No Baklava for You

Ron and I had a dinner party last night, featuring Greek food. It included a Greek Summer Salad, Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), Spanakopita (spinach pie), and Moussaka (baked layers of eggplant and ground lamb, with bechamel sauce and cheese on top). Not a low cal' menu, this. A special meal for friends.

Perhaps I should have tackled making Baklava. But, as Ron explained to our guests, with the other things I was making, if he had asked me to make Baklava, my head would have exploded. He's right. So I opted for this easier, lighter dessert. I found this recipe a few months ago in the Chicago Tribune, and highly recommend it.

LEMON-YOGURT ICEBOX TART (or PIE)

Ingredients:

Tart/pie dough or shell of your choice

2 cups Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat)

2/3 cup lemon curd

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 teaspon powdered gelatin

2 tablespoons water

Whipped cream (optional)

Garnish of choice

Bake pie shell and cool for at least one hour, to room temperature. (I used a store-bought graham cracker crust instead.)

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon curd, honey, and vanilla. Put the water and gelatin in a small microwave-safe cup and let sit for 5 minutes. Microwave for 10-15 seconds, stirring once or twice, until the gelatin is dissolved. Do not allow to cool. Thorooughly whisk the hot, dissolved gelative into the yogurt mixture and pour into the pie shell.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours - preferably overnight. Garnish as desired. The recipe suggests fresh whipped cream and sliced citrus or berries. I just drizzled it with a little honey and scattered pine nuts.

Enjoy!

Apricot Jumbles

We’re gliding into the heart of Christmas festivities, with Christmas Eve on Saturday and Christmas itself on Sunday. My shopping and shipping is done, and I have just a few presents left to wrap. Now there's time for a little baking of holiday treats!

The first thing I made, yesterday, was “Apricot Jumbles”. These are tasty little bites introduced to me by my friend Dave’s late mother, Nancy. I asked for the recipe as soon as I consumed one. They are easier to make than I expected, and I think the dried fruit and nuts in them is a little reminiscent of fruitcake – but so much yummier!

I don’t think Dave will mind if I shared the recipe. And I know Nancy would have been pleased.

APRICOT JUMBLES

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Dried Apricots – chopped
2 Large Eggs
1 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
½ Cup Nuts – chopped
1 Cup Graham Crackers – crushed small
1 Cup Shredded Coconut (optional, but recommended)

Melt butter and add apricots. Beat eggs and add sugar; then add to apricots. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in everything else (except the coconut). Chill. Once chilled enough to handle, roll into bite-sized balls. Cover with coconut if desired. Best stored chilled. (Makes 3 dozen.)

My Notes: I love coconut, so IMHO it's a key ingredient. It also makes the process of creating balls easier, because the dough is very sticky; plus they look more festive. I didn’t have enough dried apricots, so I also used dried pears, and that combination tastes great. For nuts, I chose Walnuts, but either Pecans or Almonds would be good too.  Lastly, to reduce the sugar levels somewhat, I used half sugar and half Splenda, and unsweetened coconut (already naturally sweet).

Our thanks go to Nancy and Dave for this recipe. Next, on to Ron’s Rum Balls.  Merry Christmas to All!

Holiday Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!  As we prepare to spend Thanksgiving with friends, I thought I would share the recipes for our contributions to today’s holiday meal.  These are two special treats we often prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I hope you will enjoy them sometime.

OYSTER CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

2 pints of shucked fresh Oysters (retain juice)

Saltine crackers

Butter

1 pint Heavy Cream

Pepper

Break up saltines (into smallish pieces, but not crushed to dust) and cover the bottom of a (greased) 8” X 8” round dish with a thin layer.  Add a layer of oysters that have been patted dry.  Add pats of butter on top of the oysters.  Repeat until you have three layers of all three ingredients.  Add pepper (no additional salt needed because of the salty crackers).  Pour a mixture of cream flavored with a touch of oyster juice over the casserole, allowing it to filter through the layers.  Top with another layer of broken Saltines.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

THE BAILEY’S BAILEYS IRISH CREAM

Ingredients:

1 cup Irish Whiskey

1 cup Half & Half (or Heavy Cream)

2/3 of a 14 oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 Tablespoons of Hersheys Chocolate Syrup

2 fresh Eggs*

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Optional:

1 Teaspoon Almond Extract

1 Teaspoon Instant Coffee

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until well mixed.  Serve directly from the blender over ice, or refrigerate until chilled, remix and serve in a small glass.  We like to funnel it into a fancy bottle and give it as a gift.

*Disclaimer:  Consumption of uncooked eggs can be risky.  Be sure yours are from a trusted source and are fresh.  To eliminate risk, remove them from the recipe entirely.