Combine the cranberries, sugar, vinegar, and orange zest in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour to develop the flavors.
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the ingredients with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the berries are mostly broken down and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
While it’s still hot, force the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids with a spatula. Be sure to scrape the mixture from the bottom of the strainer. Whisk well and then transfer to a 2-cup bowl or mold. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap once cool.
To unmold, invert the bowl onto a small serving plate and shake it side to side until the sauce slips onto the plate.
In a 10-inch skillet combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened somewhat and looks slightly syrupy, about 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and let the cranberry sauce cool in the pan—it will thicken more as it cools. Serve at room temperature.
Put the parsley, mint, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and salt in a food processor. Process, stopping to scrape the bowl as often as needed, until puréed into a thick sauce. Add more salt to taste if needed and refrigerate until ready to use.
Put the olives, olive oil, mint, shallot, and lemon juice in a food processor. Process, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after a couple of seconds, until the mixture is smooth. Season the pesto to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Combine the tomatoes, onion, lime juice, serranos, cilantro, and 2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Mix well, cover, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Season to taste with more salt if necessary. If not using right away, refrigerate for up to 3 days. Strain before using.
In a medium bowl, stir together the avocado, chile, onion, tomato, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 20 minutes and up to 3 hours before serving.
In a large, heavy-based saucepan, combine the apples, lemon juice, and salt. Boil, stirring often, until the fruit softens to a mash, about 30 minutes. Add the sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the fruit reduces to a thick purée, about 2-1/2 hours.
Peel a 1x3-inch strip of zest from the orange. Trim off any white pith from the strip with a paring knife and put the zest in a 3-quart saucepan. Trim away the remaining orange peel and cut the segments free from the membranes, letting them fall into the saucepan. Squeeze the juice from the membranes into the saucepan.
Tie the rosemary and bay leaf into a cheesecloth bundle and add to the saucepan along with the wine, honey, mustard seeds, and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the honey dissolves and the flavors meld a bit, about 2 minutes.
Add the pears and cranberries and return to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender and the liquid is syrupy, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the herb bundle and zest, and let cool. Serve at room temperature. It will keep in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Put the quinces, vanilla bean pod and seeds, and lemon zest in a 4-quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the quinces are tender when poked with a knife, about 40 minutes.
Drain the quinces in a colander and discard the vanilla bean. Purée the fruit and lemon zest in a food processor. Measure the purée by volume, return it to the saucepan, and add an equal volume of sugar. (For example, if you have 2 cups of purée, add 2 cups of sugar.)
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and reduce the heat to low. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the purée becomes a very thick paste, about 1-1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 125°F. If your oven doesn’t go this low, use the lowest temperature possible and expect a shorter cooking time. Line an 8x8-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with parchment and grease with the butter. Pour the quince paste (don’t scrape the pot) into the dish and smooth the top with the wooden spoon. Bake until slightly dried and firm enough to slice, about 1 hour.
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Invert onto a cutting board and cut the quince paste into four 2-inch-wide strips. Wrap each strip in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Cut the pears into 1-inch chunks. Cut the apples in half or into quarters if large. Put the fruit and the cider in a very large pot (at least 7-quart capacity). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the fruit is very soft when pierced with a knife, 40 to 60 minutes. Take the pot off the heat.
Set a food mill fitted with a fine sieve disk over a large bowl. Purée the fruit in small batches, discarding seeds and skins.
Wipe out any remaining seeds or peels from the pot and pour in the purée. Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir until well blended.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low or medium low to maintain a simmer. Using a large spoon, skim off most of the foam that rises to the surface during the initial simmering.
Continue simmering, stirring often with an angled spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom, corners, and sides of the pot, until the purée becomes thick and dark and the bubbling becomes slow and laborious (more like volcanic burps than bubbles), 1-3/4 hours to 2-3/4 hours. Be sure to stir toward the end of cooking to avoid scorching. To test for doneness, spoon a dollop of the butter onto a small plate and refrigerate for a minute or two. It should hold its shape with no water separating out around its edge.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the lemon juice and vanilla, stirring until well blended. Transfer the butter to a container, let cool to room temperature, and then store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Note: For longer storage at room temperature, can the fruit butter. Transfer the hot butter to clean, hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace in each jar, and follow the directions in our canning video, processing the butter for 10 minutes.
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and simmer over medium to medium-low heat until the onions are mostly translucent and the juices are beginning to thicken, about 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula, until very thick, another 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, using a mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the remaining butter until soft and creamy. Scrape the butter off the beaters or spoon. Add the cooled shallots and garlic, Roquefort, thyme, and vinegar to the butter and mix with a rubber spatula. Season with salt and pepper. Taste again for balance, adding a drop more vinegar or a dash more salt if necessary.
This butter mixture, called a compound butter, can be stored in a covered plastic container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap the butter in plastic wrap or waxed paper, roll into a log 2 inches in diameter, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Peel and trim the onions. Cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Insert a toothpick or poultry lacer horizontally halfway into each slice to hold the onion rings together.
Prepare a medium-low charcoal fire or heat a gas grill on medium low for 10 minutes. Brush the grill grate clean and wipe it with a paper towel dipped in oil. Brush both sides of the onion slices with olive oil and grill, covered, turning every 10 minutes, until very soft and well browned on the outside, 35 to 40 minutes total. (A little blackening is OK, but try not to char the onions.) Stack the onions on a large sheet of foil and wrap loosely. Set aside while you make the glaze.
Pour the balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and add the thyme leaves, pink peppercorns (if using), and salt. Boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat until the vinegar has reduced to about 1/4 cup and has a syrupy texture, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool briefly and season to taste with salt, if necessary.
Transfer the onions to a dish. Remove the toothpicks and any extremely charred layers, if necessary. If the balsamic glaze has thickened, reheat it gently until pourable. Pour the glaze over the onions and brush to distribute it evenly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and fish sauce until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is syrupy. Stir in 2 Tbs. water, the garlic, chile, and lime juice to taste.
If using chiles de árbol, put them in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soften, about 30 minutes. Drain and mince.
Food processor method: Combine the salt, garlic, shallot, chiles (or cayenne and red pepper flakes), lemongrass, ginger (or galangal), red miso (if using), and vegetable oil, and purée until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, or store chilled in a sealed container (the paste will keep for a week). Finish following the instructions below.
Mortar and pestle method: Pound the salt and garlic with a pestle to a fine paste. One at a time, add the shallot, chiles (or cayenne and red pepper flakes), lemongrass, ginger (or galangal), and red miso (if using), adding each item only after the preceding one has been incorporated. Add the oil slowly, pounding to make a smooth emulsion. Transfer to a bowl or store as above. Finish following the instructions below.
Finish the sauce: Up to two days before serving, heat a large skillet briefly over high heat. Add the paste and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low; add the peanut butter, sugar, and fish sauce; blend well. Whisk in the hot water, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce has the consistency of thick soup. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice. The sauce will look separated; this is fine. Taste for a balance of salty-sweet-tangy and correct the seasonings if you like. (To reheat, warm in a saucepan over low and then add lemon juice and warm water to thin if necessary.) Transfer to a bowl to serve.
In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the butter. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. (You may want to have a lid handy to protect yourself and your kitchen from any sputtering.) Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a whisk, blend in the butter cubes, a couple at a time, until incorporated.
Core, seed, and quarter the peppers. Trim away the ribs and any top and bottom ends that are extremely curvy.
Set a large freestanding stainless-steel or plastic sieve or footed colander in a large nonreactive pan or dish with sides. Line the sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth and pour a 1-inch layer of salt into the sieve to form a base (some will seep out). Lay a single layer of pepper quarters, skin side up, on the salt. Press the peppers into the salt, making sure that any curvy parts are coated with salt or mold may form. Cover with a 1/2-inch layer of salt and another layer of peppers. Repeat with as many layers as needed, ending with a layer of salt. Set a heavy dish on top to weight it down. Let stand at room temperature for up to five days to remove the moisture from the peppers. By the fourth or fifth day, the peppers should be about 1/4 inch thick or less, which means they’re done.
Brush the excess salt off the peppers. Pass the peppers through a meat grinder or process them briefly in a food processor or blender; the texture should be somewhat coarse. Pack the paste in a sterilized glass jar, leaving about 1 inch at the top. Cover the paste with about 1/2 inch of olive oil, seal the jar, and refrigerate. Discard the salt.
Prepare a hot gas or charcoal grill fire. Cut the tops and bottoms from the peppers and cut the peppers into 3 or 4 flat pieces, discarding the tops, seeds, and ribs. Grill the pepper sides and bottoms skin side down until blistered and charred all over, 6 to 8 minutes. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel the charred skin and discard. Don’t be too concerned if flecks of skin remain attached. Cut the peppers into bite-size pieces or wide strips.
Put the pepper pieces in a medium bowl and add the remaining ingredients, stirring well and seasoning to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Lightly bruise the herbs with the back of a knife and put them in a large heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until an instant-read thermometer dipped in the oil reads 160°F. Pour the oil over the herbs and let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Cover tightly and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Pour the oil into two clean 12-oz. botles, tuck some of the herbs into each bottle, and seal. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
