Adapted from Ben & Jerry Basic Recipe with addition of pasteurization.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream (or regular whipping cream)
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

If pasteurizing:
Mix the cream and milk together and heat over medium-low heat.
While that’s heating, use an electric mixer and beat the eggs in a separate bowl, until they turn lighter in color.
Slowly add the sugar while whisking the eggs. I usually use an electric mixer in one hand and then use the other hand to pour the sugar in a little bit at a time. When it’s all in there, mix it a minute or so more.
When the cream/milk mix reaches about 140° F (60° C), remove it from the heat. While whisking the egg/sugar mix, slowly add small amounts of the cream/milk mix until about a third of the cream and milk have been added. (This is called “tempering”, and prevents the eggs from being scrambled in the high heat.) Then pour in the rest of the cream and milk and mix it all together.
Then continue heating it to kill anything that shouldn’t be in there. Heating the mix also gives the ice cream a “cooked” flavor, like the taste of warm milk. Heat the mix over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches 175° F (79° C) and hold it there for at least 25 seconds (the FDA’s official requirement for pasteurization).
Strain the mix into a container and let it cool for a bit before adding extracts that might evaporate. Add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, pure peppermint extract, or ground cinnamon (I like Saigon cinnamon because of its strong flavor) at this point to make those easy flavors.
Chill the mix until it’s below 40° F (5° C). This is important, because the mix needs to be chilled before it’s run through the machine, so it freezes faster. The faster the mix freezes, the smaller the ice crystals will be, and the smoother the texture. You can chill it covered in the fridge, or if you’re in a hurry, either stir the mix in a metal bowl that’s inside another metal bowl containing ice water, or use my latest favorite method and put the mix in a zip-top plastic bag and then dunk that in a bowl of ice water.

In KitchenAid with attachment:
Assemble and engage freeze bowl, dasher, and drive
assembly as directed in attachment instructions. Turn to STIR
(Speed 1). Using a container with a spout, pour mixture
into freeze bowl. Continue on STIR (Speed 1) for 15 to 20
minutes or until desired consistency. Immediately transfer ice
cream into serving dishes, or freeze in airtight container.

New: December 2015

Half leg recipe:
1 (2.5-pound) semi-boneless half leg of lamb, aitchbone removed, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves
0.5 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 cup dry red wine or beef broth

Pat lamb dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with tip of a sharp small knife.
Pound garlic to a paste with sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with rosemary and pepper. Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roast lamb in middle of oven at 400 for 20 minutes, then 350 for 20 min per pound (e.g. 2.5 lbs = 50 more min, so 1 hr 10 min total cook time) until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15 to 25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140°F for medium-rare).
Add wine to pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with lamb.


Full leg recipe:
1 (7-pound) semi-boneless leg of lamb, aitchbone removed, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick, and lamb tied
4 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dijon mustard (optional)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup dry red wine or beef broth

Pat lamb dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with tip of a sharp small knife.
Pound garlic to a paste with sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with rosemary and pepper. Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Roast lamb in middle of oven at 400 for 20 minutes, then 350 for 20 min per pound (e.g. 2.5 lbs = 50 more min, so 1 hr 10 min total cook time) until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15 to 25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140°F for medium-rare).
Add wine to pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with lamb.

adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/leg-of-lamb-with-garlic-and-rosemary-105020

(No Cheese) Pesto

New: November 2015

Makes about 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cup2 walnuts (or pine nuts)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces of basil, then remove thick stems
6 garlic cloves
1.25 cups extra-virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread nuts evenly on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, tossing once, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

Meanwhile, bring ~6 cups salted water to a boil; add basil, and submerge with a spoon. Immediately drain in a colander. Rinse with cold water until cool, then pat basil completely dry in paper towels.

In a food processor, add garlic cloves and pulse several times to chop. Add nuts and basil; season generously with salt and pepper. Process until nuts are finely chopped. With machine running, pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until smooth. Use immediately, or freeze.


adapted from Martha Stewart, http://www.marthastewart.com/337337/basil-pesto
original (8 cups (4 ounces) lightly packed fresh basil leaves)

Sole Meunière

New: November 2015

Fish:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 lb sole fillets
Coarse kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Optional Sauce:
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick)  unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or white wine)
Lemon wedges

For fish:
Place flour in pie dish. Rinse fish; pat with paper towels. Sprinkle both sides of fish with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge fish on both sides with flour; shake off excess. Place on platter.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until oil is hot and shimmers. Add butter; quickly swirl skillet to coat. When foam subsides, add fish and cook until golden on bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish over and cook until opaque in center and golden on bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide fish between 2 warmed plates; tent with foil.

For sauce:
Add extra butter to skillet; cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley and lemon juice (sauce may sputter). Spoon sauce over fish. Serve with lemon wedges.

Do not use Granny Smith

New: November 2015

Ingredients:

1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika

1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup panko crumbs
~1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions
Place the shrimp in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and paprika. Place eggs and panko crumbs into separate bowls.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Dip each shrimp into the flour mixture, then into the egg, and finally into the panko crumbs to coat. Fry a few at a time until golden brown. This should take no longer than 3 minutes per batch. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving.


Original Full Recipe:
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko crumbs
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

INGREDIENTS
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup  honey
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pumpkin purée
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice or cloves
1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup white flour
⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease ten cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in the pumpkin purée and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice or cloves.

Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.

Divide the batter evenly between the ten muffin cups. For these muffins, it’s ok to fill the cups a little higher than you normally would. Drizzle maple syrup on tops of muffins. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, followed by a sprinkle of cinnamon. Bake muffins for 23 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack. These muffins are delicate until they cool down (you have been warned!), so it’s best to wait until they have cooled down to remove them from the tin. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. Enjoy muffins as is or with a spread of nut butter or regular butter.

http://cookieandkate.com/2014/healthy-maple-pumpkin-muffins/

New: November 2015

Ingredients
5 cloves
2 dried guajillo chiles (if you can't find these, then use 2 chiles de arbol, and more paprika for color)
2 green cardamom, husks discarded, seeds retained
1 black cardamom, husk discarded, seeds retained
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 cup whole fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup peanut or canola oil
2 tablespoons malt vinegar or lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Pinch cayenne pepper
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 -inch thumb ginger, peeled and minced
1 packet boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/2 pounds usually)
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Couple of extra limes, for garnish

Directions
To make the marinade, toast the cloves, whole chiles, both types of cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds in a cast-iron skillet until fragrant, 3 minutes or so, shaking the pan. Then, pour the spices into a spice grinder and grind them until you get a fine powder.

In large bowl, whisk together the spice mixture you just made with the yogurt, oil, malt vinegar, salt, ground cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garlic and ginger until well combined. It should smell amazing! Taste and adjust with more salt if it needs it.

Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade and set aside; you're going to make a sauce out of this reserved marinade.

Prick the chicken thighs with a fork. Add the thighs to the rest of the marinade, and toss to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour in the fridge, and at most overnight.

When you're ready to cook, line a baking sheet with foil, and turn your broiler on. Place each chicken thigh on the baking sheet, making sure each one is coated with the marinade, but isn't swimming in it. Cook the chicken thighs under the broiler until starting to blacken, about 5 minutes. Then turn the oven to 350, and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the thigh registers 160 degrees F, another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.

While the chicken is cooking, pour the reserved marinade into a small saucepan, along with 1/2 cup water and the honey. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-low heat, whisking all the time. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and pour into a small bowl or gravy boat for serving.

Serve the chicken thighs on a platter with a fresh squeeze of lime and a drizzle of the sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Aarti Sequeira

For the crust:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 large egg yolks, beaten to blend

Mix first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolks; mix with fork until dough begins to clump together. Shape dough into 6 balls for Walnut Tartlets, 2 balls for Apple Galette or 1 ball for Apricot Tart. Flatten ball(s) into disk(s); wrap in plastic. Chill 30 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)


For the filling
400g shelled walnuts, halved
1 tbsp walnut oil
250g caster sugar
125ml water
6tbsp thick honey
4 tbsp crème fraiche, plus extra to serve
(Can use less of everything except the walnuts as always have leftover syrup)

Put the sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat to dissolve the sugar, then increase the heat and allow the sugar syrup to caramelise until amber coloured.
Remove from the heat, and add the honey and crème fraiche. Mix well with a wooden spoon and stir in the nuts. They should be evenly coated. If the syrup starts to set, just place the pan back over the heat and stir.
Spread the walnut filling in the pastry case and allow to cool at room temperature.

From Epicurious

New: April 2015

Tarte Aux Fraises
Fresh Strawberry Tart
Recipe by Julia Child
Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking; Volume I
(& http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2009/06/fresh-strawberry-tart-from-julia-child.html)

Ingredients:
A 10-inch fully baked pastry shell (see "Sugar Crust" recipe below)
1 quart large, ripe, handsome strawberries
1 cup red currant jelly (apricot jelly can be substituted if you have trouble finding red currant)
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. kirsch or cognac (I used Frangelico hazelnut liqueur)
1 1/2 to 2 cups chilled creme patissiere (custard filling...recipe below)

Directions:
Hull the strawberries. If necessary to wash them, do so very quickly, and drain them on a rack.

Boil the currant jelly, sugar, and liqueur in a small saucepan until last drops from spoon are sticky. Paint the interior of the shell with a thin coating of the glaze and allow to set for 5 minutes. This will give the shell a light waterproofing. Reserve the rest of the glaze for the strawberries. Warm it briefly if it has hardened.
Spread a 1/2-inch layer of creme patissiere in the bottom of the pastry shell.

Arrange a design of strawberries over the cream. Put the largest strawberry in the center, and graduate down in size, placing the berries closely together, their stem ends in the cream. Spoon or paint over them a thin coating of the glaze, and the tart is ready to serve. Because of the glazed waterproofing in the bottom of the shell, the filled tart may wait an hour or so.

Sugar Crust
"Pate Sablee"
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups flour
3 to 7 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. double-action baking powder
7 tbsp. fat: 5 tbsp chilled butter and 2 tbsp. chilled vegetable shortening
1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Place the flour, sugar, butter, vegetable shortening, and baking powder in the mixing bowl. Rub the fat and dry ingredients together rapidly with the tips of your fingers until the fat is broken into bits the size of small oatmeal flakes. Blend in the egg and vanilla, and knead the dough rapidly into a ball. Place on a pastry board and with the heel of your head, not the palm, rapidly press the pastry by two-spoonful bits down on the board and away from you in a firm, quick smear of about 6 inches. The dough will be quite sticky if you have used the full amount of sugar. Form again into a ball, wrap in waxed paper, and chill for several hours until firm.

roll out, put in 10" tarte pan, Bake in preheated 375 degree ovenfor 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden

Creme Patissiere
(Custard Filling)
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup flour
2 cups boiling milk
1 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks and continue beating for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow and forms "the ribbon".

Beat in the flour.

Beating the yolk mixture, gradually pour on the boiling milk in a thin stream of droplets.

Pour into saucepan and set over moderately high heat. Stir with a wire whip, reaching all over bottom of the pan. As sauce comes to a boil it will get lumpy, but will smooth out as you beat it. When boil is reached, beat over moderately low heat for 2 to 3 minutes to cook the flour. Be careful custard does not scorch in bottom of pan.

Remove from heat and beat in the butter, then vanilla extract. If the custard is not used immediately, clean it off the sides of the pan, and dot top of custard with softened butter to prevent a skin from forming over the surface. Creme Patissiere will keep for a week under refrigeration, or may be frozen.

Modified from: Tom Douglas of Dahlia Lounge & Bakery, Seattle

New: April 2015

Serves 6 - 8

Note: To garnish the pie at the restaurant, we toast unsweetened coconut that is available as very large, attractive 'chips,' and shave big curls of white chocolate over the top. You may be able to find unsweetened coconut chips, or a large shred of coconut in a natural foods store or in the bulk section of your supermarket.

Ingredients

1 Prebaked and cooled 9-inch Coconut Pie Shell (See Recipe)

Coconut Pastry Cream Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk, shaken
2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
2 large eggs
10 tablespoons (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (1/4cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Whipped Cream Topping (diminished)

1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup sugar (or less)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish

4 ounces bulk white chocolate to make 2 ounces of curls
2 ounces unsweetened chip or large shred coconut (about 1 1/2 cups), or substitute sweetened shredded coconut

Preparation

To make the Coconut Pastry Cream, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk, coconut milk and shredded coconut. Using a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add both scrapings and pod to milk mixture. Stir occasionally until mixture almost comes to a boil. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and flour until well-combined. Temper eggs by pouring a small amount (about 1/3 cup) of scalded milk into egg mixture while whisking. Then add warmed egg mixture to saucepan of milk and coconut. Whisk over medium-high heat until pastry cream thickens and begins to bubble. Keep whisking until mixture is very thick, 4 to 5 minutes more. Remove saucepan from heat. Add butter and whisk until it melts. Remove and discard vanilla pod. Transfer pastry cream to a bowl and place it over another bowl of ice water. Stir occasionally until pastry cream is cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on surface of pastry cream (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate until completely cold. The pastry cream will thicken as it cools. When pastry cream is cold, fill pastry shell, smoothing the surface with a rubber spatula. To prepare garnish, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread unsweetened coconut chips (or large-shred coconut, or sweetened shredded coconut) on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes, watching carefully (coconut burns easily) and stirring once or twice until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

To prepare Whipped Cream Topping, first chill metal pot and whisk attachment in freezer. Then add ingredients to pot and set in freezer for 5minutes more. Then, in an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip heavy cream with sugar and vanilla extract to peaks that are firm enough to hold their shape (medium, takes about 15 minutes). Transfer whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe it all over the surface of the pie. Sprinkle toasted coconut over top of pie. Use a vegetable peeler to scrape about 2 ounces of white chocolate curls on top of the pie (or you can cut pie into wedges, place wedges on plates and garnish each wedge individually with toasted coconut and white chocolate curls) and serve. A step ahead: If not serving immediately, keep the pie refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap. The finished pie should be used within a day. Prepare the garnishes just before serving. The coconut pastry cream can be made a day ahead and stored chilled in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap as described above. Fill the pie shell and top it with whipped cream and garnishes when you are ready to serve the pie.

Coconut Pie Shell Preparation

Serves 6 - 8

Note: You will need to ‘blind-bake’ the pie shell, which means bake the unfilled pastry-lined pan. Use dried beans to weight the bottom of the crust and keep it from puffing up during baking. You can store your ‘pie beans’ in a jar and use them over and over. Very cold butter will give you a flakier crust. If your butter is not very cold, you could set the diced butter in the freezer for 10 minutes before making your dough.

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling dough
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup ice water, or more as needed

Combine flour coconut, diced butter, sugar, and salt. Rub together with fingers until combined (will be flaky still). Gradually add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing each time. Use only as much water as need for the dough to hold together when gently pressed between your fingers. Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap, but in fridge. Chill for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling. To roll the dough, unwrap the round of coconut dough and put it on a lightly floured board. Flour the rolling pin and your hands. Roll the dough out into a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch pie pan. You don’t want to stretch dough at this point because it will shrink when it is baked. Trim any excess dough to a 1- to 11/2-inch overhang. Turn the dough under along the rim of the pie pan and use your finger to flute the edge. Chill the unbaked pie shell at least an hour before baking. (This step prevents the dough from shrinking in the oven.) When you are ready to bake the piecrust, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of foil or parchment in the pie shell and fill with dried beans. Bake the piecrust for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry rim is golden. Remove the pie pan from the oven. Remove the foil and beans and return the piecrust to the oven. Bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes, or until bottom of crust has golden brown patches. Remove piecrust from the oven and allow to cool completely.



A step ahead: The dough can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for a day or two, or frozen for a few weeks. Also the dough can be rolled out and fitted into a pie pan, and the unbaked pie shell can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated or frozen for the same amounts of time. Frozen pie shells can be baked directly out of the freezer, without thawing.

New: October 2015

Take me seriously a sauce made with basically nothing but onions and butter its based of something by James Beard so....

Braised Onion Sauce

3 T butter
3 T olive oil
2 large yellow onions

Heat butter oil on medium. Add sliced (0.25 inches thick) onions and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally.

Add

1 T sugar
1 dash salt

Reduce heat to low, cook covered for 20 min, stirring occasionally
Then cook another 20-40 min uncovered stirring occasionally. You want the onions to start to get darker and caramelized.

Turn heat up to medium, add

0.25 c white wine (bella sera, duh)
1 dash of herbs du provence

cook ~10 min until wine boils away

Add 0.75-1 lb cooked pasta

http://food52.com/recipes/32815-braised-onion-sauce
http://www.food.com/recipe/pasta-with-smothered-onion-sauce-marcella-hazan-406866

3 TB tequila
5 TB lime
2 TB cointreu
1 t sugar

New: June 2015

1.5c sticky sweet rice
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
~1/4 c water
btwn 1/4 and 1/2 c sugar
pinch of salt
splash vanilla

combine all ingrediants in rice cooker, give a quick stir, then set rice cooker on quick.
serve with fresh sliced mango

CIOPPINO

New: April 2015

3 T olive oil
6 red potatoes
1-2 large onions
6 garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
2 t dried oregano (or Italian Seasoning)
2 t crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

1 28 oz can hole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, juices reserved
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1.5 c dry white wine
1.5 c chicken broth

2 lb fish (chowder chunks from Pure Foods at Pike Place Market best, mix of halibut, salmon, tuna, cod, sword fish, etc)
0.5 lb mussels
0.5 lb clams
0.5 lb shrimp
0.5 lb scallops

Prep:

Put clams in a colander in a bowl of water. Soak clams for 20 minutes in fresh water just before cooking. As the clams breathe they filter water. When the fresh water is filtered, the clam pushes salt water and sand out of their shells. After 20 minutes, the clams will have cleaned themselves of much of the salt and sand they have collected. If the clam is gaping open, throw it out: it's dead.

Just before cooking mussels prep by pulling out beards and scrubbing under cold water from the faucet. If a mussel is gaping open and doesn't close when tapped, throw it out: it's dead.

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, sauté for 10 minutes. Add garlic, onion, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and finally bay leaves. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 min. 

Stir in tomato paste, canned tomatoes, wine, chicken broth. Cover bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer for 15 minutes until potatoes done.

Put in clams and mussels and cook for 10 minutes until all shells open. Remove shells with chopsticks.

Add fish, shrimp and scallops. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add shells back in. Serve with bread.

Adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cioppino-368957

4 Servings.

4 Russet potatoes
Enough canola oil to fill fryer to max line.

Cut the potatoes into 1/3-inch slices and then slice into 1/3-inch sticks. (No need to peel.)

Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged, for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours. This will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes and keep them from oxidizing.

Heat a deep fryer with oil to 325 degrees F.

Remove potatoes from the water, and pat dry to remove excess water. Add 2 handfuls of potatoes to hot oil. All potatoes should be covered in oil. Cook until potatoes are light brown, 6 minutes. Remove potatoes, gently shaking off excess oil and let drain on rack. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked.

Raise heat of oil to 350 degrees F.

Cook potatoes again, 2 handfuls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil, shake off excess oil, and season lightly in a bowl with salt. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked.

Recipe adapted from Guy Fieri, June 2008

New: April 2015

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 (4 ounce) pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick
salt, pepper
2 onion, cut into strips
1 box mushrooms
1 cup water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Rub chops with salt and pepper, or to taste.
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Brown pork chops on each side. Add the onions, mushrooms, and water to the pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
3.Turn chops over, and add remaining salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until water evaporates and onions turn light to medium brown. Remove chops from pan, and serve with onions on top.

Chicken broth
Sukiyaki beef
Enoki mushrooms
Random Asian vegetable
Shitaake mushrooms

Let sea bass warm to room temperature.
Cover in flour/salt/peper mixture.
Melt 2 tbs of butter and 2 tbs olive oil  in frying pan on medium heat, let brown.
Fry bass, cooking the skin side last (otherwise it will shrivel up and change the shape of the fish)
Keep warm in 200 ˚F oven when finishing other dinner components.
Put 1/2 c white wine in pan to deglaze.
Rapidly boil off alcohol until reduced in volume by about 1/3.
Add capers if you want.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/02/baked-rigatoni-with-tiny-meatballs/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/jacques-torres-hot-chocolate#.wgJKqg4RD