What recipe are you most proud of?

I'm most proud of my Ginger Apple Torte (which is really, I later found out, a cake) recipe. https://food52.com/recipes/7569-ginger-apple-torte

It's kind of a mash-up of gingerbread and apple cake that I created for the "Your Best Non-Pie Thanksgiving Dessert." I made it three times before I got it where I wanted it. (Boy, did I have happy co-workers that week.) I was most proud because I figured out the game of that week's contest which was to create something that looked pretty and could be made ahead so you're not making dessert after a big Thanksgiving meal. And I won that contest, my first win, which, for a newbie like me was like winning an Oscar. When the second Food52 cookbook came out with that recipe in it, I was beyond excited and proud.

Everything I cook is a synthesis of things other cooks have come up with over the centuries, filtered through my own tastes- I really don't see either as an occasion for pride.

I guess that would be my grandmother's cherry crumb bars,reconstructed from childhood memory by my mother: https://food52.com/recipes/14877-sossie-beile-s-little-cherry-crumb-bars

or for a main, my full flavored spicy chicken with coffee-chile marinade: https://food52.com/recipes/40682-wake-up-chile-coffee-chicken-mole

I haven't written this one down yet, it has been passed down verbally. I make them once or twice a year, always on New Year's eve. We call them Spiedini (alla Siciliana) . You cut up chicken (or veal) cutlets crosswise into 3" x 2" (roughly) strips. bread as you would a cutlet , place a strip of ham and a cube of mozzarella in them, roll up and put on a metal skewer or you can secure with a toothpick. Bake 375 for 25 or so minutes. Very simple, always delicious. This is an old Sicilian dish and each family does it a little differently. this is our version. I don't have a photo handy but let me know if you need one.

The unfortunate events in Amatrice reminded me of this https://food52.com/recipes/2740-bucatini-all-amatriciana.
I just found out that my friends at Buona Vita in Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo are putting on benefit dinners on September 6 with this traditional preparation as the main course. They hail from Piemonte and also operate a great salumeria in Atascadero, Ale-Pia. So, if you are in the neighborhood...

My Peach Cheesecake! This has to be the best recipe I ever came up with and so delicious! The addition of the apricot filling to coat the peaches, made all the difference. You can find it here:
HTTPS://food52.com/recipes/60000-peach-apricot-cheesecake

Its not the recipes that I can quote but the crossover techniques that I applied to classic recipes that I'm inclined to mention. My first ever blog post was that of making classic South Indian Medu vada (deep fried savory doughnuts made exclusively with a spiced Urad dal batter, in a waffle iron,
https://food52.com/recipes/15165-waffled-medu-vada
the other was to think outside the mold and start making idlies (steamed rice and lentil cakes) in every shape and size using silicone baking pans and ice cube molds
Immigrants often face a conflict about their native cuisine and how it would fit in, esp when kids and school lunches are involved, and this has been my way of enjoying the best of both. The kids already have a list of shapes they want their traditional foods in , Jack o lanterns for Halloween, turkey shaped for Thanksgiving, snowflakes for christmas.. It renews an interest in traditional foods and yet integrates it seamlessly into the norms of day to day life in the land you've chosen to make your home.

I was really happy with the way the Pumpkin Duffins turned out. It started off with a cookbook recipe that didn't turn out so great and then I just made them the way I would have wanted them to be (plus pumpkin on account of it being Thanksgiving). I've made them a bunch of times and they get gobbled up. That always makes my cook's heart swell with happiness. https://food52.com/recipes/38862-pumpkin-duffins.

I think the recipe that I've made the most over all the years I've been cooking and the one that's always stood me in good stead are the Chicken & Biscuits. I think this one just is everything I love about cooking - thoughtful food, really easy and can feed my family full of goodness. https://food52.com/recipes/38434-poor-me-chicken-and-biscuits

This recipe goes back almost exactly five years. One my favorite memories was (and remains) driving around Umbria with friends, stopping at markets and going to second division soccer matches. After sampling porchetta off the many trucks offering it in market squares I wanted to replicate it back home. Short of buying a whole pig I had to find the right cut. Here's what I came up with https://food52.com/recipes/11439-market-style-porchetta I think this is my most saved Food52 recipe. If not it's close.

In thinking about this, I realized that the recipes of which I'm most proud are the ones that have personal, emotional stories or connections.

I'm not saying this is the only factor in a happy relationship but I think "Boyfriend Cupcakes" sure got things off on the right foot - and, aside from birthdays - we've struck a happy bargain that I cook and he cleans up. Everyone's happy. https://food52.com/recipes/41169-boyfriend-cupcakes

Also, when words just aren't enough, us food people find solace in feeding people. For me, this recipe made comfort tangible. https://food52.com/recipes/32784-soup-for-the-soul

https://food52.com/recipes/10016-chard-cauliflower-and-caramelized-onion-in-cheese-crust Took a week of playing around with this recipe to get it the way I wanted. I knew the flavor profile I wanted and just kept on. Taking the photo was also great fun.

Well, it's a three-way tie, and all three are posted here on this site. https://food52.com/recipes/5669-scallop-mousse-with-fresh-basil I created Scallop Mousse while I was running my catering company. Everyone else was making salmon mousse, but scallops are my most favorite food in the world, and I just thought it would be a great idea. I was right!
Chicken in Red Wine Vinegar Sauce (Poulet au Vinaigre) https://food52.com/recipes/11458-chicken-in-red-wine-vinegar-sauce is a recipe I brought back from my very first trip to Lyon, France 25 years ago. I didn't "create" it, rather tweaked it. Included in a class I've taught for "centuries" now, Great Chicken Dishes from France, it is always voted the favorite!
Scallops Tommy https://food52.com/recipes/4069-scallops-tommy is the oldest of the three. The chef at the long-gone Half Shell restaurant on Boylston Street in Boston gave me the recipe after much begging. This is also a tweak, but by now, 40 years later, I can't tell you where his recipe stops and mine begins. the rice pilaf to serve it over is totally my idea. You really should try it! :)