Makes about 2 cups

Time: 30 minutes

1 large cucumber, seeded, cut in half, and sliced in ¼” thick slices

1 t. salt

3 T. mayonnaise

3 T. sour cream

2 T. white vinegar

1 T. sugar

1 T. chopped dill

Place cucumber slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt, toss to coat and let set for 15 minutes.  Then rinse and pat dry.

Combine mayo, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, dill, and cucumbers in a mixing bowl.  Allow to chill for at least 5 minutes before serving.

4 oz. of angel hair pasta

3T. heavy cream

2T. grated parmesan cheese

1 t. lemon zest

Pinch (each) of red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper

1 cup fresh spinach leaves.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the pasta and cook till done.

Mix cooked pasta with the remaining ingredients.

Makes about 4 cups

Time: 45 minutes

3-9 oz. bags of spinach (frozen works fine, but thaw first)

1 cup onion

1 T. garlic, minced

3 T. unsalted butter

3 T. flour

¾ cup heavy cream

¼ cup chicken broth

½ cup parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450°

Saute onion and garlic in 3 T. butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until onion softens, about 4 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Which in cream and broth, stir in spinach.

Off heat, add parmesan, salt and pepper.  Pour into a 2 qt. baking dish.

Combine crumbs, 2 T. butter, and salt in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over spinach and bake until bread crumbs are golden, 10 minutes. 

For the chicken:

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 2 thin portions each

2 egg whites

2 t. cornstarch

juice of ½ a lemon

            1 cup bread crumbs

            1 T. parsley           

            1 t. salt

            ¼ t. pepper

            3 T. olive oil

For the Sauce:

½ cup dry white wine

            ½ cup heavy cream

            ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

            1 t. fresh lemon juice

            4 T. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cubed

            2 t. sage

Preheat 450°

Chicken:

Blend egg whites, cornstarch and lemon juice in one dish.

Combine bread crumbs, parsley, salt, and pepper in a second dish.

Dip chicken in egg mixture, then on crumb mixture. 

Saute chicken in oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, for about 3 minutes, or until crumbs are golden brown. 

Finish roasting in oven for 8 minutes. 

Sauce:

In a sauce pan, add wine, cream, broth and lemon juice.  Simmer until reduced by half, 8-10 minutes. 

After reducing, lower heat and add butter a few pats at a time, add more after it melts and mixes. 

After all the butter, remove from heat and add sage. 

Serve sauce over chicken. 

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. unsalted butter

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup brandy

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. lemon juice

1 t. thyme

salt and pepper

Saute garlic in the butter in a skillet over medium heat.

Stir in cream, brandy, and mustard.  Simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes.  Finish sauce with lemon juice, thyme, salt and cayenne.  Serve immediately. 

2 lbs. Of Ahi Tuna, rare and cubed

½ cup Soy sauce

½ cup teriyaki

1 T. sesame seeds

2 T. sesame oil

½ T. crushed red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients together and put in fridge.  Let cool for at least an hour. 

Serve cold. 

Makes 2 ½ cups

Time: 15 minutes + chilling

2 cups whole milk

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ salt

2 eggs

2 T. butter

½ t. vanilla extract

Heat milk in a saucepan over medium until it begins to steam and bubbles form around the edge.  Remove milk from burner.

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl.  Add the eggs and whisk until smooth, then gradually whisk in ½ of the hot milk.

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the remaining milk in the pan, and return pan to burner.  Cook custard over medium heat, whisking often, until thick.  Boil 1 minute whisking constantly, to eliminate the starchy taste of the flour and to thicken further. 

Off heat, stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted.  Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic, pressing it onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.  Chill before using.  

Makes about 8 cups
Time: about 1 1/2 hours

(Hot cobbler tastes terrific, but its juices are runny. They will thicken as it cools, though, so wait an hour before digging in.)

Toss Together:
8 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen (thawed slightly if frozen)
1 cup sugar
¼ cup instant tapioca
Juice of ½ lime
Pinch of salt

Combine; Knead in:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sugar
½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
½ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed (1 stick)

Blend in; Top berries with:

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Toss berries with sugar, tapioca lime juice, and salt in a bowl. Spoon into a 2-qt. Baking dish.
Combine flour, coconut, sugar, pecans, baking powder, and salt in a second bowl. Using your fingertips, knead in the butter until incorporated. Mixture should look like course sand.
Blend in the egg, then arrange topping over the berries in clumps, covering them evenly. Bake the cobbler for 45-50 minutes, or until topping is golden and crisp, and filling is thick and bubbly. Cool in a rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes:
-A large, shallow baking dish provides more surface area to spread the topping over the fruit.
-Stir filling ingredients together, making sure the tapioca is well distributed.
-Pinch the butter cubes between your fingers to flatten and mix with the dry ingredients.
-Don’t over blend so the batter turns greasy. When the mixture looks like sand, you’re done.
-Mix in the egg with your fingers—topping will be sticky.
-The topping will be somewhat thin in spots –that adds to its rustic look.
-The cobbler may bubble over as it bakes, so don’t worry if it does.

Time: 45 minutes

For the Dough 

12 T. unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks)

½ cup sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

½ t. salt

2 cups flour

For the Filling

2 cups pecan

½ cup sugar

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup heavy cream

1/8 t. salt

1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat over to 325°.

For the Dough

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Off heat, stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt until dissolved. 

Blend butter mixture into flour.  Press dough into tart pan.  Freeze crusts for 15 minutes, then bake 25-30 minutes.  

For the Filling

Saute pecans for filling in butter over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly to prevent scorching. 

Bring sugar, corn syrup, cream and salt to a boil.  Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. 

Off heat, add vanilla and sautéed pecans.  Spoon filling into crusts; bake 10-15 minutes at 325.

Makes 12 tuiles

Time: 1 hour

2 egg whites

¾ cup powered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

¼ t. table salt

1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup all-purpose flour

5 T. unsalted butter, melted, room temperature

The pudding, mousse, or custard of your choice

Preheat oven to 350°

Whisk together egg white, sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a bowl until blended.

Stir in crumbs and flour.  Add the butter and stir until combined.

Drop 1 T. of batter on a baking sheet and spread into a 3” circle.  Keep the circles about 3” apart.  Bake 7-9 minutes, then remove pan from oven and cool 30 second to 1 minute.  Lift tuile off the pan and drape over a small jar, like a seasoning container.  Let them cool completely. 

This shape will make a bowl out of them.  Fill them with the filling of your choice.