Stuffed Caramel Walnuts From Cleopatra Food

CHEESECAKE-STUFFED APPLES

Steps:

• Mix together the cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla with a rubber spatula in a medium bowl until completely smooth with. Add the eggs and stir until completely combined.
• Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Cut a 1/4-inch off the top of each apple and use a melon baller or teaspoon to remove the stem and core and to hollow out about 2/3 of the apple leaving 1/2-inch of flesh around the edge (reserve the removed apples for applesauce or smoothies). Fill each apple with cheesecake batter just below the rim. Wipe away any drips or spills off the outside and top of the apple before baking. Arrange apples in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and bake until the apples are soft but still hold their shape and have not split, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely before serving.
• Meanwhile, pulse together the graham crackers, cinnamon and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add butter and process until combined.
• Divide apples among small serving plates and top each with a generous drizzle of caramel and sprinkles or graham cracker mixture and chopped walnuts.

STUFFED POBLANO CHILES WITH WALNUT SAUCE AND POMEGRANATE SEEDS

Steps:

• Cook pork:
• Put pork in a 3-quart heavy saucepan with salt, onion slice, garlic, thyme, and enough cold water to cover by 1/2 inch and bring to a boil, skimming foam. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until pork is very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Cool pork in liquid, uncovered, 15 minutes. Drain, then cut pork into 1/3-inch dice. Discard onion, garlic, and thyme.
• Make filling:
• Cook onion and garlic in oils in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce is slightly thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• While tomatoes simmer, cut an X in bottom of peach, then immerse in boiling water until skin begins to loosen, 10 to 30 seconds. Transfer peach to a bowl of cold water to stop cooking, then peel, pit, and dice (1/3 inch).
• Discard bay leaves, thyme sprig, and cinnamon stick from tomato mixture, then add diced pork and remaining filling ingredients and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until fruit is softened but still intact, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with additional salt, sugar, and vinegar.
• Make sauce:
• Purée walnuts and almonds in a blender with milk, cheese, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth and silky, about 2 minutes. (Sauce should thickly coat back of a large spoon. If sauce is too thin, add more almonds and puré. If too thick, add more milk.) Season with salt and sugar.
• Stuff and bake chiles:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile and carefully cut out seeds with kitchen shears, leaving stem intact. (For milder heat, carefully cut out ribs also.)
• Divide pork filling among chiles, then close, overlapping sides of openings slightly. Transfer, seam sides up, to a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish, then cover with foil and bake until just heated through, 15 to 25 minutes.
• Transfer chiles to plates, carefully turning them seam sides down. Pour about 1/3 cup walnut sauce over each chile, leaving some of chile visible, then sprinkle chiles with pomegranate seeds. Serve chiles warm or at room temperature.

CARAMELIZED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with nonstick spray. Combine sugar and vinegar in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add nuts; toss to coat. Transfer mixture to baking sheet.
• Bake until nuts are deep brown and syrup thickens and coats nuts, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheet. Break nuts apart. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

CARAMELIZED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325° F .
• Place walnuts on a baking sheet and toast 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.
• Combine honey, water and oil in a skillet and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and stir in walnuts. Cook, stirring frequently until all liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute.
• Transfer nuts to a bowl.
• Combine sugar and salt and toss with nuts. Spread nuts on a cookie sheet to cool and dry.
• Store in an airtight container.
• If you like sweet and hot, you can add some hot chili powder to the mix for a different but yummy tasste!

STUFFED CARAMEL WALNUTS FROM CLEOPATRA

Steps:

• Mix the almond flour (milled almonds, grind your own in a food processor or blender if you like) with the sugar and enough orange essence to form a paste.
• Place a little of this paste between two walnut halves and press.
• Melt the sugar in a pan with a few drops of water and when it starts to turn to caramel, remove it from the heat source and dip the nuts inside to coat them with caramel.
• Set them out on grease proof paper to dry.
• Note: for an easy shortcut you can use store bought marzipan or almond paste and simply knead the orange extract into that instead of preparing your own from alond flour in step 1; then proceede with the rest of the recipe as written.

STUFFED POBLANO CHILES IN A CREAMY WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the pork, ground sirloin, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper and cook at medium heat until meat loses its pink color and is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add the dried apples, apricots, and sweetened pineapple and remove from the heat. Add the ground cinnamon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Set aside. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and discard.
• Sauce: Put the walnuts, Mexican crema and goat cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and silky, about 2 minutes. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon. (If the sauce is too thin, add more walnuts and puree. If too thick, add more cream.) Season with salt, to taste.
• Cut a lengthwise slit into each chile and carefully cut out seeds with kitchen shears, leaving the stem intact. (For less spice, carefully remove the veins.)
• Spoon the filling into the chiles, then close, slightly overlapping the sides of the openings. Transfer the stuffed chiles, seam sides up, to plates and pour about 1/3 cup the walnut sauce over each chile, leaving some of the chile visible. Sprinkle with parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• *Cook's Note: To peel the walnuts: Cook in boiling water for 1 minute and drain. When cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to remove the skins. Peeling the walnuts before adding them to the sauce will make a smoother, whiter sauce. Unpeeled walnuts can be used, but the texture will be a little grainy and slightly bitter.

CARAMEL-APPLE-WALNUT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper, then close the ring around it for each removal of the cheesecake after baking.
• Place walnuts in a bowl and drizzle melted butter on top. Toss until evenly coated. Sprinkle dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and cloves on top and toss nut topping well.
• Place sliced apples in a bowl, add lemon juice, and toss well. Add cinnamon and cloves and toss apple topping. Set both toppings aside.
• Mix flour, sugar, chopped pecans, and lemon peel together in a bowl until well combined. Cut in butter slowly, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix well. Press crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and cool crust on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Place cream cheese in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar slowly, 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well to ensure it is dissolved after each addition. Add flour, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and salt.
• Combine egg and egg yolks in a bowl and add to cream cheese mixture. Beat in heavy cream and whip on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour into the cooled crust and decorate with the cinnamon apples. Sprinkle just some of the nut topping on top.
• Fill a 9x13-inch baking pan with water and place on the bottom rack of the hot oven.
• Bake the cheesecake on the middle rack of the hot oven until set, about 80 minutes.
• Turn oven off and let cheesecake sit, untouched, for 1 hour to finish cooking throughout.
• Cool on a wire rack until room temperature, about 1 hour. Place cheesecake in the refrigerator for 8 hours to overnight.
• Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen chilled cheesecake. Remove sides of pan.
• Crush remaining nut topping into a crumble and use to decorate around the sides of the cheesecake.
• Melt caramel topping in a microwave oven for 30 seconds at a time until pourable. Drizzle on top of cheesecake and top with more walnuts, if desired.

BLUE CHEESE STUFFED WALNUTS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the first six ingredients until blended. Shape into 1/2-in. balls. Place each between 2 walnut halves; gently press together. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.