DAY Recipe

DIRECTIONS

Make filling:
Bring water and 1/4 cup sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in brandy. Finely chop apricots in a food processor, then add sugar syrup and pulse until just combined (do not purée). Transfer to a bowl and stirin 1/4 cup walnuts. Cool.

Roll out dough and fill varenikis:
Halve dough and roll out 1 pieceon a lightly floured surface into a15-inch round, keeping remaining dough wrapped. Trim dough to a13-inch square. Cut lengthwise into4 strips, then crosswise into fourths toform 16 (3 1/4-inch) squares.

Put 1 slightly rounded teaspoon filling in center of each square. Working with 1 square at a time, moisten edges with water and fold in half diagonally to form a triangle, pressing edges firmly together toseal. overlap bottom points of triangle and press to seal (dumpling will look like a pointed hat). Transfer vareniki to a flour-dusted kitchen towel.Repeat with remaining squares,then make more dumplings with remaining dough and filling.

Cook varenikis in a large pot oflightly salted boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes.Make topping while varenikis cook:

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over moderate heat, then cook bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup walnuts, stirring frequently, until golden,2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heatand season lightly with salt. Stir together cinnamon and remaining2 tablespoons sugar. Sprinkle2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar over crumb mixture and toss.

To serve varenikis:
Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter, then drizzle about 2 tablespoons on
a warmed serving platter. Transfer varenikis with a slotted spoon to platter and drizzle with remaining4 tablespoons butter.

Serve hot, sprinkled with bread-crumb mixture and remaining cinnamon sugar to taste.

Cooks’ note:

• Filled varenikis can be frozen 1 month. Freeze on a tray until firm, abut 2 hours, then freeze in sealable plastic bags. Thaw before cooking.

DIRECTIONS

Make filling:
Toss together all filling ingredients.

Make dough:
Preheat oven to 425°F.

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar into a bowl. Blend in butter and shortening with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup milk and stir with a fork just until mixture is moistened.

Turn out dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead 7 to 8 times, or until a soft dough forms (do not overwork dough, or dumplings will be tough). Roll out dough on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a rough 16- by 11-inch rectangle (about 3/4 inch thick). Trim to a 15- by 10-inch rectangle. Halve dough lengthwise, then cut crosswise in thirds (to form 6 squares).

Fill dumplings:
Divide filling among centers of squares. Bring all 4 corners together over filling and pinch together toseal. Transfer dumplings to awell-buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch ceramic or glass baking dish and arrange about 1 inch apart. Brushtops with remaining 1/2 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with remaining1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar.

Make syrup and bake dumplings:
Bring cider and brown sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Pour syrup around dumplings, then bake dumplings until golden brown and syrup is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.

DIRECTIONS

Peel turnips, then halve horizontally and quarter halves. Arrange turnips in 1 layer in a 12-inch heavy skillet and add enough water (about 1 1/2 cups) to reach halfway up turnips. Add butter, sugar, and salt and boil over moderately high heat, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Boil turnips, uncovered, stirring, until tender and water has evaporated, about 8 minutes.

Sauté turnips over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden brown,
about 5 minutes more. Add3 tablespoons water and stir tocoat turnips with glaze.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat pansin middle of oven 10 minutes.

Whisk together cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together buttermilk and egg in another bowl and add cornmeal mixture with Cheddar, scallion, jalapeños, and 2 tablespoons butter, stirring, until just combined.

Remove pans from oven and divide remaining 2 tablespoons butteramong corn stick molds. Quickly
divide batter among molds (about3 tablespoons each) and bake untila tester comes out clean and topsare golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool corn sticks in pans 3 to5 minutes before removing from molds. Serve warm.

Cooks’ note:

• If using a cast-iron skillet, pour all of batter into it and bake 15 to 20 minutes.

DIRECTIONS

Prepare lamb:
Preheat oven to 450°F.

Put lamb shanks in a large metal roasting pan, then rub with oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange onion wedges around lamb. Roast lamb in middle of oven 40 minutes. Turn shanks over, scatter with herb sprigs, and roast 40 minutes more.

Pour wine, broth, and water into roasting pan. Cover pan tightly with foil and braise lamb until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer shanks to a plate and remove and discard skins from onions. Pour cooking liquid (including onions) into a large glass measure(do not clean roasting pan).

Prepare potatoes and boil carrots while lamb roasts:
Pierce each potato once with afork and bake on rack in lower thirdof oven until cooked through, 45to 50 minutes.

Cool potatoes 10 minutes, then halve lengthwise and scoop out flesh. Force warm potatoes through ricer into a bowl. Stir in salt, milk, and pepper to taste.

Cook carrots in boiling saltedwater until tender, about 10 minutes. Rinse under cold running water tostop cooking.

Make gravy:
Skim fat from cooking liquid (you’ll have about 2 1/2 cups broth). Whisk together 1 cup broth and flour in a large bowl to make a thin paste, then whisk in remaining broth (including onions). Set roasting pan across2 burners and pour broth mixtureinto pan. Boil over moderate heat, whisking, until thickened, about5 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Cut lamb meat from bones, thentear meat into bite-size pieces. Stir meat into gravy.

Assemble and bake pie:
Reduce oven to 350°F.

Spoon lamb-shank mixture into a12- by 3-inch oval gratin dish or a2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish, spreading evenly. Scatter carrots over lamb, then top with creamed spinach, spreading evenly. Top spinach with mashed potatoes, spreading evenlyto edges of dish to cover filling completely. Make swirl patterns on surface of potatoes with back of spoon, then drizzle with melted butter.

Put baking dish in a foil-lined shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan to catch drips and bake until top is golden and filling is bubbling, about 1 hour.

Cooks’ notes:

• Lamb shanks can be made 1 day ahead of assembling shepherd’s pie and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

• Mashed potatoes can be made 1 day ahead of assembling shepherd’s pie and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

• Shepherd’s pie can be assembled (before being drizzled with melted butter) 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before drizzling with butter and baking.