Off the Menu (43 page)

Beat all ingredients, except the sugar, together in a bowl. Heat sugar with 1 tablespoon of water in a small pan. Let it heat over high until you have an amber caramel. Pour the caramel into the flan pan and, working quickly, twirl it around to coat the inside of the flan pan with caramel. Let set for a few minutes to cool. Pour the milk/egg mixture into the pan and secure the lid. Put it in the pressure cooker with a steaming plate at the bottom (to lift it slightly off the bottom) and add 2 cups of water. Bring the pressure cooker to a boil and then reduce the heat until you get a steady
swish swish swish
. Cook for 20 minutes after the
swish swish swish
starts, take off heat, cool pressure cooker immediately by running cold water over it until it releases, take flan pan out, and cool in refrigerator for several hours. Unmold flan into a serving piece with enough of a lip to catch the caramel, and serve with the caramel spooned over.

Start potatoes in cold, heavily salted water over high heat, and bring to boil. Once boiling, cook 15 to 20 minutes until completely tender. Drain potatoes completely and return to pot over low heat to dry out slightly, shaking a bit, just a couple of minutes. Transfer potatoes to large bowl with cubed butter and mash with hand masher just to get started. Fill potato pot one-half full with hot tap water and put back on stove on high heat. Using hand mixer on medium speed, slowly add half-and-half until the potatoes reach just slightly stiffer than your preferred texture. Add half of the sour cream, and taste for tang. If you like more tang, add the other half; if not, season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to low and hold potatoes, covered in the bowl over the hot water. Garnish with chives before serving.

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Mix all of the dry ingredients except the cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and cherries together in a large mixing bowl.

Mix applesauce, honey, agave, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, oil, and cinnamon in a bowl until well blended. Add to dry ingredients and toss together lightly until very well mixed.

Spread the mixture out on two greased baking sheets and bake in oven, turning over about halfway through baking and redistributing the granola evenly during the baking process (I find a bench knife works great for this).

The goal is to get it evenly deeply golden without burning. Depending on your oven, this is about 40 to 50 minutes. Watch
closely when you get toward the end of the baking time, as it can quickly overbake! The granola is not at full crunchiness until it cools, so go by color. Should look toasty, but not mahogany.

Let granola cool completely, then mix in fruit. Store in airtight containers. This is my favorite mix of flavors, but feel free to substitute for different nuts, dried fruits, and other grains.

(Because of the reduced amount of both fat and sugar in this recipe, this is not a granola that clumps into clusters; it stays pretty loose. If you aren’t as concerned about calories and want that more solid style, increase the light brown sugar to ¾ cup and the peanut oil to ½ cup, which should give you the clumping you want.)

Preheat the oven to 350°F if you plan to make the gougères right away.

Bring water, butter, and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Place the flour in the bowl of a mixer, add the boiling water mixture, and mix with a paddle, if available (not a whisk), or use a wooden spoon in a bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until the dough is very smooth. Add in the cheese and mix well until dough is thick and cheese has pretty much melted into the dough. Place the dough in a large Ziploc bag. I find this easier than the traditional pastry bag method. You can just cut off the corner of the bag, pipe the gougères, and then throw it away. If you prefer to use a pastry bag, feel free, just use a medium plain tip.

Line two large baking sheets with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper, and pipe the dough in small mounds onto them, in about 1-inch rounds, leaving an inch and a half of space between them. Sprinkle each with a few flakes of kosher salt and, if you want, some extra grated cheese. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed about three times their original size. Don’t open the oven door for the first 10 to 12 minutes, or they may deflate upon themselves. They will still be delicious, but not as pretty. Serve and eat IMMEDIATELY! Best when hot out of the oven.

If you want to freeze them to bake later, pipe the gougères as directed, sprinkle them with grated cheese (this will help them not stick to each other during storage), and freeze them overnight. You can then store in a bag for when you want them. To serve: Let the frozen gougères thaw at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350°F (about 15 to 20 minutes). Sprinkle the thawed or refrigerated gougères with salt and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and puffed.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cream softened butter with sugar. In a separate bowl, beat eggs until smooth. Add mashed bananas to eggs and blend into butter and sugar mixture. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda, and fold into wet mixture. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake 45 to 55 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a rack.