Appetizers
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Tea Smoked Chicken INGREDIENTS: 1 tablespoon Szechuan peppercorns, 1 teaspoon five-spice powder, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1/4 cup white rice on Chinese black tea, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Shao-sing wine or mediumdry sherry, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, preferably dark1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Bacon-Tomato Cheese Toasts INGREDIENTS: 2 ripe tomatoes, Kosher salt, 8 strips bacon, 4 slices Texas toast or other thick sandwich bread, 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese, 3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese, 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 5 scallions, finely chopped, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 small zucchini, very thinly sliced, Freshly ground pepper
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. [2] Core the tomatoes and thinly slice. [3] Place in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt; let drain for at least 15 minutes. [4] Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over
medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. [5] Transfer to a paper-towellined plate. [6] Pour off and reserve the drippings, leaving 1 tablespoon in the skillet. [7] Toast the bread on one side in the drippings until golden (do this in batches,
adding more drippings as needed). [8] Place the bread, toastedside down, on a baking sheet. [9] Combine the cheeses with the mayonnaise, scallions and parsley in a bowl. [10] Spread the cheese mixture on the toasts, reserving about 1/3 cup.
DIRECTIONS: [1] Toast the Szechuan peppercorns in a dry skillet until fragrant, about 4 minutes. [2] Cool slightly, and then crush in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle with the salt and five-spice powder until very fine. [3] Rub seasoned salt all over the chicken thighs.
[4] Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight. [5] Bring the chicken to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking. [6] Line the bottom of a wok, skillet or heavy pot with a double layer of aluminum foil.
[7] Mix the rice, tea and brown sugar together and mound on the foil. [8] Set a steamer on top, and evenly space the chicken on the rack. [9] Cover and cook over high heat. [10] Hot smoke the chicken until smokey-brown colored and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
3 Acorn Squash Soup INGREDIENTS: 3 whole acorn squash, approximately 8 cups when cooked, 6 shallots, 1 cup diced, 3 left whole and peeled, 6 garlic cloves, peeled, 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper, freshly cracked, plus more for seasoning, 1 stick unsalted butter, in all, 4 cups chicken stock, low-sodium
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. [2] Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds with a spoon. [3] Cut a flat spot on each end so the squash will sit flat. [4] Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the squash, cut side up. [5] To 3 of the squash halves, add a peeled shallot and to the other 3 add 2 garlic cloves on each.
[6] Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon each of the salt and freshly cracked pepper. [7] Roast in the hot oven until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse, approximately 1 hour. [8] Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin. [9] Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash. Can be done ahead.
Main Dishes
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5 Lots O’Meat Lasagna INGREDIENTS:
Buffalo-Chicken Mac and Cheese INGREDIENTS: 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish, Kosher salt, 1 pound elbow macaroni, 1 small onion, finely chopped, 2 stalks celery, finely chopped, 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's), 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons dry mustard, 2 1/2 cups half-and-half, 1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups), 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. [2] Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain. [3] Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
[4] Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. [5] Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute. [6] Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
[7] Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. [8] Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. [9] Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth.
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, 1 pound ground Italian sausage, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 teaspoons ground oregano, 1 teaspoon ground basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, 2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce, 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste, 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese, 1 (5-ounce) package grated Parmigianno-Reggiano, 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves, 2 large eggs, lightly beaten, 9 oven-ready lasagna noodles
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. [2] In a large saucepan, combine ground chuck, sausage onion and garlic. [3] Cook over medium heat until meat is browned and crumbled. [4] Drain. [5] Return meat to pan and add oregano, basil, salt and pepper. [6] Add tomatoes, to-
mato sauce and paste. [7] Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 to 45 minutes. [8] In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, and eggs. [9] Spoon 1/4 of sauce into bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan. [10] Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce.
7 Parmesan Chicken Tenders INGREDIENTS:
Desserts
4 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders (about 18), 3 large garlic cloves, minced, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, Freshly ground black pepper, 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan, 3/4 cup Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. [2] Brush 1 tablespoon of oil over each of 2 heavy large lined baking sheets. [3] Place the buttermilk in a large bowl. [4] Add the chicken tenders and stir to coat.
[5] Let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 30 minutes. [6] Meanwhile, mash the garlic with the salt in a medium bowl. [7] Whisk in the vinegar and then the remaining 1/2 cup of oil. [8] Season the vinaigrette,
to taste, with pepper. [9] Transfer the vinaigrette to a small serving bowl. [10] Stir the Parmesan and bread crumbs in a pie dish. [11] Remove the chicken tenders from the buttermilk.
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10 Brownie Pudding
Chocolate Bread Pudding
INGREDIENTS:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish, 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup good cocoa powder, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean, 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional, Vanilla ice cream, for serving
1 loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups), 3 cups milk, 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur, 1 cup sugar,, 1 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons pure almond extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 6 eggs, lightly beaten, 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, Pecan Rum Flambe Sauce, recipe follows
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. [2] Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. [3] Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool. [4] In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow.
[5] Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside. [6] When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. [7] Mix only until combined. [8] With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. [2] Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish fill with bread cubes. [3] In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur. [4] In another bowl, combine the
granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. [5] Add the cocoa mixture to the milk mixture and whisk to combine. [6] In a medium bowl, add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs.
[7] Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. [8] Stir in chocolate chips. [9] Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes.
11 Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 6 tablespoons melted butter, 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature, 1 cup granulated sugar, 5 large eggs, 1 lemon, zested, 3/4 pound ricotta cheese, 1 recipe Citrus Thyme Sauce, for serving, recipe follows
DIRECTIONS: [1] Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. [2] In a bowl, mix together the crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon. [3] Add the butter and mix well. [4] Using the back of a spoon, press evenly into the bottom and
slightly up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. [5] Bake until golden, about 8 minutes. [6] Remove from the oven and cool before filling. [7] In a cake mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the
cream cheese and sugar on low speed until well incorporated, smooth and light, about 2 minutes. [8] Add the eggs, one at a time, and lemon zest and continue to beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides as necessary.