The Best Desserts, Best Main Dishes and Best Soup Recipes of 2011

July – Fried Green Tomatoes with Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab Salad – This is another spectacular recipe from one of our chef interviews.  Chef Walter Bundy, from Lemaire, in the beautiful Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Virginia, makes this gorgeous dish with perfectly fried green tomatoes.  They are seasoned, coated and then frozen before frying.  This allows the coating to crisp nicely and the tomato to stay firm on the inside.  The crab salad is delicious with the lovely fresh greens and Buttermilk, Basil and Maytag Blue Cheese Vinaigrette.  It is a delightful mix of flavors and textures.

Pulled Pork

August – Pulled Pork Sandwiches – Nothing says Summertime more than barbecue and pulled pork.  This is one of our favorites to serve when having guests.  The pork shoulder is seasoned, then wrapped overnight so that the flavors infuse into the meat.  It cooks in a slow cooker, so you have all day to prepare whatever side dishes you will be serving along with the pulled pork.  This recipe worked beautifully and is perfect for casual entertaining any time of the year!

Coddled Sea Island Farm Egg with Stone Crab

September – Coddled Sea Island Farm Egg with Stone Crab – This elegant and delightful recipe is from another one of the chefs that we met with this year, Chef Mika Lata from Fig in Charleston, SC.  Chef Lata creates some amazing flavors and this dish is proof of that.  The Parsnip Cream and Parmesan Truffle-cream combined with the coddled egg, prosciutto, brioche and crab have your taste buds doing a happy dance.  This dish would be a real treat to serve to guests for a special brunch.

Local Corn Soup with Apple and Bacon Remoulade and Smoked Scallops

October  – Local Corn Soup with Apple and Bacon Remoulade and Smoked Scallop – Our Culinary Class with Chef Colin Bedford at Fearrington House Inn in Fearrington, NC was one of the highlights of this past year.  Chef Bedford is very talented, quite funny and an excellent instructor.  We had some amazing food while there and learned to create a number of these dishes in our Culinary Class.  This wonderful recipe was one of our favorites.  The texture and flavors in this dish are incredible together.  We have stashed away some local corn and the cobs from this summer in our freezer so that we can make this dish again sometime soon!

Peppermint Stick Ice Cream

November – Peppermint Stick Ice Cream – I have always been a huge fan of ice cream.  I can pass up almost any dessert, except for ice cream.  You may know that I am particularly fond of making homemade ice cream.  Nothing compares to that creamy rich taste of ice cream that has been freshly churned.  We have a number of favorite flavors, but this has to be the winner this year!  It was a tough decision, but this very festive holiday flavor, Peppermint Stick Ice Cream, could make an appearance on a regular basis at our home and we would never tire of it.  Topped with a homemade chocolate sauce, it is over the top scrumpdillyicious…no matter what the season!  🙂

Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

December – Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake – We could not end this year’s Best Recipes without a proper nod to this delictable cake!  This is one cake that was totally devoured in our home.  The textures, flavors and moistness of this cake make it a truly special dessert to serve during the holidays or any time of year.  Fresh apples, applesauce and oil keep it incredibly moist.  There is a bit of crunch in the cake, a wonderful cheese center and praline frosting to keep you intrigued with every bite.

There you have it!  Our picks for the Best Recipes of 2011.  We hope that you will give these a try in your own home to see how wonderful they really are.

I am very particular about the recipes that I post on this site.  There are so many recipes that I make over the course of the year that never make an appearance on Bunkycooks because they are just not good enough.  Everyone has their own preferences and tastes, but I feel quite strongly about publishing recipes that are really good and that really work, no matter where they come from.  I know how frustrating it is to make something and have it fall flat or totally fail.

We look forward to bringing you many more great recipes, tasty travels and chef interviews in 2012!

Have a great week!