You know when you go a restaurant and the food seems simple and straight forward and yet it tastes so much better than you expected it ever could? Out in San Francisco Tyler Florence's Wayfare Tavern and El Paseo restaurants serve up these epiphanies plate after plate, night after night. Having access to the best meats, freshest vegetables and fine butters and oils and … [Read more...]
WINNER! AMERICA’S ULTIMATE STRAWBERRY JAM
Once again Spectacularly Delicious took center stage at the astonishingly gorgeous 5th Annual House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year in Rockefeller Center. SpecD oversaw the fierce battle (state against state, blog against blog, USA against Canada) for the title of America's Ultimate Strawberry Jam Recipe. During the open-to-the-public judging my most excellent team of culinary … [Read more...]
FINALISTS OF AMERICA’S ULTIMATE STRAWBERRY JAM CONTEST
Here are the four runners-up in America's Ultimate Strawberry Jam contest at the 2012 House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year. Sandra Lee was the guest of honor at the KOTY opening gala and had absolutely nothing to do with the contest but she sure takes a nice picture. (Since I don't kiss and tell I can't tell you how we said good bye -- twice!) HONEY STRAWBERRY JAM by … [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...]
RECIPE: HELEN GURLEY BROWN’S ZABAGLIONE WITH PEACHES AND MERINGUES
Zabaglione recipe adapted from Helen Gurley Brown's Single Girl's Cookbook (Updated with fresh peaches and meringues) Helen Gurley Brown recommended the egg whites be saved for fluffy scrambled eggs or gin fizzes. The Spectacularly Delicious enhancement turns the whites into little meringues kisses with are folded into the foamy zabaglione with slices of ripe peaches. 6 … [Read more...]
ZUCCHINI AND CORN RELISH
ZUCCHINI AND CORN RELISH Makes 14 8 oz. jars or 7 16 oz. (pint) jars 8 c. shredded zucchini (use the largest grating setting; 4 large zucchini) ½ c. kosher salt 4 c. fresh corn kernels (3 ears) 2 c. chopped red peppers (3 peppers) 1 jalapeno, finely minced 1 large white onion, shredded 4 c. shredded cabbage (1/2 of a small head) 1 ½ c. white vinegar 1 c. … [Read more...]
ZUCCHINI BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES
Bread and Butter Pickles are prized for their sweet and sour tang. I suppose because the only thing else you’ll need is some bread and butter and voila! Lunch. (At least that’s my guess.) ZUCCHINI BREAD AND BUTTER PICKLES Makes 16 cups or 8 pints of pickles 16 c. zucchini sliced into 1/8” disks (about 12 regular sized) 4 c. thinly sliced white onions (about 2 … [Read more...]
CARROTS WITH HORSERADISH AND HONEYCOMB
Gabrielle Hamilton, chef/owner of Prune restaurant in NYC's fashionable Lower East Side, has a nifty item on this summer's menu: peas with horseradish and honeycomb. The great thing about Gabrielle's cooking is the intense flavors. Her chicken leg recipe (forget the breast, dark meat is the richest part of the bird, yeah baby!) includes a entire jar of cornichon pickles -- … [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...]
LEMON RICOTTA MUFFINS WITH TRUVIA BAKING BLEND
I met Truvia when she was just a baby. She made her debut on Rockefeller Plaza in the summer of 2008, just before our first House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year. She was just as sweet as can be from the very start. There was a darling nursery set up for her, all surrounded by Stevia plants, which actually give her her all-natural sweetness. Appropriately, baby-sized cups of … [Read more...]