PlaneLocket's Cookbook

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Sauté mushrooms in olive oil for 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
• Warm cream, garlic, and Gorgonzola in a saucepan until melted; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Layer potatoes, half the cream sauce, some Gruyère, and mushrooms in a greased baking dish. Repeat the layers.
• Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden and bubbly.
• Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Version 1 — Whole-Leek Oven Braise

• Heat the oven to 325°F. Trim the leeks into roughly 4-inch lengths; split very large leeks lengthwise. Wash extremely well while keeping the layers together.
• Melt the butter in an oven-safe pan or baking dish. Add the anchovies and thyme and cook gently until the anchovies dissolve.
• Add the white wine and cream and bring just to a gentle simmer.
• Arrange the leeks snugly in the pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and tuck the tarragon and bay leaves around them. The braising liquid should surround but not completely submerge the leeks.
• Cover tightly with foil and braise for 35-40 minutes.
• Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 400°F, and cook another 30-35 minutes, until the leeks are completely tender and the exposed surfaces are browned.
• Discard the bay leaves and herb stems. Finish with a small squeeze of lemon and let the leeks rest about 5 minutes in the reduced sauce before serving.

Version 2 — Seared Leeks with Dijon & Thyme

• Cut the cleaned leeks crosswise into thick rounds or into short lengths, keeping the layers intact. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the leeks cut-side down and sear without disturbing until deeply golden. Turn carefully and brown the other side.
• Add the white wine and scrape up any browned bits. Let the wine reduce by roughly half.
• Lower the heat. Add the cream, Dijon mustard, and thyme, stirring the liquid gently without breaking apart the leeks.
• Cover and braise gently until the leeks are very tender, about 15-25 minutes depending on thickness. Add a splash of water or stock if the sauce reduces too quickly.
• Uncover and simmer briefly until the cream sauce coats the leeks. Adjust salt, pepper, and Dijon to taste, then serve with additional thyme if desired.

• In a large pot, melt the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly caramelized.
• Add the potato and sliced garlic, then season with the marjoram, caraway seeds, salt, and black pepper. Continue to sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and has taken on a slightly golden colour. Be careful not to let it burn.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Deglaze the pot with the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Simmer until the wine has reduced by about half. Add the stock and bay leaves, then increase the heat to high and bring to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the bread cubes to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with a pinch of salt, and toss to combine. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until golden and crisp.
• Remove and discard the bay leaves. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and top with the croutons and shredded cheese. Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and a bit golden on top.
• Garnish with parsley or chives and serve immediately.

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and chopped onion and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking up the turkey as it cooks, until the turkey is no longer pink and the onion has softened.
• Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, chili powder, corn, and black beans.
• Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until heated through and slightly thickened.
• Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve with lime wedges, sour cream, and cilantro if using.

Method

• Cook the sausages until browned; finish in the oven.
• Peel and cut the potatoes, boil in salted water until tender, then drain well.
• Mash the potatoes with butter, milk or cream, and olive oil. Add more milk as needed and season with salt and pepper.
• For the gravy, in the pan the sausages were browned in, slice the onions and cook them slowly in butter until deeply softened and browned. Deglaze with a bit of stock as necessary.
• If using red wine, add it to the onions and reduce.
• Stir in the 1-2 tbsp of butter and plain flour then cook briefly. Gradually add the stock while stirring. Simmer until the gravy thickens. If using vegetable stock, add a dash of soy sauce.
• Serve the sausages over the mash with onion gravy.

Plump the Raisins

• Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and let sit for 10–15 minutes.
• Drain extremely well, then spread the raisins onto paper towels and blot dry.

Brown the Butter

• Put the butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring and swirling regularly, until it foams, the milk solids become deep golden brown, and it smells distinctly nutty.
• Remove from the heat and immediately stir in ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to bloom the spice in the hot butter.
• Transfer to a mixing bowl and cool for about 15 minutes. The butter should still be warm and liquid, but not hot.

Make the Dough

• Whisk the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar into the brown butter.
• Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and molasses.
• Whisk vigorously for about 30 seconds, rest 30 seconds, then whisk again. Repeat once more, until smooth and glossy.
• In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture with a spatula until almost incorporated.
• Add the oats, drained raisins, and optional toasted nuts. Fold just until everything comes together. Do not use a mixer.

Chill and Bake

• Cover and refrigerate the dough for 45–60 minutes.
• Heat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line baking sheets with parchment.
• Portion the dough into approximately 55 g balls, roughly a generous 3 tablespoons each. Roll loosely rather than compacting tightly, place about 3 inches apart, and press each slightly into a puck.
• If desired, top each cookie with 3–4 flakes of finishing salt.
• Bake one sheet at a time for 11–14 minutes, until the edges are genuinely golden brown and set but the centers remain puffed, soft, and slightly underdone-looking.
• Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.
• For evaluation, let at least one cookie cool for an hour before judging final edge texture, center chew, sweetness, spice, and raisin level.

Dog Treats

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine flour and the egg. Add the peanut butter, water, and honey, and stir until you have a stiff dough. The dough becomes very firm and sticky. You may need to use your hands, or the paddle attachment on your mixer.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough about ½-inch thick and use a cookie cutter to make fun shapes. The treats barely spread and rise, so get creative with your shapes.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden. Once done, set aside to cool. If you have smaller cookies, use less time, otherwise the bottom might burn.

Frosting

• To make the frosting, combine the peanut butter and honey in a microwavable bowl, and heat in the microwave in 15 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.
• Add the melted peanut butter mixture to the cornstarch and stir until just combined.
• Slowly add in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have reached the consistency that you would like. For a thinner frosting, add more water.
• Add the frosting to a piping bag and pipe designs on top of each dog treat.
• Frost the treats with the peanut butter/honey mixture for an even more tempting cookie.

• Add the hibiscus, calendula, rose, mint, and orange slices to a large glass jar. Cover with cold filtered water.
• Place the jar in a sunny spot and allow it to infuse for 2–4 hours, or until the tea reaches a rich ruby-red color.
• Strain promptly once the desired strength is reached and refrigerate. Hibiscus becomes increasingly tart as it steeps, so there is little benefit to leaving the tea out all day.
• Serve chilled over ice. Enjoy unsweetened or add honey or your preferred sweetener to taste.

• Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the barley and toast for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
• Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the vegetables soften.
• Stir in the white beans, stock, nutritional yeast, and fresh thyme sprigs. Cover, reduce to medium heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Once the liquid is absorbed, remove the thyme sprigs, season with additional salt if needed, and top with fresh thyme leaves.

• Use grape must, preferably from grapes picked on a dry day, as described in the historical source.
• Mix 10 pounds of honey thoroughly into one urna of must. The source interprets one urna as about 13 liters (nearly 3 imperial gallons) and notes that the recipe may be reduced proportionally.
• Transfer the must-and-honey mixture to a fermentation vessel. Columella describes sealing the vessel with plaster; the source suggests using a reliable modern fermentation closure that permits fermentation gases to escape.
• Keep the vessel in a cool, dry loft for 31 days.
• After 31 days, open the vessel and strain the mead.
• Transfer the strained mead to another vessel. Columella again describes sealing it with plaster and placing it where smoke will reach it. The source notes that the purpose may have been to impart flavor and that the mead could be drunk after this stage.