Baklava Cups

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/8 ounce) box frozen miniature phyllo cups 
• 2/3 cup chopped mixed nut (Picked out the peanuts)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter 
• 1 -2 teaspoon sugar 
• 1/4 cup honey 
• 1 teaspoon water 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the shells on a baking sheet. Brush each shell with a little melted butter. Mix the sugar and chopped nuts and fill the shells Bake for 8 minutes or until the shells are lightly browned Mix the honey and water in a small bowl and drizzle over the nuts. Serve warm or at room temperature.
2. If you want to get even more fancy and creative, top with a dollop of Nutella or chocolate fudge.

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Apple Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 3 tablespoons sour cream 
• 1 banana, mashed (the blacker the better)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 2 cups flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 apples, cored and chopped 
• 1/2 cup walnuts, Chopped 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Cream butter and sugars, and beat in eggs. Stir in sour cream, banana and vanilla.
2. In separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, soda and cinnamon. Gradually add to butter mixture. Gently stir in apples and nuts. Spoon into greased bread pan and bake 1 hour, or until the fork comes out clean.

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Food of Life: Saffron Almond Brittle

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into cubes, or 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons raw almonds
• ⅛ teaspoon ground saffron dissolved in 1 tablespoon rose water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Garnish
• 2 tablespoons raw chopped pistachios
• 2 tablespoons barberries, rinsed and patted dry
  
  
  
  

Method:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
   
   
   
2. In a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, cream, and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil (about 5 minutes).
   
   
   
3. Add the almonds, saffron-rose water mixture, and salt.
   
   
   
4. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook without disturbing for about 7 minutes until the mixture is a deep, golden brown (the color of peanut butter), and the top is bubbling and getting thicker. Remove from heat immediately.
   
   
   
5. Pour out the mixture onto the lined baking sheet immediately. Sprinkle the top with pistachios and barberries. Press down with a large offset spatula. Allow to cool completely (about 40 minutes). Remove from parchment paper and break into pieces. Store in an airtight glass container.

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Sweet and Tangy Fish with Saffron Rice

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We were given some fish (Crappie) and wanted to try something different with it. I decided to create a citrus sauce for the fish and make some rice topped with saffron to serve it with.


Servings (3-4 people):
6 fish fillets


Ingredients for fish Marinade:

• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Thyme Leaves

Ingredients for citrus sauce:

• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon grated orange/orange zest
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• saffron — Optional
• salt, pepper, garlic powder — desired amount

Method:

1. Prepare your fish fillets and marinade. You will need to marinade the fish for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. I chose to marinade my fish fillets overnight.
2. Once fish are ready to bake place in them in an oven safe dish and cover with foil. Pre Heat oven to 400°F. Place fish in oven and cook until ready, which will be approximately 30 - 35 minutes. Be sure to check if they are flaky and cooked since everyones oven is not the same.
3. While your fish is baking you can prepare your citrus sauce that you can use as a dipping sauce, or topping for the fish fillets. Begin by heating the water and adding the brown sugar to the water. Then add orange juice, oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and saffron (optional). Finally add your orange zest to the sauce and allow it to cook until it thickens a bit. Remember to occasionally stir the sauce.
4. I prepared white rice to go with this dish and added a bit of saffron rice to the top. I guess this was my way of giving it a Persian flavor.
5. When the fish was ready I topped it with a bit of the sauce and left some sauce for anyone who wanted to add more. The sauce went well with the rice too.

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Apple Custard Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 pie shell
• 4 apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 c. white sugar

Method:

1. Toss apples with sugar and cinnamon, and put in the pie shell. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Beat the flour, sugar and then egg yolks into the milk, and pour over the apples. Bake 30 minutes, or until custard is firm around the outside.
2. I used Jonathan apples, and loved the flavor and texture. This is how the pie looked when I poured the custard mixture over it.
   
   
   
   
   
3. And, here is a look at the last delicious piece, just an hour later.
   
   

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