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Two Weeks’ Notice Soft Pretzels
Mystic Pesto and Mozzarella Flatbread Pizza
Joy Luck Club Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
Two Weeks’ Notice Soft Pretzels (VG)
INGREDIENTS FOR 4 PRETZELS
Baking Soda Bath
- 1 cup baking soda
Pretzels
- (1) 8-ounce tube refrigerated crescent dough
- (1) large egg beaten with a splash of water
- Flaky salt, for sprinkling
- Cinnamon sugar, for sprinkling
- Obatzda (Beer Cheese), recipe follows, for serving
- Glaze, recipe follows, for serving
Obatzda (Beer Cheese)
- 8 ounces Camembert or Brie, at room temperature, chopped into large chunks
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup wheat beer 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, plus more for topping
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for topping
- 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds, optional
- 1 small yellow onion (or 1/2 large), chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Glaze
- 2 cups powdered sugar, plus more if needed
- 2-3 tablespoons milk, plus more if needed
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
- For the baking soda bath: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Spread out the baking soda on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour. Set aside to cool. This can be prepped ahead and stored in an airtight container for several weeks. (Even though the baked baking soda isn't as strong as lye, what is traditionally used for making pretzels, it could still potentially irritate your skin, so avoid touching it with bare hands once it's out of the oven.)
- To make the baking soda bath: Place the baked baking soda in an 8-inch square baking dish and add 2 cups of water. Gently whisk it to dissolve the baking soda. (It likely won't all dissolve; a few baking soda chunks are totally okay as long as you remove any that stick to the dough.) Set aside.
- For the pretzels: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Unroll the dough with a long edge facing you. Cut twelve 1-inch vertical strips.
- One at a time, twist 6 of the strips a few turns, then form into circles and press the ends together. Transfer to one of the prepared baking sheets, leaving room between each circle. These will be the savory pretzels.
- Cut the remaining 6 strips into 1-by-2-inch rectangles and transfer to the other prepared baking sheet, leaving room between each rectangle. These will be the sweet pretzels.
- Working in batches using gloved hands, tongs or a slotted spoon, immerse the pretzel dough pieces in the baking soda bath for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate or pan lined with a paper towel and pat them dry; place them back on the baking sheet.
- Brush the dough with the egg wash. Sprinkle the circles with flaky salt and the rectangles with cinnamon sugar. Bake until deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes for the rectangles and about 15 minutes for the circles.
- Serve the savory pretzels with the Obatzda (Beer Cheese) and the sweet pretzels with the Glaze for dipping.
Obatzda (Beer Cheese):
Combine the cheese, butter, beer, cream, chives, paprika, caraway if using, onion and some salt and pepper in a food processor and blend to combine until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Top with additional paprika and chives.
Glaze
Add the sugar, milk and vanilla to a bowl and whisk until smooth. If too thick, add more milk as needed. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. Serve with sweet pretzel bites!
Joy Luck Club Eggplant in Garlic Sauce (GF, DF)
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-6
- 3 medium Chinese eggplant, about 1 lb.
- 2 tbsp. chili-garlic sauce
- 2 tbsp. thin soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. Chinese red rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp. shao hsing (rice wine)
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 7 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1⁄4 cup ground pork butt
- 2 tbsp. finely minced garlic
- 2 tbsp. finely minced ginger
- 1⁄2 cup chopped scallions
INSTRUCTIONS
- Trim the stem and ends from the eggplant and cut eggplant into 1⁄2” x 2 1⁄2” strips.
- In a small bowl, combine chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sugar, and 2⁄3 cup cold water.
- Heat a 14” flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 3 tbsp. oil and half the eggplant and stir-fry 2 minutes, or until some of the eggplant begins to brown and soften.
- Transfer eggplant to a plate.
- Repeat with remaining eggplant and 3 tbsp. oil, transferring to the plate with first batch.
- Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil, pork, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry about 1 minute, or until golden and fragrant.
- Return the eggplant to the wok. Re-stir the chili sauce mixture and swirl into the wok.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 5-8 minutes or until eggplant is just tender.
- Stir in scallions and serve immediately.
Mystic Pesto and Mozzarella Flatbread Pizza (VG)
INGREDIENTS
Eyeball ingredients for this one, so stock up on as much as you'd like! (and then some)
- Naan
- Basil pesto
- Fresh mozzarella
- Basil
- Cherry tomatoes
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Arugula
- Minced garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by taking your naan and topping it with minced garlic and oil.
- Place in the oven to bake at 425 degrees on the middle rack for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and top with pesto, fresh mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.
- Place back in the oven on the middle rack for 7 minutes before transferring to a baking sheet for the remaining time. About 4-5 minutes on the baking sheet.
- Top with fresh basil ands arugula. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
ADD-ONS
- Top protein on it like grilled chicken strips or chicken sausage!
- Use any homemade or store bought pesto that you like. We like the vegan pesto from Trader Joe's.
- Try using shredded cheese instead of fresh mozzarella if you don’t have any around.
Waitress Key Lime Pies (VG)
INGREDIENTS FOR 12 SLICES
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 3/4 cups (175g) graham cracker crumbs 12 whole crackers
- 7 tablespoons (100g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar
- Big pinch of salT
Key Lime Filling
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 (14-ounce/400ml) cans sweetened condensed milk 2 cans = 28 oz
- 1 cup – 2 Tbsp key lime juice 210g, suggestion to use ‘Joe and Nellie’s’ Key lime juice
Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream or heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C, no fan (if you have a convection oven reduce the temperature by about 20° or follow the manufacturer's instructions).
- If you’ve purchased whole graham crackers and not graham cracker crumbs, you need to pulse them in a food processor with sugar until fine crumbs form.
- Add the cookie crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter into a 9-inch (23 cm) deep dish pie pan. Stir with a spoon until all the crumbs are coated in butter.
- Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, making a 2-inch (5 cm) rim. I like to start with a spoon and then press the crumbs with the bottom of a measuring cup.
- Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
- Chill the crust for 10 minutes before filling.
Make the Key Lime Filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk, mixing well with an electric mixer. Slowly add lime juice, while continuing to mix until well blended. Mix it for about 2 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell and bake for 20 minutes. Take the pie out of the oven. It will be a little bit jiggly in the center but it should look set on the surface and not 'wet'. There's no need to test it with a cake tester – it will be still a little bit too wet, it needs to be chilled to fully set.
- Leave to cool to room temperature then refrigerate for 8 hours/overnight or until completely set and chilled. You can cover the pie with plastic foil but make sure it won't touch the surface of the pie.
- Beat heavy whipping cream with sugar until stiff. Serve the pie with whipped cream.
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