Ingredients

• 16 oz. jar alfredo sauce
• 24 oz. pkg. frozen cheese ravioli
• 10 oz. pkg. frozen creamed spinach
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 8 slices french bread

Directions

In large pot, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add spinach pouch and bring back to boil. Cook for 3 minutes. Then add ravioli, return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minuets until ravioli float. Pour contents of pot into colander.

Remove spinach pouch from ravioli.

Cut open spinach pouch and pour into large skillet. Add alfredo sauce and mix gently to blend. Heat over medium heat 4-5 minutes until the mixture just begins to bubble, stirring frequently. Add cooked ravioli and stir to coat. Heat gently. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese.

Toast one side of bread. Sprinkle untoasted side of each french bread slice with 1/2 Tbsp. cheese and toast until brown. Serve bread with ravioli.

6 servings

Prep Time : 15min
Cook Time : 15min

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• Topping ingredients:
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• Crust ingredients
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• Filling ingredients:
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Crust:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Blend all ingredients and press into an 8 or 9-inch square pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are just beginning to turn golden.

Filling:

Combine sour cream, egg, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt. Beat until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Pour into shell and bake at 400º F. for 25 minutes.

Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle over pie and bake 10 additional minutes. Chill before serving.

Topping:

Combine all ingredients. Sprinkle over pie and bake 10 additional minutes. Chill before serving.

Ingredients

• Sweet short pastry:
• 175 g plain flour
• 50 g butter, softened and chopped
• 50 g icing sugar
• 1 medium egg
• 1 egg yolk
• Or use 325 g bought sweet short pastry
• Filling:
• 350 g fresh, ripe cherries, pitted (use a cherry stoner)
• 75 g almond marzipan
• 2 tsp custard powder
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 300 ml red fruits juice such as cherry, raspberry, etc.
• 1 tbsp fruit brandy (such as kirsch) or other fruit eau-de-vie
• To serve:
• vanilla custard, yogurt or crème fraîche (optional)

Directions

Have the oven preheated to 220ºC, 425ºF, Gas 7 and have ready 6 x 10 cm diameter metal flan tins (loose-based) or one large 23 cm diameter metal flan tin with a loose base. Put 150 g of the flour into a food processor with the butter, icing sugar, egg and egg yolk. Whiz, in brief bursts to make a soft, dense biscuity mass. Remove it from the processor. Work in the remaining 25 g flour by hand to make a firm, sweet dough. Plastic wrap it and chill for 30 minutes. Now divide the marzipan into eight equal portions. Cut each of these into 8 giving 64 pieces. Roll them into little balls. Push one inside each pitted cherry or else mix marzipan balls with the whole cherries, if they are unpitted. Unwrap the dough. Divide it into 6 equal portions and pat each into a circle. Roll into circles a little bigger than each flan tin. Lift and place the pastry circles into each flan tin; pastry is very soft, so if necessary, repair any tears by pushing the dough together. Push the dough to line them evenly. Prick all over with a fork. If using one large flan tin, line it with the pastry in the same way. Bake the pastry blind (no weights or foil are needed) for 15 minutes.

Add the cherries and the marzipan. Bake for a further 20-25 minutes until the cherries are soft and juicy. Now mix the sugar and custard powder together and whisk into the cherry juice. Heat over high heat, stirring to make a glossy glaze.

Cool slightly. Stir in the alcohol. Spoon or pour the glaze over the cherries. Serve hot, warm or cool with the accompaniment of your choice.

Tip: If using defrosted or bottle cherries, drain them well. Use any juice as the glaze liquid. If no eau-de-vie is available, substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla essence.

Ingredients

• 4 cups medium strawberries
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 6 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans or coconut (optional)

Directions

1. Rinse strawberries. Gently pat dry with paper towels.
2. In a small glass mixing bowl combine semisweet chocolate pieces and shortening. Pour very warm tap water (100 degrees F. to 110 degrees F.) in a larger glass mixing bowl to a depth of 1 inch. Place small bowl containing chocolate inside larger bowl. Stir the chocolate mixture constantly with rubber spatula until the chocolate mixture is completely melted and smooth (about 20 minutes). Replace warm water as necessary, always removing bowl containing chocolate mixture before adding water to larger bowl. Do not allow any water to drip into chocolate.
3. Coarsely chop the vanilla-flavored candy coating. Place in a heavy small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until melted.
4. Dip half of the strawberries in the melted semisweet chocolate pieces, and the other half in the melted vanilla-flavored candy coating. To dip strawberries, hold each strawberry by the stem end and dip halfway into melted chocolate or candy coating. Allow excess chocolate or coating to drip off fruit. (Or, dip strawberry in both the melted candy coating and melted semisweet chocolate.) Place dipped berries on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. If desired, immediately sprinkle chopped pecans or coconut onto dipped berries.
5. Let stand at least 1 hour at room temperature or until firm. Serve immediately. Makes about 30.
Make-Ahead Tip: After chocolate is firm, cover dipped berries loosely with foil and chill in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours. Let chilled berries stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup chilled butter
• 1 cup whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine first 3 ingredients. Cut in chilled butter. Add whipping cream. Mix until moist. Knead 5-7 times, until a soft moist dough forms. Divide into 3 equal portions. Pat each portion out to 1/2″ thick, cut into 8 wedges and place on baking sheet. Repeat with other 2 portions. Bake for 10-15 minutes or just until bottoms begin to brown.

Honey Butter:
Mix equal portions of butter (at room temperature) and honey. Mix well. Best served fresh. For variation, add a complementary flavoring such as cinnamon, almond extract, herbs or nuts.

Makes 24