• To separate the vanilla bean from its pod, split the pod in half lengthwise.
• Use a small knife to scrape out the seeds, then wipe them on the side of the pod.
• This is the easiest, cleanest way to utilize both the seeds and pod.
• Pour ½ cup water into a small pot on low heat.
• Carefully pour the sugar into the center of the pot (you don’t want the sugar to touch the sides or it will crystallize).
• Without stirring, turn the heat to high.
• Continue to watch the pot, without stirring, until the sugar melts, the water evaporates, and the liquid turns a light golden straw color, about 9 minutes.
• Turn the heat to medium and watch carefully while the sugar turns a medium to dark amber (in other words, the color of caramel), 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, warm the cream in a small pan on low heat or in a bowl in your microwave.
• This will reduce the amount of sputtering and splashing when you add it to the hot sugar.
• Turn off the heat under the caramel, leaving the pot on the burner.
• Pour in a small splash of cream at a time.
• (Be careful, it will sputter and spit.
• ) Swirl the pan to mix.
• When it stops sputtering, add another splash of cream.
• Continue with this process until you’ve added all of the cream.
• Remove the pan from the burner and stir in the vanilla bean or extract, the lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.
• Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Remove the vanilla bean and use immediately, or store covered in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

• To separate the vanilla bean from its pod, split the pod in half lengthwise.
• Use a small knife to scrape out the seeds, then wipe them on the side of the pod.
• This is the easiest, cleanest way to utilize both the seeds and pod.
• In a medium pot on medium heat, combine the milk, vanilla bean or extract, rice, and a pinch of salt and bring to a simmer.
• Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is soft and slightly overcooked, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Turn down the heat if the milk starts to bubble and boil over, and stir from the bottom of the pot to prevent the rice from sticking.
• When the rice is cooked through and resembles a porridge, stir in the sugar and remove the pot from the stove.
• Pour the rice into a large serving bowl and let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
• In other words, when you lift the whisk up, the cream holds a peak for a second or two, but quickly melts back into itself.
• When the rice pudding has cooled, remove the vanilla bean and fold in the whipped cream.
• Ladle into bowls and serve with the toppings of your choice.

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Lightly crush half of the pomegranate seeds in a large bowl to release their juices.
• Stir in the orange and lemon juices, the red wine, and peppercorns.
• In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter until it foams and begins to lightly brown.
• Add the pomegranate seed mixture and stir for 30 seconds.
• Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.
• Arrange the figs in a single layer in a baking dish, cut-side up.
• Pour the butter and pomegranate mixture over the figs.
• Roast, removing the dish every 5 minutes or so to baste (scoop the juices pooled at the bottom over the top of the figs), until the figs are softened but maintain their shape, about 18 minutes.
• Remove the dish from your oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
• To serve, sprinkle the figs with the remaining pomegranate seeds.
• Divide among serving bowls, scooping plenty of juice and pomegranate seeds over the top.

• In a medium pan on low heat, combine the honey, wine, fennel, and fennel seeds and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, use a toothpick to poke three holes around the base of each fig.
• When the honey has melted and the wine is simmering, place the figs in the pan stem-side up and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid.
• Poach until the figs are soft, about 8 minutes.
• Transfer the figs to a bowl, reserving the liquid in the pan.
• Turn the heat to high and simmer until the wine mixture has reduced by half and has the consistency of syrup, about 8 minutes.
• Pour the warm syrup over the figs, cover, and set in your refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 week.
• Divide the figs among serving bowls, drizzling plenty of syrup on top.
• Serve as is, or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

It helps to know: This recipe requires uncooked rice or dried beans for weighting the crust.

• First make the crust.
• (This is easily done by pulsing in a food processor, but since I already made you buy a scale, I’ll explain it the low-tech way.
• ) In a large bowl, cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar using a wooden spoon until well combined (it will look fluffy and lighter in color).
• Beat in one egg until fully incorporated.
• Repeat with the second egg.
• Sift in the flour, cornstarch, and salt and continue to beat until a dough has formed.
• Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it with the palm of your hand.
• Wrap in plastic and place in your refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Grease a 9- to 11-inch tart mold with 2 teaspoons butter.
• Remove the dough from your refrigerator and place it between a folded piece of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• Roll the dough into a circle about ¼ inch thick and a bit larger than your tart mold.
• Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to your buttered tart mold.
• Use your fingers to gently press the dough into the sides of the tart mold, then cut off any excess dough draping over the top—you want the crust to just come to the top of your mold.
• Use a fork to poke holes across the bottom of the tart shell to prevent it from puffing up as it bakes.
• Line the shell with cheesecloth, draping it over the side of the mold to prevent the edges from burning.
• Fill the cheesecloth with a ½-inch layer of uncooked rice or dried beans to make a weight that prevents the dough from puffing.
• Return the dough to your refrigerator to chill until firm, about 5 minutes.
• Bake until the shell is nicely browned around the edges, about 25 minutes.
• Remove and discard the weights and cheesecloth and continue to bake until the middle is browned, about 5 minutes more.
• Remove the crust from your oven and set aside to cool.
• To make the filling, grate the zest from the lemons into a large bowl.
• Juice the lemons into a separate bowl, then strain the juice into the bowl with the zest.
• Whisk in the eggs and granulated sugar.
• Pour the mixture into a saucepan on medium-low heat.
• Using a wooden spoon, stir constantly until the mixture begins to thicken.
• Never allow the mixture to boil or it will curdle.
• (If it does curdle, don’t panic!
• Keep reducing it, add the butter, and then transfer it to a blender and blend until smooth.
• ) Once the mixture has thickened considerably, 10 to 15 minutes, pour it into a large bowl.
• Stir in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of the butter has been incorporated.
• Pour the filling into your tart shell and let cool to room temperature to set the filling.
• Cover the tart with plastic wrap and chill in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight.
• Remove 10 minutes before serving.
• Leftovers can be stored, covered, in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

• To separate the vanilla bean from its pod, split the pod in half lengthwise.
• Use a small knife to scrape out the seeds, then wipe them on the side of the pod.
• This is the easiest, cleanest way to utilize both the seeds and pod.
• In a medium pot on high heat, bring the wine and sugar to a boil.
• Once boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the majority of the alcohol has cooked out, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the hibiscus flowers and vanilla bean (if you’re using vanilla extract, don’t add it yet).
• Let the wine cool to room temperature.
• It will infuse with the vanilla and hibiscus while it cools.
• Strain the syrup over a large bowl, reserving the liquid that’s formed.
• Use a large spoon to press as much liquid as possible from the hibiscus flowers.
• Discard the flowers and vanilla bean.
• If you’re using vanilla extract, stir it into the syrup.
• Quarter the larger strawberries and halve the smaller ones.
• Put them in a bowl large enough to hold both the strawberries and the syrup.
• Pour the rosé syrup over the strawberries.
• Cover and set in your refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
• Divide the berries and a generous amount of syrup among four glasses.
• Serve as is, or with a spoonful of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

It helps to know: This recipe requires a food processor or blender.

• Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt on both sides.
• Set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature to force out some of their water.
• In a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the capers and anchovies in cold water, then soak them covered with cold water in a small bowl for 10 minutes to remove their salt.
• Drain and set aside.
• Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, puree together the olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, and a pinch each of pepper and the dried herbs of your choice.
• With the food processor on low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it has fully incorporated and a paste has formed.
• Pat the eggplants dry with a paper towel, then brush them with olive oil on each side.
• Place on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
• Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes more.
• Spread the olive tapenade on top of the eggplant slices and serve.

It helps to know: This recipe requires an 8 by 12-inch gratin dish.

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• In a medium pot on medium heat, combine the cream, garlic, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Taste the cream every few minutes until it transforms from tasting very salty to tasting strongly of garlic, about 10 minutes.
• Strain over a large bowl.
• Discard the garlic and set the bowl of infused cream aside.
• Don’t be alarmed if the cream tastes far too salty at this point; the potatoes will soak up the salt as they bake.
• Coat the bottom and sides of your baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter, then cover the bottom with a thin layer of infused cream.
• Spread a layer of potatoes on top of the cream, overlapping the slices to resemble shingles.
• Add just enough cream to cover the potatoes.
• Continue this process, adding layers of cream, then potatoes, then cream, then potatoes, until you’ve filled your gratin dish (you may not use all of the potato slices).
• Dot the surface of the dish with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, placing small pieces of butter evenly across the top.
• Cover with aluminum foil, making sure the foil doesn’t touch the surface of the potatoes.
• Use a knife to poke holes in the top to allow some steam to escape.
• Place the gratin dish on a baking sheet to save you from a mess in your oven if the cream bubbles over.
• Bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove the foil and bake until the surface starts to brown, about 20 minutes.
• Top with the Gruyère and bake until the cheese is melted and browned, about 10 minutes.
• Remove the dish from your oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

• It helps to know: This recipe requires an 8- to 9-inch baking dish.
• If you don’t have a dish that large, you can use two small pie pans or halve the recipe.
• To make the “tart,” in a large pan on medium heat, stir together the olive oil, onions, garlic, and thyme.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and lightly caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• Spread the onion mixture over the bottom of your baking dish to form a “crust.
• ” Layer the tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant in a cascading circle on top of the onions.
• Alternate between the vegetables starting at the outside and working your way to the center.
• It can be as pretty or as haphazard as you want, as long as the vegetables remain in one layer.
• Drizzle the surface with olive oil, top with a couple large pinches of salt, and bake until the top is nicely browned and caramelized, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, to make the mayo, lightly toast the saffron in a small, dry pan on medium heat, shaking the pan until the saffron becomes fragrant and starts to lightly brown, about 1 minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water.
• The pan will sizzle and the water will turn a vibrant orange.
• Let cool to room temperature, then whisk the saffron water into your mayo, and stir in lemon juice to taste.
• Remove the dish from your oven and let cool to room temperature.
• Top with the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and carve into slices like a pie.
• Serve the slices on their own or with the saffron mayo on the side.

It helps to know: This recipe requires an 8 by 12-inch gratin dish.

• Preheat your oven to 425°F.
• Coat your gratin dish with butter.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
• Once boiling, add a pinch of salt.
• Dunk the kale in the boiling water for 2 minutes to blanch.
• Drain and cool on a cutting board.
• Shake out any excess water and coarsely chop into bite-size pieces.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the kale, beans, garlic, black pepper, and a pinch each of cayenne and salt until combined.
• Spread the mixture across the bottom of the gratin dish.
• Scoop the crème fraîche into even dollops on top of the kale.
• Top with the Gruyère, then sprinkle on the bread crumbs.
• Bake until the kale is soft and the Gruyère is brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
• Remove the dish from your oven and let the gratin rest for 10 minutes before serving.