Fruit Stacked Sticks Recipes

Steps:

• In Italy, my favorite panini (sandwich) is made with ham (prosciutto di Parma) cheese (robiola) and arugula (rucola or rocket lettuce). You can eat it cold, or press it and grill it on a sandwich press or in a skillet. If you want to press it, put a heavy skillet on top of the sandwich as it cooks on a griddle or in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook just a minute or so on each side to crisp the roll and slightly warm the filling.
• To make the sandwich, split rolls and cover with provolone. Top with a few pieces of arugula and 2 or 3 thin slices of ham, set the top in place and press down. Cut sandwiches into 8 small cubes or grill to toast the roll, then cut. Stack 8 pieces or 1 panini on each stick, threading 2 hot peppers or 2 jumbo olives in among the panini pieces as you work. Repeat to make 4 (12-inch) panini-stacked sticks.

Steps:

• Heat the peanut butter in the microwave on high for 20 seconds to loosen it, then stir honey into it. Place the granola into a food processor and lightly process to crush up the granola, nuts, and raisins. Peel and cut each banana in half across the middle. Insert a popsicle or chop stick into the cut end of each half-banana. Spread 1 side of each banana stick with 1/4 of the peanut sauce then coat liberally with spoonfuls of granola, gently pressing it into the peanut butter. Eat the bananas right off the sticks, but serve on a plate to catch the crumbs.

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches vegetable oil to 370 degrees F in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until the fat is rendered but the bacon is still pliable (don't get it too crisp), 4 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Let cool.
• Spread one side of each bacon slice with peanut butter. Wrap each slice around a banana piece, peanut butter-side facing the banana, pressing to adhere.
• Spread some cake flour in a shallow bowl for dredging. Whisk the cake flour, confectioners' sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the seltzer, taking care not to overmix (a few small lumps are fine).
• Dredge half of the bananas in the flour, then dip in the batter and carefully add to the hot oil. Fry in 2 batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping halfway through, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining bananas. Insert skewers into the bananas. Drizzle with honey and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Prepare the dough: Add 1 1/4 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder and salt to a food processor, and pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and pulse until small crumbs form. In a measuring cup, combine milk and vanilla. Stream into flour mixture while machine is running. Pulse until dough is fairly smooth.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and roll until it is just over 1/4-inch thick. Use a bench scraper or the side of a large knife to straighten the sides so that it is a 5 1/2-by-8-inch rectangle. Wrap in plastic and transfer to a small baking sheet. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a bench scraper or long knife to cut the dough crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips that are about 5 1/2 inches long. Transfer half the dough to the refrigerator while you work with the other half. Using the palms of your hands, gently roll each strip on a lightly floured work surface until 7 to 8 inches long. Transfer strips to parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheets, keeping them as straight as possible and spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Freeze until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake until golden on edges and bottom, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
• Decorate the cookies: Melt each of the chocolates in a separate metal bowl set over a small saucepan with 1 inch of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted. If using dark or milk chocolate, add 1/2 teaspoon vegetable shortening to each and whisk until combined. If using white chocolate, add enough vegetable shortening to make it thin enough for dipping, up to 1 tablespoon, whisking until mixture is glossy. Stir pulverized berries or matcha into white chocolate. (You can also melt the chocolate in the microwave instead: Transfer the chocolate and shortening to a microwave-safe glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Whisk to combine, then heat in 20-second increments, whisking between each, until melted.)
• Holding a cookie stick over a bowl of chocolate, use a small spoon to pour the chocolate over 2/3 of the stick, turning cookie to coat on all sides. Let excess drip off, and scrape against the edge of the bowl. Set chocolate-coated cookie on a parchment- or wax paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with nibs or nuts as desired. (You'll want to keep all the dips in a warm place while working with them, and return them to the pot or microwave to remelt if needed.) Refrigerate until coating hardens. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

Steps:

• Thread the strawberries, cantaloupe, banana and apple pieces alternately onto skewers, placing at least 2 pieces of fruit on each skewer. Arrange the fruit skewers decoratively on a serving platter.