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When I get invited to a potluck or dinner at a friend’s place, it pretty much goes without saying that I’m the one responsible for bringing dessert. And more often than not, my dessert of choice is cookies. They’re easily portable, I can prep the dough ahead of time, and they don’t require any fuss (plates, utensils, etc.) on location.

I take a certain amount of pride in the fact that they’re always a hit, regardless of whether the other guests are gluten-free or not. But there’s always a faction of people that leave me totally exasperated: the people who don’t like sweets and avoid the dessert altogether.
As somebody with a major sweet tooth, the whole not liking sweets phenomenon is outside my realm of comprehension. But it seems like there are plenty of these folks out there, lurking in the shadows. Perhaps one of your loved ones or co-workers is afflicted?
These candied bacon chocolate chip cookies are my strategy in curing those seemingly odd ducks. The cookie dough is made with butter and bacon grease, which infuses every bite with a faint porky, savory goodness. And plenty of candied bacon is mixed in along with a generous amount of chocolate chips.
Even those who claimed to not like sweets were intrigued enough to give them a try. And you know what? I saw them returning for thirds and fourths. Mission accomplished.

Gluten-Free Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup bacon fat, chilled
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup rice flour
3/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon potato starch
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips (I like to use 1 cup dark chocolate and 1 cup milk chocolate)
7-8 slices plain or maple candied bacon, finely chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with a Silpat baking mat.
Beat butter, bacon grease and sugars until well combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
Next, add the rice flour, potato starch, sorghum flour, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.
Finally, add the chocolate chips and candied bacon pieces and stir until well incorporated.
Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges turn a light golden brown. Let cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I went to my favorite fish market a couple weekends ago, all set to follow through on my resolution of getting more Omega-3 fatty acids in my diet in 2013. Unfortunately just about everybody else must have had the same idea because the only fish available for less than $20 per pound were these salmon filets.
But since two of the ingredients in my beloved fish and furikake bowl are temporarily off-limits (rice, mayonnaise), I had to come up with something a tad healthier.
Tartiflette. Sounds kinda fancy and maybe just a little bit uppity, right? Like the kind of dish that requires special cookware or a whole afternoon to make? Thankfully I was wrong on pretty much all counts.
But I hit a roadblock when Reblochon cheese, the key ingredient to tartiflette, was nowhere to be found in Honolulu. I was even more discouraged when Googling “Reblochon substitute tartiflette” seemed to yield a whole bunch of opinions that there simply is no substitute. Bummer.
But as luck would have it, Food and Wine had an article about Bourdain in their December issue and I spotted an image of the very page in Les Halles which contained the recipe for tartiflette. And then there were those eight magic words written by Bourdain himself… “feel free to get creative with the cheese.”
Done and done. So while this isn’t technically tartiflette, I don’t think you’ll have anybody complaining at the dinner table. Bacon, onion, and potatoes are sauteed in rendered bacon grease and white wine and then layered with cheese. The whole thing is baked until nice and bubbly.
Potatoes, Bacon and Brie, Tartiflette Style
Dessert may just be the easiest part of eating out at restaurants. There’s almost always a gluten-free ice cream or sorbet on the menu, occasionally crème brûlée, and, if I’m really lucky, a flourless chocolate cake.
The recipe is from the Parisian restaurant Racines via David Lebovitz (David tells the story about how he found the recipe on the restaurant’s bathroom wall).
As much as I’d love to throw a big holiday party, it seems as though everybody’s evenings for December are always solidly booked with family obligations, work parties and other get-togethers.



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I was wrong. They might be visually impressive, but whipped egg whites simmered in water just aren’t my jam… even when they’re floating in Crème Anglaise and topped with caramel sauce. This is one retro recipe I’m OK with not making a comeback.
A lot of folks consider friands sort of a variation of financiers, those nutty and addictive tea cakes made from ground almonds. I’d be hard-pressed to decide my favorite between the two… they’re both so so good.
Consider these a buttery and slightly more refined version of macaroon cookies. They’re a snap to throw together and are cute as a button plain plain or with a quick sprinkle of powdered sugar. I can happily say that I think my egg white problem is a thing of the past.
If you avoid cooking pork because of too many bad experiences with tough, dry and sad-looking pork chops, I’d urge you to shake things up and try a pork tenderloin instead. Even though it’s an extremely lean cut of meat, it should still cook up tender and juicy. Perhaps because it’s cooked whole rather in slices?
If you’re a fan of the pork and apple combination, I think you’ll really like this one. Pears are nestled alongside browned pork tenderloin and wedges of red onion. They soften to create a sweet and savory side- even easier than having to make applesauce from scratch!
The tenderloin is coated in a honey-balsamic glaze and scattered with fresh thyme. It’s a quick and flavorful dish, simultaneously rustic and elegant, that you can put together in less than an hour. Perfect for last-minute company or a family Sunday supper.
Honey-Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Onions
The fact that these coupons provided delayed gratification was, in my mind, a bonus. Because when all of the other candy was long gone, except for maybe a Necco wafer or two, there were still multiple trips to Friendly’s for a black raspberry ice cream cone, complete with chocolate sprinkles, to look forward to.

