Newsletter: In the Kitchen: Happy new year and some celebratory recipes
As the year comes to an end, we've been thinking a lot about the number of recipes that have gone through the Test Kitchen this year, picking favorites (come back in a few days for those) and closing out 2015 with some celebratory dishes. Because if you choose to stay home for New Year's Eve, it is a splendid night for a party.
Thus there are blini to serve with traditional accompaniments (caviar), or not so traditional toppings (kimchi). And we visit with chef Steve Samson to get instructions on how to make a feast of tortellini en brodo, a recipe that is perfect if you have a large Italian family, as he does. If you don't, maybe make his lentil recipe and open a bottle, or two, of Lambrusco to pair with it.
Of course, you could always keep baking cookies, if you aren't quite done with that for the year. Or try making a recipe from Vincent Price's cookbook. Yes, the horror film legend wrote a cookbook, which was, in some circles, as much of a cult classic as his movies were. His fans numbered among them chef Thomas Keller, who tells us his favorite recipe from the book, which was recently reissued. And then, to close out, we have a new cocktail recipe for you — a little something using both bourbon and hard cider. The nights are cold these days, after all.
Blini with caviar -- or kimchi
If you're staying home on the last day of the year, it's a good thing to make some party dishes that pair well with drinks. If not bubbly, then how about some shots of vodka. In which case, blini are super fun to make. The little pancakes can be topped with classic things, such as caviar or smoked salmon. Or you could sop them with kimchi and quail eggs and maybe pull out a few bottles of soju instead.
A pasta party
Even if you like making pasta at home, you may not have tried your hand at making tortellini en brodo. Yes, the traditional Italian dish is a lot of work, but that makes it a fine project for a party. It's a celebratory meal that chef Steve Samson has made with his large family for years, maybe because that gives him more people on hand to help — and to eat.
If you like your bubbly a different color
Sure, Champagne is good for a party, particularly this time of year, but how about something red — say, in the form of a bottle of Lambrusco? The fizzy, bittersweet wine from the area around Modena in northern Italy pairs fantastically well with salumi (and all that tortellini you may be making). We give recommendations for six bottles that are a far cry from Riunite.
Some scary good recipes
Even if you're a big fan of Vincent Price, you may not know that the horror film legend also wrote a cookbook. In 1965, Price and his wife published a massive book that compiled many recipes from the world's great restaurants — and which influenced a lot of chefs, including Thomas Keller. Keller weighs in on why he liked the book so much, and gives us the first recipe he ever cooked from it. More pasta — this time from a restaurant in Venice.
A winter night's cocktail recipe
If you're more of a cocktail person, we have a drink you may not have heard of. This one's called a Stone Fence, and it's got a back story that dates to the Colonial era. If you're more of a drinker than a historian, just think of it as an excuse to put hard cider and bourbon into the same drink. Very good, in other words, for a cold winter night.
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