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Mascarpone Cream
Combine 750 grams (1.5 pounds) Mascarpone, 7 egg yolks and 6 TBL sugar using a wooden spoon. Beat until ingredients are incorporated smoothly. Refrigerate 8 to 24 hours and serve. It will be somewhat thick and is delicious served over a slice of Pandoro, pound cake or alone as a pudding. This supposedly serves 7…
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Gougeres
These are high-class cheesy poofs, and very simple to make. In a 2 quart saucepan, heat ½ cup milk, ½ cup water, 1 stick of butter (8 TBL) and ½ tsp kosher salt. When it comes to boil, dump in 1 cup of flour and stir with a wooden spoon until the mass congeals into…
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Creamy Polenta
Mix ½ cup corn meal, 2 cups cold water and ½ tsp salt in a saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to boil over a high heat. Cover pan when it begins to boil and reduce heat to lowest possible temperature. It will need to cook for 5-8 minutes more. Stir in 1-2 TBL butter. NOTES If…
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Gambas a la Plancha
Combine 1 tsp pimenton, 2-3 tsp finely minced garlic and some olive oil (maybe ¼ cup). Mix with 1 pound shrimp (shelled and deveined). Grill on a hot, oiled cast iron skillet. Serve over cooked small white beans which have been dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Monkfish Liver
Purchase a very fresh monkfish liver; I bought one that weighed about a half-pound. Trim any pieces of membrane or visible blood vessels from it. Place it on a plate and arrange a steamer large enough to hold the plate. Steam the liver on the plate for about 20 minutes. A larger one will probably…
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Shorter No-Knead Bread
In large bowl, measure 8 cups flour, 2 TBL salt, ¾ tsp yeast. Stir to mix. Stir in about 3¾ cups water. Dough will be shaggy. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in warm place for 12-24 hours. Stir dough down and get lots of flour on its underside (many tricks, mine is just to…
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No-Knead Bread
See Shorter No-Knead Bread and New York Seedy Bread recipes. Combine in a large-sized mixing bowl: 3 cups flour, 2 tsp salt and generous ¼ tsp yeast. Stir in 1½ cups tap water (any temperature) and stir. The mixture may look a bit shaggy. Let rise, in bowl covered with plastic wrap or a clean…
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Winter Squash Soup
Chop, clean and saute 1 large leek in some olive oil. While it softens, trim 4 cups of winter squash into 1- to 2-inch cubes. Add to pot and add a mixture of water and chicken stock to cover. Add 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp cayenne and either ½ tsp cumin or ¼ tsp pimenton.…
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Meyer Lemon Ice Cream
Heat ½ cup sugar, 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream and 1 TBL butter until just shy of simmering. Remove from heat. With a mixer, beat 4 egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar until it’s thickened and the color is very yellow. Continue beating the mixture and add the hot cream, in a…
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Sesame Ice Cream
In a large saucepan, combine rounded ¼ cup cornstarch with ¾ cup milk. Stir with fingertips until you can no longer find any lumps. Add 1 cup tahini, 2 cups 2% milk, ¾ cup sugar. Heat mixture on high until milk is steaming, reduce heat to medium to low and cook for 3-5 minutes until…
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Coffee Ice Milk
Combine a rounded ¼ cup of cornstarch and ¾ cup whole milk in a large saucepan. With your fingertips stir until all the cornstarch is dissolved. Add 1½ cups extra-strength coffee, 1½ cups whole milk and ½ cup sugar. Stir over high heat until mixture is steaming. Continue cooking one medium to low heat until…
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Stuffed Vine Leaves (Dolma)
Grape leaves stuffed with a rice-based filling (with or without meat) are a classic dish in several countries. This recipe comes from our dear friend Lilda, who grew up in Bulgaria. We think of her every time we make these.
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Sour Cherry Jam with Less Sugar
Finally, cherry jam that’s actually tart. After years of using conventional pectin or no pectin, I decided to pursue another route. This is a gorgeous color and really tastes like the fruit itself!
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Root Beer Float Ice Cream
Put 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup milk, ½ cup sugar and a pinch of salt in a sauce pan. Add 1¼ tsp root beer concentrate (Schilling’s make this). In a bowl, combine 4½ TBL (that’s a generous ¼ cup) of corn starch and ¾ cup milk. Stir with fingertips to confirm there are no…
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Chipotle Vinaigrette
Turn on the vent over your range or your house will smell from vinegar! In a very small saucepan, boil ½ cup wine vinegar ½ cup orange juice on a high heat until the volume is reduced by half. Cool to room temperature and mix in ¼ cup mayonnaise until thoroughly blended. Add 1 TBL…
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Tuna-Tomato Napoleons
Prepare Chipotle Vinaigrette or use some other creamy salad dressing (you want to dilute it a bit if it’s very thick). Pluck and wash ¼ cup cilantro leaves and dry them thoroughly. Roughly chop them and set aside. If you can convince your fish vendor to cut ¼-inch thick slices, do it. If not, buy…
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Toaster Biscuits
Our little easy-bake oven of a toaster works for making biscuits. We usually use these for strawberry shortcake, but they can be made for savory foods as well.
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Sour Cherry Jam
Pit 1 quart of sour cherries and chop them (to make about 2 to 2½ cups fruit). Add sour cherry juice (see note) to make a total of 6 cups fruit and juice. Place fruit, juice and a 57g package of pectin in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil, add 5 cups sugar…
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Braised Chicken with Mushrooms
This is a complete reworking of a recipe that started out with rabbit meat and cooked in the oven for hours. Years ago, I started cooking this recipe using chicken meat but only recently did I realize how perfect it is for the pressure cooker. It’s much faster, simpler and every bit as tasty. In…
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Chicken Tikka ‘dempte
OK, this is neither Eastern European nor is it Indian, but I like how it tastes. Saute 1 diced onion, 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 seeded and minced jalapeno pepper. When onions are golden, push mixture aside and brown trimmed meat; I used chicken thighs (bone-in, but skinned and trimmed of all fat). When…
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Chicken with Yogurt Sauce
Trim of excess fat and place 8 skinless chicken thighs in a skillet large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add water to cover, 1 TBL ground cardamom, 1 tsp ground white pepper and 1 tsp salt. Bring to slow simmer and cook for 20 minutes; chicken should be cooked through. Remove chicken…
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New York Seedy Bread
This dense bread is wonderfully high in fiber, but don’t tell anyone as it will spoil the enjoyment of this delicious bread.
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Garlic Scape Pesto
Cut scapes into 1½-inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water for 15 seconds, just enough for them to turn a bright green. Immerse in cool water and drain thoroughly when they are no longer hot. Process scapes in small batches in food processor with olive oil. Add grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste. If the…
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Whole Wheat Pappardelle
These rustic ribbons of pasta are delicious buried under a thick sauce on a cold fall evening.
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Simple Cabbage Salad
Shred ¼ to ⅓ head of cabbage. Dress with white wine vinegar and neutral-flavored oil, such as canola. Season with salt (1-2 tsp), pepper, celery seed or whole caraway seeds. Seasonings will vary according to your taste and the size of the cabbage.
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Poppy Seed Filling
This is the real deal, but it requires a special kind of grinder, designed specifically for grinding poppy seeds. It also requires a lot of effort to grind the seeds (once you have the grinder) but no other method will release the sweet, fragrant flavor of poppy seeds.
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Spinach-Feta-Egg Bake
Defrost 30 ounces chopped frozen spinach, and squeeze by handfuls to remove all moisture. Add the following: 3 beaten eggs, 1 cup chopped scallion, 8 ounces cottage cheese, 8 ounces crumbled feta, 2 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, 1 TBL fresh chopped dill and 4 TBL butter. In blender jar, place 3 eggs (out of…
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Coffee Cake
Combine 4½ cups flour, 2¼ cups brown sugar, 1½ tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon and a generous ¼ tsp nutmeg. Cut in 1½ cups butter. Measure out 3 cups of the mixture and add ½ cup chopped walnuts. In the rest of the mixture, add 1½ tsp baking soda. When mixed, stir in 1½ cups…