Almond Paste

Note: Begin 20 minutes ahead

Ingredients:

1 cup ground almonds
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions:

1. In small bowl, mix well the ground almonds, confectioners' sugar, egg yolk, lemon juice and almond extract.

2. Sprinkle work surface generously with confectioners' sugar; with sugared hands, knead mixture until smooth and not sticky.

Yield: 1 cup

Orange-Coconunt Macaroons

Makes about 3 dozen
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1 teaspoon fresh orange juice
4 1/2 ounces almond paste
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups packed sweetened flaked coconut, (about 4 1/2 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Process granulated sugar and orange zest in a food processor until combined, about 3 minutes. Add almond paste; process 1 minute. Add egg whites, orange juice, confectioners' sugar, flour, half of the coconut, and the salt; process 1 minute. Remove blade, scraping batter into bowl with a rubber spatula. Stir in remaining coconut.

Drop rounded teaspoons of batter on to baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake macaroons until the edges start to turn brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer parchment and macaroons to a wire rack; let cool completely. Macaroons can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Sweet-and-Sour Pork Stir-Fry

Serves 4
1 can (8 ounces) pineapple chunks in juice, drained (juice reserved)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
6 scallions, white and green parts separated, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 2-inch pieces
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets, thawed and patted dry
Cooked rice, for serving

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together 1/3 cup pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Cook pork, in two batches, until well browned on one side, about 1 minute (pork will cook more later); transfer to a plate.

To skillet, add scallion whites and bell peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add pork (along with any juices), broccoli, and pineapple chunks. Whisk sauce; add to skillet. Bring to a simmer; cook, stirring, until broccoli is warmed through, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in scallion greens, and serve with rice.

Super-Fudgy Brownies

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 large eggs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush a 9-inch square baking pan with butter. Line bottom and two sides with a strip of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the two sides. Butter paper, and set pan aside. In a small bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Place butter and chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes; remove bowl from pan. Add sugar; mix to combine. Add eggs, and mix to combine. Add flour mixture; mix just until moistened (do not overmix). Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Using paper overhang, lift brownies out of pan; transfer to a rack to cool completely (still on paper). On a cutting board, using a dampened serrated knife, cut into 16 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookie Cake

Serves 10
7 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup dark unsulfured molasses
1 cup strawberry jam

Directions

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Put butter, peanut butter, and sugars into mixer bowl; mix on medium-high until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg and yolk. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined.

Remove 2 1/2 cups dough. Divide it in half; shape into disks. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.

Add molasses to remaining dough in mixer; mix on low speed until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip (such as Ateco #7).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On lightly floured parchment, roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/4 inch thick. Transfer with parchment to baking sheet; freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut dough into 2 1/2-inch squares; space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Pipe molasses dough around edges for "crust." Score diagonally. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Bake until centers are pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Carefully break each cookie at scoring. Spread 1 teaspoon jam on half of the cookies; sandwich with remaining cookies.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cake Cookie

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

This should take about 10 minutes! Add the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate.

Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

In a 1 gallon plastic food bag, place the all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt and cocoa powder. Seal the bag and massage the ingredients to combine. The mixture will appear homogenous with no separate ingredients showing.

Add the flour and cocoa mix to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix together until the dough appears completely combined - about 3 minutes. Add all the walnuts and chocolate chips and stir them into the dough. Drop by two teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Or roll into balls, place about two inches apart on the sheet, and flatten slightly with your fingers.

Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). The cookies will appear to be just barely firm with a sheen to their surfaces. Allow to cool on the sheet for about one minute before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight containers.

Soft Pretzels

Makes 12
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Vegetable oil, for baking sheets
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pretzel salt
Assorted mustards, for serving

Directions

Mix yeast, coarse salt, sugar, and warm water in a small bowl, whisking until sugar dissolves. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Mix flour and cayenne in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut butter into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Slowly pour yeast mixture over flour mixture, stirring to combine. Using your hands, gather dough together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until it is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Cover with plastic, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Cut dough into 12 pieces, and roll each into an 18-inch rope. Form a U shape with 1 rope, and twist ends together twice. Fold twisted portion backward along center of U shape to form a circle, then gently press ends of rope onto dough to seal. Transfer to an oiled baking sheet, and repeat. Let rise for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add baking soda. Boil pretzels in batches until puffed and slightly shiny, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to wire racks to drain. Return to baking sheet, sprinkle with pretzel salt, and bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Pretzels will keep, uncovered, at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Rewarm in a 250-degree oven if desired, and serve with mustards.