Your Best Retro Recipe With A Modern Twist: And The Winner Is...

When we picked our latest contest theme Your Best Retro Recipe With a Modern Twist, we were looking for some creative and delicious, modern twists to the retro recipes of years gone by. From salads suspended in jellies to elevated or globally influenced classics, we cooked and ate our way through a dozen intriguing finalists.

With so many delicious recipes to choose from, it wasn't an easy choice, but we narrowed it down to two: Mrs. Larkin's Caesar and the Goddess, a delightful, modern update of the iconic salad, packed with vibrant flavor, and Dan Carberg's Far East of Chicken Kiev, a deeply aromatic dish with a creative compound butter.

Picking a winner is never an easy task, especially with two amazing and delicious recipes, but thanks to our awesome community and a huge outpouring of votes, we have chosen a winner. Cue the drumroll....

From Our Shop

exclusive

Food52 x Dansk Generation Bakeware $40–$72

More Options

Shop Now

Shake, Pour & Preserve Glass Salad Dressing Bottles $31–$37

More Sizes

Shop Now

our line!

Five Two Everyday Soft Cotton Cloth Napkins $30–$45

More Colors

Shop Now

Congratulations Liz, your salad was unanimously loved by all. We also want to congratulate the runner-up, Dan, your recipe was delicious and we highly recommend it. Liz Larkin is a longtime Food52 Community member and has won more than a few contests—we can always depend on the Scone Lady of Pound Ridge to dazzle us with a delicious recipe.

What is your least favorite food? Cold overnight oatmeal. It's all kinds of wrong.

What is the best thing you've made so far this year? Sourdough pizza. It's pretty epic.

Describe your most spectacular kitchen disaster. I've had so many, I can't keep track. Just last week I dropped a cookie sheet on my toe and fractured it.

What is your idea of comfort food? Macaroni and cheese.

Apron or no apron? Apron. Always.

What is your favorite food-related scene in a movie? The dinner scene at Tommy's mom's house in Goodfellas. Or when Michael Corleone goes to dinner with Sollozzo and McCluskey in The Godfather.

Who is someone you would love to cook for and why? Stanley Tucci, because he would make the best cocktails.

We hope you have had a chance to make Liz's delicious salad! You can congratulate her and our runner-up Dan in the comment section.

Erin McDowell's Strawberry Not-So-Short Cake

View Recipe

Crab Cakes

View Recipe

Ottolenghi's Couscous, Cherry Tomato & Herb Salad

View Recipe