(San Francisco Chronicle)

1 lb dried cranberry beans, or other white bean like cannellinis
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh savory + 1 tablespoon minced
2 tsp kosher salt
2-3 lbs smoked ham hocks
1.5 cups Onion Confit (see recipe below)
5 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme

In a large saucepan, combine the beans, 8 cups water, bay leaf and sprigs of savory. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the beans are just becoming tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add salt and continue to simmer beans until tender, adding more water if necessary, 1 to 1 1/2 additional hours. Set aside to cool in the cooking liquid. (You should have at least 3 cups of cooking liquid.)

In a large saucepan, cover the ham hocks with cold water by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the meat is nearly falling from the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the hocks, and when cool enough to handle, remove the meat and skin. Tear or cut the meat into bite-size or larger pieces. Mince enough of the skin to make 3 tablespoons. Set aside. Discard the bones and save the remaining skin for another use.

In a Dutch oven (or similarly sized vessel) heat 1/4 cup of the Onion Confit over medium heat until it is soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, pepper and about 1 cup of the bean cooking liquid. Stir, blending the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the beans, another 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid, the meat and minced skin, the thyme, minced savory, and salt and pepper to taste, and the remaining Onion Confit. Fold together with a wooden spoon, being careful not to mash the beans. Simmer until thickened and hot, about 10 minutes.

Serve alone or over rice.

(San Francisco Chronicle)

Makes about 4 cups- more than double the amount needed for the ham hocks. Halve, or use the extra to garnish pretty much any savory dish.

4 Tbsp butter
4 pounds yellow or red onion, cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick (about 7 cups)
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp chopped fresh savory
1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Heat oven to 400.

Cut the butter into several chunks and put on a large baking sheet or roasting pan. Place in the oven to melt, 4 to 5 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the onions on it. The layer of onions should be about 1 inch deep. If the layer is too thin, the onions will fry. Tuck the bay leaves into the onions, then sprinkle the onions with thyme, savory and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the top.

Put the baking sheet in the oven and cook the onions, stirring every 10 or 15 minutes, until they have turned a light golden brown and have reduced in volume by nearly half, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Transfer to 1 or more clean, dry jars and cover tightly. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

(Penzey’s Spices)

1 stick butter
2/3 Cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
pecan halves or candied cherry halves, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the egg and beat until the batter is light and fluffy. Gently mix in the flour, salt, and baking powder to make a soft dough. Drop by the scant (barely full) teaspoon, 2 inches apart, on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for about 8 minutes at 350. Remove the cookies right away, or they will stick. If desired, top with pecan halves or candied cherries immediately after removing the cookies from the pan.

Tips:
Make sure to leave enough space between cookies, as they spread a lot. If your oven racks are not perfectly level, the cookies will end up in all sorts of bizarre shapes. (I had to use a wad of foil to get my cookie sheets level.) Use a thin, flexible spatula to remove the cookies from the pans, as they do not rise much and can be a tad difficult to remove from the pan. Using parchment paper and/or a cookie sheet that has no rim makes it easier.

(Cook’s Illustrated)

2 cups raw pecan halves (8 ounces)
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 Tbsp rum, preferably dark
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread pecans in even layer; toast 4 minutes, rotate pan, and continue to toast until fragrant and color deepens slightly, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer cookie sheet with nuts to wire rack.

For the spice mix: While nuts are toasting, stir together sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in medium bowl; set aside.

For the glaze: Bring rum, vanilla, brown sugar, and butter to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Stir in toasted pecans and cook, stirring constantly with wooden spoon, until nuts are shiny and almost all liquid has evaporated, 1-2 minutes.

Transfer glazed pecans to bowl with spice mix; toss well to coat. Return glazed and spiced pecans to parchment-lined cookie sheet to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

(from Cass)

1 lb. penne pasta
1 garlic clove, quartered
1 tsp salt
1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp sugar (honey might be nice as a substitute)
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2/3 cup dried currant
2/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Cook the pasta al dente. Drain, rinse under cold water, and drain again well. (Note: while the pasta is cooking, make the dressing.)

In a food processor, blend garlic and salt to a paste. Add the parsley and mince. Blend in lemon juice, vinegar, curr powder, sugar, cumin, and pepper.

Gradually add oil through the feed tube in a steady stream.

Pour the dressing over the pasta. Add onions, currants, and pine nuts, and toss until mixed. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

1 cup cream
2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Pinch of salt

Heat the cream, milk, basil, and 1/4 cup sugar to boiling in the microwave. Strain out the basil and place it in a blender or food processor along with 1/4 cup of the liquid. Puree until smooth, then stir back into the dairy mixture.

Whisk the egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar together until smooth and lighter in color. Whisking constantly, drizzle the hot milk/cream/sugar/basil mixture into the egg/sugar. Once combined, transfer the mixture to a pot and place over medium-low heat. Stir or whisk constantly until it reaches 170F or has thickened to the nappe stage (coats the back of a spoon), then remove promptly from the heat. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any curdled egg bits.

(The method I use to avoid all chances of curdling is to mix the eggs and sugar in a large metal bowl, and then after mixing in the milk/cream, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisking. This longer, but you won’t have to strain it afterwards. Also, you can be somewhat less paranoid about the constant whisking of the mixture- this cooking method is gentler than direct heat.)

Stir in the salt. Cool for at least four hours (or overnight).

Freeze in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to freezer to let harden.

(disgusting and wonderful)

1 4-lb. chicken, neck and innards removed
4 Tbsp butter, softened
1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.25 to 1.5 cups rice (see note at the bottom)
1 10.5-oz. can french onion soup + 1 can water (or an equivalent amount of homemade onion soup)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

In a large container or pot, combine 1 1/2 quarts of cold tap water and 1/2 cup kosher salt (1/4 cup table salt). Stir to dissolve. Submerge chicken in brine and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove chicken from brine and dry well with paper towels. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450. Prepare the roasting rack by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray.

In a food processor or mortar and pestle, (or just in a bowl with a fork) combine butter, herbs, and minced garlic into a paste. Loosen the skin over the breast and thigh on each side of the chicken. Spread three-quarters of the paste under the skin. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen twine and tuck wings behind back. Oil the skin lightly and season with pepper. Set chicken breast-side down on prepared rack in roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes.

Mix together the soup and water with the remaining tablespoon of herb butter. After the first fifteen minutes of roasting, scatter the rice and liquid in the bottom of the roasting pan. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes.

Remove roasting pan from oven and decrease temperature to 375. Rotate chicken breast-side up on the rack, stir the rice, and return to the oven for approximately another 30 minutes, or until the breast meat is 160 and the thigh meat is 175 on an instant-read thermometer.

Let chicken rest for about ten minutes before carving. Transfer the rice to a serving bowl.

(Note: I think these proportions are about right. The last time I made it, I only used a cup of rice, and had way too much liquid/fat left over at the end. I think in the range of 1.25-1.5 cups will work correctly.)

1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup 1% milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks
tiny pinch of salt
2 Tbsp whole black peppercorns, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle (not ground)

Place the strawberries, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp sugar in a food processor. Pulse five to ten times (1-second pulses) until they’re fairly uniform in size but NOT a puree. (You want chunks.) Set aside.

Mix the sugar and yolks together until light in texture and smooth. Combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer (either on the stove or in the microwave). Whisking constantly, drizzle the hot milk/cream into the egg/sugar to temper it. Once combined, transfer the mixture to a pot and place over medium-low heat. Stir or whisk constantly until it reaches 170F or has thickened to the nappe stage (coats the back of a spoon), then remove promptly from the heat. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any curdled egg bits.

(The method I use to avoid all chances of curdling is to mix the eggs and sugar in a large metal bowl, and then after mixing in the milk/cream, place the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisking. This longer, but you won’t have to strain it afterwards. Also, you can be somewhat less paranoid about the constant whisking of the mixture- this cooking method is gentler than direct heat.)

Stir in the pepper and salt. Cool for at least four hours (or overnight).

Strain to remove the pepper. Freeze in an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions. During the last five minutes, add the strawberries. Transfer to freezer to let harden.