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...]
CORN RELISH
This recipe for corn relish is a flagship of Springy Banks Cannery (a.k.a. my kitchen). Rather than elaborate with frills and filigrees, as is so often the case when I repeat recipes year after year, this minimalist treatment is the Mies van der Rohe of corn relish recipes. Hey let's drag in another pretentious reference! Coco Chanel is on record … [Read more...]
FRIED OYSTERS
Spectacular treats need not always be complicated. This recipe for Fried Oysters is simplicity itself. You can (and I have) purchase oysters already shucked in refrigerated containers. But fresh from the sea and opened moments before a brief swim in a hell's cauldron of boiling oil, the results soar miles above what … [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...]
FLAN DE COCO: A LOCO DESSERT
I am currently in the thick of putting together our third annual House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year at Rockefeller Center this July. Each year, seeing this amazingly beautiful building pop up practically overnight, like a mushroom after a rain, is incredibly exciting. A showcase for stunning kitchen design, original gourmet recipes and famous … [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...]
STRAWBERRY SOUFFLE – EUGENIA BONE’S ORIGINAL GOURMET RECIPE
Putting together a dinner for our dear good friend Eugenia Bone, author of the fab Well-Preserved (James Beard Award finalist), At Mesa's Edge and Italian Family Dining (this last one co-written with dad Ed Giobbe), is always cause for something special. Her original gourmet recipes (like this Strawberry Soufflé), bringing together her Italian … [Read more...]
ORIGNAL GOURMET: BRAIDED SALMON AND SOLE
Used bookstores are treasure troves of spectacularly delicious recipes. This original gourmet stunner is from Le Bec-Fin Recipes, by Georges Perrier. A million years ago I was at a fancy catered lunch with some chefs flown in from who-knows-where. The only memorable thing about that meal was a braid of different kinds of fish. So you can imagine my … [Read more...]
TARTE CARAMEL AU CHOCOLAT
Rising above the crowd in the world of chocolate desserts -- and remaining there -- is no easy feat. Case in point: the molten chocolate constructions which originated in the most rarefied restaurants can now be had at Domino's and Costco. Of course these inexpensive heat-and-serve quickies don't provide best in class renditions, … [Read more...]
TURKEY WHITE – TURKEY BROWN
Pity the poor turkey. For one bright shiny November day it is fussed over, cosseted, the main topic of conversation and culinary concern -- the glistening, mahogany skinned behemoth lording over the Thanksgiving feast like Gulliver and the Lilliputians. Then for the other 364 days of the year it's pretty much relegated to the "I'm … [Read more...]