Onion Flatbread

These make a tasty snack on their own, or go well with hummus. It's tricky to get an even layer of the batter onto the cookie sheet, which is why you'll get gummier parts that might need a bit more time. You should do this only after cutting up the sheet of baked flatbread since the parts that are done will over crisp.

1¾ cups (410g) water 

¼ cup (50g) olive oil + extra for drizzling 

1⅔ cups (200g) flour 

1 tsp salt

2 onions (17oz/500g), sliced thin

⅓ cup (40g) grated parmesan 

2 Tbsps. (20g) cornmeal 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (or 400?).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the water, flour, olive oil, and salt until the mixture is smooth and forms a fairly liquid batter.
3. Stir in the onions to coat. Let sit for a half hour, up to overnight.
4. SEE NOTE 3 ABOVE Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and pour the batter into the tray, holding back or setting aside the onion (I used a collander). Use a spatula for spreading the batter out evenly.
5. Arrange the onion pieces evenly across the pan.
6. Combine the parmesan and the cornmeal in a small bowl and evenly sprinkle on top.
7. Drizzle a little olive oil on top to give extra flavor and crispness.
8. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes or until golden and crispy on the edges.
9. Serve warm (not hot!), cut into wedges or rectangles.
10. NOTE: if there are any pieces still too squishy, put them back in the oven for 15 minutes or until the desired doneness is achieved.

Beef Brisket

For flavorful, fall-apart protein-rich goodness, this inexpensive cut brings much richness. And it makes for the best beef sandwiches with the leftovers... if there are any. It may be more than 1hr per lb, but this is a good starting place. The thing to look for really is how tender it is or how tender you want it to be.

Spice Mix

2 Tbsps. chili powder

2 Tbsps. salt

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsps. dry mustard

1 bay leaf, crushed

Roast

Beef brisket (4lbs. recommended, but any weight is fine)

1½ cups beef stock

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf.
3. Generally season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub.
4. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
5. Add beef stock and enough water to yield about ½ inch of liquid in the roasting pan.
6. Lower oven to 300F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for the equivalent of an additional 1 hour per lb, or until fork-tender, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 
7. Allow to rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
8. Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

Pizza Dough

This is an easy dough recipe and, the philistine that I am, I use any flour I have, primarily all purpose. The thin crusts are my favorite, I like them with crunch!

Makes : 1 thick crust or 2 thin crusts

Time: Approx 2hrs

4 cups (520g) white flour + more as needed

2½ tsps. (14g) dry active yeast

1½ tsp salt

2 Tbsps. olive oil + more for brushing

1¼ cups warm water (105 to 110°F)

1/4 cup tomato sauce

Cheese of choice (80-100g)

Toppings of choice 

1. Use some of the water (the ¼ cup is fine) to dissolve the yeast.
2. If using a mixer, combine all the ingredients. With a dough attachment, turn on the machine to medium-low speed (Kitchen Aid = 2) 
3. Let rest 2 min then mix another 30 secs.
4. Remove and hand knead on a floured surface for at least 4 mins. NOTE also cover with flour before starting to knead. The dough is sticky! It will absorb the flour on the board, so add more flour to the board as it becomes too sticky.
5. If mixing by hand, on a board or the counter, make a mound of flour, sprinkle on the salt, create a bowl in the center of the flour mound, and start adding the oil, water and dissolved yeast, combining with your fingers. 
6. As when making pasta, the dough is sticky! It will absorb the flour on the board, so add more flour to the board as it continues to stick to your hands. BUT keep in mind that the more flour you add, the tougher the dough will be. Otherwise, it will be quite sticky to start but should become whole feel like slightly tacky ball of dough. Knead for about 4 minutes.
7. Oil a bowl and put the dough in to rise. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 1½ hours in a warm draft-free place.
8. Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 mins (if no stone use a cast iron frying pan as preheat-sink and place dough on top of heated cast iron pan).
9. While the oven and pizza stone are heating up, spread out dough by hand. 
10. Use a fork to pierce the dough all over.
11. Brush with olive oil, all the way to the edges.
12. Put the toppings on, and sprinkle very lightly a little salt all around the oiled edges.
13. Turn down the temperature to 425°F and cook for 20 mins OR until the edges start to brown (note that the dough will cook another 5 on the counter as it cools).
14. Let cool on rack or perforated pizza pan.

Classic Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles appear to be much like peanut butter cookies in that there appears to be near universal agreement on the recipe. I was searching because this is not food of my people, but food of Ben's people. For years I thought it was a Christmas tradition for him to have snickerdoodles, but apparently I was mistaken and you can have them anytime. Therefore, I shall!

Cookie

1 cup (8oz/225gr) butter at room temperature

1½ cups (11oz/315g) sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsps. vanilla

2¾ cup (13oz/365g) flour

1½ tsps. cream of Tartar

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

¼ cup sugar (2 Tbsps.)

1½ Tbsps. cinnamon (3½ tsps.)

1. Place oven rack in the top ⅓ of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar for 4 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the eggs and vanilla. Cream for 1 to 2 minutes longer until you feel that it has fluffed up enough. 
3. Stir in the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt, just until combined. 
4. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. 
5. If time allows, wrap the dough and let refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.  
6. Roll into small balls (½ oz to 1 oz) until round and smooth. 
7. Drop into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll to cover either half or the whole ball of dough. 
8. Place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet, cinnamon sugar-coated face up, and gently flatten to a thick 1¼" disc. 
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges just start to brown.  Let cool for several minutes on the baking sheet before removing from the pan. 

NOTE: Do not freeze, or freezing is not recommended - it changes the texture.

Pouding chaude au chocolat ou Fudge a Marie-Thérèse

I feel so much pride in being able to share family recipes. This is from the collection of my maternal Grandmother, Marie-Thérèse Noël-de-Tilly/Lambert. It is in a similar vein as the Québecois dessert Pouding Chômeur (to come to this cooking page, soon) and is singularly bizarre in my mind. With the help of family, I think I've mostly worked out the chemistry behind it. It's best served lukewarm instead of hot, so that the sauce has a chance to thicken, so let it rest at least a half hour before serving. It's equally good cold the next day.

1 cup flour (135g)
½ tsp baking soda (2g)
Pinch of salt (2g)
¾ cup sugar (152g)
2 Tbsps cocoa (11g)
Milk (see instruction #3)
2 Tbsps white vinegar 
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) melted butter
1 cup chopped nuts

THE SAUCE
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsps cocoa (22g)
OPTIONAL ½ tsp cinnamon
1¾ cups boiling water

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa. Make a well in the center.
3. In a half-cup measure, put in 2 Tbsps of white vinegar and fill to the ½ cup mark with milk. Add to the well.
4. Add the melted butter, along with the nuts. 
5. Mix well and place in a greased, square baking dish. Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar and second measure of cocoa (optional cinnamon at this point as well). Whisk in the boiling water until perfectly uniform.
7. Pour the sauce over the batter and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
8. Serve lukewarm. (my grandmother indicates to serve it hot with the sauce ladled on top. Ultimately, it's your choice.)

Blue cheese Potatoes au Gratin

I suppose any blue cheese would do for this recipe, but the Cambozola makes for a lovely, savory-sweet dish. It is a high-octane recipe in terms of fat, given the high fat content of the cheese, but this is what creates the amazing mouth feel that makes every morsel so appealing.

4  potatoes (1lb 8oz), sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, minced

3  Tbsps (42gr) butter

3  Tbsps flour

1½  cups milk

1  tsp. salt

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced  (or 2 tsps dried)

100gr Cambozola cheese, grated

1. Place the oven rack in the middle position. Pre-heat to 350°F.
2. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and sauté the garlic until starting to colour.
3. With a whisk blend in the flour and cook until it turns pale golden and you've roasted out the floury flavor.
4. Add all the milk stirring constantly with the whisk to break up clods of flour, and season with salt, pepper and thyme.
5. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally with the whisk, until the sauce thickens.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
7. Place a quarter of the sliced potatoes in a one quart casserole dish or if you have an attractive oven-ready fry pan, it'll create a lovely rustic display and you only have to dirty one pan to make the dish! Alternate in quarters the first the potatoes and then the cheese sauce until you end with the last of the cheese sauce on top.
8. Bake uncovered for about 1hr + or until the potatoes are soft and a nice golden crust forms on top.

Straightforward Cornbread

A very simple and good version where I can dial down the sweet for savory and dial it back up for desert applications (buttered and slathered with maple syrup, oh my!).

1 cup milk (250g)

6 Tbsps (3oz/84 gr) melted fat (butter, lard, olive oil, whatever)

2 large eggs

1¼ cups (210g) cornmeal 

1¼ cup (180g) flour

2 Tbsps to ⅓ cup sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1. Heat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease bottom and side of a round cake pan or line with parchment paper.
3. Whisk the milk, butter and eggs in large bowl.
4. Plop in the remaining ingredients all at once and stir just until the flour is moistened (the batter will be lumpy).
5. Pour it into the pan.
6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and it passes the toothpick test.
7. Cut into wedges and serve.

Apple Crumble

I can't resist a simple, oldfashioned recipe. Easy and quick to make, this is such a comfort food, baked using our lovely mystery apples growing up on the hill at our old farm. I don't use store-bought quick cook oats but oats I roll myself from whole groats - the texture is just different enough that I prefer this to store-bought but, otherwise, they work well! With the Poudre Douce, it adds a little Mideaval flavor that does not go amiss. If you prefer things more simple, just an equal amount of cinnamon will do.

2 lbs apples, diced (weight before peeling and coring)
1 Tbsp flour
¼ cup white sugar
¾ tsp ground Poudre Douce
¼ cup water
--
1¼ cup quick cook rolled oats 
1¼ cup flour
¾ cup brown sugar (loosely packed)
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp Poudre Douce
½ tsp salt
¾ cup (6oz/169gr) melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl toss the cut apples with the flour, sugar and cinnamon, then pour over the water. Toss again before spreading out evenly in a 2 quart baking dish. 
3. Mix together all the dry ingredients for the topping, then pour in the melted butter and mix until it takes on an evenly crumbly consistency.
4. Spread this over the apples, but don't pack down. Try to maintain the crumbly texture.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown and some of the filling is bubbling around the edges. Remove, cover loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand for 10 minutes before serving (let's the apple filling come together). Just as good at room temperature.
6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Potato Quiche

It sounds boring. It sounds plain. It's nothing short of surprisingly delicious! So few ingredients, and so simple, yet it makes a lovely, surprisingly light quiche.

1 blind baked pie crust, completely cooled
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter (or ham fat for a bit of a smoked flavor)
8 to 10 oz potatoes, skin-on, grated
1 bunch chives, chopped fine (about 1 oz or 40 to 50 grams)
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (optional, substitute 1.5 oz of the cheddar for parmesan for an added kick)
3 large eggs

1 cup coffee cream OR ½ cup heavy cream + ½ cup milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1. Blind bake the pie crust if it isn't already.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
3. In a non-stick pan melt the butter and fry the grated potato over medium heat until just al dente. VARIATIONS - you can gently cook the potato and avoid browning it which will make for a very light quiche, OR cook the potato at a higher temperature to whichever degree of browning you want for a deeper flavour, a little like hash-browns.
4. Add the chives and turn off the heat, only slightly cooking the chives. Set aside.
5. In a bowl, whisk the eggs then add the cream, milk and mustards. Mix well.
6. Put the potato at the bottom of the crust. Make sure the potato is in small pieces so that the custard can seep into it; it may have glommed together into masses while pre-cooking. 
7. Following the potato is a layer of the grated cheese, and finally pour the egg mixture over all.
8. Bake in the oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the center is set, the custard is puffed up and browned.
9. To keep the quiche warm, cover it with aluminum foil and bake it in a preheated oven at 200-250F.

Frugal Pie

This is a delicious way of using up leftover meat and potatoes. I often will use any drippings or gravy instead of the broth, and I'll also make use of any leftover vegetables, popping them in at the last minute instead of cooking them again. Frugal can also mean delicious.

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter or bacon fat
1 onion, diced (TO DO: Measure the total quantity of veg and meat)
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
Optional 4oz mushroom, diced
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup broth (can be liquor from the roast)
¼ cup milk
1 sprig thyme, rosemary or sage
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
8 oz cold cooked red meat
1 lb potatoes (cold or already mashed, or see Step 7)

1. Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in butter until cooked through and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mince the meat by hand into small but recognizable chunks.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
4. Add flour to the sautée mixture, stirring well. Cook one minute, at least, or until well browned. This is important - cooking the flour in the buttered vegetables means the flour is absorbing all the liquids and fats in the pan, then cooking so that when you make the sauce, it will have carried all the lovely browning flavour with it, and it won't taste floury. 
5. Dump the broth and then the milk into the vegetable mixture and stir thoroughly. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the broth thickens and gets bubbly. 
6. Mix in the meat and put in a pie plate or casserole dish.
7. If they're not already mashed, prepare the potatoes with 3 Tbsps of milk or cream, and butter, to taste, along with a pinch of salt.
8. Layer the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture and put in the hot oven for 35 minutes or until the top browns.

Roasted Italian Sausage, Fennel and Red Peppers

This is wonderful. The result is the smoky roasted flavor of the broiled veg and meat coupled with the sweet, flavourful drippings that make up the intoxicating sauce. It's nice to have a bit of Commons Bread on hand to sop up the hot juices.
You can play with the ratios of vegetables. I tend to prefer less red pepper as it is a strong flavour compared to the fennel, and I love fennel so I tend to add more of that than others may like.
NOTE: The outer layer of fennel bulbs tend to be a bit tough but you don't want to discard it completely because a: it's yummy and b: it's a lot of the vegetable that is wasted. All you need to do is, with a paring knife, peel away the skin of the top layer and the flesh underneath is as sweet and lovely as the rest.

1½ lb hot or sweet Italian sausage links
1 or 2 red peppers cut into 2-inch pieces
2 med-to-small fennel bulbs, quartered and cut into 2-inch-wide pieces. See NOTE
1 large onion, quartered and cut into 2-inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Score the sausage lengthwise to split them open.
3. In a large bowl, toss together all the remaining ingredients (I do this with my hands to make sure I get everything really well covered with the salt and oil).
4. Place the sausage on a large baking sheet, cut-side down. Dump the oily vegetables on top, shifting everything around to have things on a single layer (you likely won't succeed but that's ok). It's ok if the sausage is partially exposed.
5. Broil 6-8 inches from the heat source, until the exposed parts of the sausages are browned and the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. With a spatula, flip everything over and stir, then broil until the sausage is just cooked through and the vegetables are softened, about 8 to 10 minutes more.
6. (Optional) Serve sprinkled with fennel fronds.

Cinnamon Plum Torte

A quick and wonderful cake, it takes a lot of fresh plums. If you have a glut of the fruit, this is a good recipe to use them all up! The juices of the plums create a centre to the cake that has a custard-like texture.

¾ cup sugar (165g) (PLUS 1 Tbsp to sprinkle on top)
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter

2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
12 Italian prune plums, cut in half and pitted
1 tsp ground cinnamon (or more, to taste)
Vanilla ice cream, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle position.
2. Cream the sugar and butter until it becomes pale, almost white. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt and beat to mix well. 
4. Dump in a 9" or 10" ungreased springform pan (you can line with parchment paper if you like); the dough will be quite thick, so spread it evenly along the bottom with a spatula or wooden spoon.
5. 24 plum halves is a lot of material to stuff into a 9" or 10" springform pan; I stand them on end and arrange them in a spiral.
6. NOTE on aesthetics: While cooking, the dough puffs up significantly. Therefore, if you want the plum spiral design to show on top, do not press the plums down into the batter. Conversely, if you want a smooth top to the cake, do press the plums down, but not quite to the bottom to allow a layer of dough to remain between the plum and the bottom of the pan. 
7. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and the remaining tablespoon of sugar to sprinkle over the plums.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the center tests done with a toothpick. 
9. Goes very nicely with vanilla ice cream.

FREEZING

• Can be frozen after baking. To thaw, take it out of the freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator, wrapped. 
• Next day take it out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature.
• If you want it warm. It's best to warm it a bit by putting it in a 160°C / 325°F oven for 10–15 minutes.

Sausage and Bean Stew with Squash

1 lb dry white beans (4 cups cooked)
Sprig thyme
4 parsley stalks
1 onion, quartered
2 Tbsps + ¼ cup olive oil
3 to 4 Spicy Italian sausages (about 1lb) (any sausage will do, but add more chilli flakes if the sausages are mild)
2 Tbsps chopped fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
Optional (if you like it super spicy) ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
8oz sweet squash, cubed (if using other squash, only peel if the rind is thick and hard)
1 tsp salt +
¾ cup chicken broth
1 large tomato, cubed
2 oz grated parmesan

1. The night before, soak the beans in lots of fresh water.
2. Next day, drain the soaking water, add fresh and throw in the thyme, parsley and onion. Bring to a boil and cook 30 to 60 minutes (depending on how fresh the dry beans are) or until the beans are soft. 
3. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Toss the squash with the 2 Tbsps of oil and sprinkle with some salt. Pop in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until browned, occasionally shaking things up to avoid burning the bottoms. 
6. When the squash and beans are nearly done, in a large saucepan, heat the ¼ cup olive oil until it starts to shimmer. Shallow fry the sausages, rosemary, garlic and the chilli for one minute.
7. Add the squash and fry for a further three minutes or until the sausage has browned.
8. Remove the sausage and cut into quarters. 
9. Put the sausage back in the pan and add the beans, bay leaf and salt.
10. Add the broth and tomato, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
11. Increase the heat for a rapid simmer and uncover to cook another 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
12. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and a thick slice fresh buttered crusty bread on the side.
13. Like most stews, this dish is best on the second day once the flavours have blended and the beans soaked up more flavour.

PREFERRED INGREDIENTS: Turban Squash, Cassoulet Beans, Hidatsa Shield Figure Beans

Baked Stew with Sausage, Potatoes and Cabbage

This has been most successful using small Charmant cabbages slightly under 1 lb. It's relatively simple and quick to put together, then you just have to sit back with a cocktail until it's done.

¼ cup (55g) olive oil + more for drizzling
1½ Tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 tsps caraway or fennel seeds
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 to 1¼ lb fingerling baby potatoes, or larger potatoes cut into chunks
1 onion (6oz/170g) cut into quarters (don't cut out the basal plate)
8 oz to 1lb cabbage, cut into wedges (don't cut out the heart to keep the leaves together)
¼ cup chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1½ pounds sweet Italian sausage, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves, pressed

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425°F. 
2. In a large bowl whisk together ¼ cup olive oil, vinegar, seeds, salt and pepper until emulsified.
3. Throw in the potatoes and onions and toss until covered in oil. 
4. Layer the cabbage at the bottom of a deep glass baking dish (Corning ware 4L casserole works well) and drizzle with some extra olive oil. Glass here is important because it's better at absorbing radiant heat than metal is. Also, packing the pot to almost full prevents any stagnant air to sit on top of the dish, preventing it from more direct access to this radiant heat, effectively creating uneven heat and slower cooking in the middle.
5. Pour in the chicken broth.
6. Layer the coated potatoes and onions on top. Nestle the bay leaves in among the veg.
7. To get the rest of the sauce out of the bowl, throw in the sausage chunks and toss. Put the sausage on top of the veg mix and pour over any extra marinade. 
8. Sprinkle the pressed garlic on the very top.
9. Cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. 
10. Uncover and cook until light golden brown and fully cooked, about 20 minutes. 

Peanut Butter Cookies - the United Nations of cookies

There is an amazing amount of agreement for peanut butter cookie recipes. This is not my recipe, but, apparently, a recipe from the global community. You might find variation on how the instructions are written, but the ingredients stay pretty much the same, in the vast majority of online and book sources.

1 cup (8oz/228gr) butter, room temperature
1 cup (9oz/255gr) creamy peanut butter
1 cup (7 ounces/200gr) packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar (7.5oz/215gr)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2½ cups (340g) flour

1. Cream butter, peanut butter and both sugars together.
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
3. Add baking soda, powder and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour.
5. Wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour and up to 72 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 375°F.
7. Roll into balls (1oz to 1.5oz), place on an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten, using a fork, to create a grid pattern.
8. Bake for 10 minutes (1oz balls) 15 minutes (1.5oz) depending on the size of your cookies (bottoms should just start to colour if you wanted to check).

Baked Italian Sausage and Potatoes

This is delicious simple and quick to throw together. Great with bread.

2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsps olive oil
2 tsps fresh rosemary, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 (a little under 1 lb) Italian sausages (sweet or hot), squeezed out of their casings and divided into quarters
3 (a little over 1lb) medium old potatoes, quartered (peel if you feel like it)
1 onion cut into 8ths (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup water

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Whisk together in a large bowl the vinegar, oil, rosemary and garlic.
3. Throw in the potato and sausage and stir until well covered in the marinade.
4. Place mixture into a ceramic or glass gratin dish lined with parchment paper (it sticks terribly to the dish without lining) and bake for 30 minutes, then turning and bake another 15, until sausage and potatoes are cooked through.

Pear and Chocolate Tart

It is extraordinary that there is no additional sugar added to this tart. I admit that we tend to like less sweet desserts, and if you do, I'd recommend sprinkling a tablespoon of sugar on top after the initial 10 minutes of baking.

Part 1 - the pie crust

1 cup (150g) flour
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
½ cup (4oz/114gr) butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1 Tbsp + cold water

1. Follow the instructions for the Pie Crust, but substitute the vanilla for 1 egg yolk and be careful about the amount of water you add to avoid having a wet dough. 
2. Put the crust to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Part 2 - the filling

4 oz/114g 70% dark chocolate, chopped fine
3 to 4 pears cut in half, peeled and cored
1 egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. After chilling the crust, sprinkle in the chopped chocolate, and arrange the pear halves, cut-side down, to fill the crust as completely as possible, most easily accomplished if arranged in an attractive flower pattern.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, yolk, cream and vanilla to make a simple custard.
4. Use a spoon to pour the custard mix evenly over the pears so that they have all been wet by the liquid - this will help them brown nicely. 
5. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn down the heat to 350°F and cook an additional 25 to 30 minutes.
6. If the pears have not caramelized, put under the broiler until they do.

Roast Chicken with Savoury Apple Mash

3 to 4 (1lb before coring) quartered and cored apples
2 (1 lb before coring) peeled and quartered onions
½ to 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp rosemary powder
1 generous pinch of salt and pepper
½ cup apple cider vinegar
4 lbs whole chicken
¼ cup (2oz/58gr) butter

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Toss the apples, onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme together in a roasting pan large enough to hold the chicken. Pour in the cider vinegar. 
3. Season chicken well with salt, pepper and rosemary powder and rest it on top of the apple mixture, on its left side. Put the butter as a block on top of the chicken and put in the oven; roast for 15 minutes and turn onto its back; roast another 15 minutes and turn onto its right side; Turn onto its breast and roast 30 minutes; turn onto its back and roast until the skin browns and the internal temperature of the breast is 165°F, about another 10 minutes.
4. Let the chicken rest about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, scoop out the apple, onion and garlic, leaving the juices behind to serve separately. Either use the coarse setting on a food mill or mash roughly, to push down the skins and herb stems and push up the delicious savoury/sweet apple and onion garlic and drippings blend. Scoop up the top part and discard the skins. Carve the bird, spoon some of the broth over it, and serve with the mashed apple mixture. 

Stuffed Baked Figs

Fresh figs are a fruit I associate with wonderful frivolousness. They're expensive and rare but so very delicious, stange, seedy watery soft sweet fruit. This is a quick way to elevate them to a light dessert.

8 to 12 fresh figs

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter, softened

2 Tbsps sugar

¼ cup pistachio or almond flour (or briefly run through a blender)

2 Tbsps flour

1. Heat the oven to broil. 
2. Cut a cross from the top about three-quarters of the way down into the figs. 
3. Mash together the butter, sugar, ground pistachios and flour and chill for 1 hour.
4. Divide chilled filling into as may balls as you have figs, and wedge into cross-cut of each. Broil a few minutes, until the nut mixture is golden and the figs are hot. 
5. Serve with whipped cream or crème fraîche.

Fresh Apricot Tarts

1 recipe of Cookie pie crust, completely cooled

3⁄4 pound apricots, pits discarded, cut into 1⁄4" wedges

4 tsps. sugar

1⁄2 cup apricot jam

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the Cookie pie crust to a 1⁄8" thick rectangle, about 6 by 11 inches. Using a 5" round cutter or a bowl, cut out 2 circles; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Using a fork, poke several holes in the crusts to prevent them from ballooning while cooking. Chill the dough on the sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 400°F and bake the crust until it's pale golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350°F. 
3. Cool the crust completely before going on to the next step.
4. Arrange the apricots in a fan shape on the crusts. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar on each tart and bake until the tarts are golden and the apricots start to brown, 25 to 35 minutes. As tarts bake, warm the jam in a saucepan. Remove the tarts from the oven and cool. Strain the jam into a bowl and discard the solids; this is your apricot glaze. Brush the glaze on the tarts and enjoy.