Apple Brandy, Apple Creme
By Chef Carol Frazzetta

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Macintosh Apples
1/2 cup sugar or to taste
Cinnamon to taste
Freshly ground nutmeg to taste
About a 1/4 cup apple brandy
Optional: Orange or Lemon zest to taste

Peel apples and remove core. Cut apples into 3/4 inch squares. Sprinkle apples with sugar to taste, cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg
Melt butter in a cast iron pan or heavy skillet and when hot add apples. Cook just until apples are barely ender and flame with brandy.
Taste for seasoning and make adjustments if necessary.
Spread apples out on a cookie sheet and place in freezer, until just cool.
Make Creme Brûlée custard, adding, 2 tablespoons Apple Calvados Brandy to mixture. Taste for seasoning.
Sprinkle apples into 10 individual Creme Brûlée Cups and pour custard over apples.
Place cloth towels on two 18 inch cookie sheets. Place Creme brûlée cups on towels and place in a preheated 325 degree oven. Pour water halfway
up the sides of cups and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Insert a small metal spatula into custard. It should come out clean and shiny. Carefully remove
cups with a large metal spatula and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating.

Creme Brûlée
6 to 8 portions
4 cups heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Adjust rack to center of oven. Preheat oven to 325 degree
In the top of a large double boiler over hot water on moderate heat, or in a heavy saucepan over low heat, scald the cream, with the vanilla bean, if using, uncovered, until it forms a thin, wrinkled skin on top or tiny bubbles around the edge.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl stir the egg yolks briefly with a fork or a wire whisk just to mix.
When the creams scalded, add the sugar to it and stir to dissolve. Very gradually, just a spoonful at a time at first and then in a slow stream, stir the hot cream into the yolks. Do not beat the mixture and it should not be foamy. Mix in the vanilla if not using a bean. Strain and reserve. Taste for
seasoning and adjust if necessary.
The custard should be baked in a wide, shallow, ovenproof casserole with a 6-cup capacity of 10 individual Creme Brûlée cups. An 11-inch Pyrex pie plate about 1 inch deep is very successful. Pour the custard into the casserole, or individual cups. Place it into a large, shallow baking pan. Pour hot water into the baking pan to half-way up the sides of the custard plate or individual cups. Bake for about 30 minutes in the pie plate, or longer if the custard is deeper, until a small sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from hot water and place on a rack. If the custard was baked in a shallow pie plate it might be difficult to remove from the hot water. If so, use a bulb baster to remove most of the hot water first.)
Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
Use a scant 3/4 cup of light brown sugar for a 12-inch pie plate; less for one smaller diameter. With your fingertips force the sugar through a strainer held over the custard to make a very even layer about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. There should not be thinner spots or thin edges – they will burn. Also the sugar should not be too thick or the caramel will be coarse instead of delicate. Cover the sugar with a large piece of wax paper and, with your fingertips and the palm of your hand, pat to make a smooth, compact layer. Remove was paper. Wipe the rim of the plate clean.
Preheat the broiler for a few minutes, then place the custard about 8 inches below the heat. Leave the door open slightly so that you can watch it.
Do not take your eyes off the sugar. Broil until the sugar is completely melted. It will take only a few minutes.
If a few spots start to burn, cover them with small pieces of aluminum foil. When completely melted remove from broiler immediately. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate from, 1 to 6 hours.
Cooled any longer than this, the caramel will start to melt; although it will not be as crisp, it is still delicious. Many people prefer it after standing about 12 hours when the caramel has partially melted.
Creme Brûlée is best very cold. It should be placed in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving on well-chilled plates. At the table, tap the caramel with the edge of a serving spoon to crack it.

Bon Apetit!
Chef Carol

By Carol Frazzetta

This special recipe that my Sicilian family made every Christmas Eve is in my first book Carol’s Café Pasta Sauces that I worked on for two years. It was a very sentimental undertaking, working on family recipes, stories and special sauce recipes that my customers loved at Carol’s Café.

Ingredients
3 dozen little neck clams
4 – 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 large shallot, finely minced
2 to 3 red dried chili peppers minced, or red pepper flakes to taste or fresh Chile, minced to taste 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Fresh oregano to taste (optional)
Fresh basil to taste (optional)
Reserved clam juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
1/2 cup reserved pasta water or fish stock

Wash clams in cold water, scrubbing well with a stiff vegetable brush. Carefully shuck clams over a bowl and reserve all the juices (your fishmonger may do this for you) Reserve several clam shells for garnish.

Dip clams into clam juice to clean them of sand. Never dip shucked clams in water, because it washes away the flavor. Chop coarsely and set aside. Strain clam juice into a bowl through a double layer of rinsed cheesecloth placed over a strainer. The clams and clam juice must be cleaned thoroughly so there is not a speck of sand. Set aside.

In a 2-quart saucepan, place garlic, shallots and fresh Jalapeno or Serrano or dried red peppers (if using) in cold olive oil and very slowly sauté ingredients until garlic and shallots are pale gold in color and chili pepper is softened. Watch carefully, stir occasionally. Do not brown. This can take as long as 10 minutes.

Add parsley, red pepper flakes or finely chopped fresh Chile (if using) and strained clam juice. Set aside. Just before linguine or spaghetti is finished cooking, al dente, remove and reserve 1⁄2 cup of pasta water.

Heat the sauce until hot, add clams and heat for just a minute. Do not add clams until you are ready to serve, or they will become tough. Add pasta water or fish stock and serve immediately over hot pasta. Taste for salt, pepper, fresh oregano or basil (if using) and season to taste).

Bon Appetit, Chef Carol

Clam Shucking: Wash clams in cold water, scrub well with a stiff brush. Place in a large saucepan with 2-3 tablespoons white wine and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Cover pot and cook clams quickly over a high flame, stirring occasionally, just until clams open. Be careful not to overcook. Remove clams immediately with a slotted spoon. Strain juices through a coffee filter or washed cheesecloth; set aside. Remove clams from shells and coarsely chop.