Amaretti Cookies with Ruby Ganache (Steven, from Pastry Chef Rose Wilde) (Great Passover Option!)

Ingredients

2 and ½ cups almond meal/flour

1 and ½ cups granulated sugar

2 tsp kosher salt 

2 large egg whites

1 tsp almond extract

1 Tbs Amaretto

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

Ganache

4 and ½ oz ruby chocolate, chopped

(eg, Callebaut Couveture Ruby Chocolate on Amazon,or Chocolove at Whole Foods); can also use dark chocolate but the ruby chocolate is amazing!

1 Tbs plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Takes about 1 hour and makes about 36 cookies

Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300oF. Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a medium bowl, whisk together almond meal, granulated sugar, and salt, breaking up any clumps with your fingers.

Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Start mixer with a whisk attachment on low speed and increase to medium-high until soft peaks form. Add the almond extract and Amaretto, then whip on medium-high until stiff, glossy peaks form. The whites should hold a stiff peak.

Using a flexible spatula, gently fold in half the almond meal mixture. Add the remaining almond mixture and keep folding until a sticky dough forms.

Place ½ cup confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl and lightly dust your hands with more. Scoop portions of 2 Tbs (can use a No.30 disher or regular soup spoon). Roll with hands to form a smooth ball and flatten to about ¼ inch thick. Dip in the confectioner’s sugar and coat completely. Space cookies 1 to 2 inches apart and bake one sheet at a time for 25-30 minutes, rotating from front to back halfway through, until the cookies are cracked and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Ganache: Melt the chocolate and oil and stir until smooth (carefully and barely melted if microwaving or use a double boiler). Let cool slightly. Dip cookies halfway into ganache. Return to one of the lined baking sheets and transfer to the refrigerator to allow chocolate to set (about 30 min).

Implements

2 baking sheets (with parchment paper or silicone mats)

Mixer

Bowls

Comments

Some background on ruby chocolate: it’s the expressive result of recessive genes in the tropical fruit of the cacao trees, a special fruit that keeps its pink color all the way through the chocolate-making process. Ruby also maintains its bright flavor of berries, mangoes, and chocolate.

Passionfruit Mousse (Steven)

Ingredients

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup sweetened condensed milk

½ cup passionfruit puree or concentrate

(eg, Maguary passionfruit concentrate)

½ tsp vanilla extract

Fresh passionfruit juice (optional)

Directions

Takes about 2 hours 10 min (active time is 10 min)

4 servings

Beat the heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer at medium-high speed until it holds stiff peaks. Add the condensed milk, passionfruit puree and vanilla and beat until combined. Spoon the mousse into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). If you have fresh passionfruit (may be found on Amazon), spoon a little fresh juice on top.

Implements

Bowls

Mixer

Comments

Nice tropical flavor! We first had this when we lived in Brazil in the

1980s.

Crunchy granola with lots of nuts

Ingredients

8 cups rolled oats (not quick oats, I usually buy mine bulk)

4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups walnuts (Trader Joe's California baking walnuts are chopped to a nice size)

2 cups raw slivered almonds (Trader Joe's are good ones - don't get the thin slices -they burn)

1 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

Mix together liquid ingredients in a small bowl:

2 tbsp vanilla

1 cup maple syrup (grade B Trader Joe's is fine)

2/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil

Directions

Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, remove from oven to stir well and rotate the positions of the pans.  Continue baking for a total of 35-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is lightly browned and looks dry.  Cool completely stirring a few times, and store in air tight container. 

 I prefer to DOUBLE the nuts and repace the walnuts with chopped pea and.

Comments

This is Kathy’s granola recipe but I don’t really know the source where she got it from.  Maya, Morgan and I have also taken to this particular granola because of all the nuts and crunch. This time of year I usually load it up with a pile of fresh berries and a sliced banana. It is also a great topping for buttermilk pancakes if you have a big day ahead.

Ragù Alla Bolognese (from Luca Paltrinieri, Friend of Charlie from Bologna)

Ingredients

1 lb mix of ground beef and ground pork (or could do 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork, 1/3 veal) and small amount of chopped pancetta

1 onion, chopped fine

1 big carrot, chopped fine

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

2 tbs butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 glasses red or white wine

Small amount of Passata (bottled cooked tomato without seeds or skin) or coulis de tomate or tomato paste 

Aged parmesan

Polenta or egg tagliatelle or short dry pasta [like rigatoni or penne] cooked alla dente

Directions

Fry onion, carrot, and celery stalk in butter. When the onion is translucent, put in the meat and brown it over high heat. Add salt and pepper. Once the meat starts to stick to the bottom of the pot, after about 5 minutes, deglaze with one or two glasses of wine. Let the wine evaporate, lower the heat to minimum, cover with boiling water and let it cook (uncovered) until water evaporates (about 1 hour and half). Add some passata or tomato paste. Add a little water and let cook (uncovered) for about 1 hour. Add a little more water if too dry.

Implements

Big stew pot

Spoon to stir

Comments

I added a translation of Luca’s recipe below as I found it incredibly entertaining! I found a jar of Passata in my grocery store (good stuff!). Coulis de tomate is similar but quite a few variations (some with olive oil, onion, garlic, and basil). Might be easiest to use tomato paste. This recipe is to die for!

From Charlie: Luca is a philosopher colleague from Bologna and this was written in confinement in Parisbecause of coronavirus.

Corona Virus Confinement Extra....

So, recipe. Since everyone is asking, I'll get on with it, of course I won't have the poetry of Massimiliano Nicoli [note from Jessie: another philosopher], nor the technical perfection of Caterina Zanfi (and in fact I'd advise you to look at her blog, for the orthodoxy of Emilian cuisine,https://bolognacookingclass.com/emilian-cuisine). Me, I do as I was taught; I buy 1/3 beef (not minced steak, rather minced chuck, a little fat doesn't bother), 1/3 veal (if you can find it), 1/3 pig. I fry an onion, a big carrot and a celery stalk, finely chopped, in BUTTER (be careful with butter, no olive oil or whatever, olive oil is a Terrone thing [note from Jessie: derogatory Italian termfor people who dwell in Southern Italy]. Bolognese ragù is from the Center-North, you can eat it with polenta or egg tagliatelle or short dry pasta [like rigatoni or penne], not with orecchiette or spaghetti, you see the trick. When the onion is translucent, throw in all the meat and brown it over high heat. Add plenty of salt and pepper, but don't add any other spices (I've actually seen French people adding cumin or even coriander, thinking it's like a Mediterranean dish: Stronzi Bastardi Maledetti (God will punish you for that, rest assured). The meat starts to stick to the bottom after let's say 5 minutes, at this point you deglaze with one or two glasses of wine. There is a diatribe still alive that is at the origin of many schisms within the Emilian orthodoxy, between those who prefer white wine and those who bathe the meat with red wine. Personally, since I'm in favor of respecting the Order, I prefer a dry white, but you should know that if you have red, it's largely in play. On the other hand, I consider those who add milk as heretics who should be persecuted and possibly sacrificed. But I myself have been violently disputed by a Very High Priest of the Emilian Cuisine for having put dried porcini mushrooms in the ragù (the perception of what is schism, heterodoxy or deviation, is culturally and historically variable). You let the wine evaporate and there you are, time to chill: you lower the heat to minimum, cover with boiling water and let it cook. You can then dedicate yourself to several activities such as drinking the rest of the wine, reading aloud from your balcony John Calvin's sermons on Job to the joggers below ignoring the light of Grace, writing an article on Capitalism and Coronavirus, swapping jokes on WhatsApp, or doing yoga on Zoom. That's actually what I did yesterday. The important thing is to never leave your ragù alone. Go see him every 10-15 minutes and tell him that he is beautiful, that you love him, and that he will never stick. After 2 hours of slow cooking [Note from Jessie: I found 1 hour and half enough], he will have absorbed some water and the rest will evaporate. It's time to add the tomato. Be careful, not canned peeled tomatoes or worse, fresh ones. It is necessary to put rigorously ONE SMALL amount of tomato coulis (purists don't even put coulis, but definitely a little tomato concentrate). You shouldn't drown the meat in tomato sauce as if it were a vulgar Barilla sauce or a stupid chain of fake Italian restaurants like Corso that serves "spaghetti bolognese" (Figli di Puttana, God will punish you severely for that). The tomato is used to give a bit of red color to the meat which by the way should already be more or less brick colored [Note from Jessie: I used white wine, didn’t really turn a brick color]. Add a little more water and let it cook. You can continue to "trade" and peddle your vision of the world and salvation to the Sunday joggers below, while you open another bottle and read Carbon Democracy by Timothy Mitchell (very good book). You stir your ragù with lots of love. When will it be ready? Actually, it could be 3h30, 4 hours total not less [Note from Jessie: I cooked the meat for 1 and a half hours and then another hour after adding the tomato, so a total of 2 and a half hours, seemed like enough]. The ragù has to be observed and loved, it will tell you when it is ready giving you an infallible Sign (Grace): the fat of the butter and the meat starts to detach itself from the tomato making a slightly shiny stratum that floats on the meat, as if gifted with its own life. The meat itself has acquired a uniform texture made up of small pieces that are comparable in size. Your ragù is ready! Turn off the heat and let it rest. Like all sauce dishes, it will be even better the next day. Drain your pasta al dente, if necessary add a drizzle of oil at the outlet and place gently ON the pasta. Add plenty of grated Parmesan cheese at least 36 months old. Thank God for giving us the ragù, the pasta, and especially Karl Marx,. Bon Appetit!

(Translated from the French using DeepL translator)

Scallop, Bacon, and Corn Chowder - One Pot Meal

I recently was exploring my cookbook entitled "Real Simple - Meals Made Easy" by Renee Schettler and rediscovered this great chowder - good for a crowd or for a more intimate cold night with your sweety. This is about 25 minutes of hands-on time for a total prep time of 1 hour.

This recipe is for 4 people.

Ingredients:
5 slices of thick-cut bacon with pepper on edges
1 1/2 pounds big ski scallops (about 16)
3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 small yellow onion, thickly sliced into half-moons
1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/2" pieces - peel if you like or wash the potato well and leave the peel on
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
4 TBSP sour cream (optional)
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh (from 2 ears)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Optional Ingredients:
Super crusty country bread

Directions:
In a large, deep skillet, fry up the bacon. Don't do this part in the microwave - the key here is to gather up the bacon fat from the cooking. Don' t cook the bacon so hot that ethe fatr begins to burn, but crisp up the thick strips and set aside on some paper towel when cooked, leaving the fat in the pan.

While the bacon is cooking chop up the onion, wash and chop up the potato. prepare the corn - no need to defrost if frozen. measure out the wine, have a sip.

Rinse the scallops and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

Once the bacon strips are out of the pan, drop the scallops in - careful not to spatter your dress-up clothes.  Don't crowd the scallops. do in batches if need be.  Cook until both flat sides are golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per side. No need to worry about cooking all the way through.  Transfer the cooked scallops to a plate using a slotted spoon or tongs.  Leave the liquid in the pan.

Now, drop the prepared onion into the pan full of remaining bacon drippings and scallop juice. Cook on lower heat until softened.  turn as required for even cooking.

Now, add in the potatoes, wine, chicken broth,  and creams. stir until sauce is smooth. Bring it to a simmer. Cover partially, and continue to simmer until potatoes are tender - about 20 minutes.

Now, add in the corn and the scallops and continue to cook for about 4 minutes. For this last cooking, segment warm the bowls over the woodstove, or fill them with boiling water. Before serving drain hot water out of the bowls.

To Serve:
Ladle into warmed bowls, and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon and chopped parsley. Place some sliced bread on a plate next to each bowl.

Upside Down Pear Tart with Ginger (Caroline Galson)

I use a tarte tatin tin which is 9" diameter and 2" high.
I presume that you can buy jars of preserved ginger in syrup in the US.

Top:
3oz butter, cut up
3oz granulated sugar
2 tablespoons syrup from preserved ginger
3 or 4 firm pears
Juice of a lemon

Cake:
4oz softened butter
4oz caster sugar
3 1/2 oz self raising flour
1level teaspoon baking powder
1 oz ground almonds
2large eggs
3 tablespoons syrup from ginger
4 knobs preserved ginger, chopped
I teaspoon ground ginger

Set tin over a low heat and put in butter. Move it around tin, brushing up sides. Add sugar and syrup, heat until toffee-like and bubbling slightly. Remove from heat.
Peel, core and slice pears, turning them in lemon juice. Arrange in sunflower effect on the toffee base. 

Blitz all cake ingredients except ginger knobs in food processor, or food mixer, then stir in chopped ginger. Pour over the pears.
Bake for 45 mins at 375F, then turn heat down to 350. Watch that the top doesn't burn. 

(It cooks more quickly in the Aga) 

Cool for about 10 mins. Run knife around edge, place a large plate on top and invert. Watch out for juices running out. 

I make it in advance if expecting guests and re-warm in slow oven.

Curried Cream Cheese Log Appetizer

Judie Stepner	Mon, Oct 29, 11:59 AM (1 day ago)
1/2 recipe makes one log - suitable for 4-6 as appetizer...

12 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup currants

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup peanuts, chopped

1 TBS sour cream or mayo      (I used 2 TBS sour cream)

1 TBS curry power

Mango Chutney (I used Major Grey's)

Combine the ingredients listed at top and roll into a log. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.  When ready to serve, top with chutney.  Serve with crackers or baguette.

Sedona Peach Rescue Compote (Wendy 10/10/18)

Ingredients
Mealy peaches
butter
brown sugar
nutmeg (optional)
Cinnamon (Optional)

Directions

Discovered when the peaches were mealy.  Verified for use with formerly mealy, now overripe peaches. First tried atop pancakes.  Also good on ice cream or yogurt.

1. Cut rotten spots out of peaches: chop peaches

2. Melt butter and brown sugar (amounts at your discretion); add dashes of nutmeg and/or cinnamon if desired.  Heat butter mixture until you can smell a butterscotch odor.

3. Add peaches, stirring until peaches are cooked to taste. Add chopped pecans and/or dried cranberries (if desired).

4. Enjoy!

Peach Pie (actually Blueberry) Variation - Wendy

Peach Pie variation, developed by Wendy of necessity based on fruits available during an island
visit. We had several very poor peaches but not enough for a pie. We had lots of blueberries.

Ingredients

Prepare a pint of uncooked cleaned and picked over blueberries.

Build a Peach Tart crust:
 In a mixing bowl, stir together

1 ½ cups flour,

½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar.

Stirring enables the salt and sugar to sift the flour, so you don’t need to sift it in advance.

In a small bowl, whisk together
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or mild olive oil if you prefer)
2 tablespoons whole milk
½ teaspoon almond extract
Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork, just enough to dampen; do not over work it. Then, transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan and use your hands to pat out the dough so it covers the bottom of the pan, pushing it up the sides to meet the edge. This will work if you pat firmly and confidently, but not if you curl your fingertips into the dough. It should be about 1/8 -inch thick all around; trim and discard excess dough.

Add thick peach slices. Sprinkle some blueberries among the peaches

Topping
Zest from one lemon
¾ cup sugar
½ cup flour
Cut in and mix with fingers until it reaches the consistency of sand: 3 tbsp butter.
Sprinkle 1/3 of the topping on top of the peaches and some of the blueberries.
Add a layer of the remaining blueberries.
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of lemon juice over the fruit
Cover with the rest of the topping.

Bake at 425 for 35-45 minutes.

Carrot Cake (Diana)

Ingredients

4 cups (2 lbs.) of packed carrots-
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups oil
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 – 1/tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups flour
1-cup nuts (optional)
1 cups raisins (optional)

For Lemon Glaze:

Lemon glaze
Lemon- squeeze
Confectionary sugar-about 1- ½ cups

For cream cheese frosting(Optional):
1-cup confectionary sugar
½ butter
8 0z. Cream cheese
2-3 tsp. vanilla

Directions

350 F for 1 hour
Greased Tube pan or 13 x 9 pan

-Grate 4 cups (2 lbs.) of packed carrots- I grate in the food processor

Beat (in order) to mixer
Mix first 3 ingredients well:
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups oil

Add to quickly into wet ingredients
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 – 1/tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups flour
1-cup nuts (optional)
1 cups raisins (optional)

============
Icing options
============

Lemon glaze
Lemon- squeeze
Confectionary sugar-about 1- ½ cups

Using a glass 2 cup measuring cup with a spout
-Add sugar and then lemon juice-heat in microwave(the starch in the sugar will thicken the mixture as it cools)

Cream Cheese Frosting
Mix in food processor:
1-cup confectionary sugar
½ butter
8 0z. Cream cheese
2-3 tsp. vanilla

Matzah Ball Soup (Gertrude's recipe)

Ingredients

For around 50 light matzah balls

Premade Chicken Soup (can be prepared the day before)

Premade pot of chicken soup (preferably made with 1 stewing chicken). For a richer soup, cover the chicken with canned chicken broth. Suggested vegetables and spices to cook with chicken: onion, carrots, celery with leaves, parsley, parsnips, salt, pepper, bay leaf (dill is also good). Strain the soup and store in container big enough to hold both the soup and the matzah balls.

Use the chicken to make chicken salad and discard the soup vegetables.


6 tbsp chicken fat from chicken soup
4 eggs, separated
1 cup hot chicken soup
¾ cup matzah meal
½ tsp salt
Finely chopped parsley

Notes:
-Best made at least the day before
-To save clean up, beat the egg whites first, set aside, and then proceed with the recipe
-Can use canned chicken soup to stretch the quantities. For our Seder, there were more balls than available soup!

Directions

Separate the eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry (with mixer high speed). Set aside.

Beat yolks and chicken fat (with mixer medium speed) until thick and well blended. Pour the hot 1 cup hot soup over the egg mixture and continue beating well. By hand, fold in matzah meal mixed with salt and then fold in beaten egg whites. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

Wet hands with cold water and shape matzah ball mix into small balls, no bigger than a rounded teaspoon. (The balls will expand a lot when they cook). As your hands get sticky, put them back in the cold water. Line balls up on waxed paper so you can put them in at around the same time. Drop gently, one at a time, into 2 quarts of boiling salted water. Reduce heat, cover, and cook gently for 20-25 minutes. Scoop balls out of the water with a wooden slotted spoon. The matzah balls are very tender at this point and using a metal implement may damage them. Drop matzah balls into soup and let them sit overnight at least.

When the matzah ball soup is ready to serve, check for salt, and add a little bit of fresh lemon juice a few drops at a time (not enough to taste, just enough to add a little sparkle and balance the salt. Serve with a sprig of parsley.

Raspberry and Current Jam - From Eva

Ingredients

6 cups Currants
4 cups Raspberries (use 2/3’s sugar to berries)
7 cups Sugar

Directions

1. Mix berries and sugar in pot over medium heat. Don’t forget to mix from the bottom of the pan. You need to stay around the kitchen for this whole Jam process so nothing boils over
   
2. When mixture gets to a good boil all over, set the timer for 15 minutes. Stir periodically during this time.
   
3. Stir for another 10-15 minutes but pretty often
   
4. Boil the lids in a medium pot. You will taking one lid out at a time when you are ready to use it on the jar
   
5. Start to check the fluidness of the jam. Pick up about1/2 teaspoon of the juice and roll it around the spoon to cool the liquid. Then slowly drop it off the spoon. When it forms like a thread or permanent drop …then the jam is ready to put in the jars
   
6. Spoon off all the pink foam into a heat proof bowl
   
7. Ladle the jam almost to the top of a jar, wipe around the inside and the outside of the jar to get all the stickiness clean with a wet paper towel. Tightly screw on a top and turn the jar upside
   down on the counter. The counter should be lined with a plastic or paper bag.
   
8. Repeat for all the jars
   
9. When the jam has cooled, you can turn the jars and store

Implements

Extra large pot
About 8 medium jars (start washing the jars in the dishwasher to sanitize)
Metal tablespoon to test jam
Heat proof little bowl for pink foam
Ladle to scoop out jam to jars
Medium pot for boiling lids
Grabber tool to take out each lid from the boiling water

Comments

Lovingly recorded by Diana

 

Peach Tart with Olive Oil Crust

Ingredients

Makes one 9-inch tart; serves 8

1 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or mild olive oil if you prefer)
2 tablespoons whole milk
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
3 to 5small ripe peaches, pitted and thickly sliced (about 1/2-inch wide)

Directions

Heat the oven to 425°. In a mixing bowl, stir together 1 ½ cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Stirring enables the salt and sugar to sift the flour, so you don’t need to sift it in advance. In a small bowl, whisk together the oils, milk and almond extract. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently with a fork, just enough to dampen; do not over work it. Then, transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan and use your hands to pat out the dough so it covers the bottom of the pan, pushing it up the sides to meet the edge. This will work if you pat firmly and confidently, but not if you curl your fingertips into the dough. It should be about 1/8 -inch thick all around; trim and discard excess dough.
In a bowl, combine ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and the butter. (If your peaches are especially juicy, add 1 tablespoon additional flour.) Using your fingers, pinch the butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly, with a mixture of fine granules and tiny pebbles.
Starting on the outside, arrange the peaches overlapping in a concentric circle over the pastry; fill in the center in whatever pattern makes sense. The peaches should fit snugly. Sprinkle the pebbly butter mixture over top (it will seem like a lot). Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until shiny, thick bubbles begin enveloping the fruit and the crust is slightly brown. Cool on a rack. Serve warm or room temperature, preferably with generous dollops of whipped cream.

From: http://neuroticbaker.com/

Poke - Sushi Salad - (From Tamar)

Ingredients

Poke:

~1lb sushi grade fish chopped into cubes (I typically buy at a Japanese market but whole foods should work)

1 tbsp sesame seeds

3 scallions thinly chopped

~1/2 cup diced cucumber

Avocado

Seaweed to sprinkle

Sauce:

1 tbsp sesame oil

3-4 tbsp soy sauce

Directions

Combine ingredients from the poke section, mix gently so you don't damage the fish. Mix sauce and pour over mixture. Stir until everything is coated. I usually serve over sushi rice but can do over salad, rice crackers, anything! Very easy and fast weeknight dinner. Enjoy:)

Implements

Comments

Spinach Salad with Roasted Golden and Red Beets, Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Ingredients

Salad:

Spinach or baby spinach

1/2 red onion, minced

Red wine or white wine vinegar

Toasted Walnuts

Goat Cheese

3 beets, cooked, skinned, cooled and cut crosswise into thin medallions.  Golden + Red makes for a very pretty salad.

Dressing:

1/4 cup good balsamic

1/2 cup + a few tbs good extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp whole grain prepared mustard

1 tsp maple syrup

2 cloves garlic, smashed with a back on knife

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

At least 2 hours and up to one day ahead, add minced onions to vinegar, enough to almost cover.  Keep refrigerated until ready to use.  

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together except for the oil.  Drizzle oil in slowly while whisking rapidly to make a nice, thick dressing.  Season to taste, add smashed garlic cloves.  Let sit out for a few hours until ready to serve, or refrigerate for later use.  Discard garlic cloves.

Compose salad, adding as much of the toppings and dressing as you'd like (including onions). 

Potato Latke - Maya's version

Ingredients

6 potatoes (unpeeled)

1 zucchini

2 medium onions

3 eggs

2/3 cup flour

S+P to taste

2 garlic cloves

Directions

- Work 1 batch at a time.  Grate potatoes and zucchini, place in a colander lined with a tea towel.  Add a generous pinch of salt, massage into grated mixture.

- Meanwhile, whisk eggs + salt and pepper.  Grate onions.

- Wring tea towel to remove as much liquid as possible, add solids to egg mixture. 

- Drain off as much liquid from onions, add to the rest of the ingredients.

- Sprinkle over flour, mix until combined

- Prepare two cookie trays with cooling wracks, place double paper towels on top of cooling wracks.

- Fry latkes, pressing out liquid with slotted spoon before adding to pan.  Transfer to lined cookie trays

- Put oven on warm, line a third cookie tray with double paper towels.  Once first two trays are full, place latkes into warmer tray in a scalloped fashion (slightly overlapping to fit more).

- Leave on warm uncovered until ready to eat

Comments

- Switch out oil every two batches to avoid smoking

Gabriel and Bella's Key Lime Pie

I made this recipe for Edgar's 90th birthday dinner, with some coaching from Gabriel.  Easy and delicious!  Love, Wendy

Ingredients

FILLING

1/2 cup (scant) fresh lime juice (juice of 3-4 limes)

4 tsp grated lime zest (from most of the limes) (zest the limes before you squeeze them)

4 egg yolks

1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk

(optional: 1+1/2 tsp ground ginger)

CRUST

(the easy way is to buy a box of graham cracker crumbs.... or grind graham crackers in the food proceesser)

 1 +1/2 cups fine crumbs

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup unslted butter, melted

TOPPING

whipped cream slightly sweetened, with some lime zest mixed in

Directions

(Make filling first because it must sit and thicken)

Filling

1. Whisk egg yolks, powdered ginger (optional)  and lime zest together until the mixture is tinted light green all the way through

2. Beat in condensed milk, then lime juice, and set aside at room temperature until it thickens.

While it sits, make the crust

3. Preheat over to 350

4. In a pie plate, mix crumbs and sugar, then add melted butter.

5. Press firmly over the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.  Use a flat bottomed measuring cup to press the crumb mixture so it forms a firm crust on the bottom of the pie pan.

6. Bake on the center rack from 8 - 10 minutes until lightly brown, remove, and let cool to room temperature.

7. Leave the oven on.

Fill the pie

8. Pour the room temperature lime filling into the crust, spread evenly, and bake for 10 minutes until the center sets, but still wiggles when shaken.

9.  Remove from oven and cool to room temperature

10 Refrigerate for at least 3 hours until well chilled.

Top the pie

11. Just before serving, beat the heavy cream with some lime zest.  Spread over the top of the pie.

Roasted eggplant (a version of Jerusalem cookbook)

Ingredients

1 eggplant quartered lengthways and scored crosswise
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion (1/3 pound) thinly sliced
¼ tsp cumin
25 gm feta cheese crumbed
½ lemon
small clove garlic crushed
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of chilli pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F
Liberally brush eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Roast on baking sheet for 45 minutes, cut side up

Fry onions on medium until dark and crisp.
Add cumin, cook 2 more minutes. Add feta, cook for 1 more minute.
Set aside. Re heat just before serving

Zest the lemon, remove remaining skin and pith. Chop flesh. Add cumin to zest, pulp and juice.  Add garlic and pinch of chilli pepper. Set aside.

Place roasted eggplant on platter.  Spread lemon sauce over eggplants. Sprinkle warmed up onion mix on to top.  Serve warm or cold.

Comments

Serves 2
Submitted by Allen