May: Wraps and Rolls

This month, bring a dish that you roll up or wrap!

Cooking Club will be at my house at 7:30 on Thursday, May 14th.

Main: Hannah (Stuffed Turkey Meat Loaf with Spicy Tomato Sauce)
Appetizer: Lindsey (something savory in phyllo)
Side: Carina
Side: Jeri
Salad: Jenny (Roasted Edamame Salad)
Dessert: Sarah (Swirl Cookies)
Dessert: Kelsey
Dessert: Missy
Drink: Alma



Swirl Cookies
(for a picture go here)

Ingredients
Vanilla Dough:
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
* 1 large egg
* 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons mint extract (I used 1 tsp peppermint extract, mint tastes like toothpaste to me)
* 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), room temperature
* 2 cups all-purpose flour

Chocolate Dough:
* 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
* 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
* 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) room temperature
* 1 large egg
* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
For the vanilla dough: Mix the 2 sugars and the salt together in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, whisk the egg and mint extract and set aside. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, gradually add the sugar mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.

Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. (tip: before dividing dough, draw with a Sharpie a 10 x 12 rectange on the back side of the parchment paper, this will make your layers the exact same size. Don't forget to flip it before rolling the dough. Also, if the dough gets too sticky and unmanageable, stick it in the fridge or freezer for a couple minutes) Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

For the chocolate dough: Whisk the sugar, cocoa, salt in a medium bowl. With a hand held mixer beat the butter until smooth in a large bowl. While mixing, add the cocoa mixture, and continue beating until lightly colored and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Gradually add the flour, mixing slowly until blended.

Turn the dough out of the bowl, divide in half. Place the halves between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment or waxed paper. Roll into a 10 by 12 by 1/4 inch rectangle. Slide the sheets of dough/parchment sheets onto a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

Put 1 of the chocolate doughs on the workspace and remove the top sheet of parchment. (I would remove the one you rolled it out on, the one with the square. It is easier to remove while cold and your dough is probably stuck more to that peice or parchment rather than the top piece.) Brush dough lightly with cold water. Place a sheet of vanilla dough on the workspace, and remove top sheet of paper. Using the bottom piece of the paper to lift the dough, place the vanilla dough on top of the chocolate dough. Take care to line up the edges of the 2 doughs and trim as needed. Lightly press to smooth and seal the doughs together. Remove the top piece of paper. Brush the surface of the dough lightly with cold water. (By the time you get all this done your dough has probably warmed up a little, if not, wait - it is much easier to roll it up when it is a little warmer than fresh out of the fridge) Position the sandwiched doughs with the long edge facing you. Using the edge of the paper as a guide, roll the doughs into a tight cylinder, 2 inches wide. (The chocolate dough will probably crack as you roll it, just smooth it out with the warmth of your fingers, if that doesn't work, fill in the holes with the scraps you trimmed off earlier. Again, if the dough gets unmanageable or is sticking too much to the parchment, place it in the fridge for a few minutes.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Repeat with remaining 2 sheets of dough.
Evenly position racks in the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F.
Slice the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch thick cookies. Lay about 1/2-inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until just golden - not too dark you'll lose the definition of the spiral, about 14 to 16 minutes.
Okay, so I know this looks complicated, it really isn't that bad - just give yourself enough time. It does take some finesse.

Double Chocolate Roll
(From TasteOfHome)
Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 teaspoons shortening
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 teaspoons Domino® or C&H® Pure Cane Powdered Sugar, divided
• 3 tablespoons baking cocoa
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/2 cups cold fat-free milk
• 2 packages (3.3 ounces each) instant white chocolate pudding mix or 2 packages (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
• 3 tablespoons fat-free caramel ice cream topping, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, divided
• 1 tablespoon fat-free hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

Directions:

Coat a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in baking pan with cooking spray; line with parchment paper. Grease the paper with shortening; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks on high speed until thick and lemon-colored. Beat in vanilla. Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar, cocoa and salt; gradually add to egg yolks. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake at 350° for 14-16 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert the cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with remaining confectioners' sugar. Gently but quickly peel off parchment paper.
Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool completely on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in whipped topping. Set aside 1 cup. Unroll cake; spread remaining filling evenly over cake to within 1/2 in of edges. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of caramel topping; sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of walnuts. Roll up again.
Spread reserved filling over cake roll. Drizzle with hot fudge sauce and remaining caramel topping. Sprinkle with remaining walnuts. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 12 servings.


Mini Chicken B'Steeyas
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Makes 54

* 4 tablespoons safflower oil
* 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 10 ounces), halved
* Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
* 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
* 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup golden raisins, finely chopped (optional)
* 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds (2 ounces), toasted
* 12 sheets (each 12 by 17 inches) frozen phyllo dough, thawed
* 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper; saute, turning once, until just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate; let cool, then finely chop. Transfer chicken and any juices to a large bowl.
2. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add ginger, turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Stir 1/4 cup sugar into mixture. Add eggs; cook, stirring, until scrambled but still moist. Transfer to bowl with chicken. Stir in raisins if desired. Season with salt and pepper; let cool.
4. In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl; stir in remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a clean work surface, unfold a sheet of phyllo with a short side facing you; cover remaining sheets with a damp kitchen towel. Lightly brush with melted butter; sprinkle with about 1/6 of nut mixture. Lay another phyllo sheet on top; lightly brush with butter. Cut the stack lengthwise into thirds and then crosswise into thirds to make 9 equal rectangles.
6. Working with 1 rectangle at a time, place 1 tablespoon chicken mixture about 1 inch from end of a short side, leaving a 1/2-inch border on long sides. Fold 1/2 inch of each long side over filling. Starting from the end with filling, roll into a log. Repeat process to make remaining rolls (you should have 54). Brush with butter; arrange, seam sides down, on parchment-lined baking sheets. (B'steeyas can be frozen at this point, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour; transfer to airtight containers, and freeze up to 6 weeks.)
7. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before dusting with sugar and cinnamon. Serve warm.

I am not big on Sunday-dinner type meals. Meatloaf, roasts, steaks...they aren't normally my cup of tea. I LOVE this recipe, though, and hope you will too!


STUFFED TURKEY MEAT LOAF
*modified by me from Williams Sonoma's recipe
1.5 tsp canola oil
6 sliced white bread (crusts removed, torn small pieces)
1/2 c skim milk
2 lbs ground turkey
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp italian seasoning
salt & pepper
1 egg white

for the stuffing:
2 lbs frozen spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
3 green onions (green tops only, chopped)
1 egg white
pepper
1/3 c freshly grated Romano cheese
1/2 c toasted pine nuts

Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. (Make sure the foil hangs over the edge an inch or two...) Spray foil with cooking spray.

In a bowl, mash the bread with the milk until milk is fully absorbed. Squeeze bread to eliminate excess milk. In another bowl, combine turkey, mustard, oregano, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Add the soaked bread and egg white and mix until creamy, 2-3 minutes. Spread in prepared pan to make an even later. Cover the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

To make stuffing, cook the spinach according to the package and squeeze our excess moisture. Place spinach and green onion in frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until spinach is dry and fluffy. (About 5 minutes...) Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Add egg and season generously with pepper.

Spread spinach stuffing evenly over turkey, leaving a 1-inch border of the turkey. Add toasted pine nuts on top.

Sprinkle cheese evenly over stuffing and pine nuts.

Lifting the foil along the long side facing you, roll up the meat and stuffing like a jelly roll, pushing it forward a bit at a time and lifting the foil away, until a long log has formed. Pat the log gently to compact it. Brush with the remaining 1 tsp canola oil and center it on the pan.

Cook loaf for 1 hour. Let rest for 15 minutes. Cut meat into 8-10 slices and serve over spicy tomato sauce. (aka best tomato sauce EVER.)

SPICY TOMATO SAUCE
by Williams Sonoma
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 c. finely chopped yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
28 oz. can whole tomatoes & juice
28 oz. can chopped tomatoes & juice
2 c tomato sauce

Stir together spices. Set aside.
Warm olive oil in deep pan. Add onion and saute until they begin to soften. Stir in garlic.
Add tomatoes. Break apart whole tomatoes. Stir in spice mixture. Raise heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and use immediately, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months.