Recipes Master 12

The next time you hear people arguing about whether Chicago or New York has the best pizza, politely interrupt them, and make sure they know about Detroit-style, since it really should be part of the discussion. And by discussion, I mean heated argument. Even though Detroit-style pizza is often referred to as “deep dish,” I don’t think that accurately captures the essence of this crispy, crusty, crazy-good slice. It has flavor elements of a slightly charred, blistered, thin-crust pizza, with the texture of light, airy focaccia. Plus, if you use the properly shaped pan, the edges of your crust get wonderfully crunchy, making for a very unique experience. If you can’t get the classic 14” X 10” Detroit pizza pan, you can also use a 12” cast iron skillet, although you may need to not use quite as much dough, since I forget how much surface area that has, but it should be close. You can also use two 8” X 8” metal cake pans, but no matter what you go with, be sure it’s at least a few inches ...

Michele and I were in Oakland recently, at a restaurant called Southie , when I saw something I’d never seen before; avocado and ricotta cheese paired together on a crostini. I didn’t order it, but was fascinated by the idea, and eventually it turned into what you see here. By the way, everything we did have was great, so if you’re in the area, check them out. I don’t do a lot of shout-outs here, but that'll make me feel a little better about stealing their appetizer. They actually did theirs with the cheese spread on first, and then sliced avocado placed over the top, but I decided to go for something a little easier to serve, and went with a spread instead. I found this to be a very delicious combination that was sort of unusual, and yet familiar at the same time. I did roughly equal parts cheese and avocado, but of course you can play around with this ratio, depending on your mood. The same goes for the garnishes, where any number of fresh, or pickled seasonal vegetables would ...

“Karniyarik” means “split belly,” which refers to the technique used to stuff them, although depending on the size of your eggplant, it could also refer to you after enjoying this delicious dish. By the way, this was my first time making these, and when I mentioned in the video only doing 15 minutes of research before filming, I wasn’t joking. So, you’ve been warned. Having said that, I thought these came out really well, and I would only tweak a couple minor things next time. I’d sprinkle the insides with salt before stuffing, since there wasn’t enough in my filling to season them to my taste. I’d also toss in some chopped parsley, which would have added a little freshness to the dish, although the dried rosemary did work nicely. Lastly, I’d take the advice I got on Twitter , and serve them with a yogurt sauce, like our famous tzatziki . That would be an amazing condiment for these, since the cold, acidic sauce would be a perfect foil for the rich, aromatic, slightly sweet flavor prof...

These gorgeous cream puff "crack buns” were inspired by the Great British Baking Show, which is not only my favorite cooking show, but currently my favorite thing on television. Maybe it's the accent, or because the contestants are all so nice, and actually try to help each other. Or, it could be the fact that when the time is up, and they try to work for a few more seconds, the hosts just politely scold them, instead of immediate disqualification, which is what would happen on our much more uptight American culinary competitions. It's probably all of the above, plus the fact I always get so many wonderful ideas for videos, with these Choux au Crackelin being a prime example. Like I said in the video, these would be great filled with all kinds of things, but it's hard to beat vanilla bean pastry cream. I'm pretty proud of the recipe we posted a few years ago , and while I enjoy it straight, traditionally it would have some whipped cream folded in to lighten the mix...

I really loved everything about this feta roast chicken, as long as I was eating with my eyes closed, and that’s because despite the juicy texture, and wonderful flavor, I had trouble getting past the grainy-looking appearance of the cooked cheese mixture. The good news is, it was mostly an aesthetic issue, and the mouthfeel wasn’t nearly as dry and grainy as it looked. Having said that, the next time I make this I will probably go with a little higher-end sheep’s milk feta which is much softer, and creamier. Speaking of the feta, you may need to add some salt to the mixture, depending how salty the one you use is. As usual, your roasting time will depend on the size of your chicken, and the feta under the skin will increase the time needed, so check with a thermometer, and shoot for 155-160 F. in the thickest part of the thigh. Surprisingly, even though the feta was only under the breast, the thighs did actually pick up some of the flavor, which is enhanced even further if you create ...

If you’ve made and loved our Greek Lemon Chicken , and Fondant Potatoes , then you will absolutely adore these lemon pepper potatoes, since it’s basically the best of those two recipes put together, minus the chicken. The only problem is, whatever main course you decide to go with is in serious danger of being upstaged. Speaking of chicken, if you happen to be roasting one, besides keeping the bones for stock, be sure to save the rendered fat as well, since that will elevate this dish to even greater heights. Also, feel free to add some garlic here, but if you do, I’d go with whole cloves, since minced garlic may burn onto the bottom of the dish towards the end of the roasting time. These are incredible eaten hot and fresh, but if for some reason you don’t finish them all, they make the best homefries you’ll ever eat. Just cut them up, and fry in some olive oil until crispy. They’re so good, you’ll be tempted to make them just for that purpose, although that will take way more willpow...

Sure this apple butter recipe takes many hours to cook, but the recipe is quite easy (after you slice 5 pounds of apples), and once done, you have what is basically a spreadable apple pie filling, only better. Buttered toast sold separately. And, that’s just the beginning of what you can do with this miraculous mixture. It’s perfect used as a garnish for cheese plates, especially alongside some nice sharp cheddar, or spread on some cheesy biscuits , which I believe we posted a recipe for last year. Other approved uses include spreading between the layers of a spice cake, filling seasonably appropriate thumbprint cookies, or even as a condiment for pork chops. Sorry, apple sauce. This is quite a simple procedure using a slow cooker as seen herein, but if you don’t have one you can certainly do it on top of the stove over low heat, as long as you use a nice thick-bottomed pot, and stir often. Another option would be to place the mixture in a large roasting pan, and cook it in a slow ov...