| Latkes for Everybody! No Images? Click here   Dear Serious Eaters, When the holidays come around, I immediately find myself hurtling back in time to my childhood home in Cedarhurst, Long Island. There, my grandmother, Ida, would make latkes every Hanukkah. She’d fry up so many that our kitchen floor would become dangerously slippery from all the oil that leapt out of the pan. But the danger always became an afterthought the moment I took my first bite of one of her latkes. They were, to use a word I have appropriated from my wife, divine: crisp, light, thin, and perfectly salted. Alas, my grandmother died before I was even interested in getting the recipe. But Max Falkowitz comes to the rescue with his excellent latke recipe, which makes our holiday Hanukkah party a seriously delicious affair. As for Christmas food, what I know best comes from my late mother-in-law, who used to host a Christmas party for 100 people every year. The spread was typically pretty minimal: a smoked turkey, some smoked salmon on those little cocktail pumpernickel squares, and some Christmas cookies. I don't even know where she bought those cookies (she certainly didn't make them). If we ever resurrected that tradition, though, my wife, Vicky, an excellent baker, would certainly bake some of Stella's extraordinary Christmas cookies, both rolled and unrolled. But we couldn't have just cookies, so they’d certainly be preceded by a standing rib roast à la Kenji. This year, though, I’ll be spending the holidays in Madrid with Vicky and our son, Will. We’re looking forward to many days of tapas-hunting and a meal of roast suckling pig at Sobrino de Botín, thought to be the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the world (at least, according to its owners). Since we don't know anybody in Madrid, I turned to the good folks at the Spanish company Devour Madrid to help us navigate the city’s gustatory pleasures. COO James Block is starting us off with a tapas tour today. Then we’ll be heading out for a market tour in just a few days. We can't wait. So happy holidays, Serious Eaters. I hope wherever you are you find yourself surrounded by the people, the food, and the drink you love. That's an unbeatable combination. Appreciatively, Ed Levine
The Holiday Recipes That Speak to Me  Kenji's prime rib recipe is not exactly a "set it and forget it" affair. But the time and effort that goes into it is so worth it. The meat is juicy and tender, and the exterior is just crunchy enough.  Even though Hanukkah has come and gone this year, you can still make Max's latkes. They taste good any time of year, and they’re particularly delicious winter fare. My Must-Have Gift Pick  To make Kenji's prime rib roast shine, you'll need a leave-in probe thermometer. Better yet, as Daniel pointed out on this week's Ask Special Sauce Holiday Special, two probes are even better, and that's exactly what you'll get with the Smoke thermometer from ThermoWorks. A big, pricey hunk of (preferably dry-aged) beef deserves all the TLC you can give it. 
Serious Eats 88 35th St Ste 602 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Click Preferences to control which emails you receive from Serious Eats. Clicking Unsubscribe will remove you from all Serious Eats emails…which would be sad. |
