This is a drink I created for the Italian restaurant Morandi, whose chef, Jody Williams, insisted on a hard-spirit ban for their prosecco cocktail menu to avoid overpowering the delicate flavors of the food. At first I was doubtful of this approach, but it turns out a lot of great cocktails fit this food-friendly bill if we just open ourselves up to using culinary elements in mixed drinks.
Shards of chocolate embedded with surprising flavors and crunchy elements make terrific gifts for much less than pricey "artisan-made" chocolates. The key is to use the best and freshest chocolate you can buy: fragrant and glossy with no trace of a gray bloom on the surface. This easy method insures that the chocolate sets well and snaps when it breaks. You can improvise endlessly on it, devising unique combinations of chocolates and flavorings. (You can also simply stir the embellishments right into the melted chocolate before pouring.)
What This Recipe Shows: By rolling the dough balls in plain sugar first, the confectioners sugar does not soak in so much and stays on the surface better.
The development of a recipe: Sounded delicious in my head, could almost taste it on my palate, could see its brilliant color and feel its creamy texture—like velvet on my tongue. But it took many tries to get it right.
Egg whites are the key element in this recipe.
Some of the characteristics of a classic American Chardonnay are vanilla, butter, and if it has been aged in oak, a toasty quality as well. Because Brie and Chardonnay typically go well together, I decided to deconstruct some of the elements in Chardonnay to create this hors d'oeuvre. The result is both sweet and savory and a great showcase for the buttery cheese. Note that it's easier to cut this type of cheese when it is cold. Bring to room temperature before serving.
I had these potatoes for Christmas dinner at the home of my friend Lindita Klein. She found a similar recipe in Gourmet magazine that called for butter in place of the olive oil and a sprig of Italian parsley in place of the rosemary. You can use either or both of the herbs, but olive oil makes these potatoes remarkable. This is one of those dishes that everyone loves and wants to know how to make. It is simple and enormously appealing.
This rich, crustless cheesecake studded with chestnut chunks is scented with the unbeatable combination of vanilla and dark rum. That combination brings unexpected elegance to this cake, which originated as a simple country pudding.
As plain as these cookies look, that's how surprising they are. At first glance, they have the look of little meringue buttons: their tops are pale, smooth, buff colored, and as crackly thin as parchment. Tucked beneath the crust is the cookie proper, a tidbit that is all crunch. These are cookies you might be tempted to gobble like gumdrops if it weren't for their flavor: anise, a flavor so assertive it can never be taken lightly.