Trios Recipes

TRIO OF SEASONED POTATO CHIPS

Steps:

• Slice the potatoes about 1/16-inch thick on a mandoline. Put the slices in tepid water, to cover, and soak for 30 minutes.
• Fill a tall, heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) about 1/3 full with oil. Clip a deep-frying thermometer to the pot and heat the oil over medium heat to 300 degrees F.
• Combine the Parmesan and rosemary in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the sea salt and curry powder. In a third bowl, combine the manchego, sea salt and Spanish paprika. Set the bowls aside.
• Drain the potatoes. Put the potato slices in a salad spinner and spin dry. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels.
• When ready to fry, raise the heat to high. Working in small batches, carefully add the potatoes to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Lift the chips from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Season the chips with the desired seasonings. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, taking care that the oil returns to 300 degrees F before frying each batch. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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HOLIDAY COOKIE PROJECTS: SNOWFLAKES, DREIDEL TRIOS, AND ORNAMENTS

Steps:

• Cream the butter in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) until smooth. Add the sugar and mix. Add the egg and mix. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together. Working in batches, and mixing just until combined after each addition, add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 1 or 2 sheet pans. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick.
• Icing decorations:
• Stir the confectioners' sugar, milk, and vanilla together until smooth.
• To make snowflakes:
• Use a snowflake-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, rerolling the scraps as needed. If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make the holes in the dough about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool on the pan. Using only white icing and a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe thin lines from the center of the cookie out to the points, like spokes of a wheel. Connect the spokes with thin lines in between them, making a spiderweb effect to make it look like a snowflake. Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string or yarn for hanging.
• To make dreidel trios:
• Use a dreidel cookie cutter and cut out 3 cookies. Lay 1 on a greased sheet pan. Fanning out at an angle, with the handles overlapping at the top, lay 2 more dreidels next to the first one (it will look like a paper-doll effect). The handle is now 3 layers thick; press on it gently to thin it slightly and make it larger. Repeat with the remaining dough, rerolling the scraps as needed. If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make a hole in the handle about 1/8-inch wide, keeping in mind that the hole will shrink as the cookies bake. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool on the pan. Color some of your icing blue with food coloring, or use blue colored sugar and white icing together. Using a pastry bag fitted with a small plain tip, pipe Hebrew letters or stars of David on the cookies' faces. Sprinkle the sugar on the icing while the icing is still wet. Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.
• To make ornaments:
• Use any holiday-themed cookie cutter to cut out the cookies, rerolling the scraps as needed. If you plan to hang the cookies, use a toothpick to make holes in the dough about 1/8 inch wide, keeping in mind that the holes will shrink as the cookies bake. Bake until firm, 12 to 15 minutes, and let cool on the pan. Meanwhile, color some of your icing in festive colors with food coloring, or use colored sugars. Using a pastry bag fitted with the smallest plain tip, pipe a few colorful borders and decorations on the cookies. When set, add more lines of icing in white. Let the icing harden before threading the cookies onto wire, string, or yarn for hanging.

SEAFOOD TRIO

Steps:

• Sauté the celery, leek, mushrooms, garlic and parsley in the butter. Cook 2 minutes.If white wine is used, pour it over the vegetables and cook on high until the liquid has been reduced by half.Cook the mussels in 1/4 cup (60 mL) of chicken stock until they open. Mussels which are open prior to cooking must be discarded.Drain the mussels and save the liquid. Add the liquid to the vegetables mixture along with the tomatoes, scallops and salmon. Salt and pepper to taste.Cook on low for 4 minutes or until the fish is almost ready.Mix the cornstarch and cream together and add to the preparation. Cook on low, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the mussels and parmesan.Serve over pasta.

TRIO OF ICE CREAMS

Steps:

• Butter baking sheet. Stir first 3 ingredients in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in nuts and peel. Immediately pour onto prepared sheet. Cool completely. Chop nougat.
• Simmer 3 tablespoons water and saffron in small saucepan until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Stir in honey. Set aside.
• Simmer 1/4 cup water and lavender in small saucepan until reduced by half, 1 minute. Add sugar; stir to dissolve. Simmer 2 minutes to thicken syrup slightly. Stir in honey. Set aside.
• Bring cream and milk to simmer in heavy large saucepan. Whisk yolks to blend in large bowl. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolks. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 10 minutes (do not boil). Divide custard among 3 bowls (about 2 cups custard in each bowl).
• Stir nougat, brown sugar and pinch of salt into 1 bowl of hot custard. Whisk honey-saffron mixture into custard in second bowl. Whisk lavender mixture into custard in third bowl. Cool mixtures completely, stirring occasionally (nougat will dissolve). Chill nougat and honey-saffron custards until cold. Chill lavender custard at least 4 hours or overnight. Strain; discard lavender in strainer.
• Process ice cream custards separately in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Freeze in covered containers. (Can be made 1 week ahead.)