G brought me back the greatest surprise gift from his last trip to Manhattan - a cookbook by Daniel Boulud, signed with a personal message from the man himself! What a treat.

Swiss Chard Gratin
Ingredients
• 6 lb. Swiss chard, washed, leaves and stems separated
• 2 T butter
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 T flour
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the chard leaves until tender, remove, and chill in the ice water. Strain well; chop leaves roughly and set aside. Cut the stems into thin slices. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add 1 tablespoon butter, 1 clove garlic, and stems, cooking until tender; remove and set aside. Add the flour and the remaining butter to the pan and reduce heat to low. Stir for 3 minutes, being careful not to brown the butter. Using a whisk, gradually stir in the milk and nutmeg. Cook, whisking, for 3 minutes. With a wooden spoon, add the chopped leaves, reserved garlic, and stems; season to taste. Transfer to a small casserole or individual-size casserole dishes. Sprinkle evenly with the cheeses and bake 6–8 minutes or until golden brown.


Truffled Lentils with Poached Egg and Ham
 Ingredients
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup cubes (¼ inch in size) of slab bacon, about 3 oz.
• 1 tsp. sherry vinegar, plus more to season
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 celery rib, cut in half
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 cup Pardina lentils
• 1 herb sachet containing 1 to 2 sprigs sage, 3 sprigs thyme, ½ tsp. black peppercorns, 1 tsp. dried guindilla pepper (or substitute red pepper flakes), tied in a cheesecloth bundle
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. white truffle oil
• ½ cup finely grated Idiazabal, a Basque sheep’s milk cheese (or use manchego or pecorino), about 1½ oz.
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 4 eggs
• 4 slices pata negra ham (or substitute Serrano)

Directions
In a large pot, heat olive oil over mediumhigh heat. Add diced bacon and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add sherry vinegar to deglaze pan and allow it to reduce for about 1 minute.

Add carrot, celery, onion and lentils. Add herb sachet and cover with 1½ cups water and the chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until lentils are tender and cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove carrot, onion, celery and herb sachet and discard. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar.

Over medium heat, stir in truffle oil, add cheese and stir until completely incorporated. Remove from heat and gently fold in the butter.

Meanwhile heat 4 cups of water with the white wine vinegar over high heat. Use a whisk to create a whirlpool in the water, then crack the eggs into a cup and slip them into the water one at a time. Poach until set, about 3 minutes.

To serve, divide the lentils between four bowls, top each with a slice of ham and a poached egg. Serves 4.