White Chocolate Cream

Ingredients:

2 ounces white chocolate
1/2 pint heavy cream

Using the medium side of a grater, grate white chocolate into a bowl.  Bring the heavy cream to a slow boil, removing it from the heat when the bubbles begin.

Pour the cream over the white chocolate and let it sit for a few moments to melt.  Stir it until it is smooth.

Refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours.

Whip the cream forming soft peaks.

This cream is delicious with fresh strawberries.

Bargain Box Olive Zaatar Buns

Dough:

3  cups flour

1 tsp fast yeast

1 tsp salt

3 Tbl olive oil

1 cup water

Filling

1 Tbl Dried Zaatar (mixture of sesame seeds, ground sumac, dried thyme, oregano, marjoram available at Middle Eastern stores)

2 Tbl olive oil

2 Tbl olive paste (blend black pitted Kalamata olives with garlic in a small processor)

The day before you plan to serve these:

Combine flour, salt, and yeast, oil, and water in a bowl.  Mix until a dough is formed (you may need more water if it is particularly dry).   Use your hand to lightly knead it in the bowl.  Cover the bowl with a plate and let rise until doubled.  Pat down the dough and let it sit covered overnight.  It is not necessary to knead this dough because of the long rising time.

Put the dough on a board and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Make the zaatar oil by combining the herbs and olive oil in a jar.

Divide the dough in two. (You will need a long counter space to roll this dough out on, if you don’t have that divide it into three pieces.) Roll out the first piece to a long strip, trying to square off the ends.  The strip should be approximately 4 inches wide.  Let the first piece rest for ten minutes and roll out the second piece. 

Roll the first piece out longer, the rest period allows it to do this.  Once you have a long strip brush the zaatar oil on it in a thin layer.  Leave about ¼ inch on the far side.  Brush with a thin layer of olive paste (if the olive paste is thick, thin it with olive oil). 

Roll the strip up to make a long rope of dough.  Cut it into six pieces, making the pieces at the end a little longer.

Using your hand, coat a baking sheet with a small amount of olive oil.  Rolling the buns will be easier if your hands have a bit of oil on them.

Take each piece of dough; roll it so that it is longer and a bit more compact.  Turn each piece into a spiral, pat it down to flatten it out, and put it on the prepared baking sheet.  Do the same with the second piece of dough.

Let the buns rest for 30 minutes.  Bake in 375 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.

Yield 12 buns

Adapted from a recipe from tasteofbeirut.com