Caprese Tartlets Recipe Courtesy Melissa Darabian

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium high. Place the cabbage wedges on a baking sheet and drizzle with the canola oil on both sides. Sprinkle with the sugar and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Grill the cabbage until the edges begin to wilt but the rest remains crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and let cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette: Combine the orange zest and juice, mustard and olive oil in a medium bowl and whisk until emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chop the grilled cabbage, discarding the core, and add to the bowl with the dressing. Add the parsley and scallions and toss to coat.

Steps:

• To make the North African Sauce:
• In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and olives and cook for 1 more minute. Add the white wine, deglaze the pan, and let it reduce for a 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, canned tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon, and simmer to blend flavors, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To make the Meatballs: In a medium bowl, add the egg and tomato paste and stir until smooth. Add the cilantro, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon and mix until well blended. Stir in the ground beef and oats, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and combine gently after each addition. Do not overmix. Rolling with your hands, make about 32 meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter.
• In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat, and brown the meatballs in batches until golden on all sides. Add more oil, as needed. Transfer the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and let simmer for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve over the Couscous with Dried Dates.
• Couscous with Dried Dates:
• Bring the water, stock, and oil to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the dates followed by the couscous. Cover the pan tightly with a lid, remove from the heat, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
• Yield: 4 servings

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove the crusts from the bread and using a large spoon or rolling pin, gently press the slices of bread down flat until they are thin and almost doughy. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Press the slices in the muffin tin, to form tartlet shells. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, using a fork to combine, mix together the cream cheese, garlic powder, dried basil, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Drop about a teaspoon of the cream cheese into the bottom of each muffin tin. Bake the tartlets until golden and crusty, 12 to 13 minutes.
• Meanwhile, liberally salt the tomato slices. Once the tartlet shells are golden, remove them from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Place a slice of mozzarella on top of the cream cheese, then layer on a tomato slice or two. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, if using. Garnish with basil chiffonade.

Steps:

• Place the egg yolks, sugar and wine into a metal bowl. Place the bowl on a pan of barely simmering water, making a double boiler. Whisk the mixture constantly until the mixture becomes foamy and then creamy, doubling in size, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be uncomfortably warm to the touch, but not burning. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In a small mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes, and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, mix the Mock Mascarpone cheese with the egg mixture using medium speed until well blended. Fold in the whipped cream.
• Pour the coffee into a wide bowl; briefly dip 3 slices of the pound cake into the coffee, about 3 seconds each side. Transfer to a 6 to 8-ounce parfait glass to create the first layer. Top the slices of cake with a few spoonfuls of the cream filling mixture. Repeat the process with another 3 slices of cake and top with more filling mixture. Repeat the process for the remaining parfait glasses. Dust each dessert with the cocoa. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.
• In a small bowl, cream together the cream cheese, yogurt and vanilla extract with a mixer until well blended. Refrigerate if a firmer texture is desired. Use in recipes as an inexpensive alternative to mascarpone.

Steps:

• Special equipment: 12 individual tartlet pans with removable bottoms
• Preheat oven on to 375 degrees F.
• To assemble tartlets: Take the tart pans and brush with butter and liberally sprinkle with cornmeal. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into 12 individual tarts. Dough circles should be larger than the pan to fit properly.
• Lay the dough rounds in the pans and press down to fill in the corners. Trim excess dough.
• Brush bottoms of dough shell with olive oil and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 6 minutes until bottom is cooked but blonde.
• Sprinkle the tomato slices with salt. Layer the tomato slices and mozzarella slices into the pan, overlapping the pieces in a circle, until all the ingredients are used. Season with salt and pepper. Bake tarts for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Right before serving, garnish top with torn basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.