What is your "signature" dish

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tmoney1224
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What is your "signature" dish

Post by tmoney1224 »

What is the dish that either you feel you have perfected or would serve to an important guest.

Tangent question, does your family have a signature meal. I'm talking the food that just has to be there at every family get together.
tmoney1224
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by tmoney1224 »

For me the first one would either be my chicken fried chicken or shrimp scampi. I have worked on both of those dishes over the years and could make them with my eyes closed (though I wouldn't recommend it :wink: ).

For the family get togethers, we always have barbeque meatballs. It is a family recipe and is always present. We usually take turns preparing it and if you screw it up, there is hell to pay.
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BIGBrandon2785
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by BIGBrandon2785 »

Apple smoked spare ribs
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Peat56
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by Peat56 »

I am no great Chef.

I can do very good omelettes. And I love working the BBQ. I love to do a Pork Butt low and slow. So much flavour, so many things you can do. ITs BBQ heaven!
gomez1012
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by gomez1012 »

Carne Asada.
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BIGBrandon2785
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by BIGBrandon2785 »

Peat56 wrote:I am no great Chef.

I can do very good omelettes. And I love working the BBQ. I love to do a Pork Butt low and slow. So much flavour, so many things you can do. ITs BBQ heaven!
How do you do the pork butt??On a smoker or crock pot?
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elterrible33
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by elterrible33 »

pigs...on a spit.
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treywayln
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by treywayln »

I have nothing thus far that can impress anyone. Obviously I can make basic foods since I'm not an idiot, but nothing special. That said, I'm planning on trying to learn my mom's dishes, because she's fucking amazing at cooking, and none of my sisters has bothered to learn. I just think it would be a shame if her techniques leave this world when she does eventually.

She has many dishes that are fucking great, but the one that stands out the most is her tamales. Every tamale I've ever had that she didn't make, I've absolutely hated. No exaggeration. I don't even like tamales in general, but her's are great. Not necessarily my favorite dish of hers, but just the stark contrast to everyone else's attempts at tamales has made it the standout dish for her. Every year she sells them at like $8 a dozen, and every year the same people buy multiple dozens. I never even advertise amongst my friends, because she only wants to make a certain amount. It's too much work, but even with her limiting how much she makes; she generally sells like 100 dozen every December. IF I ever get good at making tamales, I'll be sure to ship you a couple dozen T.
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mattd3742
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by mattd3742 »

I would have to say my go to dish is stuffed banana peppers. I stuff them with a combo of Italian and hot sausage and allow them to cook all day in a crock pot with pasta sauce. Then serve it over a bed of white rice....real solid meal
chef97
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by chef97 »

treywayln wrote:I have nothing thus far that can impress anyone. Obviously I can make basic foods since I'm not an idiot, but nothing special. That said, I'm planning on trying to learn my mom's dishes, because she's fucking amazing at cooking, and none of my sisters has bothered to learn. I just think it would be a shame if her techniques leave this world when she does eventually.

She has many dishes that are fucking great, but the one that stands out the most is her tamales. Every tamale I've ever had that she didn't make, I've absolutely hated. No exaggeration. I don't even like tamales in general, but her's are great. Not necessarily my favorite dish of hers, but just the stark contrast to everyone else's attempts at tamales has made it the standout dish for her. Every year she sells them at like $8 a dozen, and every year the same people buy multiple dozens. I never even advertise amongst my friends, because she only wants to make a certain amount. It's too much work, but even with her limiting how much she makes; she generally sells like 100 dozen every December. IF I ever get good at making tamales, I'll be sure to ship you a couple dozen T.
Even though I'm a certified chef my mom's cooking always tastes best to me..... Goes to show you there ain't nothing in the world like your mom's cooking..... :D
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treywayln
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by treywayln »

Well my mom lived in Mexico for half her life, so she has that authentic Mexican style that is often missing even in South Texas. I don't like a lot of her dishes, so it's not based solely on bias, lol, I genuinely think she's just fucking great at cooking. I'm a picky eater, but more times than not she makes food that's on point.
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TopNotch86
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by TopNotch86 »

spaghettiO's
"He's a fighter, I'm a fighter, if I'm better on that day, I win. That's just the way it goes. Someday, every fighter loses. Sooner or later, somebody comes along and they got your ticket. Too old, just wasn't your day, whatever the reason is. In the end, everybody gets beaten. The most you can hope for is that you stay on top a while. Be the best."
tmoney1224
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by tmoney1224 »

TopNotch86 wrote:spaghettiO's
Please post your recipe, I think I have been doing it wrong all these years.
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TopNotch86
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by TopNotch86 »

tmoney1224 wrote:
TopNotch86 wrote:spaghettiO's
Please post your recipe, I think I have been doing it wrong all these years.
a great chef never reveals his secrets.
"He's a fighter, I'm a fighter, if I'm better on that day, I win. That's just the way it goes. Someday, every fighter loses. Sooner or later, somebody comes along and they got your ticket. Too old, just wasn't your day, whatever the reason is. In the end, everybody gets beaten. The most you can hope for is that you stay on top a while. Be the best."
SmartyBeardo
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by SmartyBeardo »

My wife refuses to allow me to cook, for the most part. I still do handle the meat when we are having visitors.

I'm known for my grilled lamb and pork shish kebabs. I marinate the chunks for about 36 hours in onion, garlic, dill, cilantro, some good white wine (once in awhile ale). Preferably roasted over wood embers in an open pit, but if I am in a hurry, my Weber works fine. The heat must be low (distance is key), but not so low and slow that the juicy chunks dry out, and the skewers must be tended to constantly.

Shezlick (Russian shish kebabs) must be devoured between shots of vodka.

My kids love my rib-eye steak. I know what people say, but I have always gotten the best compliments on it when I bathe them in olive oil and rub them with rock salt and freshly ground pepper.

I do the turkey at Thanksgiving. Done it pretty much every which way. My favorite is stuffed with whole apples, with cloves of garlic slid under the skin, rubbed with butter salt and pepper, roasted slow.

I normally do a prime rib roast or rack of lamb for Christmas. Pretty basic.

When people visit they expect / insist on my fruit salad. Everyone always asks how I do it. I do it the same every time. The only differences are what fruit is available. That is generally not a problem these days. I start, early in the morning, by slicing a juicy pineapple into bite sized chunks and throwing them into as big a bowl as is available. The strawberries, halved or quartered, depending on size, go next. After adding each fruit I stir. Peaches / nectarines, kiwis, mango, persimmons, red and green grapes, are all sliced added and stirred. If there is a key to my fruit salad it is the mandarins and / or tangerines. I slice the peels off with the skin, then go to the trouble of skinning each chunk. I save the peels that still have the outer part of the fruit attached. Last I add the blueberries and raspberries, which are not sliced. Finally I squeeze the juice from the mandarin / tangerine peels over the whole thing and place it in the fridge, covered. Every two hours I stir the salad gently, until dinner time.

I add nothing to the fruit.

There are some signature dishes that friends expect of my wife when they visit. Beet salads are a staple. For large gatherings she will do two, one with raw beet and the other boiled. In both versions the beets are grated. The raw version is a vinagrette. The boiled version is mixed with mayo, fresh garlic, and other spices.

Probably the signature side in our house that everyone expects from my wife is her garlic cheese spread on fresh slices of tomatoes with fresh dill sprinkled on top. The cheese is generally a semi sharp good quality cheddar, grated fine. It is mixed with fresh pressed garlic, mayo, sour cream and my wife's love. They are amazing, fresh, yet decadent.

My wife is also famous for her borscht, which is never a problem with even those who can't handle beets, because she grates the beets fine and they cook into the borscht, leaving only a hue to the broth. She makes a mean pylimini and vereniky (Russian stuffed dumplings).

Needless to say, at our age, we are constantly dieting between feasts.
SmartyBeardo is a fictional character, owned and operated by the creator. Events depicted by SmartyBeardo are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events is purely coincidental.
tmoney1224
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by tmoney1224 »

Beardo, that all sounds amazing!

I would devour that fruit salad.

On your kebabs, when you do them on your Weber, do you keep them suspended in someway or are they directly on the grill grates?
chef97
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by chef97 »

SmartyBeardo wrote:My wife refuses to allow me to cook, for the most part. I still do handle the meat when we are having visitors.

I'm known for my grilled lamb and pork shish kebabs. I marinate the chunks for about 36 hours in onion, garlic, dill, cilantro, some good white wine (once in awhile ale). Preferably roasted over wood embers in an open pit, but if I am in a hurry, my Weber works fine. The heat must be low (distance is key), but not so low and slow that the juicy chunks dry out, and the skewers must be tended to constantly.

Shezlick (Russian shish kebabs) must be devoured between shots of vodka.

My kids love my rib-eye steak. I know what people say, but I have always gotten the best compliments on it when I bathe them in olive oil and rub them with rock salt and freshly ground pepper.

I do the turkey at Thanksgiving. Done it pretty much every which way. My favorite is stuffed with whole apples, with cloves of garlic slid under the skin, rubbed with butter salt and pepper, roasted slow.

I normally do a prime rib roast or rack of lamb for Christmas. Pretty basic.

When people visit they expect / insist on my fruit salad. Everyone always asks how I do it. I do it the same every time. The only differences are what fruit is available. That is generally not a problem these days. I start, early in the morning, by slicing a juicy pineapple into bite sized chunks and throwing them into as big a bowl as is available. The strawberries, halved or quartered, depending on size, go next. After adding each fruit I stir. Peaches / nectarines, kiwis, mango, persimmons, red and green grapes, are all sliced added and stirred. If there is a key to my fruit salad it is the mandarins and / or tangerines. I slice the peels off with the skin, then go to the trouble of skinning each chunk. I save the peels that still have the outer part of the fruit attached. Last I add the blueberries and raspberries, which are not sliced. Finally I squeeze the juice from the mandarin / tangerine peels over the whole thing and place it in the fridge, covered. Every two hours I stir the salad gently, until dinner time.

I add nothing to the fruit.

There are some signature dishes that friends expect of my wife when they visit. Beet salads are a staple. For large gatherings she will do two, one with raw beet and the other boiled. In both versions the beets are grated. The raw version is a vinagrette. The boiled version is mixed with mayo, fresh garlic, and other spices.

Probably the signature side in our house that everyone expects from my wife is her garlic cheese spread on fresh slices of tomatoes with fresh dill sprinkled on top. The cheese is generally a semi sharp good quality cheddar, grated fine. It is mixed with fresh pressed garlic, mayo, sour cream and my wife's love. They are amazing, fresh, yet decadent.

My wife is also famous for her borscht, which is never a problem with even those who can't handle beets, because she grates the beets fine and they cook into the borscht, leaving only a hue to the broth. She makes a mean pylimini and vereniky (Russian stuffed dumplings).

Needless to say, at our age, we are constantly dieting between feasts.
Great post Smarty! Please feel free to post more of your recipes on this forum as I for one am interested in your Rack of Lamb recipe as well as the Borscht.....
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SmartyBeardo
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by SmartyBeardo »

tmoney1224 wrote:Beardo, that all sounds amazing!

I would devour that fruit salad.

On your kebabs, when you do them on your Weber, do you keep them suspended in someway or are they directly on the grill grates?
Depends on the Weber. If I use the traditional coal version I have a suspension setup. If I utilize my gas Weber I do them directly on the grill. I start them spread out individually and evolve into a pyramid pile that I consistently rotate.
SmartyBeardo is a fictional character, owned and operated by the creator. Events depicted by SmartyBeardo are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events is purely coincidental.
SmartyBeardo
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by SmartyBeardo »

chef97 wrote:
SmartyBeardo wrote:My wife refuses to allow me to cook, for the most part. I still do handle the meat when we are having visitors.

I'm known for my grilled lamb and pork shish kebabs. I marinate the chunks for about 36 hours in onion, garlic, dill, cilantro, some good white wine (once in awhile ale). Preferably roasted over wood embers in an open pit, but if I am in a hurry, my Weber works fine. The heat must be low (distance is key), but not so low and slow that the juicy chunks dry out, and the skewers must be tended to constantly.

Shezlick (Russian shish kebabs) must be devoured between shots of vodka.

My kids love my rib-eye steak. I know what people say, but I have always gotten the best compliments on it when I bathe them in olive oil and rub them with rock salt and freshly ground pepper.

I do the turkey at Thanksgiving. Done it pretty much every which way. My favorite is stuffed with whole apples, with cloves of garlic slid under the skin, rubbed with butter salt and pepper, roasted slow.

I normally do a prime rib roast or rack of lamb for Christmas. Pretty basic.

When people visit they expect / insist on my fruit salad. Everyone always asks how I do it. I do it the same every time. The only differences are what fruit is available. That is generally not a problem these days. I start, early in the morning, by slicing a juicy pineapple into bite sized chunks and throwing them into as big a bowl as is available. The strawberries, halved or quartered, depending on size, go next. After adding each fruit I stir. Peaches / nectarines, kiwis, mango, persimmons, red and green grapes, are all sliced added and stirred. If there is a key to my fruit salad it is the mandarins and / or tangerines. I slice the peels off with the skin, then go to the trouble of skinning each chunk. I save the peels that still have the outer part of the fruit attached. Last I add the blueberries and raspberries, which are not sliced. Finally I squeeze the juice from the mandarin / tangerine peels over the whole thing and place it in the fridge, covered. Every two hours I stir the salad gently, until dinner time.

I add nothing to the fruit.

There are some signature dishes that friends expect of my wife when they visit. Beet salads are a staple. For large gatherings she will do two, one with raw beet and the other boiled. In both versions the beets are grated. The raw version is a vinagrette. The boiled version is mixed with mayo, fresh garlic, and other spices.

Probably the signature side in our house that everyone expects from my wife is her garlic cheese spread on fresh slices of tomatoes with fresh dill sprinkled on top. The cheese is generally a semi sharp good quality cheddar, grated fine. It is mixed with fresh pressed garlic, mayo, sour cream and my wife's love. They are amazing, fresh, yet decadent.

My wife is also famous for her borscht, which is never a problem with even those who can't handle beets, because she grates the beets fine and they cook into the borscht, leaving only a hue to the broth. She makes a mean pylimini and vereniky (Russian stuffed dumplings).

Needless to say, at our age, we are constantly dieting between feasts.
Great post Smarty! Please feel free to post more of your recipes on this forum as I for one am interested in your Rack of Lamb recipe as well as the Borscht.....
Thank you and Tmoney for the compliments.

My rack of Lamb is very basic, similar to my rib-eye usually, but I add more herbs to the rub. I flash broil for more or less 5 minutes, then cover with foil and cook very low. to the doneness of the audience's preference. I also grill racks naked, or sometimes wrapped in foil with onions, etc.

I will have to get my wife tipsy and ply her recipes out of her.
SmartyBeardo is a fictional character, owned and operated by the creator. Events depicted by SmartyBeardo are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events is purely coincidental.
hardcorebee24
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by hardcorebee24 »

I make fantastic Blue Ribbon Baby Rack Ribs.

Won't release my ingredients but I'll tell you the technique. I don't remove the membrane. I dry rub them for 12-24 hours prior to cooking. Then I coat them in BBQ sauce that I make from scratch. After coating them I wrap them in plastic wrap and cook them just like that @ 190 degrees for 5-7 hours depending on size and how many racks I'm making. 4 racks or less in a conventional oven you only need 5 hrs. When they're done I pull them out of the plastic, re coat if needed and either broil them, or throw on an open grill mopping with more sauce if needed.

My wifes favorite is my roast duck with an apricot chutney, rosemary smashed potatoes (with skin) and baby carrots.
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SmartyBeardo
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by SmartyBeardo »

hardcorebee24 wrote:I make fantastic Blue Ribbon Baby Rack Ribs.

Won't release my ingredients but I'll tell you the technique. I don't remove the membrane. I dry rub them for 12-24 hours prior to cooking. Then I coat them in BBQ sauce that I make from scratch. After coating them I wrap them in plastic wrap and cook them just like that @ 190 degrees for 5-7 hours depending on size and how many racks I'm making. 4 racks or less in a conventional oven you only need 5 hrs. When they're done I pull them out of the plastic, re coat if needed and either broil them, or throw on an open grill mopping with more sauce if needed.

My wifes favorite is my roast duck with an apricot chutney, rosemary smashed potatoes (with skin) and baby carrots.
Damn! I just ate and I'm hungry again. Them ribs sound great! I have never done them in plastic wrap. I'm with your wife on the duck. Done right it is one of my very favorite meals. My wife does one stuffed with homemade sauerkraut, apple slices and mild sausage.

Rosemary smashed potatoes . . . :)
SmartyBeardo is a fictional character, owned and operated by the creator. Events depicted by SmartyBeardo are fictitious. Any similarity to actual events is purely coincidental.
hardcorebee24
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by hardcorebee24 »

SmartyBeardo wrote:
hardcorebee24 wrote:I make fantastic Blue Ribbon Baby Rack Ribs.

Won't release my ingredients but I'll tell you the technique. I don't remove the membrane. I dry rub them for 12-24 hours prior to cooking. Then I coat them in BBQ sauce that I make from scratch. After coating them I wrap them in plastic wrap and cook them just like that @ 190 degrees for 5-7 hours depending on size and how many racks I'm making. 4 racks or less in a conventional oven you only need 5 hrs. When they're done I pull them out of the plastic, re coat if needed and either broil them, or throw on an open grill mopping with more sauce if needed.

My wifes favorite is my roast duck with an apricot chutney, rosemary smashed potatoes (with skin) and baby carrots.
Damn! I just ate and I'm hungry again. Them ribs sound great! I have never done them in plastic wrap. I'm with your wife on the duck. Done right it is one of my very favorite meals. My wife does one stuffed with homemade sauerkraut, apple slices and mild sausage.

Rosemary smashed potatoes . . . :)
Wifey's duck sounds great. I'll post pics of the ribs from start to finish next time I get a request for them so you guys can see what I'm talking about.
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the13r
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by the13r »

I guess we're known now for our party with mechoui meat, mainly pork or BBQ chicken breasts

Personally my lasagna is my signature dish that is the most popular. I often get request to do multiple lasagnas for family birthdays or events...

Everything is done from scratch and i never ate a better lasagna :wink:
tmoney1224
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by tmoney1224 »

the13r wrote:I guess we're known now for our party with mechoui meat, mainly pork or BBQ chicken breasts

Personally my lasagna is my signature dish that is the most popular. I often get request to do multiple lasagnas for family birthdays or events...

Everything is done from scratch and i never ate a better lasagna :wink:
Would you mind posting your lasagna recipe? I have made lasagna a bunch of times, but I've never yet found one that I really like. Majority of the time, I get a really "dark almost burnt" flavor (don't know how else to describe it) that I'm not a huge fan of and I don't really taste it in other peoples lasagna. I thought it was from putting too much garlic, but I just don't think that is it any more.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: They also tend to get really watery as well, so any tips to avoid that is appreciated.
Last edited by tmoney1224 on Tue Jul 30, 2013 11:55 am, edited 2 times in total.
tmoney1224
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Re: What is your "signature" dish

Post by tmoney1224 »

hardcorebee24 wrote:I make fantastic Blue Ribbon Baby Rack Ribs.

Won't release my ingredients but I'll tell you the technique. I don't remove the membrane. I dry rub them for 12-24 hours prior to cooking. Then I coat them in BBQ sauce that I make from scratch. After coating them I wrap them in plastic wrap and cook them just like that @ 190 degrees for 5-7 hours depending on size and how many racks I'm making. 4 racks or less in a conventional oven you only need 5 hrs. When they're done I pull them out of the plastic, re coat if needed and either broil them, or throw on an open grill mopping with more sauce if needed.

My wifes favorite is my roast duck with an apricot chutney, rosemary smashed potatoes (with skin) and baby carrots.
I've heard of the plastic wrap method before, but I am just scared to death that something is going to leach (flavor, chemical, etc) from the thin plastic or the plastic is going to actually burn off. From your description it doesn't sound like it is a problem for you.

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