio aphrodisiac dinner, let’s add the mystery of the egg in the form of a custard.

Chocolate Custard Cloud
(serves 6)

½ pound semisweet chocolate bits
2 cups milk
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup heavy cream
8 egg yolks

posted August 16, 2003 01:19 PM              

Crepes Suzette

Crepes
6 eggs
4 tablespoons flour, sifted twice
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon sugar

Place in mixing bowl and beat vigorously to consistency of heavy cream. (If still too thick, add more cold water). Butter a small frying pan with a piece of butter about the size of a small walnut, and when butter begins to bubble, pour in enough batter (about a tablespoon) to cover bottom of pan with thin layer. Rotate the pan quickly to spread the batter as thin as possible. Brown, flip over, and brown other side. Stack the crepes flat until all are baked.

Suzette Butter

½ cup sweet butter
½ powdered sugar
Grated peel and juice of 1 orange
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup orange liqueur (curacao, Cointreau, Grand Marnier)
¼ brandy

posted August 16, 2003 01:40 PM              

Leo Moon here, but not a huge Lemon fan, although all of my friends are. I have a hunch I'll attempt to make them anyway.

posted August 16, 2003 11:58 PM              

Mike Roy: If Capricorn likes root vegetables and cold soup, he or she loves pudding. Here is one of the most elegant on the face of the Earth. It originated in Italy.

Zabaglione Pudding with Sauce

6 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
6 - 8 tablespoons sherry
1 ounce gelatin
2 tablespoons cold water
3 tablespoons brandy
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Zabaglione sauce
Sliced almonds

In the top of a double boiler, combine the egg yolks with sugar and sherry, and whip the mixture over hot, but not boiling, water until it thickens. Stir in gelatin, softened in cold water and dissolved over hot water. Put the pan into a bowl of ice and stir the zabaglione well until it is thick and free of bubbles. When it is almost cold, fold in brandy and whipped cream and pour into individual molds. Chill the zabaglione, unmold it, and serve with zabaglione sauce. Sprinkle with almonds.

Zabaglione Sauce

3 egg yolks
2 - 3 tablespoons sugar
1 ½ tablespoons brandy
3 - 4 tablespoons marsala or sherry

posted August 16, 2003 11:58 PM              

Mike Roy: Residents of the Eleventh House, as we have said before, like airy things---angel food cake among them. Here’s a dessert that will measure up to the definition.

Cherry Angel

1 angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can cherry pie filling
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 ½ cups milk
1 cup sour cream