Guest Author - Elizabeth Bissette

Fruit Salad

1 melon
2 peaches
2 pears
1 bunch of grapes
2 glasses sweet wine
1/2 c slivered almonds
1/2 c golden grapes
1/2 c honey

Cut melon in half, remove flesh and cut in pieces. Mix with the rest of the cut fruit, almonds and grapes and fill melon skins.

On a low heat, warm wine with honey, mixing well. Pour over fruit. Before serving, refrigerate 1 hour.

SESAME AND HONEY FRITTERS

2 c flour
1 c water
honey & baked sesame seeds to taste
Oil for frying


Mix flour, water and one spoon honey to make dough. Heat 2 spoons oil in a frying pan and pour ¼ of the mixture. When it thickens turn it upside down 2 -3 times, frying on both sides. Repeat 3 x. Pour over the rest of the honey and dredge sesame seeds over them.

FISH WITH CORRIANDER

2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp salt
2 steaks cod
white wine vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375. Place coriander seeds in a baking pan and bake 10 minutes. Let cool then mash with a mortar along salt. Drain fish steaks, remove tiny bones. Sift with coriander mixture and place in a baking pan basted with oil. Cover and place in oven. Bake 20 – 25 minutes. Sprinkle with vinegar and serve.

AN ANCIENT GREEK BAKLAVA

Sesame seeds, pepper, and poppy seeds are only some of the unusual ingredients in this ancient recipe. Petimezi (a sweetener made from grapes), used long before sugar arrived in Greece, adds to the unique taste. If you're hooked on the Ancients, give this recipe a try.

For dough:
4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 c of olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
a little over 2/3 c toasted sesame seeds, ground

For filling:

2/3 pd chopped hazelnuts, unsalted
2/3 pd chopped almonds, unsalted
2/3 pd chopped walnuts
1/5 pd sesame seeds
1/5 pd poppy seeds
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
3/4 c honey

For syrup:

2 c sugar
1 c water
1/4 c grapes green grapes boiled to sauce with a dash of rosewater
3/4 cup of honey

Preheat oven to 360

Combine dough ingredients, knead. Roll out into 3 equal-sized sheets about 1/8 in thick, large enough to cover a med baking pan.

Combine filling ingredients.

Place one sheet of dough in the bottom of a lightly oiled baking pan. Cover with half the filling. Add second sheet of dough and remaining filling. Place the third sheet of dough on top. Cut into squares and then diagonally to form trianges. Sprinkle with a little water and sesame seeds. Bake about 30 minutes.

When the pastry is cool, combine all syrup ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour the hot syrup over the cooled pastry.

LEEKS WITH APPLE

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp anise seeds
3 large leeks, white & tender green parts
1 Granny Smith or Fiji apple, cored & sliced
Salt and ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Whisk together oil, wine, marjoram, and anise seeds in a medium baking pan until combined. Quarter leeks and slice into 2-inch pieces. Add leeks and apple to dressing, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Bake 30 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes, until the leeks are golden and apple is soft.