The Vegetarian Adventure

A good vegetari an die t mee ts all today's requirements: it's n utritionally sound, both quick to prepare and easy to follow and gastrononucally sensational. With the days of overcooked vegetables and a-hundred- vvayswith- soya-beans lo ng gon e, a vegetari an menu is now first ch oice fo r a grovving nutnber of people of all ages and lifestyles.

Christmas Eve Treats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffm tins with paper liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together ~our, salt, and baking powder; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until butter is smooth. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and beat until the mixture is light and ~uffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add half of the ~our and mix until incorporated. Add half of them ilk and the vanilla and mix well. Repeat with remaining ~our and milk. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into cupcake liners, jilling them 3/4 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out clean .

Let cupcakes cool for 15 minutes, and then remove from mufjin tins to cool completely on a wire rack.

Frost with Smooth Vanilla Buttercream. Pat pomegranate seeds dry with a paper towel then sprinkle over cupcakes.

To make the frosting, place butter, cream, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on mediumhigh speed, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Reduce to low and add powdered sugar. Beat 2 minutes, then increase speed to medium-high, and beat another 5 minutes, until frosting is very light and fluffy.

Pumbkin Pirouette Mousse

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in pumpkin. Add pudding mix and pumpkin pie spice and mix well. Gradually beat in milk until incorporated well.

Set aside.
Pour cream and sugar into a medium bowl and beat on high speed until soft peaks form.

Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture.

Spoon '/2 cup of the pumpkin mousse into 8 individual serving dishes. Chill until ready to serve. To serve, top with a dollop of remaining whipped cream. If desired, sprinkle with crushed cookies.

Pas De Deux Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies

Several hours before serving, spoon softened ice cream
into a large mixing bowl and stir in lemon curd until
well combined. Return ice cream to carton or place in a
freezer-safe container and return to freezer.

Combine sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of a food
processor and process until zest and sugar are well
mixed and slightly damp. Pour lemon-sugar into a
shallow bowl.

Line a large platter with parchment paper and place
platter in freezer.

Remove ice cream from freezer and soften slightly before
assembling cookie sandwiches. Scoop a spoonful of
ice cream on top of one cookie. Place a second cookie
on top of ice cream and press down so that ice cream
reaches the edge of both cookies.

Roll edges of ice cream in lemon-sugar and place cookie
on platter in the freezer so it doesn't start to melt.
Repeat until you've used all the ice cream or have made
the number of cookies desired. Serve immediately or
store in freezer until ready to serve.

Ballerina Buns

Prepare dough the night before you want to serve the buns. In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add butter, sugar, and salt and remove from heat. Add 1 cup cold water and let mixture cool to lukewarm, about 5 minutes.

While mixture cools, dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup warm water in a separate bowl. Let mixture rest 5 minutes, until foamy .

When butter and sugar mixture is lukewarm, add eggs and yeast. Stir well to make sure sugar is dissolved. Gradually mix in hour with a wooden spoon until well mixed. The dough will be very soft and sticky. Cover pot with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. This allows enough time for dough to rise almost to the top of the pan.

When ready to shape rolls, coat 3 rimmed baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove dough from refrigerator and use a rubber spatula to scrape it out of the pot onto a well-~oured surface. Divide dough into 3 pieces. Dust the countertop or a bread board with additional hour and roll out flrst piece in a 15 x 6- inch rectangle.

Spread one third of the softened butter over the rectangle and sprinkle with one third of the cinnamonsugar mixture. Use your fmgers to slightly press mixture into dough. Roll up the dough tightly, pinching edges together when finished. Slice roll into 12 rounds.

Place rounds on prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean towel. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough. Let rolls raise 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake each sheet 15 to 20 minutes, until rolls are golden brown and cinnamon mixture is bubbly. Remove from oven and cool to to 15 minutes before glazing.

Prepare glaze by whisking together melted butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until glaze reaches a smooth, creamy consistency. Pour over warm rolls and serve immediately.

Douth:
1 cup water
1 cup cold butter,cut into chunks
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup cold water
2 (0.25-ounce)packets yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs, beaten
8 cups flour

Figging:
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cmnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Ctaze:
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 to 5 tablespoons cream