Recipes By Florence Fabricant
975 recipes found
Chicken With Orange and Onion
In this recipe, adapted from my mother, Annette Gertner, an orange, pith, skin and all, provides a bittersweet counterpoint for tangy onion to season and dress a whole, broken-down chicken that’s browned on one side, then baked. Worcestershire sauce binds the flavors with a good amount of umami, while some bits of orange and onion paving the chicken skin caramelize in the oven and enrich the pan sauce.
Venison Chops With Shallots and Cumin
Wintry weather and holiday get-togethers require celebratory food to share. Try venison instead of the more common roasts. A rub of cumin and pepper gives these chops warmth, while bacon adds a whiff of smoke and some fat with which to baste the lean meat. This recipe avoids the usual tart-fruit component, so the spices have less competition. Instead, seared shallots go alongside. For venison, the rack is the easiest cut to prepare. and in a hot oven it is quickly done and cut into chops. The meat is hearty and succulent, with the merest hint of gaminess. Be sure to cook it only to medium rare or it will toughen. Since most venison that’s available (unless you know a hunter) is ranch-raised in America or New Zealand and carries a hefty price tag, you do not want disappointment.
Wild Salmon With Fennel and Pistachios
Assertively flavorful, lush-textured wild Pacific salmon — notably king, but also sockeye — are seasonal treasures. Unlike farmed Atlantic salmon, which is of a different genus entirely and available year-round, Pacific salmon is a late spring through summer catch. Its richness makes a fairly modest portion satisfying. In this recipe I paired it with fennel, pistachios and lemon. I started the fish fillet in a very hot oven (not quite volcanic, but about as hot as a home oven can get) then immediately cut the temperature down and let the salmon cook for another 15 to 20 minutes. It’s a fail-safe technique that guarantees against overcooking.
Norwegian Apple Cake
Though quite straightforward, this recipe for Norwegian apple cake from Nevada Berg's cookbook “North Wild Kitchen” did raise a question. A whole tablespoon of cinnamon? Really? But it was not at all excessive, giving the cake autumnal fragrance and flavor along with a nicely burnished surface. What this recipe also offers is great flexibility. Though it calls for an 8-inch springform, it also worked in a 9-inch and a 10-inch, the latter providing a little less cake in proportion to topping (though no change in cooking time). Larger pans require more fruit. And on that score, in place of apples the recipe works well with fresh figs and peaches. Small purple plums, pears, apricots and even bananas are some other options to consider.
Figs in Blankets With Port-Mustard Sauce
This clever riff on the classic pigs in blankets comes from a Champagne bar, with branches in San Francisco and New York, where they’re made with fresh figs. Using dried figs gives them year-round adaptability. The figs are plumped in port and stuffed with Stilton, though any blue cheese will be fine. The port used for soaking is reduced to a syrup, and flavors a mustard sauce. The figs in blankets are a great holiday tidbit with white, red, rosé or sparkling wine, with cocktails or punch. Serve them alongside a salad or as part of a cheese course. They’re easily prepared in advance and frozen. The puff pastry is quick to prepare in a food processor using frozen butter. The figs in blankets can also be made with purchased puff pastry; one pound is what you’ll need.
Pozole With Duck and Mezcal
The giant white hominy used to make pozole are a blank canvas. The hominy — soaked, then simmered using a quick-boil shortcut that skips the need for overnight soaking — welcome chiles and a good dose of cumin. This pozole includes prepared duck confit instead of the more usual pork or chicken. Some diced fresh pineapple in the thick stew balances the spicy heat. A small glass of mezcal is a fine partner, especially as a finishing touch. Save a little of the drink for when you and guests are almost finished eating, to pour into the bowl for the last soupy spoonfuls. It’s what the French do in Gascony with their red wine when they enjoy a soup called garbure.
Spiked Market Cider
This cider-based cocktail from Union Square Cafe in New York has seasonal allure. It’s lip-smacking and attractive. They make vats of it in the restaurant and keep it chilled, but the recipe is easily to scaled down to reproduce at home. Come spring you might replace the Demerara syrup with maple syrup.
Baby Pumpkins With Seafood
This recipe is adapted from Las Ramblas, a tapas restaurant in Greenwich Village, where mini-pumpkins are filled with a creamy sauce and shrimp. You may substitute mushrooms for the seafood or one acorn squash for the Jack-Be-Littles. Pair it with a glass of Puilly-Fuissé.
Passion Fruit Punch (Poncha Maracujá)
This punch is made with cachaça, the national spirit of Brazil, made from fermented sugar cane juice. Increased interest in the liquor, and Latin American cuisine, has brought several brands to American bars and liquor stores. Use the one you can find. And drink slowly. It’s strong.
Braised Lamb Shanks With Peppers
Hearty and aromatic, this braised lamb dish, adapted from my mother, Annette Gertner, takes inspiration from the Middle East by way of Eastern Europe. It simmers mostly unattended and even benefits from being made earlier in the day — or even a day or two in advance — and reheated. The four shanks yield four copious portions. (The recipe will serve six if every guest does not insist on having a bone.) Orzo alongside will sop up the sauce.
Root Beer Semifreddo
The list of ways to put root beer to use is fairly brief. A root beer float or granita are obvious options, as is making a Cuba libre (cola, rum and ice) with root beer instead. Root beer can also be used as the basis for a barbecue marinade, best made by first reducing and concentrating the drink. I took bits of some of these applications to make a frozen dessert, a semifreddo that’s got root beer every which way. The root beer is reduced and infused with spices, then used to make a custard and mixed with whipped cream and egg whites. There is also some birch or maple syrup to enhance the texture as well as the flavor, and rum to spike the sauce of apricots poached in — you guessed it — root beer.
Victorian Gin Punch
Here is a punch to mix with the more flavorful American gins, from a recipe provided to The Times by the drinks historian David Wondrich. His cocktails are light and summery, and a refreshing change from the usual gin and tonic. This recipe makes 20 servings.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
This rave-worthy pie showcases perfectly the classic combination of sweet strawberries with tart rhubarb. The pie dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to three days before rolling and filling it. The whole baked pie can be cooled completely and refrigerated overnight to help the filling set and slice more neatly. Be sure to top slices of pie with vanilla ice cream, either store-bought or homemade .
Grilled Scallion Lamb
Here is a somewhat different take on lamb kebabs for the grill. The meat is bathed in a spicy-cool Asian marinade and threaded on skewers with whole scallions placed crosswise so all can be seared together. My butcher suggested top round of lamb, a cut I had never used, but he knew what he was talking about: It was excellent, lean and tender. The scallions become lightly charred and smoky. Romesco, the Spanish pepper, tomato and nut emulsion that’s often served as a dip for grilled baby leeks, would be a perfect sauce alongside.
Warm Bread Salad
This is, quite possibly, the bread salad to end all bread salads. Judy Rodgers, the legendary chef and bread lover, developed it to serve alongside roast chicken, but it's perfect paired with any roast meat. Bread chunks are mixed with a sharp vinaigrette, softened currants, toasted pine nuts and lightly cooked scallions and garlic. Everything is piled into a roasting pan then slid into the oven just before the chicken comes out and stays in while the chicken rests (if you're not making it with chicken, heat the oven to 450, turn it off and pop the salad in for 15 minutes). At the last minute, toss the bread mixture with arugula and vinaigrette. Top with your meat of choice (or not) and dig in.
Grilled Flank Steak on Ciabatta With Red Peppers
This steak sandwich, inspired by the flavors of Spain, takes a little time to prepare, but it's really quite simple. Just sauté a tangle of onions and red peppers until tender, then hit it with a splash of red wine and black olive tapenade. Meanwhile, rub the meat with a little olive oil and paprika then grill (or broil) until done. Pile the sliced meat and pepper mixture onto toasted ciabatta and enjoy.
Chicken Cutlets With Mushroom Dressing
This French-inspired chicken dish isn’t exactly weeknight fare, but it is sophisticated comfort food that is well worth the effort. First, boneless chicken thighs or breasts are pounded into cutlets, marinated in garlic, lemon juice and thyme (up to 6 hours, but even a short sit will do nicely), then breaded and fried. They are then dressed in a rich yet delightfully piquant sauce of mushrooms, shallots, garlic, Dijon mustard, white wine and balsamic vinegar that is a welcome contrast to the richness of the fried chicken. Serve with a crisp green salad (and a potato gratin or pommes Anna if you're feeling particularly ambitious). If you’d prefer to fry the chicken 30 minutes or so in advance and keep it in the oven at 175 degrees, that’ll work beautifully. As for what to drink, this dish pairs perfectly with the pinot noirs of the Côte Chalonnaise on the southern end of Burgundy. Bon appétit!
Turmeric Chicken
This chicken marinated in a deeply golden curry sauce with ginger and scallions is one of the essential components of arroz gordo, a dish from Macau. The marinade suits thighs with skin and bones, and does wonders for wings. Let them sizzle in the oven so the skin starts to crisp and brown, and you have an excellent accompaniment for drinks. They do not need any condiment, though a yogurt-based raita made with fresh mint would dress them nicely.
Coq au Vin Blanc
Just as Oregon borrows from Burgundy in vineyards planted with pinot noirs and chardonnays, that region also inspires dinner. The iconic boeuf bourguignon would not be the best choice with chardonnay, but this version of coq au vin, replacing Chambertin with chardonnay, couldn’t be better. I went light with it, omitting the bacon lardons. And I gave a nod to Oregon’s truffle crop by finishing the sauce with a gloss of black truffle butter. It’s a modest investment that elevates the dish. A generous slab of unsalted butter (especially if it’s high-fat European-style) could also bolster the sauce, though with less foxy intrigue.
Nectarine Tart
A beautiful dessert made from any great summer fruit — figs, nectarines, apricots, plums — that, yes, takes a little time. The reward is in the wow factor you get from the result — and in the flavors it provides. Brushing the pastry with a slick of good preserves before you add the fruit will create a thick syrup on the bottom that helps keep the pastry from becoming soggy. Then cut the fruit into quarters or eighths, depending on their size, then crowd the wedges so that they stand at attention in tight concentric circles on a pastry shell. Dust the whole thing with sugar and baste the top with melted butter. Cook and cool the finished tart, then serve with crème fraîche, whipped cream, or a few scoops of your favorite ice cream.
Chile Shrimp
These shrimp are a component of arroz gordo, or fat rice, a party dish from Macau, but you could just as easily serve them on their own on a bed of rice, perhaps, or alongside braised bok choy or a smashed cucumber salad.
Braised Chicken With Gochujang
Slow-braising to infuse meats with deep flavor and produce warming, stew-like plates of food is a cooking method of choice when the weather brings a chill. This chicken dish is the product of what I call the usual three-step affair (brown chicken, add other ingredients and some liquid, cover and slowly simmer). But I gave it a bit of heat, unpacking sake, ginger, garlic and the spicy Korean condiment gochujang, plus well-mannered slivers of poblano chilis into the pan. You can now find gochujang in supermarkets or online; you won’t use the entire jar for this dish so exploit it for other occasions. It keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator. The chicken will welcome a pillow of steamed rice alongside.
Chicken With Raisins
I turn to this recipe -- adapted from the French chef Madeleine Kamman, who died in the summer of 2018 — when cool weather is on the horizon. Perhaps it’s the dried fruit or chicken braised in a sauce (instead of being striped on the grill) that appeals to the season. But it’s an easy winner for those first dinners when fall appears. Though plumped raisins are called for, other dried fruit, like diced figs or quartered prunes work well, too.
Miso Squash Soup
Soup is an easy first course for a seasonal gathering, especially when it can be prepared — even frozen — in advance. This one calls for Kabocha squash, a variety that’s not too sweet, and is dense and rich, though delicata, honeynut, the ubiquitous butternut or an everyday orange pumpkin all work well. Seasoned primarily with miso, this calls for only a pinch of cinnamon to hint at the inevitable pumpkin spice. And instead of presenting this vegan soup as a plated first course in china or pottery bowls or even in hollowed-out mini-pumpkins, you might consider spooning it into small cups or glasses for guests to sip as an hors d’oeuvre before dinner.