Lollipop Love Hand Pie Bouquet Food

STEAK HAND PIE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine the beef, flour and paprika. Stir to combine. Add the thyme, garlic, potato, onion and some salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
• Divide one portion of the chilled Part-Butter/Part-Shortening Easy Pie Dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a round about 3 inches in diameter. You can use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut each round and even the edges if you desire. Repeat with the second piece of chilled dough.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush each round of dough with the egg wash. Divide the filling among the rounds, piling it in the middle of each round. Bring the sides of the dough up to meet the middle and gently crimp the edges down in the center. Cut 3 small slits into each hand pie to allow steam to escape. Brush the top of the pies with egg wash.
• Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening until the mixture resembles cornmeal but there are still pea-sized chunks of fat.
• In a small bowl, stir together the ice water and lemon juice. Slowly add the liquid to the flour mixture, pulsing, until the dough just comes together. Squeeze a small piece of dough between your thumb and index finger to make sure it holds its shape.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Gently turn over each piece of dough a few times so that any dry bits are incorporated. Form each piece into a loose disk, cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

FRUIT BOUQUET

Steps:

• Put the semisweet and white chocolate chips in separate medium glass bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepots with 2 inches of water and set over medium-low heat. Place a glass bowl on top of each of the saucepans and melt the chocolate until smooth.
• Place 2 rectangular Styrofoam blocks inside 2 loaf pans to anchor them. These will hold the dipped apples while drying.
• Insert a skewer lengthwise into each apple slice. Dip each slice into the semisweet chocolate, coating it completely with a thin layer. Poke the end of each skewer in the Styrofoam for the slices to set completely, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Once set, drizzle the apples with a thin stream of melted white chocolate using a spoon and return them to the Styrofoam to set.
• Use flower cookie cutters to cut 8 to 10 flower shapes out of the pineapple rounds, leaving the core of the pineapple rounds as the center of the flowers. Skewer the rounds going completely through the core and top with a single blueberry. Next, continue to skewer the remaining fruit according to your own preference, including: 1 strawberry per skewer, 3 to 5 grapes per skewer and 1 to 3 cantaloupe cubes per skewer, each topped with a blueberry if desired.
• To build: Place a Styrofoam ball in each of 2 mugs to anchor the skewers. Use pieces of kale to cover the Styrofoam. Cut the skewers to desired length with clippers. Place the skewers into the Styrofoam and arrange like a flower bouquet. If not presenting right away, cover lightly with plastic wrap or a 2-gallon resealable freezer bag and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.

CUPCAKE BOUQUET

Steps:

• Frost each of the mini cupcakes with the frosting of your choice. Decorate each with flowers or candy. Insert a stick into each mini cupcake. Place 5 of the mini cupcake "lollipops" into each cup. Decorate the cup with ribbon. Place a "vase" of the cupcake flowers at each place setting.

LOLLIPOP COOKIES

Steps:

• Cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a sheet pan. In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the sugar, butter and shortening until fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and baking powder and mix. Add the flour and mix. Shape the dough into a large flat disk, kneading briefly if necessary to bring the dough together. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick. Using cookie cutters or empty tuna cans, cut out large round cookies about 3 inches in diameter. Transfer to the prepared pan. Cut a heart or circle out of the center of each cookie that will be filled later with lollipop syrup. Carefully slip the sucker sticks under the cookies and gently press dough down and around it to secure the stick. Bake until very light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely on the sheet pan.
• Lollipop Centers: Combine sugar, glucose and water in a clean, dry, small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer and cook on high heat. While cooking the candy syrup, occasionally wash down the pan sides to prevent crystallization using a clean brush dipped in water. Without stirring, cook until mixture reaches 305 degrees F or hard crack on the candy thermometer. Remove the pot from the heat and dip it into an ice bath for 10 seconds to stop the cooking. Remove the pot from the ice bath and add food coloring, stirring well a wooden spoon so the color is evenly distributed. To avoid air bubbles, stir in both directions and be careful not to over mix. Pour the syrup into hole of the cookies. Cool at least 20 minutes to harden. Store in an airtight container.

CUPCAKE BOUQUET

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Butter and flour an 8-inch-diameter stainless steel bowl. Combine cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or by hand for 2 minutes, or until well blended. Transfer batter to prepared buttered bowl. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake in bowl on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack and remove bowl. Cool cake completely. Spread 1 can of frosting over rounded side of cake. Mix remaining can of frosting with powdered sugar in large bowl and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Frost or pipe a rosette atop each cupcake. Place a toothpick into the bottom of each cupcake; press toothpick into cake dome, forming a bouquet. Place cake on stand.