Gingered Lychees With Sesame Cookies Recipes

GINGERED LYCHEES WITH SESAME COOKIES

Steps:

• Pour lychees and their syrup into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together sugar and egg white. Add flour, salt, butter, and cream, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in sesame seeds.
• Pour batter into 2 rounds on a baking sheet that's lightly buttered and floured or lined with a nonstick baking mat. Using the back of a spoon, spread into 7-inch rounds. Sprinkle lightly with seeds. Bake until golden, about 16 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack, and break into wedges.
• Divide lychees and syrup among 4 serving dishes. Sprinkle with crystallized ginger, and serve with cookies.

AUNT ANNE'S SESAME COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and anise extract until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well incorporated. If you are using a stand mixer, let the dough mix for another minute to add lightness to the dough. The dough will be soft, but will hand roll easily.
• Pinch off pieces of dough slightly smaller than a walnut, and roll them into small logs. Dip in milk, then roll in sesame seeds. Place cookies one inch apart on a cookie sheet. Cookies will not spread very much.
• Bake for 17 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bottom and sides of cookies are lightly toasted. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

LYCHEE GINGER ICE

Steps:

• Puree lychees with 1/4 cup syrup in a food processor or blender until smooth. Transfer to a sieve set over a bowl; stir and press on solids to drain as much liquid as possible. (You should have about 1 cup.) Discard solids and refrigerate juice until cold, at least 1 hour; juice can be made up to 3 days ahead.
• Bring remaining syrup and ginger to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, strain, and discard ginger. Refrigerate syrup at least 1 hour; syrup can be made up to 3 days ahead.
• Pulse ice, 2 cups at a time, in food processor. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.
• Stir together lychee juice and ginger syrup. Break ice in bag into small pieces with the bottom of a heavy skillet. Pulse ice, 2 cups at a time, in processor to the texture of shaved ice. Divide ice and lychee mixture evenly among bowls and top with liqueur. Serve with cookies.