Falafel

Ingredients

1 cup dried chickpeas
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh curly parsley, stems removed, tightly packed
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of cayenne
Vegetable oil for frying
YOGURT DIPPING SAUCE:
6-ounce container of plain yogurt
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Rinse the chickpeas, then soak them in a medium-size bowl in several inches of water overnight in the refrigerator. (we've found the patties won't hold together as well if you use canned chickpeas.)
To make the sauce, whisk together the yogurt and water in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Makes 1 cup.
Drain the soaked chickpeas and place them in a food processor. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend, scraping the sides if necessary, until the mixture is creamy, about 1 minute total.
Heat an inch of oil in a large, heavy frying pan to 375 degrees (a spoonful of the mixture should sizzle as soon as it's immersed). Scoop up a heaping dinner tablespoon of the falafel mixture and gently place it in the heated oil. Place 4 or 5 more spoonfuls in the pan. Fry the patties until they're thoroughly brown on one side, about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip them to brown the other side.
Drain the patties on a plate covered with a paper towel and sprinkle with additional salt, if desired. Serve with yogurt dipping sauce. Makes 16 to 20 patties.

Cranberry Cream Cheese Pinwheels

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package crescent roll dough (we used Pillsbury Crescent Rolls)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons jellied cranberry sauce

Instructions

First heat the oven to 375 degrees. Unroll the dough and divide it into 2 rectangles (most store-bought doughs are perforated down the middle). Press together any other perforations to seal them. Using a butter knife, spread the cream cheese evenly over the 2 rectangles, leaving a 1/4- to 1/2-inch border on all sides, then spread the cranberry sauce over the cream cheese. Starting at the short side, roll each piece of dough into a log, then cut each log into six 1-inch-wide slices.
Place the slices on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let the pinwheels sit for 5 minutes (to allow the filling to set) before removing them to wire racks. Serve warm. Makes 12 pinwheels.

French Quarter Beignets

Ingredients: 

Blueberry Sauce: (optional)
4 pints fresh blueberries
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water

Beignets:
1 cup warm milk (about 105 to 115 degrees F/40 to 46 degrees C)
1 package (2 1/4 tsp./7g) dry yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 medium eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick/4 oz/56g) butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups (or more) all-purpose flour

Solid vegetable shortening (for deep-frying)

Confectioners' sugar, for garnish

Instructions:

Blueberry Sauce: (optional)
Puree all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Strain through fine sieve into heavy medium saucepan. Season sauce to taste with more sugar, if necessary. Simmer sauce over medium-low heat until syrupy, about 20 minutes.

Do-Ahead Tip:
Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Beignets:
Combine milk and yeast in large bowl; let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs and melted butter. Add 3 cups flour and stir to form moist sticky dough.

Knead dough on floured work surface, incorporating flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic, and no longer sticky, about 10 minutes. Form into ball. Lightly oil same large bowl; place dough in bowl. Cover with kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes.

Heat shortening in deep-fryer to 325 degrees F (160 C). Transfer dough to floured work surface. Punch dough down; cover with kitchen towel and let stand for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle dough with flour. Using rolling pin, roll out dough into 12-inch square. Using pizza cutter, trim edges slightly to form perfect square. Cut dough crosswise into 4 equal strips. Cut each strip into 6 pieces, forming 24 rectangles total.

Working in batches, fry dough rectangles in hot oil until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Using slotted metal spoon, transfer beignets to paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

Arrange 3 beignets on each of 8 plates. Ladle blueberry sauce (optional) over and around beignets. Generously sprinkle confectioners' sugar over beignets. Alternatively, place beignets on platter. Generously sprinkle with confectioners' sugar, and serve blueberry sauce (optional) alongside.

Sweet Potato Doughnuts

Ingredients: 

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. Plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups warm mashed sweet potatoes
1 tsp. salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup milk

Oil, for frying

Confectioners' or granulated sugar, for rolling or sprinkling

Instructions:

Sift together the flour and the baking powder. Set aside.

Whip the warm mashed sweet potatoes, then gradually add the salt, lightly beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter, nutmeg, and milk, and blend thoroughly. Stir in the flour/baking powder mixture and mix until well blended into a soft dough, as for biscuits. Chill dough well for at least 1 hour.

Turn a portion of the dough onto a floured work surface and roll or pat to a thickness of 1/2-inch. The dough should be soft but firm enough so that it doesn't stick to the work surface. Cut out doughnuts with a floured doughnut cutter* (see note below).

Lay the doughnuts on a floured baking sheet as you cut them with doughnut cutter.

Heat oil in a frying pan or dutch oven on medium heat (oil should be approximately 375 degrees F/190 degrees C) and drop doughnuts into pan of hot oil, a few at a time. Turn doughnuts as they brown. Remove doughnuts from hot oil with kitchen tongs or slotted spatula and place on paper towels to let oil drain off. Repeat making doughnuts with remaining dough.

If desired, roll doughnuts in granulated sugar or sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Doughnuts are best served warm.

Note: If you don't have a doughnut cutter, cut dough with a 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter. Cut out center of doughnuts with a 3/4-inch round cutter.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen doughnuts.

Almond Crème

Ingredients: 

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
3 cups whipping cream
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract

Garnish: (optional)
Fresh raspberries and chocolate curls, optional

Instructions:

In a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand for 1 minute. Stir in cream and sugar. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until gelatin is dissolved.

Remove from the heat. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over medium heat until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F/70 degrees C (do not boil). Remove from the heat. Stir in almond extract.

Pour into dessert dishes. Refrigerate until set. Garnish with raspberries and chocolate curls if desired.