Monthly Archives: February 2016

Strawberry Basil Jelly Biscuits

26 Friday Feb 2016

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1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
3 tablespoons milk
milk for glaze
2 1/2 teaspoons strawberry-basil jelly, or your favorite jam or jelly

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and shortening in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and process until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 3 tablespoons milk through the chute and process to form a soft dough, being careful not to over beat. On a floured surface, knead the dough lightly 3-4 times. Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.

With a 1 1/2-inch round or scalloped round cutter, and cut out dough. With a 3/4 inch cutter, cut a hole in the center of half of the dough rounds. Re-roll scraps and centers as needed. Brush whole rounds lightly with additional milk.
Place the rounds with holes on top of the whole rounds. Place each stacked round 1-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon jam, jelly or lemon curd into the center of each stacked round.

Bake for about 8 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool on wire racks. Makes about 10 biscuits.

Strawberry jelly- you can make your own by making home-made jam with basil, or by adding fresh, finely chopped or dried basil to store bought strawberry jam. If adding, adjust basil and jam to your preference. Other suggestions would be blueberry with lemon and thyme, fig with lemon and basil or thyme. Refrigerate jam or jelly after opening.

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This is a recipe that I’ve had for years. It is not original, but I have been given so many recipes over the years that I could not tell you where this one came from. It’s delicious and we really enjoy it.

 

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Beautiful Fruit Compote

24 Wednesday Feb 2016

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DSCN0296I decided yesterday, to make a baked fruit compote. The supermarket that I use is a bicycle ride away, but unfortunately it has cut back to only seasonal produce, and I can’t buy fresh plums, or many other fresh fruits right now. So, I used a little of this and a little of that. You’ll see. But in the end, it tasted so good! It will taste even better to you, if you use the fruits that you like.

Ingredients:

4 large pears, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 (15-ounce) can apricots, drained

10 ounces of dried prunes

1 (20 ounce) package frozen mixed fruits (Publix brand)

1 naval orange, divided

2 stips of lemon peel

1 cinnamon stick

2/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Place the fruits in a shallow casserole dish. Slice half the orange and cut the slices in half, and add to the fruit, along with the lemon peel. Squeeze the juice of the remaining half of the orange over the fruit. Add the cinnamon stick. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir. Check for sweetness, and add more sugar is needed. Continue baking until the fruit is tender. The total baking time depends on the fruits and the sizes, but it usually takes 35-40 minutes, so just keep checking until it is cooked to your preference. This is the good part. You can add a touch of any of these flavorings: vanilla, almond extract, Amaretto, Grand Marnier, or a little taste of sherry. Just add it at the beginning of cooking.

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This compote was so delicious over French vanilla ice cream last night. Wouldn’t it be pretty to serve it during the holidays in crystal stems? Or, serve it for breakfast over cereal, or yogurt? My answer is yes, because I intend to make it again, and do all of the above.