cheeseburgers

Yields about 8 burgers

1 lb. freshly ground chuck
1 lb. freshly ground sirloin
Salt
Black pepper
Cheese (preferably American, cheddar or muenster)
Hamburger buns (preferably brioche buns or sesame-seeded whole wheat buns)
Fixings (lettuce, tomatoes, onions (raw and/or caramelized), organic ketchup, mustard, homemade mayonnaise, homemade barbeque sauce, bacon, pickles, etc.)

Without handling the meat too much, gently combine chuck, sirloin, a very generous amount of salt and black pepper until well combined. Form mixture into 4 oz. patties that are not too thick. Gently press center of burger down to form a slight dimple.

Place patties on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Alternatively, place baking sheet into freezer until patties are frozen through and then stack them in layers separated by parchment paper and place back in freezer. Thaw patties thoroughly in refrigerator before proceeding to cook.

Once ready to cook, preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high (if using charcoal, bank coals to one side to create a high-temperature zone and a low-temperature zone). Remove patties from refrigerator and place on grill (over high-temperature zone if using charcoal grill). Cook first side for about a minute and a half then rotate 90 degrees to obtain grill marks – cook for another minute and a half. Flip burgers and lower heat to low (or place over low-temperature zone of charcoal grill) and cook an additional 3 minutes with grill lid closed. Add slices of cheese to burgers and cook on low with lid closed until cheese has melted. While cheese melts, toast buns on upper rack of gas grill (if using charcoal, toast over low-temperature zone while burgers rest after their done cooking). Let burgers rest for 1-2 minutes then serve on buns with appropriate fixings.

cinnamon buns

From The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

6.5 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
5.5 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
3.5 cups bread flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1.25 cup whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature
1/2 cup cinnamon sugar (6.5 tbsp sugar + 1.5 tbsp cinnamon)

Cream together sugar salt and butter on med-high speed in an electric mixer. Whip in the egg until smooth. Add the flour, yeast and milk. Mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Switch to the dough hook and increase the speed to medium, mixing for approximately 10 minutes (or knead by hand for 12-15 minutes), or until the dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Mist the counter with spray oil and roll out the dough with a rolling pin, lightly dusting the top of the dough with flour to keep it from sticking to the pin. Roll it into a rectangle about 2/3 inch thick and 14 inches wide by 12 inches long. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the surface of the dough and roll the dough into a cigar shaped log.


With the seam side down, cut the dough into 8-12 even pieces.
Line 1 or more sheet pans with baking parchment. Place the buns 1/2 inch apart.
Proof for 75-90 minutes (you can also refrigerate them for up to 2 days, pulling the pans out of the fridge 3-4 hours before baking).
Preheat the oven to 350 F with the rack in the middle.
Bake 20-30 minutes.
Cool buns in the pan for 10 minutes and then streak white fondant glaze (4 cups sifted powdered sugar mixed with 6-8 tbsp warm milk) across the tops. Place them on a cooling rack and wait 20 minutes before serving.

tuna noodle casserole

1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt
1.5 tbsp butter
10 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 cup sherry
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp lemon juice
1 6-oz can tuna in olive oil, drained
freshly ground black pepper
6 oz curly egg noodles
1.5 cups bread crumbs
1/4 lb cheddar, grated
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a shallow 2 qt baking dish.
Cook onion with a pinch of salt in 1.5 tbsp butter in a 12 inch skillet over moderately low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to moderately high, add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to give off liquid, about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off has evaporated. Add sherry and boil, stirring occasionally, until evaporated. Remove from heat.
Melt remaining 3 tbsp butter in a 2-3 qt saucepan over moderately low heat. Add flour and cook, whisking, for 3 minutes to make a roux. Add stock in a steady stream, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil, whisking. Whisk in milk, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking frequently, for 5 minutes.
Stir mushroom mixture, lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp salt into sauce. Flake tuna into sauce and stir gently. Season with s & p to taste. Remove from heat.
Cook noodles in a 6 qt pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain noodles and return to pot. Add sauce and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to baking dish, spreading it evenly.
Toss together bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss again, then sprinkle evenly over casserole. Bake until topping is crisp and sauce is bubbling, 20-30 minutes.

beef stock

From the cookbook Gourmet Today
Makes 8 cups

2 lbs meaty beef shanks
2 lbs meaty veal shanks
2 onions, left unpeeled, quartered
1 carrot, quartered
4 parsley sprigs
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
4 quarts cold water
2 celery ribs, quartered
1.5 tsp salt

Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 450 F.
Spread shanks, onions, and carrot in a large roasting pan. Roast, turning occasionally, about 1 hour.
With slotted spoon, transfer meat and vegetables to stockpot. Set roasting pan across 2 burners, add 2 cups water to pan, and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, for about 2 minutes. Add liquid to stockpot, along with remaining 3.5 quarts water, celery, salt, herbs, bring to a boil, and skim froth. Reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, skimming froth occasionally, until stock is reduced to about 8 cups, 3-5 hours.
Pour stock through sieve into a bowl; discard solids.