January 2010

California pastry chef Sherry Yard, who is part of the Wolfgang Puck restaurant empire, makes these cookies with something she calls "fat raisins." She poaches golden or Red Flame raisins. The cookies, she writes in "Desserts by the Yard," are favorites of former president Bill Clinton. This batter works best if chilled for about 1 hour.

Rich, deeply chocolate, and chewy on the inside, these cookies keep extremely well. The trick is not to over bake them; take them from the oven and let them cool and they will firm up.

Crispy sweet potato fries can actually be made at home, which I tried more than a dozen times recently. Cutting the potatoes into strips and roasting in a light film of oil is a healthy approach for the holiday table and helps unleash the potatoes' flavor. The best and least oily were coated with canola oil and spices and roasted in a hot oven, which yields great fries if you exercise some patience and diligence in the last 10 minutes.

Instead of apples, you can make this with Bartlett or Anjou pears. Peel and halve them, cut out the cores, and chop them coarsely.

Almost everything here - except tamarind pulp and dried shrimp - comes from the supermarket. Do all the chopping and assemble the ingredients on a tray. You'll also need a deep wok or skillet. 

To achieve white rice and brown rice with perfect textures, cook them separately. If you prefer to serve them separately, you'll have about 6 cups of white (to serve 6) and 3 cups of brown (to serve 3).