Chocolate Meringues

Meringues are one of those versatile little things that are simple and don't require too much advance planning.

There's a good chance people already have what they need in their kitchen if they enjoy baking.

These are pretty chocolately for meringues, with the little bits of melted chocolate scattered throughout.

I like meringues best when they're crisp on the outside and slightly gooey in the center, so that's what I tried to go for here.

These can be dressed any way you like...

Chocolate Meringues

makes 6-8 individual-sized meringues

3 egg whites, room temperature

3/4 c granulated sugar

pinch of salt

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 T cocoa powder, sifted

1/2 t white vinegar

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Whisk egg whites with a hand or stand mixer until frothy. Continue whisking while adding salt, and then he sugar in a slow and steady stream until incorporated. Increase the speed and continue to whisk until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

Fold in the chopped chocolate, sifted cocoa powder, and vinegar by hand with a rubber spatula. Make sure to fold everything gently but completely.

Spoon large dollops of meringue mixture onto a sheet pan covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Using the back of a spoon, spread the meringue into a circle about 4 inches in diameter with a slight indentation in the center about an inch from the edge all around.

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, or until the tops are dry and hardened.

Turn off the oven, leave the oven door open a crack, and let the meringues sit in the oven 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely.

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

This one makes a good base for a weekend meal. You know, on those Saturdays when you're doing everything and nothing, spending all day outdoors because you have to do yard work, mow the lawn... rake leaves.

If you just plan ahead a little you have dinner taken care of (instead of 'oh-no-it's-6PM-and-I-haven't-thought-about-dinner-and-now-I-haven't-a-clue-what-to-do-and-the-natives-are-restless').

It'll roast all day at a low heat.

And if it's roasted nice and slow, long and low, it'll just fall apart. That wouldn't happen if you needed dinner in a rush.

This meat won't cut in nice neat little slices. Instead it shreds very easily with a fork.

Perfect for tacos carnitas (maybe with fajita-style onions and peppers, some fresh cilantro, and tomatillo salsa).

I'm sure you could add BBQ sauce and make some pulled pork sandwiches...

The meat WILL have fat. You can trim some of it, but don't trim it all. Because the meat cooks a long time, it has the potential to dry out- the extra fat helps to keep it moist. Besides, much of it will melt off anyway.

Oh! And this is an instance where I would recommend using a disposable pan (especially if you use the grill). Honestly, it's a mess.

Slow Roasted Pork

makes a lot

7-8 lb. pork shoulder or boston butt, bone removed (ask the butcher- it's his job)

2 t fennel seeds

1 1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 t coriander seeds

1 1/2 t black peppercorns

1 T finely ground coffee

1 1/2 t cocoa powder

1 t ground cinnamon

1 t ground cumin

1 t dried oregano

2 lb yellow onions

3 T olive oil

1 1/2 t kosher salt

6 garlic cloves, minced

3 T minced fresh rosemary

Kosher salt

Olive oil

3 carrots

2 ribs of celery, each cut in half crossways

The day before you plan to cook:

In a dry pan over medium heat combine the fennel, coriander, black peppercorns, and red pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until the spices color a bit and they release their toasty scent ("fumes" in the case of red pepper). Let cool.

Pulverize the spices along with the oregano in a mortar and pestle or with a spice grinder. Combine the spices in a small bowl with the coffee, cocoa, cumin, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Slice the onions in half and then slice each half into thin half-moons. Place the onions in a pan that has been preheated over medium heat with 3 T olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 t Kosher salt and saute the onions until they become translucent and a little golden (this will take several minutes). Set aside to cool.

With a sharp knife, score the top (fatty side) of the pork in 1 inch intervals and about 1/4 inch deep. Repeat the same cuts perpendicular to the first set of cuts so the pork is crosshatched on top.

Cut the pork shoulder lengthwise (starting where the butcher ended) so that it opens like a book. Be careful not to cut all the way across so you end up with two pieces of meat

Liberally sprinkle the inside of the "open" piece of meat with kosher salt.

In a small bowl combine half of the garlic and rosemary, 2 T of the spice rub, and 2-3 T olive oil to make a paste. Smear the paste over the salted pork and top with the now-cooled onions. "Close" the pork up over the onions and tie several times with kitchen twine so the onions stay sandwiched inside the meat. Liberally salt the meat all over the outside.

Mix the remaining garlic and rosemary, spice rub, and enough olive oil to once again form a paste. Rub the paste all over the outside of the pork. Place the carrots and celery in the bottom of a roasting pan to make a rack (the pan must be large enough to hold the pork). Lay the pork in the pan on top of the vegetables. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven or a grill (with a thermometer) to 275 degrees F.

Place the meat in the oven or grill and cook for about 3 hours, then remove the aluminum foil (set the foil aside for later use). Continue cooking for about 4 hours more, or until the meat is tender and falls apart when speared with a fork.

Remove the pork from the heat, cover with foil, and let rest 30 minutes.

Move the pork from the pan and onto a large cutting board or sheet pan. Shred the meat with two forks and mix so that the spices, bits of onion, and salt are distributed throughout.

Add BBQ sauce, eat with rice, or in a taco.

Watermelon, Feta, and Black Olive Salad

If everything is nice and fresh, this is fantastic summery salad. The flavors are unexpected, but they still work.

I've gone over this a few times, and I think I've tweaked it to where I like it...

The sprinkle of salt helps make the flavor pop and the melon sweeter, and the little bit of honey helps to tame the puckery lime.

Admittedly, this salad is not for everyone- there are certainly some assertive flavors in it.

But at the same time, if it's what you like, it's very refreshing.

If you're having one of those summery, outdoor, cool and casual dinners it may be what you want.

As colorful as it is, it would make a nice centerpiece.

No doubt it's pretty, but salads aren't just for looking at...

Adapted from Nigella Lawson

Watermelon, Feta, and Black Olive Salad

serves 8

4 lb. ripe, red, sweet watermelon

1 medium red onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin slices

3 limes, juiced

1/3 c olive oil

1/2 T honey (or to taste)

2/3 c pitted black olives

8 oz feta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 bunch of fresh parsley, leaves removed

1 bunch fresh mint, chopped (about 3 T)

To finish:

Kosher salt or fleur de sel

Freshly ground black pepper

Cube the watermelon into 1 1/2-2 inch chunks. Place in a large bowl and refrigerate.

Place the onion in a medium bowl and pour the lime juice over the top. Let the onion and lime juice marinate at least 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Pour the lime juice and onions over the watermelon. Add the olive oil, honey, parsley, mint, feta cheese, and olives. Toss gently but thoroughly so as not to break up the watermelon or feta cheese (clean hands may be best for this).

Lightly sprinkle some salt and give a good grinding of black pepper over the top of individual servings to finish.

Champagne Sabayon

A special-occasion dessert with a delicate and not-too-sweet flavor.

Can be served warm or cold.

If warm, the sabayon will be loose and raspberries juicy.

If cold, everything will be a bit more firm.

And of course, champagne vs. prosecco vs. "sparking wine" is dependent upon availability and budgetary restrictions...

But, they'll all work.

Champagne Sabayon with Raspberries

serves 6-8

6 lg egg yolks

1/2 c plus 1 T sugar

1/4 t salt

zest of 1 lemon

1 c champagne

2/3 c whipping cream

1 1/2 pt. fresh raspberries, gently rinsed

Place a couple inches of water in a medium saucepan and heat water to a simmer over medium heat.

In a large metal bowl, combine egg yolks, 1/2 c sugar, salt, and lemon zest. Whisk to combine.

Continue whisking and slowly add the champagne.

Place the metal bowl over the pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly for about 5 minutes. At first it will be frothy, but then the sabayon will become thick (like softly whipped cream) and triple in volume. Remove the bowl from over the simmering water and put aside on the counter to cool a few minutes.

Whisk the whipping cream and the extra 1 T sugar until the mixture forms soft peaks.

Gently fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the warm sabayon. Repeat with the remaining whipped cream.

Divide the clean raspberries among 6-8 small bowls and spoon the warm sabayon over the top.

Serve immediately or refrigerate at least an hour to serve cold.

Summer Pasta

Classic, right?

This is a little adaptation of a Barefoot Contessa Recipe.

The sauce is uncooked, making for a very colorful dish, and takes advantage of summer freshness.

There are relatively few ingredients and the only cooking required is boiling water for the pasta.

Make sure to get the parts of the sauce prepared a few hours before dinner, and the meal is a cinch.

I think this sauce is best with pasta that's cupped or somewhat hollow so it's able to "catch" bits of tomato and basil.

Basil is easy to chiffonade with a sharp chef's knife.

Stack up several leaves on top of one another, roll them into a cigar shape, and slice the roll in thin and even cuts.

Voilà! Chiffonade.

*I had what I thought was a perfect video in this spot.

But I got rid of the video and posted the link instead because the video would play whenever it was on screen, even when it wasn't the post you were looking at.

If you still want to check out the video, see above (there'll probably be a commercial before the video).*

When cooking the pasta, it's important to make sure it doesn't turn into mush. You want it to be "al dente."

The easiest way to do this is to undercook it by a couple of minutes (depending on the time given on the package), taste, and leave it in a little longer if necessary.

Remember that pasta will continue to cook and steam itself a bit once it's off the heat, plus it'll soak up some of the liquid from the sauce.

Summer Pasta

serves 4-8

(really, it depends on who you have eating and whether it's a side or a main)

3 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes

5 large cloves of garlic, minced

3/8 c olive oil (or scant 1/2 c)

3/4 t kosher salt, plus more for salting pasta water

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

1/2 t red pepper flakes

18 large fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded, plus extra to be used prior to serving

1 lb. pasta (I use campanelle)

1 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for serving, if desired)

Halve the cherry tomatoes and place them in a large bowl with olive oil, minced garlic, the 18 basil leaves, salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Stir gently to combine and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let macerate at least 3 hours at room temperature, tossing occasionally.

When you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Salt liberally, stir to dissolve the salt, and bring back to a boil. Add the pasta, stir, and cook to al dente according to package instructions (or be like me and cook for less time than the package instructs).

Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the tomatoes. Toss together with the Parmesan cheese and extra fresh basil leaves.

Serve with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

Milk Jam

If you cook milk long enough it will reduce and caramelize, and reduced milk becomes... caramel sauce!

This particular caramel sauce is also known as milk jam (confiture de lait), dulce de leche, or cajeta. It has a complex, toasty toffee butterscotch-esque type of flavor.

It makes a nice spread for a variety of things- toast, crumpets, pancakes, between layers of cake, in a tart, sandwiched between two cookies, on fruit or ice cream, in coffee...

In the case of cajeta, it's goat milk with a touch of cinnamon. I don't normally like goat milk at all (goat cheese sometimes, never goat milk), but it turned out very well and pretty much without that unmistakably goat-y flavor. So, in my opinion, this is a very good way to use up goat milk. Hey, it's worked in the past!

Making this does take a little time, so maybe it's a good project for a rainy day, or one of those days when you're stuck around the house anyway trying to get odds-and-ends taken care of.

The scent that permeates the house changes just as the color and thickness of the caramel change. At first it's sweet and milky, then it changes to something like custard, and it finally becomes a toasty caramel.

Use a large pot so that you will have extra space to accommodate the milk when it occasionally foams while cooking (and after you add the baking soda).

Remember: the longer it cooks, the thicker it will become, and it will continue to thicken as it cools.

And yes, you really do need all that sugar. It balances everything out and will help the caramel-milk become smooth. Believe me, curdled caramel isn't so nice.

Of course you can decrease the recipe very easily, I just had a lot of milk to use.

It's good to share though...

Milk Jam

makes about 3-4 cups

2 qt. whole milk (8 c)

4 c sugar

1 t salt

1 t baking soda dissolved in 1 T water

Optional: 1 vanilla bean sliced open and seeds scraped OR a cinnamon stick

In a large, heavy-bottomed pan combine the milk, sugar, and salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the baking soda water, and stir to combine. The mixture will foam up! Stir carefully so it does not foam over the side of the pan. Once the mixture has calmed down a bit, add the vanilla bean and seeds or cinnamon (if using) and place the pan back on the heat. Slowly cook the mixture at a low simmer until thick and caramel-y.

The amount for this recipe will probably take 3 hours to reduce. In the beginning, stir every once in a while to check the consistency and make sure the milk isn't scorching on the bottom of the pan. As the mixture thickens, stir more frequently.

To check the caramel consistency, place a few drops onto a clean, cool, white plate. You should be able to see the color and feel the texture fairly easily.

When the mixture reaches the desired consistency, pour through a fine-mesh sieve.

If necessary, whisk well to make sure the caramel is smooth and creamy.

Store in glass jars and refrigerate.