I wanted to use some of the very expensive balsamic vinegar Mike got me last year, so I looked for a vinaigrette recipe to use on a simple mixed green salad. This one was super easy and delicious. The only change I would make next time is adding some crunch to the salad – roasted pecans or walnuts would work well. The recipe, as most of my non-ethnic recipes – comes from epicurious.com.
Salad with balsamic vinaigrette

• 1 lb mixed greens
• 3 Tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Wash and dry the greens.
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and garlic. Whisk in the olive oil, a little bit at the time. Mix with greens and serve.

Picture by my amazing photographer friend Dan
I made this recipe yesterday for my Hanukkah dinner. It’s from epicurious, but I’m posting it rather than just linking to it, because I made a couple of changes. It was quite good, and I may make it again for another Hanukkah.
I will note that I didn’t have a pot large enough to accommodate the brisket, so I browned it by parts in a wide pan, and then placed it in a lasagna pan – which I covered with aluminum foil.
Note that brisket can be hard to find, even around Hanukkah. I was able to find it at the Safeway in Alameda, but only by asking at the meat counter (they didn’t have it out). Of course, you can always order it from a butcher.
Wine-Braised Brisket of Beef with Caramelized Pearl Onions and Dried Apricots

• 5 lbs brisket
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 bottle red wine (I use 2buck chuck)
• flour
• vegetable oil
• 6 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1″ pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 leek, white part only, cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 cup dried apricots
• 6 springs flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. herbs de provence
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 quart plus 1/4 cup beef stock (I use better than bouillon)
• 1 pckg frozen pearl onions, defrosted

Rub the brisket on both sides with kosher salt and sprinkle with black pepper and let rest, refrigerated, for at least 2 hours.
In a small pan, reduce the red wine by half and set aside.
Preheat oven to 250F
Heat oil in a wide pan. Dredge the meat in flour and brown it on both sides. Place the meat in a dutch oven or pan large enough to accommodate it and set aside.
Pour out the oil from the pan, and add a little bit more. Add the shallots, carrots, celery and leek and sautee until light brown. Add 1/2 cup of apricots and the parsley, herbs de provence, bay leaves and tomato paste. Stir and cook for one minute.
Pour the vegetables on top of the brisket, along with the wine and 1 qt. beef broth. Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours.
Soon before the brisket is ready, sautee the pearl onions on some oil until golden brown. Cut 1/2 cup of apricots into thin strips and add them to the onions. Stir and add 1/4 cup beef broth, deglazing the pan. Set aside, keeping it warm.
Remove the brisket from the oven, and carefully remove it from the pan. Cover it to keep it warm. Boil the liquid until it reduces by half. Strain it, discarding the vegetables & fruits.
Mix the onions with the liquid, and serve with the brisket.
Marga’s Best Recipes

This year I decided to bake for my friend Desiree rather than get her a present. I figured a present from the heart was much nicer – plus I had no idea what to buy her anyway 🙂 At our age, we have accumulated so much stuff, that often times the least you want for Xmas is something that will occupy space in your house.
I decided at first to make her a chocolate tort. I used this recipe for a chocolate hazelnut torte. Alas, it was a total failure. I don’t know if the problem was that I over-whipped the egg whites, that I didn’t butter the pan properly, or that I overbaked it (which I definitely did, though I baked it for less time and at a lower temperature than the recipe called for), but the cake stuck to the sides of the pan, and self-destructed when I took it out. It also wasn’t that good. I liked the chocolate-hazelnut flavor, but it was dry and by itself quite boring (of course, given the failed cake, I didn’t make the glace). So, needless to say, I had to throw it away.
I decided that tortes where not for me, so I chose to make Desiree a chocolate tart, instead. I used this recipe, also from epicurious, and the tart is phenomenal (Desiree is leaving on vacation today, so she didn’t want the whole thing – so I got to keep half of it :-). I modified it a little bit, to the ingredients I had/could find. The only problem was that the crust stuck to the pan – next time I’ll butter it. Here is the recipe:
Chocolate Glazed Chocolate Tart
Ingredients

For crust:
• 1 cup finely ground Milano chocolate cookies (I used raspberry flavored ones)
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar
  For filling:

• 1 1/4 cups cream
• 9 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  For glaze:

• 2 Tbsp. cream
• 1 3/4 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. warm water

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter the bottom of a tart pan.
Make the crust by mixing together all the ingredients. Press them onto the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
Make filling. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil, and pour ove the chocolate. Mix well as the chocolate melts. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Stir into the chocolate cream.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the filling is set, about 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in the pan.
Make the glace by putting the chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a boil (I placed it into a metal measuring cup to boil it) and pour over the chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the honey and then the water.
Pour glaze onto the tart, spreading evenly. Let stand until glaze sets, about 1 hour (I put it in the fridge to cool).