Broiled Lobster Tails with Lemon Saffron Butter

My family loves seafood - it's a weekly meal at our home. Although it's not always lobster tails, this is the holiday season and I want to serve something special. Lobster is a delicate seafood with sweet subtle taste. And the best part? It feels so festive and cooks in no time, leaving me lots of time to enjoy with my family. Broiled Lobster Tails with Lemon Saffron Butter is simple, yet such a delicious and luxurious meal. I love to broil lobster tails because it is quick and easy and a method that works every single time. The lobster meat is so delicate you don’t want to overcook it otherwise it hardens. Don’t let this scare you just follow this simple rule. Its best to broil the lobster tails for about one minute per ounce and having the lobster tail about 5 - 6 inches from the heat in the oven. The lobster once cooked will turn beautiful opaque in color with a white center.

Cooking delicious food (no matter what is is) for others during the holidays or really anytime of the year is a rewarding way to express self-love and love for others. When you cook for yourself and others, it is an experience that heightens the love and joy of giving.

Broiled lobster Tails with lemon saffron butter is simple yet such a delicious meal and will make my family feel loved and appreciated this holiday season.

Saffron Butter

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• Large pinch of Saffron * slightly crushed in with a mortar and pestle.

• sea salt

• white pepper

* Saffron is a plant. The dried stigmas (thread-like parts of the flower) are used to make saffron spice. It can take 75,000 saffron blossoms to produce a single pound of saffron spice. Saffron is largely cultivated and harvested by hand. Due to the amount of labor involved in harvesting, saffron is considered one of the world's most expensive spices.

When buying saffron, choose the thread-form over ground whenever possible, as ground saffron has a shorter shelf life than the dried threads. To help release intensified flavor and color from saffron. Briefly soak the saffron threads in a hot liquid before adding them to the dish, in this case our warmed butter.

Directions

Melt butter in a sauce pan on low heat. We don't want to get any color. Once warm and melted add in the saffron and whisk. You will start noticing that the butter will turn into this beautiful orange color. Add the lemon juice and season butter to taste with salt and white pepper.

* Saffron

Ingredients

• 4 4-ounce lobster tails don't throw away the shells they make the perfect seafood stock

• Saffron butter

• Sea salt to taste

• Extra lemon wedges to serve

• a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley

Broiled Lobster

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler, and place the rack about 6 inches away from the direct heat.

2. How to Prepare/Butterfly Lobster Tails: Using kitchen scissors, cut the top shell of the lobster down the middle. If you cut through the meat that's ok but don’t cut through the bottom shell.

3. Spread open the shell a bit to expose the meat. Work carefully, shells can be sharp. Open the shell using your thumbs and fingers and loosen the meat from the shell (remove vein if present). Lift the meat from the shell, keeping it attached at the base. Press the shell together and set the lobster meat over the top.

4. Brush the tops of the lobster tails generously with the saffron butter mixture. Broil for about 4- 6 minutes until the meat is firm and opaque (white) and an instant read thermometer registers 140°F in the center of the tail.

5. serve with more saffron butter for dipping, lemon wedges and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

ps. don't throw away the lobster shells make a stock

Yansoon No chill Holiday Cookies

words on the cookies: Eid in Arabic means Holiday, and Hub means love, everything else was too long to stamp lol

A sugar cookie is such a simple pleasure. They’re so buttery, sweet and melt in your mouth. The same reasons my kids say i ruined this sugar cookie recipe. Don't listen to them i have been adding anise to these cookies since they were old enough to decorate them and every year i hear the same story "mom, here comes the aneeeeese cookies again, why aneeeesssseee!!!. Why, because flavors of anise and citrus are very common in Arab baked goods and treats. Anise seeds are in fact steeped to make a warm cozy tea that's often served in the winter months. That cozy aroma always reminds me of my teta's house in the winter and the image of teta sitting by the stand alone heater with her white shawl over her shoulders and thick socks and slippers. Its my way of incorporating the flavors that are familiar to me growing up to new traditions and ideas. I never grew up with cut out cookies when i was little in Palestine, but we always had an anise or yansoon flavored cookie of sort for the holidays.

This tradition all started when a friend shared with me what she claimed to be the perfect cut out cookie recipe. I was an intimidated baker 15 years ago so i wanted to believe her. she sent me a clipped page out of i think a Parents magazine . And i never looked back again at any sugar cookie recipe. because when you find a recipe for a good one, you hold on tight. Although its a family joke that i add anise seeds to the cookies but we all love it so much and its the cookie Santa is been requesting for years. It even became the cookie of choice for my friend tammy. Tammy and I bake together for the holidays every year and this is the recipe she always requests. I know how to make these cookies with my eyes closed but please don't ask me about any frosting tips, you can see for yourself in the photo above, the lines are barely straight. Wishing you Hub (love), Farah (joy) and Salam (peace) this holiday season and always.

Anise Cut Out Sugar Cookies - No chill cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) softened unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar (original recipe calls for 1.5 cups of sugar, adjust to your taste)

1 egg at room temperature

1.5 tsp Anise extract or vanilla extract

2 and 3/4 cups AP flour

2tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tbls roughly ground anise*

zest of a lemon

what is Anise Seed:

Anise seed is used as a spice, either ground or whole. and often used in baked goods in the Middle East and also enjoyed brewed as tea or a digestive after dinner. The seeds have an aroma of licorice, its sweet and very aromatic

Directions

Preheat the over to 350

Mix the sugar and softened butter until pale yellow and fluffy, add egg, zest and extract.

In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients gradually to the wet until combined. Combine the dough into a ball. On a floured surface divide the dough into 2 balls. Don't chill the dough if you are baking it right away. .

Then use a rolling pin to roll each disk out to 1/4- to 1/8-inches thick. .. Don't roll dough too thin if you re decorating the cookies this way they are sturdy and perfect for frosting .. Using a floured cookie cutter cut out your shapes. Re-roll the dough scraps to cut out additional cookies.

position the baking rack in the middle position in your oven.

Bake on silicone baking mat or parchment paper until light brown and cooked about 7-8 minutes. start checking them at 7 minutes. You want to bake your cookies until the edges are set and just barely starting to turn golden. Baking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your cookies.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to completely cool before decorating them.

Store cookies in an airtight container they will last up to one week.

Recipe Tips:

- i like to grind my spices from whole. So for this recipe i used a coarse ground but if you have anise seeds powder go ahead an use it.

- This dough can be made in advance. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

- To freeze: Form the dough into a ball, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in an airtight container and freeze 2 to 3 months. Let thaw completely in the fridge before using.

- This roll-out cookie dough recipe is great for making cut-out cookies of all shapes and sizes. They will hold their shape and can easily be customized

Orange Blossom, Seville Marmalade & Cranberry Fresh Relish

Orange Blossom, Seville Marmalade & Cranberry Fresh Relish is a nice addition to your thanksgiving table. It adds a beautiful color and a vibrant fresh flavor that would compliment your roasted meats and creamed veggies. It’s fresh, slightly sweet and tart, it’s delicious.

I started with the recipe my mother in law makes every thanksgiving but Instead of sugar I boosted the sweetness of the sour cranberries with a Seville Orange marmalade that my mom sent me from a local women Co-op in the village of Ein Areek Palestine. Although you can use any sweetener you want, any citrus marmalade, cranberry jam, maple syrup or honey will be great too. I tinted the flavor of this relish with orange blossom water. Orange blossom water is so floral, its distilled with the essence of flowers from orange trees. Specifically, bitter oranges the variety that's used in the marmalade my mom sent. This variety of orange grows in Palestine and in the Levant.

For another twist on this delicious relish try my Cranberry and labaneh Crostini a perfect appetizer during the holidays.

Orange Blossom, Seville Marmalade & Cranberry Fresh Relish

Ingredients:

• 1 orange peeled and diced

• Zest of the orange

• 12 Oz fresh cranberries washed

• 1/2 tsp orange blossom

• Add 2 tbls of Seville orange marmalade **, you can also add marmalade or maple syrup or honey. Adjust the sweetness to your liking

**Seville oranges are extremely juicy, slightly sweet, tangy and bitter. Flavors that will give any dish savory or sweet a tart, clean and crisp taste. They are ideal for marmalade because of their wonderfully strong orange taste. After a while this orange, which began as sour and bitter, is transformed into a delightfully sweet and tart marmalade, truly unmatched in flavor.

Direction:

This is the consistency we are looking for.

Grate the zest from the orange and set aside. Cut off any remaining pith from the orange. Cut the orange into chunks.

In a food processor, pulse the cranberries for a few seconds to get them going. Add the orange chunks, orange zest, and pulse until finely chopped. We are looking for a thick mixture not a puree, add the marmalade or the sweetener of choice. Add the orange blossom and pulse to combine.

If it’s not sweet enough to your liking then you can add honey, maple syrup or few tbls of sugar.

This can be assembled up to a few days in advance and enjoyed for a few days after.

For another twist on this delicious relish try my Cranberry and labaneh Crostini a perfect appetizer during the holidays.