Dayrecipe Food Community

Chopped pimiento-stuffed olives, bacon, and Dijon mustard take a standard to new heights. Offer potato chips, cherry tomatoes, and sliced deli-style pickles alongside.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 12bacon slices8large hard-boiled eggs, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 1/3cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
• 1/2cup mayonnaise
• 1tablespoon dijon mustard12slices white sandwich bread, toasted
• 12red leaf lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cut bacon slices crosswise in half.

Combine chopped eggs, celery, and olives in bowl. Mix in 1/4 cup mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

Place toast slices on work surface; spread lightly with remaining mayonnaise. Divide egg salad among 6 toast slices. Place 4 bacon pieces, then 2 lettuce leaves atop egg salad on each. Cover with remaining toast slices, mayonnaise side down. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
• 3/4 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract1 quart vanilla frozen yogurt
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/2 pint fresh blackberries
• fresh mint sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS Combine 2 cups strawberries and raspberries in processor. Puree until smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract; blend well. Quarter remaining strawberries. Set aside.

Scoop frozen yogurt into bowls, dividing equally. Spoon sauce over. Garnish with blueberries, blackberries, remaining strawberries, and mint

Dried fruit is the secret to moist low-fat baked goods. These cupcakes have such a rich, chocolaty flavor, you would never know there were dates in the batter if you hadn’t baked them yourself.

Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Makes 12 cupcakes (or 4 servings).

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3cup water
• 1/3cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped
• 1/4cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), coarsely chopped
• 3tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 1large egg
• 1/4teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4teaspoon baking soda
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• vegetable oil cooking spray
• 1teaspoon confectioners sugar for dustingspecial equipment:a mini-muffin pan with 12 (1/8-cup) muffin cups, preferably nonstick

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 325°F.

Bring water and dates just to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then transfer mixture to a food processor and add cocoa powder and chocolate, pulsing once to combine. Let cool2 minutes, then add brown sugar, egg, vanilla, baking soda, and a pinch of salt, then purée until smooth. Add flour and pulse just until incorporated.

Spray muffin cups with cooking spray. (If pan is not nonstick, line sprayed bottoms with rounds of wax paper, then spray paper.) Spoon batter into cups, dividing it evenly, and bake in middle of oven until a wooden pick or skewer comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Cool cupcakes in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack (remove wax paper, if using) and cool completely, right side up. Just before serving, sprinkle tops lightly with confectioners sugar.

Cooks’ note:
• Cupcakes can be made and cooled (but not dusted with sugar) 1 day ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Caramelizing the top of this pudding adds an extra depth of flavor, but it’s equally delicious without doing it.

A blowtorch works best here; the broiler didn’t give us the uniform browning we wanted.

Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1(1 1/2- to 2-lb) piece pumpkin or butternut squash, halved and seeded
• 1tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2/3cup plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 2/3cup long-grain white rice
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 5cups whole milk
• 8large egg yolks
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (2 oz)
• 2tablespoons turbinado sugar such as sugar in the raw (optional) special equipment:a blowtorch (optional)

DIRECTIONS Bake pumpkin:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Arrange each piece of pumpkin, cut side up, on a sheet of foil. Top each with 1/2 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Wrap separately in foil and bake, cut sides up, in a shallow baking pan until flesh is tender, about 1 hour.

Open foil and cool pumpkin slightly, then scoop flesh into a food processor and purée until smooth.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Cook rice while pumpkin bakes:
Heat rice, salt, 4 cups milk, and remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until very hot. Transfer to a large metal bowl set over a large saucepan of simmering water (or to a double boiler) and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and most of milk is absorbed, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. (Add more simmering water to saucepan if necessary.) Remove pan from heat and keep rice warm, covered.

Make pudding:
Lightly whisk yolks in a large bowl, then whisk in vanilla, ginger, 1 1/3 cups pumpkin purée (reserve remainder for another use), and remaining cup milk. Gradually stir in warm rice, then pour mixture into a buttered 2-quart flameproof shallow baking dish (not glass). Set baking dish in a roasting pan and bake pudding in a hot water bath, uncovered, in oven until set, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

If caramelizing pudding, sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar, then move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth over sugar until sugar is melted and caramelized. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooks’ notes:
• Pumpkin can be baked and puréed 2 days ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered.
• Pudding can be baked (but not caramelized) 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before caramelizing or serving.

Alice Medrich, founder of the Berkeley chocolate shop Cocolat, started the craze for these intense little nuggets.

Makes about 30.Makes about 30.

INGREDIENTS