Giada de Laurentiis’ prescription for a cold, depressing day: hot seafood soup. Make it just a little bit spicier to clear your colds.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 large shallots, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
5 cups fish stock
1 bay leaf
1 lb manila clams, scrubbed
1 lb mussels, scrubbed, debearded
1 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 lbs halibut fillets or salmon fillets, cut into 2-inch chunks (assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets)

What’s Next

1. Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and sauté 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the tomato paste.
5. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. 6. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.
7. Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes.
8. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open).
9. Remove bay leaf. Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the taste. And Alton Brown — known for his kitchen lab experiments and scientific approach to cooking, gives a great (and simple) recipe for chocolate pudding. Get his other pudding recipes from Food Network

Pudding Ingredients
1 3/4 cups Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix (Recipe Follows)
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place 1 3/4 cups of dry pudding mix into a medium saucepan. Add milk and heavy cream and whisk to combine. Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil, continuously whisking gently. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4 minutes while continuing to whisk. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour the mixture through a sieve and into individual dishes or a 1 1/2-quart serving dish. Cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill completely before serving, approximately 4 hours.

Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
3 ounces Dutch-processed cocoa, approximately 1 cup
2 ounces cornstarch, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces confectioners’ sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 ounces instant non-fat dry milk, approximately 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl or plastic container with a lid, combine the cocoa, cornstarch, sugar, instant non-fat dry milk, and salt. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Yield: 3 1/2 cups dry mix

Forget the gingerbread house. Your holiday dessert should be simple to prepare, so you can spend more time with your family (that is what Christmas is about, right?). Here’s a quick chocoalte mousse recipe from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook, Nigella Express: 130 Recipes for Good Food, Fast.

Nigella says that most mousses need to be made the day before, to allow the egg yolk to set. Here’s her “instant” alternative. She does away with eggs, which not only saves time but allows you to safely feed it to young children.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) soft butter
9 oz best-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup hot water from a recently boiled kettle
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Pour the marshmallows, butter, chocolate, and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Melt over gentle heat, stirring occassionally. Remove from heat and let cool.
3 Whip the cream with the vanilla until it’s got a thick consistency. Fold it into the cooled chocolate mixture.
4. Pour into individual dishes or cups and chill until ready to serve.

Watch Nigella’s regular TV show, Nigella Express on the BBC Channel for more recipes and tips.

Celebrity chef Paula Deen shares this Southern-inspired holiday dish on the Food Network.

Pork Crown Roast with Stuffing

Ingredients

16-rib crown roast of pork
House Seasoning, to taste, recipe follows
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoon butter, melted
2/3 cup uncooked instant rice
1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped dried prunes
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
Canned apricot halves, drained

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Sprinkle roast on all sides with House Seasoning; place, bone ends up, in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer, making sure it does not touch fat or bone. Saute onion in butter until tender but not browned. Add rice, House Seasoning, to taste, and poultry seasoning and water to onion; stir to moisten rice. Bring rice mixture to a boil, then remove from heat. Cover tightly and let stand 10 minutes. Stir dried prunes and dried apricots into the rice mixture. Fill center of roast with rice mixture. Place a folded strip of aluminum foil over exposed ends of ribs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes per pound to until thermometer registers 170 degrees. Garnish with apricot halves, if desired.

House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Italian chefs always have a signature pasta dish, and this is one of Roberto Donna’s favorites. It’s delicious, gourmet enough to serve guests, but fuss-free for days when you’re too tired from holiday shopping to cook.

One of the most popular chefs in the Washington DC area, Donna actually hails from Italy, and aims to teach what “real” Italian food is (as opposed to the watered-down stuff they sell at steakhouses).

Serve this dish with a Pinet Noir, he suggests, and a bowl of light chicken broth.

Ingredients
1/2 loaf Italian bread, crust removed and sliced (preferably day old bread)
1 onion, very thinly sliced
6 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled, quartered, seeds removed, and thinly sliced
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, quartered
1 bunch basil, shredded
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Soak the bread in cold water for 15 minutes. Then, in a separate container, soak the onion in water as well (place on paper towels when done).

Mix celery, cucumber, tomatoes, basil and onion. Throw in the the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the bread and toss well to combine.

We mean that in a good way.

This is Rachael Ray’s recipe for spiced nuts, taken from Food Network which hosts her show. If you’re making this in bulk buy nuts from the market.

Ingredients

2 cups walnut halves
1 cup peeled hazelnuts
1 cup whole unsalted cashews
1 cup whole pecan halves
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground anise
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, eyeball it
1 cup smoked almonds (recommended: Diamond Smokehouse almonds)

What’s Next

Toast nuts in a pan. This usually takes 7 minutes but use your nose as your judge. Transfer to a plate when done. Then, melt butter in the pan, adding your spices. Pour back the nuts. You’re done!

Mindy Segal was named Chicago’s best pastry chef — and at a
chef portal she shared a recipe that readers can whip up in their own kitchens for a delightful holiday breakfast. Tip: after making the pancakes, stack them up with lemon curd sandwiched between. Pour compote on top.
Yum!

Ingredients:

Lemon Curd:
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
¾ cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter

Blueberry Compote:

2 pints blueberries (4 cups)
1 vanilla bean (optional)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
¼ cup lemon curd (from recipe)
1 tablespoon orange juice
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon butter

Pancakes:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs, separated
6 ounces Wisconsin Ricotta cheese
1 ½ cups milk
Confectioner’s sugar

What to do:

Mix 3 eggs, 3 egg yolks, lemon juice and ½ cup sugar in a bowl. Whisk away all the lumps. Place over double boiler with simmering water, then continue to whisk until it reaches a thick consistency. Add the butter. Refrigerate until set.

Blueberry Compote:

In sauté pan, combine blueberries, vanilla bean, cornstarch, 1 cup sugar, water, 1/4 cup lemon curd, orange juice and pinch of salt. Cook over low heat, until blueberries are tender but not broken down. Let the mixture simmer until it bcomes thick. Turn off the heat, mix in 1 tablespoon butter. Let cool.

Pancakes:

In medium bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons sugar. Stir in lemon zest. Set aside. In large bowl, mix 2 egg yolks and ricotta cheese. Fold in dry ingredients alternately with milk. Whip 2 egg whites until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold into batter.

Alton Brown is known both for his zany sense of humor and how he’s introduced “science” into the art of cooking in his show and website. (In other words, he’s a mad food scientist.) But what people don’t realize is that… this man really knows how to cook! And you can see it in how he elevates everyday, ordinary food to blissful perfection.

Like the pancake. His recipe for this humble breakfast food is the best you’ll ever find. Enjoy.

Ingredients

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.
Use the mix within 3 months.

Instructions

2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups “Instant” Pancake Mix, recipe above
1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F. Heat oven to 200 degrees F.

Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.

Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don’t try to work all the lumps out.

Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.

Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)

Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 pancakes

We love Nigella’s simple but elegant desserts — very doable for even ordinary cooks (though we’d never look half as good in an apron). Here she shares a recipe from her childhood. Get more from her website or her numerous cookbooks.

Ingredients

350g dark chocolate
3 Metric Cups (750ml) Cream
5 Dessert spoons Honey

Combine the chocolate, broken into pieces, the honey and 3/4 cup of cream over a barely simmering water bath. Stir until chocolate has just melted and combined with the cream and honey. Set aside to cool. While the mixture is cooling, whip the remaining 2 1/4 cups of cream to not quite firm, but a little more than soft peaks (this is exactly what I have written in my book). Gradually fold in the whipped cream to the now cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into one serving bowl or individual bowls if preferred (this makes a generous amount) and refrigerate. If using one large serving bowl, the mousse will probably take a good 3 hours to set.

Make a quick, easy and delicious gourmet meal as Gordon Ramsey demonstrates an idiot-proof way of preparing porkchops with pecan sauce. The video alone makes you want to make a beeline for the kitchen. He makes it look so easy, and yum those chops look great!