Here at the beginning of a new year, we've been thinking a lot about the past 12 months of The Bitten Word, and about the dishes that we really loved.
So we made a list of our 10 Favorite Food Magazine Recipes of the Past Year. And that exercise was a complete failure, because we just couldn't narrow it down to 10!
So after we cut out as many as we could stomach, there are 13 dishes on the list. We hope you'll forgive us.
We were surprised to find that once our list was made, nearly all of the magazines we cover were represented. Fine Cooking, Bon Appétit, Everyday Food and Cook's Illustrated each had two recipes on the list. Southern Living, Martha Stewart Living, Cook's Country, Food Network and Saveur each had one recipe each. Surprisingly, Food & Wine isn't on the list, even though we really liked several dishes we made from their pages.
Making this list also reminded us that we learned some fun new words this year, including sformato, larding, and affogato. More on those in the list below.
So here they are, Our 10, uh, we can't possibbly choose only 10, so 13 Favorite Food Magazine Recipes of 2010 (in the order that we cooked them):
- Crispy Potato Roast from Everyday Food: "We don't want to overstate how good this Crispy Potato Roast is...but it will forever and irreversibly alter your life."
- Indoor Pulled Pork from Cook's Illustrated: "This pulled pork tastes like it came from the best, divey-est Memphis BBQ shack."
- Cajun Red Beans and Rice from Cook's Illustrated: "The beans are soft and creamy, while the andouille sausage is spicy and hands-down amazing."
- Korean Fried Chicken from Saveur: "Spicy and sweet with the promise of a crispy, crackly skin? We were sold! ...This fried chicken is absolutely one of the best things we've made in a very long time."
Read the rest after the jump!
- Tuna Noodle Casserole with Leeks and Fresh Dill from Bon Appétit: "We loved this casserole and we'd make it again in heartbeat...We'll have some for dinner, and then just before we do the dishes, we'll stand over the casserole dish with forks, having seconds, and then thirds, while raving about how tasty the whole thing is."
- Spring Shells and Cheese from Food Network Magazine: "The final result is heavenly. The pasta is creamy and rich, with a great sharp salty flavor from the Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses. The zucchini and the spinach are terrific -- making this dish a whole lot more than just mac-'n'-cheese. Baking it gives the top of the pasta a mouth-watering golden-brown crust."
- Tipsy Affogato from Everyday Food: "Trust us -- this is going to become your favorite dessert of the summer. And why not? It's cool, refreshing, delicious and, most importantly, effortless."
- Eggplant Parmesan for Two from Cook's Country: "The result is, in a word, mindblowing. The savory combo of Parmesan and panko, nicely browned by being fried and then baked, still has our mouths watering. The sauce, infused with the summery scent of basil, is the perfect accompaniment for the eggplant."
- Sweet and Spicy Fried Peach Pies from Fine Cooking: "Frying these pies gives them a crackly, crispy, flaky shell to house all that sweet/spicy/gooey goodness."
- Momofuku Milk Bar's Chocolate Malt Cake from Bon Appétit: "The dense, dark chocolate of the cake layers and the sweet, gooey fudge sauce are gloriously rich. But the malt flavor that's used throughout really takes this cake into the stratosphere. It gives the whole thing this amazing "toasted," "burned" flavor, like the cake is almost caramelized. Toasting the marshmallows with the torch just takes it even further. And the chocolate-malt crumbs add a terrific little bit of crunch."
- Chicken Chili from Martha Stewart Living: "Our sole regret about this dish is that we didn't make a double batch. It went far too fast and it would freeze wonderfully. It's a great, new spin on chili -- and it's destined to become one of those few recipes we make again and again."
- Cauliflower Sformato from Fine Cooking: "The result is truly a showstopper. It's both light and rich, and the cauliflower seemingly melted into the dish."
- Potato Gratin with Rosemary Crust from Southern Living: "... wonderfully layered mix of potatoes, sweet potatoes, Gruyere cheese and heavy cream. Really, how could you go wrong?"
Okay, so we lied (again) when we said there were only 13. Digging through our archives, we found two additional dishes that we just had to include, even though they're not from food magazines.
- Beef Roast Braised with Onions by Marcella Hazan: "Bottom line: This beef brisket is an absolute knockout, and the bacon-onion jam will send you over the moon."
- Compost Cookies with Cereal Milk Panna Cotta from Momofuku Milk Bar: "The cookies are insanely delicious. Seriously, out of this world. The crunchy, salty, sweet bites will are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face."
So that's it -- our 15 favorite dishes of the past year. This list makes us very happy (and hungry!). Hopefully, you'll try the dishes and love them, too. It also makes us very excited about the upcoming year. It's going to be delicious.
We're curious -- what was your favorite thing you made this year? We'd love to hear about it!
