SWEDISH GINGER COOKIES (PEPPARKAKOR)

FROM KRISTEN BROGDON, DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING AT NORTHROP

SERVES:
8+

PREP TIME:
20 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
1 HR 35 MIN

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INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening or butter
1 egg
½ cup molasses
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 ½ cups flour - may need more in humid climates

DIRECTIONS

Cream sugar and shortening/butter with mixer or by hand in a large bowl, then add egg and mix.  Add baking soda to molasses - it will froth to fill a cup measure - and add to the other wet ingredients with milk, mixing thoroughly. Mix spices, baking powder, salt and flour together in a small bowl (I use a 4 cup measure) and then add in thirds to the other ingredients, mixing until it forms a soft but not sticky dough.

Divide into 3 or 4 balls and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Allow dough to warm up a bit and then roll out as thin as possible on a pastry cloth sprinkled with flour. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, place on ungreased cookie sheet, and decorate with white or colored sugar.

Bake at 350° F for approximately 8-10 minutes, adjusting as needed based on thinness of dough. Finished cookies will lose their shine and get crisp but won't change color. Remove cookies from sheets to cool on a rack and enjoy!

CRANBERRY SCONES

FROM DEIRDRE TOWERS, DANCER, WRITER, ARTS ACTIVIST AND FILMMAKER

SERVES:
5-6

PREP TIME:
20 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
32 MIN

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INGREDIENTS

3 tbls. bee pollen
½ tsp. turmeric
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup unsweetened Swiss Muesli
⅛ tsp. sea salt
1 tbls. maple syrup (optional)
3 tbls. butter
Dried cranberries… as many as you'd like!
1/3 cup of milk

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• Mix dry ingredients together.

• Cut up the butter and then mush it into the flour, etc. with your fingers.

• Add cranberries.

• Add milk and stir.

• Make 5-6 balls and place on buttered cookies sheet.

• Bake for 12 minutes.

ASIAN COBB SALAD

FROM VICTORIA MORGAN, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF THE CINCINNATI BALLET

“It contains things that don’t sound very sexy—the dressing is what really makes it!”

— VICTORIA MORGAN

SERVES:
2 - 4

PREP TIME:
20 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
1 HR 40 MIN

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INGREDIENTS FOR SALAD

1 cup shredded purple cabbage
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 ½ cup spinach
16 oz extra-firm tofu cubed, drained & pressed
1/2 small turnip cut into thin strips
1 small cucumber cut the middle seeds out and then into quarter-rounds

INGREDIENTS FOR DRESSING

1 Tbsp peanut oil
2 Tbsp sesame seed oil
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp chopped mint
1 Tbsp grated ginger
Salt to taste
Chopped jalapeno peppers (seeds removed) to taste
1.5 Tbsp peanut butter - my favorite ingredient anytime anywhere
2 cloves chopped garlic
Handful of chopped up sweet basil

DIRECTIONS

Mix the peanut oil, sesame seed oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce and peanut butter in the food processor or whisk it by hand.  Add the mint, garlic, ginger, basil, jalapeno pepper to the liquid and stir.  Salt to taste.  Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the tofu and let it marinate for 1 to 15 hours. When ready, place vegetables in salad bowl, drain marinade from tofu and add to bowl with the remaining dressing and toss till everything is covered. YUM!

RECIPE FOR CHU-HI OR SHOCHU HIGHBALL

FROM STEPHEN PIER, DIRECTOR OF THE DANCE DIVISION AT HARTT SCHOOL

Shochu is a fermented beverage with Japanese origins, but it is also distilled in the United States.  In Japan overall sales of shochu surpass sales of sake—it is safe to say that it is a very popular drink.  

The shochu highball, more popularly known as a chu-hai, is a combination of shochu, fruit juice and soda water.  Bartender Orlando Franklin McCray has developed a formula that Stephen likes, and it is provided below.

SERVES:
1

PREP TIME:
2 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
4 MIN

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INGREDIENTS

1½ ounces shochu
½ ounce Bittermens Commonwealth Tonic Liqueur
4 ounces Fever-Tree Sparkling Pink Grapefruit soda
Garnish: grapefruit zest or twist, finishing salt

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the ingredients in a Collins glass filled with ice.

Swizzle to combine ingredients.

Garnish with grated grapefruit zest or a grapefruit twist, and finish with a pinch of salt.

GEORGE BALANCHINE’S CHICKEN VERMOUTH

FROM WALTER RAINES, FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM COMPANY

ORIGINAL RECIPE BY GEORGE BALANCHINE

Walter Raines was a founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem company, also he danced for the Pennsylvania and Stuttgart Ballets, and distinguished himself as a teacher of ballet at the Ailey School, and finally as director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem School. He told me this recipe one day around 1991 while we were waiting for the bus. What prompted him to share it I cannot remember. This recipe is so simple (and delicious) one could prepare it on a hotplate in a dressing room or hotel room…if you had to.

SERVES:
4

PREP TIME:
15 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
40 MIN

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INGREDIENTS

¼ cup butter
1 tbs olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cut in half
1/3 cup dry vermouth
1 tsp. instant chicken bouillon or powdered chicken stock
½ tsp rosemary
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Heat butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet with a lid; sauté chicken breasts until lightly browned on all sides. While chicken breasts are browning, pour 2 tbs of vermouth over them. Remove chicken. Put the skillet on low heat and add remainder of the vermouth. As the liquid is heating scrape up all of the chicken skin from the pan. Stir in sour cream until it is blended with the liquid, add powdered chicken bouillon, sprinkle in rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat until sauce slightly thickens. Return chicken to the skillet. Cover and simmer 15 - 20 minutes or until chicken is tender.

“Walter said to serve it with a salad, ‘and there, you have it.’ I would also serve it with boiled noodles or a bed of wild rice.”

— Edward Schoelwer

HELL’S KITCHEN CRANBERRY RELISH FROM MIKI ORIHARA

FROM MIKI ORIHARA OF THE MARTHA GRAHAM DANCE COMPANY

“Here is wonderfully delicious and refreshing side dish Miki makes every holiday season. It is so tasty and cuts the sweetness or fattiness of all the other dishes. It’s a beautiful palate cleanser AND it’s healthy!”

— Stephen Pier

SERVES:
10 - 15

PREP TIME:
2 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
5-10 MIN

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INGREDIENTS

1 package fresh cranberries
1 juicy orange, well washed
½ cup of honey*
1/4 teaspoon cloves, allspice, or cinnamon is a nice touch if you like it

DIRECTIONS

Throw it all in a food processor, orange peel and all. Mince until smooth, and enjoy!

*We use our very own “Hell’s Kitchen Honey” from our hives at the Clinton Community Garden, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC.

NAI NI CHEN’S THREE CUP CHICKEN

FROM NAI NI CHEN, FOUND OF NAI NI CHEN DANCE COMPANY

Three cup chicken is widely considered to be a Taiwanese specialty.  Some suggest that it originates from Jiangxi province, China, over 700 years ago. Originally, “three cup” refers to the equal portions of three main condiments: sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine.

NOTES ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

Sesame oil: Instead of using regular cooking oil this dish calls for pure sesame oil which has an intensely nutty flavor. In my recipe, it’s firstly used to fry the chicken. Then, right before serving, I like adding a little more of it to enhance the aroma.

Rice wine: You do not need water to braise the chicken. The generous use of rice wine gives the chicken a unique fragrance. Shaoxing rice wine is the most popular type and it can be easily found at a store that specializes in Chinese groceries.

Soy sauce & sugar: Soy sauce provides a kind of flavorsome saltiness which is more sophisticated than that of salt. I use both light soy sauce and dark soy sauce for this dish. The latter offers a hint of sweetness as well as an appetizing look. Rock sugar (can be replaced by regular sugar) is added to balance the saltiness.

Ginger & garlic: I recommend that you use lots of ginger and whole cloves of garlic. They are for seasoning the dish. But, in fact, they are delicious on their own! After cooking, they will lose much of their spiciness and absorb lots of flavor from the sauce.

Basil leaves: Basil leaves give a great final touch to the dish. Authentic versions call for Thai basil which has a stronger flavor and aroma than sweet basil. But the latter can certainly be used as a substitute.

SERVES:
4 - 6

PREP TIME:
10 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
25 MIN

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INGREDIENTS

6 chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2½ tbsp sesame oil
15 slices ginger
10 cloves garlic
½ cup Shaoxing rice wine (see note)
2 tbsp light soy sauce (see note)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (see note)
1 tbsp rock sugar, or regular sugar
½ red bell pepper, cut into square pieces
½ cup of chopped scallions
Small handful of basil leaves

I use boneless chicken thighs with skin on. You may use other cuts of chicken.

DIRECTIONS

• Blanch chicken chunks in hot water then drain well.

• Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil with ginger and garlic in a wok  over a medium heat. Stir fry until the ginger becomes slightly brown.

• Stir in drained chicken. Fry for 1 minute or so.

• Add rice wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and rock sugar.  Kikoman is medium soy sauce and it's fine, too.

• Cover the wok with a lid (keep medium heat). Cook for about 5 minutes.

• Put in bell pepper and scallions, then cover and cook for a further 2 minutes.

• Uncover the wok and turn up the heat. Stir around until most of the liquid is evaporated and the chicken is coated evenly by the remaining sauce.

• Turn off the heat. Stir in the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil and basil leaves. Cover the wok for 1 minute.

SIR FREDERICK ASHTON’S PLUM PUDDING

FROM SIR FREDERICK ASHTON, BRITISH BALLET DANCER AND CHOREOGRAPHER

FROM TANAQUIL LE CLERCQ’S THE BALLET COOK BOOK

SERVES:
2

PREP TIME:
30 MIN

TOTAL TIME:
15 HRS 30 MIN

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INGREDIENTS FOR THE PLUM PUDDING

½ lb. suet, finely chopped
2½ cups bread crumbs
1¼ cups brown sugar
1½ cups currants
1½ cups raisins
¾ cup chopped blanched almonds
¾ mixed candied fruits
2 tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
6 eggs
½ cup brandy
Silver trinkets, to taste

DIRECTIONS FOR THE PLUM PUDDING

Combine suet, bread crumbs, brown sugar, currants, raisins, candied fruits, almonds, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl. Beat eggs in another and stir into dry ingredients. Add brandy to mixture, and stir in trinkets. Cover and allow to stand overnight.

Pour into 2 buttered casseroles or earthenware dishes. Wrap each casserole in a floured cloth and set aside. Bring 3 inches water to boil in 2 medium saucepans with tight fitting lids (see note). Set a trivet on the bottom of each pan; place casserole on the trivets, cover tightly and steam 6 hours, adding water when necessary. Remove from pan, cool slightly and unmold. Serve with hard sauce. Yields 2 puddings. 

Note: One large roasting pan with a tight fitting lid could be used to accommodate the 2 casseroles. 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BRANDY HARD SAUCE

¼ lb. sweet butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
Brandy

DIRECTIONS FOR THE BRANDY HARD SAUCE

Cream butter until fluffy. Gradually add sugar, beating well after each addition. When all the sugar has been added, flavor as desired with brandy. Serve with the plum pudding.