One of life's pleasures is spotting a mouthwatering recipe to add to your repertoire, reading through it, and realizing you already have many of the items on the ingredient list. This was the case when I came across Syako's recipe for fruit turnovers, which transforms everyday ingredients like cream cheese, puff pastry, milk, and jam into flaky, golden pockets of nectar. Since I happen to have all of these things in my pantry at this very moment, I've decided there's no time like the present, and I'll be making these tonight! To get the recipe, read more
Spring is in the air, and that's evident with the number of fun food events going on this week that pay homage to everything from rum to crawfish.
We can't wait to taste our way through the year's best wines at Wine Enthusiast's annual Toast of the Town, and taste tequila cocktails made by SF's top mixologists at the Nirvino Mixology Contest.
What events will you be eating your way through this week?
To see the rest, read more
How-To: Start Your Own Victory Garden From the Iraq war to the financial crisis, there are plenty of reasons to start a victory garden right now so, if you're up for the task, check out CasaSugar's tips for starting your own.
MTV's new House of Style debuted over the weekend and with it a fun segment on hosting a dinner party. Since I'm always on the lookout for fabulous new ways to make my soirees more stylish, I tuned in. Fashion designer Erin Fetherston shared five tips for creating the ultimate dinner. While Fetherston obviously doesn't cook, her ideas are festive and fun. To find out what they are and check out a video of her dinner, read more
Famed chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten is up for one of this year's most prestigious James Beard Awards, but that's hardly the biggest thing on his mind. Fortune profiles the New York chef and his aggressive plans to open 50 new restaurants in the next five years.
Vongerichten, who already has 24 restaurants under his belt, has created a joint venture, Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, with Starwood Hotels and Catterton Partners, a private equity firm credited with turning P.F. Chang's into a national chain. The company's goal? To bring high-end cuisine to the masses in the same way Starbucks brought designer coffee to every corner of the world.
The venture will expand Vongerichten's name with three prototype restaurants: J&G Steakhouse, a steakhouse inspired by the success of Prime in Las Vegas; Spice Market, an homage to Asian street food based on the chef's wildly successful flagship in New York; and Market, a showcase for Vongerichten's signature dishes, such as tuna-wasabi pizza.
This year, Mexico City, Barcelona, Washington, Boston, and Milan are scheduled to open — although Austin, Aspen, and Dubai have already been put on hold given the uncertain economic times. Vongerichten is confident he's got the tools he needs to succeed — and if he doesn't, he can sell the restaurants and remove his name from all of them.
While the heavy expansion may sound overly ambitious given the economic recession, it's not all that different from what others — like Wolfgang Puck — have done. I question whether the Jean-Georges brand can succeed without becoming diluted. What do you think? Do you see this expansion plan being a success?
With the slow food movement gaining momentum and the Obamas planting a vegetable garden at the White House, people are focusing on food now more than ever. So much so that the New York Times asks if we are witnessing a food revolution. Considering that all I think about every day is food and that I live in San Francisco — the epicenter of the farm-to-table movement — it's hard for me to tell. That's why I'm asking you: do you think we're in the middle of a food revolution?
When I was a cheerleader in college, I preferred to dance at the fast-paced basketball games over the long, hot football games. There's something so exciting about basketball that makes it a fabulous sport to follow. Thanks to the office pool, this year, I've gotten very into March Madness, the whirlwind tournament that selects the nation's best college basketball team. I'm so into it that I've decided to invite the Sugar girls over for a viewing party. I'll make an assortment of delectable appetizers that highlight some of Spring's most sought-after ingredients. This menu is sophisticated, yet fun.
Mushroom quesadillas with feta and Monterey Jack are so filling, guests won't notice they're meatless. Pancetta-wrapped asparagus is a crowd-pleasing modern day classic. Six-vegetable Spring rolls with carrot-ginger dipping sauce are crunchy and delicious. Finally, chicken Parmesan meatballs with Caesar slaw takes two Italian-American favorites and translates them into finger foods. For these wonderful recipes, read more
Delight your family with this divine chowder recipe. The salty porkiness of the bacon is balanced by the oceanic freshness of the crabmeat, making for a soup that is filling and well-balanced.
It's also chock-full of vegetables — potatoes, leeks, red pepper, corn — which means it's a meal in a bowl.
Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list; this chowder really is a cinch to throw together. Get the recipe now when you read more
