Tuesday, April 29, 2008

BISTRO CHICKEN TWIST (From Pampered Chef)

1 cup chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 garlic clove
1 packages refrigerated French break dough (I used Rhodes frozen White Bread, defrosted in refrigerator to prevent bread from rising)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning Mix

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chopped chicken, diced bell pepper, basil, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, and garlic; mix well. Place bread dough, seam side up, on cutting board. Slice each loaf lengthwise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open flat. Lightly sprinkle flour evenly over dough. Roll dough crosswise to a 4-inch width, creating a well down center of each loaf.

Spoon half of the chicken mixture down center of each loaf. Gather up edges over filling, pinching firmly to seal. Place loaf, seam sides down, in an "X" pattern on your baking sheet. Crisscross ends of dough to form a large figure "8", keeping ends of dough 1-inch from end of baking sheet.

Combine egg white and seasoning mix; lightly brush over dough. Cut a 3-inch slit in each of the top sections of the twist to reveal filling. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over loaf. Bake 30-32 minutes or until deep golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings.

DIJON HAM AND CHEESE TWIST

4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 pkg yeast
1 cup water
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cup chopped cooked ham
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup chopped dill pickle (or pickle relish)
1 egg

Set aside 1 cup flour. Mix remaining flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Heat water, mustard, and butter to 125 to 130 degrees F. Stir into flour mixture. Mix in enough reserved flour to make soft dough. Knead 4 minutes.

On greased baking sheet, roll dough to 14x12 in. Sprinkle ham, cheese, and pickles down center 3rd dough lengthwise. Make cuts from filling to dough edges at 1-inch intervals along sides of filling. Bring strips from opposite sides of filling together. Twist and place ends at an angle across filling; cover. Place large shallow pan with boiling water. Place baking sheet over pan; let dough rise 15 minutes. Brush loaf with egg. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES

Stir Together:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Add and mix:
1 egg
1/4 butter/margarine melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dissolve one tsp baking soda in 1 cup boiling water. Add to mix.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Makes 1 8x8" pan or 1 dozen cupcakes