Herb crusted scallops with tarragon cream

IINGREDIENTS:

12 large scallops
salt and pepper
1/2 cup panko crumbs
3 tbs fresh coarsely chopped tarragon
2 tbs fresh chopped parsely
1/4 tsp mortons seasoning blend
3 tps olive oil 2 tbs unsalted butter
1/4 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 zuccxini, halved and sliced
3 tbs sherry
3/4 cup half and half mixed with 1 tsp cornstarch

Heat oven to 200F.
Rinse, dry and season scallops.Combine bread crumbs with 1 tbs tarragon, the parsley and the seasoning blend.
Melt 2 tbs of the olive oil with2 tbs butter. Coat the scallops ith the crumb mix and cook about b3 minutes on each side, turning only once.Remove to plate, tent and place in oven to keep warm.
heat 1 tbs olive oil, add tomatoes and saute 2 minutesuntil they start to brown.Add the zucchini and saute 2 mnutes more until just tender.Remove and keep warm.In the same skillet add ths sherryto deglaze, the tarragon and the milk. Heat gently ntil creamy.Adjust seasoning.
Place 3 scallops on each plate, drizzle wit some sauce and serve with sauteed veges.

Apple, blackberry and cheese cobbler

I ngredients:

5 large granny smih apples, abt 21/2 lbs, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
Heat oven to 325F
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter beaten with
1/2 cup gran sugar
1/2 cupbrown sugar until well blended. Beat in
1 cup flour
 1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt. Spread mixture evenly in a 10 by 15 inch jelly roll pan.Bake 10 to 15 minutes until streusel is light golden. Cool.Reset oven to 350F.
Melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter. Saute apples with 1 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon and 1 vanilla bean for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup brandy, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice and 1/2 tsp lemon zest. Cook about 5 minutes until liquid is reduced and apples are tender.Remove from heat. Stir in 1 pint (11/4 cups) blackberries,unthawed frozen.Transfer mixture to a 9 by 13 baking dish. Top with 1 cup (4 ozs) grated sharp white cheddar cheese. Crumble cooled streusel and sprinkle it on top. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cobbler is heated through and cheese is melted.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Ingredients
1x2.75kg duck, fresh or frozen 6 slices of fresh root ginger 6 spring onions, cut into 7.5cm in lengths cornflour, plain flour or potato flour for dusting Groundnut oil


For the Spice Rub: 2 tbsp five-spice powder 65g sichuan peppercorns 25g whole black peppercorns 3 tbsp cumin seeds 200g rock salt


To Serve: chinese pancakes 6 spring onions, finely shredded hoisin sauce.

Method:1.If the duck is frozen, thaw it thoroughly. Rinse well and blot it completely dry with kitchen paper. Mix all the ingredients for the spice rub together in a small bowl, then rub the duck inside and out with this mixture, applying it evenly. Wrap well in clingfilm and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.


2.After this time, brush any excess spices from the duck. Stuff the ginger and spring onions into the cavity and put the duck on a heatproof plate. Set up a steamer or put a rack into a wok. Fill it with 5cm/2in of water and bring to the boil. Lower the duck and place into the steamer and cover tightly.


3.Steam gently for 2 hours, pouring off excess fat from time to time. Add more water as necessary. Remove the duck from the steamer and pour off all the liquid. Discard the ginger and spring onions. Leave the duck in a cool place for 2 hours or until it has dried and cooled. At this point the duck can be refrigerated.


4.Just before you are ready to serve it, cut the duck into quarters and dust with cornflour, plain flour or potato flour, shaking off the excess.


5.Heat the oil in a wok or deep fat fryer. When it is almost smoking, deep-fry the duck quarters in 2 batches. Fry the breasts for about 8-10 minutes and the thighs and legs for about 12-15 minutes, until each quarter is crisp and heated right through.


6.Drain the duck on kitchen paper and leave until cool enough to handle. Then remove the meat from the bones and shread it. You can do this easily with a fork. The chinese eat it with bones and all. Serve with the chinese pancakes, spring onions and hoisin sauce.

Horseradish-Crusted Rib Roast

INGREDIENTS:

4 carrots
2 medium onions
24 oz potatoes
8 celery ribs
2 tbsp olive oil
4-5 lb standing rib roast
1 tsp kosher salt
3 sprigs roseary
3/4 cup horseradish sauce
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 475f. Peel carrots, onions,potatoes and celery into 1 inch pieces. Combine all vegetables with olive oiluntil well coated. Transfer to roasting pan.Season roast on all sides, place on rack placed over veges. Put in oven and immediately reduce heat to 325f. Bake one hour.
Meanwhile, remove rosemary leavesfromstems and chop leaves very finely. Combine with horseradish,worcestershire sauce and pepper: set aside.
Remove rost from oven. Coat with horseradish mixture. Bake 1 1/2 to 2 more hours or until internal temperaturereaches 145f (medium rare) to 170f (well done).Rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Posted using ShareThis

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Crispy Aromatic Duck

Posted using ShareThis

Peppered Rib-Eye

Ingredients:
1 rib-eye, about 5-6 pounds
½ cup coarsely cracked black pepper
½ tsp ground cardamom
1 cup soya sauce
¾ cup white vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
2 cups beef stock, seasoned
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Method:

1. Combine the pepper and the cardamom and sprinkle over the meat. Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, tomato paste and paprika to make a marinade. Place the meat in a plastic bag and cover with the marinade. Chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning occasionally.
2. Remove from the fridge, drain and reserve the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 325°F.
4. Wrap meat securely in foil, place it in a roasting pan, and roast for 1 hour. Remove from the oven, open the foil and drain and reserve the juices. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F and brown the rib-eye, uncovered, for ten minutes. Remove from oven and keep warm.
5. Skim the fat from the reserved pan juices, combine the juices with ¼ cup of the marinade and add the beef stock. Mix the cornstarch with some water and add to the simmering stock. Simmer for two minutes or until clear. Serve with the roast.

Itek Golek

Ingredients:
1 duck, about 1.5kg
1 coconut to obtain 500ml thick santan and 1.5l thin santan

To grind fine:
1 Tbsp jintan manis (fennel)
2 Tbsp jintan putih cumin)
1 Tbsp ketumbar (coriander)
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1" ginger
15 cloves garlic
7 shallots

Cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and assam keping

Method:

1. Duck must be cleaned and the oil glands at it's back removed. Be careful not to perforate the gland as the smell will seep into the duck.
2. Fry all the spices, add in the liver, neck pieces and the thick santan. When the santan starts  exuding it's oil, cool it and stuff into the duck. Put the duck in a big pot, add in the thin santan  and cook over a low flame. Add assam gelugor, about 2 pieces, and salt. Cook until tender and  the gravy is thick.

Chilli Crabs

Ingredients:
1.3kg crabs, cut into quarters (keep roe)

Pounded fine:
1/2 Tsp tao chio
1 garlic
4 fresh chillies

Mix:
1 heaped tsp chopped ginger
1 Tsp chinese wine- Hua Teow

2-3 tsp chilli oil
1 egg, beaten and mixed with the roe
2 big onions, cut into wedges
3 spring onions

Sauce, mix together:
10oz water
2 Tsp tomato sauce
3 Tsp chilli sauce
1 Tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tsp oyster sauce
1 Tsp sugar
1 Tsp cornflour

Method:

1. Fry onions. Remove.
2. Fry the garlic mixture and add the ginger mixture. 
3. Add the crabs and fry till they change colour. Add the sauce and simmer till thick. Add the  egg/roe mix and allow to set before stirring. Add spring onion and chilli oil.

Kueh Talam

Bottom layer:
Ingredients:
14oz granulated sugar 
5oz rice flour mixed with 10oz water
2oz lek tao hoon (green pea flour) mixed with 10oz water
6oz (about 20) pandan leaves, liquidised with 20 0z water and add 1 Tsp lye (alkaline) water

Method:
Sieve the rice flour, the green pea flour and the Strained pandan juice into the sugar. Mix well and cook over medium low heat until thick and creamy. Pour into a 12 inch pan and steam for 30 minutes. Remove cover every ten minutes and wipe off the water on the inside lid

Topping:
Ingredients:
12oz grated white coconut and 10oz water for 15oz santan
11/2 tsp salt
13/4oz rice flour added to 6oz water

Method:
Stir the santan, rice flour and salt together. When the bottom layer is cooked, gently pour on the topping and steam for another 10 minutes or until firm. Remove and wipe cover every 3 minutes.

Miami Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
2oz dry mustard
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups mayo
1/2 cup whipping cream
½ tsp tabasco

Method:
Mix dry mustard aith the white wine and let stand for 30 minutes. Add the mayo, cream and tabasco and beat well. Chill until required.

Anglo-Italian Trifle

Ingredients:
8 triflesponges
200g blackcurrant jam
1 x 200g packet amaretti biscuits
250ml limoncello (or other lemon liqueur)
juice of half a lemon
750g blackberries
2 eggs, separated
100g caster sugar
750g mascarpone cheese
50g flaked almonds

Method:

1. Split the trifle sponges and make little sandwiches of them using 150g of the jam, then wodge them into the base of your glass bowl. Reduce the amaretti biscuits to rubble in the processor and, reserving some crumbs for sprinkling over the top at the end, scatter most of them evenly over the sponges and then pour over them 150ml of the limoncello.
2. Put the remaining 50g of jam into a wide saucepan with the lemon juice and melt over a low heat, then tumble in the blackberries and turn in the heat for a minute or so just until the juices start running. Tip these over the biscuit-sprinkled, liqueur-soused sponge sandwiches to cover and leave this while you get on with the next bit.
3. Whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar until you have a thick smooth yellow paste. I use my Kitchen Aid for this, but any old hand-held electric mixer or whisk would be fine. Still whisking, drip in another 50ml limoncello and continue whisking away until you have a light moussey mixture. Whisk in the mascarpone until everything is smoothly combined, and when this is done add the remaining 50ml of limoncello.
4. Finally, in another bowl, whisk the egg whites until firm, but not dry, and fold these into the lemony, eggy mascarpone mixture. Now spread this gently over the blackberries in the glass bowl.
5. Cover the thus-far assembled trifle with clingfilm and leave in the fridge for the flavours and textures to steep and meld for at least 4 hours and up to 24. Take the trifle out of the fridge for about 40 minutes to an hour before it’s needed (depending on how cold your fridge runs) to get to coolish room temperature. Not long before you want to eat, toast the flaked almonds by tossing them in a dry, oil-less pan over medium heat until they are turning gold and flashed bronze in parts, then tip them on to a plate. When they’re cool, mix them with the reserved amaretti crumbs. Remove the clingfilm from the bowl and scatter the nuts and crumbs over the pale, set surface. Dig in and serve, making sure to heap the full triple-banded layer on each plate: the lemony, almondy, cream-swathed berrieness makes this the perfect ending to a large, lazy summer lunch.

Serving Size : Serves 12–14

Persimmon Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS
Persimmons (enough to produce ½ pint/1 cup of pulp after fruit is put through a colander to remove pips and collect pulp)
2 cups/280g flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup/200g sugar
1.5 sticks/6 oz (approx. 170g) butter, softened
2 eggs
½ cup (approx 150g) walnut halves
2 9 x 5inch (23 x 12cm) loaf pans, lined with wax paper

1. Preheat oven to 325F/160C/Gas Mark 3. Line the loaf pans with the waxed paper.
2. Sift the flour with the soda.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar.
4. Beat the eggs and then add them to the butter/sugar mixture. Once incorporated, add the flour.
5. Finally, add the persimmon pulp and the walnuts and stir.
6. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for one hour. Bread is done when tester comes out clean. Leave to cool in pans and then remove and peel off wax paper.

Serving Size : Makes 2 loaves

Sticky toffee pudding

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CAKE:
100g dark muscovado sugar
175g self-raising flour
125ml full-fat milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50g unsalted butter, melted
200g chopped, rolled dates

FOR THE SAUCE:
200g dark muscovado sugar
approx. 25g unsalted butter in little blobs
500ml boiling water

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5 and butter a 11/2-litre capacity pudding dish.
2. Combine the 100g dark muscovado sugar with the flour in a large bowl. Pour the milk into a measuring jug, beat in the egg, vanilla and melted butter and then pour this mixture over the sugar and flour, stirring – just with a wooden spoon – to combine. Fold in the dates then scrape into the prepared pudding dish. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look very full: it will do by the time it cooks.
3. Sprinkle over the 200g dark muscovado sugar and dot with the butter. Pour over the boiling water (yes really!) and transfer to the oven. Set the timer for 45 minutes, though you might find the pudding needs 5 or 10 minutes more. The top of the pudding should be springy and spongy when it’s cooked; underneath, the butter, dark muscovado sugar and boiling water will have turned into a rich, sticky sauce. Serve with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, double or single cream as you wish.

Serving Size : Serves 6–8

Rendang Tok

Ingredients:
Dry fry and grind (A):
50g cumin
50g coriander seeds
40g fennel

Blend spice paste (B):
150g shallots
100g galangal, sliced
30g ginger, sliced
30g fresh turmuric root, sliced
40g dried red chilli, seeded and soaked
40g garlic

100ml oil

C.
5 cm cinnamon stick
4 star anise
10 cloves
30g black peppercorns, crushed

1kg beef, cut into cubes

1 litre thick coconut milk
3 stalks lemongrass, crushed
sugar to taste
salt to taste
250 freshly grated coconut, dry roasted and pounded to make kerisik
200g coconut shavings, dry roasted until lightly browned
turmeric leaf

Method:

1. Heat oil. Fry the cinnamon, anise and cloves until fragrant. Add the spice paste, peppercorns and A. Cook stirring until fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Add the beef, coconut milk and lemongrass. Cook over medium heat. stirring occasionally until gravy is thick and beef is tender. Season. Add the kerisik, toasted coconut and turmeric leaf. Lower heat and cook, stirring occasionally until rendang is dry and oil appears.

Caramel Croissant Pudding

INGREDIENTS
2 stale croissants
100g caster sugar
2 x 15ml tablespoons water
125ml double cream
125ml full-fat milk
2 x 15ml tablespoons bourbon
2 eggs, beaten

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
2. Tear the croissants into pieces and put in a small gratin dish; I use a cast iron oval one with a capacity of about 500ml for this.
3. Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan, and swirl around to help dissolve the sugar before putting the saucepan on the hob over a medium to high heat.
4. Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away, without stirring, until it all turns a deep amber colour; this will take 3–5 minutes. Keep looking but don’t be too timid.
5. Turn heat down to low and add the cream – ignoring all spluttering – and, whisking away, the milk and bourbon. Any solid toffee that forms in the pan will dissolve easily if you keep whisking over low heat. Take off the heat and, still whisking, add the beaten eggs.
6. Pour the caramel bourbon custard over the croissants and leave to steep for 10 minutes if the croissants are very stale.
7. Place in the oven for 20 minutes and prepare to swoon.

Serving Size : Serves 2 greedy people

Gordon Ramsay's Espresso Coffee Crème Brulee

INGREDIENTS
350ml double cream
125ml whole milk (preferably UHT)
50ml double strength espresso coffee
1 tablespoon Kahlua or Tia Maria (optional)
6 large free-range egg yolks
75g caster sugar

To serve: 2 tablespoons demerara sugar, to caramelise chocolate-coated coffee beans (optional)
Serving Size : Serves 6

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C, Gas 1. Lightly grease 6 ovenproof coffee cups and stand them on a baking tray.
2. Put the cream and milk in a heavy-based saucepan and heat slowly to scalding point, then stir in the espresso coffee and liqueur, if using.
3. Beat the egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl until pale and creamy.
4. Pour the hot steaming coffee cream on to the egg yolks, a third at a time, whisking well. Then whisk in the caster sugar.
5. Strain this liquid through the fine-mesh sieve into a jug.
6. Pour the mixture into the coffee cups, dividing it equally. Bake for about 45 minutes until custards are very lightly set on top. To test, tilt one of the cups slightly: the custard should come away from the side of the cup and the centre should still be slightly wobbly.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool; the mixture will thicken on cooling. Chill until required.
8. When ready to serve, sprinkle a teaspoon of demerara sugar evenly over the surface of each custard and caramelise with a blow-torch.
9. Serve as soon as possible, with a few chocolate coffee beans if you like.

Roast duck breast with seared white asparagus, Cape Mentelle jus and caramelised shallot buttered hispi cabbage (Gary Rhodes)

Ingredients:
4 duck breasts
vegetable oil
50g butter
salt and pepper
1 onion, sliced
1 clove of garlic, crushed
sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
2 glasses cabernet sauvignon
450ml beef consommé

Method:

1. To make the sauce, fry the sliced onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf in a little vegetable oil until golden. Continue to fry for a few minutes before adding the wine, allowing it to boil and reduce by three quarters.
2. Add the consommé, boil and reduce by half before straining.
3. To finish, whisk in the butter, seasoning with salt and pepper.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 220˚C/425˚F/gas mark 7. Season the duck breasts with salt and pepper and heat 1 tbsp of oil in a roasting tray on top of the stove.
5. Place the breasts, skin-side down, in the tray and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes, allowing the skin to release fat while turning golden brown. Turn and finish cooking in the oven for 7-8 minutes.
6. Remove from the tray and leave to rest. Serve with fondant or mashed potato.

Hispi or Savoy Cabbage and Shallots
1 Hispi or Savoy cabbage – finely shredded, and blanched until tender
2 shallots – peeled and sliced into rings
1-2 knobs of butter
salt and pepper
Soften the sliced shallots in butter before adding the hot blanched cabbage, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Seared white asparagus
3-4 spears white asparagus per person
knob of butter

1. Blanch the asparagus for a few minutes until tender. Remove and plunge into iced water to refresh.
2. Cut each spear in half lengthways and pan fry in a knob of butter until light golden brown.

Roasted Duck Breast with orange-sauce, carrot custard (Nathalie Aberfeuille)

Ingredients:
3 duck breasts around 300g each
200ml orange juice
6 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
200 ml whipping cream
50g cold butter, cubed
salt and peper

Balsamic syrup
250ml balsamic vinegar

Carrot Custard
800g carrots
30g ginger
1 orange rind
2 eggs
50ml whipping cream

Garnish
1 orange
Chervil or Italian parsley

Method:
Preparing the carrot custard

1. Grate the carrots and cook them for 4 minutes in boiling salted water.
2. Dice the ginger finely. You should collect about a nice tablespoon of diced ginger.
3. Mix together two eggs, the whipping cream, the ginger,the orange zest,salt and pepper and then add the grated cooked carrots.
4. Butter 6 silicone muffin moulds or take 6 ramekins and cover the bottom of each one with a circle of baking paper brushed with butter.Fill the moulds with the carrot mixture to a thickness of 3.5cm.Bake for 20 to 30 minutesin the ovenpreheated to 180C.
5. When the carrot custards are cooked and cold you can remove them from their mouldsand set them aside in the fridge. You will be able to reheat them in the microwave just before serving.

Preparing the orange to garnish

1. Peel the orange and remove the pulp omitting the white pulp.Cut in segments and keep in the fridge.

The balsamic vinegar reduction

1. Put 200ml balsamic vinegar in a pan and start heating very slowly, never letting it boil. Let it reduce to about 30mlleft or a thick consistency. Keep aside at room temperature.

Preparing the duck fillets

1. Using a sharp knife deeply score the skin of the duck fillets. and place them in a dish. Salt and pepper and keep aside in the fridge until ready to use.

20 minutes before serving:

1. Heat a frying pan to a high temperature. Place the duck fillets skin side down for around 7 minutes and turn them over and grill them for a further 7 minutes, or until they reach a temperature of 48to 50C in the center of the meat. Season with salt and pepper again if necessary, and let them rest for half of their cooking time wrapped in aluminium foil.
2. Remove the fat from the frying pan, do not rinse it, preserve the solids. Return the pan to the stove. Deglaze it with 6 tablespoons of non reduced balsamic vinegar, then add the orange juice. Let it reduce by half, then add the cream and then at a high heat reduce by half again. Season with a little salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the stove and whisk in 50g of butter while mixing vigorously.
3. Decorate the serving plates with the balsamic reduction. Place the carrot custards already reheated, in the center of the serving plate.Then garnish them with an orange segment and a sprig of parsley. Slice the duck fillets in 2cm thick slices and place them around the carrot custard (5 slices each). Season the meat with some coarse salt, pepper and spoon some sauce around and on top of it. Serve immediately.

Do not hesitate to prepare the carrot custards one day before. Keep them aside in the fridge, Moulds removed, in an airtight box. You can also precook the duck: 2 hours before the dinner you just cook them for 7 minutes on the skin side and then keep them aside at room temperature and finish the cooking for 7 more minutes on the meat side just before serving.

Spring Onion Sauce

Ingredients:
½ cup fish stock
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp sugar
1 red chilli sliced

Method:
Heat all ingredients for five minutes.

Rack of Lamb with Vegetable Ragoût, Mustard Spätzle, and Mustard and Thyme Reduction

Ingredients:
2 trimmed racks of lamb
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped, mixed herbs (e.g., rosemary, thyme, etc.)
4 to 5 cups assorted seasonal vegetables (e.g., beets, carrots, corn, mushrooms, squash, peas)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup Vegetable Stock (see Appendix)
Salt and pepper
Mustard Spätzle (recipe follows)
Mustard and Thyme Reduction (recipe follows)
Herb Oil (see Appendix)

METHOD
Rub the lamb with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon herbs, and marinate overnight.
Heat a large ovenproof pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sear the lamb on all sides.
Transfer to a 450-degree oven and roast for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the size of the racks and the desired degree of doneness.
Remove the racks when they are a little underdone and allow them to rest for 4 to 5 minutes. They will continue to cook and the meat will have the chance to soften up.

For the vegetable ragoût, peel and slice the vegetables as appropriate. Combine 2 tablespoons of butter, Vegetable Stock, remaining herbs, and a little salt and pepper in a pot and stew the vegetables for 2 or 3 minutes over medium heat until they are just cooked through.

Just before serving, sauté the cooked Mustard Spätzle briefly in 2 tablespoons of butter to create a very desirable crispy effect.

ASSEMBLY
Put a mound of vegetable ragoût on each plate. Slice the rack into chops and place 3 or 4 around the vegetables. (If desired, the meat can be cut off the bone and sliced.) Drizzle the reduction sauce around the edges. Sprinkle a small amount of Herb Oil over the reduction sauce and strew spätzle onto each plate as well.

Mustard Spätzle
1 cup less 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1½ teaspoons stone-ground mustard
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 egg, beaten
½ to ¾ cup milk

METHOD
In a mixing bowl, combine everything but the milk. Add enough milk to make a somewhat stiff batter. Cover the dough, refrigerate, and let rest for 1 to 2 hours. To cook, drop ½ teaspoons of batter from a spoon or pastry bag into simmering, lightly salted water, or put the batter through a colander or a special sliding cutter designed for making spätzle. Cook for about 1 minute or until done. Strain and set aside.

Mustard and Thyme Reduction
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups red wine
4 quarts Lamb Stock (see Appendix)
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 bunch thyme

METHOD
In a medium sauté pan, sweat the onion, celery, carrot, and pepper in the olive oil and butter until they are just beginning to brown. Deglaze with red wine and reduce down to a glaze. Add the Lamb Stock and the mustard seed and slowly reduce to about 1 quart. Strain and continue to reduce to 1 cup. Steep the thyme in the reduction for 40 seconds or so and strain. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Wine Notes
In this classical preparation, the lamb dominates the flavor profile, though the mustard and thyme add a lively zip. A classical wine seems in order as well, and none fits the bill better than a mature Bordeaux. A great Pauillac, such as Château Lynch-Bages 1982 or Château Pichon-Lalande 1978, would be a fine accompaniment, although many top-quality Napa Valley Cabernets have achieved a stature of lovely maturity. Examples include Château Montelena 1978, Heitz Martha’s Vineyard 1974, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars "Cask 23" 1979.

Chermoula for fish

Ingredients:
&fracp ground coriander
3 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 garlic crushed
1 large handful cilantro
80 ml lemon juice
125 ml olive oil

Method:

1. Fry first four ingredients till fragrant.
2. Combine with everything else.

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1½ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

10 to 12 servings.