Cookbook 8/28/2023

Cherry Turnovers (from: https://www.butternut-lane.com/desserts/2021/6/4/cherry-turnovers)

Ingredients
Dough
1 cup butter (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (226 grams) cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cup (226 grams) all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cherry Compote
4 cups (550 grams) fresh or frozen cherries, pitted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
juice of half a lemon or lime
1 egg for egg wash

Instructions
In a bowl with a paddle attachment cream the butter and cream cheese together.
Beat in flour and sugar until combined. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.
On a large sheet of lightly floured parchment paper, roll the dough into a rectangle about a 1/4 inch thick. Chill the dough before cutting.
To make the compote, in a medium size pot, heat the sugar and cherries until they come to a simmer.
Mix the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water to make a slurry. Pour in a little at a time until the cherry compote begins to thicken. The liquid in the compote should coat the back of a spoon without dripping. You may not need to use all of the cornstarch.
Cook the compote for about 2 minutes. Chill over an ice bath. Make sure it is completely cool before filling the turnovers.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk an egg in a bowl for egg wash.
Cut the dough into 8 squares about 4×4 inches each.
Brush egg wash all around the sides of each square. Fill the turnovers with about 1 tablespoon of filling and fold the dough in half to seal.
Press the sides with a fork to ensure the dough is pressed shut, and brush the turnover with egg wash.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown all over.
Once cool, dust the turnovers with powdered sugar or drizzle with an icing made from powdered sugar and a little bit of milk.

Chicken Chop Suey (with an easy stir-fry sauce) (from: https://redhousespice.com/chicken-chop-suey/)

Ingredients
For the chicken
1 piece chicken breast, about 180g/6.3oz
½ tablespoon tapioca starch, or cornstarch
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon water
1 drop cooking oil

For the sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoon oyster sauce – see note 1
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tapioca starch, or cornstarch – see note 2
1 pinch salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
4 tablespoon water

For the vegetables
½ onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
1 handful snow peas (mangetout), strings removed
3 baby corn, diagonally sliced
3 button mushroom, sliced
1 handful mung bean sprouts

You also need
1½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil, divided

Instructions
Marinate the chicken
Cut chicken breast crosswise into thin slices (about 5mm/0.2inch). Put into a bowl.
Add tapioca starch (or corn starch) and water. Stir well to evenly coat the chicken.
Then add a drop of oil and mix well. Set aside.

Mix the sauce
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.

Cook the chicken
Heat up a wok over high heat until it smokes (see note 3). Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil.
Slide in the chicken. Transfer it out as soon as it loses the pinkness (Do not overcook). Set aside.

Combine the dish
Pour the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil into the wok. Firstly fry onion and garlic over high heat until fragrant.
Add carrot and fry for 15 seconds or so. Then snow pea and baby corn go in. Stir fry for another 20 seconds.
Put the chicken back into the wok, along with mushroom and mung bean sprouts. Cook for 30 seconds.
Give the sauce a good stir (in case the starch sits at the bottom) then pour over. Mix well.
As soon as you see the liquid thickening, transfer everything to a serving dish. Enjoy immediately with plain rice or as a topping for noodles.

NOTES
1. If your diet limits you on seafood, try the vegetarian version of oyster sauce which is known as “mushroom vegetarian stir-fry sauce”.
2. In most cases, tapioca starch and corn starch are interchangeable. The slight difference in a stir-fry is that the sauce using tapioca starch tends to stay thick as the dish cools. The sauce using corn starch becomes more watery when cooled. So if possible, use the former for this dish.
3. If you’re using a traditional carbon steel wok, follow my instruction as suggested. If using a non-stick wok, do not heat it up empty. Instead, pour in the oil as you turn on the heat. Add the chicken when the oil starts to smoke.

Homemade Toasted Marshmallow Syrup (from: https://www.crumbblog.com/toasted-marshmallow-syrup-for-lavazzacheer/)

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
8 large marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until the sugar is completely dissolved.
While the syrup is simmering, thread the marshmallows onto a metal skewer and use a kitchen torch or the burner of a gas stove to toast the marshmallows until browned all over. (To get the best results, you want to get the marshmallows slightly scorched in spots, but not completely burnt and black) Stir the marshmallows into the hot syrup, and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the marshmallows have dissolved.
Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer into a large glass measuring cup. Let cool completely, then stir in the vanilla extract.
Pour the cooled syrup into glass bottles or jars with tight-fitting lids. The bottled syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

Maple Glazed Trail Mix (from: https://www.freshoffthegrid.com/maple-glazed-trail-mix/)
Ingredients
½ cup raw almonds
½ cup raw pecan halves
? cup unsweetened coconut chips
¼ cup pepitas, hulled pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons maple syrup
? teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup chocolate chips
¼ cup dried cherries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300F.
In a medium bowl, mix the almonds, pecans, coconut chips, pepitas, maple syrup, and salt. Stir to evenly coat.
Spread the mixture on a lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Transfer trail mix to a clean bowl and add the chocolate chips and cherries.
Store in an airtight container.