Recipes For Those Who Asked

For Cherry-topped Pudding Cups you need each of the following:

Creamy Vanilla Pudding

1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks (or one whole egg), slightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in saucepan. Stir in milk gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring continually, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir one minute.
Stir at least half of the hot mixture gradually into egg yolks.
Blend egg mixture into hot mixture remaining in saucepan. Boil and stir one minute.
Remove from heat; stir in margarine and vanilla.
Pour into dessert dishes or into one large bowl. Cool slightly; refrigerate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almond Crisps

Roll these cookies around a spoon handle to make tubular pirouettes or place them on inverted muffin pans to create tulip cups. Dip pirouettes into melted chocolate, or fill cups with pudding, whipped cream, or ice cream with fresh berries.

ingredients

2 egg whites
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In medium bowl let egg whites stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. Generously grease a baking sheet. (Repeat greasing baking sheet for each batch.) Set aside. Melt butter; set aside to cool.

Beat egg whites with mixer till soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, beating till stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold in about half of the flour. Then gently stir in butter and almond extract. Fold in the remaining flour till combined.

Drop level tablespoons of batter at least 3" apart onto prepared baking sheet. Spread batter into 3" circles. (Bake only three cookies at a time.) Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 5-6 minutes, or till cookies are golden brown on edges.

Immediately remove a cookie from the baking sheet. For pirouettes, place the cookie upside down on counter or table and quickly roll it around the greased handle of a wooden spoon. Slide the cookie off the handle and cool on a wire rack. Or, for tulip cups, place the warm cookie on an inverted muffin pan, carefully shaping them down around the cup. Working quickly, repeat with remaining warm cookies. (If they harden before you can shape them, reheat them in the oven for about 1 minute.)

Dip pirourettes into melted chocolate. Fill cups as desired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bing Cherry Syrup (See Williams Sonoma site)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For a tasty appetizer try these!

Puff Pastry with Herbs & Mushrooms

1 package Puff Pastry rolled into rectangles (directions on box)
baby portabella mushrooms chopped
a generous handful of fresh herbs (basil, chives, marjoram, sage) chopped
olive oil
butter
handful of whole wheat bread crumbs
salt & pepper to taste
grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Prepare puff pastry according to box. Score both rectangles with a knife into 12 squares (app. 3" each).

Drizzle oil in pan. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in oil. Add mushrooms and herbs, stirring occasionally until cooked. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix in a handful of bread crumbs to create more substance, stirring thoroughly. Divide mushroom mixture into 24 even portions. Spoon onto squares. Generously sprinkle cheese onto mixture. Fold pastry over, creating triangles. Press edges tightly shut with fork to create pattern along two sides. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, or until puffed and browned.


That's all for now!