Ingredients

• 1 c. milk
• ½ c. heavy cream
• 3 tbsp. lemon zest plus ½ cup juice (3 lemons)
• 1 c. sugar
• ¼ c. all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, separated, plus 2 egg whites
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Bring milk and cream to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove pan from heat, whisk in lemon zest, cover pan, and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, fold dish towel in half and place in bottom of large roasting pan. Place six 6-ounce ramekins on top of towel and set aside pan.

2. Strain milk mixture through fine-mesh strainer into bowl, pressing on lemon zest to extract liquid; discard lemon zest. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in second bowl until combined. Add egg yolks, vanilla, lemon juice, and milk mixture and whisk until combined. (Batter will have consistency of milk.)

3. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar and whip until glossy, soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Whisk one-quarter of whites into batter to lighten. With rubber spatula, gently fold in remaining whites until no clumps or streaks remain. Ladle batter into ramekins (ramekins should be nearly full). Pour enough cold water into pan to come one-third of way up sides of ramekins. Bake until cake is set and pale golden brown and pudding layer registers 172 to 175 degrees at center, 50 to 55 minutes.

5. Remove pan from oven and let ramekins stand in water bath for 10 minutes. Transfer ramekins to wire rack and let cool completely. Serve.

CI

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1½ c. water
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1½ lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped coarse
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• ¼ c. chopped parsley
• red wine vinegar

Preparation

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water, baking soda, and green beans and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes and their juice, salt, and pepper.

2. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook until sauce is slightly thickened and green beans can be easily cut with side of fork, 40 to 50 minutes (or possibly significantly longer). Stir in parsley and season with vinegar to taste. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and serve warm or at room temperature.

CI

Ingredients

• 2.2 lb (1 kg) yellow onions, finely chopped
• 3/4 lb. ground beef or pork
• 2 tbsp. garlic
• 1/2 lb. rigatoni
• 3/4 c. shaved parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 c. cream
• 1/4-1/2 c. dry white wine
• olive oil

Preparation

Liberally coat the bottom of a heavy bottom sauce pot with olive oil. Add all the onions, coat with more olive oil and a liberal amount of salt. Stir to combine. Cover and heat on medium for 40 minutes, stirring every 10-20 minutes. If the onions are completely translucent and a good amount of liquid has appeared, stir in the meat and garlic. Stir hard and long to completely break apart the meat and combine it with the onions. Cover and simmer on very low for 2-3 hours, stirring every 30 mins or so.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, cook the rigatoni until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, deglaze the pot with the wine, stir to combine and turn the heat to medium-low to cook off the wine. Reduce heat back to very low, stir the cream into the sauce, and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce, stirring to combine. Spoon the pasta onto plates and cover each with 1/4 cup shaved parmesan.

Raymond’s Food, edited

Ingredients

• 2 meaty ham hocks, or 1/2 lb meaty salt pork (rinsed)
• 16 cups water
• 2 lb onions, finely chopped (divided)
• 2 large carrots
• 1 medium leek, white and green parts only, chopped and rinsed
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 lb dried split peas, picked over and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp. dried savory, crumbled

Preparation

1. Combine ham hocks, 16 cups water, and half of the onions in a large soup pot, uncovered, until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer ham hocks to a cutting board and measure broth: If it measures more than 12 cups, continue boiling until reduced; if less, add enough water to total 12 cups.
2. When hocks are cool enough to handle, discard skin and cut meat into 1/4-inch pieces (reserve bones).
3. Chop carrots, the remaining onions, leek, and celery in 2 tbsp. of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring until softened, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables to the soup, along with salt, pepper, chives, and savory, and continue to simmer, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until peas are falling apart and soup is slightly thickened, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Add ham meat back to soup, heat through, and serve, adjusting seasoning if needed.

Gourmet, combined from two recipes

Ingredients

For the gremolata:

• 2 tbsp minced parsley, stems reserved
• 2 tbsp minced mint, stems reserved
• ½ tsp. lemon zest

For the risotto:

• 1 lb. asparagus, reserving ends, cut into 1/2" pieces
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts sliced thin, green parts reserved
• 4 c. chicken broth
• 3 c. water
• 5 tbsp. butter
• Salt and pepper
• ½ c. peas
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1½ c. risotto rice
• 1 c. white wine
• 1½ oz. grated Parmesan
• 2 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation

1. For the Gremolata: Combine ingredients in small bowl and set aside.

2. For the Risotto: Chop tough asparagus ends and leek greens into rough 1/2-inch pieces. Bring chopped vegetables, reserved parsley and mint stems, broth, and water to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Strain broth through fine-mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Return strained broth to saucepan; cover and set over low heat to keep broth warm.

3. . Heat 1 tablespoon butter in large Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add asparagus spears, pinch of salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add peas and continue to cook 1 minute. Transfer vegetables to plate and set aside.

4. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add leeks, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently, until grains are translucent around edges, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring frequently, until fully absorbed, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. When wine is fully absorbed, add 3 cups hot broth to rice. Simmer, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and bottom of pan is almost dry, about 12 minutes.

6. Stir in about 1/2 cup hot broth and cook, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 3 minutes; repeat with additional broth 3 or 4 times until rice is al dente. Off heat, stir in remaining tablespoon butter, Parmesan, and lemon juice; gently fold in asparagus and peas. If desired, add up to 1/4 cup additional hot broth to loosen texture of risotto. Serve immediately, sprinkling each serving with gremolata and passing Parmesan separately.

CI

Ingredients

• 4 lb. boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces (or a 5 lb. chuck roast)
• Salt
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 bottle Chianti
• 1 c. water
• 4 shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 garlic head, cloves separated, unpeeled, and crushed
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. cracked black peppercorns, plus extra for serving
• 1 tbsp. gelatin
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 tsp. cornstarch

Preparation

1. Toss beef and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt together in bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef in single layer and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if fond begins to burn. Stir in 2 cups wine, water, shallots, carrots, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, cracked peppercorns, gelatin, tomato paste, anchovy paste, and remaining beef. Bring to simmer and cover tightly with sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then lid. Transfer to oven and cook until beef is tender, 2 to 2 1/4 hours, stirring halfway through cooking time.

3. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to bowl; cover tightly with foil and set aside. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator. Wipe out pot with paper towels. Let liquid settle for 5 minutes, then return defatted liquid to pot.

4. Add 1 cup wine and ground black pepper and bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat. Simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened to consistency of heavy cream, 12 to 15 minutes.

5. Combine remaining wine and cornstarch in small bowl. Reduce heat to medium-low, return beef to pot, and stir in cornstarch-wine mixture. Cover and simmer until just heated through, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Serve over polenta, passing extra cracked peppercorns separately. (Stew can be made up to 3 days in advance.)

CI

This isn’t a recipe, but a catalog of times and internal temperatures for the reverse sear method. Preheat the oven to 250F, and take the piece of meat to the internal temperature specified. Then sear it off in as hot a skillet as you can get with a bit of vegetable oil.

• Ribeye, Cowboy Ribeye, Côte à l’os: 115F for medium-rare, 110F for rare, 105F for blue-rare, 1 minute per side sear
• Lamb: 125F, 2 minutes on the fat cap

Ingredients

• About 1 pound of cauliflower
• ½ cup pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Grated zest and juice of a lemon
• Sea salt
• Pinch of crushed red-chile pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
• ⅓ cup olive oil

Preparation

Trim the cauliflower, and break the head apart into florets.

On a chopping board, combine the olives, capers, parsley and lemon zest, and chop together to mix well.

Bring a pot of water large enough to hold the cauliflower to a rolling boil. Add a big pinch of salt, and when it returns to a boil, add the florets. Cook until the florets are just barely tender, about 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet large enough to hold all the ingredients, warm the chile flakes and the garlic in the oil over medium-low heat until hot, about 3 or 4 minutes. The chile and garlic should be starting to melt in the oil, rather than sizzling and browning. Stir in the lemon juice, and cook for another 2 minutes, then add the olive-caper mix, give it a stir, take it off the heat and set aside.

Drain the cauliflower well, shaking the colander. Combine the cauliflower with the olive-caper dressing in the skillet, and set the skillet back on medium heat. Warm it up to serving temperature, taste to make sure the seasoning is right and serve.

The New York Times

Ingredients

• 4 medium-thick pork chops, bone-in or boneless
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 8 chiles de árbol
• 3 plum tomatoes
• 1 small onion, peeled and thickly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• ½ cup raw, hulled, unsalted pumpkin seeds
• ⅓ cup unsalted peanuts
• ⅓ cup hulled sesame seeds
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (or 2 allspice berries)
• 1 canned chipotle pepper
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil, lard or chicken fat
• 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Preparation

Make the sauce: Remove the stems from the chiles de árbol, and gently roll the chiles between your fingers to remove the seeds. Discard seeds. Set a bare skillet over high heat for 5 minutes, then add the chiles. Toast until they are darkened and fragrant, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Place them in a bowl, cover with 2 cups boiling or very hot water, and set aside to soak.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred, approximately 10 minutes. Put the vegetables on a plate, and set aside to cool, then slip the skins off the cloves of garlic.

Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Place the pumpkin seeds, peanuts and sesame seeds in the skillet, and cook, stirring and shaking the pan continuously, until they are toasted and fragrant, approximately 2 to 4 minutes. Put the seeds and nuts in a bowl, and stir in the cinnamon, cloves and allspice.

Put the chiles and soaking liquid in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, the nut-seed mixture and the chipotle. Purée until smooth. Add the oil, lard or chicken fat to a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the purée. It will sputter a lot. Lower the heat, and stir, cooking the mixture down to a thick paste. It will continue to sputter and pop. Add the broth to the paste, and stir, then season with the salt, sugar and vinegar, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until it resembles a thick, creamy soup. Lower heat to a bare simmer.

Make the pork chops: Season the pork chops aggressively with salt and pepper, and dust them with the flour. Add the oil to the skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add the chops, and let them cook undisturbed, in batches if necessary, until crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Set them aside to rest for 5 minutes or so. Serve a chop per person on a generous amount of sauce, with tortillas to mop it up. Extra sauce can be used to braise chicken, lamb or more pork, or as a topping for enchiladas.

The New York Times

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon egg white
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound boneless leg of lamb or lamb shoulder, cut into strips about 1/2 inch by 2 inches
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds, lightly cracked in a mortar or grinder
• 2 tablespoons whole dried red chili peppers, about 2 inches long
• 4 scallions, white and green parts only, cut on diagonal into 1-inch lengths
• Sesame oil, for seasoning

Preparation

1. In a bowl combine egg white, wine, cornstarch, salt and pepper. Add lamb and set aside to marinate 1 hour.

2. Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Swirl half the oil into wok and carefully add lamb, spreading it in a single layer. Let sear a moment, then stir-fry briskly just until lamb is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. (If your wok is not large enough to hold all the lamb, do this in 2 batches, using extra oil.)

3. Swirl remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil into empty wok, add cumin seeds and chilies and stir-fry a few seconds until cumin seeds start to pop. Press chilies against sides of wok to char their skins.

4. Add scallions and stir-fry 1 minute. Then return lamb to wok and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more until lamb is cooked through. Turn off heat, sprinkle with salt and drops of sesame oil, and serve immediately.

New York Times