Black And White Triangles Recipes

SPANAKOPITA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until it starts to soften, about 5 minutes
• Add the garlic and dill. Cook with the onions, stirring frequently, until caramelized and soft, about 5 more minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
• Squeeze the defrosted spinach to drain all the water possible. You should end up with around 1 cup of spinach. Transfer to the skillet on top of the onion mixture.
• Add the parsley, green onions, lemon zest, ground pepper, feta cheese to the skillet and stir to distribute mixture evenly.
• Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• On a clean surface, roll out the phyllo pastry. Cut into 2 ½-3" wide strips lengthwise using a pizza cutter. Cover the pastry with a barely damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
• On a clean surface, layout 1 layer of phyllo pastry and brush it down with a small amount of butter using a pastry brush and very gentle motions.
• Place a second layer of pastry directly on top of the first and brush that with a small amount of butter.
• In one corner of the pastry layers, place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling mixture. Squish it into an approximate triangle that nearly reaches the edges.
• Fold the corner of the pasty with the filling over to reach the nearest opposite edge of the pastry. Then, roll the filling triangle towards the empty end of the pastry. Again, fold the triangle to the nearest opposite side. Repeat these last two steps until you reach the end of the pastry rectangle.
• Place the triangle on the prepared baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat the assembly with all the pastry sheets and filling. The triangles can be placed fairly close together on the baking sheet, about ½".
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

BLACK-AND-WHITE TRIANGLES

Steps:

• Prepare 2 batches of basic shortbread, one plain and one chocolate; for chocolate, sift cocoa powder with the flour and salt.
• Form each dough into a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight). Roll out plain dough to 1/4-inch thickness; roll out chocolate dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Place plain dough on top of chocolate dough. Cut into 1 1/2-by-3-inch triangles; refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Bake on a cookie sheet until firm and just starting to color, 20 to 25 minutes.

BLACK-AND-WHITE HALVAH

Steps:

• Lightly coat an 8 1/2x4 1/2" loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang on long sides. Place a sheet of parchment paper on work surface and lightly coat with nonstick spray. Beat white tahini and 1/2 tsp. salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed just until smooth.
• Meanwhile, place 2/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan and remaining 2/3 cup sugar in another small saucepan. Add 1/4 cup water to each saucepan and set both saucepans over low heat. Cook, stirring with a rubber spatula to dissolve, about 4 minutes. Keep 1 saucepan over low and increase heat to medium-high for other saucepan and fit with thermometer. Cook syrup, brushing down sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve any crystals, until thermometer registers 248°F, 7-10 minutes.
• Immediately remove saucepan with boiling syrup from heat. Increase mixer speed to medium and gradually stream syrup into white tahini, aiming for the space between the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Beat just until halvah comes together in a smooth mass, less than a minute. (Do not overmix or it will be crumbly.) Working quickly, scrape onto prepared parchment and flatten with spatula until 3/4" thick. Invert a medium bowl over halvah to keep warm.
• Rinse any hardened sugar off thermometer; clip to second saucepan. Increase heat to medium-high and cook syrup, brushing down sides of saucepan with wet pastry brush, until thermometer registers 248°F, about 4 minutes.
• While the syrup is cooking, briefly beat black tahini and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt in the same bowl of stand mixer (no need to clean it out unless you have lots of hardened sugar stuck around sides) until smooth. Stream in syrup and mix just until halvah comes together in a smooth mass.
• Uncover white halvah (it should still be warm) and scrape black halvah on top; flatten to about the same shape as the white halvah. Using the sides of the parchment to lift edges, fold stacked halvah in half and flatten slightly. Repeat folding and flattening motions 4-5 times, rotating halvah as you work, to create a marbled effect (be careful not to work it too much or mixture will be crumbly). Press into prepared pan. Fold sides of parchment paper over top of halvah and let cool, at least 3 hours.
• Lift halvah out of pan using parchment overhang. Peel away parchment; cut halvah crosswise into 1/2"-thick slices.
• Do Ahead
• Halvah can be made 3 days ahead. Leave in pan. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature.