I’m always amazed at what a starchy society we live in. And what I mean by that is how much of our nationally consumed food is wrapped, rolled, encased and baked in wheat! Our craving for whole foods left the house somewhere in the 50’s and was replaced by the convenience of on the go starch bombs.

I was inspired to write this story following a business trip to Houston. The whole time we were there it was next to near impossible to find marinated, roasted or stewed veggies.
The whole time we were there I was craving something other than pizza, burgers, smoked pork and fries. A curry, pozole or tabouleh would have made my day; nevertheless all that was available at the hotel was uninspired flavorless foods.

To conclude the final chapter of the brisket chronicles I chose a dish that would win the hearts and minds of any American. Its explosive in flavor with tender meat, melt in your mouth veggies, herbs, olives, tart lemon and yes… a starch.

The dish is Beef tagine.  It’s a Moroccan favorite that is slow cooked over an open flame and served in its namesake vessel.  This also happens to be one of our favorite dishes at HOG as part of our Moroccan menu.
Oh and you can also buy an inexpensive tagine at Sur La Table. I think it was $15 bucks.

Any who-happy cooking, and a shout out to spring!

Beef Tagine with Preserved Lemons, Olives and Marrakesh Couscous

Serves 6

Ingredients
For the Tagine
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds brisket or chuck
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups chicken or beef stock
1 cup tomatoes, peeled and chopped
½ cup Kalamata olives,pitted and halved
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons lemon peel, thinly sliced

For the Couscous
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 small yellow onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger,finely minced
4 carrots, cut into small chunks
2 large yellow squash, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 large zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 ¼ cups chicken stock
2 cups couscous
1 teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Garnish
flat leaf parsley, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges
green onions, sliced
mint leaves, chopped

Instructions
For the Tagine
In a dry pan, toast cumin, fennel and coriander seeds for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer spices to a coffee grinder and grind until powdered.

Season beef or chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large pot or braising pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add beef to pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, onion and garlic to pan. Cook until vegetables are soft, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add spices; stir 1 minute. Add stock, olives, tomatoes and cilantro; bring to boil. Simmer until juices thicken, about 5 minutes.

In an oiled tagine, place the beef or chicken and any accumulated juices, lemon peel and simmered vegetables and broth. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven at 350° F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven. Garnish with chopped parsley and cilantro.

For the Couscous
Heat oil in large heavy dutch oven over low heat. Add onions, ginger and garlic. Cook until onions are very tender but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the turmeric and cayenne and cook for one minute.

Add stock, carrots, squash and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat and bring mixture to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzos and butter, and then the couscous. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.
Fluff couscous with fork. Transfer to large platter. Garnish with lemon wedges, chopped mint and green onion.

I remember eating these pastries as a kid. I never knew what they were but never cared because they were so silly good! They had a funny name and tasted like cookies in a blanket.

So what is Rugelach? I could tell you a story but go here and get the scoop.

When we started testing these in the HOG Kitchen everyone went nuts over them.  And what’s not to love?  The dough is loaded with butter, cream cheese and lemon = yum yum and more yum. All wrapped around tangy sweet apricot jam, bittersweet chocolate, plump currants and toasted walnuts. Right out the oven these things are just plain dangerous. You can eat a plate without even blinking an eye.

In the old days you could only buy them in a Jewish deli or a bakery. Back then the big chain grocery stores didn’t have the chance to ruin them yet with mass production. So yes, now you have to be careful where you purchase Rugelach. But why buy when they are so darn easy to make? Go on, get in the kitchen and have some fun making these delicious funny named cookies.

recipe notes:
*the dough is full of fat and can rip easily. Don’t handle the dough too much with your hands and keep chilled all the way through the process. After you cut the individual pastries you will want to definitely par freeze the batch so that they won’t get all melty in the oven.

*use good quality jam and chocolate, as it does make a difference.

Rugelach
Serves 8-10 people

Ingredients
For the Rugelach Dough
8 oz butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
zest of one lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice

For the Filling
1 cup apricot jam
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 ½ cups walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup plumped dried currants

To Build
Cinnamon sugar:
½ cup sugar + 2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Egg wash:
2 Whole eggs
2 tablespoons water

Instructions
For the dough
Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together. Add the flour and mix in the zest, salt and juice. The dough will be very sticky and wet. Divide the dough into two portions and spread onto 2 separate pieces of parchment paper covering each with another sheet of parchment. Roll out each until they are an even 1/8” thick and chill sheets till firm.

To Build
Soak the currants in hot water for at least 30 minutes or until they have plumped up a bit then strain and discard water. Mix together the chocolate, brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and currants. Spread a thin layer of apricot jam over the sheets of dough. Evenly distribute the filling on top of the layer of jam and roll up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill or freeze for easy slicing. Unwrap and brush the logs with egg wash. Top with sugar and slice into ½ inch pieces. Each log should yield about 24 slices.

Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 – 40 minutes until cooked inside and golden brown outside.

photo credits: liz lance

I don’t know about you but corned beef hash and eggs are on my top 5 favorite dishes list of all time. The beef isn’t corned in this recipe but for me it really doesn’t make a huge difference in this application. Easy breezy shredded beef brisket is just fine. (As a side note, corned beef is a style of beef that is brined. The “corn” refers to the size of the salt that is used to cure it.)

What puts the dish over the top is the crispy potatoes and creamy delicate poached egg. I sometimes add a dash or two of hot sauce depending on how much fun I had the night before. It’s such a wonderful mildly hearty dish that fills the belly but won’t put you in a food coma. Oh and one thing I do is par boil the potatoes before shredding. Place clean whole potatoes in simmering water for about 5 minutes. Remove, let cool and shred away!

Lip-smacking hash! StevO

Beef Brisket Hash
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1 lb Yukon gold or russet potatoes, shredded on a box grater or in the food processor
1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped
3 cups shredded beef brisket
Salt and pepper
1 tsp white vinegar or lemon juice
Really good local range free chicken eggs

Instructions
Fill a medium pan ¾ of the way up with water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer (160 to 180 F). We want the water to come to slow simmer and keep it that way. Big bubble will break the eggs. Add a dash of white vinegar or lemon juice. The acidity helps congeal the egg.

Heat a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add oil. Add potatoes and cook for 3 min, turning occasionally. Add onion and cook for 3 min. Add brisket; cook, without turning, 5 min. we want the dish at this point to get crispy. If you futz around too much the dish will be a pile of goo.

Crack a few eggs into the simmering water. Nudge the whites closer to the yolk with a spoon. Let cook for about 3.5 minutes or until semi-firm. You can poke the yolk with your finger to check doneness. I like mine runny as all get out!

To Serve
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place some crispy hash in a bowl and top with an egg. Finish with green onions and serve with toast or grilled bread.

Right out of the gate I know what many of you are thinking, “Really? How can this be French onion soup without the gratinée of cheese? It looks like French onion soup on a diet! Not traditional; culinary heresy! Off with his ladle.”

Or maybe some of you feel the same way I do in that the 1 pound of melted cheese is a bit much. After eating half a portion of rich French onion soup I feel the need to take a run around the block before the next course. The only exception is having a bowl after a cold day on the slopes. One portion and a glass of red wine and I’m in a coma by the fire place.

If you remove the heavy bonnet of cheese what’s left is pure gold! Melted onions, garlic, fresh thyme, dry red wine or vermouth and of course the rich deep flavor of good beef broth. The broth!

I came across this particular method of making my soup a few years back when I was experimenting with beef brisket. I had noticed that after slow cooking a brisket I was always left with a pool of fatty broth in the base of the roasting pan. I didn’t want to throw it out but never thought to save it, as my inclination was that it was too viscous for any food application (aside from the obvious gravies)- that is until, recently.

After figuring out how to flavor the broth, the next step was to lighten the soup up with a powdery snow like dusting of cheese on a slice of toasted baguette. Aka.. crouton.

You will be shocked at how easy and good this is. But wait, there’s more! This is only the beginning.

The soup is the first in a three part series on the wonderful brisket, so tune back in for two more wonderful brisket recipes. (Oh and if you’re wondering, the brisket is the front portion of the beef breast that lies between the front legs. It can be either of 2 layers of meat that are separated by a layer of fat. It weighs between 6 and 8 lbs. It’s a tough muscle that HAS to be slow cooked.)

PS. As another disclaimer, the onions are not caramelized but honestly they are just as flavorful and complex slow cooking (partially melting) in the beef jus.

StevO

French Onion Soup, California style
Serves 4 plus

*special equipment-roasting pan, micro plane

Ingredients
1 4 pound beef brisket, excess fat removed
2 yellow onions, sliced ½ inch
1 whole head of garlic, top removed (roast garlic style)
1 cup dry red wine
Salt and fresh black pepper

Fresh thyme, chopped
Toasted rounds of baguette
Wedge of gruyere

Instructions
Place the brisket in the roasting pan. Cover with onions. Pour the red wine over brisket. Place the garlic cut side down in the pan. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and cook at 300 degrees for around 4 hours, or until fork tender.

Remove onions with a slotted spoon and rough chop.

Pour the juice of the brisket into a container and chill to let the fat rise to the top and congeal.
Remove the fat layer off from the broth and warm up in a pot. Place a few tablespoons of onions PLUS some roast garlic in the base of a bowl. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and ladle some warm broth over top.

To serve
Place the bowl in front of your guest and float one crouton slice in the center of the bowl. Grate a dusting of cheese over top. And Voila!

It was Super Bowl Sunday and we went to some friends house to watch the big game. Knowing that there would be buckets of creamy dips and finger lickin meats we decided to make something that would cleanse the pallet. As most football party buffets are loaded with salt and fat, we felt that acid was the go. Tart sweet lemon after smoky fatty chicken = ahhhhhh

The recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s lemon bars recipe in Barefoot Contessa Parties!, a favorite of Molly’s.

Click here for the original recipe.

Looking back, we did not let the bars chill properly. Chilling overnight yielded the best results. Both the lemon filling and the crust set up much better after a few hours in the fridge.  Still yummy, but some were a little messy the day of. This is a sure fire crowd-pleaser for either spectacular sporting events or middle of the week TV spotting.
Wow! I can’t believe that we’ve been on such a dessert bender. Coming up is 50 ways to eat a brisket. Soup, hash and some North African surprises.
The road to Flavor Highway is never dull.
Until next time-
Jumpin jack flash- SteveO

Admittedly I’m not the cat’s meow of baking. Most of us stock pot jockeys run when we hear the word pastry or anything remotely connected to baking. At the end of the day however baking is really just a bigger part of gastronomy. It’s abiding to the laws of technique and slowing down to absorb and properly execute a recipe. In many cases savory foods can be fixed due to excessive spazzing out in the kitchen, baked items cannot.

Sifting, weighing, measuring, creaming, crumb, tempering, piping and “chilled” are all words that are often associated with baking. For me it’s kind of like filling out a tax form. Don’t want to do it, but can if I follow the rules step by painful step. Oh my!

So Molly walks in the door the other day and says, “I think I want to bake some cookies.” I’m like, “go for it!” I’d be in HOG heaven with a stack of warm moist cookies. Oh yea!

While I’m not a baker per say, I do know some tricks, and having worked in numerous restaurants I have cooked side by side with many pastry chefs. For production reasons they would make huge batches of dough and freeze for later use. It seemed that the melt ratio was pretty low.  Obviously this isn’t necessary for most pedestrian home cookies like chocolate chip, oat raisin etc. But if you haven’t properly sifted your flour, creamed your butter, beat your eggs or calibrated your oven then guess what? Your cookies might just flop and ooze all over the pan.

I seldom give unsolicited advice (like a two cent golf lesson from your buddy while on the links) regarding cooking but in this case I always suggest chilling your cookie batter/dough to help prevent the dreaded flat cookie cracker. Or worst yet, the greasy schmeared cookie. Eeks!

I started to chuckle right before she started preparing her cookie dough. I said “don’t give me the opportunity to tell you I told you so, maybe chill the dough?”. Molly basically gave me the hand, so I vacated the kitchen.

Any who- I’ll let Molly tell her story and how we came to discover the “accidental dessert”aka. what to do with flattened greasy cookies. Oh and before I go I need to tell you the reason for the second shot. I almost fell over when I saw it, but if you look closely you can see some happy spirit that came back as a cookie. Love the pecan coconut cru cut.

Okedoke—Molly, please tell us your enchanted story.

“I actually have baked numerous batches of cookies successfully, albeit most of them before I met Stephen. This batch was inspired by a visit from my brother. It was his birthday and he loves cookies so I thought they would make the perfect gift.  For the recipe, I opened Elizabeth Faulkner’s, Demolition Desserts cookbook since I hadn’t used her recipe before and I liked the idea of a play on a traditional favorite, specifically adding more salt than usual to a sweet dish.  The extra salt enhances the flavors.  And this was an aspect that everyone really liked about the cookies.

Right away I discovered we only had a 1/2 cup measuring cup, believe it or not, so in my version of the cookies the dry ingredients measurements are not exact. We also didn’t have dark brown sugar, but we did have molasses so I added a bit and this is the main reason the cookies melted.

I did notice that the dough was sticky which is why Stephen suggested that I cool it before baking. It crossed my mind to add flour, but I ultimately did not. Guess what happened? The cookies melted together, but they tasted really good.   And you can taste the salt, but hey are not too salty, rather just salty enough to notice.

The next day I was telling Julieann, an excellent baker friend, what I did. As soon as I told her about the molasses she nodded and said, “Yup, molasses is like liquid sugar. Just add flour next time”

What we ended up doing is making a cake out of the cookies. I lined a cake pan with parchment paper and put a layer of cookies in, then a layer of vanilla ice cream and so on and so forth until I ran out of cookies.

Though the cake isn’t the prettiest, it sure was good. In fact it was a hit!  Whether your cake drops or your cookies melt, have fun with your baking accidents they make great memories.

One more note, we topped the cake with toasted coconut and pecans, which I wouldn’t do next time, just because it made it messy; Stephen loved it.

Here is my version of Elizabeth Faulkner’s, “Chocolate Chip Cookies Straight up or with Nuts”
Remember that I only had a 1 cup measurement. What I am giving you here are the actual measurements from the original recipe.

Ingredients
8 tablespoons butter
¾ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (the reason I added molasses – I had light brown sugar)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped the size of chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 ½ cups)
¾ cups chopped walnuts

Instructions
In a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth, but not over mixed. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and stir until just combined. (this is when I added the molasses). Sift in the flour, baking soda and baking powder and stir until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and nuts and stir until evenly distributed throughout the dough. I’m just now noticing that in the original recipe, she says to put the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. I guess Stephen does know what he’s talking about!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop up 1-inch balls of the dough and set them 2 inches apart on the pans. Bake the cookies, rotating the pans after 7-9 minutes. (I didn’t do this…) If you like very soft cookies, bake them for 13 minutes. If you like a crisp cookie bake them for 17 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool.

To assemble
Line a cake pan with parchment paper and put a layer of cookies in, then a layer of vanilla ice cream and so on and so forth until you run out of cookies.

Coming at you live from Mexico! I was going to rub it in with stories of perfect hot dry weather, long stretches of uninhabited beaches, fresh seafood, long naps and no stress, but why bother… no need to take you on a magic carpet ride..hehe. I’m a little zapped from surfing in the warm water so I’m turning over the keyboard to our comrade  Cathy Curtis. Cathy, take us away! SteveO, HOG

When Molly and Stephen invited me and my husband Rob to share a house in Todo Santos, Mexico we jumped at the chance. For one, we desperately needed some sun and R&R but just as importantly we knew we would have a lot of laughs and eat a lot of delicious, well prepared food! We have not been disappointed. This morning Rob nudged me to go for a walk on the endless, white sand beach (a few steps away from our front door) to watch the sun go up. We ended up on a mile long walk, stopping to do yoga salutations as the sun rose over the mountains. On the way back we found a lone fallen coconut, plucked a papaya right from the tree, and spied some pomegranates and added those to the mix. After Rob expertly broke open the coconut, we fried it up with a bit of sea salt –yum, simple and delicious. Stephen scrambled up some farm fresh eggs, which we ate with leftover rice and beans and garnished with salsa, cilantro and queso fresco.

The first night Molly and Stephen greeted us with margaritas made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. (you buy the oranges from locals parked on the side of the road 10 kilos at a time for$10) lots of fresh lime juice and 100% agave Tequila. Then Stephen prepared a Mexican “smorgasboard” of slow-grilled chicken seasoned generously with Mexican oregano; rice with achiote and lard; grilled onions, poblano and habenero chiles, salted radishes, refried beans, and tortillas (bought in 1 kilo packages at the local super mercado). Ever the innovative chef, the next night, Stephen re-positioned the chicken in a delicious posole served with sides of radishes, green onions, cilantro, shredded iceberg lettuce, limes and tortillas. Tasty and satisfying especially paired with cold, light and crisp Mexican beers. Well, I guess that’s all. I’m just thrilled to be in a place where time has come to a grinding halt; where a deep breath of fresh salt are and fresh fruit is all you need.

When I was in my 20’s I spent a lot of time on the South West coast of France. We hung out at the beaches  during the day and people-watched at corner cafe’s at night. The food in that region during the summer is blanketed with an abundance of juicy tomatoes, heirloom peppers, olives, cured meats, seafood and AMAZING pastries.  The Basque region of Spain has a big influence on the local cuisine, and boy what a treat!  It’s simple clean food with smoke, refreshing acid and yes.. not too sweet or buttery desserts. For me, Gateau Basque sums it all up.

Gateau Basque is a traditional tart filled with pastry cream, vanilla bean, brandied black cherry, and almond from the French side of the Basque region. It’s one of my favorite cakes because of its soft, creamy inside, and crisp, not too sweet crust. In this version we soaked dried cherries in red wine and added rum to the pastry cream. The result: an adult pop tart with elegance and snap. Try it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Chef StevO from the HOG

Gateau Basque

Serves 8-10 people

Ingredients
For the pastry cream
4 cups milk
3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 pound butter
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
2 vanilla beans
1 tablespoon Rum

For the Dough
2 1/2 cups almond meal
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 pound butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
zest of one lemon
zest of one orange

For the Cherry Filling
1 1/2 cups of dried cherries
1 bottle of red wine
3/4 cup sugar

Special Equipment
pastry bags
pastry brush
tartlet pans or 9” cake pans
rolling pin
plastic bowl scraper

Instructions
For the pastry cream
Scrape the vanilla bean and place in the milk. Bring to a boil.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale. Add the flour and whisk until incorporated. Slowly add the hot milk to the egg mixture while whisking and place the mixture back on the fire.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick. Stir in the butter and rum and pour into a shallow pan.

Cover immediately with plastic wrap and refrigerate to set.

For the Dough
Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl with the zest. Cut in the butter. Mix in the eggs and almond extract and mix until dough just comes together.

For the Cherry Filling
Combine the cherries and wine in a saucepan and simmer until the wine reduces by half. Add the sugar and continue to simmer until it becomes a thick syrup.

To Build
Place 3/4 of the dough into the bottom and sides of a tart pan. Fill with pastry cream and cherries.  Cover with remaining dough.

Brush with egg wash and bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

At a recent Hands On Gourmet event the Apple Strudel took center stage. Everyone that was involved in making this all time classic pastry became tickled pink. Laughter, butter and apples are great ingredients for fun!

Strudel is an age old Viennese pastry that has a wonderfully simple tart, sweet, juicy apple filling.  The dough is super stretchy and elastic as the photo shows. And that really is the secret to get up off your chair and yodel strudel. If your dough is tough or you elect to use boring store bought phyllo dough then it might not be as sexy.

The filling is made from spiced local apples, plump currents, tart lemon and warm spice. It’s the absolute perfect comfort food.

Our twist on this winter comfort food is the sauce.  It’s made from calvados, an apple brandy from the Normandy region of France, and nutty brown butter.

Go on.. give it a try. Invite some friends over, knock on your neighbors door and get a stretching. It takes a village to make this magic.

Apple Strudel with Calvados Brown Butter

Serves 8-10 people

Ingredients
For the Dough
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 well-beaten egg
⅓ cup tepid water (or milk)
2 teaspoons melted butter

Extra flour for dusting

For the Sauce
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons calvados, apple liqueur

For the Apple Strudel
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 to 6 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon lemon rind
1 cup sugar
¾ cup raisins or currants
6 to 8 apples, thinly sliced

To Garnish
ground cinnamon
powdered sugar

Special Equipment
mandolin

Instructions
For the Apple Strudel Filling
Mix cinnamon with browned bread crumbs and lemon rind. Combine it with the sugar, raisins, and apples. Set aside. This will be your filling.

For the Dough
Pour 1½ cups flour on a clean work space and make a well in the center. Pour the egg, water (or milk), and 2 teaspoons melted butter, into the well. Use your hands to combine these ingredients into a ball, and knead for 10 minutes.
Brush your ball of dough with melted butter, cover it with a warm bowl, and let it rest for 30 min. Separate the dough into 4 pieces.
Now roll the dough out as thin as you can, being sure not to make holes in it. Use your hands to stretch the dough gently so it is as thin as a piece of paper. This works well if you have at least two people stretching the dough.
Brush the dough with melted butter. Spread the filling onto the dough, leaving the edge clear. Sprinkle cinnamon over the filling.
Now roll the dough into a cylinder with the filling inside, and brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with water, then slide it onto a sheet pan.

Bake at 400º for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350º, brush the strudel with the remaining butter, and bake until golden brown (about 10 more minutes).

To serve
Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Cut into long diagonal slices, and serve with butterscotch sauce.

For the Sauce
Combine the sugar, cream and butter in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and calvados.

Christmas is over but NYE is right around the corner. If you’re planning on cooking at home here are a few practical tips .

1. Read below for easy yumO foods to cook. Whole crabs with artichokes and grilled bread would be easy breezy. A crab boil OR crab and fish Cioppiono with iceberg lettuce wedge/buttermilk dressing  will have your guests giving you a round of applause! ps.. In Northern California it’s tradition to ring in the new year with crabs and ravioli. really? you can do the history math to figure this one out.

2. Take a break and have a pot luck!

3. Buy some really good vanilla gelato and pound cake to serve with one of the to die for sauces in the picture on the left. Seriously! if you want to be a legend in 2010 I suggest making a kick ass easy dessert.

well sports fans I suppose that about wraps it up for 2009. I want to say thanks to all that have supported the blog. Stay tuned as my next post is about religion, politics and yes… of course food!

warm wishes from me and the entire HOG team. Love much and cook often!

Hands On Gourmet

Chocolate Sauce

1 quart milk or cream
1 pound Guittard bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup sugar
Kahlua or dark Rum (optional)

Bring milk to a boil. Add chocolate and sugar. Stir until chocolate has melted and sugar is dissolved. For a little extra something, add 2 heaping tablespoons of kahlua or dark rum.

Butterscotch Sauce
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons whiskey, rum or maple syrup (optional)

Combine the sugar, cream and butter in saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and optional whiskey, rum or maple syrup.