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Selected Recipes
Old
fashioned biscuits are a treat at any season. According
to Goddess lore,
sprinkling rosemary into the dough helps us to attract
love and longevity.
2 cups
unbleached, all purpose flour
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 1/2tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
pinch cayenne pepper
1 stick unsalted butter or margarine, chilled
1/2 cup milk (or more if needed)
2-3 Tbs. dry sherry
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large
bowl combine the flour, cheese, baking powder, salt,
rosemary and cayenne. Cut the chilled butter into pieces and
mix into the flour mixture, crumbling the dough. Add the
milk and sherry and quickly mix the dough just until the
ingredients are moistened. Lightly knead the dough inside
the bowl a few times to form a ball, and place on a floured
surface. Roll out the dough with floured fingers ( or a
floured rolling pin ), to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out
rounds with a cookie cutter or jelly glass and place them on
a baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes, until they
are golden brown. Serve warm in a festive basket.
Makes about
15 to 18 biscuits.
Mushroom
Pasties
Ingredients:
1 lbs mushrooms
1/4 lb grated cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 grinds fresh black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Prepared pie crust (about 1 to 1 1/2 packages)
Preparation Steps
Bring pot of lightly salted water to boil. Clean and trim
mushrooms. Lightly parboil them in boiling water (30
seconds). Drain mushrooms, pat dry and chop or slice them
thinly. Add oil, cheese and seasonings. Mix to blend.
Allow to marinate overnight in refrigerator. Preheat oven
to 425 degrees (F). Cut out 48 2" round pie crusts. Line
cup cake tins with half of the pie crusts, pierce with
fork. Fill prepared pie crusts almost full. Top with
reserved pie crust rounds. Pierce top once to vent. Bake
15-18 minutes or until golden brown.
Yield:
Makes 2 dozen pasties.
Crepes
Manger
des crêpes à la chandeleur
apporte un an de bonheur.
"Eating
crêpes the day of la Chandeleur (Candlemas) will bring a
year of happiness"
Crepes
are considered symbols of the sun because of their round
shape and golden color.
In
France and Canada this day is known as La Fête de la
Chandeleur and traditionally crepes are eaten to insure a
bountiful year.
These
delicate little "pancakes" can be filled with innumerable
tasty fillers from lobsters to make an elegant appetizer, to
strawberry cream for a fun dessert. Crepes are actually easy
to make.
Here is
the basic recipe:
2 tbsp.
(30 ml) vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 1/2 c. (375 ml) all-purpose
flour Dash salt
Assemble
blender. Put all ingredients into blender container in order
listed. Cover and process at blend until smooth. Use
electric crepe maker following manufacturer's directions or
preheat lightly greased sauté pan. Pour in enough batter to
cover bottom (scant 1/4 cup or 50 ml); tilt to spread batter
thinly and evenly. Flip crepe when bottom is browned and top
is set. Brown second side. To keep for later use, separate
crepes with waxed paper, wrap, and freeze. 20 to 25 crepes.
Serve with a savory filling or with the Macedoine of
Midwinter Fruit (shown below) for a sweet at the end of the
tea.
Macedoine of
Midwinter Fruit
Ingredients
-
For each
service take:
-
5 or 6 dates
-
½ or¼
grapefruit
-
½ small banana
Instructions
Prepare the
dates and remove the pulp of the grapefruit as indicated
above.
Peel and scrape
the bananas, then cut in even slices.
Retain all the
juice of the grapefruit.
Dispose the
prepared fruit in glass or china saucers, dividing the juice
among them.
Dispose a few
slices of banana and halves of dates on the top of the fruit
in a symmetrical manner; sprinkle with powdered sugar and
serve when thoroughly chilled either as an appetizer before
luncheon or as a dessert dish at dinner or luncheon.
Navettes de Saint-Victor
This pastry's origin has always been
associated with the Candlemas celebrations of the Abbey of
St. Victor near Marseille, France.
Navettes are popular all year round, but they
are particularly associated in Provence with the Christian
festival of Candlemas. The pagan roots of Candlemas involved
the lighting of candles to symbolise the light of spring
ending the dark of winter, and in Marseilles the candles
used to be set upon little boats, with the hope that as many
as possible would arrive still alight at their destination
downriver. Somehow this became transformed into the baking
and eating of little pastry boats
Ingredients for 25 Navettes
-
500 g (18 oz.) farine
(farina cereal)
-
250 g (9 oz.) sugar
-
75 g (5 tbsp.) butter,
softened with a fork
-
3 eggs + 1 yolk
-
50 ml (3 tbsp.) orange
flower water
-
50 ml (3 tbsp.) water
-
1 tsp. milk or water
-
A pinch of salt
Method
-
In a bowl, combine the
flour, sugar and salt;
-
Make
a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add in the
three whole eggs, orange flower water and butter; mix
together, adding the water gradually to form a fairly firm
dough; let rest in a cool place for one hour;
-
Divide
the dough into small balls of about 50 g each; roll into
an oval shape and pinch the two ends to create the points
of the "boat"; using a knife, make a deep lengthwise cut
down the tops of the navettes - when they bake, the
incision will open up to form the interior of the boat;
-
Place
them on a buttered and floured baking sheet; let rest
again for two hours;
-
Beat
the egg yolk with the water or milk; brush this mixture
onto each navette to give it a nice gold color;
-
Bake
in a 180° C (350° F) oven until the navettes are lightly
browned. Check them often since they cook quickly.
Candlemas
Crescent Cakes
Ingredients:
1¼ cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup finely ground almonds
3 drops almond extract
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon honey
1 egg yolk
In a large mixing bowl,
combine the first four ingredients. Add the butter, honey,
egg yolk and mix together well. Cover with aluminum foil or
plastic wrap, and then chill for 1½ to 2 hours in the
refrigerator.
When ready, pinch off pieces
of the dough (about the size of plums) and shape them into
crescents.
Place the crescents on a
well-greased cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree preheated
oven for approximately 20 minutes. The recipe yields about
one dozen crescent cakes.
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