Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for September, 2007

• 1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 and a half teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts (see note)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon milk
• A half a teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Make sure to buy refrigerated-not frozen-pie crusts. Unlike frozen pie crusts, which generally come preformed in a pie tin, refrigerated pie crusts come rolled in a box. Allow the refrigerated pie crusts to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before unrolling.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combined the cherry pie filling, lemon juice, and lemon peel.
3. On a lightly floured surface, unroll one pie crust (it should be 12 inches in diameter, about one eighth inch in thickness. If necessary, roll dough to these dimensions.) With a cookie cutter or sharp knife, cut out 6 four and a half inch circles. Repeat with second crust.
4. In a small bowl, combined the egg yolk and milk. In another small bowl, combined the cinnamon and sugar.
5. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the cherry pie filling onto one side of each pastry circle. Brush edges of the pastry with egg yolk mixture. Fold the pastry in half, and press on edges firmly to seal. With a fork, press on sealed edges to make a decorative design, being careful not to pierce the dough.
6. Place the dumplings on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg yolk mixture. Sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.
7. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until dumplings are golden. Remove dumplings to a wire rack to cool.

• 7 large eggs, hard-cooked and peeled
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced sweet pickles
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 8 slices sandwich bread

1. Slice the eggs in half. Remove three of the yolks and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, chop the remaining whites and yolks into small peices. Add celery, sweet pickles, salt and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, mash the three yolks with a fork. Add the mayonnaise and mix until creamy. Add the egg mayonnaise dressing to the chopped egg mixture. Stir to combined.
4. Scoop some egg onto a slice of bread, cover with another slice, and cut into triangles. Repeat with remaining bread.

Orange Punch

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup grapefruit juice
• 2 cups club soda, seltzer, or ginger ale
• Orange slices

In a large punch bowl, mix the orange juice, grapefruit juice, and soda. Float orange slices on top. Served chilled.

This pandowdy recipe calls for sugar, however you may substitute 2/3 cup molasses for the sugar in the filling if you prefer. You can use your favorite baking apples for the filling. You can use a combination of McIntosh and Granny Smith. For an easy “dowdy” crust, simply cut the pie dough into 2 inch squares and arrange in a patchwork pattern over the apples.

For the dough

• 1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into about 8 pieces
• 1 egg yolk About
• 3 tablespoons of ice water, plus more if necessary

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8 inch square or 9 inch round baking pan.

To make the dough

1. In a bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar and pulse once or twice. Add butter and process about 10 seconds, until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture has the texture of cornmeal. To mix by hand: Cut the stick of butter into bits and rub the butter and flour very quickly between your fingers, or cut the butter into flour with a pastry blender.
2. Place the mixture in a bowl and add egg yolk and ice water. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gradually gather the mixture into a ball: if the mixture seems dry, add another 1/2 tablespoon of ice water. Form the dough into a ball with your hands. Wrap dough in plastic, flatten into a small disc, and freeze 10 minutes (or refrigerate 30 minutes) to ease rolling.
3. While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling.

For the filling

• 6 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples (about 6 medium apples)1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir the apples with the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.
2. To roll the dough: Unwrap the dough and place on a floured work surface, and sprinkle top with flour. (If dough is hard, let it rise a few minutes. It should give a little when you press your fingers into it.) Roll with light pressure from the center out. Add flour to the dough if it sticks. Roll, adding flour, rotating dough and turning over once or twice. When dough is about 10 inches in diameter and less then 1/4 inch thick, place over fruit, tucking the edges of the dough under the side of the fruit. You may also cut the dough in small squares.

For the topping

• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Brush the top of the dough with the milk. Combine the sugar and the cinnamon, and sprinkle on top.
2. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is golden. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

We suggest dropping the batter by tablespoons to make silver dollar pancakes that kids can pick up with their hands and dip in syrup.Ideally, these pancakes should be served straight from the pan, so if possible, prepare the batter in advance and cook the pancakes when people have gathered. If necessary, the pancakes may be kept warm on a wire rack in a 200 degree F oven for up to 5 minutes.

• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Oil or cooking spray

1. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a fork or whisk. Stir in the buttermilk and oil. Add the remaining ingredients and stir just until the large lumps disappear. The batter should be thick.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Lightly grease the griddle with oil or cooking spray.
3. When droplets of water sizzle when sprinkled in the pan, drop batter by the tablespoon into the pan. Fry until bubbles form on top and edges dry and brown slightly. Flip to cook other side. Serve immediately.

For the dough

• 3 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

For the filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups fresh blackberries, washed and picked over, and divided

1. To make the pie dough: In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Cut in the shortening using a pastry cutter or fork until a pea size coarse meal forms. Sprinkle with the ice water while mixing gently with a fork until the mixture forms dough. The dough should not be wet but should form a ball when pressed together. A little more water may be added if needed.
2. Divide the dough in half. Form the dough into two flat discs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to use.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
4. To make the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, tapioca, and salt, stirring well to remove lumps. Add 3 cups of the berries and mix well. Cook over very low heat about 7 minutes, until sugar melts, stirring constantly. Increase the heat to medium and cook about 6 minutes, until mixture just starts to boil.
5. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining berries, and let cool.
6. Place one ball of dough on a lightly floured work surface (you will need a surface at least 15 inches square). With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll from the center outward into a circle roughly 14 inches in diameter. Carefully fold the dough in half, then again to form a triangle. Place the dough in an ungreased 9 inch pie plate, positioning it so the point of the triangle is in the center of the pie plate. Gently unfold. Trim the edges to with in 1 1/2 inches or so of the rim.
7. Pour the cooled berry mixture into the shell. Roll the remaining ball of dough in manner described above. Lay the rolled pastry over the filling, and trim the edges to within 1 1/2 inches or so of the rim. Roll the bottom and top edges of the dough inward, pressing lightly to seal: with your thumb, Indent at regular intervals to form a single fluted edge. With the tip of a sharp knife, cut several vents in the center of the top.
8. Place a sheet pan on the shelf below the pie to catch any dripping juice. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the juice comes through the top crust. Cool the pie on a wire rack 2 to 4 hours, until lit reaches room temperature or is just barely warm.

• Olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef (cooked)
• 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, dried thyme leaves, salt and black ground pepper
• 3 peppers (different colors), sliced
• (796ml.) can diced tomatoes
• 19 ounce can kidney beans, cleaned
• 1/2 cup fresh basil

Lightly coat saucepan with the olive oil and heat on medium heat. Crumble in the ground beef. Sprinkle the beef with chili powder, garlic powder, dried thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Add the sliced peppers and diced tomatoes to the ground beef. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally until peppers are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in beans, and cook until hot. (About 2 minutes) Remove from heat and stir in basil.

This recipe calls for chapatti or ata flour, available at Indian groceries but bread flour (a high gluten flour available in most grocery stores) may be substituted.The bread dough must be quite soft, and the amount of water you use will depend on the type of flour and humidity in the air. Adjust the quantity of water suggested in the recipe as necessary. To “freshen up” the bread after it has gone cold or been removed from the freezer, sprinkle it with a little water on both sides and quickly warm it up under a hot broiler.Sia donna, or nigella seeds, have a nutty, peppery flavor, and are used in India and the
Middle East to flavor vegetables, legumes, and bread. You can find them at Indian groceries.

• 5 1/2 cups chapatti or ata flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) quick-rising yeast
• 4 to 5 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups warm water
• Sia donna (nigella seeds), poppy seeds, sesame seeds (optional)

1. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add the yeast, and mix to combine the dry ingredients. Mix in the oil, and rub in with the hands. Gradually add the warm water to flour mixture and mix with the hands until a smooth, round, soft dough is formed. Knead for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth, essentially the same as ordinary bread dough. Form into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and let rest in a moderately warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place in the oven to get hot.
3. When the dough has risen, punch down and divide into four equal size balls. Shape or roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into oval shapes of about 1/2 inch thickness. After shaping the dough, wet your hand and use your finger or thumb to form deep grooves down the center of each loaf. Sprinkle with the sia donna (or poppy or sesame seeds), if desired. Press the seeds lightly into the dough.
4. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place dough on it, leaving a couple of inches between the dough pieces. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. The bread should be fairly crisp and hard on the outside. Repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough.
5. When removed from the oven, the bread should be wrapped in a clean tea towel or aluminum foil to prevent drying.

• Low-fat mayonnaise, and/or low-fat yogurt can be used.
• 2 apples, cored and peeled
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained, with 1-2 tablespoons juice reserved
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or low-fat plain yogurt

1. In a medium bowl, combined the apples, pineapple, walnuts, and raisins or dates.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise or yogurt with the pineapple juice.
3. Pour the dressing over the fruit. Chill until ready to serve.