Everyday Cooking

Genius Recipes' Greatest Hits of 2014 (+ a Thank You)

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January  7, 2015
13 Comments

Every week -- often with your help -- Food52's Executive Editor Kristen Miglore is unearthing recipes that are nothing short of genius.

Today: The ten Genius Recipes you liked best in 2014. (We liked them too.)

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This whole thing is very win-win. You all send in the best recipes you stumble across -- the ones that you can't stop making, that you tape to the inside of your cupboard and email to all your friends. I test (and re-test) them, then do my best to tell you each week how these recipes will change the way you cook. James (or Mark or Bobbi or Alpha) shoots them to show you how striking they'll look in your house, right before you get to scarfing. Everyone gets more good food.

I want to take this moment, the first Genius dispatch of 2015, to say T-H-A-N-K  Y-O-U in my strongest font styling, for continuing to send in tips. Keep them coming. Last year, these were the 10 recipes you all liked best -- at the bottom of each post, you'll see the person responsible for bringing them to our attention.

Nigel Slater's Really Good Spaghetti Bolognese

 

Dan Leader's 4-Hour Baguette

 

Bill Smith's Atlantic Beach Pie

 

Nigella Lawson's One-Step, No-Churn Ice Cream

 

My New Roots' Life-Changing Loaf of Bread

 

Martha Stewart's One-Pan Pasta

 

Gabrielle Hamilton's Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

 

Maialino's Olive Oil Cake

 

Jane Grigson's Celery Soup

 

Moro's Warm Squash & Chickpea Salad with Tahini

Tell us: What were your favorite recipes of 2014?

Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at [email protected].

Photos by James Ransom and Mark Weinberg

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Kristen Miglore

Written by: Kristen Miglore

I'm an ex-economist, lifelong-Californian who moved to New York to work in food media in 2007, before returning to the land of Dutch Crunch bread and tri-tip barbecues in 2020. Dodgy career choices aside, I can't help but apply the rational tendencies of my former life to things like: recipe tweaking, digging up obscure facts about pizza, and deciding how many pastries to put in my purse for "later."

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13 Comments

JadeTree
JadeTree January 17, 2015
Hooray! It was fun to see the crazy Bolognese take off! I've made so many other Genius recipes from this column - it's a joy.
 
Ajm916
Ajm916 January 13, 2015
That butternut squash recipe is what got me hooked on your website I look forward to all the amazing recipes and great people that share them. Thanks for all you do and Cheers to a wonderful 2015!
 
Sarah J.
Sarah J. January 9, 2015
I love the tofu fudge, even though it didn't make it onto this list. I made it for a dinner party and it was a great way to deflect the conversation away from me and towards the fact that we were eating TOFU in FUDGE-form.
 
Marian B.
Marian B. January 9, 2015
I made those grilled cheese for NYE and served them with Champagne, and now it's my new tradition. Thank you kristen thank you EVERYONE.
 
jenniebgood
jenniebgood January 8, 2015
Thank you Kristen, so much, for bringing this fantastic column to our desktops/tablets/phones. I look forward to it every week and can't wait for the book.
 
lovinangels
lovinangels January 8, 2015
OMG the cream of celery soup. We call it butter soup. It is literally the best. THING. EVER.
 
Terry M.
Terry M. January 7, 2015
That olive oil cake is amazing. Not too sweet. So simple it's almost criminal. Impresses everyone with how delicious such an unimposing cake can be. Sometimes I switch up the orange and Grand Marnier with lemon or Meyer lemon and Limoncello. My absolute favorite recipe from last year.
 
Joy B.
Joy B. January 7, 2015
Thank YOU, K, for having a curator's eye of gold.
 
rstaffel
rstaffel January 7, 2015
I spent a lot of 2014 making that warm squash and chickpea salad over and over and over again! Funny because I love the Moro cookbooks, but somehow never noticed the recipe. Thanks, Kristen, for bringing it to our attention!
 
HRH
HRH January 7, 2015
The four hour baguette did it for me. 2014 was a year of first tries in bread baking, and that recipe took away so much of what is scary for the novice bread baker. And, now my friends and family think I'm even more super awesome, which is always nice.
 
Alexandra S.
Alexandra S. January 7, 2015
So many good ones I still need to try! But my three favorites from 2014 are: Cook's Illustrated Blondies — I basically triple the amount of vanilla in everything I bake now. Kevin Gillespie's Grilled Chicken with Alabama White Sauce — always a huge hit. And Idea's in Foods Korean Style Chicken Wings — I'm alread looking forward to making these for the Super Bowl. Thank you for so many great ideas over the years!!
 
PamellaB
PamellaB January 7, 2015
Anna Thomas' Green Soup...the version with cilantro from her book "Love Soup" is the favorite of 2014 for me. Everyone I serve it to, I start with a half bowl, telling them its okay if it's not for them. (there's the hesitant comment "it's soo green") But after a few spoons, they ask for a full bowl & proceed to get seconds & thirds. Its the kind of soup that the more you eat, the better it tastes & there's disappointment when the bottom of the bowl appears. I love, love, love this soup.
 
April J.
April J. January 7, 2015
I've made the baguettes (numerous times), the one-pot pasta, and the olive oil cake (with the marscapone buttercream recipe in the comments)- all absolutely genius-worthy! Can't wait to try the others on this list.