2011 Aspen

It goes without saying that summertime is salad time, but when the mercury rises, I actually prefer to sip my salad. After all, what could be more refreshing than a bracing shooter of chilled gazpacho?

At this year's Aspen Food & Wine Classic, José Andrés demonstrated how to make his wife's gazpacho. "This is the best salad in the history of mankind. When you drink everything, life is so much better!" José exclaimed to the audience. He proceeded to serve the soup with a shot of gin for a Spanish Bloody Mary of sorts.

Don't omit the Oloroso sherry and sherry vinegar from this authentic Andalucían recipe; it adds a long, lingering finish to every spoonful. For the recipe, keep reading.

For the past 18 or so years, Kate Krader has been the restaurant editor at Food & Wine magazine. If there is anyone who knows about dining trends, it's Kate! After she candidly described a day in her glamorous life, she spoke with us about cocktails, menus, and more. Here's how the conversation went down:

YumSugar: You recently came out with Food & Wine Cocktails 2011. What's your favorite drink in the book?
Kate Krader: There's a bunch of awesome cocktails. Phil Ward's old-fashioned with tequila. The new drinks that are made by chefs are cool. More chefs are getting involved in cocktail programs! Linton Hopkins's sidecar is really good. Wylie Dufresne's sake drink is the best one I've ever tasted.

To see if Kate prefers a short or long menu, keep reading.

When a slightly hungover Ming Tsai fixed himself a melon mojito at his cooking seminar in Aspen, Chef Ming also revealed a tip that he'd discovered that weekend.

"One trick I learned from [Chef] Jasper White's prep cook is to use tongs to juice lemons and limes," he revealed, placing half a lemon close to the fulcrum of his stainless steel tongs. He used the tongs to get a better and more powerful grip on the citrus before squeezing.

This tip is a great way to juice without a citrus juicer or reamer, and makes even more use out of those multipurpose kitchen tongs. What's your foolproof method of getting the most juice from citrus?

Goat, pork desserts, and grilled cheese weren't the only trends we spotted at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. I also attended a seminar devoted to what's hot (and what's not!) in the world of mixology. At The Cocktail Guide, New York's most famous bartender Jim Meehan, of PDT, and Food & Wine's Kate Krader discussed top trends when it comes to drinks. Wondering what you should seek out and stay away from the next time you hit up your local watering hole? Read on.

I'm currently obsessed with making homemade pizza, so when I sat down with Michael Chiarello last week at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, I asked the chef how he makes pizza at his house.

Here's the method he shared:

1. Chiarello pointed out that like most skills, practice helps, so the more pizza you make the better at it you will become. Start by following his recipe for basic pizza dough.
2. Make sure that the dough has enough moisture. Once it's well combined, knead it with both hands in a counterclockwise motion until it's very smooth like a baby's bottom.
3. Coat the bottom and top of the dough in olive oil and place in a bowl with a damp rag covering the top. It should double in size.
4. Knock it out of the bowl, and with a scale, measure out 4-5 ounces of dough. Knead it with both hands again, then form into a ball. Oil all sides of the ball and place in a bowl to rise a second time. It should double in size.
5. Roll it out and bake on a floured baking sheet. If you want to freeze the dough, place it in the freezer right after the second rise.

Do you make homemade pizza dough? What's been your experience with it?

Source: Flickr User I'm George

Our recent interview with Food & Wine executive wine editor Ray Isle gave us plenty of insight into where to buy value wines, but undoubtedly the most fun part of the chat was the special lightning round we subjected him to at the end.

We named five of our food-truck favorites and asked him to blurt out the first wine pairings that came to mind. Ray's best street-food drink matches:

• Carne asada tacos: "To go with the steak, a Zinfandel, or a Malbec from Argentina."
• Grilled cheese: "Oh, a white like an Alsatian Pinot Gris. Or a rosé; I like the ones from Provence. Either way, something with body that's rich, nutty, and has enough acid to cut the cheese."
• Pork belly buns: "A wine with tannins to counter the fat. Maybe an American Syrah; it'd pair nicely with the hoisin or plum sauce."
• Fish tacos: "Definitely a wine that's nonoaked. A bright white like Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, or an Albariño from Spain."
• Fried chicken: "Sparkling rosé! Bubbles will clear your palate. Like Krug's rosé — only someone else has to fork over the $300!"

Got any food-truck and wine pairing faves? Share them with us below.

Source: Flickr User Bob B. Brown

Compared to its European counterparts, Grenache doesn't get much love in the American wine landscape, but at the Aspen Food & Wine Classic, wine expert Anthony Giglio lobbied to change that. Giglio hosted a seminar titled "The Great Grenache Smackdown!" that encouraged attendees to taste the difference between various Grenache wines from around the world. During the course of our education, I learned four key facts about the lesser-known Grenache grape. Find out what they are when you keep reading.