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Ham Chips Are Easy, Addictive Appetizer Idea

Katie Sweeney — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:49:53 PDT

After making and enjoying salami chips, I wondered, what would ham chips taste like? The concept is simple: you take thin slices of prosciutto or jamon serrano place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake until crispy. The resulting snack is salty, crunchy, and downright delicious. Add to a cheese display or use in a sandwich, burger, salad, or crostini recipe. The method is uncomplicated; read more to learn how to make ham chips.

6 Uses For Easter Leftovers

YumSugar — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:12:46 PDT

Happy Easter! By the time the day is over, your Easter meals - breakfast, brunch, dinner, or all three! - will be nothing but a pleasant memory. But chances are, you'll be stuck with some leftovers to remember them by. Wondering what to do with all that smoky ham, roasted asparagus, and (of course!) hard-boiled eggs? Here are some of our favorite uses for Easter leftovers to get you through the week.

Perfect Deviled Eggs	Ham Salad Sammies	Spring Pizza With Asparagus
Ham Sandwich With Brie	Bobby Flay's Egg Salad	Silky Asparagus Soup

Yummy Links: From Soup Dumplings to Ham

YumSugar — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 10:48:12 PDT

Make your own Chinese soup dumplings. - Serious Eats
Subway's cut the salt in its Fresh Fit sub sandwiches. - Nation's Restaurant News
Padma Lakshmi and her baby go vegetarian. - Ecorazzi
Guess what? Chili's served a kid booze, too. - Grub Street CHI
TGD in Canton, OH offers Thanksgiving dinner all year long. - Eater
This Summer's fast food drinks look to be a bit of overkill. - USA Today
Ferrero Rocher magnate Pietro Ferrero has died in a biking accident. - New York Times
From smoked to spiral: a primer on ham. - Huffington Post Food

Richard Blais on Pork, Perfect Picnic Food, and His Next Step

Allie Merriam — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 10:03:25 PDT

Top Chef All-Stars champ Richard Blais was the guest of honor earlier this week at an event in NYC hosted by the National Pork Board called, "Pork: Be Inspired." He concocted a few pork-based recipes for the assembled reporters, including a delicious ham and herb schnitzel with a 6-minute egg - check out that recipe below.

He narrated the process of making the dishes, adding some of his trademark quips like, "Is it weird if I say there is something romantic about a piece of meat basted in its own juices?" Richard also emphasized that he wishes people would just get over their fear of burning pork when they're cooking. I managed to snag a minute with Richard after the demo, and he chatted about how he celebrated with his wife after his big win (a low key dinner at the Big Apple's Blue Ribbon), further sharing about his favorite Spring picnic dish, joining the Top Chef tour, and what's next. He said:

On his favorite dish for a picnic: Right now for spring, I just did something with asparagus
so whether it's asparagus or artichokes and mayonnaise and some lemon and some toast. Some olive oil. It sounds like simple stuff, but that's what I like to eat in the Spring and Summer."
On joining the Top Chef tour: "I'm doing some of the tour dates yeah, I'm not sure what cities I'll end up in. It'll be my fourth year on the tour, and if you get a chance, whatever city you're in to come out and see it, it's a lot of fun. This year we're adding a competitive element to it where the contestants are going to be competing again in front of the tour audiences.
On what's next for him: "I'm opening a few restaurants in the Southeast, but as a native New Yorker and someone who loves big cities I would love to get a project going in major A-List city. But nothing to report just yet."

To see Richard's recipe for ham and herb schnitzel with a 6-minute egg, just

Ham and Herb Schnitzel With 6-Minute Egg
From Richard Blais

Ingredients

For whipped maple topping: 2 tablespoons maple syrup, such as Blis 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream For sausage vinaigrette: 4 ounces sausage, patty style breakfast 2 tablespoons onion, finely diced 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1 teaspoon ginger, fresh, grated 1 teaspoon sage, fresh, chopped 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar For asparagus: 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons chili paste, such as harissa* 8 to 12 spears asparagus, trimmed 1/2 lemon Salt and black pepper For eggs: 4 large eggs Salt and black pepper For pork: 4 ham steaks, trimmed, about 1/4-inch thick 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Crystal 1 cup panko bread crumbs 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon basil, fresh, finely chopped 1 tablespoon chives, fresh, finely chopped 1 teaspoon tarragon, fresh, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 to 4 tablespoons lard, also known as manteca, or more if needed

Directions

Make the whipped maple: Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip cream to stiff peak. Fold in maple syrup. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Make the sausage vinaigrette: In a medium skillet over medium heat, combine sausage, onion, garlic, ginger, and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up sausage, until sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, scraping up any browned bits in the skillet. Remove from the heat, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
Make the asparagus: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine oil and harissa. Arrange asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and spread with harissa mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Squeeze juice from lemon over asparagus. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
While asparagus is roasting, make the eggs. Prepare an ice bath and set aside. In a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook eggs for exactly 6 minutes. Transfer eggs to the ice bath and set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel eggs, then season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Make ham cutlet: Place flour in a large, shallow bowl. In another large, shallow bowl, whisk eggs, mustard, and hot sauce. In a third large, shallow bowl, combine panko bread crumbs, parsley, basil, chives, tarragon, and garlic.
In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons lard. Working one cutlet at a time, dredge in flour mixture, egg mixture, and panko mixture. Add cutlets to skillet and cook, in batches if necessary and using more lard as needed, until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to a plate and cover to keep warm.
To serve, arrange cutlets on plates, and spoon on breakfast sausage vinaigrette. Arrange egg on top and asparagus along side. Garnish with whipped maple.

Serves 4.

Print recipe with images | without images Photo from Diane Bondareff, courtesy of the National Pork Board

Take a Journey to the Big Easy With a Pot of Red Beans

Katie Sweeney — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:52:16 PST

Red beans and rice is a dish that is native to Louisiana. Traditionally it's enjoyed on Mondays because it's a one-pot meal that makes use of leftovers from Sunday's family dinner. The important thing to remember is that the beans must be soaked overnight, therefore a little planning is involved when making it.

It also requires time because the beans simmer with pork, vegetables, and aromatics for two hours. The resulting dish is hearty soul food that's filling and flavorful. Four different kinds of pork - bacon fat, ham, ham hocks, and smoked sausage - infuse the beans with an amazing richness.

To take a trip to the Bayou in your own kitchen, all you have to do is make these red beans and rice! Here's the recipe.

Meet the Best Brunch-For-a-Crowd Dish, the Strata

Katie Sweeney — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:29:25 PST

If you've never made a strata before, you are missing out! A strata is a casserole brunch dish that consists of bread, eggs, and cheese. Think of it like a savory breakfast bread pudding. Stratas are excellent for entertaining because they can be assembled the night before the party and feed a large crowd. My favorite strata recipe, one that I've served over and over again, is this version. It's got smoked ham, artichoke hearts, and three different kinds of cheese. To make it vegetarian, simply omit the ham. This recipe is one of my go-tos, and I highly recommend you give it a try. Here's the method.

6 Uses For Christmas Leftovers

YumSugar — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:00:01 PST

Christmas is over, and you're left with crumbled wrapping paper and way too much of last night's Christmas feast. Instead of eating cookies until you're blue in the face, transform your holiday leftovers into dramatically different gourmet dishes. To see some of our ideas, read on.

Holiday Roasts: How to Cook a Ham at Home

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 05:50:40 PST

At the Christmas table, the centerpiece of choice is often ham over turkey. But although we urge you to ditch the mail-order honey baked version in favor of the little effort required to make at home ham, there are a few general points you should know before you dive in.

To get you on the fast track to porcine deliciousness, the editors at KitchenDaily and Slashfood have put together an exhaustive ham primer and purchasing guide. Never cooked a ham at home, either? They've also got serving suggestions, and celebrity chef Curtis Stone's recipe for making your very own honey glazed ham in the comfort of your own home.

Yummy Links: From Shooting the Holiday Table to Carving Ham

YumSugar — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:30:13 PST

How to shoot the holiday table. - The New York Times
Top Chef's all-stars reveal their New Year's resolutions. - The Feast
Is this the famous recipe to KFC's secret spice blend? - Rachael Ray Blogs
Watch David Chang, Dan Barber, and Wylie Dufresne lecture at Harvard. - Eater
Actor Stanley Tucci will host a new wine television show. - Grub Street NY
10 must-have iPhone food apps and accessories. - Serious Eats
Richard Blais on his new sci-fi cooking show, Blais Off. - Eatocracy
Learn the proper technique for carving ham. - Huffington Post Food

Honey Baked Ham: Love It or Hate It?

Katie Sweeney — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 08:30:01 PST

I'm hosting Christmas dinner for the first time ever, and although I don't have the entire menu planned, I know what will not be on the table: honey baked ham. While I enjoy a delicious and moist glazed ham, for some reason, the entrée seems outdated. Also more often than not, the meat is crusty and dry rather than succulent and juicy. How do you feel about it?