Pecan and Strawberry Jam Mini Bars

During strawberry season, I prepared a few batches of strawberry jam. As with any jam that is prepared with a fairly small amount of sugar, it doesn’t keep as well as the sugar loaded jams. So, instead of waiting for it to spoil, I’ve decided to use some of it to prepare the following tasty mini bars.
To make things a bit more interesting, I substituted some of the flour in the dough with lightly toasted pecan, which added a nice nutty flavor. To make the dough more crispy and crumbly, I also substituted some of the flour with fine semolina.  A bit of cinnamon added another layer of aroma that worked so well with the fragrant strawberry jam.
The bars turned out very tasty and fragrant. Cutting them into mini size squares made it easier to serve them as part of a dessert buffet, but they can be cut into any size you prefer. Try them and enjoy.

Notes:
* I used homemade strawberry jam (recipe can be found HERE), but any good quality store bought can be used instead. For best results, lightly puree the jam, so it will be smoother and easier to spread over the dough.
* Any other fruit jam can be used instead of the strawberry.
* If you prefer sweeter bars, increase the amount of sugar in the dough to 1 cup, and use a sweeter jam.

Makes: about 40 mini bars, or according to your preferred size
Prep time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup semolina
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar (see notes)
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ cup lightly roasted shelled pecans
1 Stick (115 grams) butter, cold, cut into large cubes
1-2 Tbs half and half or milk
2/3 cup homemade strawberry jam, pureed (see notes) or good quality store bought

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line an 8×8” (20×20 cm) pan with baking paper.
2. Mix the semolina, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and pecans in a food processor bowl, fitted with the metal blade. Blend briefly, to form a crumbly mixture. Add 1-2 Tbs of half and half or milk, just enough to bind the mixture.

3. Transfer ¾ of the dough mixture into the lined pan, and press it with your palms, to form an even layer. Spread the jam over the dough and crumble the rest of dough on top.

4. Place the pan in the lower third of the oven. Bake for 40 minutes, until the top layer is golden. Holding the baking paper, transfer the bake onto a rack, to cool to room temperature.
5. Transfer to a large cutting board. Using a large heavy knife, cut bars any size you prefer.

Marbled Vanilla and Quark Cheese Cake

Cheese cakes are on top of my favorite cakes, but as they take a while to bake and set, and as they are quite heavy and sweet, I end up rarely making them.
Yet, the crave for the wonderful tangy flavor of baked fresh cheese is always there, so I came up with a fairly quick “fix”, in the form of the following cake.

Burekitas with Zucchini-Tomato filling

The Sephardic cuisine offers quite a few versions for Burekitas, small hand pastries, with various types of dough and fillings (check THIS post for more information about them).

Freezer Butter Cookies: One Dough, Three Flavors

This simple and easy cookies recipe goes a long way and is extremely versatile. I start with basic dough, divide it into three portions and add different flavors to each.

Green Falafel (Chickpeas and Herbs Fritters)

These little chickpea fritters are known around the Middle East, Turkey, Greece and other countries, as a tasty street food. Every country has its own version, but aside from Egypt, where the dish is made with Fava beans, all others use chickpeas as the base for the dish.
The recipe here follows the Israeli version, which was introduced by Yemenite Jews. To this, other flavors were added with time, such as the spicy Moroccan Harissa (red hot peppers paste) and other seasonings.

Pumpkin Seed and Parmesan Cheese Crackers

These tasty and easy to make crackers, have unique color and abundance of flavor.

Beet, Orange and Apple Muffins

With the cold weather and grey colors outside, bright colors can help uplift the spirit. These muffins are bursting with all-natural colors and are full of good things – just perfect for a gloomy winter morning.

Cranberry, Orange, Almond and Banana Breakfast Muffins

Fresh cranberries can be now found in the market, and I’ve been playing with ideas for using them other than in the traditional cranberry sauce. In the muffins here, the cranberries are pureed whole, along with other good ingredients like almonds, orange and bananas.

Roasted Beets and Orange Salad + Savory Beet greens Cheese Patties

When you see at the store a bunch of beets with the greens still attached to them, you know they are as fresh as it gets. Nevertheless, the fresh greens are not just an indication for the beets’ freshness; they are also edible and tasty on their own right, so it makes even more sense to buy the bunch.
Here, I have used the bunch to create two dishes: a colorful roasted beets salad and savory beet greens cheese patties.
Both dishes go great together, but you can, of course, serve each on its’ own.

Cheddar Rosemary Crackers

The following cheddar crackers will delight anyone who loves cheese crackers, but doesn’t want to munch on the commercial ones (which, actually hardly have any real cheese in them!). 

Fragrant Lime and Dried Apricots Cupcakes with Lime Icing

If you want to fill your kitchen with citrus fragrance, these easy to make cupcakes are the answer: they are loaded with lime juice and zest, and topped with lime icing. The result is light and refreshing cupcakes. The perfect treat for anyone who loves citrus cakes. Try them and enjoy.