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What's Your Favorite Style of Pizza?

YumSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:50:35 -0700

Having spent some serious time in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, I've had my share of love affairs with all kinds of pizza, from the giant, thin pies at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn to the sausage-stuffed deep dish at Giordano's to the organic, local ingredient-laden, egg-topped variety at Alice Waters's Chez Panisse. But if I had to choose, my favorite type of pie would be the one made in the ethereal Neapolitan style. It has a crisp, ever-so-slightly charred exterior and a chewy but light interior. In San Francisco, the best of this kind is found at A16. What's your choice pizza?

Summer Supper: A16's Tuna Panzanella

YumSugar — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 08:00:45 -0700

A few weeks ago, I raved about a new Italian cookbook called A16 Food + Wine that has a delicious (and unique) meatball recipe. Well, I'm still learning great things from it. This week, I made a panzanella with tuna and capers, another item on the menu at the launch party. Every ingredient, from the briny capers to the fragrant basil, was well-balanced.

This is a fantastic meal to make if you've got too much bread or when your loaf is going stale. I left the capers whole, since I like their saltiness and texture. You can easily adjust the recipe to your liking; get your hands on it (and step-by-step pictures) when you read more.

Tuna With Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Capers, and Bread
Adapted from A16 Food + Wine by Nate Appleman

Ingredients

1/2 pound country bread
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Persian cucumbers or 1 English (hothouse) cucumber
1 pound tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 tablespoon capers, soaked 30 minutes and chopped
5 basil leaves, coarsely torn
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil-packed tuna, drained

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, toss the bread with about 1/2 cup olive oil, coating the bread evenly. Spread the pieces in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and toast for 10 minutes, or just enough for the bread to turn slightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Slice off a piece of the cucumber and taste it. If the skin is bitter, peel the cucumbers. Otherwise, keep the peel. Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut into chunks about the same size as the tomatoes.
Place the tomatoes and cucumbers in a large bowl, add the capers and basil, and season with a pinch of salt.
Drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil and the vinegar over the mixture and toss thoroughly.
Add the tuna and bread and toss again just until incorporated.
Arrange the salad on a platter and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

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A16 Food + Wine on How to Make Stellar Meatballs

YumSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:26:07 -0700

One of my favorite chefs, Nate Appleman of San Francisco's A16, has debuted a new book co-written with his wine director, Shelley Lindgren, entitled A16 Food + Wine.

To celebrate the cookbook's debut, Williams-Sonoma, which will carry the book, hosted a launch party with the authors on hand. There, I not only scored a copy of the book but also sampled some entries from the new tome.

I couldn't get enough of the moist, complexly flavored meatballs. The recipe can be time-intensive, but once you taste the finished product, you'll think it's totally worth the wait. Learn how to make the meatballs (and check out photos from the bash!) when you read more.

Monday Meatballs
From A16 Food + Wine

Ingredients

10 ounces boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes and finely chopped in a food processor
10 ounces beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes and finely chopped in a food processor
6 ounces day-old country bread, torn into chunks, chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes, and then finely chopped in a food processor
2 ounces pork fat, cut into 1-inch cubes and chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and then finely chopped in a food processor
2 ounces prosciutto, cut into 1-inch cubes and chilled in the freezer for 15 minutes and then finely chopped in a food processor
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2/3 cup fresh ricotta, drained if necessary
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup whole milk
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes with juices
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Block of grana padano for grating
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil.
In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, bread, pork fat, prosciutto, parsley, 1 tablespoon of the salt, oregano, fennel seeds, and chile flakes and mix with your hands just until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta, eggs, and milk just enough to break up any large curds of ricotta. Add the ricotta mixture to the ground meat mixture and mix lightly with your hands just until incorporated. The mixture should feel wet and tacky. Pinch off a small nugget of the mixture, flatten into a disk, and cook it in a small sauté pan. Taste it and adjust the seasoning of the mixture with salt if needed. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls each weighing about 2 ounces, and place on the prepared baking sheets. You should have about 30 meatballs.
Bake, rotating the sheets once from front to back, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are browned. Remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 300° F.
Sprinkle the tomatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and then pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill fitted with the medium plate. Alternatively, put the entire can of tomatoes in a large bowl, don an apron, and then squeeze the tomatoes into small pieces with your hands.
Pack the meatballs into 1 large roasting pan or 2 smaller roasting pans. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meatballs are tender and have absorbed some of the tomato sauce.
Pull the pans out of the oven and uncover. Distribute the basil leaves throughout the sauce.
For each serving, ladle meatballs with some of the sauce into a warmed bowl. Grate grana padano over the top, drizzle with olive oil to finish, and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

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Happy Hour: Clelia Romano ‘Colli di Lapio’, Fiano di Avellino 2004

partysugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:11:19 -0700

Last Tuesday night I found myself on a date with a surfer from Maine at one of San Francisco's hottest new spots A16. You know I'm crazy about wine experimentation, and my date was willing to come along for the taste adventure. The waitress was 100% knowledgeable on most of the wines and recommended we try a Fiano, so we most happily obliged her. A Fiano is a highly regarded dry white wine whose grapes are grown in the Campania region, east of Naples in Italy. This wine was excellent with a clean vibrant palate and a smooth finish, there were subtle flavors similar to that of a refreshing brut champagne. It was very pale in color with delicate floral aromas with an underlying hazelnut note. I enjoyed this wine so much that I am contemplating hunting down another bottle.

A16 Food + Wine Book Launch

YumSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:53:56 -0700

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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.

Food Section Sampler - July 15, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:00:30 -0700

Tim Hortons, Canada's beloved doughnut and coffee chain, is taking on New York. - New York Times
Local darling and Beard Award winner Nate Appleman is leaving San Francisco restaurants A16 and SPQR. - San Francisco Chronicle
Frozen fruit soufflés surpass ice cream in complexity. - Los Angeles Times
Inedit, Ferran Adria's new wine-style beer, falls flat. - Chicago Tribune
The hottest topics touched on at foremost spirits convention Tales of the Cocktail. - Washington Post
Cooks are preparing more beef at home - which means markets are able to lower the price of meat. - Wall Street Journal
A pie crust taste test reveals shocking results. - Boston Globe

Photo by flickr user VirtualErn

How to Roast Beets

partysugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:30:52 -0700

Last week my sister and I had a delicious beet and wheat berry salad at A16 restaurant. While we were munching on the juicy beets and pop in your mouth berries, she wondered how she could prepare beets in a similar manner at home. Well, Patricia - and anyone else who wants to know how to make beets - here's what you do:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim the top and stems off the beets.
Place the beets in a small baking dish and add 1/4 inch water (or you could use fresh orange juice for more flavor).
Cover with foil and roast for 35-50 minutes, or until the beets are tender (like a baked potato).
Cool slightly. Working quickly and using your fingers, peel off the skin and discard.
Slice into wedges or chunks. Voila! The beets are ready for salad.

What's your favorite way to enjoy beets?

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Announcing the 2009 James Beard Award Winners

partysugar — Tue, 05 May 2009 09:15:25 -0700

While the fashion world turned its eyes to the Met's Costume Institute Gala, the food glitterati had a celebration of their own last night.

The James Beard Awards, the food industry's equivalent to the Oscars, were announced in New York City at an awards ceremony hosted by Stanley Tucci (star of the upcoming Julie and Julia), Emeril Lagasse, and Cat Cora. The festivities celebrated "Women in Food" with a postceremony gala hosted by Lidia Bastianich. Thirty-eight awards were presented, while the Journalism and Broadcast Media Awards were announced the night before at a special dinner.

The top winners were Blue Hill's Dan Barber (Outstanding Chef) and San Francisco's darling Nate Appleman (Rising Star Chef).

To check out a list of winners and a gallery of images of the chefs in their finest, including Martha Stewart, Ted Allen, and Cat Cora, read more.

Outstanding Restaurateur Award
Drew Nieporent, Myriad Restaurant Group; New York, NY

Outstanding Chef Award
Dan Barber, Blue Hill; New York, NY

Outstanding Restaurant Award
Jean Georges, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Owner: Phil Suarez

Rising Star Chef of the Year Award
Nate Appleman, A16; San Francisco, CA

Best New Restaurant
Momofuku Ko, New York, NY; Chef/Owner: David Chang

Outstanding Pastry Chef
Gina DePalma, Babbo; New York, NY

Outstanding Wine Service Award
Le Bernardin, New York, NY; Wine Director: Aldo Sohm

Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional
Dale DeGroff, Dale DeGroff Co., Inc.; New York, NY

Outstanding Service Award
Daniel, New York, NY; Owners: Daniel Boulud and Joel Smilow

For more details, check out the official list of categories and award winners.

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Food & Wine Announces 2009's Best New Chefs

YumSugar — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:53:19 -0700

It's the moment the restaurant world has been waiting for: Food & Wine just announced the winners of its annual Best New Chefs awards, which are given to the nation's most promising new chefs.

Considering previous winners have included such celebrated chefs as Tom Colicchio and David Chang, this title could mean a very bright future ahead for 10 of the nation's burgeoning chefs. To find out who they are, read more.

Paul Liebrandt, Corton; New York, NY
Nate Appleman, A16; San Francisco, CA
Naomi Pomeroy, Beast; Portland, OR
Barry Maiden, Hungry Mother; Cambridge, MA
Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal; Los Angeles, CA
Bryan Caswell, Reef; Houston, TX
Christopher Kostow, Meadowood; St. Helena, CA
Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene; Atlanta, GA
Mark Fuller, Spring Hill; Seattle, WA
Kelly English, Iris; Memphis, TN

I'm thrilled that my local favorite, Nate Appleman, has finally gotten some national recognition (he's also up for the James Beard Foundation's Rising Star Chef of the Year Award). Of course, this means reservations are going to be even more difficult to get! Do you plan on checking out any of these chefs?

Source