Dayrecipe Food Community

These pastries are best when freshly baked, so if you plan on giving them to someone who may not be able to serve them within a day or two, you should deliver them frozen, along with the baking instructions.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Makes about 5 dozen small pastries.

INGREDIENTS

• for pastry dough
• 2sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
• 1(8-oz) package cold cream cheese, quartered
• 1/4cup sugar
• 3/4teaspoon salt
• 2cups all-purpose flourfor filling
• 3/4cup walnuts (3 oz), toasted
• 1cup pitted prunes (6 oz)
• 1/4cup sugar
• 1/8teaspoon cinnamon
• 1tablespoon cream sherry or water for egg wash
• 1large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon waterspecial equipment:a 2 1/2-inch round cookie cutter

DIRECTIONS Make pastry dough:
Pulse butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor just until a dough forms. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 balls, then flatten each ball into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, each wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make filling:
Pulse walnuts, prunes, sugar, cinnamon, and Sherry in food processor until nuts are finely chopped and filling forms a thick paste.

Form and bake crescents:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep the other chilled) into a roughly 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds with floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps.

Put 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of 1 dough round. Brush some of egg wash halfway around pastry, near edge, then fold dough over filling, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch edges to seal. Make more crescents in same manner, rerolling scraps (but only once).

Arrange crescents 1/2 inch apart on 2 buttered large baking sheets and lightly brush tops with egg wash. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

Cooks’ notes:
• Dough can be chilled, wrapped well, up to 1 day.
• Filling can be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Unbaked filled crescents (without egg wash brushed on top) can be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap, 2 weeks. Thaw, then brush with egg wash before baking.

Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Makes 8 to 10 hors d’oeuvre servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for sauces
• 1cup mayonnaise
• 3tablespoons coarse-grained mustard
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2teaspoon curry powderfor fried mussels
• 8oz (1 cup) beer (not dark)
• 1cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2qt vegetable oil for frying
• 2lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned and steamed, then shuckedaccompaniment:lemon wedges
• special equipment:a deep-fat thermometer

DIRECTIONS Make sauces:
Put 1/2 cup mayonnaise into each of 2 small serving bowls and whisk mustard into 1 bowl. Whisk cilantro, lime juice, and curry powder into other bowl. Season dipping sauces with salt and pepper and keep chilled, covered.

Make batter and fry mussels:
Whisk beer into flour in a bowl until combined well.

Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until thermometer registers 375°F.

While oil is heating, pat mussels dry between layers of paper towels, pressing lightly.

Dredge 10 mussels in batter, letting excess drip off, and fry in oil, stirring, until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer mussels as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then season with salt. Fry remaining mussels in batches in same manner, returning oil to 375°F between batches.

Serve mussels immediately, with dipping sauces.

The delicate grapeseed oil in the dressing allows all the delicious flavors to come out. Regular vegetable oil can be substituted.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 1/2tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2teaspoons dijon mustard
• 1/2teaspoon sugar
• 1/4cupgrapeseed oil4heads belgian endive, thinly sliced
• 8ounces large button mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into matchstick-size strips
• 4radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced
• 1tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 4tablespoons crumbledroquefort cheese (about 1 1/2 ounces)

DIRECTIONS Whisk first 4 ingredients in small bowl to blend. Whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix endive, mushrooms, radishes, and tarragon in large bowl. Pour dressing over; toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates. Top with cheese and serve.

I was in the mood for biscotti today but I wanted something a little different. I had a bit of Splenda Brown Sugar blend still hanging around from Christmas (it’s now May!) so that was a must use and I hadn’t made anything with pecans in a good while. It also had to be healthy so hence, the whole wheat flour and no sat fat.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 cup ground toasted pecans
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar blend
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch salt
• 2 Tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup egg white or Egg Beaters (plain)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Mix the  pecans, all purpose  and whole wheat flours, Splenda Brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt together well in a bowl.
3. In another bowl mix the canola oil, egg whites (or Egg Beaters) and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix, if dough is too dry add another egg white or a little more Egg Beaters.
5. When it has almost come together, place the dough on a flat surface and knead it lightly until it will hold it’s shape and divide it in half.
6. Roll it into a  two log shapes  about 3 inches wide.
7. Place both on a parchment covered baking sheet  and bake for 15-25 mins.
8. Remove from oven and as soon as you can handle the logs slice them on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.
9. Return the slices to the same baking sheet (laying on their sides) and continue baking for 6 mins.
10. Turn them over and bake for another 4-6 mins.
11. Remove from the sheet right away and cool on metal cooling racks.

Chermoula

Chermoula is a traditional North African marinade for fish, especially in Morocco where, surprisingly, it’s often used with shad. It has become very popular recently with North American restaurant chefs as a quick and easy (and cheap!) way to add lots of flavor to bland fish. Many old-fashioned recipes don’t call for cilantro and parsley at all, but the fresh flavor of the green herbs adds a great deal to the preparation.

Instead of shad, which is hard to find even when it’s in season, and very difficult to bone, I use salmon steaks or fillets. You could substitute many other kinds of fish, including swordfish, halibut, haddock, and even fresh-water fish, such as catfish and perch.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large bunch freshly cilantro
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat blade of a knife
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground cumin, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon very fragrant crushed dried red pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground sweet red pepper paprika, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice or white wine vinegar (lemon is better, i think)
• 6 to 8 small salmon steaks, each weighing about 6 ounces

DIRECTIONS Chop the cilantro and parsley leaves together to a very fine mince. You should have 1 cup of minced herbs. Transfer to a saucepan.

Crush the garlic with the sea salt in a mortar, or using the back of a spoon in a small bowl, to make a paste. Stir in the cumin, dried pepper, paprika, olive oil, and lemon juice. Add to the saucepan with the herbs and mix well.

Have the fish steaks ready in a baking dish large enough to hold them all in one layer.

Set the herb mixture over medium-low heat and warm until it is very hot, but not boiling. Taste and adjust the seasoning. When it is the way you want it, pour the warm marinade over the fish steaks. Cover with plastic and set aside for an hour or so.

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic wrap and transfer the fish with their marinade to the oven. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the fish is done, basting every 5 minutes or so with the marinade.

Serve immediately, spooning a little of the marinade over each serving.