Ten favorite recipes from five years of writing Blue Kitchen

Blue Kitchen turns five this month! To celebrate, I’m posting ten of our personal favorite recipes from the first five years.

Some years ago, singer/songwriter John Prine said at one of his concerts, “I’ve been doing this for 26 years now. But it only feels like… 25.” I understand. It feels like I’ve only been doing Blue Kitchen for four and a half years.

In trying to come up with fresh things to write about week after week, I’ve often said (and shall often say again, I’m sure) that ideas for the recipes and posts here come from many sources. This anniversary post was inspired by a very nice email from a new reader. In it, Le wrote,”Do you have a category of ‘favorite’ recipes? We all have favorite recipes that we would use over and over again and are favorites of the family and friends. I feel most of these recipes are often foolproof.”

As I told Le, the idea of a “favorites” category listing seemed like a daunting challenge to me. Various dishes here at Blue Kitchen are indeed personal or family favorites, but often for personal reasons that have nothing to do with being foolproof. Or for that matter, especially complex or impressive. We just like them.

But what sounded like a tough assignment for a category seemed like a great idea for a post. Here, then, are ten favorite recipes from five years of Blue Kitchen. They’re in no particular order. You’ll also find a brief description of why each one made the list. And as it happens, they are all pretty much foolproof.

Chicken and Wine. This one (pictured above) made the list for sentimental reasons (it was the first dish I ever cooked for Marion) and practical ones—I can throw it together quickly, almost from muscle memory, on a busy week night. It is French-inspired comfort food, given a nice bit of complexity with Herbes de Provence and bay leaves. And it’s a family favorite every time I make it. You’ll find the original post and recipe here.

Marion’s Gingerbread. This gingerbread is an absolute given on our Thanksgiving menu—and pretty much any time we need a dessert and it’s cool enough to bake. Dark molasses, black pepper and Chinese five-spice powder give it a lively, spicy bite. For the recipe, check out Marion’s original post here.

Skate Meunière with Browned Butter and Capers. This dish could get by on cool looks alone. Skate’s winglike muscle structure is made for dramatic presentation. You don’t have to know me long to know that I’m something of a Francophile in the kitchen. This classic French preparation with capers, lemon juice and butter is perfect for skate or other mild, white-fleshed fish—sole, flounder, halibut, ocean perch. You’ll find the recipe here.

Vietnamese Beef Stew. Our older daughter has been a vegetarian for several years now. When she misses meat, this is the dish she craves. It fuses flavors from all over Asia—ginger, lemongrass, five-spice powder, garam masala, fish sauce—into a meaty stew that draws its inspiration from Vietnam’s colonial past as French Indochina. Marion doesn’t make this wonderful stew nearly often enough, if you ask me.

Endive Salad with Blue Cheese and Walnuts. Part of the reason this is a favorite for Marion and me is that it always reminds us of Lucien, a wonderful neighborhood bistro in New York where we first had it. For everyone else, it’s just that it’s incredibly delicious. If I put it out as an appetizer while I continue to pull the rest of the dinner together, I have to make sure to grab a bite or two right away. Otherwise, I’ll come back to a serving plate clean enough to go back on the shelf. Recipe here.

Sweet Potato Vichyssoise. I don’t think anyone in our family could imagine Thanksgiving dinner without Marion’s chilled sweet potato soup as the first course. Beautifully seasonal in color and elegant in our vintage Manhattan bowls, it is naturally sweet and creamy (thanks to half and half or cream). And scallions add a lively green crunch. Try this recipe once and it will become a tradition for you too.

Layered Pot Roast with Anchovies, Capers and Garlic. To me, French cuisine is at its best when it’s at its most rustic: A handful of simple, perfectly chosen ingredients prepared in a way that brings out the best of everything. This hearty Provençal roast is exactly that. Humble chuck roast becomes fork tender and flavorful with hours of cooking, and the minced anchovies melt into the dish, giving it a mysterious something extra.

Duck Breasts with White Beans and Sausage. This one wows us for all the obvious reasons. Duck! Beans! Sausage! Vaguely French! But it also reminds us of our lovely trip to the Pacific Northwest last fall and a stellar meal at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon. It will win you over with its quick, simple preparation and its ability to impress any guests you might share it with. Recipe here.

Frangipane Pear and Cherry Cake. One of the benefits of spending a fair amount of time in Michigan is that we often have Michigan tart dried cherries on hand. And one of the best things we do with them is Marion’s Frangipane Pear and Cherry Cake. The pears’ sweetness is cut with the cherries’ tartness, and the delicate almond flavor of the cake permeates everything.

Spaghetti with Pecorino Romano and Pepper. How can a dish of just pasta, salt, pepper and cheese be so delicious and satisfying? I asked myself that question skeptically as I made it the first time. The answer is simply that it is, amazingly so. No wonder it’s a staple of Roman trattorias and home kitchens. Really good cheese and a generous hand with the pepper mill are all you need to bring this wonderful weeknight quick dish to life.

Poring over the Blue Kitchen archives to come up with a list of just ten “favorites” was a lot of fun. And five years really does only feel like four and a half. Here’s to the next five.