They know you for your amazing...

[Verjuice]

I'm curious to know: what are people's signature dishes? The ones from your repertoire that you cook again and again. The ones people love you for.

Are they generally recipes you could whip up blindfolded, or more ambitious than that? How often do you rely on their magic to impress those around you?

Any good stories? Don't be shy.

[fifi]

My version(s) of Texas Caviar is frequently the "price of admission" to various gatherings. I have never made it the same way twice so take the recipe with a grain of salt. Lately, it has always included garbanzos and diced jicama.

[Carolyn Tillie]

Quail Egg Tartlets with Caviar

Edited January 15, 2004 by Carolyn Tillie (log)

[ExtraMSG]

....ability to disregard what anyone actually wants to eat.

Most common phrase heard by my guests: "That's....interesting."

I don't believe in signature dishes. To me that means I've spent too much time on one thing and it's time to learn something new.

[GG Mora]

No single signature dish, but I'm always asked to bring dessert. Faves seem to be lemon tart, Portuguese almond tart, and my chocolate chip cookies. Or the coconut ones. And the sour cream coffee cake I bring to brunches. Oh, and strawberry rhubarb pie. I've noticed that friends start getting a little solicitous around the holidays; they want to be sure and get on the list for my Xmas goodies, which include macadamia toffee, dulce de leche, several varieties of cookie and a classic fruitcake (yes, I'm familiar with Calvin Trillin's joke about fruitcake). And I'm always the go-to gal for wedding cake (even made my own).

I was sort of hoping pulled-pork sandwiches could become a sort of signature dish, what with my homemade sauce, homemade buns and homemade slaw, but when I nearly burned the house down trying to smoke a pork butt on a gas grill (don't ask, but the advice of a drunken husband had something...no, a LOT, to do with it), I decided that might not be such a good idea.

[bloviatrix]

The one thing that comes to mind is my flourless chocolate cake. I've had people request it on numerous occasions. This is one of those things that's indecently easy to make and yet always leaves them clamoring for more. When I've brought it as a gift, I can see the recipient thinking "do I have to serve this? or can I keep it for myself?"

I'm also known for my gingerbread-apricot hamentaschen. Last year, I didn't have a chance to bake for Purim, and I had to make calls to friends to give them a heads up so they wouldn't kill me (I had a good excuse, I chaired a dinner for 400 the day before Purim). I'm told that my friends will hide these from their spouse so they don't have to share. We even had someone who moved out of our neighborhood make a trip over for the hamentaschen because they didn't want to miss out.

It's really quite flattering to know that you can have such an impact on people.

Edited January 14, 2004 by bloviatrix (log)

[phaelon56]

I cook less frequntly than I wish but there are a few past girlfriends who would beg me to make paella when possible or better yet - my magical and top scret chicken liver recipe. I stumbled on the chix liver recipe in the process of experimentation and although I seem to be able to reproduce it with a fair amount of consistency, I've been unable to translate it into a written recipe for others. Perhaps you all can help?

Wash and drain some chicken livers - a pound or two - cut the bigger ones into two pieces.

Season with salt, pepper, paprika and whatever else strikes your fancy

Dredge thoroughly in flour, place into hot skillet with olive oil and cook until browned on all sides and cooked most of the way through

Remove the livers to a platter or push to the sides if the skillet is big enough

Throw some garlic, sliced scallions and diced tomato into the pan and cook for a few minutes

In a bowl, mix some soy sauce, honey, white vinegar (rice wine vinegar is best), a bit of hot sauce to taste and a generous amount of minced ginger. Add some water to thin the sauce a bit and pour the entire mixture into the pan. Get it bubbling, add a bit of cornstarch/water paste as a thickener and then add back in the livers from the platter or push them back into the center of the pan so the sauce is distributed. Simmer for a bit until sauce is nicely thickened and livers are throughly cooked.

Serve over rice.

This recipe is hardly all that inventive and very much derivative of teriyaki, something I happen to enjoy very much. It is different than teriyaki and there's a certain sweet/sour pungency that really enhances the livers.

I have tried adding a bit of sesame oil, someitmes some balsamic vinegar and have on occasion used sugar instead of honey when it's all that was available. What is baffling to me is how to estabish a process by which I can actually establish specific amounts of ingredients so friends who enjoy this can make it themselves. Perhaps some of you are familiar wth a similar recipe that I might use as a guideline?

[NeroW]

Gratineed macaroni and cheese.

[Marlene]

Prime Rib and butter tart squares.

[hillvalley]

Clams baked in tomato garlic sauce......so easy and so impressive!

Preheat oven to 450. Put clams, pureed tomatos, and as much garlic as you desire in to an ovenproof dish.

Bake until clams are open, about 15 minutes.

yummmmmmm

[hjshorter]

I'm also known for my gingerbread-apricot hamentaschen.

Wow, those sound incredible. Do you ever share the recipe?

I used to be known for my dinner parties. Of course this way long ago, before kids. One of my signature dishes (I guess you could call it that) is Marcella Hazan's potatoes with mozzerella and garlic. Just the smell of them will induce a feeding frenzy in otherwise well-mannered adults.

My no-fail potluck dish is orzo salad with almonds and apricots. I've never had any left over to bring home.

[hjshorter]

Prime Rib and butter tart squares.

Marlene's butter tarts rock. I loved them at the pig pickin.

[Holly Moore]

The Hamburger and The Cheeseburger.

[woodburner]

Stuffed Frenched Rack of Lamb. Marinated briefly in Mojo Criollo prior to roasting over a charcoal fire.

woodburner

[GSBravo]

I once made a meatloaf that my daughter talked about for four days. She still talks about it. Haven't been able to duplicate it since then.

And homemade pasta with alfredo sauce. She brings her friends over to eat this.

[mpav]

All carbs:

White chocolate cheesecake. I don't like cheesecake, but this seems to wow them wherever I serve it. Adapted from a Bon Apetit recipe a few years back.

Second a chocolate almond torte which I found in a Nestle recipe pamphlet a few years ago. I overheard some French guests guessing which fine chocolate I had used. I hated to tell them it was Nestles semi-sweet morsels.

Last but not least a simple sweet yeast bread nut roll fashioned after the nut rolls my Russian Baba made when I was young. The whole family lusts after these on the holidays, and the taste has spread outside the family circle, to people I see maybe twice a year but want this holiday bread.

These dishes are usually what people ask me for.

[KatieLoeb]

Prime Rib and butter tart squares.

Marlene's butter tarts rock. I loved them at the pig pickin.

Big phat Philly dittos on Marlene's butter tart squares, also sampled and much enjoyed at the Pig Pickin'. That recipe should be in the eGullet Recipe archive if it isn't already.

My Turkey-Black Bean-Chorizo Chili has won me two chili cook-offs. I did put that recipe in the archives. Also my Moroccan Charoset for Passover is always a big hit and is similarly in the archives. The other thing everyone loves is my gravlax. I have to find my recipe with the exact proportions so I can submit it to Rabbi Ribeye's Gravlax Challenge.

[Marlene]

Thanks guys. The recipe is in the archive!

[AzRaeL]

Osso Bucco, but (dirty secret) i use BEEF SHANK as meat fillers, cuz the veal shank is EXPENSIVE.

[bloviatrix]

I'm also known for my gingerbread-apricot hamentaschen.

Wow, those sound incredible. Do you ever share the recipe?

It's simple. I use the gingerbread cookie recipe from Nick Malgieri's How To Bake and I fill them with apricot butter. Gingerbread and apricots are a really good combination.

[Malawry]

Scones. Demanded whenever I appear for breakfast or brunch anywhere. My dad practically ate the whole batch when I made them for him. Chefette complimented me on them and you know that's high praise!

I think the hush puppies are headed towards signature territory.

[KateW]

Chicken quesadillas. They're pretty dumbed down, just a real easy throw together thing but my fiance loves them.

[woodford]

My snickerdoodles are legendary.

[jo-mel]

Different people in different situations ask for:

Asian Wild Rice Salad

Santa Barbara Pot Stickers

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies

American Chop Suey

[tejon]

Definitely not just one signature dish - I love to experiment too much, and love too many kinds of foods to focus on just one thing. Most often people will simply ask me to make whatever I feel like doing, even when I ask for requests.

Here are the things people always ask me to bring or make:

* chocolate chip cookies - these have a little oatmeal, but are crisp on the edges and chewy in the center and really delicious

* samosas - my favorites, too

* guacamole - I make a mean guacamole!

* marinated green beans - these are garlicky and really good

* bastilla - this takes a good bit of work, but the end result is worth it

* rolls from my grandmother's recipe - these are legendary, and demanded at every family celebration. This last Thanksgiving I got the ultimate compliment - my grandmother loved my rolls