CRAB AND BLUE CHEESE STUFFED SALMON From Bel Ami Served with roasted fingerlings and sautéed green beans For the salmon Four 6 oz. fillets of Chinook or silver salmon Take each fillet and insert your knife down one side to make a pocket for stuffing. They can do this at your fish market to speed up the process. For the stuffing 1/2 lb. Dungeness crab meat 1/2 red onion, diced small 1 bunch of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup stone ground mustard 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup blue cheese, made by Rogue Creamery Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly and add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff equal portions stuffing mixture into the prepared salmon fillets. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and cook on a lightly oiled sheet pan for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on preferred internal temperature. For example, cook 10 minutes for medium rare. Remove from oven and serve. For the potatoes 8-10 French fingerling potatoes, quartered 8-10 yellow fingerling potatoes, quartered 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Take potatoes and toss in a mixing bowl with olive oil. Place tossed potatoes on a sheet pan and roast in oven for 15-25 minutes until slightly caramelized. Add garlic and rosemary and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. Place back in oven for another 5 minutes and serve.    For the green beans 28 green beans … give or take 2 lemons, cut in half and juiced 2 tbsp. butter  In a medium sauce pot bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add green beans for 30 seconds, to blanch and par cook them. Strain in a colander. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat, add butter and let the butter slightly brown; this is called beurre noisette and it brings out a nutty flavor. Add the green beans and the lemon juice; salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.       OUR FAVORITE CHUNKY CHIPOTLE SALSA FROM ASADO Chef Sara Willis notes that this salsa is always better when the tomatoes are in season, but making it this time of year brightens up almost any meal. If you don't have the luxury of a gas grill, Willis suggests placing the veggies in a hot cast iron pan on a regular stove until blackened and soft. Grill eight Roma tomatoes directly over the gas flame until very charred. Also grill 3/4 of a small white onion broken up or diced, making sure to get all the pieces thoroughly cooked and charred, and three cloves of garlic left in the skin. Pulse onion, garlic (remove from skin before processing) and four canned chipotle chilies in a food processor until finely chopped but not blended. Remove to mixing bowl. Pulse charred tomatoes and add to onion mixture. Add water to desired consistency. Let cool and then add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and salt to taste. Always check salt content when salsa is cool, because flavors change.       ZERESHK-POLOW FROM POMEGRANATES Julie Sharifi, co-owner of Pomegranates, shared this recipe for Zereshk-Polow, a Persian rice dish using affordable, readily available ingredients from her new Mediterranean and Middle Eastern grocery. She says it's perfect for this time of year: flavorful, warming and easy to make. Polow is normally served with kababs or any main dish, unless rice is already used as one of the ingredients. Makes 4 servings For the Polow (or Chelow, rice) 500 grams (1 lb.) basmati or long-grain rice, rinsed Cooking oil, as needed (traditionally, as much as 1/4 cup oil may be used; use less depending on your taste. Julie says she uses about 3 tablespoons.) 2 tbsp. salt Parboil the rice by boiling in salted water. Cook the rice on a high boil for 15 to 20 minutes, so that a grain of rice snaps in half but the outside is soft. Place in a colander and drain, rinsing with cold water. Pour a few spoonfuls of cooking oil in a large non-stick pan and add rice. Pour a few more spoonfuls of oil over rice. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for about half an hour. If cooking time is increased, a delicious crispy layer of rice, called "ta-dig," will form at the bottom of the pan.  For the Zereshk (chicken) 800 grams (about 1 1/2 lbs.) chicken 2 large onions, grated Salt and black pepper, to taste 4 tsp. dried barberries 1 tsp. sugar 1 tbsp. butter 1/2 tsp. saffron 2-3 tsp. hot water Remove skin from the chicken pieces. Marinate chicken in grated onion, salt and pepper for 4 to 5 hours in refrigerator. Wash barberries twice with cold water. Add sugar and fry in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Place saffron in a small bowl. Pour in 2-3 teaspoons hot water and mix. Mix in 1/2 cup already prepared Polow into the bowl with the saffron and mix well. Add the saffron rice and barberries to the rest of the rice and mix well. Meanwhile, cook marinated chicken under the broiler for 15 to 20 minutes, turning each piece a few times during cooking. Serve over the barberry rice.       KITCHEN WITCH HOT CHOCOLATE Makes four 3/4 cup servings 2 1/2 cups organic whole milk 3 oz. organic bittersweet or dark chocolate, 60-70% cacao content dash of sea salt Melt chocolate in double boiler over medium-low heat. Add salt; mix until smooth. Gradually add milk by 1/4 cups, stirring until smooth after each addition. When milk is fully incorporated, bring it to a boil over medium heat. Add one of the following: spring of fresh mint; fresh lavender or fresh lemon balm; one cinnamon stick; citrus peel. Cover and infuse for 5 minutes. Strain out the herbs or spices and froth the chocolate with a hand mixer or whisk.       BACCONE DOLCE FROM THE VINTAGE This layered cake of meringues, freshly whipped cream and fruit is the restaurant's most popular dessert. Makes 4 servings Meringues: 12 egg whites 3 cups granulated sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. cream of tartar 3/4 tsp. vanilla 3 tbsp. cornstarch 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar  Whipped Cream: 3 cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla  Fruit: Use your favorites. We recommend strawberries and raspberries or strawberries and bananas. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Whip egg whites, salt and cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar slowly while beating on high until soft peaks form. Add remaining ingredients and beat on high for about 7 minutes until hard peaks form. Scoop mixture and spread on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets into the desired sized layers. We recommend 3 layers. Bake at 200 degrees for 4 hours. Whip heavy cream and slowly incorporate the sugar and vanilla. Beat until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream and sliced fruit between cooled meringue layers and over the top. For a special treat, drizzle with melted chocolate chips. Garnish with fruit slices. Can be stored in refrigerator up to four hours before serving.