4-ingredient apple cake

Butter, unsalted, room temperature	For greasing pan
Eggs, room temperature	3 large
Sugar, light brown	1 cup (213 grams)
Salt	¼ teaspoon
Apples, Granny Smith	3 (198 grams each)
Flour, whole wheat	1 cup + 2 tablespoon (134 grams)

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 
2. Butter the bottom, not the sides, of an 8-inch springform pan. 
3. Combine the eggs, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. 
4. Start on low, then raise to speed of medium-high, and beat for 8 minutes, until the mixture is a pale tan in color and super fluffy. 
5. Meanwhile, peel the apples, and cut them into ½-inch pieces; yield should be about 4 cups. 
6. When the egg-sugar mixture is mixed, remove the bowl from the stand mixer, and add the flour. 
7. Use a flexible spatula to gently fold in the flour until it is almost incorporated. 
8. Add the apples and fold in. 
9. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 
10. Bake for 1 hour, or until the top is browned and a cake tester comes out completely clean. 
11. Cool in pan for about 30 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake, and unhinge the outside. 
12. Serve the cake in big wedges, warm or room temperate, with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, and a dollop of cream or Greek yogurt. 

Recipe from Food52.com, September 2019.

Seared scallops with basil risotto

Active: 1 hour; Serves: 4

Pineapple juice	2 cups
Vegetable broth	1 ½ cups
Butter, unsalted	3 tablespoons
Onions, yellow, minced	1/3 cup
Garlic, minced	1 tablespoon
Rice, arborio, uncooked	1 ¼ cups
Parmesan, freshly grated	3/4 cups
Salt	½ teaspoon +
Pepper, freshly ground	¼ teaspoon +
Basil, fresh, minced	3 tablespoons
Sea scallops	1 pound
Vegetable oil	2 tablespoons +
Microgreens	½ cup

1. Combine the juice and broth in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. 
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then cover with a lid and remove from the heat. 
3. Heat the butter in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. 
4. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. 
6. Add a ladle of the hot juice mixture to the saucepan and cook, stirring, until the liquid is fully absorbed. 
7. Continue adding the hot liquid to the saucepan, one ladle at a time and stirring intermittently, until the rice is no longer crunch, about 30 minutes. 
8. Stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper, then turn off the heat and stir in the basil; set aside, covered, while you cook the scallops. 
9. Pat the scallops dry, then season with salt and pepper. 
10. Heat the oil in a medium skillet set over medium-high heat. 
11. Once the oil is hot, add half of the scallops and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. 
12. Flip the scallops once, then tilt the skillet and baste them with the oil. 
13. Continue cooking the scallops an additional 1 minute, until no longer translucent. 
14. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining scallops, adding more oil as needed. 
15. Divide the risotto among serving plates and top with the scallops. 
16. Garnish with the microgreens and serve. 

Recipe from The Secret Ingredient Cookbook, July 2021.

Frozen peach lemonade

Active: 5 minutes; Serves: 2 to 4

Gin, Venus #2, chilled	4 ounces
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed, chilled	3 ounces
Honey	1 ½ ounce
Water	1 ½ ounce
Peaches, frozen	1 cup
Ice	1 to 2 cups
Mint sprigs	Garnish
Peach slices	Garnish

1. Combine the honey and water over low heat. 
2. Combine the gin, juice, honey syrup, peaches, and ice in a blender. 
3. Pour into chilled glasses and garnish.

Recipe adapted from Food52.com.

Soba noodles with crispy duck & hot dipping sauce

Active: 50 minutes; Total: 8 hours 50 minutes; Serves: 4

Water	4 cups
Kombu square	3-inch square
Shiitake, dried, rinsed	3 medium
Duck breast	2 6-ounce
Salt, kosher	½ teaspoon
Soy sauce	3/4 cup
Hon mirin	2 tablespoons
Sugar, cane	1 ½ tablespoons
Leek, white & green parts only, cut into 2- x ¼-inch strips	1 medium
Sake	1 tablespoon
Lemon or yazu peel strips, lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips	2
Ginger, peeled, cut into strips	1 ½ inch
Mitsuba or cilantro	Garnish
Serrano chile	Garnish
Soba noodles, cooked

1. Sprinkle duck breasts all over with salt; place on plate, skin side up, on a plate, and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 8 hours or overnight. 
2. Stir together the water, kombu, and shiitakes in a medium bowl; let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours or overnight. 
3. Remove the kombu and mushrooms; discard the kombu or, if desired, reserve to make another batch of dashi, reserve and slice the mushrooms.
4. Combine the soy sauce, hon mirin, and sugar in a large saucepan. 
5. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture just beings to simmer and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes. 
6. Stir in the dashi, leek, mushrooms, and sake; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
7. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the leek is tender and the mixture has reduced to about 4 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. 
8. Cover dipping sauce, and keep warm over low heat until ready to serve. 
9. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. 
10. Place the duck breast, skin sides down, in the skillet; reduce heat to medium-low. 
11. Cook, undisturbed, occasionally spooning off drippings from the skillet, until the fat is rendered and the skin is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. 
12. Flip the duck breast; cook until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 130°F for medium-rare, 2 to 4 minutes. 
13. Transfer to a cutting board; let rest 10 minutes. 
14. To serve, divide the dipping sauce evenly among four bowl. 
15. Cut the duck breasts crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices, and add to the bowls 
16. Top evenly with citrus peel and ginger strips; garnish with mitsuba and serrano. 
17. Serve immediately with cold soba noodles. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, March 2021.

Chicken mole

Active: 1 hour 15 minutes; Total: 2 hours 5 minutes; Serves: 8

Water	8 cups
Salt, kosher	½ tablespoon + ½ tablespoon + 1 tablespoon
Chicken quarters, skin-on, bone-in	3 ¼ pounds
Oil, vegetable	¼ cup + 3 cups + ½ cup
Garlic	8 cloves + 4 cloves
Tomatoes, plum, diced	4 ½ cups
Onion, yellow, diced	3 ½ cups
Chiles, guajillo, dried stemmed	1 3/4 ounces
Chiles, árbol, dried, stemmed	1/8 ounce
Chiles, ancho, dried, stemmed	2 ½ ounces
Chiles, pasilla negro, dried, stemmed	3/4 ounces
Chiles, mulato, dried, stemmed	1 ounce
Sesame seeds	½ cup +
Pepitas	½ cup
Tortillas, corn, 6-inch	3 + more for serving
Baguette, bolillo or demi, torn into pieces	5 ½ cups
Chocolate, Mexican (Dandelion or Ibarra)	2 disks (6 ounces)
Rice, long grain, cooked

1. Bring the water and ½-tablespoon salt to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. 
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the chicken. 
3. Cook until the chicken is tender and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of meat registers 155°F, about 30 minutes. 
4. Remove the chicken; set aside on a large plate. 
5. Reserve 4 cups of the cooking liquid in a large heatproof bowl; discard remaining cooking liquid. 
6. Heat ¼-cup oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. 
7. Add eight garlic cloves; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 
8. Add the tomatoes, onions, and ½-tablespoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and softened, about 8 minutes. 
9. Transfer the mixture to a blender. 
10. Secure a lid on the blender, remove the center piece to allow steam to escape. 
11. Place a kitchen towel over the opening in the lid; process until smooth, about 1 minute. 
12. Transfer to a large bowl; set aside. 
13. Wipe the skillet clean; heat 3-cups oil over medium-high heat. 
14. Working with a few different types of chiles at a time, place in a spider, and submerge in hot oil for 2 seconds per a batch. 
15. Remove from oil using spider, and place in a large heatproof bowl; repeat with remaining chiles and 4 cloves of garlic. 
16. Place sesame seeds and pepitas in a medium metal strainer; submerge in hot oil in skillet over medium-high. 
17. Cook, stirring the mixture inside the strainer and shaking occasionally, until seeds are golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
18. Transfer the seed mixture to the bowl with the chile mixture. 
19. Working with one tortilla at a time, add to hot oil in skillet over medium-high. 
20. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. 
21. Transfer fried tortillas to a plate lined with paper towels; let cool 5 minutes. 
22. Break into 2-inch pieces. (Strained and cooled oil may be reused for frying.) 
23. Add chile mixture, tortilla pieces, and bolillo pieces to reserved 4-cups cooking liquid. 
24. Let stand until the liquid is almost absorbed and bolillo is softened, about 10 minutes. 
25. Transfer the mixture to a blender; process until smooth, about 1 minute. 
26. Heat remaining ½-cup oil in a large pot over medium heat. 
27. Add tomato mixture; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 1 minute. 
28. Add blended chile mixture and chocolate disk; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. 
29. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is well combined, about 20 minutes. 
30. Add cooked chicken and remaining 1-tablespoon salt; stir to submerge in mole. 
31. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
32. Serve with rice and tortillas; garnish with additional sesame seeds. 

Recipe adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, March 2021.