Dark Tort

and-half1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by 13-inch pan.Bring a large quantity of water to boil and cook the new potatoes until they are just done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the potatoes and set them aside to cool before slicing.Using a clean cloth dishtowel that may be stained, squeeze the mushrooms by small handfuls to remove all excess liquid. When all the mushrooms have been rendered almost dry, set them aside.Using a wide saute pan, melt the butter over low heat. Still keeping the heat low, cook the mushrooms and onions until the onions are translucent. Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan and put them into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the chopped parsley and set aside. Using the same pan, raise the heat to medium low and cook the sausage until it is brown. Turn off the heat and set aside.Slice the cooled potatoes into ?-inch slices. Place them in the bottom of the prepared pan. Distribute the mushroom mixture over the potatoes. Evenly distribute the sausage over the mushroom layer. Set aside.In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the half-and-half over low speed until the mixture is smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour this mixture over the ingredients in the baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top.Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the egg mixture has set in the middle. Serve immediately.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Asparagus Quiche

8 ounces asparagus, washed, trimmed of all hard, tough stalks, and cut into 1?-inch lengths4 large eggs? cup whipping cream1 teaspoon Dijon mustard? teaspoon salt¹/₈ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, if desired)? teaspoon paprika1 cup small-curd cottage cheese1 cup grated Gruyere cheese? cup grated imported Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.Using a small saute pan that has a cover, heat about half a cup of water just to boiling. Pour in the sliced asparagus, cover, and turn off the heat. Allow the asparagus to steam, with the heat turned off, while you prepare the other ingredients.In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs on medium speed until they are very well blended. Blend in the cream, mustard, salt, pepper, and paprika until well combined. Using a heavy wooden spoon, stir in the cheeses, stirring until well combined.Drain the asparagus (it should still be bright green, with a tender, slightly crunchy texture). Put it into the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus, and place the quiche into the oven.Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the quiche has puffed and browned, and is set in the center. Allow to cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Note: Since this is a crustless quiche, it should be served with rolls or other bread.

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

Chicken Piccata Supreme

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded thin between pieces of plastic wrap? cup all-purpose flour (you will not use all of this—it is for dusting the chicken)? teaspoon salt? teaspoon freshly ground black pepper3 tablespoons olive oil, divided2 teaspoons freshly pressed garlic? cup scallions, finely chopped1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice? cup dry white wine6 tablespoons (? stick) unsalted butter

Dredge the pounded chicken breasts in a mixture of the flour, salt, and pepper. Set aside.Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, put in two of the chicken breasts and saute for about 1? minutes per side, until the outside is nicely browned but the interior of the chicken is still very slightly pink. Remove the pieces to a plate and repeat with the other two chicken breasts. Set aside.Turn the heat under the saute pan to low and add the last tablespoon of oil and the garlic. Cook the garlic very gently for several minutes, until it is very soft and cooked through. Do not burn the garlic.Add the scallions, juice, white wine, and butter to the pan. Bring the heat up to medium, stirring constantly. Once the butter is melted, continue to cook and stir for a minute or a bit longer, until the sauce has reduced slightly. Keeping the heat up, return the chicken to the pan, and cook and stir until the chicken has just cooked through (check by cutting into one piece), about 2 or 3 more minutes.Place the chicken on a heated serving platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

All-American Deep-Dish Apple Pie

CRUST:

1? cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar? teaspoon salt12 tablespoons (1? sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and chilled3 tablespoons chilled lard or vegetable shortening, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces and chilled? cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water1 egg, lightly beaten

In a large bowl (or in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade), whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt for 10 seconds.Drop the first 4 tablespoons of chilled butter on top of the flour mixture, and cut in with two sharp knives (or pulse in the food processor) just until the mixture looks like tiny crumbs. (In the food processor, this will take less than a minute.) Repeat with the rest of the butter and the lard (or vegetable shortening), keeping the unused portion of each fat well chilled until it is time to cut it into the flour. The mixture will look like large crumbs when you finish adding all the butter and lard.Sprinkle the water over the top of the mixture, and either mix with a spoon or pulse until the mixture just begins to hold together in clumps. If the mixture is too dry to hold together in clumps, add the additional water until it does. Place the mixture into a 2-gallon zipped plastic bag. Pressing very lightly through the plastic, quickly gather the mixture into a rough circle in the center of the bag. Refrigerate the bag of dough until it is thoroughly chilled.When you are ready to make the pie, preheat the oven to 400°F. Have a rimmed cookie sheet ready to place underneath the pie.Remove the bag of dough from the refrigerator. Unzip the bag, then quickly roll out the dough (still inside the bag) to a circle approximately 10 inches in diameter. Using scissors, cut the plastic all the way around the bag and gently lift one side of the plastic. Place the bag, dough side down, into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Gently remove the remaining piece of plastic so that the dough falls into the plate. Trim and flute the edge of the crust. Gently line the crust with parchment paper and weigh down the crust with rice, beans, or pie weights.Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, take out the parchment and weights, and brush the bottom and sides of the crust with the beaten egg (you will not use all of the egg). Return the crust to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more. If the fluted edge begins to brown too quickly, it can be covered with pieces of foil until the crust is baked. Remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool slightly while you prepare the filling and topping.

FILLING:

1? teaspoons cinnamon? cup sugar8 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar. Place the apple slices in a large bowl. Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture and set aside while you prepare the topping.

TOPPING: