Pine Nut Brown Butter Pasta

Pine nuts.  I never really cared for them until I had them toasted in a pan with butter and salt.  Then I fell in love with them.  A special deep kind of love.  I wanted to put those toasty buttery pine nuts on everything and I found myself craving them.  If a recipe called for pine nuts I was sold.

So to say I loved this pasta dish is an understatement. It was absolutely delicious and and as a bonus, extremely simple and straightforward.

Pine Nut Brown Butter Pasta

Adapted from Off The Shelf

by Donna Hay

Serves 4-6

Cook one pound of pappardelle or fettucine until al dente, then drain. Melt 5 -6 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan then add 1/2 cup pine nuts to the pan and simmer until the pine nuts are golden.  Add pepper and salt and toss through the hot pasta.  Finish with grated Parmesan and serve as a simple meal or side dish.

Theme: Potluck

Caramelized Apples with Pistachio Cream

Warm spicy apples swimming in a lightly spiced whipped cream topped with pistachios.  Very reminiscent of apple pie, but without the crust.  This is the kind of dessert that feels like a great big hug. A perfect treat to indulge in when the weather outside is too cold for comfort.

There are no rules when it comes to this recipe. I used Golden Delicious apples, but feel free to pick your favorite tart, firm apple.  No pistachios on hand?  You could easily sub any type of nut.  Personally, I think walnuts would be fantastic.  Feel free to adjust the spices to your liking, using more or less.  You really can't mess this up. If you want a healthier dessert go ahead and sub yogurt for the whipped cream.  I'm sure it would be equally delicious.

Caramelized Cardamom Apples with Pistachio Cream

Adapted from Quick & Easy Indian Cooking

by Madhur Jaffrey

Serves 4

For the Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

For the Apples:

 6 tablespoons butter

4 medium-sized tart/firm apples

1/2 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon finely ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For Garnish:

2 tablespoons chopped pistachios

In a medium-sized bowl, whip the cream and sugar until you see soft peaks.  Add in the spices and stir.  Place bowl back in refrigerator to chill.

Melt the butter over low heat in a large, nonstick frying pan.  Take the pan off the heat.  Peel, core, and slice the apples thinly dropping the slices into the melted butter as you cut them.  Fold them into the butter as you go so that they do not discolor.  Add the sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and pinch of salt.  Cook on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn the heat to medium and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring very gently now and then, until the apples are tender and have caramelized lightly. 

Serve on individual plates with a dollop of the cream on top of the apples.  Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and serve.

Theme: Sweet Endings

Baklava

Baklava is something I've wanted to make for years.  For some reason it seemed somewhat intimidating to me so I just put it off.  Repeatedly.  Well, I finally got around to making it and let me tell you...it was easy.  A little time consuming, but easy. 

In fact, making baklava is easy enough to be dangerous.  Dangerous because it is probably one of my top ten favorite things to eat of all time. All those flaky layers of phyllo dough dripping with a spicy honey flavored syrup and jam packed with nuts.  It's total heaven.  Messy, sticky, crispy, crunchy heaven. If I don't find someone to share it with I will totally eat the whole pan myself. 

 Baklava

Adapted from Food From Many Greek Kitchens

by Tessa Kiros

Makes About 30 pieces

Syrup:

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoon honey

juice of 1/2 lemon

strip of lemon peel

2 or 3 small cinnamon sticks

Baklava:

1 cup walnuts, crushed but with some texture

1 cup pistachios, crushed but with some texture

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

22 sheets phyllo pastry

About 2/3 cup (1-1/4 sticks) butter, melted to golden brown (I had to use a tad more)*

30 or so whole cloves for decorating (optional, but I omitted)*

Preheat the oven to 350F.  To make the syrup, put the sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon peel and cinnamon in a saucepan with 1 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring.  Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, then take off the heat and cool.

Mix the walnuts, pistachios, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.  Have the phyllo sheets ready, covered by a dish cloth to prevent them from drying out.  Brush the base of an 8-1/2 x 12-inch baking dish with butter.  Lay 1 sheet of phyllo on the bottom and brush with butter.  Cover with another sheet, brush it with butter and continue in this way until you have a neat stack of 10 sheets lining the bottom of the dish.  Spread half the nut mixture over the phyllo, patting it down firmly and leveling the surface.  Cover with another 2 sheets of phyllo, buttering each one.  Scatter the rest of the nuts over evenly and press down gently.  Now lay down the last 10 sheets of phyllo, buttering each one, of course, and finishing with the last layer buttered.

Using a small sharp knife, cut diamonds on the diagonal of about 2-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches.  Cut all the way through the layers of phyllo, as this will make it easier to lift out the pieces when serving.  Flick just a little cold water over the top to prevent the layers from curling up.  Stud the enter of each diamond with a clove (if using).  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until gently golden on top.    Gently pour half the syrup all over the baklava.  Wait for it to be absorbed, then pour over the rest.  Leave to cool totally before serving.  Will keep, unrefrigerated, for at least a week, covered with a dish cloth.

*I used Athens brand phyllo sheets and there were exactly 2 rolls of 22 sheets phyllo each. 

Getting a Little Nutty, or Seedy!