Pensioner's Delight: Potluck/Party Muffletta lower-fat multi-layered Italian sarnie, dairy-free opt, vegetarian opt

67goingon50's Pensioners' Muffletta, a multi-layered Italian-style sandwich for the dentally challenged (including toddlers) using soft bread & delcately textured lively fillings ...

It may look like a load of standard fillings but nearly every one has a taste twist that provides stunning flavours

Normal mufflettas use crispy topped panini or ciabatta with chewy interiors and layers of cold Italian charcuterie, olives and salad.  They are, to be sure, fabulous.

But this one was a special treat for 4 delightful senior ladies at a picnic during the intermission of Macbeth at Keats House.  With champers!

Readers, they were thrilled with it!

A small challah loaf big enough for 8, soft but sturdy*, was filled with 6 layers of classic soft fillings but with unexpected twists. 

The muffletta isn't frugul but nor is it extravagant, especially since the portions are loaded and 8 portions is not a small number.

The recipe may seem daunting but as long as you get everything ready (perhaps the previous day?) before you prepare and fill the bread, you will be fine.

Cost: £10'ish depending on fridge contents (6/23)

Feeds: 8 hungry people

Ingredients:

1 medium cholla or soft wholemeal loaf, plain or seeded (enough for 8 regular portions)

5-6 tbsp very soft dairy or plant butter OR for those worried about fat, soft lettuce leaves washed & throughly dried OR both

at least 8 lettuce leaves, washed and thoroughtly dried

Filling 1

dairy or plant butter and well-dried lettuce leaves

Filling 2

1/2 cup thinly sliced chicken breast

Dressing: 1 tbsp mayo

               2 tbsp thick plain dairy or plant yoghurt

               1.5 tbsp cranberry sauce or piccalilly

Filling 3

Dairy or plant brie, thinly sliced (no need to remove rind)

Filling 4

2 large thin slices ham or pastrami or spiced beef

smear of Dijon mustard

Filling 5

single layer lettuce leaves covering the meat & half way up sides

Filling 6

1 tin tuna steak (or very good quality flakes, drained & coarsely broken up)

grated zest of lemon

juice of half a lemon

2 sping onions, green & white, both finely sliced 

lots of coarsely grated black pepper

Dressing: 1.5tb olive oil; 1 tsp balsamic vinegar; half clove grated garlic (opt but adds punch); 1/2 tsp mustard (wholegrain or Dijon); salt; pinch of sugar

Filling 7

layer of thinly sliced cucumber (opt)

Filling 8

egg mayo (supermarket OR your own: eggs, hardboiled, coarsely grated & moistened with just enough yoghurt mayo to hold together OR Chinese Egg Salad

1/3 recipe supermarket or make-your-own sunblush tomato bombs, finely chopped

 

Filling 9

half a tub supermarket hummous or 67's singletons's easy skinny hummous

handful toasted sunflower seeds (opt)

Filling 10

single layer soft butter lettuce

Method:

Equipment needed: 2 small trays, a small heavy book

1. Prepare ingredient fillings the night before; cover; refrigerate till needed
2. At least 2 hours before serving:
3. Slice the top off the cholla bread about 1 inch/2cm in depth
4. About 1.5 inches from the edges and the bottom, cut an inner ring of soft bread; remove all but 1 inch/2cnm off the side and 1.5 inches/3m off the  bottom (there should be a circular flat base in the bottom of the loaf-see photo above)
5. lightly butter bottom and sides of loaf
6. Thoroughly dry lettuce leaves; line the base and half way up the sides with 2-3 pieces of lettuce, folding or tearing to fit
7. Separate chicken pieces to prevent clumping; add only enough dressing to hold the contents together generously but not wet
8. Cover with thinly sliced brie, leaving spaces if necessary to reach the edges 
9. Cover the brie layer entirely with slices of ham/pastrami; smear lightly with Dijon mustard
10. Cover with a layer of lettuce 
11. Pour ingredients for tuna dressing into a small jar with tight lid; shake until mixture thickens, set aside; lightly stir tuna with rest of tuna layer ingredients until well mixed; pour over dressing...the fish will be a little dry which is as it should be. Spread evenly over lettuce; cover with cucumber slices if using 
12. Mix egg mayo with finely chopped sunblush tomato, adding a little of the juices if you like; spread egg over tuna
13. Cover egg with hummous; scatter over sunflower seeds
14. Cover with soft dry lettuce; top with cholla lid
15. Wrap tightly twice in clingfilm; place on a tray
16. Cover with second small tray; place a good sized book on top
17. Refrigerate a few hours...no more than 4
18. Slice into wedges on site

Comments from the feisty group of mature ladies/early feminists:

'This is really really nice!'

'Could I have a bigger piece? Oh, alright, I'll have two!'

'Very tasty.'

'Yes, I would love to take home the leftovers!!'

'Think it's going to be bunch of boring old fillings? Think again.  Nearly every layer has an unexpected and unusual flavour.  Fabulous!'

Tips:

Vegetarian option: 

• replace chicken with tofu 'chicken' gougons
• replace ham with vegan deli ham (M&S/Waitrose) OR thinly sliced vegetarian frankfurthers (Tivali: Waitrose, Mr Mistry South End Green) 

* small cholla loaf £4+, Roni's Hampstead & Belsize Village, Panzers, Waitrose 

Notes:  The muffletta is an Italian sandwich originating in New Orleans.  It's always been hefty despite - in the early days - having only three components: bread, spicy olive salad and Italian charcuterie.  Nowadays there is a wide choice of fillings including soft cheeses, cooked and raw vegetables, deli meats and rich dressings.

                 Please leave a Comment in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced without the author's written permission

FESTIVE FAN ROLLS: Special Occasion Indulgence, prep ahead

Attractive pull-apart fan rolls are soft and rich -- an asset on the festive table.

updated 12/24; first posted 11/20 

Sour Cream adds richness & tenderness to a yeasted roll
'So soft inside they melt in the mouth. The butter...!' 

This Canadian recipe* uses sour cream and yeast to produce a rich but light bread roll which pulls apart into buttery layers. 

The fan rolls look pretty, are soft and delicate inside a crusty exterior and a joy to eat. 

And there's a bonus for next day -- leftover dough can be made into cloverleaf rolls with three lobes for breakfast or a sandwich bar.

The recipe is not complicated but involves a few easy steps and a bit of kneading.  

They can be ready in a few hours, start to finish.  But if you're pressed for time, start the day before, refrigerating the dough after the first rise.  Wait until the morning of serving before shaping the dough into fans; otherwise the rolls lose their definition.

Obviously, making them on Christmas Day morning is not a good idea.  But they can be made ahead and frozen.  If they go into the freezer within 2-3 hours of being baked and are cold (ie not warm), after defrosting, they'll be like fresh.  Warm them up in a medium oven 5-10 mins.

Making them is a terrific family project when everyone is sheltering inside against the grey, windy and wet.  Older kids will love forming the fans. 

The amounts given here are for a small household but multiplies easily.

Note: the blogger is working on a dairy-free version;watch this space

Cost: £3.50'ish (12/24)

Makes: 18-20   

Ingreds:

   250gm/8.8oz plain flour, divided 

   50gm/1.7oz sugar

   1 tablespoon instant yeast

   2/3 tsp salt  

   1/8 tsp baking powder 

   250gm/8oz sour cream

   120ml water  

   40gm1.4oz butter

  

   1 large slightly beaten egg 

   125gm/4.4oz plain flour

   up to another 125gm/4.4oz plain flour

   1-2 tbsp orange butter (see below), melted

Method:

(SLIGHTLY) HEALTHIER SWEET PASTRY, EASY PEASY

 

 This recipe is repeated after dropping off some search engines  

Spectacularly simple sensational sweet pastry a la Great British Baking Champion Candice Brown...

Gorgeous sweet pastry (before trimming) from pie-phobe 67 without angst!! 
'On a par with 5-star hotels; the best I've ever had' Blogger 

This fantastic pastry is easily one of the best 67 has ever made -- or ever eaten.  Beautiful texture, wonderful taste, it's like pastry found in 5-star+ hotels.  It's hard to believe it's home made.  

For anyone afraid of pastry, this method from Candice Brown (she of the Bake-Off lipsticks) is a lifesaver.  The pastry is made like cake: butter and sugar are creamed, eggs are added and then flour. 

The result?  A melt-in-the mouth biscuit-like shell not unlike a delicately sandy French sable.  It's perfect for custard, fruit and cream pies.  

It is very rich with four egg yolks and is for special occasions. But brown sugar replaced some white and one-third of the flour is wholemeal.

 

The recipe can be turned into Sweet Pastry Biscuits to accompany mousses and fruit parfaits.  

Sweet Pastry Biscuits

Cost: £1.75
Makes: a 25cm/10inch shell or 35 biscuits

Ingred:
   100gm/3 1/2oz unsalted soft butter
     75gm/2 1/2oz white sugar
     25gm/scant 1oz soft brown sugar

  4 egg yolks

  125gm/4 1/2 oz white flour
    59gm/1 3/4oz wholemeal flour
    25gm/scant 1oz ground almonds
    zest 1 lemon

Equipment: 23-25cm/10-11inch loose bottomed fluted tart tin or equiv.  For biscuits: baking sheets 

Method

RASPBERRY & WHISKEY EASY-BAKE CHEESECAKE , an indulgence

Being able to make this light lovely easy-bake cheesecake 48 hours before needed is a bonus...

Indulgent dark chocolate oats, cloud-like filling & whiskey soaked raspberries.   
'Yummy!!' Tasters

The gorgeous colours of this easy-bake cheesecake with raspberries makes it a natural for Valentine's Day but the addition of whiskey and crunchy chocolate hobnobs adds a touch of Burns Night.

This is not a dessert for vegans.  It's rich with dairy -- cream cheese, yoghurt and soured cream.  It has eggs, too, and more sugar than is usual for 67 desserts, though quantities have been slightly reduced.  

The baked cheesecake produces a fluffy, almost cloud-like body that somehow provides a delicate heft.  Unlike most cheesecake bases, this one is thin and crispy.

Properly chilled, it is unbelievably good.

It is a definite indulgence - calorifically and financially, even if you take advantage of some the cream cheese bargains in the supermarkets.

But it is a dessert intended for special occasions and, with the filling being rather deep, it will go far.

Cost: £6-7
Serves: 10

Base:
    200g/7oz dark chocolate hobnobs
      60g/2.1 oz unsalted butter, melted


Filling:
   480g/17oz full-fat cream cheese (67 used Duchy organic; Philadelphia will be fine)
   160ml plain yoghurt (not too thick)
    1 tsp vanilla extract 
    3 yolks from med free range eggs

     3 egg whites from med free-range eggs, separated
     100g/3.5oz caster sugar
       
Topping:
   250-300ml soured cream

Garnish:
   150gm/5.2oz raspberries, 1/2 mashed, the rest quartered, mixed with a tablespoon or two of sugar & whisky
    
Method:

CHILLIN' WITH A VERSATILE ROULADE

Kick back and relax with this gorgeous triple-duty roulade...

Spinach Roulade with Cream Cheese & Taramasalata
(options for sun-blush tomatoes and ham/pastrami)

A spinach roulade which has can chill in the fridge for several hours is perfect for a special occasion or a hot spell.

Whenever this recipe from 67goingon50, appears it prompts eliciting many ooh's and ah's.  It has a pillowy outer topped with creamy beautifully seasoned layers.  

And trust me:  guys - including die-hard carnivores - love this roulade as much as ladies.  

Fresh spinach is recommended but if you haven't the time for the sorting and cleaning required, frozen spinach is fine (though flavour may be slightly compromised, in which case choose well seasoned filling as below)

The taramasalata lifts the roulade out of the ordinary, its saltiness setting off the cream cheese.  If taramasalata is not your thing, replace with a garlicky beetroot hummus and add 1/3 tsp cayenne for a kick.  

OR
  

Spinach Roulade with
sun blush tomato bombs

1. try a single layer of cream cheese pureed with a few tablespoons of sun-blush toms (left) and, if you like, puree with 2 ounces smoked salmon,then stir in another 2 ounces shredded smoked salmon 

2. or scatter the cream cheese with antipasti (sun blush toms, chopped artichoke hearts and/or olives)

3. If you must please carnivores,  finely minced cooked ham or pastrami/spiced beef mixed with mild mustard mayo can replace taramasalata


Planning is required; part of the preparation takes place the day before and the roulade should be made several hours before serving.

Cost: min £8;ish , depending on spinach & additions (6/25)
Serves: 6-10, depending on width of slices

Ingred:

Roulade:
   400gm/14oz fresh spinach, stems & grotty leaves removed (1 generous (250ml) cup after being cooked and squeezed)  or 538gm/10oz/1.5 cup frozen spinach, drained

     10gm plant or dairy butter melted
       1/2 tsp powdered nutmeg, fresh grated if poss
       1/4-1/3 tsp salt and 1/3 tsp pepper, to taste 
       4 tbsp finely chopped chives or 4 tsp dried chives
       1/2 tsp cayenne (opt)

    4 large eggs at room temperature,  separated    

   

Filling: 

   100gm/3.5oz 40% dairy or plant cream cheese 
   zest of a half a lemon
  
   100gm/3.5oz taramasalata (or alternative filling as above)

   couple of tablespoons dairy or plant parmesan (opt)
   
Method: