​Serves 12-16
Ingredients:
For the cake:

•  ⅔ to 1 cup dried cranberries (or 1 cup fresh, lightly chopped)
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour      
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 large or 2 small firm pears (about 1 cup, peeled, cored, and diced)

 For the streusel:

• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

 
Directions:
Preparing the Cranberries:
If you’re using dried cranberries, soak them in warm water for about 30 minutes to plump them up and help soften them. Drain off the water once they’re nice and soft. If using fresh cranberries, no need to soak; just chop lightly chop.
Making the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9x9-inch pan with parchment paper and give it a light spray with cooking oil.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices (ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg).
3. In a larger bowl, mix the melted butter and brown sugar together until it’s smooth.  Let that cool a bit if it’s too warm, and then stir in the egg and vanilla. Now, add in your buttermilk or yogurt.
4. Fold those dry ingredients right into the wet mixture until smooth. Then gently fold in your diced pears and cranberries.
5. Spread the thick batter into your prepared pan, making sure it gets into all the corners.

Make the Streusel

1. In a separate bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, and ground ginger.
2. Cut in your cold butter with a pastry blender, or two knives if that’s what you’ve got. You could even use a small food processor if you’re in a hurry. What you want is a crumbly mix—no large chunks of butter left.
3. Sprinkle that beautiful streusel evenly over your batter.

Baking and Serving:

1. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
2. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into it. 
3. Serve warm or at room temperature, 

Recipe by Anna Gill

Serves: 4 

For the dressing:
⅓ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons minced basil
2 tablespoons minced chives
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt 
Freshly ground pepper

For the salad:
8 slices of thick bacon
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1½ lbs. Vidalia onions, cut into wedge shaped pieces and skewered on grilling skewers
2 large ripe peaches, cut into eighths and skinned
Crisp lettuce leaves
Good green olive oil for basting

1. Preheat the oven to 325°.
2. Prepare a grill.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the, buttermilk, basil, chives and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon slices on the sheet and sprinkle with the brown sugar and cayenne.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, until caramelized (the bacon will crisp as it cools). Let cool, then cut the bacon into bite-size pieces. 
6. Brush the onions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until softened and charred, 10 minutes.
7. Brush the peaches with olive oil and grill over moderately high heat until tender, 2 minutes.
8. In a medium bowl, toss the onions with the peaches and bacon. Add the buttermilk dressing and toss to coat.
9. Arrange the lettuce leaves on four plates. Top with the peach onion mixture and serve

Recipe by Anna Gill

Serves: 4

3 pounds red tomatoes, coarsely chopped 
Kosher salt 
3/4 cup buttermilk 
Freshly ground pepper 
½ pound yellow or purple cherry tomatoes, halved 
2 tablespoons chopped basil 
1 scallion, minced 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1. Season the chopped tomatoes with 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour. 
2. In a blender, puree the tomatoes. Strain the puree through a coarse sieve set over a bowl. Discard the solids.
3. Stir in the buttermilk. Season the mix with salt and pepper and refrigerate until chilled, at least 30 minutes. 
4. Add the scallions, oil and the basil to the tomato mixture.
5. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Garnish with the halved cherry tomatoes and serve.

Recipe by Anna Gill

Makes one 10” pie

1½ cups plus 3 tbsp. flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon fine salt
10 tablespoons sweet butter, cut into ½ inch cubes & rechilled
4 tablespoons sweet butter, melted
2-4 teaspoons icy vodka
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 egg yolks
1 cup sour cream
2 cups buttermilk
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine in a large sealable plastic bag 1½ cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and cold butter and put into your freezer for at least 2 hours. 
2. Turn the freezer bag's contents out into a food processor; pulse until chunks of the butter have been reduced to the size of large peas.
3. Add vodka in 1 tablespoon increments to flour mixture and pulse briefly to moisten and incorporate. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 400°.
5. On a well-floured, chilled if possible, surface, roll dough out to a 13" circle about 1⁄8" thick. Fit into a 10" pie pan; cut away excess dough, leaving a 1½ " border. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thicker edge. With your fingers, pinch the edge all around. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
6. Prick bottom of dough with a fork; line with foil and fill with pie weights.
7. Bake the pie shell for 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and bake until light brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool on a rack.
8. Whisk together remaining flour and salt with the melted butter, cardamom, egg yolks, and sour cream.
9. Beat in remaining sugar, buttermilk, zest, and lemon juice.
10. Pour into cooled pie shell, place in oven, and reduce heat to 325°.
11. Bake until pie is set on the edges but slightly wobbly in the center, about 1 hour. Let pie cool completely on a rack and refrigerate. When cool to the touch, serve the pie.

Recipe by Anna Gill

Makes: 1 cup

½ cup buttermilk
½ cup no-fat, plain yogurt
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black peppercorns
½ teaspoon salt

1. Place all ingredients in a small, lidded jar. 
2. Shake well until frothy. 
3. Drizzle a spoonful of the mixture over the salad and toss.