Spiced Honey Semifreddo With Dried Fruit And Almonds Food

GRILLED STONE FRUIT WITH FARMER'S CHEESE AND SPICED HONEY ALMONDS

Steps:

• For the spiced honey almonds: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.
• Spread the almonds on the prepared baking sheet, then transfer to the oven and toast lightly, 8 minutes.
• Combine the honey, sugar, allspice, nutmeg and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar melts.
• Put the toasted almonds in a small bowl and toss with half of the honey mixture until evenly coated; reserve the remaining spiced syrup. Using a heat-proof spatula (the mixture will be hot), spread the coated almonds in an even layer on the baking sheet. Set aside until hardened, 15 minutes to 1 hour--the almonds will remain slightly sticky. Once hardened, coarsely chop or use whole.
• For the grilled stone fruit: Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat until very hot. Brush the cut sides of the fruit with a bit of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the fruit, cut-side down, to mark and caramelize slightly, about 2 minutes. Brush the tops with a bit more oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and then flip and grill on the reverse side just to soften slightly, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Transfer the grilled fruit to a platter, cut-side up. Dollop the farmer's cheese around the fruit, drizzle some of the reserved spiced syrup over everything, and scatter the almonds on top. Serve immediately.

SPICED HONEY FRUIT SALAD WITH PECANS

Steps:

• For the spicy roasted pecans: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and coat with cooking spray.
• In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, ginger and egg white. Whisk until foamy. Fold in the pecans until fully incorporated.
• Transfer the pecans to the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until fragrant, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• For the fruit salad: Cut a slit into the habanero. Combine the honey and orange juice in a small saucepot and add the habanero and cinnamon. Heat until just simmering, about 40 seconds. Let stand for 10 minutes, then remove the habanero.
• To serve: Toss the cantaloupe, grapes, kiwis and apples with the honey syrup, then coarsely crumble the pecans on top.

HONEY & SPICE ROASTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Arrange almonds in a single layer in an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once., In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, salt and cayenne; set aside. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add roasted almonds and honey; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining sugar; cook 1 minute longer or until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; add reserved sugar mixture and toss to coat., Immediately spread onto waxed paper; cool completely. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

PEAR CROSTATA WITH HONEY, BLUE CHEESE, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Arrange the pears, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and dot with butter. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pears are just tender. Let cool.
• Increase the oven heat to 450 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out to a 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. It doesn't have to be perfect. Transfer the dough to the back of a lightly floured baking sheet. Slice the pears and arrange them on the dough round by overlapping the slices in a spiral fashion, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Drizzle with the honey, scatter blue cheese over the top, and sprinkle with the almonds.
• Brush the border with the egg wash. Bring the edge of crust over onto the filling, leaving the fruit exposed in center. Gently fold and pinch the dough to seal any cracks. Brush the crust with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar. Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender. Slide a knife under the crostata to loosen it from the pan. Then cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolk and ice water and work that in with your hands. (Or do the whole thing in a food processor, pulsing a couple of times to combine the dry ingredients, then pulsing in the butter, and then the egg.) Check the consistency of the dough by squeezing a small amount together between thumb and forefingers: You want there to be just enough moisture to bind the dough so that it holds together without being too wet or sticky. If it's still crumbly, add a little more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. When you get it to the right consistency, shape the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic. Put it in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.

LAMB TAGINE WITH DRIED FIGS AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the sesame seeds on a small sheet pan or pie plate and toast in the oven 6 minutes, remove and place in small dish. Add the almonds to the pan until golden brown. Set aside. Put the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in 2 batches, about 10 to 12 minutes total. Add the garlic, onions, cumin, cardamom, turmeric, and ground chilies to the lamb. Stir well and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender. It should be slightly springy, but easy to pull apart with your fingers. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Strain the liquid from the stew into a small saucepan or bowl and skim the fat. Check for salt and pepper and keep warm. Mix the meat and figs and spread in a single layer in an ovenproof serving dish. Pour the sauce over the meat and figs and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 12 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro and garnish wiht cilantro springs. Serve from the hot dish.

HONEYED ALMONDS WITH CINNAMON, NUTMEG AND FIVE SPICE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a baking tray with lightly oiled baking parchment. Mix the sugar and salt in a large bowl and set aside.
• Melt the honey in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the almonds and spices and stir to coat. Transfer the nuts to the baking tray and spread them out in a single layer. Bake for 10-15 mins until golden brown, scraping the nuts from the side to the centre from time to time so they cook and colour evenly.
• Remove from the oven and cool slightly for 5 mins until the nuts become sticky, then toss them in the sugar and salt mixture. Cool completely, then divide them between cellophane bags.