This is the month when Carnival, St Paul’s Ship wreck and Valentines Day
are celebrated. What better way to celebrate all these feasts than with some
sweets? In fact this issue is all about sweets, treats and nice meals. Whether
sweets are to be shared with family or friends or whether it’s that special
treat to give to your loved one on Valentines Day, you will surely find
something you’ll like in this issue!
Do not forget to send us your pictures, requests and comments so we can
post them on the Ask us something page. We are hoping that by time the
page can develop into a type of blog were anything food related can be dis-
cussed.
Now enough teasing, we hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed
producing it for you.
Welcome
I N S I D E
T H I S I S S U E :
Breakfast:
Blueberry and
Banana
Chocolate-chip
Pancakes
2
Sweets: Carni-
val Caramel
Apples
3
Sweets:
Sweet
Lasagne Mille
Foglie
3
Sweets:
Prinjolata
4
Tip of the
Month
5
Sweets:
Xkunvat
5
Coffee
Special page:
Benefits and
Curiosities
6
Dinner:
Pepper-Crusted
Beef Filet with
Chocolate-Port
Sauce
8
Dessert:
Chocolate
Fondant
9
Ask us
something:
Healthy Fruit
Snack
10
What Librarians Eat! F E B 2 0 1 3 I S S U E 2
P A G E 2
“The only
time to eat
diet food is
while you're
waiting for
the steak to
cook.”
― Julia
Child
Blue be rry and Banana
Choc o lat e -c h ip
Panc ake s
Breakfast
Ingredients: (Makes up to 8 fat pancakes)
100g Self-raising flour
100ml Milk
Banana and Blueberries
Honey (optional)
Ice-cream (optional)
Chocolate-chips or bashed up chocolate
bars.
W H A T L I B R A R I A N S E A T !
Wisk the flour and milk together. If the consistency is too thick add some water until you
have a smooth batter. If the consistency is too runny add some more flour as we want them
to fluff up nice and even.
Add in the chocolate chips or bashed up chocolate bars. Wisk until everything is mixed in
well.
In a frying pan add a small nob of butter and coat the whole bottom of the pan. This
should be done on a medium to high heat.
Using a ladle add in some of the mixture in to the pan. By using a ladle we are making
sure we have even portions of equal size.
Fry off on each side for about 1-2 minutes until thick and fluffy.
Serve them with chopped bananas, blue berries, a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of
honey.
Everybody likes pancakes whether they
are thin and crispy or thick and fluffy.
They make the perfect breakfast on spe-
cial occasions and even a great dessert.
There are many different flavour combi-
nations one can try. Here I listed my
Miss’ favourite ones but one can always
substitute the fruit for whichever they
prefer.
P A G E 3
Ingredients: (serves 10-12 depending on how many
apples you use)
1/2 cup Butter, cubed
2 cups Brown sugar
1 cup Light corn syrup (corn flour with water)
Dash salt
1 can (14 ounces) Sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract
10 to 12 Popsicle sticks
10 to 12 Medium apples, washed and dried
1 cup salted peanuts, chopped
Sweets Carnival Caram e l
Apple s
Sweets Swe e t Las agne Mille Foglie
Ingredients:
A couple of lasagne pasta
sheets
Mascarpone cheese
Dark chocolate (melted)
A couple of oranges
Whipping Cream
Par boil the lasagne sheet in some boiling
water for a minute or two.
Drain them well and pat them dry.
Cut them across into four oblongs and fry
them, either shallow or deep fried until
crispy and golden.
Drain them well on some kitchen paper.
Flavour the mascarpone cheese with some
orange zest.
Whisk up the double cream until stiff.
Layer the fried lasagne sheets up like a
sweet lasagne, filling a layer with mascar-
pone and a layer with the whipped double
cream.
Drizzle the melted chocolate on top and
finish off with some sliced oranges.
A twist on the classic lasagne and
the Mille Foglie dessert, for all the
family to enjoy. It is a very fun quick
dessert ideal for the carnival week.
Stir in the condensed milk and cook
until the mixture becomes a caramel.
It is important to stir continuously to
help speed the process.
Remove from the heat and stir in the
vanilla.
Insert Popsicle sticks into the
apples.
In a large heavy saucepan, melt the
butter.
Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and
salt.
Cook and stir over medium heat
until the mixture comes to a boil.
(about 10-12 minutes)
Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture and turn to coat the
apple evenly.
Dip bottom of apples into the peanuts.
Place on a greased waxed paper until set.
These are perfect for impress your loved ones.
Also except for all the sugar, it’s healthy since its basically
an apple, right?
P A G E 4
Some cooks
stir chopped
candied
cherries into
the cake
mixture and
stick some
whole
candied
cherries onto
the sides of
the cake as
part of the
decoration
Prinjo lat a
Making the Italian Meringue
Put the sugar and water into a pan and dissolve over
a low heat.
Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until firm peaks
form.
When the sugar syrup starts to boil, remove the pan
from heat and immediately resume whisking the egg
whites.
With the beater at its lowest speed, pour in the
melted sugar in a slow stream until it is all absorbed.
Carry on beating until the meringue is tepid.
W H A T L I B R A R I A N S E A T !
Sweets The Prinjolata is a traditional Maltese Carnival time
sweet. Originally the Prinjolata was made with butter
cream and the main reason was that even though one
did not store it in the fridge it would not go off.
Of course there are many other variations but even
though this recipe makes a very simple one it is so
stunningly rich that a small piece goes a very long
way.
Ingredients:
The Cake
200g Butter
250g Icing sugar or Caster
sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence or
Vanilla pod
1 tsp Milk
4 Packets Pavesini or 30
sponge fingers
75g Pine nuts
75g Flaked almonds
50g Glace cherries, chopped
(optional)
Italian Meringue
60g Sugar
5 tsp Water
1 large egg white
Icing and Decoration
400g Icing sugar
1 large egg white
Food colouring
100g Dark chocolate (melted)
100g Pine nuts (toasted)
Making the Icing and
Decorations:
Put the egg white into a bowl and whisk lightly just
till it begins to foam a little.
Start adding the icing sugar a little at a time, whisk-
ing well in between each addition until it thickens
nicely.
Spread it carefully over the half ready cake and
decorate it by drizzling with colour, sticking the nuts
all over the side and then dribble over melted choco-
late.
Making the Cake:
Beat the butter and sugar together until
very white and fluffy.
In the meantime, lightly roast the nuts
and then chop them up roughly.
Crush the Pavesini or sponge fingers
with your fingers till they resemble very
rough breadcrumbs.
Fold the Italian meringue into the butter
cream followed by the nuts and biscuits,
and form a sand castle shape on a plate
Cover with Icing and decorate as you
please.
P A G E 5
Ingredients: (Serves 6)
200g of flour
25g of butter
1 egg-yolk
1 tsp of sugar
Anisette
Oil for deep frying
honey or golden syrup
Coloured sugar
It is very important to add
herbs to our recipes. Not
just because they add flavor
but because they also have
health properties. In the
past people have used herbs
as medicine and some com-
munities still do.
When cooking, try using
different herbs or spices and
vary them throughout the
week. The use of herbs and
spices add to a balanced
healthy diet and also help to
prevent common illness.
Tip of the
Month
Sweets Xkunvat
Rub the butter into the flour,
Stir in the egg-yolk and enough anisette to make dough
Knead it briefly and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
Roll it out very thinly and cut it into strips with a pastry-wheel.
Bring the oil to the boil. Roll up the strips and drop them into the boiling oil,
where they’ll take on the traditional twisted shape. Be careful not to let them
over-fry.
Remove them once they are golden and drain them on kitchen paper to re-
move excess oil.
These are very quick to make and traditionally were made by the Knight of St.
John during the Carnival month.
When they are cool, pile them up on
a plate and drizzle on some honey or
golden syrup, and scatter them with
coloured sugar or hundreds-and-
thousands, which will stick to them.
Get numerous
benefits from coffee!
P A G E 7
Get numerous benefits from coffee! Research shows that in many
cases, more is better when it comes to coffee improving health.
Here are some of the benefits.
Coffee Lowers Risk of a Variety of Cancers
Coffee drinking has been associated with a lower risk of lung,
prostate, breast, endometrial, pancreatic, stomach, and colon can-
cer. In some studies the association is robust, while others have
shown no benefit from coffee, which could be due to many rea-
sons. But, it seems clear that coffee can be protective and does not
increase cancer risk.
Coffee Lowers Risk of Heart Disease & Heart Attack
Coffee intake is highly protective for the cardiovascular system
and has been repeatedly found to decrease risk of heart disease
and death from a heart attack.
Coffee Improves Vascular Health & Does NOT Raise Blood
Pressure
The caffeine in coffee has actually been shown to improve the
health of the blood vessels because it increases nitric oxide pro-
duction in the endothelium (the thin layer of cells that line the
interior surface of blood vessels), which improves vascular mus-
cle tone. Coffee also supports healthy arterial pressure, lowering
blood pressure over the long-term.
Coffee Improves Cholesterol Health
The antioxidants in coffee can improve total cholesterol, raise
“good” HDL cholesterol, and lower inflammation related to heart
disease. In one study, regular coffee drinkers were asked to in-
crease their coffee intake to 4 and then a whopping 8 cups a day.
This dosing improved the ratio between “bad” LDL and HDL
cholesterol by 8 percent.
Coffee Improves Body Composition & Elevates Fat Burning
There is compelling evidence that coffee increases your metabolic
rate so that you burn more calories, and it can help shift the body
to burn fat rather than glucose for energy. In addition, coffee
modulates blood sugar and can improve insulin sensitivity.
It is always important not to drink too much coffee. This
applies to everything. Something is good for you in proper
amounts only. When we overdo it, we loose all the benefits
which we were taking advantage of. Whereas coffee is
good for you, overdosing it with sugar does not render the
same health benefits
P A G E 8
Pepper-Crusted Beef
Fillet with Chocolate-
Port Sauce
Brush the tenderloin fillets on all sides with some olive
oil.
Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.
Add the steaks to a hot pan, and cook to your desired
degree of doneness, for example 4 minutes per side for
medium-rare.
Once done, remove the steaks from the skillet and put
aside to let the meat rest.
For the Sauce:
Stir in the chopped shallot in the same pan with a shot
of olive oil, and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the Port wine and balsamic vinegar.
Simmer until the wine reduces to the consistency of
sticky syrup, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the beef stock and rosemary, and return to a sim-
mer.
Once the sauce has begun to simmer, whisk in the
chocolate until it melts and slightly thickens the sauce.
Pour sauce over steaks to serve or place it in a container
aside.
W H A T L I B R A R I A N S E A T !
Dinner
A special dinner to impress on Valentines Day. This
recipe includes ingredients which both partners can
indulge into. It is also designed to stimulate the appetite
for a gorgeous follow up dessert.
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
2 Fillets of good quality beef
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Peppercorns
(cracked)
1 Shallot or small onion
(finely chopped)
1 glass of good quality red
wine (preferably Port wine)
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
60ml Beef stock
1 tsp Fresh rosemary
(minced)
20g Bittersweet chocolate
(chopped)
“I cook
with wine,
sometimes
I even add
it to the
food.”
― W.C.
Fields
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now
and then doesn't hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
Serve with some roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables or
a fresh salad.
P A G E 9
Dessert Chocolate Fondant
This is the first request of this foodletter.
Requested by Sarita Piscopo the recipe is
taken from Chef Gordon Ramsey.
The perfect dessert for Valentines Day.
Ingredients: (Serves 2)
50g Melted butter (for brushing)
Cocoa powder (for dusting)
200g Good-quality dark chocolate
(chopped into small pieces)
200g Butter
200g Golden caster sugar
4 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks
200g plain flour
Caramel sauce and vanilla ice-
cream to serve
Getting the moulds ready.
Using upward strokes, heavily brush the
melted butter all over the inside of the pud-
ding mould.
Place the mould in the fridge or freezer for a
couple of minutes.
Brush more melted butter over the chilled
butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa
powder into the mould.
Tip the mould so the powder completely
coats the butter.
Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then
repeat for the next moulds.
Preparing the Fondant.
Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then
slowly melt the chocolate and butter together.
Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth.
Leave to cool for about 10 mins.
In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together
with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a
trail. This can be done with an electric whisk if you want.
Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.
Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds,
beating well between each addition, until all the choco-
late is added and the mixture is completely combined to a
loose cake batter.
Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide be-
tween the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up
to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20
mins or up to the night before.
To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5
mins more to the cooking time.
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on
a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops
have formed a crust and they are starting to come away
from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven,
then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.
Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so
they come away from the sides, easing them out of the
moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you
know it has come away, then tip back into the mould
ready to plate up.
To Serve
Using a large spoon dipped in hot water,
scoop some vanilla ice-cream carefully plac-
ing the ice cream on top of the fondant, add a
drizzle of caramel sauce and then serve im-
mediately.
Repeat with the rest of the fondants.
“Ask Us Something!” We had a lot of positive feedback about the foodletter, however we did not receive any
questions. So again we came up with one on our own. Please let’s keep this foodletter in-
teractive and feel free to share with us. We want to know your comments, recipes
and queries.
How do I make a fruity healthy snack?
Hope you enjoyed this month’s issue. Please send us your feedback, requests and questions so
that we can keep improving and also continue to learn together about food. Next month’s is-
sue will feature some Easter goodies, picnic treats, some proper comfort food and also your
own recipe requests and questions.
Hmmm something fruity? Something healthy? In the
form of a snack? …. Why not try some fruit leather!
Leather? I know some of you might be confused but
really, this is something that has been around for gen-
erations. It is something like candy but without the
sugar and extra calories.
Basically you select which fresh fruit you want to
use. Such as apricots, peaches, plums, berries, apples,
pears, grapes, strawberries, mango, etc... Deseed
them or remove the stone.
Chop them up.
Add into a pan.
Add a half cup of water for every 4 cups of chopped
fruit.
Bring it to a simmer, cover and let it cook on a low
heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the fruit is cooked
through.
Purée it thoroughly in a blender or food processor.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with sturdy plastic wrap
(the kind that is microwave safe). Pour out the purée
into the lined baking sheet to about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch
thickness.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake at a low
heat for about 6-8 hrs until completely dry.
When the fruit leather is ready, you can easily peel it
up from the plastic wrap. To store it, roll it in its plas-
tic wrap, put it in an airtight container and store in
the refrigerator or freezer.
And there you have it! A fruity
healthy snack which you can store
and use whenever you want.
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