Cooking: February 2006 Archives

I whipped up another batch of Paula Dean's Almond Danish Swirls yesterday to sooth myself and my aching head (bond-ratings! alternative capital financing strategies, pork! pork! pork!) with every intention of eating every last one. From the ingredient list, that's two full tubes of cresent rolls and a whole package of cream cheese mind you. Loveless chicks with spoons and pints of Ben & Jerry's have nothing on me.

I had a change of plans about half way through this orgy though, when the glob of confectioner's sugar glaze I licked off the back of my hand turned out to be the Neutrogena moisturizer I had just slathered on. Brought up short by this assult on my hungry inner child and left with a taste of Alpha Hydroxy well into the evening, I saved myself the estimated 2534 calories left in the almond swirls and packed them away for another day.

Almond Danish Swirls
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped fine
2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 egg white
1 teaspoon water

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Fold half of the chopped almonds into the cream cheese mixture. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles. Firmly press the perforations to seal. Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder. Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling.

Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F while the rolls are chilling.

Remove from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices. Place 1/2-inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped almonds. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.

While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper. Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.

I've been going through Rachel Ray's "365: No Repeats", marking up potential recipes to try so when it came to tonight’s dinner, it was either ordering in pizza or trying something with stuff we had on hand. I opted for cooking and canoodled Jeff into it, promising as I always do that if it doesn't taste good, I won't be offended if we toss it and go with plan B. I'm still so new at cooking that I can't be surprised if things turn out inedible and would never force anyone to eat it just to sooth my fragile psyche.

All that being said, the chicken croquettes with sweet potato mashers and pan gravy were completely edible and are on the repeat list. Lessons learned: mashed potatoes are simple and quick to make, so I need to stop being a pussy about side dishes. Also, pan gravy isn't rocket science.

Chicken Croquettes with Spinach Mashers and Pan Gravy
from "365: No Repeats", Recipe # 74, page 66

3 lg. potatoes, peels and cubed (I subbed in sweet potatoes)
Course salt
1.3 lbs ground turkey or chicken
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 sm. onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
3 tbls. chopped fresh thyme
3 tbls. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Coarse black pepper
1 egg yolk
2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 tbls. butter
2 tbls. flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup cream or half-and-half
1 lb. baby spinach leaves

Place the potatoes in a pot adn cover with cold water. put a lid on the pot and bring the water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes.

While the potatoes cook, make the croquettes. Place the meat in a bowl. Add the celery, onions, seasoning, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and egg yolk. Combine and form 8 patties. Coat both sides with bread crumbs. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Cooke the patties for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the croquettes to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Reduce the heat under the skillet and add 2 tbls of butter, melt, then whisk in the flour. Cook the roux for a minute or two. Whisk in 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to bubble. Thicken for a minute and turn of the heat. Season with sauce with salt and pepper.

Drain the cooked potatoes and return to the hot pot. Add 2 tbls butter, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and the cream. Mash and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the spinach leaves until they wilt.

To serve, pile the spinach mashers on the plates and top each portion with 2 croquettes and gravy.