CHOCOLATE FLAN

Flan has always been one of my favorite desserts. I love the texture - firm and resistant and soft, all at the same time, wonderful in your mouth after any meal. I remember one I had in Mexico many years ago when I was a guest at a beautiful and luxurious house slung on the side of Las Brisas, overlooking Acapulco Bay. The sunsets were spectacular. So was the food. After a particularly tasty dinner, when I was asked by the houseman if he could get me anything, I said, yes; I'd love to have the recipe for the chocolate flan we had for dessert. While this was not exactly what he had in mind, he bowed slightly and went off to the kitchen, returning with a recipe written in a kind of Mexican/English that required some translation. Confusing though it was ("...put zucar in pan..."), I brought it home and finally, through trial and error, managed to duplicate the cook's creation. From the Mexican cook at Ocho Cabbios, Acapulco.

CHOCOLATE FLAN

serves 6



1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 5-oz can evaporated milk

1 C whole milk

8 eggs

2 tablets semisweet chocolate

3 T cocoa powder

1 T vanilla

1 C sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Stir sugar in a heavy cast-iron skillet over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar melts and turns golden brown.

3. Pour the caramelized sugar into a 1 quart casserole and coat the botton and sides evenly. (You can make this in a pie tin.) Set aside. The mixture will cool and harden.

4. Beat eggs until well mixed. Add milks and vanilla. Add chocolates, then mix in blender or food processor until combined.

5. Pour the egg mixturer into the prepared casserole (or pan) over caramel. Place casserole in a roasting pan with 1 inch of hot water. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour or until a kiife inserted near the center of the flan comes out clean. Remove casserole from oven and cool completely, at least 2 hours.

6. When ready to serve, unmold casserole onto a platter and spoon the caramel syrup over the top. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

CHERRY TORTONI

This is, without any hesitation, one of the best desserts I've made (or had). It takes a little time to prepare so plan to make it on a day when you have little else to do, but it's so worth it. Make this in July when cherries are ripe and have that smokey sweet quality. Or make it any time, with frozen cherries. (I've always made it with fresh cherries.)  I know the recipe sounds daunting but each of the several steps is quite easy. Serve this and your guests will remember it for a long, long time as one of the greatest desserts they've had. (Ina Garten has said that guests will forget what they ate for dinner but they will always remember dessert.) I certainly remember this one.

CHERRY TORTONI

serves 10



2 1/2 C fresh or frozen (not thawed) pitted sour cherries (3/4 lb)

1/2 C plus 1/3 C sugar

2 T Di Saronne Amaretto or other almond flavored liqueur

1 1/2 t cornstarch

1 T cold water

1 1/2 C sliced almonds (not salted), toasted for about 10 minutes and completely cooled

1 1/4 C fine vanilla wafer crumbs (from about 40 wafers)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted

4 large egg whites

1/2 t cream of tartar

1 1/3 C chilled heavy cream

2 T sweet Marsala wine or sweet Sherry

3/4 C coarsely ground amaretti cookies (from about 20 1-inch cookies)

Cook the cherries

1. If using frozen cherries, thaw, reserving juices. Simmer cherries, 1/2 cup sugar and liqueur in a 2-3 quart saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cherries are soft, about 5 minutes. Whisk together cornstarch and water until combined, then whisk into cherry mixture and boil 1 minute. Transfer to a shallow bowl and chill, uncovered, 1 hour.

Make the crust

1. Pulse 1 cup almonds in a food processor until finely ground (do not pulse to a paste). Transfer to a bowl and stir in wafer crumbs and butter with a fork until combined well. Pat crumbs mixture evenly onto bottom and up sides of a buttered 9-inch sprinform pan, then freeze while making filling, about 30 minutes.

Make filling

1. Beat egg whites with remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cream of tartar and a pich of salt in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, using a handheld electric mixer at medium-high speed until whites just hold soft peaks and instant read thermometer registers 170 degrees. (I can never make it come to this temperature, but not to worry; just get as close as you can to 170 degrees and then keep going.), about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and continue to beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks, about 2 minutes more.

2. Beat cream with Marsala in another bowl at medium speed until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold in ground amaretti and half of whites gently but thoroughly. Fold in remaining whites and pour into crust pan, smoothing top.

3. Drain cherries in a sieve set over a bowl and reserve juices. Scatter cherries evenly over top of tortoni, then swirl cherries into tortoni with the tip of a sharp knife for a marbled effect. Sprinkle top of tortoni with remaining 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds and freeze, loosely covered until firm, at least 4 hours. 

4. Remove tortoni from freezer and let stand at room temperature 10 minutes to soften slightly before serving. Carefully remove side of pan, then cut tortoni into wedges and serve with reserved cherry juices.

Note: This can be made ahead and left frozen for up to 1 week. To toast almonds, spread them on a dry baking sheet and leave them in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. This develops the oils in the nuts and makes them more flavorful.

PUMPKIN BANANA MOUSSE TART

Back in the days when Moveable Feast had a benefit every year and when I was a member of its board, I would donate an evening of cocktails and dinner for 6 (the number my dining room table would comfortably fit) as a live auction item. Each year, the dinner brought more money until I finally donated two dinners, both at the next-to-final bid. This brought in about $5000.00 to my favorite charity. This high revenue (as I thought of it) gave me a high responsibility to produce something the guests could think worthy of their expenditure. The year the winning bidders brought then mayor, now governor, O'Malley to dinner, I served this great dessert, one of my all-time favorites. It takes a little time to prepare. But believe me, it's worth it. The now governor's wife, Katy O'Malley, asked me for the recipe.

PUMPKIN BANANA MOUSSE TART

serves 10

 For the crust

2 C graham cracker crumbs, about 14 crackers

1/3 C sugar

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling

1/2 C half and half

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

1 C light brown sugar

3/4 t salt

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t cinnamon

3 large egg yolks

1 pakcage unflavored gelatin

1 ripe banana, mashed finely

1 t grated orange zest

1/2 C cold heavy cream

2 T sugar

For the decoration

1 C heavy cream

1/4 C sugar

1/2 t vanilla

orange zest in strands (you can buy a tool to do this; it also makes great lemon peels for drinks)

1. Heat oven to 350. Mix all crust ingredients in a 10-12 inch tart pan with a removeable bottom. (Just press the crumbs into the pan and up the sides. You can use the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass to press the crumbs into the tart pan.) Bake 10 minutes and cool on a rack.

2. Heat, in a double boiler, for 5 minutes: half and half, pumpkin puree, sugar, salt and spices.

3. Whisk egg yolks. Stir hot pumpkin into egg yolks, a little at first, so as not to scramble eggs. Fold in pumpkin completely. Heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

4. Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 C cold water. Add this and the zest and bananas to the pumpkin mixture. Stir and cool.

5. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, add sugar and whisk to stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin and spread in prepared shell. Cool at least 2 hours or overnight.

6. To decorate: whip cream to soft peaks, add sugar and vanilla, continue whisking to stiff peaks. Pipe onto tart and add strings of orange zest. (Or you can just spoon it on.)

This is one of my two favorite desserts and after all the trouble to make it, your guests will remember it forever!

GRANDMOTHER'S KEY LIME PIE

The grandmother of a friend of mine used to visit him in Key West for a month or so every winter. She would come from Texas and occupy herself around the house, doing chores, like laundry and cleaning while he managed his guest house. I remember that one of her compulsions was to sweep the street in front of the house every day, which was no mean feat since the wind blew rather constantly and the street would get littered with leaves from the overhead trees. Another thing she liked to do was make key lime pies. This is her very simple recipe, made with handy ingredients but I've never found a Key Lime pie any better. Be sure to use juice from Key West limes; they're quite different from the normal lime juice you find in your market. (I use "Nellie & Joe's famous Key West Lime Juice," found in a bottle in the specialty section of my grocery store. I keep the remainder in my refrigerator for the next time I want to enjoy grandmother's pie.)

GRANDMOTHER'S KEY LIME PIE

makes one 9-10" pie

1 prepared pie shell (graham cracker crust or whatever pleases you but already cooked)

4 eggs separated

1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 C Key West lime juice
1/2 C whipping cream

1. Beat together 4 egg yolks and 1 egg white. Add milk and beat again. Add lime juice and beat again.

2. Beat other 3 egg whites until they hold stiff peaks and are dry, and fold them into the egg and milk mixture.

3. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell and bake for 15 minutes n a moderate oven (about 350 degrees).

4. Cool pie completely on a rack (mixture will thicken as it cools), then chill, covered, for as long as 8 hours or overnight.

5. Serve with whipped cream.

INDEX

Here's an updated index of the recipes on my blog, posted by category and date of publication. I hope you'll find this helpful.

Phil’s Favorite Food

Blog Entries

Index by Category (as of April 23, 2013)

This is a list of recipes posted on Phil’s blog, Phil’s Favorite Food. Each recipe shows the date of posting so it will be easier to find. These can all be accessed and downloaded at philsfavoritefood.blogspot.com

Drinks

Bloody Marys                                                              Feb 5

Creamsicles                                                               Feb 5

Hors d’Oeuvres

Bar Nuts (Phil’s Nuts)                                                 Jan 16

Roasted Eggplant Dip (for Chicken Curry)                 Jan 30

Artichoke Squares                                                      Feb 1

Jim’s Olive Tapenade                                                 Feb 24

Curried Cheese Spread                                              Mar 3

Rice Krispie Squares                                                  Mar 5

Soup and First Courses

Cold Curried Apple Soup                                            Jan 17

Corn Chowder                                                                        Feb 3

Melon Carpaccio                                                         Mar 4

Tomato Aspic                                                              Mar 13

Cold Tomato Soup with Cucumber and Melon          Mar 15

Easy Oysters Rockefeller                                           Mar 20

Minted Pea Soup                                                         Mar 22

Nancy Hernke’s Onion Soup                                      Mar 24

Salads and Dressings

Vinaigrette Dressing                                                   Jan 24

Ina Garten’s Green Salad Vinaigrette             Jan 24

Raita (for Chicken Curry Dinner)                                Jan 29

Sweetheart Salad                                                       Feb 14

The Best Caesar Salad Ever, No Kidding                  Mar 8

Chicken Salad Veronique                                           Mar 10

Aunt Nola’s Boiled Dressing                                       Mar 11

Chicken Salad a la Danny Kaye                                 Mar 12

Peggy’s Sweet and Sour Dressing                            Mar 16

Cobb Salad                                                                 Mar 28

Meat

Beef Stew                                                                   Jan 19

Bill Blass’s Meatloaf                                                    Jan 20

Meatloaf, Maple Glazed                                               Jan 21

Country Style Sausage and Fried Apples                   Feb 7

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Prunes                            Feb 11

Lemon and Ginger Pork Roast                                   Feb 12

Beef Bourguignon                                                       Feb 16

Sauteed Pork Chops                                                  Feb 21

Veal Marsala                                                               Feb 28

Saltimbocca                                                                Mar 1

Pineapple and Molasses Spareribs                            Mar 2

Roasted Pork Loin with Fig Sauce                             Mar 6

Choucroute a l’Alsacienne                                          Mar 23

Dinah Shore’s Meatloaf                                               Apr 2

Chili                                                                             Apr 7

Chicken and Turkey

Chicken Cutlets                                                          Jan 25

Chicken Curry                                                             Jan 26

Chicken Stew with Italian Sausage                            Feb 1

Chicken Cacciatore                                                    Feb 25

Chicken with White Wine and Tarragon                     Feb 25

Turkey Tetrazzini                                                        Feb 27

Chicken Marsala                                                         Feb 28

How to Cook Chicken, Roasting, Poaching               Mar 9

Chicken Marengo                                                        Mar 25

Curried Chicken and Shrimp                                      Mar 26

Grilled Chicken Breasts                                              Apr 9

Seafood

Curried Chicken and Shrimp                                      Mar 26

Salmon Mousse with Dill Sauce                                 Apr 9

Mussels with Parsley and Garlic                                Apr 13

Crab Imperial                                                              Apr 17

Tartar Sauce, or Remoulade                                      Apr 18

Eggs

M & J Egg Casserole                                                  Feb 6

Side Dishes and Vegetables

Corn Pudding                                                              Jan 22

Asparagus                                                                   Jan 23

Hashed Browns                                                          Feb 8

Tomato Pudding                                                         Feb 13

Haricots Verts in Mustard Sauce                                Feb 14

A Riff on Side Dishes                                                  Mar 14

Scalloped Potatoes (Gratin)                                       Mar 19

Fennel Potato Gratin                                                   Mar 19

Chunky Applesauce                                                    Mar 21

Comfort Carrots                                                          Mar 29

Barb’s Baked Mushrooms                                          Mar 30

Succotash                                                                   Mar 31

Brussels Sprouts                                                        Apr  1

Another Corn Pudding                                                Apr 12

Broiled Tomatoes                                                       Apr 15

Peperoni                                                                      Apr 20

Sweet Potato Spears, Molasses and Horseradish    Apr 23

Bread, Rice and Pasta

Basmati Rice (for Chicken Curry)                              Jan 28

Nann (for Chicken Curry)                                            Jan 29

Classic Macaroni and Cheese                                   Feb 17

Barb’s Mac and Cheese                                             Feb 17

Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese                                    Feb 17

Mark Bittman’s Mac and Cheese                                Feb 17

Giada de Laurentiis’s Mac and Cheese                      Feb 17

The Ultimate Mac and  Cheese                                  Feb 17

Lasagna with Sausage                                               Feb 18

Easy Cheese Lasagna (Weight Watchers)               Feb 19

Bert’s Vegetable Lasagna                                           Feb 19

Bert’s Tomato Basil Sauce                                         Feb 19

Nick and Tony’s Penne with Vodka                            Feb 22

Spaghetti Carbonara                                                   Feb 23

Noodles with Carrots and  Dill                                    Mar 27

Wild Mushroom Lasagna                                            Apr 3

Pasta with Four Cheeses                                           Apr 10

Jenny’s Keugel                                                            Apr 11

                                                           

Dessert

Macaroons with Ice Cream                                         Jan 24

Cardamom Pound Cake (for Chicken Curry)             Jan 31

Fresh Fruit                                                                  Feb 9

Tiramisu                                                                      Feb 26

Pistachio-Crusted Cheesecake                                 Mar 18

Warm Fruit Compote                                                  Apr 4

Alexander’s Apple Cake                                              Apr 5

Apple Brown Betty                                                      Apr 6

Chocolate Amaretti Cake                                            Apr 8

Sweet Potato Pie                                                        Apr 12

Ginger Pound Cake                                                    Apr 14

Sableuse                                                                     Apr 16

Pie Crust, Foolproof                                                    Apr 21

Derby Pie                                                                    Apr 22

Other

Condiments for Chicken Curry Dinner                       Jan 28

How to Hard Boil Eggs                                                Feb 6

How to Segment Fruit                                                 Feb 9

Hints for Making Brunch Easier                                  Feb 10

Giada’s Bechemal Sauce                                           Feb 17

To Do Ahead                                                               Mar 8

Mom’s Pancakes                                                        Apr 19

MOLASSES HORSERADISH SWEET POTATO SPEARS

I love sweet potatoes and they're a lot more healthy than white ones. So even these "fries" are acceptable on a diet. Be sure to use a light colored metal pan for this or the spears will darken before being done.

MOLASSES HORSERADISH SWEET POTATO SPEARS

serves 8-10

3 lb medium sweet potatoes, peeled and each cut lengthwise into 8 spears

1/4 C vegetable oil

1 1/4 t salt

5 T unsalted butter

1/3 C molasses (not robust, or blackstrap)

1/3 C bottled horseradish, including juice

1. Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat the oven to 450.

2. If potato spears are very long, halve them diagonally. Toss potatoes with oil and 3/4 t salt in a large bowl, then spread in one layer in a larage shallow roasting pan, 1" deep. Roast in lower third of oven, turning once or twice, until tender, 18-22 minutes. Leave oven on.

3. While potatoes roast, bring butter, molases, horseradish (with juice), and remaining 1/2 t salt to a boil in a small heavy saucepan, stirring, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

4. Transfer mixture to a blender and puree 30 seconds. Pour glaze through a fine mesh sieve into a heat proof bowl, pressing on and discarding solids. Drizzle glaze over cooked sweet potatoes and gently toss to coat.

5. Just before serving, bake glazed sweet potatoes in lower third of oven until hot, 3-5 minutes.

To make ahead: potatoes can be made 2 hours ahead. Toss with glaze and reheat just before serving.

DERBY PIE

The first time I went to the Kentucky Derby, I stayed with some friends in Louisville, sleeping in their attic with a number of other guests in dormitory style. One of our hosts was a dentist and his friend (now we'd call him his partner) was a cook, who became a real estate agent, who became executive director of a local charity, who went on to ...well, you get the picture: Jack was a very versatile guy. I'm not sure about his other professions but he was a great, if very sloppy, cook. Here's his recipe for Derby Pie, a concoction of walnuts and butter and chocolate chips that, despite all the excitement of being in Kentucky for the Derby several times, I remember better than the crowds, the race, the people, the attic, or anything else. With the Derby coming up, it seemed appropriate to share Jack's recipe.

DERBY PIE

makes one 9-10" pie



1/2 C flour

1 C sugar

2 beaten eggs

1 stick butter,  melted and cooled

1 C chocolate chips

1 C English walnuts, chopped into small pieces

1 t vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add eggs and cooled butter until smooth. Add vanilla until well blended. Add chips and walnuts, blending thoroughly.

3. Turn into unbaked 9" pie shell (your own or Pillsbury's) and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes or until done.  Top should be golden brown and crusty, maybe even split, like a loaf of bread.

4. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

To do ahead: After baking, whole pie may be frozen, and kept indefinitely. When preparing to serve, put pie in moderate oven (300-350 degrees) for about 20 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn.

FOOLPROOF PIE CRUST

 I have to admit that I use PIllsbury's ready-made pie crusts most of the time. And they work. But they're not special. When you feel like making your own, here's a foolproof recipe that comes from my sister, Barb, who always made the pies for our family celebrations. This is her recipe, passed down through my family on my father's, mother's side.

FOOLPROOF PIE CRUST

makes enough for 2 crusts



Mix together with a fork:

4 C flour

1 3/4 C Crisco

1 T sugar

2 t salt

Beat together:

1 T vinegar (not fancy; just plain ole' cider vinegar)

1 egg

1/2 C water

1. Combine these two ingredients with a fork and mix together until moistened. Mold with hands into a ball and flatten into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and chill at least 15 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface. Keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. Can be frozen. Handle as much as you like.

PEPERONI

No, this is not the peperoni served on the top of your favorite pizza. It is instead a mixture of red and yellow bell peppers that makes a colorful and tasty side dish for almost any kind of menu. It's wonderful as a part of a spread of antipasti, and keeps, covered and chilled, for up to one week.

PEPERONI

4 yellow bell peppers

4 red bell peppers

2 C olive oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 bay leaves

6 sprigs fresh thyme

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 C red wine vinegar

1. Trim and seed the peppers, including cutting out the interior ribs (which are bitter) and cut them into wedges.

2. Heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan until hot but not smoking. Add the peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, When the peppers begin to change color, add the herbs and vinegar and continue cooking until the peppers are soft. Discard the bay leaf and any remaining garlic and sprigs of herbs.

Great in a meatloaf sandwich!

MOM'S PANCAKES

All through my childhood, Mom's pancakes were a staple of our breakfast fare. She made them without a recipe, mixing the ingredients, like all intuitive cooks, until they reached the "right" consistency, a state that only she could recognize. There were six of us in my family and Mom could only cook four pancakes on the griddle at one time, so we each had to wait our turn, which only made the pancakes more delicious. When it came to Mom's turn, she always ate her first pancake without syrup, saying she liked the taste and wanted to remember how the pancakes were without embellishment. We often had them served with fresh fruit - strawberries, peaches, or whatever was in season - piled on top.

After her children were all grown and left home, Mom had to quantify her recipe for just two, my dad and herself. This is the result. The secret to the recipe is beating the egg whites separately and folding them into the batter, making the result much lighter than if mixed as a whole egg..

I remember that when I was a little boy, Mom used to let me stir the water and sugar that, when caramelized, made our syrup. When we closed Mom's house and dispersed her furnishings among the family, one of the things I wanted most was her pancake griddle.

I remember fondly how when it was raining at Fire Island, the household would call for Mom's pancakes. Serve them with lots of soft butter, hefty real maple syrup, crisp bacon and, if possible, some cut-up ripe strawberries, which will soon be in season. This is guaranteed to take you back to 1955!

MOM'S PANCAKES

serves 2-3, but easily doubled



1 C flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

1 T sugar

1 C milk

1 egg, separated

2 T vegetable oil

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

2. Beat together the milk, egg yolk and oil in a small bowl.

3. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ones and beat only until well combined (otherwise, you'll develop the gluten in the flour and the dough, and pancakes, will be tough).

4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they form peaks and fold them into the batter.

5. Saute the pancakes on a hot griddle or in a large skilllet, well oiled with vegetable oil (or bacon grease if you have it) until the tops of the pancakes begin to produce small holes. Flip the pancake over and saute on the other side until brown.

Believe me: these are the best pancakes ever!

TARTAR SAUCE (OR REMOULADE)

Many, many years ago, when I was a waiter at The Mary Ann Inn in Rehoboth Beach, it was my job to make the tartar sauce each night before dinner. I opened a jar of mayonnaise and added some relish. That was it, and when I'm in a hurry, I still make it that way. But a more rounded and flavor-layered sauce is so much better. I'm giving two here: one adapted from The New York Times and the other from a friend of a friend of a friend who told my friend not to share it except with a friend. So, friends, here they are. Both of them.

TARTAR SAUCE

makes about one cup

I C Hellmann's mayonnaise

4 cornichons, finely chopped

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1 T capers, drained

1/4 C Dijon mustard

1 t lemon juice

1. Combine well and serve.

Note: cornichons are those slightly tart pickles served with pate. If you can't find them, or don't want to spring for a whole bottle when you need just a few, you can use any other pickles except dilled ones. And, in a pinch, use pickle relish, just as I did at The Mary Ann Inn.

REMOULADE SAUCE

for crab cakes or cold fish

1 C Hellmann's mayonnaise (or home made, if you have the energy)

2 t anchovy paste

2 T minced pickles, preferably cornichons

2 T chopped parsley

1 T fresh, chopped tarragon

1 t chopped fresh chervil

1 T chopped, drained capers.

1. Mix all ingredients together and serve.

Note: the chervil is nice but not essential (especially for only 1 teaspoon). The other ingredients are all important, especially the tarragon, which gives this remoulade a more interesing flavor than the tartar sauce above.