Brandied Chocolate Truffles

Servings: 26
Ingredients:

3/4 c  Whipping cream
3 tb Unsalted butter
1/2 lb Bittersweet chocolate
-OR- semisweet chocolate
-- Chopped
2 tb Cognac or other brandy
3/4 lb Bittersweet chocolate
-OR- semisweet chocolate
-- chopped

Bring whipping cream and unsalted butter to simmer in heavy medium
saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Add 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate and
stir until melted. Mix in 2 tablespoons Cognac. Let stand at room
temperature until firm enough to mound on spoon, about 3-1/2 hours.

Line cookie sheet with foil. Spoon truffle mixture by rounded tablespoons
onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing apart. Chill until firm, about 1
hour.

Roll 1 truffle between palms of hands into ball. Place on same sheet.
Repeat with remaining truffles; refrigerate. Melt 3/4 pound chocolate in
top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently until
smooth. Remove from over water. Grasp 1 truffle between thumb and index
finger. Dip into chocolate, coating completely. Shake gently to remove
excess chocolate. Place on same sheet. Repeat dipping with remaining
truffles. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Remove truffles from
foil. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Refrigerate in airtight container.)
Serve cold.

Source: Bon Appetit - June 1991
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

Pear Almond Tart

Servings: 110
Ingredients:

-----------------------------------PASTRY-----------------------------------
1 1/2 c  Unbleached flour
2 tb Sugar
1 pn Salt
1 pn Ground cloves
1/2 ts Grated lemon peel
1/4 lb Butter
1    Egg yolk
5 tb Ice water
Butter; softened

———————————–GLAZE———————————–
1/2 c Apricot preserves
2 tb Dark rum

———————————-FILLING———————————-
1/2 c Finely ground almonds
1/2 c Sugar
1 tb Flour
9 Firm, ripe pears
– (preferably Anjou)
– peeled, halved lengthwise
– and cored

To make pastry, put dry ingredients and lemon peel in bowl of food
processor fitted with metal chopping blade; process just to mix. Add
butter and cut into small pieces; process just until mixture resembles
coarse meal. Add egg yolk; process just until blended. With processor
running, quickly add ice water. Process several seconds until pastry
forms ball. Stop at once to avoid overmixing. Wrap ball in plastic wrap;
chill at least one hour.

Butter a 10-inch quiche pan with a removable bottom. Roll pastry out
slightly larger than pan. Carefully lift pastry to pan and gently press
against bottom and sides. Trim edges; prick bottom and sides with fork.
Chill for 1/2 hour.

Line pastry-filled pan with a circle of foil, pressing it gently against
pastry. Fill liner with uncooked rice or dried beans to weight. Bake in
preheated 375 degree F oven 15 minutes. Lift out liner with rice or beans
(save for future pastry baking). Bake crust 5 minutes longer; cool on
rack.

To make glaze, heat preserves and rum over low heat, stirring. Strain,
brush tart shell with 2 tablespoons glaze. Reserve remainder.

To make filling, stir together almonds, sugar, and flour; sprinkle over
glazed shell. Slice 12 pear halves crosswise. (Do not separate the
slices. -KM) Place sliced halves in circle over almond mixture in shell.
Chop remaining pear halves, use to fill spaces between sliced pears.

Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven 40 minutes. Remove from oven, brush
with remaining warm glaze.

Serve at room temperature.

Source: Entertaining - by Martha Stewart
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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Sherried Walnuts

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

1 1/2 c  Golden brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c  Cream Sherry
2 tb Light corn syrup
1/4 ts Ground nutmeg
1/4 ts Salt
3 c  Walnut halves; toasted

Line 2 cookie sheets with waxed paper. Combine first 5 ingredients in
heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
Cook without stirring until clip-on candy thermometer registers 240
degrees F, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Add nuts and stir
until syrup begins to look cloudy, about 2 minutes. Divide mixture
between cookie sheets. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork.
(Can be made 1 week ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

* Source: Bon Appetit - December 1992
* Typos courtesy of: Karen Mintzias

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Caramel-Nut Corn

Servings: 15
Ingredients:

12 c  Poppped popcorn
3 c  Walnut or pecan halves
-OR- unblanched whole
-- almonds
1 c  Packed brown sugar
1/2 c  Margarine or butter
1/4 c  Light corn syrup
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Baking soda

Divide popcorn and nuts between 2 ungreased rectangular pans, 13×9x2
inches. Cook brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup and salt over medium
heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around edges. Continue
cooking 5 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in baking soda until
foamy. Pour over popcorn and nuts, stirring until corn is well
coated. Bake uncovered in 200 degree F oven, stirring every 15
minutes, 1 hour. 300 calories per serving.

Caramel Corn: Increase popped popcorn to 15 cups; omit nuts.

* Source: Betty Crocker’s Cookbook
* Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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Coffee-Walnut Toffee

Servings: 2
Ingredients:

1 1/4 c  Unsalted butter
1 c  Sugar
1/3 c  Packed golden brown sugar
1/3 c  Water
1 tb Dark unsulfered molasses
2 ts Instant espresso powder
1/2 ts Ground cinnamon
1/4 ts Salt
2 c  Coarsely chopped walnuts
-- (toasted)
4 1/2 oz Bittersweet chocolate
--(imported), finely chopped

Butter small cookie sheet. Melt butter in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan
over low heat. Add both sugars, water, molasses, espresso, cinnamon
and salt; stir until sugar dissolves. Attach clip-on candy
thermometer to pan. Increase heat to medium; cook until thermometer
registers 290 degrees F, stirring slowly but constantly and scraping
bottom of pan with wooden spatula, about 20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Mix in 1-1/2 cups nuts. Immediately pour
mixture onto prepared sheet; do not scrape pan. Tilt sheet so that
toffee spreads to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle chocolate by generous
tablespoons atop toffee, alternating bittersweet and white
chocolates. Let stand 1 minute. Using back of spoon, swirl
chocolates to spread slightly. Shake sheet to form even chocolate
layer. Using tip of knife, swirl chocolates to create marble
pattern. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup nuts. Refrigerate until
toffee is firm, about 1 hour. Break toffee into pieces. (Can be
made 2 weeks ahead. Chill in airtight container.) Serve cold or at
room temperature.

* Source: Bon Appetit, December 1993
* Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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Cranberry Fritters

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

8 oz Cranberry jelly, canned
5 tb Flour
1/2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Sugar
5 tb Water
Vegetable oil
-- for deep-frying
Flour; for dredging

Cranberry tartness suggests the original Chinese ingredient, a firm,
gelatinous jelly flavored with the hawthorn berry (or ’shan dza’,
which in northern China is pureed to make a delicious tart, thick,
cooling drink). Enclosed within a light, deep-fried batter, the
strips of jelly become hot and soft or, in the case of cranberry,
almost liquid. Buy the ‘jellied cranberry sauce’, not the
whole-berry type.

This recipe makes three to four small servings.

DIRECTIONS:
===========
Cut the jelly crosswise into three round slices, 1/2 inch thick. Cut
each slice into three strips, approximately 1/2 x 1/2 x 2-1/2 inches.

Prepare a batter by blending the flour, baking powder, sugar, and
water.

Heat oil for deep-frying; after it is hot, keep the heat around
medium-high. Dredge the cranberry jelly strips lightly in flour,
making sure all sides, including the ends, are dusted. Then dip them
in the batter to coat completely, and immerse them in the oil until
golden brown. Fry only a few at a time. Drain on paper toweling, and
eat while hot.

* Source: The Fragrant Vegetable, by Martin Stidham
* Typographical errors by: Karen Mintzias

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Pecan-Pie Bars

Servings: 18
Ingredients:

-----------------------------------DOUGH-----------------------------------
1 1/2 c  Flour
2 tb Brown sugar, packed
1/2 c  Butter; softened

———————————-TOPPING———————————-
1/2 c Brown sugar
2 Eggs
1/2 c Light corn syrup
2 tb Butter; melted
1 ts Vanilla
1/8 ts Salt

In a small bowl mix together the flour and brown sugar to make the dough.
With fingers, work in softened butter until dough begins to hold together.
Press into bottom of 9-inch square pan. Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15
minutes until firm. In another bowl, lightly beat remaining ingredients.
Pour over baked crust. Bake 25 minutes or until edges are light brown.
Cool and cut into bars.

Source: Teresa Sellis

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Sweet-Potato-and-Apple Casserole

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

2 md Sweet potatoes
-(about 1/2 lb each)
Water
2 md Golden Delicious apples
3 tb Brown sugar
1 tb Butter or margarine
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Ground cinnamon
1/8 ts Ground nutmeg
1/2 ts Cornstarch

Peel sweet potatoes; cut into 1-inch cubes. In 2-quart casserole, place
sweet potatoes and 2 tablespoons water; cover with casserole lid or large
plate. Cook at HIGH (100% power) 4 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and core apples and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add apples,
brown sugar, butter or margarine, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to sweet
potatoes in casserole; stir gently to combine. Cover and cook at HIGH
10 to 12 minutes until potatoes and apples are fork-tender, stirring
gently with rubber spatula after 6 minutes.

In cup, stir cornstarch and 1 teaspoon water until smooth; stir into
liquid in casserole. Cover and cook at HIGH 1 minute or until liquid
thickens slightly.

220 calories per serving.

Source: The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook
ISBN: 0-688-03897-2
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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Marbleized Mint Bark

Servings: 1
Ingredients:

1/3 c  Mint or regular choc. chips
1 lb 'white' chocolate pieces
3/4 c  Crushed candy canes

Line a baking sheet with foil; set aside. In a small saucepan heat mint
or regular chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly, til melted
and smooth. Remove pan from heat.

In a 2-quart saucepan heat the white chocolate over low heat, stirring
constantly, till melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat. Stir in
crushed candy canes. Pour the melted white chocolate mixture onto the
prepared baking sheet. Spread white chocolate mixture to about 3/8′
thickness; drizzle with the melted chocolate chips. Gently zigzag a
narrow metal spatula through the chocolate and peppermint layers to create
a swirled effect. Let candy stand several hours or till firm (OR chill
about 30 minutes or till firm). Use foil to lift firm candy from the
baking sheet; carefully break candy into pieces. Store, tightly covered,
for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 1 1/4 pounds.

Per 2-ounce serving- 316 calories (41% from fat), 15 g fat, 0 mg
colesterol, 0 g protein, 48 g carbohydrate, 4 mg sodium.

From ‘Better Homes and Gardens’ magazine, Dec. 1991.
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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Florentine Triangle Jewels

Servings: 68
Ingredients:

3/4 c  Butter
1/2 c  Granulated Sugar
1/4 c  Whipping cream
1/2 c  Chopped red candied cherries
1/2 c  Chopped green cand. cherries
1/2 c  Chopped candied pineapple
1 c  Sliced blanched almonds
2 tb Grated orange peel
1/2 c  Semisweet chocolate pieces

——————————-BUTTERY CRUST——————————-
1 1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Powdered sugar
1/2 c Butter; cut into pieces
2 ts Vanilla extract
2 tb Whipping cream

Line a 15′ x 10′ jelly roll pan wtih foil. Prepare Buttery Crust. Press
crust mixture evenly into bottom of foil-lined pan. Refrigerate while
preparing topping. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan,
combine butter, granulated sugar and cream. Place over medium heat; cook
until mixture boils, stirring often. Boil 1 to 2 minutes, stirring
constantly. Stir in candied cherries, candied pineapple, almonds and
orange peel. Spread mixture evenly over chilled crust. Bake 15 to 20
minutes or until golden. Cool in pan. Meanwhile, melt chocolate pieces
and drizzle over baked cookie mixture while slightly warm. Allow
chocolate to set. Cut cooled cookies into 5 lengthwise strips. Cut each
strip into about 13 triangles. Store in refrigerator if desired.

Buttery Crust:
In food processor fitted with steel blade, combine flour, powdered sugar
and butter. Process until blended. With motor running, add vanilla and
cream through feed tube, processing until dough begins to cling together.

Source: Cookies by Natalie Hartanov Haughton. ISBN: 0-89586-254-9
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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