YumSugar

More Details on Gourmet's Collapse

YumSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:30:32 -0700

Yesterday morning began with breaking news that, after 68 years of publication, Gourmet was going out of print, and now we have more details on the magazine's collapse. Although the glossy will cease to exist, the Gourmet brand will live on through book publishing and TV programs. Staffers at the magazine were first unaware, then teary-eyed and harried, as they were allegedly given 48 hours to leave.

According to publisher Condé Nast, which staunchly defended its position, star editor Ruth Reichl will likely part ways with the publishing house, although this has not been confirmed. She, too, admitted her surprise, tweeting, "Thank you all so much for this outpouring of support. We're all stunned, sad . . . Hard to believe it's over."

Hard to believe indeed. From food personalities to subscribers, everyone has shown an overwhelming amount of regret. I'll miss the pages of exquisite photography and timeless travel pieces, and Party doesn't know how she'll live without the recipes. What will you miss about Gourmet?

Gourmet Magazine to Fold

YumSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:43:25 -0700

This morning, Condé Nast announced its oldest food title, Gourmet magazine, is folding. There were telltale signs of trouble: the glossy, which will print its last issue in November, just underwent budget cuts. As early as the onset of 2009, rumors were already flying that Gourmet would not see the end of the year.

The speculation didn't prepare me for the shellshock of Gourmet's demise. After all, the magazine, which has been published since December 1940, is an institution. I would have thought they could cut issues to six a year, or even quarterly, before shutting down such a venerable publication. It's wishful thinking, but a part of me hopes this is just some sort of sick publicity stunt. Are you as stunned as I am?

The End of Gourmet Magazine?

YumSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:15:59 -0800

In the last six months, we've witnessed many brands - for some reason in particular, cookie labels - go kaput. We're barely into the new year, and at least one source predicts that media companies will be going next, and food publications won't be excepted.

New York financial media company 24/7 Wall St. reports that things are looking glum for Gourmet magazine:

Gourmet will probably not see the end of the year. Its parent company, Condé Nast, can no longer rely on the huge profits of the newspaper portion of the Newhouse family business.

The magazine operation needs to go on a diet. Condé Nast . . . owns Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and epicurious.com. Condé Nast simply owns too many titles in this category. From 2004 to 2008, Gourmet's ad pages have dropped from 1,364 to 955, with a 24 percent drop last year. January's ad pages were down another 32 percent according to MIN. Gourmet can survive since it has a competitive audience of web visitors to its food site, but it will have to migrate totally to its website.

Although, Gourmet wasn't our favorite food magazine of the year, and you prefer Bon Appétit, I am an enormous fan of the magazine's editor, Ruth Reichl. I frequently read the glossy for its reliable and creative recipes, and would be sad if I no longer had a subscription. Do you subscribe to the magazine, and would you be disappointed to see it go?

Yummy Links: The Food World Mourns Gourmet

partysugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:00:58 -0700

Looking back at 68 years of covers. - Eater
Go inside the first magazine ever, 1941's holiday issue.- Serious Eats
Alice Waters remembers the first time she read it. - Grub Street SF
What's next for Ruth Reichl? She'll write a book about her 10 years at Conde Nast. - Diner's Journal
The empty cubicles mark the end of an era. - Gawker
All of the recipes will continue to live on Epicurious. - The Epi-Log
What New York City's chefs are saying about it. - Grub Street NY

Cinco de Mayo Dessert: Jalapeño Brownies

partysugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:13:37 -0700

A couple of weeks ago, Conde Nast Traveler hosted its 8th Annual Hot List party in New York City. One of the desserts on the menu, which was catered by Mary Guilani, were these jalapeño brownies. I thought they would make an exceptionally original dessert for Cinco de Mayo, so I whipped up a batch and brought them to work. The recipe is simple - it's basically a classic brownie recipe with minced jalapeños folded in - and interestingly complex. The result is a spicy meets sweet flavor explosion. Although the office had mixed feelings about these brownies, I thought they were innovative and exciting. To take a look at the recipe, read more.

Jalapeno Brownies
From Mary Guilani Catering

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
5 large jalapeño peppers, minced
6 to 8 Thai chiles, minced*
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped**

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
Melt butter and chocolate chips together. Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, whisk or beat eggs with salt until foamy.

Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well-blended. Add chocolate-butter mixture and stir until just combined. Add flour and cocoa and mix until almost blended.
Fold in jalapeños, Thai chiles and nuts.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake until top forms a cracked crust and inside looks slightly moist, 30 to 35 minutes.
Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

Makes 12 large squares.

*I was unable to find Thai chiles at my local super markets. Instead I substituted one habanero chili for all of the Thai chiles.
**Since I dislike walnuts in brownies, I omitted them from the recipe.

Print recipe with images | without images

View 14 Photos ›