Pine Nut Crust
(Makes enough for three 9inch tart shells)

• 2 cups pine nuts
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 16 Tblsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Citrus Sabayon

• 2 large eggs, cold
• 2 large egg yolks, cold
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 6 Tblsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces

Photo from www.habeasbrulee.com

• 1.2kg lean, meaty spare ribs (weighed after removing extraneous fat and bone), cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 dried chilli, seeds removed and crushed -OR- 2tsp of fresh mushed chilli
• 4 tbsp thinly sliced scallions
• 3 1/2 tbsp fermented black beans, lightly rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 6 large cloves of garlic, stem end (and any inner green bits) removed, peeled and lightly smashed
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 Cup water

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NOTES:
- Serves 4-6

- This recipe was adapted, with only tiny changes, from The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp

-This recipe is best made in advance, seeing as how it involves slow braising, followed by a chilling period in order to degrease before eating. It reheats beautifully; the flavours just melding together even more so by the next day.

- Try to convince your butcher to saw the ribs into shorter nuggets for you. You can do it at home with a heavy meat cleaver, but it will be loud, difficult, and result in terrifying bone shards. I used 2inch long pieces because that's what I found at the store, and it just wasn't worth the bother to cut them down further than that. Divide the rack into individual ribs by slicing the meat between the bones.

- This is *great* served with a wedge of iceberg lettuce and white rice - you wrap small amounts of the rice and meat up in the lettuce and then eat with hands ;-)
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It appears that “Farmer P’s” hard work is paying off; this week she harvested her first cucumber:

Little P, Larry and I would like to wish you a *very* Merry Christmas and hope that you are as happy with your gifts as this little poppet is...

The original title of this photo is “Christmas Morning, West Covina, California, 1960.”…. but I think it should be called “Oh glee, I’m wearing my favourite fro-fro dress and Santa has given me everything I’ll ever need to be a domestic goddess ;-)

How COOL are the replica pint-size kitchen items and washing machine, I remember my grandma having one of those washers (but larger of course).

I *love* this picture of Little P, it was taken the other week at her swimming class. She’s our very own (clothed) “Nirvana baby” ;-)