Love Is in the Air – and the Kitchen

Ravioli in Brown-Butter Tomato Sauce

Makes about 2 cups sauce, enough for about 1 pound ravioli. Serves 6 to 8 as a first course.

Ingredients

• 10 T unsalted butter
• ½ cup very finely chopped onion
• ⅛ t chile flakes or to taste
• Kosher salt
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes and the juices
• Lemon juice, if needed
• Pinch of sugar, if needed
• About 1 pound storebought ravioli of your choice (or homemade, of course!)
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (optional), for serving

Directions

1. In a deep skillet or wide saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion, chile flakes and a big pinch of salt and cook until the onion is soft and fragrant but not at all browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another minute to soften it.
4. Add the tomatoes and their juices and break them up with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. Simmer, stirring frequently so the tomatoes don’t stick to the pan, until the sauce has reduced and is thicker and, most important, the flavor has become sweeter and more concentrated, about 25 minutes – taste frequently so you can monitor the transformation of flavor.
6. Transfer the sauce to a blender (or a food processor, if yours is large enough) and blend the tomatoes.
7. Strain them back into the skillet through a fine-mesh sieve to capture the seeds and bits of skin; unlike most of my sauces, this one should be silky smooth. Keep the sauce warm.
8. With the remaining 8 tablespoons butter, make brown butter.
9. As soon as the butter looks and smells great, pour about half of the melted butter – the liquid butterfat and some of the golden milk solids (unless they look super dark and burned). – into the tomato sauce and whisk to combine. Keep the remaining browned butter warm for garnish, but off the burner so it doesn’t continue to cook.
10. Taste the tomato sauce and adjust with more salt, chile flakes, a squeeze of lemon and/or a few sprinkles of sugar if needed. You want the flavor bright and rich at the same time.
11. Keep the sauce warm while you cook the ravioli.
12. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add about 2 tablespoons salt.
13. Add the ravioli and cook according to the package directions. Drain well.
14. Reheat the sauce if it cooled and spoon it onto your serving plates.
15. Arrange the ravioli on top and drizzle the remaining brown butter over the ravioli.
16. Serve right away, with grated Parmigiano for diners to add if they like.

Seafood and Tomato Soup with Smoky, Garlicky Grilled Bread

Ingredients

Grilled Bread

• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 t sweet or hot smoked paprika
• ½ t ground cumin
• Four ¾ -inch slices of bread from a boule-style (round) or other fat loaf or 8 slices if using a slender loaf like a baguette
• 2 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• Kosher salt

Soup

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small fresh hot chile, such as jalapeno, seeded and very finely chopped
• 1 ½ T chopped garlic
• Two 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups fish stock (or a mixture of clam juice and homemade or low-sodium
• canned chicken broth; don’t use all clam juice, because it would be too strong
• A large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound boneless halibut, cod or other firm white fish, cut into 1-inch chunks
• ½ pound shrimp, preferably wild, peeled and deveined (use any size, but if they are quite large, split them in half lengthwise so that there are more pieces in each portion)
• 1 pound mussels, well-scrubbed and debearded
• 1 pound small clams, well-scrubbed
• Hot sauce
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, cilantro or basil or a mix

Directions

1. Heat a grill to medium (or heat the broiler or grill pan, if you’re cooking indoors).
2. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, smoked paprika and cumin and keep nearby.
3. Grill the bread until browned around the edges and lightly toasted all over, about 2 minutes per side.
4. Brush both sides of the still-warm bread slices with the spiced oil mixture.
5. When the bread is cool enough to handle, rub one side of each slice with the cut garlic.
6. Season lightly with salt. Set aside.
7. In a very large soup pot or Dutch oven (and I mean very large; mussels and clams take up a lot of room as they open), heat a generous glug of olive oil over medium heat.
8. Add the chile and cook until softened, about 1 minute.
9. Add the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds or so.
10. Add the tomatoes and wine, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer vigorously until the tomatoes are broken down and the mixture is slightly soupy, about 15 minutes.
11. Stir in the fish stock and saffron. Taste and then season lightly with salt (go easy if using clam juice, as it will be salty) and simmer to slightly reduce the broth and concentrate the flavors, about 5 minutes.
12. Add the fish, shrimp, mussels and clams (and any other seafood you’re using, unless it’s already cooked) and simmer until the fish and shrimp are opaque throughout and the shellfish have opened, 3 to 5 minutes more.
13. Season to taste with more salt and some hot sauce.
14. Put 1 large or 2 small slices of the grilled bread in each of four wide soup bowls, ladle the soup on top, and sprinkle with the parsley.
15. Serve right away, with a knife and fork as well as a spoon, and a big bowl for everyone’s discarded shells.

Red Wine Poached Apple Galette

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 raw pie dough, 9”
• 4 T butter
• 2 T raw or demerara sugar

Poached Apple

• 1 bottle red wine
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 1 star anise
• 3 t ground allspice (spicebush preferred where available)
• 2 t ground ginger
• 2 red apples (Gala preferred)
• Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine red wine, sugar, star anise, allspice and ground ginger to a sauce pot and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer.
3. Peel and core the apples, then split them into halves. Add the halves to the simmering red wine mixture.
4. Cook apples for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester slides through with no resistance. Remove the apples from the poaching liquid and allow to cool.
5. Continue heating on the red wine mixture on low and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until sauce coats the back of a spoon. A tablespoon of cornstarch and a tablespoon of water combined may be added to quicken the thickening process.
6. Put a tablespoon or two of all purpose flour onto a wooden cutting board or surface. Place cold pie dough onto the surface and cut in half.
7. Using rolling pin, roll out both doughs into 5 inch circles. Using a fork, poke holes through dough in a circle of 4 inches, leaving one inch whole. Crimp edges using a fork or interesting patterns with your fingers. Place dough back into refrigerator to chill.
8. Slice cooled apples into wedges and place over the center of the holed dough. Melt butter and apply liberally to edges. Place pastry onto greased sheet tray with parchment paper.9. Sprinkle sugar on dough edge, then sprinkle sauce directly over apples.
9. Bake pastry for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm.

Winter Greens and Citrus Salad with Red Wine Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 heads of bibb lettuce
• 1 head of radicchio
• 12 sprigs of watercress
• 4 T black walnuts, toasted
• 4 oranges (preferably Cara Cara)
• ½ cup shaved parmesan
• ½ cup pomegranate kernels
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil

Vinaigrette

• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 cup red wine
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 T dijon mustard
• ¾ cup olive oil
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Remove peel from oranges and cut fruit into individual segments using a sharp knife. Reserve segments. Reserve peel and leftover orange scraps separately.
2. Combine pomegranate juice, red wine, sugar, and reserved orange pieces into a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Set aside and allow to cool.
3. Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a stainless steel bowl with dijon mustard. Slowly whisk in oil until thick and emulsified. Add salt to taste.
4. Trim out the center of bibb lettuce and arrange leaves neatly around a beautiful plate. Finely chop radicchio leaves and sprinkle around lettuce artfully.
5. Add orange segments, black walnut, pomegranate seeds, watercress, and shaved parmesan to salad then sprinkle with vinaigrette and olive oil. Serve cold.

Herb Crusted Lamb with Couscous, Moroccan Carrots and Roasted Red Pepper & Sumac Coulis

Ingredients

Lamb

• 1 rack of Lamb
• ½ cup chopped mint
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 T olive oil
• 3 t zatar
• 1 t sumac
• 2 t salt
• 1 t black pepper

Couscous

• 2 cups large grain couscous
• ½ cup Italian flat leaf parsley
• 1 T zatar
• 1 T lemon zest
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 t salt

Moroccan Carrots

• 3-4 heirloom carrots
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 t paprika
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t ginger
• 2 t salt

Red Pepper and Sumac Coulis

• 3 shallots, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
• 3 cups whole roasted red pepper with juice
• 6 T olive oil
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 T dijon mustard
• 2 T honey
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 2 T lemon juice
• 3 t sumac
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Add shallots, garlic, sumac and olive oil to pan and cook on low heat until nearly translucent. Deglaze with red wine and add roasted red pepper to a saucepan. Simmer until soft.
3. Add dijon mustard, honey, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and hot pan ingredients to a blender. Blend on high until mixture is emulsified, adding oil slowly as necessary to thicken. Salt to taste.
4. Peel and cut carrots into small rounds. Put carrots into a small bowl and season with olive oil, paprika, red pepper, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
5. Spread out carrots onto a small sheet tray covered with parchment paper. Set aside.
6. Place lamb rack on clean cutting board and trim any excess sinew from meat with a sharp thin knife. Salt and pepper lamb liberally.
7. Combine olive oil, mint, parsley, sumac, zaatar in a small bowl, then apply with slight pressure to the lamb. Shake the rack gently to remove excess mixture.
8. Place the lamb rack on top of the carrots on the sheet tray and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees. Allow to rest.
9. Add couscous into a small pot and just cover with cold water. Add olive oil, zaatar and salt, then bring water to boil. Lower to a simmer for 5-10 minutes or until couscous is cooked al dente.
10. Strain couscous while hot and mix in parsley and lemon zest.
11. Assemble warm ingredients artfully on a nice plate and enjoy.

Vanilla Custard Caramel Shortcake

For the Vanilla Custard

Ingredients

• 2 cup heavy cream
• 3 T sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Whisk together cream, sugar, eggs yolks and salt in a bowl.
3. Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise. Using your paring knife, scrape the vanilla beans from inside the pod and whisk them into the custard mixture. At this point, if you want to adjust the flavor of the custard, you could add a tiny bit of spice like allspice, cinnamon, ginger.
4. Pour custard into ramekins for individual desserts or a cake pan for a larger piece.
5. Place custard vessel(s) into a larger pan and pour hot water into the larger pan until it comes a little less than halfway up the side of the custard vessel. (This is called a bain marie and allows the custard to bake gently.)
6. Carefully place the bain marie into the oven.
7. Bake for at least 40 minutes, until the custard barely wiggles when you gently shake the pan.
8. Remove custard(s) from the water bath and allow to cool about 20 minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to chill until you’re ready to serve.
9. Custards can stay in the refrigerator, covered, for about a week.

For The Angel Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 T sugar
• ½ baking powder
• ½ t salt
• ½ t baking soda
• 1/8 t allspice
• 1 ½ sticks of butter
• 1 T yeast (or 1 packet)
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 400 degrees.
2. Add dry ingredients to a medium size mixing bowl.
3. Add butter and pinch or rub butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly.
4. In a separate vessel, combine buttermilk and cream. Add yeast and stir with a fork to encourage the yeast to dissolve.
5. Add to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients over the liquid, continuing until the dough is crumbly.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a ½- ¾ inch thick slab.
7. Cut into squares or use a cutter to cut our shapes or rounds.
8. Place with a bit of space in between on a cookie sheet.
9. At this point you can brush with melted butter and/or sprinkle with a bit of sugar for a sweeter biscuit.
10. Bake for approximately 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Makes approximately 14 3 ½ inch biscuits.

For the Grainy Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 ounces of rum
• 2 ounces of cream
• 1 healthy pinch of salt

Directions

1. Put all of the ingredients into a pot.
2. Over medium heat, stir to help the butter to melt.
3. Bring to a boil. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent burning on the bottom.
4. Let cool for approximately 30 minutes. Can be stored in a container in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks.

Assembly

1. Using a regular teaspoon, dip the spoon into the caramel sauce and drizzle a bit of sauce onto your carefully chosen dessert plate.
2. Artfully place a biscuit on top.
3. Using an ice cream scoop, gently fill the ice cream scoop with custard and place that on top of the biscuit.
4. Drizzle more caramel sauce on top.
5. You can finish it off with a raspberry, blueberry, piece of chocolate or simply serve it as is.