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Posts for June 7th 2011

Sugar Shout Out: Snow White Stars
Sugar Shout Out

Sugar Shout Out: Know Your Snow White Stars Before They Hit Theaters!

Dueling Snow White movies: how to tell them apart Michelle Williams gets close with new guy, director Cary Fukunaga!
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Which Chef Was Posing With Her Daughter at an Event?
celebrity chefs

Guess Who?

Can you guess which chef was smooching her daughter at a recent music event in Los Angeles?
by Can you guess which chef was smooching her daughter at a recent music event in Los Angeles?

Why You Shouldn't Be Afraid of Opening a Champagne Bottle
party planning

5 Reasons You Shouldn't Be Afraid of Opening a Champagne Bottle

At a viewing party for The Bachelorette last night, I was surprised to learn that many of the ladies in attendance don't like to open champagne.
by

At a viewing party for The Bachelorette last night, I was surprised to learn that many of the ladies in attendance don't like to open champagne. "It's scary," a friend said. "I'm afraid I'm going to hit someone in the eye!" another chimed in. Since I've opened more bottles of sparkling wine than I can count, I'm living proof that it's a safe act to perform on a regular basis. In fact, it's a task that everyone should master with confidence! To encourage you to open that bottle of bubbly, I've got five reasons you shouldn't fear the cage, or the cork. Find out what they are — and chime in with your thoughts in the comments — when you read on.

Fiddlehead Fern Salad Recipe
recipes

Perfectly Seasonal: Warm Fiddlehead Fern Salad

Fiddleheads — unfurled sprouts of the ostrich fern plant — are one of the Spring forager's most prized picks.
by

Fiddleheads — unfurled sprouts of the ostrich fern plant — are one of the Spring forager's most prized picks. They're not the easiest to track down, nor are they the most straightforward when it comes to cooking preparation, as they must be properly cleaned and then blanched before consuming. But all it takes is one taste, and you'll be sold.

It was deep in the rainforests of Taiwan's Hualien province that I had my first bite of the fiddlehead, then not even knowing its name. There, Taiwanese aborigines tossed it with other vegetables in a light stir-fry that revealed the plant's delicately herbaceous quality.

Since then, I've discovered one of my favorite ways to prepare the delicacy is to quickly sauté blanched fiddleheads in a warm salad dressing of cognac, red wine vinegar, and dabs of butter. For my favorite twist on the seasonal specialty, keep reading.

Fiddlehead Fern Salad Recipe 2011-06-07 13:08:50
recipes

Warm Fiddlehead Salad With Cognac Vinaigrette

Adapted from Jiri Krejcir, The White Peach, Gaylordsville, CT Warm Fiddlehead Salad With Cognac VinaigretteIngredients1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 tablespoons pecans 1/3 pound fiddlehead ferns, cleaned, soaked, and removed of any brown papery coating 1/2 tablespoon capers Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon cognac 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces 1/3 small red onion, thinly sliced Directions First, blanch the fiddleheads: Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the fiddleheads, cooking them for 2 minutes, then straining them out and plunging the ferns into an ice bath.
by

Adapted from Jiri Krejcir, The White Peach, Gaylordsville, CT

Warm Fiddlehead Salad With Cognac Vinaigrette

Fiddlehead Fern Salad Recipe 2011-06-07 13:08:50

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons pecans
1/3 pound fiddlehead ferns, cleaned, soaked, and removed of any brown papery coating
1/2 tablespoon capers
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon cognac
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
1/3 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

  1. First, blanch the fiddleheads: Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the fiddleheads, cooking them for 2 minutes, then straining them out and plunging the ferns into an ice bath.
  2. Heat a sauté pan with the oil; add the pecans and toast slightly in hot oil for 2-3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add fiddleheads, capers, salt, and pepper, and sauté quickly over high heat. Carefully, add vinegar and cognac.
  3. Dot the cold butter pieces on top of the hot ingredients in the pan; swirl in until dissolved. Sprinkle in sliced onions and tomatoes, if desired, and add more salt and pepper (if necessary) to taste.

Serves 1.

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Pilot Program Offers Groupon Discounts For Groceries
Food News

Groupon's Next Target: Grocery Shoppers

Hot off the heels of Groupon's much-discussed IPO comes news that the company is piloting a grocery discount program.
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Hot off the heels of Groupon's much-discussed IPO comes news that the company is piloting a grocery discount program. The online daily coupon company has negotiated deals with Massachusetts-based supermarket Big Y Foods to offer Groupon discounts for groceries, such as 50 percent off on shellfish.

The catch? Customers who buy the deal will get the discounts credited to their Big Y loyalty cards upon checkout. If successful, it's an arrangement that would better suit merchants such as supermarket chains that have many locations and points of purchase.

Given a positive outcome, other grocers are on board to do their own promotions, Groupon says (although the company remains tight-lipped when pressed for names). As a shopper who scourges market aisles for the best deals, I'd be excited to see this roll out nationwide. What do you think of the concept?

Today's Food News 2011-06-07 10:33:09
Martha Stewart

Yummy Links: From Rick Bayless to Wolfgang Puck

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How to Trim Baby Artichokes
Cooking Basics

How to Trim Baby Artichokes

From exotic fiddlehead ferns to bright-green peas, there's a bevy of intriguing produce to appreciate during the short window of May and June, when greens and things are abloom all across the country.
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Start with a bowl of fresh baby artichokes.

From exotic fiddlehead ferns to bright-green peas, there's a bevy of intriguing produce to appreciate during the short window of May and June, when greens and things are abloom all across the country. One can't-miss is the baby artichoke. Sure, we love its larger counterpart, but there's something incredibly precious about this mini version, which is so premature and tender that it's eaten whole, choke and all. Aside from keeping your eyes peeled for a rare sighting, the key to enjoying them during Spring is to trim them correctly, so they're free of any tough stems or leaves. New to doing this? Read ahead to become an instant baby artichoke expert.

Start with a bowl of fresh baby artichokes. Clean the artichokes. Get rid of the outer leaves . . . . . . and don't be stingy about it! Tender leaves only Trimming tops and bottoms. Almost there!
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Do You Want to Learn How to Break Down Animals?
Poll

Are You Interested in Learning How to Break Down Meat?

While I'm not sure if I could slaughter my own animals, I'm ready to learn how to break down a carcass.
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While I'm not sure if I could slaughter my own animals, I'm ready to learn how to break down a carcass. I've taken out the backbone of chickens and turkeys, and after watching a fascinating demonstration on lamb butchery at a lunch hosted by the American Lamb Board, I want to learn how to slice a larger animal into its primal cuts. How about you? Have you ever sliced a lamb or pig into pieces?

Picture of Grilled Potatoes
community

Savory Sight: Grilled Fingerling Potatoes

Everything tastes better when cooked on the grill — including fingerling potatoes!
by Yum Community

Everything tastes better when cooked on the grill — including fingerling potatoes! Thanks for the inspiration Dice215.
A great side dish for anything from chicken, burgers, steak, you name it!

Want to check out the recipe? You can find it on her blog. Have you got an amazing photo to share? Upload it to the YumSugar Community now!