The beaver is a proud and noble animal

Ingredients
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups/125g graham cracker crumbs
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup/75g unsalted butter or margarine, melted

FILLING:
900g cream cheese, softened
1 1/4/250g cups sugar
1/2 cup/125ml sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 large eggs

TOPPING:
1/2 cup/125ml sour cream
2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 325F/160C. Place a large pan filled with 1/2 inch water in oven.

Mix graham cracker crumbs and cinnamon; add butter or margarine. Press crust onto bottom and 2/3 of the way up a 9-inch springform pan lined with parchment. Double-wrap a large piece of foil around bottom of pan. Freeze until filling is prepared.

Use an electric mixer to mix cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Whisk eggs in a bowl; add to cream cheese mixture. Blend just until eggs are incorporated.

Remove crust from freezer and pour in filling. Carefully place cheesecake into preheated water bath. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Try not to open the door to the oven. At the 60 minute mark check on the cheesecake if its done. A small area in the center should wobble slightly and the edges should be puffed and light golden brown.

Turn oven off and prop open oven door and leave the cheesecake to cool in oven for one hour.

Combine sour cream and sugar; spread over cake. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

2 sheets puff pastry (defrosted, if frozen)
1 kg fresh baby spinach, or 500g frozen spinach, defrosted.
2 scallions
2 Tbsp. dill
75g Greek feta, crumbled
1 lemon
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
freshly ground black pepper, plus more
All-purpose flour (for rolling)
1 large egg

Wilt spinach in a frying pan over a little bit of olive oil. Let cool. If using frozen spinach, place in a colander to drain.

While spinach cools, finely chop 2 scallions and transfer to a medium bowl. Finely chop 2 Tbsp. dill and add to bowl. Crumble Greek feta into small pieces and add to bowl. Add zest of 1 lemon. Season with 1 tsp. kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer spinach to a dish towel and squeeze over the sink — you want to get rid of excess moisture that’ll make your pastry soggy. You’ll be surprised by how little spinach is left, but that’s okay. Chop and add to bowl with scallion mixture. Stir to combine, making sure to break up any spinach clumps.

Find a round object that’s 10–12″ in diameter (the larger, the better – look for a large pan lid). Place one of the pastry sheets, still on parchment, on a work surface or large cutting board. Dust lightly with flour, both over and under. Roll it out, rotating parchment 90° (so you’re rolling in all directions) and dusting with flour if pastry sticks, until it’s at least 1–2″ larger than your round object.

Place round object over pastry, press to indent, then use a sharp knife to trace the circle. Set aside the excess pastry. Transfer pastry round, still on parchment, to a baking sheet. Chill. Repeat with the second sheet of pastry.

Crack 1 large egg into a small bowl and beat with a fork. Brush egg wash all along circumference of one pastry round (this will seal the two pieces of pastry together); reserve remaining egg wash for later. Spread spinach mixture over, leaving a 1/2″ border. Place second round of pastry on top and press gently to seal. Using a small cup or shot glass (2″ in diameter), make an indent in the very center. Your pastry might be slightly warm by now. If so, chill 10–20 minutes.

Once pastry is cool, transfer the whole set-up, parchment and all, to a work surface. With a chef’s knife, cut pastry into 4 quadrants, stopping when you reach the center circle. Cut each quadrant in half, then in half again, so that you have 16 spokes. Transfer tart with parchment back to sheet tray. (We’re doing this so that you can make sharp cuts and avoid transferring a delicate item)

Working with one spoke at a time, pull gently away from the center (to extend the length of each piece), then twist to expose the spinach insides. Aim for three or four twists. Nudge them around to distribute evenly. Freeze until cold, 10–15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400F/200C. Brush tart all over with reserved egg wash; season with salt and pepper. Bake tart until risen and well browned all over, 30–35 minutes.

In the great debate between NY-style and Montreal-style bagels, I’m biased – I grew up eating bagels in Montreal and, to me, they represent a taste of home. New York-style bagels are soft, chewy and doughy. Montreal-style bagels, on the other hand, are smaller, denser and sweeter. Both are boiled before they are baked, to create the thick, shiny, chewy exterior. New York bagels are made with salt and malt, whilst honey and extra eggs are added to the water when baking a Montreal bagel. The cooking process for each type of bagel also differs. A New York bagel is first boiled before being baked in a traditional oven. A Montreal bagel on the other hand is boiled in water that contains added sugar and honey before being baked in a wood-fired oven.

Ingredients

350 g warm water
60 g sugar
30 g oil
10 g active dry yeast
1 egg
20 g honey
8 g salt
Up to 700 g flour

For finishing:
150 g honey
Preferred topping (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, everything mix)

Everything bagel mix:
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1.5 tbsp dried minced onion
2 tsp flaked sea salt or coarse salt

Making the dough:

In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar, oil, yeast, egg and honey. Whisk in salt. Gently stir in some of the flour (approx. 550g), one cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto surface and gently knead until it begins to comes together. Continue to knead, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking, until you have a soft, dough that bounces back when you press on it — it should take 10 – 12 minutes.

When dough is properly kneaded, place in an oiled bowl, making sure to get a thin coat of oil on dough. Cover with a towel and let rest 30 minutes.

Cut dough into pieces between 100g-120g. Keep pieces covered with towel while you work.

Shaping:

Roll each piece into a 10 – 12 inch rope. Do not add flour to the surface, unless to prevent sticking.

Wrap rope around your four fingers, overlapping the ends on the inside of your hand to make a circle. To seal, roll your hand back and forth, pressing gently to complete the circle. Place on floured surface to rest and cover with a towel as you work. Keep bagels covered as you go.

Let bagels rest 30 minutes.

Boiling and baking:

Preheat oven to 450F/225C/200C Fan with a parchment paper-lined baking sheet inside.

Fill a large pot with water. Put to boil over medium-high heat. Add 150 g of honey to pot of water and bring to a full boil.

Handle rested bagels gently to keep their shape. Boil bagels in batches, 1.5 – 2 minutes per side. Remove from water using a slotted spoon. Place onto cooling rack and sprinkle heavily with seeds.

Place bagels on heated pan in oven and bake until golden brown, 15 – 20 minutes.

zest and juice 1 large orange
sunflower oil, for greasing
225ml semi-skimmed milk
50g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
1 large egg
450g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp fast-action yeast
50g golden caster sugar
200g chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp golden caster sugar
100g plain flour

Make the dough first. Heat the milk in a pan until steaming. Remove from the heat, and drop in the butter. After a couple of mins, beat in the egg, half the orange juice and half the orange zest. The liquid should be just warm for step 2.

Mix the strong flour, yeast, 1 tsp salt and the sugar in a large bowl, then tip in the liquid and stir to make a soft dough without dry patches. Flour the work surface and your hands, then knead the dough for 5-10 mins until smooth and elastic. Use a stand mixer or processor if you like. Oil a large bowl, sit the dough inside it, then cover with oiled cling film. Rise in a warm place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.

Break the chocolate into a food processor with the cinnamon and 2 tbsp sugar, then pulse until very finely chopped. Mix in the rest of the zest. If you don’t have a processor, chop it by hand or grate it, then mix with the other ingredients.

Turn the risen dough onto a floured surface and press it out to a large rectangle, a little bigger than A4 paper. Scatter it evenly with the chocolate mix. Roll the dough up around the filling, then knead it well for a few mins until the chocolate are evenly spread. Some chocolate will try to escape, but keep kneading them back in.

Grease then line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Shape into buns by pinching each ball of dough into a purse shape, concentrating on making the underneath of the ball (which will be the top) as smooth as you can. Put the buns, smooth-side up, onto the baking sheet, leaving room for rising. Cover loosely with oiled cling film and prove in a warm place for 30-45 mins or until the dough has risen and doesn’t spring back quickly when prodded gently.

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. To make the paste for the crosses, gradually stir 6-7 tbsp water into the plain flour to make a smooth, thick paste, then put in a food bag and snip off the end to about 5mm. Pipe the crosses, then bake for 20-25 mins until the buns are risen and dark golden brown.

Mix the rest of the orange juice with the remaining sugar and let it dissolve. Brush the syrup over the buns while they are hot, then leave to cool. Eat on the day of baking, or toast the next day.

2 tbsp olive oil
400g lean ground beef
1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 cups marinara sauce, divided
14 dried manicotti pasta tubes (225g)
1 (450g) container full-fat ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the ground beef and cook until the meat begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the shallot, cook until the shallot is translucent and the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.

Heat the oven to 375F/190C and prepare the baking dish. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or olive oil. Spread half of the marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish and set aside.

Add the manicotti to the water and boil until they are al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Combine the ricotta, half of mozzarella, half of the Parmesan, half of the parsley, the egg, and the salt with the cooled beef mixture and stir to combine well.

Transfer the beef and cheese mixture to a piping bag or gallon size ziptop bag. Snip off a 1/2-inch hole in one bottom corner of the bag, then pipe the filling into each manicotti tube. Nestle each filled manicotti in the sauce, packed them tightly together in a single layer.

Pour the remaining marinara sauce evenly over the manicotti and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Bake uncovered until the sauce is bubbly, the cheese is browned, and the noodles are very tender, 35 to 40. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley just before serving.

3 to 5 pounds white or yellow onions (4 to 5 large onions)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp salt

Peel and thinly slice all of the onions into half-moons. Transfer all the onions to the slow cooker — the slow cooker should be half to three-quarters full.

Drizzle the olive oil or melted butter and the salt, if using, over the top of the onions. Toss to evenly coat all the onions with a thin glaze of oil.

Cover the slow cooker and cook for 10 hours on LOW. If you’re around while the onions are cooking, stir them occasionally — this will help them cook more evenly, but isn’t strictly necessary. After 10 hours, the onions will be golden-brown and soft, and they will have released a lot of liquid. If you like them as they are now, stop cooking and pack them up.

If you’d like jammier, more concentrated onions with a deeper color, continue cooking for another 3 to 5 hours on LOW. Leave the lid ajar so the liquid can evaporate. Check every hour and stop cooking whenever the onions look and taste good to you.

Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and transfer them to refrigerator or freezer containers. If any liquid remains in the slow cooker, transfer the liquid to a separate container — this can be used as cooking broth in another recipe. Onions will keep in the refrigerator for one week or in the freezer for at least 3 months.

If you’re planning to freeze a portion of your batch (and you should!), I recommend freezing them in containers of multiple sizes: ice cubes of caramelized onions are great for last-minute burger and sandwich toppings, cup-sized portions can be used for pizza and pasta toppings, and larger containers are perfect to throw directly in a soup.

A few notes about your onions:

• Onions with low moisture content are best. White onions tend to be drier and spicier and therefore an excellent choice to caramelize. When you slow cook them over an extended period, their natural sugars caramelize, and they have this intensely delicious flavor with a nice tender bite to them.
• Yellow onions often have a milder flavor than white onions. They still caramelize nicely and keep that tender texture. Try to choose large all-purpose yellow onions that are firmer.
• I would be more reluctant to choose sweet onions (like Spanish yellow onions) as they have a higher moisture content. Sometimes Spanish sweet onions can result in more loss of sugar and therefore less flavor with a more mushier texture. I would recommend using these types of onions more in their raw state like on salads instead of in this recipe.
• Red onions are definitely on the sweeter side than yellow or white onions. Be aware that they can turn out more grayish or with an almost brownish-burgundy color.