When I was married before, I had a Sister in Law who was Jewish and lived in Toronto. She knew where to get the best Bagels. She would pick them up early Saturday morning, and bring back two huge paper bag's full from her local Jewish Baker, think it was called Gryfe's.
Oh boy but they were some good. We'd eat them fresh out of the bag, with cream cheese and lox. Hot coffees (when I drank coffee) and sometimes these tiny little delicate Rugelach Cookies, that were like little puffs of heavenly bliss. I am not sure if she got the Rugelach in the same place as the bagels.
I got to craving Rugelach earlier this week and decided to see if I could make my own. I went online (as you do) to find a good recipe for them, and I found a ton of recipes, basically all the same, so I thought if people are using this same recipe to make rugelach, then it must be a good rugelach.
I decided to go with the one I found on Kitchn, as the instructions were really good, it was kind of like a tutorial, but basically most of the recipes I saw were just like this.
They are not the cookie to make when you are in a hurry, for sure, but they are so worth the effort and mess of taking out the food processor.
The recipe does make quite a few, but that's not a problem because they are so good that you will inhale about a dozen right off the bat!
Its a basic dough composed of pretty much equal parts of cream cheese, flour and butter, an egg yolk and some vanilla.
This is so flaky and rich when baked . . . like I said little puffs of heaven. The dough is chilled twice. . The first time as discs and the second time, rolled out, filled, cut and on baking sheets.
I went with a walnut and honey filling this time, which I flavoured lightly with vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom. But you can use chopped dried fruits also, or chocolate chips.
My sister in law used to get a mixture. All were very good.
Its also important to note that you don't have to make a full recipe if you don't want to.
You can cut the recipe in half and simply leave out the egg yolk. That is what I did, and they worked perfectly.
*Rugelach Cookies*
Makes 64 
First make the cookie dough. Put the flour and
salt into the bowl of a food processor. Drop in the cream cheese and
the butter. Pulse until you get crumbs. Whisk together the vanilla and
egg yolk and add. Pulse until the dough just begins to clump together in
large bits.
Tip out onto a counter top which you have generously
dusted with icing sugar. Bring together into a ball and divide the ball
in half. Divide the halves in half and shape each quarter into a flat
disc about 1 inch in depth. Wrap in plastic cling film and chill for
about an hour.
Have ready several baking sheets which you have lined with baking parchment.
Spread
1/4 of the walnut mixture over top in a thin and even layer, right up to
the edges. Cut the circle into quarters and then cut each quarter into
quarters. They will look like pizza wedges, but of course a lot
smaller! Roll up from the wide edge of each triangle towards the tip.
Place onto one of the baking sheets, with the narrow tip underneath,
leaving some space in between each. Place the whole baking sheet into
the refrigerator for half an hour while you repeat these steps with a
second circle of dough.
Once
you have a second sheet filled with cookies, remove the chilling one
from the refrigerator and replace with the next sheet. Bake the
refrigerated sheet in the preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, working
on the remaining batches in the meantime. Mine took 20 minutes and
they were nice and golden brown and perfectly baked.
Store in a tightly covered container, in a cool place for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen. They also make excellent gifts.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.
Allow
the baked cookies to rest on the baking sheet for five minutes, then
transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with each subsequent
batch.
Store in a tightly covered container, in a cool place for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen. They also make excellent gifts.
These are excellent and really, not much trouble at all to make. They are not as quick as a mix and drop cookie, but they are worth every little bit of extra effort. Next time I am going to make the full recipe and fill them with some fruit and chocolate. These are so delicious I can tell you that it won't be very long before I will be baking them again!
Some other cookies you might enjoy are:
ALMOND HORNS - Beautiful almond flavored crescent cookies, rolled in flaked almonds prior to baking and then generously dusted with icing sugar.
CRANBERRY, GINGER & PISTACHIO SHORTBREADS - Crisp, glazed and filled with loads of dried cranberries, candied ginger and nutty pistachios!
Bon Appetit!
With the colder days and nights comes the desire and need for warming soups, stews and comfort food types of meals. Meals like a Classic Beef Chili are the order of the day, especially when the wind is howling at your door and rain is pelting against the window glass!
My mother discovered a recipe for Chili Con Carne when I was in high school and it became her Saturday night go to meal for years and years and years. It was a recipe she got off of a tin of tomato soup and my father liked it, so it stuck. My father never liked my mother using a lot of spices and herbs. He had very simple tastes. He was quite fussy actually so when my mother discovered anything even a tiny bit out of the ordinary that he liked, she flew with it.
This recipe today is a simple beef chili, sized perfectly just for the
two of us . . . actually I think it might feed three small eaters . . .
but it certainly feeds just two generously. With just as much flavour as a full sized recipe might have, it goes down a real treat on a cold day. Todd likes his with crusty bread . . . I am happy with crackers.
We both like cheese on top. Its hearty and thick . . . and perfectly spiced. Not too hot, but not too mild either . . .
It uses simple ingredients I always have in my store cupboard . . . tinned beans, tomatoes, passata . . . fresh onions and peppers . . . and some extra lean ground beef. I never buy regular ground beef. Its a false economy to buy meat that is so filled with fat that half of it gets poured away . . .
In fact sometimes I use finely minced steak and its even better. With me its a texture thing. I am not overly fond of mince meat. When I was a child my mother could not get me to eat minced beef at all . . . I was an expert at picking it out of everything . . . and hiding it under placemants, carpets, inside heat vents, when nobody was looking, etc. It made me gag. I hated it . . . absolutely hated it.
Thankfully I've out grown that dislike, it doesn't make me gag anymore, but then I only buy extra lean and good quality. I hate getting a piece of bone or gristle in my mouth . . . still. Anyways, back to the chili.
This recipe is delicious and perfectly sized for just two. You could serve more by doubling the ingredients if you wish. With crusty bread, or crackers, cheese on top or not, it goes down a real treat.
*Classic Beef Chili*
Serves 2
To serve: (optional)
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream
It is chili in its simplest, purest, unadulterated form. It would not win a chili cook-off I am sure, but it is perfect for just us. Bon Appetit!
Good food good drink, good company. Its an easy recipe for a good time. This lovely book, published by Frances Lincoln, entitles GOOD TOGETHER Drink & Feast with Mr Lyan and Friends, by Ryan Chetiyawardana (aka Mr Lyan) call on his many friends from the world's best restaurants to share dishes they love to make for friends and family, served along side of his stellar cocktails, providing the perfect stellar social gather, be it large or small, raucous or intimate, night or day with the people you love.
Ryan says: "In my first book, Good Things to Drink, I talked about the worlds of food and drink being one and the same, and that they should be treated that way. And also, how the right food and drink can help shape the mood of an occasion. I wanted to expand on that here, so for Good Together, I called on some of my favourite friends from the world of food, and some of the best chefs in the world. This isn't about trying to reproduce dishes from their (Excellent!) restaurants and this isn't about pairings! I've not included drinks from my bars - its much smarter to have something that is exciting and delicious but straightforward to make."
"The recipes are here to inspire, and the chefs offer brilliant advice and ideas. This is a guide to drinks and dishes that fit a particular mood or occasion, be it a cosy night in or a summer BBQ, and also work well together; an experience of co-creating food and drinks so they fit the whole experience - practicality, weight and flavours - and help elevate a gathering to something memorable and excellent. Its all very adaptable and easily ownable. For example, where I've suggested a gin, you can substitute vodka. Likewise, if you don't like any of the herbs and spices adjust the recipes to your own tastes. Experimentation, trial and error is all part of the fun. Hopefully Good Together will enthuse you to create some really special moments."
From an enormous summer BBQ to an intimate romantic dinner, this book covers an impressive range of occasions and holidays, showing how a great feast and delicious cocktails can easily be part of everyone’s lives and social gatherings. A menu of world-class cocktails are crafted to suit recipes contributed by a variety of chefs including - Nuno Mendes (Chiltern Firehouse), James Lowe (Lyle’s), Nieves Barragán Mohacho (Barrafina), Roca (El Celler de can Roca), Robin Gill (The Dairy), Isaac McHale (The Clove Club), Tien Ho (Whole Foods) and Richard Hart (Tartine) among many others. This is a very unique guide to the complete social gathering.
Scattered throughout the many recipes for delicious sounding cocktails and edibles are beautifully enticing photographs . . .
And quirky illustrations done by Ryan, himself.
Ryan Chetiyawardana is the man behind the award-winning London bar Dandelyan, and his new venture Super Lyan (Previously White Lyan). He's celebrated around the world for his inventive cocktail menus and magic way with a shaker ad is at the forefront of innovation within the drinks industry having been involved in several of the UK's best bars for over a decade. He has been named UK Bartender of the year twice and in 2015 was named "International Bartender of the Year" at the hightly acclaimed Tales of the Cocktail. As well Dandelyan in the Mondrian Hotel and Super Lyan in Hoxton, the Mr Lyan brand includes a retil rane of five bottled cocktails, available to buy from Selfrides and online at aser of Malt. 2015 also saw Ryan launch his debut book Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan and Friends, a collect of recipes for at home drink making.
This would make a great Christmas Gift for the person in your life
who loves to entertain with great cocktails and delicious food! The
recipes look very sound and do-able, and yes, fun!
GOOD TOGETHER, Drink & Feast with Mr Lyan and Friends
by Ryan Chetiyawardana
- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Frances Lincoln (28 Sept. 2017)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0711238979
- ISBN-13: 978-0711238978
Note - I was provided with a book for review by Frances Lincoln free of charge, but was not required to write a positive review in exchange. Any opinions are my own.
We love Roast Chicken in this house. It is one of our favourite meals, with plenty to enjoy on the first day, and then a casserole or sandwiches on the second day and finally a good homemade soup on the third. I usually try to buy the best roasting chicken that I can afford, and getting three meals out of it means that it actually ends up being quite an economical purchase.
This is a recipe I adapted from my BHG New Cookbook (published in 1982). I am always looking for new ways to roast chicken, and it seemed to be quite different than the usual!
Honey, chicken, lemon, English peas and shallots . . . tarragon? Sign me up! This is a beautiful flavour combination! I love LOVE all of those flavours!
I actually didn't have any tarragon in the house, with the exception of dried and I also only had dried basil, so I used what I did have and that was flat leaf parsley.
The fact that there is lemon in the dish means that your peas won't be their usual vibrant green. For some reason Lemon always washes out green coloured vegetables. I would suggest that if you want a really vibrant green, you cook the peas separately and then just add them when you go to serve.
The chicken is so moist and tender and flavourful . . . you would think with all the honey involved it would be sweet but it isn't. It is just perfect.
I just had the chicken sliced with some of the sauce and some carrots, but I made mashed potatoes for Todd and he had the juices spooned over his potatoes. He really, REALLY enjoyed this meal. I have to say I really love it when that happens.
*Honey Roasted Chicken*
Serves 6
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Pat the
chicken dry with paper towels, and truss, tucking the wings underneath
and tying the legs together. Place into a shallow roasting tin, breast
side up.
Brush all over with the butter and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast, uncovered for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours until the juices run clear and the drumsticks move easily in the sockets. Brush with half of the honey and 1 TBS of the Tarragon/parsley/basil. Return to the oven and roast for a further five minutes or so until golden brown.
Remove the chicken from the pan, lightly tent with foil and set aside.
Transfer the roasting tin to the top of the stove. Add the sliced shallots, sparkling wine(broth), chicken broth and the remaining honey. Whisk together and then bring to a simmer. Simmer,uncovered, until the shallots are tender and the juices have begun to thicken. This will take about 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas and the sliced lemon. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 to 5 minutes, until heated through. Stir in the remaining tarragon.
Serve the chicken sliced along with some of the peas/shallots/pan juices spooned over top.
I have to say that this was quite an unusual version of roast chicken and very delicious and one I would use again. It would make a great company dish! Especially with the tarragon! I think rice would also go very well. Bon Appetit!
This recipe I am showing you today is a diamond in the rough. Truly delicious and low in fat and calories, but I confess . . . there is no way to take a beautiful photograph of them. I did contemplate not sharing this with you, but it is just too good not to, so here you have it "Warts an all!" Devilled Mushrooms.
Its a recipe that I adapted from a small BBC Good Food book of mine, entitled "101 Meals for Two". I love mushrooms, and to be honest, I had some mushrooms which needed using and I didn't want to do the same old same old with them. It also sounded really delicious!
And not just delicious, but very simple, quick and easy to make. You can have it as a light lunch or supper, or even as an addition to a cooked breakfast. In that case it would serve 4 people instead of 2.
Its as simple as whisking together some ingredients and tossing large flat mushrooms in them. I found that the mixture didn't really stick that well, and so after I tossed them together, I then put the mushrooms into the baking dish and brushed them all over with the remainder.
After that you just bang them into a hot oven and bake them for short amount of time. Oh boy, were they ever tasty! Spicy and quite devilish! 👹 But in a very good way!
*Devilled Mushrooms*
Serves 2
Salad leaves and crusty bread to serve
Divide between two heated plates and spoon any pan juices over top. Serve with some salad and crusty bread.
I found them surprisingly filling and was quite pleased that there were only 102 calories in one serving, with very little carbs, not a lot of fat, low sugar and a modicum of protein and fibre, I called these a winner (and diabetic friendly)! Bon appetit!
PS - I served with a rustic whole grain sour dough bread.
Lasagne is not a dish that I make very often. First of all because it is somewhat labor intensive and secondly because there are only two of us in our house and one of us hates pasta for the most part, although I do keep working on him!
It wasn't something that my mother ever made for us when I was a child. I was pretty much an adult before I had any other than the Chef Boy Ar Dee kind. You used to be able to get it in packaged mixes, like the pizza one or the spaghetti one. I actually used to like them. I have not had one of any of those in years and years so I can't say if it was because I had bad taste, or if they actually did taste alright! It was probably more a case of never having had the real thing, so not having anything to compare it to!
Occasionally I like to make a vegetarian lasagne, and this is one of my favourite ways to do it. Unless I am having company, I tend to break it up into two casseroles, so that I can freeze one to haul put at a later date. Lasagne is one of those dishes that lends itself perfectly to this!
I don't know how other bloggers get those beautifully photographed square edged photos of their lasagnes. I have never ever been quite able to master that. Perhaps its because I am too greedy and wanting to dig in right away!
In any case, this is a delicious vegetarian version filled with cougettes (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), tomatoes, and onions, with a ricotta and spinach cheese filling and a topping of rich bechamel.
I thought I would be fancy this time and topped it with some sliced fresh tomatoes that needed using up, prior to baking. I thought they looked really nice and they went very well with all the other flavours.
You can leave them off if you would prefer or if you don't have any. This version of lasagne is very, VERY good. Rich and delicious. I usually serve some crusty bread and a salad on the side.
*Vegetarian Lasagne*
Makes 12 servings
This
is fresh tasting and delicious. If you like you can prepare this in two
separate dishes, and freeze one (unbaked) for later on.
For the sauce:
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
2 medium courgettes, washed, dried, trimmed and diced (zucchini)
2 medium red bell peppers, trimmed, deseeded, and diced
1 medium aubergine, trimmed and diced (eggplant)
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each dried thyme and oregano
1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
2 400g tins chopped tomatoes in juice (28 ounces or 796ml)
1 large handful each chopped basil and parsley
For the ricotta filling:
300g of baby leaf spinach (10 ounces)
1 medium free range eggs
475g ricotta cheese (16 ounces)
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
230g grated mozarella cheese (2 cups)
180g grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
For the bechamel:
2 TBS butter 50g of butter
2 TBS flour 40g plain flour
360ml milk, heated ( 1 1/2 cups)
1 vegetable stock pot or cube
45g of grated Parmesan Cheese (1/4 cup)
2 TBS butter 50g of butter
2 TBS flour 40g plain flour
360ml milk, heated ( 1 1/2 cups)
1 vegetable stock pot or cube
45g of grated Parmesan Cheese (1/4 cup)
You will also need:
24 sheets of no-cook lasagne (in North America 16 lasagna noodles, cooked)
115g of grated mozarella cheese (1 cup)
2 medium tomatoes sliced
First make the bechamel. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Once it begins to foam, whisk in
the flour. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, whisking constantly. Whisk
until the mixture begins to thicken. Whisk in the vegetable stock
cube/pot and the cheese. Make sure these are well combined. Taste and
adjust seasoning as required with some salt and black pepper. Cover and set
aside.
To make the vegetable sauce, heat teh
oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and pepper flakes,
stirring occasionally over medium heat, until softened. Add the
courgettes and aubergine, bayleaf, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring, until the edges of the aubergine are golden. Stir in
the tomatoes and bring to a boil. You can add a bit of hot water if it
is too thick. Bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for about half
an hour. Stir in the basil and the parsley. Set aside.
To
make the ricotta fillling, wilt the baby spinach in a hot skillet. (I
just use a pair of tongs and keep picking it up and turning it until it
is completely wilted. It doesn't take very long.) Squeeze as much
liquid as you can from it, cool and then chop. Beat together the eggs
and the nutmeg. Stir in the ricotta, spinach, mozarella and Parmesan.
Preheat
the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a 13 by 9 inch deep baking
dish. Spread a dessertspoon each of the bechamel and the vegetable
sauce in the bottom of the dish and top with 1/4 of the noodles. Spoon
1/3 of the remaining vegetable sauce over the noodles. Top with another
1/4 of the noodles. Top with another 1/3 of the vegetable sauce and
top with the ricotta filling. (Dollop it over the top and spread out as
best you can.) Top with another 1/4 of the noodles and then top with the
remaining vegetable sauce. Place the remaining noodles on top and
spread the bechamel cheese over top to cover. Sprinkle with the
remaining mozarella cheese. Evenly space slices of tomato on top.
Cover
loosely with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for a
further 20 to 25 minutes, until heated through, golden and bubbling.
Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. Cut into squares to serve.
To
freeze - Make the casserole in two separate baking tins, 9 inch square
in size. Omit the sliced tomatoes from the one you want to freeze.
Cover tightly with foil and then place into an airtight freezer bag,
label and date. Freeze. When you want to bake it, remove it from the
freezer to the refrigerator the night before and allow to thaw overnight
and proceed as above.
I actually baked this one day last week, but looking at the pictures I am wanting to drag the other half out of the freezer and bake it for our tea tonight. MUST resist! Bon Appetit!
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