Ingredients

for the sauce:

• 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons cognac

for the dish:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces lobster meat, diced
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped shallots
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
• White pepper
• 4 prepared vol au vent shells
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Preparation

1. For the Orange Cognac Sauce: In a medium saucepan over high heat combine the orange juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat until nearly evaporated. Add the stock, heavy cream, and cognac. Boil for minute, remove from the heat, and set aside.

2. For the Lobster Vol au Vent: Preheat a saucepan over high heat until very hot. Add the olive oil, then the lobster meat, mushrooms, shallots, tarragon, and white pepper, to taste, while stirring to combine ingredients. Add 1/2 cup of the Orange Cognac Sauce and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce to a simmer.

3. Spoon reduced mixture into prepared shells, drizzle with remaining orange cognac sauce, and garnish with parsley leaves.

Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• One large (2 1/2- to 3-pound) head cauliflower
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preparation

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, thyme, sage, garlic powder, salt and pepper to combine. Trim all the leaves from the base of the cauliflower. Trim the thick part of the stalk as much as needed so the cauliflower can sit flat.

2. Place the cauliflower bottom side up in a medium cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven or other similarly sized dish. Brush the bottom with some of the olive oil mixture. Flip the cauliflower right side up and brush with the remaining olive oil mixture until the cauliflower is evenly coated.

3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or a lid and roast for 30 minutes. Uncover, baste with the oil from the pan, and continue roasting for 1 hour more, basting every 20 to 30 minutes, if desired, until a knife can be inserted into the cauliflower with little to no resistance and the cauliflower is nicely browned. Transfer to a platter for serving.

4. Place a medium, preferably stainless steel (so you can easily see the color of the butter) skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and cook, stirring and swirling the skillet regularly, until the butter turns a light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add the almonds, reduce the heat to low, and continue to cook, stirring and swirling the skillet regularly, until the almonds are toasted and the butter is nicely browned, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour the almond brown butter over the cauliflower, then carve it into thick wedges or slices, and serve warm.

WaPo

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange or tangerine juice
• 2 tablespoons date syrup (silan), maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 2 Bosc pears, halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup (1 ounce) dried, pitted dates, thinly sliced
• 7 cups (5 ounces) sturdy greens, such as Belgian endive, frisée, radicchio or arugula
• 1/2 cup (1 ounce) loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shelled, raw pistachios, toasted
• 4 ounces ricotta salata, shaved with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler (about 2 cups)

Preparation

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, juice, silan (or maple syrup or honey) and shallot until blended. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2. Place the pears and dates in a large bowl; make sure the date slices aren’t sticking together. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the fruit mixture and let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Add the greens and parsley, and gently toss to coat. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and with a bit more pepper, if desired.

4. Divide the salad evenly among 6 plates. Garnish with pistachios and shaved ricotta salata and serve.

WaPo

Ingredients

For the cranberry curd:

• 1 pound (455 grams/4 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon zest and 1/2 cup juice)
• One (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• Pinch fine sea salt or table salt
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and at room temperature

For the gingersnap cookie crust:

• 8 tablespoons (113 grams/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup packed (55 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 3/4 cups (220 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt

Preparation

1. Make the cranberry curd: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice, ginger and salt and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover and cook until all the cranberries have burst and started to shrivel, about 10 minutes.

2. While the cranberries cook, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and cornstarch until smooth. Transfer the hot cranberry mixture to a heatproof blender. Immediately add the yolk mixture, cover loosely, gradually increase the speed to high and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Let the mixture cool, uncovered, in the blender until a skin forms and it registers 120 to 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

3. Make the gingersnap cookie crust: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown and granulated sugars on medium-low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Increase the mixer speed to medium, add the egg yolk and molasses and mix to combine. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly. Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and salt and mix on low speed until fully incorporated and the mixture looks like crumbly cookie dough, about 1 minute.

5. Turn out the dough into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Use your fingers to press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides. Loosely cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.

6. When the crust is ready to bake, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Dock the crust across the bottom with a fork and blind-bake (without pie weights), until evenly golden brown, 20 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before adding the filling.

7. When the cranberry puree has cooled, add the softened butter and blend until fully combined, about 30 seconds. Pour the puree into the cooled crust and smooth with an offset spatula into an even layer. Let the tart sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

WaPo

Ingredients

• ½ oz freshly-squeezed lime juice
• ½ oz simple syrup*
• 1 ½ oz tonic water
• 1 ½ oz club soda
• 3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Preparation

1. Fill a Collins or highball glass all the way up with ice.
2. Add the freshly-squeezed lime juice and simple syrup. Stir with a bar spoon.
3. Pour in the tonic water and club soda, stirring gently to combine.
4. Add the bitters to the top of the glass. You can choose to stir them in or let them settle on their own in the drink.
5. Garnish with a lime wheel or fresh herb.

Girl and Tonic

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 dashes (about 1/4 to 3/8 teaspoon) Angostura bitters
• 1/4 lime
• cold tonic water

Preparation

Fill chilled glass with ice cubes. Add bitters and squeeze out the lime juice, dropping the shell into the glass. Top with tonic water, stirring gently.

Splendid Table

Ingredients

• 4 green plantains peeled and cut in medium sized chunks
• 4-5 tbs butter or lard
• 2 tbs oil canola or sunflower
• 1 tbs hot pepper or chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 cup grated cheese and/or 1 cup cooked chorizo or chicharrones or bacon
• Salt to taste
• Ground peanuts (optional – add when mashing the green plantains)

Preparation

1. Melt the butter or lard over medium heat in large sauté pan
2. Add the plantain chunks and cook for about 40 minutes or until they are very soft, turn them about every 10 minutes, they should be slightly golden but not too crispy.
3. Sprinkle the cooked plantains with the chili powder, cumin and salt.
4. Transfer the plantain pieces to a bowl, do this while they are still hot (but be careful not to burn yourself).
5. Mash the plantains using a wood masher – or just a regular potato masher – until you obtain chunky dough like consistency.
6. Form balls slightly smaller than the size of a tennis ball with the dough.
7. Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill it with the cheese or chorizo or chicharrones (mixed with ground peanuts), gently press the filling into the hole, cover the filling and reshape it back into a ball shape.
8. Heat the oil over high heat, add the stuffed plantain dumplings and fry them until they are golden and crispy on each side.
9. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels to drain the grease and serve immediately.

Laylita’s Recipes

Ingredients

• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 habañero chiles (optional)
• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 500 g meat (beef, chicken, or lamb)
• 4 large onions, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1.5 l of water or appropriate stock
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 800 g long grain rice
• 2 carrots, steamed, chopped in large pieces

Preparation

Put tomatoes and chiles (if using) into the blender and blend until smooth.

Brown your meat, which should be already cooked (best seems to be leftover stew meat) in the oil, and set aside.

Add onions to the oil, and fry until soft, then add garlic and fry briefly. Add the tomato mixture, the stock, the tomato paste, and 1 tsp. each of salt and pepper. The seasoning should be strong, since the rice will cook in this. Continue simmering the liquid for around 10 minutes on medium heat. If it’s still under-seasoned, you can add some more of a stock cube.

Rinse the rice and add it to the pot, stir, cover, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes. It shouldn’t be entirely dried out yet. Add the meat and carrots and mix well. Add 1 c. more of water, and continue to cook on low heat until the rice is cooked.

My African Food Map, adapted

Ingredients

• two boxes (or equivalent) of macaroni and cheese mix
• pint box of mushrooms, sliced
• ground beef
• onions, chopped
• grated cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. sour cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F.

Make the macaroni and cheese according to the package directions.

Sautée the sliced mushrooms, onion, and hamburger together until fully cooked. Stir into the macaroni and cheese, along with some cheddar cheese and the sour cream.

Put into a 13"x9" baking dish, and bake for around 30 minutes or so, until warm through. Add extra grated cheddar on top, and bake until melted.

Ingredients

• one whole chicken
• 2 c. rice
• 3/8 c. (0.9 oz) dried dill
• 8 oz. container sour cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350F.

Boil the chicken in salted water, to which you’ve added around 1/4 c. of dried dill. When done, remove the chicken, bone it, shred the meat, and reserve.

Cook the rice in 3 c. of the broth that remains, remembering to stir in all of the dill and chicken bits that sank to the bottom. (Reserve the remaining broth.) Put the rice in a buttered 13"x9" casserole dish. Add the chicken in a single layer.

Take the sour cream and thin it with a bit of the broth. Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of dried dill. Cover the chicken with the sour cream mixture

Bake until the top layer starts to get a few golden-brown spots.