Tea-Smoked Chicken [return to recipe list]
	This recipe begs for experimentation and improvisation, but I present one hard-earned piece of advice: keep the total amount of smoking material under 1 cup. If you use more, you will get more smoke, and it will start to fill your kitchen. That said, make sure you have adequate ventilation for this process at all times, and (just in case) you might want to keep a fire extinguisher handy. All this notwithstanding, I've had great luck with this recipe. Ingredients: Bone-in chicken. Use legs, breasts, drumsticks, or whatever you feel is appropriate. Marinade of your choice (optional) or salt 3/4 cup sugar (preferably brown) 1/8 cup loose-leaf black, oolong, or Lapsong-Souchong tea.  Low-grade tea from tea bags works just fine. Spices: star anise, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, mustard, dried chili peppers, dried ginger, turmeric, or whatever strikes your fancy An appropriate sauce: black bean-garlic, Hoison, or whatever you wish. I suggest the Lee Kum Kee brand, or make your own. Instructions: If you are using a marinade for the chicken (really not necessary,) set the chicken to marinate. Obtain a heavy, deep pot, such as a pasta pot (a lighter pot will buckle and distort.) Line the bottom with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Make a bowl out of aluminum foil that can easily fit in the bottom of the pot. Set aside. Combine sugar, tea, and spices (grind spices in a coffee or spice mill, or use pre-ground) and place in aluminum foil bowl. Set in bottom of pot. Prepare chicken: you may leave the skin on or take it off. Even skinless, the chicken ends up very juicy. Remove chicken from marinade, or simply salt on both sides. Set a rack in the pot tall enough so that it completely clears the foil bowl, and make sure that it will not buckle under the weight of the chicken. Add the chicken in a single layer. Place aluminum foil in a band around the edge of the pot, cover, and use the aluminum foil to seal the top to the pot (if you seal too tightly, the expanding gas will still find a way to escape, only this time violently, so don't go overboard.) Place on a burner over high heat for thirty minutes. Resist any temptation to remove the top to check on the progress! Remove from heat and let cool for twenty minutes. You may wish to open the pot outside; there will not be billows of smoke, but there will be a very prominent smoke smell. You will notice that the sugar/tea mixture has become a solid black charcoal lump (at this point you're supposed to be congratulating yourself for lining your pot so well with foil.) You will also notice that your chicken has taken on an absolutely heavenly color, very rich and dark, like roast duck. Serve hot (it will still be hot even after cooling in the pot for twenty minutes) with an appropriate sauce. The flavor and aroma will be incredible! Recently I have begun experimenting with this technique on an outdoor barbecue. I place the pot directly on the hot coals, and construct a short ring of coals around its base. This is a good option if you are worried about a possible smoky smell in your home, if your range-top is thin and you are worried about it buckling when hot, or if the day is too hot to comfortably cook indoors. You should have good luck following the timing instructions above, but you may wish to extend or decrease the cooking times based on your particular equipment, etc.

Eggplant Tapenade [return to recipe list]
	Serves 3 - 4 for a light meal, or makes about one dozen hors d'œuvres This is technically not a tapenade, at least in the original sense of the word derived from 'caper'. In fact, I generally do not much care for capers. However, it is a seasoned spread, and 'Eggplant Tapenade' has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you say? Yes, this recipe does call for one bulb of garlic, but you may wish to modify this amount to suit your tastes.
	Ingredients: One medium- to large-sized eggplant One medium bulb garlic 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 Tbsp sesame seeds 1/2 tsp salt cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves Sesame or rye crackers, pita bread, or toasted rye bread Instructions: Preheat oven to 400° F. Wash the eggplant. Remove the cloves of garlic from the bulb, and peel them. Cut the cloves into thick slivers. With a paring knife (or other small, sharp knife) make enough 3/8 inch long, 3/4 inch deep slits through the skin of the eggplant so that you can place a sliver in each slit. Roast the eggplant and garlic at 400° for about 45 minutes, or until the eggplant has collapsed. Cut the eggplant into quarters and peel (the peel should come off easily.) Place the peeled sections and garlic into the bowl of your food processor. Add the olive oil, sesame seeds, and salt, as well as cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, and cloves to taste (I use about 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/8 tsp turmeric, and a dash each of nutmeg and cloves. The nutmeg and cloves can easily dominate the flavor, so add sparingly.) Puree until spreadable but not completely smooth. Chill and spread onto sesame or rye crackers, pita bread, or toasted rye.

Coconut-Pineapple Ice Cream [return to recipe list]
	This recipe requires a home ice cream maker. We use a model from Krups.
	Ingredients: 1/2 cup loosely-packed unsweetened coconut (preferably fresh) 1 cup light or heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup coconut milk (available at Asian groceries) 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup whole milk 1/3 cup pineapple juice Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Follow instructions on your ice cream maker to freeze.

Asparagus with Mustard Seeds [return to recipe list]
	Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 lb fresh asparagus, or one 16 oz can cut asparagus 1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds 1/2 tsp salt Olive oil Pat of unsalted butter (if salted butter is used, decrease salt accordingly) Instructions: Preheat broiler If fresh asparagus is being used, wash, trim, and cut into 2 inch lengths. If canned asparagus is used, drain. Heat a sautée pan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp olive oil, the asparagus, and the mustard seeds. Sprinkle with salt. Sautée for 5 minutes for canned, or 10 minutes (until softened) for the fresh. During this time, the mustard seeds will begin to 'pop' like corn kernels. Remove from heat, top with a pat of butter cut into small pieces, and place under a hot broiler for another 10 minutes, or until browned on the top.

Spicy Ginger Broccoli [return to recipe list]
	Serves 2 Ingredients: Two large crowns broccoli 3 - 6 cloves garlic 1 - 2 inches fresh ginger root 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp sesame oil 3 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 1 tsp Thai chili paste (or more) Dash of Thai fish sauce (optional) Instructions: Cut off all the florets from the broccoli (discard the stem or reserve for another recipe.) Peel the ginger root carefully with a paring knife, and cut the usable portions away from the woody core. Julienne. Peel the garlic and chop. Heat the vegetable and sesame oils in a wok, and add the garlic and ginger. Sautee over high heat until the garlic begins to brown (do not overcook!) Stir in the broccoli florets, then immediately add the soy sauce to keep the garlic from charring. Add the vinegar, chili paste, and fish sauce, and stir until well combined. Cover loosely and cook until the liquid reduces by two-thirds. Serve hot, eat with chopsticks and a side of steamed rice for an easy, quick dinner.

Oyster Dressing [return to recipe list]
	Makes about 3 quarts I came up with this recipe for Thanksgiving 1999. In preparing for it, I carefully scrutinized three recipes for oyster dressing and then ignored them all (or perhaps synthesized them.) To give credit where credit is due, here are the source recipes: http://www.chilipaper.com/FRecipes/Fappeteazers/Fmisc/oyster_stuffing.htm http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/recipes/oysterstuffing.html http://www.esva.net/ghotes/stuffing1.htm Ingredients: Four 8 oz cans whole oysters (Chicken of the Sea, Geisha, etc.) One 16 oz loaf french bread, preferably day-old 2 sticks (1/2 lb) butter or margarine 1 medium onion 3 shallots 2 stalks celery 1 short stalk celery leaves (from heart of celery bunch) 2 - 3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp dried thyme (or to taste) 1/2 tsp dried sage (or to taste) Instructions: Drain oysters, reserving liquor. Set aside. Cube french bread. Place on cookie sheet and toast lightly in 250° oven. Transfer to large (at least 4 quart) bowl. Chop onion, shallots, celery, and celery leaves. Add parsley. Melt butter in large skillet. Sautée vegetables for two to three minutes (do not brown.) Near end of cooking, add salt, pepper, and dried herbs. More can be added later, so add in moderation, especially the sage. Transfer vegetable/butter mixture to bowl containing bread. Toss gently until bread is thoroughly coated (I find my hands work best for this.) Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. Add drained oysters whole. Toss again. If stuffing is too dry, add some of the oyster liquor. Sample again, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot.

Spiced Pear Sauce [return to recipe list]
	Number of servings varies This is not so much a specific recipe as a framework. The specifics will rely largely on the varieties and proportions of pears you choose. This dish is designed to be eaten with a spoon as a side dish, not a sauce for food. Unlike applesauce, ripe pears to do not require the addition of extra liquid to make a good sauce. Here are the varieties of pear that will likely be available to you: Bartlett: This is your basic eating pear. It has a basic pear-ness to it that is very helpful to this dish. The sauce would be quite boring, however, without other varieties added. D'Anjou: A spicy, firmer-fleshed pear. If your D'Anjou pears are especially firm, you might want to add them first so as not to overcook the softer pears. I find D'Anjou pears add a delicious spice and depth to the dish. Bosc: These are the thin, brown, buttery pears that we see in stores. They are surprisingly, and frequenly overpoweringly, sweet. If you use many Bosc pears, you may not need to add sugar at all. Be careful that the dish does not get too sweet. Red: Probably my favorite widely-available variety. Sweet and soft (but not as sweet or soft as Bosc), complex, with a delicious fruitiness and aroma. When I make this dish I use more Red pears than any other variety. Ingredients: Assortment of pears of different varietes (see above) Lemon juice Turbinado sugar ("Sugar in the Raw" style) Ground spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, anise, true allspice, cardamom Instructions: Prepare a large pot of cold water with some lemon juice. Peel pears, core, and slice (perhaps 0.4 - 0.5 cm thick.) As they are peeled, place into a the pot to arrest oxidation. Drain pears and discard water. Place pear slices in bottom of dry pot and cook over medium heat (you may wish to add firmer pears first.) Pears will begin to soften and exude juice. When pears are soft enough to crush with a spoon, use a hand blender (the type used for beverages) and puree the fruit as it cooks. Taste sauce. If it is too tart, add turbinado sugar. If it is too sweet (or if you suspect it will oxidize too much) add lemon juice. Season. I have a few recommendations. Go easy on the cinnamon; it is too easy to fall into the trap of seasoning this exactly as one would applesauce. Cloves can easily dominate the flavor and they also have anasthetic properties so they should be used sparingly; likewise overuse of anise and true allspice are inappropriate for this dish. Use lots of nutmeg (they complement pears wonderfully.) In my opinion, however, the secret of this dish is the cardamom. You may not have cardamom in your kitchen (it is the third most expensive spice in the world by weight, and not used frequently in American cooking) but it is well worth purchasing. The trick to is to add the cardamom a little at a time, mixing well, and sampling. You want the flavor of the cardamom to be bubbling right below the surface to leave your guests asking "What is that wonderful flavor?" When the sauce is seasoned to your liking, remove from heat. Serve hot. This keeps fairly well. Allow it to cool to room temperature first, and then refrigerate in a covered container.

Cranberry-Mango Sauce for Turkey [return to recipe list]
	I have made this dish for three consecutive Thanksgivings, and would greatly miss it if it were not available. It is very simple to prepare. Ingredients: Two 12 oz bags fresh Ocean Spray cranberries One 16 oz jar mango slices (as fresh mangoes will rarely be available at the same time cranberries are) White sugar Instructions: Wash cranberries, discarding rotten or very under-ripe berries. Drain and set aside. Purée mango slices in food processor. Transfer to saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. When mango puree reaches boil, add cranberries. Boil gently, stirring frequently (but gently), for 10 minutes. Taste sauce. If it is too tart for your tastes, add sugar (I usually use about 3 - 4 Tbsp.) Remove from heat. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Serve cold as an accompaniment to turkey.