Picture #1: Salted Caramel cake as made by House Beautiful food columnist Alex Hitz. Picture #2: Salted Caramel Pecan cake as made by Spectacularly Delicious. Although these two cakes wouldn't be mistaken for identical twins they do bear more than a passing resemblance looks-wise. But down in their souls, their very essence, they are one in the same: lightly salty, … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2014
MEXICAN CHORIZO
For cooks who enjoy process and transformation, leisurely, at-home sausage making can make for a very satisfying afternoon's work. This Mexican chorizo recipe is a delicious example. Not to be confused with Spanish chorizo, which is a cured sausage, dense, dark, and hard, Mexican chorizo is a fresh pork sausage spiked with chiles, cumin and coriander. A generous dose of … [Read more...]
PURPLE ASPARAGUS
After our not-so-wonderful winter and spring, opening day of the North Main St. farmers' market in East Hampton was gratifyingly robust. Witness these gorgeous, freshly cut stalks of purple asparagus. And they're organic to boot! The violet hue is not the only difference between purple asparagus and its green brethren; the purple variety is sweeter and less fibrous. The … [Read more...]
GREEN GODDESS DRESSING
One of my food rules (and there are many) is always order the things with avocado when in California. The west coast seems to have a way with them, consistently butter soft and flavorful, enriching eggs, sandwiches, quesadillas and just about anything else you can think of. This rule was validated on a recent trip to San Fran and L.A. One of the highlights was a Green … [Read more...]
CUPOLA di BUCATINI / PASTA DOME RECIPE
Frequent readers will know that Spectacularly Delicious has a fondness for tall food. From croquembouche pyramids to kugelhopf ziggurats, the peaks of Mont Blancs to tumbling cascades of lobster, we take the "haute" in haute cuisine very seriously. That goes for alta cucuina as well. The arching swell of Spec D's Pasta al Duomo is joined by another architectural marvel: … [Read more...]
ASPARAGUS FESTIVAL / ASPARAGUS SALMON PENNE RECIPE
While the news from asparagus growers in the northeast might be grim, the forecast is sunny for asparagus farmers in California's San Joaquin Valley. The glory of the green stems was on full view at the recent 29th Annual Stockton Asparagus Festival. The festival celebrates all things asparagus from the educational (growing beds and long handled harvesting knives) to the … [Read more...]