Lemon Granita 

Light, refreshing, delicious dessert!

Ingredients 

1 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

Directions 
In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and thyme. Transfer to an 8-in. square dish; cool to room temperature.

Rome thyme sprigs. Freeze for 1 hour; stir with a fork. Freeze 2-3 hours longer or until completely frozen, stirring every 30 minutes.

Stir granita with a fork just before serving; spoon into dessert dishes. Garnish with lemon zest.

Taiwanese Peanut, Pineapple Ice Cream and Cilantro Dessert Spring Rolls

This dessert is fast, refreshing, and surprising.

Ingredients

• Peanut brittle
• Pineapple ice cream
• Rice wrappers
• Cilantro

Procedure

1. Crush peanut brittle.

2. Dip rice wrapper in warm water for about 5 seconds. Take out and place on a plate to assemble.

3. Assemble by sprinkling the crushed peanut brittle onto the rice paper, add dollops of the ice cream and top with more peanut brittle and cilantro. 

4. Wrap it together like a spring roll. Have a munch.

Strawberry Jello Salad

A Kieffer specialty, described by a guest as a "unique delicacy... mousse, custard, creme brulee, pudding?"  Is it standard How-to-Cook-Minnesotan?

Strawberry Jello Salad

2 8 oz box strawberry jello
8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese
Frozen sweetened strawberries
8 oz Cool Whip

Mrs. Phyllis Kieffer's directions:
"8 oz Box Strawberry Jello.  Just use the hot water requirements.  No cold H2O.

I use the hot jello to melt the 8 oz Philadelphia cream cheese.

Then I put jello mixture, Philadelphia cream cheese in the blender.  Then I add frozen sweetened strawberries. You may need to pour only part of it in at a time.  Then I use the mixer to mix in 8 oz Bowl of Cool Whip.

You can adjust the Amounts to make a smaller salad."

Grasshopper Bars

Grasshopper Bars

Brownie Layer:
3/4 c. unsalted butter
10 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 1/2 c. light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 t. vanilla
3/4 c. flour
1/4 c. + 2 T. cocoa powder
3/4 t. salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Melt the butter, chocolate and sugar in a saucepan.  Stir until smooth, then remove from heat.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla.  Whisk in the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.  Bake for about 20 minutes, then cool completely.

Mint Ganache:
1/2 c. heavy cream
10 oz. white chocolate chopped
2 T. green crème de menthe (or green food coloring)
1 t. peppermint extract

Simmer the cream, then remove from heat.  Pour immediately over the chocolate, mint, and green coloring, whisking until smooth.  Chill for about 1 hour, before spreading over the brownie.

Chocolate Ganache:
1 c. heavy cream
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Simmer the cream, remove from heat.  Pour immediately over the chocolate, whisking until smooth.  Chill for about 30 minutes, then spread over the mint-covered brownie.

Keep the brownies chilled until served.

Cream Puffs

Though Julia Child is French, we are happy to borrow her Creme Saint-Honore as the filling for the very Italian St. Joseph's Day Cream Puffs.

Cream Puffs

Custard Filling (Creme Saint-Honore, modified)

Part I (Creme Patissiere)
1 cup sugar
5 egg yolks (reserve the whites)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups boiling milk
1 Tb butter
1 1/2 Tb vanilla extract

Gradually beat sugar into egg yolks, beating for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and forms a ribbon.  Beat in the flour.  Beating the yolk mixture, gradually pour on the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.

Pour into saucepan (2 1/2 qt) and set over moderately high heat.  Stir with wire whip, reaching all over bottom of pan. As sauce comes to the boil, it will get lumpy, but will smooth out as you beat it.  When boil is reached, beat over moderately low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook the flour.  Be careful not to scorch the custard.

Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.

Part II (Creme Saint-Honore)
5 egg whites
Big pinch of salt
2 Tb granulated sugar

Beat the egg whites and salt together until soft peaks are formed.  Sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.  Stir one quarter of the egg whites into the hot custard (from Part I), fold in the rest.  Chill.

Cream Puff Shells

1/2 cup butter
1/4 t salt
1 cup water
1 cup flour (sifted)
4 eggs

Combine butter, salt, water, and heat to boiling.  Add flour all at one time, stir vigorously until it forms a ball (about 1 minute).  Get off heat right away.

Beat eggs in a bowl.  Add a spoonful of dough at a time, beating on high until smooth.  Do not let the eggs cook.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400F.  Take off pan and cut slit in puff immediately, so it doesn't collapse.

Pie Crust

I believe the card said this was from Lucille Meyer - our neighbor back in Dinkytown.

Pie Crust

1 cup boiling water
2 scant tsp baking powder
2 T sugar
2 tsp salt
6 cups flour
1 pound of lard

Mix water and lard until creamy.  Add 4 cups of flour and dry ingredients.  Last, add remaining 2 cups of flour and mix by hand.

Chill dough.  Do not use right away.  Dough can be frozen.  Divide into 8 or 9 parts (enough for 1 crust) and store in sandwich size plastic bags.

Defrost to roll out on floured board to fit a 9" pie pan.