(from Mama Mary’s Cook Book)

Mary Ann Pastore learned to cook many things from Mike Pastore’s late grandmother, Mary Pastore, including these Italian rice balls, which they made every year for Christmas Eve. Although the rice balls involve several steps, they come together easily. The recipe calls for coating the balls in cracker meal, but Mary Ann says cornmeal or panko crumbs will work just fine.

¾ pound ground veal
5-6 eggs
½ pound Italian cheese (grated Parmesan or Romano or a combination of both)
½ pound breadcrumbs
¼ pound butter
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 pound long grain rice
4 cups cracker meal (or cornmeal or panko)
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for deep frying

Mix the following well: veal, 1 egg, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt and pepper to taste, breadcrumbs and parsley. Let it cook with olive oil in frying pan for 20 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks. Put on the side and allow to cool a little.

Cook rice according to directions. Add salt and pepper to taste, 3 eggs, butter, the rest of the cheese and stir well until it is thick. Spread on a platter and let cool.
 
Break 1 or 2 eggs into a shallow dish and beat lightly. Put cracker meal (or cornmeal or panko crumbs) in another shallow dish. Set aside.

To form rice balls, take 2 tablespoons of rice mixture and flatten out in the palm of the hand. Put 1 tablespoon of the ground meat on top of the rice mixture; then take more rice and flatten it, placing on top of the meat and with both hands form a ball of the mixture. Roll ball in beaten egg and then cracker meal (Mary Pastore sometimes double-dipped the rice balls, Mary Ann says). Put rice balls on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet until ready to fry.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or deep skillet. Deep fry the balls 1 at a time, placing them in the pan with a spoon. Do not stir, however. When bottom half is brown, turn carefully and brown other half. Place on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to drain off excess shortening. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

(Adapted from Gourmet magazine)
A childhood combination of chocolate and marshmallow. What could be better?

For cakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg

For filling
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 cups marshmallow cream such as Marshmallow Fluff
1 teaspoon vanilla

To make cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking soda and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a small bowl.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add egg to mixture, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and buttermilk in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.
 
Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Make sure cakes are baked through.Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.

To make filling: Beat together butter, confectioners’ sugar, marshmallow and vanilla in a bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

To assemble whoopie pies: Spread a rounded tablespoon filling on flat sides of half of cakes and top with remaining cakes. Makes 10 to 12 whoopie pies.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 leek, halved lengthwise, rinsed and sliced thin
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 bunch watercress, washed and dried
1 10-ounce bag of spinach, washed and dried

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leek, garlic, kosher salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice, cook for 1 minute, and then add the chicken stock. At this point, you can turn off the heat until you are ready to eat. Just before serving, bring the stock to a boil, add the watercress and spinach, stir for 1 minute to slightly wilt the leaves, and then purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
5 large carrots (about 1¼ pounds), peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds
1 small Yukon gold potato, diced into ½-inch cubes
1 square inch peeled ginger
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 sprig thyme
¼ cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, potato, ginger, kosher salt and pepper and cook until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the sprig of thyme, bring the stock to a simmer, and simmer gently until the carrots are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Purée the mixture in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to a pot and stir in the heavy cream. Reheat and serve at your leisure. This soup gets better as it sits. Serves 4.

4 beets, peeled
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, roughly diced
5 garlic cloves
3 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup very thinly sliced strips of red cabbage
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup sour cream, plus extra for garnish
Fresh dill, minced, for garnish

Dice 1 of the beets into ½-inch cubes. Shred the remaining 3 beets, either by hand with a box grater or in a food processor using the shredding blade. Set the shredded beets aside in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, the diced beet, chicken stock and kosher salt and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes. Purée this liquid base in a food processor and return it to the saucepan. Add the shredded beets, cabbage and pepper and bring the soup to a simmer on medium-low heat until the shredded beets are tender, about 20 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the sugar and the sour cream. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill. Serves 4.

8 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced fennel bulb
8 scallions, sliced thin, whites and greens separated
3 small red potatoes, diced into ½-inch cubes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 cups unsalted chicken stock
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
2 cups diced bell pepper (red or orange)
2 cups frozen sweet yellow corn
1 cup heavy cream

Toss the bacon into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook it down until the fat renders and the bacon starts to crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, garlic, fennel, scallion whites, potatoes, kosher salt and pepper. Stirring occasionally, cook in the rendered bacon fat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar, cook for 1 minute, and then add the chicken stock and the thyme. Bring the stock to a simmer and simmer gently until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Ten minutes before serving, add the bell pepper, corn and heavy cream. Simmer for 10 minutes, add the thinly sliced green scallion tops, and serve immediately. Serves 4.

¼ cup light Karo (corn) syrup
8 ounces almond paste
1 cup marshmallow crème
1-pound box confectioners’ sugar, plus more as needed

Place all ingredients in a heavy duty standing mixer, and mix until well combined forming a soft dough. Remove dough from mixer and knead by hand until smooth, adding more sugar if dough is too sticky. Dough should hold its shape and be easy to handle. Divide dough into small portions and form into fruit and vegetable shapes. Paint marzipan with appropriate food coloring. When dry, wrap each piece in plastic wrap. Yields approximately 1 pound of candy.

24 ounces frozen, unsweetened red raspberries
4 cups sugar
4-5 8-ounce canning jars

Before you start, run the jam jars through the dishwasher to sterilize them. Alternatively, put the jars in a 350-degree oven for 8 minutes, and submerge the lids in boiling water for 2 minutes. Once sterilized, set the jars aside. Also, set a plate in your freezer to cool. You’ll need a cold plate for testing the jam later.

Put the raspberries in a large pot or Dutch oven, and turn the heat on medium. After a minute or 2, they’ll start to juice. Add the sugar, and stir until it completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. When it dissolves, you can stop stirring and let the mixture come to a boil (don’t let it boil until the sugar is completely dissolved). Boil for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming any scum off the top, as needed. Then turn the heat to low and spoon a dollop of jam onto your cold plate from the freezer. Put the plate back in the freezer and let it cool down for a minute or so. Test the jam by pressing your finger through it. If it wrinkles like jam, it’s ready. If it’s still runny, turn the heat back up to medium and let the mixture boil for another 2 to 3 minutes. Once your jam passes the “wrinkle test,” pour it immediately in the sterilized jars, screw on the lids and allow to cool. The jam will keep for several months in a refrigerator.

½ to 1 pound block of Valrhona or Callebaut chocolate, 60 to 70 percent cacao
Any of the following combinations of toppings:
Maldon sea salt
Black pepper
Instant espresso coffee
Chopped walnuts
Chopped almonds
Chopped peanuts
Sunflower seeds
Currants
Raisins
Cracked candy cane

Roughly chop the chocolate block into large chunks, and put them into the top of a double boiler or a large Pyrex bowl. If you’re not using a double boiler, place the bowl in a small to medium saucepan, so that the bowl can rest on the sides of the pan without touching the bottom. Put about an inch of water in the saucepan, making sure the water doesn’t come up high enough to touch the bottom of the Pyrex bowl. Put the entire assembly on low heat, and allow the water to come to a boil. Turn off the heat, and let the chocolate sit, steaming over the warm water bath, for a full 5 minutes and stir. If it’s not smoothly melted, turn the heat on low for another minute or 2. You want to melt the chocolate gently.

When you have smooth melted chocolate, pour it out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread the melted chocolate with a spatula until it is about 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick. Allow it to set for 10 minutes before adding various toppings of your choice. Allow it to set completely, up to 4 hours, before cracking the bark into shards and boxing it up. Store at room temperature.

6 heads garlic, peeled
2 cups canola oil (or just enough to cover the cloves in a small saucepan)
1 16-ounce jar with cap

The only work this recipe requires is peeling a whole truckload of garlic. To get a head start on the peeling process, put the unpeeled cloves in a metal bowl, cover the bowl with a plate, or another similar shaped bowl, and shake it vigorously. The skins will loosen or fall off. Once you get all your cloves peeled, toss them in a small saucepan and pour in the canola oil until it just covers the cloves. Put the saucepan on the absolute lowest heat your stovetop can muster (consider using a heat diffuser mat), and let it cook for 1 1/2 hours. A few champagne-like bubbles are inevitable, but avoid the rough boil. You want the garlic cloves to soften (while maintaining their shape), but not brown. Test the softness of the cloves with a spoon. When your cloves are soft, turn off the heat and allow the oil to cool. Spoon the garlic into individual jars and cover it with the garlic oil. The garlic will last in the refrigerator for months.

7 lemons, plus 5 to 7 extra for juicing
4 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons thyme, picked off the stem but not chopped
2 16-ounce canning jars

Wash 7 lemons and then slice crosswise into ¼-inch rounds. Mix the salt and sugar together and toss in the lemon slices to coat. Stack them snuggly in a clean jar or small airtight container. Every 4 or 5 slices, sprinkle in some thyme, and then continue stacking and packing. Fill the jar to the brim with lemon slices, and then pour on the extra lemon juice to fill in any cracks. You want the lemon juice to come right up to the top of the jar, submerging the slices. Screw the lid on tightly.

Keep the jars stored in your fridge for 3 weeks before opening, shaking for a few seconds every 4 days. After 3 weeks, remove the slices as you need them, remembering to rinse the salt off the lemon before using. Preserved lemon will keep in the fridge for months.

1 pork tenderloin (between 16 and 20 ounces),
  trimmed of any fat
3 teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch discs
2 Bosc pears, sliced lengthwise into eighths, seeds removed
1 celeriac (celery root) knob, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sprinkle the tenderloin evenly with 1½ teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper and the chopped rosemary, and set aside. Put the carrot slices in a baking pan (I use a 13-by-9-inch Pyrex dish), and bake in a 350-degree oven. After 10 minutes, remove the carrots and toss them with the pear, celeriac, onion, garlic, the remaining 1½ teaspoons of salt, the remaining ½ teaspoon of pepper and the olive oil. Using the same baking dish in which you precooked the carrots, place the tenderloin in the center lengthwise and distribute the vegetables on either side. Bake in the 350-degree oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the tenderloin and allow it to rest on a plate covered with tin foil for 15 minutes. While the tenderloin rests, put the vegetables back in the 350-degree oven to roast for the final 15 minutes. Slice the meat and serve with the roasted vegetables. Serves 4. 

4 Seckel pears
1 teaspoon of salt
Black pepper
2 cups of baby arugula
2 cups of watercress
½ bulb of fennel, very thinly sliced
8 teaspoons of blue cheese
Maldon salt or sea salt for sprinkling

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar
¾ teaspoon salt

Slice pears in half lengthwise, leaving the stem attached. (I think the stem is charming!) Using a melon baller, take out the seed/core area neatly, keeping the half pear shape intact. Place them on a baking sheet cut side up, and sprinkle each half with ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Grind on some black pepper and bake in a 350-degree oven for 10 minutes. While the pears bake, mix the arugula and watercress together, along with the shaved fennel. After 10 minutes, remove the pears and spoon a teaspoon of blue cheese into the holes the melon baller created. Put the pears back into the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese melts. While the cheese melts, whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt, and toss the greens with the dressing. Serve the roasted pears atop a small bed of the dressed greens. Finish with a light sprinkle of Maldon salt. Serves 4. 

1 Bartlett pear, halved and cored with a melon baller
6 ounces of bourbon (I know this seems like a lot but it’s for four people!)
6 ounces of warm water
¼ cup honey
mint
ice

Chop the cored pear into a few slices and toss into a blender. Add the bourbon and puree. In a separate container, mix the warm water with the honey and stir until it fully dissolves. Throw both the bourbon/pear mixture and the warm water/honey mixture into the fridge for at least an hour or all day. The longer it hangs out, the more its flavor develops. When you’re ready to serve, combine the bourbon mixture with the honey mixture, and pour into 4 glasses. Add plenty of ice (she’s a mighty strong cocktail!) and fresh mint leaves. Serves 4.

I began making sauerkraut around 17 years ago after finding a recipe in an old Gourmet magazine. That recipe called for apple, white wine and bacon, and isn’t so different from the way I make sauerkraut today, only now I also add chicken broth (a la Julia Child’s suggestion) and make sure my wine is a decent quality dry Riesling. These additions give the sauerkraut a distinctly Alsa-tian, rather than Polish or German, flavor. I make a huge pot of sauerkraut and sausage every year for a neighborhood Christmas party. To my friends and neighbors, here is the recipe you’ve been asking for.

4 pounds sauerkraut (2 2-pound bags)
½ pound bacon, cut into small pieces
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons butter

Combine the following in a piece of cheesecloth and tie tightly:
1 bay leaf
several sprigs of parsley
several sprigs of fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
6 peppercorns
8 juniper berries

approximately ½ bottle dry Riesling
approximately 2 cups chicken broth

Drain and rinse sauerkraut to desired “sourness” (I like mine tart, and rinse minimally). Let drain.

In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add bacon and cook until fat is rendered and edges start to brown. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add drained sauerkraut and stir until coated with fat. Bury cheesecloth packet of herbs and spices in the sauerkraut. Add wine and chicken broth in equal parts, enough to just cover the surface of the sauerkraut. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and partially cover pot. Cook slowly on stovetop for 1 ½ to 2 hours, adding more chicken broth or wine if sauerkraut begins to dry out.

If you plan on serving sausages or chops with your sauerkraut, nestle them in the sauerkraut 20 minutes or so before you plan on serving them. Smoked meats can be added directly into the sauerkraut. Uncooked meat should be browned first and may take longer to cook. Makes 10 servings. 

3 Bartlett pears, cut lengthwise into eighths, seeds removed
¾ teaspoon of salt
¼ cup maple syrup
5 tablespoons of salted butter, softened
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Vanilla ice cream

Toss pear slices in a bowl with ½ teaspoon of salt and the maple syrup. Dump the mixture into a pie dish. Using the same bowl, mix together the butter, dark brown sugar, oats and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.  I use my hands to grind the sugar and oats together with the butter, creating a thick, rough paste. Crumble this on top of the pears in the pie dish, and bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake for 40 minutes more. Easy, right? Serve hot with vanilla ice cream. Serves 4.

I’m a sucker for savory jams, which were once part of regional food cultures, like the Amish, but fell out of favor for a while. They seem to be making a comeback in farmers markets and indie food circles, and this recipe, from a 1978 USDA publication, “How to Make Jellies, Jams, and Preserves at Home,” is pretty easy.  I love tomato marmalade on toast, but it could easily be used in place of chutney, as a condiment for meat or pork or with a really good cheddar in a grilled cheese.

3 quarts ripe tomatoes (about 5 ½ pounds)
3 oranges
2 lemons
4 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole cloves
6 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for several seconds to loosen their skin; then peel. Cut peeled tomatoes into small pieces. Drain. Slice oranges and lemons very thin and then quarter those slices. Tie cinnamon and cloves in a cheesecloth bag.

Place tomatoes in a large pot. Add sugar and salt; stir until dissolved. Add oranges, lemons and spice bag. Boil rapidly, stirring constantly until thick and clear (about 50 minutes). Remove from heat; skim.

Fill and seal jars. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath. Yields 9 half-pint jars. 

1/2 honeydew melon peeled and cut into wedges      
1/4 pound Parma ham (same as prosciutto but from the Parma region of Italy and considered the best prosciutto)
1 ball of Burrata mozzarella cut in half (Burrata is softer than traditional mozzarella and made with added cream)
2 tablespoons fruity extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
Italian bread

Wrap wedges of melon with 1 strip of Parma ham—repeat until ham is used up. Slice cheese in half and drizzle with olive oil, cracked pepper and kosher salt. Warm bread loaf in a 350-degree oven then slice and serve immediately.

1 ripe cantaloupe peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes            
6 to 8 ounces of 20-year-old Taylor Fladgate Tawny
  Port or equivalent

Crunchy Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup pecan pieces
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbles or pebbles. Spread out evenly on a silicon cooking mat or tinfoil-lined baking tray that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Bake until dark brown but not burnt, about 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool and break into chunks. Place room temperature melon in glasses and top with an ounce of port. Sprinkle each glass with crunchy topping and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

3 cups rice wine vinegar
3 cups white sugar  
1/4 ripe seedless watermelon cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes including the rind (separate rind and flesh)                             
1/4 cup picked coriander leaves

Bring sugar and vinegar to a boil in a stainless steel pot and add watermelon rind. Reduce to a simmer and cook rind until soft and somewhat translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Add watermelon flesh and toss gently to coat. Refrigerate until cold and serve garnished with coriander leaves. Serves 4 to 6.

4 teaspoons citric acid
8 ounces water
4 gallons whole milk
8 teaspoons salt

Dissolve the citric acid in the water.

Heat the milk, citric acid solution and salt to 185 degrees (this will take a while), stirring often to prevent scorching. Skim away the scum as it rises to the surface.

Once the milk mixture reaches 185 degrees, turn off the heat and allow the milk to set for 10 minutes.

Pour the curd into a damp, cheesecloth-lined colander. Set over a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours so the curd can drain.

Serve immediately or transfer to a covered storage container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Makes 1 pound of ricotta.

* Mozzarella curds are available for sale at Isabella’s, isabellasbrickoven.net. Citric acid can be purchased at Whole Foods.

1/2 ripe honeydew melon (chilled)               
1/2 ripe cantaloupe (chilled)
1/3 ripe watermelon (chilled) 
4 cans of lychees in syrup (preferably cold)
1 or 2 sprigs of basil

Using a baller, scoop perfectly round balls out of the 3 melons. Plan on 3 balls per melon per person or approximately 9 melon balls per bowl. Blend the contents of 4 lychee cans in a blender and pour into a fine strainer and let stand over a bowl. Divide the melon balls in chilled bowls and pour about 6 ounces of lychee juice over them. Garnish with the tiniest leaves of basil picked from the sprigs. Serves 4 to 6.

I share my husband’s love of apricots and, like him, enjoy them any number of ways— in jam, dried and cooked with pork, tossed with couscous, or as the focus of this easy tart, adapted from Patricia Wells.

Crust
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1⁄2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 1⁄4 cups, plus 1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons unblanched almonds, finely ground

Filling
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1⁄2 teaspoon almond extract
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon flour
1 1⁄2 pounds fresh apricots, halved and pitted
Confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and set pan aside.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar and stir with a wooden spoon to blend. Add the extracts, salt and flour, and stir to form a soft cookie-like dough. Transfer the dough to the bottom of the pan and press gently across the bottom and up the sides of the pan to cover. The dough will be thin. Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake until the dough is slightly puffy and set, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle pre-baked pastry with almonds to prevent the dough from getting soggy.

Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine the cream, the egg, the extracts and the honey. Whisk to blend, then whisk in the flour.

Starting just inside the edge of the pan, arrange the apricot halves, cut-side up and slightly overlapping, in concentric circles on the pastry. Pour the filling over the fruit, place in the center of the oven and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the filling is firm and the pastry is golden brown. Remove pan to a rack to cool and sprinkle tart with confectioners’ sugar before serving. Serves 8.

Getting Started
Setting up a makeshift home smoker is a lot easier than you may think. Simply take two disposable aluminum roasting pans and place the open ends facing one another.
 
Cut a hole in the center of the top pan the size of a silver dollar to let the smoke escape, and voila, you’ve just created a smoker.
 
The technique is simple, too: Place wood chips on the bottom of your smoker, then a roasting rack to keep the meat off its bottom. Lay your choice of meat on the rack and then cover with the roasting pan lid with the hole. You can seal the edges if you want with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the burner of your gas stove. (You can also use your outdoor grill for this step.) The wood chips will ignite and begin to smoke. (Make sure you have some form of ventilation fan that takes smoke directly out of doors.) Turn off the flame and the chips will continue to smolder, smoking the meat, for a prescribed amount of time, at which point you’ll move your smoker into your oven until the meat reaches the desired temperature. 
 
Also, it’s almost impossible to cook barbecue properly without a digital probe thermometer. Your other option would be to constantly disturb the meat while cooking, which is not a great idea since barbecue likes constant temperatures. A remote thermometer with a probe attached to a long wire is best, since the wire can run outside the oven and read the temperature without opening the oven door.

Making a brine
Before smoking, all meats should be soaked in a brine which shortens the cooking time and increases the tenderness and moisture in the meat. Most brines are made of salt, water, sugar and some sort of acid, a fruit juice or vinegar. You also can add aromatics— different herbs and garlic— the sky’s the limit. Start by placing the meat in a non-corrosive container and entirely cover with plain water. Remove the meat and measure the remaining water to determine the amount of brine you’ll need to make.

Here’s a simple brine recipe to get you started:
1 quart cool water
1/2 cup kosher Salt
1/2 cup sugar

Mix in your non-reactive container until dissolved. Make 1 quart of brine for each pound of meat. Keep the brine and the meat refrigerated until ready to use.

PORK BUTT
Whole pork butts with the bone in are best. Without the blade bone they tend to dry out when cooked. Brine the meat, submerged, for 24 hours or inject the meat with brine using a syringe. A pork butt will take about 2 cups of injection. Wrap it up in plastic wrap and let sit for at least 2 hours. Remove and using a rub specifically for pork, generously rub down the meat and place on the rack in your makeshift smoker. Use hickory or try other woods and smoke on your stove for at least 1 hour— that would be 4 good handfuls of wood chips. Transfer the butt to a 225-degree oven and let cook for 9 to 12 hours or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees. Remove meat and let rest for a half-hour.

Adele writes: “This is not a ‘hurry up’ recipe, but well worth the work. Two pairs of hands make the time fly.”

Mix together very well with a wooden spoon:
4 egg yolks beaten
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon whiskey
½ teaspoon vanilla

Gradually add enough all purpose flour until dough leaves the sides of the bowl (approximately 1 ¼ cups).
 
Divide dough into 3 portions on a floured surface. Roll each portion into a very thin rectangle. Cut the rectangle into long strips about 1 ¼” wide. Cut the long strips on the diagonal into lengths of 5 to 6 inches. Make a slit through the center of each strip, and pull end of the strip through the center slot.
 
Fry chrusciki in deep fat (lard is best, but Crisco is OK, too— MZ) turning once until lightly brown on each side. (This happens quickly.) Remove chrusciki as they brown and place on brown paper or paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar. Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.

Getting Started
Setting up a makeshift home smoker is a lot easier than you may think. Simply take two disposable aluminum roasting pans and place the open ends facing one another.
 
Cut a hole in the center of the top pan the size of a silver dollar to let the smoke escape, and voila, you’ve just created a smoker.
 
The technique is simple, too: Place wood chips on the bottom of your smoker, then a roasting rack to keep the meat off its bottom. Lay your choice of meat on the rack and then cover with the roasting pan lid with the hole. You can seal the edges if you want with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the burner of your gas stove. (You can also use your outdoor grill for this step.) The wood chips will ignite and begin to smoke. (Make sure you have some form of ventilation fan that takes smoke directly out of doors.) Turn off the flame and the chips will continue to smolder, smoking the meat, for a prescribed amount of time, at which point you’ll move your smoker into your oven until the meat reaches the desired temperature. 
 
Also, it’s almost impossible to cook barbecue properly without a digital probe thermometer. Your other option would be to constantly disturb the meat while cooking, which is not a great idea since barbecue likes constant temperatures. A remote thermometer with a probe attached to a long wire is best, since the wire can run outside the oven and read the temperature without opening the oven door.

Making a brine
Before smoking, all meats should be soaked in a brine which shortens the cooking time and increases the tenderness and moisture in the meat. Most brines are made of salt, water, sugar and some sort of acid, a fruit juice or vinegar. You also can add aromatics— different herbs and garlic— the sky’s the limit. Start by placing the meat in a non-corrosive container and entirely cover with plain water. Remove the meat and measure the remaining water to determine the amount of brine you’ll need to make.

Here’s a simple brine recipe to get you started:
1 quart cool water
1/2 cup kosher Salt
1/2 cup sugar

Mix in your non-reactive container until dissolved. Make 1 quart of brine for each pound of meat. Keep the brine and the meat refrigerated until ready to use.

BRISKET
Brine a whole brisket for 48 hours or inject meat with at least 2 cups of brine with a syringe. I like to rub brisket with Dijon mustard and then generously apply a rub designed for brisket before placing the meat on a rack. Smoke using mesquite chips for at least 1 hour, which should take 4 good handfuls. Move to oven and finish at 225 degrees until an internal temperature reads 190 degrees (about 10 to 14 hours). Remove meat and let rest for a half-hour

Getting Started
Setting up a makeshift home smoker is a lot easier than you may think. Simply take two disposable aluminum roasting pans and place the open ends facing one another.
 
Cut a hole in the center of the top pan the size of a silver dollar to let the smoke escape, and voila, you’ve just created a smoker.
 
The technique is simple, too: Place wood chips on the bottom of your smoker, then a roasting rack to keep the meat off its bottom. Lay your choice of meat on the rack and then cover with the roasting pan lid with the hole. You can seal the edges if you want with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the burner of your gas stove. (You can also use your outdoor grill for this step.) The wood chips will ignite and begin to smoke. (Make sure you have some form of ventilation fan that takes smoke directly out of doors.) Turn off the flame and the chips will continue to smolder, smoking the meat, for a prescribed amount of time, at which point you’ll move your smoker into your oven until the meat reaches the desired temperature. 
 
Also, it’s almost impossible to cook barbecue properly without a digital probe thermometer. Your other option would be to constantly disturb the meat while cooking, which is not a great idea since barbecue likes constant temperatures. A remote thermometer with a probe attached to a long wire is best, since the wire can run outside the oven and read the temperature without opening the oven door.

Making a brine
Before smoking, all meats should be soaked in a brine which shortens the cooking time and increases the tenderness and moisture in the meat. Most brines are made of salt, water, sugar and some sort of acid, a fruit juice or vinegar. You also can add aromatics— different herbs and garlic— the sky’s the limit. Start by placing the meat in a non-corrosive container and entirely cover with plain water. Remove the meat and measure the remaining water to determine the amount of brine you’ll need to make.

Here’s a simple brine recipe to get you started:
1 quart cool water
1/2 cup kosher Salt
1/2 cup sugar

Mix in your non-reactive container until dissolved. Make 1 quart of brine for each pound of meat. Keep the brine and the meat refrigerated until ready to use.

RIBS
Buy whole spare ribs and remove the lining that covers the bone side of the ribs. I use a paper towel to help pull the membrane off in 1 piece. Brine ribs for at least 2 hours. Cover meat with your choice of rubs and place on rack, bone side down. Use hickory chips as a starting point and smoke ribs for 30 minutes (2 handfuls of wood chips). Move smoker to a 225-degree oven and cook for 4 to 6 hours or until a thermometer reaches 190 degrees. Remove from oven and let the meat rest for 15 minutes. Serve with sauce, if desired.

Getting Started
Setting up a makeshift home smoker is a lot easier than you may think. Simply take two disposable aluminum roasting pans and place the open ends facing one another.
 
Cut a hole in the center of the top pan the size of a silver dollar to let the smoke escape, and voila, you’ve just created a smoker.
 
The technique is simple, too: Place wood chips on the bottom of your smoker, then a roasting rack to keep the meat off its bottom. Lay your choice of meat on the rack and then cover with the roasting pan lid with the hole. You can seal the edges if you want with aluminum foil. Place the pan on the burner of your gas stove. (You can also use your outdoor grill for this step.) The wood chips will ignite and begin to smoke. (Make sure you have some form of ventilation fan that takes smoke directly out of doors.) Turn off the flame and the chips will continue to smolder, smoking the meat, for a prescribed amount of time, at which point you’ll move your smoker into your oven until the meat reaches the desired temperature. 
 
Also, it’s almost impossible to cook barbecue properly without a digital probe thermometer. Your other option would be to constantly disturb the meat while cooking, which is not a great idea since barbecue likes constant temperatures. A remote thermometer with a probe attached to a long wire is best, since the wire can run outside the oven and read the temperature without opening the oven door.

Making a brine
Before smoking, all meats should be soaked in a brine which shortens the cooking time and increases the tenderness and moisture in the meat. Most brines are made of salt, water, sugar and some sort of acid, a fruit juice or vinegar. You also can add aromatics— different herbs and garlic— the sky’s the limit. Start by placing the meat in a non-corrosive container and entirely cover with plain water. Remove the meat and measure the remaining water to determine the amount of brine you’ll need to make.

Here’s a simple brine recipe to get you started:
1 quart cool water
1/2 cup kosher Salt
1/2 cup sugar

Mix in your non-reactive container until dissolved. Make 1 quart of brine for each pound of meat. Keep the brine and the meat refrigerated until ready to use.

CHICKEN
You can use whole chickens, half chickens— whatever you’d like, but for competitions, chicken thighs are favored since they don’t dry out as easily. Brine the chicken for at least 2 hours. Next, rub the chicken down inside and out. I use apple wood chips to smoke the chicken, but you can try others like hickory, pecan and cherry. Smoke chicken for 15 to 20 minutes— that equates to a handful of chips. Do not over-smoke! Next, transfer to a 250-degree oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until your thermometer reads 175-180 degrees. Remove and let rest for 15 minutes. Glaze the chicken with your favorite sauce and serve.

1 cup milk
¾ cup butter
½ cup honey
2 teaspoons salt
¾ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
3 eggs, slightly beaten
4 ½ cups unsifted all purpose flour
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon soft butter

In a small saucepan, heat milk until bubbles form around edge of pan; remove from heat. Add ¾ cup butter, honey and salt, stirring until butter has melted. Let cool to lukewarm or tepid.

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl; stir until yeast is dissolved. Stir in milk mixture and the eggs. Combine all purpose and whole wheat flours. Add two-thirds of flour mixture to yeast mixture; then, with electric mixture at low speed, beat until blended. Then beat at medium speed until smooth— about 2 minutes. With wooden spoon, gradually beat in remaining flour mixture. Mix with hand, squeezing dough between fingers 20 to 30 times to develop gluten.

Cover the bowl with waxed paper and a clean tea towel. Let rise in warm place, free from drafts, until batter is above rim of bowl, 1 hour. Punch down dough, and beat it with a spoon until smooth, about 30 seconds. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans. Divide dough evenly into 2 pans. Cover, and let rise until double in bulk, 40 to 50 minutes. Dough should rise slightly above rims of baking pans.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bread is browned and sounds hollow when rapped with a knuckle. Remove to wire rack. Rub 1 teaspoon softened butter over top. Makes 2 loaves.

2 pizza rounds of pizza dough
2 cups onion jam or caramelized onion (recipe follows)
Red wine vinaigrette, as needed (recipe follows)
7 ounces Italian gorgonzola, fully matured, roughly chopped
2 Bosc pears, cored and cut into thin wedges
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
2 ounces baby arugula (about half a bunch)
1/2 cup whole walnuts, roasted

Prepare pizza dough, onion jam and red wine vinaigrette as recipes direct. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Thinly spread 1 cup of onion jam over each pizza base and bake for 10 minutes. Top onion jam with gorgonzola and bake a further 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven.

In mixing bowl, combine pears, red onion, arugula and walnuts with enough of the vinaigrette to moisten. Top each pizza with a portion of the salad.

Onion Jam
10 red onions, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Halve onions and remove ends. Place flat on a board and cut into thin semicircles. Heat oil and butter in a wide, shallow heavy-based pan over moderate heat. Add the onions and allow to sweat for 10 minutes.

Add vinegar and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until onions are dark in color and jam-like in consistency. Season with salt and black pepper. Cool, then store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes 2 cups.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic
crushed juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine garlic, lemon juice and vinegar in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

12 slices ciabatta
Garlic confit
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
caponata (recipe follows)
1 pound buffalo mozzarella, sliced thin
Freshly ground black pepper

For the garlic bruschetta, toast ciabatta and spread liberally with garlic confit (1 bulb of peeled garlic cooked slowly until soft in a cup of extra-virgin olive oil).

Place a generous spoonful of caponata at room temperature on 1 side of each plate. Place several slices of mozzarella on top of garlic bruschetta. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and finish with a grinding of black pepper. Serves 6.

Caponata
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and diced
1 large red onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 sticks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 14-ounce can peeled roma tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1/3 cup chopped, pitted green and/or black olives
1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed well
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, shredded

Heat olive oil in a wide, heavy-based saucepan and sauté eggplant until golden. Remove eggplant from pan. Add onion and sauté until golden. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more, adding a little additional oil if required. Add celery and peppers and cook for 5 minutes.

Deglaze pan with vinegar, then add sugar and tomatoes with their liquid; stir well. Cook uncovered until mixture is fairly dry. Return eggplant to the pan with the olives and capers, mix well and season with salt and pepper. Cook a further 5 minutes, then remove from heat and stir through parsley. Serve either warm or cold.

1 leek, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
1 teaspoon white peppercorns
4 1/2 cups water

Filling
1 bunch asparagus (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 pound fontina cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pasta
1 pound pasta dough (you can use prepared dough)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon white truffle oil

Combine leek, carrot, onion, celery, tomato and garlic. Place in a saucepan with thyme, peppercorns and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Strain and return to the heat. Reduce until only a little over a cup is left to create an essence.

Prepare asparagus by lightly peeling and removing the tough part of the stem. Cut into 3/4-inch sections and cook in lightly salted boiling water until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and cool in ice water. Put asparagus tips aside as a garnish.

For the filling, place the remaining asparagus in a food processor and pulse a few times to create a not-too-fine mince. Mix in a bowl with the ricotta and fontina; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For freshly made pasta, place pasta machine on the counter. Lightly dust the counter with flour before starting, to avoid the dough sticking. Work the dough through the rollers starting on the thickest setting and gradually reducing the settings until you achieve thin sheets, about as thick as heavy paper. Lay out the sheets, and use a ring cutter to cut circles of approximately 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Spoon a dab of asparagus mixture in the center of each circle. Brush the outside of the circles with a little beaten egg and fold to create half-moon shapes. Pull the tails around to make the tortellini and seal with a bit of beaten egg.

Cook the tortellini in salted, gently simmering water until they float to the top. Heat up the vegetable essence and ladle into wide bowls to a depth of about a quarter-inch. With a slotted spoon, place tortellini in the essence and drizzle with white truffle oil. Serves 4.

Balsamic dressing (recipe follows)
1 bunch baby arugula (about 5 ounces)
12 slices sourdough bread, thickly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
10 ounces mature goat cheese
6 tablespoons quince jam
Freshly ground black pepper

Prepare balsamic dressing and set aside. Place arugula in a large bowl and toss lightly with some of the dressing. Drizzle sourdough with olive oil and grill until golden. Place a wedge of goat cheese on each plate with the salad alongside. (Goat cheese comes in plain or rolled in edible ash or herbs— any can work well here.) Add a spoonful of quince jam on the side of each plate and a slice of sourdough, then grind black pepper over the cheese.

Balsamic Dressing
1/4 cup best quality balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch of sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place vinegar, garlic, sugar and pepper in a bowl and gradually whisk in the olive oil until well-blended.

1 pound lump or backfin crab meat, picked over for shells
1 egg
3 heaping tablespoons Hellman’s mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1⁄4 cup or less of milk
1 sleeve crushed Keebler’s Club Crackers or Saltines
 
Prepare this recipe the day before and refrigerate overnight. Beat together egg, mayonnaise, Old Bay and half of the milk. Mix crab, crackers and egg mixture carefully to keep crab lumps as large as possible. Do not over mix. Add more liquid as needed to shape into large, round balls or small ones for crab balls. Deep-fry at high temperature until browned. Serve immediately.

3 peeled carrots, roughly chopped
1 1-inch knob of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
2 ounces unsalted butter
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
24 sheets round wonton wrappers
6-8 leaves Thai basil or cinnamon basil
Kosher salt

In a medium saucepan, sweat carrots, ginger and shallots in butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and simmer until carrots are completely soft. Continue to cook carrots until the liquid is almost gone. Purée contents in a food processor until smooth and adjust seasoning. In another sauce pot, add oil and heat over a medium flame. Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute to release aroma, then add coconut milk and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes and adjust taste with salt. To make the ravioli, dip your finger in the beaten eggs and wet the wonton wrapper. Place a spoon of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper and place a new wonton wrapper over it and very gently seal the edges around the filling. Repeat 11 more times laying each ravioli carefully on a plastic-covered tray. Bring a large pot to boil, salt the water, and reduce to simmer. Add the ravioli to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and tap on an absorbent paper towel before sliding into warm shallow bowls or plates. Ladle the curry sauce over the ravioli and garnish with finely sliced Thai basil and serve. Serves 4.

4   cups water
1   cup white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
salt and pepper
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 large fillet of bluefish (or rockfish)
1 shallot, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
10 chives, minced
3 sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 teaspoon capers, minced
1 tablespoon horseradish
1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup mayo

Poach fish in water, white wine, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley. Bring liquid to boil and simmer.  Do not cover. Cook about 10 minutes. Let cool and remove dark area of fish. Flake fish, add remaining ingredients, and mix all with fork. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

While I don’t make candy, I have made caramel as part of other recipes. This tart, taken from an almost 20-year-old issue of Bon Appétit magazine that featured the food of Spain, is one of my favorite desserts ever. Yes, it’s time-consuming, and yes, the caramel is the hardest part, but it’s well worth the effort. My sister likes me to make it for Christmas, and often I do.

Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 teaspoons whipping cream

Fruit filling
1 cup (scant) dried pears, cored, coarsely chopped (4 ounces)
1 cup (scant) pitted dates, halved
1/3 cup pear nectar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

Nut topping
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup pine nuts (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup toasted whole almonds (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup dry roasted cashew nuts (about 2 ounces)
1 1/2 tablespoons whipping cream

For crust: Mix first 3 ingredients in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off pulses until mixture resembles coarse meal. Blend in yolk and vanilla using on/off pulses. Blend in enough cream by teaspoonfuls to form dough that begins to clump together. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 12 inches round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Trim edges. Freeze crust 15 minutes. Line with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans; bake crust until golden, about 20 minutes more. Cool completely on rack.
 
For fruit filling: Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Purée mixture in processor to thick paste. Cool completely.
 
For nut topping: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Simmer first 3 ingredients in heavy large saucepan over low heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Boil vigorously 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add nuts and cream.
 
To assemble: Spread fruit filling in crust; smooth top. Set tart on cookie sheet. Spoon nut topping over. Bake until filling bubbles, about 20 minutes. Transfer tart to rack and cool 10 minutes. Using oven mitts, loosen tart pan sides but do not remove. Cool tart completely in pan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.) Remove pan sides. Cut tart into wedges. Makes 8 servings.

4 to 6 pieces of puff pastry, cut 2 ½-by-4 inches or whatever shape you want (puff pastry is available in the freezer section of grocery store)                 
1 egg, beaten lightly
4 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup white part of leek, washed and sliced 1/8 inch thick    
2 cups peeled medium diced parsnips
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup wild mushrooms (I like oyster mushrooms)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper    

Place cut pastry shapes on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. Using a paring knife, cut 3/4 of the way into the pastry (but not through it) leaving a 1/4 inch border all the way around like a picture frame. Brush the pastry with egg wash and bake in a 400-degree oven until golden brown, about 10 to 14 minutes. Remove center portion of pastry so you now have a tart shell with sides and hollow center. In a medium sauce pot, sauté the leek and parsnip in 2 ounces of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Add cream and reduce until thick and parsnip is soft. Spoon this mixture into tart shells. In another sauté pan, add 2 ounces of butter and sauté mushrooms over high heat until soft—season with salt and pepper. Top leek and parsnips with mushrooms and serve warm. Serves 4 to 6.

2¼ cups sifted flour
1¼ teaspoons ginger
1¼ teaspoons cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
¾ cup brown sugar, dark or light, sieved
¾ cup molasses
¾ cup shortening, melted (Howard uses Crisco)
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup boiling water

Line the bottom of a 9-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan (or two small loaf pans) with waxed paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift flour with spices and baking powder. In a separate large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and molasses with melted shortening until creamy. In a small bowl, mix baking soda in hot water and stir to dissolve. Pour baking soda and water mixture alternately with flour and spice mixture into shortening mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour into lined pan and bake for 35 minutes, until cake tests done with a toothpick. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto a rack to cool.

6 organic eggs
7 ounces dark chocolate (52 percent minimum)
Salt

Let eggs come to room temperature. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in a microwave with a touch of water. Separate eggs, and beat the whites
with a pinch of salt until fluffy. When chocolate has melted, beat it quickly with yolks and a pinch of salt until the mixture gets thick. Little by little, fold whites into the chocolate mixture. Refrigerate the mousse for at least an hour. Serve cold.

2 thick slices smoked bacon, chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup peeled roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped            
2 cups peeled celeriac, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 yellow onion peeled and finely sliced
1 white part of leek washed and finely sliced
2 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup peeled and sliced Yukon Gold potato
3 cups chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
Garnish options: chopped parsley, additional chopped chestnuts or crispy bacon crumbles

In a small pot, gently heat chopped bacon in cream for 10 minutes. Strain out bacon and return cream to cool in refrigerator. Next, in a medium sauce pot, sweat the chestnuts, celeriac, celery, onion and leek in butter until translucent; season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes and stock, season to taste and cook until all the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Purée soup in a blender and pass through a strainer into a clean medium pot. Check seasoning and adjust if necessary. Whip cooled cream to stiff peaks. Heat soup and pour into warm bowls. Top with spoonful of whipped cream, garnish as desired and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

4 tablespoons butter or margarine
¾ pound ground lamb or beef
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
¼ cup red wine
1 teaspoon coarse salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 medium eggplant
olive oil, butter or nonstick spray for frying
6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, warmed
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Heat a large skillet to high, add the butter or margarine, and brown the ground beef or lamb with the chopped onions. Add the parsley, tomatoes, wine, salt, and pepper, lower heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.

Peel the eggplant and slice lengthwise into 12 to 16 ½-inch slices. Heat another skillet over medium-high heat and add just enough olive oil or butter, or a combination of both, to cover the bottom. Place as many eggplant slices in the pan as will fit without crowding. Fry both sides until golden. Repeat with all the slices, adding oil/butter before each batch. Drain on paper towels.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a deep, 8-inch-square casserole with nonstick spray. Place a layer of eggplant slices on the bottom and sprinkle with salt. Spread half the meat filling on top and add another layer of eggplant with a sprinkling of salt. Cover with the remaining meat filling, and finish with a final layer of eggplant. Set aside while making the cheese soufflé topping.

In a heavy saucepan, melt the 6 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Slowly pour in the warm milk, whisking to blend. Continue cooking and whisking over medium heat until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in the beaten eggs, then add the cheese and nutmeg. Pour over the casserole, covering the surface, but be careful not to overfill.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until the topping has puffed up and browned. Remove and let stand at least 30 minutes before serving. It is excellent made a day ahead and reheated.

Crust
1 package chocolate cookie wafers (thin package)
6 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons sugar

Cheesecake
3 8-ounce packages (1½ pounds)  cream cheese, softened
3⁄4   cup sugar
3 eggs
1⁄4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Lemon glaze
1⁄2 cup sugar
11⁄2 tablespoon cornstarch
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup water
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Lemon slices to decorate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crust ingredients thoroughly and press onto bottom and sides of a buttered 9-by-3-inch springform pan. Bake 5 minutes. Let cool.

Beat cream cheese until soft. Add sugar, blending thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, beating well to blend each. Mix in lemon juice, rind, and vanilla. Blend well. Turn into springform pan. Bake 35 minutes.

While cake is baking, blend sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Remove cake from oven. Gently spread sour cream mixture over top. Return to oven and bake 12 minutes. Cool on rack 30 minutes.

To make lemon glaze, in heavy 1-quart saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Combine water, lemon juice, and egg yolk and add to sugar mixture. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a slow boil and is thickened. Add butter and lemon rind. Allow to cool slightly but spread on cheesecake before glaze sets. Chill cake several hours or overnight before removing sides of pan. Garnish with slices of lemon.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
8 ounces uncooked white rice
3 ounces pine nuts, toasted
3 ounces currants
6 ounces fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 8-ounce jars Orlando brand
grape leaves

Heat oil in a large skillet and sauté the onions until golden and caramelized. Add the rest of the ingredients except the grape leaves and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until ingredients are softened and melded.

Remove leaves from jar and unroll. Place one to two tablespoons of filling at the stem end of the leaf and roll into a tight cigar. Place rolls in a pot that can hold all the leaves and add water to cover. Place a plate in the pot to weigh down the leaves in the water. Cook over low heat for two hours. Let leaves cool overnight. Remove from pot and enjoy.

2 beets roasted in a 350-degree oven until fork-tender (about an hour)     
2 ounces unsalted butter  
1 ½ cups risotto rice
4 shallots, finely diced
1 quart chicken stock    
4-6 ounces warm goat cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Peel the beets and cut into medium dice and set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottom pot. Add the rice and toast by constantly stirring until the rice becomes clear— about 5 minutes. Add shallots and cook until fragrant and transparent. Season the rice and shallots with salt and pepper. Heat the chicken stock in a separate pot—this speeds up the cooking process. Add 1 cup of heated stock to the rice and stir until absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked but has some tooth (al dente) and is creamy like oatmeal. Add the beets and stir to warm and combine. Spoon the risotto into warm bowls and top with goat cheese. Drizzle a quality extra-virgin olive oil over the goat cheese and finish with freshly cracked pepper. Serves 4 to 6.

1¾ cups whipping cream
1⁄3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  ¼ cup milk
3⁄4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips, plus ¼ cup additional
chocolate chips
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
About 4 cups chocolate cake, cut into 1-inch cubes

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring cream, 1⁄3 cup sugar, and milk to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, add ¾ cup chocolate chips, and whisk until melted and smooth.

Whisk egg and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk egg mixture into hot chocolate mixture. Cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Lightly butter a 1½-quart oval baking dish. Sprinkle cake cubes in dish, then pour custard over, following with the additional chocolate chips. Sprinkle ­
2 tablespoons sugar (or less) over the pudding. Bake until it thickens and center is just set, about 50 minutes. Let cool.

2 to 2 ½ pounds medium-sized, ripe tomatoes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Core tomatoes. Cut small tomatoes into halves. Cut larger tomatoes into wedges. Place tomatoes ½-inch apart, cut side up, on one or two metal baking pans. Pour oil over tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, bake for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees, and bake another 30 minutes. Turn heat to 300 degrees and bake another 30 minutes, or until edges are slightly darkened. If edges are not yet colored, turn heat down to 250 degrees and bake another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove tomatoes from oven and cool 20 minutes. Transfer to a shallow glass dish and pour their oil over them. Let mellow, at room temperature, 4 to 6 hours.

Layer tomatoes in a storage container, oil included, and refrigerate. To serve, drain oil from tomatoes and bring to room temperature. Or freeze tomatoes in oil in sealed plastic containers up to 3 months.

1 head of iceberg lettuce, washed and broken apart
1 red onion, sliced thin
3⁄4 pounds tomatoes (your choice)
1⁄2 can pepperoncini (drained)
1⁄2 can artichoke hearts (drained)
1⁄2 can pitted black olives (drained)
1⁄2 jar green olives
1⁄2 can pickled beets (drained)
1 small can anchovies (drained)
1 can tuna in oil (drained)
1 small jar roasted red peppers
1⁄2 can chickpeas
1 small package pepperoni
4 ounces sliced Italian salami
4 ounces sliced provolone cheese
2 carrots, sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 bottle Italian dressing

Make a bed of lettuce leaves on the platter. Loosely roll up the sliced meats and cheese and arrange on the lettuce. Garnish with olives, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, beets, chickpeas, roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions, anchovies, tuna, carrots, and hard-boiled eggs.

Cover with waxed paper and place in refrigerator until ready to serve. Add Italian dressing before serving. Can be served as an appetizer or main dish.

2 boxes of large pasta shells, cooked
3 pounds whole-milk ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Romano cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh sweet Italian basil
¼ cup chopped fresh oregano
¼ cup freshly chopped flat leaf-Italian parsley
¼ cup fresh marjoram
2 cups chopped fresh mozzarella cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended and season with salt and pepper. Fill cooked shells with cheese filling and place in a large baking dish. Cover the shells with prepared sweet basil sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until shells are warmed through. Serves 6 to 8.

As my sister-in-law, Karen, points out, only six ingredients are needed to make a pretty swell beet pickle.

2 quarts small beets
3 cups vinegar
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Boil whole beets until tender. Remove them from water and when cool enough to touch, peel off their skins. Slice or chop beets as desired.

In a saucepan, stir together vinegar, water, sugar and spices. Boil until sugar is dissolved.

Pack beets into hot, sterilized jars. Pour brining liquid over. Wipe edges of jars with a damp cloth and seal with clean lids and refrigerate. Beets will keep, refrigerated, 1 month. Makes 2 quarts.

This is a recipe I adapted from an old recipe from Gourmet magazine. The original recipe calls for baby carrots, which I abhor, and baby zucchini, which I didn’t have. 

1 pound carrots, cut into ½-inch-wide strips
¾ cup white vinegar
1¼ cups water
1/3 cup sugar
Five ¼-inch-thick slices fresh ginger root
2 large garlic cloves, halved
6 fresh tarragon sprigs
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes

In a hot, sterilized 1-quart Mason-type jar, pack carrots standing on end. In a saucepan bring remaining ingredients to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Pour hot pickling mixture over vegetables and arrange tarragon sprigs on top. Cool pickled vegetables completely. Wipe rim of jar with a dampened cloth and seal jar with lid. Refrigerate. Carrots will keep refrigerated 1 month. Makes about 1 quart.

1 yellow onion chopped into small dice
1 stalk celery washed and chopped into small dice
1 carrot peeled and grated
3 ounces chopped thinly sliced prosciutto
1 ½ pounds ground beef (80/20 works well)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
½ cup white wine
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 pound cooked or fresh lasagna pasta sheets
3 pounds fresh whole-milk ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Romano cheese
2 whole free-range eggs
2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese
Sweet basil tomato sauce

In a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil, celery, onion, carrot, beef and prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper and sweat until vegetables are translucent and the meat is browned. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has all but evaporated, then add the milk and simmer until the liquid has all but evaporated. Repeat the process with the chicken stock. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Combine the ricotta, eggs and Romano and Parmesan cheeses in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large baking pan, spoon in a layer of tomato sauce, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with sheets of pasta, then spoon half of the meat mixture onto the pasta sheets, and cover the meat with a layer of pasta sheets. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the pasta sheets then cover with a layer of pasta sheets. Add the meat sauce, pasta, ricotta and a final sheet of pasta. Cover the top sheet with a layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake lasagna in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until hot in the center. Serve on a pool of sweet basil tomato sauce. Serves 8 to 10.

3 stalks celery washed and cut into small dice
2 large carrots peeled and cut into small dice
1 onion, chopped  
4 cloves fresh garlic peeled and chopped finely
2 parsnips peeled and cut into small dice
1 large leek split, washed and cut into small dice
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 16-ounce can San Marzano diced tomatoes
4 quarts chicken stock
1 cup dried orzo pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup freshly chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 tablespoon fresh picked thyme
¼ cup freshly chopped marjoram

In a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat, add extra-virgin olive oil, celery, onion, carrots, garlic, parsnips and leek. Season with salt and pepper and sweat until vegetables are either translucent or release their aroma. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and pasta. Gently simmer for 30 minutes or so until the vegetables are soft. Adjust seasoning and let cool. Add the herbs to finish. When serving, add fresh olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Serves 8 to 10.

1 head minced garlic
2 cups diced onion
2 cups shredded carrot
5 pounds ground meats in this ratio: 50 percent beef, 25 percent veal, 25 percent pork
3 egg yolks and 3 whole free-range eggs
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
½ cup freshly chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
½ cup fresh chopped oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix vigorously for 10 minutes using your hands, until the meat is sticking to your fingers. Roll the meat into whatever size balls you desire and bake on an aluminum foil-covered sheet tray for 10 to 15 minutes. (You’ll know they are done when they are firm to the touch and begin to ooze their juices onto the pan.) Serve with sweet basil tomato sauce and your favorite pasta. Serves 6 to 8.

Sweet Basil Tomato Sauce
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
4 cloves minced garlic
2 28-ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes
½ cup packed shredded fresh sweet Italian basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan, add onions and garlic, and sweat them until translucent. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and gently simmer for 45 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before adding the sweet basil to finish the sauce.

Serves 4

2 ounces blue cheese, like Roaring Forties Blue
1⁄2 cup toasted walnuts ground in food processor
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 Fuji apples cut in julienne or matchstick size              
1 stalk celery cut into very thin julienne
2 tablespoons black currents    
1⁄4 cup mayonnaise
Freshly cracked pepper

Place 12 small balls (1⁄4 teaspoon) of blue cheese on wax paper and place in the freezer. Toast the walnuts in butter on top of the stove and chop in a food processor until a fine crumb and set aside. Remove the blue cheese dabs one at a time, rolling them in your hand with 1 tablespoon of ground walnuts to form an “egg” with the blue cheese in the center. Repeat for each ball of blue cheese. Next, combine the julienned apples and celery in a large bowl with the currents and mayonnaise. Season with freshly cracked pepper. On clean cold plates or shallow bowls form 4 nests with the apple mixture. Place 3 blue cheese eggs into each nest and serve.

Serves 4

4 5-ounce slices of center cut pork loin, bone on or off
1 cup finely chopped pecans      
1⁄2 stick unsalted butter  
2 McIntosh apples peeled and cut into medium dice
1 tablespoon freshly picked thyme
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon butter            
1 cup veal jus or pork jus (optional)
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Season the pork with salt and pepper and roll the edges in the pecans pressing firmly. Sauté in oil and butter until golden brown on all sides. Place in a 300-degree oven until meat reaches an internal temperature of 145. Brown the butter in a sauté pan. When the butter is bubbling, add the apples and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat off and season with salt and pepper and add the thyme leaves. If choosing to use a veal or pork jus, heat separately in another sauce pot. Let pork rest for 5 minutes. Spoon the apple mixture on the center of the plate, add the pork, and spoon some jus around the apples and serve.

Getting the dough the correct consistency is the hardest part of making gulab jaman, writes Veena in a postscript to her daughters at the bottom of the original recipe. “Once you have mastered that,” she adds, “it will be a piece of cake.” Make the syrup first so it can cool slightly while you make the dough.

Sugar syrup
3 cups sugar
4 cups water
8-10 cardamom pods, cracked

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Let simmer 5 to 10 minutes on low heat.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding gulab jaman.

Dough
1 cup powdered milk
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons soft butter
Approximately ¼ cup water
Vegetable oil for frying

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together powdered milk, flour and baking powder. Blend butter into the flour mixture, kneading it by hand. Once the mixture resembles small pebbles, add water, several tablespoons at a time until the dough just holds together. This makes a stiff dough.  Pinch off walnut-sized piece of dough and roll into small, 1-inch round balls, pressing the dough firmly as you roll it between the palms of your hands. If dough is too dry to roll, moisten your hands slightly.

In a wok or deep skillet, pour oil to the depth of 3 or more inches and heat to 350 degrees. Deep fry the balls in hot oil, all at once, until dark brown, approximately 4 minutes. Remove the gulab jaman from the oil and place immediately in syrup. Let sit in refrigerator overnight. Serve cold with a little bit of syrup. Makes approximately 2 dozen.

1 package prepared pie dough
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked pepper    
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced                  
1 cup whipping cream
2 whole eggs organic/free range
4 ounces sharp aged cheddar cheese crumbled
2 cups mixed baby lettuces      
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take 4 4-inch tart shells and line with pie dough. (A trick to make perfect edges is to let the dough overhang the edge by a 1⁄2 inch.) Place shells with pie dough in the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake the shells in the oven for 6 minutes. (We are just setting the dough at this point.) Remove tart shells from the oven and with a sharp knife cut off the excess from the rim of the tart shell, creating a flush edge that doesn’t sag. Layer the sliced apples in the tart shell. Combine cream and eggs in a bowl with a whisk and season with salt and pepper. Pour cream over apples followed by a sprinkle of the cheddar cheese, dividing the cheese evenly between the 4 tarts. Bake the tarts until the custard is set, 8 to 15 minutes. Remove tarts from the oven, let cool for 8 minutes, then top with mixed baby lettuces, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Finish with freshly cracked pepper.

Serves 4

Pistachio Anglaise
6 yolks
1 cup whipping cream
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
1⁄3 cup plus 2 tablespoons toasted and ground pistachios

Vigorously mix the egg yolks and sugar together for 2 minutes. Heat the cream, milk, sugar, and scraped vanilla bean together until almost a simmer. Slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture and combine. Place mixture in a bowl that will fit atop a pot with a small amount of simmering water and stir with a wooden spoon until it coats the spoon. Then place bowl into a larger bowl of ice water and let anglaise cool, stirring occasionally. Remove the vanilla bean and add the 1⁄3 cup of chopped pistachios.

Charlottes
2 Gala apples peeled and cut into medium dice
1 cup dried sour cherries
1 cup white dessert wine of your choice
1 loaf Very Thin Pepperidge Farm white sandwich bread              
4 ounces softened butter
1⁄3 cup granulated sugar

Place diced apples and cherries in a pot. Add 1 cup dessert wine and 1 cup water and simmer for 8 minutes. Strain the fruit, leaving the liquid in the pot, and set aside. Remove 16 cherries and add them back into the liquid and reduce to a syrupy consistency. (This syrup and cherries will form a compote that will garnish the finished charlotte.) Next, brush the inside of a porcelain ramekin with a thick coat of butter. Put sugar in the ramekin and roll the ramekin so that the sugar coats the entire inside of the dish but empties out into the next ramekin. Repeat this process until all the ramekins are coated with sugar. Next cut 8 round pieces of bread with a circle cutter the same size as the bottom of the ramekin. Then cut rectangular strips to line the sides of the ramekin. (Do a test fit before cutting them all.) Brush the rectangles and circles with butter and place the butter side against the ramekins’ bottoms and sides. Fill the center with the poached apples and cherries. Next top the fruit with one more circle of bread buttered side up making the equivalent of a bread hat box. Bake the ramekins in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 15 minutes. They are done when the bread is golden brown and has pulled away from the sides.

Remove charlottes from ramekins and garnish the tops with the cherry compote mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of pistachios on top. With either a whisk or hand-held blender aerate the anglaise and drizzle around the charlotte to serve.

I don’t have a recipe for Taharka Brothers’ salty caramel ice cream (though I wish I did), but if you love the sweet and salty combination as much as I do, this ice cream, from veteran Lee Bailey’s “Country Desserts,” should do the trick.

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2/3 cup honey
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 cup coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts

Combine the cream and the milk in a medium saucepan. Cook slowly over moderate heat until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add honey. Mix until completely dissolved and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks with salt until frothy. Then add ½ of the honey cream mixture to heat the yolks. Return the saucepan to low heat and add warmed yolks. Stirring all the while, cook until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and allow to cool before stirring in peanuts. Chill mixture thoroughly. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. Makes 1 ½ pints.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil  
3 shallots, peeled and sliced
2 bunches of trimmed green asparagus (hard bottom portion removed)
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked pepper
4 ounces white wine
3 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley, blanched in boiling salted water for 10 seconds then removed and shocked in ice water then drained
3⁄4 cup crème fraîche whipped to stiff peaks
12 asparagus tips trimmed to
1 1⁄2 inches long
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons dried chanterelles
ground in a coffee grinder to a powder
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Heat a heavy saucepan over medium high heat; add olive oil and sauté shallots until transparent. Add trimmed green asparagus and cook briefly. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with white wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add stock and continue to cook until asparagus is completely soft. Add the blanched parsley and puree the soup in a blender until completely smooth. Strain through a fine strainer and recheck seasoning. Whip crème fraîche until firm. In a separate pan, sauté the asparagus tips in butter and season with salt and pepper. To assemble, pour the soup into 4 warm bowls, place a dollop of cream into each soup, top with 3 asparagus spears, and dust with chanterelle powder. Sprinkle with some chives and serve.

Serves 4

1 bunch green asparagus
8 sheets of round wonton wrappers
4 organic egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon oil
Shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Freshly cracked pepper
Fleur de sel

Prepare the asparagus by snapping off the tough ends and set aside. To start the ravioli, cover a plate with plastic wrap. Remove a wonton wrapper and place it on your cutting board. Crack an egg and save the whites in a bowl. Drop the intact egg yolk in the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the whites and wet the wonton wrapper around the egg yolk to its edges. Place another wonton wrapper over the yolk and very gently start to seal the edges all the way to the yolk. Repeat 3 more times laying each ravioli carefully on the plastic-covered plate.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt, and reduce to simmer. Add the asparagus and ravioli to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully remove the ravioli and asparagus with a slotted spoon and dab with an absorbent paper towel before sliding onto warm plates. Garnish with the lemon oil, Parmesan shavings, chives, pepper, and sprinkles of fleur de sel.

Serves 6

3 tablespoons unsalted butter  
1 1⁄2 cups of risotto rice
4 shallots, finely diced
1 small onion finely diced
1 quart chicken stock    
2 cups Pinot Noir reduced to ¼ cup            
2 bunches white asparagus
1 tablespoon truffle oil
2 ounces shaved Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat in a heavy bottom pot. Add the rice and toast, constantly stirring for about 5 minutes until the rice becomes clear. Add the shallots and onion and cook until fragrant and transparent. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the chicken stock in a separate pot. (This speeds up the cooking process.) Add one cup of heated stock to the rice and stir until absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice is cooked but has some tooth (al dente) and is creamy. Add the Pinot Noir reduction and check seasoning one more time before setting aside.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, drop in the white asparagus tips and cook for 2 minutes. Remove and tips and toss in the truffle oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread a line of the risotto on a rectangular plate, top with asparagus tips, garnish with shaved Parmesan and fresh thyme leaves.

I keep manila folders full of recipes I’ve torn from magazines or printed out from Web sites, and roasting my own coffee made me hunt down and try this recipe, one I’ve been holding onto for years, a coffee cake that uses coffee in the ingredients. I’ve tweaked it slightly. Because I was out of fresh oranges and didn’t have rind, I soaked the prunes in a combination of orange juice and brandy and substituted orange extract for almond (and if you don’t like prunes, by all means use raisins, and don’t bother soaking either fruit if that feels like one more step). I also left off the glaze in my version, but if you’re sweet tooth is stronger than mine, by all means use it. The resulting cake looks like pale chocolate, and I bet folks would guess that’s what it was unless you told them differently. I only know I’m sorry I waited so long to try it. It’s fantastic— rich, spicy, not too sweet, and perfect with a cup of coffee.

Cake
¾ cup whole unblanched almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1 cup buttermilk
2 ½ teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon of almond extract or ½ teaspoon orange extract
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup brandy
1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Glaze (optional)
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup butter
¼ cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 10-inch (12 cup) tube pan. Sprinkle half of the chopped almonds in the pan and tilt to coat bottom and halfway up sides with nuts.

Combine buttermilk, instant coffee, vanilla and almond or orange extract in a small bowl. Stir until coffee dissolves.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and ground cloves into a medium bowl.

Combine orange juice and brandy in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove pan from heat, add chopped prunes and let them steep for 10 minutes. Remove prunes from orange juice mixture and set aside.

Using electric mixer, cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix in prunes and orange peel. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining chopped almonds. Bake until tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes in pan on cooling rack. Turn cake out onto rack. Quickly turn upright onto platter and cool until just warm.

To make glaze: Combine brown sugar, butter and cream in heavy-bottom small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until butter melts. Boil 2 minutes. Mix in instant coffee granules. Cool slightly. Drizzle glaze over cake. Serves 8.

Serves 6 to 8

1 organic egg yolk
1 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1 teaspoon roasted garlic puree
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup of olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped
fresh tarragon
2 bunches fresh green asparagus
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher Salt
Freshly cracked pepper

To make the aioli, add egg yolk, vinegar, garlic, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl. Whisk to combine and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a mayonnaise is formed. Add the fresh tarragon and check seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Begin preparing the asparagus by snapping off its tough ends. Lightly dress the asparagus with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place asparagus on a preheated medium-high grill. Allow the asparagus to get char marks but not burn; turn to char on all sides. Remove the asparagus from the grill and place in bundles on the plate. Finish the plate by drizzling extra virgin olive oil over and around the asparagus. Serve the aioli on the side in a small sauce boat or dish.

This recipe is from Food and Wine, which dubbed it “Holiday Pork Posole.” But it’s a great dish for any chilly day. Note that you’ll want to cook the pork shoulder the day before you make the soup.

4 medium onions, divided
7 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil, divided
4 tablespoons ancho chile powder, divided
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican), divided
1 6- to 6 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 4- to 5-inch pieces, some meat left on bone
5 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
4 7-ounce cans diced green chiles, drained
5 large garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 15-ounce cans golden or white hominy, drained
4 limes, each cut into 4 wedges
Thinly sliced green onion
Chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice 2 onions. Heat 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions to pot and sauté until onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oregano; stir to coat. Sprinkle pork with salt and add to pot. Add 5 cups broth. Bring to boil. Cover and transfer to oven.

Braise pork until tender enough to shred easily, about 2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to large bowl. Pour juices into another large bowl. Refrigerate separately uncovered until cool, then cover and keep chilled overnight.

Discard fat from top of chilled juices; reserve juices. Chop pork into 1/2-inch cubes, discarding excess fat. Thinly slice remaining 2 onions. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until soft, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ancho chile powder, remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oregano, diced chiles, garlic, and cumin; stir 30 seconds. Add pork, reserved juices, and hominy. Bring to boil; reduce heat to low. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend, adding more broth to thin, if desired.

Ladle posole into bowls. Garnish with lime wedges, green onion and cilantro.  Serves 9.

Lake Packing Co., Inc. publishes a small pamphlet of recipes using Mrs. Manning’s Hominy, including this old-fashioned combination of hominy, oysters and sausage.

1 20-ounce can Manning’s Hominy
1 pound sausage, formed into 6 patties
1 quart oysters
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry sausage. Set aside, reserving part of the drippings. Stew oysters (extra water may be added if not enough oyster liquor). Add sausage to stewed oysters and season with reserved drippings. Combine hominy, milk, butter, salt and pepper in pan. Simmer on low heat until warm. Serve with sausage and stewed oysters. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Serves 6-8

1 head minced garlic
2 cups diced onion
2 cups shredded carrot
5 pounds ground meats in this ratio: 50 percent beef, 25 percent veal, 25 percent pork
3 egg yolks and 3 whole free range eggs
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
1/2 cup fresh chopped oregano

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix vigorously for 10 minutes using your hands until the meat is sticking to your fingers. Roll the meat into whatever
size balls you want and bake on an aluminum foil-covered sheet tray for 10 to 15 minutes. You know they are done when they are firm to the touch and begin to ooze their juices on the sheet pan. Serve with sweet basil tomato sauce and your favorite pasta.

Sweet Basil Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced yellow onions
4 cloves minced garlic
2 28-ounce cans of San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 cup packed shredded fresh sweet Italian basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in heavy bottom saucepan, and sweat onions and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and gently simmer for 45 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before adding the sweet basil to finish the sauce.

Serves 8-10

3 stalks celery washed and cut into small dice
2 large carrots peeled and cut into small dice  
4 cloves fresh garlic peeled and chopped finely
2 parsnips peeled and cut into small dice
1 large leek split, washed, and cut into small dice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 16-ounce can San Marzano diced tomatoes
4 quarts chicken stock
1 cup dried orzo pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of freshly chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
1 tablespoon fresh picked thyme
1/4 cup freshly chopped marjoram

In a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat add olive oil, celery, onion, carrot, garlic, parsnips, and leek. Season with salt and pepper and sweat until vegetables are either translucent or release their aroma. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and pasta. Gently simmer for half an hour or so until the vegetables are soft. Adjust seasoning and let cool. Add the herbs to finish. When serving, you can add fresh olive oil and Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6-8

2 boxes of large pasta shells, cooked
3 pounds whole milk ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Romano cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh sweet Italian basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf Italian parsley
1/4 cup fresh marjoram
2 cups chopped fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup sweet basil tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix all ingredients until well blended and season with salt and pepper. Fill cooked shells with cheese filling and place in a large baking dish. Cover the shells with prepared sweet basil tomato sauce (see following recipe) and sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes or until shells are warmed through.

Serves 8-10

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion chopped into small dice
1 stalk celery washed and chopped into small dice
1 carrot peeled and grated
3 ounces sliced prosciutto, chopped thinly
11/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 pound cooked or fresh lasagna pasta sheets
3 pounds fresh whole milk ricotta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup grated Romano cheese
2 whole free range eggs
2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese
Sweet basil tomato sauce (you may not use all of it)

In a large heavy bottom pot over medium heat add olive oil, celery, onion, carrot, beef, and prosciutto. Season with salt and pepper and sweat until vegetables are translucent and the meat is browned. Add the white wine and cook until the wine has all but evaporated. Add the milk and let it evaporate as well. Repeat the process with the chicken stock. Add the tomatoes and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Combine the ricotta, eggs, and Romano and Parmesan cheeses in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

In a large baking pan, spoon in a layer of tomato sauce just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with sheets of pasta, then spoon half of the meat mixture on the pasta; cover the meat with another pasta layer. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top, then cover with a layer of pasta sheets. Repeat with layers of meat sauce, pasta, ricotta, and a final sheet of pasta. Cover the top sheet with a layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake lasagna in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes or until hot in the center. Serve on a pool of sweet basil tomato sauce.

A few years ago, this replaced German Chocolate Cake as my birthday dessert. While I liked the cake, the pie is just more my style and the meringue makes it look spectacular. Put together from several recipes from the 1979 paperback “Cocoa Cookbook” published by Hershey’s.

1 3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk (for a richer custard, use half and half)
3 egg yolks beaten (egg whites will be used for meringue)
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 9-inch baked pie shell

Combine all dry ingredients in a 2-quart saucepan. Add milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Gradually stir about half the mixture into egg yolks; return to the saucepan. Stir and heat just until boiling. Remove from heat; blend in butter and vanilla. Pour into pie shell.

Meringue

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy. Gradually add 6 tablespoons of sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue onto hot pie filling, carefully sealing to edge of crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool to room temperature before serving. Pie can also be served chilled. Serves 6 to 8.

My mother found this recipe in an issue of Southern Living and it has become her go-to coconut layer cake because, she says, it’s very moist and stays fresh for several days. The icing also never gets hard or sugary, like some confectioners’ sugar-based frostings do.

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
2/3 cup flaked coconut
Pinch of cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom of 2 9-inch round pans. Line with wax or parchment paper and grease paper. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar; then add egg yolks. Beat until well mixed. Mix dry ingredients together and add alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture. Stir in flavorings. In a clean dry bowl with clean beaters, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and continue beating egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Turn batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Let cakes rest in pans for approximately 10 minutes before turning out on to racks to cool. Spread approximately ½ cup of frosting (below) on 1 cake layer (you may also sprinkle frosted cake layer with additional coconut). Top with second cake layer and frost top and sides of cake, sprinkling top of cake with additional coconut if you like.

No-Cook Fluffy Frosting

1/3 cup soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 unbeaten egg whites
1 1-pound box confectioners’ sugar

Beat butter, vanilla and salt until fluffy. Add egg whites and sugar alternately. Beat until well mixed and fluffy.

It’s imperative that the chile powder is 100% ground dried New Mexico chiles…NOT the mix of spices sold as chile powder that you find in grocery stores here.

This is the type my dad, a Santa Fe native, was raised on, as were all of us kids. It’s a stack of fried corn tortillas, cheddar, chopped onions and a really rustic chile gravy. And it’s all topped off with a fried egg. It is my all-time favorite comfort food. The chile powder you find around here is almost always a blend of spices. That’s an absolute no-no in my family. We use pure ground New Mexican chilies. So, I order the chile powder online - at http://www.buenofoods.com, (specifically - http://www.giftbasketsjust4u.com/pubs-us-bin/giftbasketsjustforyou/GBJstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=Traditional) It’s the Special Reserve chile powder - and have it shipped from New Mexico.

My dad’s family has been in New Mexico for centuries, literally. We’re all proud of our heritage, and our food. In fact, my aunt Eloisa Bergère Brown - who’s also my madrina (godmother) - published a special family cookbook that we all have. It’s loaded with great traditional recipes and humor, which includes the name, “Our Kind Of Food For Our Kind Of People.” That’s where I get my recipe for the chile gravy. 

Sloane Brown’s Enchilada recipe

Chile gravy (from “Our Kind of Food For Our Kind of People by Eloisa Bergère Brown)
3 tablespoons red chile powder
1 heaping tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons oil (or fat if you need comforting)
1 large clove garlic - chopped
1 cube chicken boullion (optional but good!)
Enough water to make a gravy-like mixture, maybe 2 cups

In a medium hot pan, brown flour in oil, add chopped garlic. Stir in powdered chile and brown for ONE minute…no more. (It’s bad, really bad, to burn chile. If you do, you and every else has to leave the house.) Add water, as you would to make gravy, a little at a time, then stir. Add optional boullion cube. Keep stirring a while longer. Then let simmer for at least 15 minutes on low, low burner. I find the longer you cook red chile, the tamer it gets. Just the opposite with green chile.

Enchilada’s
3 Corn (NOT flour!) tortillas
Lots of corn oil
3/4 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped raw onion (this can be a sweet onion if you want)
1 egg
A cup of chile gravy

Fry the tortillas in medium hot corn oil to your preference - soft or crispy. Drain on paper towels. Put one tortilla on a plate, sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese, and 1/3 the onions over it. Ladle some gravy over that. Put another tortilla on top of that and repeat. Add a third layer the same way. Fry the egg, leaving the yolk runny, and place on the top. Break the yoke before eating, so it drizzles over the whole thing and creates a gooey, glorious mess. Enjoy!

Is it “the best chocolate cake in the universe?” You decide.

Cake
4 eggs separated
1 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) sweet butter
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons very finely ground skinned hazelnuts
Beat egg yolks and sugar together until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Meanwhile, in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, melt the chocolate with the butter, whisking constantly until smooth; cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with a circle of wax paper. Grease the paper and lightly flour lining and sides of pan. Pour chocolate-butter mixture into egg mixture and stir just to blend. Fold in flour, salt, and ground hazelnuts. Whip egg whites until stiff and fold gently into batter.

Pour the cake batter into prepared pan and rap the pan lightly on a work surface to eliminate any air bubbles. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until edges are firm and inside is set but still somewhat soft. Do not worry if top cracks slightly. Cool in the pan, set on a rack, for 1 hour. Remove sides of pan and cool cake to room temperature.

When cake is cool, invert it onto a serving plate and spread top and sides with hazelnut buttercream (see below). Refrigerate cake for 30 minutes.

Remove cake from refrigerator and spread top and sides with warm chocolate icing (see below). Work quickly, as icing sets. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.

Hazelnut Buttercream
1 1/4 shelled hazelnuts
5 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons brandy
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Roast hazelnuts on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove nuts from oven and rub between towels to remove skins. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until nuts begin to form a paste, peanut butter-like in texture. Scrape paste into a bowl and stir in corn syrup and brandy. Let sit for 20 minutes. (Can be prepared in advance and refrigerated. Let return to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.)

Cream confectioners’ sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add hazelnut paste and mix thoroughly.

Chocolate Icing
4 tablespoons sweet butter
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons cream
2/3 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt butter and chocolate together in the top part of a double boiler over simmering water, whisking constantly. Remove pan from heat and beat in cream. Sift in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Icing should be very smooth. Spread while warm.

The first chicken recipe listed in “The Silver Palate Cookbook,” this was a hostess favorite because you could put all the ingredients together to marinate the night before and bake it right before dinner. The combination of prunes, capers and olives may seem faddish, but it still tastes darn good. Note: the original recipe is written to serve 10 to 12. I have halved the quantities, but feel free to play around with measurements. The recipe is pretty indestructible.

5 pounds of chicken pieces (a combination of dark and white meat, if you like, bone-in or boneless; it works any way)
6 to 8 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
Chopped parsley for garnish

In a large bowl, combine all but last 3 ingredients. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a single layer in 1 or 2 large shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, basting frequently with pan juices until done. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat. Serves 6.

16 ounces cream cheese                                      
2 eggs              
2 lemons, zested
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla  
3 tablespoons corn flour  
14 ounces white chocolate, melted  
10 1/2 ounces whipping cream
Prebaked tart shells or 9-inch pie shell

Candied Lemon Rind
2 lemon rinds, cut in thin strands
Sugar syrup (combine 1 cup sugar with ½ cup water)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Beat cream cheese until soft. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, lemon zest, sugar, vanilla, and corn flour. Add to cream cheese mixture and continue beating. Add melted chocolate and cream and mix until well combined. Pour filling into pie shell and bake until center is wobbly (about 20 minutes). Remove from oven and cool on counter, then refrigerate overnight or until firm. For the candied rind, blanch the lemon strands in boiling water for one minute, drain, and shock in cold water. Repeat process two more times. Transfer lemon strands to a small pan of sugar syrup and gently simmer until lemon strands are almost clear (about 15 minutes).  Cool in syrup and reserve for garnishing the tops of the tarts.

Serves 9

5 whole eggs
5 large yolks
1/2 cup sugar
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
Double Devon cream or whipped cream

In a mixer, combine eggs, yolks, and sugar, and beat until pale, about 7 minutes. Melt the chocolate and butter over a double boiler until completely smooth. Remove from the heat, and slowly pour the melted butter and chocolate into the egg mixture, beating until smooth. Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in the flour. Refrigerate batter overnight and spoon into buttered ramekins. Cook in a preheated, 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The center should be liquid and the outside cooked like a cake. Serve with a spoon of double Devon or whipped cream.

Serves 6

18 ounces dark chocolate    
7 ounces heavy whipping cream        
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Kahlua          
4 ounces cocoa powder            
4 ounces confectionary sugar
4 ounces chopped toasted nuts (almonds, pecans, etc.)

Heat the chocolate, cream, and butter gently in a double boiler, stirring mixture until almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until completely melted. Stir in Kahlua and allow to cool, then refrigerate until firm. Form into small bite-size balls and roll them in the sugar, powder, and nuts. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Makes 2 dozen

9 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
8 ounces chocolate sauce  
1 large egg                  
5 large egg yolks                
1/2 cup sugar
2 ounces water        
1 2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1 chocolate cake (your favorite recipe)
Cocoa powder

Crème Chantilly
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler until completely smooth; remove and cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, combine the eggs and beat for 7 minutes on medium-high speed. In a small sauce pan, cook the sugar and water until 250 degrees using a candy thermometer. Remove the sugar from the stove and pour into egg mixture; beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Let egg and sugar mixture cool to room temperature. Beat the whipping cream until soft peaks. Gently fold the egg mixture into the whipping cream. Then add the melted chocolate to the whipped cream, gently mixing it until the absence of streaks.

To make the crème chantilly, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then add the sugar and vanilla; mix until firm peaks are formed. Refrigerate. To make the layered cake, slice the cake into thin layers and add the mousse between the layers. Let the cake set in the refrigerator for several hours and serve with chocolate sauce, crème Chantilly, and a dusting of chocolate powder.

Serves 6-9

1 pound gnocchi
4 eggs
2 tablespoons white vinegar
4 tablespoons salted butter      
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces cubed Fontina cheese
6 tablespoons salted butter
1 green onion, finely sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Add gnocchi to a large pot of salted boiling water until they float. Transfer the gnocchi to a bowl of ice water until cool, then drain and set aside. Poach the eggs in simmering water with vinegar, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel to drain. In a sauce pot, melt the butter with the heavy cream. Then add the cheese, constantly stirring over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat to a warm place. Heat a sauté pan until hot; add gnocchi and butter, and sauté until the gnocchi is browned. Season with pepper and divide gnocchi among 4 shallow bowls. Top the potato dumplings with a poached egg. Spoon cheese sauce over the poached eggs, and garnish with pepper and green onion.

Serves 4

8 thin slices of a French baguette
Olive oil for drizzling    
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil          
8 thin slices of goat cheese 6-8 ounces (Nocetto di Capra or similar cheese)
2 radishes shaved thin
4 cups baby mixed greens
1 ripe Bosc pear, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced  
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a cookie tray with bread slices drizzled with olive oil in a preheated, 350-degree oven until crostini is golden brown (approximately 10 minutes). In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place goat cheese on crostini and warm in oven for several minutes. In a bowl, combine radish, greens and pear and dress with lemon dressing. On cool plates, serve a pile of the salad, two crostinis, and a drizzle of the remaining dressing. Garnish the plate with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4

10 ounces water  
1 10-ounce bag mixed dried fruit
1 tea bag
1/3 cup sugar        
1 vanilla bean scraped
1 cinnamon stick        
1 star anise          

Crisps
7 ounces unsalted butter
12 ounces caster sugar
6 ounces clear Karo syrup
3/4 cup flour
1 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
1 cup toasted oatmeal

Poach the fruit by bringing the water to a boil in a medium sauce pot, steep the tea bag, then remove; add all remaining ingredients to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

To make the crisps, melt the butter, sugar, and syrup. Add mixture into a bowl of flour with the hazelnuts; mix thoroughly. Refrigerate mixture until cold. Heat oven to 325 degrees and toast oatmeal until golden brown. Roll crisp mixture into a 1-inch ball and place on a well-greased cookie sheet 3 inches apart. Place tray in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and sprinkle crisps with toasted oatmeal. Return to oven for an additional 5 minutes. Let crisps cool and break into pieces. Spoon fruit into bowls along with some poaching liquid, top with a slice of cheese, and garnish with crisps.

Serves 4-6

10 ounces mascarpone
2 egg yolks
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/3 cup natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces confectioners’ sugar
3 peaches, peeled and sliced
1 small pound cake cut into
12 thin slices
6 mint sprigs

To make the crema di mascarpone, lightly beat mascarpone with a wooden spoon in a stainless bowl. Add yolks, zest, vanilla bean, and sugar. Briefly beat ingredients until well combined and refrigerate. Heat sauté pan until hot and add butter and sugar and stir until the sugar caramelizes. Add sliced peaches and toss to coat. Remove from heat. Take parfait glasses and slice the pound cake. Add a dollop of mascarpone in the bottom of the glass, top with a slice of pound cake, then top with fruit and some juices. Add a dollop of mascarpone over the fruit and repeat the processes. Garnish with mint and serve.

Serves 4

Sharon and Lou created this recipe for the home cook based on Sharon’s grandfather’s recipe that the bakery has been using since it opened in 1927. Don’t forget the cinnamon on top.

Custard (Make several hours ahead.)
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
dash salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Over a double boiler, heat milk until bubbles form on side, just before boiling.
 
In a medium bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar and salt until smooth.Gradually, in a thin stream using a whisk, blend the hot milk into the egg mixture.Return to double boiler (make sure the water level in the bottom half of the boiler doesn’t touch the bottom of the top half).Add the vanilla. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture coats a metal spoon.Pour into a bowl and press wax paper on top to prevent skin from forming. Let cool completely.

Dough

1 3/4 cups white flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup hot water
1 egg

In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast. Add butter and beat for a few seconds on medium speed. Gradually add hot water and beat for 2 minutes on medium speed, scraping sides of bowl. Add egg and 1/2 cup flour, and beat on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down sides of the bowl. Mix in remaining 3/4 cups flour, mixing until smooth and elastic. Roll into ball, let rest for 5 minutes, spread in bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Let rise until doubled in volume.

To assemble smearcase
8 ounces cottage cheese, small curd
1/4cup sugar
cinnamon for dusting

Drain cottage cheese through cheesecloth to remove as much moisture as possible. In large mixing bowl on medium speed,blend in sugar and mix until smooth. Slowly add cooled custard mixture and mix on low speed until smooth.Being careful not to knock out air, spread smearcase mixture over dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
 
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes until set. Let cool completely before releasing springform.

2 large eggplants
2-3 garlic cloves
5-8 anchovy fillets
1 cup or more extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Place eggplants on a baking tray in a 400-degree oven for 45 minutes or longer. The eggplant should be completely soft and roasted. Scrape contents of eggplant into a blender along with the garlic, anchovies and olive oil. Blend until smooth; adjust seasoning with pepper. (If the purée needs more salt, add more anchovies.) Serve with pita chips. Serves 4.

¼ cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 red chili, finely chopped
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 eggplant, sliced 1/8-inch thick, lengthways
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups grated Manchego cheese
¼ cup parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Add the vegetable oil to a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and sauté until aromatic. Add tomatoes and brown sugar and cook until reduced to a jam-like paste. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. While jam is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place eggplant slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until the eggplant caramelizes. Remove eggplant from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return eggplant to oven until cheese melts, then remove. Stack the slices on top of each other and trim into small squares. To serve, place stacks on top of a spoonful of the tomato chili jam. Top with parsley dressed with extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper. Serves 4.

1 eggplant, peeled and sliced into 3/8-inch rounds
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs
2 cups olive oil
1 cup yogurt
¼ cup mango chutney
¼ cup mint leaves
1 package pitas
1 cup arugula
1 tomato, sliced
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Salt both sides of the eggplant and set aside for 20 minutes to drain. Rinse salt from eggplant and pat dry. Season both sides of the eggplant with curry powder and drop into the flour. Dust off flour and drop eggplant into the beaten eggs then into the bread crumbs. Heat oil in a large frying pan and cook eggplant until golden brown. To make yogurt sauce, in a small bowl combine yogurt, chutney and mint leaves. To assemble the sandwiches, liberally coat both sides of the pita pocket with yogurt sauce. Stuff with lettuce, tomato and fried eggplant. Top with yogurt sauce and freshly ground pepper. Serves 4 to 6.

3 cups vegetable oil
2 Asian eggplants, quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 shallots, sliced
2 teaspoons chili sauce
1 thumb-sized knob ginger, minced
4 tablespoons fermented Chinese black beans
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground roasted Szechuan peppercorns

Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large pan then fry eggplant in batches until golden brown. Remove eggplant and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 5 tablespoons of oil from the wok then add garlic, shallots, ginger and chili sauce and cook until fragrant. Add black beans, soy sauces, rice wine vinegar, rice wine and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes then add the eggplant to the pan and toss to coat. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with Szechuan peppercorns. Serves 4 to 6.

Many of the recipes in the Cloverland cookbook call for cottage cheese, a product the dairy must have sold a lot of, but this cake, a sort of take on a German chocolate cake, does not. The cookbook is undated, but the original recipe calls for “fat” instead of butter or shortening, and the first instruction is to “cream fat and flavoring”! I’ve substituted butter for fat.

½ cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate,
melted and cooled
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups cake flour, sifted
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
Broiler Coconut Frosting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, adding sugar gradually. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well. Add melted chocolate. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture, mixing thoroughly. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool slightly in pan. Frost cake with Broiler Coconut Frosting. Serves 8.

My mother was a rookie teacher at Edgemere Elementary School in the early 1960s, and Cloverland Dairy was the first field trip she ever arranged for her students. She was reluctant to take the children so far from home (Phoenix was a long way from southeast Baltimore County, especially for the many students who’d never traveled farther than Dundalk), but the trip was a success, and at the end of the visit, my mother was given a small cookbook published by the dairy where, in each recipe, any dairy ingredient is preceded by “Cloverland,” i.e., Cloverland buttermilk or Cloverland eggs. My mother remembers making this pie over and over and calls it a “painless way to eat cottage cheese.”

1 cup seedless raisins
2 cups cottage cheese
½ cup sugar
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
3 eggs, well beaten
Pastry for a single 9-inch pie crust
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Chop raisins with knife or in food processor. Put the cottage cheese through a sieve or ricer. Combine cheese, sugar, cream, salt, lemon peel and eggs, blending thoroughly. Add raisins and mix lightly. Pour into a pastry-lined pie pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. Then lower temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 30 minutes or until filling is set and a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean. Serves 6.

6 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup heavy or whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the broiler. Combine all frosting ingredients and spread over warm cake. Place under broiler approximately 4 to 6 inches from heat and broil until frosting is bubbling and brown. Watch carefully, as frosting can go from bubbling to burnt in a matter of seconds. The whole process should take just a couple minutes depending on the heat of your oven and the distance between the cake and the heat source. Cool completely in pan before spreading on cake.

Serves 4-6
2 cups dried orecchiette
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup marinated artichokes, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
1 small head radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces              
1 cup chicken stock
1 lemon, juiced and zested
25 shrimp, steamed and peeled
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and set aside. Add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then add artichokes, capers, radicchio, chicken stock, lemon juice and zest, and cooked shrimp. Warm all ingredients for 1 minute on medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Top with chopped parsley. 

“Shock is the reaction of some Americans we have encountered who learn that real French people living in France eat hamburgers,” writes Julia Child in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” Shock was also the reaction when I found a hamburger recipe in her seminal cookbook. Even though the burger is more than a little fussy, it satisfies in an elegant way.

¾ cup finely minced yellow onions
2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 egg
½ cup flour, spread on a plate
1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil
½ cup beef stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, dry white vermouth or red wine
2-3 tablespoons butter, softened

Cook the onions slowly in the butter for about 10 minutes until very tender but not browned. Place in a mixing bowl. Add the beef, butter, seasonings and egg to the onions in the mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine ingredients. Form into patties ¾-inch thick. Cover with waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Just before sautéing, roll the patties lightly in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Place butter and oil in a skillet and set over moderately high heat. When you see the butter foam begin to subside, sauté the patties for 2 to 3 minutes or more each side, to desired doneness. Remove patties from skillet to warm plate.

Pour the fat out of the skillet. Add the liquid and boil it down rapidly, scraping up the coagulated pan juices, until it had reduced almost to a syrup. Off heat, swirl butter by half-tablespoons into the sauce until it is absorbed. Pour the sauce over the hamburgers and serve. Makes 6 burgers. 

Serves 4-6
2 cups dried trofie pasta
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil              
1 yellow squash, cut into ¼-inch rounds
1 zucchini, cut into ¼-inch rounds        
1 red onion, peeled and cut into ¼-inch rounds
1 red bell pepper, cut in half and deseeded
1 yellow pepper, cut in half and deseeded
Salt and freshly cracked pepper    
½ cup prepared pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, pour olive oil into a large bowl and add all of the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables to coat, and char them on a preheated grill for about 5 minutes per side. Cut the cooked vegetables into bite-size pieces and place in the bowl with the pasta. Add the pesto and grated Parmesan cheese, and serve hot or cold.

Serves 4-6
1 box dried spaghetti      
1 cup homemade bread crumbs, preferably from ciabatta bread  
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chicken stock
½ bunch fresh thyme      
1 cup feta cheese        
Salt and freshly cracked pepper

Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and set aside.

To make bread crumbs, place bread in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Add remaining olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic, sauté for 1 minute, then add cherry tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the chicken stock to the pan and the fresh thyme, then the pasta and feta cheese and toss to combine. Divide the pasta into bowls and sprinkle each with the bread crumb mixture.

Although I loved fast food hamburgers as a kid, I eventually graduated to grown-up burgers, and my first, a bleuburger, was at Parkville’s Jerry D’s Restaurant & Tavern. Salty, stinky, blue cheese, be it Maytag, Roquefort, or gorgonzola, was made for grilled ground beef, but soppy bleu cheese dressing was not. Use only the real cheese. I’m not fussy about the cut of beef used, but try at least 15 percent fat; it makes a juicier burger. I also like a toasted bun and a tangle of sautéed onions.

1 pound ground beef (a combination of chuck [for fat]  and sirloin [for flavor] is good, if you can find it)
Salt and pepper
¼ pound blue cheese
1 onion, sliced and sautéed in olive oil until golden (optional)

Season beef with salt and pepper and shape into 4 plump patties. Grill until almost desired doneness (I like medium rare). Top with blue cheese and grill for just a minute or 2, just long enough to melt the cheese. Serve on toasted buns with Dijon mustard and sautéed onions, if desired. Makes 4 burgers.

Serves 4-6
2 cups dried spinach rotini          
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil            
3 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, sliced thinly
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
2 cups trimmed and blanched green beans
1 cup fresh basil leaves    
1 cup chicken stock
Freshly grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, add olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute, and then add the sliced chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until just done. Add the chicken stock and blanched green beans to the pan. Heat all ingredients and add the pasta and fresh basil leaves. Garnish with Parmesan and serve immediately.

My mother used a combination of recipes to make her Lady Baltimore Cake. The cake portion is from a 1991 feature from Gourmet magazine called “A Light Maryland Thanksgiving.” The filling and icing are adapted from John Shields, as published in his “Chesapeake Bay Cooking,” although Mom substituted dried dates for dried figs.  John told me that he, too, often plays with the recipe, substituting genoise for the white cake layers or using native Maryland black walnuts in place of pecans or English walnuts. He likes to decorate the cake with candied violets.

For the cake layers
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
7 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Line 3 buttered 9-inch round cake pans with rounds of wax paper, butter the paper, and dust the pans with flour, knocking out the excess. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy and beat in the vanilla and the almond extract. In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and the salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches alternately with the milk, and stir the batter until it is just combined. In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks, stir 1/3 of them into the batter, and fold in the remaining whites, gently but thoroughly. Divide the batter among the prepared pans, smoothing the tops, and bake the cake layers, in batches if necessary, in the middle of a preheated 325-degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Let the cake layers cool in the pans on racks for 5 minutes, turn them out onto the racks, and let them cool completely. The cake layers may be made 1 week in advance and kept wrapped well in plastic wrap and frozen. Let the layers thaw before proceeding with the recipe.

Serves 4
4 New York strip steaks, about 8-10 ounces              
1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved and sliced into rings
Salt and pepper
Enough vegetable oil to fill a pot or small tabletop vegetable fryer
8 eggs      
1 bag frozen french fries

Marinade
1 tablespoon chili sauce
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Add steaks and turn to coat for 1½ hours. Turn the steaks 2-3 times during the marinating process for even flavoring. In a large sauté pan, add onions, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Caramelize onions over medium heat, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, grill the marinated steaks on an outdoor grill or in s sauté pan to desired doneness. After the steaks are cooked, let them rest 5 to 8 minutes. Fry the eggs sunny side up and cook french fries in an oven or fryer until crisp. Reheat onions and assemble the steak, onions, egg, and french fries on the plate and serve.

• Good Tastes
  • Appetizers
  • Baking
  • Salads & Dressings
  • Desserts
  • Beverages
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Marinade & Sauces