Easter Dinner pt. 1
Back in the States every Easter as an adult has been different. Usually my extended family doesn't do anything for the main day, just a low-key get-together at Hoss's a few days prior. Some years I visit my Mum's or Grammy's on Easter Day, others I spend the day with my friends families. For this reason I have no real Easter traditions aside from attending church in the morning.
As a part of our first Easter in New Zealand, Seth and I are making a real effort to create our own Easter traditions. Since we have a resident vegetarian, the usual faire of ham or lamb was out, so I had to get creative. Over the weekend I will be updating the blog with recipes from our Easter dinner.
First up, dessert!
-----------------
Icebox cakes are an old-school American tradition that dates back to the 1920's. It's a simple recipe, take some chocolate Nabisco wafers, slather them with whipped cream, pop them in the freezer and wait 24 hours. The whipped cream softens the cookies over night, giving them a nice cake-like consistency.
Like most of my cravings, I knew I was up against quite a lot if I wanted to recreate this dessert in New Zealand. Nabisco wafers are incredibly difficult to find, even in the United States and New Zealand doesn't even have the most common substitute, graham crackers. I went to the usual starting place for a culinary adventure such as this, The Googles. With a little bit of digging, I was surprised to learn that icebox cakes aren't just a regional American dessert, it also has counterparts in England and Australia. It turns out the Australian version uses Arnott's Chocolate Ripple cookies. That seemed promising, we have the Arnott's brand here, surely I could get my hands on these cookies! Ah, what a fool I am, Chocolate Ripple cookies are not sold in New Zealand. Fear not though, their Marie biscuits are. Marie biscuits are large, round, and crispy, much like Nabisco wafers, however, they are not chocolate and instead taste more like animal crackers. This requires a bit of finagling the recipe, but I think it turns out to be a much more guilt-free dessert than the original chocolate-laden version.
As a part of our first Easter in New Zealand, Seth and I are making a real effort to create our own Easter traditions. Since we have a resident vegetarian, the usual faire of ham or lamb was out, so I had to get creative. Over the weekend I will be updating the blog with recipes from our Easter dinner.
First up, dessert!
-----------------
Icebox cakes are an old-school American tradition that dates back to the 1920's. It's a simple recipe, take some chocolate Nabisco wafers, slather them with whipped cream, pop them in the freezer and wait 24 hours. The whipped cream softens the cookies over night, giving them a nice cake-like consistency.
Like most of my cravings, I knew I was up against quite a lot if I wanted to recreate this dessert in New Zealand. Nabisco wafers are incredibly difficult to find, even in the United States and New Zealand doesn't even have the most common substitute, graham crackers. I went to the usual starting place for a culinary adventure such as this, The Googles. With a little bit of digging, I was surprised to learn that icebox cakes aren't just a regional American dessert, it also has counterparts in England and Australia. It turns out the Australian version uses Arnott's Chocolate Ripple cookies. That seemed promising, we have the Arnott's brand here, surely I could get my hands on these cookies! Ah, what a fool I am, Chocolate Ripple cookies are not sold in New Zealand. Fear not though, their Marie biscuits are. Marie biscuits are large, round, and crispy, much like Nabisco wafers, however, they are not chocolate and instead taste more like animal crackers. This requires a bit of finagling the recipe, but I think it turns out to be a much more guilt-free dessert than the original chocolate-laden version.
Strawberry Icebox Cake
2 cups cream (heavy cream in US)
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/4 c. sugar
6 Large Strawberries (hulled and chopped)
1/2 pkg Arnott's Marie Biscuits (Aprox. 14 biscuits)
1. Whip the cream, vanilla, and sugar following the instructions provided here.
2. Take 1/4 of the whipped cream and put it in the fridge for later. Fold strawberries in to the remaining cream. Do not whip the strawberries in, unless you want strawberry butter.
3. Take one biscuit and give it a dollop of whipped cream, put another biscuit on top, and repeat the process. When the tower becomes too high lay it on its side and begin creating another biscuit tower.
4. When you have used approximately 14 biscuits (no, the ones you snuck as a quick snack do not count), connect all of your towers. Take the whipped cream you put aside in the fridge and use this to evenly cover the entire biscuit log.
5. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and stick in the freezer overnight.
6. When you are ready to serve, remove the wrap, and cut diagonally.
2. Take 1/4 of the whipped cream and put it in the fridge for later. Fold strawberries in to the remaining cream. Do not whip the strawberries in, unless you want strawberry butter.
4. When you have used approximately 14 biscuits (no, the ones you snuck as a quick snack do not count), connect all of your towers. Take the whipped cream you put aside in the fridge and use this to evenly cover the entire biscuit log.
6. When you are ready to serve, remove the wrap, and cut diagonally.
 |
| All frosted up and ready for the freezer! See you in 24 hours, cake! |