I am often asked questions like that, and frankly can't remember all the restaurant meals I have eaten, even the great ones. But I do keep records of what I cook, and can list the most successful dishes I made in 2012. People also often ask what kind of food I like to cook (and eat), and I think the list demonstrates that I have pretty eclectic cooking tastes. Of course, I enjoy many other cuisines, particularly Asian, but rarely make them myself, and they are never among my greatest successes. The list also understates how often I cook Italian dishes (very).
In any event, here's the list of my best dishes of 2012:
- Bobby Jay's corn soup, a recipe I developed myself: summer corn is my favorite food
- Heirloom tomato salad with torn mozzarella and basil, from a recipe by Jamie Oliver: summer heirloom tomatoes are my second favorite
- Salvatore ricotta, a wonderful creamy ricotta made in Brooklyn, from Eataly, with fleur de sel, coarsley ground pepper and Sicilian olive oil on homemade toast: not really cooked, just a wonderful bite from impeccable ingredients
- Chicken and andouille Jambalaya, from a recipe by Ethan Stiffel
- Caribbean roast and smoked pork chops, based on a recipe by barbeque genius Big Bob Gibson
- Slowly oil poached garlic shrimp, tapas style, based on a recipe from Tyler Florence
- Seared veal breast stuffed with garlic, mustard and spinach, from a recipe by Gordon Hamersley
- Matcha macarons with white chocolate ganache, commissioned by my wife for her Japanese art gallery, for which I combined about 5 different recipes over several tries: Japanese/French fusion in a single bite
- Mustard crusted tenderloin of pork with apple mostarda, from a recipe by Michael Chiarello
- Golden melon gazpacho, based on a recipe from the wonderful spa Rancho Puerta: healthy but spicy and satisfying
- Creme caramel, from a recipe from The French Slow Cooker: a perfect application for the slow cooker, wonderfully smooth and silky
- Cherries in almond syrup with toasted almonds over homemade Greek style yogurt, from a recipe in Bon Appétit: another celebration of summer's bounty
- Winter fruit compote with kumquats, prunes, figs and cognac, from a recipe by Laura Calder: amazingly easy but satisfyingly redolent of winter flavors
Bobby Jay
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