Caramel Apple Galette

3 red or green cooking apples, unpeeled, thinly slices
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp each all purpose flour and brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
200 g frozen puff pastry
1/2 cup caramel sundae topping
2 tbsp chopped pecans

In large bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice. Add flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; mix gently.
On lightly floured board, roll 1 block of pastry to an irregular 12-inch (30cm) circle. Place on large baking sheet or pizza pan. Pile apple mixture in middle of pastry leaving a 2-inch (3 cm) border. Fold dough border over fruit, pleating edges and pressing them together to keep fruit in place.
Bake at 400 degF 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and apples are tender. Cool slightly on rack.
Serve warm cut into wedges, drizzle each serving with caramel topping and sprinkle with pecans.
Makes 8 servings
Hint: For an attractive edging to pastry, brush with beaten egg and spinkle with 2 tsp sugar before baking.

Sidenote: Do not twist dough repeatedly: this creates an interesting texture but the layers may be less flaky. Receipe can be modified into palm-sized apple pies. Cut apple slices into small squares. Add more flour but less cinnamon so that mixture is beige, not brown. Add more sugar in place of caramel. Skip the pecans but do sprinkle fine sugar. Make sure the thickness of the puff allows room for expansion.

Chocolate Raspberry Napoleons

Pastry
200 g Frozen puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
Sauce
300 g frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup icing sugar
Filling
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup raspberries

On lightly floured board, roll 1 block of pastry to 12x7-inch (30x17.5cm) rectangle. Cut a 1-inch (2.5cm) long strip off 1 edge; use to decorate tops of napoleons. Cut remaining pastry into 8 3-inch squares. Brush with mixture of egg and milk; add decorations and brush with egg mixture. Bake att 400 degF (200 degCel) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
For sauce, puree thawed raspberries. Press through sieve to remove seeds. Whisk in icing sugar. Refrigerate. Melt chocolate chips over hot water. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Refrigerate. Beat cream until stiff peaks form.
To assemble, cut pastry crosswise in half, spread bottom half with about 2 tbsp each chocolate mixture and then whipped creaml add fresh berries and top half of pastry. Serve with raspberry sauce.
Makes 8 servings.

P.S. still perfecting that crispy puff dough, so using prepared frozen dough now.

Grilled Salmon Fillet with Fruit Salsa

Farmed vs wild: the current controversey over salmon. Seems that this fish is becoming increasingly popular, especially during this hot summer. Here's 1 receipe with a tip on cooking a fillet, although salmon tastes just as good when eaten raw.

1.5 lb salmon fillet
1 cup of seasonal fruit e.g. cherries, strawberries, mango, pineapple, cut into 1-1.5cm cubes
3 tbsp canola or olive oil
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
2 cloves of garlic, mined
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 red onion, choppped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
sugar, salt, pepper to taste

Marinate salmon for a maximum 2 hours before cookinh.
Combine salsa ingredients and refrigerate while salmon is cooking.
Cook salmon fillet as below:
Grill -- preheat grill to medium and brush with oil. Place fillet on grill skin-side up, cover with lid. Turn half-wau through cooking.
Oven -- preheat oven to 200 degcel. Baket fillet skin-side down on baking pan.
20-25 minutes for frozen fillet. 10-15 for thawed fillet. Salmon is cooked when it appears opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Serve with chilled salsa on the side.
Serves 4.

(from Aquastar. www.aquastar.com)