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Call for Genius Recipe Tips (+ More Greatest Hits)

by:
May 30, 2013
57 Comments

Cooked something genius lately? We want to hear about it.

   
   
   

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Genius Recipes runs on community. Every week I humbly ask for your tips -- the game-changing recipes you just heard about at a dinner party or on Twitter, and the flawless ones you've been cooking for years. And you deliver. (Look at all the great stuff Food52ers have found above!)

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How can we make guacamole any other way, since LL Stone and Caitlin Freeman (and Roberto Santibañez) showed us this one? Thanks to arielleclementine and Yotam Ottolenghi, now we make polenta from fresh corn in the summer, because we can. And if it weren't for mikeficus and Francis Mallmann, most of us would have no idea that a potato can (and should) be dominoed. Yes, dominoed.

So this is your official reminder: keep them coming! A genius seafood technique? Or one for mushrooms, or okra, or cherries? The cookie or cocktail that made you a local legend? We've got 93 (!) Genius Recipes under our belts -- who knows what else might be out there?

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] (or just tell us in the comments!).

Photos by James Ransom

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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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57 Comments

RavensFeast
RavensFeast April 5, 2014
Even though we're at the tail end of citrus season, these two recipes from Bi-Rite market are brilliant. I think you'd appreciate them: http://www.ourfoodshed.com/blog/2011/11/29/246-Sam-s-Sundae
http://www.ourfoodshed.com/blog/2011/11/18/247-Citrus-Olive-Oil-Cake
 
deanna1001
deanna1001 August 20, 2013
I just rediscovered this incredibly simple corn pudding and think it qualifies as a genius recipe! http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/the-temporary-vegetarian-the-simplest-corn-pudding/?_r=1
 
Birtiledge
Birtiledge July 31, 2013
Adding pumpkin to porridge changed breakfast for me. I've tried it 20 different ways and it's all gooood:

http://straighttalkingvegetables.com/2013/03/27/pumpkin-pie-porridge/
 
Tmersky
Tmersky July 29, 2013
Breakthrough Polenta from Best Recipes of 1999 is incredible. Easy and foolproof.
Butter a large dutch oven, two cups of cornmeal and from 6 to 12 cups of chicken broth, depending on consistency desired. Add one tbl. butter or olive oil and sale. stirl. Bake at 350 uncovered for 1 hr 20 minutes. give a very good stir and bake 10 minutes more. you can add sage (yummy) or cheese. Fabulous!
 
sara D.
sara D. July 23, 2013
Yum on this: Steamed brocollini and carrots: Wash well (but don't peel the young carrots. Set in a glass pie pan with a little water. Generously salt and pepper. Drizzle with sesame oil. Cover glass pie pan with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for about two minutes. Remove from microwave adn let sit to steam for about 5 minutes before removing plastic wrap. This is delicious and nutritious.
 
sara D.
sara D. July 23, 2013
Oh - Credit where it is due: I should add that my friend Nancy told me how to do this. Also, you want the carrots to be just past crisp-cooked... fork tender.
 
lauraandakira
lauraandakira July 23, 2013
crepe cake is genius to me
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin July 12, 2013
A new twist on a classic greek style 'lasagna'
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/07/pastitsio-my-version-of-greek-classic.html
 
anne E.
anne E. July 15, 2013
can you please stop volunteering your own recipes on this thread? i mean really.
 
Betty
Betty August 3, 2013
Ditto
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin July 2, 2013
An old fashioned, old school, way back in the day classic dessert of simple biscuits baked in sweet milk for a delicious easy sweet happiness making treat.
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/07/biscuits-baked-in-sweet-milk-completely.html
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 28, 2013
corn on the cob in a pressure cooker, 3 minutes between you and nirvana
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/corn-on-cob-pressure-cooker-style.html
 
anne E.
anne E. July 15, 2013
i count 10 recipes you posted. you really think corn on the cob cooked in a pressure cooker is genius?!
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 28, 2013
an old standby, meatballs with lucious gravy. sometimes you need it.
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/meatballs-baked-and-with-gravy.html
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 22, 2013
FAST and easy and light and quick Vanilla Sponge cupcake (cakette) with icing of your choice.
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/quick-and-easy-vanilla-cupcakes.html
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 21, 2013
easiesst and foolproof way to cook brown rice. tender and chewy and nutty and perfect http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/brown-rice-in-pressure-cooker.html
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 21, 2013
easy southern style tender biscuits, a 3 ingredients and a leap of faith.
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/my-best-southern-biscuits-just-make.html
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 17, 2013
It's a salad. Cauliflower and bacon and lettuce. No cooking, full flavor. DELICIOUS and easy
http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/cauliflower-salad.html
 
Better W.
Better W. June 14, 2013
This quick coconut saffron ice cream is amazing: http://betterwithlemon.com/2013/04/27/quick-dairy-free-coconut-saffron-ice-cream/ . And it's a genius recipe because it requires only two cans and some saffron. The ice cream comes out really creamy and it's incredibly easy to scoop out, even straight out of the freezer.
 
inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen June 11, 2013
Here's one I discovered last year...perfect for vegetarians or those with seafood allergies
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/02/poor-man-shrimp-cocktail
 
tracycooksinaustin
tracycooksinaustin June 11, 2013
Garlic Pull Apart Cheese Bread. Starts with a rustic Italian style dough, then some melting butter, some rolling and some devouring a delicious indulgence. Yeah, there's never ANY left. 90-120 minutes, you can do it from scratch. It's sublime. http://www.tracycooksinaustin.com/2013/06/garlic-pull-apart-cheese-bread-my.html
 
PRST
PRST June 10, 2013
Cooks Illustrated published a recipe for Almond Biscotti in the November 2012 issue. I've made a lot of biscotti in my lifetime and without a doubt this recipe has the absolute best texture and taste. The secret is using ground almonds to make a texture that is crunchy but not jaw-breaking (like the ones Italians like) or soft and buttery (like so many US recipes). As far as I'm concerned this is a GENIUS recipe and has room for so many flavor variations. Believe me. Try it.
 
breadwhisperer
breadwhisperer June 7, 2013
Dorie Greenspan's Cottage Cheese Pancakes! Easy to make, with ingredients usually on hand, they taste great even with no syrup. I usually snack on one of these slightly sweet, custard-like pancakes while cooking the rest. This is the only recipe my boys wanted to learn before going off to college!
 
pigisyummy
pigisyummy June 4, 2013
Thomas Keller's technique for seared duck breast is foolproof. You get the crispiest skin with perfectly pink meat.
http://food52.com/recipes/21267-duck-breast-with-kohlrabi-mash-butter-braised-brussels-sprouts-vino-drizzle