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| The First School Year in Greece |
The first day of the school year is from August or September in the Northern Hemisphere and from January or February in the Southern Hemisphere.
It is a very important day for kindergarten children and the children
going to the first class of elementary school. The first are very unhappy away from home and
the school children are anxious about their new environment, their classmates and
teachers. Will the lessons be very difficult? Our best wishes to the children and their teachers
for a successful school year.
A few words to young parents, as this is an emotional period of
their lives because it is the first time their children are leaving home. But, simultaneously, they have a deep feeling
of pride for their daughters and sons. Many years ago, when my children started going to kindergarten I missed them terribly during those few hours that they were away from home but I, also, felt extremely proud of them. Parental love and exaggeration?
Here are the recipes for cakes, biscuits and other goodies that young children adore.
This is a light chocolate cake and very appropriate for
young children. It is also a suitable
base for making a dessert with fruit and cream, like a Black Forest cherry cake.
6 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiff with a pinch of salt
300 g (10 oz) caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
170 ( 5 3/5 oz) self-rising flour
60 g (2 oz) good quality cocoa
½ tsp baking powder, diluted in
1 tbsp water
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla until pale and
fluffy. Combine the flour with cocoa and
sift over the beaten egg yolks and mix with a rubber spatula. Stir in the baking powder solution and,
finally, fold in the whipped egg whites.
Pour the batter into a prepared cake tin, lined with baking
parchment, and bake in an oven preheated to 190 C (375 F) for 35-40 minutes, or
until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
DOLLY’S UPSIDE DOWN CAKE
This cake can also be
prepared with fresh peaches or tinned pineapple slices.
Topping:
170 g (3/4 cups) butter
150 g (3/4 cups) sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Grated nutmeg
3-4 apples (according to size), peeled, seeded and sliced
Cake:
4 eggs, separated, whites whipped stiffly with a pinch of
salt
200 g (1 cup) sugar
150 g (1 cup) self-rising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ginger powder
First, prepare the topping.
Place the butter, sugar and spices in a baking tin, in a warm oven.
When the butter has melted, remove from the oven, stir well, so that all
the ingredients are well blended, and spread evenly over the baking tin. Cover with sliced apples, slightly overlapping each
other, forming neat circles and set aside.
For the cake, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until light and
fluffy. Combine the flour with the
baking powder and spices and sift over the eggs, a little at a time, stirring
gently with a rubber spatula. Finally, fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter
over the apples, level with a wet spatula, and bake in an oven preheated to
190 C (375 F) for 45-50 minutes. Remove
from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, and overturn onto a serving platter.
MARY’S
APPLE CAKE
My dear friend Mary Xenakis prepared this delicious, juicy
cake for us when we started learning bridge, so many years ago. You can alternatively use almonds or
hazelnuts instead of walnuts.
112.5 g (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
400 g (2 cups) or less sugar
2 eggs
260 g (2 cups) plain flour, 1 tbsp reserved for dusting the
walnuts
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
4 small apples, peeled and finely diced
75 g (1/2 cup) coarsely chopped walnuts, dusted with
reserved flour
Sift flour with salt, baking powder and spices
In a large bowl mix the butter, sugar and eggs, until just
combined. Then add the flour mixture,
and finally the apples and walnuts and stir, until just mixed.
Place the batter in a buttered baking dish, level the top and bake in a
moderate oven pre-heated to 180 C (350 F) for about 1 hour.
PETIT FOURS
These aren’t really Christmas biscuits, but they are so
festive in appearance, that we have included them in my celebration
recipes.
360 g (12 oz) butter, at room temperature
180 g (6 oz) caster sugar
1 vanilla
6 egg yolks
A good pinch of salt
470 g (15 oz +2 tbsp) self-raising flour
4 egg whites slightly whipped
2 egg whites, whipped
250 g (½ lb) roasted almonds, thickly ground and mixed with
250 g (½ lb) sugar
Cream the butter, add the sugar and continue beating until
the mixture is pale and fluffy. Stir in
the vanilla and the egg yolks, one at the time and beat until well
incorporated. Fold in the flour until a soft,
pliable dough is formed. You might not
need all the flour. Wrap the dough with
cling film, and refrigerate 30 minutes at least.
Shape the dough into small walnut-sized balls. Dip each in
the whipped egg whites, fold in the almond and sugar mixture and place in a
baking tin, lined with baking parchment.
Bake the biscuits in an oven, pre-heated to 180 C (350 F) for about
25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and
when cold, store in biscuit tins.
Just before serving, garnish each petit-fours with half a
glace' cherry or a sliver of crystallised orange peel if you wish.
STRAWBERRY
WATER ICE
Prepare this water ice in spring when
strawberries are at their best.
250 ml (1 cup) sieved strawberry pulp
500 ml (2 cups) water
A pinch of salt
1 tsp lemon juice
Heat water, sugar and salt stirring until
the sugar melts. Remove from the fire
and cool. Add the lemon juice, the
strawberry pulp and mix very well together.
The easiest way to freeze a water-ice is
with an electric ice-cream machine.
Alternatively, freeze it in a covered ice-cream tray. When half frozen, beat well and quickly
return it to the freezer. Repeat the
procedure twice or three times more.
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| Fruits of Summer by William Mason |
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