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Yummy Links: From Cranberry Bars to Drink Sticks

partysugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:50:34 -0800

Make your own Starbucks-style cranberry bliss bars. - Serious Eats
An inside look at New York's Top Chef season seven casting call. - Eater NY
Speaking of Top Chef casting calls, here's what the head of casting has to say. - Andrew Zimmern
Why you should give Spanish paprika a try. - The Atlantic
Jay Leno does his best impression of Gordon Ramsay. - Eat Me Daily
Feeling adventurous this Thanksgiving? Then learn how to deep-fry a turkey. - Chow
Catch up with Top Chef season three alum Chris CJ Jacobson. - Grub Street LA
At your next party, serve cocktails with homemade swizzle sticks. - Hostess With the Mostess

Gordon Ramsay to Bring Masterchef to America

YumSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:15:19 -0800

Gordon Ramsay sure is busy. Besides joining Tony Bourdain on the animated series circuit, the reigning king of chef empires will play a key role in a new show, Masterchef, airing soon on Fox.

The Masterchef series was first a hit in the UK in 1990 and has recently garnered high ratings in Australia. It's being described as a culinary American Idol. The show goes on a "nationwide search for the best amateur chef in America." While Ramsay will coproduce and be on air, it's unclear what role he will play in the new show. Scheduling hasn't been announced. Precisely what America needs! Another amateur cooking competition.

Do you think the show will appeal to the mainstream? Or has the TV cooking space reached its saturation point?

Next Up For Gordon Ramsay: Cartoons

YumSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:00:48 -0700

With 27 restaurants and five television shows, Gordon Ramsay easily has the world's biggest celebrity chef empire. And, it appears, he has no plans to slow its growth.

Coming soon: an animated version of the already over-animated restaurateur, tentatively called Gordon Ramsay, at Your Service. He's set to create the half hour-long, stop-motion animated series with Toronto-based animation studio Cuppa Coffee, the creators behind MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch. According to Cuppa Coffee's Adam Shaheen, the show will capture "the essence of who he is and have a bit of fun with it."

Does this mean the chef has plans to poke fun at himself? Considering his rather serious reaction after being asked if he still cooks, I seriously doubt it. The project will be shopped out next month - who do you think will pick it up? Would you be likely to watch it?

Gordon Ramsay Swears at You: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 05:50:04 -0700

Now that another season of Hell's Kitchen has wrapped, you may be wondering where you'll get your regular fix of foul mouthing, courtesy of Gordon Ramsay. Well, look no further than the website Gordon Ramsay Swears at You, which, at the push of a button, fulfills any sadistic need to have the irate chef blurt out expletives.

I got a kick out of staring at an optimistic image of Gordon, juxtaposed with voice-overs of him yelling swear words. Do you find it funny?

Source

Ramsay Missing From the World's Best Restaurants List

partysugar — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 10:15:44 -0700

Yesterday Restaurant magazine and S. Pellegrino announced its famed list of the world's 50 best restaurants. The list is developed by a large panel of well-regarded international judges consisting of 806 chefs, restaurateurs, food critics, and journalists.

For the fourth year in a row, Ferran Adriá's experimental Spanish restaurant, El Bulli, has been named the best eatery in the world. Coming in at sixth, Thomas Keller's Per Se is the highest-ranking US restaurant.

The most shocking news, however, is that Gordon Ramsay's flagship London establishment, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, which was number 13 on last year's list, is totally absent from this year's. To check out the complete list, read more.

El Bulli, Spain
The Fat Duck, UK
Noma, Denmark
Mugaritz, Spain
El Celler de Can Roca, Spain
Per Se, US
Bras, France
Arzak, Spain
Pierre Gagnaire, France
Alinea, US
L’Astrance, France
The French Laundry US
Osteria Francescana, Italy
St. John, UK
Le Bernardin, US
Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville, Switzerland
Tetsuya’s, Australia
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, France
Jean Georges, US
Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan
Chez Dominique, Finland
Ristorante Cracco, Italy
Die Schwarzwaldstube, Germany
D.O.M., Brazil
Vendome, Germany
Hof van Cleve, Belgium
Masa, US
Gambero Rosso, Italy
Oud Sluis, Netherlands
Steirereck, Austria
Momofuku Ssam Bar, US
Oaxen Skaergaardskrog, Sweden
Martin Berasategui, Spain
Nobu UK
Mirazur, France
Hakkasan, UK
Le Quartier Francais, South Africa
La Colombe, South Africa
Asador Etxebarri, Spain
Le Chateaubriand, France
Daniel, US
Combal Zero, Italy
Le Louis XV, France
Tantris, Germany
Iggy’s, Singapore
Quay, Australia
Les Ambassadeurs, France
Dal Pescatore, Italy
Le Calandre, Italy
Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden

Source

Gordon Ramsay Under Fire For Pre-Prepared Meals

YumSugar — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:00:28 -0700

Gordon Ramsay is under fire - for the way meals are prepared in his own kitchen. The Sun posted a slideshow of dishes from coq au vin to sausage rolls to fishcakes made in mass at a production site, then transported to several of Ramsay's gastropubs.

Although the star of Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares wasn't available for comment, his spokeswoman, Jo Barnes, contended that it's "common in the business" for small dining establishments to prepare dishes offsite. But in a contrasting 2007 interview, the celebrity food personality extolled the virtues of just-prepared food: "I can't understand how on earth people can ignore fresh food. Using fresh ingredients is the only way to guarantee a great taste."

The claim isn't the first time the world-famous chef has been in the public eye this year. It was off to a rough start with speculation that his culinary empire might be going bankrupt. Then a Scottish newspaper reported that most of the restaurants he revamped on Kitchen Nightmares are now closed. As if things couldn't get worse, one of his London restaurants was under investigation after a reality TV star claimed to have choked on a piece of cling film. He also recently sold his West Hollywood and Paris restaurants - and rumors are flying that his New York outpost may not remain for much longer.

What do you think of The Sun's newest claim - is it wrong or reasonable for small restaurants to prepare things ahead of time at a different location? What kind of advice would you give to Gordon to turn things around?

Source

Woman Breaks World Record For Eating World's Hottest Chiles

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:35:45 -0700

For some spice lovers, jalapeno-laden hamburgers just won't do. Take Anandita Dutta Tamuly, a 26-year-old woman from Assam, India, who set a Guinness world record last week when she consumed 51 of the world's hottest chile peppers in only two minutes. She also rubbed 24 of the same chile peppers in her eyes over the span of one minute.

Overseeing the feat with a watchful eye was none other than chef Gordon Ramsay, who was in India filming for a British TV program. The reality show host and restaurateur could only consume one of the peppers before screaming for water. Measuring in at 1 million Scoville heat units, the bhut jolokia is known to the be world's hottest known chile pepper (jalapenos, in comparison, contain roughly 2,500 to 8,000 Scovilles.)

A single seed from this pepper is known to cause puffy, watering eyes, a runny nose, and a burning sensation that may last for up to five hours. So how did she manage to defy the laws of nature? The mother of one explained:

I have been eating bhut jolokia since my childhood and never felt the hotness in my mouth. When I was five, I had a sore tongue and my mother applied a chili paste to cure the infection. Since then I developed a penchant for chiles. To be honest, I barely notice them now.

I'm shocked to hear that this record was humanly possible - especially considering the tragic death that occurred last year after a UK man consumed too much spicy sauce. What do you think of the stunt: is it amazing, or simply incredibly foolish?

Source

All the News That's Fit to Eat - Mar. 11, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:50:31 -0700

If you've got leftover bread, here are 33 suggestions for making the most of it. - San Francisco Chronicle
Amidst his company's financial woes, Gordon Ramsay has sold his West Hollywood restaurant. - Los Angeles Times
Is it acceptable to ask your waiter to jot down your order? - New York Times
For a St. Patty's Day seafood dish, turn to haddock fillets steeped in Irish cider. - Chicago Tribune
What's on the menu at Nowruz, or Persian New Year. - Boston Globe
10 tips to get the most wine for your buck when dining out. - Wall Street Journal
Move over, mac and cheese: humble hashes are this season's top comfort food. - Washington Post

Most Restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares Are Now Closed

partysugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 11:33:25 -0700

Ever wonder what happens to a restaurant after Gordon Ramsay whips the staff into shape and redesigns the dining room on Fox's Kitchen Nightmares? Well according to Scottish newspaper, the Herald, more than half of the eateries have closed or been sold. Of the 20 restaurants that were featured on the US version of KN, 10 are now closed; 12 out of the 22 UK establishments faced the same grim fate. Restaurateurs blame a range of reasons for shuttering, from high costs of fresh local produce to a decrease in customer counts due to the recession. Others even begrudge Ramsay saying that the show is clearly a joke.

In some ways, I have to agree. A quick makeover from a celebrity chef and appearance on a reality television show isn't going to make thousands of dollars in debt disappear. The harsh truth is that for a restaurant to succeed, it needs diners, and not even Gordon Ramsay can guarantee that an establishment will be full each night.

What do think of the news? Are you surprised to learn that so many of the eateries have shut down?

Source

Yummy Links: From Breast Milk Cupcakes to Food Discounts

partysugar — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:50:47 -0800

Would you eat a cupcake made with breast milk?- Serious Eats
Five simple tips for planning the perfect party. - Simply Stated
Gordon Ramsay cooks a "credit crunch" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. - Eat Me Daily
The Cupcake Kit provides everything you need to make delicious pretty cupcakes. - The Epi-Log
How to properly separate an egg. - The Kitchn
Coupon-clipping resources: where to find discounts for groceries and restaurants. - Chow