Surrealist artist Salvador Dali is well known for his distinctive mustache and melting clocks, but what about his 1973 cookbook? Watch below as The Art Assignment attempts to recreate a “Bush of Crayfish in Viking Herbs” from Les Diners de Gala, and also explore Dali’s life and art.
I don’t know what compelled me to wake up at 6:45 a.m. on a Saturday and decide that making Eggs Benedict was a good idea. But when there’s a toddler tugging at your blanket and there’s more than plenty of time on a weekday morning, sleep deprivation and a hungry stomach begin making decisions one cannot argue with. So it was that in this deluded state I decided, not only was I going to make Eggs Benedict, I was going to make them Peruvian style with homemade huancaina sauce because I’d had a dream the night before that my husband and I had innovated this particular dish and it had been damn tasty. This is probably a good time to tell you that I’ve never poached an egg in my life. But, hey, there’s a first time for everything.
When Martha Stewart says she’s going to teach you how to cook/bake/make anything, you go. And you take notes. She recently came down to Miami during Art Basel for a cooking demonstration at Macy’s, for which I was clearly unprepared because I thought arriving 45 minutes early would be ample time to find a decent seat within viewing distance of the Queen of Craft (that’s what I like to call her, anyway). But that only left me four rows from the back, zooming into the second monitor, trying to take a picture of a picture of Martha. Lesson learned, lady. Lesson learned. No matter. She cooked. And she did it well. (She also said “twerking,” the context of which escapes me because, I mean, Martha Stewart said “twerking!” But the context really doesn’t matter. What matters is that she said it. And it was AWESOME.) And the food still reached those of us in the far back – with seconds on those little lemon cookies straight from pastry heaven. So here are three of Martha’s recipes for you and yours to enjoy this holiday season.
P.S. In case you’re curious, I’ve also posted pictures of all the other meals we were able to try (Holiday Citrus Punch, Poached Egg with Creamed Spinach, Mushroom Crepe, Fruit Salad, and Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies). The mushroom crepe was my absolute favorite.
Some of my fondest childhood memories involve some sort of family gathering that usually began early in the day, around the kitchen area of a relative’s home. More often than not, that scene involved my grandmother prepping and cooking a meal that always proved too large to eat but too tasty to be discarded. So we went for seconds, and sometimes thirds, and grew up relishing in the fact that Cuban women were built to have curves.
I was recently lucky enough to capture one of these gatherings in my own little kitchen, with Abuela making one of my absolute favorite dishes: Arroz con Pollo a la Chorrera (or, Cuban Yellow Rice with Chicken). Keep reading for pics and step-by-step instructions on how to recreate it sans Cuban Abuela.
Most who know me know that when I fell in love with my husband, I also fell in love with his food. He and his Peruvian family managed to charm me from day one with their Ceviche, Seco, Causa, and Huancaina. It’s been a revelation in dining.
And so, recently, I tried my Cuban hand at recreating one of these Peruvian dishes. I’m relieved to be able to say I didn’t bring shame to anyone’s culture with my first attempt at making Seco de Res (also referred to as Seco de Carne). So here’s the very simple recipe I followed with pics to guide you along the way. Best of luck to you first-timers and let me know how it goes for you!
Also, for those of you who may not be as “adept” in the culinary arts, you can just call on my mother-in-law for some amazing home-cooked Peruvian food delivered to your doorstep.
Ingredients
Preparation
Remove stems from cilantro. Chop jalepeño peppers and mix with cilantro in a blender with 2 tbsp of olive oil and very little water (less than ½ cup). You want it to be somewhat thick.
In a large pan heat olive oil then add chopped onions with garlic and cook on low heat until onions are caramelized. Add beef bouillon while cooking. Mix well.
Mix in beef, potatoes and cilantro mixture. Add salt and all-seasoning and cover pan. Cook for 30min-1hr stirring frequently to avoid burning beef.