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Crispy Apple and Dried Fruit Braid

A fancy dessert that's actually simple to make! Ingredients for 6 servings 1 rectangular sheet of puff pastry. 1 egg yolk. 1 tablespoon milk. for the filling: 700g apples. 150g sugar. 1 tablespoon rum. 2 tablespoons water. 80g raisins. 80g walnuts (shelled). 2 tablespoons pine nuts. a pinch of cinnamon. 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar.  Preparation To make the filling , grab a microwave-safe bowl (glass works best) and toss in the apples cut into small cubes, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, raisins, sugar, rum, and water. Cover the bowl and pop it in the microwave for 6 minutes at full power. Then let it cool completely in the fridge. Once it's nice and cold, drain off all the juice thoroughly. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Roll out the puff pastry and picture it divided into three sections lengthwise (but don't actually cut it yet). As you can see in the photo, I've made diagonal cuts on each side, leaving the center strip intact for the...

Dates Stuffed with Parmesan Cheese and Walnuts


Ingredients

  • 28 to 30 large dates.
  • 1/2 walnut per date.
  • Shaved Parmesan cheese.

 

Preparation

Open up each date and remove the pit.

Tuck a bit of shaved Parmesan inside each one, then press half a walnut on top.

Heat your oven to 180°C with both top and bottom heat. Pop the dates in and bake just until the cheese starts to melt — you don't want to overdo it.
Bring them to the table warm or at room temperature — either way, they're a treat.

Happy holidays! I really hope you enjoy these.
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