Chico Chai is a great local option – either Original or Red Chai (with naturally decaf Rooibos) are perfect in this recipe. Hola Granola lends a flavorful crunch.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
3-4 Tbsp loose leaf chai – we like Chico Chai Original
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter, room temperature
1½ cups granola – we like Hola Granola’s Original flavor
Directions
In a spice grinder, grind loose leaf chai until pieces are very tiny but not yet powder.
Add flour and chai to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add salt, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla and butter. Pulse until dough forms.
Remove dough from food processor and put in a mixing bowl. Add granola and gently fold in with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour so dough can firm up a little.
Preheat oven to 375°, line a baking sheet with parchment.
Using a tablespoon, place rounded scoops on baking sheet with 1 inch between them. Press down gently so dough is about ½ inch thick. Bake about 12 minutes or until edges begin to turn golden brown.
Cool a few minutes on baking tray before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Celebrate Thanksgiving Island-Style with a Mac Nut Pie instead of pecan!
If you’re using the optional rum you can put little cocktail umbrellas in each slice before you serve it.
Ingredients
2 large eggs, room temp
1 cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup butter melted/cooled
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup whole macadamia nuts
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Optional: 2 Tbsp dark rum
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Line pie shell with foil or parchment. Fill about 2/3 full with dried beans, uncooked rice or pie weights. Bake crust for about 20 minutes. Remove crust from oven and take out liner and weights.
Increase oven temperature to 400°.
Whisk eggs until foamy, then whisk in butter, sugars and flour. Combine well.
Add vanilla, milk and rum (if using). Stir in chopped macadamias. Pour mixture into pie shell. Decorate top with whole macadamias.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake until filling is set, 30-40 more minutes. You may need to put foil over the crust edge or the entire pie to prevent excessive browning at some point.
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature before serving. Note: Pie is best made the day before.
This dessert is quite the showstopper. It is only four ingredients, puff pastry, apples, sugar and butter, but it does require either a sharp knife or mandolin and confidence. You’re working with hot caramel, so being deft and careful are key to a delicious–and safely made–dessert.
A mandolin makes slicing the apples quick, but if you want to use a sharp knife, or don’t have a corer, you can slice thin slices too and will get similiar effect, it will just take you a bit more time.
Ingredients
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
1 sheet puff pastry
1 lb sugar
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into 8 chunks
Directions
Put a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.
On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 12” x 18” rectangle. Cut six 6” circles using a lid or cutter. Prick all over with a fork. Place on parchment lined sheet pan and refrigerate.
In a medium sized saucepan, add sugar and ¾ cup water. To help prevent crystallization, you can also add ½ tsp of an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar. Make sure there are no dry spots of sugar in the pan and no stray crystals on the sides of the pan. Turn heat on high. Do not move or swirl the saucepan. Allow the sugar to turn a deep amber color, remove from heat.
Whisk in one chunk of butter at a time, until each is dissolved. The mixture will foam and then turn opaque. It is very hot. Carefully pour onto sheet pan and spread evenly over parchment paper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Slice/mandoline the apples 1/8” thick. Reserve six whole round slices for the centers of each. The other slices may be either whole round slices or sliced fans.
Place six round slices equidistantly apart on the sheet pan–three on the top and three on the bottom of the pan–these will be the center of each flatin. Create a layered flower pattern over each circle. Don’t be afraid to stack, creating two layers, tucking rings or slices in to form a tall, fat flower.
Place a round of puff pastry carefully over each “apple flower”, then a piece of parchment over that and then another sheet pan over that (upside down, so they’re snug in there. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove sheet pan and parchment paper. Bake another 15 minutes. Puff pastry should be flat and brown and crispy looking. If not, bake a bit longer.
Now the messy part. Safety first! Remove from oven. Place several sheets of parchment paper down (or a large cutting board) on your counter. Put the top parchment and sheet pan back on top of the apples, and with a firm grip in oven mitts, carefully flip over the sheet pans onto the countertop. Hot caramel will ooze out – be careful!
Move your flatins, now right side up, to a fresh sheet pan on parchment paper. Spoon any leftover caramel over them and swirl with the back of spoon. Return to oven for another 7-10 minutes or until bubbling and shiny.
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with your favorite ice cream.
Muhammara is a Middle Eastern walnut and roasted red pepper dip that’s all sorts of savory, sweet, slightly smoky, and just enough spicy! It’s like romesco sauce.
This recipe is easy to make, and you can make it even easier if you use roasted red peppers from a jar. Serve with warm pita as part of a Mezze platter, top your grilled fish or chicken or spread it on your sandwiches. And, it’s a great recipe to make when celebrating BriarPatch’s Love Local Month (September) since it’s the perfect opportunity to use local ingredients like Calolea Olive Oil and Warren & Co. Sourdough Pita and crackers.
Ingredients
2 red bell peppers
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 oz walnuts, toasted
1 garlic clove
2 ½ Tbsp tomato paste
¼ tsp lemon juice
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp tahini
2 Tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tsp Aleppo pepper, or 2/3 tsp sweet paprika and 1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp sumac
½ tsp salt
Fresh mint, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Line an edged sheet pan with parchment paper.
Brush bell peppers with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Place on sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes or so, turning them over 1-2 times.
Remove peppers from oven and place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for a few minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers and remove seeds. Slice peppers into small strips.
In a large food processor, combine the roasted red pepper strips with 3 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, walnuts, tomato paste, breadcrumbs, pomegranate molasses, Aleppo pepper, tahini, cumin, sumac and salt. Blend into a smooth paste. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl. Can refrigerate for several days, bring to room temperature before serving.
When ready to serve, top the dip with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with a little more walnuts and fresh mint, if you like. Serve with pita bread or pita chips. Enjoy!
Fresh apples and brie lovingly enfolded in croissant dough and baked to tender, flaky perfection…and start to finish it takes only about 20 minutes! The key is making sure the dough fully wraps the brie and keeps it from oozing out while cooking.
Ingredients
1 package crescent rolls, like Immaculate
4 oz. Brie cheese, cut into eight pieces about the size of an apple slice
1 Granny Smith, Gala or Honeycrisp apple, peeled/cored
1 egg plus 1 Tbsp water and a pinch of salt
Optional: ¼ cup sliced almonds
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment and set aside.
Unroll dough and separate into crescents.
Place two apple slices on the top and bottom of a brie piece, then put the stack in the middle of the wide end of a dough triangle, a little from the back edge. Fold the dough towards and around the stack to partially encase it.
Roll the wide end towards the triangle point, securing dough to prevent holes where the brie might ooze out. Roll to the end of the point and press gently to seal everything. Put on lined sheet pan and repeat, giving even spacing of about 2 inches between each roll.
Beat egg and whisk in water and salt. Paint onto rolls. Sprinkle on sliced almonds (if using) and press gently so they stick.
Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
