Ingredients

For cookies
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
4 ounces blanched almonds
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
For dulce de leche
1 can (14 ounces) of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
sea salt, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Make the cookies: In a standing electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add the egg yolks and vanilla bean seeds and beat until smooth.
2. In a food processor, combine the almonds with the salt, baking powder and flour and process until the almonds are finely ground. Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat on low speed until smooth. Pat the dough into 2 disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working in batches if necessary, roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a round cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible. Arrange the cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 22 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom and around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to a platter. Refrigerate the scraps until chilled, then reroll, stamp out more cookies and bake.
4. Meanwhile make the dulce de leche: Preheat the oven to 425° F. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.
5. Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate. Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary). Once the Dulce de Leche is nicely browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, whisk until smooth. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Warm gently in a warm water bath or microwave oven before using.
6. Top half of the cookies with a rounded teaspoon of the dulce de leche and top with the remaining cookies. Enjoy!

Makes about 30-40 sandwich cookies.

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Ingredients

One 3-pound boneless pork loin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, from 1 orange
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Rub the pork loin well on all sides with the olive oil, and season it with the kosher salt, black pepper, and cumin. Place the pork loin, fat
   side down, in the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pork from the skillet and place it in a small roasting pan or baking dish that holds it snugly.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the orange juice, vinegar, and marmalade to combine. Drizzle the citrus mixture over the pork.
4. Place the roasting pan in the oven, and cook until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F, basting the pork with the pan juices occasionally.
5. Remove the pork from the oven, add the cilantro to the roasting pan, and swirl it in the pan juices. Allow the pork to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve the pork thinly sliced, drizzled with pan juices.

Serves 8.

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large head fennel, diced (about 1 cup)
1 large leek, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
1 green pepper, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups bottled clam juice
1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pounds local thick-fleshed fresh fish (we used a mixture of red snapper and black cod), cut into 2-inch chunks
2 Dungeness crabs, about 3 pounds total, cracked and cleaned (see Note)
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Home-baked croutons, crostini or fresh crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions, fennel, leeks and green peppers, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, oregano, red pepper flakes and thyme, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and saute until the mixture becomes fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. When the tomato paste starts sticking to the pot, pour in the white wine, scraping to incorporate the stuck bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook until the wine is reduced by half.
3. Add the clam juice, broth, crushed and chopped tomatoes, and stir well. Bring to a boil; lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely. You can either do this two nights before you plan to serve the cioppino and refrigerate overnight, or cool quickly by placing the pot in an ice water bath in the sink and stir until it's at least room temperature.
5. The night before you plan to serve the cioppino, divide the seafood, except for the crab, between two 9- by 13-inch baking dishes (they should be suitable for serving). Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and divide the cooled base between the two dishes, fully submerging the seafood in the liquid. Wrap well and refrigerate overnight.
6. To serve, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover the baking dishes with aluminum foil, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until fish is cooked through and broth is hot.
7. Remove the foil, add the crab, and cook for 10 minutes more. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with home baked croutons, crostini or fresh crusty bread.

Serves 8-10.


Note: Using whole crab means you'll get your hands dirty when eating this, but that's half the fun. If you'd prefer a cleaner presentation, you can substitute about 3/4 pound of fresh crab meat, but this can get expensive.

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