A little sweet, a little tart, this salad balances the earthiness of sautéed mushrooms and artichokes with crunchy toasted hazelnuts and a creamy dressing that's kissed with honey. Adapted from "Home Made" by Yvette van Boven (Stewart, Tabori & Chang). Serves 4

4 small artichokes (or 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered) 1/2 lemon 4 ounces salad greens 2½ ounces spinach leaves 2 tablespoons olive oil 2-2/3 cups sliced wild mushrooms Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar 1 tablespoon honey 2 scallions, sliced 1 tablespoon hazelnuts 1 tablespoon walnuts 2 teaspoons pine nuts

Dressing: 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 cup white-wine vinegar 1/2 cup yogurt 1/3 cup walnut oil (plus more as desired) Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Cut the tips from the fresh artichokes. Peel away the hard outer leaves. Using a sharp knife, trim away the base and the stem. Rub with lemon. Cook in boiling water until done, about 25 minutes. Scoop from pot and rinse in cool water. Quarter and set aside. (If using canned artichoke hearts, skip this step.)

2. Mix salad greens with spinach leaves and divide among four plates. Top with quartered artichoke hearts.

3. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Pan fry mushrooms until soft, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and vinegar. Pour honey over the mixture and briefly sauté. Fold in scallions. Spoon mushroom mixture over greens. Wipe skillet clean and add nuts. Cook, stirring continuously, until lightly brown and toasted. Sprinkle nuts over the mushrooms.

4. Make dressing: In a medium bowl, dissolve honey in vinegar. Fold in yogurt. Add walnut oil and whisk until thick and well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over each plate. Serve immediately with crunchy bread.

            2 cups whole milk

            2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks

            5 slices firm white sandwich bread

            1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted

            2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

            1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

            6 large egg yolks (save the egg whites)

            1/2 cup granulated sugar

            1/4 teaspoon molasses

            1 cup heavy cream

            Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer; an ice cream maker

Bring milk and cinnamon sticks to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 30 minutes.

While milk steeps, put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 300°F.

Cut 3 slices bread into 1/4-inch cubes and transfer to a bowl. Quarter remaining 2 slices and pulse in a food processor to make bread crumbs. Whisk together butter, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon in another bowl. Drizzle 3 tablespoons butter mixture over bread cubes and stir to lightly coat. Spread in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan. Add bread crumbs to remaining butter mixture and stir to evenly coat. Spread crumbs evenly in another shallow baking pan.

Bake bread cubes and crumbs, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes total. Cool in pans on racks, then transfer bread crumbs to a bowl.

Return milk to a boil, then pour over bread crumbs and let stand 10 minutes. Pour milk through a fine-mesh sieve into saucepan, pressing hard on solids, then discarding them.

Whisk together yolks, granulated sugar, molasses, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Return milk mixture to a boil and add half to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking until combined well. Add yolk mixture in a slow stream to milk in saucepan, whisking, then cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and thermometer registers 170 to 175°F (do not let boil).

Remove from heat and immediately stir in cream, then pour custard through fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl. Quick-chill custard by setting bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring occasionally until cold, about 15 minutes. Freeze custard in ice cream maker until almost firm. Fold bread cubes into ice cream, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds lamb or calves sweetbreads
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, or to taste
• 1/4 cup fino or amontillado sherry
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth or veal stock, reduced by half
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Soak the sweetbreads in cold water to cover for 2 hours, changing the water 3 times. Drain and place the sweetbreads in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and add the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the sweetbreads and immediately plunge them into a bowl of cold water. After 3 or 4 minutes, remove and drain the sweetbreads on paper towels. Separate into lobes, with the natural partitions, and remove the tubes and connective tissues. The pieces will be approximately 2 by 2 inches.

In a large skillet that will hold all the sweetbreads in a single layer, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the sweetbreads, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and increase the heat to medium high. Cook, without stirring for about 3 minutes, then turn the sweetbreads to the other side. Continue cooking until golden, about 5 minutes more. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

Add the onion and shallot to the pan and saute for about 5 minutes, until golden. Add the vinegar and sherry, increase the heat to high, and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the beef broth or veal stock and simmer until again reduced by half, to just under 1 cup.Whisk in the honey and the butter and return the sweetbreads to the pan. Turn them in the sauce until heated through and nicely glazed, and serve immediately.

• 2 15-ounce cans lentils, rinsed
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for serving
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for serving
• 4 pocketless pitas, warmed

1. In a food processor, puree 1 can of the lentils with the cilantro, parsley, garlic, and cumin until nearly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the bread crumbs, the remaining can of lentils, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Form into sixteen ½-inch-thick patties.
2. In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, lightly mash the cabbage with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, crushed red pepper, and ¼ cup water.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, cook the patties until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet for the second batch.
4. Dividing evenly, top each pita with the patties, cabbage mixture, yogurt sauce, and the additional cilantro and crushed red pepper.

By Dawn Perry,  August 2011

Total time: 35 minutes; Serves: 4

8 thin pork cutlets Salt 1 cup flour 1 cup buttermilk 3 cups panko 1 cup canola or grapeseed oil 4 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons diced shallots 2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped 4 sage leaves, roughly chopped 2 tangerines, juiced (yielding about ¾ cup) and zest removed in long strips4 packed cups frisée or any salad greens2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Arrange flour and buttermilk in two wide bowls. Evenly spread 2 cups bread crumbs on a baking sheet. Dredge cutlets in flour and shake off excess. Dip legs in buttermilk until completely submerged. Allow excess liquid to run off. Lay each cutlet flat over panko and flip to evenly coat both sides in dry crumbs. Add remaining crumbs to baking sheet as needed.

3. Add canola oil to large pan and set over medium heat. Once oil is hot and shimmers slightly, gently shake off excess crumbs from legs and lay neatly into pan. Work in batches to prevent overcrowding. Fry at steady sizzle until golden, about 3 minutes, then flip. Fry until other side is golden and meat is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to paper-lined tray and season with salt. 

4. Set small pan over medium-high heat. Add butter. Once it foams and starts to brown, add shallots and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add capers and sage and cook until leaves crisp, about 1 minute. Swirl sauce often to ensure shallots do not burn. Add juice and zest. Simmer until reduced by half and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and discard zest.

5. Dress frisée with oil, lemon juice and salt to taste. Distribute salad among four plates. Serve cutlets over salad with sauce spooned over top.

• Serves 6 as a side