INGREDIENTS:

• 1 boneless beef brisket, flat cut (2-1/2 to 3-1/2 pounds)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cups sliced unpeeled apples, such as Fuji, Gala, or Macintosh (about 1-1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat until hot. Place brisket in stockpot; brown evenly. Remove brisket; season with salt and pepper.

2. Reserve 1/2 cup onion for apples. Add remaining onion and garlic to stockpot. Cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Return brisket, fat side up, to stockpot. Add apple cider; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover tightly and simmer 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until brisket is fork-tender.

3. Meanwhile, heat butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until melted. Add apples and remaining onion; cook and stir 5 to 7 minutes or until apples are just tender. Add cranberries and brown sugar; cook 4 to 6 minutes or until cranberries are tender and juices are thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in walnuts. Keep warm.

4. Remove brisket; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking liquid. Bring cooking liquid to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 10 to 12 minutes or until reduced by half, stirring occasionally.

5. Carve brisket diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with reduced cooking liquid and apple mixture.

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick
• 1/2 cup water

Marinade & Sauce:

• 1/2 cup teriyaki marinade and sauce
• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in small saucepan over medium heat, whisking just until blended. Remove from heat. Place steak and 1/3 cup marinade mixture in plastic bag; turn steak to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once. Reserve remaining marinade mixture for sauce.
2. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of beef is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil steak 16 to 21 minutes for medium rare (145°F) to medium (160°F) doneness, turning once.
3. Meanwhile add water to reserved sauce in small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. Carve steak into slices. Serve steak with sauce.

SERVES 4

• ½ cup water
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 small papayas (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ¼ teaspoon finely ground lime zest
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring water, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt to a boil.

2. Continue to cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.

3. Using a food processor, purée papaya, zest, and lime juice.  Pour mixture through a fine strainer set over a large glass measure or bowl, pressing hard on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.  Refrigerate mixture until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.

4. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.  (The sorbet will be soft when churned, but ready to eat.  For a firmer texture, transfer to a freezer container, and freeze for at least 2 hours.)

5. Serve scooped into bowls or stemmed glasses.

SERVES 4

• 2 ½ cups water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, preferably jasmine or basmati
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 rough-cut brown sugar cubes
• 1 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
• 2 large firm ripe mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 3/8-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring water and salt to a boil in a large heavy saucepan over high heat.  Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and let rice stand, covered for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in milk, coconut milk, and sugar into rice and bring mixture just to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, stirring frequently at first and constantly toward the end, until mixture is thick and creamy and rice is very soft, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring frequently to prvent a skin from forming.

3. Refrigerate rice pudding, tightly covered, until thoroughly chilled and set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

4. Crush sugar cubes with a mortar and pestle until broken up into small pieces.  Add zest and stir until well combined.  Stir together mango and lime juice in a medium bowl.

5. To serve, spoon a layer of ½ cup rice pudding into each of 8 short glasses.  Add 2 tablespoons of mango to each, top with a generous ¼ cup pudding, and add another 2 tablespoons of mango.  Garnish each serving with lime zest and sugar mixture.  Serve immediately.

SERVES 8

• ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 small firm ripe bananas, peeled, halved crosswise and lengthwise
• ¼ cup dark rum
• 1 pint ice cream
• 4 teaspoons cocao nibs

DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a 12 inch nonstick skillet.  Stir in brown sugar and cook, stirring about 1 minute, until thickened and bubbly.  Add bananas and cook, turning gently to coat with sugar mixture and cook evenly, about 2 minutes.  Remove pan from heat.

2. Heat rum in a small saucepan over low heat just until warm.  Remove pan from heat and ignite with a long match.  Pour rum over bananas and gently shake skillet until flames die out.

3. Scoop ice cream onto serving plates or into bowls and add bananas.  Sprinkle with nibs and serve immediately.

SERVES 4

• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
• ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 ripe fresh pineapple, trimmed and cut into ¾-inch-thick half-circles
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, separated
• ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Position a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F.

2. Process ½ cup of the sugar and ginger in a food processor until ginger is finely ground, about 1 minute.

3. Melt ¼ cup of the butter in an ovenproof 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add brown sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Add pineapple, increase heat to high, bring mixture just to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes.  Remove skillet from heat and set aside.  Arrange pineapple slices in a pleasing pattern in the skillet.

4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

5. Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat remaining ½ cup butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy.  Add ginger sugar and remaining ½ cup granulated sugar and beat, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary, until very light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes.  Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until blended.  Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture alternately with milk, in 2 batches each, scraping down sides of bowl.  Beat just until blended.

6. With clean beaters on medium speed, beat egg whites in a medium bowl just until foamy.  Increase speed to medium-high, add cream of tartar, and beat just until egg whites form stiff peaks when beaters are lifted.  With a whisk or a rubber spatula, fold ¼ of whites into flour mixture; continue to gently fold in whites; one quarter at a time, until all whites have been added.

7. Spoon batter over pineapple and gently smooth top with a rubber spatula; the batter will spread to completely cover pineapple during baking.  Bake until top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.  Let cool in skillet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

8. Run a rubber spatula around edges of cake, then invert it onto a heatproof serving platter, leaving skillet over cake for 5 minutes.  Remove skillet and serve cake warm, cut into wedges.

SERVES 8

Passion fruit curd:

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 5 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup thawed frozen passion fruit purée
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Meringue:

• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup gradulated sugar
• ¾ cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1. To make curd: Melt butter in a medium heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.  Remove pan from the heat and whisk in egg yolks, sugar, passion fruit purée, and salt.  Return to medium heat and cook, whisking frequently at first and constantly toward the end, until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Immediately pour curd through a fine strainer set over a medium glass measure or bowl.  Whisk in lime juice.  Let cool to room temperature, whisking occasionally; curd will continue to thicken as it cools.  Refrigerate, tightly covered, until thoroughly chilled and set, about 2 hours.

3. To make meringue: Position a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°F.  Trace a 9-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper.  Place paper on a baking sheet.

4. Toast coconut on another baking sheet, shaking pan occasionally, until dark golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Transfer coconut to a plate to cool.  Reduce oven temperature to 225°F.

5. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites in a large bowl until foamy.  Increase speed to medium-high, add cream of tartar and salt, and beat just until soft peaks from when beaters are lifted.  Add sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat just until stiff peaks form.  With a whisk or a rubber spatula, fold in ¾ cup of the toasted coconut.

6. Spoon meringue into parchment circle on baking sheet, scooping sides upward to form a raised edge, (or spoon into 8 individual-serving cups).  Bake for 1-hour, or until the meringue is dry to the touch.  Turn off oven and leave meringue in oven for 2 hours.  Peel off paper.

7. Just before serving, use an electric mixer on high speed to beat cream in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.  Beat in passion fruit curd just until combined well.  Spoon filling into meringue shell, and sprinkle remaining coconut on top.  Serve immediately.

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS:

In advance:

• 1 cup dates, each date cut across into 3
• 1 cup prunes, each prune cut into quarters
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup boiling water

• 4 ounces butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 extra large egg
• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour, sifted
• 1 cup whole walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put the dates, prunes, raisins, baking soda, and boiling water in a small bowl then stir together and set aside for no less than one hour, and up to 2 hours.

2. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.

3. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line base with buttered wax paper.

4. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer, cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for 2 more minutes. Add the flour and slowly beat in.

5. Remove the bowl from the mixer and tip in the fruit. Stir to combine well then fold in the walnuts.

6. Pour into pan and bake for total of 50 minutes. If cake gets very dark, without removing pan from oven lay piece of foil over whole pan for final 20 minutes.

7. Cut around the vertical sides of the pan when it comes out of the oven in case any of the fruit has stuck to the metal then leave to cool for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf out and reverse onto a rack to cool.

MAKES 1 LOAF

INGREDIENTS:

Dry ingredients:

• 2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 ½ cups wheat bran (1 tablespoon reserved for tops)
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

Wet ingredients:

• ½ teaspoon orange zest, grated
• 1/3 cup orange juice
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk
• 1 extra large egg
• ½ cup blackstrap molasses
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Chunky ingredients:

• 1 cup Golden Delicious apples, peeled, chopped in ½-inch pieces
• ½ cup dark raisins
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons, walnuts, chopped, reserved for tops

DIRECTIONS:

1. Position a rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a muffin or line with papers and set aside.

2. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. In a deeper medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

4. Pour the wet over the dry, quickly scatter on the chunky, and fold together lightly until just mixed. Fill the muffin cups equally and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

MAKES 12-16 MUFFINS, DEPENDING ON PAN SIZE

INGREDIENTS:

• 18 whole sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water (half a cup, chopped)
• 1 large egg for egg wash
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
• 6 ounces chévre cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup scallions, chopped
• 1 large egg
• 2/3 cup buttermilk, approximately
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rehydrate tomatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and squeeze our excess water, then chop and reserve. Spray a baking sheet and preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash.

2. In a large bowl, mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cracked pepper. Crumble chévre and add to the flour mixture with the scallions, toss to mix. Whisk together egg and ½ cup buttermilk and olive oil, stir into dry mixture. If it seems stuff, and more buttermilk. Stir in tomatoes. Divide in half and scrape out onto a floured counter. Shape each half into a round and cut into wedges. Brush tops with egg wash. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden.

MAKES 12 SMALL SCONES