Gazpacho

Regional/Traditional, , , ,

Name: Vennie Muenzen
Class Year: 2010
Country of Residence: USA

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

I grew up in Bulgaria where I spent the spring break and summers helping my grandma in her garden. I hold vivid memories of planting seeds in pots in the greenhouse we had constructed and waiting for the stems to show so we can plant next the tomatoes and cucumbers in the garden. We made traditional Bulgarian Shopska salads with fresh tomatoes, red bell pepper, cucumbers, white brine cheese, and parsley.

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Marquisette (Champagne & wine punch)

Drinks, , ,

Name: Laura Campbell
Class Year: 2005
Country of Residence: France

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

A bubbly, fruity, and light punch perfect for the summer, Marquisette is synonymous with festive family occasions in Southern France for me. This recipe is my French mother-in-law Colette’s, and while it’s very easy to make, it does require some planning ahead. Opening a bottle of champagne or other bubbly wine means we know it’s a special occasion when it’s served. Colette’s family has lived in the Montpellier and Avignon area for generations, and Marquisette is often served at village festivals in summer in the Ardèche, Gard, and Hérault departments.

A regional drink almost to a fault, I was surprised to discover it’s unheard of in Toulouse or Marseille even though the regions are close. Marquisette is delicate and sweet, and deserves to be known beyond Southern France. It’s the perfect drink for a warm evening outdoors with friends and family, dancing under Chinese lanterns while the fireflies come out.

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Secret Ingredient Chocolate Pudding

Home Cooking, , , ,

Name: Victoria Breck*
Class Year: 2008
Country of Residence: Belgium

* Victoria is one of this competition’s judges, so this recipe will not be considered – it’s simply delicious, and needs to be shared!

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

This recipe came from one quarantine afternoon, when my husband and I were scavenging for something sweet, but we hadn’t been shopping in a while and we didn’t have much available. I had one bar of dark chocolate so googled around, and found this recipe. Tweaked it based on the ingredients I had available, and I couldn’t BELIEVE how easy it was. It took so little time I whipped it up while on a conference call, and we were so happy when we tasted it. Since then, we’ve been making it twice a week- guilty pleasure.

And overall… it’s healthy!!

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Shrimp Cocktails à la Claire

Home Cooking, , ,

Name: Claire Burgoyne Brouwer
Class Year: 1957
Country of Residence: The Netherlands

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

This recipe started its life in Argentina when I tried to find something to perk up the very large avocados from the tree in my back yard. My 2 Argentine babies received avocado as their first vegetable. Ideal baby food – without the sauce. This shrimp cocktail with sauce has now become a demand item on my family Christmas Menu since we began the custom of everyone contributing a course for the dinner. No matter what the rest of the dinner consists of, Shrimp Cocktails à la Claire must always be the appetizer.

This probably does not deserve a prize for originality, but this should win a prize for the easiest recipe. Typical of my cooking talents.

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Sheet Pan Gochujang Shrimp and Green Beans

Home Cooking, , , ,

Name: Eleanor Chang
Class Year: 1978
Country of Residence: USA

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

My husband has been the cook since we got married  38 years ago. I am an enthusiastic amateur baker although I usually bake for dinner parties and the holidays only. I call myself a “foodie” not because I cook much, but I like to eat and have a palate that craves and welcomes new and different foods.

Every now and then, when I feel like Asian food, I would try to make something that is totally different than the standard western fare my husband cooks. This recipe is my go-to dish when he is out of town and I need to fend for myself. The dish is wonderful because it is so easy to cook with little to clean up afterwards. The taste is incredibly intense (hot, salty, slightly sweet) as the chili spices in the gochujang wake up your taste buds. Served over rice, you really don’t need anything else for dinner. Well, maybe a dessert afterwards. It is the ultimate recipe for women who don’t like to cook or don’t have time to cook. 

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Chicken Meatball Soup

Home Cooking, ,

Name: Victoria Breck*
Class Year: 2008
Country of Residence: Belgium

* Victoria is one of this competition’s judges, so this recipe will not be considered – it’s simply delicious, and needs to be shared!

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

I was desperate to use up the crumbs from a bag of pizza dough crackers (so salty and delicious), so I started thinking about recipes that would involve meatballs… that day we went shopping and found minced chicken (relatively unusual for Belgium!) so we snatched it up, and threw together this soup. It has now become on regular rotation at our house. It’s so deep in flavour, if you do have the Parmesan rind don’t skip it, the broth becomes liquid gold. This soup is also very versatile, I have purposely not put amounts because you can really work with what you have, or what combination of vegetables you prefer.

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Chocolate Heath Bar Crunch Cookies

Home Cooking, , , , ,

Name: Victoria Breck*
Class Year: 2008
Country of Residence: Belgium

* Victoria is one of this competition’s judges, so this recipe will not be considered – it’s simply delicious, and needs to be shared!

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

This recipe originally started some years ago on the back of a bag of heath bar bits. So simple. But I started playing around over the years, adding spelt flour to make them fluffier and melt in your mouth, and scaling back on the sugar, and up on the cocoa. Now they are a masterpiece! You can either eat them plain as cookies, or at a dinner party they make a fun dessert when they are still slightly warm, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you don’t like heath bars you can substitute whatever other chunks you like (white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) Warning… they will not last long.

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Lynn’s Favorite Fish Recipe

Home Cooking, ,

Name: Lynn Meins
Class Year: 1970
Country of Residence: Germany

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

When my grandparents arrived in the United States after fleeing from Nazi Germany, my grandfather asked my grandmother if she wanted a cook or a car. They couldn’t afford both. My grandmother answered that they were now in America and here they needed a car, so she would just have to learn to cook. She always claimed she couldn’t cook very well, but we always loved what she served us. My grandfather was Prof. Frederic Sell, Head of the German Dept. at MHC from 1941-1956, and my grandmother was a German language assistant at MHC until 1967.

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Salmon with Lentils

Home Cooking, , ,

Name: Jane Zimmy
Class Year: 1974
Country of Residence: USA

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

I’m living alone and getting delivery from various sources – lost weight since my husband left me (15KG) so I try to order fish from my delivery service. Recipe is for Icelandic Steelhead Salmon (but I think any salmon or thick filet would work) – I’ve also ordered more shelf stable items (beans, lentils, pasta, etc) than I could ever use in a year. I found this recipe online and adjusted it for one (and have leftover lentils which I will use today). If you’re serving more just increase the salmon filets. I’m trying to find recipes that take <30 minutes from start to finish (I did the leek and carrot mis en place earlier!).

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Vitello Tonnato (Cold sliced veal)

Regional/Traditional, , ,

Name: Ellie Shulman Bartolozzi
Class Year: 1975
Country of Residence: Italy

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

This speciality from the region of Piemonte (in northwest Italy) is traditionally served cold or at room temperature as a starter. However, it makes a great main course in the warmer months, served with a side of string beans in a vinaigrette sauce. Every cook has his or her recipe and swears it is authentic! Variations include boiled rather than oven-cooked meat, or using homemade mayonnaise instead of olive oil. The bottom line: it’s a classic regional dish that has spread in popularity and is appreciated by everyone!

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