Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 TBSP butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• (kosher salt)

Preparation

You know what to do. Sprinkle with salt after spreading in pan.

Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 1-2 TBSP butter
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 3 small Yukon gold potatoes, halved and sliced
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 large fennel bulbs, halved, cored and sliced
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 TBSP shallot, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup grated white cheddar or other white cheese
• S & P

Preparation

Heat 1 TBSP each butter and oil in heavy soup pot. Add potatoes, toss to coat, and season with S & P. Cook over medium-low heat until tender and beginning to caramelize, adding more butter or oil if they seem dry. (Aim for some browned potato bits on bottom of pan.) Add wine, and stir to deglaze.

Meanwhile, put fennel on cookie sheet, lightly salt, and toss with 1 TBSP olive oil. Spread in a single layer and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes, or until tender and brown around the edges. Add to soup pot with stock and cook over low heat.

Meanwhile - again - saute onion and shallot in remaining olive oil until edges start to brown. Stir in garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add to soup pot.

Add milk, cream and cheese and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Puree either in batches in blender or with boat motor. Thin with water or stock to desired consistency. Serve hot garnished with fennel fronds.

Variations: Top each bowl with 1 TBSP cooked, crumbled spicy Italian sausage (we did this – sooo good) or chiffonade of raw baby kale. For vegan, omit milk, cream, and cheese and use vegetable stock.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (about 8 1/2 ounces), thawed
• 4 strips bacon or 1/4 pound pancetta, cut in thin strips
• 1 TBSP butter
• 3/4 lb onions (about 2 medium), thinly sliced
• S & P
• 1 lb sea scallops
• olive oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400.

Roll pastry out to a 13" square. [Recipe says to cut into 4 rounds, using a 6" saucer as a guide - I didn’t.] Line baking sheet with parchment paper, put pastry on it, and prick all over with fork. Top with parchment and a second baking sheet to weigh down dough. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove top baking sheet and parchment. If pastry is not well browned and crisp, return it to the oven, uncovered, until done. (Can be made up to 8 hours in advance and kept uncovered at room temperature.)

Cook bacon or pancetta over medium-low heat until crisp. Drain on paper towel.

Pour out all but 1 TBSP of fat, add butter, onions and season with S & P. Cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes.

If you turned off oven, reheat it to 400.

Thinly slice scallops horizontally into rounds - you’ll probably get 3 slices per scallop. Spread onions on pastry all the way to the edges. Top with scallops, slightly overlapping. (If you’ve made rounds, put scallops on in a circular pattern, so they look like a flower.) Season with S & P and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Bake 3 or 4 minutes (mine took a little longer), just until warm or “a smidgen past raw.” The texture is almost custard-like and the flavor wonderful!

Ingredients

• 3-5 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• vinegar (sherry or balsamic work well)
• olive oil

Preparation

Seed the peppers and slice into strips, roughly 2"x4". Spread in an even layer on a plate or low baking dish. Mince garlic and sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle with a healthy amount of vinegar and olive oil.

Ingredients

• 1 c. fine- or medium-grain bulgur
• 1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
• 1 c. boiling water
• 1 c. chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 c. shelled chopped pistachios
• 1/3 c. olive or pistachio oil
• 3 tbsp. orange juice or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. minced red onion
• 2 tbsp. thinly sliced green onion
• 3/4 tsp. coarse salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Combine bulgur and apricots in a bowl. Add boiling water and let stand 30 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add remaining ingredients and toss gently to mix.

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy

Basic Waffle Batter

• 2 c. flour
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 3/4 stick melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Mix dry ingredients together. Separate the egg and whisk the yolk into the dry ingredients, along with the milk, until batter has a uniform (not lumpy) consistency. Add melted butter to batter. Whisk egg whites until stiff and mix into batter.

Preheat waffle iron over medium heat, spray, and slowly pour batter into one side of the waffle iron, using a wooden spatula if needed to get the batter evenly distributed. Although there should be enough butter in the recipe to keep the waffles from sticking, you should apply a spray canola oil to the waffle iron before making the first waffle. Cook for about 3 minutes and then check for doneness.

Belgian Waffles

• 2 c. flour
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 3/4 stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Whisk dry ingredients together. Add eggs, buttermilk, and butter into dry ingredients and mix until blended. Cook as per the basic waffle recipe above.

Rome Old Fashioned Waffle Iron

Ingredients

• chicken (breasts, thighs, or whole) or 3/4-1 lb. frozen cocktail shrimp
• salt
• pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• water
• 1 1/2 lb. grated monterrey jack
• 1 onion
• 1 doz. green chiles, chopped, or 3 small cans green chile
• 1 lb. container sour cream
• 2 doz. corn tortillas

Preparation

Boil chicken breasts, thighs, or a whole chicken (however much you want) with salt, pepper, and a bay leaf until fully cooked. Remove from liquid, cool, and shred. Place the chicken in a large bowl. Add all but 1 cup of the cheese to the bowl, reserving for the top. Add onion, green chiles, half to 3/4 of the container of sour cream, and salt and pepper. Mix together until it forms a filling. Roll (or layer) corn tortillas filled with filling, softened in oil. If you have extra filling, spread it thinly over the top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Take the foil off, top with the reserved cheese, and bake for another 15 minutes or so until the cheese bubbles.

Can substitute 3/4-1 lb. of frozen baby cocktail shrimp for the chicken, if you want.

Ingredients

For the tagine:

• 6 pounds lamb shanks
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• One 2-inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and slivered
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 rounded teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 rounded teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 scant teaspoons cayenne
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 2 cups pitted prunes
• 4 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 cup tomato puree

For the garnish:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup whole blanched almonds
• Large pinch of salt
• Small pinch of sugar

Preparation

Serves 6; Total Time: 4½ Hours

1. Season lamb generously with salt and pepper and set aside for 2 hours (or refrigerate over-night). Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions, season with salt and crumble saffron over them. Saute over medium heat until softened and slightly browned. Add garlic, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, coriander and cumin seeds, powdered ginger and cayenne. Stir together, remove from heat and correct the seasoning. Add raisins and half the prunes.

3. Put the lamb in an enamelware dutch oven or deep sided baking dish and spread the onion mixture over the meat. Stir together broth or water and tomato puree and pour over. Cover the pan with foil and a tight-fitting lid.

4. Bake for about 2 hours, or until meat is meltingly tender.

5. Remove the foil and lid, add the second cup of prunes and submerge them. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Return lamb to the oven, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, to let it brown a bit.

6. Carefully lift meat from sauce and put in a low wide bowl or storage container. Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce. If sauce seems thin, pour it into a low saucepan and reduce over high heat. Check the seasoning and adjust. Pour sauce over meat and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate.

7.The next day, remove and discard any congealed fat. Gently reheat the stew, covered, in a low oven.

8. Just before serving, fry the almonds for the garnish. Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat and fry the almonds gently, stirring occasionally. When the almonds are golden, blot on paper towels and sprinkle with the salt and sugar.

9. Transfer tagine to a warmed platter and scatter almonds over lamb.

David Tanis, Wall Street Journal

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 c buttermilk
• 1/2 c brewed chai tea
• 4 tbl butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 c flour
• 3 tbl sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• healthy pinch ground cloves
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp crushed black peppercorns

Preparation

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, chai tea, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat griddle or pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil (I used grapeseed oil) to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve. Maple syrup… that’s nice!

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe Danish pastry dough
• Almond filling (recipe follows)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• sugar
• sliced almonds

Preparation

1. Roll Danish pastry dough out on a lightly floured pastry cloth or board to a 20x15-inch rectangle; trim edges even; cut in twelve 5-inch squares with a sharp knife.

2. Spoon almond filling onto one corner of each square, dividing evenly. Roll each square around filling to opposite corner.

3. Place pastries, points down, 2 inches apart, on greased cooky sheet. Curve into crescent shapes. Let rise in a warm place, away from draft, until double in bulk, about 30 minutes. Brush with egg; sprinkle with sugar and almonds.

4. Place in hot oven (400 degrees); reduce heat immediately to 350. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove to wire rack. Makes 12 individual pastries.

Almond Filling

Beat 1 can almond paste (or tube, or marzipan, 8 ounces) with 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter and 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl until well blended. Makes 1 cup.

Family Circle Cookbook