Baked Camembert With Garlic And Tarragon

Baked Camembert With 

Garlic And Tarragon

Oozing baked cheese is the perfect way to get a lunch started – with lots of crusty bread, crispy crackers or vegetable crudités for dipping in fondue-style.
Ingredients
2 tbsp clear honey
1 large clove garlic, crushed to a paste
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp fennel seeds, plus extra to garnish
½ tsp fine sea salt
¼ x 3/4oz. pack tarragon
1 large unwaxed lemon, zest
8oz. pack baking Camembert
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pistachio kernels, roasted, to garnish (optional)
seeded crackers, crusty baguette or vegetable crudités, for dipping.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF,  

In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, garlic, vinegar, ½ tsp finely crushed fennel seeds, salt, finely chopped tarragon leaves and most of the lemon zest.

Remove the cheese from its wooden tray and wrapper, then use a knife to score a cross-hatch diagonal pattern – cutting just over halfway through it. Using a spoon or knife, fill each slit generously with the garlic-herb honey.

Put the cheese back into its wooden tray (or use a ramekin), then drizzle over the oil. 

Place onto a baking sheet to capture any spillage, then bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully oozing in the middle.

Finely crush the pistachios, if using, and sprinkle over the cheese to garnish, with a pinch of fennel seeds and the remaining lemon zest. Serve immediately, with crackers, crusty baguette or vegetable crudités for dipping.

Cook’s tip
You can also do this with other cheeses such as Brie and Taleggio.

Pistachio Fig Cake With Honey And Ricotta

Pistachio Fig Cake With Honey And Ricotta A bejeweled cake with figs and pistachios is a grand way to bid summer adieu. Ingredients: Serves 8–10 Nonstick vegetable oil spray 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt ⅓ cup of sugar ¼ cup of honey 3 large eggs 1 ½ cups ricotta 6 tablespoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon pistachio extract 1 cup of figs halved (large ones quartered) 1 handful shelled pistachios, chopped Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 7–9-inch cast iron skillet with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Whisk honey, eggs, ricotta, olive oil, and pistachio extract together in a medium bowl, until combined. Fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Fold half of the figs into your batter. Pour batter into prepared cast iron and top with remaining figs and chopped pistachios. Bake cake until golden brown 50–60 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm.

Fig Tart With Pistachio Frangipane

Fig tart with pistachio frangipane

Delicious tart with buttery crust, delicate pistachio frangipane cream and juicy figs.

Ingredients

pastry crust:
1⅓ cup (175g/6.2-oz) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
½ cup (115g/4oz) cold butter
¼ cup (30g/1-oz) powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cold water
pistachio cream (frangipane):

1 cup (100g/3.5-oz) ground pistachios
⅓ cup (75g/2.6-oz) soft butter
½ cup (100g/3.5-oz) granulated sugar
grated zest of 1/4 lemon optional
1 large egg
additionally:

4-5 figs cut into 8 wedges

Directions:

Crust:  If the butter is cold, you have to beat it first to soften it a bit, then add the sugar and beat together).

Add the egg, mix well, then add the ground pistachios, lemon zest if using and mix well until combined.
Put the cream in the fridge.

Baking:

Preheat the oven to 190 °C / 375 °F 
Prepare a 23 cm / 9-inch tart pan.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, roll out the dough until it's large enough to fit into the tart pan (on a sheet of baking paper), transfer the dough to the pan, press it into the corners (the dough should cover the bottom and ca. 2.5 cm / 1-inch of the sides of the pan), cut off any excess dough. You can also press the dough with your hands into an even layer on the bottom and the sides of the pan with your hands, without rolling it out. Put in the fridge while the oven warms up.
Blind-bake the dough: prick the dough with a fork, line with a sheet of baking paper, and fill to the top with dry beans / rice (or ceramic baking weights), pressing them into the corners and sides.
Bake the pastry crust for 20 minutes, then remove the paper and the beans and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the crust is lightly golden.
Spread the frangipane cream evenly on the dough, arrange the fig wedges on top, press them lightly into the cream.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until the frangipane is set (you can shake the tart pan, it shouldn‘t jiggle in the center). Check on the tart after about 20 minutes, if the cream is browning too quickly you can cover it loosely with a piece of aluminum foil.
Cool the tart slightly, cut into portions and serve, you can sprinkle it with chopped pistachios.
Enjoy!   Serves 8

Notes

You can use other nuts instead of pistachios, for example, ground almonds or hazelnuts.
1 cup loosely packed ground pistachios = 100g/3.5 oz = 7/8 cup shelled whole pistachios = 200g/7oz pistachios in shells.

White Chocolate Cranberry With Toasted Pistachio Tart

White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Tart

I served this dessert at our Thanksgiving dinner 2007. It has been back by popular demand. My only suggestion is to use a 10" tart pan with the removable bottom.  It is a crowd pleaser!

Tart Pastry:
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons whipping cream

Finely grated rind of one orange   

***

Directions:

Sift flour and sugar together into the bowl of mixer or food processor. Cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse corn meal. Whisk together egg yolk, cream and orange rind (if using) and combine with the flour mixture, mixing until the dough comes together. Flatten dough into a disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Roll out on a floured board and place in a 10" tart pan with removable bottom. Cover with parchment paper or foil and weight down with dried beans or pastry weights. (This prevents shrinkage).

***

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the pie weights and bake 10 minutes more or until golden. The shell is fully baked and ready to be used for the tart.

***

White Chocolate Cranberry Filling 
With Toasted Pistachios 

Ingredients:

4 ounces shelled unsalted pistachios

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

3/4 cup whipping cream

12 oz white chocolate, finely chopped or the discs

1/4 cup butter

***

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Place nuts on a baking sheet and toast pistachios for 10 minutes in oven or until golden.

***

Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. In a bowl, put ice water to cool cranberries after blanching. Line a baking sheet with several layers of paper towel to dry cranberries after blanching.

***

Add the cranberries to boiling water and stir until they soften slightly but do not burst. Fresh cranberries take slightly longer than frozen. Immediately drain cranberries and plunge into ice water to cool. Drain and spread cranberries on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Roll around to dry and remove any bad cranberries.

***

Bring cream to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Stir in white chocolate and remove from heat. Allow to sit for one minute, then stir together. Add butter and and stir together until fully incorporated. Stir mixture occasionally until completely combined. Do not over stir or there will be too much air incorporated and the final product will have allot of big bubbles.

***

Randomly scatter dry cranberries and next the pistachios into cooled tart shell. With a rubber scraper or spoon, pour white chocolate cream over filled tart to completely cover the fruit and nuts. You may have a little extra filling. Chill for 4 hours or overnight (but remove from the refrigerator approximately one hour before serving to soften slightly and enhance the flavors. Cut with a hot dry knife. Serves 10 and serving 15 would be better! It is rich but oh so good.

Jerusalem Kodafa Cake

Jerusalem Kodafa Cake

Serves 6
Ingredients

2 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 1/2 cups honey, divided
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup cottage cheese
3/4 cup pistachios or almonds, chopped
1/2 cup water, room temperature
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 pinches saffron threads (or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Set 2 1/4 cups of water to boil.

Place couscous in a large bowl and pour boiling water over the top.

Stir well and let soak until water is completely absorbed and couscous is cooked. About 30 minutes.

Using a fork (or your fingers), fluff the couscous to break up any lumps and stir in cubed butter. Then add beaten egg and salt.

Preheat oven to 400º F and spread 1/2 cooked couscous mixture into a 10-inch springform pan or baking dish.

In a large bowl, mix together ricotta and cottage cheeses, then pour in 1/4 cup honey and stir well.
Gently spread cheese mixture over the couscous and even out the top. Spread remaining couscous over the cheese and pat down carefully.

Place pan in oven and bake for 12 minutes.
While baking, combine remaining honey, water and saffron threads in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook for around 6 minutes, or until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Remove kodafa from oven and turn on broiler. Cook for 1-3 minutes, or until golden brown crust has formed.

Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top of the cake and top immediately with honey syrup.

Cut into slices and serve warm.

Baklava

Baklava

Ingredients:

Baklava
2 1/4 cups shelled Pistachio nuts
2 cups unsalted butter
1 pound phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the   
   refrigerator

Syrup:

1 2/3 cup water

3 cups sugar

Juice of 1/2 lemon, more or less

*

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely ground 

    Coarsely ground (or you can chop them by hand   
    until very finely chopped)

    Don't over process the nuts.  You want to maintain         

    some texture.

Clarify the butter over low heat, then letting the foam rise to the 

     top and the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan .  This will 

     take about 15 minutes depending  on how high your heat is. 

     Skim off the top of the melted butter.  Line a fine-mesh sieve 

     with a piece of cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and pour the 

     melted butter through.

Heat oven to 400 degrees and brush the inside of a 9 X 13 inch

    baking pan with a little clarified butter.

Prepare the phyllo dough by trimming the stack of it with 

   scissors to fit the bottom of your baking dish.  Packages of 

   phyllo  come in different sizes; one won't need any trimming,

   some may need an inch or two cut off a side; and some may  

   need to be cut in half crosswise.  Cover phyllo layers with a 

   lightly damp towel, and keep covered.

Place 1 piece of phyllo on the bottom of the baking pan; brush 

  lightly with clarified butter.Layer phyllo sheets on top, 

  brushing each sheet with butter as you go, until half of 

  the phyllo is used.  Spread pistachios on phyllo in an 

  even layer, then layer with remaining phyllo, brushing 

  each sheet with butter as you go (rewarm butter if necessary).

Cut the pastry into 36 pieces, using clean up-and-down strokes 

   and rotating the pan if necessary. Make sure to cut all the way 

   through to bottom of pan. Pour any remaining butter evenly 

   over pan.

Bale baklava until the top is golden brown, and the lower layers 

   beneath the pistachios are thoroughly baked through.  To test 

   this, use a knife to lift up a corner of one of the pastry rectangles 

   from the center of the pan so you can peek at the bottom layers.

   Start checking after 40 minutes, but it could take an hour or even

   1 hour and 10 minutes.

If the top starts to get too brown before the pastry is cooked 

   through, lay a piece of foil over the top.

Meanwhile prepare the Sugar Syrup:

In a medium pot, combine the sugar with 1 2/3 cup of water.

  Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly 

  thickened.  Stir in lemon juice.  

When the baklava is baked through, reheat the syrup until it 

  comes to a simmer.  Remove pan from oven and place in or

  on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips os syrup.  Slowly

  pour hot sugar syrup over the pastry; it will bubble up  and 

  some may overflow.  When the syrup stops bubbling, move 

  the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.  

  Serve at room temperature.

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup pistachios

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temp

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 blood orange, (juice and zest)

2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped

*

Directions:

Toast pistachios in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Cool chop and set aside.  Cream butter, sugar and zest on high until fluffy.  Mix in juice.  Beat in flour and salt on low speed until dough forms.  Fold in cranberries abad pistachios.

In wax paper, roll dough into a 2" thick log.  Freeze for 30 minutes.

Roll log in granulated sugar.  Slice into 1/2" thick pieces.  Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees until sides are lightly brown (12 to 18 minutes) rotating pan once.  Keep cookies on pan for 10 minutes, then place on cooling rack.

Recipe from Cakes and Ale Bakery, Atlanta, GA 

Pistachio-Vanilla Bean Cookies

Pistachio-Vanilla Bean Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped salted dry-roasted pistachio nuts
6 ounces white chocolate (with cocoa butter), cut up
2 teaspoons shortening

Directions:
In a large bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high for 30 seconds. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. 

Using the tip of a knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into butter mixture. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. Stir in pistachios.

Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 1 1/2-inch-thick log (about 7 inches long). Wrap each log in waxed paper; twist the ends. Chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside. Cut chilled or frozen logs into 1/4-inch slices. Place slices about 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 10 minutes or just until firm and browned on the bottoms. Cool on cookie sheets for 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks; cool.

In a heavy small saucepan combine white chocolate and shortening; heat and stir over low heat until melted. Dip half of each cookie into melted chocolate mixture; place on a wire rack over waxed paper and let stand until set.   Makes 56 cookies 1 1/2"

From the Test Kitchen
To Store:

Layer chocolate-coated cookies between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw cookies before serving.

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 egg white
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 1/4 cup pistachio nuts

*

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, orange zest, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Mix in eggs and egg white one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt;  gradually blend into the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon.  Stir in white chocolate, dried cranberries, and pistachios.  Cover, and chill for 30 minutes, or until dough is no longer sticky.

Preheat oven to 325 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Turn out dough on a slightly floured surface, divide into halves.  Form each half into a flattish log about 12 inches long by three inches wide.  Arrange logs at least 3 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven, or until pale gold.  Allow logs to cool on the baking sheet until cool enough to handle.  On a cutting board, cut logs crosswise on a diagonal into one-inch thick slices.  Arrange on a baking sheet.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until golden.  Transfer biscotti to wire racks, and cool completely.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Pistachio Crusted Salmon Fillets With Apricot Glaze

PISTACHIO CRUSTED SALMON 

FILLETS WITH APRICOT GLAZE

Ingredients:
Glaze: Serves 4.
8 dried apricots, quartered
3/4 cup canned apricot nectar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. Asian chili sauce (Sriracha) 2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
2 tsp. minced shallots
Salmon:
4 (5 to 6 oz.) salmon fillets, 1 inch thick
Sea salt and pepper to taste
3 T. grapeseed or vegetable oil, divided use 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 T. chopped chives
1/2 cup toasted chopped pistachio nuts

*

Directions:
1. To make the sauce, place all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth—return to saucepan simmer to thicken, if desired, or simmer to warm through. (Keeps 3 weeks in refrigerator.)

2. For salmon, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season fish well with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick pan. Sear fish 1 minute per side and then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

3. Toss remaining 1 tablespoon oil with parsley, chives and pistachio nuts. Brush fish lightly with the Apricot Glaze. Spread pistachio mixture on the fish and bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until just cooked through. Serve drizzled with more Apricot Glaze.