Food52 - Food community, recipes, kitchen & home products, and cooking contests.Food52 Holiday Genie

Step 2

Set a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 crushed clove of garlic. When the butter is melted and foaming, add the clams and the white wine. Adjust the heat to high, bring the white wine to a boil, and cover the clams with a lid. Check the clams every few minutes, stir them, and remove any open clams to a mixing bowl. Removing the clams as they open will prevent them from overcooking. When all of the clams have opened, turn off the heat and do not discard the remaining cooking liquid from the clams. When the open clams are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the shell. Save the clam meat and the shells separately. Strain the leftover cooking liquid from the clams and reserve ¼ cup. The rest can be discarded. Separate the top of each empty shell from the bottom. Rinse the empty shells to remove any grit. Store the empty shells in the refrigerator until ready to use. Finely dice the clam meat and store it in the refrigerator. Set a large pot over medium heat and add the pancetta. Stir regularly until the bottom of the pot is coated with rendered pancetta fat. When the bottom of the skillet is coated with rendered fat, you can stir less frequently. Cook the pancetta until it looks brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the skillet. Keep the rendered pancetta fat in the pot. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pot with the rendered pancetta fat. Adjust the heat to medium. When the butter is melted and bubbling, add 3 cloves of minced garlic, along with the chile flakes and the red onion. Stir regularly, until the onion and garlic are soft and beginning to caramelize. Add the cooked pancetta back into the pot. Add the crushed tomato. Add the reserved ¼ cup of clam cooking liquid to your amatriciana sauce and stir to incorporate. Allow the tomatoes to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix ¼ cup of the amatriciana sauce with the diced clam meat. Reserve the rest of your amatriciana sauce for another use. If you are making this dish immediately, begin to fill the clam shells with a dollop of the clam mixture. You can also store the clam mixture in your refrigerator for up to 48 hours before completing and serving this dish. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Top each clam with a small pinch of Pecorino Romano and a small pinch of finely chopped parsley. Drizzle the smallest about of olive oil over the top of each clam. Bake the clams for 3 to 5 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling inside the clam shell. Serve and enjoy.

Step 4

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper and set aside. Combine spices in a small bowl and stir to mix. Pour agave into small metal bowl or pie pan. Set bowl or pan over saucepan with small amount of boiling water for about a minute. This will make the agave easier to work with. Remove bowl or pan from heat. Add pecans to agave and toss to coat. Add spices to pecans and toss to coat. Spread pecans on prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes, checking and stirring (agave should be bubbling) once or twice with a wooden spoon. Pecans should be fragrant and golden brown. Be careful not to burn the pecans. Remove pan from oven. As they cool, sprinkle pecans with a pinch of sea salt. Slowly begin separate the pecans from the parchment. If the pecans seem sticky, let them cool a little longer. When finished they should have a hard shell and a nice crunch. Mix thyme and orange zest into softened goat cheese, stirring to combine evenly. Using a sharp knife, make a slit in the top of each date and carefully remove the pit. Stuff dates with about 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese, give or take some to fill the date. Top each stuffed date with a candied pecan. Arrange on serving platter and watch them disappear!

Step 5

In a medium bowl, stir the sour cream, parsley, dill, and mint together to combine. Top each blini with 1 teaspoon of the sour cream. Divide the caviar evenly between the blini, on top of the sour cream. Top each with a pinch of chives, and serve immediately.

Step 6

Mix the wine with the liquor, add fruit and lemon slices, and add sugar to taste. (Or leave it out entirely.) Put in the fridge for up to a day and at least a few hours. Fill glasses with ice, add sangria (making sure to get a piece or two of fruit in each glass), and top off with sparkling water.

Step 7

For the soup: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment. Cut the neck off the squash and set it aside. Cut the bulb in half and scoop out and discard the seeds. Brush each half inside and out with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the canola oil. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and pepper and tuck a sprig of sage into each. Place cut side down on the baking sheet and roast for about 1 hour, or until completely tender. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool, then scoop out and reserve the flesh (discard sage). Meanwhile, using a paring knife or a peeler, carefully peel away the skin from the neck of the squash until you reach the bright orange flesh. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 4 cups). Put the remaining canola oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat, add the leeks, carrots, shallots, and onions and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the diced squash, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook gently for 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to keep the garlic and squash from coloring. Stir in the honey and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender. Add the roasted squash and simmer gently for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches, and puree. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve. To complete: Place the crème fraîche in a chilled small metal bowl and stir in nutmeg to taste. Whisk with a small whisk until the crème fraîche holds a shape. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat the soup. If it is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the butter and rotate the skillet over the heat as necessary to brown the butter evenly, scraping up any bits that settle in the bottom. As soon as the foaming has subsided and the butter is a hazelnut brown, pour it into the pot of soup. Be careful not to leave the butter over the heat too long, as it can change from rich brown to black in seconds. Meanwhile, if using sage leaves, heat 1/8 inch of canola oil in a small skillet. When the oil is very hot, add the sage and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, turning the leaves to crisp them on both sides. When the bubbling stops, the moisture in the leaves will have evaporated and the leaves will be crisp. Drain the sage on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Ladle the soup into six serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of crème fraîche. Grind some black pepper over the top and garnish each with 2 sage leaves or some minced chives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Step 8

Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. Peel and cut the carrots into ½-inch rounds. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the oil; generously season with salt. Broil the carrots, turning every 5 minutes or so, for 15 to 20 minutes, until they brown and soften. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the stock to a boil. Add the ginger and thyme sprig, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes. In a large pot over medium heat, cook the onion and remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and carrots. Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to purée. Using an immersion or a standard blender, purée the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped thyme.

Step 9

Wash the turkey inside and out, pat it dry, and weigh it. Measure 1 tablespoon of salt—we used Diamond Crystal kosher—into a bowl for every 5 pounds the turkey weighs (for a 15-pound turkey, you'd have 3 tablespoons). Grind the salt with whatever herbs and spices you choose in a spice grinder, small food processor, or mortar and pestle. Sprinkle the inside of the turkey lightly with the salt mixture. Place the turkey on its back and season the skin of the breasts, concentrating in the center, where the meat is thickest. You'll probably use a little more than a tablespoon. Turn the turkey on one side and season the entire side with salt, concentrating on the thigh. You should use a little less than a tablespoon. Flip the turkey over and repeat with the opposite side. Place the turkey in a 2½–gallon sealable plastic bag, press out the air, and seal tightly. (If you can't find a resealable bag this big, use a turkey oven bag, but be prepared for it to leak, or wrap the bird in a few layers of plastic wrap.) Place the turkey breast side up in the refrigerator. Chill for 3 days, turning it onto its breast for the last day. Rub the salt around once a day if you remember. Liquid might collect in the bag as you go—this is normal! For the crispiest skin, the night before, remove the turkey from the bag. There should be no salt visible on the surface and the skin should be moist but not wet. Arrange the turkey breast side up on a plate or rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate uncovered for at least 8 hours. On the day of cooking, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour (do not rinse—it's not needed, and rinsing will make the skin less crispy). Heat the oven to 425°F. Pat it dry one last time and baste with the butter, if using. Feel free to tie the legs as shown in the photo if they're askew. Now you have two options: Flipping the bird midway through roasting (which will only help brown the bird more evenly) or not flipping—Russ Parsons himself realized after a few years that the meat will be juicy either way. If you're not flipping, place the turkey breast-side up on a roasting rack in a roasting pan; put it in the oven. If you are flipping, place it in the roasting rack breast side down, put it in the oven, and, after 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and carefully turn the turkey over so the breast is facing up (it's easiest to do this by hand, using kitchen towels or oven mitts). Whether you're flipping the bird or not, after 30 minutes total in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F, return the turkey to the oven, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh, but not touching the bone, registers 165°F, about 2¾ hours total roasting. Note that because a dry-brined turkey cooks more quickly than one that hasn't been brined, it's best to check the temperature early with this recipe—it may be done faster than you think! Remove the turkey from the oven and transfer to a warm platter or carving board; tent loosely with foil. Let rest at least 30 minutes to let the juices redistribute through the meat. Carve and serve.

Step 10

Remove the roast from the refrigerator 2 1/2 to 4 hours before cooking. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place the roast in an open, shallow roasting pan, fat side up. Sprinkle with a little flour, and rub the flour into the fat lightly. Season all over with salt and pepper. Put the roast in the preheated oven and roast according to the roasting chart at the end of the slideshow above, timing the minutes exactly. (This works out to be 15 minutes per rib, or approximately five minutes cooking time per pound of trimmed, ready-to-cook roast.) When cooking time is finished, turn off the oven. Do not open the door at any time. Allow the roast to remain in the oven until oven is lukewarm, or about two hours. The roast will still have a crunchy brown outside and an internal heat suitable for serving as long as 4 hours after removing from the oven. Note: To make a thin pan gravy, remove excess fat from the meat drippings, leaving any meat pieces in the pan. Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup beef stock or broth. Bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the meat pieces. Simmer for one minute and season to taste. Note: Don't attempt this recipe if your oven isn't well-insulated (that is, if it's extremely hot to the touch when it's in use). Since ovens vary in their insulation, to be safe, you may want to rig up a probe thermometer or other oven-safe thermometer you can read without opening the oven door, and pull the roast out if it reaches the desired degree of doneness early.

Step 11

In a small bowl combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, salt, and red pepper. Rub the lamb with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours. When you are ready to cook your lamb, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for an hour. Place the lamb into a large roasting pan. Roast the lamb in a preheated 350° F oven for one hour and twenty minutes, or until the internal temperature measures at least 145 to 150° F for medium rare. If you like your lamb more done, roast until temperature is 160° F. Let the roast sit for 20 to 30 minutes before you slice it, so the juices have time to reabsorb.

Step 12

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse pork belly then dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place on a cutting board. Using a skewer, poke the skin all over as much as possible. If the bamboo skewer stops piercing the skin it has probably become blunt at the end so discard it and use another. Repeat until you've used 5-6 skewers Do this for at least 5 minutes to really get lots of holes deep into the skin. I don't think you can pierce the skin too much! Mix together salt and herbs. Flip pork belly over so skin side is down and rub half of the salt mixture into the meat. Drizzle with olive oil Roll pork belly into a cylinder so that the skin is on the outside and the meat is all tucked inside. Tie the cylinder with the kitchen string in 3 places along the length of the cylinder. Rub outside of skin with some olive oil, then rub the rest of the salt and herb mixture into the skin. The next set of steps is to help with the spattering that will occur when you cook the pork belly. First, take very generous piece of foil out that is at least a half a size too large for your large roasting try or cookie sheet. Place that foil on the rack and tent the edges of the foil upwards. This will create some walls that help catch some splatters. With a smaller piece of foil, make a little 'tray' that is large enough for your rack. Place on the cookie sheet, then place the wire rack down into it and the pork belly on top of that. Roast at 450 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The skin will become bubbled and crispy and a lot of fat will render into the pie/cake pan beneath. Let pork rest for 10 minutes before cutting twine and slicing.

Step 13

Saute onions in olive oil until translucent and soft. Add mushrooms and continue to cook. They will absorb the oil and then shrink down. Let them brown a little. Mix together hoisin, rice wine, salt, and the chicken stock. Add to the mushrooms once they have browned. Let the mixture come to a boil and reduce by quarter. Mix cornstarch with 1 Tbsp of water or broth. Add to hoisin/stock mixture and stir vigorously. Cook until the sauce has thickened and no cloudiness remains. Add more broth or water if necessary to thin to desired consistency.

Step 14

Tie the pork butt with twine in several places so that it cooks evenly. Salt it generously all over and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour. In the meantime, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, mustard, thyme, garlic and chipotle powder in a small bowl. Add a few pinches of salt and several grinds of pepper. Heat the oven to 475° F. When the pork is at room temperature and the oven is hot, smear the sugar, mustard and garlic mixture all over the pork, concentrating a good amount of it on the top of the roast, where the fat is. Nestle the pork (fat-side-up) into a roasting pan or cast iron baking dish just big enough to hold it, and put it in the oven. When you start to smell garlic and sugar burning, and after no longer than 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 200 degrees. (Do not open the oven door to peek!) Leave the pork in the oven overnight, for at least 6 hours and up to 8. When you wake up in the morning your house will smell intoxicating, and the pork will be ready to shred and pack up for lunches for the whole family -- all you need is a soft roll and some coleslaw or pickled fennel, or a big pile of mashed potatoes.

Step 15

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa, 2 cups of water, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Meanwhile, grease a rimmed sheet pan lightly with olive oil. Place cubed squash and diced onion on pan. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt (depending on your tolerance — if you are sensitive, use 1 teaspoon), and toss to coat. Spread vegetables out into an even layer. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash and onions are just beginning to brown. Remove pan from oven. Increase oven temp to 425°F. Uncover quinoa pan and fluff with a fork. Add 1 tablespoon of the herbs, the milk, and half of the cheese, and mix with a spatula to combine. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the roasted squash and onions and fold gently to combine. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover evenly with the remaining cheese. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the remaining herbs, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss with your fingers until the breadcrumbs are fully saturated and seasoned. Spread this evenly atop the cheese. At this point, the pan can be stashed in the fridge for as long as a day (maybe longer) and baked when needed. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until evenly golden. Let cool briefly before serving.

Step 16

Preheat oven to 475° F. Line a sheet pan with foil. DO NOT oil or grease. Place fish skin-side down on the pan. Skim coat with mayonnaise (you may need more or less depending on size of filets—you're looking for a thin coating). Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper and top with dill pollen. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes depending on thickness of filets, until rare. Meanwhile make sauce (can be done in advance and refrigerated): Smash the garlic and salt and basil in a mortar and pestle until you have a rough paste. Add yogurt and season with salt and lemon juice to taste. When fish is done, slip a spatula under the fish to remove from foil, leaving skin behind. Serve with sauce and/or lemon.

Step 18

In a sauce pot with lid, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, but be careful not to burn it. Add the tomato paste. Caramelize a bit by cooking it for about 45 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, pepper flakes, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons of water. Once the sauce begins to simmer, turn the heat to low and cover with lid only half-way. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes stirring every 5 minutes. After the sauce has simmered and thickened, heat a separate large pan over medium-high heat and add the vodka. Be careful not to flame it! Reduce the vodka by half, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce into the pan. (Watch out for splatter!) Simmer for 2 minutes Add the cream and simmer for another minute. Turn the heat off.

Step 19

Pre-heat oven to 400° F. In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Add the flour in 2 additions mixing in between. Don't over mix! The dough will be sticky. With floured hands, form the gnudi into 1 1/2 tablespoon dumplings. Softly roll the dough into a ball and then flatten. Rest the gnudi on a floured surface. Repeat until all dumplings are formed. It will make about 34 to 36 gnudi. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Using a spoon, create a whirlpool in the boiling water and add in the gnudi. Mix the water for a minute or so. This will help the gnudi not to stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil the gnudi for about 6 minutes. They will float! Keep them in for an additional 2 minutes after they've floated. Drain the gnudi and return them to the hot pot. In a baking dish, place a tiny bit of the vodka sauce on the bottom. Place some of the gnudi along the bottom in one layer. Top with some sauce. Place another layer of gnudi, then sauce. Continue until you've used up all the gnudi and then top with the remainder of the sauce. Lay the sliced fresh mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese over top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is all melty! If you want to char the cheese a bit more, broil on high for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve warm.

Step 20

Wash the potatoes and place them a deep pot. (Halve any large ones if needed.) Cover them with 2 inches of water. Place the pot on high heat, bring to a boil, and cook the potatoes until just barely cooked, about 8 to 12 minutes depending on size. You don't want them to get soft, so test them frequently. The tip of sharp knife should penetrate the flesh easily but not split the potato in half. Err on the side of slightly undercooking them. While the potatoes cook, prepare a sheet pan or large frying pan with a thick dish towel. When the potatoes are done, drain them, and spread them out on the dish towel. Roll them around a bit to dry them off, then let them sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly. While the potatoes cool, mix the mayonnaise, miso, and lemon juice thoroughly in a small bowl. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. While the potatoes are still warm but not too crazy-hot to handle, firmly but gently crush each potato to break the skin and flatten just slightly. I use a dish towel under the heel of my hand to help press the potatoes down. You want to them to be mostly intact, but if they break in half, no big. Prepare your deep fryer (I use a cast iron pan with a few inches of oil) and have at the ready a sheet pan lined with newspaper, a grocery bag, or paper towels. Fry the potatoes in batches at 375º F until the edges brown, about 4 minutes (in the cast iron pan, I do 2 minutes on each side). If you'd like, keep the potatoes warm in a 200º F oven until all of them are cooked. In a serving dish, toss the potatoes with the green onions. Top with the miso mayonnaise and an optional sprinkle of salt. Serve immediately.

Step 21

Heat the oven to 325? F. In a mixing bowl toss the potatoes, garlic and onions with the softened butter making sure to give them all a good coating. Season them with salt and pepper. Place them into a oven proof gratin dish and top them with the thyme and bay leaves. Add the balsamic and cover tightly with foil, Bake the potatoes for 2 hours. Every thirty minutes remove the foil, stir to coat, then put the foil back on and continue to bake until the everything is dark and mysterious from the balsamic glaze. Serve.

Step 22

Heat the oven to 450° F with racks in the upper and lower thirds and place 2 sheet pans in the oven to warm. (Note: Later you will pour vinegar into this pan to release the potatoes, so be sure to use a pan with a lip.) Put your sliced potatoes in a medium bowl along with the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the salt and pepper, and toss to mix. Pull the warmed sheet pans out of the oven and spread the sliced and seasoned potatoes as evenly as possible over them in a single layer. Put the pans back into the oven and roast the potatoes for 15 minutes on one side. Flip the potatoes (if they’re still very pale underneath or sticking a lot, feel free to leave them a few minutes longer before flipping). Rotate the pans, and roast the potatoes for 8 minutes on the other side. Meanwhile, slice the onion in half, then thinly slice each half. Thinly slice the garlic cloves. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and sauté it for 30 seconds. Add the onion and garlic and lower the heat to medium and sauté everything for about 5 minutes, until the onion is just starting to turn translucent. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar to the sauté pan and stir for 30 seconds before removing the pan from the heat. After the potatoes have roasted till golden on both sides and are tender, broil them for 3 or 4 minutes until they are nicely crisped on top. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar over the potatoes on the sheet pan, then use the back side of a spatula to scrape the potatoes off the pans. Put the potatoes into a medium-sized bowl with the sautéed chorizo, onions, garlic, and parsley. Toss. Taste, adjust the seasoning and vinegar to your liking, and serve.

Step 23

Preheat oven to 400° F. Rub the inside of an 8- × 8-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Smash the garlic with the side of a knife and sprinkle generously with salt. Chop and scrape the garlic into a mushy paste. Combine garlic paste, potatoes, half-and-half, and remaining 4 tablespoons butter (cut into 1/2-inch pieces) in a pot; stir. Season with salt and pepper and grate in a hint of nutmeg. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. After 8 to 10 minutes the potatoes will be a little tender, and their starch will have thickened the liquid considerably. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you like. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish; smooth the top as much as possible. At this point you can hold the dish until you're ready to bake, even overnight in the refrigerator. Cover the gratin with Gruyère and bake until deeply golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes (longer if chilled overnight). Let the gratin cool and set a little before serving.

Step 24

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with the milk, cream, thyme, bay leaf, garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes, reserving the cooking liquid, and return them to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or a ricer. While the potatoes are still warm, stir in the butter, crème fraîche and parmesan cheese. At this point, stir in some of the cooking liquid—a little at a time—until you reach a good consistency. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Cover the potatoes and keep warm until you're ready to serve them. (If you are planning to reheat the potatoes, you can save the rest of the cooking liquid to prevent them from drying out.)

Step 25

Preheat oven to 400° F. Toss potatoes with coconut oil, salt, and pepper to taste (I like using a large mixing bowl or a plastic ziplock bag). If you're using extra spices and seasonings, add them to the potatoes now. A few favorite combinations of mine include 1/2 teaspoon each cumin, chili powder, and a pinch of cayenne pepper; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried); or 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, along with 1 tablespoon grated orange zest and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Spread potatoes onto a large baking sheet. Roast until tender and golden, about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once through. If you like, you could sprinkle two tablespoons of shredded coconut onto the potatoes about 12 to 15 minutes before they're cooked through. Allow potatoes to cool a little, and serve.

Step 26

Melt 1/2 pound butter and clarify. (Skim off the foam & milk solids until all that remains is clear butterfat.) Heat a cup of port and soak ten pitted prunes until slightly plumped, about 20 minutes. Drain and chop the prunes coarsely. Preheat oven to 450. Brush clarified butter onto your favorite eight- or nine-inch round baking dish or oven-proof frying pan. Put a layer of potatoes, overlapping in circles, in the dish. Brush with clarified butter, and salt and pepper. Put another layer of potatoes and about half the prune pieces. Salt and pepper. Brush with clarified butter. Repeat two more layers, embedding the rest of the prunes at the end and brushing each layer with clarified butter and salt and pepper. You can do four layers of potatoes or six, it's up to you. Pack the potatoes tightly. If there's a little butter left at the end, it's no big deal. Bake at 450 for 45-60 minutes until crisp and tender. Remove from oven when crisp and tender. After a few minutes, flip onto a serving plate.

Step 28

Melt the butter and olive oil over a medium-high flame in a large sauté pan. Once the oil and butter are hot, place the leeks cut side down into the pan. Let the leeks brown in the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip the leeks over and turn the heat on low. Cover and let the leeks braise for about 25 to 30 minutes or until the leeks are soft all the way through. Take the leeks off the heat and squirt the lemon juice over the braised leeks and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the panko topping. For the panko topping: Combine panko with parsley, Parmesan, and salt and pepper in a small dish. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast this mixture until golden brown. Serve over the leeks. Make sure that you taste the panko mixture for correct seasonings to ensure that the dish is seasoned all the way through.

Step 29

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the prepared brussels sprouts on a baking sheet and pour on the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix with clean hands. Place the pear halves, cut sides-down, on the baking sheet, making sure there is enough oil to coat their cut surfaces. Roast the brussels sprouts and pear for about 20 minutes. Then turn the brussels sprouts with a metal spatula so that both sides will get caramelized. Check the pear—it many not be caramelized at this point. After another 10 minutes, turn the brussels sprouts again. Flip the pear. Reduce the oven heat to 375°F. Add the pistachios—you just want to heat them up and toast them slightly. After 5 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Squeeze lemon juice directly over all the ingredients. Use your spatula to chop up the pear halves. Toss everything thoroughly, check the seasoning, and serve on a platter or in a bowl.

Step 30

Make the Mornay Sauce : Melt butter in a small pot over medium heat, then add flour and whisk. Add in half-and-half, whisking constantly, until it just starts to boil. Stir in mozzarella and continue to whisk until melted and the sauce starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. Add salt and nutmeg. Remove sauce from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in egg yolk, heavy cream, Parmesan, and pepper. Set aside. Heat the oven to 400º F. Meanwhile arrange the gratin: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets, cover with lid, and cook for 6 minutes. Drain the cauliflower and run them under cold water. Transfer florets to a paper towel-lined plate to dry. Coat the bottom of a 10-inch square or similar baking dish with a thin layer of Mornay sauce. Arrange cauliflower florets on top of sauce and top with the remaining Mornay. Sprinkle chopped hazelnuts and Parmesan on top. Bake for about 15 minutes. Turn broiler onto high and cook until top starts to brown, about 5 minutes.

Step 33

Melt butter in a small pot, skimming off foam and discarding it. Set aside. Take out the largest bowl you have, or a soup kettle if you don't have a big bowl. Roughly chop the spinach, stems and all. Wash and dry the chopped spinach in a salad spinner. Dump the spinach into the big bowl or pot. Add the onion, scallions, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper to the spinach. Mix well. Crumble in the feta and mix again, gently. Set aside while you make the batter. Note: I think proper salting is key to the outcome of this dish. If you aren't afraid of raw eggs, take a little taste, but with the saltiness of the feta, I have now found that 1 tablespoon of kosher salt is about right for this amount of spinach. Also, one time I forgot to put in the garlic and the result was flat and unsatisfying; the garlic really is the key flavor combo in this dish. Measure the 3 cups of flour, salt, and baking powder into another bowl. (This one doesn't have to be so large.). Make a well in the center of the flour. Into the well, put the oil, the unbeaten egg, and the water. Mix together until smooth, but don't overmix. The batter should be the consistency of pancake batter. Spread some of the melted butter in the bottom of a roasting pan. I use my 11 x 14 All Clad lasagna pan. The size of the pan will determine the thickness of the finished batsaria. I like mine thick-ish, while my mother liked hers very thin, almost cracker-like. Spread some of the batter thinly on top of the butter. Beat the 4 eggs until they're light and airy, then add them to the spinach mixture, stirring gently. My Aunt Elizabeth (she who was named Freedom in Greek) said that adding the well-beaten eggs at the last minute is one of the secrets to a good outcome for this dish. Spoon the spinach mixture into the baking pan, spreading it as evenly as you can. Now spoon the rest of the batter onto the top of the spinach. There will not be enough to cover the spinach, but you don't want it to. Glop it here and there, leaving areas of spinach exposed. Sprinkle the rest of the butter over the top of the spinach and the batter. (Don't try doubling the batter to get more complete coverage -- I did it once and the end result was way too bready.) Bake at 350° F until golden brown, about 50 minutes to an hour.. The aroma as it bakes is heavenly! Let the batsaria cool a bit before you cut it into squares or rectangles to serve. It is delicious warm, but like so many Mediterranean foods, it is also good at room temperature. Leftovers are wonderful reheated or cold.

Step 34

Heat oven to 350°F. Using sharp heavy knife and starting at top center of cauliflower head, cut two 1-inch-thick slices of cauliflower, cutting through stem end. Set cauliflower steaks aside. Cut enough florets from remaining cauliflower head to measure 3 cups. Combine florets, water, and milk in medium saucepan, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to boil and cook until cauliflower florets are very tender, about 10 minutes. Strain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Transfer florets to blender. Add half of the reserved 1 cup cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Add more of the liquid if desired, and puree again. Return puree to same saucepan. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Brush cauliflower steaks with additional oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add cauliflower steaks to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and bake cauliflower steaks until tender, about 10 minutes. Rewarm cauliflower puree over medium heat. Divide puree between 2 plates; top each with cauliflower steak.

Step 35

To prepare the fried mushrooms, combine the panko and parsley in the bowl of a food processor, then pulse until finely ground. If you've just washed your parsley, dry it before adding it to the food processor. Set up a "breading" station with three low bowls. In the first bowl, add flour. In the second, add buttermilk. In the third, add the panko/parsley mixture, then stir in lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. (Set the lemon aside to use later -- see "Optional" note below.) Dunk the mushrooms into each bowl, covering them with flour, then buttermilk, then the panko/parsley mixture. Place the breaded mushrooms aside until ready to be fried. In a skillet, heat the oil until simmering. Fry the mushrooms in batches over medium to high heat, turning them, until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes total -- a fish spatula works well to flip the mushrooms without tearing the breading. Drain the mushrooms on a paper towel-lined plate, and sprinkle with salt. To keep the mushrooms warm, transfer them to a baking sheet -- fried mushrooms can be held in an oven at 225º F for 20 to 30 minutes. Optional: Instead of throwing away the lemon, add it to the fry. Slice the lemon as paper-thin as possible with a sharp knife or mandoline, then follow the same process as with the mushrooms to bread and fry the lemons. To prepare the smoked paprika remoulade, combine the mayonnaise, cornichons, mustards, smoked paprika, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and mix until combined.

Step 37

Pour flour and salt into a bowl then slowly add water. Mix until smooth. Add grated Parmesan cheese. Stir until incorporated. (Many times I make the batter the day before because the flavor of the Parm intensifies. It will get thicker if you do this, so add bit more water.) Cut cauliflower into pieces that can be devoured in two bites. Heat a heavy cast iron pan or electric frying pan with 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil over medium-heat heat. (Set an electric frying pan to 375° F). For cast iron, it's ready if a drop of water sizzles in the pan. Coat cauliflower pieces with batter. Place in hot oil. Brown on all sides. Place on paper towels when done.

Step 38

Heat the oven to 225°F (107°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Grab a hand blender fitted with the whisk attachment. In a large, deep bowl, beat the egg whites on low to medium-low until foamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and cream of tartar and beat until incorporated. With the whisk running, gradually add the superfine sugar and cocoa powder and turn up the blender to medium speed. Beat until the whites hold soft peaks, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a large spoon, drop large dollops of the whipped egg whites onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/4 inches apart. Bake in the oven for about an hour, until the meringues are crisp on the outside but not browned. They shouldn't be completely dry, nor too wet in the center. Remove them from the oven, set the parchment onto racks, and let cool. If you like, dip the tips or one one side of the cooled meringues in melted bittersweet chocolate for an extra touch. The cookies keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Step 40

Whisk together flour and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until pale and creamy (about 3 minutes in a stand mixer or 6 with a handheld). Divide dough into four equal pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 1 1/2 hours. Make filling while pastry chills. Bring apricots, raisins, honey, marmalade, cinnamon, and water to a boil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, until dried fruit is softened and mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool until warm, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. Put oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 375° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining pieces chilled), between 2 sheets of well floured wax paper with a rolling pin into roughly an 11 inch square (if dough gets too soft, transfer dough in wax paper to baking sheet and chill until firm). Discard top sheet of wax and trim dough with a pastry wheel or a sharp knife into a 10-inch square. Cut square into 4 equal strips, then cut crosswise in fourths again to form sixteen 2 1/2-inch squares. Working quickly, place one heaping teaspoon filling in center of each square. Brush 2 opposite corners with egg wash, then bring corners together and pinch firmly to adhere. (If dough becomes too soft, freeze it on a baking sheet for a few minutes.) Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, 17 to 20 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough and filling on a lined cool baking sheet. Dust cooled cookies with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Step 41

Heat the oven to 375° F. In a 9 x 13 pan, fold a piece of foil about 20 inches long in half and place it across the long side of the bottom of the pan. This will serve as handles to help lift the bars out when they are baked. Spray with vegetable spray. In a large bowl stir all the ingredients except the cranberry sauce together, mixing well, but making sure that are some “lumps” and pieces to give it some texture. Pour all but 2 cups of the dough into the pan and flatten it out using the heel of your hand or a cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cover with the cranberry sauce. Crumble the remaining dough on top, keeping various sized chunks and leaving some open space. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool then remove from the pan using the foil handles and cut into pieces. Sprinkle with a little powdered sugar and serve.

Step 42

Add the warm milk and water into the bowl of a stand mixer with a pinch of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over top and step away for 3 minutes. The mixture may bubble (or not—mine didn't); stir it with a wooden spoon or spatula until it looks creamy. Attach the dough hook to the mixer, then add the flour and salt to the bowl and pulse the mixer a few times in order to make the flour damp. Then mix at medium-low speed (scrape down the bowl as needed) until you have a shaggy mass, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and decrease the speed to low. Pour in the beaten eggs in 3 additions, making sure that each is incorporated before you add the next part. Then, beat in the rest of the sugar and increase the speed to medium. Beat for about 3 minutes, until the dough starts to come together. Return the mixer to low speed and add the 12 tablespoons of butter that you've cut into small chunks. Wait until each is incorporated before adding the next one. There is a lot of butter in this recipe, which means this part is going to take some time and you might get antsy. Be patient. (I found that scraping down the sides of the bowl and aiming the butter cubes into different areas of the bowl helped ease my mind.) When all of the butter is incorporated, your dough will be very soft and silky. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the dough pulls away from the sides and begins winding its way up the dough hook, about 10 minutes. It's important to let the mixer do its thing at this stage—I set a timer and stepped away so that I wouldn't be tempted to stop the process prematurely. Lightly butter a large bowl and scrape the dough into it. Cover it with plastic film and let it rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in size, an hour or so. (In the winter, I recommend using the aid of a space heater.) Deflate the dough by lifting it up on the sides and letting it plop down into the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Deflate the dough every thirty minutes or so until it stops rising, about 2 hours (so you'll slap down your dough about 4 times). Then press plastic wrap around the surface of the dough and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. When you're finally ready to bake the dough, butter two 8- or 9-inch cake pans. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in half. Shape each half into a bowl, cupping it and pushing out the air. Place the balls seam side-down, one in each cake pan, and cover with parchment paper. Let them rise in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes, until the dough balls are nearly doubled. Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 400° F. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are golden and you can feel that there is dry air inside of the dough balls when you tap them. As soon as your dough is close to being finished, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and ready a bowl with sugar. Take the cakes out of the oven when they're finished and, while they're still hot, douse them with the melted butter. You should hear the butter sizzle a bit as it hits the hot pan -- that's what you're looking for. Use a spoon to generously sprinkle the sugar over the cakes. It should adhere to the melted butter. While the cakes cool, make the raspberry whipped cream. Chill the mixing bowl and beater for at least 15 minutes (I do this in the freezer to expedite the process). Beat the cream in the bowl until you have soft peaks (you'll be able to see beater marks in the cream, but it will still be light and cloud-like). Add the preserves and beat until they're incorporated and the peaks are a bit stiffer. Let your cakes cool completely before carefully slicing them through their bellies, like hamburgers. Use a spatula to apply a generous amount of jammy whipped cream to the bottom halves of the cakes, then sandwich it with the cake tops. This cake will be messy to eat and the filling will ooze out, so share with unfussy guests and use napkins accordingly.

Step 44

Blend the graham crumbs, melted butter, 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon together and press into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. With an electric mixer beat the cream cheese, almond extract, 1/2 cup sugar, and eggs together, adding the eggs one at a time. Pour the cream cheese filling over the graham crust and bake at 375° F for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Step 45

After baking the cream cheese layer, crank up the oven temperature to 475° F. Blend the sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract together and spread over the cooled cream cheese layer. Return the cake to the 475° F oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely. Once cooled, whip the heavy whipping cream, gelatin, two tablespoons sugar, and one teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread over the top of the cake and chill before serving.

Step 46

Take your dough out of the fridge 20 minutes before rolling it out (or 1 hour before if it's in the freezer). Heat your oven to 450° F. Place your pizza stone or sheet pan in the oven to warm up. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Swirl it around a few times. It will foam and spatter. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will start to smell nutty. Don’t walk away. It’s ready when the sizzling quiets down and you see little brown bits drop to the bottom of the pan. Cool. Whisk in vanilla bean seeds and extract. Cut a piece of parchment paper that's about a 10-inch square. Roll out your dough into about a 12-inch round. It doesn't need to be perfect -- you're going to fold over the edges. Roll dough onto your rolling pin. Unroll dough onto the piece of parchment. Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, with the apple stem facing north, very thinly slice about 5 circles off of two opposing sides of the apple. Stop once you hit the core. Repeat with the remaining apples. Save remaining apple and the outermost discs with lots of skin for applesauce or some other use. Starting about 2 inches in from the border of the rolled out dough, make a circle with the apple discs, having them overlap. Continue with a second layer that overlaps the bigger circle. Do a third and smaller circle. And a fourth. Finish it off with a few discs in the middle in a flower pattern. Paint all exposed apple surface with the brown butter vanilla mixture. Fold the outer border of the dough in to enclose about half of the exterior edge of the outermost apple discs. Let it be funky! Whisk together egg and heavy cream. Paint exposed border of dough with a thin layer of egg wash. Refrigerate any leftover egg wash and save for your next tart or pie (it will last a few days). Generously sprinkle the turbinado sugar all over the apples and the egg-washed dough. Remove hot pizza stone or sheet pan from the oven. Quickly slide the tart (keeping it on the parchment) onto the hot surface. Bake until apples are golden brown and the crust is crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes. Warm up the apricot jam. Using a pastry brush, paint surface of the cooked apples with warm jam. Serve immediately.

Step 47

To make the crust, preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the butter and cane sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for a minute, then add the vanilla. In two batches, add the flour and cocoa powder. When the dough is evenly mixed, turn off the mixer and form the dough into a ball. Flatten it to a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until it’s slightly firm. Roll the dough into a large circle and transfer the circle to a nonstick tart pan. It’s fine if the dough breaks as you move it; it’s supposed to be similar to sugar cookie dough in texture. If this happens, just arrange pieces of the dough in the tart pan rather than transferring it in a perfect circle. Use the heels and palms of your hands to spread the dough into an even layer along the bottom and sides of the pan. Use a fork to prick the bottom of tart (about 8-10 pricks), then transfer the tart to the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the shell looks dry and solid throughout. Remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool entirely. To make the peanut butter filling, blend the peanut butter, cream cheese, coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and sea salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Pour the filling into the tart shell, then transfer the tart to the fridge and allow it to chill for at least 3 hours and up to overnight. To make the glaze, warm the milk and sugar in a small saucepan till they’re hot but not yet simmering. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is glossy. Pour the glaze over the top of the tart, stopping when it reaches, but doesn’t cover, the edges of the tart shell. Transfer the tart back to the fridge and chill for at least 1 hour, or until the top is set. Slice and serve.

Step 49

Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the dough into a circle ¼ inch thick. Roll the dough up onto the rolling pin, starting at the far edge of the round. With the pie pan in front of you, start at the edge closest to you and gently unfurl the dough into the pan. Press gently to make sure the crust settles all the way to the bottom, but be careful not to poke any holes in the dough. Trim away the excess dough, leaving a ½-inch overhang all around. Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, or freeze for 5 to 10 minutes. Tuck the excess dough under at the edges, pressing lightly to help “seal” the dough to the outer rim of the pie pan. Return the dough to the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or to the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes. Crimp the edges of the dough as desired. Heat the oven to 425°F, preferably with a baking stone on the bottom rack. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Cut a square of parchment slightly larger than the pie pan. Place the parchment over the crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust on the stone or bottom rack for 15 to 20 minutes, just until the edges barely begin to turn golden. Remove the parchment and weights and return the pan to the oven for another 2 to 4 minutes, just until slightly more golden around the edges and the base looks dry. Let cool completely. Using a sharp knife, quarter the apples, then core each quarter individually by laying it on the cutting board on one of its cut sides, holding the knife at a 45-degree angle and cutting out the core in a single motion. The apples then have a flat base (where the core was), so they can lie flat on the cutting board, which makes it easier to slice them thinly. Cut into slices about ¼ inch thick. In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to combine. Add the apples and toss well to combine. Starting on the outer edge of the pie crust, arrange the apple slices in a tight spiral—the pieces should be overlapping each other by about three-quarters of the way. Continue the tight spiral inward. Place the final pieces in a circle to create the center of the rosette look. Drizzle any of the juices from the bowl over the apples. In a small bowl, stir the butter and cider (if using), then brush evenly over the apples. Transfer to the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 425°F, and continue to bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and the apples are tender. Let cool completely (or at least 20 minutes) before serving.

Step 50

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Place the apples in a large mixing bowl and toss with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt. Place these ingredients into a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Whisk together the arrowroot and water, and pour the mixture over the apples. Toss them lightly with your hands to get everything coated with the arrowroot. Place the flour, oats, brown sugar, nuts salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a food processor, and pulse a few times to incorporate everything. Add the coconut oil and pulse the ingredients quickly in the processor until they're forming large crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the apples. Bake for 40 to 55 minutes, or until the apples are bubbly and the topping is golden brown. Serve.

Step 52

To make the crust, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the sugar, vanilla, salt, and cardamom. Use a micro plane zester to grate the zest of half of the orange directly into the bowl. Add the flour and mix just until well blended. If the dough seems too soft and gooey to handle, let it stand for a few minutes to firm up. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9 1/2-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom, to make a thin, even layer. This takes a little patience, as there is just enough dough; to avoid an extra-thick bottom edge, press the dough squarely into the corners of the pan and evenly up the sides. Square off the top edge of the dough rather than leaving it tapered. Place the pan on a cookie sheet. (If you are not ready to bake, cover the pan and refrigerate the dough up to three days.) Bake until the crust looks golden brown and fully baked, 20 to 25 minutes, checking after about 15 minutes or so to see if the dough has puffed up from the bottom of the pan. If it has, lift and gently slam the cookie sheet down to settle the dough, or press the dough down with the back of a fork and prick it a few times. Meanwhile, make the filling:In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and vanilla. Whisk in the yogurt. (The order in which the ingredients are mixed makes a difference in the smoothness of the filling, so it’s yogurt into eggs rather than eggs into yogurt!) When the crust is ready, remove it from the oven and turn the temperature down to 300°F. Brush the bottom of the crust with just enough of the beaten egg yolk to make a thin (moisture-proofing) coating. Return the crust to the oven for 1 minute to set the yolk. Remove the crust from the oven again. Scrape the filling into the hot crust and spread it evenly. Return the tart to the oven and bake until the filling is set around the edges but, when the pan is nudged, quivers like soft Jell-O in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Check often in the last few minutes, as over-baking will destroy the silky-smooth texture of the filling. Cool the tart completely, in the pan, on a rack. Refrigerate if not serving within 3 hours. To finish the tart: Scatter the nuts and date slivers or slices over the tart in an attractive random way. You can grate a little of the cinnamon stick over the top and/or use a 5 hole grater to top it with strands of the remaining orange zest. Add pomegranate arils if you like. Serve slices drizzled with a little honey to pull all of the flavors together and offset the tangy yogurt filling.

Step 54

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the tahini on high speed for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Gradually add the sugar and beat to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk again—all of the sugar should be dissolved (and no longer visible). Add the butter, piece by piece, scraping down the sides of the bowl, until fully incorporated. Add the egg and salt and beat until well combined. The frangipane can be made a day or two ahead and stored in the fridge (it also freezes wonderfully!). Bring to room temperature before using.

Step 55

To make this large galette, you'll need enough pie dough for one double-crust pie (or, if your recipe is for a single crust pie, you'll need to double it!). I used Stella Parks' No-Stress, Super-Flaky Pie Crust: https://food52.com/recipes/72570-stella-parks-no-stress-super-flaky-pie-crust. Make sure your dough is ready to roll before you start the rest of the recipe. Roll it out into a rectangle that's approximately 13 by 18 inches, then transfer to a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Use a large spoon or offset spatula to spread the soft frangipane over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. You might not need all of the frangipane. Transfer the whole pan to the fridge while you prep the apples. Peel 3 of the apples—this should give you 1 cup of apple peels, which you'll use for the glaze. (If you're not making the glaze, you don't have to peel any apples!) You can peel the remaining apples or leave them unpeeled—your choice! Quarter and core the apples, then thinly slice the apple quarters, leaving them as "bundles"—this will make it easier to arrange your slices on top of the dough. Remove the pan from the fridge, then arrange the apples over top in whatever arrangement you'd like. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples, creating a dough border. Heat the oven to 500° F, preferably with a pizza stone on the bottom rack. While the oven heats, transfer the pan back to the refrigerator to chill. When the oven's hot, brush the beaten egg over the dough border, then sprinkle the whole tart—dough included—with the sugar (you might use a bit less than 2/3 cup). Put the pan in the oven, on top of the stone, and immediately reduce the temperature to 400° F. Bake the galette for 45 to 60 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the crust is a deep golden-brown. While the galette bakes, make the optional glaze. Place the apple peels and hibiscus in small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer until the apple peels are limp and the hibiscus has imparted a deep pink color. Strain through a fine mesh sieve. Return the liquid back to the pot, then add the honey, lemon juice, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce, stirring very frequently with a rubber spatula, until thick and syrupy (about 15 to 20 minutes). When the galette is out of the oven, wait 10 minutes before glazing it with the honey-hibiscus syrup. Serve the galette on its own or with ice cream.

Step 56

To toast and skin hazelnuts:Spread the nuts in a single loose layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350° F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and checking the nuts from time to time, until they are golden brown inside when you bite or cut them in half. Let the nuts cool completely (there is no advantage to wrapping them in a towel or bag to “steam” as is widely believed). When cool, rub the nuts together with your hands or in a dishtowel or pour them into a coarse mesh strainer and rub them against the mesh until as much skin flakes off as will come off. Do the best you can; some skins will always remain. Put 1 cup (140 grams) of the hazelnuts in the blender—a Vitamix is even better—and set the remaining handful of nuts aside for garnish. Process the nuts to the smoothest possible paste, scraping the container as necessary. In a Vitamix, the nut paste will become very liquid. In a medium bowl, mash and mix the cream cheese and liqueur together (or whisk the liqueur with the mascarpone) until blended. Dump the chopped chocolate on top. Set aside With an instant-read thermometer handy, heat the milk, sugar, salt, and nut paste in a heavy medium saucepan until steaming hot. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl to blend yolks and whites thoroughly. Gradually whisk about half of the hot milk mixture into the eggs. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat—stirring constantly and scraping the bottom, sides, and corners of the pot to avoid scrambled eggs—until the mixture is slightly thickened and registers about 165° F on the thermometer. Immediately scrape the egg mixture over the chocolate mixture. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes, or set in a bowl of ice and water for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring and scraping the sides from time to time, until the mixture is cool but not congealed. Whip the crème fraîche until it begins to stiffen and hold a shape—but it shouldn't be too stiff. Scrape it into the chocolate mixture and fold until thoroughly blended. Pour the mousse into individual dishes and chill at least several hours or overnight for the best flavor and texture, or up to 2 days. Chop the reserved nuts and sprinkle over the mousses before serving.

Step 57

Put the butter in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter stops foaming, and you see orangey brown specks start to appear, stir gently with a wooden spoon. After a minute or two, when the specks are nut brown and the butter smells nice and toasty, sprinkle ¼ cup of sugar over the butter and stir to combine. (It will clump up a little, but don’t worry!) Switch to a whisk, and cook the butter and sugar, whisking all the time, until the sugar has melted and the mixture becomes a smooth, rich brown caramel, about 5 minutes. (Early on, the butter and sugar will separate, and the butter will pool around the edges of the sugar, but never fear! Once the sugar has fully melted, the two will start to come together again, and you’ll have a nice smooth caramel.) When the caramel is a rich nut brown and starts to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and quickly and carefully whisk in the crème fraîche and about 1/2 a cup of the milk. Don’t worry if the mixture bubbles up when you do this – it’ll settle down again quickly. (This step cools off the caramel and keeps it from cooking further.) Return the pan to the heat and whisk in the rest of the milk, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla seeds and the salt. If the caramel seizes a little, just keep whisking until the mixture becomes smooth again. Switch back to the wooden spoon and stir in the rice. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the milk is simmering steadily and cook the rice pudding uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, especially towards the end. The rice should be tender but not mushy, and the pudding should thicken but still be quite loose – remember that it will thicken a lot more while it’s cooling. Transfer the pudding to a container, cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of crème fraîche.

Step 58

Preheat your oven to 325° F. Place 6 small ramekins (or heat-proof juice glasses) in a baking dish at least 3 inches deep. Set a kettle of water to boil. Break the white chocolate into small even pieces in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until thoroughly combined. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon extract, and salt and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the cream and milk over medium heat until you notice bubbles breaking the sides of the pan—about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the white chocolate pieces, stirring until the chocolate has melted. Then slowly pour the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously while doing so. Once combined, pour the custard into the ramekins (or glasses) leaving at least a ½-inch of space from the top. Place in the oven and carefully pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins (or glasses). Carefully cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the mixture has set around the edges but is still slightly soft in the middle—the custard will continue to set as they cool. Remove from the water bath and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Step 59

Place the berries, apple juice, pink peppercorn, cardamom, and salt into a blender. Blend on high to create a thick sauce. Transfer to a lidded container and store in the refrigerator until use, up to two days in advance. To serve the pots de crème, pour a generous layer of the raspberry sauce on the chilled ramekins and top with whipped cream, fresh berries, a sprig of mint, and a sprinkling of pink peppercorn.

Step 60

Heat the oven to 300°F. Pour the cream into a small saucepan. Split vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the cream; toss the scraped pod in there too. Turn the heat to low to gently warm the cream. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sugar; pour remaining sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons water into heavy-bottomed saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Then crank the heat to high and let the liquid bubble away—don’t stir; just swirl the pan occasionally—until it turns dark amber. This takes about 4 minutes, but watch closely because it happens fast. Moving quickly, fish the vanilla pod out of the cream and save for another use. Slowly stir the warm cream into the caramel over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil (it will fast), turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Whisk a little of the cream/caramel mixture into the egg yolks. Gradually add the rest, until it's all incorporated. Strain the mixture into a pitcher or large measuring cup and pour into four ramekins. Place the ramekins in a shallow pan half filled with cold water. If you like your caramel a bit salty like me, sprinkle a few extra grains of sea salt on top of each one. Cook at 300 degrees for about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes. Chill for at least 3 hours, but it's best if you can chill it overnight. Serve with whipped heavy cream.