Posts for September 5th 2012

Food News

Too Sweet! A Sneak Peek at Yigit Pura's New Shop, Tout Sweet

Rejoice, Top Chef: Just Desserts fans!

Rejoice, Top Chef: Just Desserts fans! Season one winner Yigit Pura has a new San Francisco patisserie, Tout Sweet, opening this Saturday, Sept. 8. Billed as a French patisserie inspired by Northern California produce, this très chic pastry shop is sure to tempt all but the most stalwart sweets-averse. For those of you living outside the SF Bay Area, don't fret: chef Pura is currently penning a cookbook titled Sweet Alchemy, due out next Fall, and has plans for eventual nationwide expansion.

savory sights

Superfresh Summer Produce Shots From Your Favorite Markets

Is there anything that quite beats brilliantly colored berries or long beans at a nearby Summer stand?

Is there anything that quite beats brilliantly colored berries or long beans at a nearby Summer stand? We think not, which is why we challenged you to take at least one stroll through the farmers market and share your finds via Instagram. From squash blossoms to heirlooms to carrots for days, here are some of the season's best.

Keep us in the loop by uploading your photos to Instagram and including the hashtag #savorysight in your caption; who knows, you might be featured next go-around! And make sure to follow YumSugar on Instagram (username: heyyumsugar) for delicious inspiration. If you don't use Instagram, then don't worry: you can always upload your Summer food photos to our Savory Sights community group.

Source: Instagram user poolovesboo

Stylmx

Introducing Stylmx — Our New Gorgeous Shopping & Sharing Destination!

Meet Stylmx, the ultimate online shopping destination for the fashion and style obsessed.

Meet Stylmx, the ultimate online shopping destination for the fashion and style obsessed. Stylmx is a new way to organize, share, and buy products by combining beautiful visuals and an engaging layout. Plus, thanks to the power of social media, you get to share the fun with your friends and followers! It's easy — gather your favorite fashion, beauty, and home decor items on stunning StyleBoards — and the best part is it's all shoppable.

Stylmx helps you stay on top of trends and follow your favorite stylists like some of our launch partners, Rachel Zoe Collection, Elizabeth and James, Olivia Palermo, Barneys New York, and Moda Operandi. Stylmx is a fun and beautiful way to see what the most fashionable people and brands are loving every season.

It is easy to sign up via Facebook and share your style with friends. You can also see which of your friends are already on Stylmx and follow their StyleBoards as well. Plus, you can even make a few dollars while you're browsing! Collect and share the looks you love with your followers, and you can earn money when people shop your StyleBoards. What are you waiting for? Check it out and join now.

Food News

Link Time: The Tastiest Streets in America

The seven most exciting food streets in America — Zagat Finland opens a "pop-down restaurant" — Eater Find out if you really think like a cook — Yahoo!

Cooking Basics

7 Essential Pieces of Canning Equipment

Making jams and pickles involves more than just throwing the contents into a glass jar; if you plan to store the canned item for several months, the cans must be processed using a method of suctioning the seal of the cans to preserve the jar's contents.

Making jams and pickles involves more than just throwing the contents into a glass jar; if you plan to store the canned item for several months, the cans must be processed using a method of suctioning the seal of the cans to preserve the jar's contents. But before attempting any recipe that calls for canning, it's important that you have all the equipment on hand, especially if you are making jam or pickles for the very first time. Here are the essential items you'll need and the purposes they serve:

  • Fine mesh sieve or chinois: If you are making jam and need to strain the fibrous skin and seeds of the cooked fruit, a fine mesh sieve or a chinois is the easiest way strain the juice. The Williams-Sonoma chinois strainer, pestle, and stand ($70) is a jam-making life-changer. Simply place a bowl under the nifty stand, and with the other hand, use the pestle to extract every last drop of cooked fruit juice from the chinois.
  • Jar funnel: It's important to prevent any liquids from contaminating the spiral seal on the outside of the glass jar. To do so, use a jar funnel like this Norpro stainless steel wide-mouth funnel ($8) to cleanly deposit the jam or pickled vegetables into the jar.
  • Pressure cooker: These deep, large vessels make it easy to boil water faster and to submerge several glass jars in the water. Pressure cookers are used to sterilize the glass jars prior to filling them with jam or pickles. Then after the jars are filled, they go back into the pressure cooker for processing. This Fagor nine-piece pressure canning set ($115) is great for newbies, because in addition to the pressure cooker, it also contains all the canning equipment.
  • Glass jars with metal seals and lids: Ball and Kerr mason jars are the most well-known brands on the market, and for the best deal, buy them in bulk. Some sources will say that you can reuse the glass jar, but the seal and lid should be replaced after each use. Others have reused the items without any problems. If you notice any rust forming or if the seal does not snap when processing, discard the items and swap them out for new ones.

Find out what else you'll need to start canning.

recipes

Spice Up Your Snack Routine With Spicy Miso Kale Chips

I'm about to out myself in a big way: until relatively recently, I found cooked kale's cruciferous twang a bit off-putting, unpalatable even.

I'm about to out myself in a big way: until relatively recently, I found cooked kale's cruciferous twang a bit off-putting, unpalatable even. Despite the overarching food-world wisdom praising its greatness (what other vegetable has a news-worthy slogan?), somehow, I just couldn't get into the leafy green. That is, until kale met miso.

Both kale and miso bring potent flavors to the table, yet when paired together, something magical happens, and I can't help but snap up these crispy snacks with near maniacal intensity. And while kale and miso on their own are quite the treat, I like to gild the lily with a generous dusting of tingly and fragrant shichimi togarashi. This spice blend is technically optional, and could be replaced with red chili flakes or the like in a pinch, for such a minor investment (I found mine in the Asian section of my local supermarket for less than $2, it's also available online) it provides a big payoff.

For those curious: shichimi means "seven spice," and is generally composed of a blend of ground chili pepper, Sichuan pepper, orange peel, black-and-white sesame seeds, nori, ginger, and hemp seed, all of which meld together into a super-spice far greater than the sum of their parts.

Keep reading for the recipe.

savory sights

Savory Sight: Easy Champagne Risotto

Risotto is an instant crowd-pleaser, but when you add a little bubbly into the mix an old favorite immediately gets a delicious makeover, as dmash demonstrates.

Risotto is an instant crowd-pleaser, but when you add a little bubbly into the mix an old favorite immediately gets a delicious makeover, as dmash demonstrates.

This dish is simple, but looks fancy and is the perfect recipe to entertain guests with.

For the full recipe, check out her blog and be sure to upload your latest food-related obsessions with us in the YumSugar Community. If you're on Instagram, then join us by tagging your pictures with the hashtag #savorysight.