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Playlist The Great American Recipe

The Great American Recipe

A Classic Strawberry Pretzel Dessert from 'The Great American Recipe'

Daniel Hautzinger

Try Pittsburgh home cook Doug Heilman's recipe for a strawberry pretzel salad from the latest season of The Great American Recipe. It's a classic Midwestern dessert. 

There Will Be Another Season of 'The Great American Recipe'

Daniel Hautzinger

PBS's home cook competition show The Great American Recipe has been renewed for a second season following the end of its first and the revelation of the winner—and a cookbook from the first season is now available.

A Nostalgic Jambalaya Recipe from Virtue Chef and 'Top Chef' Contestant Damarr Brown

Meredith Francis

Damarr Brown, the Chef de Cuisine at Virtue in Hyde Park, wasn't sure he wanted to do Top Chef at first. But after his mentor, Chef Erick Williams, encouraged him to take the opportunity, he went far in the competition. Brown discusses representation in the Chicago restaurant industry and shares his recipe for Chicken and Andouille Jambalaya.

A Lemon-Lime Soda Pop Cake from Chicago's Mission-Oriented Bakery Justice of the Pies

Daniel Hautzinger

Maya-Camille Broussard loved eating 7-Up cake at her cousin's after school. Now the James Beard Award-nominated baker, whose Justice of the Pies bakery runs culinary workshops for children and donates food, shares a recipe for that childhood treat.

A Summertime Lychee Martini from the James Beard-Nominated Chicago Bar Nobody's Darling

Meredith Francis

Just a little over a year after it opened, Nobody's Darling already has a James Beard Award nomination for Outstanding Bar Program. Co-owners Angeles Barnes and Renauda Riddle share the story of their Andersonville cocktail bar, along with the recipe for their Southside Lychee Martini.

A Recipe from Forty Acres Fresh Market, Which is Bringing a Grocery Store to the West Side

Daniel Hautzinger

Liz Abunaw envisions the coming brick-and-mortar Forty Acres Fresh Market as "the place where you are in the middle of making a dish," like her recipe for buffalo cauliflower, "and you run out of something and you run up two blocks to go get it." 

Savor the "Quintessentially Filipino" Flavor of Pandan in These Crinkle Cookies

Daniel Hautzinger

“It’s kind of like a grassy vanilla, maybe with some coconut or floral overtones,” says author Mia P. Manansala of pandan, which flavors numerous Southeast Asian desserts. That includes Manansala's crinkle cookie recipe, which she shares ahead of an upcoming book.

Chef Graham Elliot on the New PBS Home Cooking Competition Show 'The Great American Recipe'

Daniel Hautzinger

The new PBS cooking competition show The Great American Recipe spotlights the stories and dishes of home cooks from across the country, and has The Great British Baking Show vibes, according to show judge Graham Elliot, who spoke to us about the series.

A Comforting Indonesian Chicken Dish Perfect for a Bad Day

Daniel Hautzinger

"If I have a bad day, I cook," says Jane Reed, whose son Chris started the catering business Bumbu Roux with her to serve the Indonesian food of her youth and the Creole food of his father's. Try an Indonesian recipe from them here. 

A Memorable Senegalese Chicken Dish from Yassa African Restaurant

Daniel Hautzinger

“People who go to Senegal say it’s what they remember the most, because it’s easy to remember: yassa!” says Madieye Gueye, the owner of Bronzeville's Yassa African Restaurant. Try a version of the simple Senegalese dish. 

Macaroons for Passover from "Jew-ish" Deli Jeff & Jude's

Daniel Hautzinger

Macaroons are a common treat during Passover, since they don't contain grain and are unleavened. Ursula Siker of the "Jew-ish" deli Jeff & Jude's shares her recipe as well as her love of Jewish delis and inspiraton behind her own. 

Strawberry and Cream Daifuku Mochi from Elle Lei of SUGOi Sweets

Daniel Hautzinger

Elle Lei of the colorful Chicagoland confectionery SUGOi Sweets has been inspired by the intense seasonality of Japanese desserts ever since she lived there. She shares a recipe for a Japanese treat perfect for spring.

"Everybody is Welcome": The Sikh Practice of Langar, a Free Meal Where Everyone is Equal

Daniel Hautzinger

After any service at a Sikh gurdwara, or temple, the free meal of langar is served. Anybody is welcome, and all of the work for the meal is voluntary, an expression of selfless service. Learn about langar and try a recipe commonly served for it. 

Indian Spiced Lime Soda for Holi from Cookbook Author Anupy Singla

Daniel Hautzinger

Chicago cookbook author and food entrepreneur Anupy Singla shares a recipe for a refreshing drink to celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors that takes place around the beginning of spring. "I like to have options of natural sodas and drinks that everyone can partake in," she says. 

A Hamantashen Recipe with a Mexican Twist from Masa Madre

Daniel Hautzinger

Chicago's Masa Madre combine their co-owners' Mexican and Jewish cultures in their baked goods, including in this recipe for hamantashen with Mexican candy flavors for Purim. 
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