7. Mix the sugar with the 2 tablespoons water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a metal spoon to dissolve the sugar, until the sugar melts and the caramel is a light gold color, 5 to 6 minutes. Take care not to let the sugar burn. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 30 seconds, to avoid the possibility of splattering when you add the raspberry puree, then carefully add the puree and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add a tablespoon or so of water to the sauce if it seems too thick after cooling. If it seems too sweet, add the lemon juice. Mix the sugar with the 2 tablespoons water in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a metal spoon to dissolve the sugar, until the sugar melts and the caramel is a light gold color, 5 to 6 minutes. Take care not to let the sugar burn. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool for 30 seconds, to avoid the possibility of splattering when you add the raspberry puree, then carefully add the puree and mix well. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add a tablespoon or so of water to the sauce if it seems too thick after cooling. If it seems too sweet, add the lemon juice.

8. To serve, make a small pool of the raspberry sauce on each plate. Dip the ramekins into hot water, then turn the cremas out onto the plates. Garnish each plate with fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint, then serve. To serve, make a small pool of the raspberry sauce on each plate. Dip the ramekins into hot water, then turn the cremas out onto the plates. Garnish each plate with fresh raspberries and a sprig of mint, then serve.

Super-Creamy Rice Pudding with Pa.s.sion Fruit Sauce Rice pudding is a universal comfort food. Like bread pudding, its appeal has long since elevated it beyond its origins as a poor man's dessert. Mary Higgins, a friend and neighbor from my childhood, gave me a version of this pudding many years ago. I've pushed and prodded it over the years, adding and subtracting elements, until it finally reached the recipe below, but her essential technique of stirring the pudding on top of the stove to produce an exceptionally creamy texture remains unchanged. The pa.s.sion fruit is a tart foil to the creamy richness of the pudding itself. For a baked version of this dessert, see the instructions following the recipe. comfort food. Like bread pudding, its appeal has long since elevated it beyond its origins as a poor man's dessert. Mary Higgins, a friend and neighbor from my childhood, gave me a version of this pudding many years ago. I've pushed and prodded it over the years, adding and subtracting elements, until it finally reached the recipe below, but her essential technique of stirring the pudding on top of the stove to produce an exceptionally creamy texture remains unchanged. The pa.s.sion fruit is a tart foil to the creamy richness of the pudding itself. For a baked version of this dessert, see the instructions following the recipe.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS.

teaspoon grated lemon zest teaspoon grated orange zest teaspoon cardamom seeds 5 cups whole milk cup long-grain white rice 1 cup heavy cream 3 extra-large egg yolks 2 teaspoons vanilla extract cup sugar teaspoon kosher salt 2 ripe pa.s.sion fruit 1. Tie the lemon zest, orange zest, and cardamom seeds in a piece of cheesecloth. Rinse a heavy pot with cold water; do not dry (this will make cleanup easier). Add the milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the rice and cheesecloth bundle and stir until the milk returns to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat. Discard the cheesecloth bundle. Tie the lemon zest, orange zest, and cardamom seeds in a piece of cheesecloth. Rinse a heavy pot with cold water; do not dry (this will make cleanup easier). Add the milk and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the rice and cheesecloth bundle and stir until the milk returns to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove from the heat. Discard the cheesecloth bundle.

2. Meanwhile, beat the cream, egg yolks, and vanilla together in a large bowl. As soon as they're blended, add the sugar and salt and continue beating until completely dissolved. Meanwhile, beat the cream, egg yolks, and vanilla together in a large bowl. As soon as they're blended, add the sugar and salt and continue beating until completely dissolved.

3. Add 1 cup of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture and stir everything together, then stir this mixture back into the rice remaining in the pot. Return the pot to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard just comes to the boil. (You should get one large bubble of air out of it.) Immediately remove it from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Put a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours. Add 1 cup of the hot rice mixture to the egg mixture and stir everything together, then stir this mixture back into the rice remaining in the pot. Return the pot to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard just comes to the boil. (You should get one large bubble of air out of it.) Immediately remove it from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Put a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.

4. To serve, spoon the rice pudding into four bowls. Cut the pa.s.sion fruit into halves. Scoop out the fruit from half a pa.s.sion fruit over each portion. To serve, spoon the rice pudding into four bowls. Cut the pa.s.sion fruit into halves. Scoop out the fruit from half a pa.s.sion fruit over each portion.

Baked Rice Pudding My husband and I come down on different sides of the fence regarding rice pudding. I prefer the creamy style that results from stirring the rice in a pot on top of the stove; Ken likes the firmer texture of baked rice pudding. If you prefer the latter as well, here's what to do.

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Once you've blended everything together as instructed in Step 3, don't return the pot to the stovetop. Instead, spoon the pudding into four 8-ounce ramekins or heatproof custard cups. Set them in a warm water bath and bake until they're just set, about 50 minutes. They should still have a little wiggle in the middle. Let them cool, then refrigerate until firm. Once you've blended everything together as instructed in Step 3, don't return the pot to the stovetop. Instead, spoon the pudding into four 8-ounce ramekins or heatproof custard cups. Set them in a warm water bath and bake until they're just set, about 50 minutes. They should still have a little wiggle in the middle. Let them cool, then refrigerate until firm.

If you bake the pudding, you also have the option of giving it a brulee (burnt sugar) topping before serving. To brulee, sprinkle about 1 tablespoon sugar over the surface of each pudding, enough to coat the top evenly. Run the ramekins under the broiler until the sugar is bubbly and brown. An easier method is to adjust the flame of a small butane kitchen torch to medium and move the flame over the sugar until it caramelizes. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.

Acknowledgments.

The collaborative nature of cooking first drew me into my mother's kitchen and later to restaurants. My success as a chef is the result of many partnerships, and what keeps me going back to the kitchen is not just the food-it's working side by side with other people. There is always more to learn. I would like to extend my thanks to my parents, Tom and Po Adams, who taught me to celebrate food; to my sisters, Ginny and Eliza, my first kitchen partners; to my first teachers, Gordon Hamersley, Nancy Verde Barr, Lydia Shire, and Susan Regis; to my sous-chefs, past and present, for giving me a rock to stand on-Petal Joseph, Ruth-Anne Adams, Frank Vasello, and Laura Brennan; to the kitchen and service staffs at Rialto, whose commitment to what we do makes us successful every day; to my partners, Michela Larson and Karen Haskell, who insisted I write this book and then, as always, supported the process to the end; to d.i.c.k Friedman, one of my biggest fans; to Gary Sullivan, who in recent years has taught me the true meaning of service; to our customers, whose vigilance and appreciation remind me why we are here; and to all the producers and purveyors whose exceptional raw ingredients make my job possible. first drew me into my mother's kitchen and later to restaurants. My success as a chef is the result of many partnerships, and what keeps me going back to the kitchen is not just the food-it's working side by side with other people. There is always more to learn. I would like to extend my thanks to my parents, Tom and Po Adams, who taught me to celebrate food; to my sisters, Ginny and Eliza, my first kitchen partners; to my first teachers, Gordon Hamersley, Nancy Verde Barr, Lydia Shire, and Susan Regis; to my sous-chefs, past and present, for giving me a rock to stand on-Petal Joseph, Ruth-Anne Adams, Frank Vasello, and Laura Brennan; to the kitchen and service staffs at Rialto, whose commitment to what we do makes us successful every day; to my partners, Michela Larson and Karen Haskell, who insisted I write this book and then, as always, supported the process to the end; to d.i.c.k Friedman, one of my biggest fans; to Gary Sullivan, who in recent years has taught me the true meaning of service; to our customers, whose vigilance and appreciation remind me why we are here; and to all the producers and purveyors whose exceptional raw ingredients make my job possible.

No cookbook is ever written alone. Doe Coover, our agent, deserves special thanks for her abiding optimism and for helping us to conceptualize the book, both times around. Justin Schwartz earned our respect for believing in our ship; Harriet Bell, for her insight and confidence that our vessel would actually someday sail into port; Pam Krueger, our ever-diligent recipe tester, kept us honest. Thanks to Ellen Silverman for her spectacular photographs; and to Karen Ferries for her patient incorporation of changes to the text. Valerie and Ihsan Gurdal and their staff at Formaggio Kitchens, who endured endless questions about their spices, seasonings, cheeses, and other specialty ingredients; Nan Niland, Ralph Helmick, Anne Fabiny, and Larry Cohen-no one should ever underestimate the importance of friends or volunteer palates; to my patient husband, Ken, enormous love and grat.i.tude-he gave me a voice and chased me for two and a half years to get things just right; without him, it never would have happened. (To my wife, Jody: it takes two to tango-Ken.) Finally, thank you, Oliver and Roxanne, uninhibited critics, enthusiastic diners, sources of the magic and love that keep us afloat.

About the Author.

JODY A ADAMS is the co-owner and chef of Rialto in Boston, Ma.s.sachusetts. In the Hands of a Chef is her first cookbook. Jody's Boston culinary career began in 1983 at Seasons restaurant under chef Lydia Shire. Three years later, at Hamersley's Bistro, she became Gordon Hamersley's sous chef. She moved to Michela's in 1990 and served as executive chef there until 1994. In September 1994, Adams opened Rialto with restaurateurs and partners Michela Larson and Karen Haskell. Four months after Rialto's opening, the Boston Globe awarded the restaurant four stars, the newspaper's highest rating. Jody opened her latest venture, Red Clay, in May of last year. Jody lives in Somerville, Ma.s.sachusetts, with her husband, Ken Rivard, and their two children. Ken Rivard is a freelance writer of short stories and articles. He has contributed to books on food, wine, psychology, and men's health. He also holds down the fort in Somerville. is the co-owner and chef of Rialto in Boston, Ma.s.sachusetts. In the Hands of a Chef is her first cookbook. Jody's Boston culinary career began in 1983 at Seasons restaurant under chef Lydia Shire. Three years later, at Hamersley's Bistro, she became Gordon Hamersley's sous chef. She moved to Michela's in 1990 and served as executive chef there until 1994. In September 1994, Adams opened Rialto with restaurateurs and partners Michela Larson and Karen Haskell. Four months after Rialto's opening, the Boston Globe awarded the restaurant four stars, the newspaper's highest rating. Jody opened her latest venture, Red Clay, in May of last year. Jody lives in Somerville, Ma.s.sachusetts, with her husband, Ken Rivard, and their two children. Ken Rivard is a freelance writer of short stories and articles. He has contributed to books on food, wine, psychology, and men's health. He also holds down the fort in Somerville.

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Sources Farmers' Markets Most states publish listings of local farmers' markets, available through state agricultural offices. The United States Department of Agriculture also publishes the National Directory of Farmers' Markets, National Directory of Farmers' Markets, updated ever two years in hard copy and continually on the web at www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets. The directory is available by calling (800) 384-8707 or by writing to: updated ever two years in hard copy and continually on the web at www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets. The directory is available by calling (800) 384-8707 or by writing to: USDA.

AMS-T&M-W&AM, Room 2642-S 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20250-0267 Spices, Cheeses, and Unusual Ingredients Formaggio Kitchen 244 Huron Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138 (888)212-3224.

www.formaggiokitchen.com Valerie and Ihsan Gurdal's Formaggio Kitchen is an excellent source for cheeses, chickpea flour, chestnut flour, dried flageolets, pomegranate mola.s.ses, dried Turkish figs, Hungarian paprika, and other difficult-to-find spices. The mail-order catalogue includes only a partial listing of products, so call if you don't see what you want. Next-day delivery available.