Pistachio Wreaths Food

SPICED FRUIT & PISTACHIO BREAD WREATH

Steps:

• First make the bread dough. Warm the milk in a saucepan until you can see steam coming from the surface, but don't let it boil. Add the butter and set aside. Tip the flour, yeast, sugar and ½ tsp salt into a large bowl. When the milk has cooled to hand temperature and the butter has melted, pour the liquid into the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon, then tip out onto your work surface and bring together with your hands. Knead the dough for 10 mins or until soft. Put it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a sheet of oiled cling film. Leave somewhere warm for about 2 hrs until doubled in size.
• Place the currants, mixed peel, cinnamon, mixed spice, zests and juice into a saucepan. Boil hard for a few mins until the fruit has absorbed the liquid and become nice and plump. Chill until cold, then mix with the pistachios, butter and sugar.
• When the dough is ready, tip out of the bowl and knead briefly to knock out the air bubbles. Roll out to a 45 x 28cm rectangle. Spread the buttery spiced fruit mixture over the surface of the dough. From one of the long edges, roll the dough to a tight cylinder, then bring the 2 ends to meet, creating a ring. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet with the join underneath.
• Using a sharp knife, cut incisions around the outside of the dough, about 3cm apart, in a sunburst pattern, going quite close to the centre, but not all the way through. Working your way around the outside, pull each piece of cut dough out a little, then push it down on one side, so that the cut edge is exposed and they're on a curve to create a fan shape around the edge of the wreath. When you're happy with the shape, re-cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for about 45 mins until doubled in size. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Uncover the bread and brush all over with beaten egg. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and hollow sounding when tapped on the base. Mix a little icing sugar with enough water to make a smooth runny icing. Whilst the bread is still warm, brush the icing over the surface with a pastry brush to make a sugary crust. Best eaten within 3 days.

LEMON-PISTACHIO WREATHS

Steps:

• Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a generous 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch round fluted cutter, cut out wreaths. Reroll scraps, and cut out. Cut out centers of wreaths using a 7/8-inch round cutter. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until just golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.
• Stir together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Dip surface of each cookie in icing, and sprinkle with pistachios. Let set on wire racks.

PISTACHIO WREATH COOKIES

Steps:

• In a food processor, process butter, confectioners' sugar, and salt until smooth. Add flour and pulse until a dough forms. Stir in pistachios. Divide dough into 2 disks; wrap each in plastic and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Working with one disk at a time, roll out on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick. Using a 2-inch round fluted cutter, cut out wreaths. Using a 3/4-inch round cutter, cut out centers of wreaths. Reroll scraps. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes. Bake until cookies are set and barely golden at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer cookies on sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

GOOEY BRIE CRESCENT WRAP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Remove the crescent rolls from the packages and separate into individual triangles. Place an upturned bowl on the prepared sheet pan and arrange the crescent triangles in a circular star shape around it, with the pointed ends furthest away from the bowl and the thicker ends nearest the bowl, slightly overlapping. Press the overlapping dough to flatten.
• Spread the cranberry preserves onto the dough around the center nearest the bowl and top with the Brie pieces, half the pistachios and half of the dried cranberries. Remove the bowl from the center and fold the pointed ends of the crescent rolls up and over the filling, tucking the tip of each under the base to secure. Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the rosemary and flaky salt if using. Bake until golden and gooey, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Drizzle the top of the wreath with the honey. Garnish with the remaining dried cranberries and pistachios and rosemary sprigs. Sprinkle with flaky salt if desired. Allow to cool slightly before transferring the wreath to a board. Serve with a cheese knife to slice and enjoy.

CLEMENTINE, CRANBERRY & PISTACHIO MERINGUE WREATH

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2 and cut a piece of baking parchment large enough to line your biggest baking sheet. Using a plate as a template, draw a circle roughly 28cm in diameter onto the parchment, then flip it over onto the baking sheet so the pencil marks don't come into contact with the meringue.
• Put the egg whites in a large, clean bowl and beat with an electric whisk until doubled in volume and holding soft peaks. Add the sugar 1 or 2 tbsp at a time, whisking continuously, until the meringue is stiff and shiny, and the sugar has been used up.
• Dab a blob of meringue on each corner of the parchment to stick it to the baking sheet. Using the circle as a guide, spoon 10 mounds of meringue onto the parchment in a wreath shape. Create a little divot in the centre of each one with the back of a teaspoon. Bake for 1 hr 30 mins, then leave in the oven to cool completely (overnight if you can).
• Put the cranberries and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Turn up the heat and boil for 1-2 mins, until you have a sugary syrup, but the cranberries are still whole. Leave to cool completely.
• When you're ready to serve, place the meringue wreath on a large board or plate. Pour the cream into a bowl, and add the zest and liqueur, if using. Whip until the cream just holds soft peaks. Fill each meringue crevice with a spoonful of cream, then top with 1-2 slices of clementine and some cranberries. Drizzle some cranberry syrup and sprinkle generously with pistachios, then let everyone dive in.

LEMON PISTACHIO WREATHS

Steps:

• Whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Put butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy.
• Mix in yolks, lemon zest, and vanilla.
• Reduce speed to low, and gradually mix in flour mixture.
• Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a generous 1/8 inch thick.
• Using a 2 1/2-inch round fluted cutter, cut out wreaths. Reroll scraps, and cut out. Cut out centers of wreaths using a 7/8-inch round cutter.
• Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until just golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.
• Stir together confectioners' sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl.
• Dip surface of each cookie in icing, and sprinkle with pistachios.
• Let set on wire racks.
• Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.