Back to School:Tortilla Roll-ups

Tortilla Roll-ups

PREP TIME:

20 Minutes

DIFFICULTY:

Easy

SERVINGS:

6 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, Softened
• 1 Tablespoon Chopped Green Onions Or Chives
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Parsley
• 8 whole Basil Leaves, Chopped (or Chiffonade)
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
• 6 whole Taco Sized Flour Tortillas
• 1/2 pound Shaved Turkey
• 3 whole Carrots, Peeled And Julienned
• 1 whole Cucumber, Seeds Scraped Out And Julienned
• 3 leaves Green Leaf Lettuce, Spine Removed
• 2 whole Avocados, Sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the herbed cream cheese by combining the softened cream cheese with the chives, parsley, basil, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Spread cream cheese in a thin layer over the tortillas. Lay ingredients down the middle of the tortilla: for the turkey rollup, use turkey, carrots, and cucumber. For a "salad" rollup, use lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and avocado. Let the veggies extend past the edges on either side. 

Roll up the tortillas as tightly as they'll go, then wrap each rollup in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. 

To slice, cut each rollup exactly in half, then line up the two halves and cut them in half again. Stand the end pieces up so that the veggies stick out the top.

Homemade Pop Tarts

Homemade Pop Tarts
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

For the pastry:
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), cut into pats
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk

Place the flour, sugar, salt, and butter in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse crumb. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk until well combined. Add to the mixture in the food processor, and pulse until the dough starts to come together.

Divide the dough in two, and roll each half into a ball. Wrap the balls of dough in plastic, and press into discs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to two days.

Prepare your filling (recipe ideas below), and set aside. Roll out one of the discs of dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a ruler as a guide, cut rectangles that are approximately 3” x 4” inches. Re-roll the scraps and continue cutting until you have made as many equal rectangles as you can. Repeat the process with the second disc of dough.

Place half of the rectangles on a parchment or silpat lined cookie sheet. Beat one egg, and brush the top of each rectangle with the eggwash (this helps seal the tarts together). Place 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each, and top with the second rectangle of dough. Press the edges together, and score with the tines of a fork (optional).

Place the cookie sheet with the prepared pop-tarts back in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. While they are chilling, preheat your oven to 350F◦. Once the oven is preheated, remove the tarts from the refrigerator. Poke holes in the tops with a fork or toothpick, and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove tarts from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Let the tarts cool to room temperature. Even better, refrigerate overnight before packaging.

Filling ideas:

For fruity pop tarts:
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of jam or jelly with 1-2 tablespoons flour over medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture loosens and comes to a boil. Lower heat, and continue stirring for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool before spooning over pastry dough.

For cinnamon & brown sugar pop tarts:
Whisk together ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, and 4 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour. Spoon over pastry dough.

To package: 
Once your tarts are completely cool, wrap them individually in parchment paper. Using medium sized favor bags, place two tarts in each bag, and seal with a label indicating the flavor of your filling. Adorn with personalized labels, and add a string of twine or ribbon for an added touch. For my pop-tarts, I used large oval labels in the style Candystripes.