Blend the first four ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the dough clumps. The dough will be crumbly; press into an 8″-9” spring form pan whose bottom (but not sides) has been lined with parchment paper. Press crumbs with your fingers to make a flat crust. Bake at 400ºF for just ten minutes and then remove from oven.

Beat ingredients 5 through 11 with beaters or in a food processor until the mixture is smooth. Using 4 ounces of cream cheese will result in a “skinny” cheesecake, so using 8 ounces will provide more cheese custard. If you like a lighter cheesecake, use a second egg, if you prefer a dense one, stick to one egg.

Pour into the pre-baked spring form pan. Bake at 400ºF for 20-30 minutes, until filling has puffed up slighted and is very slightly browned. The deeper the custard layer, the longer the baking time.

Immediately after removing the tart from the oven, sprinkle the cheesecake with the lemon/basil/sugar topping ingredients which have been chopped together.

To make the lemon basil topping, chop basil leaves and lemon zest with sugar to make a mixture that will sprinkle well. There is nothing magic about the proportions, so do this a bit according to your taste. The mixture, when sprinkled on the warm cheesecake, will turn slightly crusty.

Let the cheesecake cool completely before slicing and serving.

Beat eggs whites until frothy. Then gradually add the remaining egg and sugar and continue to beat. Add orange juice, orange zest, Cointreau, and oil and beat until well mixed.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients, including walnuts, fresh and dried cranberries, and then gradually add this to the wet ingredients. The dough will be on the wet side.

Divide the dough into two or three long logs, attempting to make them of equal size and place on a cookie sheet lined with a piece of parchement paper. Remember that the logs will expand; provide about three inches between them. Sprinkle the sugar, if desired, on top of the dough.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 325ºF. Let logs cool on a wire rack.

Once the logs are cool, slice them on a diagonal – approximately 1⁄2″ thick and place them on the cookie sheet. Crisp, as desired, in oven at 350ºF for about 10-15 minutes, turning biscotti over after about seven minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Store.

Optional frosting:  If you like, drizzle with a light frosting of confectioner’s sugar, orange juice, and orange zest.

Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Slice the baguette into pieces about 1/4″ thick.  Brush the slices lightly with olive olil and toast lightly.  

Clean and thinly slice the mushrooms. In a large skillet, melt and cook butter over high heat until lightly browned for approximately 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the sliced mushrooms and cook undisturbed until the mushrooms are browned on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned all over.  Add the shallots, garlic, and thyme, lower the heat to moderate, and cook until the shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan; set aside until cool.  At this point, you may add some chopped parsley if you like.

Grate the gouda cheese.  Mix the cheese with the cooled mushroom and shallot mixture. Spoon the mixture onto the toasts, pressing firmly with your fingers so that it stays on the bread. Toast under the broiler until cheese melts. Sprinkle with additional chopped fresh parsley and serve with your favorite dry red wine.

Note: I’ve prepared these crostini and frozen them on trays, then pulled them out later for toasting – seems to work fine!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all dry ingredients. Mix all wet ingredients into a separate bowl and stir well. Mix together the dry and wet ingredients and stir well until a dough forms. If the dough is dry or crumbly, add water, apple cider, or yogurt to provide additional moisture (about like a cookie dough). Let dough rest for five minutes, then form into two or three flat “logs” about 10-12” long and two inches wide – don’t worry too much if the dough is a little sticky.

Arrange at least 3 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes until pale golden. Let them cool on baking sheet or cooling rack.

Reduce oven to 300°F. When cool enough to handle, cut logs on the diagonal into 1⁄2 inch slices and bake on the same cooking sheet for additional 10 minutes until golden brown. For a crunchier biscotti, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Mix cream and cream cheese in a blender or food processor until mixed thoroughly. Stir in the chopped scallion, lemon juice, and Tabasco Sauce. Stir in the white fish, mixing to distribute the fish, but not making it completely puréed. Small chunks of the fish are nice. 

Slice the baguette horizontally and hollow out each side slightly, to make room for the cream cheese/fish mixture. Spread the cream cheese/fish mixture on each side, until each half-log is “full”.  Stack the baguette fully and wipe excess filling off the sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill thoroughly – about two hours – to permit easier slicing of the filled baguette.  When ready to serve, slice the baguette into 3/8″ slices and serve with your favorite Traminette.