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Pille's apple cake Serves 10 as Dessert. An easy recipe for a simple and comforting Estonian apple cake. 400 ml plain/all-purpose flour 150 ml caster sugar 1/8 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 100 g butter 2 large eggs 200 ml kefir or fermented milk or buttermilk 500 g apples, cored and cut into chunks Mix the dry ingredients. Melt the butter, add milk (drop by drop to prevent curdling), whisk in the egg, using a fork. Add to the dry mixture. If too dry, add some more milk. Fold in apple cubes. Pour into a small buttered cake tin. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon and demerara sugar. Bake at 200˚C oven for about 30 minutes, until the cake is nice and golden. If you wish, sprinkle with icing sugar. PS The cake is also lovely with chopped rhubarb or gooseberries, so use whatever is in season. Keywords: Cake ( RG2030 )

Claypot Chicken Rice Hi guys, I hope you enjoy this recipe as I did This is my own spin off the traditional Chinese claypot rice dishes with flavours reminscent of my mother's cooking (the sauce). I basically created it on top of my head (trial and error) and seeing as my family really enjoyed it, I wrote down the recipe for keeps. Also, I strongly suggest making a fair amount (i.e ALOT) of shallot soy sauce oil because it MAKES this meal! Cheers! More pictures in the link below: Claypot Chicken Rice Note: Shallots = Green Onions = Scallions = Spring Onions (they're all the same, just different names) Another note, I used jasmine rice but I'm sure you can use any other sort as well. Yield: 4 servings (actually I'd say probably more...) Tip: To make shallot soy sauce oil, chop 3 shallots and stir in a heated pan with oil, soy sauce and sugar. Ingredients: 2 ½ cups uncooked rice, washed 2 carrots (medium sized) 4 lap cheong (Chinese sausage) 2 salted duck eggs, cracked and minced into bits water Optional: lettuce, shredded into long strips or cucumbers, sliced Chicken: 2 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned 1 tbsp sesame oil 5 tbsp (60ml) soy sauce 2½ tbsp sugar 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 small red chilli, finely sliced Directions: 1. Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces. Pound the garlic and chilli together to form a paste. 2. Marinade the chicken breast meat with the sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and chilli-garlic paste. Put in fridge (for at least 30 minutes) while preparing the rest of the ingredients. 3. Place the 4 lap cheong in a pan with water (approximately ½ width of lap cheong) and cook until water is reduced, turning the sides. Slice the lap cheong into thin slices and chop the carrots into matchstick sizes. 4. Boil the rice with water in a covered claypot over gas stove on high heat until water is reduced and steam is released. Then lower heat to minimum and leave to cook for approximately 15 minutes. 5. Stir fry the marinated chicken with chopped carrots (add when chicken is almost cooked) in a wok. Reserve the marinade. 6. Add the chicken, lap cheong slices, carrot and reserved marinade over the rice. Add the salted egg bits on top and stir through. Cover the claypot and cook well. 7. Before serving, add a big dash of the shallot soy sauce oil through the rice and a final scatter of spring onions. Serve with a bed of shredded lettuce or sliced cucumbers (not necessary). * I tend to leave the claypot on the dinner table and everyone can self serve and flavour their rice with as much or little of the shallot soy sauce oil as they like. Keywords: Main Dish, Chinese, Chicken, Rice ( RG2029 )

Pot-au-feu Serves 8 as Main Dish. Adapted from Anthony Bourdain's Recipe from "Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook" 8 Beef Marrow Bones, Sliced 3/4 inches long 1 lb Beef Shoulder Roast 6 Beef Short Ribs 1 lb Veal Shoulder, or Whole Veal Shank 8 Whole Cloves 2 Onions, cut in half 6 Leeks, White Part Only 3 Small Turnips, Quartered 3 Parsnips, Cut into 4 inch lengths 3 Carrots, Cut into 4 inch lengths 1 bouquet garni 2 T Salt Bundle marrow bones in cheesecloth. Bring about a gallon of salted water to a boil. Add all the meat at once, as soon as it returns to a boil, set the meat aside, and discard the blanching water. Wash the pot, rinse the meat. Make a bouquet garni bundle with fresh parsley, fresh thyme and a bay leaf. Return meat to the pot, cover with salted water, and toss in the bouquet garni. Bring pot to a very gentle simmer, simmer meat for one hour, skimming foam as needed. While meat is simmering, cut vegetables, and in each onion half insert two cloves. Add vegetables, and simmer an additional two hours, continuing to skim as needed. Remove vegetables gently as they test done with a knife point. Remove meat as it becomes tender. Finally strain broth through a cheesecloth lined strainer. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Beef ( RG2028 )

Maine Baked Beans This recipe for Maine Baked Beans is an adaptation of a recipe printed on the packaging for the soldier beans sold by the Kennebec Bean Company of North Vassalboro, Maine. It has no pretensions to be anything other than what it is: a solid, meaty baked bean dish that makes barbecue, hot dogs, johnnycakes, fresh corn, and just about anything else sing. They also make for a wondrous winter breakfast, and the recipe is built for overnight cooking as a result. This method is especially fine if you're using the hardy Maine soldier bean, a smoky, firm bean that's worth hunting down (and unlike the red kidney beans that others, including John Thorne in Serious Pig, suggest). If you find them, I urge you to take advantage of their perfection and cook 'em long, low, and slow. Though salt pork works here, the dish brings out the best in fine bacon. Just make sure it's thickly cut; you want the toothy texture of the lardons in the final dish. Most recipes suggest a 4:1 bean to hog ratio, but I find that these particular beans happily soak up porky goodness and usually use 1/2 pound. These beans go for caramel depth, not tooth-aching sweetness, so add a T or two of brown sugar if the molasses isn't enough for you. For best results, use a 2 1/2 quart bean pot. A dutch oven will also do the trick. 1 lb soldier beans (see above) 1/3 c molasses 2 tsp dry mustard 1 T kosher salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp allspice, ground 1 tsp cloves, ground 1 medium onion, 1/2" slices 1/4 lb slab bacon, cut into lardons 1. Soak the beans overnight. Simmer in water the next day until a bean's skin splits when you blow on it. Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. 2. Combine all other ingredients except the lardons and place them in the bean pot. Sprinkle the bacon over the top of the beans, and pour in enough of the reserved bean liquid to cover everything. You want about 1/4" of liquid over the beans; if you're doing this overnight, err on the side of caution and add extra, for you don't the beans drying out. 3. Just before you're going to hit the hay, place the beans in the oven, turn the oven to 275F, and go to bed. (If you're in a hurry, you can bump the heat up to 300F and cook them for six hours or so, but once you've woken to the smell of beans, you'll never go back.) When you wake up 8-10 hours later in a house that smells the way heaven smells to a Mainer, you'll probably want to add some more liquid to get the consistency you prefer. Soldier beans are very forgiving, especially if you're keeping that oven low and using a bean pot, and they'll have both tenderness and integrity for a good while. The beans are ready when you think they're ready. Keywords: Side, Easy, Beans, American ( RG2027 )

Patris's Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows Serves 117. 3-1/2 oz pumpkin puree 1-1/2 oz water 3 envelopes gelatine 1-1/2 tsp powdered ginger 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon pinch ground cloves hefty grating nutmeg 4 oz pumpkin puree 1 lb light brown sugar 7 oz light corn syrup 1-1/2 tsp powdered ginger 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon pinch ground cloves hefty grating nutmeg pinch salt In bowl of stand mixer, thoroughly combine 3.5 oz pumpkin puree, 1.5 oz water, 1.5 tsp cinnamon and ginger, pinch of cloves and grating of nutmeg. Sprinkle gelatine over mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Allow gelatine to bloom for at least 10 minutes. Line 9X13 pan with plastic wrap and spray wrap with cooking spray. In heavy saucepan, combine remainder of ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring and continue to cook until mixture reaches 240 degrees. With mixer running on low speed, carefully pour sugar mixture into gelatine mixture. Increase to high speed and beat for 10-12 minutes or until mixture becomes the texture of slightly stiff marshmallow fluff. With greased spatula, scrape marshmallow into prepared pan and spread (with spatula or greased hands) to level out. Allow to rest for 2 hours or more. Lift marshmallow out of pan by the edges of the plastic wrap. Dust surface with a mixture of corn starch and powdered sugar. Cut into 1-inch pieces using pizza cutter. Dredge pieces in corn starch/powdered sugar mix and use a sifter to knock off excess. If desired, dip in melted chocolate. Keywords: Candy, Stand Mixer, Intermediate ( RG2026 )

Inner Beauty Hot Sauce Knock-Off This is a knock-off version of Chris Schlesinger's legendary Inner Beauty Hot Sauce, the last bottle of which is the subject of a topic here. This version is based on perusal of the ingredients list and on the recipe in Big Flavors Of The Hot Sun by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. However, that recipe is uncooked, whereas this one is cooked. I've fiddled around with this pretty extensively and like the balance, which resembles closely, to my tongue, that of the original. You can do the same. For example, some of the ingredients that were on-hand in my house (the palm vinegar, say) might not be in yours, and those could easily be substituted. You also might want to add other ingredients -- pineapple juice, say, or ground cloves -- to tweak it. Make it yours. Inner Beauty is fantastic with fried chicken or fish, dashed into collards, and as a jerk-like marinade base with citrus (orange and lime work well) for just about anything. 15 habanero chiles 1 mango 1 c yellow mustard 1/2 c brown sugar 1/2 c white vinegar 1/2 c palm vinegar 1 T curry powder 1 T cumin 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp allspice 1 T ancho chile powder 3 T salt (or to taste) 1 T black pepper 1/4 c molasses Seed and devein the chiles with gloves on, and tear them into smallish bits. Peel the mango and slice it into chunks -- size and shape don't matter, since you'll be blending it. Add the rest of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring the mixture to simmer over medium heat, turn it down to low, and simmer it for an hour or two, stirring now and then. Add water to keep it from scorching. The sauce is done cooking when the mango and chile flesh easily disintegrate under light pressure from your spoon or spatula. Blend with an immersion blender (or, when cool, in a blender) until the sauce is smooth. Keywords: Easy, Condiment, Hot and Spicy, Sauce ( RG2025 )

Creamy grits 8 oz butter 1 qt heavy cream 4-1/4 oz quick grits 2 T Minor's chicken base Bring butter, cream and chicken base to a boil. Reduce heat to low, whisk in grits. Whisk over low heat every few minutes; they will be done in 45 minutes to an hour. Keep an eye on these, or they will either burn or break. If they break, you can rescue the emulsion by whisking in more cold heavy cream. Keywords: Side, Easy, Breakfast, Dinner, American ( RG2024 )

Curried Chicken Stew with Tomatoes and Rice This was a recipe I came up with using on-hand ingredients, and it was fantastic. I made it with store-bought curry powder because I discovered when I started that I was out of my homemade powder and didn't want to take the time to toast & grind spices. 1 T Ghee/clarified butter, or regular butter, or neutral vegetable oil 2 c sliced onion 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper salt freshly ground black pepper 2 c chopped cooked chicken 1 c diced tomato 1 T minced or pressed garlic 2 T curry powder 2 T flour 3 c chicken stock 1 c plain yogurt 1/2 c buttermilk 2 c halved cherry or grape tomatoes 2 c cooked rice Fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips Scallions, thinly sliced 1. Heat ghee/oil in a large stockpot or dutch oven over medium-high heat; add sliced onion and season with crushed red pepper, salt & black pepper. Sauté over high heat for a couple of minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and sweat, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and most liquid has evaporated, ~10 minutes. 2. Increase heat to medium-high, add chopped chicken and sauté until heated through; add diced tomato, garlic and curry powder (and other spices if applicable) and sauté until tomato pieces begin to break down, ~5 minutes. 3. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. 4. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cook undisturbed for ~15 minutes. 5. Add yogurt, buttermilk, tomatoes and rice; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes. 6. Serve garnished with basil and scallions. Keywords: Main Dish, Soup, Intermediate, Chicken, Hot and Spicy ( RG2023 )

Variation on a Tomato Pie Serves 8 as Main Dish. This recipe is loosely adapted from Laurie Colwin's "Tomato" essay in More Home Cooking. My changes: -I made a single crust for the top instead of a double crust (because I don't like soggy pie crust) -I reduced the butter by about 25% -I added salt to the crust dough -I reduced the cheese and subbed a smaller amount of a lower-fat cheese (mozzarella) for cheddar -I used a reduced-fat mayo -I used lime juice instead of lemon because that's that I had on hand -I added leeks to the mix Perhaps one day I shall actually follow a recipe..... Preheat oven to 400' F. Quickly and lightly mix: 3 TB COLD unsalted butter, cut in teeny pieces 1 cup flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp kosher salt (Morton's) 1/2 cup milk (I used 1% milkfat. Add more by teaspoonfuls if necessary to make a slightly sticky dough) Roll into an 8-inch round. Thinly slice tomatoes-I used about 1 pound beefsteak tomatoes. Though I did not do this, I would suggest draining some of the "guts" from the tomatoes because they get awfully juicy when baked. I also had a leek kicking around in the fridge, so I sliced that up (about 1 cup raw) and sauteed it for addition in a little extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 tsp). Assembly: -1/4 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick cake pan. -Layer in sliced tomatoes. -Top with 4 thin layers mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz. total)- just plain part-skim. Would probably be great with good buffalo mozzarella. -Sprinkle on chopped fresh basil and oregano. (about 1 TB of each). -Evenly sprinkle with the cooked leeks. -Pour on 1/4 cup mayo (I used prepared reduced-fat mayo) mixed with the juice of 1/2 lime (about 3 TB) -Top with the crust and tuck lightly around the tomatoes. -Slash the top crust a few times. Place on a baking sheet (in case of any excess burbling) and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool slightly before scooping out to serve. Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Breakfast, Vegetarian, Brunch, Lunch ( RG2022 )

Banana Cream Pie This recipe is based on one by Sarabeth Levine that appeared many years ago in, I believe, a magazine that Cuisinart used to put out. A couple of the ingredients are different, and I use the food processor a lot less than the recipe originally specified. Crust 1-1/4 c almonds 1/2 c sugar 3/4 c butter, salted, room temperature 1 large egg 1-1/2 c unbleached, all-purpose flour 1/8 tsp baking powder Filling 1 c milk 3 egg yolks 1/3 c sugar 1 T cornstarch 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 pkg Knox gelatin 1/4 c warm water 2 c heavy cream 4 ripe bananas 1/3 c confectioner's sugar Crust: Toast almonds, in their skins, for about 10 minutes, until fragrant. Let cool. Grind the almonds with the sugar in a food processor to a very fine powder but not a paste. Add the butter; process to blend. Add the egg, then the flour. Pulse just until blended. Divide the dough into two parts. You will need only one of these for the pie; freeze the other (or double the filling recipe). Shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Roll the dough out to fit a 9" pie plate. Fit it into the pan; crimp the rim; and prick the bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork. Chill for another hour. Bake the empty shell for 25-30 minutes at 350 degress, until golden brown. You shouldn't need to weight the crust. Pie Dissolve the gelatin in the water; set aside. Scald the milk (I do this in a measuring cup in the microwave). In a small saucepan, whisk together the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in the gelatin and the vanilla extract. Place plastic wrap on the surface and let cool to room temperature. Whip 3/4 cup of the cream in a chilled bowl; fold into the cooled custard. Slice the bananas quite thin. Gently fold the slices into the custard. Scrape the filling into the pie shell and chill until set. Whip the remaining cream with the confectioner's sugar and cover the filling with swirled mounds of whipped cream. Keywords: Dessert, Food Processor, Intermediate, Pie, American ( RG2021 )

Razor Clams in Black Bean Sauce This is a classic Cantonese dish that is a favourite in my household. It's an impressive looking dish that eats as good as it looks. I've never read a recipe for this but i'm sure there are many out there. This is another one of mine that has just evolved over time and is a mixture of east and west techniques. Traditionally the clams are steamed on the actual serving plate and presented whole dressed with a black bean sauce that has been cooked separately. This recipe has a more 'Moules Mariniere' style of cooking them. Razor Clams (or Razor Fish in the UK) vary in size but i would suggest that 3 average sized ones per person is ideal. I've only ever cooked this dish with live clams so cannot vouch for the quality of frozen ones. The other ingredients for 6 clams are: 2 T BLACK BEANS 1 large clove of GARLIC, finely minced 1 fingertip sized piece of peeled GINGER, smashed 1 T VEG OIL 100 ml MIRIN 2 SCALLIONS, green tops finely sliced lengthways, whites finely sliced across 1 T LIGHT SOY, to taste 1 tsp CORN FLOUR, slaked with a little water 150 ml CHICKEN STOCK or WATER 1. Soak the black beans in a little hot water for ten minutes to soften them and to soften the flavour also. Drain and crush them gently before using. 2. Scrub the outside of the clams well. If you are feeling adventurous then open them up now and squeeze the greeney brown stuff out of their digestive tracts while they're still wriggling. Otherwise clean the stuff out after they're cooked... 3. Heat a large lidded saute pan and fry on a moderate heat the black beans, garlic, ginger and scallion whites in the veg oil. Before the garlic catches tip in the clams, toss all around then pour in the mirin and clamp the lid on. Increase the heat slightly and steam for two minutes - no more. (I started using mirin when i ran out of shaosing once and found that the sweetness complimented the clams superbly.) The dish now needs to be plated up as quickly as possible. 4. Remove the clams from the pan leaving as much of the aromatics as possible in the pan. Add the soy and stock to the pan to make the sauce and let it bubble away gently whilst you separate the meat from the shells... 5. Arrange the shells on your serving plate. Slice your clams into bite sized pieces, cleaning as you go any gunk, discard the beaky mouth pieces. Scatter the pieces of clam meat back into the shells (presentation tip: six clams fill the six faces of three open shells perfectly). 6. Taste the sauce and adjust with soy if required. Thicken with the corn flour and sieve over the clams. Garnish with the green onion tops and eat immediately. Keywords: Main Dish, Intermediate, Chinese, Seafood ( RG2020 )

Chile-tamarind sauce This was inspired by a recipe in Victor Sodsook's True Thai, but I fiddled with the ingredients and proportions. Use this sauce on seafood – fried fish, shrimp, even crab cakes. 2 T oil 1 head (not clove, head) garlic, peeled and finely chopped or smashed to paste in a mortar 2 T chile-tamarind paste (nahm phrik pao) - more if you are feeling reckless 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped 6 scallions, cut into short sections 2 T palm sugar 1/4 c chicken stock, preferably Asian-style 1 T fish sauce cilantro and/or basil (to taste) Heat a wok or saucepan to medium-high, swirl in the oil, and stir-fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the chile-tamarind paste and stir-fry briefly (um, make sure you have a good hood fan). Add the chicken stock and palm sugar and stir-fry until the sugar dissolves. Add the bell peppers and scallions and stir-fry briefly. Add the fish sauce, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat when the texture and soupiness are to your liking. Let the sauce cool a bit and adjust the sweet-salty balance with sugar and/or fish sauce. Garnish with cilantro and/or Thai basil. Keywords: Thai, Hot and Spicy, Sauce ( RG2019 )

Vietnamese Chili sate sauce This recipe was given to me by a local Vietnamese restaurant chef after i told him how much i loved the chili sauce they serve at the table. It goes on EVERYTHING! 25g garlic 30g shallots 80g lemon grass 8g fresh thai bird chilis ~1 cup peanut oil 2.5tsp sugar 3T fish sauce 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/2 tsp MSG 2-3T Sriracha chili sauce 30g crushed red thai chilis, the dry red ones about 3-4" long Food process the garlic, shallots and lemon grass separately. Get the garlic and shallots to a fine mince size, and the lemon grass well processed, but not to powder. Mince the fresh bird chilis by hand Put 1/4 cup oil in small sauce pan, add garlic. Let fry on low low heat for 5 minutes. Add shallots and 2 T. oil, keep frying on low heat for 10 minutes more. It should just sizzle and cook gently, no browning. Add lemon grass, and 1/4 cup oil. Let fry on low for another 10-15 minutes. Add minced bird chilis, fry for 5 minutes Add crushed red pepper, fry for 5-10 minutes, and 1/4 cup oil Add sriracha to achieve the desired color, about 3-4T., and the rest of the ingredients. Let cook another minute or 2. Add more oil as needed to barely cover the top. ( I added about 3 or 4 more Tbl.) I also buzzed it with a hand blender, for just a little to make it a touch smoother. Not much. Keywords: Easy, Condiment, Vietnamese ( RG2018 )

"Christmas" Stacked Red and Green Chile/Chicken Enchiladas This is the recipe my kids/coworkers/friends all demand around the holidays and is the single most requested recipe I make ..you can vary the ingredients and tweek this anyway you want to...but this is the basic so enjoy! "Christmas" Enchiladas roast a big chicken (or two small ones) and then bone it/them out and chop the meat up set aside large package of corn tortillas fried briefly in hot oil until soft and a little crispy set aside lots and lots of grated cheese of your choice (I use at least two lbs in this recipe) ...for me jack/mozzarella mixed but you can use whatever you like for the red side chile Colorado 3 tbl lard or olive oil 3 tbl flour 1/3 up good NM ground red chile (heat as desired) 3 cloves of garlic 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin 2 cups water 1 cup red wine 3 Knorr chicken cubes (Mexican style) I mix all the spice and flour together then heat a pot and put the lard in ..then add the mixed spices and garlic and kind of stir it around to make a toasted paste then add the water and wine bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 15 min stirring well for the green side Green chile sauce 3 tble lard or olive oil 3 tble flour 3 cups chopped roasted peeled green chiles 6 tomatillos roasted and chopped 3 cloves of minced garlic 2 cups water mixed with 2 cubes of Knorr chicken 1 tsp cumin heat the sauce pan put the lard or oil in and then add the garlic and cumin and saute around a bit then add the chiles, water and cubes ..bring to a hard boil then simmer 15 min ..set aside in a large baking pan line the bottom with tortillas then add a layer of chicken a layer of cheese then on one side of the pain add a layer of the red sauce and on the other a layer of the green sauce...another layer of tortillas, chicken, cheese and sauce until you top with tortillas ..cheese and any remaining sauce they are better if assembled on one day and baked the next ..I always make and freeze an extra pan ... bake until done ..hot bubbly ...about 350 for 90 min let sit for at least 15 min before cutting and then just cut it up like lasagna traditionally we eat left over enchiladas with a fried egg on top the next morning ( RG2017 )

Venetian Scallop and Shrimp Serves 4 as Main Dish. The key to this dish is really fresh seafood. 1 T Butter 12 Med size sea Scallops 1 lb large Shrimp,peeled 1 T olive oil 2 tsp Garlic, finely minced 1 Shallot, finely chopped 1/2 c dry White wine 1/2 c Chicken broth 1&1/2 cups diced tomatoes(canned) 1/2 tsp Saffron 1 tsp Fresh Basil, shredded 1/2 tsp lemon zest Preheat a large skillet or saucier over medium high heat. Saute garlic and shallot in oil and butter over medium heat only until softened. Add lightly floured scallops and sautee until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side, then remove and keep warm. Deglaze with wine then add chicken stock, tomatoes and saffron. Bring to a gentle boil, and cook until liquid has reduced and thickened slightly, then add shrimp and cook for three minutes. Return scallops to pan and cook for a further two to three minutes. Plate the dish with fresh basil and lemon zest lightly sprinkled over it. Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Italian ( RG2016 )

Goats Cheese and Red Onion Tart Serves 4 as Appetizeror 2 as Main Dish. As i've had a couple of requests for this recipe over in the eG Cooking forum so i thought it best to add this as my first contribution to the RecipeGullet. I'm not very good at writing recipes as i very rarely follow them myself. It does mean that i tend to ramble but i think it's important to get the essence of a dish rather than learning recipes by rote. This is another one of those recipes that has just evolved over the years and these are my favourite toppings for it. You can of course choose your own from the best available. For a veggie recipe just leave out the bacon or ham. Let me know if it works for you, thanks! 1. Caramelise a whole red onion, finely sliced. Season with s&p. Optional - add a clove of minced garlic and cook out. When the onions are nice and brown and sweet and sticky, leave to cool (very important) before spreading it onto your prepared pastry.... 2. Prepare the tart base using puff pastry, roll out a square to your desired size to about 3-4mm thickness on some baking parchment. I use shop-bought but i do try to buy the best quality i can - the cheap stuff is horrible as it's full of additives and hydrogenated fats. Perversely, the best stuff has the fewest ingredients, just flour, salt and butter! I roll out a 25x25cm square and it's good for 4 starter size portions. Or you can roll and cut out 4 individual tartlets (my wife does this as she likes the extra ratio of puff pastry to filling)). 3. Gently score a border 1.5-2cm deep all around your squared pastry. Alternatively, for a thicker, puffier border you can make the border using a separate strip of pastry - this is what i do but it is tricky if you're not used to handling puff pastry. Leave the pastry in the fridge after handling if it gets too soft. 4. Spread your cooled onions neatly within the border of your pastry and lay some prosciutto (or cooked bacon) and then some goats cheese (the soft round mold ripened stuff is better than the young crumbly for baking - but of course you can choose your own topping but be careful not to overload it!). Sprinkle some fresh thyme and season. Egg wash the border and give the topping a lick of extra-virgin olive oil, ready to bake. 5. Preheat a baking tray or a baking stone in your oven to high temp (~200C) - this will help cook the base through. Transfer your tart, baking parchment and all onto your baking medium and cook for about 20 minutes. 6. Slice and eat with a freshly prepared salad of your choice Keywords: Easy, Tart, Appetizer, Cheese, British ( RG2015 )

Corn Pancake This is a side to go with the chipotle beef brisket I just added to recipegullet. In my family, one goes hand in hand with the other. I love cilantro but my daughter does not. So I normally divide the recipe and add cilantro to half and green onions to the other half. 3/4 c milk 1 c flour 1 egg 2 T sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp baking powderr 12 oz creamed corn 2 ears of corn cut off cob or 1 can T cilantro and/or green onions Process everything down to creamed corn in a blender, adding enough flour to get to right consistency for pancakes. Add corn and cilantro or green onions. If using canned corn, be sure to drain the liquid and dry first. Cook like pancakes using 1/4 cup size to pour. Keywords: Side ( RG2014 )

chipotle beef brisket When I first saw this recipe in a magazine around 10 years ago, I don't know what possessed me to try it because I had never had brisket or even heard of chipotle peppers. I am glad I did because it so easy. I lost the original recipe and have made some modifications over the years but it doesn't seem that you can mess it up. I serve it with corn pancakes made with regular and creamed corn, as well as cilantro and/or green onions. The sweet corn cake is a nice balance with the spicy meat. I will add it as a separate recipe. I always used to make it with whatever cheap beer that was left over from a party (which my husband won't drink). Recently, I made it with a better quality beer (Becks, I think) and it came out even better. The recipe calls for a small quantity of chipotle with adobo but my family likes spicy so I normally double the recipe and throw in the whole can of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. 1 T minced chipotle pepper with adobo sauce 1 large spanish onion 1 T chili powder 12 oz chili sauce 12 oz beer 2 lb boneless beef brisket Salt and pepper the brisket and brown it well. Place it in a crock pot with the beer, chile sauce and canned minced chipotle pepper with adobo. I am lazy and just throw in a can whole and then fish them out at the end and either throw it out or chop and add back, depending on who is eating it. Thinly slice the onion and saute it in the same pan. Once it is slightly brown, add the chili powder and saute until fragrant. Add this to crock pot. I normally deglaze the pan with some sauce to get out every bit. I generally cook it around 6-8 hrs on high at first and then switched to low. Sometimes the sauce turns out watery. So, while I am shredding or slicing the beef, I normally boil down the sauce a little. Definitely better the next day. Keywords: Easy, Beef, Hot and Spicy, Crock Pot ( RG2013 )

Cassava Cake (Slightly Updated) Serves 8 as Dessert. I made this cake during a weekend of Fililipo baking. During my research I learned that Cassava Cake is one of the most common foods found at potlucks and family gatherings. It was a very simple, but excessively sweet looking recipe, so I made some modifications. You can see my eGullet posting HERE Cake Ingredients 32 oz Cassava Root, grated fresh or frozen 10 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk 12 oz Evaporated Milk 10 oz Coconut Milk 9 oz Coconut Cream 2/3 c Sugar 3 Eggs, whole 3 Eggs, whites 1 c Coconut, grated Preheat oven to 325 F. Mix all cake ingredients together and combine. Pour into 9 inch springform that has been buttered and coated in coconut. Feel free to line the springform with parchment paper for easy release and less cracking. Bake until the top is no longer fluid and browns slightly. At least 30 minutes (at high altitude it took over an hour). Cook completely. Make whipped cream and incorporate mango juice. I took 1/4 C. mango juice added, 1/2 C. whipped cream and folded, then folded that mixture into the rest of the cream. Cover the top with the mango whipped cream, chill and enjoy. I added a pineapple jelly that was melted down and steeped with lemongrass, cooled to room temperature, then added to the top to chill. Very nice addition. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cake, Southeast Asian ( RG2012 )

Thai Shrimp Salad with Tamarind Dresing This salad is truly exquisite...just the thing for a hot summers day. I have not listed number of servings as it is obvious by prawn size and numbers how much you would plate. Dressing: 3 Tbsps each: grated palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice 1 Tbsp tamarind puree Shrimp Salad: 20 Cooked and peeled large shrimp 4 Shallots diced 3 Stalks lemongrass grated, or 2 Tbsps lemongrass paste 3 Kaffir lime leaves finely sliced 4 Tbsps finely julienned fresh ginger 1 or 2 fresh red chillies, seeded and diced 1 Cup coriander leaves roughly chopped 1 Cup mint leaves ( I chop just before serving to avoid browning) Dissolve palm sugar in fish sauce then add lime juice. Refrigerate until needed. Mix all other ingredients gently in a large bowl. Just before serving add dressing and toss gently. Serve on a bed of crunchy leaves. ( I used iceberg with some cucumber chunks also) Keywords: Appetizer, Easy, Thai, Main Dish, Shrimp, Salad, Lunch, Seafood, Dinner ( RG2011 )

Cheese Grits w Tomato Serves 14 as Side. This started as Paula Dean's recipe, and was very brand-name specific. I added a lot more regular cheese, and I used extra sharp cheddar. I tasted two kinds of canned chili/tomato mixes. I liked the SW better (its cheaper too). (PD specified Ro-Tel). I find this easier than grating cheese: slice the cheese (thick slices) and freeze it. It crumbles very easily after that, and the crumbles melt similarly to grated cheese. 4 c water 2-1/2 c milk 1 tsp salt 2 c quick-cooking grits 1 c butter (reserve one T to side) 2/3 c green onions, diced (es[ecially green tops) 16 oz Velveeta 1/4 tsp garlic paste (PD recipe calls for ½ tsp garlic powder) 3 c extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated/shredded/crumbled* (2 cups + 1 cup) 1 10-oz can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chilis, drained 1 14-oz can S&W diced tomatoes and green chilis, drained (I liked these better) Preheat oven to 350F. Saute green onions in a large saucepan with 1 T of butter for 1 minute or until soft. ** Bring milk and water to a boil, add salt and slowly add the grits (I used same pan as for sauteeing onions**). Stirring constantly, return to boil and boil for 1 minute. Cover and cook on low for 3 minutes. Add the butter. Cover again and cook until grits are thick and creamy (3-5 minutes in theory. Took me a bit longer). Remove from heat and add to the grits: the cooked onions, Velveeta, 2 cups cheddar cheese garlic. Stir until cheese is melted and thoroughly dispersed. Add the canned tomatoes and mix well. Pour grits into greased 8x11” pan and bake for 40 min. Sprinkle last cup of cheese over top of casserole for last 5 minutes of cooking time. ** I sautéed them in the sauce pan, scrapped them into the can of tomatoes and used the saucepan to cook the grits. Keywords: Side, Easy, American, Cheese, Snack ( RG2010 )

Shroomy Beef Stroganoff Serves 8 as Main Dish. This is my bastardized version of Beef Stroganoff. This is a pretty time-consuming recipe, but it was the best Stroganoff I've made. 2 T EVOO 3 lb beef chuck roast, whole kosher salt cracked black pepper 1 large yellow onion, cut into eighths 3 ribs celery, cut into chunks 2 carrots, cut into chunks 10 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed 5 sprigs fresh thyme 1 T Worcestershire sauce dash liquid smoke c beef stock, or as needed 2 lb yellow onions, halved & sliced into half-rings 1 lb mushrooms (pref. cremini, shiitake or other wild), sliced 2 T thyme leaves, minced 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in hot beef stock 1 pt sour cream 4 T corn starch In a 7-qt dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. While oil is heating, rub both sides of roast with kosher salt & cracked pepper. Brown roast on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Add carrots, celery, onion chunks, crushed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, Worcestershire & liquid smoke. Add beef stock to halfway up side of roast. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, turning over once, at least two hours, but preferably three or four. Remove roast and set on cutting board to cool. Strain vegetables from dutch oven, reserving liquid. Skim about 2 T of fat from reserved liquid and return to dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions & sliced mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and saute until beginning to brown, then turn heat to medium-low, cover and sweat, stirring occasionally, until onions & mushrooms have given up their moisture, 15 minutes or so. Stir in minced thyme & garlic. While cooking onions & mushrooms, pull roast into bite-sized pieces. Strain porcini through a paper towel or coffee filter, reserving liquid. Mince porcini. Stir beef pieces, minced porcini & reconstituting liquid into onion & mushroom mixture. Skim remaining fat from cooking broth and discard. Add all but 1/4 c broth back to pot and simmer five minutes. Stir corn starch into remaining broth & add to pot along with sour cream. Stir to combine, then simmer about five minutes or until thickened. Serve over egg noodles (tossed with butter, minced fresh parsley, minced garlic & freshly ground black pepper is my preference). Keywords: Main Dish, Beef, Intermediate, Dinner, Eastern Euro/Russian ( RG2009 )

Apricot Habañero Glaze for Lamb This is a glaze for lamb ribs that I discuss here. The lamb ribs have baharat-based spice rub on them, so for contrast this glaze tends toward sweet, sour, fruity heat. You may want to adjust the sugar and habañero to your liking. The flesh of the fresh apricots give the glaze body; if you have only dried, reconstitute them in warm water for 30-45 minutes and add some of the resulting soaking liquid as needed. It tastes swell, and it really smells wonderful. I concocted it for ribs, but it'd also make a fine glaze for a slowly grilled butterflied leg of lamb. Makes a generous cup. 4 apricots (about 12 oz), roughly chopped 1 small onion (2 oz), minced 1 habañero chile, minced 1/4 c pomegranate molasses 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cumin 2 T sugar 1 tsp salt 1/4 water Bring all ingredients to the boil in a sauce pan and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the glaze reaches a thick consistency and the apricot flesh breaks down, about an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed. It will be chunky, so if you'd like a finer consistency, puree with an immersion blender and/or press through a sieve. Brush onto ribs just before finishing them on the grill and serve on the side for diners to slather. Keywords: Easy, Hot and Spicy, Sauce, Middle Eastern ( RG2008 )

Phenomenal Food Processor Brownies Serves 30 as Dessert. This is a subtle variation on a longtime family recipe. It's fast, easy, and almost foolproof. I traced the original recipe back to Maeda Heatter, but the source of the food processor methodology has long been lost. Probably an interpretation from an appliance cookbook. These brownies are remarkably dense and fudgy, and incorporate more chocolate by weight than any other brownie recipe I've come across. They are the best brownies that I've tasted made from inexpensive chocolate (Bakers or Nestle, etc. from the supermarket). In fact, this recipe does not work properly when made with high end couverture chocolate. The higher percentage of cocoa solids keeps the the starches from setting properly and the brownies fall apart. For my favorite high end brownies, take a look at my Heart of Darkness Brownie recipe, also in RecipeGullet. 1 lb bittersweet chocolate, at room temperature, cut in 1/2 inch chunks 448g 4 eggs 200g 1 TB vanilla extract 12g 1-1/4 c sugar 190 g 1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter 224g plus 1TB for greasing pan 2/3 c sour cream 160 g 1/2 c all-purpose unbleached flour 63g 1 tsp salt 5g 1/2 tsp baking powder 1.6g 1 c bittersweet sweet chocolate chunks (optional) 2 T cocoa powder, for dusting pan 1. Use 1 tablespoon butter to coat an 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Dust lightly with cocoa; set aside. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 2. Mix sugar and butter in small saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until sugar partly dissolves and mixture thickens. 3. Use metal blade in food processor. Add 1/4 of the chocolate to processor. Pulse several times tobreak up large pieces, then process continually until small beads form. While machine is running, drop remaining chocolate pieces through food chute one at a time. Process to small bead texture. 4. Add eggs and vanilla. Pulse once or twice to mix. 5. With machine running, pour hot butter mixture quickly through food chute. Process 20 seconds. 6. add sour cream. Process 5 seconds. 7. Add four, salt, baking powder. Process with 8 to 10 half-second pulses to mix in dry ingredients. Batter will be very thick. 8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth top. Sprinkle chocolate chunks on top. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center is withdrawn clean, but not dry. Cool to lukewarm. Slice with sharp knife while still warm. Cool to room temperature. Keywords: Dessert, Food Processor, Easy, Chocolate, Brownies/Bars ( RG2007 )

blackberry rhubarb "peachy" cobbler Serves 10 as Dessert. No peaches in this recipe...but it is "peachy" My mother in law from Oklahoma taught me how to make this cobbler ...it is so good and I have never seen it anywhere the way she made it outside of her state of OK ..hers she called "Peachy cobbler" and was made with peaches and cinnamon served it with Cool Whip ...the method is the same the flavors have changed...my recipe is a hybrid of what she showed me to do and what I do now .. Oklahoma cobbler with a Pacific Nortwest twist thank you Edith 3 1/2 cups AP flour 2 tsp Kosher salt 1/4 (heaping pinch for me) of fresh ground green cardamom 1/2 cup clean fresh lard ice cold 1/2 cup salted butter ice cold 1/2 cup ice water in a food processor or by hand it does not matter with this recipe really because it is "rustic" toss the flour, salt and cardamom ..mix it up then cut in the fats until there are no lumps bigger than a pea..lots of uneven lumps are good here! then add the ice water ..all of it because you probably need more ..you want to make a just holding together rollable pastry out of this quickly roll into about an inch or less thick rectangles flour the dough as you flip it to get it pretty even then wrap and chill while you toss together the filling and preheat your oven to 350 (I use convection so adjust accordingly on time and temp) Filling in a great big bowl toss together the following 6 cups of blackberries and 6 cups of rhubarb diced 3 cups sugar ..more or less (I like tart this was perfect because my fruits were nice and tart!) mixed with one finely ground vanilla bean (I tossed a dried bean into my spice grinder) and a good pinch of fresh ground cardamom (heaping 1/4 tsp) 6 tbp flour mashed with 6 tbl of salted butter to make a paste ...VIP leave areas where there are more berries pockets of butter paste and spots of sugar or more rhubarb on purpose so each piece tastes and feels different in the mouth! .. roll out one rectangle of pastry and line the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking pan put the fruit filling on top of that then cut some messy lattice strips...the messier the better uneven ..thin and thick it is all good ..weave the top ..pinch the edges and brush with melted salted butter that has another pinch of cardamom in it sprinkle with a really heavy amt of vanilla sugar mine baked about an hour and 15min but just watch it when golden brown and bubbling out everywhere it is done! to serve ..take a big serving spoon and smash through the crust then scoop it into a bowl and pour some heavy cream or vanilla ice cream ..or minted whipped cream on top enjoy Keywords: Dessert, Fruit, Pie ( RG2006 )