The Diva That Ate New York

Mic Drop: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Caramel Balls

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Mic Drop: Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Caramel Balls

The only good thing Verizon has ever done for me was sending me an ex-chef to fix my internet. When Jay, the ex-chef technician, told me he was making these Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Coconut Honey Caramel Balls for Thanksgiving, I knew I had to as well. Here’s the recipe…(drops the microphone).

The Flan From Ipanema: Brigadeirao Chocolate Fudge Flan

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - The Flan From Ipanema: Brigadeirao Chocolate Fudge Flan

Everyone knows the song “The Girl From Ipanema” with the line “when she passes each one she passes goes, Ahh…”. That would be the same reaction Brigadeirao, a Brazilian Chocolate Fudge Flan would get if it were sashaying down Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janiero. It’s HAWT!!!

I wasn’t looking for this dessert when I was cruising Pinterest in search of a chocolate version of the Pudim Molotov dessert I made this past spring for a brunch party. It found me. When I saw photos of Brigadeirao, I went, “Ahh…”. It looked dense, rich, and uber-chocolatey. I knew I had to make it.

The Menus Of Thanksgivings Past

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - The Menus Of Thanksgivings Past

Learn from your past mistakes and your past wins. When I mentioned I was working on my Thanksgiving menu for 2014, a friend asked to share what I was thinking of doing so he might gain some inspiration for his menu. I always write a menu, but I don’t know what I actually made until after I made it. So here’s what I actually made for my double Thanksgivings for this and year and the past fourteen years (I’ve been adding to this post every year). I could have gone further back, but enough already!

(UPDATED for 2021)
VG = vegetarian, V = vegan, and GF = gluten-free

Thanksgiving 2021
APPETIZERS

  • Shrimp toast scotch egg with scallions, jicama, carrots, sesame seeds, and hand-cut tiny breadcrumbs with sweet soy chili sauce 
  • Scotch egg with spinach, shallots, celery, garlic, oats, quinoa, flaxseed, poppy, thyme, rosemary, and a choice of olive tapenade or maple mustard sauce VG
  • Roasted butternut squash balls with bocconcini topped with toasted pistachios, and a chili, mint & lemon oil VG
  • Roasted grapes with bocconcini topped with toasted pistachios, and chili, mint & lemon oil VG
  • Roasted garlic feta spread with TJ’s onion crisps VG
  • Roasted eggplant with tamarind fig jam in Kataifi pastry topped with sesame seeds and served with chermoula sauce VG

MAINS

  • Turkey GF
  • Giblet Gravy
  • “Allium-inati” Stuffing with roasted shallots, leeks, and fennel, sauteed onions, celery, chestnuts, prunes, bread, and eggs VG
  • Apple Cider Caramel Walnut Smashed Sweets V GF
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Craig Claiborne’s Red Cabbage V GF
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Asparagus with Sautéed Green Tomatoes and Garlic V GF
  • Creamy Garlic Chive Mushrooms VG GF

CONDIMENTS

  • Cranberry Sauce V
  • Spicy Rhubarb Cherry Chutney V
  • Canned jellied cranberry V

DESSERTS

  • Espresso Chocolate “Flan-fait” VG
  • Cupboard Harvest Pandowdy with ginger creme fraiche and pie crust straws VG
  • Pumpkin Roulade with marscapone ginger filling VG
  • Chocolate caramel pecan cheesecake bites VG

VG = vegetarian, V = vegan, and GF = gluten-free

Thanksgiving 2020 (COVID aka weird Thanksgiving where I made a lot of dinners to go)
APPETIZERS

  • Baked goat cheese with roasted grapes, roasted shallots, toasted hazelnuts, olive oil and a sprinkle of tarragon VG 
  • Jamon with tres leches cheese and leatherwood honey
  • Endive with country pate, Dijon mustard, green tomato chutney, and microgreens

MAINS

  • Turkey GF
  • Giblet Gravy
  • Shiitake Mushroom & Leek Stuffing VG
  • Candied Sweet Potatoes with Cranberries & Apples V GF
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Brussels Sprouts with toasted almonds, crisped shallots and currants plumped with Pedro Jimenez sherry and sherry vinegar V

CONDIMENTS

  • Cranberry Sauce V

DESSERTS

  • Chocolate Semifreddo with cherry sauce and candied almonds made by Richard. VG
  • Cupboard Harvest Roasted Pear Hand Pies topped ginger sugar with crème fraiche VG
  • Chocolate & Caramel Dipped Granny Smith apples coated with walnuts, almond, toasted coconut or peanuts VG
  • Chocolate Rainbow Cookies VG
  • Chocolate Drizzled Caramel Crunchtacular popcorn, pretzels, potato chips, rice krispy bits, and peanuts VG
  • Pecan Diamonds VG
  • Almond Hazelnut Brittle
  • (Chocolate dipped Oreos & Grahams - just for Frank) VG
  • Spiced Pumpkin Mini Bundt Cakes VG

Thanksgiving 2019
APPETIZERS

  • Shrimp Toast Balls with Sweet Chili Sauce
  • Dukkah & Goat Cheese Wrapped Grapes VG
  • Chicken Liver, Muscat & Pear Parfait
  • Gouda Rosemary Poppy Thumbprint Cookies with Yellow Tomato Jam VG

MAINS

  • Turkey GF
  • Giblet Gravy
  • Three Onion & Sage Stuffing
  • SQUASH-TACULAR! Chili & Honey Roasted Squash on Einkorn Pilaf V GF
  • Pecan Coconut Crusted Thai Red Curry Sweet Potatoes VG GF
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Craig Claiborne’s Red Cabbage Alsatian Style* VG GF
  • Chive & Mushroom Cobbler VG
  • String beans, Broccoli & Asparagus Medley V GF

CONDIMENTS

  • Cranberry Sauce V
  • Beet & Apple & Ginger Chutney V
  • Canned cranberry V

DESSERTS

  • Chocolate & Passionfruit Curd Squares VG
  • Cupboard Harvest Gallette with Ginger Crème fraiche VG
  • Assorted Danish pastries: Sour Cherry & Cheese; Raspberry & Marzipan; Apricot & Marzipan; Lemon Curd & Cheese; Cinnamon Walnut & Prune VG
  • Chocolate Espresso Trifle-misu: Queen of Sheba cake bits, caramel whipped cream, chocolate pastry cream; amaretto-espresso soaked homemade lady fingers, brownie crumbs, marscapone whipped cream,  espresso gelatin and chocolate decorations VG

Thanksgiving 2018
APPETIZERS

  • Peanutty Ham Balls with Pineapple Chili Glaze
  • Salami tacos with Egg Salad & Everything Crunch | Bocconcini, red pepper & pesto
  • Vegetarian Alternative: Toast points with egg salad | Bocconcini with red pepper, pesto, tomato skewers VG
  • Shrimp Toast
  • Pretzel Bites filled with mushrooms, onions & truffle cheddar VG
  • Sev Batata Chaat Spoons VG

MAINS

  • Turkey GF
  • Giblet Gravy
  • Wild Mushroom Stuffing
  • Candied & Ombre’d Scallop of Kabocha, Butternut & Sweet Potato V GF
  • Dilly Mashed Celeriac & Potatoes VG GF
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Craig Claiborne’s Red Cabbage Alsatian Style* VG
  • Roasted Carrots with Charred Onion Vinaigrette & Tahini Sauce V
  • Steamed Green Veggies V

CONDIMENTS

  • Cranberry Sauce V
  • Ruby Sun Splash Relish V

DESSERTS

  • Espresso Chocolate Cake VG
  • Pecan Diamonds VG
  • Concord Grape Pate de Fruit V
  • Deconstructed Sweet Potato Pie with Sugared Pie Crust Shards VG
  • Chocolate Glazed Almond Financiers VG

Thanksgiving 2017
APPETIZERS


  • Deviled Crab mousse — endive & crackers GF
  • Mortadella packages with pesto, semi-dried tomatoes & mozzarella - chives, balsamic glaze GF

  • Mortadella packages with quince paste and Asiago fried sage & pistachio sprinkles GF
  • Shallot Fricos with fig jam and blue cheese topping VG
  • Lefse sausage rolls with onion thyme marmalade
  • Tamago on nori chips with oshinko and soy glaze VG
  • Clam stuffed mushrooms

MAINS


  • Turkey GF
  • Giblet Gravy
  • Six Mushroom & Sage Stuffing
  • Roasted Fennel, Cauliflower, Kale, Apricot & Kasha Stuffing V GF
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Coconut Cardamom Whipped Sweet Potatoes VG GF
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Craig Claiborne’s Red Cabbage Alsatian Style* VG
  • Mélange of steamed green veggies V GF

CONDIMENTS

  • Traditional Cranberry V GF
  • Jellied Cranberry (canned) V GF

DESSERTS

  • Sour Cream Apple Pie VG
  • Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Pudding with Makers Mark Sauce and Ginger Ice Cream VG
  • Passion Fruit Chocolate with Coconut Almond Dacquoise Slice VG GF
  • Cream Cheese Flan VG GF
  • Pecan Cookies VG
  • Caramel & Chocolate Macarons VG GF

Thanksgiving 2016
APPETIZERS

  • Sesame-Poppy Pizzelle Cones filled with Horseradish Smoked Salmon Spread and Chives or Deviled Ham Spread and Shaved Pickled Okra Slices
  • Beet Tartare on Endive with Whipped Goat Cheese and Toasted Pistachios VG GF
  • Roasted Pear, Gorgonzola, Toasted Pine Nuts and Mike’s Hot Honey in Endive VG GF
  • Pesto Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms Topped with Roasted Carrots and Roasted Scallions and a Dukkah Flax Seed Crunch VG GF
  • Picadillo Stuffed Tostones Cups with Garlic Chips GF

MAINS

  • Turkey GF
  • Giblet Gravy
  • Roasted Shallot and Mushroom Stuffing
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Gingered Apple Cranberry Sweet Potatoes VG GF
  • Corn Green Chile Casserole VG
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Craig Claiborne’s Red Cabbage Alsatian Style* VG
  • Steamed Asparagus V GF

CONDIMENTS

  • Concord Grape Cranberry Relish V GF
  • Traditional Cranberry V GF
  • Jellied Cranberry (canned) V GF

DESSERTS

  • Maple Chocolate Pecan Galette VG
  • Cardamom Coconut Roasted Fruit Pavlova — roasted mango, pineapple, banana on a cardamom coconut meringue with whipped coconut cream and toasted coconut VG GF
  • Mini Cheesecakes Squares with Lemon Curd and Blueberries VG GF
  • Espresso Flan with Homemade Cinnamon Ice Cream VG GF

In 2015, I coded the menu and put it on the fridge so my guests would be able to see what they needed to avoid. VG = vegetarian, V = vegan, and GF = gluten-free.

Thanksgiving 2015
APPETIZERS

  • Chaat in Lettuce Cups: potatoes, puris, pomegranate, peanuts, bhuja mix, yogurt sauce, green chutney, and tamarind chutney in lettuce cups VG
  • Deviled Ham-Deviled Eggs GF
  • Rumaki: teriyaki bacon and chicken liver wrapped water chestnuts GF
  • Vegmaki: Italian long hot pepper wrapped water chestnuts with scallions and hoisin ginger peanut sauce VG
  • Crab & Scallion Stuffed Mushrooms GF
  • Butternut, Feta & Rosemary Stuffed Mushrooms VG GF

MAINS

  • Turkey GF
  • Gravy
  • Chinese Sausage, Chinese Mushroom & Garlic Chive Stuffing
  • Chinese Mushroom & Garlic Chive Stuffing V
  • Grandma’s Rice VG GF
  • Jax Mac & Cheese VG
  • Two Tone Sweets: two recipes combined with a candied ginger crust: Concord Grape Sweet Potatoes on top of Coconut Whipped Sweet Potatoes V GF
  • Creamed Rutabagas VG GF
  • Five Greens-Five Spiced & Curry Leafed: Braised cabbage, collards, kale, Swiss chard and mustard greens in Indian five-spice and curry leaves V GF
  • A Lotta Onions Casserole: Vidalia, yellow onions, chives, leeks & shallots in a corn casserole VG GF
  • Succotash: lima beans, corn, and tomatoes V GF

CONDIMENTS

  • Cranberry Sauce V
  • Fermented Cranberry Sauce V
  • Jellied Cranberry Sauce

All condiments are vegan and gluten free

DESSERTS

  • Jay’s Sweets - Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter-Coconut-Honey Coated Caramel Balls VG GF
  • Brigadeirao: Brazilian Chocolate Fudge Flan with Crème Anglaise VG GF
  • Cardamom & Orange Nut Squares VG
  • Cranberry Apple Slab Pie VG
  • Cinnamon Coffee Trifle with Kahlua Bavarian Cream & White chocolate curls VG GF

The Gift of Pie and Other False Economies

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - The Gift of Pie and Other False Economies

Write on the blackboard 1,000 times: Food Gifts Do No Save You Money. Drill it into your head and give up this crazy notion. Labor + ingredients + packaging + delivery all come with a dollar value.

Don’t get me wrong, I love giving food gifts, but I never pretend that it’s less expensive than buying a gift. I just give them freely because that how I roll.

Ahhh, memories… the year my mom decided to sponsor a Save-the-Children child and not buy Christmas gifts for anyone, except her kids. Rather than give them a handwritten note with the simple explanation that their gift went to feeding a starving child, she decided it would be nice it give them something homemade as well. Think of the money we’d save!

We made gifts. We made pumpkin bread baked in coffee cans, rugelach, almond crescents, brownies and sugar cookies galore. For some reason, she decided that she would make her famous Cheese, Onion, and Tomato Pies based on Anna Thomas’s recipe in The Vegetarian Epicure (Random House) as well. I can still picture her crazed eyes as she stabbed pounds and pounds of onions and grated “all that goddamned cheese”, by hand. This was in the pre-food processor days. (Do you remember where you were when you got your first food processor?)

Wave Bye-Bye To Dry-Dry Turkey Meatballs

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Wave Bye-Bye To Dry-Dry Turkey Meatballs

When someone says turkey meatloaf or turkey meatballs, I swear I can see a little puff of sawdust fly out of their mouth. Ground turkey is lean people! LEAN = DRY. Yeah, yeah… it’s supposedly good for you… whatever! But it’s no fun to eat if you have guzzle a can of lube to get it down your throat before eating it—that’s disgusting! Did I write that?

You have to add moisture back into ground turkey and that’s what I did by adding apples, cheddar cheese, and sautéed vegetables in my gluten-free turkey meatballs aka Fall Fowl Balls. I rolled them in crushed nuts for extra texture.

I was riffing off the classic pork sausage cheddar balls which I learned about a few years ago when I was looking for round food for my International Men With Balls brunch that I hosted when Obama was inaugurated for the second time. They’re normally made with Bisquick, but I made them gluten-free then and continued the theme here. Here’s the recipe for my Gluten Free Sausage, Cheddar & Chive Balls.You can substitute flour for potato starch if you want in this recipe. You could also use turkey sausage for this recipe and skip the spices depending on how delicious the turkey sausage meat you get is.

P Is For Pie Party Potluck and Potatoes

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - P Is For Pie Party Potluck and Potatoes

The only thing that’s better than the smell of freshly baked pie is the smell of eighty freshly baked pies. If you can see, smell, and eat one pie and describe that experience as great, orgasmic, heavenly, etc, then what are the words you would use to describe being able to see, smell, and eat eighty pies? I’m asking you because I really don’t have the words, but I do have the experience.

Ken and I hosted our most delicious event, Pie Party Potluck LIVE!, for the fourth year on October 3rd, 2015. It was held at the new campus of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Brookfield Place. The concept is simple. Food bloggers and food professionals all make and bring pies and we eat as much as we possibly can. We pack up the leftovers and take them home and continue to eat pie as long as our pie stash lasts. I made two pies, one savory and one sweet for pie party.

Pretty, Pretty Pistachio Cherry Red Cabbage Slaw

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Pretty, Pretty Pistachio Cherry Red Cabbage Slaw

It’s not often that a person shimmies up to the barbecue buffet table and exclaims, “My that’s a might pretty cole slaw you’re serving today!”. This Pistachio Cherry Red Cabbage Slaw is a head turner. It also makes the transition from a summer grill side dish to a fall grill side dish, nicely. Slaw is for summer and red cabbage is for cozier times. Put some sparkle in your coleslaw. The green of the pistachios bounces against the purple slaw and catches your eye. The tangy of the slaw bounces against the tart dried cherries and catches your tongue.

My Potato Salad Never Weeps, But I Do.

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - My Potato Salad Never Weeps, But I Do.

I call my Southern-style potato salad, confetti because it’s colorful and tastes like a parade is happening in my mouth! My taste buds are like little cheerleaders marching, screaming with delight and doing cartwheels with every bite! There’s something about the combo of potato chunks, mayo, American mustard, sweet relish and hard boiled eggs that comforts me and makes me feel cozy and loved. Plus, you get a good dose of veggies, so it must be healthy-ish.

The 4th of July screams potato salad, but did I make it this year? No. My host and co-party chair made German potato salad for our Independence Day 2015 barbecue. I shelved this recipe until our Labor Day “End Of Summer” celebration. We threw a small shindig for eighty guests. We had so many people we made two different potato salads because we could!

I’ll admit I felt a twinge of sadness as I prepped this salad. I hate summer so I was not verklempt over the end of the hot, humid weather because I HATE IT. GOOD RIDDANCE!  I had a bit of a pang over the tater salad. When you live in a place that has four clear seasons like New York, the end of summer means the end of making potato salad at what some might call a sensible, reasonable time of year. It’s the end of the time when making and eating potato salad with abandon goes unquestioned, unchecked. People might look at you funny if you make potato salad in the dead of winter, but if I ate it every day in the summer, nary an eyelash would flutter.

Pie Party Potluck LIVE! Parade of Pies 2015

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Pie Party Potluck LIVE! Parade of Pies 2015

Leave your skinny jeans at home, it’s time to eat pie!

When I saw the slew of pies at the first Pie Party Potluck LIVE! we hosted back in 2011, I thought to myself, “This is the BEST EVENT EVER!”. Now, four years later, I love it when the food bloggers say it’s the best event ever. What’s not to love about making, bringing and eating pie with fellow pie enthusiasts? Feast your eyes on the pies we’ll be eating at Pie Party Potluck LIVE! 2015.

Pie Party Potluck LIVE! is an exclusive event for food bloggers and culinary professionals only. Each attendee will bring a homemade pie to share. If you fit this category and would like to come to Pie Party Potluck LIVE! please get on the waitlist for this sold out event.

We are especially excited to be hosted and sponsored by the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) at their brand new facility. The sea of pies will sparkle in the gorgeous, sunlit event space overlooking the Hudson River. We want to thank ICE and our other sponsors: WÜSTHOF, Anolon, Cabot Creamery, King Arthur Flour, Dub Pies, and Tovolo for supporting this event where food bloggers and food professionals come together for the simple joy of STUFFING our faces full of pie!
Cocktail sponsors are Reyka Vodka, Tromba Tequila and Mizu Shochu.

The Parade Of Pie Party Potluck LIVE! Pies

The Parade Of Pies

Mississippi Hazelmud Pie (sweet) Mont Blanc Tart (sweet) - Ken / Hungry Rabbit NYC
Cupboard Harvest Pie (sweet) One Meat & Three Veg Whole 30 Pie (savory)  - Jackie / The Diva That Ate New York
Baked Brie Apple Pie (sweet) Blueberry Cardamom Galette (sweet)  -  Kate / Food Babbles
Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Cheese Pie (savory) Pumpkin Cheesecake (sweet) -  Melanie /  Melanie Underwood
Peking Duck Pie (savory) - Kathy / The Experimental Gourmand
Spicy Chicken Empanadas (savory) - Rodney / Rodney Bedsole
Atlantic Beach Pie (sweet) - Emily / Emily Hanhan Nomnivorous
Heirloom Tomato Pie (savory) - Judy / The Judy Lab
Key Lime Gimlet Pie (sweet) Rogan Josh Pot Pie (savory) - Renee & Aaron / Kitchen Conundrum
Rosehip Pie In A Ginger Crust (sweet) - Lora / Diary Of A Mad Hausfrau
S’more Pie (sweet) - Ellie / The Hobo Kitchen
Asparagus Gruyere Tart (savory) - Jenn / Jennifer Baker
Leek and Bacon Pie (savory) - June / Feastivals
Caribbean Cattle Tail Tatin (savory) - Margaret / Savory Sweet Living
Earl Grey Chocolate Pie with Caramel Drizzle (sweet) - Tracey / The NYC Kitchen
Blueberry-Purple Yam Pie (sweet) Buko-Coconut Custard Tarts (sweet) - Betty Ann & Elphi / Asian In America
Blueberry Pie (sweet) Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart (sweet)  - Colleen / Souffle Bombay
Chocolate Scotch Pecan Pie (sweet) - Beth / Highbrow Magazine - Food
Fresh Strawberry Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream (savory) - Daisy / Cool Cook Style
Spicy Mala Chicken Hand Pies (savory) Apple Pie (sweet)  - Kian & Warren / The Red Cook
4 Cheese Tomato Basil Pie (savory) - Lisa / Jersey Girl Cooks
Beef & Chorizo Empanadas (savory) - Susan / Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Chicken Curry Pot Pie (savory) Aloo Gobhi Pie (savory)  - Malini / Restaurant Fairy’s Kitchen
Uncle Simon’s Meat Pie (savory) - Simon
Fall Fruit Cheesecake Pie (sweet) - Renee / Flavors Of Light
Passion Fruit Guava Pie (sweet) - Sonya / Bacchanal Sauce
Grape Pie (sweet) - Sunny / For Your Pies Only
Cottage Pie (sweet) - Yvo / Feisty Foodie
Piggy Pot Pie (savory) - Stephen
Lobster Pot Pie (savory) - Ron
Cauliflower Gruyere with Potato Crust & Parmesan-Bacon Breadcrumbs (savory) - Lisa / Panning The Globe
Pear Crumb Pie (sweet) - Anita / Hungry Couple
Mango Mousse Pie (sweet) - Sonali / Leaf And Lemon IG
Tourtière (French Canadian Meat Pie) (savory) - Keith
So Close to Losing It- Shiitake Quiche (savory) - Vicki / Vicki Winters
Cinnamon Maple Pumpkin Pie (sweet) - Irene
Bourbon Pumpkin Pie (sweet) - Carrie / Poet In The Pantry
Italian Easter Pie (savory) - Renee
Salted Caramel Pear Galette with Pecan Streusel (sweet) Empanadas (savory) - Abby / Abby Dodge
Wild Mushroom Empanadas (savory) - Nancy / Elements For Kitchens
Short Rib Pie (sweet) - Mariko
Chocolate Caramel Mousse Pie (sweet) - Angela / Mind Over Batter
Chocolate Truffle Mixed Nut Pie (sweet) - Gwynn / Swirls Of Flavor
Pear Bacon Pie with Pecan Blue Cheese Streusel (savory) - Michael / The Kitchen Gaily
Kabocha Squash Pie (sweet) Roasted Tomato, Zucchini Blossom & Cheddar Galette with a Buckwheat Crust (savory)  - Roopa & Matt / Raspberry Eggplant
Salty Honey Pie (sweet) Aged White Cheddar, Rosamary Potato Pie (savory) - Joanne / Fifteen Spatulas
Beef and Guinness Pie (savory) - Kristen / The Artful Gourmet
Pecan Pie (sweet) - Wendy / La Phemme Phoodie
Shoshi’s Magick Pie (sweet) - Yolanda / Bruja’s Blog
Lemon-Pistachio Tart (sweet) - Jeff / Foodmento
Spicy Cubanita Cottage Pie (savory) - Irina / Healthy Latin Food
Raw Chocolate Truffle Tart (sweet) - Brian
Caramel Apple Galette (sweet) - Lara / The Tasteful Scribe
Caramelized Garlic Spinach and Cheddar Tart (savory) - Jackie / Jackie Ourman
Maple Bourbon Custard Pie (sweet) - Kelly / Kelly Bakes
Jersey Girl Apple Pie (sweet) - Justine / Little Miss Local
Crunchy Caramel Nut Pumpkin Pie (sweet) - Urvashee / Dessarts
Fresh Coconut Tart (sweet) - Dana / Dana Jacobi
Apple Hand Pies (sweet) - Trevor
Ellen Gray (sweet) - Concord Grape Pie w Peanut Butter Crust / No More Mr. Nice Pie
Chocolate Coconut Banoffee Pie (sweet) - Katherine / The Cake Dealer
Mama’s Plum Smash (Whisky) (sweet) - Matt / Joios
Pissaladiere Verde (savory) - Ruth / Alegria in Mexico
Tuscan Kale Pancetta Pie (savory) - Ronnie /  The Burrell Group

 

 

 

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PHOTO CREDIT: KEN LEUNG

Cry Me A Liver: Chopped Liver

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Cry Me A Liver: Chopped Liver

The lyric for the song “Cry Me A River” should be, “Cry Me A Liver”?  “I cried a ‘liver’ over you.” I have shed a tear over a big bowl of raw chicken livers because, let’s face it, chicken livers are pretty gross to touch and deal with. Yet, they are delicious. So delicious that I must delve into the bloody, gooey bits and prepare them.

Faced with a hankering and a need to make chopped liver for my nephew, Kaden’s baptism party, I decided to devise a recipe where I handled the chicken livers the least.

I skipped the deveining and defatting of the raw livers. I find it’s much less off-putting to sink my hands into cooked livers. After slow cooking the onions, I removed them from the pan and cooked off the chicken livers. Once they cooled, I pulled them apart and removed the grisly bits. Then, I chucked them in the food processor with the other ingredients, seasoned them to taste and it was done. The garnish of gribenes, chopped hard boiled egg and dill makes for a striking presentation on an otherwise unattractive dish, but you could skip them.

Call It Whatcha Like: Hibiscus Mint Limeade

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Call It Whatcha Like: Hibiscus Mint Limeade

Since my Trinidadian sister-in-law was amongst the family visiting sweltering New York City this week for my nephew Kaden’s baptism, I decided to make her favorite beverage, Sorrel. It’s an iced tea made from hibiscus flowers. I added mint and lime to give a bit of a mojito treatment and am now calling it Hibiscus Mint Limeade.

Depending on where you are from the name changes. According to Wikipedia, the drink is called Rosella in Australia, Agua de Jamaica and/or Flor de Jamaica in Latin America, Arhul ka phool in India Karkadé in Egypt, Sudan, Italy and Russia, Chai Kujarat in Iraq, Chai Torsh in Iran, Gumamela in the Philipines, Bissap, Tsoborodo or Wonjo in West Africa, Sorrel in Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, Red Sorrel in the wider Caribbean, and other names in other regions, including the U.S., where it is sometimes known as simply Jamaica.

Sexy + Hummus: Who’d Have Thunk It?

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Sexy + Hummus: Who’d Have Thunk It?

Is it lazier to use dried split chickpeas to make hummus so you don’t have to slip the skins off each whole chickpea? Or is having to soak and boil the split chickpeas considered more work? What if you have a pressure cooker?

Whatever method you use to get skinned chickpeas, do it. Your hummus becomes downright sexy when you do.

Lora Wiley inspired this recipe when we had caramelized onion hummus at her place. Here is her recipe. Paul fell in love. She uses butter to caramelize the onions, he said it tasted like meat. Meat dip is dude heaven.

I made mine with crisped onions instead so it’s a little less rich, but quite tasty and vegan. I added fried sage on top and some sumac powder to add color and a citrusy zing!

Wake Up and Eat Dessert: Pudim Molotov with Matcha Cream & Black Sesame Almonds

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Wake Up and Eat Dessert: Pudim Molotov with Matcha Cream & Black Sesame Almonds

“Stuff ‘em” is my usual stance when I invite guests over to a meal at my house. You will never leave hungry. You will be fed to the point of bursting. You may need to nap between the meal and the dessert. Lately, I’ve been easing up at tad when it comes to dessert. My guests are usually ready-to-explode from the appetizers and main course. To keep them from running, screaming, “I can’t! I just can’t!”, from my house, I’ve been making much lighter desserts.

This past Saturday, Marlena Spieler and I whipped up a brunch of epic proportions. The menu is below. A couple of guests took between-courses naps. They woke up to this ethereal and light Pudim Molotov with Matcha (Green Tea) Cream and Caramelized Black Sesame Almonds. I’d had a version of this dessert for the first time at a Meyer Corporation press dinner at the new, hot Portuguese restaurant, Lupulo, that Julia Stambules invited me to. It was love at first bite. I’d never heard of an egg white flan! So lovely and light. It reminded me of Ile Flottante, but baked in a mold as opposed to in freely formed shapes or quenelles.

Who Wants To Invite Me To An Indian BBQ?

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Who Wants To Invite Me To An Indian BBQ?

Do Indians host BBQ’s like Americans do? I feel like I should know the answer to this question, but I honestly don’t know. I will find out and give you an update.

I’ve only ever been invited to a BBQ where my hosts cooked on a tandoor once in my life. It was in the 90’s, in Australia. They were not of Indian descent or even Aussies. They were from New Zealand, but they loved to cook so they had a tandoor built in their backyard and their tandoori chicken was pretty damn good. They did not serve coleslaw of any kind.

Recently, I was looking for suggestions of dishes that work well at a BBQ and can sit outside in the heat. My taste buds perked up when my friend George told me about this Indian Spiced Coleslaw.

Fancy Food Picks: Nine Items That Caught My Eye And My Taste Buds At The Summer Fancy Food Show

Jackie Gordon Singing Chef - Fancy Food Picks: Nine Items That Caught My Eye And My Taste Buds At The Summer Fancy Food Show

Going to the Summer Fancy Food show is like taking your taste buds on Mr Toad’s Wild Ride—Tasting The Globe Edition. The Javits Center is packed with 2500 vendors from all over the world all vying for you to try and buy their specialty food wares. You can go from the finest Venezuelan chocolate to oddly delicious blue cheese infused salami to dried African baobab fruit to black garlic vinegar to camel milk. Yes, this year I had camel milk! You cannot taste everything or you’ll be disgusted, bloated and miserable in no time.

My system is to go all three days for a few hours and eat only savory things for first part of the day and then switch to only sweets. I don’t waste my limited stomach real estate on too many carbs either. This year, I ate my weight in fine pork and even finer cheese products. It was GLORIOUS! Often it’s the same old stuff from year to year, but there are always a few items that stand out:

Uh Oh the Ro Ro’s… The food snob in me did NOT want to even like Ro Ro’s Baking Company’s Cinn-A-Rolls, but D-Zamn!!! They were the cinnamon buns of my dreams. Often they’re too hard, too dry and made with cheap ingredients, but these were standouts especially for a frozen product. You pop them in the oven and you get soft, buttery, syrupy, divine cinnamon rolls. I understand they’re available at Whole Foods — we definitely did not need to know that… They also make dinner rolls that rocked too.