Blue Cook Book

Cheese Triangles

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You will make this many times – it is so easy and impressive!  And, it can be frozen before it is baked.  Filo dough is not to be feared!  Even if it tears, just keep layering.  All will end well.  These became Italian Cheese Triangles when we added a pound of diced pepperoni or salami. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb filo dough
  • 3/4 lb butter – melted
  • 6 eggs – beaten
  • 1 1/2 lbs Jack cheese, grated
  • 1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 425°.
  2. Mix cheeses with beaten eggs.
  3. Brush melted butter in a large (12×18) rimmed pan (jelly roll pan).
  4. Place sheet of filo, cut to size, in the pan.
  5. Brush with butter.
  6. Repeat 10 times.  (you can use the scrap pieces in layers also).
  7. Spread 1/2 the cheese mixture (easier with a large spoon).
  8. Layer 10 more sheets of filo – buttering each.
  9. Spread rest of cheese mixture.
  10. Layer rest of filo sheets brushed with butter.
  11. Cut into small diamonds or triangles.
  12. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes – until brown.
  13. Cool for 10 minutes.
  14. Recut the diamonds/triangles.

Serves:  about 80 bite size pieces

Source:  Peg Egeler

Note:  I have made this in a 9×13 pan for a luncheon dish.  You can add to the cheese layers a layer of well drained spinach, well drained sauted mushrooms, and/or bay shrimp.  Yum.

Rich Sweet Dough

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This is the mother of all sweet dough!  You can add anything – cardamom, cinnamon, etc.  You can keep in tn the refrigerator 3 days and have fresh pastry in the morning!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 c whole milk
  • 1/2 c sugar
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1/2 c warm water (105° to 115°)
  • 2 packages of yeast (1/2 oz or 4 1/2 tsp)
  • 1 egg
  • 4 c flour
  • jam or pie filling
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 Tab milk

Directions:

  1. Scald milk. (Heat just until bubbles form around the edge. You can substitute canned evaporated milk and not have to scald but heat enough to melt butter.)
  2. Stir in sugar, salt, butter.
  3. Cool to lukewarm.
  4. Measure warm water into a large bowl that has been rinsed with warm water to heat it.
  5. Sprinkle in yeast.
  6. Stir to dissolve.
  7. Stir in egg/milk mixture and half of the flour.
  8. Beat until smooth.
  9. Stir in the remaining flour.
  10. Cover tightly with foil/plastic wrap.
  11. Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours. (Dough will keep up to 3 days)
  12. To use – punch down the dough.
  13. Roll into 1/2 inch ropes.  (or shape into rolls)
  14. Cut into 6 inch length.
  15. Coil and use to shape a roll on greased cookie sheet.
  16. Top each coil with jam or pie filling.
  17. Cover.
  18. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
  19. Brush with egg yolk/milk mixture.
  20. Bake 400° for about 12 minutes – until golden brown.
  21. Devour or freeze for Christmas morning.

(Or you can just make dinner roll out of the dough – try tying a piece of 1/4 inch roll into a knot.)

Serves:  Makes about 2 dozen rolls – depends on the size.

Source:  Fleischmann’s Yeast Cookbook

 

 

Hot Dofino/Havarti

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More good things to do with cheese and puff pastry.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Dofino, whole, 4 oz (or a slab of Havarti)
  • 1 sheet Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

Directions:

  1. Defrost pastry according to package directions.
  2. Set cheese in the  enter of pastry sheet.
  3. Cut a circle of pastry large enough to wrap up and over the top of the cheese about 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
  4. Wrap the cheese, pleating the top edge of the pastry to fit the cheese.
  5. Set in a shallow ovenproof dish, top side down.
  6. Place in refrigerator until ready to bake.
  7. Bake in a 450° oven until cheese melts and pastry is brown.
  8. Serve with crackers..

Serves:  4-6

Source:  Sunday Los Angeles Times

Notes:  8 oz Dofino is too thick to melt easily.  Use slab or two smaller instead.  Sometimes it is necessary to finish under the broiler to brown the pastry.  The Havarti with caraway seeds is good too.

 

Golden Potato Loaf

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Delicious and different, you slice this to serve.

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium potatoes
  • 2 medium onions
  • 10 soda crackers
  • 3 Tab milk or thin sour cream
  • 1 c cheddar cheese, grated
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven 350°.
  2. Peel and grate potatoes and onions.
  3. Crumble cracker and soak in milk a few minutes.
  4. Add to the potatoes and onions along wth cheese.
  5. Beat egg yolks lightly.
  6.  Stir into potato mixture.
  7. Add salt and pepper.
  8. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
  9. Fold into potato mixture.
  10. Soon into a well greased 9×5 glass loaf pan or 2 quart dish.
  11. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Serves:  8

Source:  Some magazine long ago.

Chicken Almond Puffs

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A nice variation on gougeres (those cheese cream puff things).  A 1 ounce scoop is perfect for making these.  They can be frozen and reheated.

Ingredients:

  • 1 c flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c butter
  • 1 c chicken stock
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 c finely diced cooked chicken
  • 2  Tab chopped toasted almonds
  • 1/8 tsp paprika

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450°.
  2. Combine butter and chicken stock in pan over low heat until the butter is melted.
  3. Add flour and salt all at once.
  4. Stir vigorously until it forms a ball and leaves the side of the pan.
  5. Remove from heat.
  6. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat thoroughly after each.  Stir in chicken, almonds and paprika.
  7. Drop by small teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet.
  8. Bake 10 minutes at 450° then 5 – 10 minutes at 350° or until brown.

Serves:  4 – 5 dozen

Source:  Sunset Cook Book (original)

Blender Bearnaise

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This really works, but be sure to use a blender, not a food processor.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tab white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp tarragon (crumbled)
  • 1 tsp chives (or green onion greens) chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tab lemon juice
  • 1 c butter, melted, hot

Directions:

  1. Simmer vinegar, tarragon, chives until reduced to about 2 teaspoons.
  2. Place in blender with eggs and lemon juice.
  3. Blend for a few seconds.
  4. With blender turned on, slowly pour in the butter.

Serves: 1 1/2 cups

Source:  Sunset Cook Book for Entertaining

Aunt Winnie’s Lemon Squares

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One of the 5″ must have” Christmas cookies.

Crust ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 c flour
  • 1/2 c brown sugar
  • 1/2 c butter

Filling ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 c brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 c coconut
  • 1 c walnuts, chopped
  • 2 Tab flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Icing ingredients:

  • 2 c powdered sugar
  • 2 Tab butter
  • 2 Tab lemon juice

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 275°.
  2. Mix crust and pat into 9×13 glass pan.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes.
  4. Increase oven temperature to 350°.
  5. Beat eggs and add rest of filling ingredients.
  6. Spread on crust and bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
  7. Mix icing and spread on cookies while warm.
  8. Cut into bars when cool.

Serves:  3 dozen cookies

Source: Mary Jo’s Aunt Winnie

Guacamole (Dip)

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This is an old recipe from before the time you could by 15 different kinds of guac in the store.

Ingredients:

  • 2 avocados, large, ripe, mashed
  • 2 Tab lemon juice
  • 1 tsp instant onion
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 12 c sour cream (1 pint)
  • 1 c salsa
  • 1 c cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 c jack cheese, grated
  • 1/2 c green onions, chopped
  • 1/2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped.

Directions:

  1. Combine mashed avocados, lemon juice, onion and salt.
  2. Layer avocado mix with other ingredients.
  3. Serve with or over tortilla strips.

Source:  Gerrie Hastings and others