Poppy Seed Sticks Food

HOMEMADE POPPY SEED FILLING FOR MAKOWIEC AND OTHER CAKES

Steps:

• To get rid of any impurities, soak poppy seeds in water first. Collect any dirt that floats to the top with a slotted spoon.
• Rinse the poppy seeds and drain them on a sieve lined with gauze (cheese cloth or a muslin square). It can stay there for up to an hour if you're doing something else in the meantime.
• [Raisins] Rinse raisins under running water. Place them in a small bowl and pour 2-3 tablespoons of almond spirit or golden rum over them. Cover the bowl with a small plate and set aside.
• [Fresh Orange Peel] Chop fresh orange peel (finely) and set aside.
• Pour 2.5 cups of milk into a cooking pot (1.5 qt / litre pot should be large enough) and bring it to boil.
• Drop all the poppy seeds in. Are they fully submerged in milk? If not, pour in some more.
• Reduce the heat to 'low' and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time. Poppy seeds absorb the milk quite a bit, so make sure there's enough of it.
• Drain the poppy seeds on a sieve lined with gauze, cheese cloth or a muslin square. If you can, try to squeeze out as much milk as possible.
• Using a disc with the smallest holes, grind the poppy seeds 2 to 3 times.
• Separate yolks from egg whites. Whisk yolks together with 6 tablespoons of powdered sugar, set aside.
• Place chopped walnuts and almonds in a wide pot (or a deep frying pan). Add a pinch of salt and roast them for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat, not allowing the nuts to burn.
• Add in 2 sticks of butter. Add 4 tablespoons of honey and 4 tablespoons of chopped orange peel. Let the orange peel fry for a bit, a few minutes is enough.
• Add in ground poppy seeds, chopped dried fruit and alcohol-soaked raisins. Mix everything together with a spatula, gradually adding egg yolks mixed with powdered sugar. Take the pot off the heat.
• Whip the remaining egg whites until stiff, adding 5 tablespoons of powdered sugar near the end of whipping. Gently add them into the poppy mass.
• And we're done! The poppy seed filling is ready to use in 'Makowiec' (Polish Poppy Seed Roll) or another dessert.

POPPY-SEED STICKS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees . Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Dust a clean work surface with flour, and roll each piece of puff pastry into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle, less than 1/8 inch thick. Transfer the rolled-out dough to baking sheets; refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Remove dough from refrigerator, and generously brush one puff-pastry sheet with egg yolk. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the sheet, then cover with poppy seeds. Brush the second pastry sheet with egg yolk, and place on top of first, yolk sides together. Gently press the two sheets together so the poppy seeds stick between them. Return the pastry to refrigerator, and chill another 15 minutes.
• Remove the pastry from the refrigerator, and brush the top generously with the remaining egg yolk. Using a pizza wheel or a long sharp knife, cut the dough into 10-inch-long strips that are 1/4 inch wide. Hold a piece of dough in the middle, and start twisting in the direction of each end; twist until entire piece of dough is tightly coiled. Transfer twist to a baking pan; press the ends to metal. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Bake until the sticks are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, and store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

PARMESAN AND POPPY SEED STICKS

Steps:

• Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions, just until it is soft enough to cut. (This should take about 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature). Puff pastry should still be very cold. Preheat oven to 425 degrees with two racks.
• In a small bowl, mix to combine cheese and cayenne pepper. In a second small bowl, combine sesame and poppy seeds with salt, and set aside.
• Arrange cold puff pastry on work surface. Cut puff pastry lengthwise into two equal 5-inch-wide halves. Brush each half with beaten egg. Sprinkle one half with cheese mixture and other half with seed mixture. Using a pastry cutter or knife, cut each half crosswise into twenty 1/2-inch strips.
• Working one at a time, twist each strip into a double spiral, and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, 1/2 inch apart. Using your thumb, press the ends of the strips down into the parchment to prevent unraveling. Transfer to freezer, and chill until very firm, about 20 minutes. (Refrigerator may be used for chilling but will take at least twice as long.) Check dough while chilling to make sure it stays twisted.
• Transfer the straws to the oven, and bake until golden, rotating baking sheets halfway through cooking time for even browning, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the straws on a cooling rack.