FOR THE CAKE: 8 eggs, separated 2 t. vanilla extract 1 1/2 c. sugar, divided 1 c. flour 1 c. corn starch 1/4 t. salt zest of one lemon Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare two 9" cake pans: butter and flour bottoms and sides. Line the bottom with parchment and butter and flour the paper. Beat egg whites with salt until soft peaks form. While continuing to beat the … [Read more...]
DUCK PROSCIUTTO
The gold-leaf thin slices of Prosciutto de Parma ethereally draped over sweet summer melon. Nutty, satiny smooth Jamon Iberico or salty shards of Smithfield ham tucked in soft buttered buns. The noble swine, clown of the barnyard, terror of the forest, generous provider of robust haunches that yield to the alchemy of master curers, we are indebted for these the crowning … [Read more...]
READERS’ CHOICE: 2012 BEST READ AND MOST LOVED RECIPES
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...]
CROWN ROAST OF HOT DOGS
Long has the Crown Roast of Hot Dogs haunted my culinary imagination. It first caught my eye ages ago in my hometown paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; the recipe and photograph clipped but never actually prepared. Years later this refrigerator magnet found its way into the kitchen with the vintage photograph depicting a most glorious version, nestled in a ring … [Read more...]
PINK GRAPEFRUIT CAMPARI DUCKLING
Eons ago there was a little homemade sorbet stand on 7th Avenue, down around West 10th Street. It was not much more than a shack, crammed between two other small buildings. The shack has long since disappeared. Now there's a glamorous NY Sports Club perched upon a Gourmet Garage taking up that block. Gone but not forgotten, that little shack, at least by me. Those were … [Read more...]
Pomegranate Cranberry Mustard: A Spectacular Home Made Christmas Gift!
Introducing SpecD's all-new Christmas 2012 mustard recipe: Pomegranate Cranberry Mustard! Home made mustard is just about the most perfect "loving hands at home" food gift one could ever hope for: - Surprisingly easy! - Wonderfully adaptable, so you can add whatever fruits and spices that strike your fancy!! - Joyfully inexpensive when you buy mustard seeds in bulk … [Read more...]
CHRISTMAS HORSERADISH
Foodstuffs pegged "Christmas" had better have some red and green in it -- as does this recipe for Christmas Horseradish, a pungent mix of thick shreds of fresh horseradish root speckled with bits of hot jalapenos and sweet red pepper. The ideal Christmas Eve dinner stars a hefty standing rib roast, gloriously rosy-red and juicy in the center cuts, with well-done end-cuts … [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...]
RECIPE: PUMPKIN SPAETZLE
1 15 oz. can pumpkin purée 3 extra large eggs 1 c. milk, + extra as needed 2 1/2 c. flour, + extra as needed 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. cumin 2 heaping Tablespoons of roughly chopped fresh sage, plus extra whole sage leaves for garnish 4 T. butter 2 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated s&p Empty canned pumpkin purée into a fine mesh sieve and set over a bowl or … [Read more...]