(San Francisco Chronicle)

10 green cardamom pods
1 1/2 cups good-quality vodka
10 slices of fresh ginger, 1/4-inch thick

Spread cardamom seeds on a cutting board and crush lightly with the broad side of a chef’s knife. Pour vodka into a 2-quart jar, and then add cardamom pods and ginger. Cover tightly with lid and shake gently. Place in a dark, cool area and shake gently every few days. After two weeks, strain infused vodka into a clean bottle. Use immediately, or allow to age further if desired.

(San Francisco Chronicle)

4 medium-size oranges
2 cups good-quality vodka
1 cinnamon stick
5 whole cloves

Heat oven to 200. Using a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler, cut zest from oranges in strips. (Avoid cutting into the white pith, which is bitter.) Spread zest strips in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until dry and fragrant.

Pour vodka into a 1.5-quart jar, and then add orange zest, cinnamon stick and cloves. Cover tightly with lid and shake gently. Place in a dark, cool area and shake gently every few days. After seven days, strain infused vodka into a clean bottle. Use immediately, or allow to age further if desired.

(Alton Brown)

4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup sugar plus another 1 Tbsp
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 oz bourbon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Beat the egg yolks until they lighten in color (using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or whisk). Gradually add the 1/3 cup sugar and continue to beat until it is completely dissolved. Add the milk, cream, bourbon and nutmeg and stir to combine.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to soft peaks. With the mixer still running gradually add the 1 tablespoon of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Whisk the egg whites into the mixture. Chill and serve. (Will probably need to be stirred a bit before pouring.)

(Cook’s Illustrated, modified by Sarah)

1 russet potato (about 8 oz.), scrubbed, dried, poked a few times with a fork, and rubbed lightly with vegetable oil
1 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 medium scallion, sliced thin
Salt and pepper, to taste

Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potato for 1 hour. Cool potato for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

Cut potato in half and scoop out the innards into a bowl. Put the potato skins back in the oven. Meanwhile, mash potato flesh with fork until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, until well combined.

Remove shells from oven. Spoon mixture into crisped shells, mounding slightly at the center, and return to oven. Bake until spotty brown and crisp on top, 10 to 15 minutes. (If you’re impatient, you can broil them instead.)

(The Art of Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan)

6 oranges (4 to slice, 2 to juice)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
4 Tbsp sugar

Peel 4 of the oranges with a very sharp knife. Remove all the white spongy pulp and the thin skin beneath. Cut the oranges horizontally into thin slices about 1/4-inch thick, removing any seeds. Put slices in shallow serving bowl. Add lemon rind, sugar, and lemon and orange juices. Carefully turn over the orange slices a few times.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or even overnight. Serve chilled, turning the slices just before serving.

1 head of cauliflower (about 1.5 pounds), separated into florets, rinsed and dried
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 475. Toss the cauliflower with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place in a baking dish or roasting pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until dark and crispy.

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well, until sugar is dissolved. Turn on the ice cream maker and pour in the mixture. Freeze according to machine directions. Move to container and place in freezer for at least 3 hours.

(You can substitute half and half, whole milk or reduced-fat milk for some or all of the cream. It just won’t be as creamy.)

2 cups heavy cream
1 Tbsp chipotle puree
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (use a mandoline or food processor)
3 tsp bread crumbs, separated
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the heavy cream, chipotle puree, maple syrup, and cornstarch in a small bowl. In an 8-inch square baking dish, arrange a quarter of the sweet potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour a quarter of the cream over it. Over top of the cream, sprinkle a teaspoon of bread crumbs. Repeat with the remaining potatoes/cream/crumbs, forming 4 layers. Don’t put bread crumbs on the top layer.

Bake for 1 hour or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are browned. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before serving.

(This recipe still isn’t totally right.)

(Ebinger’s Bakery [attempting to recreate the recipe])

CAKE
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp table salt

PUDDING
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract

FROSTING
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
3 cups confectioners sugar

CAKE
Heat the oven to 350. Butter two 9-inch cake pans. (Make sure they’re 9-inch, I accidentally used 8.5-inch and had such a mess.) Dust them with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside.

Stir the cocoa with some of the milk to form a paste. Stir in the rest of the milk, and beat with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Set aside. In a stand mixer combine the butter, shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute, or until the mixture is fluffy.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the mixture, alternately with the cocoa mixture, to the contents of the bowl, beating between additions. Begin and end with the flour mixture, and beat only until the dry ingredients are absorbed. Divide the batter between the cake pans and smooth the tops with a spatula to even them.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the layers shrink from the sides of the pans and the tops spring back when gently pressed with a fingertip. Cool the layers on wire recks for 10 minutes, then carefully invert them onto the racks. Turn right side up and let cool completely.

PUDDING
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small heavy saucepan. Gradually add the milk, mixing thoroughly with a wire whisk. Add the chocolate. Place over moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and bubbles for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour into a small bowl and put plastic wrap or wax paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cool completely.

FROSTING
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. Remove it from the heat and cool slightly. In a medium bowl, beat the butter, vanilla, and eggs until well mixed (be aware that the mixture will not blend completely). Gradually beat in the sugar, a quarter-cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the melted chocolate. Chill the frosting while assembling the rest of the cake, about 15 minutes.

ASSEMBLY
Cut each cake layer in half horizontally, using a serrated knife or cake separator. You now have 4 layers, 3 for the cake assembly and 1 for the outside crumbs. Break up the fourth layer into large crumbs with your hands (or use a food processor with three or four 1-second pulses).

Sandwich the remaining 3 layers with the chocolate pudding filling. Frost the side and top of the cake with the chocolate frosting. Gently press the cake crumbs all over the top and sides of the cake, pressing them to adhere.

6-8 slices decent quality white bread, crusts removed (enough to make two layers in an 8×8 baking dish)
Butter
10 oz. chicken (or pork) breakfast sausage, casings removed
3 shallots, chopped
8 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup white wine
8 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded
6 eggs
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 3/4 cup half-and-half
Salt and pepper, to taste

Dry the bread out by leaving it on the counter overnight or in a 200 oven for a half hour. Butter on one side.

Fry the sausage in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking it apart with a spoon or spatula. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the sausage has lost the raw color and begun to brown. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 1 minute longer. Add mushrooms to skillet, and cook until mushrooms no longer release liquid, about 6 minutes. Scrape into a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; set aside.

Butter 8-inch square baking dish. Arrange half the buttered bread slices, buttered-side up, in single layer in dish. Sprinkle half of sausage mixture, then half of the cheese over the bread slices. Arrange the remaining bread slices (in the opposite direction from the first layer) over cheese; sprinkle remaining sausage mixture and cheese over the bread. Whisk eggs and parsley together, then whisk in reduced wine, half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread layers. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove dish from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until both edges and center are puffed. Let rest/cool briefly and serve.