DAY Recipe

DIRECTIONS

Make cake layers: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter3 (7- or 8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax or parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans withflour, knocking out excess.

Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.

Sift together flour, baking soda,and salt.

Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.

Divide batter among pans (about2 1/3 cups per pan), smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes for 7-inch pans or 20 to 25 minutes for8-inch. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove paper, and cool completely.

Make ganache while cakes bake: Bring cream to a simmer in a3- to 4-quart saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolateuntil smooth. Transfer ganache toa bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours. (If ganache becomes too thick, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)

Assemble cake: Arrange 1 layer on a cake stand or plate and spread 2/3 cup ganacheevenly over it. Top with another cake layer and 2/3 cup ganache, spreading evenly, then third cake layer.(Chill ganache if necessary to keepat a spreadable consistency.) Chill cake until ganache filling is firm, about 1 hour. Keep remainingganache at a spreadable consistency, chilling when necessary.

Spread a thin layer of ganacheover top and sides of cake to seal in crumbs, then chill 30 minutes.Spread remaining ganache evenly over top and sides of cake.

Cooks’ notes:
• Cake layers may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, then chilled, wrapped well in plastic wrap.

•Ganache may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 2 to 3 hours to soften to a spreadable consistency.

•This cake can also be made in 2 (8-inch, 2-inch-deep) round cake pans. Split layers horizontally, then use 1/2 cup ganache between layers.

•Assembled cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days.
meringue kisses with passion-fruit fool

DIRECTIONS

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about5 minutes, then drain in a colander. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking, then drain well.

While noodles are cooking, stir together vinegar, oil, soy sauce, sugar, and salt until sugar is dissolved.

Toss noodles with dressing, mint, and scallions.

DIRECTIONS

Cook peas in a saucepan of boiling salted water just until they turn a brighter shade of green, about30 seconds. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.

Cut halved cucumber and radishes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Toss peas, cucumber, radishes, and sesame seeds with vinegars and season with salt and pepper.

Cooks’ note:
•If you don’t have seasoned rice vinegar in your cupboard, you can substitute unseasoned and add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.

DIRECTIONS

Poach turkey: Put turkey breast in a 6- to 8-quart pasta pot and add broth and enough water to cover turkey by 1 inch. Remove turkey and bring liquid toa boil. Season with salt and return turkey to pot, then poach at a bare simmer, uncovered, skimmingany froth, until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches diagonally into thickest part of breast (do not touch bone) registers 155°F,1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool turkey in broth30 minutes (internal temperaturewill rise to 170°F).

Make sauce while turkey is poaching: Purée tuna, anchovies, mayonnaise, oil, lemon juice, and water in a blender until very smooth.

Transfer turkey to a cutting board, then bring remaining poaching liquid to a boil.

Add half of beans and cook, uncovered, until crisp-tender,3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a colander and refreshunder cold water. Cook remaining beans and refresh in same way.Add potatoes to broth in pot and simmer until just tender, about10 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving broth for another use.

Assemble platter: Thinly slice turkey breast on the diagonal. Arrange beans on a platter and top with potatoes, then drizzle vegetables with some tonnato sauce. Top with turkey slices and more tonnato sauce. Sprinkle dish with capers, olives, and basil. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Cooks’ notes:
• turkey may be cooked 1 day ahead. Cool in broth, uncovered, 1 hour, then chill in broth, covered. (Cooling in broth helps keep turkey tender and moist.)

•If you have a pasta pot with a shallow steamer-basket insert, you can cook turkey in pot, then, after removing it, simmer potatoes in broth while steaming beans in insert.

•Tonnato sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

DIRECTIONS

Trim off tail ends of tenderloinsto form 2 (8-ounce) pieces, reserving trimmings for another use.

Boil wine, rosemary sprig, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a small heavy saucepan until reduced to about 1/2 cup, 7 to 8 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a measuring cup, then transfer rosemary sprig, garlic, andred pepper flakes to a sealable plastic bag along with 1/4 cup wine marinade and tenderloins. Marinate, chilled, turning bag occasionally, at least2 hours or overnight.

Return remaining 1/4cup wine marinade to saucepan and add vinegar, honey, and chopped rosemary, then boil dressing until reduced to about1/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes.

Prepare grill for cooking.

When fire is medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches aboverack for 3 to 4 seconds), put bell peppers, zucchini, and onionon a lightly oiled grill rack and place over fire. Grill zucchini and onion, turning, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a cutting board.Grill peppers until skins are blackened and flesh begins to soften, about8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam 10 minutes.

While peppers are steaming, pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Grill on lightly oiled grillrack over medium-hot fire, turning frequently, until an instant-read thermometer inserted diagonally2 inches into meat registers 155°F, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, then tent loosely with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Peel peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a large bowl.

Cut zucchini and onion into 1-inch pieces and add to peppers. Toss vegetables with 2 tablespoons rosemary dressing, 1 teaspoon oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Toss arugula with remaining teaspoon oil. Mound grilled vegetables on 4 plates and topwith sliced pork. Add any juicesfrom cutting board to remaining2 tablespoons dressing and drizzle over pork. Top with arugula.

Cooks’ notes:
• If your grill rack is widely spaced,you may want to use a grill basketfor the vegetables.

• Vegetables and pork can be cooked ina lightly oiled well-seasoned ridged grill pan (wrap nonmetal handles in foil). Grill vegetables in same manner as above.Grill pork, turning frequently, until well browned, about 10 minutes, then put pan into a preheated 400°F oven and roast to 155°F, about 10 minutes.