Here at Spectacularly Delicious we strive to present a little bit of something for everybody -- in the USA and the big wide world beyond. With our 2012 readership growing in such far flung reaches as Fiji, Laos and Azerbaijan perhaps, just maybe, we are inching along toward that goal. So let's close out the year with a look at the most popular stories and recipes visited by … [Read more...]
THANKSGIVING: TRADITION WITH A TWIST! TURKEY WONTONS, BAMBOO-SMOKED SESAME NOODLES
How did our Thanksgiving menu end up featuring cold sesame noodles, ghost pepper hot wings, turkey wontons, toasted ravioli, onion rings, turkey oven-roasted and turkey deep-fried, Wana's hamburger stuffing, wild cranberry and orange sauce, pumpkin muffins and chocolate-butterscotch fondue? It started with this sweet email from our 12 year old niece: "I cannot wait for … [Read more...]
RECIPE: TURKEY WONTONS WITH APRICOT DIPPING SAUCE
1 lb. ground turkey 4 T. finely chopped carrot 1 large clove garlic, minced 1" knob of peeled ginger, finely minced 2 T. soy sauce 2 T. sesame oil 1 scallion (white and green part) finely minced 1 T. minced fresh cilantro 4 dozen fresh wonton skins (at Asian markets) vegetable for deep frying Apricot Dipping Sauce Make the dipping sauce (or obtain another … [Read more...]
RECIPE: BAMBOO-SMOKED SESAME NOODLES
1 lb. fresh Chinese green noodles (at Asian markets) or fresh green linguini 1" knob of peeled ginger root 1 large clove garlic 2 scallions, white part only 4 T. soy sauce + more for serving 4 T. sesame oil + more for serving 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter 1/2 c. boiling water 1 T. bamboo smoked sesame seeds + more for garnish GARNISHES: cucumbers: peeled, seeded and … [Read more...]
OYSTERS BIENVILLE
What makes a Spectacularly Delicious dish? Look no further than these opulent Oysters Bienville, a quintessential example of what it takes to make it here on SpecD: Oysters Bienville have a proper name and a pedigree: The dish was created in honor of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, sieur de Bienville, the second colonial governor of Louisiana, by "Count" Arnaud Cazeneuve at his … [Read more...]
SPECTACULAR SUMMER SALAD OF SHAVED VEGETABLES
For a limited time only: A Spectacular Summer Salad of Shaved Vegetables. This dazzler is less about a recipe than having the best ingredients and some easy techniques. Isn't it the Italians who say you first taste with your eyes? Armed with a few key kitchen tools and an abbodanza di verdure (heaps o' fresh vegetables) straight from the hand of God you can't go wrong. The … [Read more...]
MONTAUK CEVICHE
Ceviche is pretty forgiving as long as you adhere to some simple rules: only use the freshest fish possible and a good amount of fresh acidic fruit juice to cure it. I always include lime juice, either straight up or mixed with other fruit juices, like grapefruit which has a mellowing effect. But all sorts of stuff works like tomatoes, lemon, a shot of vinegar -- the acid … [Read more...]
MOZZARELLA BRIOCHE
This recipe for Mozzarella Brioche came via a somewhat circuitous route. With the recent publication of the Craig Claiborne bio The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne and the American Food Renaissance, I've been itching to tell the story of retrieving a set of massive antique Edwardian dining chairs for a friend when Craig's estate was being settled. Regular … [Read more...]
Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella
Once we placed this brilliant platter of tomatoes, mozzarella and basil on the table it was fast work to snap a picture before the spectacular rainbow was demolished. (Note the serving pieces reluctantly hoovering above.) Luckily our friend and party planner MJ Vineberg (a.k.a. Marge in Charge) had equally lovely back-ups ready to go. Pasquale Langella of East Hampton's … [Read more...]
BANG BANG CHICKEN
Every Chinese restaurant in NYC offers Cold Sesame Noodles, variations on the same theme that are usually predicable with an occasional encounter of awfulness and even rarer instances of excellence. In other parts of Western civilization its cousin Bang Bang Chicken, recipe included here, is the popular equivalent. No doubt about it, this is comfort food. Hearty, … [Read more...]