Recipes

Ingredients
1 stick (8 T) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup + 2 T all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling out the dough
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4t freshly cracked pepper
Fleur de sel (sea salt

You will also need:
Mixer with bowl
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Parchment paper
Baking Sheet
Pizza cutter or knife
Spatula

Instructions
Mix together the softened butter and the flour in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the cheese and the cracked pepper.  Mix well to combine.

Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and mold it into round disc shape.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.  Preheat the oven to 375^oF.  Remove the dough from the oven and roll it out to a thickness of about ¼ inch (using more flour, as needed, to prevent sticking).  Place it onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Using a pizza cutter or knife, score the dough into squares that are about 1 ½ “ x 1 ½ “.  Bake the crackers for about 15 to 20 minutes until browned.  Run the pizza cutter or knife back over the crackers to separate them.  Let them cool completely.  Sprinkle with fleur de sel.  Serve with sliced figs, pluots, apples or pears. Makes about 1 ½ - 2 dozen crackers.  Note that these crackers are delicious but quite fragile.  They don’t work well for spreads. 

Ingredients
1 7-lb pork shoulder roast, bone-in, tied
1 T olive oil
Gray sea salt
Pepper
2 c water

You will also need:
Roasting pan
Roasting rack

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300^oF.  Rub the roast with the olive oil.  Coat generously with gray sea salt.  Sprinkle with freshly-ground pepper.  Place the meat on the roasting rack in the roasting pan.  Add 2 cups water to the bottom of the pan, making sure it does not touch the meat.  Roast uncovered in the oven for 1 hour per pound of meat.  When meat is done, remove from the oven and allow to rest at room temperature (this is difficult, as you really want to start eating this right away!) for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serves about 6-8 people. 

Ingredients
2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½” pieces
1 T bacon drippings or olive oil
2 medium sweet onions, cut into ½” pieces
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1-2 sprigs of marjoram, stripped and leaves chopped (plus more for garnish)
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

You will also need:
Large pot of salted water
Large saute pan

Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Drain, pat dry and set aside.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add the bacon drippings and let melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned – about 10-12 minutes.  Add the sweet potatoes and minced garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the sweet potatoes start to get a little brown – about 3-5 minutes.  Add the chopped marjoram and season with salt and pepper, to taste

Serves 8. 

This recipe pairs well with slow-roasted pork. 

This recipe has been a favorite in my family for years. 

For the cake layers, use your favorite recipe - either a butter cake recipe or a chocolate cake recipe works fine.

Ingredients
2 c sugar
1 c whipping cream or evaporated milk
1 c creamy peanut butter

You will also need:
Small saucepan
Large spoon

Instructions
Bring the sugar and the cream to a boil in a small saucepan.  Reduce the heat and cook for two minutes.  Add the peanut butter and bring back to a boil.  Let the mixture cook for about 1 minute.  Stir and remove from the heat. 

Let the frosting cool to room temperature before spreading between the layers and on top of the cake.