Allie Merriam
Reporter & Editor
recipes

A 3-Star Michelin Chef's Cannes-Approved Sea Bass Recipe

Did you ever think you could re-create a meal by a three-starred Michelin chef at home?

Did you ever think you could re-create a meal by a three-starred Michelin chef at home? Many of France native Anne-Sophie Pic's recipes are not for the home chef — unless one has some molecular gastronomy essentials handy — but her sea bass is comparatively straightforward, though admittedly not a fast and easy weeknight affair. Anne-Sophie left her usual station at her three-starred restaurant Maison Pic in the French town of Valence to take the helm at Electrolux's Chef's Kitchen at the Cannes Film Festival.

A table full of journalists was able to break from the cinema excitement at Cannes to sample Sophie's creations, which were also served at Wednesday night's opening gala. The party welcomed 650 guests for dinner, including members of this year's jury, like Nicole Kidman and head juror Steven Spielberg. With instructions on how to re-create the complex entrée, now Nicole and Steven (and you) can take a bit of elegant French fare home to the US.

Get the mouthwatering recipe.

Sugar Shout Out

POPSUGAR Shout Out: Correspondents' Dinner Highlights

The Obamas had a ball at the Correspondents' Dinner — Sex & Culture The most luxurious baby shower gifts ever — Moms What the stars wore to the White House Correspondents' Dinner — Fashion Johnny Depp, the Olsens, and more attend a secret Stones show — Celebrity Eleven tech gifts perfect for Mother's Day — Tech Ways to make your home more green than ever — Home Paul Rudd has a movie you're bound to love at Tribeca!

Food News

Bill Yosses Reveals This Year's Gingerbread White House

If the idea of building a basic gingerbread house sounds daunting to you, try building a 300-pound gingerbread replica of the White House.

If the idea of building a basic gingerbread house sounds daunting to you, try building a 300-pound gingerbread replica of the White House. That's exactly what presidential pastry chef Bill Yosses has been busy doing for the past several weeks, as we discovered when we had a chance to tour holiday decorations at the White House.

The 300-pound replica of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — which features reindeer on the roof, an edible vegetable garden, and Bo Obama playing outside the front lawn — was one of the highlights of our tour of the White House and its holiday festivities. Although a similar house is re-created annually, each house varies from year to year, so we spoke to Chef Yosses about how the creative process works, and why this house was different.

YumSugar: When do you begin designing and creating the White House gingerbread house?
Bill Yosses: Mrs. Obama meets with her staff in July and they begin to talk about different proposals, what they would like to have as a theme, and how they would like to see the decorations. At that time, we sent a note up, and asked if we could do something different this year; I proposed this bread that looks like stone. She said, "Yes, let's try it, let's see what happens." We're all happy with how it came out.

YS: So you do a house every Christmas?
BY: We do a house every Christmas. We do different aspects [of the White House]: the north side, the south side. This tradition has been here since 1969 and other houses have been used, but we've kind of settled on the White House and different versions of it. We're celebrating the craftsmanship of those who built the house itself because the stone was quarried not far from here.

Learn more about the miniature White House — including how long it takes to come together! — when you read more.

Sugar Shout Out

Sugar Shout Out: Navigate the Season Change in Style

5 ways to navigate the changing seasons in style Easy weeknight recipes from Giada De Laurentiis Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart get close on a smoke break Beautiful bridal styles from around the world Zooey Deschanel talks about being terrified of her sister Emily Alicia Silverstone feeds her son already chewed food out of her own mouth Top ten trends from the Architectural Digest 2012 Home Show Where to find The Hunger Games stars next Video: Details on George Clooney and Stacy Keibler's romantic Cabo vacation You drank too much at happy hour: how to handle it Get ready for bikini season with these 5 debloating foods CelebStyle: Happy birthday, Fergie!

Wine

Anne Burrell Teams Up With Wente and Food Network to Launch Entwine

Anne Burrell was the guest of honor last night as the Food Network and Wente Wines unveiled their "entwines" at NYC's The Kitchen.

Anne Burrell was the guest of honor last night as the Food Network and Wente Wines unveiled their "entwines" at NYC's The Kitchen. The four varietals, which are designed to make wine more accessible to new drinkers, include Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. They'll retail for $12.99 and soon will be in grocery stores across the country. The bottles come equipped with pairing suggestions on the label, and the Pinot I sampled suggested, for example, guacamole! Karl Wente, who posed with Anne at the launch, said the collaboration was "a natural step that we hope will encourage Food Network viewers, as well as anyone who is wine-curious, to become as passionate about wine as they are about food." We snagged a moment with Anne to chat about her own wine preferences, as well as what she considers the perfect Summer meal. Anne said:

  • On how she got over her own fear of wine: "I drank a lot of it! I experienced, I tasted it, I developed my own palate and that's research, drinking wine and having fun and deciding what I like and asking questions, asking for help. When you go to a restaurant or a wine store like ask people, 'What is this wine like? And this is what I'm making for dinner, would this go well?' . . . It's fun. It doesn't have to be scary and it doesn't have to be expensive either."
  • On a good wine for beginners: "It depends on the time of year and where you are. Wine is clearly cheapest where it's local. So if you're in California, you can get a lot of stuff more cheaply than I can here in New York. In the summertime when it's really hot out, there are a ton of rosés and stuff that are available for $10 a bottle. So I would go to your wine store and ask and don't be embarrassed by it. Those people are in business to help you learn and sell wine. The more comfortable they make you, the more you'll want to go back there. So, it's a circular thing."
  • On her ideal Summer meal: "I would say grilled fish, some fresh vegetables, a little veggie salad grilled, a little lemon, a little olive oil, then whatever fish is freshest, whatever your fishmonger has. Go to the green market and see what you feel like today, a little salad, a little something. Then like maybe grilled steak, grilled meat. Then go to your wine store and tell them what you got, whether it's fish, whether it's meat, whatever — tell them what vegetables you have then ask them what they recommend."

Keep reading for more about Anne's involvement with Entwine and her favorite wines for Summer.

party planning

Get in the Royal Wedding Spirit With a Sweet and Savory Afternoon Tea

The royal wedding is just three days away, and fans of the monarchy are busy prepping for Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day.

The royal wedding is just three days away, and fans of the monarchy are busy prepping for Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day. For those planning to celebrate the nuptials in a British way, there are many options to choose between. One could indulge in something boisterous, like a fun pub crawl, or for the true Anglophile, a slightly more elegant afternoon tea is in order! We were able to sample the afternoon service at one of NYC's most storied hotels, the St. Regis, last week for a primer on how to have the perfect tea. Opting for a prix fixe experience is a real treat, but it would also be relatively simple to replicate at home. A few pointers on how to host the perfect tea, after the jump.

recipes

Richard Blais on Pork, Perfect Picnic Food, and His Next Step

Top Chef All-Stars champ Richard Blais was the guest of honor earlier this week at an event in NYC hosted by the National Pork Board called, "Pork: Be Inspired."

Top Chef All-Stars champ Richard Blais was the guest of honor earlier this week at an event in NYC hosted by the National Pork Board called, "Pork: Be Inspired." He concocted a few pork-based recipes for the assembled reporters, including a delicious ham and herb schnitzel with a 6-minute egg — check out that recipe below.

He narrated the process of making the dishes, adding some of his trademark quips like, "Is it weird if I say there is something romantic about a piece of meat basted in its own juices?" Richard also emphasized that he wishes people would just get over their fear of burning pork when they're cooking. I managed to snag a minute with Richard after the demo, and he chatted about how he celebrated with his wife after his big win (a low key dinner at the Big Apple's Blue Ribbon), further sharing about his favorite Spring picnic dish, joining the Top Chef tour, and what's next. He said:

  • On his favorite dish for a picnic: Right now for spring, I just did something with asparagus
    so whether it's asparagus or artichokes and mayonnaise and some lemon and some toast. Some olive oil. It sounds like simple stuff, but that's what I like to eat in the Spring and Summer."
  • On joining the Top Chef tour: "I'm doing some of the tour dates yeah, I'm not sure what cities I'll end up in. It'll be my fourth year on the tour, and if you get a chance, whatever city you're in to come out and see it, it's a lot of fun. This year we're adding a competitive element to it where the contestants are going to be competing again in front of the tour audiences.
  • On what's next for him: "I'm opening a few restaurants in the Southeast, but as a native New Yorker and someone who loves big cities I would love to get a project going in major A-List city. But nothing to report just yet."

To see Richard's recipe for ham and herb schnitzel with a 6-minute egg, just read more