Week One, and I've already realized how foolhardy it is to expect to create a completely new recipe. The Flavor Bible's subtitle is "The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs". Likely, the people who make their living being creative with food have tested any combination that I may think is my own inspired thought.

I'm a visual person. My approach when I'm looking for inspiration is to pull everything out of the pantry that qualified as a complimentary ingredient; dump it all on the counter; and stare at the pile. Then as ideas begin to bubble, I'll start putting away anything that doesn't fit.

I reviewed the complimentary flavors for plums and found a pantry full of eligible spices. Many more than should be sharing space in one dish. Then there were lemons, butter, candied orange peel, hazelnuts, red wine, fresh ginger, vanilla, brown sugar, honey, & prosciutto. The honey, hazelnuts, allspice, ginger, vanilla and bay leaves all went back into the pantry.

My mind wondered through some of my favorite plum applications and one of them was homemade Thai plum sauce. That Asian drift led me to steamed buns. So instead of the traditional pork stuffing, why not steamed buns stuffed with a spiced plum sauce mixed with prosciutto? The prosciutto would cut the sweetness enough to allow steamed buns to be an appetizer instead of dessert.

The first thing I did was start a spiced red wine reduction, simmering all of the following ingredients together in a saucepan over low heat until the liquid is reduced by 1/2:

1 c - dry red wine
1 T - chopped candied ORANGE peel
1 - 4" CINNAMON stick crushed
5 - green cardamom pods crushed
1 t - freshly grated nutmeg
3 - whole cloves
2 - sage leaves
1 - 4" sprig thyme
1/2 t - fresh ground black pepper
juice of 2 LEMONS

While wine is reducing prepare ingredients for plum/prosciutto mixture.

24 - Italian Prune PLUMS, diced w/skin on and stones removed
1/3 lb - prosciutto in a single 1/4" thick slice.
1 T - unsalted butter
1/3 c - lightly packed brown SUGAR
1/2 t - kosher salt
grated peel and juice of one small LEMON

1) Trim the fat away from the prosciutto & reserve.
2) Dice Prosciutto into 1/4" cubes.
3) Render fat in a hot pan, remove whatever didn't melt, add butter.

4) Caramelize prosciutto in melted fat & butter. Remove prosciutto and drain well on paper towel.

5) Add diced plums, brown sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice to the fat that remains in pan.
6) Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
7) Once pulp begins to separate from the peel use a fine mesh strainer to remove all solids from wine reduction and add to plum mixture. Continue to cook, stirring frequently.
8) In a food processor, pulse drained, cooled pieces of caramelized prosciutto into a coarse meal. then add to plum mixture. Continue to cook mixture down to the consistency of a very thick jam, then remove from heat and cool completely.

Having the advantage of some great resources in St. Louis for international foods, I elected to let someone else do a little of the work for me. Instead of making my steamed bun dough from scratch, I used two boxes of Tippy Salapao Mix - enough for 24 steamed buns.

However, if you need to make yours from scratch, you can do an internet search and find several great recipes. Here's one I found: http://www.annathered.com/2009/03/26/how-to-make-steamed-pork-bun-dough-with-yeast/

So, follow the directions on the package or the recipe for scratch. When you are ready to assemble buns, you will need to have small squares of parchment cut and ready to hold the buns while they steam.

Lay a flattened piece of dough on a parchment square and put a heaping teaspoon of plum/prosciutto mixture in the center.

Cup the edges up around the filling; pinch the top edges together; and give it a final little twist.

Bring enough water to boil in a wok to not quite touch the bottom shelf of the steamer. Place half the buns on the bottom shelf and half on the top. Cover and steam for about 15 minutes.

Serve immediately.

I've decided to report the results of each week with the following grading method:

Home Run (will follow the exact recipe next time); Good (but will make some minor changes next time) & Flop (need to start from scratch).

I've graded my first week's effort Good. I will make this again. But, I'll do three things differently.

1) I used prosciutto because it was listed as a complimentary flavor. I now realize that it doesn't lend itself well to caramelization the way pancetta would have. Next time, pancetta and adjust the salt.

2) With that much work on the filling, I should really put the effort into making my own dough from scratch.

3) Spice adjustment - more black pepper.

Something I look forward to when the fall apple season rolls around is the brief appearance of a gourmet caramel apple from a local candy company. Merb’s Bionic Apples are legend in St. Louis. Tens of thousands are produced, purchased, and consumed in what seems like the blink of an eye.

A few years ago, during Bionic Apple season, our SlowTrav cooking group was focusing on homemade ice cream. One of the designated flavors was cinnamon. I decided to cut the tops off a couple of Bionic Apples, hollow them out, and use them as edible ice cream bowls.

Now, here we are, in caramel apple season again, with apples as FLAVORS’ ingredient of the week. It really isn’t creating a new recipe to just put cinnamon ice cream in a Bionic Apple. So I’ve decided to change up the ice cream, put the caramel and nuts on the inside of the hollowed out apple and call it my Inside-Out Caramel Apple with Fried Apple Ice Cream.

For the Ice Cream Base:

Use your favorite traditional *CINNAMON Ice Cream recipe to make your base. I used page 38 in David Lebovitz’s book “The Perfect Scoop” . I followed his recipe exactly, then put the mix in the refrigerator while I fried my apples.

For the Fried Apples:

2 - Medium to large Granny Smith Apples
1 - Medium to large Honey Crisp Apple
2 - Tbs. BUTTER, UNSALTED
½ c – SUGAR
½ c – water
Juice of 1 small LEMON

1- Peel, core and chop apples into small pieces
2- Melt butter in skillet
3- Fry apples to a golden brown in butter
4- Add sugar, lemon juice, and water to pan. Cover and cook until mushy, stirring often.
5- Remove from pan, puree with stick blender & press thru a mesh sieve.
6- Put in fridge to chill completely along with ice cream base.

When you are ready to make the ice cream, following the directions for your ice cream freezer, pour cinnamon base into turning freezer bowl and add fried apple puree.

Transfer frozen ice cream to your storage container, lay some plastic wrap directly on top, snap on the lid and put in the coldest part of your freezer to harden.

For the Apple Bowls:

1- Choose large, heavy, smooth skinned honey crisp apples.
2- Cut about ½ inch of the stem end off the top.
3- Carefully scoop out the center, leaving a rim and bottom of about 3/8 inch.
4- Rub the inside of the scooped out apple lightly with lemon juice then line it with a coating of CARAMEL dip.
5- Pave the caramel with a single layer of chopped WALNUTS (use pecans if you prefer). The picture above is deceiving, in that it looks like the apple is filled with the nuts, but it is only a single layer.

At this point, you can cover your apples with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until you are ready to serve dessert.

To Assemble:

1- Remove ice cream from freezer and prepped apples from fridge.
2- Place a couple of scoops of your Fried Apple Ice cream into your apple bowl
3- Drizzle with additional caramel and top with more chopped walnuts.
4- Serve immediately.

I'm scoring this one a HOME RUN, I think the combination of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples gives my Fried Apple version of David's Cinnamon Ice Cream is wonderfully complexity.

Porcini is the Italian name for the King Bolete mushroom. As far as I'm concerned they are royalty in the world of mushrooms. They're what I reach for first when I want a mushroom focused dish, and I could fill an entire week with my favorite porcini concoctions. One of the best is deep-fried Mac & Cheese, made with provolone, mozzarella, and porcini. Try it.

But today, I'm sharing an easy to assemble pass-around appetizer that never fails to earn raves when I serve it.

Ingredients:

1 oz - dried Porcini Mushrooms (Use premium mushrooms with as much white meat as possible).
Prosciutto sliced not quite paper-thin. Enough slices to wrap the bottoms of 24 mini-muffin tin cups.
Olive oil cooking spray
3 T butter
2 T OLIVE OIL
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups Carnaroli or Arborio rice (whichever you prefer to work with)
1/2 cup dry white wine
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (this is an approximation because the rice will determine how much you need)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

To create Proscuitto cups:

Spray bottom side of 2 mini-muffin tins with oil.

Cut thin slices of prosciutto into roughly 4-5 inch pieces and wrap around the bottom of each muffin cup. You may want to do two layers for complete coverage, but don’t do more than two. Don’t worry about being perfect. Rustic is the look you are going for.

Broil in oven until prosciutto cups begin to harden. Don't take your eyes off them because they can burn before you know it.

Remove trays from oven and transfer cups, right side up, to a thick layer of paper towel to drain and cool.

To make risotto:

Soak porcini mushrooms in 2 cups very hot water.

Drain mushrooms, filtering and reserving soaking water.

Chop porcini into small pieces.

Bring stock to a boil in a saucepan and keep at a simmer for use.

In another pan, melt butter and heat with olive oil. Add minced onion, cooking until they become translucent, then add garlic, cooking to a light golden brown.

Add chopped porcini and rice all at once, cook and stir until rice grains are coated with butter and oil. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until evaporated.

Add filtered porcini water. Cook, stirring constantly until absorbed.

Begin adding simmering stock, one ladleful at a time and stirring until absorbed.

When rice is tender, remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

To assemble:

Fill proscuitto cups with risotto mixture, top with remaining 1/4 cup grated Parmigian-Reggiano and put under oven broiler just long enough to barely begin browning cheese.

Serve warm. These are meaty and rich, so as a pass-around you will only need one per guest. If it is an appetizer, serve two per guest. I'll admit that I sometimes make an entire meal of them.

I've made this mushroom recipe many times and tinkered with it as I went. So I'd call it a Home Run.

Here we are beginning week four, and we find ourselves working with duck. I’m trying to see how far into our Flavors project I can get by cooking only around the edges of a meal. Instead of main courses and side dishes, I'm challenging myself with each featured ingredient by sticking to appetizers, first courses, desserts, and drinks.

As I began to contemplate duck, I knew for sure I wanted to try my hand with the meat grinder. I bought a whole frozen duck and removed all the skin, fat and bone. Because it was previously frozen, I realized the ground flesh would be mushier than if it had been fresh meat. So, even though I wanted a fine grind, I ran it through a grinder set on the medium setting. I didn't add any seasonings.

I think Asian when I think Duck. The complementary ingredients I pulled from the Flavor Bible list were PEANUT OIL, SUGAR, LEMON, GARLIC, cilantro, lemongrass, & Thai fish sauce. To that list I added additional Thai inspired ingredients to come up with the recipe.

8-10 firm, unblemished Thai Eggplant, all about golf ball size.
1 T PEANUT OIL
Salt and Pepper

4 T fresh chopped, or 2 T dried cilantro
2 T fresh sliced or bottled lemon grass (rinse the bottled if that is what you use)
1 T Thai fish sauce
2 T Thai style chili sauce
1 T Thai seasoning blend
2 T SUGAR
Juice of one LEMON
1 clove GARLIC minced finely.

1 lb ground duck meat (both breast and leg) all skin and fat removed
1 T PEANUT OIL

½ cup chopped lightly roasted peanuts, skins removed

Cut eggplants in half, leaving a portion of the stem on each half to act as a 'handle'.

Crosshatch the halves through the meat, but be careful not to pierce the skins. Then rub skins and cut sides with one of the tablespoons of peanut oil before sprinkling with salt and pepper.

Roast, cut side down on parchment, in a 400 degree oven until tender to the touch, but not shrivelled. Remove from oven and let cool only long enough to be able to handle without burning fingers.

While eggplant is roasting, cook finely ground duck meat in the second tablespoon of peanut oil. Do not brown or over cook. Then set aside.

Combine lemon juice, all of the spices, and the sauce ingredients with the minced garlic in a bowl. Then carefully scoop the cooked eggplant pulp, seeds and all, from the skins. This requires a delicate touch to avoid tearing the skins. Add the pulp to the spice mixture. Stir completely and then puree with a stick blender.

Mix the cooked duck into the puree, then stuff mixture into eggplant shells. Top with chopped peanuts and broil just long enough to begin browning peanuts.

Serve warm from oven. Your guests will eat them with their fingers, using the stems as handles. This is all that remains.

I don't think my Duck Stuffed Thai Eggplant Bites had enough fire. I didn't count on the eggplant pulp mellowing the taste down so much.

I'm rating this effort Good, but I think next time I will add more chili seasoning.

Last summer we visited a small village on the shore of Lake Peipsi along the border between southeastern Estonia and Russia. The town, Varnja, is home to “The Russian Old Believers”. They split from the Russian Orthodox Church in the mid-1600s and settled in this small area of Estonia. It was here that we tasted wonderful onion buns, rhubarb pastries and a candy treat made of carrots. The young lady who served it to us, said it was Russian. It was cloyingly sweet but deliciously carroty. I enjoyed it but couldn’t eat more than one piece.

Who knew, that experience would give me my inspiration for this weeks use of carrots?

In trying to replicate the general texture and appearance of that piece of carrot candy, this is what I came up with:

1-lb carrots peeled and finely shredded
1-lb granulated white sugar
Juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
2 cup chopped nuts of your choice

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat, mix shredded carrots, sugar, lemon juice, and ginger. Once sugar has completely melted, turn heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring very frequently. Continue until volume has reduced by at least half.

Remove from heat and cool only long enough to be able to roll mixture in plastic wrap without melting the wrap.

You'll be repeating the following process four times, so you need to work fast to keep the carrot mixture from cooling down too much.

Lay out a piece of plastic wrap on a flat cold surface. Spread ¼ of the carrot mixture evenly covering an area of about 8” x 10”. Sprinkle with the surface with ¼ of your chopped nuts. Starting with an 8” edge, lift the plastic wrap and carefully make a narrow fold to begin your roll. Using the plastic wrap, continue rolling the mixture. As you roll, peel back the plastic wrap so that it doesn’t get caught in the roll.

When the log is completed, moisten your fingers and press down the final edge to blend it into the roll. The wrap the completed log in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator to chill.

When you are ready to serve, remove a log from the fridge and slice in ¼” pieces. For smooth slicing, try using a sharp narrow boning knife. Heat the knife under hot running water, or pass it over a flame on your range.

I’m going to have to rate this as a GOOD. I don’t like the excessive sugar any more than I did when I tasted the originals in Varnja. But I love the strong carrot taste. If I were to make any changes at all, it would be to use fresh grated ginger and increase the amount by at least double, if not triple. Its flavor was totally overpowered by the carrot.

I really didn’t intend to go Russian again after last week’s Carrot Candy. But, this week, I wasn’t in the mood to shop. The package of unseasoned fresh ground pork in the refrigerator needed to be used. I pulled out the Flavor Bible and began checking my fridge and pantry for ingredients.

It started with the red cabbage. How could I combine ground pork and red cabbage? What flavor profile did it remind me of? German? I scanned my spices and my eyes fell upon Tsardust Memories. Eureka! Those of you who are fortunate, as I, to have a Penzey’s Spices in your town, or have discovered them online, will know what I’m talking about. For the rest of you, yes that is the name of a spice blend. It was originally called Russian Sausage Seasoning. Tsardust Memories has a better ring, don’t you think? It’s a spicy, sweet, and savory blend of salt, garlic, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, & marjoram.

I decided that red cabbage, and Tsardust must be the basis for my dish this week. So now what? I had rice and spring roll wrappers in the pantry. Do Russians make spring rolls? Do Russians, for that matter, use much rice? What the heck. Russian/Asian Fusion it will be.

For the pork/rice filling:
1 c water
¾ c white rice
2T olive oil
¾ c finely diced ONION
¾ c finely diced celery
2 cloves GARLIC, finely minced
¾ lb fresh ground, unseasoned pork
1½ t Tsardust Memories
Salt & *PEPPER to taste

Cook the rice in water and set aside.
Saute onions, celery & garlic in olive oil until softened but not carmelized.
Add pork, salt & pepper, sauté until just past pink, breaking meat into fine crumbles as it cooks.
Drain remaining cooking liquids and reserve.
Mix Tzardust Memories into rice & add to pork mixture. Set aside.

For the cabbage:
Reserved cooking liquid from pork
1 c good dry red wine
1 medium head red cabbage shredded.
1½ t Tsardust Memories

Combine all ingredients in heavy pan
Cook over medium-high heat until cabbage begins to soften and wilt.
Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and continue cooking for at least an hour, stirring occasionally, until cabbage cooks down to a very soft state and all the liquid has been absorbed.

At this point, you can immediately begin to assemble your spring rolls, or if you like, you can refrigerate the pork/rice filling and the cooked cabbage separately for up to two days for future use.

For spring rolls:
24 pieces of parchment cut to 1½” by 3” size.
24 spring roll wrappers
24 long sprigs of chive, additional chive.
Pork/rice mixture
Cooked red cabbage

Soak spring roll wrappers one at a time in warm water until soft.
Put a tablespoon of cabbage in the middle of wrapper.

Top cabbage with another heaping tablespoon pork/rice mixture.
Add a few small cuttings of chive.

Fold one side over top. Then fold in each end, tightening into a smooth roll. Finally finish rolling over the last side.
Technically these aren't tight enough to be spring rolls. They are more like little packages. So, with cabbage side up, tie a chive around the middle making a knot on top.

Place completed spring rolls on parchment in bamboo steamer being very careful not to let them touch each other or the side of the steamer.
Place steamer in wok with boiling water. Steam for about 5 minutes and serve either warm or room temperature.

As strange as it sounds, this one rates an absolute HOME RUN. I love them, and will make them again soon. I took them to the store and was very surprised at how many people really enjoyed them.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and cranberries are de rigueur, aren’t they? I thought I’d offer a little appetizer recipe that makes use of not only cranberries, but also the other prerequisite – turkey.

1 cup fresh ground turkey (dark meat), finely crumbled
½ cup red onion minced
1 tsp fruity olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
½ cup roasted corn nibblets (I use the ever popular frozen Trader Joe’s brand)
2 tbs dry white wine
Juice of 1 medium ORANGE
Zest of one medium ORANGE
2 tbs honey
1 pinch ground clove
1 pinch crushed sage
Salt & pepper to taste
1 prepared pie crust sheet
1 beaten egg for wash

Cook the turkey separately and drain well.

In a sauce pan, soften the red onion in the olive oil and butter

Add the cranberries, corn, wine, ORANGE juice, ORANGE zest, and honey and continue cooking as if you were planning to make jam.
When most of the cranberries are reduced to a mush and the corn is coated with a red glaze, add cooked turkey, ground clove and crushed sage.
Continue cooking only long enough to blend flavors and heat the turkey through.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Cut the pie crust into 12, 3 ½ inch rounds. Brush each round with egg wash.

Place a heaping teaspoon in the center of each round and form into a gondola shape, pinching the ends together. Then roll the ends to form a scroll shape. Make dents in the sides to create a ‘free form’ cup. Flatten bottom enough to keep cups from tipping over.

Bake on parchment at 400 degrees until crust browns. Serve warm. Because they promise many of the flavors of the meal to come, these are a great pre-Thanksgiving Dinner pass-around.

Home run.

I knew from the beginning what I wanted to do with this week’s Brussels Sprouts. I wanted to make a pureed soup that would taste decadently rich without being heavy. I wanted it to be thick and creamy without using cream.

At first I thought I might somehow include chestnuts in the recipe, which is why they're in this picture. But, then as I imagined how it would taste, I realized they would not add to the bright flavors I was trying to capture. So disregard them.

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (2 cups or so)
1 – large sweet (not tart) apple, peeled and diced
2 stalks - celery, peeled and diced
2 – shallots, diced
1 - clove garlic, minced
3 teas. - unsalted BUTTER
2 teas - fruity olive oil
1-2 cups - chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you prefer)
4 slices - mild aged provolone CHEESE
salt & pepper to taste
8 strips - extra crispy BACON

In a sauté pan, melt butter and add olive oil over medium heat. Add celery & shallots, cooking until very tender. Add garlic and cook long enough to mellow the flavor, but not burn.
Add diced apple and continue cooking until they begin to break down and get mushy.

Transfer mixture to a 2 quart sauce pan. Chop the roasted Brussels sprouts and add to pan. Place over low heat.

Pour about 1/2 cup of broth into pan and begin blending with a stick blender. Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time until your soup is the thickness you desire. (I like mine very thick.) Once you've added the desired amount of broth, taste for salt and add as needed. Heat through, but don't boil.

Line individual soup bowls with one slice cheese each and ladle hot soup on top.

Garnish with two bacon strips for each bowl and a generous grinding of pepper.

Roasting the Brussels sprouts takes away any hint of bitterness. The cheese slice adds just the right amount of creamy texture as your spoon digs out bits of it with each bite. The salty bacon balances the sweetness of the apple and celery. A chunk of rustic whole grain bread alongside is all you need to complete the meal. The is definitely a home run.

What shall I do with pears that hasn’t already been done? How about poaching them, not in wine, but in pear brandy?

Now that my mind has gone there, I might as well make them as decadent as possible. I recently rediscovered a bottle of pear brandy in the back of my pantry. It was a forgotton experiment from two years ago when I thought I'd try soaking black walnuts in it. Now is as good a time as any to see how it turned out. And since WALNUTS are in caps on the complimentary ingredients list from the Flavor Bible, why not make everything I use caps? How about serving those poached pears filled with a CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE mousse? How about garnishing it with shaved chocolate, brandy soaked walnuts, and a drizzle of pear brandy reduction? This recipe serves eight.

For the mousse:

½ cup SUGAR
1/3 cup sifted unsweetened COCOA
Pinch salt
3 Tbs. pear brandy (but first you need to filter out the sediment and reserve the WALNUTS)
8 ounces MASCARPONE

In a large bowl, combine sugar, cocoa and salt with brandy. Stir until smooth and add to softened mascarpone. Beat with hand mixer at medium speed until completely smooth and a little fluffy. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Whip again with fork before using.

For the poached pears:

4 ripe yet very firm Bartlett pears
3 cups water
1/3 cup HONEY
1/3 cup SUGAR
1 cup pear/WALNUT brandy
1/2 cup brandy soaked WALNUTS

Peel pears and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out a little of the center to create a shallow bowl the same general shape of the pear.

Add the water, honey, & sugar to a 4-quart pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir until sugar and honey are dissolved, then add brandy and brandy soaked walnuts.

Slip the pears into the liquid and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for at least 20-30 minutes, or until the pears are barely tender, but not mushy.

Transfer the pears and the poaching liquid to a smaller container that has been immersed in an ice bath for quick chilling. Gently stir to help bring the temperature down more quickly. When cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, remove pears from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon, put in a covered container and back into the fridge. Transfer the poaching liquid including the walnuts to a sauce pan. Bring to a slow rolling boil and continue boiling until liquid has reduced to 1/4 the original volume. Add another 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey. Continue to boil until volume has reduced again, this time by 1/2. You should be left with about 1 cup of light syrup. Chill completely.

While your poaching liquid is bubbling away, put another 1/2 cup of the brandy soaked walnuts in a dry saute pan and toast over low flame until they loose the moisture and become crunchy. Cool completely.

To assemble:

Dust dessert plate with grated chocolate. I used a 67% single-estate Madagascar chocolate from one of my favorite chocolatiers - http://www.patric-chocolate.com/ . If you haven’t tasted Alan McClur’s micro-batch chocolates, do yourself a favor and order some. You’ll be amazed.

Place a pear half in the middle of the plate and fill with a heaping tablespoon of mousse.
Drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Enjoy. I'm calling it a home run.

For a dinner party, I think there would be a considerable wow factor - far beyond the actual work you put into it. If I owned a restaurant, this could be my signature dessert. All of the prep work can be done even two-three days ahead. Then it is just a quick assembly.

I made two cups of parsnip puree a couple of weeks ago and stuck it in the freezer hoping that lightening would soon strike, leaving behind parsnip inspiration. The other day, I finally realized that inspiration was going to have to be created. Drinking my second cup of coffee and watching Dan make himself a BLT, I jokingly commented that perhaps I could use his left over bacon with the parsnips. He asked how much sugar I'd need to make that work. I said that sugar, with a little help from butter, makes everything work. One thing led to another...

Parsnip & Candied Bacon Breakfast Cookies

1/2 cup room temperature BUTTER
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup cooked, mashed parsnips that have been forced through a sieve to remove all fibers.
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 room temperature egg
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon NUTMEG
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup candied bacon bits (see instructions)
maple glaze (see instructions)

For candied bacon:

Cook bacon strips until most of fat has melted away but not so crisp that bacon will crumble when you try to cut it into dices. Cut into 1/4 pieces. Put in small saute pan with one tablespoon maple syrup and 2 teaspoons brown sugar. Heat until sugar melts, stir to coat pieces. Then transfer to a sheet of parchment and spread out in a single layer to cool.

While bacon is cooling, mix together butter, sugars, parsnip puree, maple syrup, and egg until smooth and fluffy. Mix together dry ingredients and add to butter mixture.

Break cooled bacon apart if any pieces have stuck together and mix all but a couple of tablespoons into batter. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Lightly press a few extra pieces of bacon into the top of each cookie. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Don't over bake, the tops won't really brown.

While cookies are cool make a maple glaze with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/8 cup maple syrup. Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies in a zigzag pattern. Makes 24 two-inch cookies.

I have to say that I figured this would be one great big flop. But, they actually were very good. You have to get over the idea that they are cookies and think of them more like savory breakfast scones. I took them to the store and they dissappeared pretty fast. I'll be making these again soon. I do still have a second cup of parsnip puree in the freezer.

I planned to make chestnut stuffing for arancini. I had no intention of making the spirals at all. But, what can I say, here we are.

Chestnut & Porcini Risotto Spirals

For the filling:
1 - dozen fresh chestnuts, roasted, peeled and chopped into a fine dice.
1/2 oz - dried porcini, soaked in 1 cup hot water, drained and chopped (filter and reserve soaking water)
1/3 cup finely diced sweet onion
1/2 cup finely diced celery
4 oz mild Italian sausage lightly flavored with fennel seed
1 T- olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Break sausage into crumbles as you brown in small saute pan. Drain on paper towel.
Saute onion and celery in olive oil until celery is soft and onion lightly golden.
Add chopped porcini and heat through.
Add drained sausage and chopped chestnuts along with reserved porcini broth. Cook down until all liquid evaporates. You'll have about 1 1/2 cups. Set aside to cool.

Make a traditional risotto using a 16oz package of rice. I prefer carnaroli to arborio, but that's just me. Use whatever you like. Instead of beef stock, use CHICKEN STOCK . Substitute a slightly sweet white wine for the traditional dry white. You'll want your risotto to be creamy and thick for this application.

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread risotto evenly over entire sheet. It should be no more than a 1/4 inch thick layer. Allow the risotto to cool and 'set' for a few minutes, then spread the chestnut porcini mixture evenly over the top.

Picking up the edge of one of the long sides of the parchment, begin rolling like a jelly roll. loosen the parchment as you go. When your roll is complete, moisten your hands and smooth the outer surface of the roll, making sure you gently press the seam closed. Wrap in the parchment and, leaving on cookie sheet, put in refrigerator to chill completely.

Removed chilled log from fridge, spray with olive oil spray, and coat with plain bread crumbs. Working quickly to keep chilled, slice log into 1 inch slices. Spray oil on both cut sides and coat with more bread crumbs.

Place slices in a skillet with hot vegetable oil to brown quickly. Gently turn with tongs and brown other side. Remove to drain oil briefly on paper towel. Serve immediately. The sauce is made of freshly ground roasted chestnut flour, salt and pepper, a little cream, and some white wine. No measurements, just wing it.

This recipe made a 18 spirals. One would be a hearty primo. Two could easily serve as a main dish.

I've got a dozen left that I put in the freezer. I have no idea how they will hold up to freezing and reheating in the oven. We shall see.

They are delicious, but if I make them again there would be a couple of tweaks. The porcini was a little too pronounced, so I would reduce it to about 1/4 ounce dry weight. I'd increase the chopped chestnuts to about 18 instead of 12.

I created this appetizer several years ago for another cooking challenge - Sunday Slow Bites. It was a hit, so I've made it several times since. When I saw sweet potatoes on the list, I knew this would be my offering.

The Flavor Bible lists chili peppers, BUTTER, and cheese. I barely meet our requirements here.

Sweet Potato & Brie Bites
makes 24

1 – Wedge Brie cheese (6-8 oz)
2 – Organic red sweet potatoes, peeled & sliced into 24, 1/4-3/8 inch rounds (choose long uniform width potatoes that are about 2-3 inches in diameter)
sea salt to taste
3T - BUTTER
2 – 3/8” thick slices pancetta diced
1 – egg, beaten
3/4 - cup Italian bread crumbs (extra fine)
Chili pepper jam (I used a wonderful homemade habanero one of our booksellers at the store makes)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (convection if you have it)

Slice Brie wedge down the middle like you were splitting a bun
Lay open on a small cutting board and cut into 3/4 inch squares.
Put, as is, into freezer to harden while you cook pancetta & roast potatoes.

Arrange potato rounds on a large cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with small amount of sea salt and roast just until top begins to brown, flip and roast other side. Remove and let cool enough to handle.

Cook pancetta in a hot skillet until crisp and all of fat is rendered into pan. Remove with slotted spoon, drain on paper towel.

Retain rendered fat in pan and add butter. Heat to just below smoking point.

Dip sweet potato rounds in egg and dredge in bread crumbs. Fry quickly to a light golden brown, turning once. Remove from oil, drain, and pat out excess oil with paper towel.

Remove brie from freezer, and select 12 square pieces from center. Cut off rind on bottom and then cut each piece in half.

Arrange sweet potato rounds on a parchment lined baking sheet. Top each round with piece of cheese and place in oven to just begin melting cheese.

To serve, garnish top of brie with a small dab of habanero jam and a few pieces of pancetta.

You can serve these arranged on a platter for passing, or you can serve two or three on individual tidbit trays. They are addictive.

I'll admit to not being a huge oyster fan. I don't hate them. I just don't think they're all that special. Since I love coconut shrimp I thought I'd see what would happen if I tried it with oysters.

I found a pint package of fresh Pacific oysters at Costco. After rinsing well and trimming them up, I was left with 10 ounces or about 20 small oysters to work with.

Here's the recipe I came up with:

For the Marinade...

1 T each, finely minced SHALLOTS, LEEKS, and grated ginger
3 cloves roughly chopped garlic
Juice of 1 large lime
1/4 cup rice VINEGAR
2 T Thai chili sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 T each dried basil and Thai Seasoning Blend
2 T red pepper flakes
1/2 T cayenne pepper
1 can coconut milk (you can use reduced fat, but don't use fat free)
10 oz prepped oysters

1- Whisk the lime juice, vinegar & coconut milk together
2- Add soy sauce, chili sauce, shallots, leeks, ginger & spices. Mix evenly.
3- Add prepped oysters and toss to coat.
4- Cover and refridgerate for at least 4-6 hours.

For the coating:

2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup fine unseasoned bread crumbs

In a food processor, chop shredded coconut to the same consistancy as the bread crumbs. Mix the two together.

Remove oysters from marinade, gently shaking off some of the excess marinade. Coat the oysters with the coconut/bread crumb mixture and fry in hot peanut oil for just a few minutes until golden brown.

I served with a sort of aioli made by straining some of the marinade and bringing it to a boil with an equal part white wine. I then let it cool to room temperature.

My verdict: Won't replace coconut shrimp for me. But not horrible. There was something a little "off" in the flavor. I think it might have been the rice wine vinegar. I don't think it combined well with the flavor of the coconut. If I were to make this again, I'd leave out the vinegar and rely only on the lime juice for my acid.

What would happen if a Persian explorer was stranded in the Americas with nothing but his favorite spices from home and a little something he picked up on his way through China?

Because The Flavor Bible says "(see pumpkin)" in its listing for winter squash, I'm taking the liberty of using pumpkin for this weeks challenge. Wanting to create a savory appetizer, instead of a dessert, how will I use pumpkin that avoids playing to its natural sweetness?

I may have gotten slightly carried away with all the ingredients and spices. But I really wanted to represent the two parts of the world equally. The Middle Eastern part is the spices and apricots. The Native American is of course the pumpkin, tomatoes, quinoa, corn and wild mushrooms.

This dish is jam packed with flavors and textures and is one of the most satisfying things I've eaten in a long time. Although a long recipe with lots of ingredients, it is surprisingly easy and quick to make.

Step One:
One medium heirloom pumpkin of your choice, cleaned, peeled, & seeded.
3-4 garlic cloves finely minced
Salt & pepper to taste
Olive oil to coat
Cut only the firmest part of the pumpkin flesh into about 1/2” cubes and measure six cups into a bowl for tossing.
Add olive oil and minced garlic and toss to coat.
Spread out in a shallow pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast in a 450 degree convection oven until edges begin to brown.
Remove and allow to cool.

Step Two:
While pumpkin is roasting, soften in a small amount of olive oil —
1 cup red onions (diced into uniform 1/4” pieces)
1/2 cup diced mushrooms of your choice (used a handful from my container of dried mixed wild mushrooms and soaked them in warm water before dicing)

Step Three:
Add in —
1 cup diced tomatoes (Use firm ripe tomatoes. Remove all seeds and dice same size as onion)
1/2 cup warm water in which you have been soak 8-10 saffron threads. (leave the saffron in)
1/2 cup minced dried apricots
1 cup pre-cooked Heirloom Red Quinoa
1 teas. dried cilantro flakes
2 tbsp. minced fresh mint
1/2 teas. each Zatar & Sumac berry spices (I get mine from Penzey’s)
1/4 teas. each CINNAMON, five spice powder, and red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teas. Salt
Toss all of these ingredients together then add —
1 1/2 cup roasted corn kernels (I use the frozen bags from Trader Joes. Just thaw it first)
6 cups roasted pumpkin cubes

Step Four:
Add up to 3 cups broth, one cup at a time as you simmer and gently stir your ingredients to combine. (I used chicken broth, but you could use veggie broth for a completely vegan dish if you wish). Don’t use more broth than you need to make a stew that has almost no liquid at all. You want this to be a chunky stew you eat with a fork, not a spoon.
You also don’t want to stir so hard that you break down your pumpkin.

To Serve —
Before roasting the pumpkin, I hollowed out 4 small ornamental pumpkins, coated them in oil and added them to the roasting pan.
I used these as serving bowls for the pumpkin stew and garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.
Each mini-pumpkin held about 1/3 cup.

This recipe makes about 10 cups of stew. So, I used only a small portion of the stew as an appetizer, and saved the rest to be used the next day as a main course. It keeps very well for several days in the fridge and can be successfully heated in the microwave, one bowl at a time. time.

Those who know me, knew it was just a matter of time before I'd post a "hooch" recipe for the weekly flavor assignment. Oddly enough, Beet Liqueur was the very first thing I ever I consulted The Flavor Bible for.

It was late fall of 2009. I'd admired the book in the cooking reference section at Barnes & Noble, but was yet to purchase it. Then we decided our next trip would be to Estonia, and as is my habit, the first thing I began researching was the country's food traditions. With its proximity to Russia, it is to be expected that those traditions include beets.

I'd just finished a new batch of Carrot/Ginger liqueur and was in a groove with root vegetables, so I checked Andrew & Karen's recommendations and a new liqueur recipe was born.

Beet/Tarragon/Orange Liqueur

2 cups - Everclear (grain alcohol)
2 cups - Vodka
1 large ORANGE
1 bundle (6-8 five inch stems) fresh TARRAGON
6 small or 3 large red beets
3 cups - white granulated sugar
2 cups - water

Peel beets, cut into cubes and put in a large glass jar that can be tightly sealed (I use gallon sized jars with rubber gaskets and metal hasp latches.)

Peel the orange in as large strips as possible, making sure to take only the peel of the orange and as little of the white inner pith as possible. Add these strips to the jar
.
Rinse and shake dry the tarragon and add to the jar.

Pour in Everclear and Vodka and seal down lid. Shake to mix, and store in a cool dark place for 10-20 days. Shake the bottle every day to redistribute ingredients.

Once the infusion is a deep dark red and most of the color has leached out of the orange peel and tarragon, remove all solids and strain liquid through a coffee filter into a clean sealable jar.

Put sugar in a saucepan and add water. Heat over medium heat to melt sugar. Bring to a rolling boil and continue to boil until sugar syrup is clear. About 3 minutes should do it.
Remove pan from heat and allow sugar syrup to cool to room temperature.

Pour cooled syrup into filtered beet liqueur. Stir to mix, seal lid, and return to cool dark place.
Allow to mellow for as long as you like. Several weeks to several years.

The picture above is what the liqueur looked like just a few weeks after bottling.
The one below is what it looks like today, two years later. You can see that when young it retains the red color of the beets, and after mellowing it becomes a golden whisky color.

An interesting side note about that trip to Estonia that led to the development of this recipe -- the glass you see in this picture is a souvenir. While in Tallinn, we visited the "Soviet Life Museum", a funky and fun collection of common items from everyday life under Communist rule. The museum receives donations from Estonians all over the country and supports itself by running a sort of flea market to sell the items it can't use for display. I loved the chunky look of this glass and knew I had something waiting to pour into it.

It was January 8th - a lazy Sunday. I'd decided to come up with my banana recipe. I didn't know what I was going to do, only that whatever it was had to come out of my pantry and fridge, because I didn't intend to leave the house all day. I heard on a morning news program that it would have been Elvis Presley's 77th birthday. Immediately peanut butter and banana sandwiches pop into my head. But, hey, Elvis already created that recipe, didn't he?

What kind of spin could I put on peanut butter and bananas that would be unique?

Substitute hazelnut spread for peanut butter, of course. And since hazelnut spread is the "peanut butter" of Italy, why not pizzelle instead of bread? Best of all, I had all the ingredients on hand. I used the recipe for traditional pizzelle, adjusting to accomodate the flavor ingredients I wanted to use.

For the pizzelle ---

3 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup SUGAR
1/2 cup melted and then cooled butter
1/2 T RUM
6 T pureed overripe bananas
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup finely ground hazelnut flour
2 tsp. baking powder

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Mix in the cooled butter, rum, and banana puree. Add the hazelnut flour and sift in the flour and baking power. The batter should be stiff enough to be dropped by spoon.

Drop heaping spoonfuls of dough on the heated pizzelle baker. It will take a bit of practice to know just where on the grid to drop the dough. A little to the back of center will compensate for the forward pressure of the lid as you put it down.

Because you want to make sure you fill the form completely, you will use more dough than you need for each pizzella. Don't worry, the extra makes a nice crunchy snack. (Or do what I do, break it into pieces and freeze it in a plastic bag to be used as a topping for icecream.)

With the lid down, it will take about 30-40 seconds to bake the pizzelle. Use a spatula to remove them from the baker to paper towels. While they're still hot, cut out the circles with a small sharp knife. Set aside to cool. Make sure you keep them flat.

For the filling ---

3 T hazelnut spread
2 T banana puree
1 T RUM
1/3 cup powdered SUGAR

Mix all of the filling ingredients together. Add more powdered sugar if it isn't stiff enough to spread without running. Spread the filling on the top of one pizzella and add another pizzella to make a sandwich. Set the sandwiches aside while you melt the dipping chocolate.

For the coating --

Melted semi-sweet CHOCOLATE
Crushed dried banana chips
Crushed hazelnuts

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Dip each pizzelle sandwich into the chocolate. Spread the chocolate over both sides to coat completely. BUT, leave a small area uncovered. This both serves as a place to hold the sandwich without getting chocolate on your fingers, and it allows you to see the beautiful pizzelle underneath.

Immediately dip one side of the sandwich in the crushed hazelnuts. Then turn it over and dip the other side in the crushed banana chips. Set on waxed paper or parchment to harden.

Store in an airtight container to keep them from softening up. They also freeze very well.

I have to say that these were delicious. Everyone I tested them on loved them. I bet even Elvis would have approved. Now I'm wondering what other types of pizzelle sandwiches I can dream up.

Yes, I know, traditional caponata is made with eggplant. But this was a good way to use the part of broccoli that is often thrown away. When I stopped at the market to buy fresh broccoli, all they had were the tops with hardly any stalk at all. I asked the produce guy where the stalks were and he said they were in the back ready to be tossed. YIKES! So I asked him to sell me just stalks. He looked at me like he thought I was crazy.

Broccoli stalk caponate ---

1 T each butter and olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion (dices should be small and uniform in size)
1/3 cup diced celery (matching onion dices in size)
1/2 T minced garlic
2 cups broccoli stalk dices (Stalks carefully peeled and then diced into about 1/2 inch cubes)
1 medium firm crisp apple (apple peeled and diced slightly smaller than broccoli)
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups apple cider

Put butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and celery, cooking until they soften but not brown. Stir in garlic, broccoli, and diced apple, coating completely with butter and olive oil. Continue to cook over medium heat until the apple begins to break down.

Add apple cider. Stir continually while cider comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for almost an hour. Stir frequently, but gently. When broccoli is very tender and the apple cider has evaporated, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In order to abide by the rules of this project, I needed to use an ingredient listed in bold caps. The problem is there was only one on the list -- CHEESE. So I decided to put the caponata on crostini, top it with anchovies and some grated Parmagiano Reggiano.

The sweet element of the apple, the tang of the cider, and the saltiness of the anchovies & cheese were great with the mellow broccoli. I had some caponata left over, but not enough to get out the canning equipment for. So, I pureed it, added some cream and cheese and made a very nice soup.

Speaking of canning. When I make this again, I'll make a much larger batch and do just that.

I've been planning to make a twist on a uniquely St. Louis appetizer - Toasted Ravioli - stuffing it with rabbit. I cut up my rabbit. I soaked it in wine vinegar and salt water.

After a day of soaking, my rabbit was ready for braising. I selected the appropriate flavor ingredients for the braising.

I braised the meat low and slow for two hours. It was melting off the bone tender and ready for the next step.

Then I realized I just didn't have the time or energy to make homemade pasta for the ravioli, not to mention taking the extra step to bread and deep fry them after they boiled.

So, as a fall back, I added more ingredients to the already shreaded rabbit; made a pot of risotto and was ready to roll it into spirals to be breaded and deep fried when .... oops. This sure sounds familiar. Didn't I do breaded spirals with another ingredient earlier in this challenge? A quick check of the blog archives confirmed it.

NOW WHAT ?!!

The good news, it turned out to be pretty tasty. Not spectacular. Not particularily original.

Since I don't know where to begin to write a logical recipe, I'm just going to tell you what my ingredients were.

RABBIT, wine VINEGAR; yellow & red bell peppers; celery; ONION; GARLIC; basil; pancetta; porcini mushrooms; salt; pepper; risotto; cheese; bread crumbs.

From day one of this project, I've known that when the week for lentils rolled around I was going to proselytize for my breakfast pucks. I started making these a few years ago. They are a delicious, blood sugar friendly hot breakfast when microwaved with a little rice milk, honey, berries and nuts. Here I've opted for blueberries and pistachios.

But there was one little problem. As you can see from this photo of ingredients, I don't use a single one of the complimentary flavors in the book. So, how do I adjust and still tell everyone about this fantastic breakfast food?

My answer was in the method that must be used to make them. It's a two step cooking process. The lentils, rice and grain blend are cooked in one pot. The steel cut oats are cooked in the second pot. They are combined after cooking.

So, if I triple the recipe for the lentil/rice/grain portion, I can freeze 18 breakfast pucks as usual, and freeze another 18 without the oatmeal. Then when it's time to publish this post, I'll take some of the oatmeal-free pucks and create some sort of side dish using the appropriated flavors from the list.

Here are the ingredients for the lentil/rice/grain mixture.

4 Cups, Sawat-D Healthy Grain multigrain mixture. (It comes in 2kg vacuum sealed blocks. I buy it at Global Foods. It is made by UniversalRice company in Thailand. You should be able to buy it at a well supplied Asian foods market.)
2/3 cup red lentils
2/3 cup wild rice
12 cups water

Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover and cook until moisture is absorbed. Stir occasionally.

Cook the steel cut oats in a second pot. Choose a pot large enough to add one-third of the lentil/rice/grain mixture after the oats are cooked.

1 cup steel cut oats
3 cups water

Cook according to package directions.

Mix one-third of the lentil/rice/grain mixture into the pot of oatmeal and reserve the other two-thirds.

Spray three dozen muffin tin cups with cooking spray. Tightly pack the oatmeal mixture into half of them and the lentil/rice/grain only mixture into the other half.

Put in your freezer until completly frozen. Once frozen, turn pucks out of tins and transfer to individual baggies to go back into the freezer until you need them.

Now, to the assignment. Lentils. Here are my complimentary ingredients:

Two oatmeal-free pucks, thawed.
2 Tbs - diced CELERY
2 Tbs - shredded CARROTS
2 Tbs - diced red ONION
2 Tbs - diced green peppers
SALT & PEPPER to taste
1/4 cup red WINE VINEGAR
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
orange zest

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, toss and refrigerate for several hours to blend flavors.

And that is how we find ourselves with this light, refreshing lentil, grains, & wild rice salad. I have 10 more pucks left in the freezer. Next time I think I'll try an Asian flavor profile. Some pineapple maybe? Some almond slivers? A little cilantro?

Think of Cannellini Tricolore as a pasta-less pasta. It's a fast, delicious and healthy one pan meal for two with the flavor of Italy and the colors of the Italian flag.

Ingredient List:
3 – Tablespoons high quality extra virgin OLIVE OIL (2T for cooking, 1T for garnish)
¼ cup - Red onion in large dices
1½ - Large yellow bell pepper peeled and chopped into ½” chunks
1 – Large clove garlic minced
1 – Teaspoon dried BASIL
1 – Teaspoon kosher or sea SALT
½ - Teaspoon fresh ground black PEPPER
¼ - Teaspoon red pepper flakes
6-8 – oz pureed TOMATOES plus water if necessary
1 cup – dried cannellini beans soaked and cooked to just tender but not mushy (Well rinsed canned beans work just fine, too.)
2 Tbs – chopped fresh Italian PARSLEY
6 - roma tomatoes seeded, chopped into large chunks and oven roasted
½ lb – Whole green beans, boiled in salt water until very tender. Then, reserving 6 whole beans for garnish, cut remainder into 1” pieces.

Cooking:
Heat first 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium/high heat.
Add the onion, garlic, yellow pepper, dried basil, salt, black pepper, & red pepper flakes. Stir cook until onion is softened.
Add tomato puree and continue to cook until peppers are beginning to melt.
Add cannellini beans heat through.
Add cut green beans, oven roasted tomatoes & chopped parsley. Toss gently.
Add just enough of the reserved tomato juice to keep mixture moist, but not soupy.
Continue cooking only long enough for tomato juice to begin bubbling.

Plate Cannellini Tricolore. Garnish each plate with three of the whole green beans, crossing them over the center in a star pattern. Drizzle each serving with half of the remaining tablespoon of EVOO.

Delicious with fresh rustic Italian bread and Orvieto Classico or Pinot Grigio Wine. It is very filling. I've made variations of this dish many times. I've used fennel instead of red onion and asparagus instead of green beans. I've even mixed in red kidney beans for some extra body.

Medjool dates are my favorite variety. Last trip to Global Foods revealed that a large new shipment had arrived. So, I bought a box without any idea of using them in any way other than just to stuff my face. They were sitting on the kitchen counter next to some nice crisp apples when I brought home an anemic looking little 4oz lobster tail that cost me $9.00.

Suddenly my plan for lobster bloomed fully formed in my head. Who says appetizers have to always be savory? I would make a lobster salad and stuff my dates with it as an appetizer. I realized that the amount of meat in the small tail I purchased was only half what I needed. I was also completely unwilling to buy another one. So, I ran to the store for a package of imitation crab chunks. As luck would have it, I found lobster flavored.

1 - six oz package of imitation lobster chunks, finely chopped
1 - crisp unpeeled apple (finely dice 1/2 half, keep second half whole)
juice of one LEMON
1 - small GARLIC clove minced
Lobster tail
celery - diced finely to make 1/4 cup
1/3 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
SALT & pepper to taste
bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped

Toss the apple dices in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Then drain and reserve juice.

Boil the lobster tail in salted water with the half of the apple that wasn't diced, the garlic & reserved lemon juice.

Cool the cooked lobster completely and remove meat from shell. Chop finely and mixed with previously chopped imitation lobster, diced celery & apples, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, & mayo.

Split 12 Medjool dates in half lengthwise, but don't cut all the way through. Remove seed and any stem tip that may have remained after picking.

Stuff each date with a heaping teaspoon of lobster salad. Garnish with a parsley leaf. Cover and refridgerator for several hours or more before serving.

When I think about food, I almost immediately think of something sweet. I was convinced I would make some sort of cauliflower dessert. But then I decided to stay in line with Deborah’s appetizers/small bites theme. So I made Savory Cauliflower Profiteroles.

Cauliflower Flavors: CHEESE, BLACK PEPPER, SEA SALT, chili sauce

Step 1 – Steam Cauliflower (med sized head) until tender. Drain well. Let cool down in bowl. Add 4 oz goat cheese, sea salt and black pepper. Blend with emersion blender until almost smooth. Chill while making dough.

Step 2 – Make a batch of Pâte à Choux. This is the pastry dough used to make éclairs and crème puffs. I like Nick Malgieri’s recipe. Add to pastry bag and pipe out 1 1/2 “circles on parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake as directed. Cool for 5 minutes.

Step 3 – Cut off top 1/3 of dough shells with serrated knife. Put the tops to the side.

Step 4 – Pipe/spoon filling into puff. Drizzle filling with Sweet Chili Sauce. Top with tops.

This recipe is an absolute FAIL. It was not at all how I thought the flavors would work together. Here’s the break down:

The Pâte à Choux shells turned out perfectly. I’m always afraid I’m going to burn them but the key to success with this dough is making sure you bake it until it’s done. Few things are worse than soggy dough. You are aiming for a deep golden, crisp buttery shell.

The ratio of cauliflower to goat cheese was good. Goat cheese can be overpowering. In each bite I could always taste the cauliflower. I could eat this as a side dish. One thing I forget was how much moisture is in cauliflower. The mixture was very soft; even after thorough draining/pressing and chilling.

The Sweet Chili Sauce was too much. It just clashed with the filling. The filling and shell alone tasted better but it was still missing something. I can’t figure out what.

*Note: Thanks, Irene, for picking up this one for me. It looks beautiful, even if you weren't happy with the results. I'm envious of your talent with baking. -Deborah."

Global Foods strikes again.

I picked up a box of dried pineapple rings and I picked up a fresh pineapple. I meandered up and down the aisle trying to think of something interesting to do with pineapple. I could chocolate dip the dried rings? Yawn. I could hollow out the base of the fresh pineapple to make a bowl and use the fruit in some interesting combination of flavors making a sorbet to fill it. Ho, hum.

Then at the beginning of the Southeast Asian aisle hung the flag of the Philippines. And in the very first bay of the Philippines section a half-dozen of these were hanging on a hook.

I looked at them an thought, "Well, we bake hams by paving the outside with pineapple rings, don't we? Why not reverse it? What if I used crushed pork rind as a sort of panko for pineapple rings?" I looked at the packet and realized that, not only did it sport an expired date, it also contained MSG. I decided to crush my own pork rinds. I bought a packet anyway, just to take a picture. I contemplated which form of pineapple to use for quite a while. Fearing that fresh rings would fall apart on me in the cooking oil, I settled on the dried rings.

Ingredient List:

2 C - Pineapple Wine (I had this bottle from a trip to Costa Rica a couple of years ago. Believe me, it wasn't worth drinking. - YUCK) You could use any sweet white wine as a substitute.
12 - Dried Pineapple Rings
½ C - Grated COCONUT
zest of two LIMES
5 or 6 slices - crystalized ginger
2 - whole Thai chilies
1 - large clove garlic, smashed
1/2 - teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil for frying
1 bag - Pork Rinds
1/2 c - flour
1 - egg, beaten
Juice of 1 LIME
zest of one LIME for garnish

Simmer the pineapple slices in the pineapple wine to partially rehydrate them. Simmer long enough to evaporate the alcohol, but not boil dry (10 - 15 minutes). Remove the pineapple slices and set aside.

Add coconut, ginger, garlic, lime zest, salt, and Thai chilies to the remaining liquid and continue boiling for 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet. Break up the pork rinds then pulse in a food processor to crush them to a fine crumb. Dredge each pineapple ring in flour, dip in egg, & roll in pork rind crumbs.

Fry two or three at a time (do not over crowd or allow slices to touch) in hot oil just long enough to set crust. Turn only once, being careful not to knock crust off. Remove to paper towel to drain slightly. Then roll, while still hot in more crushed pork rind. Place on a wire rack to cool.

To make dipping sauce:

Remove & discard chilis & garlic then pulse coconut mixture in food processor until almost a puree. Press mixture through a mesh strainer into a bowl. Press as much liquid out of the mixture as possible. Add lime juice and whip with fork.

I put two pineapple rings on a tid-bit plate, then used a ceramic soup spoon for an individual serving of dipping sauce, garnishing it with a little of the lime zest.

My six year old grandson is adventurous. He'll try anything once. He makes a great taste-tester, if you're ego can take his brutal honesty.

This is what he had to say: "MeeMaw, they taste good, and it's fun to dip them. But they feel like gummy bears on my teeth. I don't like that."

I think he was right. The texture of the dried pineapple rings was not pleasing at all. The flavor was surprisingly good. I may try this again with fresh rings. Perhaps.

We were in the dead of winter and the whole clan was coming over to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday. Because one of our nieces hates chocolate with a passion, I decided to create this excessive homage to the lemon. Nothing brightens a cold winter day like lemon, right?

1 lemon thinly sliced into 12-14 slices
1 cup simple syrup made from 1/2 cup water and 1 cup SUGAR
1- teas. vanilla
2- boxes lemon cake mix.
2 1/2- cups very strong lemonade (I used frozen concentrate without diluting)
Zest of three large lemons
1- 12 oz jar lemon curd
1/2 cup - Limoncello
2- containers pre-prepared creamy lemon icing

In a skillet, bring the simple syrup to a boil and add vanilla. Add lemon slices and boil until rinds become translucent. Remove from pan directly to a cooling rack to drain and become semi-hard.

Follow the directions for the cake mixes, substituting lemonade for water, and adding the zest of two lemons.

Bake in four 9" cake pans lined with parchment. The pans can be round or square or, in this case some of each. Cool completely.

Melt the lemon curd in a small sauce pan with the limoncello. Bring to a slow boil and boil for about 6-8 minutes. Stir constantly. Set aside to cool slightly.

When curd and limoncello reduction is still slightly warm, arrange first cake layer on a plate and use a chopstick to poke about a dozen scattered holes.

Pour 1/4 of the curd mixture over top of layer and spread around. Frost top of layer with about 1/4 of one of the containers of frosting.

Arrange second layer on top and repeat the hole poking, lemon curd, and frosting process.

Then the third layer, and finally the 4th.

Use the second container of icing to cover the sides and top of the cake. Sprinkle the zest of your third lemon over the top. Decorate with the candied lemon slices.

Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least two hours. Serve ice cold with a scoop of lemon sorbet.

Be prepared to pucker up!

Are you looking for an interesting appetizer for the upcoming Easter dinner? How does this look? And if you're cooking for Passover rather than Easter, you could always change the dough to something unleavened.

I was parsimoniously contemplating the cost of lamb as I tried to envision what direction to go with my dish this week. The cheapest was ground for $7.69 a pound. I decided that questionably "inexpensive" variety would have to do.

I considered lamb stuffed ravioli; lamb stuffed arancini; even going retro and doing lamb meatballs in the crockpot with grape jelly. That led me to the equally retro idea of doing pigs-in-a-blanket with lamb instead of little smokies.

This is a two part recipe. First the dough for the blankets:

2 cup - all-purpose flour
1 tbs - sugar
2 teas - baking powder
1/2 teas - salt
4 tbs - unsalted butter, cold, cut into small squares
1/2 cup - grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 sprig fresh *ROSEMARY

Bruise the leaves of the rosemary sprig by cracking them between your fingers. Then put the whole sprig in a saucepan and add buttermilk. Bring to a very gentle simmer and allow buttermilk to take up flavor of rosemary for several minutes. Strain out rosemary and let buttermilk cool.

Sift the dry ingredients together; mix in butter pieces until mixture is crumbly. Stir in cheese until evenly distributed. Add cooled buttermilk. Stir well and let dough sit for a few minutes to rest.

Sprinkle the dough with flour and with floured hands, pat into a 16 x 8 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Handle the dough as little as possible so it remains tender.

Cut the dough into 18 triangles as they appear in photo below.

Now, for the elongated lamb meatballs:

2 slices fresh white bread, torn into small pieces
2 tablespoons dry red wine
1 pound ground lamb
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cloves GARLIC, chopped
2 Tbs. chopped fresh PARSLEY
1 teas. SALT
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground PEPPER
1 teas. dried *ROSEMARY, crushed
3 Tbs. pine nuts, chopped finely

Place bread in a small bowl and drizzle with the wine. Allow to stand for a few minutes.

In a larger bowl, combine the lamb with all the other ingredients. Mix with hands. Add wine soaked bread and mix again.

Form lamb mixture into 18 oblong shaped meatballs, simulating the appearance of the little smokies you would normally use.

Lightly roll meatballs in flour and brown in hot oil. Do not cook through. You want the meatballs to be nicely browned but still rare inside. They will finish cooking in the oven.

Starting with the wide end, roll meatballs in the dough triangles and arrange, point side down on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack for a brief cool-down before serving. Dan and I had two each as an appetizer before dinner. Then I refrigerated the remaining 14 and took them to work the next day. Some people ate them cold and said they were great. Others reheated them in the microwave and said the dough was still tender. At any rate. They disappeared fast.

This one was a group effort several years ago when some of our wonderful SlowTraveler friends were here for the St. Louis GTG.

Let me start by saying yes, I know that there is a long standing and treasured ban on mixing seafood and cheese. But the ricotta in the filling and the parmesan dusting on top work.

Ingredients:
3 dozen — jumbo pasta shells cooked al dente, rinsed in cold water and patted dry
3 dozen — medium raw shrimp, shelled & cleaned and patted dry
Prosciutto—thinly sliced, enough to wrap a small piece around each shrimp

For Filling: (whip together with fork)
1 - egg beaten
1—12 oz carton whole milk ricotta
1/2 c—grated parmesan
2 Tbs—Penzey’s Fox Point seasoning
1Tbs—crushed thyme
1Tbs– finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 teas — cayenne pepper powder
PEPPER & SALT to taste

For Coating:
2-3 — eggs, beaten
2 C — Italian bread crumbs

To Assemble:
Wrap each shrimp in a small piece of prosciutto
Holding a shell in one hand, place a scant teaspoon of filling in center.
Top the filling with the wrapped shrimp.
Add another scant teaspoon of filling to top shrimp.
Dip finger in beaten egg and wipe on edges of shell.
Fold edges around shrimp filling and seal.

To Cook:
Dip in beaten egg
Roll in Italian bread crumbs
Deep fry in hot canola OIL until shells float and turn golden brown. (do not crowd in oil)

Remove and let rest on paper towel for at least five minutes before serving.

Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and MARINARA sauce for dipping.

There were so many intriguing flavor opportunities with tuna, I really had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do. Then when I found the beautiful yellow fin tuna steaks, I knew I must somehow keep the texture of a solid bite of tuna steak and still have an appetizer.

Ingredient list:

3 Tbs - olive oil
juice of two LEMONS
2 Tbs - red wine VINEGAR
1 clove - GARLIC, crushed
1 tsp - crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs - dijon mustard
SALT & PEPPER to taste
2 Tbs - finely chopped fresh PARSLEY
12 oz- yellow fin tuna steaks

Cut the tuna steaks into bite sized square chunks.

Mix all of the other listed ingredients together to make a marinade. Gently toss tuna chunks in the marinade until they are well coated.

Arrange coated tuna in single layer in a plastic container that has a tightly sealing lid. Make sure there is a little room between pieces, but not too much.

Pour the remaining marinade over the top. Seal lid and refridgerated for at least two hours, but preferably overnight.

The acid in the lemon juice and red wine vinegar will 'cook' the tuna, so when you are ready to bread and fry the pieces you will want to work fast. Here is what the tuna chunks look like after they marinade has worked its magic.

Put vegetable oil in pan to a depth of about 1" and bring to a high, but not smoking heat.

Dip the marinade coated tuna chunks in dried bread crumbs and brown quickly, turning only once. They have already cooked, so all you want to do is brown the bread crumb crust and warm the meat through.

Arrange four large radicchio leaves like serving bowls on a plate with a cup of cocktail picks in the center. Fill each radicchio leaf with tuna chunks and serve.

This is a hearty recipe that can be prepped a day in advance. When you are ready to serve all you will need to do is roast the artichokes, bake the polenta rounds, assemble and finish in the oven.

Since you don’t really need a recipe to make pesto, I'm not giving you measurements. Take the ingredient list and combine as it suits your own taste. In fact, pesto is so forgiving, go ahead and change up the ingredients if you like.

For the pesto:
Soaked sundried TOMATOES
Roasted walnut pieces
GARLIC
Basil
PARSLEY
OLIVE OIL
LEMON juice
SALT
Red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse to the texture you prefer. I made mine almost pureed with only a bit of tomato and walnut chunks still identifiable. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

For the Polenta Rounds:

Make you favorite polenta, I use yellow instead of white because I like the color. Roll into a tight two inch wide by 8-9 inch long log. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill completely.

With one rack placed near bottom of oven with a pizza stone on it, and another rack in middle of oven, preheat to 400 convection.

Take one package frozen artichoke quarters, I use Trader Joes brand. Thaw and drain on paper towel to remove excess moisture. Coat with oil and your favorite dried spices, Italian blend is ideal. Spread out on cookie sheet and place on top rack to roast.

While artichokes are roasting, take polenta roll out of refrigerator, remove plastic wrap and slice quickly into 1/4th inch rounds. Dip in olive oil. Dredge in Italian bread crumbs. Bake on the pizza stone until rounds are dark golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

You will need to watch the artichokes and remove them from the oven when they are roasted, even if the polenta rounds are not ready.

To assemble:
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Place baked polenta rounds evenly. Spread a dollop of pesto on top. Top that with a couple of pieces of artichoke. Stick back in a hot oven for a couple of minutes. Serve immediately.

I wasn't even thinking about this week's ingredient while on my weekly excursion at Global Foods. I was just wondering up and down the aisles dropping items in the cart as the caught my eye.
One of those items was a box of Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix. Yum, I hadn't had beignets in years. Actually, not since the last time I enjoyed them at Cafe Du Monde. The box went into the cart.
Fast forward a couple of weeks and there I was, standing in front of my open pantry trying to decide what direction I wanted to go for coffee/espresso week. My eyes landed on the unused box of beignet mix. Beignets and coffee. Made for each other. Beignets made with coffee? Why not?
Checking the complimentary flavors list, I discover that espresso flavored beignets would easily fit the rules.

Ingredients list:
1/2 box (2 c) - Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix
7 oz - espresso (cooled to room temp)
1/2 c - mascarpone
1/2 c - lemon curd
2 T - limoncello (can be omitted if you don't want the alcohol)
1/4 teas. - VANILLA
vegetable oil
powdered SUGAR

In a bowl combine beignet mix and espresso. Stir with a spoon until blended.
Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on a floured surface, using flour liberally on dough. Cut into 2 1/4" squares. Makes about 2 dozen.

Fry in oil at 370 degrees. Normally you would do this in a skillet with only an inch or two of oil, turning constantly until they reached a light golden brown. However, since the espresso colors the dough a dark brown, I had to come up with a different way to gauge doneness. So, I used a deep fryer which allowed the beignets to pop to the surface, puff up, and float.

Move to paper towels to drain and cool just enough to be handled.
Mix mascarpone, lemon curd, limoncello, and vanilla until creamy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with an injector attachment.
Gently force injector tip through the edge of each beignet just far enough to break into the hollow center. Inject about two teaspoons cream in each beignet.

Dust beignets with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

These were absolutely delicious. Delicate texture you expect from beignets but with the kick of coffee and lemon. Do you think I should contact the folks at Cafe Du Monde and suggest they try this version? Or would that be heresy?

I was never a squid fan. To me squid meant greasy, breaded and fried rubberband rings served in poor excuses for Italian restaurants. That is until September 21st, 2010 when I was forced to attempt a squid recipe during our Pomodori e Vino project.

That's when I fell in love with squid - or more accurately, a specific method of preparing squid. Marcella Hazan's Squid with Porcini Mushroom Stuffing. I've prepared it numerous times since then. I love it.

So when this week's squid assignment rolled around, I decided to use Marcella's recipe and just tinker with it a bit. Basically, all I did was requce the amount of mushrooms by half and add a cup of finely diced smoked ham.

I'm not going to post the recipe here. You can find it on page 325 of Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. You'll thank me for having to buy this treasure of a book in order to get the recipe. The complimentary ingredients are: PARSLEY, SALT, PEPPER, GARLIC, white wine.

After cleaning the squid and chopping the tentacles, I mixed all the stuffing ingredients and then stuffed the squid sacks.

After browning the stuffed squid sacks in oil, I added the wine and covered for a long slow simmer. I must have overstuffed one of the squid sacks, because it split open during cooking.

So, I added some more liquid to the stuffing that ended up in the pan, turning it into a yummy sauce.

This was a delicious version. The smokey ham married so well with the squid. I know I'll make it again someday. But, Marcella's classic recipe is still my favorite.