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Celebrity Chef Art Smith Scores New TLC Show

YumSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:30:21 -0800

NBC and Fox aren't the only channels trying to nab a piece of the cooking show pie. So is cable channel TLC. Not only does the lifestyle network boast new programming like Cake Boss and the soon-to-air BBQ Pitmasters, but the channel has just ordered eight episodes of a new 30-minute series, Craving Comfort, starring celebrity chef Art Smith.

Rather than demoing dishes in the traditional cooking show sense, Smith will travel the country in search of America's most satisfying eats. Each show will focus on one particular comfort food, such as fried chicken or apple pie. Craving Comfort will debut in late 2010.

Smith, who owns Table Fifty-Two and was Oprah Winfrey's personal chef for a decade, recently starred in the Bravo series Top Chef Masters. I think David Chang is right in saying that comfort foods will be big in 2010, and that this show will take off. Are you a big enough fan of Art Smith to tune in?

Happy Hour: Samuel Smith Strawberry Ale

YumSugar — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:00:32 -0700

While selecting in-season strawberries at Whole Foods the other day, an unfamiliar brewski, Samuel Smith Strawberry Ale, caught my eye. Since I was surrounded by the delicate aroma of ripe berries, I couldn't resist picking up a bottle.

I was curious about the unfamiliar label, and couldn't wait to give Samuel Smith's signature strawberry beer a taste. Brewed in Stamford, England, this certified organic ale, which is made with fresh strawberry juice, only became available stateside this year. The ale has a floral, jammy bouquet that brought me right back to sniffing strawberries at the market and notes of caramel and malt to finish. It was so refreshing that I drained the hefty-sized bottle, then proceeded to trek out and pick up a fresh one.

At $5.99 for 550 ml, this seasonal sip has become my favorite nightcap so far this Summer. Have you ever tried strawberry beer?

Top Chef Masters: Episode 8

partysugar — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:30:58 -0700

The second episode of the champions round aired last night on Bravo's Top Chef Masters. The chefs faced off in battle burger and the tables were turned when former cheftestant Spike Mendelsohn judged the burgers. Did you watch? Let's discuss after the break

Fast & Easy Dinner: Pork Chops With Apples

partysugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:47 -0800

The classic pork chops and applesauce go sophisticated with this recipe. Instead of bone-in pork chops and pureed apples, it employs boneless pork loin and whole Granny Smith apples.

The apples are sautéed until soft and the pork is topped with a simple pan sauce. Although the ingredient list calls for grainy mustard, if you dislike the polarizing condiment, simply omit it. Serve with a glass of white wine and you've got an elegant meal to start the weekend. Get the recipe and read more.

Pork Chops With Apples
From Real Simple

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 6-ounce boneless pork loin chops, or one 1 1/2- to 2-pound pork loin
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 small Granny Smith apples, halved
1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons coarse grain mustard

Directions

Mix together the flour, cumin, salt, and pepper on a large plate. Lightly coat each piece of pork with the flour mixture; set aside.
Heat the vegetable oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the apple halves with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the apples cut-side down about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the skillet, cover, and set aside.
Place the pork in the skillet, sprinkle with the parsley, and cook until the meat is golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
While the pork is cooking, whisk together the broth and vinegar. Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside. Pour the broth mixture into the skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened.
Divide the pork among 4 plates and pour some pan sauce over each. Before serving, place an apple half and a dab of mustard on each plate.

Serves 4.

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Are Recipes By Female Chefs More Complicated Than Those By Male Chefs?

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 11:03:38 -0700

The UK Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills recently completed a study that looked at 35 recipes published by five UK celebrity chefs - Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater. It turns out that while these folks make cooking look simple, their recipes can be difficult to follow. Actually, of the five chefs, only the recipes from the two women chefs were considered overly complicated.

While Gordon Ramsay's recipes were considered "so simple they can be followed by a seven-year-old," Nigella and Delia's were deemed too "chatty."

"[The study] found that 5.2million adults in the UK would be unable to follow Nigella's cooking methods as she uses longer sentences and tends to write in a "chatty" style, mixing in personal observations with her instructions.

"Delia Smith's culinary teaching was also criticised for having too many stages and using measurements confusing for anyone with poor numeracy skills.
"She also sprinkles too many adjectives into her recipes."

The study was intended to highlight the UK Government's adult learning campaign, but actually turned up the fact that the high profile male chefs deliver easier, simpler recipes than their female counterparts.

What do you guys think? Are you familiar with their recipes, do you agree? Also, if the study was conducted on US chefs, do you think the same would be said? Do you think Bobby Flay's recipes would be easier to follow than Giada De Laurentiis's?

Source: Daily Mail
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52 Weeks of Baking: Delia's Deep Lemon Tart

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 13:01:39 -0700

Although lemons are more of a winter fruit, I was really craving a tangy lemon tart. I found a recipe by Delia Smith and was intrigued by the fact that - unlike most lemon tarts - it was a deep dish tart. It's thicker than usual and is more filling than pastry (translation: more lemon goodness!). The crust was a little cumbersome, if you've got a great crust recipe I'd stick with it (this one did NOT want to cooperate - I ended up rolling it between two pieces of parchment paper), but definitely try this filling. For a unique twist on the standard lemon tart, read more

Deep Lemon Tart
From Delia Smith

For the pastry:
6 oz (175 g) plain flour
1 1/2 oz (40 g) icing sugar
3 oz (75 g) softened butter
pinch salt
1 large egg, separated

For the filling:
1 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 6-8 lemons)
zest from 6-8 lemons
6 large eggs
6 oz (175 g or approx 3/4 cup) of superfine sugar
7 fl oz (200 ml) whipping cream

*Note: I only had 4 lemons, which resulted in 3/4 cups of juice. So I added an additional 1 tbsp of June Taylor's Strawberry & Lemon Verbena Syrup. It gave it a nice tang and the end result was fantastic.

The best way to make the pastry is in a food processor. To do this add all the pastry ingredients (except the egg white) to the bowl with 1 tablespoon water and process until it forms a firm dough. Then turn it out and knead lightly before placing in a polythene bag and leaving in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.
Grease a deep, fluted quiche tin with a loose base 9 inches (23 cm) in diameter and 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) deep.
To cook the pastry base, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C) and place a solid baking sheet inside to preheat as well. Now roll out the pastry as thinly as possible and carefully line the quiche tin, pressing the pastry around the base and sides so that it comes about 1/4 inch (5 mm) above the edge of the tin. Then prick the base with a fork and brush it all over with the reserved egg white, which you should lightly beat first.
Bake on the baking sheet on the middle shelf for 20 minutes, then, as you remove it, turn the temperature down to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

While pastry is out of the oven, make the filling. Grate the zest from 6 of the lemons, and squeeze enough juice to give 10 fl oz (275 ml or 1 1/4 cups).
Break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar and whisk to combine, but don't overdo it or the eggs will thicken. Next add the lemon juice and zest followed by the cream, and whisk lightly. Now pour it all into a 2 pint (1.2 litre) jug or container that will be easy to pour from. [You can omit this step if you are confident that you will not spill when pouring it from bowl to crust.]
Place pastry back onto baking sheet in oven. Pour filling directly into the pastry (this avoids having to carry the tart to the oven and spilling it).
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the tart is set and feels springy in the centre. Let it cool for about half an hour if you want to serve it warm. It's also extremely good served chilled. Either way, dust it with icing sugar just before serving.

View 19 Photos ›

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Top Chef Masters: Episode 7

partysugar — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:20:13 -0700

Signature dishes spoke volumes on last night's episode of Top Chef Masters. We kicked off the champions round as the previous episodes' winners - Art Smith, Suzanne Tracht, Rick Bayless, Anita Lo, Michael Chiarello, and Hubert Keller -each returned to make a play at the master title.

Are you still watching? Thankful for the return of episode-by-episode elimination, now that the tournament-style part of the show is over? Then let's discuss when you read more.

Did you love watching the masters in the mise en place relay race? Were you surprised by their skills?
Which chef's signature dish would you rather eat? Whose would you rather reinvent?
Would you rather see the chefs cook for other chefs or for critics?
Seriously, who is funnier: Rick Bayless or Art Smith?
Did you agree that Art Smith's burger looked "terrifying"? How would you have cooked the burger and egg differently?
Did you like the more radical reinventions or the chefs who stayed truer to the dish?

Source: Bravo

Come Party With Me: Pool Party - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 07:01:38 -0700

At an outdoor party during the day, it's important to supply guests with lots of water to stay hydrated. Of course as this is a party, so beer, wine, and a special summer punch will also be on the menu. Steer clear from serving bottled beer to ensure that no bottles get broken and no bare feet get cut. Set up the bar as far away from the pool/lounging area as possible - preferably in a shady spot - to create a flow of people and allow room for relaxing away from the drinks. Get lots of ice to maintain the drinks temperature. Chill white wine in ice buckets with rock salt for maximum coldness. Purchase plastic cups for the punch. Make two versions of the punch, one with alcohol and the other without. Distinguish the difference between the two by making a clearly visible sign or put orange slices in one and lemon slices in the other and explain to guests the significance of the garnishes. Add rum to the punch to carry over the flavors from the piña colada granitas. To take a look at the summer punch recipe, read more

Vanilla Citrus Punch
From Art Smith

3 cups fresh orange juice
1 orange, sliced
1 cup fresh or unsweetened canned pineapple juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 whole vanilla bean
1 1/2 cups ginger ale or club soda, chilled
2 cups (+ more taste to your liking) dark rum, optional

Combine all the juices and rum if using in a large pitcher.
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the juice. Stir with a whisk to separate the vanilla seeds.
Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight.
Just before serving, add the ginger ale (or club soda). Serve in ice-filled glasses.

Serves 4-6.

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Top Chef Masters: Episode 6

partysugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:30:40 -0700

The first round of Top Chef Masters was completed last night. The final quartet of chefs included no females, but Jonathan Waxman, Roy Yamaguchi, Michael Cimarusti, and Art Smith. The best thing about this episode was the return of Gail Simmons. Did you watch? If you are interested in discussing, read more.

Is it bad that I secretly want Jonathan Waxman to win simply because he trained Bobby Flay?
Have you ever been to Roy's? Do you like his Hawaiian Fusion?
If you competed on Top Chef Masters, what would your charity be?
How fabulous is Art Smith? Wouldn't Richard from Top Chef 5 consider him a teddy bear?
Whose quickfire dish looked the best to you?
There was a lot of camaraderie between the masters, do you think the regular Top Chef contestants would have felt differently about the shop-for-each-other elimination challenge?
How inspiring was it when the chefs set each other up with wonderful ingredients?
When should a chef cook out of his comfort zone and when should he stick to what he knows?
"Gael Greene and I go way back." Do you think Jonathan and Gael had a fling in the 80s?
Are you excited for the Champions Round?

Source

A New Battle Begins Over The Next Iron Chef!

YumSugar — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:45:51 -0700

Days before the season finale of The Next Food Network Star - and hot off the heels of another captivating Top Chef Masters round - we've learned more about another foodie reality TV show. After the first successful iteration of The Next Iron Chef in 2007 (alums Michael Symon, Chris Cosentino, and Aaron Sanchez have all become Food Network personalities), the show is returning for a second season on Oct. 4.

This season will purportedly "take the contestants from Los Angeles to Japan to New York to compete in the food fight of their professional lives." Alton Brown hosts once again, with the competitors facing the wrath of three judges: returning panelist and restaurateur Donatella Arpaia, Vogue food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, and sustainable advisor (and Slow Food Nation director) Anya Fernald.

Who will be next to join the likes of Bobby Flay, Cat Cora, Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Masaharu Morimoto (who just confirmed plans to open his first West Coast restaurant)? I've got my speculations - and I'd love to hear yours below. Find out who the 10 contenders are.