AwesomeBites

Ingredients
3/4 cup thinly sliced almonds or black walnuts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 large country-style Italian loaf, about 1 pound (Try raisin bagels, or toothsome nutty bread, cinnamon raison bread would be great!)
2 pints ripe strawberries, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon good-quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup lightly packed torn mint leaves
1 cup heavy cream, lightly whipped (or vanilla yogurt)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until toasted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the almonds are toasting, melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over high heat, and cook until it browns. Add the bay leaf and stand back (it might pop). Lower the heat to medium and add the sugar to the pan and stir. When the sugar has melted, add the brandy and stand back (it might flame). Add the lemon juice. Cook for 15 seconds, then add the orange juice and salt. Stir and cook until the liquid has reduced by half and it has reached a syrupy consistency. You should have about 1/2 cup. Remove the bay leaf.

Using a serrated knife, shave off the thicker parts of the crust. Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 8 cups. Place the bread in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of the brown butter syrup. Spread the bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden and crispy on the outside and still chewy inside, 15 to 20 minutes, turning occasionally for even coloring.

Put the strawberries in a medium bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt and mix well. Allow to macerate for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place the raisins in a small bowl. Cover with hot water. Allow the raisins to plump for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the fruit.

Place the bread in a large bowl. Add remaining brown butter syrup, the almonds, raisins, blueberries, and mint. Toss well. To serve, spoon some strawberries in each bowl. Spoon some panzanella beside the strawberries. Spoon some whipped cream (or vanilla yogurt) over the strawberries.

Ingredients
4 brown Turkish figs, ripe
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
2 ounces Stilton cheese
3/4 cup Chateau Elan port wine
Directions
Cut figs into quarters and place them in a saucepot with the port wine and bring to boil, simmer and reduce by 2/3. You should have a little less than a 1/4 cup of port at a syrup consistency. Allow the port syrup to cool.

On a cutting board, tear thin slices of prosciutto lengthwise in half and place 16 pieces on the board. Take a piece of fig and place it at 1 end of the prosciutto and place a small piece of Stilton cheese on top of the fig and roll the fig with the prosciutto. Continue this process with the remaining figs, Stilton cheese, and prosciutto.

To serve, arrange the figs on a platter and drizzle with the port wine syrup.

Flourless Orange and Almond Cake is a classic Passover dessert drawing on the Sephardic traditions of Morocco, the Mediterranean and the Middle East (where citrus was more available).

Ingredients

2 oranges
6 eggs
250g caster sugar
250g almond meal
1tsp baking powder
Extra caster sugar for dusting before baking
Icing sugar for dusting after baking
Margarine or oil spray (for greasing the pan)

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Preparation
Wash oranges and place unpeeled, in a pot of boiling water for 2 hours. Drain the water and allow the oranges to cool. This can be done ahead of time.

Preheat oven to 190°C.

Break 6 eggs into a mixing bowl or blender. Add caster sugar and beat or blend together.
Place the two oranges into the egg mix. Break up the oranges and then blend together to a smooth consistency. Add the almond meal and baking powder and blend.

Grease a 20 cm spring form baking pan with margarine (or vegetable oil spray) and dust with caster sugar.

Pour batter into the pan and sprinkle caster sugar on top and bake for 1 hour to an hour and a half or until the top is golden brown.

Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Ying Tam, chef of Sydney’s Ying’s Seafood Restaurant shares his signature salt and pepper squid recipe with Food Safari’s Maeve O’Meara.

Ingredients

500g fresh calamari
2 tbsp self raising flour
1 tbsp oil
Cornflour
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
4 green shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
Five Spice mix
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp celery powder
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp five spice powder

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Preparation
Clean calamari by pulling the tentacles from the body. Wash out the tube and remove the clear ‘backbone’. Remove the skin, if desired. Cut tentacles from the head and discard heads. Cut tubes into triangles, this helps them to curl during cooking.

In a bowl, mix self raising flour, oil and a little water to make a paste. Place calamari pieces and tentacles into the bowl and coat well. Then sprinkle each piece with enough cornflour until the pieces are dry.

Combine all ingredients for five spice mix and set aside.

Heat enough vegetable oil for deep frying in a wok. Add calamari, in batches and cook until golden and crisp. Remove with a wire basket or slotted spoon. Repeat with remaining calamari. Drain off oil.

Add shallots, garlic and chilli to wok. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Return squid to wok and add 2 to 3 tsp of the five spice mix. Toss well to combine. Add Shaoxing wine, toss and serve immediately.

You chill the dessert in any mold you like overnight. I picked one of my metal mixing bowls and ended up with a shallow dome. It’s traditionally made in a heart-shaped mold, but you could use just about anything.

White Chocolate Coeur de la Crème with Blueberry Lime Puree
Slightly adapted from A Homemade Life
Serves 6-8

Coeur de la Crème
3 oz good quality white chocolate, finely chopped
8 oz cream cheese (not low fat), room temperature
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Puree
10 oz frozen blueberries
Zest of one lime or lemon
3 tbsp sugar

Cut two sheets of cheesecloth big enough to fully line your mold, plus a little overhang on all sides. Dampen the cheesecloth with water, wring it out, and put them together to make a double layer. Press it into the sides and bottom of the mold, leaving some hanging over the sides.

Microwave the white chocolate in a microwavable bowl in 20 second intervals on high. Stir between intervals, and heat only until smooth and just melted.

Mix the cream cheese, 1/4 cup cream, and the sugar in a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add the white chocolate and beat for 2 minutes, until very smooth.

In another bowl, beat the remaining 1 cup cream to stiff peaks and fold into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon into the mold, smooth the top with a rubber spatula, then fold the overhanging cheesecloth over it to cover the top. Place the mold unto a rimmed sheetpan or plate and chill for 8 hours or overnight.

To make the puree, blend the thawed berries, their juice, the zest, and the sugar in a blender or food processor until smooth. Push the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds into a small bowl. Cover and chill for up to 4 hours.

Carefully peel the cheesecloth off the top of the coeur de la crème and invert it onto a plate. Peel off the rest of the cheesecloth. Serve in dollops in teacups or shallow bowls along with a spoonful of puree.

You can always drizzle with a bit of dark chocolate to play off the black and white.

ngredients
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2 oz. chihuacle negro chiles (order from CMC Foods–Google it), or mulattos (easier to find, but you don’t get that anise-y flavor that distinguishes the black molé from the others)
shopping list
5 1/2 oz. mullato chiles
2 oz. pasilla chiles
1 pasilla de oaxaca chile, or chipotle meco (tan, dried, not canned in adobo)
2 tortillas, torn up
1/2 small onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
oil or lard
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. each: sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds
3 quarts rich chicken stock
8 plum tomatoes, chopped
4 oz. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
2 slices bread, toasted
2 cloves
1 stick canela (true cinnamon)
1 t. oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 ripe banana
3 oz. mexican chocolate
salt, sugar

How to make it
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First, stem the chiles, then tear them open and separate the seeds and reserve them. Heat a pan over high heat, and add the seeds and tortilla (turn on your exhuast fan and open a window). When they’re quite black, dump them in a strainer and rinse under running water for a minute, until the water runs clear. Transfer to your blender and clean, rinse, and dry the pan. Add the toasted bread to the blender.
Put the pan on high heat, and add the onion slices and garlic cloves. Roast until soft, and remove to a bowl. Squish the garlic out of the peels and discard the peels.
Roast the nuts in a 350 degree oven until fragrant and remove. Heat the pan over high heat and add a half-inch of oil or lard. Be. Very. Careful. Here. Fry the chiles a couple at a time. They will get fragrant, and when they begin to lighten, remove them — it only takes a few seconds on each side. Be careful not to burn the chiles — and you still have the exhaust fan on and the window open, right? Remove them as they are done to a paper towel and drain. Put them in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let them soak for thirty minutes. Drain.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the toasted sesame seeds for garnish, and put the remaining seeds and nuts into the blender. Add about 2 c. of the stock, and puree until smooth. Remove to a bowl. (There is no need to rinse the blender until you’re completely done with it.)
Puree the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and about 1/2 c. of the stock until smooth. Remove to a bowl.
Grind the cloves and cinnamon. Add the spices to the blender with the onion and garlic, oregano, thyme, banana, and about 1/2 c. of the stock. Puree until smooth and remove to a bowl.
Puree the chiles in two batches, each with 2 c. of the stock, and remove to a bowl. Now, you can wash the blender.
In a large, heavy, preferably non-stick pot, heat 3 T. of oil or lard over high heat until very hot. Add the tomato-tomatillo puree, and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark and thick. Add the seed/nut mixture, and repeat, stirring until again, very thick. Add the banana mixture and repeat, again until very thick. Add the chile mixture, turn the heat down to low, and let it cook until very thick and dark, stirring every few minutes. Add the stock and chocolate, mix well, pour into a slow cooker and simmer slowly on the low setting for five to six hours (you can do this on top of the stove, but be careful because the nuts fall to the bottom and tend to burn, and if that happens, you have to throw it all out).
Add salt and sugar to taste (dried chiles contain a large amount of tannin, and you may need to add some sugar to offset the bitter tannin taste, though most of it should have cooked away, and you do NOT want sweet mole). The Mexicans strain everything at every opportunity. It would be considered mandatory there to strain the mole when done. Don’t feel obligated. Really. It’s amazingly good whether you strain it or not.
Mole is a sauce. You can tuck a few chicken breasts in some of the mole (freeze the rest) and simmer them until done, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds. You can poach chicken breasts separately, shred the chicken, and moisten with mole as a taco or tamale filling. You can do anything you like.

Red Mole – the king of Mexican sauces

275g (5 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed

70g sesame seeds

140ml rich-tasting pork lard or vegetable oil, plus a little more if necessary

175g (about 12 medium) dried mulato chillies, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces

75g (about 6 medium) dried ancho chillies, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces

75g (about 10 medium) dried pasilla chillies, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces

8 garlic cloves, peeled

110g unskinned almonds

110g raisins

1 tsp cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela

half a tsp black pepper, preferably freshly ground

half a tsp anise, preferably freshly ground

quarter of a tsp cloves, preferably freshly ground

2 slices firm white bread, darkly toasted and broken into several pieces

50g Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped

1.2 litres chicken broth

salt

20-25g sugar

DIRECTIONS

This is a slightly simpler recipe than the black mole.

On a rimmed baking sheet, roast the tomatillos 10cm below a very hot grill until splotchy black and thoroughly soft, about 5 minutes per side. Scrape into a large bowl. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring nearly constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Scrape half of them in with the tomatillos. Reserve the remainder for sprinkling on the chicken.

Brown other mole ingredients. Turn on the fan or open a kitchen door or window. In a very large soup pot (I typically use a 11.5 litre stainless-steel stock pot or a medium-large Mexican earthenware cazuela), heat the lard or oil over medium. When quite hot, fry the chillies, three or four pieces at a time, flipping them nearly constantly with tongs until their interior side has changed to a lighter colour, about 20 or 30 seconds total frying time. Don’t toast them so darkly that they begin to smoke – that would make the mole bitter. As they’re done, remove them to a large bowl, being careful to drain as much fat as possible back into the pot. Cover the toasted chillies with hot tap water and allow to rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even soaking.

Remove any stray seeds left in the fat. With the pot still over medium heat, fry the garlic and almonds, stirring regularly, until browned (the garlic should be soft), about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to the tomatillo bowl, draining as much fat as possible back into the pot.

Add the raisins to the hot pot. Stir for 20 or 30 seconds, until they’ve puffed and browned slightly. Scoop them out, draining as much fat as possible back into the pot, and add to the tomatillos. Set the pan aside off the heat.

To the tomatillo mixture, add the cinnamon, black pepper, anise, cloves, bread and chocolate. Add 480ml water and stir to combine.

Blend, strain, cook. Into a large measuring cup, tip off the chillies’ soaking liquid. Taste the liquid: if it’s not bitter, discard all but 1.4 litres of the liquid. (if you’re short, add water to make up the shortfall). If bitter, pour it out and measure 1.4 litres of water. Scoop half of the chillies into a blender jar, pour in half of the soaking liquid (or water) and blend to a smooth purée. Press through a medium-mesh sieve into a large bowl; discard the bits of skin and seeds that don’t pass through the sieve. Repeat with the remaining chillies.

Return the soup pot or cazuela to medium heat. When quite hot, pour in the chilli purée – it should sizzle sharply and, if the pan is sufficiently hot, the mixture should never stop boiling. Stir every couple of minutes until the chilli purée has darkened and reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, about a half hour. (I find it useful to cover the pot with an inexpensive spatter screen to catch any spattering chilli.)

In two batches, blend the tomatillo mixture as smoothly as possible (you may need an extra 120ml water to keep everything moving through the blades), then strain it in to the large bowl that contained the chillies. When the chilli paste has reduced, add the tomatillo mixture to the pot and cook, stirring every few minutes until considerably darker and thicker, 15 to 20 minutes. (Again, a spatter screen saves a lot of cleaning up.)

Simmer. Add the broth to the pot and briskly simmer the mixture over medium to medium-low heat for about 2 hours for all the flavours to come together and mellow. If the mole has thickened beyond the consistency of a cream soup, stir in a little water. Taste and season with salt (usually about 4 teaspoons) and the sugar.

You can cool, cover and refrigerate the mole until you’re ready to use it.