The Delmonico Way: Sublime Entertaining and Legendary Recipes from the Restaurant That Made New York, written by Max Tucci, features a collection of 75 recipes paired with entertaining ideas, stories, and history. A few highlights include Cucumber Pomegranate Punch, Flaming Baked Alaska Cupcakes, Oscar’s Cannoli, Seafood Tower, and Egg Yolk Ravioli with Truffles. I will also be sharing their recipe for Champagne Frappé à la Glace following the review.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Rizzoli in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
This recipe contains alcohol. It is intended only for those over the age of 21 (in the United States). Please drink responsibly.
Max Tucci
Max Tucci is a writer and a TV and radio personality. His family owned Delmonico’s from the 1920s to the 1980s.
He is “a six-time Communicator Award Winner including two ‘Outstanding On-Air Talent awards,’ a five-time Telly Award Winning Producer, a w3 and Davey Award-winning producer/director,” and creator of the podcast, MAX & Friends.
Max is currently based in New York, Florida, Colorado, and Florence, Italy. This is his first cookbook.
The Delmonico Way
Max begins The Delmonico Way with a history of his family and their memories surrounding the New York restaurant, Delmonico’s.
There is definitely quite the history from the Delmonico brothers’ beginnings in 1827 and becoming the first fine dining restaurant in the United States to the ownership with Max’s grandfather, Oscar Tucci.
Chapters are divided according to the following: The Bar, Power Lunch, Dinner with Style, Tunes and “The Twist,” A Romantic Affair, and La Famiglia & La Vita Bella! The contents list the included recipes.
Many of the recipes are paired with a quarter to full-page photo of the finished dish. The book is also filled with historical photos of the family and restaurant to accompany the stories and memories.
Measurements are listed in US Customary. Titles are in English or the original language. Each recipe includes a headnote with basic information, personal stories, yield, serving ideas, and helpful tips.
Champagne Frappé à la Glace
When I saw the recipe for Champagne Frappé à la Glace, I thought it would be perfect for the upcoming holidays and particularly New Year’s Eve.
In fact, nearly every recipe I have tried so far from The Delmonico Way would be fantastic for the season.
The drink does require some planning ahead (the bowl of an ice cream maker or a medium metal bowl needs to be chilled thoroughly- at least 8 hours to overnight), but otherwise comes together fairly easily with just a handful of ingredients.
A Champagne granita base is created with a combination of Champagne, simple syrup, and lemon zest/juice. The mixture is prepared in the ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions until frozen.
If you do not have an ice cream maker, simply pour the mixture in a chilled metal bowl and freeze, scraping every 30 minutes with a fork, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Serve the prepared granita in individual flutes with additional semi-frozen Champagne and a sprig of fresh mint.
Other Dishes
I also made Oscar’s Secret Delmonico; Orange Blossom; Berkshire Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion, Pickled Radish & Cherry Tomato; and Vodka Truffles.
The recipe for Oscar’s Secret Delmonico was first revealed on February 2, 1961. This delicious gin-based drink is shaken with orange juice, grenadine, lime, and sugar.
The Orange Blossom was a popular cocktail during Prohibition as a way to use orange juice to improve the taste of bathtub gin. It is also incredibly easy with simply those two ingredients.
The Berkshire Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion, Pickled Radish & Cherry Tomato was Chad’s favorite. Pork chops are soaked in a brine, then grilled on each side. They are served with caramelized onions and pickled cherry tomatoes and radishes.
The Vodka Truffles are another great option for holidays and celebrations. A rich dark chocolate ganache is rolled into spheres, dipped in even more dark chocolate, and covered in cocoa powder. They were quite the decadent treat.
The Delmonico Way is a great pick for those interested in the dishes and stories behind the restaurant or are even looking for new recipes and tips for entertaining. Serving size ranges from 2 for an intimate date night at home to 12 for larger celebrations (average is 4-6).
Most of the ingredients are readily available in the average American grocery store. A few items that may require further searching include blood orange, black caviar, puff pastry shells, edamame, Arborio rice, white truffle, golden raisins, quail eggs, Old Bay seasoning, bucatini, cardamom pods, veal, and fresh seafood.
Champagne Frappé à la Glace Recipe
Excerpt from The Delmonico Way
Champagne Frappé à la Glace
Ingredients
Simple Syrup:
- 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) water
Champagne Frappé à la Glace:
- 3 lemons
- 2 bottles Champagne chilled
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) simple syrup
- 8 sprigs fresh mint
Instructions
To make the Simple Syrup:
- Combine equal amounts sugar and water in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
- Cook, whisking frequently, until the sugar has dissolved completely. (The liquid doesn’t need to boil.)
- Let the syrup cool. Transfer to a glass jar, seal, and refrigerate. The syrup will keep for one month.
To make the Champagne Frappé à la Glace:
- Chill the bowl of an ice cream maker or a medium metal bowl in the freezer for at least 8 hours.
- Using a microplane, zest the lemons. Juice the lemons and strain the juice. Combine the lemon juice and zest in the chilled bowl. Add 1 bottle of Champagne in a thin stream. Add syrup to taste. Stir well to combine.
- If using an ice cream maker, process according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then freeze until ready to use. If using a metal bowl, freeze for 30 minutes, then scrape and stir with a fork. Continue freezing, scraping every 30 min- utes or so, until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Two hours prior to serving, place the second bottle of Champagne in an ice bucket. Fill the bucket with crushed ice and add 1 cup rock salt.
- To serve, spoon portions of the sorbet into 8 flutes and pour the semi-frozen Champagne over the sorbet. Garnish each with a sprig of mint.
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