What I keep hearing everywhere from friends and family is that the purse-tightening pigeons have finally come home to roost. It has in our house. Though the front-page warnings of dire personal economic decision-making have been around for awhile now, it has taken several months for the headlines to trickle downward. Cutting back is unanimous.

Read more.

After all the contentious banter on this blog throughout the last few weeks, I thought, “what the heck, let’s take a suggestion from a few posters who all told me I should blog with a recipe today.” They missed them, and quite frankly, in a bald-faced attempt to lower the enmity that seems to be accruing over one man’s opinion, I agreed it might be the thing to do this week. A nice recipe would be a welcome relief to the implosion of our country’s economy, which I keep feeling in my wallet and reading about every day in the newspaper.

There’s something timeless about apples, something reassuring, and, with the vague and hazy images of soup lines dancing in my head, oddly soothing. When I took over the kitchen at Café Un Deux Trios in the summer of 1992, the restaurant had been open for a few months. I began work there as a busboy in May, just after the restaurant’s debut on the local scene. The pastry chef at the time was a young woman named Eileen Connor who made the best tarte tatin I had tasted in a long time, and she made gigantic wagon wheel-sized tarts, quite tasty. Shockingly, she used Red Delicious apples for the simple reason that they held together so well after cooking.

I adapted her recipe, adding some conventional pie spices throughout the years; began using Cortland or Haralson apples; and every time I make this tart, I think of Eileen, one of the nicest and most talented people I have ever worked with.

If you are looking for a good local orchard to check out, here is a great link. My family and I are weekend regulars at Deardorff’s in Waconia. It is a fun farm to explore with flatbed rides out to the orchards, dozens of varietals to pick, a pie house, and fresh juice being pressed in the driveway as you walk in. There is nothing else like it.

Tarte Tatin with Crème Fraiche

24 baking apples, your choice
1 t. cinnamon
2 pinches nutmeg
2 pinches allspice
1/2 t. ground ginger
1 pinch ground cloves
1 stick sweet butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry (2 sheets per pack)

Peel, core, and halve the apples, reserve. Place the butter and sugar into a 14” no-stick pan, and place it over medium heat. Caramelize until dark (This caramel will break!). That is OK; don’t be concerned.

Place the apples into the pan, beginning with the outer rim, standing them up on their sides with all the open sides facing in the same direction, pinwheel style. Place a second layer inside the first ring, and then fill the center space with a few halves. Place 6 or so pieces on top randomly, and cover the pan with a large steel bowl. Cook for 10 minutes, and wriggle in a few of the apples that you placed on top randomly to tighten your spirals. Cook covered for 5 more minutes, and wriggle in a few more pieces. Let liquids cook down slowly in the pan.

When liquids are syrupy and thick, remove the pan from the heat and let rest for 30 minutes. Then place the two sheets of pastry across the top of the pan, tucking the sides deep down into the tart, inside the edges of the pan. Work them down as far as you can toward the bottom. Prick the pastry with a fork in a few places.

Place the tart into a 400-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until tart in nicely browned.
Remove pan, and let tart rest for 10 minutes. Invert onto a large circular pan. Using a rubber spatula dipped in butter, smooth the apples out across the top of the tart so that they all tilt in the same direction.

Cool and serve tart when it is just warm with sweetened crème fraiche mixed with fresh whipped cream.

Here are some great holiday treats for everyone looking to celebrate the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is a great time to share food with friends and family, and I have received dozens of e-mails asking for some great recipes, so here you go. I should tell you, the potato pancakes are so good that posting this recipe alone is a mitzvah of the highest order. Bubbelah, you should always trust me with this stuff. The chopped liver is the version I have been making for years and have named it after my grandmother who always made me a to-die-for chopped-liver dish every holiday.

Sephardic Eggplant Salad

3 large eggplants at 2–1/2 lbs.
2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 c. flat parsley leaves
2 t. dried oregano
4 chopped scallions
2 T. lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves
2 T. salt packed capers, refreshed and drained
2 ripe, diced, skinless, seedless tomatoes
6 pita bread discs cut in 1/8s and toasted

Brush the eggplant with the tablespoons of olive oil, and broil on a baking sheet for 25–30 minutes, turning often until skin blackens and eggplant is cooked.

Let it cool. Peel and chop meats, and reserve to a colander to drip off the excess liquids.

Place the oregano, scallions, garlic, and half the parsley in a food processor, and pulse until well processed. Fold into the drained eggplant, season with the oil, lemon, and vinegar.

Add the tomatoes.

Chop the remaining parsley and capers, and fold into the salad.

Season with salt and pepper, and serve with toasted or grilled pita.

Henriette’s Chopped Chicken Liver

2 lbs. fresh chicken livers
1/4 c. rendered chicken fat (schmaltz)
1 t. minced parsley
2 hard-boiled eggs
1 large yellow onion, minced
1 box matzo

Drain, and pat dry the livers.

Sauté onions in 1 T. schmaltz over medium heat until lightly caramelized (just past beige). Reserve.

Fry livers to medium (pink) in 1 T. schmaltz in the same pan over medium high heat.
Reserve livers.

Grind the liver and onions through a food mill by hand, or pulse in a food processor.
Add the parsley, grate the eggs, and fold in those as well. Add remaining schmaltz, or more, to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Chill the chopped livers.

Serve with the matzo.

Potato Pancakes

3 large russet (Idaho-style, baking) potatoes
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cooked, and diced
2 eggs, beaten
2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. ground white pepper
1/2 c. matzo meal
1 large yellow onion, grated
2 c. applesauce
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. crème fraiche
1/2 lb. sliced, smoked salmon (I like the Ducktrap line.)
Oil for frying

Peel and grate the Russet potatoes. Rinse with cold water, and drain, gently pressing to relieve excess moisture. Mix half the potatoes with the mashed potatoes. Pulse the other half of the grated potatoes with the onions in the work bowl or food processor to form a paste. Do not over work.

Combine the two mixtures; season with the salt, pepper, eggs, and matzo meal.
Heat enough vegetable oil, in a large skillet over medium heat, to come up the sides of the pan 1/4 an inch.

When oil is 350 degrees, or a small pinch of batter instantly sizzles when dropped in, fry small 2- to 3-inch sized patties in batches until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towel.

Serve as a side dish or as a snack or appetizer. I think it is great to serve them with applesauce, sour cream, smoked salmon, and other treats on the side.

Noodle Kugel

1 lb. extra-wide egg noodles
4 c. cottage cheese
3 c. milk
2/3 c. melted butter
1 T. cinnamon
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
6 eggs
2 t. salt
1–1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. minced, dried apricots
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Cook, drain, and cool noodles.

Combine all the ingredients, reserving the almonds, brown sugar, and 1 t. of the cinnamon for sprinkling on the top of the casserole.
Butter a large pan or 2 small brownie pans.

Sprinkle kugel with the reserved ingredients, and bake at 350 degrees for 50–60 minutes until set and golden brown. Serves10–12

Stuffed Cabbage with Veal, Currants, and Pistachios

The Filling
3 lbs. ground veal
2 eggs
1–1/2 c. matzo meal or bread crumbs
1/2 c. currants
1/2 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. minced parsley
2 T. ground cumin
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/3 c. toasted pine nuts
1 minced onion
1 lb. cooked, chopped spinach, drained very, very well
3 large heads Savoy cabbage, cleaned, leaves blanched and cooled

Combine all the ingredients except the cabbage. Roll 3 oz. of this stuffing mixture into the cabbage leaves, burrito style. Place all of the rolls 1/2 inch apart into 2 ovenproof dishes. Reserve.

The Sauce
24 oz. diced tomatoes in juice
4 T. minced, preserved lemons
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 t. saffron
1 c. white wine
2 minced shallots
6 leaves basil
2 diced carrots
2 pinches of chili flakes
1/2 c. orange juice
1 T. ground celery seed
1/2 c. toasted pistachios
2 T. butter

Place the butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the shallots, lemon, garlic, carrots, and saffron, and sauté until glassy. Add the wine, and simmer to reduce by half. Add the herbs, spices, and tomato with the juices. Simmer for 15–20 minutes until almost dry.

Divide over the cabbage rolls, and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Uncover, and bake for 10 more minutes.

OK, so in the current issue of the magazine we have a piece I wrote about Colorado peaches, one of my fave fruits, and right now there are cases and cases of them piled high in the produce section of most supermarkets. Buying them by the case is my style, simply because I like to make quarts of the compote (see magazine) and pies by the score (see below). This recipe came about six or so years ago when I was making a video for a cooking how-to series that never went anywhere—one of them was on pie-making. I love this pie, and as pies go, it’s pretty foolproof. I serve it with vanilla ice cream or crème fraiche, seasoned with a few teaspoons of brown sugar.

Peach Streusel Pie

Streusel
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. sliced almonds
5 T. butter, melted and cooled

Filling
6 c. peeled and sliced peaches (about 3 lbs.)
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. almond extract . . . use the natural stuff!
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. instant tapioca
2 t. grated fresh ginger

Crust
1 disc of the classic pastry (see below) . . . for this pie, use the half
     lard/half butter option

Make streusel. Place flour, 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. sugar, and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse to combine. Set aside.

Heat oven to 400. Toss peaches with lemon juice and almond extract in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. sugar, tapioca, and ginger. Stir into peaches. Let rest while preparing crust.

Roll out crust into 11-inch circle on lightly floured surface. Line 9-inch glass pie pan with dough; crimp edges. Add peaches, top with streusel, and place on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 45–60 minutes or until bubbly and thickened. Let cool on wire rack. Makes 8 servings.

CLASSIC PASTRY
2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. salt
14 T. chilled lard, vegetable shortening, or butter
OR
1/2 c. lard or vegetable shortening and 6 T. butter
6–8 T. ice water

Combine flour and salt in medium mixing bowl. Cut lard, shortening, or butter into 1/2-inch cubes and work into flour with fingertips or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized pieces of fat remaining. Toss with 6 T. of water and, with fingertips, draw together in a ball, sprinkling with enough remaining water, if necessary, to gather together. Divide in two; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm. Makes two 9-inch crusts.

I got a great e-mail last week from Claire in Cottage Grove, asking me what she could do with all her raspberry preserves. I went trolling through my recipe bin and pulled out this favorite that I had not cooked in two years. It still rocks, and despite the obvious knocks (calories, baking-takes-time lament, etc.), this is one fabulous recipe to have in your arsenal. It can be made with any flavored preserves, preferably homemade . . .

Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Cake
2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. plus 2 T. sugar
12 T. butter, softened
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. sour cream
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 t. almond extract

Filling
1/2 lb. softened cream cheese
3 oz. crumbled almond paste (marzipan)
3 T. sugar
1 large egg
1/2 c. raspberry preserves
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Butter a 10-inch spring-form pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare cake batter by combining the flour, sugar, and butter with a pastry cutter until softly crumbled. Scoop out a generous cup of this mixture and set aside. Stir in the baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Mix in the sour cream, egg yolk, almond extract, and egg. Spread batter into pan.

Combine the almond paste and cream cheese. Add the sugar and egg. Drop filling over the batter by spoonfuls.

Drop spoonfuls of preserves over the filling, then scatter the reserved cup of flour mixture over the preserves and top with the almonds. Bake for 40–45 minutes until center is light and the edges are golden brown.

Cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the rim of the pan. Eat warm or at room temperature.

OK, here’s a bonus recipe-set for the Great American Grill-Out. You can serve this as a meal, then add some slaw and sweet corn, perhaps some potato salad, and you’re done. Easy. This is a great meal for 6–8 people—just convince someone else to bring the other sides and let your crazy aunt clean up the mess.

I am a nut for grizzled onions, and this salad is a killer. The pork is my fave version of the classic BBQ dish, the granita is without peer, and the peach cobbler (though you may have to make it without Colorado peaches now) you’ll soon be making twice a week.

Happy Fourth!

Grilled Sweet Onion and Arugula Salad with Shaved Grana Padano
4 large Vidalia or 10–15 sweet onions
3 T. olive oil
12 oz. farm-stand, fresh, small-leaf, young arugula or other peppery
     cress or green
1 pt. cherry tomatoes
4 oz. block of Grana Padano or Reggiano parmesan cheese, shaved into
      elegant curls

Cut the onions in half at the waist and peel off the skins. Brush with the olive oil, season with sea salt and ground white pepper, and grill over medium direct heat, cut-side down until the onions are almost blackened. Finish cooking the onions for 10 minutes on the cooler edges of the grill to remove any offensive raw flavors.

Pop the ‘rings’ of the onion out and arrange over the washed and dried arugula on 8 plates. Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them around the greens. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve. Serves 6–8.

Shallot and Red Wine Vinaigrette
4 T. minced shallots
1 T. minced parsley
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. sugar
1 t. minced garlic
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. brown mustard

Place a small sauté pan over high heat and add 2 T. of the oil. Add the shallots, garlic, and sugar. Swirl pan briefly—you are only cooking for 30 seconds after you hear any sizzle at all. Promptly scrape the pan’s ingredients into a work bowl and whisk in the mustard followed by the vinegar, parsley and remaining oil. Season with sea salt, ground white pepper, and fresh lemon juice. Serve with the salad.

Barbecued Pulled Pork
1 bone-in pork shoulder, about 5 lb. in weight

The Rub
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. paprika
3 T. ground black pepper
3 T. kosher salt
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 T. celery seeds
1 t. cayenne pepper

The Basting Sauce
1 c. cider vinegar
1 small onion minced
1 t. hot chile flakes
1 T. kosher salt
1 T. brown sugar
1 t. ground black pepper

The BBQ Sauce
2 c. cider vinegar
2 T. molasses
2 T. dark corn syrup
1/4 c. Heinz ketchup
1/3 c. Heinz chile sauce
3 T. brown sugar
4 t. kosher salt
2 T. Crystal hot sauce
2 t. red chile flakes, or more to taste
2 t. ground black pepper

Combine the rub ingredients, or use your favorite store-bought rub.

Combine the basting sauce ingredients, whisking until sugar and salt are dissolved, then set aside.

Combine BBQ sauce ingredients over medium heat in a small pot. When simmering, pull from heat and let cool. Refrigerate for later use. The longer you simmer the thicker your sauce will be.

Massage pork shoulder with the rub and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

‘Grill’ the shoulder over indirect medium-low heat, using smoking chips, if desired, to establish a smoke flavor. Remember, a little goes a long way. You will want to keep adding wood or charcoal every 40 minutes or so to maintain a medium-low heat of roughly 300 degrees. For gas grills you want to maintain a temperature of roughly 275–300 degrees. Baste every hour with the basting sauce.

Pork is done when the meat is fork tender, usually by this time the meat has an internal temperature of 175. Let pork cool for 30 minutes, shred meat, and discard the bones.

Toss meat with the some of the BBQ sauce, mound on toasted rolls and serve with cole slaw.

Strawberry Granita with Balsamic Vinegar
3 pt. quartered, cleaned strawberries
1-1/2 c. sugar
3 c. of the best rose champagne you can get your hands on . . . don’t
     use pink champagne, but do drink what remains while granita sets up
1 T. lemon juice or more to taste

Combine half the berries, the sugar, and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer to dissolve the sugar. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, add the reserved berries, and process until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, stir in the champagne and lemon juice. Scrape mixture into a shallow metal baking pan (8 or 9 inches is fine) and freeze.

Every 20 minutes, stir and scrape the granite. After 3–4 hours the granite will be ready to serve, "shaley" and roughly frozen.

You can also freeze completely and pulse the frozen granite in a food processor. Or you can scrape the granite with a spoon instead of processing it. Serve granita with fresh berries and pass drops of 50-year-old balsamic vinegar . . . .

Peach Cobbler
10 ripe, free-stone Colorado peaches, peeled, stoned, and quartered
5 t. corn starch
2 t. fresh grated ginger
1/2 c. sugar

Toss, place in a buttered baking dish, cover with cobbler topping, and bake for 45–50 minutes at 350 until hot and bubbly with a browned top. Serve warm. Serves 6–8.

Cobbler Topping
2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
Pinch salt
3-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. sliced toasted almonds
1/4 c. sweet almond paste

Mix the dry ingredients and reserve. Beat the butter, almond paste, and sugar until well-blended. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. While stirring, add the nuts until just combined. Crumble/dollop over the cobbler.

I made these the other day with some frozen Meyer lemon juice I had in the freezer, and I made a note to give all of you this recipe, one of my faves. These small desserts are perfect when served with fresh summer berries and can be made with conventional lemon, lime, or Key lime juice. Just make sure to always use fresh-squeezed juice—nothing from a jar or bottle will work quite as well.

Lemon Puddings
1 T. unsalted butter
3 eggs, separated
1/2 c. super-fine sugar
2-1/2 T. flour
1 T. lemon zest
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1 c. milk
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for garnish

Butter 6 custard cups and place in a baking dish lined with a dish towel.

Whisk egg yolks with the sugar until nice and light, then add the flour, zest, and juice. Add the milk.

Whips the whites stiff with an electric beater or mixer, then fold into milk mixture along with the salt. Fill cups with batter. Pour hot water into baking pan to reach half way up the sides of the cups. Bake at 350 for 20–25 minutes until lightly browned.

Cool and serve in the cups, dusted with powdered sugar, and pass a bowl of the season’s first strawberries once they come to market.

Makes 6 desserts.

Everyone loves chocolate, and like wine and cheese, today chocolate is all about terroir and artisanal crafting. Regardless of what chocolate you like to eat, with these recipes you should experiment with the good stuff. I like Valrhona and Scharffen Berger these days. Happy Valentine's Day!

The Best Brownies
2 c. toasted and cooled pecan halves
1 c. flour
6 T. unsweetened cocoa powder . . . I love Scharffen Berger brand best
1 T. instant espresso
1/2 t. salt
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate . . . Try Scharffen Berger,
    Schokenag, Callebault, or Valrhona
2 sticks unsalted butter, cubed.
5 large eggs
2 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. sour cream
2 t. vanilla extract 

Preheat oven to 400. Butter a 9 x 13 brownie pan, line it with parchment, and butter the parchment. Sift together the dry ingredients. Melt the butter and chocolate in a slow double boiler.

Beat eggs in a standing mixer until light and foamy, slowly add the sugar, increase speed to high and beat for 12–15 minutes. Lower speed to low and add the sour cream and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture and blend briefly. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix briefly. Fold in the nuts and pour batter into the pan.

Bake for 16 minutes or so until the edges of the brownies pull away from the pan. Rotate the pan and bake another 10 minutes—the center should be set, but a tester inserted into the center should still come out with a few crumbs attached. Do not overcook!

Cool pan on a baking rack, refrigerate for 4 hours, and turn brownies out onto a cutting board. Cut into small squares and serve at room temperature.

Molten Chocolate Cakes
2 sticks sweet butter, plus some for greasing the molds
8 oz. artisan bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. flour, plus some for the molds

Butter and flour 8 four-ounce ramekins or oven-proof molds—be sure all interior surface area is covered. Cakes will stick wherever you miss, so be thorough.

Place chocolate and butter in a slow double boiler and melt to combine.

Whip eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until light and thick. Beat egg mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk in the flour.

Pour batter into molds and bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 10–11 minutes or until set. Cakes will have risen an inch or so. Cakes should barely hold together, holding their molten chocolate center.

Unmold and serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Serves 8 as a dessert

Chocolate Mousse
24 oz. chopped bittersweet artisan chocolate
1 T. instant espresso dissolved in 1/4 c. warm water
1/2 c. Grande Marnier
4 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. of heavy cream, whipped with 1/4 c. fine sugar until stiff
10 egg whites, whipped stiff 

Place the chocolate and butter in a double boiler and stir until melted. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the espresso, Grande Marnier, and the egg yolks in a separate bowl.  Fold the egg whites in to the whipped cream, and then fold the chocolate into the cream/egg-white mixture. Stir in the espresso mixture. Combine well.

Divide the mousse into 8 glasses or bowls and refrigerate for at least 8 hours to chill and set. Garnish with whipped cream seasoned with powdered sugar and serve. Serves 8.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. toasted pecan pieces
pinch salt
3/4 t. baking soda
8 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 T. light corn syrup
1 large egg yolk
2 T. milk
1 T. vanilla extract
3/4 c. Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.

Sift together dry ingredients.

In a standing mixer, use a paddle attachment to combine butter, sugars, and corn syrup at low speed. Add yolk, milk, and vanilla. Mix well and add dry ingredients. Combine on low speed for about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat. Fold in chips and nuts by hand and set batter aside.

Drop 1 T. portions of batter 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 until brown and flat. Reserve, when finished, to a cookie rack to cool. They will be crisp. If you desire a little toothy-ness to your cookie, bake a few minutes less.

Chocolate Fondue
A short list of possible dip-ables:
Pound cake chunks
Large, "stem-on" strawberries
Fresh cherries
Fresh orange sections
Pineapple chunks
Bananas
Angel food cake squares
Small cookies
Biscotti
Pretzels
Lady fingers
Dried fruit
Glazed fruit 

The Fondue
1 c. heavy cream
16 oz. high quality bittersweet or milk chocolate, finely chopped 

Heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan until very hot, but not boiling. Pull pan from heat and add the chocolate.

Let stand until softened, 3–5 minutes, and whisk gently. Pour into fondue pot and start dipping.

Other ideas:
Roll dipped fruit in shaved coconut, sliced almonds, etc.
Season chocolate with any flavored liqueur or non-alcoholic coffee-bar syrup.

No one invents food anymore, not unless you are Homaru Cantu or Grant Achatz or some other notable heavies working on the edges of the new frontier of culinary alchemy. This recipe, courtesy of the good folks at Serendipity 3 in NYC, has been a favorite for years there, and is one of the best frozen desserts I know of. My buddy John Levy, an intrepid chocoholic, sent this to me two years ago and I am forever indebted, as you are now to him as well.

Serendipity’s Frozen Hot Chocolate
6 half-oz. pieces of a variety of your favorite chocolates
2 t. store-bought hot chocolate mix
1-1/2 T. sugar
1-1/2 c. milk
3 c. ice
whipped cream (recipe below)
chocolate shavings

Chop chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until melted.  Add hot chocolate mix and sugar, stirring constantly until thoroughly blended. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 cup of the milk and stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature. In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room-temperature chocolate mixture, and the ice. Blend on high speed until mixture is smooth and the consistency of a frozen daiquiri. Pour into a giant goblet and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Enjoy with a spoon or a straw . . . or both!

Whipped Cream
1 c. heavy cream, very cold
1 t. vanilla extract
1-1/2 T. light corn syrup
Combine cream and vanilla and mix well. With an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, start whipping the cream on medium speed. Add corn syrup slowly while beating. Whip until the cream holds soft peaks. Slather, drop, and dollop onto whatever your heart desires. Makes 2 to 2-1/2 cups, enough for 1 to 8 persons, depending on if you feel like sharing.

Recipe courtesy of Serendipity 3, copyright 2004

Claudia Fleming was the original pastry chef at Grammercy Tavern and supervised much of the baking and pastry work at all of Danny Meyer’s restaurants in NYC, including Union Square. She is among a handful of pastry chefs who can lay claim to being a legitimate top-ten player nationally. She is also a phenomenally kind woman who many years ago shared this pound cake recipe with me that is still the best I have ever worked with. The lemon syrup bounce at the end is so wonderful I cannot even begin to describe its impact on the cake. Try it with different citrus combinations (clementines, limes, mandarins, satsumas, Meyer lemons, etc.) and don’t be afraid to experiment. This recipe is one of the all-time greats.

Lemon Pound Cake
2 sticks unsalted butter
5 large eggs
1-1/2 c. sugar
1-1/2 c. plus 2 T. cake flour
large pinch salt
1 T. grated lemon zest
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. strained fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter. With an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat eggs and 1 cup sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. Sift flour and salt. Fold zest and flour, in thirds, into eggs. Whisk 1 cup of this batter into the vanilla and butter. Fold this into remaining batter. Pour batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Simmer until the sugar dissolves. Transfer cake to wire rack. Pierce all over with a cake tester. Rotating the cake on all four sides and brush/drizzle with the syrup, finishing with the top. Let cool and serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream seasoned with crème fraiche. Makes 8 servings.