Ingredients

• 2 slices sourdough bread
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• ½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• ½ tablespoon chopped rosemary
• a ripe pear, thinly sliced
• 4 large slices of brie
• 2 slices bacon, cooked until crispy

Preparation

Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Melt butter and add onions and rosemary. Cook, stirring only a few times until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Lay half the cheese on the non-buttered side of one slide of bread. Add half the caramelized onions on top of the cheese. Add the pear slices on top of the onions. Add the remaining cheese slices and then the bacon and remaining onions. Top with remaining slice of bread leaving the buttered side up. Place the sandwich in a large skillet over medium-high heat, press down firmly with a spatula or heavy object to help brown the bread and melt the cheese. Cook on one side for about 3 minutes, flip and do the same on the other side. Cut in half and serve warm.

Running to the Kitchen

Ingredients

For crust:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

For filling:

• 1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 3 ounces bittersweet (at least 60% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups unsalted roasted cashews

For serving:

• 2 (8-ounce) containers crème fraîche

Preparation

Make crust: In food processor, pulse flour and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and pulse or gently stir with fork until incorporated.

Squeeze small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water 1/2 tablespoon at a time, pulsing or stirring until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface, gather into ball, and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour. (Dough can be made ahead and frozen up to 1 week. Defrost in refrigerator before proceeding.)

On lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 12-inch round, then transfer to pie pan. Trim edge, leaving 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under and crimp edge decoratively. Prick bottom and side of shell all over with fork, then chill shell 30 minutes. (Shell can be assembled to this point ahead: Wrap entire pan well in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze up to 1 week. Defrost in refrigerator before continuing.)

While shell chills, preheat oven to 425°F.

Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans, then bake until pastry is set and pale golden on rim, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until pale golden all over, 5 to 7 minutes more. Cool on rack.

Make filling and bake pie: In medium saucepan over moderately high heat, simmer maple syrup, uncovered, until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Carefully whisk in butter (mixture may splatter), then sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let cool to warm room temperature.

In medium bowl, whisk together eggs and brandy. Whisk egg mixture into cooled maple syrup mixture.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spread chopped chocolate in even layer over bottom of prepared crust. Sprinkle nuts in second even layer, then pour filling over nuts. Bake until filling is puffed and center is just set, 45 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. (Pie can be made up to 1 day ahead. Let cool, then cover loosely and store at room temperature.)

To serve: Using electric mixer, beat crème fraîche until it holds soft peaks. Serve with pie.

Epicurious, November 2007

Ingredients

• 1 loaf unsliced bread
• 1 cup pesto
• 12 ounces mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Prepare the bread: Score the bread lengthwise. To do this, slice the bread as you would for toast, but don’t cut all the way down to the base of the loaf. The idea is to keep the bread in a loaf shape and fully intact. Repeat this scoring across the width of the loaf. You will end up with what looks like little squares of bread.

3. Use a spatula or butter knife to spread pesto in the crevices of the bread. No need to be precise–just get a good slathering in there.

4. Next, place mozzarella slices inside the crevices, wedging them in so that they don’t stick out too far at the top (you want all that gooeyness inside the bread and off your pan).

5. Transfer the loaf to the prepared baking sheet, and bake until the pesto is bubbly and the mozzarella is melted, 15 to 17 minutes. Serve warm.

PureWow

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers
• 1 head garlic
• 1 large onion olive oil
• 1 c. pistachios
• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 cans white beans
• oregano
• feta cheese

Preparation

Roast the poblanos, garlic, and onion in the oven (with some olive oil) until soft and a bit charred. Skin the poblanos. Roughly chop them up, add more olive oil, and the pistachios, and toss everything into a blender or food processor. Turn it into a paste.

Brown the ground lamb and pork in a dutch oven, and add the paste. Cook for a while. Add two cans of tomatoes, two cans of white beans, and some oregano. Simmer everything together for a while. Add feta and serve.

Friends from church

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 egg
• A dollop of goat cheese
• 1/2 cup grated parm (or more)
• Salt, pepper, and any other seasoning or herb you want in the dough
• Garlic or garlic powder
• Fresh mozzarella
• Sliced tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
• Basil
• More parm, to sprinkle on top (or whatever toppings instead of these last four)

Preparation

First, grind up the cauliflower in your food processor. Don’t have a food processor? That’s fine, you can use a box grater, though it will take more time.

Next, cook the cauliflower—you can heat it up in your microwave for 5 minutes, or cook it (for that same amount of time) with a little bit of water in a pot or pan. After it cools (you can put it in the fridge to speed along this process) place it into a piece of cheesecloth and wring every last drop of water out of it. This is important!

Now you have a nice ball of dry cauliflower “flour,” which you will mix with one egg, a dollop of goat cheese, a half a cup or so of grated parm, and any seasoning you want. Honestly, once you have the egg and cauliflower in there, you don’t have to be exact in what type or how much cheese to add.

Once that’s done, form it into a pizza crust and bake at 425ºF for about 10 minutes (until it starts to get golden). Do this on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and WITHOUT any toppings.

Remove your dough from the oven and add your toppings (we recommend putting a little garlic powder on the dough before you start topping it—cauliflower has a pretty bland taste, so don’t be afraid to season). Then return it to the oven to cook for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Gothamist

Ingredients

• 4 scallions, whites and greens separated, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns, ground
• 12 ounces thin ramen noodles or spaghettini
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Cook scallion whites, vegetable oil, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until oil is sizzling and scallions are golden brown, 12-15 minutes; let chili oil cool in saucepan.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente; drain. Rinse under cold water and drain well.

Whisk tahini, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons chili oil (depending on desired heat) in a large bowl; season with salt. Add noodles and toss to coat. Top with scallion greens and drizzle with more chili oil.

Bon Appetit, June 2013

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 chicken quarters
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp. cilantro
• 3/4 c. chicken stock
• 1 preserved lemon
• salt pepper

Preparation

Heat the oil in a tagine on medium. Fry the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes without coloring. Cut the chicken quarters into two pieces each. Add to the tagine and brown, turning frequently. Lower heat if necessary. Add turmeric, 1 tbsp. cilantro, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Rinse the preserved lemon, discard the pulp, and cut the peel into thin strips. Stir into the chicken. Cover the tagine and simmer for 2-2 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and, if needed, boil rapidly for a few minutes to thicken. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

Le Creuset tagine booklet

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 lb. lamb fillet, cut into thick pieces
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. pitted dates, chopped
• 1 1/2 c. water
• cilantro to garnish

Preparation

Heat 1 tbsp. of oil in a tagine on medium. Fry onion, fennel, and garlic until just beginning to brown. Transfer to a plate.

Add the rest of the oil and fry the lamb until evenly browned.

Add all the spices and the salt to the meat and stir well, cooking one minute.

Return onion, fennel, and garlic to the tagine. Add dates and 1/4 c. water. Stir well.

Cover and cook very gently, stirring occasionally, for 3-3 1/2 hours. The spices will thicken the liquid, so check after 1 1/2 hours and add the rest of the water little by little.

Serve with couscous.

Le Creuset tagine booklet

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 3 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2" pieces
• 2 tsp. harissa paste
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, roughly chopped
• 6 baby eggplants, stalks trimmed, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 c. okra, tops removed
• 2 tbsp. parsley
• 1 c. water
• a few pinches salt

Preparation

Heat the oil in a tagine on medium. Fry onion, garlic, carrots, celery until all just beginning to brown. Stir in harissa and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, 1 c. water, and salt. Cover and cook gently for 30-40 minutes, until vegetables are beginning to soften.

Add eggplants, and cook for 15 minutes. Add okra and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

For serving, the consistency should be quite thick. Remove the lid and boil if needed. Stir in parsley just before serving.

Le Creuset tagine booklet

Ingredients

• 2 cups/480 ml heavy (whipping) / double cream
• 1 cup/240 ml whole milk
• Grated zest from two oranges
• 12 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup/100 g sugar, plus 6 tbsp/75 g
• Sprigs of fresh mint or chocolate mint, for garnish

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C/gas 2.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, and orange zest and heat until steam begins to rise. Do not let boil. Remove from the heat and nestle the pot in an ice bath. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the cream mixture cools to room temperature, 5 to 10 minutes.

While the cream mixture is cooling, in a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup/100 g sugar. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and thoroughly blended with the yolks. Gently whisk in the cream mixture.

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large glass measuring pitcher or bowl with a pouring lip to strain out any solids. Divide the custard evenly among six 4-oz/120-ml ramekins. Place in a roasting pan/tray and add water to come 1 in/2.5 cm up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custards are firm, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

To serve, remove the plastic wrap/cling film and gently lay a paper towel/absorbent paper on top of each custard. Gently press down on the towel to remove any moisture buildup, being careful not to dent the custard. Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar evenly over each custard. Using a blowtorch, pass the flame above the sugar until it melts and turns golden brown. (Alternatively, preheat the broiler/grill and slip the custards under the broiler 4 to 6 in/10 to 15 cm from the heat source to melt the sugar; leave the oven door open slightly and watch closely, as the sugar can scorch suddenly.) Let the crème brûlée stand at room temperature until the sugar hardens, 1 to 2 minutes.

Epicurious, October 2010