Working on this pomegranate theme, I wanted to create an extra-special, super tasty main dish. My efforts paid off! This recipe for pomegranate chicken thighs was such a regal treat I've dedicated it to a couple of really classy royals, The Shah of Iran and his glamorous Shahbanu Farah Diba. At the risk of going a little Marge Schott on … [Read more...]
HUITLACOCHE MAC AND CHEESE
Huitlacoche: the corn smut that is Mexico's proud answer to Europe's finest truffles. If you likes yourself some funk, here it is in spades in this recipe for Huitlacoche Mac and Cheese. Huitlacoche fungus tumors (or "cuitlacoche" as spelled on the label here) are not a pretty site on the cob; I recoiled in … [Read more...]
PHEASANT UNDER GLASS
As I high tail it out of the city by the bay, I'm leaving behind the morel-laden lusciousness of my Pheasant Under Glass recipe. They like fancy mushrooms out here (freshly foraged, of course), the odd fowl (wish I could name-drop a Petaluma farmer lovingly raising some obscure heritage breed, but I can't. Can you?), and the town does share my penchant … [Read more...]
CRISP BREAST OF DUCK JULIE ANNE: AN ORIGNAL GOURMET RECIPE
This recipe leapt off the page from the the An American Place cookbook. Crisp duck skin, delicious as it is, isn't a much of a culinary mystery. But the technique in this recipe -- rendering the fat, leaving the meat nice a rosy red and getting a 100% enjoyable crispiness to the skin, sounded, well not too good to be true, because it sounds so sensible. But the method … [Read more...]
ESCABECHE: OUR ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
Escabeche was in Mom's repertoire, not too surprising as she was a adventuress in the kitchen, breaking free of the constraints of her traditional Irish-American upbringing. Grandma Marie was the master of conservative cooking. I don't think she really enjoyed it. Golf, bowling, bridge and penny poker were more up her alley and she had the trophies to … [Read more...]
SOLE VERONIQUE: AN ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
It seems like Sole Véronique had its heyday then drifted off into the land of culinary outcasts. I know I've never ordered this original gourmet classic -- fish and grapes? Sounds weird. But the name -- how elegant. How enigmatic. Just who was this Véronique, whose muse was she to inspire this … [Read more...]
SALTIMBOCCA: A CHOICE MEAL
Veal Saltimbocca -- a choice meal in the usual sense of excellence with a whiff of rarity and exclusivity. But also a personal choice. Saltimbocca is on my "if it's on the menu I must order it" list -- joining the ranks of squid-ink pasta, profiteroles and île flottante. If they make it, I will come. You gotta … [Read more...]
LONG ISLAND BOUILLABAISSE: A CHOICE MEAL
Even though Bouillabaisse fits the criteria of Spectacularly Delicious -- proper name, special equipment (food mill), and unusual taste and presentation (break out that soup tureen!), I didn't put this at the top of my list as a choice meal. Seemed like there were enough bouillabaisse recipes already out there until I found this recipe for long island … [Read more...]
HASSENPFEFFER: AN ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
Since rabbit -- as one wag put it, the "other" other white meat -- is riding a wave of popularity I gamely (pun semi-intended) decided to stir up a batch of Hassenpfeffer with an original gourmet recipe utilizing a couple of sources, including dear old Good Housekeeping. The New Joy of Cooking didn't have a … [Read more...]
HOMARD A LA DAVID LETTERMAN – A CHOICE MEAL
As promised, here's another doozy from Le Bec-Fin Recipes by George Perrier, a true choice meal for the discerning palate. The intro to this dish says the lobster recipe was created for the chef's first appearance on the Letterman show, which must have been pre-heart attack Dave, as the recipe calls for a prodigious amount of butter. One of the best … [Read more...]