Puff Pastry Appetizers

July the peak of veggie season

Recipe of the late Mary Vaughan Fink, submitted by Ann Jones
2 cups water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
6 cups sugar
5 drops green food coloring
1 pkg. Certo (pectin) (2 pkgs. to a box)
Paraffin

Bring water, vinegar and lemon juice to a boil in a large pot. Bruise basil leaves and add to pot. Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 15 minutes; strain. Add sugar and food coloring; return to heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. When syrup is at a full rolling boil, add pectin and continue to boil for 30 seconds. Remove from heat; strain jelly into hot sterilized jelly jars. Cover jars with a thin layer of paraffin. When cool, put jar tops on.

Parmesan
Zucchini Sticks
2-3 medium zucchini
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan/Romano cheese
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Olive oil cooking spray

Cut each zucchini in half, lengthwise, then cut each half into ½-inch sticks. Combine flour, ½ teaspoon of the salt, garlic powder and black pepper in a shallow dish. Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl. Combine panko, cheese, remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish. Dip zucchini in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Dip in egg, letting excess drip off. Roll in panko mixture, turning to coat all sides. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet; spray with olive oil cooking spray. Bake in a 450-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and tender. Serve immediately.
Makes 4-6 servings

Tomato Pie
4 ripe tomatoes
1 (10-count) roll refrigerated biscuits (not flaky)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup bell pepper, chopped
3 Tbsps. butter
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Peel and slice the tomatoes. Place biscuits in the bottom of a 9x9-inch pan, sides touching. Place tomatoes on top of biscuits. Sauté onion and green pepper in butter; sprinkle on top of tomatoes. Mix mayonnaise and cheese together and spread on top. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 40 minutes.
Makes 6 servings

Sweet Onion
Casserole
3 medium sweet onions
8 ozs. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 prepared pie crust
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp.

Puff Pastry Appetizers and Seared Salmon Fillet with Cucumber Dill ...

-Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

For the main course he used a Rachael Ray recipe. I have a love/hate relationship with Rachael. Sometimes I think she is so cute and I love watching her show, and sometimes I can’t stand it. There’s no rhyme or reason to it, and her recipes I’ve tried have always been delicious so I guess I should stick to loving her! The mister chose a cucumber dill salmon and it was delicious!

Seared Salmon Fillet with Cucumber Dill Salsa -juice of about 1 lemon

-Heat the extra virgin olive-oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, season the salmon with salt and pepper. When the oil ripples, add the seasoned salmon skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

-While the salmon is cooking, prepare the dill salsa. In a bowl, stir together the chopped cucumber, dill, sour cream, red onion, parsley, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper.

-Remove the salmon from the skillet to a plate and top with the cucumber dill salsa.

I actually helped him with the dessert because I was getting too anxious sitting around doing nothing! I’ll share that recipe with you later this week!

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