AKA Rabbit Braised in Oil Piedmont Style
from Fiamma by Michael White

4 young rabbit hind quarters or 1 young rabbit, cut into serving pieces
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound fresh porcini or cremini mushrooms, wiped, stems trimmed, and quartered
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice (3/4 cup)
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/3 inch dice (1/3 cup)
1 medium rib celery, trimmed and diced (1/3 cup)
2 shallots, chopped
1 head garlic, loose papery outer skin removed and sliced in half horizontally
3 large sprigs fresh rosemary
3 large sprigs fresh sage
1/2 TBSP whole juniper berries
1/2 TBSP whole black peppercorns
2 to 3 cups olive oil, for covering the rabbit

4 cups mixed salad greens, washed and dried
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season the rabbit liberally with salt and pepper. Put the rabbit, mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, shallots, garlic, rosemary, sage, juniper berries, and peppercorns in a heavy pot just large enough to hold the rabbit in a single layer. Pour on enough olive oil to cover. Transfer to the oven and cook until the rabbit is tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Begin testing after 1 hour. Remove the pot from the oven and let the rabbit cool to room temperature.

Spoon the mushrooms and vegetables over the rabbit and serve immediately.

Toss the mixed greens in a bowl with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the olive oil from the pot used to cook the rabbit. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, and toss.

Notes: 2009 New Year's dish. Served with Centine 2006, a blend of 60% Sangiovese; 20% Cabernet Sauvignon; 20% Merlot (aged an additional year in the wine cabinet) -- a bright fruity taste with medium to full-bodied mouth-feel. Bottled by Banfi (Montalcino).

I'd never done oil-braising before and had a brief moment of trepidation after settling on the recipe. The big surprise, however, was that the rabbit needed to be further butchered. In the past, it had come already cut into pieces. Despite wishing I had a boning knife, it turned out alright in the end. In any case, it came out really well -- infused with flavor and succulent. First recipe tried from this cookbook, and it bodes well for future applications....

As suggested in the cookbook, the leftover oil is also great to use for frying potatoes.

Also, leftovers re-heated a couple days later were really delicious; especially flavorful were the roasted mushrooms (should put more in the next time).

The leftover roasted garlic (if it doesn't entirely disintegrate) is good mixed into a spread or used to doctor up a pasta sauce.

Dressy Chocolate Loaf Cake w/ Raspberry Coulis
adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
by Dorie Greenspan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, less 1 tsp
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream

Frosting:
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 F. Butter a 9 1/2 by 5 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on an insulated baking sheet.

Stir together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Working with the stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minutes after each one goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the sour cream. Still working on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix only until they disappear into the batter. Give the batter a last stir with a sturdy rubber spatula and scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. If, after about 45 minutes, the cake looks as if it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake rest for about 5 minutes before turning it out onto the rack. Cool to room temperature.

To make the frosting; Fit a heatproof bowl into a pan of gently simmering water, add the chocolate and warm, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted. Still working over the hot water, stir in the sour cream. Don't be concerned if the cream tightens -- just keep stirring gently and the frosting will become smooth and glossy. Remove and cover the heat and cover the sidesand top of the cake with the still-warm frosting.

Raspberry Coulis:
1 cup red raspberries
1 1/2 TBSP sugar

Put the berries and sugar in a blender or food processor and whir until pureed. Taste and mix in more sugar if needed. Press the coulis through a strainer or a food mill to eliminate seeds.

Notes: The original recipe calls for a raspberry jam-based filling to be layered into the cake. Instead, this had a raspberry coulis, also from the same cookbook. This was a dense cake with a rich texture. The espresso powder was also an addition to give it a richer, deeper flavor. Yum.

Duck Breast with Orange Chipotle Sauce
adapted from Gourmet (October 2005)

For sauce
1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup (preferably dark amber or Grade B)
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 (3- to 4-inch) cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt

For duck
2 (7- to 8-oz) Long Island (also called Pekin) duck breast halves with skin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Boil all sauce ingredients in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, skimming foam occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to about 1/2 cup, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand until duck is ready.

Preheat oven to 300 F. Crosshatch skin of duck breasts. Sprinkle duck with salt and pepper. Heat heavy large skillet over high heat. Add duck breasts, skin side down, to skillet. Cook until skin is well browned, about 4 minutes. Turn duck breasts over; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Set rack in roasting pan. Transfer duck breasts to rack (reserve drippings in skillet). Roast duck to desired doneness, about 20 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from pan and let rest 5 minutes.

Before serving, deglaze skillet with sauce and add any drippings from the roasting pan.

Notes: I wanted something a little different for my birthday dinner. I'd settled on duck breast as a treat, but though I love Duck Breast with Orange Tea Sauce, I wanted to spice things up a bit. And this did the trick. At first bite, this is a little sweet and tangy (the lime juice), but then the heat starts to kick in. The recipe originally calls for the duck to be broiled, but I prefer this method. Served with Alton Brown's Perfect Fingerling Potatoes.

Alton Brown's Perfect Fingerling Potatoes

1 1/4 pounds kosher or rock salt
2 quarts water
2 pounds small fingerling potatoes, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives, optional

In a large pot, combine the salt, water, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pot to a cooling rack and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve as is or with butter, pepper, or chives.

Notes: The lovely thing about this recipe is the good clear taste of the potatoes. These came from a local farmers' market, and this was a great way to appreciate them.

Creme Brulee
from Glorious French Food
by James Peterson

3 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise, or 2 tsp vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar (for the custard)
2/3 cup granulated sugar (for the glazing)

Preheat the oven to 325 F

Bring the cream to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed nonaluminum pot with the vanilla bean halves (if you're using extract, don't add it yet). Let the cream sit, covered, for 15 minutes to infuse the flavor of the vanilla. Spoon the vanilla halves out of the hot cream. Scrape out the tiny seeds with a paring knife. Put the seeds and the pod back into the cream.

Lightly whisk the egg yolks with the 3/4 cup sugar in a mixing bowl. If you're using vanilla extract instead of the bean, whisk it into the egg yolk mixture.

Strain the hot cream, a bit at a time, into the egg mixture. Don't use too fine a strainer or you'll strain out all the specks of vanilla, which look great in the creme brulee. Discard the pod. Stir the egg mixture with the whisk for a few seconds after each addition of cream so the hot cream doesn't curdle the yolks. Don't whisk the egg mixture or you'll make it frothy and it won't be smooth on top when you bake it. Just stir gently, making sure you're incorporating the egg yolks into the cream.

Ladle the cream mixture into one medium-size gratin dish, or six 5- or 6-ounce individual gratin dishes or ramekins. Arrange the dish or dishes in a baking dish with high sides and place it on the oven rack. Use a teakettle or ladle to pour in enough hot tap water to com halfway up the sides of the molds. Cover the bain-marie with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent the custards from forming a crust on top.

Start checking the custards after about 45 minutes by peeling back the foil and wiggling them very slightly back and forth. If they're not done, the surface will ripple. As they continue to cook, the ripples will appear only in the smaller area near the center of the custard. When there's no rippling at all, take the bain-marie out of the oven, and then take the custards out of the bain-marie. Let them cool for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate them for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. At this stage you can leave them, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge for several days.

When you're ready to glaze the custards, which should be cold, glaze them within a couple hours of serving. Use a spoon to sprinkle them with a thin layer of granulated sugar just thick enough so you can't see the top of the custard.

It's easiest to glaze the creme brulee by waving the flame of a small propane torch over their surface, until the sugar melts into a shiny caramel glaze. Allow them to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes: Creme brulee is one of my most favorite desserts but I have never previously attempted to make it at home. Then some brave person decided to give me a plumbers' torch as a gift. After all, it's something every girl should have in their kitchen, as I learned from watching Julia Child. With that obstacle removed, it was only a matter of time. I opted to try this recipe as I found the instructions for the bain-marie (on the previous page, not included here) and the cooking of the custard more detailed than some. Now that I've done it, I might try some variations from elsewhere. I need to concentrate on getting a smoother texture for my custard, but the overall flavor and the glaze came out quite well. And, oh yeah, the torch was fun.

At a recent farmers' market, I ran across -- and bought -- Japanese eggplant, which I had never cooked with before. In fact, I haven't consumed any variety of eggplant in a very long time after an unfortunate eggplant parmesan encounter when I was quite young. This recipe may have broken that block...

Spicy Eggplant
from Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking

For the Sauce:
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 TBSP hoisin sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp plum sauce

4 Asian eggplants (about 1 pound), stems removed
vegetable oil for deep-frying

2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/2 jalapeno chili, sliced into rings
pinch of ground Sichuan peppercorns

basil leaves
chopped cilantro or sliced green onions

Prepare the sauce: Stir the chicken stock, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice and plum sauce together in a small bowl until blended.

Cut the eggplant lengthwise into quarters, then cut crosswise into 3-inch pieces.

Pour enough oil into a 2-quart saucepan to come to a depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium heat to 350 F. Deep-fry the eggplant in batches until tender, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well on paper towels. Reserve the oil.

Heat a wok over high heat until hot. Add 1 TBSP of the reserved oil and swirl to coat the sides. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add the sauce and bring to a simmer.

Add the eggplant and stir to coat. Scoop onto a warm serving platter. Serve garnished with basil leaves and cilantro or green onions.

Notes: As per the recommendation in the book, this was served with strips of pork marinated in char siu sauce and also stir-fried. This nicely complimented the spicy flavor of the eggplant dish, and that was even with the fact that I ended up leaving out the sliced jalapeno.

Salmon with Agrodolce Sauce
from Gourmet April 2008

3 TBSP olive oil, divided
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (1 inch thick) with skin
2 medium red onions (about 1 pound total), each cut into 8 wedges
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 TBSP unsalted butter

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Pat salmon dry and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then cook, skin side up, until undersides form a golden crust, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn fish over and cook until just cooked through, about 3 minutes more.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onions until golden brown and crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in vinegar, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until sauce is syrupy, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Spoon onions with sauce onto plates and top with salmon, skin side down.

Notes: Somewhat reminiscent of Tuna Trapani Style. I tried this because I scored the Sockeye Salmon on sale again. Still very impressed with the texture of the fish. This had a lovely, tangy taste. Will definitely try again.

4th of July weekend, Part II

Broiled Sockeye Salmon with Citrus Glaze
recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

1 side, skin-on, sockeye salmon, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, pin bones removed
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 TBSP lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Position a rack in the oven 3 inches from the broiler. Line a half sheet pan with aluminum foil and place the salmon on the pan.

Place the sugar, zest, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a small food processor and process for 1 minute or until well combined. Evenly spread the mixture onto the salmon and allow to sit for 45 minutes, at room temperature.

Turn the oven on to the high broiler setting for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, place the salmon into the oven and broil for 6 to 8 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish reaches an internal temperature of 131 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the salmon from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes:Having recently caught part of Alton Brown's salmon episode of Good Eats, when I spied the Sockeye Salmon on sale, I could not resist trying it out. And the texture and depth of flavor in the fish made me really understand why this is so much better than the regular farm-raised salmon. I also cooked it on a cedar plank in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, turning up the broiler at the end to get the crust.

4th of July weekend, Part I

Rib-Eye Steaks with Mexican Barbecue Sauce
from Weber's Real Grilling
by Jamie Purviance

Sauce
1 large ancho chile pepper, about 1/2 ounce, stem and seeds removed
3 plum tomatoes, cored and cut in half lengthwise
2 slices red onion, each about 1/2 inch think
extra virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, smashed
3 TBSP cider vinegar
2 TBSP light brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves

4 rib-eye steaks, about 12 ounces each and 1 inch thick
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

To make the sauce:
In a small bowl, cover the ancho chile with 3/4 cup boiling water and allow the chile to soften for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Lightly brush or spray the tomatoes and onions with oil. Grill over Direct High heat until slightly charred, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once. Place the chile and soaking water, tomatoes and onions in a blender or food processor. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and process until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the sauce into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook from 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Pour half of the sauce into a small bowl to brush on the steaks as they grill; reserve the rest to serve with the steaks.

Allow the steaks to stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before grilling. In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, brown sugar, and pepper. Lightly brush or spray the steaks on both sides with oil; season with the spice mixture. Grill the steaks over Direct High heat until cooked to desired doneness, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, brushing with sauce and turning once. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with the reserved sauce.

Notes:The ancho chile hunt was formidable. If I'd decided on this sooner, I would have ordered them from Penzey's but instead a grocery-store crawl ensued. I was so pleased to be finally successful. Since I was making the sauce the night before, I broiled the vegetables rather than grilling them. As for the sauce itself, it was well worth the effort. A nice roasted heat that built slowly over the course of the meal and an under-current of the more complex flavors from the spices. Definitely a winner.

Last month, when I was in London for the Book Fair, I had the opportunity to try out a couple new restaurants.

I met up with a client at Wodka Restaurant located at 12 St. Albans Grove in the Kensington area. I had a long leisurely walk from my hotel in South Kensington through some gorgeous domestic neighborhoods to arrive at an unprepossessing restaurant-front that led to a clean and crisp interior with an elegance that belied its simplicity.

Originally, I had very much wanted to try their foie gras blinis, but was regretfully told they were not serving them that night. Instead the two appetizers ordered were kaszanka and pelimeni. The former is a grilled black sausage, somewhat similar to blood sausage, and served with pickled red cabbage and pear -- the pear added a nice counterpoint, I thought. Pelimini harks back to Siberian sources -- they are veal dumplings with bread crumbs and butter. Very rich and quite filling, I didn't make it through the entire serving before deciding I needed to pause to be sure I had room for the main course.

For entrees: We ordered spicy beef goulash with potato dumplings. This came served in a cast iron staub pot. I must admit, it is nothing like the goulash I ate as a child which was an American imitation (it didn't even have smoked paprika in it) that put me off the dish for years. This had a rich sauce and was full of roasty flavor. For the other dish, there was roast guinea fowl stuffed with goat cheese and herbs. Very tender and tasty.

The wine chosen for dinner was Cotes du Rhone Villages "Nature", Domaine La Fourmente, Visan 2007. This is a mix of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah from clay soils and mature vines (25-55 years). A lovely dark red with a peppery and fruity taste.

By the time we finished, we just didn't have room for dessert. I was very tempted by the poached pear with chocolate sauce, evenso.