Alcohol
Tequila-Lime Mahi Mahi Tacos
Mild mahi Mahi takes on the flavors of our zesty marinade.
Aquavit Spritzer
Can't find aquavit? It's easy to make your own by infusing vodka with herbs and spices.
Blueberry Smash
You can use any ripe berries to make this seasonal pitcher cocktail.
Grilled Filet Mignon with Brandy Mustard Sauce
The bite of mustard and the char of the grill amp up the flavor of tender but mild-tasting filet mignon. Be sure to have all the sauce ingredients ready to go before starting the meat. For perfect timing, add the cream to the sauce while the steaks are resting; they'll be done at the same time.
Pink Lady Milk Shake
Portland-based Salt & Straw adds a drop of vinegar and a hint of pepper to balance the sweetness in this strawberry shake, plus a splash of rum to make it deliciously complex in flavor. If you're making this for non-drinkers, just omit the booze.
Vanilla-Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberries
Stew fruit in parcels to infuse it with vanilla and bourbon, then serve it with a dollop of Greek yogurt (or ice cream).
Apricot Miso Jam
"At Linger, we make jam with miso. It's delicious with pork but is especially tasty on bread with cream cheese."
Green Beans with Miso Butter
"I use miso as a unique salt. It adds depth to even simple preparations, like this compound butter."
Agave Margarita
This triple sec-free recipe was inspired by one from Tommy's Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.
Amaretto Olive Oil Cake
The concept of ground almonds and extra-virgin olive oil in a cake may sound like a recipe for a lead weight, but this dessert is surprisingly airy and light yet also amazingly moist. And the bonus of a jigger of Amaretto liqueur can only make it better.
Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Passover. Menu also includes Quinoa and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette and Wine-Braised Brisket with Tart Cherries.
Wine-Braised Brisket with Tart Cherries
Beef brisket is the centerpiece of many Jewish holiday meals, particularly at Passover, and every family has their favorite way of preparing it. There are countless recipes out there, but how many do you need besides your grandmother's? At least one more: This one!
Why? Because the meat is slowly braised in Pinot Noir, and the cherry notes in the wine pair brilliantly with dried tart cherries, which plump up with winey beef juices to become little mini-pouches of flavor on their own. Add to that a bit of star anise, which perfumes the brisket and your home with an exotic and enticing hint of licorice. Season the mixture with the sweet-and-sour agrodolce dance of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, and you have a brisket that is at once counterintuitively familiar and wonderfully different. Like all braised meats, brisket improves in flavor, and slices more easily, if made a day ahead and chilled (see Cooks' Notes). Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Passover. Menu also includes Quinoa and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette and Amaretto Olive Oil Cake.
Why? Because the meat is slowly braised in Pinot Noir, and the cherry notes in the wine pair brilliantly with dried tart cherries, which plump up with winey beef juices to become little mini-pouches of flavor on their own. Add to that a bit of star anise, which perfumes the brisket and your home with an exotic and enticing hint of licorice. Season the mixture with the sweet-and-sour agrodolce dance of brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, and you have a brisket that is at once counterintuitively familiar and wonderfully different. Like all braised meats, brisket improves in flavor, and slices more easily, if made a day ahead and chilled (see Cooks' Notes). Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Passover. Menu also includes Quinoa and Asparagus Salad with Mimosa Vinaigrette and Amaretto Olive Oil Cake.
Basic Crab Pan Sauce
Editor's note: Use this pan sauce to flavor Chef John Besh's Busters and Grits.
Frontera Grill's Chocolate Pecan Pie with Coffee Whipped Cream
Pastry chef Jennifer Jones of Topolobampo in Chicago shared this recipe as part of a Cinco de Mayo feature on Mexican desserts. Coffee liqueur adds incredible depth to Frontera Grill's legendary chocolate pecan pie, but if you prefer to skip the booze in the whipped cream, use an equivalent amount of pure vanilla extract or espresso instead. Jones prefers to serve this pie when it's warm and gooey, but warns that it's a little tricky to cut that way. Her solution is to cool the pie completely, cut it into slices, and then pop it back in the oven until it's just heated through.
Modern Mexican Chocolate Flan
Pastry chef Jennifer Jones of Topolobampo in Chicago shared this recipe as part of a Cinco de Mayo feature on Mexican desserts. If you prefer to make one large flan, as Jones often does, use a standard pie plate in lieu of the ramekins. The process is the same, but the family-style flan will likely require 10 to 15 additional minutes in the oven. Test as you would for individual custards, inserting a knife halfway between the edge and the center—when the knife comes out clean it's time to take the flan out of the oven.
Marmalade Cake
This citrus cake is decorated with thin slices of candied orange peel. If you have any left over, roll them in sugar and dip in melted icing for a sweet treat.
Almond-Oat Strawberry Shortcakes
We mix finely ground oats and almonds into the biscuit dough for extra texture, flavor, and nutritional value.
Haroseth (Dried Fruit and Nut Paste)
Haroseth, a symbolic seder food, alludes to the mortar that the Jews used to build the pyramids when enslaved by the Egyptian pharaoh. Though haroseth visually mimes the unappealing look of cement, its taste is actually a delicious combination of fresh or dried fruit, nuts, spices and wine. There are as many variations of haroseth as there are seder tables around the world, and all reflect a myriad of traditions. This recipe is inspired by my grandmother's simple grated apple, walnut, and cinnamon version, along with the flavors of my husband's Middle Eastern background.
Salsa Borracha
"Drunken" salsas have been around forever. They were originally prepared with pulque, an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of the once-sacred maguey (agave) plant. Pulque, which is not easy to find outside of Mexico, is not distilled and has a much stronger flavor than tequila, which I use in its place in this recipe. The alcohol is mostly burned off in the cooking process, leaving only its musky flavor. The sweetness from the freshly squeezed orange juice gives this salsa a wonderful balance.