Potato pancakes seem especially good on a cold, rainy day.  These are made with yellow Finn potatoes, but Yukon Gold or russets will work fine.  The key is to ring out the excess water that is in the potatoes before you cook them.  Fresh stewed apples, along with a dollop of Greek-style yogurt or sour cream, complete the dish.

Ingredients
For the stewed apples:
3 large tart apples
1/3 cup sugar (raw sugar works great here)

For the pancakes:
6 medium yellow Finn potatoes, washed and dried
1 medium onion
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon chili aleppo flakes (optional)
Cracked pepper, to taste

Olive oil, duck fat, vegetable oil, goose fat, chicken fat or pork fat for frying

You will also need:
Paring knife
Small saucepan with lid
Grater (box-style works well for this)
Clean kitchen towel
Medium-sized mixing bowl
Large spoon
Large skillet
Metal spatula
Paper towels

Instructions
Peel the apples, core them and cut them into chunks. 

Place the apples into a small saucepan and add the sugar.  Bring the apples to a boil over high heat, then cover them and reduce the heat to medium.  Let the apples cook until tender – about 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat and keep warm. 

Meanwhile, grate the apples and the onion on the largest hole of the box grater. 

Place them into a clean towel and sqeeze the towel well to remove excess moisture.  

Put the squeezed potatoes and onions into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Add the egg, salt, baking powder, chili flakes and pepper.  Mix well. 

Heat the oil or fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the potato mixture one large tablespoon at a time. (You may need to cook these in two batches.)  Mash the batter a little to make the pancakes flat. 

Cook until crispy-brown.  Flip the pancakes over and cook on the other side until crisp, as well. 

Remove from the oil and put them onto paper towels to drain. 

Serve immediately with the stewed apples and Greek-style yogurt or sour cream.

Serves 3-4 people.

I call these buttery bites “no-fuss cookies” because they are mixed in the food processor – in one simple, easy step.  They can be made for children and for grown-ups, too.  The glaze calls for either orange juice or Cointreau – use the Cointreau if only grown-ups will be enjoying them!   And, of course, you can cut them into any shape you’d like!

Ingredients

For the cookies:
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon grated orange zest
2 medium egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon orange juice or Cointreau liqueur
1 Tablespoon full-fat milk or half-n-half
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

You will also need:
Food processor with blade attachment
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters
Parchment paper or silpat mat
Baking sheet
Metal spatula
Cooling rack
Small bowl
Teaspoon

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Put all of the cookie ingredients in the food processor and process for about a minute until the dough comes together.  Remove the blade and set it aside.  Gather up the dough and wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap. 

Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for at least a half hour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap until it is about 1/4″ thick.  Using the cookie cutters, cut into your desired shapes. 

Place the parchment or silpat onto the baking sheet.  Place the cookies onto the baking sheet. 

Bake for about 11 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from the oven.

Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet.  When the cookies are cool enough to handle with a metal spatula, then move them onto the cooling rack.  Cool completely.

Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the glaze together in the small bowl. 

When the cookies are cool, spoon the glaze onto the cookies. 

Serve immediately. 

Note:  If you are not serving these cookies right away, then store them without the glaze.  Glaze them right before serving. 

Makes about 18 3″ cookies.

It’s time to lovingly tackle this year’s crop of quince on my tree in the Bay Area.  Quince is too astringent to eat raw – it needs sugar to make it palatable.  I typically make quince preserves to serve with homemade buttermilk biscuits.  However, tonight I’m looking to make a simple quince dessert.   This recipe uses a sweet dessert wine, such as muscat, late harvest or a sauterne to give it an extra boost of sweetness.  Be sure to check out my recipe for Duck Breasts with Poached Quince, as well.

Ingredients
2 medium-sized quince fruits
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup sweet dessert wine, such as the muscat from Goosecross Cellars

You will also need:
1 medium skillet
Tongs
4 dessert plates

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel the quince, then cut each one in half and remove the core.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the sugar and let it brown.

Add the quince, cut sideup.  Cook over medium heat until the quince is slightly browned.

Flip the quince over and let them brown well on the other side.

Pour in the wine and bring to a boil.

Move the pan to the hot oven and let it cook for about 20 minutes, until the quince is tender.

Remove the quince from the pan and put each half onto an individual dessert plate.  Place the pan back on top of the stove and turn the heat up to high.  Cook the juices until they form a thickened caramel sauce.

Pour the caramel sauce over the quince and serve immediately.  Garnish with a scoop of honey ice cream or a dollop of honey-laced creme fraiche.

Serves 4.

This is one of my favorite ways to bring out even more flavor in vine-ripened tomatoes.  You can either peel the tomatoes first, or leave the skin on – it depends on how you would like to use them.  We typically eat them right away, but I also like to use slow-roasted tomatoes in my Fresh Tomato Tart recipe.

Ingredients
6-8 medium-sized Early Girl (or your favorite kind) tomatoes or 2-3 dozen cherry tomatoes (peeled or not – depends on the final use)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
1 clove fresh garlic
4 sprigs fresh oregano (can also use fresh basil or thyme)
1/4 teaspoon sugar (optional – this is really only needed if the tomatoes need a little more sweetness)

You will also need:
Large pot
Water
Serrated knife
Cutting board
1 large baking pan (I typically use a 13″x9″x2″ pan)

Instructions
If peeling the tomatoes, fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil.  With a serrated knife, make an “x” on the top of each tomato, being careful to slice only through the outer skin.

Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for about 2 minutes.

Remove them from the water and place them onto a cutting board.  The skin should easily peel off.

Slice each tomato in half and remove the core at the end.  Using your hands, remove the seeds from each half.

Drizzle the baking dish with enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Add the sliced garlic and spread out in the pan.   Strip the leaves from the herbs and add them to the pan.

Place the tomatoes, cut side down, in the pan.  You can put them close together in the pan.  I separated them because I was only using a few tomatoes.  Brush the top with olive oil.  Sprinkle with the sugar, if needed.

Bake at 250 degrees Farhenheit for two hours.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

Use the tomatoes in a recipe or just enjoy them as is.  Be sure to use the oil and to scrape the goodies from the bottom of the pan.