• Oven roast 2 large or three small whole eggplant; cool, peel
• Oven roast 4 large or 6 small peppers; cool, peel, reserve liquid
• Oven roast 3 fresh tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme sprigs; cool, peel
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 small or 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 hot pepper, seeded
• ¼ cup local honey
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• smoked paprika

Heat butter and olive oil in a soup pot and add onions, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Sweat until translucent.  Add roasted vegetables, stock, and remaining ingredients.  Simmer 30-45 minutes and taste for seasoning.  Remove bay leaf and blend until smooth.  Serve hot in individual bowls.  Garnish with smoked paprika and drizzle with olive oil.

Serves 12

• 5# mustard greens
• 2# fresh spinach
• ½ cup yellow corn flour
• 4 each Serrano chilies, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 5 cups water
• 2 each green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tbl water
• kosher salt
• 12 tbl ghee
• ½ cup minced ginger
• 6 tbl minced garlic

De-stem and wash all greens thoroughly and chop coarsely. Place corn flour, onions, and Serrano chilies into water and bring to a boil; add the greens and bell pepper and 1 tbl of kosher salt; bring back to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.  Puree in small batches with a food processor until smooth.  Add the cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened and smooth.  Heat ghee in pan, add aromatics, and cook until they just begin to brown.  Place greens in serving vessel and stir in fragrant ghee.

Serves 4

• 4 thick slices sourdough bread
• 1/2 pound peeky toe crab meat (may substitute lobster for crab if desired)
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for brushing bread
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon spicy mayonnaise
• Fresh herbs

Brush each side of the bread with olive oil and toast under the broiler or on a grill.  Pick through the crab meat to ensure there are no shells; try to retain the large pieces of crab.  Toss the crab with the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Top each slice of toast with crab.  Put small dots of spicy mayonnaise on top of the crab and garnish with the freshly picked herbs.

Serves 4

For the meringue:

• 3 egg whites from jumbo eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• a pinch of kosher salt

For the strawberries:

• About 25 very ripe strawberries, washed and hulled
• 3 to 4 tablespoons turbinado sugar, or to taste
• 2 pinches of kosher salt

For the cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or honey, or to taste
• 1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds removed by scraping with a sharp knife

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with half the sugar at medium speed until they are foamy. Beat in the remaining sugar, the cream of tartar, and the pinch of salt until the egg whites are shiny and stiff. Spoon the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment to form 12 to 14 mounds, and bake for 30 minutes. Continue to bake for an additional hour with the oven door slightly ajar. When done, the meringues will be crisp and dry on the outside and tender and fluffy within. (Serve within 4 hours.)

Place the strawberries in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the sugar and salt. Crush them with a potato masher or large fork until they are juicy and a spoonable consistency but still chunky. Let the strawberries sit for 15 minutes before serving.

In the meantime, combine the cream, the sugar or honey, and the vanilla seeds and pulp in a medium bowl (save the vanilla pod for another use). With a whisk or an electric mixer, whip the cream until it is thickened and softly set but not firm. Whip the yogurt and fold together.

To serve, arrange the meringues, strawberries and juice, and the cream in layers on a platter or individual plates.

Serves 6 as an appetizer, 6 shrimp per person

For the pickling liquid:

• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 3/4 cup lemon juice and the zest of one lemon
• 3/4 cup lime juice and the zest of one lime
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 4 cloves of garlic, shaved as thin as possible
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 rib of celery, shaved as thin as possible
• 1 small head of fennel, shaved as thin as possible, fronds reserved for garnishing
• 1 small carrot, sliced as thin as possible
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon fennel seed
• 1 tablespoon fennel pollen
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and shaved as thin as possible
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons celery seeds
• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 1 large Vidalia onion, shaved as thin as possible

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight so flavors can meld.

To prepare the shrimp:

• 40 shrimp (16-20 size)
• 2 quarts vegetable stock
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt

Bring the stock and the wine to a simmer. Add bay leaves, red pepper, and salt; simmer for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the broth and cool in the marinade under refrigeration overnight.

To finish:

• 12 leaves of bibb lettuce, cleaned and dried
• 4 tablespoons Duke’s Mayonnaise

Place some mayonnaise in the center of each bibb leaf. Add three shrimp per leaf. Serve with fresh coriander blossoms, leaves, and the fennel fronds.