Asparagus Goat Cheese Bruschetta with Porcini Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for brushing
2 bunches (2 pounds) green asparagus (not pencil), ends trimmed to 6 inches
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
8 (1/2-inch thick) slices good quality bread, such as pain de mie, pullman or sourdough, crusts trimmed


Directions:

Vinaigrette:
Put dried mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let stand 20 minutes. Pour mushrooms with liquid through a paper towel-lined sieve into a small saucepan. Transfer mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop. Add vinegar, shallots, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and half of mushrooms to saucepan and boil mixture until it is reduced to 2/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Whisk in 1/4 cup olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Sauce can be served warm or at room temperature.

Bruschetta:
Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in upper third.

Stir together remaining chopped mushrooms with softened goat cheese in a small bowl.

Place a steamer basket in a 5-quart pot filled with 2 inches of water. Steam asparagus, covered, just until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer asparagus to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking, then drain and pat dry.

Halve asparagus crosswise.

Arrange bread slices on a large baking sheet. Brush with some olive oil and bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

Spread goat cheese mixture generously on toasts.

To serve, place a toast in the center of a salad plate and arrange 4 or 5 stem ends of asparagus on each. Top stems with asparagus tips, arranging them perpendicular to stems. Drizzle asparagus and surrounding plate with vinaigrette.

Cooks' notes:
•Porcini vinaigrette can be made 1 day ahead and kept at room temperature, covered.
•Asparagus can be cooked 1 day ahead and kept chilled in a sealable plastic bag between towels. Bring to room temperature before serving.
•Goat cheese mixture can be made 1 day ahead kept covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before using.
•Bread can be toasted 2 hours ahead and spread with cheese mixture up to 1 hour before serving.

Red Snapper Veracruz

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) container sliced button mushrooms
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped (half the seeds removed for less heat)
1 (14 3/4 -ounce) can tomato puree
1 (14 3/4 -ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons chili sauce (such as Heinz)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 pounds fresh red snapper fillets
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Freshly ground black pepper


Directions:


1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. In a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat, melt the 2 butter. Add the onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, and jalapeño, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree, diced tomatoes, wine, chili sauce, lemon juice, capers, parsley, garlic, thyme, and salt, and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Pour half of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Season the snapper fillets and the shrimp with salt and pepper, and lay them on top of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over the seafood. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the fish is flaky.

Ultimate Mud Pie

Ingredients:

Chocolate crumb crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pie pan
1 tablespoon sugar

Filling
3 cups half-and-half
2/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 large egg yolks
5 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate wafer crumbs, for garnish


Directions:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-inch pie pan.

2. To make the crust, combine the crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a medium bowl until moistened. Press firmly and evenly into the pie pan. Bake until the crust is set and smells like warm cookies, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

3. To make the filling, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat 2 1/2 cups of the half-and-half, the sugar, and the salt, stirring often to dissolve the sugar, until simmering. Pour into a heatproof bowl. Rinse out the saucepan.

4. In a small bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch over the remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half and whisk until dissolved. Whisk the yolks in a medium bowl, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Gradually whisk in the hot half-and-half mixture and return to the rinsed-out saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a flat wooden spatula (to keep the mixture from scorching), until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture bubble, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate, butter, and vanilla, and whisk until the chocolate melts completely. Strain through a wire sieve into a clean bowl.

5. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and press plastic wrap directly on the filling to keep a skin from forming. Let cool completely. Refrigerate until the filling is chilled and set, at least 2 hours.

6. To make the topping, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar, and vanilla in a chilled medium bowl with an electric mixer set on high speed until stiff. Uncover the pie. Spread and swirl the topping over the filling. (If you wish, transfer the whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe the cream onto the pie.) Sprinkle pie with cookie crumbs. Slice and serve chilled.