Almond Moon Cookies

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Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sifted confectioners' sugar, plus more for coating the cookies
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup slivered almonds, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Cream the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Slowly mix in 1/4 cup of the confectioners' sugar and the flour until well combined. Mix in the vanilla. Add the almonds; mix until just combined, about 1 minute.

Scoop out balls of dough with a small ice cream scoop; place the balls 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until the bottoms are lightly brown, 30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Pour 1/2 to 1 cup confectioners' sugar as needed into a low bowl; roll the cooled cookies in the sugar until covered. Store at room temperature in a sealed airtight container up to 10 days; dough can be stored for as long as 2 months in the freezer.

Makes 30 cookies


Nutrition information per serving: 134 calories, 56% of calories from fat, 9 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 17 mg cholesterol, 13 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 1 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

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Grilled Cheese with Shallots

Serve with an arugula salad dressed with lemon juice and best-quality olive oil.

2 large shallots
3 T unsalted butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 slices country white bread, sliced 1/2-inch thick

5 ounces Cantal cheese, sliced 1/8-inch thick

Preparing the shallots:
Cut the shallots in half lengthwise and peel them. Place the shallots cutside down. Slice lengthwise into about one-eighth-inch wedges. In a small sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often until the shallots are caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preparing the sandwich:
Heat a cast iron or heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the remaining butter and swirl in the pan until it is melted. Place the two slices of bread in the pan and toast for a minute or two until just beginning to color. Divide the cheese evenly between the two pieces and top with the shallots.

Place the pan in the oven and cook 5 to 6 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and crispy. Remove to a cutting board and carefully assemble the sandwich, placing together the two slices of bread. Cut in half on the diagonal and serve immediately.

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Bacon Potato Salad

Ingredients:
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes
3 strips bacon, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, or more to taste
1 heaping T Dijon mustard, or more to taste
1 heaping T cider vinegar, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon smoked salt
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 heaping T chopped fresh thyme
1 heaping T chopped fresh parsley


Preparing the potato salad:
In a medium saucepan, add the potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring the pan to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender (a paring knife should easily pierce the potato), about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle.

While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain the bacon onto a paper towel-lined plate. Save 1 tablespoon bacon grease and set aside in a warm place (discard the rest, or save for another use).

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, cider vinegar, smoked salt, kosher salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the dressing as desired. Set aside.

Dice the potatoes into half-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Stir in the warm bacon fat until combined. Fold in the dressing, bacon, green onions, thyme and parsley. Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired. Cover and chill the potato salad before serving.

Serves 4 to 6

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Potato Salad With Parsley

This potato salad holds its own with the smoke and spice of pit-cooked meat.

Ingredients:
12 red-skinned potatoes
1/4 cup rice vinegar (unseasoned)
2 T fragrant olive oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 cup pitted black olives

Preparing the salad:
Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender, about 30 minutes depending upon their size. Test with the tip of a small, sharp knife. Peel the hot potatoes quickly (wear rubber gloves or hold in a paper towel),and cut into chunks. Put in a bowl and sprinkle with the vinegar. Let marinate for at least 1 hour. Do not refrigerate.

After an hour of marinating, taste. If the potatoes seem bland, sprinkle with another tablespoon of vinegar.

Blend the olive oil into the mayonnaise and then fold into the potatoes. Stir in 1/2 cup parsley, the shallots, salt and olives. Garnish with the remaining parsley just before serving.

Serves 6

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Baby Back Ribs in a Smoker or in the Oven

Ingredients:
2 racks baby back ribs, approximately 1 1/2 pounds each
1/2 cup 'The Rub'

The night before cooking, remove the fell from the bone-side of the ribs. Rinse ribs under cold water. Pat dry. Rub each rack with about 1/4 cup of the rub. Transfer to heavy-duty self-sealing plastic bags and refrigerate.

The day of cooking:
Prepare a smoker for barbecuing. If you don't have a brick-lined hole in the ground, you can use a cast-iron smoker or water smoker (sold at home and garden stores such as Costco). Heat to 200 degrees-212 degrees F.

Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before barbecue time. Sprinkle with more rub if they look like they have absorbed a lot of the spices. Place the ribs on the grill and smoke for approximately 4 hours. Try to maintain the 200-212 degrees F temperature. When the ribs are done, the meat will bend easily between the ribs. The best test is to pull out a rack and place on a cutting board. Slice off a rib and do a taste-test.

Serves 6

Alternative Roast Method:
Rub the spices on the meat. Place on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Turn up the edges of the foil to create a rim. Pour 1/2 cup beer into each foil packet and seal tightly. The beer doesn't take the place of the smoke but it adds some flavor and great steam. Roast in a preheated 250 degrees oven for 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap and finish by grilling over white ash-covered coals for 30 minutes, turning a couple of times.

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Brioche Tarte-Au-Sucre

Ingredients:
1/2 Brioche dough
1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 large egg
1 large egg beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Preparing the brioche:
Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 11-inch round. Line prepared pan with dough, covering bottom and folding dough sides over to form 3/4- to 1-inch-high standing edge all around. Cover pan with plastic wrap; let dough rise in warm draft-free area until light and puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Using floured fingertips, press bottom of dough to flatten. Sprinkle 1 generous teaspoon sugar evenly over. Whisk cream and 1 egg in small bowl to blend. Pour custard into crust. Sprinkle remaining sugar, 1 teaspoon at a time, over custard. Brush edges of crust with glaze.

Bake tart until crust is puffed and golden brown and custard is set in center, about 30 minutes. If crust is brown but custard is not yet set, drape foil loosely over pan and bake until custard sets, about 5 minutes longer.

Cool tart in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides; remove pan sides. Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

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Brioche

Ingredients:
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
1/4 cup warm whole milk (110 degrees F to 115 degrees F)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast (measured from two 1/4-ounce envelopes)
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 T sugar
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Preparing the brioche:
Combine 1/4 cup warm water and warm milk in bowl of heavy-duty mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Sprinkle yeast over and stir to moisten evenly. Let stand until yeast dissolves, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Add flour and salt to yeast mixture. Blend at medium-low speed until shaggy lumps form, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Beat in sugar. Increase mixer speed to medium; beat until dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Reduce speed to low. Add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until blended after each addition, about 4 minutes (dough will be soft and silky). Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and climbs paddle, 8 to 9 minutes.

Lightly butter large bowl. Scrape dough into bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.

Gently deflate dough by lifting around edges, then letting dough fall back into bowl, turning bowl and repeating as needed. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and chill, deflating dough in same way every 30 minutes until dough stops rising, about 2 hours. Chill overnight. (At this point, use the dough to make 12 brioches, or 6 brioches and 1 tart, or 2 tarts.)

Butter 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces; cut each piece into thirds. Roll each small piece between palms into ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup).

Place muffin pan in warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over. Let dough rise until light and almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups), 50 to 60 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Place muffin pan on rimmed baking sheet. Gently brush egg glaze over risen dough, being careful that glaze does not drip between dough and pan (which can prevent full expansion in oven).

Bake brioches until golden brown, covering with foil if browning too quickly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Remove brioches from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information:
One serving contains the following:
Calories (kcal) 235.7
%Calories from Fat 49.6
Fat (g) 13.0
Saturated Fat (g) 7.6
Cholesterol (mg) 101.2
Carbohydrates (g) 24.1
Dietary Fiber (g) 0.7
Total Sugars (g) 4.5
Net Carbs (g) 23.4
Protein (g) 5.4

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Vietnamese Banh Mi-Style Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
2 T sriracha (Thai hot sauce)
2 cooked chicken breasts, sliced
1/4 cup sweet red chili sauce
1 to 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced
2/3 English cucumber, peeled and thickly sliced
Mint and cilantro leaves
2 cups shredded lettuce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 T seasoned rice vinegar

To make the sandwich, spread both sides of the baguettes with mayonnaise and sriracha. Arrange chicken over the bottom halves and moisten with chili sauce. Add jalapeños, cucumber, and herbs, then drizzle with more sauce. Toss the lettuce and carrots with the vinegar, add to the sandwiches, then finish with more chili sauce, if you’d like. Add top halves.

Serve with lots of napkins.

Serves 4. Per serving: 280 calories, 22g carbs, 17g protein, 40mg cholesterol, and 13g fat.

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Take-Out Sesame Noodles

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. thin spaghetti
1 T Asian sesame oil
1/2 lb. cooked and finely shredded chicken
1/4 English cucumber, peeled and cut in slivers
1/2 red pepper, diced
10 snow peas, thinly sliced across
3/4 cup bean sprouts

Ingredients for the sauce:
6 T peanut butter
5 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T warm water
1 T Asian sesame oil
1 T rice vinegar
1/4 cup chopped ginger
3 cloves garlic, chopped

Note: For quick chicken, boil 6 cups salted water, 1 clove garlic, and 4 slices ginger; lower heat, add cutlets, and simmer until opaque.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a blender or mini food processor and whir until smooth.
Cook the spaghetti following package directions. Drain, rinse, and toss with the sesame oil and chicken. Add the sauce and mix until evenly combined.
Top with the crunchy vegetables and serve immediately.

Serves 4. Per serving: 550 calories, 56g carbs, 34g protein, 45mg cholesterol, and 22g fat.

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Shrimp & Rice Noodle Salad

Ingredients for the sauce:
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
3 T water

Ingredients for the salad:
3/4 lb. Asian rice noodles, aka vermicelli, cooked and rinsed according to package directions, then cut into smaller pieces with scissors
1/3 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
4 large carrots, shredded (about 3 cups)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 small white onions, thinly sliced
1 lb. peeled and cooked shrimp
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped mint
Chopped peanuts or cashews

Whisk the sauce ingredients together until blended.

Toss the rice noodles vermicelli, lettuce, carrots, garlic, and onions together in a large serving bowl. Put the shrimp in the center and scatter the herbs around them. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the salad.

At the table, toss the salad and pass the sauce.

Note: Leftover sauce is good on pork, chicken, or green salad.

Serves 4. Per serving: 440 calories, 70g carbs, 28g protein, 170mg cholesterol, and 6g fat.

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