PREPARATION:

 

Toast pecans or walnuts in a hot skillet until fragrant. Let cool.

Place nuts, herb flowers, oil, garlic, green onions, salt, and pepper into a food processor fitted with the metal blade

Toast pecans or walnuts in a hot skillet until fragrant. Let cool.

Place nuts, herb flowers, oil, garlic, green onions, salt, and pepper into a food processor fitted with the metal blade.

Pulse into a coarse puree

Toss with hot pasta or as a condiment to roasted pork, chicken, or seafood.

Yield: about 1-1/2 cups

 

 

Basil Mayonnaise

Ingredients
1 large egg
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 teaspoon salt
8 turns fresh ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Instructions
Combine the egg, lemon juice, basil, green onions, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and puree for 15 seconds. While the processor is running, slowly stream in the oil.

When all of the oil has been added, turn off the machine and scrape down the sides and cover. Process again until the mixture becomes a thick mayonnaise. Remove the mayonnaise to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Use within 24 hours.

Yield: 1 cup

 

 

Fresh For Spring Recipes

 

 

 

Spring Rhubarb Crisp

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups chopped rhubarb
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
•  
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup margarine, softened

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, sugar, oats, 1 teaspoon flour and brown sugar. Stir until well combined and pour into prepared baking dish.
3. In small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup flour, baking soda and salt. Blend in margarine until all flour is incorporated. Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture.
4. Bake 30 minutes, or until rhubarb is tender.

  Valentines Fun  

Apple-Raspberry Valentine Crisp

The heart-shaped lattice of puff pastry rests on top of a quick-to-make sauté of raspberry-flavored apple slices, mounted on a pool of vanilla yogurt sauce. Use Washington State Fuji apples, rich in flavor and tangy sweetness, which stay firm even when sliced and cooked. For convenience, weave the hearts in advance and refrigerate, unbaked, overnight.

Yield: 2 servings

1 sheet (9 1/2 x 10-inch) puff pastry (sold in grocery freezer sections or make your own puff pastry)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-in thick slices
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
1 eight ounce container lowfat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup water
Confectioner’s sugar

On floured surface, roll puff pastry into 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Cut pastry into two 7 x 10-inch pieces. Using a ruler to guide pastry wheel, cut each half into 22 seven-inch long strips about 1/4-inch wide.

To make lattice heart, lay 11 pastry strips, 1/8-inch apart and parallel, across an ungreased baking sheet. One by one, weave 11 more strips through parallel strips to create lattice square. Cut out center of lattice with a 4 or 5-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter or stencil and discard trimmings. Refrigerate heart 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 400 deg. F. Brush hearts with egg mixture and bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. In skillet, melt butter and add apple slices, sugar and cinnamon. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until tender. Stir in one tablespoon of jam.

To serve, blend yogurt and water. Divide mixture between two large serving plates. Mound apple slices in center. Dip edges of each heart into confectioner’s sugar and place atop apples.

To make heart-shaped designs in the sauce, heat remaining jam in microwave for thirty seconds. Drop dots of jam onto sauce. Drag a toothpick tip through center of each dot to make heart.

Source: Washington Apple Commission

Chocolate-Strawberry Cones Chocolate-Strawberry Cones Make 12 cones 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg white 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios Filling: 1 cup whipping cream 2 tablespoons Framboise (Raspberry liquor) 4 ounces strawberries, hulled Preheat oven to 400 F (205° C). Grease and flour 3 baking sheets. Sift flour and cocoa into a medium-sized bowl; stir in sugar. Make a well in center. Add egg white and butter and beat until smooth. Place spoonfuls of mixture onto prepared baking sheets, spacing well apart, and spread out thinly to 4-inch circles. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake in preheated oven 4 to 6 minutes. Remove with palette knife and curl each around a cornet mold, holding in position until set. Remove from molds. To prepare filling, in a small bowl, whip whipping cream and Framboise until thick. Spoon 1/4 of whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large fluted nozzle. Slice strawberries and reserve 12 slices. Fold remaining strawberry slices into remaining whipped cream and spoon into chocolate cones. Pipe a rosette of whipped cream on each and decorate with a strawberry slice. Note: The mixture makes 15 cones which allows for 3 breakage's. Only bake 3 circles at a time or they will begin to set before you have time to roll them up.

 Spanish Christmas Salad

 Garlic Soup
    1         lb               Garlic (about 8 heads)
    3         tb              Olive oil
    2         md              Onions, peeled and diced
    3         c                   Chicken broth
    1/4       c                   Lemon juice
    4         ea                 Bay leaves
    1/2       ts              Dried thyme
    4         c                     Milk

   Separate the heads of garlic into cloves, but don't bother to peel
   them. Heat olive oil in a 2 quart pot over medium heat. Add garlic
   and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes or until the
   skins turn golden. Add the onion and cook until soft, another 5
   minutes. Add the broth, then the lemon juice, bay leaves and thyme.
   Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and
   simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, place contents of the pot in
   a food processor or blender and puree. Strain garlic puree through
   strainer into a medium pot over medium heat. Add milk cover, and
   bring to a boil. Immediatly reduce heat to low and simmer for 10
   minutes. Serve hot.
  

Aunt Mays Apple Butter

1. Peel and core the apples, then cut them into 1 inch chunks. (Don't worry about making them perfectly sized). Place the apples in a large, nonreactive saucepan and pour the cider over them. Cover the pot and cook for about 30 minutes over low heat or until the apples are soft.

2. Cool the mixture until it is only warm to the touch. Divide it into two batches and puree each in the bowl of a food processor or blender. (At this point, you will have an unsweetened applesauce, which makes excellent baby food).

3. Pour all of the pureed fruit into a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish, spread evenly, sprinkle with the apple pie spice, and stir well. Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 2 to 3 hours or until your apple butter is deep brown and thick. Stir the puree every 20 minutes. Cool the apple butter and then scoop it into a clean jar with a sealable lid. It will keep for up to 2 months in your refrigerator. Spread it on toast, crackers, or sandwiches. Makes 1-1/2 cups.

Pepper Jelly                                                

14 hot peppers (jalapeno)
4 sweet peppers (red)
3 cups white vinegar
10 cups sugar
2 pouches pectin
2 tsp red (or green) food coloring

Cut peppers. Discard seeds and stem. Grind peppers in blender with vinegar. Move this mixture to a large pan and place on your stove burner. Add sugar, bring to boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and skim. Add 2 pouches pectin and food coloring. Boil hard for one minute. Seal hot.

GINGER SWEET-POTATO PIE WITH CINNAMON MERINGUE

OATMEAL MAPLE COOKIES                                                                                                                        

1/2 cup Crisco
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten

Add above ingredients together and mix well.
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Mix into the first ingredients. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes. Cool on rack.  Makes two dozen.

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream with 1 tablespoon of sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside.
2. Combine remaining sugar, coffee and whiskey.
3. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.