Banana Split Brownies

Makes about 24
6 ounces best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces best-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed very ripe banana (1 medium banana)
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with vegetable-oil spray.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil; remove from heat. Place both chocolates in a heat-proof bowl; set over saucepan. Stir occasionally until completely melted.

Meanwhile, combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-low speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 3 eggs; beat to combine. Scrape sides of bowl; add chocolate, 3/4 cup flour, and salt. Mix until just combined, 15 to 20 seconds, scraping sides of bowl once.

In a food processor, process cream cheese until smooth and creamy, 25 to 30 seconds.

Scrape down sides of bowl using a rubber spatula; add egg yolk, confectioners' sugar, vanilla, remaining tablespoon flour, and remaining egg. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl; fold in mashed banana using a rubber spatula.

Spread chocolate batter into prepared pan. Using a rubber spatula, make three trenches in batter, and fill with cream-cheese batter. To marble the top, run the tip of a knife back and forth across the two batters.

Bake until set, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before cutting.

Peppery Cheese Crackers

Makes 60 crackers
1 cup bread flour
1 cup instant polenta
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup grated Mimolette cheese
2 1/2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup buttermilk
All-purpose flour, for work surface

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.

Place bread flour, polenta, salt, baking soda, paprika, pepper, and cheese in the bowl of a food processor; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add buttermilk. Continue processing until dough just forms a ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few seconds. Wrap dough in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Cut dough into quarters. Using 1 piece at a time, roll out dough 1/16 inch thick on a lightly floured work surface. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off the excess flour. Keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap.

Using a 1 3/4-inch fluted round cookie cutter or a small fluted pastry wheel, cut out crackers and place on prepared baking sheet at least 1/2 inch apart. Roll out a second piece of dough 1/16 inch thick and repeat cutting process; place on second prepared baking sheet. Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake until crackers are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating once halfway through baking.

Transfer crackers immediately to a wire cooling rack; let cool completely. Repeat process with remaining dough.

Glazed Lemon Cookies

Makes 24
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture.

Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

Lemon Glaze
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups confectioners' sugar, 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest, and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice until smooth.

Fresh Pea Salad

Fresh Pea Salad Recipe
If you end up with a dressing that is too spicy for your tastes, tame it with a dollop (or two) of plain yogurt. If you know you are sensitive to spiciness you can always remove the seeds and veins in future versions. If you like a bit more kick, add more serrano chile a small piece at a time.

1 cup fresh mint leaves
2 dried dates, pitted
1/2 of a small serrano chile, stem removed
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and zest from that lemon
1 1/2 cups fresh peas
1 small head of romaine lettuce, cut into shreds
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
fine grain sea salt

To make the mint-date dressing, puree the mint, dates, chiles and lemon juice and zest using a food processor or hand blender. Blend until uniform in texture. Thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time until it is a consistency that you can drizzle (the photo up above is before I added 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin it out). Taste and adjust for lemon and spiciness.

When you go to cook the peas, the key is not overcooking them. Fill a big bowl with ice water and set aside. Add some salt (as you would pasta water) and the peas. Bring six cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. You are just going to boil the peas for a very short time. Don't leave the stove. Somewhere between ten and twenty seconds.You want them just barely tender, so they still pop in your - mouth. Quickly drain and dunk the peas in the bowl of ice water.

Just before serving gently toss the peas, lettuce, and pumpkin seeds with about half of the dressing and a couple pinches of salt. Taste and add more dressing if you like. Finish with a pinch or two of your favorite finishing salt.

Serves 2 - 4.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Makes 30
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together baking soda, salt, and 2 cups flour; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until light and fluffy; beat in egg. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined (do not overmix).

Form dough into two 8-inch-long rectangular logs. Wrap each log in waxed or parchment paper; freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. With a sharp knife, slice dough inch thick; place on two baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are puffed, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

Make filling: In a saucepan, whisk milk and 2 tablespoons flour over medium until thickened, 2 minutes; let cool. In a bowl, using mixer, beat together 1/2 cup peanut butter and granulated sugar; beat in cooled milk mixture. Spread smooth sides of half the cookies with 1 tablespoon filling; sandwich with remaining cookies. (To store, keep in an airtight container, up to 5 days.)

Cream-Cheese Lemon Bows

1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) softened
3 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Confectioners' sugar , for sprinkling

Directions
Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until creamy. Mix in granulated sugar. Add egg, and lemon zest and juice; mix well. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; mix into butter mixture on low speed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a small amount of the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a large French tip (such as Ateco #865). Holding tip very close to the surface, pipe 3 1/2-inch bows onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper; space 1 inch apart. Refill pastry bag as needed with remaining dough. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

Black Forest Cookies

Makes 36
1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 package (about 12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cups dried cherries
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder; and salt; set aside.

Place chopped chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat; whisk in sugars, then eggs, until smooth.

Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined (do not overmix). Fold in chocolate chunks and dried cherries; press plastic wrap directly onto surface of dough, and refrigerate until firm, 30 to 45 minutes.

Drop mounds of dough (equal to 2 level tablespoons) about 2 inches apart onto prepared sheets. Bake just until edges are firm (but not darkening), 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.