Dave and I filmed this episode in February and I was hoping to send it out before St. Paddies Day. But, a busy schedule and trips out of town kept me from getting it out sooner. Luckily, it doesn’t really matter because the recipe is great year round. And it comes together in about 15 minutes, so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal. It can be easily doubled or tripled to feed more people, and the sauce can be served on the side. Both Dave and I like bone-in chops, and Dave recommends that you buy chops from the rib end of the pig for more flavor. Stop by Marina Meats to pick up chops from Dave and you’ll get the best cut.
We used Guinness to make our pan sauce, but if you want to make this a more local, springtime dish, use Anchor Bock from Anchor Brewing Company. Bock is an ancient German-style dark beer with hints of chocolate, caramel and roasted barley. The beer was traditionally released in the spring to celebrate the longer days and coming of summer.

Active Time: 15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

Pork Chops

2 1½-inch thick bone-in pork chops – preferably from the rib end
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

Pan Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot (about ½ cup) diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup Guinness or Anchor Bock beer
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

Pork Chops

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, or until very hot. Sprinkle one side of each pork chop with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pan and then place the chops in the pan, seasoned side down. Sprinkle the rest of the salt and pepper over the top of the chops. While the pork is cooking prep the ingredients for the pan sauce. When the bottom of the chops are a nice golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, flip them over and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes for medium – thicker chops will be medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and let the chops rest while you make the sauce. Tent the chops with foil while resting if you want them more well done.

Pan Sauce

Turn the pan to high and add the butter, swirling to melt. Add the shallots and stir, scraping up all of the bits from the bottom of the pan. Sauté the shallots for 1 to 2 minutes, or until becoming golden and translucent. Add the brown sugar and whisk to melt. Add the Dijon mustard and whisk again. Add one cup of beer and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Cook the sauce for 1 minute, whisking while the sauce gently boils. This will help thicken the sauce. Turn the heat off.

To Serve

Transfer the chops to a serving platter and spoon pan sauce over the top. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Dave and I filmed this episode in February and I was hoping to send it out before St. Paddies Day. But, a busy schedule and trips out of town kept me from getting it out sooner. Luckily, it doesn’t really matter because the recipe is great year round. And it comes together in about 15 minutes, so it’s perfect for a weeknight meal. It can be easily doubled or tripled to feed more people, and the sauce can be served on the side. Both Dave and I like bone-in chops, and Dave recommends that you buy chops from the rib end of the pig for more flavor. Stop by Marina Meats to pick up chops from Dave and you’ll get the best cut.
We used Guinness to make our pan sauce, but if you want to make this a more local, springtime dish, use Anchor Bock from Anchor Brewing Company. Bock is an ancient German-style dark beer with hints of chocolate, caramel and roasted barley. The beer was traditionally released in the spring to celebrate the longer days and coming of summer.

Active Time: 15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

Pork Chops

2 1½-inch thick bone-in pork chops – preferably from the rib end
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper

Pan Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot (about ½ cup) diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup Guinness or Anchor Bock beer
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation

Pork Chops

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, or until very hot. Sprinkle one side of each pork chop with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the pan and then place the chops in the pan, seasoned side down. Sprinkle the rest of the salt and pepper over the top of the chops. While the pork is cooking prep the ingredients for the pan sauce. When the bottom of the chops are a nice golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, flip them over and cook the other side for 3 to 4 minutes for medium – thicker chops will be medium-rare. Transfer to a plate and let the chops rest while you make the sauce. Tent the chops with foil while resting if you want them more well done.

Pan Sauce

Turn the pan to high and add the butter, swirling to melt. Add the shallots and stir, scraping up all of the bits from the bottom of the pan. Sauté the shallots for 1 to 2 minutes, or until becoming golden and translucent. Add the brown sugar and whisk to melt. Add the Dijon mustard and whisk again. Add one cup of beer and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves. Cook the sauce for 1 minute, whisking while the sauce gently boils. This will help thicken the sauce. Turn the heat off.

To Serve

Transfer the chops to a serving platter and spoon pan sauce over the top. Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Active Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Mushrooms and Asparagus

1 lb king trumpet oyster mushrooms
1 lb black trumpet or chantrelle mushrooms
½ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, stalks cut into 2-inch pieces

Vinaigrette

1 large garlic clove, grated or finely chopped
1 tablespoon shallot, finely diced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup olive oil

Salad

4 cups packed wild or baby arugula
1 cup shaved Petit Basque cheese – use a vegetable peeler
½ cup shelled hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Preparation

Mushrooms

Trim the bottoms off of the king trumpet mushrooms and cut them in half, or keep them whole if small. Set aside. Trim the ends off of the black trumpets and rinse them in a bowl of cold water, shaking back and forth to release any dirt and grit. Strain the mushrooms out of the water with your fingers and place them in sieve hanging over a mixing bowl. Dump the water bowl out, rinse and repeat with the mushrooms until the water in the bowl is clear and dirt free. Dry the black trumpets on paper towels. (If using chantrelle mushrooms, follow the same steps to rinse them).
Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Sauté mushrooms until all liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden at the edges. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the asparagus to the pan with ¼ cup water and a generous pinch of salt. Cover and steam for 2 to 3 minutes, or until bright green and just cooked through. Remove the lid and sauté until dry, one minute more. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms and let cool to room temperature.

Vinaigrette

Whisk all ingredients except the olive oil in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream while consistently whisking – this will help to emulsify the dressing. Alternatively, put all the ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well until blended.

To Serve

Toss the arugula and half of the cheese with the ¾ of the dressing and place in a serving bowl. Add the remaining dressing to the mushrooms and asparagus and spoon over the top of the salad. Toss the salad gently to mix the mushrooms and asparagus with the arugula, just slightly. Scatter the hazelnuts and the rest of the cheese over the salad and serve.

PART 2: THE HINDQUARTER

PART 3: THE MIDDLE

My dad gave me a recipe for posole, a Mexican soup made with pork, when I was home last winter. He had torn the recipe out of a travel magazine and was hoping that we might make it together. After Christmas we were left with half of a spiral Christmas ham and thought – perfect! We made the soup and it was delicious. This spring when Dave and I decided to film together, I ordered a pork shank and a smoked ham shank for the butchering demo and posole immediately came to mind. One of the staple ingredients in the soup is dried white corn – also called posole. Don’t be worried if the package you buy says that you need to soak the corn overnight. When you make this soup the dried posole will cook in about 3 hours, without soaking it first. This version also has lots of veggies, so it’s a healthy one-pot meal. Serve it with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro and a bowl of tortilla chips on the side. Diced avocado and Mexican cream would be great toppings too.

Total Time: 6 hours
Active Time: 1 hour
Serves 8

Ingredients

Pork Shank

1 pork shank, skinned
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Soup

1 smoked ham shank
1 roasted pork shank
14 cups water
1 12-oz package white corn posole
1 large sweet onion, diced (about 1¾ cups)
3 to 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into rounds (about 1½ cups)
3 celery stalks, diced (about 1½ cups)
1 14.5-oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon orange zest – I like to use blood orange if possible
Juice of 1 orange – I like to use blood orange if possible
1 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

Fresh cilantro for garnish
Tortilla chips for garnish

Preparation

Pork Shank

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the shank on a large piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tightly wrap the shank and roast it until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. The shank can be roasted, cooled and kept in the refrigerator for a few days before making the soup.

Soup

Place the roasted pork shank, smoked ham shank, water and posole in a large soup pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ hours, or until the roasted pork shank is very tender and the meat is falling off the bone. Remove both shanks and set aside to cool. Skim the surface of the broth to remove and fat and foam. Add the diced onion, carrot, celery and can of fire roasted tomatoes, cover and simmer the broth for another 45 minutes. While the soup is simmering, pull the meat from the bones and dice it. Discard bones. Remove the lid and skim the broth again. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and remaining ingredients, along with the meat. Simmer soup for another 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

To Serve

Ladle the posole into bowls and top with fresh cilantro. Serve tortilla chips on the side.

Luang Prabang is an ancient city, nestled on a hilltop peninsula between the Nam Kahn and Mekong rivers in northern Laos. Until 1975, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Luang Prabang. It has a mystical feeling, and is well known for its Buddhist temples and monasteries. Every morning at dawn, hundreds of monks line the streets to collect alms from the locals, who feel that it is an honor to feed them.
Lao cuisine is unlike many others in the region, partially due to its location – it is landlocked and has no trading ports. The staple of each meal is sticky rice, and its rolled into little balls and eaten with fingers – chopsticks are only for noodle dishes. A typical meal includes sticky rice, which is used to pick up food, and jeow, spicy vegetable dipping sauces similar to salsa. The local markets are overflowing with chicken, fresh water fish, duck, pork, water buffalo and goat. They also cook with a number of ingredients that I had never seen before, like pea eggplants – tiny, bright green eggplants the size of blueberries that grow on branches (there is a picture below). They use lots of herbs, and try to balance the flavors of their dishes with bitter, salty, sour and spicy components.
These jeow recipes are really easy to prepare, and can be mild or very spicy. At Tamarind Cooking School, we made jeow by threading eggplant or tomatoes, garlic bulbs, whole shallots and chili peppers onto skewers, and roasted them right on top of red-hot coals until they were blackened. For the recipes below, you can use an outdoor grill or a broiler to achieve a similar effect. Serve the jeow with rice crackers or tortilla chips as an appetizer or over fish, chicken or pork as a main dish.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Makes 1 cup each
Adapted from Tamarind Cooking School, Luang Prabang, Laos

Ingredients

Roasted Tomato Salsa: Jeow Mak Len

5 large cherry tomatoes
1 bulb of garlic
1 large shallot bulb – whole
1 or 2 small red and green chilies
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
½ teaspoon fish sauce
1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice – or more to taste

Smokey Eggplant Dip: Jeow Mak Keua

2 small Japanese or Lebanese eggplants, or one medium western eggplant
1 or 2 small red and green chilies
1 garlic bulb
1 large shallot bulb – whole
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped Thai basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice – or more to taste

Preparation

Roasted Tomato Salsa: Jeow Mak Len

Put the tomatoes, garlic, shallot, and chilies on a skewer and roast over a grill or under a broiler until blackened. The vegetables should be charred on the outside and the garlic and shallot should be soft when you squeeze them between your fingers.
Peel off the blackened skin from the tomatoes and discard it. Peel the shallot and roughly chop. Remove the stem end from the chilies and scrape out the seeds – for a spicier jeow leave the seeds in. Roughly chop the chilies. Squeeze a few garlic cloves out of their skin and place the garlic, the shallots, chilies, salt and sugar in a mortar and pestle, or food processor and pound or pulse until a chunky paste has formed. Add the tomatoes, fish sauce, scallion, cilantro and lime juice and gently pound or pulse until a rough salsa has formed. Transfer to a serving bowl and season to taste.

Smokey Eggplant Dip: Jeow Mak Keua

Put the eggplants, garlic, shallot, and chilies on a skewer and roast over a grill or under a broiler until blackened. The vegetables should be charred and the eggplant, garlic and shallot should be soft when you squeeze them between your fingers. Peel off the blackened skin from the eggplant and shallot. Roughly chop the shallot, discarding the root end. Squeeze a few of the garlic cloves out of their skin. Remove the stem end from the chilies and scrape out the seeds – for a spicier jeow leave the seeds in. Roughly chop the chilies. Place a few cloves of garlic, the shallots, chilies, salt and sugar in a mortar and pestle, or food processor and pound or pulse until a chunky paste has formed. Add the eggplant, fish sauce, scallion, cilantro and lime juice and gently pound or pulse until a rough salsa has formed. Transfer to a serving bowl and season to taste.

Hanoi is a beautiful, fast paced, romantic city in Northern Vietnam. In the winter a low fog settles over the buildings and a cool mist hangs in the air. The damp air mixes with smoke from the coal fires of thousands of pop-up street food vendors who set up stalls in the city each day. Eating on the street is a huge part of Vietnamese culture. They consider eating alone to be “painful”. Each day Vietnamese on their way to and from work stop at their favorite stalls to eat an array of dishes, catch up with friends and conduct business.
The Dong Xuan market in the Hoan Kiem district is famous. The original structure was built in 1889 by the French, and almost burned to the ground in 1994. Since then it has been renovated and houses 5 huge floors of textiles, appliances, shoes, cookware, spices, dried fish and shrimp, preserved fruits, household items, jewelry, luggage, and hundreds of other items. Outside, the street market is where all of the produce vendors, meat and seafood purveyors are set up, along side street food stalls. It is organized chaos to say the least. Many of the outdoor markets are called “frog markets” because the sellers don’t have permits, so the police shoo them away and they hop to a new location to temporarily set up shop.
I was amazed by the array of street food dishes that are fried, steamed, sautéed or grilled – all over small charcoal fires right on the street. The vendor usually has a few tiny plastic stools to sit on, and maybe a low table with chopsticks and a bottle or two of chili sauce. People come in to grab a bite and chat, and then run off to work or family.
At Hidden Hanoi Cooking School, we took a street food class that began with a market tour, where we learned a lot about ingredients and daily shopping routines. After the tour we made a number of street food dishes, including the fried spring roll recipe below. They were surprisingly easy to prepare and have a light, crunchy shell. The dipping sauce – a classic in Vietnamese cuisine – is bright, and sweet with hints of fish sauce. Yin and yang play a big roll in each Vietnamese meal, and they always try to balance sweet, salty, sour and spicy.

Active Time: 1 hour
Serves 6
Adapted from Hidden Hanoi Cooking School, Hanoi, Vietnam

Ingredients

Marinade

½ cup shallots, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon coconut caramel – substitute molasses if coconut caramel is hard to find*

Fried Spring Rolls: Nem Rán

5 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro
¼ cup finely chopped wood ear mushrooms
½ cup finely sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
1 small kohlrabi bulb, peeled and julienned or coarsely grated
½ lb ground pork
½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 handful bean sprouts, torn into pieces
1 bunch vermicelli noodles, soaked in warm water for 5 minutes and drained
2 eggs

1 package small rice paper wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying

* coconut caramel can be found at Asian markets

Dipping Sauce: Nuóc Châm

2 tablespoons fish sauce
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons warm water
½ teaspoon lime zest
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 small red chilies, thinly sliced into rounds

Preparation

Marinade

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Fried Spring Rolls: Nem Rán

Cut the vermicelli noodles into 2-inch long pieces with kitchen sheers and place the noodles in a bowl with the remaining spring roll ingredients. Whisk the eggs into the marinade and then pour the marinade over the spring roll filling. Mix the filling together with your hands for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture is well blended.

Place a shallow bowl of warm water next to the filling and put a damp kitchen towel in front of you. Dip one rice paper sheet at a time into the warm water, moving it around until it becomes soft – about 30 seconds. Remove the rice paper sheet and place it on the damp towel. Take a small handful – about ¼ cup – of the filling mixture and put it in the middle of the wrapper, about 1/3 from the bottom of the circle. Leave at least an inch on all sides of the filling. First fold the bottom 1/3 of the wrapper up like a sushi roll, tightly covering the filling. Next fold in the sides of the wrapper in, and then tightly roll the spring roll up into a cylinder. Repeat until all filling has been used.

Fill a high-sided pan with 2 inches of vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the spring rolls and fry, turning often, until just beginning to turn golden. Remove the spring rolls and place on a paper towel lined sheet to drain. Bring the oil to the point of almost smoking and fry the spring rolls again, this time until they are deep golden and very crispy on all sides. Drain on fresh paper towels and serve hot.

Dipping Sauce: Nuóc Châm

In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients together until the sugar has dissolved. Transfer to a serving bowl and let rest at room temperature until serving.

Siem Reap is a beautiful city in northwestern Cambodia, and the center of the Khmer region. From the 9th to 15th century the Khmer Empire built the temples that are now known as the ruins of Angkor – about 15 minutes north of Siem Reap. Angkor was built near the shores of lake Tonlé Sap, the region’s main source of fresh water and food, and was the largest pre-industrial city in the world with a population of 1 million at its peak.
The Khmer cuisine is based on rice, pork and chicken as well as fish, shrimp, frogs, clams and snails from the lake and near by rivers. They also use coconuts, bananas, mangoes, limes, palm sugar, lemongrass, garlic, shallots and chilies in their dishes. The people of the region are very friendly, and love talking about their favorite dishes and the best local recipes.
Fish Amok is a classic Khmer dish, and everyone we talked to had a family recipe. It’s usually steamed and served in a banana leaf with a little coconut cream on top. When I tested this recipe at home, cooking the curry in one pot (no steaming and no banana leaves), I found that the end result was very similar to the recipe we made in cooking class. It’s light, even with the coconut milk, and the color is beautiful. Serve the amok with white or brown rice on the side and a sprinkling of julienned red bell pepper and kaffir lime leaf ribbons.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2
Adapted from Beyond Unique Escapes Cooking Class, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ingredients

Curry Paste

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large shallot bulb, finely chopped
3 stalks lemongrass, ends trimmed, inner tender stalk only, finely chopped
½ -inch piece galangal, peeled and finely chopped
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
1 teaspoon light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chili paste – like Sambal Oelek

Fish Amok

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon shrimp paste (optional) – substitute anchovy paste if you can’t find shrimp paste
1 cup coconut milk, well shaken
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ pound firm, mild white fish – like halibut, mahi mahi, or true cod, skin removed
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, cut into ½-inch thick ribbons
1 egg
1 tablespoon fish sauce

Julianned red bell pepper
Kaffir lime leaf ribbons – thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves

Preparation

Curry Paste

Make this curry paste with a mortar and pestle or use a food processor. The mortar and pestle will give the curry a deeper flavor.
Place the first 5 ingredients in a mortar and pestle and pound to a paste. Alternatively, place first 5 ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. Add the remaining ingredients and pound or process until all spices are well incorporated.

Fish Amok

Thinly slice the fish into ¼-inch thick bite size pieces and set aside. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp paste, coconut milk, sugar and salt, whisking to combine. Turn the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the fish and spinach leaves, gently folding the fish into the curry sauce with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Let the amok simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked trough. Turn the heat off.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg with the fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of the curry sauce from the pan. Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and gently fold it into the curry.

Serve the amok in a bowl with a spoonful of coconut cream (the thick cream that rises to the top of the remaining coconut milk), a few julienned red pepper pieces and a sprinkling of kaffir lime leaf ribbons.

I first made Chicken & Dumplings for my friend Megan DeWeerdt, right after she had her son Vincent. It seemed like a comforting meal for a new mother, and something that would be easy because it’s a one-pot dish. Megan loved it, and I’ve been making it for my “new mommy” friends ever since. Although Chicken & Dumplings can be rich, this version is light and healthy. It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner or an early Sunday supper, and can be frozen and reheated easily. In the winter I sometimes add diced celery root or parsnips to give it more winter flavor, and in the spring I use fresh peas or asparagus – but don’t be afraid to use frozen peas, they’re great. If you want a richer version, add a little heavy cream to the broth before serving.

Active Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

Soup

8 cups chicken broth
3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 large sweet onion, diced (about 1¾ cups)
2 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1½ cups)
3 celery stalks, diced (about 1½ cups)
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup fresh or frozen peas (thawed if frozen)
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon whole milk
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

Fresh dill for garnish

Preparation

Soup

Pour the chicken broth into a large pot. Add the chicken breasts to the broth, cover and bring the broth to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chickeis almost cooked through, but still a little pink inside. Let the chicken cool, then remove the meat from the bones. Dice the meat and set aside. Discard bones. Add the onion, carrot, celery and thyme to the broth and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are al dente. While the vegetables are cooking, make the dumpling batter.

Dumplings

Whisk the flour, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk together in a separate bowl. Add the egg mixture to the flour and whisk until smooth. Add the dill and stir until incorporated. The dumpling batter will be the consistency of pancake batter.

Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup pot and discard. Bring the broth to a slow, rolling boil and gently drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the broth. Wait a few seconds between each drop to give the dumplings time to cook a little bit. This will ensure that they don’t all stick together. Once all of the dumplings are in the pot, add the chicken and peas. Stir gently, then let the pot warm over medium heat for a minute or two.

To Serve

Ladle the chicken and dumplings into shallow bowls and top with fresh dill.

French Onion Dip

My sister and I made this French Onion Dip as an après-ski snack while I was visiting her in Park City, Utah in January. It came together quickly and was perfect with a glass of red wine and a warm fire. I love this dip because it has all the same deep, caramelized flavors as a bowl of French onion soup. We used beef stock in our version, but you can use chicken stock or water for a vegetarian option. The dip best when it’s hot, and we served ours in a little stainless steel pot to keep it warm. To mimic the bread that sits on top of French onion soup we made crostini with slices of baguette and melted Gruyère cheese, and they were perfect for dipping.

Active Time: 45 minutes
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients

French Onion Dip

4 tablespoons butter
2 very large sweet onions, cut in quarters, then sliced into ¼-inch thick half moon slices
1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped or grated
½ cup dry white wine
¾ cup beef stock, chicken stock or water
6 oz Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
8 oz sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Thyme sprigs for garnish

Gruyère Crostini

1 thin French baguette, cut into ½-inch thick rounds
1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese
½ cup olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preparation

French Onion Dip

Melt the butter in large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Add the white wine and turn the heat to medium, cooking until the onions are soft and the color of caramel, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and cook until the stock has reduced and the onions are deep golden brown and creamy, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the thyme leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or two to allow the flavors to blend. Add the cream cheese and stir until the cheese is soft and the onions are coated. Turn off the heat and fold in the sour cream.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh thyme.

Gruyère Crostini

Preheat the oven to 375° F.

Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the bread. Toast the crostini until lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and top each crostini with a little grated Gruyère cheese. Bake for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Serve crostini on a platter along side the French Onion Dip.