'Saveur 100:' Favorites From the World of Food
The Saveur 100 includes Istanbul chef Musa Dagdeviren. See his recipe for a Turkish wedding dish below the list.
In many ways the people who work for the food and travel magazine Saveur are like culinary detectives -- always on the hunt for new edible delights.
Since they can't include every treasure they find in the magazine, they save the best of the rest for the Saveur 100 -- an annual list of "favorite restaurants, food, drink, people, places and things." Michele Norris speaks with Colman Andrews, the magazine's editor-in-chief about the list.
Related NPR Stories
Web Resources
The Saveur 100
Saveur magazine's eighth annual list of favorite restaurants, food, drink, people, places and things:
1. La Chassagnette Restaurant – Arles, France
2. Trishna Restaurant – Bombay, India
3. Pohutukawa Honey – New Zealand
4. Anchovy-stuffed olives – Spain
5. Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks – New York City
6. Hendrick's Gin - Scotland
7. Hamburger America – Various states
8. Coffee Cup Coin Purse – New York City
9. Chef Chan's Restaurant - Singapore
10. Goan Avocado Salad – New York City
11. Water Buffalo Milk Yogurt – South Woodstock, Vt.
12. Sun Gold Tomatoes – Various states
13. Bramante Roof Terrace – Rome, Italy
14. CLA Grills and Service – Little Rock, Arkansas
15. Adam Perry Lang – New York City
16. El Cardenal Restaurant – Mexico City
17. Chocolate Sparkle Cookies – Toronto and Vancouver, Canada
18. Jim n Nick's Bar-b-Q – Birmingham, Alabama & various other states
19. IKEA Swedish Food Markets – Various states
20. Compass Box Crafted Whiskies – Scotland
21. Dan Bing – Taipei, Taiwan
22. Debauve & Gallais – Paris
23. Sushi Susaki – Tokyo
24. Pudding Basin – United Kingdom
25. Costco Birthday Cake – Various states
26. Ossera Serrat Gros – Spanish Pyrenees
27. Mason Jar
28. Chef Musa Dagdeviren – Istanbul, Turkey
29. Magnetic Poetry Kits
30. Robert Lawrence Balzer – California
31. Allagash Brewing Co. – Portland, Maine
32. Martin's Pretzels – Theresa, New York
33. Le Timbre – Paris
34. Daniel Boulud Brasserie, Las Vegas
35. Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, Las Vegas
36. Bouchon, Las Vegas
37. Joel Robuchon at the Mansion, Las Vegas
38. RM Seafood, Las Vegas
39. Alex, Las Vegas
40. Bradley Ogden, Las Vegas
41. Mix, Las Vegas
42. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
43. Wild Smoked Salmon jerky – Washington
44. Chablis in Screw-cap bottles - France
45. Kakáwa Cocoa Beans – Austin, Texas
46. Linen Apron
47. Boqueria Restaurant – Cork, Ireland
48. Dry Austrian Golden Muscat – Austria
49. Hoedeopbap – Korea
50. Frescobaldi Wine Bar – Rome, Italy
51. California Dessert Wines – California
52. Fluffy – New Zealand
53. Fallen Fruit (Web site) – Los Angeles, Calif.
54. Duck Eggs
55. The Unprejudiced Palate – Seattle
56. Lee Stewart – Napa Valley, California
57. Palais Coburg's Wine List – Vienna, Austria
58. Camargue Caramels – Los Angeles
59. Cheese Popovers – New York City
60. Hunn's Private Stock Hot Bread & Butter Chips – Celina, Texas
61. Tillen Farms Pickled Crispy Snappers – Yakima Valley, Wash.
62. Talk O' Texas Crispy Okra Pickles – San Angelo, Texas
63. Rick's Picks GT 1000s – Brooklyn, N.Y.
64. Julio Ramirez – Monterey, Calif.
65. Aga Companion
66. Hermosillo Hot Dog – Sonora, Mexico
67. Cointreau
68. Philly Cheesesteak Spring Rolls – Philadelphia
69. Gripper Smartmat
70. Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven – New York City
71. Lobmeyr – Vienna, Austria
72. West Alabama Icehouse – Houston
73. Bar Code Beef Label at La Cabana Restaurant – Buenos Aires
74. Rich Man's Purses at Gundel Restaurant, Budapest
75. Marche Du Vieux-Port Quebec – Quebec City
76. Minervois La Liviniere – France
77. Spicy Thai Kettle Chips
78. El Bohio Restaurant – La Mancha, Spain
79. Fish Pate in Tubes – Sweden
80. Ballina (Australian Prawns), Ballina, Australia
81. Davidoff Entreacto Cigars
82. Acetoria Vinegars – Italy & Germany
83. Japanese Freshwater Crabs
84. Martin Ray – Santa Rosa, Calif.
85. Typhoon Cooking Tools – United Kingdom
86. Pizzeria Bianco – Phoenix
87. Royal Project Foundation - Thailand
88. Original Condiment Package Museum – Orange County, Calif.
89. Rafal Spice Company – Detroit, Michigan
90. Crispy Buffalo Wontons (Ruby Tuesdays) – Various states
91. Karen Hess – Nebraska
92. Fritada – Ecuador
93. Du-Par's – Los Angeles
94. Kaffir Lime Leaves
95. Fromagerie Pascal Trotte – Paris
96. Modern Spirits – Monrovia, California
97. Roast Chicken and Other Stories Cookbook – England
98. Silicone Spatulas
99. Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery – Oxford, England
100. New Orleans
Recipe: Perde Pilavi
Chef Musa Dagdeviren, of Istanbul, Turkey, is on Saveur magazine's eighth annual list of 100 favorites. Christopher Hirsheimer hide caption
Chef Musa Dagdeviren, of Istanbul, Turkey, is on Saveur magazine's eighth annual list of 100 favorites.
Christopher HirsheimerMichele Norris and Saveur's Colman Andrews discuss chef Musa Dagdeviren's Perde Pilavi recipe.
Istanbul chef Musa Dagdeviren makes this Turkish wedding dish in both large and individual sizes. According to lore, the crust symbolizes a new couple's house; the nuts, the couple themselves; and the currants, all their future babies.
(Pilaf "Veiled" in a Pastry Crust)
Serves 8–10
FOR THE DOUGH:
5 cups high-protein flour
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup yogurt
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
FOR THE FILLING:
1 whole 4-5 lb. chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, trimmed, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt
5 cups baldo rice or other short-grain rice
12 tablespoons butter
2 cups sliced, blanched almonds
1 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 cups dried currants, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, then drained and squeezed
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2-4 teaspoons ground allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons finely chopped dill
20 mint leaves, finely chopped
6 scallions, white parts only, minced
10 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup blanched almond halves
1. For the dough: Put flour, eggs, milk, yogurt, oil, and salt into a large bowl. Using your hands, mix dough until a rough ball forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough comes together into a smooth ball, 3-4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 1 hour.
2. For the filling: Put chicken, onions, carrots, celery, and lemon juice into a large pot. Add 6 cups water, season to taste, cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; cool slightly. Remove and discard skin and bones. Shred chicken and set aside. Strain and degrease remaining broth. Set aside 5 cups broth, reserving the rest for another use.
3. Wash rice, then soak in lightly salted water for 20 minutes. Drain rice. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add nuts and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add rice and toast until opalescent, 10-12 minutes. Stir in reserved chicken, stock, and currants and season to taste with salt. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has absorbed and rice is softened but not fully cooked, 20-25 minutes. Remove pot from heat and set aside, covered, to let rest for 10 minutes. Stir in oregano, allspice, pepper, dill, mint and scallions. Adjust seasonings and set aside.
4. To assemble, preheat oven to 375°. Grease bottom and sides of a 6-quart ovenproof pot with butter. Arrange almonds, round side out, along bottom ring of pot and around the sides in vertical straight lines spaced 4" apart. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a 23-inch circle. Fit dough into pot, pressing it firmly into almonds. Trim dough around edges of pot to leave a 2-inch overhang. Transfer filling to pot and gently pull edges of dough over filling. Bake pilaf, covered, with a baking sheet set on rack below it to catch any drips of butter, for 30 minutes. Uncover pilaf and bake until golden, 30 minutes. Let rest for 15–20 minutes, then invert pilaf onto a plate. Serve warm.
Source: Saveur Magazine