Butternut squash soup

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Wrap the butternut squash in aluminum foil and place directly on the rack in the oven. Roast for about 1-1.5 hrs. After 1 hr start checking for doneness by stabbing a fork into the squash. When it goes in really easily – then the squash is done. Take out of the oven, and let cool.

Truffle risotto

As I promised in the original risotto post the possibilities are endless.  Truffle risotto is one luxurious and indulgent dish, and risotto is one of the best ways to highlight truffles. This recipe was developed by my friends at Truffle Shuffle, and they have a wonderful video of the whole process on their web site. 

Chicken with black truffle sauce

Winter is truffle season, and  this dish is a celebration of truffles. They can turn a mundane ingredient such as chicken into something special and festive.

White truffle gravy

Ok, this is definitely not your grandmother’s gravy. Hedonistic, decadent or 1% doesn’t even begin to describe this recipe… because you are not just shaving half an ounce of white truffles on top of something but you are using a whole pound of solid white truffles for the base of the gravy. Both the recipes…

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Thanksgiving turkey

Thanksgiving is my favorite American holiday – I fell in love with it ever since the first time I celebrated it in Mechanicsburg, PA in 1991. When it comes to the Thanksgiving dinner, I am a traditionalist, so the turkey I make is, well, very, very traditional.

Coq au vin

Slowly braised stews are my favorite kind of dish, and fall / winter is the season for them. Coq au vin is a French bistro classic – it is both be homey and comforting, and sophisticated. Stews are best a day old. If serving at a dinner party – you can cook it the day…

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Squab glazed with port reduction with creamy polenta

Squab is one of my favorite meats – it is dark and a little bit gamey, and because these birds are so small – it cooks quickly. Like other game, squab goes well with sweet sauces – and in this case I made my favorite port reduction that has been already featured in previous posts:…

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Black cod over tomato-saffron risotto

Black cod is my new favorite fish – it is very delicate, flaky and simply delicious. And the tomato-saffron combination is one of the most versatile accompaniments to any sea food dish – such as black cod over with tomato-fennel-saffron broth or the Saffron tagliatelle with tomato, fennel, saffron sauce and pan fried shrimp

Tarator – chilled yoghurt and cucumber soup

Since I am in Bulgaria right now, there is hardly a better tribute to Bulgarian summer than the tarator (таратор).  When I was a kid it was a fixture of our summer menu – for lunch and dinner. Incredibly simple and fast to prepare – it can bright up the summer menu.