Derby Pie

A Kentucky classic...


2 deep dish or 3 regular pie crusts, unbaked and in pie plates (a shortbread crust is ultra-decadent)

Filling:
10 oz chocolate, melted (bittersweet or dark)
6 large eggs
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/3 cups light corn syrup
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup bourbon (such as Maker's Mark)
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
4 cups (about 16 ounces) walnut halves, coarsely chopped and toasted


Preheat oven to 350.

Melt chocolate and spread in the bottom of the prepared pie crusts.

Whisk eggs in large bowl. Whisk in both sugars, then next 5 ingredients. Stir in walnuts. Divide filling into prepared crusts.

Bake pies until filling is puffed and just set in center (filling may begin to crack), about 55 minutes. Cool pies completely on rack.

Store at room temperature for a day, in the fridge for a few days or freeze for a couple of months. Serve at room temperature or warmed.

Pimento Cheese

12 oz whipped cream cheese
4 oz cheddar cheese, grated (1 1/2 cups)
4 oz pimentos, drained
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Crackers, for serving

Process cream cheese, cheddar, pimentos, and Tabasco in a food processor until coarsely pureed. Transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers.

Makes 3 cups.

{From Martha Stewart}

Barbecued Pork and Apple Kababs

1/2 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for grill
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds (about 1 1/2 inches each) pork tenderloin, halved lengthwise and cut into 16 cubes
1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
Heat grill to medium-high. Make the sauce: In a large bowl, combine jam, vinegar, tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Assemble 4 long skewers, alternating 4 pork cubes with 2 onion wedges and 2 apple wedges on each (begin with pork and end with apple). Roll skewers in remaining tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Lightly oil grates. Place skewers on grill; cover grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until grill marks are visible, 6 to 8 minutes.

Open grill; baste skewers with some sauce, and cook, turning skewers and basting occasionally with more sauce, until pork is no longer pink in the center and is nicely glazed, 4 to 8 minutes more.

Serves 4.

{From Martha Stewart}

Broccoli Crunch

4 -5 cups tiny broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)

1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water

2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup toasted or candied walnuts or almonds
1/3 cup pan-fried crunchy shallots *(see note)
chives (optional)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt as you would pasta water. Boil the broccoli just long enough to take the raw edge of - 10 or 15 seconds. Drain and immerse it in cold water (or let cold water run over it). At this point, I like to spin the broccoli in a salad spinner to get the water off, but a few good knocks against the sink in a strainer can do the trick pretty well. Set aside.

Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, smash and chop - turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the salty garlic paste with the almond butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy. Taste, make any adjustments and set aside.

In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, red onion, most of the shallots and nuts with a generous drizzle of the almond dressing. Turn out onto a platter and finish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like. Serve family style.

Serves 4.

*Stir together the shallots, a splash of clarified butter (or olive oil) and big pinch of salt In a large skillet over medium heat. Stir every few minutes, you want the shallots to slowly brown over about fifteen minutes. Let them get dark, dark brown (but not burn), and if needed turn down the heat. Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

{From 101 Cookbooks}

Lemon-scented Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 can garbanzo beans, or dried equivalent
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped

Tahini Dressing:
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup tahini
zest of one lemon
scant 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer. In a medium saucepan heat the quinoa and water until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed and quinoa fluffs up, about 15 minutes. Quinoa is done when you can see the curlique in each grain, and it is tender with a bit of pop to each bite. Drain any extra water and set aside.

While the quinoa is cooking make the dressing. Whisk together the garlic, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt.

Toss the cooked quinoa, beans, cilantro, red onion, and half of the dressing. Add more dressing if you like and season with more salt to taste. Serve garnished with a bit of cilantro.

Serves 4.

{From 101 Cookbooks}

Carmelized Onion Dip

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions (about 1 1/2 pounds), finely chopped
3/4 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine if you like)
3/4 cup Greek yogurt (low-fat is fine if you like)
3 teaspoons dehydrated onion powder/granulates (salt-free, natural)very scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large thick-bottomed skillet over medium heat saute the chopped onions in the olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt. Stir occasionally with a wood or metal spatula and cook until the onions are deeply golden, brown, and caramelized - roughly 40 or 50 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

In the meantime, whisk together the sour cream, yogurt, onion powder, and salt. The important thing is to add whatever onion powder you are using to taste. Add a bit at a time until it tastes really good. Set aside until the caramelized onions have cooled to room temperature. Stir in 2/3 of the caramelized onions, scoop into a serving bowl, and top with the remaining onions. I think this dip is best at room temperature.

Makes about 2 cups.

{From 101 Cookbooks}