Russian Creme with Melba Sauce

         A creamy, velvety, delicate heart that melts sweetly in your mouth - what more could your Valentine want! The flavor is reminiscent of homemade vanilla ice cream and very similar to an Italian panne cotta; the only difference
in the recipe is the addition of the sour cream - possibly why it is called "Russian".  The sour cream adds a touch of tart to the heart, and lightens the sweetness of the dessert.
      Searching for the origins of the dessert I could find nothing except that an anonymous restaurant created it.  I would hope that several make it, as it is luscious and though it is basically heavy cream, a spoonful at a time, it has a much lighter feel to it as though you're eating berries with a Greek yogurt.  I first discovered Russian Cream - once again, confusion on origin - in a French cooking class and have made it on my birthdays as my favorite dessert for many years.
     Melba sauce is a combination of fresh peaches and raspberries pureed with
a bit of sugar and is wonderful, but I often go for just a raspberry puree as they are my favorite berries.  I have also used strawberries and mixed berries as well to good effect - whatever berries you like best with vanilla ice cream works
here.
     The presentation shown above is perfect for Valentines!  What could speak 
love better than a heart on sweet berry puree.  Also, molded in a circular mold it creates a holiday wreath when garnished with a few holly leaves.  You could also try a floral shape for spring or summer with edible flowers as a garnish. 
Once you taste it you won't care what shape it is! But don't leave the dessert unattended for long - I left all but one serving in our fridge to find the next day it had all been eaten by my son-in-law, probably in one sitting.  I will admit it is hard to stop and is so silky and the contrast with the berries is pure bliss.  So say "I love you" to someone or even yourself with this super easy, beautiful dessert.  They'll certainly consider themselves loved!

Russian Creme:
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin     1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water                                         1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups heavy cream                       pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

      -Combine unflavored gelatin with water and let
           stand for a few minutes to soften gelatin.

      -In a medium saucepan, combine heavy cream,
           sugar and gelatin.  Cook mixture over 
           moderate heat, stirring until gelatin is
           dissolved, about 5 minutes.  (Do not allow
           to boil.)

       -Transfer mixture to a medium sized bowl; let

            cool about 20 minutes.  Fold in sour cream,
            vanilla and salt.  Pour into mold or serving
            bowl and chill for 2 hours.

Melba Sauce:
10 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
10 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries
10 oz fresh or frozen peaches
1/2 cup sugar
1 tab. water
1  tab. cornstarch

     -Puree raspberries and peaches in a food 
          processor about 30 seconds.

     -Combine cornstarch, water and sugar in a
          small bowl and stir into puree.  Cook in
          saucepan over medium-high heat until 
          mixture begins to bubble.  Continue to 
          stir 1 minute longer. Transfer to a bowl 
          and chill for 1 hour.

To Assemble:
      -On a large glass platter with a rim, pour and
          spread the fruit puree.

      -Place the bottom of the mold in a bath of hot
          water for 1 minute then being careful the
          water does not come up over the sides of
          the mold. Carefully invert the molded creme
          onto the pool of fruit puree on the platter.

      -Return to the fridge to chill for another hour.

      -Garnish with a few fresh raspberries.  Serve 
            with small dessert cups and spoons for 
            guests to dish their own servings. 

      -Serves 8 - 10

Pour creme mixture into mold.

Place pureed berries/peaches in bowl to chill.

Serve in small glass dessert dishes.

Chocolate Caramel Pretzels

        It's a match made in Heaven - or at least "Sweets" Heaven - chocolate, salted caramel and crunch!  But then like me, you've probably realized this for some time.  I suspect I may have teethed on something like this recipe, my mother being one that made life sweet in every way she could.  Did you know there was a period in the 80's  when salt was "the Devil" and all salt was removed from recipes even in the major cookbooks; Betty Crocker, Homes and Gardens, became "under-seasoned"  Our intrinsic natures complained and I was one of the loudest grumblers, but I just ignored what the recipes said and added salt, realizing that  it is the "savor of life".  Salt must be included to enhance the flavors and the subtleties of ingredients and creates the contrast that makes sweet less assertive.  Not to say that I have anything against sugar, though I know to some sugar has become "the Devil".  But not in my Heaven.  I like to think I follow the adage of "all things in moderation" (sometimes my appetite doesn't think as I do).  
        So, to "moderate" your Valentine's treats, you may want to try to the delightfully satisfying heart-shaped treat below.  Fun and easy for children to help create as they sample the ingredients.  These can be made with soft caramels, harder caramels and topped with milk chocolate or dark, then topped with anything with which you would like: chopped nuts, sprinkles, colored sugar, turbinado sugar, toffee bits, granola, etc.  (I choose crumbled almond praline as I had some on hand.)

Chocolate Caramel Pretzels

1 bag of large (3" size) twisted unbroken pretzels -
          (24 pretzels)
1 bag soft caramel candies (Werthers) or Kraft
           caramels  (48 pieces)
1 - 2 bags milk chocolate (kisses, Dove) or dark
           chocolate (48 pieces)

       (If you want to make to go the homemade route,
        make you own caramel!  Follow my recipe -
        search caramel sauce on this site) and follow
        the easy directions but cook the caramel 
        mixture to 250 - 255 degrees on a candy 
        thermometer. Drizzle while still warm into the
        holes of the  pretzels until filled.)

Instructions:
      Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place a piece of parchment paper over the bottom of a cookie sheet.  Place whole pretzels on the sheet, spaced at least an inch apart.  
     Unwrap caramel candies, and set 2 pieces on top of each pretzel.   Place in preheated oven and allow to melt for 8 - 10 minutes.,   Remove from the oven and with the back of a spoon, rinsed in hot water, spread the caramel as evenly as possible into the holes and over the top of the pretzel, leaving the outside border.  
      Place 2 unwrapped chocolate pieces on the top of each pretzel and return to the oven for 6 - 8 minutes.  Remove and spread the chocolate to cover the caramel, swirling it into a heart shape on top of the pretzel.  
      While chocolate is still warm, sprinkle on toppings such as chocolate jimmies, Heathbar crumbles, finely chopped nuts, colored sprinkles, mashed hard candies, etc.
     Let pretzels cool about an hour before serving.  Keep at room temperature so chocolate doesn't bloom.

Makes 24.

 Place 2 caramels on the top of each pretzel.

 Place 2 chocolate pieces on top of melted caramel.

Spread melted chocolate to feature heart shape of pretzel.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

***Time to melt the caramel will depend on the type of caramel used.  Check every few minutes to determine when the caramel is spreadable.  You don't

want to leave them so long that the caramel cooks and becomes hard and brittle.

Fondue Pockets

Fondue Pocket

      While cruising the Quebec City Christmas market this past Christmas, I witnessed true inspiration!  Fondue has always been a part of our family holiday traditions and has never waned in popularity over the years, although in the general public fondue had its heydey in parties by that name in the 70s.  But in an effort to never let a good thing die, it has made a resurgence in recent years.  Whatever you dip in the concoctions of cheeses, wine and garlic melted to a gooey smoothness, whether it be bread, ham, peppers, avocado, shrimp -the biggest problem with fondue is not being able to keep it all together - losing morsels in the liquid cheese, not being able to get enough of the cheesy goo on the dipper, and enduring the scorn of those opposed to "double-dipping".  Well, some brilliant French Canadian came upon a solution - or at least this is the first time I had seen it (and sampled it.) His food stall definitely boasted the longest line!

      The creation consisted of a hollowed-out piece of French bread, one end left intact, filled with warm fondue, wrapped in a napkin and held in the hand.  And Voila!  It was easily eaten without spillage with an equal amount of cheese and bread in each bite.  I couldn't let that inspiration just live on in my memory and so experimented when back home with wonderful success.  In fact, I went a step further and added ham to some, caramelized onions and mushrooms to others - but why stop there?  Anything that you like with cheese fondue could be added, as long as it is chopped small enough to fit into the bread pocket.

Fondue Pockets:

     For the pockets: 

     1 long loaf (2 ft.) of French Bread or several short 

                12 inch loaves.

     Slice the long loaves into 5 pieces cutting across

                the loaf or the small loaves in half.

     With your fingers, pull out the soft bread in the 

                center and work your way down into the 

                piece of bread until you have hollowed it 

                out leaving one end intact.  Use a fork to

                help carefully scrape the inside of the bread 

                to create as much room in the pockets as

                possible without breaking through the

                crust.

     Place the pockets of bread on a cookie sheet and

                into a 350 degree oven.  Allow the bread to

                crisp in the oven for 5 - 7 minutes then

                remove.

     Cheese Fondue:  

          2 cups grated gruyere cheese

          2 cups grated Emmentaler or swiss cheese

          1 1/2 tab. flour

          3 cloves garlic, minced and mashed

          1 - 1/2 cups white wine

          -Place grated cheese in a bowl and sprinkle

               in flour.  Toss cheese to coat with flour.

          -Place a heavy medium-size saucepan over

               medium-high heat.  Add about 1 cup of 

               cheese, garlic, and 1/4 cup wine.  Stir over

               heat until wine is incorporated, cheese has

               melted and the mixture is smooth.   

               Continue the process above adding 1 cup of 

               cheese, 1/4 cup wine, melting and stirring

               until smooth after each addition.

          -Immediately, using a 1/2 cup measuring cup,

               pour the fondue into the hollow of the 

               bread, wrap with a napkin and serve

               immediately.

Hollow out bread leaving pockets in middle

Add cheese alternately with wine in small batches, melting and stirring until smooth. 

Stir until velvety smooth.

Fill bread pockets with hot, smooth mixture.

Add other fondue dippers, like ham and mushrooms and onions!

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

      **The cheese fondue does not run or ooze from the pocket when held upright, so

      don't worry about it being messy, unless you overfill it with extra ingredients!

Shish Ta-Wouk (Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs)

   

     I love to say the name "shish-ta-wook" as I feel so Middle Eastern-ly cultured when I do.  To simply say Lebanese chicken kebabs isn't as fun but it certainly gives you a better idea of what a "wook" is. It was an Iraqi officer many years ago in Jordan who explained which may be obvious to many, that the shish is the name of the skewer itself onto which the kabob is molded or speared (in his case - a seasoned ground meat). Cooked over hot charcoals that he fanned almost constantly is how this expert, born to the craft, demonstrated their preparation. Kabob are much better known in recent years with the proliferation of Persian and Afghan restaurants serving them.  

    My introduction to the version below was at the Marriott Hotel in Amman, which created a delicious rendition and it instantly became one of my favorite Arabic dishes.  The lemon and spices in the marinade Arabize the chicken with the warmth of zatar and allspice and the sparkle of lemon and set it apart from other chicken kebobs of which there are endless varieties. (Truth be told - I like them all.)  I appreciate the intense flavors without the heat of Afghani renditions, which allows you to enjoy bite after bite without looking for something to cool the palette down between mouthfuls!  But to each his own. With a nod to Lebanese cuisine as being the ultimate "ideal" of Middle Eastern food, there are various preparations of this chicken even within Jordan itself.  But you'll never go wrong ordering it off the menu.  And now that you know how to say it, you won't even have to look at a menu to order it!

Shish Ta-Wook:

4 chicken breasts, skinned, boned – cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 small onion, finely grated or juiced

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tab. olive oil
3 tab. plain yogurt
1 tsp. tomato paste

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tab. zatar

1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. allspice

Sumac to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

         

     -Blend onion and garlic into the lemon juice, olive oil and
         yogurt.  Add spices and marinate the chicken pieces in
         the mixture for 2-4 hours, turning occasionally. 

     -Remove chicken from the marinade and thread loosely
         on skewers, 4 or 5 cubes on each.  Cook for 10-15 
         minutes under broiler or over barbecue brushing with 
         leftover marinade liquid a time or two.

     -Serve with grilled slivered onions, thickly sliced green 
         and red peppers and tomato halves sprinkled with salt
         and pepper and sumac.                                       

     -Condiments:  garlic sauce (toom), hummus or
         baba ghannouj.

                                        Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes

Marinate chicken for 2 -4 hours

Thread 4 - 5 cubes on each skewer

and place on rack set over cookie sheet

Sahtain!  (To your health!)

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:

     **Sumac is my favorite spice discovery of Middle Eastern Cooking.  (It's
the granular-looking dark red spice you see in the small bowl and sprinkled
on the chicken and vegetables in the pictures above.)  We first tasted it sprinkled on fattoush salad and wondered what the dark red pepper was.  
After encountering it on the Palestinian specialty, Musakhan, where it all but covers the chicken dish, I learned the name.  Sumac, not to be confused with poison sumac, comes from the berry of a flowering shrub indigenous to the Middle East and lends a bit of piquant, lemony pizazz to dishes.  It's a must-have in my kitchen and can be found in Middle Eastern Groceries or through Penzeys or Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Sumac-Spice-2-0-Zamouri-Spices/dp/B000FVMOW6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=sumac&qid=1579654042&sr=8-4.

     **Truth be told, I have experienced many failures in attempting to make "toom", garlic paste like that served in Fakhr-al Din's in Amman, Jordan, our favorite Lebanese restaurant. We fell in love with it and always order french fries on the side in Arab restaurants to dip in the garlic paste.  Fahkr-al Dins serves an array of fresh uncut vegetables as an appetizer, with the toom on the side.  My favorite combo is slicing the tomatoes, spreading the garlic paste on top and sprinkling with salt, pepper and sumac. This video presents a great explanation of how to make it and what can go wrong - check it out for this indispensable side dip.  (It is possible to make half the recipe to try it out before you commit an entire quart of oil to the recipe.)  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufDD773NQMY

Ingredients - (1/2 recipe)

1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves (sometimes you can find them already peeled -
        if they're fresh, go that route!)

2 - 2 1/2 cups vegetable, corn or canola oil

1 fresh lemon, juiced

1 tsp salt or to taste

Instructions

1. Before you start, ensure that all ingredients are at room temperature and your food processor is dry.
2. Add the garlic and salt to the food processor and pulse 4 or 5 times.  Stop the processor, scrape down the sides and run for 10-20 seconds longer until the garlic turns pasty.
3. With your oil and lemon juice ready and measured, turn the processor back on and keep it on until the end of the process.
4. While the food processor is running, start adding the oil slowly in a very thin stream or thread until you have used 1/2 cup.  Let the processor continue running for a moment and add 1 tsp. of lemon juice a bit at a time.  After adding the first half cup of oil you will start seeing the garlic emulsify and turn into a paste.  Let the processor blend for 30 seconds between adding oil and juice.
5. Continue the previous step with the remaining oil and lemon juice.  Do not rush the process.  Just continue to pour in the oil in a thin stream, followed by the lemon juice and let continue to blend after each addition.
6. Place "toom" in an airtight container but don't cover with a lid immediately.  Cover with a paper towel and place in the refrigerator for an hour or so to allow the mixture to cool completely, to avoid condensation to fall back into the paste, which will cause it to split.  Remove paper towel and cover with an airtight lid.  Paste can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.
7. 
   

     **Toom Shortcut:  Mix very finely minced garlic cloves (4-6) to taste with 1 cup prepared mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle of salt.  Let chill for 30 minutes and serve.    

Fateyah - Lebanese Filled Rolls

      A Lebanese friend introduced me to "fa-tie-ah" at a Christmas Open House she hosted every year with the most wonderful Lebanese food.  These little golden puffs of bread filled with warm Arabic spiced ground beef, fried onions, rich with butter and studded with pine nuts became a family favorite.  In fact, they received the honor of being placed on the menu of the traditional Christmas Eve buffet at our home.
      Along with various dips which always included hummous, fateyah took its place of honor on the holiday table or on the picnic blanket when picnicking in the shepherd's fields overlooking Bethlehem, or when looking for a hint of Christmas, sitting unknowingly on the King's forested private property in Jordan.  That time we were driven off by a guard.....we should have given him a fateyah and he would have welcomed us to stay!
    If you are intimidated at working with yeasted dough, I would happily offer you "yeasted dough therapy" if I could and in my cooking classes have forced students to face yeast head on!  People often worry about killing the yeast or ending up with a lump or hardtack when the timer goes off at the end of baking.  But truly, yeast is quite a hardy fungus and I have rarely had it fail me, and then probably because it was already deceased when I used it.  
      If you follow a couple of rules, you too can create these softy pillowy delights.  This is a yeast dough that is generous in the rising and creates a soft, malleable dough that is happy to become a fateyah.  Couple of rules:  let the yeast rise first, as the recipe instructs in a small amount of lukewarm water.  Now, if you're wondering what lukewarm is, no hotter than the milk in a baby's bottle is a good guide, but if you don't know how hot that is, you don't have to search for a wisened mother to show you.  Go for tepid water, or even a bit to the cool side if you're still concerned - just not ice-cold water.  Yeast will rise, though more slowly in cool water.  Be sure to let the dough rise as long as the time suggested in the recipe.  
      You can use your bread-proofing function on your oven if you have it.  Otherwise, cover the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and set on the counter where there are no cold drafts and forget about it for a couple of hours.  It knows how to do what it needs to do and you don't have to help it along.  You can even place your dough to rise in the refrigerator overnight or all day and come back to it later when you're ready to create the fateyah. 
       When you shape the balls of dough let them sit for 10 minutes or so to get used to their new shape and then when you roll the balls out into flat circles, again be patient with your dough - it has to think about it a bit before it relaxes and keeps the shape you are insisting upon.  In fact, if the dough shrinks back as you roll it, walk away for a few minutes, come back and roll again and it will be much more obliging.  

Fateyah: (meat filled bread)

     Bread Dough:

          3 cups lukewarm water              1 tab. salt

          2 tab. yeast                                    ½ cup oil

          ½ cup sugar                                  8-9 cups flour

           -Mix yeast and 1 tab. sugar in 1/2 cup tepid water and let sit
              until foamy, about 10 minutes.  Add the rest of the water 
              and sugar.  Stir in salt, oil and enough flour to make a stiff
              dough. (You do not need to use all the flour, just enough to
              make a dough that can be handled without sticking to 
              your hands.) 

           -Knead the dough in an electric mixer with a dough hook or
              by hand for 5 - 7 minutes or until the dough can form a 
              smooth ball.  (see instructions on how to knead, below).  
              Place the dough ball in a large oiled bowl, cover with a 
              dish towel or plastic wrap and set to rise for about 1 1/2 
              hours in a warm spot on your kitchen counter.  Or use the
              bread-proofing feature on your oven for an hour.  Dough
              should be about doubled in size.  To test if the dough has
              risen enough, poke a hole in the center with your finger. 
              If the indentation stays, it is ready.         

     Filling:

          1 finely chopped onion                1 tab. cinnamon

          ½ cup butter                                 1 tab. allspice

          1 pound lean ground beef           1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste

          ½ cup pine nuts                           salt and pepper to taste

          -In medium frying pan, melt the butter.  Saute the onion in 
             the butter over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. 
             Add the ground beef and simmer till brown breaking it up 
             as it cooks.  Add tomato paste, cinnamon, allspice, salt and
             pepper.  Simmer another 15-20 minutes.  Stir in pine nuts.

     To form fateyahs:

          -Punch down the dough after it has risen, to release some of 
            the air.  Roll dough into balls about the size of a golf ball.  
            With a rolling pin, roll each ball on a lightly oiled surface
            (oil works better than flour for this recipe) into a 5-inch 
            round. Let rest for a couple of minutes.  

          -Place a spoonful of filling in the center of the round.  Fold
            the sides over the filling then roll up, encasing the filling.

          -Place seam side down on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375

             degrees until golden.  Brush with olive oil while still warm.

          -Serve warm or at room temperature.  (Can bake until just
             barely done and freeze.  Reheat in oven before serving.)

 Forming the fatayeh:  fold the 2 vertical sides

   over the filling and then roll up and over the

      filling starting with the edge closest to you.

                                         Completed rolled bread - placed seam side down.

                                                    Baked Fatayehs - ready to serve.

                                                    Inside of the stuffed bread.....yum!



Persnickety Notes:   Why and how to knead bread:

     **For a simple but thorough explanation of why and how to knead
         bread watch the following video:
                      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySOj0fFWo1U

     **My technique for the actual kneading process is somewhat different
        as, after working with the heels of my hand to push the dough out, I
        fold it over itself away from me.  Go ahead - develop your own
        style!  There are as many styles as there are bakers - some knead 
        in a leisurely almost poetic fashion, embracing the dough at each
        turn, others tackle it much more aggressively flailing the dough about
        the counter as they work.  The important thing is to develop the smooth
        elastic texture the dough kneads to rise!  It's not terribly particular as
        to how it is treated.  Most will tell you there is great satisfaction in
        kneading their own bread and it can even count as your daily workout
        session!