Four-cheese soufflé

Butter, unsalted	6 tablespoons
Flour, all-purpose	1/3 cup
Red pepper, ground	Dash
Milk, room temperature	1 ½ cups
Asiago, parmesan Padano & Reggiano, and gruyere, shredded	3 cups
Eggs, yolks and whites separated	6

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Measure enough foil to wrap around a 2-quart soufflé dish with 6 inches to spare; fold foil into thirds lengthwise. 
3. Lightly butter one side; with the buttered side in, position the foil around the dish, letting it extend above the top; fasten the foil with masking tape. 
4. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter; stir in the flour and pepper. 
5. Add the milk all at once; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. 
6. Remove from heat, and add the cheeses, 1 cup at a time, stirring until melted. 
7. In a medium bowl, beat yolks with a fork until combined. 
8. Slowly add the cheese sauce to the yolks, stirring constantly; set aside. 
9. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). 
10. Gently fold 2 cups of the whites into the cheese sauce. 
11. Gradually pour cheese sauce over the remaining whites, folding to combine. 
12. Pour into the ungreased soufflé dish. 
13. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. 
14. Gently peel off the foil; serve soufflé immediately.

Peach-almond crisp

Topping
Flour, all-purpose	½ cup
Rolled oats	1 cup
Sugar, brown, firmly packed	½ cup
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Ginger, ground	1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, ground	½ teaspoon
Butter, unsalted, cold, cut into pieces	½ cup
Almonds, sliced	1 cup
Filling
Sugar	¾ cup
Tapioca, quick-cooking	2 tablespoons
Ginger, fresh, peeled, grated	1 teaspoon
Salt	Pinch
Peaches, pitted, diced	2 ½ pounds

1. Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat to 350°F. 
2. Grease a 12-inch oval or 9-by-13-inch rectangular baking dish with a 2 quart capacity. 
3. To make the topping, in a bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, ground ginger, and cinnamon. 
4.  Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly. 
5. Add the almonds, and toss to mix. 
6. Cover and refrigerate while preparing the filling. 
7. To make the filling, in a small bowl, stir together the sugar, tapioca, ginger, and salt. 
8. Place the peaches in a large bowl, and sprinkle with the sugar mixture, and toss to coat evenly. 
9. Spread the peach mixture in the prepared baking dish. 
10. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the peaches. 
11. Bake until the topping is crisp and golden brown, and the peach filling bubbles slowly, about 50 minutes. 
12. Serve warm.

Sesame roasted shrimp sticks with zippy apricot dipping sauce

Sauce
Mustard, dry English	1+ tablespoon
Water	1 tablespoon
Apricot jam*	¾ cup
Ginger, peeled, minced	1 tablespoon
Green onions, very thinly sliced	2 small
Rice vinegar, unseasoned	2 tablespoons
Shrimp
Egg white	1
Salt	½ teaspoon
Chinese five-spice	½ teaspoon
Sesame oil	1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds, 3 parts white to 1 part black	3 tablespoons
Shrimp, large, peeled, deveined, remove tails	1 pound
Bamboo skewers, soaked in water 1 hour	16 to 20

1. In a small bowl, mix the mustard and water; let sit for 5 minutes. 
2. Stir in the remaining sauce ingredients until well mixed. 
3. Preheat the oven to 475°F. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white, salt, five-spice, and sesame oil. 
5. Put the sesame seeds in a small bowl. 
6. Lightly oil a baking sheet, or spray with vegetable-oil cooking spray. 
7. Drop shrimp in the egg white mixture, and toss to coat. 
8. Skewer a shrimp, curled into a circle, on the tip of the skewer, so that it looks like a shrimp “lollipop”. 
9. Sprinkle each side of the shrimp with sesame seeds, and sit aside on the prepared baking sheet. 
10. Repeat with remaining shrimp, spaced on the baking sheet so they are not touching. 
11. Roast the shrimp for about 5 minutes, or until just cooked through and pink. 
12. Serve the shrimp skewers on a platter and the sauce in a small bowl with a tiny spoon for drizzling, or plate them with a small puddle of sauce. 

Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table.

*I could only find apricot preserves on the shelf of my local grocer, so I opted for an apricot-chili jam.

Fullers five-onion soup

Leeks, large, coarsely chopped	2
Onion, medium, cut into chunks	1 red + 1 yellow + 1 white
Shallots, quartered	4
Garlic	6 cloves
Butter	4 tablespoons
Sherry, dry	1 cup
Bay leaf	1
Black peppercorns, crushed	6
Thyme, chopped	1 tablespoon
Chicken broth	6 cups
Cream, heavy	2 cups
Brandy	¼ cup
Cornstarch	1 tablespoon
White pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon
Salt
Chives, thinly sliced	Garnish

1. Coarsely chop the leeks, discarding the tough green parts, and rinse them well to remove sand. 
2. In two batches, process the leeks, onions, shallots, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped, but not mushy. (Do not overprocess.) 
3. Melt the butter in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. 
4. Slowly sauté the onions for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until they just turn a bit golden. 
5. Stir in the sherry, scraping up any browned bits in the pan. 
6. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme, and broth. 
7. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour, or until golden in color and rich in flavor. 
8. Add the cream, and simmer another 30 minutes. 
9. Mix the brandy and cornstarch, and whisk into the simmering soup. 
10. Add the white pepper, and then season with salt to taste. (The amount of salt needed will vary, depending on whether you used homemade stock or canned broth.) 
11. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes more; remove the bay leaf. 
12. Serve immediately, garnished with chive.

Recipe from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table.

I don’t typically endorse one cookbook over another. My cookbook library includes nearly 100 books to support my varying epicurean moods. I must recommend, however, Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table if you live on the west coast (or don’t mind having certain items shipped express). Her recipes are modern and fresh takes on local cuisine. Her cookbook is lush with photos and details for the intermediate to advanced cook. Trust me, for her recipes, my online cookbook is a poor substitution for the source.

Pan-fried okra

Okra, fresh, cut into ½-inch pieces	2 pounds
Milk	1 cup
Bisquick	1 ½ cups
Salt	1 ½ teaspoons
Pepper, freshly ground	1 teaspoon
Garlic powder	1 teaspoon
Cayenne pepper	½ teaspoon
Butter	4 tablespoons
Olive oil	4 tablespoons

1. Soak the cut okra in the milk. 
2. Combine the Bisquick, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a shallow dish, and dredge the okra through. 
3. Melt butter with oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, and add the okra. 
4. Cook until it browns and is tender.