Ingredients 

• 2 cups basmati rice
• salt
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil

Directions

1. Fill a large stockpot with 4 quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. In the meantime, place rice in a bowl and rinse with cold water, swirling vigorously with your fingers and changing the water at least five times, until the start has run off and the water runs much clearer. Drain the rice.
3. Once the water comes to a boil, salt it heavily. The precise amount will vary depending on what kind of salt you’re using, but it’s about 6 tablespoons fine sea salt or a generous 1⁄2 cup kosher salt. The water should taste saltier than the saltiest seawater you’ve ever tasted. This is your big chance to get the rice seasoned from within, and it’s only going to spend a few minutes in the salted water, so don’t panic about over-salting your food. Add the rice, and stir.
4. Set a fine-mesh sieve or colander in the sink. Cook rice, stirring from time to time, until it’s al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain into the sieve and immediately begin rinsing with cold water to stop the rice from cooking further. Drain.
5. Remove 1 cup of the rice and combine it with the yogurt.
6. Set a large, very well seasoned 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick frying pan over medium heat, then add the oil and butter. When butter melts, add the yogurt-rice mixture into the pan and level it out. Pile the remaining rice into the pan, mounding it gently toward the center. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, gently dig five or six holes into the rice down to the bottom of the pot, which will be gently sizzling. The holes will allow steam to escape from the bottommost layer of rice so that a crisp crust can form.) There should be enough oil in the pan so that you can see it bubbling up the sides. Add a little more oil if needed to see these bubbles.
7. Continue cooking rice over medium heat, turning the pan a quarter turn every 3 or 4 minutes to ensure even browning, until you start to see a golden crust begin to form at the sides of the pan, about 15 to 20 minutes. Once you see the crust turn from pale amber to gold, reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. The edges of the crust should be golden, and the rice should be cooked completely through. There isn’t a way to tell what tahdig will look like until you flip it, so I prefer to err on the side of over-browning, but if that makes you uncomfortable, pull the rice after about 35 total minutes in the pan.
8. To un-mold the rice, carefully run a spatula along the edges of the pan to ensure that no part of the crust is sticking. Tip out any excess fat at the bottom of the pan into a bowl, gather your courage, and then carefully flip it onto a platter or cutting board. It should look like a beautiful cake of fluffy rice with a golden crust.
9. And if for any reason your rice doesn’t slip out in one piece, do what every Persian grandmother since the beginning of time has done: scoop out the rice, chip out the tahdig in pieces with a spoon or metal spatula, and pretend you meant to do it this way. No one will be the wiser. Serve immediately.

PREP TIME:10 min COOK TIME:4 hrs TOTAL TIME:4 hrs 10 min SERVES:8 CALORIES:355

Ingredients

• 2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt/1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)  
• 2- 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 14oz can diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 2 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained
• 1  pack of taco seasoning, or 1 ounce of my DIY Taco Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Suggested Toppings:

• 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, 
grated
• ½ cup minced sweet onion
• Sliced pickled jalapeños
• Sour cream
• Fritos corn chips

Instructions

• Season beef with salt and pepper. Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain grease from meat if necessary, but this shouldn’t be needed if you use a lean beef.
• Pour ground beef mixture into the crockpot.
• Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans, and seasonings to the crockpot. Stir until well combined. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
• Serve in a bowl with following.
• Fritos, topped with beef mix, topped with shredded cheese, onions, jalapenos and sour cream.

INGREDIENTS

• 32 oz (900g) cream cheese
• 1 3/4 cups (14 oz, 392g) granulated sugar
• 7 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1 cup (8 oz, 240ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Line a 10″ spring form pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper, leaving a 2″ border of paper extending from the top of the pan. The paper will not lie flat against the pan, this is ok.
2. Place the cheese and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine the ingredients. Add the eggs, salt and cream. Process the batter for 3 minutes to completely emulsify the batter. If you don’t have a food processor the batter can be mixed in a stand or hand mixer. Just be sure to mix the batter until very smooth and glossy.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and immediately place it in the oven. Bake until the top of cheesecake is very dark brown and the sides of the cake are risen-up and set, about 25 minutes. The center of the cake will still be quite soft and will jiggle like a liquid if you shake the pan.
4. Remove the cake from the oven and cool to room temperature on a cooling rack. Refrigerate the cake until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. The cake will be soft and fluffy around the edges and custardy in the center. The center will be set just enough to slice.

TIPS FOR MAKING & SERVING AUTHENTIC SAN SEBASTIAN CHEESECAKE:

• If you have a large food processor use it to make the batter. If you don’t have a food processor you can make the batter using a mixer. Just be sure to mix the batter long enough that is it smooth and glossy.
• You can’t make this recipe without a spring form pan. Regular cheesecake gets firm enough when chilled to flip out of a regular cake pan. But this cake is so soft, even when chilled, the spring form is required.
• Line the spring form pan with two sheets of parchment to completely enclose the batter.
• Chill the cake before serving so the edges and bottom are firm enough to form slices.
• Don’t try to remove the parchment and pan bottom before serving. The browned parchment looks dramatic so leave it in place until cutting the cake. Just peel back the sides, cut and lift the slice off the paper underneath.
• Serve San Sebastian Cheesecake with good sherry for a real treat!