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Let's Dish: What Recipe Have You Totally Screwed Up?

partysugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:45:37 -0800

Readers, I have a confession: sometimes I'm a failure in the kitchen. Take, for example, the picture below. My father recently watched Tyler Florence make the most delectable Spanish tapa where a raw egg is wrapped in jamon serrano, placed atop béchamel and toast, and baked in the oven. TyFlo made it look exceptionally easy.
However, when my dad and I went to recreate the dish, the ham wasn't strong enough to hold the eggs. The eggs rolled off the slippery white sauce and onto the baking sheet. After wasting eight eggs, we managed to get three nestled inside the ham. Then, when we removed the final product from the oven, the toast and eggs were stuck to the pan! Our breakfast was a complete disaster.

While we laughed it off, and managed to take a couple tasty bites of the mess, I got to thinking about failed recipes. Have you ever gone through a similar experience, where the recipe doesn't work? What recipe was it and how did you handle the situation?

Cakes Minus Parchment Paper = Fail

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:43:31 -0700

Whenever I make a cake, I usually use a bit of parchment paper on the bottom of the pan. This way the cake won't stick to the pan and I'll have nice and even surface to work with. I either cut out a square or circle to fit the bottom of the pan, or I create a parchment-paper sling.

Unfortunately I said usually. To find out what happened when I didn't, read more.

The other day, I was trying to make petit fours for a game-night party. I set aside enough time, prepped all of my ingredients, and even came up with a clever design - I had planned on decorating them like dice. However it wasn't enough. For some reason I had decided to skip my trusty parchment-paper trick. The recipe I used didn't mention it, and I figured butter and a light dusting of flour was going to be enough.

Sadly, after I took the cake out of the oven and let it cool, I flipped it over and nothing. So I gave it a whack, turned the pan over, and yalped out loud. My cake was ruined! One half of the cake was on my plate, and the other half was left in the pan. I was mortified. There was no way to turn this into petit fours. Weird but delicious cake morsels, yes. Dice-shaped treats, no. In fact after scraping the cake out of the pan, I had to give it a long soak before the pan came clean.

Moral of the story is, be patient, use parchment paper, wait for the cakes to completely cool - this also could have been a problem - and when all else fails, it's okay to pick up dessert at the store.

Has this every happened to you? If so what did you do? Were you able to save dessert?

If you have pics of your failed treats, post them to our Savory Sights Group and let us know what happened!

Yummy Links: From Pardoned Turkeys to Healthy Stuffing

partysugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:50:53 -0800

Find out the fate of Obama's pardoned turkeys. - The Atlantic
Salon has finally launched its new food channel. - Salon
What exactly is dry-brining? - The Epi-Log
Need a good laugh? Watch Paula Deen get hit in the face with a ham. - Eater
Chefs fail at Thanksgiving, too. - Grub Street NY
Martha Stewart has formally apologized to Rachael Ray. - Eat Me Daily
Ten tasty mail-order gift ideas. - Chow
Sausage, apple, and cranberry stuffing is delicious and healthy! - Serious Eats

Thanksgiving Tip: Calculate How Much Food You'll Need

YumSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:42:21 -0800

For an elaborate meal like Thanksgiving, it's crucial to consider how much food you'll serve. Too little, and you'll leave guests wishing they could gobble up more; too much, and you'll wind up with Thanksgiving leftovers for weeks. To make sure your food doesn't go to waste, take time to do some adequate planning. A few pointers, when you read more.

Must Read: Field Guide to Candy

YumSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:30:04 -0700

With tomorrow being Halloween, we've unofficially opened the Pandora's Box that is Fall sweets season. That's why the Field Guide to Candy ($16) couldn't have come at a better time. Pastry chef Anita Chu, who authored the Field Guide to Cookies, has come out with a second book, which promises to teach you "how to identify and make virtually every candy imaginable." Does it live up to its promise? To find out, keep reading.

Let's Dish: Whose Recipes Do You Trust?

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:50:54 -0700

Whether it's custard that won't set or brittle fleur de sel caramels, we've all had failed cooking attempts. But when disaster strikes while closely following a recipe, it poses the question: Whose recipes can be trusted? And whose cannot? Most religious recipe followers seem to have culinary experts they've come to trust. For example, I find it hard to pick on anything by famed perfectionist Thomas Keller. Same with any cookbook that's been tested over and over again, like those from the late Sheila Lukins. And I've never been able to find fault in a recipe from Tyler Florence or Ina Garten. Whose recipes have you counted on time and time again?

No Fail Impromptu Party Menu

partysugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:01:38 -0700

I ended up throwing an impromptu dinner party last Wednesday. Instead of panicking, I took a deep breath, came up with an easy, manageable menu, and wrote out a grocery list. If you ever find yourself on the hosting end of an impromptu dinner party, be sure to check out my no fail planning tips.

For appetizers make one dip (I made a quick Sun Dried Tomato Dip that involved no chopping) and round it out with store bought goodies. Bowls of burst-in-your-mouth blueberries, salty black olives, crispy flatbread, and buttery french bread crisps can be plated in a matter of minutes. Chunk a few pieces of smoked gouda or other cheese and slice up some salami.

Choose a menu that is quick, easy and meat-free in case any vegetarians unexpectedly show up. Fresh Basil Pesto with pasta and a Green Salad With Citrus Vinaigrette is a simple meal that can be put together in under an hour.
For dessert, have everyone help out and make ice cream sandwiches.
Ask your guests to bring a bottle or two of wine.

What do you cook for your last-minute dinner parties?? Share your menus with me below!

To take a look at a gallery of images from my middle-of-the-week dinner, read more

View 17 Photos ›

Guinness Tests Out Mid-Strength Beer

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:13 -0700

After more than 200 years, it appears Guinness is trying to make a splash with its new products. First, it unveiled its 250th Anniversary Stout, a limited-edition carbonated beer, and now it's begun testing out a version of the world's best-selling stout that contains less alcohol. In comparison to at least 4.1 percent in standard Guinness, Guinness Mid-Strength, as it's called, contains only 2.8 percent alcohol.

While the weaker brew, which was created partly as a result of the Scottish government's initiative to tackle irresponsible drinking, is currently only in select Scotland pubs, it could be offered widely if the trial proves to be successful in the next three months. Unlike the failed Guinness Light of the 1970s, the beer's producers claim Mid-Strength possesses the same taste and texture as Guinness with only a fraction of the alcohol.

Although many of you said you'd try out reduced-alcohol wine, I'm not sure how I feel about the Guinness. Guinness already has a built-in pacing mechanism - its richness and density. Moreover, people who dislike regular Guinness aren't likely to reach for the less potent version, and hard-core Guinness drinkers definitely won't. Guinness lovers: Would you?

Source: Flickr User [puamelia]

KFC Being Sued Over Kentucky Grilled Chicken

YumSugar — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:50:37 -0700

KFC's Kentucky Grilled Chicken made quite the headlines when it first hit the market - and the media attention doesn't look like it's about to stop. Yesterday vegetarian advocacy group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, or PCRM, announced its plans to sue KFC, alleging the chain failed to warn customers that its grilled chicken contains a carcinogen.The cancer-causing compound in question? PhIP, an amino that can be found in grilled meat. PCRM says it submitted samples to an independent lab that confirmed the presence of the carcinogenic compound in all pieces.

The suit follows a similar 2008 PCRM case against McDonald's, Burger King, Chick fil-A, Chili's, Applebee's, Outback Steakhouse, and TGI Friday's. Burger King, the only chain that wound up settling with the advocacy group, now posts signs inside its California locations warning against the possible presence of PhIP.

Do you believe these findings? Are they enough to deter you from eating Kentucky Grilled Chicken?

Source

Yummy Links: From Wolfgang Puck to Noodle Bars

partysugar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:50:32 -0700

Wolfgang Puck is being sued for $5 million over a failed dot-com deal. - Eat Me Daily
Must make: soy-marinated grilled pork tenderloin. - Serious Eats
Preeti talks about being kicked off Top Chef. - The Feedbag
Top Chef season three winner Hung Huynh has a new gig cooking at Ajna Bar in NYC. - Eater
Tonight, why not make breakfast for dinner? - The Atlantic
Speaking of breakfast, here're 10 ways to reinvent it. - Chow
A list of the nation's new top-notch noodle bars. - Bon Appétit