Sunday, July 28, 2013

Stewed Cherries, Puff Pastry and Ice-Cream

We made this for desert tonight and I had to share the process with you. It took minutes to prepare and was one of the most delicious deserts ever!


Puff Pastry Cinnamon Sticks:

President's Choice frozen puff pastry sheets
butter
sugar
cinnamon
parchment paper

I rolled out the thawed puff pastry sheets and brushed them with butter. I sprinkled them liberally with a mix of one cup of sugar and 2 tsp of cinnamon. I flipped over the sheets and repeated the process. I used a pizza cutter to cut four inch by 3/4 inch strips and twisted them. I laid each strip in rows on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and baked them in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. You can store any extras in an air tight container.

While the sticks were baking I made the cherries.


Spiced Rum Stewed Cherries:

3 cups of pitted fresh cherries
1/2 cup of spiced rum
1/2 cup of sugar

Put pitted cherries into a saucepan and add rum and sugar. Heat over medium heat until heated through and liquid thickens. Add more rum if needed.


Assembly:

Put four or five cinnamon sticks into a bowl and scoop one scoop of Neapolitan ice-cream in there. Scoop over the warm cherries and enjoy!



Our Version of Scotched Eggs

I love Scotched Eggs. We used to make them all the time when the girls were little and we called them Dinosaur eggs. It was one of my favorite dinners to make because they would help and get so excited.

I wonder if they remember stuff like this. Cooking with the girls when they were young are some of my fondest memories. I know they are both spectacular cooks today and I hope it has something to do with our kitchen play time when they were younger.


Well here goes. 
I made up a batch of our basic meatloaf mix. I flattened about 3/4 of a cup in my palm and covered it with a layer of grated old cheddar cheese.


I plunked a very soft boiled egg that had been carefully peeled in the middle of the meaty cheese sheet and gently wrapped the egg up being careful not to squeeze too hard and pop the egg yolk. It was barely a four minute egg and we lost a couple in the peeling. It's worth the trouble so the eggs don't overcook in the baking process.


After the eggs were sealed up I rolled them in some seasoned bread crumbs mixed with crumbled crisp bacon. I baked them at 375 until done. about twenty minutes I think.


We served them with Brussels sprouts and carrots and mashed potato with dark gravy. It's starting to feel a bit like fall out there this weekend. We didn't mind having the oven on at all. In fact it made it a little bit cozier in the house. I love fall and it's warm rich food. Does your family have any traditional fall favorites? I'd love to hear about them.