2 egg whites
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons boiling water

Place all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and beat until mixture is smooth, shiny and stuff, about 12 minutes. Place sheet of greaseproof paper (parchment or waxed paper) on baking tray. Brush lightly with melted butter and dust with a little cornstarch, shake off excess. Spoon meringue mixture onto prepared tray, forming a 9-inch circle. Bake in middle of oven, 350 degrees, for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 300 and bake for 45 minutes more. Allow to cool in oven. Do not open the oven door at any stage while cooking or cooling until it is cold!!

Filling: 1-1/4 cups cream
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar
Sliced kiwifruit, strawberries, etc.

Whip cream with sugar until stiff. Spread on top of cooled pavlova. Top with fruit. Serves 6.

1/2 pound butter
1 cup sweet cream
1 egg
1 cup powdered sugar
4 cups pastry flour

Mix together the butter, sugar, egg and cream. Add the flour, a little at a time, beating all together until light. Roll the pastry thin and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter or cut into 3 inch squares. Fill the center with cheese filling. Bring 4 corners up to center and pinch. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Let stand 15 minutes to settle. Brush top with egg yolk, diluted with water. Bake in 375 oven until brown. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Cheese Filling:
1 pound cream cheese
3/4 cup thick sour cream
1/4 cup butter
2 egg yolks
1/2 pound powdered sugar
1/4 pound raisins
1/4 cup chopped almonds

Mix all ingredients thoroughly and fill pastry. Makes about 70 cookies. Freeze well.

From Saint Mark’s Church cookbook.

English Christmas Tea Tarts – From the St. Mark’s Cookbook

Double crust pastry recipe
4 ounces almonds
4 ounces sugar
1 extra large egg
1 tablespoon almond extract
Raspberry jam

Make or purchase your favorite double pie crust. Assemble dough and chill.

Blanch almonds until skills loosen and pinch off their skins. Dry nuts and grind in a food processor or blender. Combine almonds with sugar, egg and almond flavoring.

Roll out pastry to 1/8 inch thickness and out into circles to fit tart pans (use small muffin pans). After lining tins with pastry, place a scant 1/2 tablespoon jam in each tart shell. Add 1 heaping teaspoon almond mixture on top of jam. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Makes 18 small tarts.

2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup caramel or butterscotch ice cream topping
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 angel food cake
9 full-size Heath or Butterfinger candy bars, chopped
Bake angel food cake according to package directions. In a bowl, beat cream just until it begins to thicken. Gradually add the ice cream topping and vanilla, beating until soft peaks form.

Cut cake horizontally into three layers. Place the bottom layer on a serving plate; spread with 1 cup cream mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 cup crushed candy bar. Repeat. Place top layer on cake, frost top and side with remaining cream mixture and sprinkle with remaining candy bar. Store in the refrigerator.

From the Arlington Journal, August 15, 2001.

1 pound butter or margarine
Pinch of salt
4 cups flour
1/2 pint sour cream
1 cup buttermilk

Cut butter into flour and salt with pastry blender. Add sour cream and buttermilk. Knead and divide into 4 parts. Roll each part into a rectangle and spread some margarine on dough and fold into thirds. Place 4 folded parts on platter or cookie sheet and refrigerate overnight. Take out 1 part at a time and roll lengthwise; cut into 1-inch wide strips that are 3-4 inches long. Roll on round clothespins that have been wrapped with foil. Do not overlap. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until light brown. Gently slide dough from clothespin and cool on rack. Can be sprinkled with powdered sugar when filled.

Note: Since some ovens vary, if cookies do not seem to be done on time, try using 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Filling:
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
5-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 jar marshmallow fluff

Cook milk, sugar and cornstarch until thick, then cool. Beat 1 stick butter or margarine and 1/2 cup vegetable shortening. Add vanilla and marshmallow fluff to cooled mixture and mix.

From St. Mark’s Church cookbook.

1 cup lukewarm milk
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons vanilla
2 packages yeast
6 eggs
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
9 cups of flour
1 cup yellow raisins

In a large bowl, mix together the milk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Add yeast. Let stand for about 10 minutes. Add eggs, butter and flour. Knead for about 15 minutes, until dough is smooth and well blended. Put in greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for about 5 hours. Add raisins after first rising and knead until raisins are well distributed. Divide into 4 balls. Put into four well-greased 2-pound coffee cans. Cover with towel and let rise until double. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Frost after cooled.

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 teaspoons milk, more or less
1/2 teaspoon vanilla, lemon or almond extract
Colored sprinkles

Mix together the sugar, milk and flavoring. Frosting will be soft but not too runny. Spread on kulich so it runs two-thirds of the way down. Decorate with colored sprinkles.

From Saint Mark’s Church cookbook.

1-pound margarine or butter
4 cups flour
1-cup cottage cheese
Egg whites (beaten)
Sugar
Filling (nut, poppy seed, or apricot filling)

Mix margarine or butter and flour together as for pie dough. Add cottage cheese to flour mixture. Divide into 4 balls and refrigerate overnight. Roll out each ball, then cut into squares and spread with filling. Roll up and bake on greased cookie sheets for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Take off sheet quickly and dip in beaten egg whites and sugar.

From St. Mark’s Church cookbook.

Mix 1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted. Press onto bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate.

1 box yellow cake mix (butter recipe)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 10.5-ounce can mandarin oranges, including juice
1 small package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, including juice
8- or 9-ounce package whipped topping

Grease and flour two 9-inch layer cake pans. Ignoring package directions, mix dry cake mix with oil and eggs. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add mandarin oranges and mix by hand. Pour into pans. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes. Cool and remove from pans.

Sprinkle pudding mix over the crushed pineapple in a bowl. Fold in whipped topping and mix gently. Spread between layers and over outside of cake. For best results, chill overnight before serving.

1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 cups frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
2 cups strawberries, sliced
2 kiwis, peeled, slices and cut in half
2 medium bananas, sliced
1/2 cup orange marmalade

In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, orange juice and orange zest; mix well. Fold in whipped topping. Line platter or cookie sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. For each dessert shell, place two scoops of cream cheese mixture onto paper using ice cream dipper. Form shells using rounded side of dipper. Repeat to form eight shells. Freeze until firm, at least 1 hour. To serve, slice fruit and toss with marmalade. Remove shells from paper and place on individual plates; top with fruit mixture. Serve immediately.