Lamb Fillo Dough Pouches

You can decorate on a budget: Some plates, glasses & flowers from Wal Mart, table runner from Pier One,  container $8 thrift store find, $1 candle holders.

Well I have been wanting to work with Fillo for a long time and never got the nerve to do so until I saw a recipe in a magazine where they used it.  It did not look that difficult so decided to try it for my next dinner party, #4.  Being that it was the week after Easter I decided to use lamb.  Went to local butcher and got some prime chops as well as cuts from a leg.  I had him cut the meat into cubes so that I could kabob them.  I cooked them on the grill til just about done with onion and slices of orange wedges.  I applied a spice rub called Limnos Lamb Rub from the Savory Spice Shop in Austin, TX.  If you have never visited there you should.  It is a remarkable place and smells glorious inside.  The ladies there are best friends and are really knowledgable about all the spices there.

What I decided to do with the kabobs after cooking is what I think made the dinner so interesting.  I took them off the skewers and allowed them to cool just a bit so I could cut them into smaller pieces.  As they cooled I mixed together onion, mushrooms and coconut milk (plain) as a roux to pour over the lamb once placed in fillo dough......They say to keep the dough covered and you really should with a damp paper towel, but all the plastic covering is overkill and was too much to manage.....I just worked really fast and had everything prepared and ready to put inside the dough as they suggest on the box.   If you work quickly it is not a problem and I made 8 of these little pouches.  So I placed the layers down, about 4 sheets, then placed the cut lamb on sheets and covered with the roux mixture.  Then I just folded them up and placed on a porcelain cookie sheet.  I made larger ones for the men and smaller ones for the ladies.  I don't know what made me think of coconut milk but wanted to make the roux smooth and creamy so tried it.  I thought about the exotic spices I put on the meat.  It was like my mouth was telling my mind what to mix and put together.  It was delicious.

Someone commented at the table that they were amazed that I would be so brave to try something I have never fixed before and what if it didn't turn out......I replied that everyone at the table cares about me and would understand if we had to order pizza.  We did not have to order take out and it was all delicious.  My go to salad was the mango, red onion and cilantro (that is it, no dressing needed) which added a complimentary flare and freshness to the layered buttery dough with lamb.  Sometimes the spontaneous things in life are the ones that turn out best.  Don't be afraid to try things, trust your mouth's instincts to mix flavors and enjoy the process in the preparation knowing the gift of blessing others really is a gift back to you.

Candied Citrus Peel

I got these gorgeous Naval oranges yesterday and decided to try and make candied orange peel.  My daughter is running track and thought it might be a healthier alternative to candy or sweet treat.  I looked online for a recipe and they were not that hard to make.  So here they are.  You can do them with lemons and limes too.  We have a lemon and lime tree so I can't wait to try them with our home grown.

Once you peel the orange take the pieces, score them and using a spoon scrape out the pithe to where you can see the dots from the outside peel.  Looks like this. Don't worry if you can't get it all just try to get it thin.

Cut the peel into 1/4 inch strips and place them in a saucepan and cover with water place on high heat.

Bring to a boil and drain 3X until peels are translucent.   Then whisk together in a saucepan sugar and water.  I used golden raw sugar mixed with regular granulated sugar.....mostly cause I ran out. 

Prepare cookie trays with parchment and drying rack.

Bring mixture to a boil reaching temp of 220 or above careful not to boil over which it will rise up so reduce the heat a bit, add peels and maintain a simmer for 45 mins.

Next you strain the syrup, save for tea or pancakes, roll slices in sugar (here I used the raw sugar) and let dry for a few hours.  Place in a bowl for after school snack or in snack bags to through in lunches.

I hope you will enjoy these as much as we are.  

Recipe link here from Food Network

         

Pear Delite

Sometimes its just good to make things up as you go along.  Last night William, Adelaide and I made dinner together.  Each one of us had one thing we prepared.  William the buffalo burgers, Adelaide the roasted new potatoes, and me the pears.  The pear of choice Comice, being the sweetest of all pears.  I knew I could bake them but also wanted more control so opted for stove top.

I took two pears and cut into halves and took out the core.  In a large sauce pan I melted one stick of butter (there's my secret), brown sugar and a 1/2 c. congnac until bubbly.  I placed the pears face down into the silky mixture.

I put them on a low heat and cooked them until tender.  I then removed them from the mixture and placed them in a bowl and added Imperial Sugar brown sugar on the top.

Now for the fun part.  My sister and I used to make fun of Martha Stewart cause when we watched her back in the day her kitchen torch was this gynormous thing she got at the hardware store she would whip out from under the counter.......we would laugh saying, "Yes let me just whip out my torch for the creme brule' "  Suuuuuurrrre.  I will say that thanks to her more than likely we now have these wonderful portable and handy little torches that do the trick....Thanks Martha.  I carmelized the sugar on top using my torch and it was really fun.

I then added chopped pecans to the mixture and let that saute' for about ten minutes on low heat.  I put the pears in the oven and waited for the rest of the dinner. Then when it was time I poured the pecan mix over the pears.  I think if I had not poured the pecan mix over the pears the carmelized topper would have stayed crunchy but I think it softened up with the liquid.......it was still so good.

These pears were melt in our mouth delicious.  Litterally they melted the minute you put them in your mouth.  We are having them again tonight and the only thing I am doing different is using Bosc pear variety, draining the liquid off pecans making them more candied, and taking skin off pears.  Enjoy!