Old Fashioned 14 Layer Chocolate Cake

1 C                  Shortening

4                      Eggs

2 C                  Flour

2 Tbsp            Baking Powder

2 ½ C              Whole Milk

1 Tbsp            Vanilla Flavoring

1 Tbsp            Butter Flavoring

2 C                  Sugar

Thin Chocolate Frosting

3 C                  Sugar

6 Tbsp            Cocoa

1 C                  Butter

1 can              Evaporated Milk

Instructions                3 hours

1.     Make frosting first and set aside to cool.

a.     Melt butter in a 4 quart saucepan.

b.     Mix cocoa, sugar, evaporated milk. Bring to a rolling boil stirring constantly while cooking. Then reduce heat and cook 2 minutes.

c.      Remove from heat and cool.  It will be thin.

2.     Sift flour and baking powder then set aside.

3.     Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Then add 1 egg at a time and beat well.

4.     Add flour mixture alternate with milk. Beat until well blended.

5.     Stir in vanilla and butter flavoring.

6.     Grease a 9 inch pan with shortening and sprinkle with flour.  Be sure to wash pans after each layer to prevent a build up in the pans. 

7.     Spread ½ cup of batter in pans and bake in a preheated oven at 375 until lightly brown.

8.     You can put layers on a wire rack or clean towels until cool.

9.     Build cake layer by layer and spread a generous amount of frosting between layers on top and sides of the cake.

Hopefully this is like Nannie Mae's recipe

Creme Brûlée

200 ml (about 7 oz) Whole Milk

250 ml (about 9 oz) Whipping Cream

1 Vanilla Bean

6 Egg Yolks

1/3 C (plus) Sugar

Orange Blossom Extract

Sugar in the Raw

1. Mix milk and cream together in a pan.  Cut the vanilla bean in half and scrape the center seeds out of the bean. Add to the milk mixture and add the bean skin too.  Cook on below medium until it boils.
2. In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks and sugar.  Then beat together until almost white.  
3. Discard the vanilla bean skin then pour milk mixture into the eggs and sugar mixture.  Stir eggs while pouring in and mix well.  
4. Add orange blossom to the mixture.  Smell to see if it is enough.  
5. Pour into brûlée dishes until the dish is almost full.  Put dishes on to a cookie sheet, pour water around the dishes about 1/2 way up the dish.

Cooking Options:

1) Original baking directions: Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour or until fairly firm.  It will firm up more in the fridge.  (Had to increase the time by 20 minutes then another 15 and increase the temp to 275) OR

2) Bake at 275 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  (White ramekins bake 10 more minutes, red ramekins right amount of time, but cook in a glass dish instead of cookie sheet)

Personal Note: Using the red ramekins pour 1/2 cup of the mixture into each one.  Should fill the 6 ramekins. Put them in a glass 9 x 13 dish and fill with water till its 1/2 way up the dish.  Bake at 275 degrees for 1 hour 30 minutes.  (Last time internal temp was around 177-178 degrees.  That seemed to cook it to a good consistency.) 

Cool to room temp and then chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours up to 2 days.

When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tsp of raw sugar evenly over each chilled custard. (You only want a thin layer of sugar.) Use a blowtorch and move the flame back and forth over the sugar topping until it reaches the desired caramel appearance.  

Serve immediately with raspberries or other fruit.

Makes 4-6

From Valerie Causse                        

Grandma's Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients: 
3 cups mashed fresh strawberries     
1 quart whipping cream
3 cups sugar                                      
1 quart half & half
4 eggs                                                 
1 can evaporated milk
2 TB lemon juice                                 
1 TB vanilla
Whole Milk                                           
Dash of salt

Directions: 
-Mash fruit and let stand for 1 hour with 1 cup of the sugar sprinkled over the top.
-Beat eggs with remaining sugar until lemon flavored & think.
-Add strawberries and put all in canister of 6 quart freezer.
-Whip cream and add to  ice cream mixture. 
-Then add half & half, evaporated milk,vanilla and salt.  Add enough whole milk to fill freezer.
-Freeze and enjoy.