Caipiriñha

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 2 to 2½ ounces cachaça (Brazilian sugar cane brandy)

Place lime wedges in small highball glass. Add sugar and muddle into lime wedges. Pour in cachaça and stir. Add crushed ice and stir well.

Prosciutto-wrapped Fresh Fig with Gorgonzola

• 1 pint of figs (roughly 12 figs)
• ¾ cup of gorgonzola dolce cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
• ¼ cup balsamic glaze (see recipe below)
• ¼ pound prosciutto, sliced paper thin

Wash and dry figs. Cut into quarters lengthwise.

Whisk gorgonzola until soft. Add the chopped walnuts.

Slice prosciutto in thirds. Lightly brush figs with balsamic glaze. Mound a half-teaspoon of gorgonzola mixture on one side of the fig. Wrap the figs in slices of prosciutto.

Balsamic Glaze

• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Pour balsamic vinegar into a small pan and place over medium-high heat. Bring vinegar to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes until vinegar is reduced by half.

Combine sugar, lemon juice and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk into the warm balsamic vinegar.

Banana-Coconut Soup

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cups very ripe bananas, diced
• 1½ cup leeks, thinly sliced, whites only
• ½ cup onion, diced
• ½ cup celery, diced
• ½ cup carrots, diced
• 1½ tsp chili paste
• salt and white pepper to taste
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 5 cups vegetable stock
• 3 cups coconut cream

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add bananas, leeks, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and chili paste. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until caramelized. Stir in the cumin and coriander. Deglaze with the orange juice.

Pour in the stock, bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 8•10 minutes.

Purée the soup in a blender. Strain into another pot. Stir in the coconut cream and season to taste.

Pour into bowls and garnish with a small drizzle of chili oil.

Yields: 10½ cups

Lobster Pot Pie

• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1½ cups shitake mushrooms, sliced
• ½ cup sliced green onion
• 4 Tbsp flour
• ¼ cup cognac
• ½ cup clam juice or juices from cooking the lobster
• 2½ cups lobster, diced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup snow peas, cooked, sliced and drained
• ½ cup carrots, cooked, diced and drained
• dash paprika
• freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/8 tsp
• pinch salt, to taste
• pinch black pepper, freshly ground
• 6 puff pastry shells from the freezer section of your supermarket, thawed
• Tarragon sprigs or chopped chives for garnish

Preparation:
Melt butter in large saucepan. Add mushrooms and onions, stir until tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook until flour is absorbed into butter. Add cognac and clam juice; stir over low heat until mixture thickens.

Remove mushroom mixture from heat. Stir in lobster and cream, reduce until thick, then the hot cooked carrots and snow peas. Taste and add paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste.

Bake puff pastry mini shells face-up according to the manufacturer's instructions, until golden brown. Pull off and reserve small circular tops and remove some of the soft pastry inside to make room for lobster.

Spoon lobster mixture into the mini pastry shells, top with the small disks and warm in the oven for approximately 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve immediately with a sprig of tarragon or chopped chives as garnish.

Serves 6.

Grape Custard Mousse

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup + 2 Tbsp grape juice
• 6 large egg yolks
• 2 large eggs
• ½ Tbsp lemon peel, grated
• ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp grape liquor (Maneshewitz grape wine recommended)
• 1 package gelatin
• 1½ cups whipping cream, chilled

Heat liquor until lukewarm. Add gelatin and dissolve, stirring for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, grape juice, egg yolks, whole eggs and grated lemon peel in large metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture thickens (cooking thermometer should register 160 degrees). Transfer to another large bowl, add gelatin/liquor mix. Chill until cool, whisking occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat cream in medium bowl until medium-firm peaks form. Fold 1/3 of whipped cream into mixture to lighten, then fold in remaining whipped cream.

Cover and refrigerate. Recipe can be prepared one day ahead of time.

Serve in espresso cups, garnish with grape crystals and three slices of grapes, cut lengthwise.

Yields: 5 cups

Heat liquor until lukewarm. Add gelatin and dissolve, stirring for 5 minutes.

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