In the dead of Winter, during a period of economic stress, there's nothing more appetizing than down-home comfort foods. While mac and cheese, burgers, and pot pies get a lot of press, I have to argue that the title of The Ultimate Comfort Food should go to the gratin. Coined after an obsolete French term for "grater," a gratin is a very loosely defined dish: it's simply any course that's topped with browned crumbs, butter, and cheese. Read on to see six different renditions of this homestyle dish.
As much as I enjoy hosting dinner parties, I also love having friends over for a casual, relaxed breakfast.
There's no better way to welcome close ones into your home than with the savory, cheesy smell of an oven-baked strata. This layered dish of bread, eggs, cheese, meat, and vegetables is not only crave-worthy, comforting breakfast food at its best, but, as a casserole, it's also a great timesaver — forget making custom batches of scrambled eggs!
If you're accommodating meat eaters as well as vegetarians, try making the slightly more elaborate expert recipe, which caters to both. To see the recipes, read more
Wondering what to do with 16 cups of homemade chicken stock? I suggest you make the classic and comforting soup pictured below. Do you know what it's called?
When Starbucks announced it would be launching VIA, an instant coffee product, the food world collectively gasped. How could a premium coffee chain start selling instant coffee, a product with a notorious reputation for bad taste?
Today, the VIA brews were introduced in two markets, Seattle and Chicago. They've been the subject of much speculation, since, according to the VIA label, it's taken "decades to develop" the soluble, microground arabica beans. We couldn't wait to see how they matched up to the standard Starbucks drip. To see the results of our blind comparison, read more
Well, Fabio wasn't lying when he told us, "unfortunately, you're going to see my face a lot." When we last spoke to the charismatic Top Chef contestant, he mentioned that he had an offer for a TV show and a line of food coming out. Now the star himself has confirmed to at least one source that he will be starring in his own TV show. Although he stayed mum on the concept, Fabio promised that more details would be public by April.
Additionally, Dr. Oetker, one of Europe's top frozen pizza brands, is launching its Ristorante line in America, and has called on the reality TV personality to be the spokesperson for the thin-crust pizza. "We feel Fabio is the perfect voice for the brand," Dr. Oetker USA said in a statement. "He has an incredible personality and a real passion for cooking."
The Florence-born chef, who will tour with the pizza line this Summer, also recalls the frozen pizza from his childhood. "Growing up in Italy, my mom often had Dr. Oetker's products in the home," Fabio said in the same statement. "I'm excited to help introduce Ristorante frozen pizzas to American households."
I'm curious to know if you think Fabio could be a lasting food figure. Do you plan to try the frozen pizzas he's hawking, and will you watch his new TV show?
British Knights
7 For All Mankind
Claudie Pierlot