Valarie preparing her signature dish chicken marsala with prosciutto.
Valarie prepares so many great dishes. These are the dishes she cooks for special events or the food people expect and look forward to when spending time together with us. Her perennial favorites or go to dishes can be described as her “signature dishes”. We even developed two workshops for others to learn how to prepare her signature dishes
Wikipedia defines a signature dish as a recipe that identifies an individual chef or restaurant. Ideally it should be unique and allow someone to name the chef in a blind tasting. It can be thought of as the culinary equivalent of an artist finding their own style, or an author finding their own voice.
Valarie prepares so many dishes she is not even sure of her signature dish. I was quick to go down a list of some of my favorites as well her most requested dishes. The one common thread in all. Of her dishes is love. “Love is cooking made visible.” Valarie puts all she has into her signature dishes to create an instant food memories and unforgettable experiences.
As Valarie and I build out and grow Unstoppable Foodie, we are discovering Valarie’s signature dishes and the realization that the list continues to grow. Her signature dishes do not fall in to a certain category. Her dishes are from many different countries, vary in cooking styles and are comprised of an endless variety of ingredients.
Valarie’s dishes and recipes usually start with a quest for the best dishes and flavor profiles across the world. We are on a mission to find out why some dishes are so much better than others? Is it a secret ingredient, layering of ingredients, a specific cooking technique or using only fresh and local ingredients that take it to the next level? We find it is usually a combination of factors that make a signature dish We strive to find and develop “five senses” dishes that create an instant food memory that is distinguished by amazing flavors and appearance. Many times the dish is elevated and taken to the next level by our surroundings and the company we keep. Signature dishes are always memorable, with flavors beyond compare and are forever cherished.
Signature dishes of some of our favorite chefs are Nina Compton’s Jerk Corn, Gordon Ramsey’s Beef Wellington, Julia Child’s Lobster Bisque, Jamie Oliver’s Steak Sarnie and Bobby Flay’s Chicken Parmigiana, and Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter and David Chang’s Momofuku Pork Buns. Since most of those chefs have prepared thousands of recipes over their careers featured in multiple restaurants and cookbooks, a signature dish can be highly subjective.
Valarie preparing two crockpots of beef bourguignon.
Come grow with us at Unstoppable Foodie. Our tagline is “Exploring the World, One Dish at a Time.” Come grow with us at Unstoppable Foodie as we explore the world’s food, sharing our favorites. During that journey, Valarie’s signature dishes will continue to evolve and grow. We could never pick only one signature dish. It would be like trying to choose a favorite child. To make it easy on you, we picked five of her signature dishes to share below. As you can see, a signature dish can be a sauce, soup, appetizer, or entrée. We hope you enjoy as much as us.
Classic Beef Bourguignon prepared in Crock Pot.
Valarie’s Chicken Marsala with Prosciutto.
Chicken Marsala with Prosciutto
British-style Sausage Rolls straight from the oven.
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale Soup by Unstoppable Foodie.
Creamy Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale
Valarie preparing her Wicked BBQ Sauce.
“Eating is a necessity, but cooking is an art.”