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4. Bake for about 30 (for the ramekins) to 40 (for the bowl) minutes, or until the center is barely set. (Start checking after 20 minutes or so and remember that cream will set faster than milk.) Serve warm or at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for a day or so.

GINGER POTS DE CRÈME

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR

POTS DE CRÈME are always great, but flavored with ginger they become exotic—yet there’s nothing to it.

2 cups heavy cream, light cream, or half-and-half

10 slices fresh ginger (don’t bother to peel it)

5 egg yolks

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon minced candied ginger (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Combine the cream and fresh ginger in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until steam rises. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and steep for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Beat the yolks and sugar together until light. Remove the ginger slices from the cream and pour about a quarter of the cream into the egg mixture, then pour the sugar-egg mixture into the cream and stir. If you’re using the candied ginger, add it now. Pour into fo ur 6-ounce ramekins and put the ramekins in a baking dish; pour water into the dish to come halfway up the side of the ramekins and cover with foil.

3. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the center is barely set. (Heavy cream sets fastest, half-and-half more slowly.) Cool or chill, then serve.

CRANBERRY CLAFOUTI

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 1 HOUR

THE CLAFOUTI IS essentially a fruit-laden baked pancake. I love this Americanized version, which is crunchy and sweet.

Butter for the dish

½ cup sugar

1 egg

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup half-and-half or whole milk

Pinch of salt

1 cup cranberries

½ cup walnuts

Confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a deep 9- or 10-inch pie plate, round porcelain dish, or gratin dish of similar size. Sprinkle it with a tablespoon or so of the sugar, then swirl the dish to coat evenly with sugar; invert to remove the excess.

2. Beat the egg well, then add the remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Add the flour and beat again until smooth. Add the half-and-half and salt and whisk once more until smooth.

3. Coarsely chop the cranberries and walnuts; you can do this in a food processor if you like (it’s very fast), but be careful not to overprocess—you want to break up the cranberries, not mince them. Put the cranberry mixture in the bottom of the dish and pour the batter over it.

4. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the clafouti is nicely browned on top and a knife inserted into it comes out clean. Sift some confectioners’ sugar over it and serve warm or at room temperature.

MAPLE BREAD PUDDING

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: ABOUT 1 HOUR, LARGELY UNATTENDED

USE GOOD WHITE READ for this, and don’t bother to remove the crusts; the different textures make it more interesting.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

½ pound white bread, cut or torn into chunks no smaller than 1 inch in diameter

1 cup milk plus 1 cup cream or a total of 2 cups half-and-half

4 eggs

¾ cup maple syrup or sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Small grating of nutmeg

Pinch of salt

Whipped cream for serving (optional)

1. Butter a 10-or 12-inch soufflé or baking dish and put the bread in it. Cut the remaining butter into bits and combine it with all the other ingredients; pour over the bread. Submerge the bread with a weighted plate and turn the oven to 350°F.

2. When the oven is hot, remove the plate (scrape any butter back onto the bread) and bake until the pudding is just set but not dry, 45 to 60 minutes. The top will be crusty and brown. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, with or without whipped cream.

INDEX

Aïoli

Anchovy(ies)

canapés with piquillo peppers and

cauliflower with garlic and

dipping sauce, grilled chicken wings with

green sauce, grilled swordfish “sandwich” with

pasta with arugula and

–red wine sauce, rib-eye steak with

tomato-anchovy sauce, linguine with

Anise-flavored lamb shanks

Apples

apple crisp

braised goose with

cabbage