gourmet magazine

In the last six months, we've witnessed many brands — for some reason in particular, cookie labels — go kaput. We're barely into the new year, and at least one source predicts that media companies will be going next, and food publications won't be excepted.

New York financial media company 24/7 Wall St. reports that things are looking glum for Gourmet magazine:

Gourmet will probably not see the end of the year. Its parent company, Condé Nast, can no longer rely on the huge profits of the newspaper portion of the Newhouse family business.

The magazine operation needs to go on a diet. Condé Nast . . . owns Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and epicurious.com. Condé Nast simply owns too many titles in this category. From 2004 to 2008, Gourmet's ad pages have dropped from 1,364 to 955, with a 24 percent drop last year. January's ad pages were down another 32 percent according to MIN. Gourmet can survive since it has a competitive audience of web visitors to its food site, but it will have to migrate totally to its website.

Although, Gourmet wasn't our favorite food magazine of the year, and you prefer Bon Appétit, I am an enormous fan of the magazine's editor, Ruth Reichl. I frequently read the glossy for its reliable and creative recipes, and would be sad if I no longer had a subscription. Do you subscribe to the magazine, and would you be disappointed to see it go?

Yesterday, Gourmet magazine launched an updated, free-standing website. Until now, the magazine's Internet content was grouped together with Bon Appetit's content on Epicurious. The new site has plenty to offer from recipes to interviews to interesting articles. I love watching the Diary of a Foodie videos! — Gourmet

Some nights I stay up too late catching up on email, work and my shows. One of my shows is Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie on PBS. The other night I caught an episode entitled "Raising the Bar" where they featured Bartender extraordinaire Scott Beattie. As bartender of one of Sonoma County's finest restaurants, Cyrus, Beattie is constantly pushing the envelope for mixed drinks - he even visits local farms to pick his own herbs and produce. His drinks are amazing looking (I only wish I could say I've tasted one personally) and contain things like candied lemongrass, thai basil, simmered fruit purees and essential oils. They also have ridiculously whimsical (actually they're terribly punny, but I love them) like PomIranian, Olallie Go Lightly and Grapes of Roth. Since most of us won't be able to head out to Sonoma to have one for ourselves, I thought I'd hunt down one of his recipes. To check out the recipe for the PomIranian, read more

254 years ago on today's date, an American physician named Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford (some name, huh?) was born. He invented a pressure cooker kitchen stove thing-a-ma-jig and more importantly is credited with creating Baked Alaska (how awesome would it be if you invented a dessert???). Baked Alaska is a dessert composed of a sponge cake topped with a layer of ice cream. Instead of frosting the cake, you blanket it with a thick coating of meringue. Then it is baked in the oven until the meringue is caramelized and golden brown - about five minutes. The meringue insulates the ice cream and prevents it from melting. The end result is a spectacular and show-stopping dessert. To experiment with baked Alaska in your kitchen, in honor of old Count Rumford's birthday, just read more

Recently I got an email from a reader, Ginger, asking me if I knew of any great recipes for a savory crepe. Now I love crepes and thought who doesn't love crepes? So I decided to share a scrumptiously savory crepe recipe with all of you. Make this recipe when you are not feeling rushed or flustered because it can take a few attempts to get the crepes just right. The bacon, mushroom, and béchamel filling is perfect for a light dinner or decadent lunch. To check out the recipe, read more

Today's Special is a delightful pasta dish that is both creamy and light at the same time. If you are making a run to the store be sure to pick up fresh bacon (you can also substitute pancetta) and a jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Chopping is minimal: only garlic and onion making this simple and quick. If you don't have a lot of time to quarter the onion and smash and peel the garlic, then throw into your food processor. Hit the chop button and, voila, the machine does the work for you! This spaghetti is so delish you could even whip it up for friends for an impromptu holiday dinner. For the recipe, wine pairing, and tasty extras read more

As much as I hate to admit it, winter has arrived. I can't leave the house without wearing at least two long sleeved layers, stuffing a scarf and a pair of gloves into my over sized handbag, and throwing a jacket over my arm. There are some perks to winter: steaming soups, cozy fires, and hot cocktails. Today's happy hour drink, with its steaming dark rum, is like a warm blanket in a mug.

Hot Buttered Rum
From Gourmet

2 cups water
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup dark rum

1. Bring water, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan over moderately high heat.
2. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Serve hot.

Makes 4 drinks.