Prep time:
10 mins
 
Cooking time:
approx. 45 mins
 
Serves 4 as an appetizer
 
Equipment:
Large sauté pan with lid
 
Ingredients:
 4 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed (1 2/3 lb)
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (plus extra)
15 large cloves garlic, skin on
¼ cup verjuice (or mix ¼ cup lemon juice w/ 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar)
1 small tomato diced
1 cup vegetable stock
2 ½ Tablespoons capers
3 ½ Tablespoons black wrinkly olives in oil, halved and pitted
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 ½ teaspoons superfine sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 ½ Tablespoons ricotta (to serve, optional)
 
Directions:
Slice the trimmed fennel top to bottom into ¾” thick slices. In a large, lidded sauté pan, brown the slices in the olive oil over a medium heat until lightly caramelized on both sides. Do this in batches, seasoning with salt and pepper and adding extra oil as needed.
 
Once all the fennel is seared and removed from the pan, add the whole unpeeled garlic cloves and fry for about 3 minutes until the skin is blackened all over. Be sure to use all 15 cloves – once scorched they mellow and add sweetness to the tartness of the dressing.
 
Turn the heat down to medium and carefully add the verjuice. Deglaze the pan and reduce to about 2 Tablespoons of liquid. Add the tomato, about 7 Tablespoons of stock, capers, olives, thyme, sugar and ¼ teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes and return the fennel slices to the pan.
 
Add the rest of the stock, cover and simmer for about 12 minutes, turning the slices once during cooking, until they are completely soft and the sauce has thickened. If needed, remove the lid and turn the heat up to reduce and thicken the sauce.
 
Divide the fennel slices between the plates, spoon over the sauce. Serve with a spoonful of ricotta (if using) and some lemon zest. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve warm or at room temperature.

(adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi)

Yield: 1 drink
Preparation Time: 5 mins (plus syrup)                     

 
Ingredients

For the lavender simple syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lavender
 
For the drink:
1 small scoop raspberry sorbet
2 teaspoons lavender simple syrup
chilled sparkling wine
 
Directions

For the syrup:
Put sugar, water and lavender in a small saucepan, stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil over a medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until sugar is completely dissolved and the syrup has thickened slightly (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Transfer to a bottle and refrigerate until needed.
 
For the drink:
Drop a scoop of sorbet into a chilled coupe and add the lavender simple syrup. Pour over enough sparkling wine to fill the coupe, garnish with sprig of lavender. 

Yield: 1 serving for every 4 oz lamb                      
Preparation Time: 2+ hours                      
Cooking Time:  5-7 minutes                      
Rest Time: 5 minutes
 
Ingredients
1 Lamb Leg, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Onion in 1 inch chunks
1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 or 2 heads of Garlic, separated and peeled
1 Tablespoon Galardo or other premium, extra virgin olive oil for each skewer
10 inch bamboo or metal skewers
Keevil & Keevil lamb rub
 
Directions
On a skewer, alternate cubed lamb leg, onion, red bell pepper, garlic clove 4 times.
Rub each skewer with olive oil and sprinkle with Keevil and Keevil lamb rub.
Allow to sit for at least 2 hours in the marinade.
Grill or pan roast kebob until lamb is pink, about 7-9 minutes.
Serve with cucumber mint yogurt sauce. 

Recipe by Harrison Keevil of Keevil and Keevil.

Ingredients 
  •    1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
    •    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    •    4 large egg whites, room temperature
    •    1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon), divided
    •    Coarse salt
    •    1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and sliced on the bias into 2-inch pieces
    •    1/4 cup water
    •    1 1/2 cups heavy cream
    •    1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    •    Chopped roasted unsalted pistachios, for garnish

Prep: 1 hour
Total time: 6 hours
Yield: 10 servings

    1.    Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Stir together 1 cup sugar and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Beat together egg whites, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt with a mixer on low speed until very frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar mixture, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 12 to 15 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl halfway through.
    2.    Mound meringue onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently spread into a 7-inch circle, leaving a well 3 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch deep in the center. Bake until meringue is crisp on the outside and the texture of marshmallow on the inside, about 2 1/2 hours. (If meringue starts to brown, reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees.) Turn off heat and let meringue cool in oven at least 2 1/2 hours or up to overnight.
    3.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine rhubarb, water, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, remaining tablespoon lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Bake until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes, spooning juices over halfway through.
    4.    Carefully transfer rhubarb pieces (they will be very soft) to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet with a spatula; reserve juices. Let cool completely.
    5.    Just before serving, beat together cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Place meringue on a serving platter and fill with whipped cream. Top with rhubarb, and garnish with pistachios. Spoon over pavlova and rhubarb juices, and serve immediately.

(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:
1 large onion finely chopped
2 garlic  cloves finely chopped
4 tablespoons light vegetable oil
2lbs boned, cubed lamb (fillet of neck or shoulder, trimmed of excess but not all fat)
salt & pepper
½ teaspoon saffron
½ - 1 teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1lb pitted prunes
2 teaspoons ground cassia cinnamon
1 – 3 tablespoons honey (optional)
1 tablespoon raw white sesame
½ cup blanched almonds
 
tagine or 5 – 6 quart dutch oven with lid
 
yield: 6 servings
prep time: 25 minutes
cooking time: 2 hours
 
Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until soft. Add the meat and turn to brown lightly all over. Add salt, pepper, saffron, ginger and nutmeg. Cover with water, stir well and simmer covered for 1½ hours until the meat is very tender. Add a little more water if needed.

Add the prunes, cinnamon and honey (if using – the prunes can be sweet enough) and plenty of black pepper to mitigate the sweetness. Simmer uncovered for a further 15 – 20 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced.
 
Lightly toast the sesame seeds and, separately, the almonds in a dry pan.
 
Serve the lamb hot with plain cous cous and sprinkle with the sesame and almonds.

(adapted from Claudia Roden)

Preparation time. 1 hour                 
Curing time. 5-7 days
 
Ingredients
About 8 pounds of beef brisket or navel

For the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup brown sugar, preferably dark
8 ounces salt, by weight
4 teaspoons pink curing salt #1
5 tablespoons The Spice Diva pickling spices
4 cloves garlic, smashed or pressed
 
Instructions
1) Find a container large enough to handle 1 gallon of brine and the meat (you can cut it into pieces as small as 2 pounds). It must be non-reactive (stainless steel, glass, porcelain, or food safe plastic). It cannot be made of aluminum, copper, or cast iron, all of which can react with the salt. Do not use garbage bags or a garbage can or a bucket. They are not food grade. Do not use a styrofoam cooler. It might give the meat an off flavor and you'll never get the cooler clean when you're done. Zipper bags work fine. You can use Brining Bags, Ziploc XL, and XXL bags.
 
2) Mix the brine in 1 quart very hot water until salt has dissolved. Add 3 quarts very cold water.
 
3) Remove as much fat as possible from the exterior of the meat leaving a 1/8" layer on one side.
 
4) Add the meat to the brine. It will float, so put a plate or bowl or another non-metallic weight on top of the meat until it submerges. The meat will drink up brine so make sure there is enough to cover it by at least 1" or else you'll find the meat high and dry after a few days. Refrigerate. Let it swim for at least 5 days, longer if you wish, especially if the meat is more than 2" thick. You will not likely need more than 7 days, but once it is well cured, it can stay in the brine for several weeks. Move the meat around so all parts get exposed to brine for the first week, and then you can ignore it.
 
5) A day before cooking, remove the meat from the brine and wrap it in foil for 24 hours.
 
6) Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Open the foil and pour a small bottle of Guinness into the packet. Bake for 6-8 hours or until very tender. Slice diagonally and serve with a really good mustard, potatoes, soda bread, Irish butter and parsnips or carrots.

Adapted broadly from HuffPost Eats, Meathead. Friend Meathead on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com

This is not a taxing recipe. It does not get harder as the evening wears on.
This is a good thing as you will want to make another round.

1 oz vodka
1oz Bailey's Irish Cream
1oz Kahlua Coffee liqueur
1oz Créme de Menthe

Shake over ice, strain into a glass and enjoy. So wrong, but yet so right...

Ingredients:
1oz whisky
1 egg white
1/2oz simple syrup
2 dropper McCharen's Coffee Bitters

Shake over ice until frothy, fine strain into a tumbler and enjoy!

1 butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), cleaned, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons butter
1 ripe banana, unpeeled
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, plus extra for adjusting consistency
Fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of 1 lime, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
 
Garnish: Fresh cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin seed oil (or truffle oil or hazelnut oil, if desired), bruschetta.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Sprinkle diced squash with brown sugar, honey and 2 tablespoons butter and roast in a 350 F oven until caramelized and soft to the touch, about 20 minutes; roast the unpeeled banana in the oven at the same time.
 
Melt the other 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan on medium heat, and sweat the onion, celery and carrot for a few minutes until tender. Add the garlic, curry powder, coriander, nutmeg and cinnamon, and cook slowly for a few more minutes.
 
Remove the banana from its skin, slice and add it with the butternut to the pan, along with the coconut milk and chicken broth. Simmer until hot. Blend the soup in a blender until smooth. Adjust to consistency desired with more broth, if necessary. Add fresh cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Blend again until smooth and pass the soup through a chinois or household strainer. (The strainer should not be too fine or you will lose the body of the soup).
 
Serve hot (reheat if necessary). Pour soup into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil, a few toasted pumpkin seeds and a sprig of fresh cilantro. If desired, serve with a slice of bruschetta.
 
Makes 6 small servings.

Ingredients
    •    1 pound croissants (about 5 to 7), split in half lengthwise
    •    1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, more for baking dish
    •    1 bunch scallions (6 to 7), white and light green parts thinly sliced, greens reserved
    •    ¾ pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
    •    2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
    •    8 large eggs
    •    3 cups whole milk
    •    1 cup heavy cream
    •    8 ounces Gruyère, grated (2 cups)
    •    1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
    •    1 teaspoon black pepper


Preparation
    1.    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spread croissants on a large baking sheet and toast, cut side up, until golden brown, 5 minutes (watch carefully to see that they do not burn). Let cool, then tear into large bite-size pieces.
    2.    In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add sliced scallions and sausage meat; cook, breaking up meat with a fork, until mixture is well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in sage, and remove from heat.
    3.    In a large bowl, toss together croissants and sausage mixture. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, salt and pepper.
    4.    Lightly oil a 9- x 13-inch baking dish. Turn croissant mixture into pan, spreading it out evenly over the bottom. Pour custard into pan, pressing croissants down gently to help absorb the liquid. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
    5.    When you’re ready to bake the casserole, heat oven to 350 degrees. Scatter the remaining grated cheese over the top of the casserole. Transfer to oven and bake until casserole is golden brown and firm to the touch, 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with sliced scallion tops before serving.

adapted from the New York Times