• preparation

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, dredge them in flour, dip them in egg and coat them with a mixture of the breadcrumbs and shredded coconut.
Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and cook the shrimp until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, before setting aside on paper towels to drain.

• preparation

Soak the salted cod fish in cold water for 12 hours.
Cook in simmering water for 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool and clean, debone and flake the fish.

In a mixing bowl , mix the flour and water to from a paste.
add the fish, scallions, Scotch Bonnet chile, garlic, onion and seasoning.
add the egg yolks and vinegar
just before cooking, add baking soda and beaten egg whites.
Meanwhile, heat 2 inches of corn oil to 350 to 375 degrees in a heavy cast-iron pot or deep fryer. Drop the acras into it by the teaspoonful. Fry until they are light brown, turning once. When done, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Serve the accras as soon as they are ready with lemon wedges and curried mayonnaise sauce.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line the 12-cup muffin tin with paper cups.
In a small bowl, cover the raisins with hot water. Set them aside to soak while you assemble the rest of the recipe.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
Stir in the carrots, apple, coconut, walnuts, and wheat germ.
In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Add to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened.
Drain the raisins, squeezing out any excess water with your hands, and stir them in.
Divide the batter among the wells of the prepared pan. They will be very full.
Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, until they're nicely domed and a cake tester inserted in the center of one of the inner muffins comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and let cool in the pan on a rack for about 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto the rack to cool completely. Cover and store at room temperature for several days, or freeze for longer storage.

• preparation

GUACAMOLE:

Peel avocados, cut in halves, remove stones, and mash the avocados.
Add remaining ingredients, and mix.

BLUE CHEESE DIP:

In bowl, combine all the ingredients well. Serve chilled.

SALSA:

In bowl, combine all the ingredients well. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together the bran cereal, oil and raisins. Pour on the boiling water and let stand while preparing remaining ingredients.
Combine the flour, sugar, soda and salt. Lightly beat the eggs and mix with the buttermilk.
Add to cereal mixture and mix well. Add flour mixture and mix only until combined.
Pour batter in greased muffin tins.
Let stand at least 15 minutes before baking. Do not stir. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove muffins from cups while hot.
* You can replace the 2 cups buttermilk with 2 teaspoons vinegar or lemon juice and milk.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat eggs, add sugar, honey, oil and carrots. Mix well. Add dry ingredients along with buttermilk.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer muffins on a rack to cool.

• preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the bananas, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add the sugar and continue to mix until combined.
2. Whisk the flours, flaxseed, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer and beat until just combined (do not over-mix). Stir the nuts into the batter.
3. Pour the batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the bread and cool completely on wire rack.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place oil, onion, chopped garlic, cumin cayenne pepper in a dutch.
Cook over low heat while stirring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Line a roasting pan with foil. Season pork loin with salt and pepper. Place in the roasting pan.
Spoon 1 cup of the barbecue sauce over pork. Place in oven.
Baste with additional sauce every 20 minutes until roast is done and all sauce is used, about 1 1/2 hours or until the center of roast has reached a temperature of 155 degrees.
Let roast rest 15 to 20 minutes, loosely covered with aluminum foil. Place pan juices in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes.
Skim off any fat that rises on top.
Stir in any natural juices that are released from pork roast. Heat sauce and serve alongside pork.
Remove any fat. Slice the roast. Serve with the sauce.

• preparation

Tenderize the conch to 1/8-inch thickness, using a meat mallet.
Place the conch in a pot of water. The water should just cover the conch. Boil for 20-30 minutes.
In a large pot, add the oil and allow to heat up for a minute.
Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Let the roux simmer for about 5 minutes. Don't let the roux burn!
Add the tomatoes, onions, thyme, pepper sauce/red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer for a minute or two.
Add the potatoes, tomato paste. Stir and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, take the conch out of the water and cut it into small chunks.
Add the water, conch and the juice of 1 lime to the large pot.
Cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are done, about 30 minutes.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

• preparation

GUACAMOLE:

Peel avocados, cut in halves, remove stones, and mash the avocados.
Add remaining ingredients, and mix.

BLUE CHEESE DIP:

In bowl, combine all the ingredients well. Serve chilled.

SALSA:

In bowl, combine all the ingredients well. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Butter two 9-inch by 5-inch by 3-inch inch loaf pans. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add cornmeal and blend well. In a separate bowl, combine and beat milk, egg, and butter. Pour the wet ingredients over dry mixture. Stir to blend. Pour batter into pans. Bake for about 50 minutes. Cool corn bread on rack for 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool completely. Refrigerate wrapped for 2 days, or freeze for 2 weeks.

• preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the bananas, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla together in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add the sugar and continue to mix until combined.
2. Whisk the flours, flaxseed, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer and beat until just combined (do not over-mix). Stir the nuts into the batter.
3. Pour the batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the bread and cool completely on wire rack.

• preparation

Buy the oysters. When buying oysters, look for a tag with the harvest date and use them within a week of that date. Also, make sure the oysters are fresh and alive; the shells should be tightly closed or should close when tapped.
An hour before shucking, scrub the oysters with a stiff brush under cold running water to remove any grit. Set them aside to relax muscles in shell. They will open with more ease.

Shuck the oysters. Hold the oyster, curved-side down, in a towel on a cutting board. Insert an oyster knife between the shells at the narrow pointed end. (Use a real oyster knife-there is no substitute!) Press down firmly on the oyster to prevent slipping and twist the knife to pry the shells apart. Use the knife for leverage; do not use force. Cut the muscle that connects the oyster to the top shell with the knife, being careful not to pierce the meat. Remove the top shell. Slide your knife under the oyster to loosen it, keeping the meat and liquid in the shell. Use your knife to carefully scrape away any shards of shell.

Make the aioli. Blend the garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running and process until thick. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the aioli to a bowl, then cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the ragout. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, cook 3 minutes, then add the butter and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the oysters. Preheat the broiler. Place the oysters, in their shells, in individual baking dishes or one large dish. (Put a crumpled sheet of foil underneath them to keep them steady, if necessary.) Top each with a spoonful of mushroom ragout.

Finish the dish. Top each oyster with a dollop of aeoli. Broil until the aeoli is golden, about 2 minutes, and serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 275 degrees; set a rack on a baking sheet and place in oven. Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturers instructions.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl whisk together buttermilk, butter, and eggs. Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture and stir just until batter is combined; fold blueberries into batter.
Lightly coat waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour 1 cup batter (this may vary depending on size of waffle iron) in the center of iron, spreading evenly with a spatula. Close iron; cook until waffles are golden brown and crisp, 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove from iron and transfer to rack in oven; repeat with remaining batter. Serve with blueberries, creme fraiche, and a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In an electric mixer, whisk together the butter, egg, sugar, honey and milk.
Stir together these two mixtures and carefully fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter in a greased 12-muffin tins.
Bake the muffins for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove muffins from cups while hot.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a standard-size muffin pan generously with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine milk and lemon juice in a measuring cup and set aside.
In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just mixed in. Stir in the vanilla.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Stir with a whisk until well combined.
Using a rubber spatula, mix a quarter of the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Then mix in a third of the milk mixture. Continue mixing in the remaining dry and wet ingredients alternately, ending with the dry. Mix until well combined and smooth, but don't over-mix. The batter will be very thick.
Scoop enough batter into each tin so that the top of the batter is even with the rim of the cup. (I like to use an ice cream scoop with a wire scraper for this.) Bake the muffins until firm to the touch, 25-30 minutes. Set pan on rack to cool for a few minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the topping: melt the butter in a small dish and combine the cinnamon and sugar in another small dish.
When the muffins are cool enough to handle, use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with butter, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar. If you have cinnamon-sugar left over, sprinkle muffins again. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store at room temperature. Reheat muffins briefly in microwave for that fresh out of the oven taste.

• preparation

1. Trim broccoli: cut the last 1/4 inch from the end of the stalks and use a paring knife to trim any gnarly stumps or little branches from the stalks.

2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the tough outer skin from the stalks, starting at the base of the flower and going to the end of the stalks. Some larger stalks have a fairly thick skin and may need two passes of the peeler. (You can tell when you got it all when the inner flesh of the stalk is exposed -- it has a softer wet-green look, with no fibers visible and a texture like a cut radish or potato.)

3. Cut the broccoli pieces crosswise into three pieces: the flower and two pieces of stalk about 2 1/2 - 3" long. Divide the flowers from each other as necessary and halve or quarter the stalk pieces lengthwise so that the pieces are all about the same size (for uniform cooking).

4. Place the broccoli in a steamer basket in a pan with about 3/4" of rapidly boiling water. Cover tightly and steam for 5 min.

5. Remove broccoli to a bowl. Add any of the optional ingredients you are using and toss with tongs briefly to mix.

6. Season to taste and allow to rest, partially covered, for a few minutes.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Combine the onions, flour, panko and salt in a large mixing bowl and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick cooking spray and evenly spread the onions on the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes. Toss the onions 2 to 3 times during cooking. Once done, remove from the oven and set aside until ready to use. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the beans. Bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in an 8-quart saucepan. Add the beans and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately plunge the beans into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and simmer for 1 minute. Decrease the heat to medium-low and add the half-and-half. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the green beans. Top with the remaining onions. Place into the oven and bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. (For more crispiness, preheat your oven to 500°F.)
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut each piece into wedges. Alternately, you can slice the peeled sweet potato into disks either with a mandoline or a sharp knife.
Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt, sugar and spices of your choice. Mix well, so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.
Place a baking sheet inthe oven to preheat.
Spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on the preheating the baking sheet, to help the fries get crisp.

Bake for a total of 25 to 30 minutes. After the first 15 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until they are well browned. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

• preparation

Preheat the oven at 350 F and brush the cut sides of each squash using olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
Place cut sides of squash down on two baking sheets. Roast 25 minutes or until tender.
Melt butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add celery with leeks, salt and pepper, cooking on medium heat for about eight minutes, stirring now and then.
Add apples and thyme, cooking on medium high about five minutes, or until until the apples begin to soften.
Scrape the mixture into a bowl. Work in bread, parsley, stock, chestnuts, and cream, tossing to mix well; salt and pepper.
Turn the squash so cut sides face up. Fill the cavities with stuffing and bake 20 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

• preparation

In a frying pan cook celery and onion in butter until tender; remove from heat. Stir in giblets, poultry seasoning or sage, pepper and salt.

In a large mixing bowl place dry bread and corn bread cubes; add the onion mixture. Drizzle with enough broth or water to moisten, tossing lightly to mix.
Transfer to a 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake in a 325 degree F oven for 40 minutes or until heated through.
Or, use to stuff a 10- to 12-pound turkey; see directions for Classic Roast Turkey.)

*Note: To cook giblets: Rinse giblets and neck. Refrigerate liver until needed. In a medium saucepan place the remaining giblets and neck. Add enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add liver and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Remove giblets and finely chop. Discard neck. Strain broth. Chill giblets and broth until needed.

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Bake the walnuts for 5-8 minutes, until toasted and fragrant. Keep a close eye on them; they burn quickly.
Combine the brussels sprouts and kale in a large bowl.
Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables. Add most of the walnuts and cheese, reserving some to garnish the platter, and toss well. Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or up to a few hours in the fridge) to allow the flavors to meld and the vegetables to soften. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter the remaining walnuts and cheese over top. Serve at room temperature.

• preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, blend flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder and salt. Add oil, egg yolks, water, orange juice, rind, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.
Beat egg whites with cream of tartar. Gradually add sugar, and beat to form soft peaks. Fold egg whites into batter.
Pour into a 10-inch ungreased tube pan. Bake for about 1 hour. Test with a cake tester. Invert until cold. Loosen cake with knife. Unmold. Cover with orange fluff icing.

ORANGE FLUFF ICING

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Beat with a whisk over adouble boiler until peaks start to form.
Remove from heat, beat for 2 to 3 more minutes or icing is at a spreadable consistency.
Cover chiffon cake.

• preparation

In a saucepan combine wine, orange juice and honey. Split the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise, and scrape the seeds into the pan using the tip of the knife. Add the pod and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced to about one cup (about 15 minutes). Remove from the heat and add the raisins. Set aside to cool then remove vanilla pod. Cut off the orange peel with a knife. Separate the segments free from all membranes. Repeat with remaining citrus, removing seeds. Add all fruit to the cooled liquid. Spoon into glasses.

• preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Butter and flour parchment and pan, tapping out excess flour.
2. Make streusel: Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and salt. Add flour and mix with a fork until large crumbs form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Make cake: In a medium bowl, combine rhubarb, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup flour. In another medium bowl, whisk 3/4 cup flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs, one at a time. With mixer on low, beat in vanilla, then flour mixture. Spread batter in prepared pan. Sprinkle with rhubarb and top with streusel.
4. Bake cake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake from pan. Cut into 16 bars.

• preparation

Fit the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with a circle of parchment paper.
Combine cookie crumbs, sugar and butter in a bowl. Spread evenly into bottom of pan and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until firm. To make cheese cake, combine sugar and cornstarch in a stainless steel saucepan.
Dissolve unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup of the lemon juice. Whisk remaining lemon juice and beaten eggs in sugar and cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens to a medium-thick consistency. Remove from heat.
Stir in gelatin and lemon zest. Transfer to a large bowl, and let cool at room temperature.
Whisk in Mascarpone until smooth. Beat whipping cream in a bowl until stiff. Fold mascarpone mixture into whipped cream.
Spoon cream mixture into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. Seal top with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Run a small sharp knife along the edge of the inside cake pan rim to loosen cake.
Remove sides of pan. Transfer dessert from metal base to a serving plate.
To serve, garnish with fresh berries, lemon zest and a red berry sauce.

• preparation

Combine all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until cornstarch dissolves.
Boil until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until cold. ( can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled.

• preparation

In a large (preferably 12-cup) food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle the ice water over the dough and pulse in 1-second bursts until it just comes together. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather up any crumbs and pat into 2 disks. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

On a floured work surface, roll out 1 disk of the dough to a 16-inch square, a scant 1/4 inch thick. Using a small pot lid or plate (5 1/2 to 6 inches) as a template, cut out as many dough rounds as possible. Repeat with the second disk of dough. Reroll the scraps, chilling if necessary, for a total of 12 dough rounds. Transfer the pastry rounds to parchment paper–lined baking sheets and refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until browned and fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan gently once the caramel begins to form, until the caramel is medium-amber, about 9 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, cream, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Transfer 1 cup of the caramel to a large bowl and let cool slightly. (Save any remaining caramel for later use.) Whisk the remaining 1 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and the corn syrup into the caramel in the bowl. Whisk in the 4 unbeaten eggs until smooth. Add the pecans and a generous pinch of salt.
Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray. Pour the pecan filling into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until set. Let cool slightly, then scrape the pecan filling into a bowl and gently stir to recombine.
Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Working with one baking sheet at a time, brush the pastry surfaces lightly with some of the beaten egg. Scoop a scant 1/4 cup of the pecan filling onto each round and fold the pastry over to make a turnover. Press the edges to seal and crimp with the tines of a floured fork. Refrigerate the hand pies while you prepare the rest.
Brush the tops of the pies with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar. Using a sharp knife, make a small slit in the top of each pie. Bake the pies in the middle and lower thirds of the oven for 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown; shift the pans halfway through baking. Let the pies cool on the baking sheets before serving.
MAKE AHEAD
The pies can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Rewarm before serving.