Off the Menu (41 page)

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat well with the water. Using a microplane or other fine grater, grate 2 tablespoons of the butter into the eggs and mix so that the little pieces of butter are well distributed. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and melt the remaining butter in the pan. When the foaming subsides, pour in the eggs, and gently stir fairly constantly as the eggs cook. Turn the heat down to medium-low once you start to see large curds forming. Keep stirring the
eggs until they reach your desired level of doneness. Place two pieces of toast on each plate, and top with prosciutto. Divide the eggs over the pieces of toast, sprinkle with salt and the ground pepper of your choice, and garnish with chives. For extra richness, you can add a couple tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese or Boursin herbed cheese to the eggs in the last minute of cooking.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix crumbs, sugar, and butter until you get a consistency somewhat like wet sand. Press into and about two inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until it smells toasty and has browned a bit, about 9 to 12 minutes. Let the crust cool on a rack while you make the filling. Lower oven temp to 300°F.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, dulce de leche, flour, and salt on medium speed, until very smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well blended and smooth. Add eggs one at a time, and beat just to blend. Do not overmix.

Pour filling into crust and smooth the top. Bake at 300°F until the center just jiggles, about 55 to 65 minutes. It will be slightly puffed around the edges and vaguely moist-looking in the center. Cool completely on a rack. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours before serving. Pie will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or can be frozen up to a month. To freeze, put the unmolded, cooled cake in the freezer, uncovered until the top is firm and cold, then unmold and wrap in two layers of plastic wrap and one layer of foil. To thaw, place it in the refrigerator overnight.

Note: You can substitute caramel if you can’t find dulce de leche.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim and wash beets. Toss with canola oil and salt and pepper, and put in a packet made of heavy-duty foil. Roast for 25 to 40 minutes until a knife goes in clean and beets are very tender. Let cool just enough to be handled, then using dry paper towels, wipe the peels off the beets. Chop peeled beets into medium dice, and toss with olive oil, orange zest, thyme, Aleppo pepper, and salt to taste. Mix goat cheese with honey and spread a thin layer on the bread slices, and top with a generous spoonful of beets.

Note: You can substitute red beets, but I find the flavor of these more subtle.

Melt ice cream or frozen custard completely and blend with eggs and a pinch of salt. Slice ends off bread, and then slice into 1-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in a casserole dish, and pour egg mixture over them, allowing it to completely soak into all the bread, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Melt half the butter in a nonstick skillet. Cook toast in batches until golden brown and crispy on both sides and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a sheet pan. Brush the remaining butter on the tops of the cooked toast. Arrange a rack in the top of the oven, and preheat the broiler. Blend the maple sugar, demerara sugar, and nutmeg with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the tops of the toast evenly with a thin layer of the sugar mixture, and put under the broiler, watching carefully as the sugar melts and caramelizes.
You might need to rotate the sheet pan to be sure all the sugar melts evenly. Don’t let it burn! Alternatively, if you are comfortable with a blowtorch, you can melt the sugar topping that way. Serve immediately, or the crisp sugar top will lose its crunch.

Mix beef and pork well with hands, then add onion, garlic, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. To make mincemeat more tender and juicy, add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water. The mixture
should be moist but firm enough to shape into balls. Reserve in refrigerator.

Mix flour with eggs, milk, salt, and oil until a soft dough forms. Knead on a floured surface until dough is elastic. Your hands will know.

Take some dough and make a snake about 1-inch thick in diameter.

Divide into pieces 1-inch-thick. Roll each piece into ball, and then, using dowel, roll out thin, so that each is
-inch thick.

If you like perfect, take a glass or a cup and make rounds with help on the dough. We no like perfect look, just like perfect taste, but Martha Stewart, she not approve. Fill each round with 1 teaspoon of the mincemeat and fold into half-moons. Pinch edges together and connect the opposite sides, making sure there are no air bubbles or dumplings will explode. Pelmeni can be cooked immediately or frozen to be cooked later (you can keep them in the freezer for a long time). To cook pelmeni, bring water to a boil in a large pot. It is important to use plenty of water, so that the dumplings don’t stick to each other. Salt water to taste like Caspian Sea. Carefully drop pelmeni into boiling water. Don’t forget to stir them from time to time. Boil for 20 minutes. To serve, melt butter in pan and add some chopped onions. Cook till golden and soft. Add cooked pelmeni and get crispy on one side. Serve with sour cream, maybe some applesauce, or sprinkle with vinegar.

Place the peas, still frozen, in a blender or food processor. Add cold water until it barely reaches the top of the peas; do not cover, the peas should be poking their little heads out of the water. Puree on high for 2 minutes until as smooth as possible. Strain through a fine strainer or chinois, pressing to get all of the liquid out. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Keep in the fridge. To serve, top the soup with a dollop of crème fraîche or greek yogurt mixed with the lemon zest, sprinkle with chives and a couple of celery leaves. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top.

Can also be served hot.

A day in advance, cook the orzo in boiling salted water until tender. Cook the wheat berries in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and place in a mixing bowl.

Peel the grapefruits and cut them into segments or supremes. Add any collected juices to the tangerine or blood orange juice. Place the juice in a small saucepan and heat on high and reduce by half. Remove from heat and stir in honey. When the juice has cooled, add the oil and vinegar and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and add to the orzo and wheat berries. Toss well and gently fold in grapefruit segments, and refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, add almonds and mint. Correct seasoning and serve at room temperature.