Ingredients

• Pastry dough / Pie crust
• 2 lbs fresh apricots [or any other fruit-pie fruit]
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400ºF with rack in lower third.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively. Chill pie shell in freezer 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pull apricots (with skins) apart into halves, discarding pits. Melt butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, then stir in sugar, flour, and nutmeg and remove from heat. Cool mixture until firm enough to crumble, 10 to 15 minutes.

Put apricots in pie shell and crumble butter mixture over them. Bake pie, with a foil-lined baking pan on rack below it (to catch drips), 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF and continue to bake until top is golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour more.

Cool pie to warm or room temperature on a rack.

Gourmet.com

Ingredients

• 12 oz rump of beef
• 4 fl oz olive oil
• 2 oz cured Manchego cheese
• 12 black olives
• Spanish sea salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper

Preparation

Freeze the piece of beef for half an hour then slice very thinly by machine. Arrange the slices on the plates and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with flakes of Manchego cheese, Spanish sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Chop the olives very finely, sprinkle over the meat and serve.

Spain GourmeTour Magazine, via LaTienda.com

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz) olive oil
• 4 cups (8 oz) mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red chile, seeded and crumbled
• 1/4 teaspoon Spanish paprika
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms over high heat for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, sherry, lemon juice, dried chile, paprika, and salt and pepper.

Cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic and mushrooms have softened.

Remove from the heat, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve on small earthenware platters.

Spain-Recipes.com

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 3.52-ounce bars Toblerone bittersweet chocolate or 7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon kirsch (clear cherry brandy)
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• Assorted fresh fruit (such as whole strawberries, 1-inch-thick slices peeled banana, peeled pear wedges and orange segments)

Preparation

Bring cream and honey to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Add chocolate; whisk until melted. Remove from heat. Whisk in kirsch and extract. Pour fondue into bowl; place on platter. Surround with fruit. Serve with skewers.

Bon Appetit, December 1997

Ingredients

• 4 double lamb chops
• salt and black pepper
• 125 grams butter
• 2 shallots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 deciliter / ½ cup red wine
• 4 deciliter / 2 cups meat ‘fond’ (glazed crystallized drippings) or stock
• 3 tsp corn starch
• 1 tbsp parsley

Preparation

Rub salt and freshly ground black pepper on the chops and fry them in 75 grams of butter in a skillet for three minutes each side.

Put them in a lightly buttered oven dish and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes in a warm oven at 120ºC/235ºF.

Take the dish from the oven and cover with foil or with a fitting lid.

Sautee the finely sliced shallots and pressed garlic in the grease/butter left in the skillet. Mix in the coarsely chopped rosemary and thyme, add the crumbled bay leaf and the wine. Bring to a boil and add the fond or bouillon. Slowly bring to a boil again and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Mix in the cornstarch and pour the stock through a sieve into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil again and whisk in the rest of the butter.

Put the chops on individual plates and pour the glazed sauce over them. Garnish with parsley. Serve with pan-fried potato slices, and green beans or spinach.

Adapted from goDutch.com

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped orange zest
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons softened mascarpone, to garnish
• Powdered sugar, to garnish
• 2 cups fresh sliced strawberries or 1 bag (12 ounces) frozen mixed berries, defrosted, to garnish

Preparation

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine the milk, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla and citrus zests in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, a blender, or in a bowl, and whisk or process until smooth.

Place the butter in a 10-inch pie plate or ovenproof skillet and put it in the oven to melt, for about 3 minutes. Swirl the inside of the pan to coat it evenly with butter.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 15 minutes longer or until the pancake is nicely browned, cooked in the center and well puffed. Remove from the oven and slide onto a round platter, using a spatula. Spread the pancake with the mascarpone and sprinkle powdered sugar generously on top. Accompany with the berries and serve immediately.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 1/2 (2 kg) pounds fresh mussels in the shell
• 6.7 ounces (200 mL) dry white wine
• 1/2 pound leeks (white and light green parts) cleaned
• 4 1/2 ounces lightly smoked streaky bacon, thickly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 ounce unsalted butter
• Fine sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

Preparation

Clean the mussels and put them in a sauteuse pan with the wine. Bring to a boil, and cook just long enough for all the shells to open. Drain and remove the mussels from the pan.

Halve the leeks lengthwise and cut them in finger-thick slices. Cut bacon slices in very small pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet, turn down the heat to medium, add bacon, and stir-fry until the bacon begins to render its fat (don’t let it get crisp).

Add leeks and stir-fry until they just begin to soften. Lower the heat, add the butter, and when melted, stir in the mussels carefully. Simmer together just long enough for the mussels to warm up. Add salt to taste and be generous with the pepper. Serve on a heated platter with warm French bread or ciabatta. Any leftover mussels can be used the next day to stuff an omelet.

Serves 4-6.

Florine Boucher, via National Geographic

Ingredients

• 1 quart milk
• 5 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
• 3.5 ounces cocoa powder

Preparation

Pour the milk, sugar, and pepper in a medium-size saucepan. Keep stirring to avoid burning the bottom until almost cooked. Put the cocoa powder in a big bowl and add one cup of the hot milk. Mix the milk and cocoa powder. Add the mix to the rest of the milk in the pan and keep stirring. Stir until it starts cooking and thickens. Pour the hot chocolate into cups and enjoy.

Makes 4 mugs.

Kees Raat, via National Geographic

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 2 tsp salt
• 360 g whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 1 Tbsp gluten

Preparation

Place all ingredients in the bread machine in the order given. Use whole wheat cycle and 1.5 lb loaf size.

My Byrd House

Ingredients

• 5 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1 9inch graham cracker pie crust
• cool whip for serving

Preparation

Place 4 cups strawberries pointing up in pie shell. Mash remaining strawberries. Cook water and mashed strawberries (1 cup). Cook in microwave on high 4 minutes, stirring once. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir into strawberry juice. Cook 2 - 3 minutes in microwave on high until transparent, stirring often. Pour glaze over berries, chill. Serve with cool whip.

Emily Weiburg