A Wonderful Year in Food

1. Charity Ferreira’s love affair with creme frai^che began when she tasted it as a topping on a brownie at a Paris restaurant when she was 18. Though creme frai^che is taken for granted by French cooks, it is overlooked by many American cooks.

But Ferreira, a former Times Test Kitchen intern and now a pastry chef at Greens in San Francisco, would never make such a mistake now. And after her April cover story on creme frai^che, readers who tried her recipes won’t overlook the tart cream either. Certainly the staff in the Food section will never forget what creme frai^che did for this blackberry ice cream--it was our overwhelming top recipe of the year’s Top 10.

BLACKBERRY CREME FRAI^CHE ICE CREAM

2 pints blackberries

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar

4 egg yolks

2 1/2 cups milk

2 cups creme frai^che

Puree blackberries in food processor or blender. Add 6 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

Heat milk with remaining sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Whisk little of hot milk mixture into yolks, then whisk yolk mixture into rest of hot milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Stir in creme frai^che and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Just before freezing, combine blackberry puree with custard mixture. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

7 cups. Each 1-cup serving:

531 calories; 72 mg sodium; 247 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 63 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 3.37 grams fiber.

2. We have former Times Test Kitchen intern May Parich to thank for getting her mom, Surapee, into our kitchen. Parich had raved so about her mom’s Thai cooking that when her parents came out from St. Louis in November for a visit, we invited her mother to come to the Test Kitchen and show us her stuff. It is a testament to her talent that two of Surapee’s three recipes were selected and the third was in the running for the year’s Top 10.

Of course, Parich benefited just as much as the rest of us. She had been trying since she was a child to get her mother to share her recipes--especially the one for her favorite curry beef noodle soup kao soi--so she could make the dishes as well. Here, finally, in the Test Kitchen, May diligently watched and wrote as her mother measured and cooked.

KAO SOI

Kao soi garnishes are placed in dishes on the table so each diner can dress the soup to taste. Lime wedges and vinegared chile sauce are added if you like sour elements in your food; sugar and black soy sauce (thicker than regular soy sauce) are for sweetness. Fish sauce is added for saltiness, and chile oil adds heat. Cilantro and green onions are almost always added; fried shallots and pickled bok choy are less common but tasty additions.

GARNISH

1/4 cup oil

3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup Thai chile sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup fish sauce

1/2 cup black soy sauce

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup sugar

2 limes cut in wedges

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1 cup fresh Asian egg noodles set aside from curry recipe, deep-fried in oil until crisp

CURRY

6 dried New Mexico chiles, stems removed

1/2 cup shallots, peeled

1/2 cup cloves garlic, peeled

1/3 cup coriander seeds

1/4 cup cumin seeds

3/4 tablespoon curry powder

6 3/4 cups water

5 cups coconut cream

2 cinnamon sticks

3 pounds chicken thighs and chicken legs with skin

1/3 cup fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 (1-pound) packages fresh Asian egg noodles, less 1 cup for Garnish

GARNISH

Heat oil in small saute pan over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and saute 1 minute. Pour chile oil into small bowl.

Mix together Thai chile sauce and vinegar and put in another small bowl.

Put fish sauce, black soy sauce, green onions, cilantro, sugar, lime wedges, shallots and fried noodles in individual small bowls.

CURRY

Roast chiles, shallots and garlic on baking sheet at 300 degrees 10 minutes.

Place roasted chiles, shallots and garlic with coriander seeds, cumin seeds, curry powder and 3/4 cupwater in food processor and puree until smooth.

Pour into large pot and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add coconut cream, remaining 6 cups water, cinnamon sticks and chicken. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and sugar.

While soup is simmering, bring water to boil in medium pot. Add egg noodles and cook until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and divide among 6 large bowls. Divide chicken pieces and curry among bowls. Garnish as desired.

8 servings. Each serving:

1,239 calories; 1,446 mg sodium; 198 mg cholesterol; 62 grams fat; 132 grams carbohydrates; 43 grams protein; 6.94 grams fiber.

3. We love pies. We publish pie recipes throughout the year, and we devoted two covers to pies and pie-making. But the pie of the year, we all agree, was Nancy Silverton’s lemon meringue tart from her book “The Food of Campanile” (Villard, $35), which we printed in time for Thanksgiving.

Silverton makes her meringue smooth and flat, instead of fluffy and high, and she serves the tart with a Champagne vinegar sauce that emphasizes the sour over the sweet. It’s a beauty to look at and a treat to eat.

LEMON MERINGUE TART WITH CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR SAUCE

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

2 3/4 cups unbleached pastry or unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut in small pieces

2 extra-large egg yolks

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream plus more as needed

MERINGUE

2 cups powdered sugar, lightly packed

4 extra-large egg whites

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR SAUCE

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1 cup Champagne vinegar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces

FILLING

2 cups lemon juice (20 large lemons)

1 cup sugar

8 extra-large eggs

1 cup heavy whipping cream

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

Put flour on smooth work surface, add sugar and mix to combine. Add butter and toss to coat. Crumble butter with fingertips to coarse cornmeal-like consistency, keeping butter well-coated with flour to prevent it from becoming greasy.

Form mixture into mound and make large well in center. Add egg yolks and cream to well. Briefly stir eggs and cream together with fingers, then begin to draw in butter-flour mixture. When completely incorporated, dough will be very sticky. Gather dough into loose ball. It may be necessary to add as much as 2 tablespoons extra cream to make dough moist enough to shape.

Lightly dust work surface and 1 hand with flour. Using heel of floured hand, begin to smear small portions of dough away from you. (Process is messy and sticky, but it blends ingredients together with least working of dough.) When all dough is smeared out, use dough scraper to collect dough and reincorporate it into one mass. Scrape work surface clean.

Clean and completely dry hands. Lightly dust hands and work surface again, knead dough few times, form into smooth ball, flatten slightly into disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 to 4 hours, before rolling to desired shape. (Dough can be kept in refrigerator up to 2 days or frozen several weeks.)

Roll out dough to fit 2 (10-inch) tart pans. Refrigerate 1 hour. Line pastry shells with parchment paper, then weight with dry beans. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove beans and parchment paper and let cool.

MERINGUE

Cut 2 circles of parchment paper 10 inches in diameter, fold each into eighths, cut into 16 individual wedges and set out on smooth work surface.

Combine sugar and egg whites in large mixing bowl over saucepan of simmering water and whisk until smooth and warm to touch, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, push flour through fine-mesh strainer into egg white mixture and whisk to combine completely. Beat at high speed 3 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Spread meringue in 1/8-thick layer over parchment wedges, taking care to completely cover parchment.

Distribute wedges on baking sheets about 1 inch apart and bake at 350 degrees until meringue rises and top is smooth, shiny and lightly brown, about 10 minutes.

Peel paper away from meringue; paper should separate cleanly. Let wedges cool.

CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR SAUCE

Combine sugar and water in large saucepan over medium heat and bring mixture to boil without stirring. Scrape pulp and seeds from vanilla bean into saucepan.

When mixture boils, it will throw sugar onto sides of pan. At this point, wash down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped in water.

When sugar starts to color, after 4 to 5 minutes, swirl pan gently if needed to ensure even coloring. Continue to cook mixture until it turns translucent caramel color, just before it begins to smoke. If mixture becomes opaque and slightly grainy, continue to cook, gently swirling pan until sugar completely melts and mixture becomes clear. If mixture seizes completely and becomes solid and white, it must be discarded.

Remove from heat and add Champagne vinegar; mixture will spatter, and part of it may seize and harden.

Return pan to medium-high heat and cook until sugar melts again and mixture reduces slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Mixture will foam up and become cloudy. Return to heat and cook 3 to 4 minutes.

Using fine-mesh strainer, strain sauce into mixing bowl and place bowl in larger mixing bowl of ice water to cool sauce. Discard vanilla bean. Sauce must be whisked occasionally to prevent butter from separating and hardening. As soon as it is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, remove sauce from ice bath. Sauce should have appearance and texture of thin, emulsified caramel sauce. Serve sauce at room temperature.

FILLING

Whisk together lemon juice and sugar in medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes.

Whisk eggs and cream in large stainless-steel mixing bowl just to combine.

Slowly add lemon juice-sugar mixture to egg-cream mixture and whisk to incorporate completely. Strain custard through fine-mesh strainer into second large mixing bowl.

Divide custard between pre-baked Sweet Tart Pastry shells and bake on middle rack of oven at 275 degrees until center still jiggles slightly when gently shaken, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes.

Cut tarts in wedges same size as meringue pieces, top with meringue and serve each portion with few tablespoons Champagne Vinegar Sauce.

2 (10-inch) tarts, 16 servings. Each serving:

438 calories; 123 mg sodium; 126 mg cholesterol; 15 grams fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.07 gram fiber.

4. In the risotto chapter of his new cookbook, “A Passion for Piedmont” (Morrow, 1997), Matt Kramer stresses the simplicity of risotto, and none exemplifies this simplicity better than the Lemon Risotto, which we excerpted from his book in October. Kramer reminds us that in Italy, the risotto or rice dish is not a side dish, as are most rice dishes elsewhere in the world, but rather the focus of the meal. This risotto is cooked slowly and patiently to tease the creamy essence out of the rice itself.

LEMON RISOTTO (Risotto al Limone)

8 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, plus 2 optional tablespoons butter

1 onion or 4 large shallots, very finely chopped

2 1/2 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice

Salt

1 large egg yolk

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese

Bring stock to boil and immediately reduce to simmer.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes.

Raise heat to high and add rice all at once, stirring vigorously, until grains are translucent and “pearl” in each grain appears clearly, about 1 minute.

Immediately reduce heat to low and add 2 or 3 ladles of simmering stock, just barely enough to cover rice. Season with salt to taste and stir briefly. Adjust heat throughout process so stock is barely bubbling. When air holes start to appear on surface, after about 2 minutes, add another ladle of stock. Continue to cook and add stock, tasting for salt from time to time, taking care not to use too much.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and lemon zest and juice. Set aside.

After 18 to 20 minutes, rice should be close to tender-but-firm stage, neither hard nor too mushy. Risotto is done when you decide that just 1 more ladle of stock will bring rice to its full glory. Err on slightly liquid side, because rice will continue to absorb stock.

Modify body of risotto by stirring in little more stock, then immediately remove pan from heat.

Slowly swirl in egg yolk mixture, stirring in thoroughly. Add grated Parmigiano, stirring again. Check for texture. If consistency is too dry, stir in little stock. Add 2 tablespoons butter, if you wish, stirring in. Serve immediately on very hot plates.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings:

444 calories; 1,289 mg sodium; 64 mg cholesterol; 10 grams fat; 70 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams protein; 0.33 gram fiber.

5. When Sacramento restaurateur and cookbook author Mai Pham and her family arrived in the United States in 1975 after the fall of Saigon, beef noodle soup (pho bo) was one of the things they desperately missed. In Vietnam, steaming bowls of pho were a part of daily life. In their early days in the U.S., she and her family ate pho whenever they could find it--whether it was particularly good or not--because it was a taste of home.

Now authentic recipes have been dusted off and noodle shops serving pho have proliferated throughout the U.S., particularly where there are sizable Asian communities. Pham’s story on pho in July sparked an incredible response from readers--those for whom pho is an integral part of their lives and those who had never tasted it but were so charmed by Pham’s story and her recipes that they had to try it right away.

VIETNAMESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP (Pho Bo)

You can prepare the broth early in the day and assemble the dish just before serving. Make sure the bowls are preheated before using. Vietnamese cooks are very particular about making sure the broth comes out as clear as possible. This is why the roast and bones are brought to a boil, then transferred to a new pot of boiling water: The solids released from the initial boil are discarded with the first batch of water. If the onion begins to break up and muddy the broth before the recipe calls for it to be removed, take it out of the pot. And be sure to remove the spice bag before it starts to darken the broth or overpower the flavor.

BEEF BROTH

Water

1 (2-pound) chuck roast

5 pounds beef marrow bones

2 (4-inch) pieces ginger root, unpeeled

1 large brown onion, peeled

1/3 cup fish sauce

5 tablespoons sugar

6 star anise

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon salt

NOODLES AND ASSEMBLY

1/2 pound beef sirloin steak, slightly frozen

Water

1 1/2 pounds (1/8-inch-wide) fresh or dried flat rice stick noodles (banh pho)

1 brown onion, sliced paper thin

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Black pepper

1 pound bean sprouts

20 sprigs Asian basil (rau que)

12 leaves culantro (saw-leaf herb, ngo gai)), optional

1/4 cup chopped Thai bird chiles or 1/4 cup thinly sliced serrano chiles

2 limes, cut into thin wedges

BEEF BROTH

Bring 6 quarts water to boil in large stockpot.

Put roast and bones in separate pot with water to cover and boil 5 minutes. Using metal tongs, remove roast and bones and add to first pot of boiling water. When water returns to boil, reduce heat and bring to simmer.

Char ginger and onion. Rinse and add to broth. Add fish sauce and sugar. (Smell will initially be pungent but will subside.)

Simmer, skimming surface often to remove foam and fat, until roast is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove meat from broth, submerge in bowl of water 15 minutes to prevent meat from darkening and drying out, then wrap in plastic and set aside until ready to serve. (Refrigerate if soup is not being eaten immediately after cooking.)

Add water to pot if needed to bring to 5 quarts liquid. Put anise, cloves and cinnamon in dampened spice bag or wrap in damp cheesecloth and tie with string and add to broth. Let spices infuse about 1 hour in simmering broth, skimming surface often, then remove and discard spices and onion. (Note: Cooking spices too long makes broth dark and pungent; begin tasting broth after 45 minutes of simmering to check flavor.)

Add salt and keep on low simmer while preparing noodles and condiments. Broth should be rich enough to serve after 2 1/2 hours total cooking time but can simmer longer; don’t turn heat on and off if eating soup same day. (Note: Broth may taste salty but will balance out once noodles and accompaniments are added.)

NOODLES AND ASSEMBLY

Cut half of reserved roast from Beef Broth into thin slices and reserve remainder for another use. Cut partially frozen sirloin into paper-thin slices. Put roast and sirloin on separate plates and set aside.

Bring large pot water to boil. Place handful of fresh noodles (enough for 1 serving) in sieve and lower into boiling water. Using fork or chopsticks, stir 15 seconds, then lift and shake off water. Transfer to large heated bowl. Repeat for 5 more bowls. (Note: If using dried noodles, soak in water to cover 20 minutes. Cook all at once until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse well in warm water, then divide among heated bowls.)

Place few slices roast and sirloin on noodles in each bowl. Bring Beef Broth up from low simmer to rolling boil and ladle 3 cups broth on each serving.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sliced brown onion, 1 tablespoon green onions and 1 tablespoon cilantro on top of each bowl. Season with pepper to taste.

Garnish with bean sprouts, Asian basil, saw-leaf herb, chiles and squeeze of lime juice as desired at table.

6 main-course servings. Each serving with 3 cups broth:

649 calories; 1,873 mg sodium; 56 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 118 grams carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 7.07 grams fiber.

6. Each year before Thanksgiving, we print our tried-and-true turkey recipes. Each year, however, we also give you something new. The hands-down winner of the year’s new turkeys was Ken Hom’s steamed turkey stuffed with sausage and glutinous rice from his new cookbook, “Easy Family Recipes From a Chinese-American Childhood” (Knopf, 1997).

The turkey is steamed, making it wonderfully moist, then it’s roasted to crisp and brown the skin. This was the turkey that graced many of our own Thanksgiving tables this year.

CHINESE AMERICAN THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH RICE AND SAUSAGE STUFFING

STUFFING

3 cups sweet rice (also known as glutinous rice)

1 cup dried black mushrooms

1 1/2 pounds ground pork

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine or dry Sherry

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger root

Turkey giblets (heart and gizzard only), chopped

1 pound Chinese pork sausage, chopped

1/2 pound fresh water chestnuts, peeled and coarsely chopped, or canned

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

TURKEY

1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

3 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

SAUCE

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

STUFFING

Put rice in large bowl, cover with cold water and soak overnight. Drain thoroughly.

Soak mushrooms in warm water 20 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Remove and discard stems. Coarsely chop caps.

Combine ground pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine, sesame oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Set aside 20 minutes.

Heat wok or large skillet over high heat until hot. Swirl in peanut oil. When it is very hot and smoking slightly, add green onions and ginger and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add pork mixture and turkey giblets and stir-fry 3 minutes, breaking up pork. Add mushrooms, Chinese sausage, rice and water chestnuts and continue to stir-fry until thoroughly mixed, about 3 minutes.

Add chicken broth, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and remaining 3 tablespoons rice wine and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and cool thoroughly.

TURKEY

Carefully separate skin of turkey breast from meat with hands. Rub skin with sesame oil. Mix salt and pepper and rub evenly over turkey. Set aside. (This may be done a day ahead. Cover turkey with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)

Insert thin layer of stuffing between turkey breast and skin. Loosely fill turkey cavity with stuffing and close with skewer. (Spoon any remaining stuffing into baking dish and steam 40 minutes before serving).

Place turkey on deep heat-proof platter on rack in large roasting pan or turkey roaster. Add enough hot water to pan or roaster to come to 1 1/2 inches beneath rack. Cover pan tightly with lid or foil. Bring water to simmer, reduce heat to low and gently steam until thigh juices run clear when pricked with fork or tip of knife, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Replenish steaming water as needed. Remove turkey from platter, reserving any juices that may have collected. Discard steaming water.

Place steamed turkey on rack in roasting pan and roast at 350 degrees 25 minutes. Increase temperature to 450 degrees and roast until turkey is golden brown and instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, about 15 minutes.

Remove turkey from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving. Serve carved turkey and stuffing with sauce.

SAUCE

While turkey is roasting, combine chicken stock and reserved turkey juices in saucepan. Bring mixture to boil and reduce by half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

10 to 12 servings. Each of 12 servings:

848 calories; 1,056 mg sodium; 286 mg cholesterol; 33 grams fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 83 grams protein; 0.39 gram fiber.

7. This is the second recipe from Surapee Parich, mother of former Times Test Kitchen intern May Parich. The dish makes a wonderful dinner party appetizer or pass-around hors d’oeuvre.

STUFFED SHRIMP IN A SILK WRAPPER

DIPPING SAUCE

3 tablespoons Thai chile paste

1/3 cup vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon salt

FILLING

1/2 pound ground pork

1 (4 1/2-ounce) can lump crab meat

2 tablespoons thin soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons water

1 cucumber, peeled

48 large shrimp

24 spring roll wrappers

1 egg, lightly beaten

Oil for deep frying

DIPPING SAUCE

Combine chile paste, vinegar, water, sugar and salt in medium saucepan. Boil until slightly thick, about 10 minutes. Let cool and set aside. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

FILLING

Combine pork, crab meat, soy sauce, pepper, garlic powder, cilantro, water chestnuts, sesame oil and water. Slice cucumber into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

Peel shrimp to tail. Butterfly along back, removing vein. Stuff cut portion of each shrimp with 1 teaspoon filling, mounding filling over shrimp.

Cut wrappers diagonally to make triangles. Cover with damp towel to prevent drying.

Place 1 shrimp on 1 wrapper triangle about 1/4 of way from corner with tail hanging over longest edge. Carefully wrap corner over shrimp and roll shrimp in wrapper about 3 times. Fold top corner over shrimp and continue rolling and tucking to achieve snug fit around shrimp with shrimp tail hanging out. Brush beaten egg where edges come together to seal wrapper.

Fill medium-sized heavy saucepan halfway with oil and heat on medium-high until 400 degrees. Fry shrimp until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with Dipping Sauce and cucumber slices.

48 shrimp rolls. Each shrimp roll with 1 teaspoon sauce:

79 calories; 229 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

8. We believe in using fresh, seasonal ingredients, as do the country’s best chefs. Of course, not every chef has the time or space to maintain a home garden.

Evan Kleiman, chef-owner of Angeli Caffe on Melrose Avenue, has created a small organic garden in a narrow space behind her ‘20s-era L.A. duplex. For her, it makes life easier.

When she gets home after a long day in her restaurant, she walks outside, spies what’s ready to pick, and she’s got dinner. “Cooking becomes more ingredient-based rather than recipe-based,” she says. Just before the Los Angeles Garden Show in October, we visited Kleiman and her garden. Among the delicious dishes she produced from her bounty was bruschetta made with mixed greens and fresh shell bean puree. We couldn’t get enough.

BRUSCHETTA WITH FRESH SHELL BEAN PUREE AND MIXED MUSTARD GREENS

(Bruschetta ‘Ncapriata)

1 cup dried flageolet, Great Northern or cannellini beans

1/2 onion

Water

Salt

Extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, plus 1 to 2 optional cloves garlic

2 large bunches or 4 small bunches greens (such as spinach, mustard greens, chard, tat soi)

2 anchovy fillets

Salt

12 slices ciabatta or other hard-crusted rustic bread

Soak beans overnight in water. Drain. Place beans and onion in small saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches, bring to rolling boil and boil 5 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer until beans are very tender, about 40 minutes, adding just enough water if necessary to keep beans covered. Add salt to taste during last few minutes of cooking.

When beans are very tender, remove onion and drain off nearly all water, leaving just enough for mashing beans into fluffy puree. Mash beans with potato masher, adding olive oil to taste. Press 1 to 2 cloves optional garlic and mix into beans.

Wash and dry greens and remove fibrous stems or ribs. Stack leaves, roll up and slice across to make thin strips. Mince 2 cloves garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic, anchovies, greens and salt to taste. Cover pan and cook until greens wilt and are tender. Remove pan from heat. Drain off excess liquid.

Grill or lightly toast bread. Rub each slice with remaining garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil.

To serve, put toast, greens and bean puree on serving platter. Let each guest spoon beans onto toast and top with bit of greens.

6 servings Each serving:

363 calories; 588 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams protein; 2.60 grams fiber.

9. This was our second Hanukkah issue in a row to print cooking teacher Judy Zeidler’s recipe for Perfect Potato Latkes. So when we printed some absolutely wonderful latke recipes in December and Zeidler’s were still the best we’d ever eaten, we knew they deserved recognition as one of the year’s Top 10.

Zeidler grew up in a Russian-Jewish family and this is the recipe her mother made to serve as the Hanukkah candles were lighted; she has carried on the tradition with her own children and grandchildren.

PERFECT POTATO LATKES

4 baking potatoes, peeled

1 large onion, grated

1 tablespoon lemon juice

4 eggs

3 tablespoons flour

Pinch baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil

Grate potatoes, using food processor or fine shredder. Immediately transfer to large bowl and add onion, lemon juice, eggs, flour, baking soda, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Heat 1/8 inch oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour batter into hot oil with large spoon and flatten with back of spoon to make 4-inch latkes. Cook on 1 side just until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook on other side. Turn once only. Drain well on paper towels and serve immediately, plain or with topping.

1 dozen latkes. Each latke:

75 calories; 220 mg sodium; 71 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.

10. Novelist and frequent Food section contributor Michelle Huneven got hooked on gorditas in Guanajuato, Mexico, and brought her obsession home with her, single-mindedly perfecting the art of making the “little fatties” and throwing gordita parties. When we tasted her gorditas last January, we knew why.

Gorditas are like very thick tortillas, only chewier. They’re split and filled with beans and cheese and whatever else is on hand--meat, fish, chicken, vegetables, salad--so they adapt to almost every taste preference. To quote Huneven: “Round, golden, hand-sized and charmingly named, gorditas are simply, inarguably adorable.” And delicious.

BASIC GORDITAS

Gorditas can be filled with just about anything. Here are a few suggestions to cook or purchase: black beans; grilled snapper or shark; grilled shrimp; rotisserie chicken; turkey; leftover steak, roast or chops, diced and warmed; chicharrones (pork skin); sesos (brains); scrambled eggs; guacamole; cotija cheese (crumbly white fresh Mexican cheese); Monterey jack cheese; sour cream or Mexican crema; sauteed or stewed mushrooms, summer squash, squash blossoms; shredded lettuce or cabbage.

4 pounds fresh masa, preferably masa refregada, masa molida, masa no preparada

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

Water

1 to 2 tablespoons lard or corn oil

Corn oil

1/2 pound cotija cheese, crumbled

Mix masa, salt and baking powder together with hands. Add just enough water and lard to make dough pliable. Continue kneading until dough begins to feel smooth.

Pull off enough masa to form 1 smooth 2-inch ball. Pat gently back and forth in your hands to form 4- to 5-inch cake about 1/2-inch thick. Cook on hot griddle, 2 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Heat enough oil for frying to 375 degrees. Fry gorditas, 1 or 2 at a time, until they float, about 45 seconds. Remove and drain on paper towels. Split open each gordita with steak knife. (Opening should be wide enough for easy stuffing but should not split gordita.) Stuff with fillings of choice and serve with cotija cheese.

28 gordita shells. Each gordita, without filling:

245 calories; 105.7 mg sodium; 0.5 mg cholesterol; 3.43 grams fat; 4.86 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0.96 grams fiber.

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Chef’s Tips

Creme frai^che is widely available at supermarkets, but to make your own, warm 5 cups heavy whipping cream to 100 degrees (just above lukewarm), stir in 5 tablespoons buttermilk, transfer to clean plastic container and let stand, loosely covered, at room temperature until thickened, 12-36 hours.

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Chef’s Tips

To char ginger and onions, hold directly over flame of gas burner. If you have an electric stove, dry roast in a skillet. Quarter the onions before charring. Rinse vegetables before adding to the broth.

* Chopsticks and pottery bowls from Windows, Pasadena//Kao Soi garnishes, GINA FERAZZI