Reputation Makers

[Fat Guy]

Somewhere along the chain of geek phases I've gone through -- Star Trek, Dungeons & Dragons, et al. -- I acquired an interest in sleight-of-hand. There's a terrific book in that genre called Reputation Makers, which has in it just a few of the most impressive illusions. Rather than 1001 dumb tricks, this is like 10 great ones.

It occurred to me that in cooking there is a parallel: Most of us who cook have one dish that towers over all the others in terms of its ability to impress guests, our comfort level with the process, and consistency of results.

So, here's the thread where we share our reputation-makers. Please post your single most effective dish, plus a recipe or other instructions for how to make it.

[SobaAddict70]

I think anything that Jinmyo makes qualifies.

SA

[Charles Smith]

Roasted Brussels Sprouts-

Clean them

cut in half (or 1/4's)

EVOO

significant amounts of S&P

Sesame or pumpkin seeds

roast in preheated 500 degree oven for 20-25 minutes (they should be brown, turining to black)

"but I don't like brussel sprouts" turns into "how do you make these"

[mamster]

Lately it's been a modified version of the salmon with cucumber salad from the Babbo Cookbook. I use the one-side-seared method that I learned from Mark Bittman (quick cook the fish on the flesh side, flip it, and slide the pan into the oven until done). The fish is then served on top of a salad of English cucumbers dressed with red wine vinegar, sugar, EVOO, mustard seeds, and crushed peppercorns, and finally people can drizzle on balsamic at the table. It looks and tastes like restaurant food, but it is incredibly simple. The hardest part is boning the salmon, but that's kind of fun. I especially like it because people in Seattle eat salmon all the time, but they come over to my house for this and tell me it's the best salmon they've had in ages.

Also, I once made puff pastry tarts with cherry tomatoes and prosciutto paste for a Pacific Northwest potluck. Homemade puff pastry always impresses people, and it's just not that hard. I was successful the first time I tried it, which never happens.

Oops, gotta go, that prestidigitating Fat Guy made my All-Clad disappear.

[pixelchef]

This year for Christmas I was feeling sick of the usual turkey dinner and wanted to do something special/different for a change.

After days of careful consideration, I went with pork. I did a macadamia nut crusted loin of pork topped with a roasted pear and apple compote, julliene of pancetta and a maple mustard sauce. I served it with roasted herbed sweet potatoes and parsnips and baby vegetables in a balsamic citrus glaze. It went over pretty well. I'm planning on doing something with duck next year, but so far, this has been the most well-received thing I've created (I'm 22).

-Chris / pixelchef

[Suzanne F]

Savory: Osso Buco. Made pretty much the way Marcella Hazan describes, except that I sometimes add a few anchovies or a little fish sauce instead of salt.

Sweet: Iced Almond Milk. Ridiculously easy, but people go nuts (sorry).

Mix 1 liter of Italian Almond milk with 250 grams of sugar, until the sugar dissolves. Place in ice-cream maker. Freeze. Serve.

I sometimes add a little vanilla extract, orange-flower water, and grated lemon zest, which makes it a bit more Sicilian and interesting.

[Miss J]

For some reason, any sort of cake or tart knocks most of my friends right out. This past summer I made a Raspberry Tart and overbrowned the crust (which I posted about on the Cooking Board). I was disappointed with the tart's appearence, although the flavour was perfectly acceptable. My guests seemed unperturbed by the over-browned crust - not that I said anything about it!

What I didn't expect was to receive Christmas cards raving about it four months later.

[vengroff]

On the savory side, there aren't too many dishes that I repeat too terribly often. I'm more likely to try something new, or at least a new variation on something old.

When it comes to pastry, however, my tried and true is a rustic fruit tart. I use a crust from Bittman, but with a little more flour and a little less sugar. I roll it out into a single flat sheet and fill it with fruits of the season. A few inches of the outer part of the crust are folded over the fruit, brushed with cream, and sprinkled with coarse-grained sugar. Often I'll make a homemade ice cream to go with it. For example, caramel ice cream with apples, a lime-chili ice cream with peaches, creme fraiche ice cream with berries, or vanilla ice cream with cherries macerated in brandy.

It's simple and rustic--any moderately serious pastry chef could mop the floor with my sorry ass--but people really seem to like it.

Edited January 16, 2003 by vengroff (log)

[Stone]

Thai food.

Buy decent red curry paste. Fry in a little oil, add a can of coconut milk, mix. Add chunks of fish, shrimp, mussels, scallops, etc. When they're cooked, add a can of straw mushrooms and/or baby corn. People go nuts.

Noodles -- buy fresh rice noodles. Stir-fry some garlic and onion, shredded chicken or pork, add noodles, light & dark soy, a few dashes of fish sauce. The key is about a tspoon of sugar, then push the stuf to the side and crack an egg in the wok. That combo give the uniquely Thai flavor that most people don't expect in a home stir-fry. (Fresh hot basil is also good.)

[SobaAddict70]

Omelettes would have to be my specialtie de la maison. Or more specifically, stuffed omelettes. (A good omelette is hard to find.)

I like plain omelettes -- plain being nothing but eggs, salt and pepper, and chopped fresh herbs. They're great, served with a glass of Evian, a baguette, and a nice green salad, simply dressed with lemon and EVOO, or a classic viniagrette.

But they get even better, stuffed, and served at breakfast.

Fillings range from any of the following:

corned beef, caramelized onions and browned garlic;

either Filipino or Mexican chorizo, avocado, sauteed sweet peppers;

shredded cold cooked chicken or duck, stir-fried with minced browned garlic, minced ginger, scallions, Chinese black mushrooms and straw mushrooms;

shredded cold cooked chicken or turkey, sauteed onions and roasted onion-chipotle salsa;

roasted tomatoes and onions, cooked down in some Pomi tomatoes and combined with roasted garlic puree, chopped herbs and a little salt and pepper (add chopped fresh tomatoes towards the end of cooking, for a little taste/texture contrast)

Sometimes I'll do simple fillings like just cheese, or spicy garlic/lemon potatoes, or spinach and cheese. Usually, I plate the omelette with home fries, or sweet potato home fries. Sometimes with toast and bananas sauteed in unsalted butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg.

SA

[Lady T]

Savory: A risotto with porcini mushrooms that I took from 'Gourmet Cooking for Dummies' a couple of years ago has somehow morphed into something ELSE that causes people to rave. It's still risotto, but I've messed severely with Trotter's original amount of onion (currently it's half-and-half very finely diced shallots and garlic); I use chiffonaded basil as well as finely chopped parsley; there's considerably more butter and cheese in it at the end; and on occasion I even throw some baby spinach in it to cook down for the last five minutes. The recipe is flat down damn indestructible, no matter what I do to it: folks purr and coo and carry on and demand the recipe like crazy. Go figure.

Sweet: The last few Thanksgivings, I've taken the pumpkin pie filling from the first Silver Palate book and poured it into an old-fashioned mix-in-pan oil piecrust. Utterly idiotproof. Instant ecstasy from all at table. As Vengroff said earlier: "...any moderately serious pastry chef could mop the floor with my sorry ass -- but people really seem to like it."

[swissmiss]

Somewhat Thai as well. I make a chicken/butternut squash green curry that has everyone begging for the recipe (an adaptation of Nigella's seafood/pumpkin curry). On the sweet side, a Linzertorte, but a pithiviers is quickly catching up!

[col klink]

My smoked turkey usually goes over very well. People who hate turkey, love my smoked turkey but probably because they've always had overcooked turkey. I've had people pass up smoked goose and duck as well as deep fried turkey and duck for my smoked turkey, usually leaving me without any leftovers.

It's quite easy to do, brine the bird for a day or two and smoke it to 155 F. Let it rest than carve.

Actually, I've have more people gush about my smoked corned beef brisket than anything else, even when I've smoked all of the life out of it and I'd prefer to feed it to a dog. Boggles my mind. This is even easier than the turkey, take out of bag and smoke for 3 to 6 hours depending on size.

[nerissa]

A risotto inspired from Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertolli. I have made this with both leftover roast turkey using turkey stock and proscuitto di parma.

EEOV

Saffron

Shallot

A cup of Arborio

4 cups + Stock of some sort

Proscuitto (or turkey or whatevery you have in the fridge)

Swiss chard

parmesan di reggiano to add when its done (optional)

Pretty simple but a quick way to wow last minute dinner guests.

[Batgrrrl]

My smoked turkey usually goes over very well. People who hate turkey, love my smoked turkey but probably because they've always had overcooked turkey. I've had people pass up smoked goose and duck as well as deep fried turkey and duck for my smoked turkey, usually leaving me without any leftovers.

Although I'd say Col Klink's signature dish is his smoked pork--I don't care what cut of pork. As I told him recently, "Honey, I love your smoked turkey, I love your brisket, but I'm marrying you for your pork." And really, that's not a metaphor.

My family has two signature dishes which we just cannot get enough of:

Breaded chicken breasts with brown butter and lemon sauce, from Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It's so very easy--the chicken breasts are flattened, dipped in flour, then egg, then a mixture of bread crumbs and parmesan, then fried in butter. What makes the dish is that you then add lemon to the butter and pour the sauce over the chicken. I know, so easy, but people do rave. And, of course, over the years we've seriously upped the amounts of both butter and lemon!

Our other one is a spaghetti bolognese recipe that my father picked up in a recipe rack at a local liquor store. It's a basic bolognese recipe, with ground beef, carrots, celery, a very nice light tomato sauce, and mushrooms and white wine, but it's the chicken livers that make it. I've ordered spaghetti bolognese at restaurants before, and found it lacking. Now, not particularly liking the taste of chicken liver on its own, I've tried leaving it out, and the dish is totally boring. It NEEDS those little livers! So I either cut them up so small that there are no big chunks, or leave them big so I can easily find them. Guests love this dish--I rarely divulge the secret ingredient until they've eaten the whole thing and raved about it.

Batgrrrl

[torakris]

I have to admit that Japanese people seem impressed by almost anything home made but even more so when it is something "exotic".

For impromptu lunches I will usually throw together a Thai curry with a can of coconut milk a little curry paste and anything that is in the refrigerator. The anything in the refrigerator approach also works well with fresh spring rolls using rice paper. I set out a couple of dipping sauces and let people make their own.

When fresh tomatoes are at their best I make a tomato and mozzarella tart witha basil and garlic crust that I got from Jack Bishop's Italian Vegetarian, it is incredibly easy and gets raves every time.

I also get a lot of requests for my tiramisu , and one woman I taught it to last month told me she loved it so much she made it 3 times in one week!

[Really Nice!]

Rack of lamb

Sear fat side down over high heat/little oil in a skillet for 2 minutes.

Pack a bread crumb mixture that includes rosemary, garlic, and mint on fat side.

Place in 425F oven for 12 minutes per pound. I buy my racks at Costco and get ones that weight 1.5 lbs.

Cook rack for 18 minutes; let rest for 10.

Winter time I serve this with roasted root veg/Summer time serve with seasonal veg.

Vegetable Lasagne

I make individual lasagnes by using small 2 x 5 inch bread pans. When served, people think it's a lot, but it's light (vegetables), people don't get full eating it. People also like getting their own lasagne as opposed to being served from a large pan.

Make a simple pasta dough and cut it so it fits into the molds.

Gather and mince seasonal vegetables.

Gather cheeses such as parmesan and ricotta.

Open a small can of tomato puree and add fresh rosemary, garlic and oregano to it.

Pour a little milk in each bread pan; add a layer of pasta; followed by alternating layers of veg; cheese; and more pasta.

Bake in 350F oven for 40 minutes.

Unmold onto plates and serve with a bechemel sauce.

Anything that comes out of my pizza oven! PBase

[CooksQuest]

There's nothing like a good appetizer to set the tone for the rest of the meal. I like to serve eel sushi. I'll make a few rolls, and present them (cut into average size) and throw a couple of large non-rolled eel slices on a pat of rice tied with a small piece of nori.

For some reason, many of my friends believe that sushi is something one can only get in a restaurant. They are *very* surprised to see it presented. They are also surpirsed how delicious the eel is. (I like to use fresh water eel). And it's so easy... Since I buy the eel pre-cooked in a frozen package, I just broil it, peel the skin, and slice it.

It's the sleight-of-hand stuff that FG was referring to. Hey, and you get to demonstrate as you prepare...

Edited January 17, 2003 by CooksQuest (log)

[Varmint]

In my circle of friends, if I made Spaghettios, they'd probably rave. I generally experiment for friends, as they know there are few dishes I repeatedly make. There are, however, a few stand-bys that always work.

Bisteeya -- It's a dramatic dish that looks more complicated than it really is. Plus, seeing there are no Moroccan restaurants in the area make it more exotic to the guests.

Risotto of any type -- Here in suburbia risotto is still fairly unusual.

Cioppino -- Particularly on cold days

Fresh Pasta -- Whether it's stuffed, rolled, layered or just tossed with some freshly made sauce, people love to see this.

Biscuits -- For the overnight guests, my biscuits are always popular.

Desserts -- Anything made with fresh fruit is a winner. Particularly when it's with berries, peaches or figs.

[gknl]

Savory: Go fishing and catch a 8-10 lb chinook salmon. Make sure you take care of it; bleed it and keep it cold until cooking. Grill whole over moderate coals, stuffing it with lemon, garlic, and parsley and a little evoo drizzled over. I like to cover the Weber to get some smokiness on the fish. Striped bass, lingcod (neither a ling nor a cod), and California halibut are acceptable substitutions, angling and culinary-wise.

Sweet: The double layer dark chocolate-pumpkin cheesecake from Marcel Desaulnier's Death by Chocolate. The two layers are separated by chocolate ganache so the presentation is stunning. And the pumpkin-chocolate combination is killer even though it may sound weird. For serious choco-philes only though. It is way worky but way worth it.

http://recipe-chocolate.com/07/047906.shtml

[Anna N]

roasted tomatoes and onions, cooked down in some Pomi tomatoes and combined with roasted garlic puree, chopped herbs and a little salt and pepper (add chopped fresh tomatoes towards the end of cooking, for a little taste/texture contrast)

This will be my next stuffed omelette - it sounds sooooooooo gooood. Thanks

Anna

[snowangel]

Potstickers (I've been making them for so many years that I can get 6 pleats per side!) and stirfried greens with charred garlic (the house reeks of garlic for days). We eat this meal at least twice a month.

For breakfast, I make killer buttermilk pancakes. Up at the cabin, it's belgian waffles. We have a stovetop (made by Nordicware) belgian waffle maker, and since the stove operates on LP gas (hotter than natural gas), they get really crispy on the outside but stay nice and moist on the inside.

[Varmint]

Up at the cabin, it's belgian waffles.

Cabin??? OK, we're all summering at snowangel's place!

[awbrig]

I have 2 signature dishes and they both come before the entree. I usually do one or the other for guests...

Roasted Garlic Soup with a small filet of Seared Turbot placed on the top

or

Seared Foie Gras with Sherry Vinegar Reduction

[Stone]

Potstickers (I've been making them for so many years that I can get 6 pleats per side!) and stirfried greens with charred garlic (the house reeks of garlic for days).  We eat this meal at least twice a month.

Can you give us your recipe?