It's always the right time for this gingerbread

If you're like most people, gingerbread is an autumnal treat. I guess that makes sense--tradition and all--but you may give a second thought to all of that after trying a piece of this luscious cake.

First mentioned (as far as I know) in the fabulous Bon Appetit magazine, it's the only gingerbread recipe you'll ever need. Top it with sauteed apples or pears, a dollop of whipped cream, or get fancy and break it into pieces for a wonderful wintry trifle (layer the gingerbread with lemon curd and blueberries, for instance).

Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread

1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout
1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cardamom
3 large eggs
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
Confectioners sugar for dusting

10-inch (10- to 12-cup) bundt pan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter bundt pan and dust with flour, knocking out excess.

Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.

Sift together flour, baking powder and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into bundt pan and rap pan sharply on counter to eliminate air bubbles.

Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then turn cake out of pan. Cool completely and dust with confectioners sugar.

Holy crepe!

Crepes are one of those dishes that seem harder than they are. They're so thin and fragile looking that it's easy to imagine only the most competent of home cooks should even attempt to make them.

Well, that's just plain wrong. If I can make them, I'm sure anyone can. I like to think of myself as a "better-than-average" cook, but I certainly didn't graduate (or even attend, for that matter) Le Cordon Bleu.

A few words of wisdom should help you whip these babies up in no time flat. For starters, though you can use a whisk to combine all the ingredients in a bowl, it's far easier to just use a food processor or blender. Once you've made the batter, let the batter sit for a bit. And instead of sitting around, twiddling your thumbs while the 20 minutes tick away, start heating up your skillet--it's important that it's up to temperature before you add your first crepe, otherwise it'll be a wasted, soggy mess.

My most important piece of advice? That would be to try one (or two or three) of these wondrous creations topped with some Nutella (or other cocoa-hazelnut spread) and some chopped, roasted hazelnuts. Fruit and other toppings (including dulce de leche) are more than fine, but there's nothing more mouth-watering than a crepe filled with Nutella!

Enough of my blathering. On to the recipe!

4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 pinches salt
1 1/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pour all of the above ingredients into a blender or food processor and "blitz" (as Nigella Lawson loves to say) until smooth. This shouldn't take more than a few seconds, so make sure you don't walk away!

Let the batter sit for 20 minutes. Near the end of that time, start heating up your skillet. Make sure the skillet is well greased with oil or butter, especially if the one you're using isn't non-stick, as the crepes have a tendency to cling to the pan.

When the batter has set for 20 minutes and the skillet's up to temperature, pour a ladle-full of batter into the skillet and swish it around so that the batter coats the bottom of the pan. You'll likely use about a ½ cup of batter per crepe, though I like to buck tradition and make mine a little thicker.

Let the crepe sit until the edges become lacy and golden and the top seems dry (this should take 1-2 minutes). Use a spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe and then flip it over. Cook the second side for another 15-30 seconds and then slide it on to a plate to cool.

This recipe should make about 10 crepes in a 10-inch pan. If you're using an 8-inch pan or don't want to make so many crepes in a 10-inch pan, go ahead and cut the recipe in half.

Tex-mex four ways

I often jokingly tell my husband that we make all of our dinners using the same ingredients: garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes and either beans or ground beef ("soy" beef for us, as David is vegetarian). It's partially true, of course, as you'll see from the recipes below (check out the ingredient list for my Mexican Lasagna for further evidence).

Luckily, while the recipes below include similar ingredients, they're different enough in taste (and are coupled with differing sides) that they all warrant being made from time to time.


Taco Soup
This first recipe comes from Paula Deen, the great Southern cook of FoodNetwork fame. It's more of a stew than a soup, really, but who cares? It's wonderful regardless--any time of day and any time of year.

Top with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped chives and/or sliced jalapenos and you've got yourself a quick and hearty meal.

2 pounds ground beef (or vegetarian crumbles)
2 onions, diced
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans
1 15-ounce can pink kidney beans
1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
1 14-ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can tomatoes with chiles
2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles
1 4.6-ounce can black olives, drained and sliced, optional
1/2 cup green olives, sliced, optional
1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot.

Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours (or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove).

Ladle into bowls--on top of corn chips, if you have them :)

David's Yankee Bean Pot
One of our best friends introduced me to this dish. It resembles the Taco Soup listed above, but it has more depth of flavor--probably thanks to the ketchup, relish and onion soup mix. It's great on its own, but it's made all the better by serving alongside tater tots (!) or on top of a baked potato.

1 pound vegetarian "crumbles"
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup pickle relish
½ cup green pepper, diced
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce, for vegetarians)
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 package onion soup mix
1 15-ounce can vegetarian baked beans
1 16-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes

Combine all ingredients in a 5-quart crock pot and cook on low heat for about 6 hours (or place in a large stockpot and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour on the stove). Adjust seasonings and serve.

Classic Picadillo
I found this recipe on a flyer from Whole Foods. I'm not sure if it's really a "classic" recipe, but it has satisfied us enough that we make it fairly regularly. For a bit more depth of flavor, add a pinch or two of dried oregano and a bay leaf when you first start sauteeing the vegetables (removing the bay leaf before serving).

3 tablespoons oil
2 pounds ground beef (of vegetarian "crumbles")
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2/3 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup green olives, sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 cups cooked white rice

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; brown ground beef or crumbles. Remove from pan and add onions, peppers and garlic, ccoking until softened, about five minutes. Add tomatoes, raisins, olives, vinegar and brown sugar; stir and then cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 15 minutes more.

Adjust seasonings and stir over white rice.

Black Bean and Vegetable Burritos
This is the first meal I ever made for David. After we had been dating for a while we started having each other over for dinners on Friday nights. I had never knowingly cooked anything vegetarian, so I decided to start with something easy. This dish (which I got from the fantastic epicurious.com) was not only easy, it was delicious--so much so that it regularly appears on our kitchen table.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons minced, seeded jalapeno chile
Flour tortillas

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions, bell pepper and garlic and saute over medium heat until softened, about six minutes. Add cumin and chili powder and stir until combined. Add corn, beans and tomotoes and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occassionally, until heated through. Add jalapenos (if using) and then salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon about a cup of the filling into each tortilla, top with cheese and sour cream (if desired), roll up and serve.

When life hands you lemons...

... don't make lemonade, make a nice bowl of lemon curd instead! Not only is it good all by itself (perfect eaten with a spoon while standing in front of the fridge), but it's even better spooned over vanilla ice cream, layered in a trifle or spread between cake layers.

Lemon Curd
I believe this recipe originated in the pages of Fine Cooking magazine, but I'm not certain of that. Anyway, I've changed it a bit for my tastes, adding more butter and decreasing the lemon juice. Also, I prefer my curd sans zest, but feel free to include it if that's your thing.

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons)
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)

Beat the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and yolks and then stir in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but don't panic--it'll come together soon enough.

Pour the mixture into a small (2-quart) saucepan and cook over low heat until smooth (stirring constantly). Turn up the heat to medium and stir constantly, without letting the mixture come to a boil, until it thickens enough to leave a path on the back of the spoon when you drag a finger through it.

Remove from heat and stir in zest if you're using it. Pour into a small-ish bowl, press plastic warp on the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate until cool.


Lemon Mousse
The only thing better than eating lemon curd straight from the fridge is to transform it into a light, lemony mousse (which also can be eaten straight from the fridge!). This is too easy: just whip up some lightly sweetened whipped cream and fold it into the curd.

Like the plain curd above, this recipe is wonderfully adaptive. I think the best way to eat it is piped into a bowl or ramekin and topped with fresh berries, but I'm sure it's good eaten any way you can think of.

1 batch lemon curd
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1-2 tablespoons sugar

Pour cream and sugar into chilled bowl and beat (preferably with an electric mixer--unless you really want to work your arm muscles!) until the cream holds stiff peaks.

Stir one-fourth of the whipped cream into the curd to lighten it a bit and then gently but firmly fold in the remainder.

Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Beans and rice with a twist (and a kick)

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I saw in an issue of Vegetarian Times magazine. David (my husband, in case you haven't already picked up on that) loves spicy food, and we both love anything featuring curry powder (and coconut milk), so it's no surprise that this has become one of our favorite, and most regularly-made, meals.

Curried Beans and Rice
The vegetarian brats can be left out completely, if you prefer, or replace them with a can of chick peas (drained and rinsed) or a block of cubed and pan-fried tempeh.

1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 white onion, diced
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (leave the seeds in if you'd like more of a kick)
3 cups water
2 cups uncooked basmati rice
15-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. salt
3-4 tsp. curry powder
3-4 vegetarian sausages/brats (Tofurky brand kielbasa are perfect), cut into ½-inch slices

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapeno pepper and cook, stirring often, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in water, rice, beans, coconut milk and seasonings and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in sausage/brats, cover and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Spoon onto plates and serve hot.

Makes 6-8 servings.