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Spread Holiday Cheer With a Bûche de Noël

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:00:43 -0800

I've been dreaming of classic Christmas desserts, so this holiday, I thought I'd bake a bûche de Noël. Rather than opting for excessive designs and detailed accessories, I made a modern cake roll that looked (and felt) effortless. My guests couldn't get enough of the moist, light mocha sponge cake, which was a nice contrast to the sweet and nutty German chocolate filling. Impress your guests when you read more.

German Chocolate Cake Roll
From Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup plus 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large egg yolks plus 3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 stick cubed butter plus 1-1/2 sticks softened butter (2-1/2 sticks or 1-1/4 cups total)
1 teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (3 teaspoons total)
1-2/3 cups sweetened coconut, toasted until light brown
1 cup chopped pecans
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup strong hot coffee
1/3 cup buttermilk
Confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 13-by-18-inch jelly roll pan; line with parchment paper, letting it come up the short sides by about 2 inches. Brush the paper with oil or melted butter and lightly dust with flour.
Make the filling: Whisk the evaporated milk, 1 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, and the cubed butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, toasted coconut, and pecans. Set aside to cool completely, stirring occasionally.
Make the cake: Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the cocoa and chocolate. Add the hot coffee to the cocoa mixture, stirring until smooth; stir in the buttermilk and the remaining 2 teaspoons vanilla.
Using a mixer, beat the softened butter and remaining 1-1/4 cups sugar in a large bowl on high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to low; add the 3 whole eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the cocoa mixture in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Beat until just blended; if necessary, fold the batter together with a rubber spatula.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until cake springs back when pressed lightly, about 16 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan.
Run a knife around the edge and slide the cake with its paper onto a work surface. Spread the coconut filling evenly over the cake. Roll the cake from one of the short ends, pulling it away from the parchment into a tight cylinder; transfer to a platter. Cool completely and dust with the confectioners' sugar or cocoa.

Serves 8 to 12.

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Summer Afternoons Well Spent at Sam's Chowder House

YumSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 05:50:53 -0700

I've admitted a number of times that the Summer sun has brought on an intense craving for shore-style seafood. So when I was invited to enjoy a meal at Sam's Chowder House, I couldn't turn it down: nestled on a quiet corner of the California coast in Half Moon Bay, Sam's has long been one of my favorite seafood restaurants - not only for the view, but also for the fresh fish. Can't make it there just yet? Get a glimpse of the mouthwatering dishes and the jawdropping ocean views when you read on.

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Food Section Sampler - Sept. 30, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:50:50 -0700

Beer tries to earn a spot next to cheese plates. - Wall Street Journal
Reforming school lunches isn't easy - or cheap. - Washington Post
New green cookware lets you sauté without worry. - San Francisco Chronicle
In West Virginia, pepperoni rolls are an old-time favorite fast food. - New York Times
Should restaurants be allowed to ban diners from using laptops? - Boston Globe
How dinner parties are changing among cost-conscious foodies. - Chicago Tribune
One LA bakery's strawberry cake is a local legend. - Los Angeles Times

Source: Flickr User Samat Jain

German Chocolate Cake Roll

YumSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:26:14 -0800

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Monday's Leftovers: Marinated Squid Salad

YumSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:50:46 -0700

When it's sunny and warm outside, I often find myself wanting some good, old-fashioned shore food, like buttery lobster rolls and rich, meaty crab cakes. Since they're not the healthiest of weeknight options, I'm going to curb my seafood cravings with a tangy salad made by tossing together leftover calamari, dried tomatoes, and crisp vegetables. Add in a citrus-tinged tarragon vinaigrette, and transport yourself to the beach. Turn to a satisfying and healthy seafood alternative when you read more

Come Party With Me: March Madness - The Look

partysugar — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:15:01 -0700

The main focus at a sports tournament viewing is the game, so keep the decor to a clean minimum. When the menu consists of an assortment of appetizers, select beautiful platters to serve them on. Think about the color of the food and how it will look once plated.

Place the Spring rolls in an oval shaped yellow platter and the dipping sauce in a matching shallow bowl. Set the quesadillas on a green plate, the meatballs on a blue one, and the asparagus on a yellow one. Arrange the lime squares on a cake tier.

Position the wine glasses in neat rows and a pitcher of drinks on a table that's away from the food - you want to create a flow from one area to another. Don't forget napkins and a charming bouquet of flowers. Daffodils are sunny and scream Spring.

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Come Party With Me: Chinese New Year - Dessert

partysugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:00:50 -0800

Although desserts are not tremendously popular in Asian cuisine, for a Chinese New Year celebration, there are plenty of options. First there's the traditional Nian Gao, a sticky, sweet gelatinous cake. Then there's the modern spring roll: filled with fruit, fried until a golden, and served with a caramel rum dipping sauce.

Finally, there's this recipe for sweet sesame wonton crisps. Serve with a tart tangerine sorbet for a soft-crunchy balance of textures. Not only is this dish unexpected, but it also symbolizes luck. To check out the recipe, read more.

Sweet Sesame Wonton Crisps
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

8 square wonton wrappers, thawed if frozen
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 teaspoons white or black sesame seeds, or a mixture
1 pint tangerine sorbet, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange wonton wrappers in a single layer on baking sheet, and set aside.
Stir together sugar, ginger, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
Whisk together the egg yolk and cream in another small bowl. Brush wontons with egg wash, and sprinkle each with about 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds and scant 1/4 teaspoon sugar mixture. Bake until wontons are golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack. Serve wonton crisps with sorbet.

Serves 4.

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Vote for an Ice Cream Flavor, Win Tickets to Idol

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 06:58:12 -0700

Going Inside the Cooking Loft With Alex Guarnaschelli

partysugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:00:12 -0700

This weekend the Food Network debuts its newest show, The Cooking Loft. Like Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, the host of the show, Alex Guarnaschelli is the head chef of a popular New York City eatery, Butter. The Cooking Loft is an interactive show in which Alex teaches a group of students how to make several dishes with a specific ingredient. After watching an episode of the show, I was excited to speak with Alex on the phone. To find what she had to say, read more.

Alex was exposed to food from an early age because her mom was a cookbook editor. She's worked at acclaimed restaurants in New York and Los Angeles, but it was her appearance on Iron Chef America that started her relationship with the Food Network. She refers to the network as "one big happy family" and is nervously awaiting the debut of her show.

PartySugar: With your show what are you hoping to teach the American people?
Alex Gauranaschelli: I think the most important thing people should learn from my show is how fun and easy cooking can be. All you have to do is something simple, make things special, more unique, more flavorful.

PS: What's your criteria when considering dishes to feature on your show?
AG: The show is topic driven. We have a very unique format. We first choose the ingredient - tomatoes, chicken, etc. - and than I pick my favorite recipes. I like to take a different approach, to teach people how to reinvent ingredients, reinvent the basics.
PS: Are you worried about how the New York restaurant industry will respond to your show?
AG: I find the New York restaurant industry to be one big family. I'm hoping it will be well-received, but honestly I'm more worried about how my tomato recipes will look.

PS: What is your guilty pleasure food?
AG: What? Like stuff I keep hidden from other people? My homemade guilty pleasure is my mom's chocolate cake with caramel, we feature the recipe on the show. Of processed foods, it's a tie between Cool Ranch Doritos and Oreos. They are actually really good together. I like to make a little sandwich. It's quite appetizing, you get all salted up with the chips and cool it off with the sweet oreos.

PS: What did you have for lunch today?
AG: I'm glad you asked me! I had a really chefy lunch. I had a salad with lolla rosso [a type of lettuce] and shallots. I made an omelette with local eggs and goat cheese and I cooked it really slowly until the goat cheese melted, then I rolled it up and put it on top of the lettuce. It was so good, it was like a religious experience.

PS: Beer or wine?
AG: Wine.
PS: Cookie or cake?
AG: Cake
PS: Soup or salad?
AG: Soup
PS: Iron Chef or Top Chef?
AG: That's cruel! Iron Chef.
PS: Los Angeles or New York?
AG: New York
PS: Butter or olive oil?
AG: Butter
PS: Potatoes or pasta?
AG: Pasta
PS: Truffles or foie gras?
AG: Truffles
PS:Crème brulee or panna cotta?
AG: Neither, creme caramel.

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Must-Read: The Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook

YumSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:30:41 -0700

Ever since the onset of Oktoberfest, I've had beer on the brain. Naturally I decided to break out my copy of The Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook. The tome is authored by John Schlimm, a descendant of the Straub beer empire. The collection, which took 10 years to compile, employs beer in every single one of its 400-plus recipes. To see what I think of the cookbook, read more.

Pros:

Schlimm isn't afraid to experiment with beer, and his exhaustive cookbook doesn't leave behind a single category of food or drink.
The cookbook contains well-organized chapters. Rather than dedicating one chapter to beer drinks, the author splits the drinking portion into seven different drink chapters that include chasers, party punches, and floats, and milkshakes.

Cons:

The recipes don't include recommendations for beer varieties. Would a cheddar beer soup really taste as good with an IPA as it would a stout?
Some recipes are short on specifics. For example, one sausage recipe calls for six sausage links, rather than specifying the ounces.

Recipes: The recipes are simple, concise, and generally only a few short steps. The book covered everything, including:

Breads, Pancakes, and Doughs - basil bread, buckwheat pancake rolls
Wild Game - elk, bear steak, squirrel dinner for two
Desserts - easy vanilla cake, butterscotch tarts

Imagery: There are no pictures in the book.

Overall Rating: Mixed. Pictures would have made a huge difference, but I am excited to have a new cookbook that encourages me to experiment with beer in ways I never imagined. This would make an excellent gift for a fellow beer lover.

Have you checked out this book? If so, what did you think?