Crème Sainte-Anne (St. Anne's Cream)

This coming Sunday, July 26th, is the feast of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and patron of homemakers.

I have always loved Saint Anne and choose her as one of my Confirmation name saints. Since her feast day is coming up I have been looking for various ways to celebrate this year and I am anxiously awaiting to see what else Charlotte has to suggest!

When I was looking through Cooking With the Saints I noticed it had a couple different recipes in honor of St. Anne: one for Crème Sainte-Anne (St. Anne's Cream) and one for Anna Torte (Gâteau Sainte-Anne). The Crème Sainte-Anne looked delicious and seemed quite similar to flan, which my husband loves and I am terrified to make after my disastrous last attempt! So, I decided to give it a trial run to see if I would be able to pull it off for her feast.

The recipe ended up being fairly easy and turned out delicious. I really liked the flavor that the macaroons added. I plan to double the recipe when I make it again on her feast.

Crème Sainte-Anne

(St. Anne's Cream)

1/2 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. butter, unsalted
1/4 c. macaroons, crushed
1 1/14 c. milk
1 egg
3 egg yolks

Butter 4 ramekins. Put half the sugar in a pan and moisten with 2 tablespoons water. Bring to a boil and cook to amber caramel. Pour the caramel into 4 ramekins, to make a thin layer in each, and allow to set.

(I don't think I cooked the sugar quite long enough since it never turned to a caramel color -- next time I think I may try cooking it longer or reduce the water. Any suggestions??)

Place a thin slice of butter on the caramel in each ramekin and sprinkle each with the chopped macaroons.

Heat the milk to the simmering point. Whisk the egg, egg yolks and remaining sugar until creamy. Beat in the hot milk and pour into the prepared ramekins. The macaroons will float to the top.

Stand the ramekins in a tray of simmering water that comes halfway up their sides. Bake in a moderate oven at 325°F (160°C) for 20 to 25 minutes until set. Allow to cool, loosen edges and turn out onto a plate.

(I baked mine for 28 minutes and it could have still used a few more minutes... I am sure this varies depending on your oven, but mine usually tends to bake hotter/ quicker so you may need to increase the baking time.)

Serves 4.

Enjoy!

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Magdalenenstriezeln (St. Magdalen Fingers)

July 22nd marks the feast of St. Mary Magdalen, the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus.

When Mary Magdalen came to the tomb and did not find the Lord's body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: "The disciples went back home," and it adds: "but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb."

We should reflect on Mary's attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved."

from a homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great

Last year Ruth shared a recipe for Madeleine's in honor of her feast day. Since I never did get around to ordering a Madeleine Pan, I've decided to try baking the recipe for Magdalenenstriezeln (St. Magdalen Fingers) found in Cooking With the Saints. The author shares that it is an "old German recipe for almond-covered cookies. There are quite a few German recipes that associate almonds with Mary Magdalen." They sound fairy simple to make and look delicious!

Magdalenenstriezeln

(St. Magdalen Fingers)

1/2 cup Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
3 Eggs
3 tablespoons Sour Cream
2 cups flour
1/2 cup almonds, slivered  (I used chopped almonds)
1/2 cup cube sugar

Use an electric beater to cream butter and sugar until light. Add eggs 1 at a time and continue beating. Add sour cream. Finally, fold in flour.

Butter baking sheet and spread mixture finger-think onto it.

To make course sugar, crush sugar cubes with a rolling pin. Cover dough with slivered almonds and the course sugar.

Bake until golden brown at 350°F (175°C) for about 35 minutes.

While still warm, cut into pieces as long and as wide as a finger.

Makes about 30. 

PRAYER TO SAINT MARY MAGDALEN

Saint Mary Magdalen, woman of many sins, who by conversion became the beloved of Jesus, thank you for your witness that Jesus forgives through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness in His glorious presence, please intercede for me, so that some day I may share in the same everlasting joy. Amen.

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Brown Scapular brownies for Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Just another way to celebrate this great Feast day :)

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Mount Carmel Steamers

Here is a simple morning treat I made for my children today, in honor of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Mount Carmel Steamers

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup Hershey's Caramel syrup

I used our Cocoa-Latte Hot Drink Maker(this is such a fun machine!) which heated, mixed, whipped, and frothed our caramel milk perfectly.

Update: Ours is no longer available. You can find a similar model or a milk frother here.

Other options:

• Prepare one serving at a time by adding 2 Tablespoons syrup to 8 oz. of heated milk.
• Make a delicious cold Caramel drink by using cold milk.
• Add instant coffee to make a café-style Caramel Latte (This is how I made mine this morning. Yummm!!)
• Top with a "Mount" of whipped cream and then a bit more caramel. (Which I intended to do and then totally forgot!!)

Enjoy!

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Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Crown

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I have often resorted to the bundt cake on feast days because it makes such a lovely crown. On St. Elizabeth of Hungary's feast day, we made a Hungarian jeweled crown and for today's feast day, the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, I made a caramel-glazed buttermilk pound cake into a lovely crown for Our Lady. Not perfect by any stretch, but it will be memorable for the children. After glazing the warm cake, I let it cool, whipped up a bit of decorator frosting and made some large rosettes with a bag and a tip. In the center of each rosette I placed a chocolate-covered caramel (what else?) and then another small rosette.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Crown Cake


3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
6 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a bundt pan or 10 inch tube pan

In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. One at time, crack the eggs into a small bowl and add to butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the lemon and the vanilla extracts. Add one cup flour along with baking soda and salt. Add one third of the buttermilk, beating well. Add one cup of flour and 1/3 cup buttermilk and then repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk. Scrape sides of bowl and beat again until completely smooth. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 80 to 90 minutes (do not open oven door until you are ready to check for doneness). Check for doneness with a toothpick. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Icing

1 c. sugar
1⁄2 c. buttermilk
1⁄2 t. baking soda
1 T. white corn syrup
1⁄4 c. butter
1⁄2 t. vanilla
¼ c. powdered sugar

Combine white sugar, buttermilk, soda, syrup, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Boil without stirring for 5 to 7 minutes, or until icing starts to turn dark. Do NOT allow icing to reach soft ball stage; icing should be caramel in color, but not sticky like caramel. Icing should be easily pourable. Cool for several minutes. Whisk in vanilla and powdered sugar until smooth. Pour through a sieve into a measuring cup with a spout. Slowly drizzle the icing onto the cake, allowing it to drip slowly down the sides. If you want a perfectly smooth finish (which I did not achieve) start at the peak of the cake and drizzle all the way around moving out a tiny bit each time you complete a circle. Do the same inside the peak but do not go back over the same area twice.


To decorate, using stiff decorator's frosting in a bag with a rosette tip (see note below), make a 1-inch wide by 1/2-inch high rosette in six or seven places on the top of the cake (six was about perfect for a bundt cake, but if you used a tube pan you may be able to fit more). Place a chocolate covered caramel on each rosette and then top each caramel with a small rosette. Place in a cool place until serving.


Note: You can using canned frosting or make a small recipe of decorator frosting using 2 T. butter whipped with 1-1/2 cup powdered sugar and several teaspoons milk. Whip until fluffy.


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In Honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

July 16th is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Last year, inspired by Anne, I made a Brown Scapular Cake with the help of my little sister. My children loved it and asked if we could make another one this year. I was a bit worried on how it would turn out since my sister moved out of state and couldn't drop by to draw Our Lady for me, and I also seem to have some sort of nerve problem in my left hand which made it very difficult to keep my hands steady. In the end, despite all the little flaws, my children were thrilled and are so excited for tomorrow. ☺ Nevertheless, next year I think I might just decorate it as a Sports Scapular!

I plan to serve the cake with some Vanilla Ice Cream, topped with some caramel sauce. Yummmm!!

If you happened to make one, I would love to see yours and will link to it below. If you don't have a blog, you can always email a picture and I can upload it to this post:

This cake is from Anne, who inspired me in the first place. She creatively used two round chocolate mud cakes cut into rectangles and made the scapular's straps from some of the remaining cake.

She them laminated the traditional images and placed them on top of the cake. It turned out beautiful Anne!

Here is another scapular cake, this one from Harmony at Wholesome Feasts. It too turned out just lovely!

This beautiful cake was made by Life at Le. Rheims:

Thank you all for sharing your cakes with all of us!

I hope you all have a blessed feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel!

Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Thou who, with special mercy, look upon those clothed in thy beloved Habit, cast a glance of pity upon me. Fortify my weakness with thy strength; enlighten the darkness of my mind with thy wisdom; increase my faith, hope and charity. Assist me during life, console me by thy presence at my death, and present me to the August trinity as thy devoted child, that I may bless thee for all eternity in Paradise. Amen.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel ~ Pray for us!

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Recipes for July ~ Month dedicated to the Most Precious Blood

The month of July is dedicated to the Most Precious Blood. (The Feast of the Most Precious Blood, established by Pope Pius IX in 1849, is celebrated each year on the first Sunday of July.) The early Fathers say that the Church was born from the pierced side of Christ, and that the sacraments were brought forth through His Blood.

July 1, Bl. Junipero Serra (New):

• Celebrating Bl. Junipero Serra with California Mission Foods
• Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding
  

July 3, St. Thomas the Apostle (New):

• Chaldean Coconut Cookies
• Thomasstriezeln
• Grilled Chicken and Rice Salad with Curry-Saffron Dressing for the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle

July 16, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (New, Trad.):

• Granita di Caffe
• Mystic Monk Coffee
• A Cake for Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• A Brown Scapular Cake
• More Scapular Cakes In Honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel Crown
• Mount Carmel Steamers
  
• Brown Scapular Brownies for Our Lady of Mount Carmel
  

July 22, St. Mary Magdalen (New, Trad.):

• Madeleines for the feast of St. Mary Magdalene
• Magdalenenstriezeln (St. Magdalen Fingers)
  

July 25, St. James the Greater (New, Trad.):

• Nacho Stuffed Shells
• Tartelettes de Saint-Jacques à la Mangue
• Coupe Saint-Jacques
  
• Tarta de Santiago (St. James' Cake)
  

July 26, St. Anne (New, Trad.):

• Crème Sainte-Anne (St. Anne's Cream)
• Our Heavenly Grandmother
• St. Anne, "Flowering, Fruitful Rod of Jesse"

July 31, St. Ignatius of Loyola (New, Trad.):

• St. Ignacio's Nachos
  
• Ignacio (Cake for St. Ignatius Day)
• A Feast for St. Ignatius Loyola

Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!
Sanguis Christi, inebria me!

Do you have a favorite Catholic recipe, or food related post, for an upcoming feast or celebration that you would like to share here at Catholic Cuisine? If so, please email the recipe with pictures (if possible) to catholiccuisine[at]gmail[dot]com and we will publish it as a guest post! Thank you!

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