It's always fun to learn about the favorite things of a chef, so that's why we put birthday boy Emeril Lagasse -- who turns 53 today! -- in the hot seat! We asked the chef some tough questions: pie or cake? Macaroni and cheese or potatoes au gratin? Andouille or crawfish? To find out his answers, check out the video now.
Emeril Lagasse celebrated the launch of his cookware line at JC Penney last week by serving gumbo from a truck outside the retailer's New York City flagship store. It was fun to imagine him competing with other food trucks for lunchtime orders, but Lagasse told us he's not setting up a mobile restaurant of his own just yet.
"We don't have any on the horizon right now," he said. "I'm going to talk to Martha [Stewart] later and we'll see what happens."
Still, he seemed pretty intrigued by the idea. "What would you want out of an Emeril food truck?" he asked after a pause. "Gumbo? Barbecue shrimp? Po'boys?" For us, the answer is a hearty "all of the above," but we figured we'd help him out by crowdsourcing a few more opinions.
Dishwasher-safe nonstick frying pans, pots with silicone handles that stay cool, and a safety focused pressure cooker are just a few of the features of Emeril Lagasse's new line of cookware for JC Penney. The line, which will be in the retailer's stores this month, includes everything from a knife set to a bread maker — but it's the deep fryer that Emeril got really excited about when showing off the new goods in New York City last week.
"It has this oil filtration system, and I can't tell you what that means today, especially in today's economic times. Oil – gas – as you know, is not cheap. We have testimonials from customers who've used their oil in this machine six, eight, nine, 10 times with this oil filtration system." Take a look at the other things that set this cookware apart.
Making a king cake has never been one of my baking priorities, considering I've got little to no knowledge of Mardi Gras in general. But something came over me last week and I decided I wanted to take on this challenge. And a challenge it certainly was: I did a fair amount of research, finding an overwhelming number of different recipes and methods, then settled on a recipe from the king of New Orleans cooking himself.
King cake represents the three kings who brought gifts to the baby Jesus, and traditionally, whoever finds the dried bean or plastic baby in their piece of cake has to bring the next one or throw the next party. The three colors, purple, yellow, and green, are also significant. Purple signifies justice, while green represents faith and yellow, power.
Lots of yeast, colored sprinkles or frosting, and a dried bean or a plastic baby were all involved in Emeril's recipe, as was a serious hunt for candied citron (I imagine any kind of candied citrus would work well in its place). The recipe begins with forming the dough, then letting it rise for almost two hours, followed by kneading, shaping, and another rise.
The resulting cake was dense and chewy, much like the texture of a doughnut with a hint of lemon in the background. The sweetness comes from the icing and the sugar crystals, which I found to be a nice way to balance out the cake.
For more king cake photos and the recipe, keep reading.
Ten years ago, Emeril Lagasse was one of the world's first celebrity chefs and today, he's still a culinary trendsetter. Recently, we sat down with the chef for a quick chat about the direction of the food scene. To find out what food trend he's loving at the moment, watch the video!
What's the first thing you think about when celebrity TV host Emeril Lagasse comes to mind? For many, it's his signature catchphrase, "Bam!" Ever wondered how the famous slogan came about? This past week, Emeril made his first appearance ever on the Rachael Ray Show, where he set the record straight to Rach and her audience about how "Bam!" came to be. Hint: food coma has something to do with it!
When the weather is hot, I crave salads. Potato salads, pasta salads, green salads, veggie salads, and chopped salads — like this version of a Greek salad. Although there's nothing special about this recipe — it's a pretty standard Greek salad — it's absolutely delicious and the perfect salad to enjoy on a warm day.
Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red pepper, black olives, and feta cheese with the lemon herb vinaigrette a couple of hours before you plan to serve the salad. Keep it chilled in the fridge and the flavors will have time to blend together. For a light meal, offer it with grilled hearty bread. Add the recipe to your collection now.
Warmer weather means it's time for cool treats and our favorite frozen dessert is ice cream. It's such a versatile dish; it can be made in countless flavors and can be used in endless desserts — that's why we're screaming for ice cream this Summer! In our new series, we hope to provide you with the best ice cream ideas.
Although you can purchase a pint at practically every gas station in America, I prefer to make homemade ice cream. It tastes so much better and once you've mastered the basic technique, it's not that hard to make, as the process is similar for most flavors.
You do need time: the base has to chill before being put into an ice cream maker and the final churned mixture should freeze a couple of hours before serving. To kick-start the series, I've got an amazing recipe for coffee ice cream. Get started on it today and enjoy a bowl or two this weekend. Here's the recipe.
Emeril Lagasse, the original celebrity chef, is debuting a new show this Thursday on the Cooking Channel at 10:30 p.m EDT. On The Originals, the culinary legend pays homage to iconic food institutions that have stood the test of time. We caught up with Emeril while he was filming in Los Angeles — to find out what he had to say about The Originals and learn more about his upcoming projects, watch the video now!
Red beans and rice is a dish that is native to Louisiana. Traditionally it's enjoyed on Mondays because it's a one-pot meal that makes use of leftovers from Sunday's family dinner. The important thing to remember is that the beans must be soaked overnight, therefore a little planning is involved when making it.
It also requires time because the beans simmer with pork, vegetables, and aromatics for two hours. The resulting dish is hearty soul food that's filling and flavorful. Four different kinds of pork — bacon fat, ham, ham hocks, and smoked sausage — infuse the beans with an amazing richness.
To take a trip to the Bayou in your own kitchen, all you have to do is make these red beans and rice! Here's the recipe.
