Whisk together the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk in the cheese. Season to taste with pepper.

Yields about 1/2 cup. (Refrigerate up to 3 days.)

¼ cup toasted almonds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1-⅓ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
¾ teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg + 1 yolk, beaten
3 tablespoons cold water

Pulse the almonds and sugar together in a food processor until finely ground. Add flours, butter and salt and process until consistency of wet sand. Add egg and as much water as needed, little by little, until dough comes together into a ball. Divide into two balls, flatten into 4-inch discs, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

Makes 2 crusts

6 ounces unbleached all-purpose flour (approximately 1-1/3 cups)
3 ounces white whole-wheat flour (approximately 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
6 ounces (by weight) warm (100 F to 110 F) water (about 3/4 cup)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Stir together flours, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Create a well in center of flour mixture and pour in warm water and oil. Stir with a wooden spoon until it gets too heavy to stir, then switch to a rounded bowl scraper until you have a sticky, ragged mass. Cover with plastic wrap (or a shower cap—a handy reusable alternative to plastic wrap) and let stand at room temperature for 18-24 hours.

15 minutes after mixing dough, scrape around the edge of the bowl with a bowl scraper, pulling the dough into the center. Repeat (if you have time) 15 minutes later. (If you have time during the first 2 hours, fold the dough over on itself every half-hour: After a couple of repeats, the mass will come together into a smooth, wet dough. The folding also helps distribute the yeast more quickly.)

When the dough is very bubbly (18-24 hours), scrape it down with the dough scraper. Dust a counter with flour (more heavily if the dough seems really wet). Dust the top with more flour. Divide the dough in half. Place 1 portion on the work surface (cover remaining portion to keep it from drying out). Fold the dough over onto itself—pick up one side and fold it to the middle, then the opposite side, then the top, and then the bottom. Press down lightly, adding more flour as needed, and repeat the folding one more time. Flip the dough over and shape it very gently, cupping it between your palms and rotating it, into a ball. Repeat with remaining portion. (At this point, you can either roll the dough out to use, or put each portion of dough in a plastic zip-top bag and freeze them to use another time. Thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator.)

Dust a pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. Gently shape 1 dough portion into a 10- to 12-inch round on a lightly floured work surface (you can do this by hand or with a rolling pin). Transfer the dough to the dusted pizza peel or baking sheet. Pile on the toppings and transfer the pizza* to a hot pizza stone preheated to 500 degrees F on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake 9-12 minutes or until the toppings are bubbly and the crust is golden.

Yields 2 (10- to 12-inch) pizza crusts

* The pizza should easily slide from the cornmeal-dusted peel onto the stone, but this is a maneuver that can take some practice. An alternative is to shape the dough, transfer it to a square of parchment paper that’s slightly larger than your pizza, top it as desired, and then place the parchment paper with the pizza onto the hot stone.

1 pound unsalted organic butter

Place butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will start to foam. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and brown. You’ll need to gently tilt the pan to be sure the milk solids don’t burn.

Line a fine-mesh strainer with 2 layers of cheesecloth; place the lined strainer in a clean bowl. Strain the ghee. Decant the ghee into a clean jar and let it cool. The ghee will solidify as it cools. Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to 6 months.

Yields about 2 cups

4 bananas, peeled and broken in half
3 cups fat free milk
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Serves 4

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fat-free milk
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
Canola oil

Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the eggs until well-combined. Gradually add the milk, whisking until the batter is thoroughly combined and the consistency of heavy cream. Strain the batter through a fine-mesh sieve (to remove any little lumps) into another medium bowl.

Heat the butter in a stainless-steel skillet or small saucepan; cook until butter until is browned. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Whisk the browned butter into the batter. Cover, and let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush the surface of pan with oil. Use a small ladle to add 2 to 4 tablespoons batter to pan (just enough to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of batter), swirling the pan to coat. Cook about 2 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the bottom is golden (use a rubber spatula to lift the crepe and peek at the bottom). Flip the crepe; cook another minute or so until the other side is golden. Transfer crepe to a wire rack. Repeat with oil and remaining batter. Keep the crepes warm in a low oven to serve immediately, or cool completely and refrigerate or freeze.

Note: To refrigerate or freeze, stack cooled crepes between layers of parchment or waxed paper and place in a zip-top plastic bag. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month (thaw them at room temperature). Reheat in a low oven or in a pan over medium-low heat.

Makes 12 (7-inch) crepes

Choc-full of tender bits of candied peel, this bittersweet marmalade has a fruit-forward flavor, and is wonderful spread on toasted English muffins or crisp baguette.

2 pounds organic blood oranges
1 lemon (for added acid and pectin)
8 cups water
6 – 7 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda (to help retain color of fruit)
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter (to reduce air bubbles)

You will need:

Cheese cloth

Kitchen twine

1 large cooking pot and 1 water bath canner with rack OR 2 large cooking pots
Wooden spoon
8 – 8 ounce canning jars with sealing lids and rings
Jelly or candy thermometer
Kitchen tongs or canning tongs
Baking Rack
Ladle
Clean rubber kitchen gloves
Clean paper towels

Thoroughly clean and disinfect your work area and gather all materials. Wash jars, lids, and rings in hot soapy water and set aside on a clean towel to dry.

Gently scrub the fruit with a vegetable brush under lukewarm running water to remove any waxy residue. To chop fruit, slice off stem and blossom ends to reveal end of segments, and discard. Slice fruit as thinly as possible, into rounds no more than 1/8 inch thick. Slice rounds into small wedges. Remove seeds as you find them and set aside. When all fruit is cut, wrap seeds in a small bundle of cheese cloth and tie tightly with kitchen twine.

In a large pot combine water, fruit, seed bundle, and baking soda. Bring to a simmer, and cook until peel is soft and liquid is reduced by half* (see note), about 2 hours. Measure the contents of the pan, and combine with 1 cup of sugar for each cup of fruit mixture. Squeeze and scrape any jelly-like pectin from seed bundle into fruit mixture, and discard bundle. Add 1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until sugar is fully dissolved.  Clip candy or jelly thermometer to edge of pan and bring to a low boil. Monitor the temperature closely and remove from heat when mixture reaches the gelling point at 220 degrees F** (see note); this will take 40 to 90 minutes of cooking time.”

While marmalade is cooking, sterilize jars.  Fully immerse jars in a large pot of fresh water. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Jars may be left in hot water until ready to fill.

When marmalade has reached the gelling point, quickly skim off any foam and begin processing (i.e., filling). Put on rubber gloves to prevent burns. Use tongs to carefully remove and empty jars from hot water bath, placing upright on baking rack. Use ladle to fill hot jars with hot marmalade, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Use clean, damp paper towels to wipe any drips from jar rims.

Immediately place lids on jars and screw on sealing rings—don’t over tighten. Process jars in a water bath canner for 5 minutes*** (see note) according to canner instructions, before cooling jars on baking rack. Alternately, invert the jars on baking rack and set timer for 5 minutes (this method is acceptable, but less safe and effective than water bath canning). When timer goes off, place jars right side up on baking rack. Leave jars undisturbed for at least 12 hours. As marmalade cools, lids should form a vacuum seal, indicated by the indentation of the dimple on the lids. Jars that failed to seal can either be refrigerated and consumed within 2 weeks, or reprocessed so they properly seal.

*Tip: Before cooking begins, use a paring knife to cut a small notch in the edge of a wooden spoon, where the surface of the liquid is. Use this mark to easily monitor how much the mixture has reduced during cooking.

**Subtract 2 degrees F for every 1,000 feet of elevation.

***Increase processing time by 5 minutes for every 3,000 feet in elevation.

Food writer and cooking instructor Ginny Mahar currently resides in Missoula, Montana. Read about her mission to bring people back to the table on her blog, www.thesundaydinnerrevival.com.

1 clove garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Worcester sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons canola oil

Blend garlic through broth in a blender until smooth. Add ketchup and oil, season with salt, and blend again.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Makes 2 cups

1 large red onion, thinly vertically sliced
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
2 oregano sprigs
1 bay leaf

Place the onion in a 1 pint jar or other container.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, peppercorns and cumin seeds in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until the sugar and salt dissolve. Add the vinegar mixture to the jar. Add the oregano sprigs and bay leaf. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate up to a week.

Yields about 2 cups

Ground nuts and a touch of whole-wheat pastry flour give this crust a healthier edge. It also has less fat than traditional pastry, yet there’s enough to make it satisfyingly tender. As with any pastry, handle the dough gently (so it doesn’t get tough) and don’t skip chilling it for 30 minutes. That helps the gluten relax and makes a more tender crust. I use the chilling time to peel the fruit and assemble the filling.

For variety, you can substitute cherries and/or blueberries for half the peaches. Taste the fruit first and adjust the sugar in the filling accordingly. Same goes for amount of flour in the filling. Really juicy peaches may need an extra tablespoon of flour; not so juicy, use less flour.

Pastry Dough

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup finely ground toasted walnuts or almonds
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Filling and Finish

6 cups sliced peeled fresh peaches (about 4 pounds)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cold butter, cut into 6 pieces
Nonstick cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon turbinado or granulated sugar

To prepare pastry dough, combine first 5 ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 2 times. Add 1/4 cup butter and shortening and pulse 4 times, or just until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Transfer flour mixture to a large bowl. Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork just until moistened. Gently gather dough into a ball. Divide dough in half and press each portion into a 4-inch circle. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375.

While the dough chills, prepare the filling. Combine peaches, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Remove 1 portion of dough from refrigerator. Place dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until plastic can be removed. Repeat with remaining dough portion.

Remove top sheet of plastic from 1 dough portion. Place dough, plastic side up, in a 9-inch glass or ceramic pie plate (not deep dish) coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap, allowing ends of dough to extend over sides of pie plate. Spoon peach mixture into pie plate and dot with pieces of butter. Whisk together egg white and 1 teaspoon water. Lightly brush edges of dough with egg white mixture.

Remove plastic from remaining portion of dough and gently place dough over pie. Seal edges of dough and flute. Lightly brush top of dough with egg white mixture; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar. Cut 6 slits in top of pie to allow steam to escape.

Bake at 375 for 50 to 55 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Lightly shield edges of pie with foil during last 10 minutes, if necessary. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Serves 8