Another Tomato Sauce that's Kinda Sweet and Kinda Spicy but Not Too Much

15 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
6 shallots, slice thick
6 cloves garlic, smashed
5 anaheim chiles, halved lengthwise, all seeds and most ribs removed
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup xv olive oil

- toss together and transfer to roasting pan; make sure tomatoes are skin side down in pan
- roast at 350 for 30 minutes
- remove skins from tomatoes and puree all in blender with:

1 1/2 cups roasted mushroom juices
1 cup xv olive oil
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp pimenton dulce

Crab Stuffing for Chiles Rellenos

3 cups mascarpone
2 lbs crab meat
2 Tbsp minced cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp pimenton dulce
juice of 1 lemon

Cornbread Flan

1 qt half & half
8 eggs
8 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch scallions, sliced thin

1 cornbread, cut into half-inch cubes

- whisk eggs and yolks
- whisk in half & half
- whisk in s&p, cilantro, garlic and scallions
- combine custard mixture with cornbread; allow several hours for the bread to absorb the custard
- line a terrine with plastic wrap
- remove bread from custard and pack it into terrine
- cover terrine with plastic and foil and bake in a water bath at 200 until set - 3-4 hours or so (int temp 165)
- chill overnight in mold, slice and grill if desired

Pretty Much What You Think of When You Think of Cornbread

1/4 lb butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour

- melt butter
- whisk in sugars; cool slightly
- whisk in eggs, then buttermilk, salt and baking soda
- stir in cornmeal and flour
- grease a 64 square-inch pan and pour in batter
- bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes

Saturday Rub

People ask me about rubs a lot, and I don't really use them, but apparently lots of folks do, so I came up with one.

½ cup coarse sea salt
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sweet smoked paprika
1 tsp dry mustard
½ tsp coriander seed, ground
½ tsp celery seed
¼ tsp cumin seed, ground
5 allspice berries, ground
1 pod star anise, ground

¼ lb unsalted butter

1. combine thoroughly in food processor
2. cover meat with a generous layer and allow to marinate 2 hrs
3. half-heartedly remove rub and reserve 2 Tbsps.
4. spray meat with cooking spray and grill
5. melt butter with reserved rub over medium heat; use this for basting

Arugula-Poached Egg Emulsion

1 lb baby arugula, blanched and shocked
4 cloves garlic
6 eggs, poached 2 minutes
2 tsp salt
2 qts grapeseed oil
water as necessary

- in blender, combine arugula, garlic, eggs and salt
- puree until smooth, adding minimal water if necessary
- with motor running, drizzle in oil until smooth
- add additional water if desired

Wild Mushroom "Pate"

1 qt cleaned chicken livers
salt and freshly cracked pepper
2 oz canola oil

stems from 40 portobello mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1/4 cup black trumpet mushroom powder
1 Tbsp salt
1 cup tawny port
1 cup cognac
1 cup mushroom roasting juices

- season and saute the chicken livers in canola oil until medium rare
- remove from pan and add portobello stems, trumpet powder and salt
- saute until soft, stirring often (add extra oil if necessary)
- deglaze with port and cognac; reduce au sec
- add mushroom juices and reduce by 3/4
- puree livers and mushrooms in food processor; chill.

Mostarda Vinaigrette

1 cup reserved liquid from Strawberry Mostarda (below)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp pimenton dulce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 cup mustard oil

- combine first 6 ingredients in blender
- while blender is running, drizzle in mustard oil until smooth

Strawberry Mostarda

8 cups sugar
6 cups mustard powder
1 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

3 qts local strawberries, stems removed and halved or quartered

- bring first 5 ingredients to a simmer, stirring frequently
- simmer 5 minutes and strain without pressure through chinois; allow to cool
- combine mustard syrup and strawberries in batches in vacuum bags
- vacuum and seal 24 hours
- remove strawberries and reserve liquid

Lobster "Meatballs"

2 1/4 lbs cooked lobster meat
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup warm lobster stock with 1 tsp dissolved agar agar
3 Tbsp minced chervil
2 tsp minced lemon zest
2 tsp salt

- in food processor lobster meat and eggs
- pulse in cream, then lobster stock, until combined
- fold in remaining ingredients and chill 1/2 hour
- form into balls 1 inch in diameter and chill 1/2 hour
- poach in gently simmering water until floating
- remove to ice water, then to toweling and reserve

Saffron Gnocchi

3 3/4 lbs russet potatoes, baked and kept warm
1 Tbsp loosely packed saffron threads steeped in 1 Tbsp sherry
2 qts pate a choux
2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp white pepper

- peel potatoes and combine with saffron mixture in food mill
- rice potatoes into large bowl
- add remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly with hands
- chill 1 hour and form into balls 1 inch in diameter
- poach in gently simmering water 2 minutes and remove to ice water
- drain and warm in desired sauce