Tamarind Brisket

So it's the day before Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and I'm cooking up a storm and don't have much time to write. That said, I wanted to share a favorite new way of making my holiday brisket. Up until now the base of my brisket was onions, onions, onions (a bay leaf and dry vermouth, too.) But for the last few years I have been making it intriguingly sweet-and-sour with the addition of tamarind paste, orange juice, tomato puree, ground cloves, onions and lots of shallots. Tomorrow evening we will be nine for dinner (whereas my close friend Helen Kimmel has 25 guests each night!), including the food maven Arthur Schwartz and historian Bob Harned, Bob and Becky Spitz (Bob is currently writing a new biography of Julia Child and Becky is writing a book, too), Dale Bellisfield, clinical herbalist and health care practitioner, who is also an urban bee keeper! It is her honey that we will be having to drizzle over apples (symbol for a sweet new year.) Dale's beautiful daughter, Samantha (a fabulous men's wear designer) will also be joining my husband, my beautiful daughter Shayna, and me around the table. #1 son is in California but I wish him a happy new year, with lots of love. And l'shana tova to all of you who celebrate the holiday. Here's the recipe:

Tamarind Brisket with Spring Shallots and Tiny Potatoes Ask your butcher for the “first cut” and make sure to leave some of the fat on the brisket for best results.

Note: You may cook 2 or 3 potatoes per person (there is a lot of food so you may only want to do 2.)

5 pound boneless beef brisket ¼ cup olive oil 2 pounds peeled onions 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate* 2 cups orange juice 2 cups tomato puree 2 cups beef broth 4 large cloves garlic scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 12 large shallots, (about 12 ounces), peeled and halved lengthwise 1 or 1-1/2 pounds tiny round thin-skinned potatoes (16 or 24), scrubbed not peeled

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a very large enamel casserole with cover, put 2 tablespoon oil. Season meat with salt and pepper and brown over high heat, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove meat.

Cut onions in half through stem end.  Put cut side down on board and slice very thin.  Add 2 tbsp. oil to pot and add onions.   Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and golden brown. Return beef to pot and put on top of onions.

Put tamarind in a bowl.  Whisk in orange juice, tomato puree, and beef broth.  Push garlic through a garlic press and whisk into mixture.  Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Pour mixture over brisket.

Bake 1 hour, covered. Turn brisket over, cover and  bake 1 hour longer. Add potatoes and shallots. Bake 1 hour longer.

Transfer brisket to cutting board. Let cool 15 minutes. Thinly cut across the grain and reassemble slices to original form.  Transfer back to pot.  Spoon liquid over meat and cover pot.  Cook 30 minutes longer until very tender. Add salt to taste.  Serves 8

*Available in Indian food stores and Middle Eastern markets.  It comes in small plastic jars and is called concentrate of tamarind.

Labor Day Food

The irony about Labor Day is that it has come to signify a day of relaxation, fun, stress-free cooking, and wistful end-of-summer feelings.  The first Labor Day was celebrated in the US in 1882 by the Central Labor Union of New York after being mandated a national holiday by President Grover Cleveland as a reconciliation with the labor movement.  Who knew?  While no longer commemorated in the way prescribed in the holiday's proposal:  "A street parade to exhibit to the public the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations, to be followed by a festival for the workers and their families," its meaning, like so many other national holidays, has lost its essence.  No matter.  Today its symbolism is one of seasonal transition and, for those of you living on Society Hill, it's no longer fashionable to wear white. But for the rest of us, living elsewhere, we barbecue, shuck corn, cut up watermelon, and make cold soups.   I had one of the best cold soups just last night at the home of Jerry and Beth Adler.   Jerry, is a journalist par excellence (Newsweek editor for eons -- who recently wrote the definitive article about the molecular gastronomist Myhrvold for Smithsonian magazine -- a must-read) and Beth, is a scholarly city planner.   They always have great dinner parties and it feels like a party even when it's just the four of us.  Last night's menu included Jerry's wonderful, original cucumber soup (recipe below), dry-rubbed ribs, grilled zucchini, summer corn, and glorious heirloom tomatoes, graced with avocado and nuggets of mozzarella.  Dessert?  Ronnybrook ice cream and a delicious fruit salad that included fresh figs and mango. A crisp white Protocolo from Spain and a flintly Sancerre.   Dark and stormies, to begin (Dark rum and ginger beer).  Divine.

Divine, too, was another party -- this time for 12 -- at the home of another special hostess, Saralie Slonsky -- considered the doyenne of health-care pr in the country who now teaches a master class at New York University in public relations.  Esteemed guests included New York's food maven Arthur Schwartz, and a young journalist, Max Falkowitz, who writes about spices and ice cream for Serious Eats.   Presaging Labor Day by just a few days, the dinner was the stuff the upcoming holiday is made of:  superb guacamole, smoked trout mousse in tiny cucumber cups, fresh shrimp rolls (like lobster rolls!), grilled skirt steak with a poblano pesto, more heirloom tomatoes, the best and simplest cooked spinach I've ever had, and a new potato-and-fresh herb salad.  Dessert included a homemade amaretti torte with summer berries, walnut cookies, and macaroons from Laduree (!) generously bought and brought by Mr. Falkowitz.  The meal was catered by Freya Clibansky and her assistant, Chef Annie Wright (daughter of the iconic designer Russell Wright.)   Thank you, Saralie!  And thank you, Freya and Annie!

This is the food of Labor Day.   Enjoy.

Jerry Adler's Wonderful Cucumber Soup

16 ounces Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt (or other thick yogurt) 2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped 1/3 cup packed cup chopped cilantro 1/3 packed cup chopped dill 2 to 3 medium cloves of garlic 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, light toasted and ground 1 teaspoon salt freshly ground black pepper, to taste additional cilantro for garnishing freshly made croutons, made from a baguette (sauteed in butter or oil)

Place the first 8 ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth.  Chill until very cold.  Garnish with additional slivered cilantro and warm croutons.   Serves 6

The Birthday Weekend

For those of you who remember the "scene" at Canastel's (on Park Ave South and 19th St.) in New York City, decades ago, there is an equally hip (now slightly older) crowd at Asellina.  Located in the Gansevoort Hotel on 29th and Park, the Saturday night boasted good-looking guys in sports coats, and gorgeous women wearing, truly, the highest heels and shortest skirts we've seen in awhile.  Despite the teeming hook-up vibes, there was something quite refreshing about it all.  Like the good old days, where those kinds of impulses were palpable and desirable and it made you remember what sex was once all about --because it wasn't the sex but the promise:  What was different about it all?  NO ONE was sitting with their iPhone -- chatting, texting or pretending to be otherwise engaged.  Everyone was on the prowl, looking or begging to be seen.  They were drinking, eating and talking!  No wonder I loved it.  It was so old-fashioned.  Some of the guests were from the cool hotel perched above where an indoor/outdoor pool is nestled on the roof next to their popular bar.

We wouldn't have experienced any of this if not for the 15th birthday of our daughter.  Our gift to her was an overnight in a New York hotel with a handful of her friends.  A teen-friendly place where there was a pool and a sense that you were someplace far away.  We loved telling our waitress that we had just arrived from...Brooklyn (!) with suitcases in tow.  Clearly we had come the shortest distance for such an adventure.  Despite the long wait to check into our room, the hotel staff was really accommodating and eager to please.  They outfitted the large room with a Wii for the girls to play with and encouraged their squealing and giggling at the pool.  Dinner (more about that) and a sleepless happy night amidst all those teens. In the morning we lit up a box of donuts, each with their own candle, and had a friendship circle in our pajamas sitting on the floor.  The girls drank organic lemonade and wished each other good things.  An afternoon movie, The Soul Surfer, proved that anything was possible. Not a bad message when you turn 15.  Happy birthday, Shayna.

But here's an unexpected nod to the food at Asellina.  It was delicious.  It didn't matter at the time; we were there and we needed someplace to eat.  But it was some of the cleanest, most authentically, Italian-tasting, unadorned, spot-on food we've had in awhile.  A great eggplant tortino with fresh ricotta and and cheese fonduta; top-notch meatballs with cannellini beans, culatello (prosciutto-like) and fontina, simple grilled calamari with sauteed asparagus and oven-dried tomatoes, and my husband's happy-making thick spaghetti with perfectly cooked clams and various bits of seafood.  Not a gratuitous piece of parsley in sight.  We imagined ourselves in Sardinia, sunny and warm, despite the teeming rain and chill in the air that evening.  The restaurant glowed with fireplaces and libidinous energy and promises of birthdays to come.

Passover at Gracie Mansion

I had never fully prepared a Passover Seder until I was 24 years old and my first one was a doozy.  As the first chef to Mayor Ed Koch in 1978 and living at Gracie Mansion, I was asked to make the Seder for Hizzoner and his family.  I called everyone I knew, including my mother who made very delicious but extremely hard matzoh balls which my family loved but I doubted the Mayor’s family would.  What to do?  I asked the Mayor for his recipe!  He suggested putting seltzer in the mixture, telling me that would make them light and fluffy.  I recently consulted my 25-year old diary for the rest of the menu, and here it is: Friday, April 21, 1978  Passover Seder at Gracie Mansion 15 guests – 5:00 p.m.

Crudites with Curry Dip Kosher Rumaki Chopped Liver with Plum Tomatoes Matzoh Ball Soup (with seltzer!)

My Mother’s Pot Roast with Dry Vermouth & Bay Leaf Slow-Roasted New Potatoes Sweet Potato, Prune & Glazed Carrot Tzimmes Haricots Verts with Lemon Matzoh, Leek and Herb Kugel

Sponge Cake with Strawberries A selection of homemade Macaroons Passover Candy Coffee Service

This year, however, I won't be cooking.  We are guests at two different Seders -- the first night with the Cohens in West Orange (I will be bringing a flourless chocolate cake in honor of my daughter's 15th birthday the day before) and the second night at the Shinders in Manhattan, with lots of teenagers and lots of ruach (spirit!)  I will be bringing my Cauliflower-Leek Kugel.  I know that the food maven, Arthur Schwartz, will also be making it for his Seder.

But today I bring you a recipe I created for Bon Appetit that many readers have told me has become a new tradition in their homes. I originally made it with tamarind paste but was told that it wasn't kosher for passover.  Interesting.  There is much discussion about what is and isn't appropriate for Pesach!  Enjoy!

My Sweet-and-Sour Brisket with Shallots & Dates This can be prepared two days ahead; its luscious flavors improve with age.

1-1/2 cups orange juice 6 large soft pitted Medjool dates 4 large peeled garlic cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 5 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds onions, thinly sliced 16 large whole shallots, peeled 2-1/2 cups chicken or beef broth 5-pound flat cut (also known as first-cut) brisket, trimmed of all but 1/4-inch fat 1-1/2 cups tomato puree 16 very small red skinned potatoes, scrubbed

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Put first four ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large wide ovenproof pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions and whole shallots and cook until onions and shallots are deep golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Transfer shallots to a small bowl; set aside.  Add broth to onions and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits.  Pour into a large bowl.  Add remaining oil to the same pot.  Season brisket with salt and pepper.  Add to pot and brown well, about 5 minutes per side.  Turn brisket fat side up.  Return onion mixture to pot.  Add orange juice mixture and tomato puree.  Bring to a boil, stirring to blend sauce.  Cover pot; bake 2 hours. Add shallots and potatoes.  Cover, bake 1 hour.  Uncover; bake until brisket is tender, occasionally spooning sauce over meat, about 1 hour longer.  Let rest 30 minutes.  Scrape sauce off brisket.  Transfer brisket to a board and thinly slice across the grain.  Return to the pot with the sauce and heat gently.   Serves 8

New Year's Resolution #1

More entertaining at home. Just last night we had an absolutely wonderful dinner at the foodmaven.com's Park Slope apartment to usher in the New Year.  Instead of sitting at his elaborate dining room table, Arthur created a stage set in his living room, dressing the coffee table in gold leaf finery with massive candles and beautiful wine glasses laid upon tapestry.  Although we had agreed upon a simple supper for "a party of five" -- the menu morphed into an extravaganza that began in 2010 and ended sumptuously in 2011!   The evening commenced with "aperitivi"-- a great white wine from Italy (Fiano di Avellino) for me and martinis for the men.  Fleshy black olives, peppadews (tiny sweet and spicy peppers) filled with tuna, salumi, black pepper taralli, the best potato chips, and tiny white anchovies in vinegar.  For Arthur, the menu bridged old and new.  The first course was an old friend -- a beloved pasta with lentils (good luck for the New Year) that tasted meaty and primal.  He said it was the great tomato paste he used!  I also remarked how good the actual malfatti (mixed-shaped) pasta was and Arthur declared it an excellent brand from Italy.  Will find out the name.  Next came a few dishes new to Arthur -- he loves to experiment and was intrigued with a recipe that he adapted from Jamie Oliver.  In the style of cooking I love best, it was radically simple and very, very delicious:  A bone-in, tied lamb shoulder, braised ever so slowly, with lots of fresh rosemary and whole garlic cloves.  It cooked, covered, for hours until it exuded fragrant juices into which we dunked copious amounts of bread.  With that we drank a 1982 Chateau Gloria (a very good year) from our wine cellar.  A bowl of mashed root vegetables with butter and snippets of scallions and parsley added great color and were radically good.  Arthur had called to ask if I had a potato masher, and I was happy to bring the treasured utensil that once belonged to my mother-in-law.  The memories started to mount. 'Round midnight (one of my favorite Dexter Gordon jazz tunes), I was treated to four small birthday cakes, laid upon a large ceramic platter, one in every color.  I blew out many candles and could barely hear my wishes above the fireworks outside.  The beautiful cakes, "made with real buttercream," came from the Ladybird Bakery in Brooklyn. They were delicious.

And as tradition has each year beginning with a bite of cake, another tradition follows.  My birthday breakfast:  A glass of champagne followed by the most delicious scrambled eggs made by my husband in a double boiler so that they become velvety and Hollandaise-like.  He piles them atop a hillock of smoked salmon and often garnishes them with caviar.  As traditions go, it ain't half bad.

Have a happy and healthy.

Eggnog Notions

I like eggnog.  At this time of year, my friend Katherine pours eggnog, instead of milk, into her morning coffee.  No, not the alcoholic stuff, but the ultra-creamy, thick, organic, rum-flavored variety she gets from a local dairy in Bethesda, Maryland.  As a child, I witnessed the appearance of "the yearly carton" in our refrigerator every December.  My mother, who rarely drank, loved pouring rum (the alcoholic stuff) into a cut-crystal wine glass full of store-bought eggnog and savoring every sip.  This was about the same time we snuggled up and watched "White Christmas" over and over again.  (But hey, come to think of it, my mother's other favorite drink was a Brandy Alexander -- a not-too-distant cousin.)  According to Larousse Gastronomique, where eggnog is referred to by its French name, lait de poule, it is a "nourishing drink served either hot or cold."  Their recipe: to beat an egg yolk with 1 tablespoon sugar and add a glass of milk, then lace with rum or brandy.  A more interesting version, offered in the Joy of Cooking, has you adding 1/4 cup of cream (instead of the milk), 2 to 4 tablespoons rum, brandy or whisky, and then folding in a stiffly beaten egg white.  In the same book, you can find a recipe for eggnog in quantity, based on a dozen egg yolks, and take it from there (page 64, if you happen to have a copy.)  Two curious things about that recipe:  there is a mention of peach brandy (the book was originally printed in 1931.  Who knew?), and a humorous headnote that no doubt launched the beginning of humorous headnotes in cookbooks.  "Some people like to add a little more spirit to the following recipe," Irma Rombauer wrote, "remembering Mark Twain's observation that too much of anything is bad, but too much whisky is just enough."

But the real reason I write about eggnog today is to tell you how to use commercially-bought eggnog in myriad ways.  I make a one-ingredient "creme anglaise" by merely simmering eggnog until thick and creamy (until it coats the back of a wooden spoon); a wicked pumpkin flan using eggnog as its foundation, and a fabulous panettone bread pudding whose custardy goodness comes from...you-guessed-it.

The following recipe first made its appearance in Recipes 1-2-3, published in 1996. Eggnog and Panettone Bread Pudding A winter wonderland kind of dessert, since commercial eggnog appears just in time for the first frost.  You can use a bottled eggnog here, like Mr. Boston, from your liquor store.  This will produce a deliciously "alcoholic" dessert.  Or you can use eggnog that is available in the refrigerated case of your supermarket for a rich and evocative (and non-alcoholic) pudding.  Even the eggnog in the can (I think it's Borden's) will do.

8 ounces panettone 3 cups prepared eggnog 2 extra-large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the panettone into 3/4-inch cubes.  Put them on a baking sheet and toast them lightly in the oven.  Watch carefully.  The panettone should become golden, not brown.  Beat together 2 cups eggnog, eggs, and a pinch of salt using an electric mixer.  Place the toasted panettone cubes in a baking dish that is 9x7 or 8-inches square.  A glass dish is preferable.  Pour  the eggnog mixture over the panettone, pressing down so that the panettone is submerged.  Let sit 15 minutes.  Place the pan in a hot-water bath.  Bake 40 minutes until firm and golden.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Serve at room temperature or cold.   Prepare a sauce using the remaining eggnog:  Put 1 cup eggnog in a small, heavy saucepan.  Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook, stirring often, until reduced to 1/2 cup and is dark tan in color, about 30 minutes.  Let cool.  Drizzle pudding with sauce.  Serves 6

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Year's Eve Pig Out

I don't really mean pig out in the sense of the word overindulging, but I do mean the preparation of one of my favorite pork roasts.  Since it requires 18 hours in your oven, it is the perfect dish to serve at the stroke of midnight -- at the very same moment that you sing Auld Lang Syne and kiss your partner under the mistletoe.  Instead of shouting "Happy New Year!" however, you may instead scream "Let's eat!" The vapors streaming from your kitchen at this point will be so intoxicating as to leave all formalities aside and have you rushing to the groaning board (a word whose derivation is most interesting.)  Let's figure this out and I'm telling you now so you can get the ingredients today.  If you put the pork shoulder in the oven tonight (Thursday, December 30th) at midnight, the irresistibly crackly sphere of meat will be ready for indulging at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow night -- Friday, Dec. 31st, the early hours of most New Year's Eve festivities. That's fine for many of you who like to eat at a reasonable hour, leaving you enough time to position yourself in front of some fireworks.  For those of you who are glued to your big screen television to watch the ball drop from the center of Times Square in New York City and join the world's choral countdown, then you'll need to put the pork in the oven around 4 a.m. (Friday, Dec. 31st).  That could present a problem, or not, but it is no different than what many Americans do on Thanksgiving Day. I can't tell you how delicious this pork roast is.  Flavored with fennel and cumin seed, garlic and fresh lemon, the skin becomes so crispy and the pork flesh stays so very moist because of the very low temperature at which it cooks.  There's a little kick at the end from hot pepper flakes and the whole thing goes amazingly well with champagne, whose celebratory bubbles cut through unctuous succulence and tempers the salinity.  Serve with a pot of oil-slicked bay-scented lentils (good luck in Italy) and a simple arugula salad splashed with balsamic vinegar (and maybe some crumbled blue cheese with pickled red onions!)  A simple carrot puree -- for color and contrast -- would also be nice.  Crank up the music and bring in the new year on high.

Here's what you need to do: 18-Hour Pork Shoulder with Fennel, Garlic & Lemon If you put this in the oven before you go to bed, it will be ready for dinner the next day -- all crackly, succulent and irresistible.

10-pound whole pork shoulder, skin on 2 large heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled 3 tablespoons fennel seeds 3 tablespoons cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes 2 lemons

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Make deep slits in the pork skin, about 1 inch apart, going through to the flesh.  Combine the garlic, fennel, cumin, pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a food processor; process until coarsely ground.  Spread the mixture all over the pork, making sure to pack some into the slits.  Place the pork in a roasting pan.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the pork and reduce the temperature to 250 degrees.  Bake for 18 hours.  Squeeze the juice of the second lemon over the pork during the last hour of cooking.  When done, the skin will crackle and the flesh will be soft.  Carve into thick or thin slices. Serves 8 (or more)

Happy almost New Year!

New Year's Nibbles

Only five days to New Year's Eve and you are, no doubt, thinking about how to celebrate.  For those who are entertaining at home (a very strategic thing to do), here are 25 ideas for radically simple things to serve.   My good friend, Claudia Omsky, roasted some chestnuts for us the other day as a treat in the middle of the afternoon.  She is from Vienna and told us about the street vendors roasting chestnuts and how she loved them as a child.  She often prepares them for her kids as a healthy snack.  Great idea.  Claudia buys them at Whole Foods and simply roasts them on a sheet pan.  Make a criss-cross slit at the top of each chestnut and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.  I thought about how festive they would be with a glass of champagne and so....Idea #1:  Warm roasted chestnuts.  The day after, our cousin Mary Ann Kurasz (Seidman) served us a bowl of huge roasted black grapes that looked like big fleshy olives.  She said she got the idea from my Chicken with Roasted Grapes from Radically Simple and decided they would be great with cocktails!  They were!  A brilliant idea I never thought of.  Here are 23 more: Thinly sliced smoked salmon strewn with edible flowers cut up like confetti Large black olives baked in red wine and olive oil Wrap thin grissini (breadsticks) with good prosciutto Scoop out cherry tomatoes, fill with whitefish salad and chopped chives (serve in fluted candy papers) Coat green grapes with goat cheese and roll in crushed pistachios Toss mixed nuts with rosemary oil and warm on a sheet pan Large moist Medjool dates with chunks of aged Gouda Throw a smoked ham in the oven, slice and serve on biscuits with honey mustard and chutney Thinly slice super-rare roast beef from the supermarket, serve with horseradish creme fraiche and black bread Slather a side of fresh salmon with wasabi mayonnaise, roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, sprinkle with black sesame seeds Make a large Caesar salad and serve with garlic-rubbed skirt steaks Buy super-large cooked shrimp and serve with green goddess dressing Serve your favorite smooth soup in demitasse cups, add a few drops of truffle oil Serve a platter of roasted vegetables, cut into 1-inch pieces, sprinkle with sea salt Prepare a large chafing dish of tortellini alla panna (cream, butter and parmigiano-reggiano) Make or buy gravlax and serve with 1-minute mustard sauce (2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon, 1/4 cup olive oil) Buy rotisserie chickens, hack them up and serve with hoisin sauce and scallions Thinly slice big sea scallops and serve atop seaweed salad, drizzle with lemon oil Top herring in wine sauce with buttery-toasted panko, creme fraiche and dill Make smoked salmon, basil and goat cheese quesadillas Make beef or turkey sliders, serve on toasted dinner rolls with pesto or curry mayonnaise Buy great fried chicken and serve with black-eyed peas Boil a whole cotechino, slice and serve on lentils

Start chilling the bubbly!

For the Locavore, Baker in Your Life

Do buy a copy of Laura C. Martin's beautiful new book, "The Green Market Baking Book" recently published by Sterling. "It's a book to devour," as I offer as a quote on the back jacket. "There is something to learn, experience and marvel at on every page," including Laura's gorgeous full-color illustrations. They are the culinary equivalent of Audubon's birds. Including 100 recipes -- many of which are low fat, wheat-and-dairy free -- the book's guiding principle is that the sweeteners used are natural, and take the place of refined sugar, corn syrup, and artificial ingredients. These include honey, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, barley malt syrup, and agave nectar. Several are new to me. In addition to Laura's original recipes (wait until you try her pecan pie and moist apple cake!), are recipes from many of the best chefs and bakers in the business, including Alice Waters, Molly Stevens, Tom Douglas, and Dan Barber. When Laura reached out to many in the industry, everyone, including me, enthusiastically embraced her mission. Laura, who lives with her family in Atlanta, is passionate about locally grown, organically produced food, but when it came to desserts wanted to preserve the idea of wholesome eating by choosing sweeteners with integrity. So you will find sweet and savory recipes made with fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains that are as good for you as they are for the planet. Cookies with a conscience, so to speak. In addition to substitutions for refined sugar and corn syrup, there are substitutions for cow's milk (soy, almond, rice milk); for eggs (mashed bananas, soft tofu applesauce, pumpkin puree or pureed prunes), and ideas for lowering fat and reducing calories with still-decadent results. Divided by seasons, this book creates immediate temptations. Winter includes recipes for Maple Sugar Angel Food Cake, Orange-scented Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting, and a very nice Chocolate Honey Tart (with a whiff of lavender) -- contributed by me! (you can find a version of this recipe in one of my blog posts.) Instead of the usual chocolate, however, Laura substituted grain-sweetened chocolate chips, which she uses exclusively throughout the book. This is a lovely work with an important message, offering treats for helping sustain the planet, and your family's health. After opening your Christmas gifts this morning, why not take a stroll to your closest farmer's market -- many of which are open today -- and think about making Laura's delicious apple pie (try using a new variety of apple) or her incredible pecan pie (she is from Georgia, after all). Merry Christmas!

Laura Martin's Pecan Pie

Perfect for this holiday week, try this served slightly  warm and dolloped with crème fraîche. (rg)

1 9-inch piecrust 3 eggs 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup brown rice syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pinch salt 1-1/4 cups pecan pieces 3 tablespoons butter

Makes one 9-inch pie

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until frothy, then add the maple syrup and brown rice syrup. 3. Add the vanilla extract and salt. 4. Sauté the pecan pieces in butter in a large frying pan for 3 to 4 minutes, then allow to cool. 5. Add the cooled pecan mixture to the egg mixture and stir until all ingredients are well blended. 6. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until set. 7. Serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Farmer's Market Apple Cake

1 cup maple syrup 3/4 cup brown rice syrup 1-1/2 cups very lightly flavored olive oil 3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon salt 4-1/2-5 cups apples, peeled and chopped, such as Granny Smith 1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans (or walnuts) 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Glaze

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/2 cup maple syrup 1/2 cup heavy cream Makes one 9x13-inch cake

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 2. Measure the olive oil in a glass measuring cup and pour into a large bowl. Use the same cup to measure the syrups. Add the vanilla, and mix until well blended. 3. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. 5. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing well but not overmixing. 6. Fold in the apples and nuts (and raisins if using). 7. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake for at least 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 8. Leave the cake in the pan as you prepare the glaze. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the maple syrup and stir, cooking over low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. 9. Leave the cake in the pan and poke holes all over with a fork or skewer. Pour the slightly cooled glaze over the cake, making sure to distribute it evenly.

Christmas Ham for Dr. Seuss

In a tiny cookbook called "Christmas 1-2-3" Is a recipe for ham just made for you and me You bake the ham for hours until its juices run and add a smear of mustard to make it much more fun. A slick of sugar-coating makes it taste so fine; its hint of fragrant cinnamon makes it smell divine.

There's magic in the air.  Whether you celebrate Christmas, or not, there's a good chance you feel a bit of electricity -- streets are lined with decorations, families reunite, supermarkets are bustling, champagne is chilling, a scramble for last-minute gifts (including Radically Simple!) and anticipation fills the air.  But you too might be filled with anticipation if you haven't planned your Christmas menu.  Why not try my delicious glazed ham --the world's simplest recipe -- alongside your favorite mashed potatoes (white or sweet orange) and a big bowl of Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries that glow like rubies.  It's radically simple and very delicious.

Glazed Christmas Ham

10-pound smoked ready-to-cook ham, shank portion 1 cup coarse-grain mustard 1 cup cinnamon-sugar*

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on a shallow roasting pan and add 1/5 inch water to pan. Cover ham with foil and bake 15 to 16 minutes per pound for a total of about 2 hours and 40 minutes. (Adjust cooking time if your ham is more or less than 10 pounds.) After 2 hours and 15 minutes, remove ham from oven and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Pour most of fat from pan. Using a sharp, thin knife, remove the rind, except for area around shank bone, and most of the fat. Score the fat by cutting diagonal slashes across the skin to make a diamond pattern. Cover the surface thickly with mustard, then heavily coat with cinnamon-sugar, patting down if necessary. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and return to oven for 25 minutes, until sugar melts and hardens. It will become a bit crackly. Present on a large platter, decorated as desired. Carve and serve while hot. Serves 12

*You can buy cinnamon-sugar or make your own by mixing 1 cup granulated sugar with 1-1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon.

Brussels Sprouts with Sun-Dried Cranberries 1-1/4 pounds Brussels sprouts 1 cup sun-dried cranberries 6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Trim the ends of the Brussels sprouts and remove any bruised outer leaves. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts and boil 10 minutes. Immediately drain in a colander under cold water. Dry them on paper towels. When ready to sauté, place cranberries in a small bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let sit 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Cut sprouts in half through the stem end. Melt butter in a very large sauté pan. Add sprouts and cranberries and cook over medium-high heat until sprouts are tender but still green with areas of golden color. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Serves 6