YumSugar

Yum's November Must Haves

YumSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 07:01:11 -0700

There's no way around it, November means Thanksgiving. Whether you're prepping your own meal, or headed over to someone else's house, you will definitely find something on our list of must haves.

To start things off, we've got the Willie Bird Fresh Organic Turkey ($65-$85). It's raised on natural grains and vegetables in Sonoma County, California. In addition to being organic and free-range, it has a clean turkey flavor.
Once you get a fabulous turkey, you're going to need a large roaster to cook it in. This Calphalon Contemporary Stainless Roaster with V-Rack ($99.95) is sleek and contains an aluminum core for superb heat conductivity. It's large enough for a 25lb turkey and the rack is non-stick.
If you're looking to take the leap from mashed potatoes to thinly-sliced gratin, then you're going to need a slicer or mandoline. This Zyliss 4-In-1 Multi Slicer/Grater ($19.95) will make slicing and grating a breeze!
Need a great way to get the conversation started? These TableTopics Conversation Starters will help you break the ice. Each set of conversation starting questions will help maneuver through those awkward party moments. They're perfect for the host, and great for a guest to bring as well.
Finally, an important Thanksgiving must have is this Multi-Time Triple Timer ($14.99). With three display monitors, you can easily set and keep track of three items at once.

Alessi Anna G Cheese Grater: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 05:30:00 -0800

Italy's Alessi has a thing for anthropomorphic kitchen tools, such as this Anna G Cheese Grater ($97).

The brightly colored tool lets you shred your parmesan with the likes of a little girl in an orange dress. But is it too precious?

Stanislav Katz's Cheese Grater: Love It or Hate It?

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:57:31 -0800

Designer Stanislav Katz has created the grate-est cheese grater ever. It's similar to your standard box grater, but the holes are round, and it's painted yellow to resemble a piece of Swiss cheese. I think it's wonderfully whimsical and absolutely fabulous. How about you, what do you think?

In Season: Heirloom Tomatoes

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:17:30 -0700

Few things excite a summertime farmers market crowd more than a spread of vividly-hued heirloom tomatoes. Unlike mass-produced tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes are breed with unique characteristics that have been passed down for generations. There are countless varieties that differ in color, shape, and size, as well as maturation times.

They range from the hefty, irregularly shaped, explosively juicy cherokee purple to the tiny, tart, and firm green zebra. Because heirloom tomato cultivars come in early-, mid-, and late-season varieties, pay attention to what's available at your local market that day. Generally speaking, select tomatoes that are firm, heavy for their size, and free of any open cracks or wounds. For ideas on how to cook with them, read more.

Enjoy them the way I do most often, which is simply sliced and drizzled with good olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and flaky sea salt. Or highlight their flavor in a variety of dishes:

Slice super thin and serve carpaccio style with an Asian-inspired drizzle.
Use a grater to crush ripe heirlooms into a classic gazpacho.
Cut a thick midsection out of an heirloom to include in a picnic-perfect caprese-inspired tomato and mozzarella sandwich.
Take advantage of small, intensely-flavored varieties to create an unconventional tomato water martini.
Make a flaky, savory heirloom tomato tart reminiscent of the French countryside.
Toss them in a Calabrian bread salad along with basil and olive oil-packed tuna.

What's your favorite way to use an heirloom tomato?

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?

Gazpacho Two Ways - Beginner and Expert

YumSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:30:15 -0700

Even if you aren't a fan of warm soups in Summer, it'd be hard not to get behind the tart, herbaceous, chilled Spanish soup known as gazpacho. In-season tomatoes provide a savory acidity, emulsified olive oil gives a creamy mouth-feel, and garlic packs a punch. In traditional Spanish recipes, the addition of day-old bread adds weight and body.

Make the soup by pulsing ripe tomatoes with other abundant vegetables - or go the rustic route, as California landmark Chez Panisse does, and use a mortar and pestle to smash cloves of garlic, and a grater to crush fresh heirloom tomatoes. See both versions of this classic refreshing soup when you read more.

Beginner Gazpacho
From Real Simple

Ingredients

3 small fennel bulbs, roughly chopped
4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia), roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 red bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, diced (or one 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, undrained)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 cups (32 ounces) tomato or vegetable juice
Juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
Lemon or lime wedges

Directions

Place the fennel, celery, scallions, onion, garlic, and red peppers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not pureed.
Transfer to a large glass or plastic bowl and stir in the tomatoes, oil, salt, black pepper, tomato juice, lemon juice, and hot sauce, if desired.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve chilled with the lemon or lime wedges.

Serves 6-8.

Print recipe with images | without images

Expert Gazpacho
From Saveur

Ingredients

Soup:
1 dried ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
1 1⁄2 cups crustless, cubed day-old country white bread
2–3 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
5 lbs. best available vine-ripened red tomatoes, halved
1⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Relish:
1⁄2 lb. mixed varieties and colors small vine-ripened
tomatoes, quartered
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small sweet yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1⁄2 small red onion, peeled and diced
Leaves from 1⁄2 bunch chervil, chopped
Leaves from 1⁄2 bunch basil, chopped
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 slices country white bread, brushed with extra-virgin
Olive oil, toasted, and rubbed with 1 clove peeled garlic

Directions

Make the soup: Soak chile in a bowl of hot water until soft, about 30 minutes.
Drain, peel, and crush to a paste with a mortar and pestle; set aside.
Soak bread cubes in a medium bowl of cold water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain, squeeze out excess water, and set aside.
Crush garlic with 2 tbsp. salt to a paste with a mortar and pestle, add soaked bread, and grind until smooth; set aside.
Grate cut side of tomatoes just to skin on large holes of box grater into a strainer set over a large bowl, straining out seeds and pressing through as much pulp as possible; discard skins.
Stir reserved chile paste, garlic-bread paste, and oil into tomato pulp and season to taste with salt. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Make the relish: For the relish: Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, chervil, basil, vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a medium bowl.
Divide soup between 6 bowls; add a generous spoonful of relish and a slice of toast to each bowl.

Serves 6.

Print recipe with images | without images

Out of the Toolshed and Into the Kitchen

YumSugar — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 00:03:11 -0800

Twelve years ago Lorraine Lee of Ottawa, Canada changed the world of grating forever. Tired of dealing with her old grater, she picked up her husband’s fancy new woodworking tool and voila! history was made.

And thank you Lorraine! The microplane grater is by far my favorite kitchen gadget. With its super fine teeth, it upgrades grating from a chore to a fun task and cuts through tough blocks of Parmesan cheese like a hot knife through butter. If you’ve ever wondered why grating has to be so frustrating, then look no further.

Now at the risk of being pummeled by your old box graters, I have to say, get your own Microplane Grater ($12.95) and you’ll be “grate”ful - sorry! I couldn't resist!

6 Tempting Gratin Dishes

YumSugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:50:25 -0800

In the dead of Winter, during a period of economic stress, there's nothing more appetizing than down-home comfort foods. While mac and cheese, burgers, and pot pies get a lot of press, I have to argue that the title of The Ultimate Comfort Food should go to the gratin. Coined after an obsolete French term for "grater," a gratin is a very loosely defined dish: it's simply any course that's topped with browned crumbs, butter, and cheese. Read on to see six different renditions of this homestyle dish.

View Slideshow ›

Fast & Easy Dinner: No-Bake Macaroni and Cheese

partysugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:45:01 -0800

Stop! Put down that box of macaroni and cheese and pick up a cheese grater. This recipe for no-bake mac and cheese is creamy, delicious, and simple to put together. Made with lowfat milk, whole-wheat pasta, and broccoli, it's far healthier than its boxed counterpart. To serve this meal without heading to the grocery store, use whatever cheese and frozen vegetables you have on hand. Sound delish? Get the recipe when you read more.

No-Bake Macaroni and Cheese
From Eating Well

Ingredients

8 ounces whole-wheat elbow noodles (2 cups)
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli
1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
3/4 cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta for 4 minutes. Add frozen broccoli and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and broccoli are just tender, 4 to 5 minutes more.
Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 cups milk in another large pot over medium-high heat until just simmering.
Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup milk, flour, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture to the simmering milk; return to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and whisk in Cheddar, Parmesan and mustard until the cheese is melted.
Drain the pasta and broccoli and add to the cheese sauce. Return to the heat and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat, until heated through, about 1 minute.

Serves 4.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 412 calories; 13 g fat (7 g sat, 1 g mono); 37 mg cholesterol; 56 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 7 g fiber; 640 mg sodium; 236 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Calcium (40% dv), Fiber (27% dv), Vitamin A (25% dv), Magnesium (16% dv).
3 Carbohydrate Servings

Print recipe with images | without images

All You Need To Enjoy Your Cheese

partysugar — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 08:57:32 -0700

It's National Cheese Day, so I decided to scour the web and highlight a few essential tools to help you enjoy cheese to the fullest. For slicing perfect slices of cheddar and Gruyere, choose a wooden board with an attached metal cutter. For softer cheeses, like Brie, use a special edged knife that allows you to smoothly spread cheese on crackers, toasts, and fruit pieces. Hard cheese such as Parmesan requires a cheese plane to create thick shaved sheets that can be placed onto pastas and salads. For wine and cheese parties, a wooden cheese board is essential for displaying a variety of cheese types. A box grater is useful for pizzas, tacos, gratins, and more. Lastly, for those special occasions, a shiny fondue pot allows you to savor melted cheese - it's an indulgent splurge that you won't use as often as your box grater, but it's one that you'll definitely delight in. To check out all these finds, scroll through the box below.