Ingredients

• 2 lbs thin philo dough
• 1-1/4 lbs clarified butter
• 2 lbs ground walnuts
• 4-1/2 cups of sugar
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1 t cloves
• 1 lemon

Fran Koremenos is a long time Pennville dealer who has been a family friend for practically my whole life.  Her husband George used to collect exotic cars, and, as a young adult, he offered to insure them one day so I could drive them; I just had to give him a couple of days notice.  I never did that, and I've regretted it ever since it was too late.  When Fran later offered to teach me how to make her family recipe for baklava, I didn't make the same mistake again.  I drove to Schererville, IN to cook with Fran as fast as I could schedule it.  I will always remember that magical day.

Walnut Mixture - Mix the following one or two days in advance:

2 lbs. finely ground walnuts
1/2 cup sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 t cloves

Clarifying Butter

Melt 1-1/4 lbs of butter.  Let cool and solidify.  Then, poke a knife through the top and the bottom, and let the cream run out.  If the butter is cold enough, it can even be removed and rinsed with cool water.

Simple Syrup

Boil 4 cups of sugar in 2 cups of water for 15-20 minutes.  Into the boiling water, squeeze 1/2 a lemon and throw in the rind.

Making the Baklava

Butter a shallow pan that is the same size as the philo dough you are using.  Lay in your first sheet of philo dough, and brush on liquified butter.  Keep adding philo dough, buttering between each layer, until you have 5-6 sheets of philo dough on the bottom.

Spread approximately 1/2 cup of the walnut mixture evenly across the top of the philo dough and cover with 2 layers of philo dough buttering between each layer.  Repeat this step until you are out of the walnut mixture.

Then, add 5-6 more layers of philo dough, and butter between each layer.

Cut into even rows.  Then make diagonal cuts.  Baklava should not be rectangular.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour until the baklava is about the color in this picture.

Remove, and pour the cool syrup over the baklava. 

Ingredients

• 2 heads of romaine
• a garlic clove
• olive oil
• an egg
• dijon mustard
• Worcestershire sauce
• anchovy
• 1/2 lemon (or 1/2 lime)
• Tabasco
• crusty bread
• herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
• white pepper and sea salt
• Parmigiano-reggiano

Croutons

Mom typically started with the croutons, she would slice the crusty bread cut into cubes about 3/4" x 3/4". She would sprinkle a little extra virgin olive oil and either herbs de Provence or Italian herbs on the cubes. Once this was all mixed together by hand, she would toast them at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Dressing

Mom would have me rub the wooden salad bowl with a clove of garlic and then have me press the remaining into the bowl. Then, she would add a heaping tablespoon of dijon mustard, about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, a few shakes of Tabasco, an egg, and juice of half a lemon (although I often use a lime instead), a little white pepper, about a tablespoon of olive oil, a few chopped anchovies (or anchovy paste), a dash of sea salt and white pepper. Then, she would mix well, and have me taste it to see if I thought it needed anything else. I usually added a little more Tabasco.

Romaine

Wash the romaine and spin off the excess moisture. Although many people love the stalk, Mom always had me use just the leaves, and to this day, a Caesar salad just doesn't taste quite right unless I take the extra time to do that.

Serve

Toss the romaine with the croutons, dressing, and serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano. ENJOY!

Crab Cakes & Mango Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

CRAB CAKES

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup brown mustard
• 2 T Worcestershire
• 1 egg
• 1-2 t Tobasco
• 1 chopped chili, serrano or jalapeno pepper
• 1 t Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 pounds of lump crabmeat
• 3-4 Cups of fresh bread crumbs

Lisa Menditch's Crab Cakes

Place crab in a colander in sink to drain.  Break crab apart.

Combine first 7 ingedients until fully mixed (set aside).

Tear up bread crumbs out of a nice loaf of bread.  We often use a sour dough or multi-grain loaf.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine crab with most of the sauce and bread and make into round cakes.  Set on cookie tray lined with parchment paper.  If the crabcakes arent't sticking together, add the rest of the sauce.  If it is too wet, add the remaining bread.

Bake for 10 minutes and serve.

Holly Lutz's Mango, Avocado, and Pineapple Salsa

Combine 2 chopped mangoes, 1/2 cup of chopped pineapple, 2 chopped ripe avocadoes, 2 finely chopped jalepeno pepper, 2 T fresh cilantro, and a pinch of sea salt with juice of 1/2 lime.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avacadoes
• 2 chopped roma tomatoes or a dozen sliced grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup of chopped red onion
• 2-3 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1-2 finely chopped jalepenos or 1/2 finely chopped habenero
• Juice of half a lime

Michele's Guacamole

My fiance Michele gave me the nicest present ever.  As an Indianapolis woman she realized it was difficult for me to find all the fresh herbs and vegetables I liked to use in cooking.  So, one day she planted several kinds of peppers, various varieties of tomatoes, a plethora of herbs (including cilantro), and even garlic.  Guacamole, too me, is a combination of the love that went into our garden.

Simply mash the avacadoes and combine the other ingredients until they look similar to the above picture.  Enjoy on tortillas, hamburgers, or almost any kind of Mexican food.