1. Grind or grate cheese and set aside. Grind nuts and set aside. Wash and spin dry oregano leaves (not the stems unless they are very tender).
2. Have your food processor ready for this next step. Heat oil in large pot and add cleaned garlic cloves, each cut into about three pieces. After about one minute, add the oregano leaves and quickly stir until they have been “blanched” for about 30 seconds – you really don’t want it cooked, which will make them and the pesto brown. Pour all of the contents of the pot into the food processor, add a pinch of ascorbic acid or a bit of lemon juice and pulse until puréed.
3. Roughly measure the green pesto as you transfer it from the food processor to a bowl.  Add the same quantity of nuts and the same quantity of cheese.   The amount of nuts and cheese to use are a personal preference – as is the quantity of olive oil. If you want the pesto to be thinner, add more. I sometimes wonder if this isn’t just a vehicle for Parmesan cheese! You may also make the pesto WITHOUT the cheese and add it when serving. I put the pesto in small glass jars – not too full so that I can put them in the freezer.  Will keep for about one week in refrigerator or months in the freezer.

Notes:

• I usually use half a good quality extra virgin and half a neutral baking olive oil.  Have extra on hand to
• Different nuts give the pesto a slightly different flavor. Walnuts make a pesto great for pork, while the almonds and cashews give a lighter taste which is nice for toast. I generally don’t bother to use pine nuts (yikes, $35/lb) – while creamier in texture, it doesn’t seem to do much for the flavor.

Serving Ideas:

• Best on crunchy or wholegrain bread
• Grilled vegetable pizzas, bruschetta
• With polenta, served with a dollop of goat cheese and a dollop of oregano pesto
• Stuffing for pork loin
• Stuff large cherry tomatoes with a mixture of pesto and goat cheese

1. Pour the milk, water, eggs, sugar, and Maple Liqueur into a food processor and blend for about a minute.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, sifted if you like, and salt. Then add the liquid ingredients and mix well with an egg whip. Add the melted butter and stir until the batter is smooth – it will be quite thin.
3. To begin cooking the crêpes, first make a test crêpe. Coat the skillet with a little butter and make sure the skillet is hot before pouring in a small ladle of batter. Immediately tilt the pan in all directions to coat the bottom of the skillet – if there is excess batter, pour it back into the bowl – and then put the pan on the heat for about a minute.
4. Loosen the crêpe by sharply jerking the pan back and forth; lift the edge with a spatula and when lightly brown, flip it over to brown lightly. Julia notes that the second side is usually “spotty brown” and kept as the “nonpublic” aspect of the crepe. If the test crêpe is too thick, add water to thin the batter. Adjust the quantity of batter poured into the pan so that there is just one thin layer and no excess.
5. Remove the crêpe and then brush a small amount of maple syrup on the crêpe. Sprinkle ground nuts – toasted pecans, Chocolate Hazelnuts, or Cinnamon Walnuts and roll it into one cylinder. Cut in half, if you like, and keep warm before serving. Fanny would make a large plate of crêpes and each guest would add spread butter, jam, syrup, sugar, etc to taste.

Ingredients 1-6 are for the dressing. Ingredients 7-12 are for the salad.

1. Pour vinegar, mustard, and garlic into a food processor. Blend to mince garlic, then slowly add the olive oil while processing. The mixture will be, when it has sufficient olive oil, the color of milk chocolate and slightly thickened, like cream.
2. Lightly dress the greens with the vinaigrette and add beets, apples, walnuts, and dollops of goat cheese. Toss gently and serve immediately.

1. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the crust. Prick the crust in several places with a fork and bake in a preheated 450 over for 7 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF.
2. Sprinkle the crust with the bacon. Add the sautéed onion or scallions. Add the asparagus pieces, then the shredded cheese.
3. In a small bowl, beat together the milk, egg whites, whole eggs, tarragon, nutmeg, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour this mixture carefully over the cheese.
4. Bake the quiche for 30 minutes or until the custard has set (a knife inserted in the center of the quiche should come out clean).

Variations: One of my favorites is to use lightly cooked zucchini, thyme, and marjoram.

Adapted from Jane Brody’s The Good Food Book.

1. With machine running, drop garlic into processor; blend until finely chopped. Add sage, thyme, oil, salt and pepper; process until paste forms.
2. Pat meat dry with paper towels. Rub meat all over with paste. Cover and chill at least three hours.
3. Roast, uncovered in hot oven – for beef, 15 minutes at 400ºF and 30-40 minutes at 350ºF. For tenderloins, I roasted at 450ºF for about 15 minutes – until thermometer reads about 165ºF. Serve over warm polenta.