Cookbook Review

• 12 jalapeño peppers
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• Wilton Golden Yellow paste food coloring (or yellow food coloring)
• 3 pounds spicy bratwurst sausage, casings removed
• 17th Street Special All-Purpose Dressing, optional

Cut the stem ends off the jalapeños and use a small knife to cut the seeds out. Keep the peppers whole.

Put the cream cheese into a small bowl and use a toothpick to add a tiny bit of the paste food coloring (this paste is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way). Mix the coloring thoroughly into the cream cheese. Add more, if you need it, to achieve a bright golden color, like the yolk of an egg.

Transfer the cream cheese to a pastry bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe the cheese into the jalapeños. (You can make your own pastry bag by using a small zippered plastic bag and snipping off one corner.)

Divide the sausage into 12 pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk, place a filled jalapeño in the center, and wrap the sausage around it, pressing the edges to seal. Form the sausage into the shape of a large egg.

Smoke for 1 1/2 hours at 250 degrees.

Slice to serve. The slices will resemble sliced hard-cooked eggs, with the colored cream cheese looking like the yolk. Serve with the dressing, if desired.

• SERVES 12 TO 18

You'll need apple wood chips and a disposable foil pan.

• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 5 pounds chicken wings, rinsed and dried
• 1 cup honey
• 1/2 cup hot barbecue sauce (or more to taste; use your favorite, the hottest sauce you can stand)
• 3 tablespoons apple juice

Make a dry rub by sifting the pepper, onion powder, chili powder, garlic powder, and seasoned salt into a bowl to blend.

Place the chicken wings in a large zippered plastic bag. Pour in the dry rub and shake to coat the wings well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes (at room temperature) or as long as 24 hours (in the refrigerator).

Prepare coals using 3 pounds of charcoal. Make sure the coals are in a pile to one side of your grill or smoker. After the coals have turned white, place 2 cups of soaked and drained apple wood chips on the pile of coals. Set the wings on the grate so they will cook by indirect heat -- in other words, not over the coals -- and smoke for 25 minutes. Turn the wings and smoke for another 20 to 25 minutes.

Mix the honey, barbecue sauce, and apple juice together in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until warmed through.

Place the wings in a disposable foil pan and pour the warm sauce over the wings. Toss to coat evenly. Cover and smoke for another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the glaze is finished the way you like it. If you're using a grill, you can move the aluminum pan directly over the coals while you're glazing the wings.

• SERVES A CROWD

Judy wrote out the recipe for me, and I've altered it, using dried beans. The color will be lighter since you're starting with white beans, and the texture will be just a little firmer. You'll have to start a day early to soak the beans, but I guarantee the end result will be worth the extra time and effort.

• 1 pound dried great northern beans
• 4 to 6 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups ketchup (I like Hunt's)
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I like French's)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons Magic Dust (recipe below)

Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with salted water by 2 to 3 inches. Soak the beans overnight.

The next day, drain and rinse the beans. Return the beans to the saucepan and cover with fresh water by about 4 inches. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender but not bursting open.

While the beans are cooking, mix the ketchup, molasses, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, and Magic Dust together in a large bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Drain the bacon on paper towels, crumble it, and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. The onion should still be a little crunchy.

Drain the beans, reserving 2 cups of the bean water. Pour the beans and bean water into the bowl with the sauce. Add the bacon and onion and stir to combine well. Pour into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish and bake for 1 hour or until bubbly. Will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

• SERVES 8 TO 10

You'll need about 4 cups of apple wood chips to be authentic; you can use hickory, pecan, sweet maple, or cherry, but the ribs won't taste as sweet. You'll also need a chimney starter or another small covered grill or bucket to keep extra hot coals.

• 4 racks of ribs (about 2 pounds each)
• Magic Dust (recipe below)
• 4 cups apple juice in a spray bottle
• Apple City Barbecue Sauce (recipe below)

Sprinkle the ribs liberally with Magic Dust, coating both sides. Put them in a shallow pan or on a cookie sheet and cover them with clear plastic wrap or a lid. Refrigerate them until you're ready to use them. I recommend letting them marinate for at least an hour. At the restaurant, we dust the ribs up to a day in advance.

Soak the apple wood chips in water for half an hour. Drain.

Remove the grate and arrange the medium-hot coals in a grill or smoker. If you are using a grill, it must have a lid. Set an aluminum pan next to the coals as a drip pan. Spread out the wet wood chips on the coals. Replace the rack, close the grill, and check the temperature. It should be between 200 and 210 degrees. If the temperature is too high, open the lid to allow some heat to escape.

Notice that the meat on a rack of ribs is on the top. The bottom, where you remove the membrane, is called the "bone side." Once the temperature is steady, place the ribs on the rack, bone side down. You want to cook them bone side down as much as possible. Turning them dries out the meat. If necessary, you can cut the racks of ribs in half to comfortably fit your grill.

Cover and smoke the ribs for about 1 1/2 hours or until the ribs are done and tender.

You'll want to check the ribs every 20 minutes or so. Examine them to see if the surface of the meat looks dry or moist. Ribs "sweat" about three times during the smoking process. The pores of the meat open, and this allows moisture to escape. This is when the seasoning from the dry rub and the smoke itself are reabsorbed into the meat. When they're sweating, mop or mist them with some apple juice and sprinkle them with a little more Magic Dust. Opening the lid will lower the temperature; add more coals and wood chips as needed to maintain the temperature.

About 10 minutes before you remove the ribs from the pit, mop them with the sauce. When you take them off the pit, mop again with sauce and sprinkle some more Magic Dust on them. Serve immediately.

• SERVES 4, OR YOU CAN CUT THE RACKS IN HALF TO SERVE 8

• 1 cup ketchup (I use Hunt's)
• 2/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple juice or cider
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/3 cup bacon bits, ground in a spice grinder
• 1/3 cup peeled and grated apple
• 1/3 cup grated onion
• 2 teaspoons grated green bell pepper

Combine the ketchup, rice vinegar, apple juice or cider, cider vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne, and bacon bits in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the apple, onion, and bell pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes or until it thickens slightly. Stir it often. Allow to cool, then pour into sterilized glass bottles. A glass jar that used to contain mayonnaise or juice works real well. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

VARIATION: To make this sauce a little hotter, add more cayenne pepper to taste, approximately another 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon. Be careful; a little cayenne goes a long way.

• MAKES 3 CUPS

To make it a little more hot and spicy, increase the mustard powder and black pepper to 1/4 cup each.

• 1/2 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, finely ground
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons mustard powder
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup granulated garlic
• 2 tablespoons cayenne

Mix all ingredients and store in a tightly covered container. You'll want to keep some in a shaker next to the grill or stove. Keeps indefinitely but won't last long.

• MAKES ABOUT 2 1/2 CUPS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, finely ground
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, plus additional for brushing

• 1 pound strawberries, sliced
• 1 pound rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• Vanilla or buttermilk ice cream

Make the biscuit topping: Mix together the flour, brown sugar, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, ginger, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and rub into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add about 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and mix until it forms a dough (you might not need all the cream). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Make the fruit mixture: Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, granulated sugar, and vanilla bean in a large bowl. Let stand for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla bean and pour off half of the liquid, then stir in the cornstarch and vanilla extract. Pour the fruit into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thick and cut into circles or any desired shape. Place the dough on the fruit mixture without overlapping any pieces. Brush the top of the dough with heavy cream and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake the cobbler for about 25 minutes or until the dough is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling in the center.

Serve warm with ice cream.

• SERVES 6 TO 8