Reuben Spirals

Leslie Styles, foodie & travel aficionado, shares some delicious dishes found on her travels around the world.

There’s an old saying, “Originality is the art of concealing your source.” I don’t believe that should hold true where recipes are concerned. Many of my favourite recipes have been inspired by others, and sometimes, shamelessly lifted in their entirety, but I do believe in giving credit where credit’s due. Jean White makes the best appetizers. That’s a bold statement of fact. At 91, she’s had a few years to get it right. Her Reuben Spirals are hands down, my absolute favourite appetizer in the world. Served warm out of the oven, they smell mouth-wateringly good and taste even better. As the name suggests, they borrow some of the same ingredients as a Reuben Sandwich: corned beef and Swiss cheese. Being an efficient lady, Jean’s recipe can be made ahead of time, frozen until needed, and then thawed, sliced and baked when you want. Wonderful. So is she.

Ingredients Makes 10-12 spirals per roll
1/2 package of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
6-8 slices of deli corned beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp caraway seeds, as garnish

Directions
• On a floured surface, roll puff pastry to a 12-by-10-in. rectangle.
• Spread 1/4 cup of dijon mustard over the pastry and top with the shredded swiss cheese, then the corned beef.
• Cut the coated pastry crosswise in half, making two rectangles.
• Roll up one rectangle from the short end, jelly-roll fashion into a log shape and seal seam with water.
• Repeat with the other rectangle.
• Freeze if desired by wrapping each roll in cling film.
• Then thaw at room temperature 30 minutes before needed.
• To cook, cut each roll into 1/4-in. thick slices and place cut side up on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and sprinkle the tops with caraway seeds.
• Bake at 400°F for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Leslie Styles is president of Styles Design Inc., a Toronto-based branding and communications agency, and author of Scrumpdillyicious, a food & travel blog dedicated to all things delicious. She can be reached at stylesdesign.net and scrumpdillyicious.blogspot.com

Leave a Comment March 18, 2011

We tested it: The Rug Doctor

By Kim Carlton

After being used and abused by two humans, a cat and a baby, my condo’s three-year-old white carpets needed a good cleaning before we put it on the market. I had heard about this machine called the Rug Doctor that you could simply rent at the grocery store and use to clean your carpets yourself, so I thought I would try it out before going through the hassle and expense of hiring a professional. I rented one at the local moving truck company location and picked up the Oxy-action cleaning solution (that you have to buy separately). You plug in the machine and fill it up with solution and water.  It then works like a regular vacuum cleaner, you run it over small sections of the carpet and it washes them, and the dirty water fills into the bottom compartment. You don’t want to keep going over and over the same area as it would leave your carpet extra soaking. It leaves the carpet damp, so be sure to leave your home with the windows open, so it can dry. I would recommend vacuuming with your regular vacuum first if you have a lot of pet hair embedded in the carpets. The results were quite good – maybe not quite as thorough as having them done by a professional company– but great if you need a quick and easy solution.

Leave a Comment August 4, 2010