Fortune Cookie (Culinary Mystery) (45 page)

Spread half of the batter in the bottom of the greased pan. Arrange apple slices on top of batter, then cover with dollops of remaining batter, smoothing as well as possible over the apples. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold, with or without vanilla ice cream.

*If using apple pie filling in place of apples, decrease sugar in the cake to ⅓ cup.

Note: For more flavor in the cake itself, sprinkle ½ cup of crumb topping over the apples before adding the second layer of cake batter.

Makes 6 servings (or about a dozen muffins).

Frittata

6 eggs

1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated

½ teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon butter

½ cup chopped roasted asparagus

½ cup chopped ham

1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves (or ½ teaspoon dried parsley)

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Preheat oven to broil setting.

In medium-sized bowl blend together eggs, Parmesan, pepper, and salt with a fork until eggs are well beaten. Heat a 12-inch, nonstick, oven-safe sauté pan over medium heat. Melt butter in pan. Add asparagus and ham and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula just enough to combine eggs with the meat and veggies. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes without stirring or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom. Sprinkle with parsley.

Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. Remove from oven and, if desired, top with 2 ounces of your favorite cheese. Let cool for a few minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve immediately.

Enjoy with a variety of meats and vegetables—just avoid something that would throw off the consistency of the egg mixture, such as cream cheese or salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: This is a great way to use up leftover meats and vegetables.

Fortune Cookies

Note: The key to good fortune cookies is
patience.
Reading the recipe all the way through before beginning the process is also a very good idea.

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg white, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla (almond extract gives cookies a different flavor)

⅓ cup flour

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Grease two cookie sheets. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and place one cookie sheet inside while the oven heats up.

In a small bowl, mix softened butter and sugar with a fork until smooth. Add egg white and vanilla and mix until well blended and smooth.

Blend in flour 1 spoonful at a time, mixing until batter is well blended and smooth.

When oven is preheated and batter is prepared, removed heated cookie sheet from oven and put the second cookie sheet inside the oven to heat while you prepare your first batch.

Dip the rim of a drinking glass (about 3 inches in diameter) in flour, and press four outlines firmly onto the hot cookie sheet. These rings will serve as your guide for the size and shape of the cookies.

Drop one teaspoon of batter into each outlined circle and use the back of a spoon to carefully spread out batter to cover the entire ring. Cookie should be quite thin. (The heated cookie sheet melts the butter in the batter, making the batter easier to smooth out.)

Put cookies in the oven and remove second heated cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned.

(It’s a good idea to do just one cookie on your first pan to make sure you know the right amount of cooking time. Doing more than four cookies at a time might lead to burnt fingers as you try to hurry and shape the cookies before those remaining on the pan cool too much to be handled.)

While the first batch of cookies are baking, prepare the second batch by filling flour circles with batter on the newly heated pan.

Remove baked cookies from oven and place cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Place second pan of cookies into the oven and bake another 5 to 6 minutes.

Quickly loosen the cookies from the sheet with a spatula but don’t turn them over. Working with one cookie at a time, place fortune in the center and gently fold cookie in half. Hold edges together while putting the folded side of the cookie over the edge of a mug or cup, pulling the corners down, one on the inside of the mug and one on the outside. Quickly place folded cookie in a muffin tin to keep its shape as it cools.

Repeat with remaining cookies. If cookies become too brittle to fold, return to oven briefly to soften.

Note: Food coloring can be used in batter but colors may not stay true during cooking.