Spicy Straw Stacks Recipes

Steps:

• Soak the strawberries in red wine for 10 minutes, then transfer to a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as it starts to boil, add the ginger, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, chile pepper, red pepper flakes, apple cider vinegar and salt. Boil over medium heat, stirring every 10 minutes, until the preserve thickens.
• Remove the chile pepper and cinnamon stick from the preserves. Ladle into clean 1/2 pint jars, wipe rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and seal with new lids. Store in the refrigerator.

Steps:

• Mix flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, orange peel and salt in medium bowl. Add butter and shortening and rub in, using fingertips, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle orange juice over. Stir with fork until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter heavy large baking sheet. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to scant 1/4-inch-thick round. Using 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Reroll scraps and cut out additional rounds, forming 8 total. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheet. Brush lightly with cream. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar, dividing equally. Bake cookies until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on rack.
• Combine quartered strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and Grand Marnier in medium bowl. Beat 1 cup whipping cream, vanilla and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another medium bowl until soft peaks form.
• Place 1 cookie on each of 4 plates. Top cookie with berry mixture, dividing equally and allowing mixture to spill over sides of cookies. Spoon large dollops of whipping cream over. Top each with second cookie. Garnish tops with small dollops of whipped cream and whole strawberries.

Steps:

• In a small bowl toss together cheese, ground cumin, and cayenne.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry into a 14- by 12-inch rectangle and brush with some egg wash. Cut pastry in half crosswise, forming two 12- by 7-inch rectangles. Sprinkle cheese over 1 rectangle and top with other rectangle, egg-wash side down, pressing it firmly to force out any air pockets. Roll pastry out slightly to make layers adhere (rectangle should be about 12 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches). Brush pastry with some remaining egg wash and sprinkle evenly with cuminseed and sea salt.
• With a pastry wheel or sharp knife cut pastry into strips about 7 1/2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Twist strips and arrange on baking sheets, pressing ends onto sheet to keep strips twisted. Cheese straws may be prepared up to this point 2 weeks ahead. Freeze cheese straws on baking sheets 1 hour, or until frozen, and transfer to a resealable freezer bag. Do not thaw cheese straws before proceeding.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. and grease 2 baking sheets.
• Arrange half of cheese straws about 1 inch apart on 1 baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 10 to 12 minutes, or until pale golden. Bake remaining cheese straws in same manner.
• Serve cheese straws warm at room temperature.