Donut Army

This dish is terrific - very flavorful, and easy to assemble. Plus, the flavors will surprise your guests -- pleasant, but unidentifiable. Probably because most of them will not have had sumac before.  Feta with Sumac and Black Sesame Seeds Bon Appetit 1 1/2 lbs feta* 1 T fresh oregano, whole or minced 1 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds 1 1/2 tsp ground sumac olive oil, for drizzling crackers or bread, for serving * Original recipe called for it to be sliced into 1/4" thick rounds, but I crumbled mine up and it worked just fine. Place cheese in bowl. Top with sesame seeds and sumac.  Add oregano. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

I recently ate at a new restaurant in Austin and tried their dish with roasted Brussels, pistachios, and blue cheese. I loved how the blue cheese melted while you were bringing the fork to your mouth, and, the mix of tangy with savory. It seemed simple enough to re-create at home. Here is my very imprecise recipe.  Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pistachios and Blue Cheese 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts handful pistachios 2 T blue cheese Trim and halve the Brussels, and then set in a cast iron or other oven-proof dish. Toss with olive oil and place in a preheated 425 oven. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into serving dish. Stir in pistachios, and top with blue cheese.

This cooked corn dish is something I would serve to guests -- warm and creamy and very, very flavorful. Also, rather simple to prepare. I adjusted the original recipe, which called for more dishes than I was in the mood to wash. The amendments are below; original recipe can be found in the hyperlink. Yellow Velvet Vegetarian Times, October 2001 2 yellow squash, about 1/2 lb, thinly sliced 2 c corn kernels, fresh or frozen 1 T butter 2 T heavy cream parsley, for garnish Bring a medium saucepans of water to a boil. Add squash and corn and reduce heat. Cook, partially covered, until tender, 6 minutes. Drain both well in colander. Transfer squash and corn to serving bowl. Add butter and cream and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs and serve hot.

I can't even begin to tell you how often I make this. This fall, I've been making it just about every Sunday -- good for Sunday dinner, and then breakfast leftovers for the next few days. It really is that good. TIP: I actually use my blender for the stage involving beating the eggs and combining with dairy, etc. This is particularly helpful if, like me, you may want to prepare the quiche the night before, but not fully assemble or bake until the morning. If you don't use the blender, then your eggs will separate out by morning and you have to re-beat. No big deal. But with the blender, it's still ready to go in the morning. S ometimes, I get over-exuberant with the blender, and it creates too much of a froth. When this happens, the quiche does take longer to bake. Use judgment, and, a knife test. Naturally, if assembling the night before, do not add the eggs. Simply lay out the pie crust, add the cheese, and top with the vegetables. Put the egg mixture in...

  This Sharlotka -- a Russian sponge cake -- is nice because it is actually very, very light. With less than 1 cup of flour, this is more of an apple crumble, but with form.  My Springform pan is 9", as opposed to the 8" in the recipe below. Therefore, the cake pictured here sprawls more, and is less tall, than what you might get if you have the proper pan. Apple Sharlotka Food and Wine , November 2014 4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced 1 T lemon juice 1 c sugar 3/4 c + 2 T flour 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg pinch salt 3 eggs 1/4 tsp almond extract powdered sugar, for dusting Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease the bottom and side of an 8-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the almond...