This recipe is from Nick & Toni's, a popular restaurant in the Hamptons. It's their signature dish, obtained while traveling in Italy twenty years ago, and served in the restaurant ever since.


1/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, diced
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes (Cento's San Marzano)
Kosher salt
1 pound penne pasta
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over
medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes
until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano and vodka,
and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes through a sieve,
crush them with your hands, and place them in a 5 quart ovenproof pot
or Dutch oven. Add the onions to the tomatoes and cover with a tight
lid. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the
pot from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water
to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Set
aside.

Place the tomato mixture in a blender and
puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency, and return to
the pot.

Reheat the tomato sauce and add the heavy
cream, fresh oregano and salt, to taste, and simmer for 5 minutes. Toss
the sauce with the pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, to taste.
Serve.

Source:  The Barefoot Contessa

variation idea on this tasty dessert from The Pioneer Woman: "Serve in a bowl topped with coffee ice cream and drizzle with hot fudge sauce. Sinful."

-Ree Drummond

For Brownies:

Four 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

11/4 cups all-purpose flour

For Mae's Mocha Icing:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened

5 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 to 3/4 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temperature

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

To make the brownie batter, place the chocolate in a microwave-safe
bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, being
careful not to let it burn. Set it aside to cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, cream, the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs.

• 6 thick-cut bacon slices
• 3 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus melted butter for brushing
• 2 1/2 cups (packed) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 12 ounces)
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
• 1 3/4 cups chilled buttermilk
• Honey (optional)

PreparationSource: Bon Appétit  | February 2010
by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 lb lump crab meat (make sure you check for shells before preparing)

½ teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced onions

1 tablespoon diced celery

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 egg

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

¼ cup bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

Olive Oil for sautéing

To start, in a bowl combine all ingredients except for the crab and
the bread crumbs. Mix the ingredients together and then carefully mix in
the crab meat. Spread out the bread crumbs on the counter. Role crab
mixture into a ball about 2 inches or so in diameter. Put the ball in
the bread crumbs flattening it out into a patty about 1 inch thick by 3
inches in diameter. Refrigerate the crab cakes until you are ready to
cook them.

To cook, in a skillet, heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil, brown the crab
cake on each side for about 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and
cook for an additional 8 minutes.

The follolwing is an excerpt from the LA Food Times:

Sold at Momofuku Bakery & Milk Bar in Manhattan, this pie has taken New York City by storm, partly because of the audacious name, party because of the jaw-dropping price tag -- $44 a pie, yes, $44 a pie -- and partly because anyone who has tried it, including myself, CNN bigwig Anderson Cooper and the people who are buying the 60 to 90 Crack Pies sold each day or two, can't stop raving about it.

Still not convinced? Out-of-town demand is so high that the bakery just started shipping the pie by FedEx. They've even sought trademark protection for the name.

Crack Pie is a twist on Chess Pie -- an old-school dessert found in the "Joy of Cooking," popular because it can be made with common pantry ingredients such as butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla.

But Milk Bar pastry chef Christina Tosi's reimagining makes Crack Pie an original. Instead of just a humdrum pie shell that serves as a container for the filling, Tosi dreamed up a shell that begins with a homemade oat cookie blended with a bit more butter, sugar and a healthy dash of salt.

The result is a crust that is divinely rustic and unrefined -- don't bother trying to get a perfect edge as you press it into the pie plate. It just won't happen.

Under Tosi's reconsidering, the interior of this pie takes a glug of heavy cream, a bit of milk powder to help give the mixture body and egg yolks instead of whole eggs.

It's baked at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and then 325 degrees for about 10 minutes, just until the top is golden brown. The interior will jiggle when you remove it from the oven.

You will fear that the pie is undercooked.

But you must have faith.

It's not an understatement to say that this pie defies description. But I'll try. It's ooey-gooey. Buttery and rich. Silky. Pillowy. I'll wager that it's not like any pie you've ever had before because that salty-sweet-crunchy-oaty crust is as much a part of the pie as the filling itself. In a weird way, it remind me of kettle corn, with that one-two, salty-sweet hit that keeps you coming back for more. And more. And more.

Now, Tosi says Crack Pie must be served cold. And this is where she and I disagree. Take it out of the oven and let it cool just a bit -- otherwise, it's like pouring molten lava on your tongue, and I tell you this from personal experience -- but you want it to be warm when served.

Tosi and I agree, however, on how it should be eaten.

With a spoon.

While it's still in the pie plate.

With your favorite someone.

Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling and chilling times

Servings: Makes 2 pies (6 to 8 servings each)

Note: Adapted from Momofuku. This pie calls for 2 (10-inch) pie tins. You can substitute 9-inch pie tins, but note that the pies will require additional baking time, about 5 minutes, due to the increased thickness of the filling.

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) flour

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder

Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar

3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar

1 egg

Scant 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) rolled oats

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.

5. With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.

6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.

Crust

Crumbled cookie for crust

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together). Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.

Filling

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar

3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons (7 ounces) light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon (3/4 ounce) milk powder

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 egg yolks

2 prepared crusts

Powdered sugar, garnish

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.

3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.

4. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.

5. Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.

6. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Each of 16 servings: 432 calories; 4 grams protein; 45 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 27 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 187 mg. cholesterol; 36 grams sugar; 125 mg. sodium.

Source: LA Food Times

 

Want to see more?   Here’s a video of Martha Stewart visiting Momofuko’s Milk Bar, where they make crack pie for her.