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The Difference Between Bruschetta and Crostini

partysugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 09:00:20 -0700

At the Food & Wine Classic, not only did Nancy Silverton teach viewers to Microplane garlic, but along with help from Mario Batali, she also discussed the differences between bruschetta and crostini. Both terms are Italian and relate to crispy bread.

Crostini translates to "little toasts" and generally refers to small pieces of bread that are baked. These toasts are then topped with a variety of ingredients like cheese, vegetables, meat, or seafood.

Bruschetta, on the other hand, is a larger piece of bread that is cooked over coals or a grill. Bruschetta can be rubbed with garlic and is traditionally served freshly charred. Like crostini, bruschetta can be topped with a wide range of items. What do you like to top yours with?

Photo by flickr user Jeffrey Beall

Simple Tip: Microplane Garlic

partysugar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:15:38 -0700

While watching Nancy Silverton make pesto in Aspen, I had one of those "why didn't I think of that" moments. To quickly season the celery leaf pesto, Silverton grated in garlic. However, instead of using her regular one-sided grater, she microplaned it: "I like to microplane my garlic. It's so much easier than chopping it." Over the weekend, I experimented with her technique and was delighted by the results. It's a quick and simple way to infuse a dish with lots of garlic flavor and it doesn't require the hand strength of a garlic press. Genius! Have you ever grated or microplaned garlic?

Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali Talk Italian Food

partysugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:44:44 -0700

At the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen over the weekend I was lucky enough to attend a demonstration lead by Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. The duo are the masterminds behind a popular Los Angeles restaurant, Osteria Mozza. Silverton works most nights at the eatery behind the mozzarella bar. Batali, of course, is busy with lots of projects like a new line of tomato sauce and a pizza oven. When he hit the stage he dipped his hand in a pot of boiling pasta water and used it to slick back his hair! The two cooked, joked, and talked Italian cuisine. To find out what they had to say, read more.

To cook like an Italian, Mario insists on spending quality time shopping. "If you get good ingredients and don't really mess around with them, then you're cooking like an Italian."
When looking for ingredients, both Silverton and Batali seek out harder to find Italian specialty items like straticella (a type of fresh cheese), speck (smoked prosciutto), and guanicale (similar to bacon, but made from pork cheeks). Mario shamelessly pointed out that this kind of charcuterie can be purchased from his father's salumeria.

When making pasta, Batali undercooks it by two minutes. "When the box says it cooks in 10-12 minutes, I take it out after 8 minutes of cooking, then cook it for one more minute in the pan."
Like many Italian chefs, Batali said the "most crucial ingredient when making pasta is the starchy pasta water."
Instead of liquid honey, when she can find it, Silverton likes to use whole edible honey comb on cheese plates.
Let the pan do the work. Place meat and fish in a hot pan and leave it there. Don't mess with it, especially if it's fish.
Try making pesto in a mortar and pestle. Silverton, whose a huge fan of pestos, makes a variety including the classic basil, and other more interesting renditions like celery leaf, tomato, and caper pestos. While the elements may change, she makes pesto by hand in a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor. "The difference between male and female cooking is that men like machines and women like to be hands-on."
In Italy, they cook with everything from the head to the tail and from the leaf to the root, so make the most of your ingredients.
Unlike in French cooking, Italians (and Batali) don't worry about emulsifying sauces. Batali likes it when each bite is different and textured.
Lightly dress salads.
Spend the extra dollar on more expensive pasta. It will affect the overall flavor of the dish and is worth it.

The most important thing that Batali and Silverton stressed was that Italians are regionally focused. Each town has its own specific type of local cuisine. To truly cook like an Italian, look to your hometown for ingredients that are local and special to that region.

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'Wich of the Week: Gorgonzola, Radicchio, and Honey

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:00:46 -0800

Unlike Summer produce that you can toss into a salad, Winter veggies often require roasting, which has the added benefit of warming up your house. This week, I took another page from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book to prepare roasted radicchio sandwiches with a seasonal side of Brussels sprouts.Though I'm not usually partial to open-faced sandwiches, this Italian-inspired recipe won me over with a surprising combination of ingredients and comforting, wintry flavors. The punchy gorgonzola and slightly bitter radicchio get a sweet assist from honey and candied walnuts. You can make the walnuts from scratch if you want, though I used store-bought candied pecans. For more details on the recipe and to see how I made it, read more.

It's not the easiest sandwich to eat, but it would be nearly impossible without a knife and fork, so the open-faced format makes sense. Plus, the presentation according to Silverton's directions is stunning. This sandwich is highly sophisticated in flavor and appearance yet relatively easy to make. I'd certainly make it again.

Gorgonzola, Radicchio, Honey, and Walnuts Open-Faced Sandwich
Modified From Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book

Ingredients

1 medium head radicchio (about 10 ounces) cut in half through the core
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 slices walnut, white, or whole-wheat sourdough bread
8 ounces gorgonzola dolce*
Approximately 3 tablespoons honey, preferably buckwheat or chestnut
1 cup candied spiced walnuts, coarsely chopped, plus 8 candied walnut halves**
Approximately 1 bunch chives, minced

Directions

For the radicchio: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut each radicchio half into 5 wedges. In a cast-iron or other ovenproof 10-inch skillet, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 2 teaspoons of the vinegar. Arrange the wedges of radicchio in the skillet in a concentric circle. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and vinegar over the radicchio and sprinkle over the salt.

Cover with foil and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil to allow the steam to escape.
Turn the wedges of radicchio over, and on the stovetop over medium heat, cook the radicchio about 3-5 minutes to caramelize slightly, being careful not to burn it.

To make the sandwiches: Grill the bread or toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Place the slices on serving plates.

Spread an uneven layer of the gorgonzola over each slice of bread, and spoon about 2 teaspoons of honey over the cheese.
Scatter about a 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (or pecans) over each, and evenly distribute the radicchio, leaving a border of the gorgonzola around the edge. Sprinkle the sandwiches with chives, and place 2 candied walnut (or pecan) halves overlapping in the center of each.

Serves 4.

*I used about half the amount of gorgonzola suggested.
**Silverton's book includes a recipe to make your own candied spiced walnuts, but I used store-bought candied pecans instead.

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Nancy Silverton's Fancy-Pants Sandwich Cookbook

YumSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:17:38 -0700

How you feel about Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book depends on how you feel about sandwiches. If you see sammies as a fast dinner option on a busy night, then this is not the book for you. But if you prefer to elevate your humble sandwich with gourmet ingredients, then you should give Silverton's book a shot. As she writes in the intro, "Don't look at them as complicated sandwiches, but as satisfying entrees on bread."

This cookbook grew out of the Thursday sandwich nights at LA restaurant Campanile, where different twists on classics like the grilled cheese are showcased every week. The 100-plus recipes are divided into eight categories, some more sandwichy than others. For a detailed breakdown, read more.

The recipes fall under various headings: open-faced and closed-faced sandwiches, tea sandwiches, "sort-of sandwiches," bar snacks, sandwich cookies, condiments, and breads. As you can probably guess, Silverton's sandwich philosophy lets cooks choose between complexity and (relative) simplicity.

If you prefer, you can make everything from scratch, right down the homemade hot dog buns and caper onion mayonnaise. Or, to prevent the less fussy sandwiches, such as the pancetta, lettuce, and tomato, from getting too fancy, you can use store-bought aioli and other ready-made ingredients.

Admittedly, even the simpler sandwiches in Silverton's book are way more complicated than your standard PB&J. But combinations like Gorgonzola, radicchio, honey, and walnuts are truly creative, and Silverton always offers substitutions for the more exotic ingredients, such as pequillo peppers, that might be hard to find. As for the labor-intensive individual elements, such as braised artichokes, what the recipes require in extra steps pays off in extra flavor.

Have any of you cooked any sandwiches from this book? Or eaten at the Thursday sandwich nights at Campanile? If so, please share in the comments!

Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali Talk Italian Food

partysugar — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:30:17 -0700

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'Wich of the Week: 'Ino's Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato

YumSugar — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:00:24 -0700

I've let Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book languish on my desk for too long, so this weekend I finally decided to make a recipe from this famously excessive sandwich collection. (Stay tuned for a full cookbook review.) Since I was having friends over for a casual dinner, I avoided the more labor-intensive recipes in favor of a simple but delicious sandwich that would showcase the fresh tomatoes I bought that morning at the farmers market.

This PLT - pancetta, lettuce, and tomato - is a variation on the classic BLT (from New York's 'Ino) using Italian pancetta and arugula. Silverton's book is designed so that, if you choose, you can prepare each ingredient without shortcuts - for instance, braising artichokes rather than buying jarred ones or even making bread from scratch. Since the recipe called for it, I opted to make my own lemon aioli from Silverton's recipe. But despite my ambition, this dinner ended up being something of a disaster. To find out why, read more.

Though I followed the directions for baking the pancetta in the oven, my very fatty (and delicious) cuts of pork weren't crisping up enough, so I transferred them to the broiler with the intention of leaving them in just a few more minutes. But you know I mentioned I was having folks over for dinner? Well, I got a bit distracted and forgot about the pancetta until it was too late; the gourmet meat burned to a crisp. (I documented the disaster in the gallery below.)

I salvaged enough to make one PLT, but the other guests got TLTs, made with turkey I happened to have on hand. (You can see the turkey lurking in the background of the photos.) Given, the sandwiches were still tasty, even with turkey. Drizzling the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkling them with kosher salt really brought out the summery flavor, and the lemon aioli tasted tangy, garlicky, and remarkably fresh. I substituted soft ciabatta for the sliced sourdough, and the pillowy bread went wonderfully with the Italian flavors. So I definitely recommend the recipes, with one caveat: It's better if you don't burn the pancetta.

'Ino's Pancetta, Lettuce, and Tomato
Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book

Ingredients

1 recipe lemon aioli
8 ounces pancetta, sliced into 16 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling over the tomatoes
2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, core end discarded, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
8 slices white or whole-wheat sourdough bread*
Approximately 2 cups arugula leaves, loosely packed (about 1 to 1 1/2 ounces)

Directions

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the slices of pancetta about 1/2 inch apart from each other on a baking sheet. Cook them for about 20 minutes, until they're cooked through, but not crisp.
Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato slices, and sprinkle them with salt. Allow them to sit for 5-10 minutes.
Grill the bread.
To assemble the sandwiches, spoon about 1 tablespoon of lemon aioli on one side of each slice of bread. Arrange the slices of pancetta on the bottom slices of bread, and place the tomato slices over it. Arrange the arugula on top and cover with the top slice of bread. Cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

*I used one loaf of ciabatta, sliced horizontally, then cut into four separate sandwiches. Since I was using the ciabatta I skipped step 4 and left my bread untoasted.

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Lemon Aioli
Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book

Ingredients

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 extra-large egg yolk
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons warm water
1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

Using a mortar and pestle, pulverize the garlic and salt to a smooth paste. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic with the flat side of a chef's knife or a garlic press.
If your mortar is too small to whisk the entire amount of oil in (or you don't have one), transfer the mashed garlic and salt to the bowl of an electric mixer or a medium stainless-steel bowl. Whisk in the egg yolk by hand.
Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, drop by drop, whisking constantly. As the mixture begins to thicken, add a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of warm water.
Once you've added almost half of the oil, place the bowl in the mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on medium speed. Or continue to whisk in the oil by hand. Pour the oil in a slow, steady trickle, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
As the mixture thickens, add a little more of the lemon juice and water and continue whisking until the remaining olive oil is completely incorporated and the sauce is thickened. Season with lemon juice and zest and salt to taste.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

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Top Chef Vegas: Episode 7

partysugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:30:10 -0700

After a week off, Top Chef was back last night. However, I couldn't help but feel a little lost. I had forgotten what happened on the previous episode and sadly, realized how much I don't really care about this set of cheftestants. Are you just going through the motions too? Want to discuss the show? You know what to do: keep reading.

Who's Going to Win This Year's James Beard Awards?

YumSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:11:51 -0700

A little over a month ago, we tipped you off to the 2008 James Beard Awards Long List, and well the time has come: the long list is now a short list. This morning the official list of nominees was released. There are 52 categories including cookbooks, journalism articles, television, radio, web, restaurant design, and most importantly the restaurants and chefs themselves.

To discover some of the biggest award nominees, just read more.

For the full rundown, be sure to visit the official list of full nominees.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Tom Douglas, Tom Douglas Restaurants; Seattle, WA
Richard Melman, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises; Chicago, Il
Wolfgang Puck, The Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group; Beverly Hills, CA
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Jean-Georges Management LLC; New York, NY

Outstanding Chef Award
Grant Achatz, Alinea; Chicago, IL
José Andrés, Minibar; Washington, DC
Dan Barber, Blue Hill; New York, NY
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles, CA
Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar & Grill; Birmingham, AL

Outstanding Restaurant Award
Boulevard, San Francisco, CA; Chef/Owner: Nancy Oakes, Owner: Pat Kuleto
Campanile, Los Angeles, CA; Chef/Owner: Mark Peel
Gramercy Tavern, New York, NY; Owner: Danny Meyer
Jean Georges, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten
The Slanted Door, San Francisco, CA; Chef/Owner: Charles Phan

Best New Restaurant
Anthos, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Michael Psilakis, Owner: Donatella Arpaia
Central Michel Richard, Washington, DC; Chef/Owner: Michel Richard
Fearing's at the Ritz Carlton, Dallas, TX; Chef/Owner: Dean Fearing, The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas
Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles, CA; Chef: Matt Molina; Owners: Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich
Osteria, Philadelphia, PA; Chef/Owners: Marc Vetri, Jeff Michaud; Owner: Jeff Benjamin

Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Nate Appleman, A 16; San Francisco, CA
Sean Brock, McCrady's; Charleston, SC
Gavin Kaysen, Café Boulud, New York, NY
Johnny Monis, Komi; Washington, DC
Matt Molina, Osteria Mozza; Los Angeles, CA
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon; Portland, OR

Outstanding Pastry Chef Award
Gina DePalma, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca; New York, NY
Pichet Ong, P*ONG; New York, NY
Nicole Plue, Redd; Yountville, CA
Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson, Tartine Bakery; San Francisco, CA
Mindy Segal, HotChocolate; Chicago, IL

Outstanding Wine Service Award
Aureole, Las Vegas, NV; Wine Director: Steven Geddes
Bin 36, Chicago, IL; Wine Director: Brian Duncan
Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY; Wine Director: John Ragan
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN; Wine Director: Andy Chabot
Picasso, Las Vegas, NV; Wine Director: Robert Smith

Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional Award
Dale DeGroff, Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.; New York, NY
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Wines; Sebastopol, CA
David Lett, The Eyrie Vineyards; McMinnville, OR
Bobby Stuckey, Frasca Food and Wine; Boulder, CO
Terry Theise, Terry Theise Estate Selections; Silver Spring, MD

Outstanding Service Award
Canlis, Seattle, WA; Owners:The Canlis Family
Gary Danko, San Francisco, CA; Owner: Gary Danko
Spiaggia, Chicago; Owner: Tony Mantuano
Terra, St. Helena, CA; Owners: Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani
Vetri, Philadelphia, PA; Owner: Mark Vetri