Reaffirm Your Faith in the Cupcake Last summer was officially the end of the cupcake era for me. A great food to be sure, but all the stores, TV shows, magazine articles and books that shot up too fast, too soon and too frequently ruined cupcakes for me. Then one day on the road, a friend of… Read More →
Thai-Style Pig Brains Grilled in Banana Leaf By Andy Ricker
Louisiana Country Cooking On the road one day in New Orleans, I spent some time in the Crescent City Farmers Market and got a lesson in étouffée-making from the doyenne of Louisiana home cooking, Poppy Tooker. Étouffée is a riff on the old French verb “to smother,” and while there are as many recipes for… Read More →
Simple and Versatile by Paul Virant Pickled fennel is one of my favorites, it was one of the first pickles on the menu at Vie in August of 2004.
I call this yakitori style because of the sauce — because yaki means chicken and tori means skewered grilling, and this dish is neither! But the simmering nage (broth) that you bathe the duck in reminds me of yakitori bars all over Japan. The cooking technique for the duck can be used to great effect in other recipes too, and the only mistakes… Read More →
Inspired by Peter Dale By Adam Roberts Chorizo is a magical ingredient, the kind of thing that makes your food taste way more accomplished without asking anything of you beyond just buying it. D’Artagnan sells a good-quality chorizo that is readily available; just make sure you’re buying Spanish chorizo, which is already cooked, and not… Read More →
This simple dinner is deceptively complex. You can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes and the flavors are crazy good. My family and I love Mexican food—it’s one of the world’s truly great cuisines. This dish is often seen in the Yucatán, in Veracruz and in-and-around oceanfront communities, but for any indefatigable travelers who… Read More →
Southern-Style Seafood Stew By Chris Hastings
Memories of my Grandmother’s Kitchen By Sean Brock This simple Appalachian recipe for cornbread is inspired by Ronni Lundy. It doesn’t have flour or sugar in it. You can really taste the flavor of the corn. I ate cornbread every day during my childhood. Food like that evokes so many memories. Every time I tear… Read More →
A Hearty Soup From the Italian Alps This is my interpretation of a soup my dad and I had in the early ’70s in the Italian Alps. In winter, local families would cook food all day, offering dishes in trencherman-size portions to hungry skiers seeking a seat by a fire and a hearty meal. These… Read More →
No Need for Filler This is my favorite crab cake recipe. If you don’t overmix and don’t pack your mounds too tightly, you will experience pure, unadulterated crab cake heaven. I like ones that don’t have a lot of filler, no minced red pepper, no parsley—none of the usual crap that chefs typically ruin a… Read More →
My Cure for Cold Weather Blues This is one of my favorites. It’s a bacon and onion filling bound with soft, ripened goat cheese and a ballsy Gruyère, poured fairly shallowly into a delicate pâte brisée. Pay attention while you make the tart crust; it’s one you can adapt for a thousand fillings. Add some sugar… Read More →
A Stunning Main Course I think lamb and goat cheese is a perfect combination. The goat cheese sauce here is a simple one, that I learned from Chef Dean Fearing, that pairs beautifully with any grilled or broiled red or white meat. For years, I often made little sandwiches on toast with leftover roast leg… Read More →
Sautéed Shrimp with Garlic & Guindilla Pepper By José Andrés
A Humble Italian Dish The pork lends this sauce its fattiness, the wine gives a balanced acidity and the pancetta delivers all the wholesome saltiness you could ever want from an ingredient. I like this sauce with tubetti or short mezzi rigatoni, so that it gets into all the holes.
A Simple, Elegant Meal I adore poached salmon. No one poaches fish anymore, but it’s the ultimate feed-a-crowd meal. Plus, this recipe provides great leftovers (think salmon salad, salmon cakes, salmon aspic). I was working in France many decades ago and was obsessed with making sauces “the right way.” When I was a stagier at L’Archestrate restaurant… Read More →
A Classic Mediterranean Appetizer This festive Sephardic eggplant salad is almost more of a chunky dip than what we would traditionally call a salad.
Island-style fried fish. How could you go wrong? In little roadside stands all over the Caribbean islands, the local food slingers turn out all kinds of salted fish fritters. Salting fish is one of the oldest and most popular forms of preserving around the world, and salted fish are always cheap and plentiful. I have… Read More →
A Hearty Holiday Dish
Inspired by My Grandma’s Classic Swedish Meatballs by Marcus Samuelsson
Proper English Pudding A safari camp cook from Unchartered Africa made these impressive puddings one night in the Aha Hills. The pudding was eaten and gone within a matter of minutes after it was served. It’s lemony, chiffon heaven.
Crispy, Creamy Pancakes By Andrew Zimmern These potato latkes are so good that posting the recipe alone is a mitzvah (blessing) of the highest order. The Festival of Lights refers to a lamp in the temple that was supposed to have only enough oil to last the Maccabees one night, but instead lasted for eight.… Read More →
Simply the best There are so many reasons this is one of the best things I’ve ever made. The veal is so tender it will melt in your mouth. The apple and currants add a sweet, acidity that your taste buds will love. Don’t forget about the bone marrow–its rich and fatty flavor is not… Read More →
From the Yucatan This Yucatan-style, roasted fish dish is simple, with big explosive flavors and reminds us all why Mexican cuisine is one of the world’s most popular.
One of My Favorite Ways to Use Leftover Turkey So, after the turkey tetrazzini, after all the turkey sandwiches and the potpies, I always return to this school-lunch classic. It’s one of the great comfort foods of all time, and if this doesn’t become a post-Thanksgiving favorite in your house, I will be shocked. Creamy and… Read More →
The Art of the Perfect Bird Over the years, I have mastered the art of roasting birds. One issue seems to perplex most cooks: keeping poultry moist when roasting. This problem is compounded by the fact that white meat cooks faster and dries out quicker than dark meat. Try these additional tips to solve all… Read More →
Save room for dessert Gooey, sweet pecan filling nested in a buttery crust. The perfect end to a Thanksgiving dinner. Serve with rum raisin ice cream.
On the side I make this puree as a side every Thanksgiving. It compliments the meal perfectly.
The best way to eat your vegetables These veggies are delicious on their own or with the included brown butter sauce recipe.
The Ultimate Party Food This recipe is one my father has served at every cocktail party he has ever had in his house. These gougeres always disappear fast, are delicious and addictively easy to make. They look complicated, but done once, you’ll realize that the process is really easy—and the freeze and serve option is… Read More →
