Cat Cora

Nearly as big as the highly anticipated Oscars on Feb. 26 is Elton John's AIDS Foundation Oscars party, hosted annually by the musician and his husband, David Furnish.

Guests at this year's fête will be fed courtesy of Cat Cora, who'll be pulling out all the stops with an all-out global-inspired menu. I spoke to the Iron Chef about what she's making for this bash (and her tips for hosting your own Oscars viewing party at home!), as well as what's in the pipeline for her this year (hint: it involves several restaurant openings and a new show on Bravo!).

YumSugar: What's on the menu for this year's Oscars party?
Cat Cora: We're going to do a fantastic Italian salad — a tricolore, with arugula, some beautiful endive, and radicchio, composed with a pureed pistachio vinaigrette — just to start off nice and light. Then we're going to offer a baby tomato and bocconcini salad with a Bloody Mary vinaigrette, sesame-encrusted lamb meatballs, a filet tenderloin of beef, and a really good sea bass choice. We'll finish things off with a silky chocolate dessert or a pear and apple tartlet. It's going to be really over-the-top.

YS: Who are you most excited to run into?

Find out the answer — and more on Oscar-night party planning — when you keep reading.

Make dinnertime a democracy! If you want your children to be open to trying new foods, ask for their help (and opinions) in the kitchen! Iron Chef Cat Cora shows her softer side in The Muppets Kitchen. In webisodes on Disney.com, the mother of four partners with puppets to educate kids about everything from ingredients to techniques with tips on herbs to a lesson in spinning pizza dough. She also offers up a variety of age-appropriate recipes.

Cat Cora may be an Iron Chef, but as the mother of four, she also knows how to make a mean (and kid-friendly) sandwich. We asked the woman best known for her Greek-influenced cuisine to share one of her favorites with us. She offered up a mom shortcut for a recipe from her latest cookbook, Cat Cora's Classics With a Twist ($20). Chef Cora said, "Here’s a tuna melt with a difference: a different cheese (swiss), different add-ins (juicy Fuji apples, and buttery avocado), and a different presentation. If the weather is warm or you’re having one of those kids-underfoot days, don’t bother with the oven. Toast the bread in your toaster instead. Just have the swiss cheese ready when the toast pops up, sandwich the cheese between the warm slices of toast, and let the heat of the toast melt the cheese. Then gently pull the toast slices apart and add the tomato slices and tuna salad." This alternative to the traditional tuna melt is sure to be a hit at your kid's cafeteria table!
For the recipe, read more

Although she's a renowned celebrity chef, cookbook author, and only female to hold the title of Iron Chef, underneath it all Cat Cora is quite simply a mother and home cook. Like many of us, she's super busy and just trying to get some food on the table. But unlike the majority of us, she's got the culinary training and skill to do so in a quick and healthy manner. Want to learn Cora's tips for being a better home cook? She's got some tricks up her sleeves, read them after the break.

Last week, before heading to Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic I spoke to chef Cat Cora, who is currently on tour promoting her third cookbook, Classics With a Twist. Although she is a restaurant owner, chef, cookbook author, and television star, Cora is also the busy mother of four boys. In fact, the petite chef was nine months pregnant when she shot the cover photo of the book! To find out what Cora has to say about competing on Iron Chef America and see her tips for cooking with children, read more.

Oprah Winfrey's on the hunt to find talk show hosts for her new cable network OWN — but she's already found one in celebrity chef Cat Cora.

Yesterday brought news that the Iron Chef is developing a show where she will travel the country, offering nutritional, cooking, and healthy living advice to families in need of a lifestyle overhaul. Shed Media, of Real Housewives of New York City fame, will produce.

Chef Cora's new program won't air until at least January 2011, when the network is set to replace the Discovery Health Channel. It will follow the network's mission to "connecting you to your best self and the world," which seems slightly reminiscent of her former role in Food Network's Kitchen Accomplished.

It'll be nice to see a softer side of Cora, after years of seeing her exhibit nothing but fierce Iron-clad determination to win in Kitchen Stadium. Does this sound like a show you'd watch?

Looking for a fun weekend project? How about making a delectable brisket sandwich? With its fall-apart beef and tangy sauce, this sandwich is so good you'll be licking your fingers for every last bite. Along with her hostess tips, and as part of Macy's Come Together campaign, chef Cat Cora shared this delicious exclusive recipe with us! The brisket is on the menu at her classic barbecue restaurant, CCQ in Costa Mesa, CA.

While there are several components to the sandwich, taking the time to make each element results in a restaurant-worthy 'wich that's sure to impress friends. If you start marinating the brisket now, you can enjoy the sandwiches over the weekend. Cat recommends plating the sandwich with barbecued potato chips, but I paired it with my dad's famous macaroni salad instead. Whatever you serve on the side, you'll need the sandwich recipe, so keep reading.