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Yummy Links: From a Vegan's Vengeance to Food Network

partysugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 06:45:42 -0700

If you love foodie fiction, check out this crime novel in which a vegan gets his vengeance. - San Francisco Magazine
These cheesecake pops are pretty and delicious. - GlamDish
Check out the new and improved Chow.com. - Chow
Learn everything you need to know about 16 varieties of potatoes.- The Kitchn
In what must be the most absurd announcement of the week, PETA has asked Ben & Jerry to make ice cream with breast milk.- The Epi-Log
Wine wipes will get rid of red wine-stained teeth. - Serious Eats
How to unclog your coffee grinder.- CasaSugar
Food Network's holding casting calls for the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star; do you have what it takes? - Grubstreet

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All the News That's Fit to Eat - Nov. 5, 2008

YumSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:30:39 -0800

During times of economic hardship, familiar American desserts can be a sweet comfort. - San Francisco Chronicle
What role do tannins play in wine? - Washington Post
Food review site Yelp has become an online force to be recognized. - New York Times
Cozy up to those many exotic varieties of Winter squash. - The Oregonian
For a speedy and inexpensive crowd-pleaser, make dinner Eggplant Parmesan pie. - Boston Globe
Select white wines to stand up to any chowder. - Chicago Tribune
A devastating blight wiped out American chestnuts, but now they're making a comeback. - Los Angeles Times
General Mills has issued a recall of Progresso Hearty Tomato Soup. - Food & Drug Administration

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After Party Reflections

partysugar — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 15:23:11 -0800

After I've taken out the trash, wiped down the counters, and washed the dishes after one of my parties, I like to take a moment to sit back and reflect on everything. Was there enough food? Not enough food? Did the wine pair well with the meal? Did the guests enjoy what I prepared? Did my surprise activities go as planned? Would I consider the party a success? These are all questions I ask myself after hosting an event. If I found out a friend has an allergic reaction to shrimp at my seafood extravaganza dinner, I'll make a note in my hostess diary to remind me not to make shrimp the next time said guest returns to dine at my house. If I receive a bottle of wine as a gift and we throughly enjoyed it during the meal, I'll write down the vintage and make of the label for future use.

Also, if you took the time to create a party plan, save these notes in a manila folder or special diary. Trust me, if you threw an awesome Valentine's Day fiesta last year, referring back to your plan and after party notes will only make this year's party that much better. It's a good idea to discuss the flow of the party with your partner or friends a few days later because they can offer you important tips and interesting insights that you may have overlooked. So remember, following your upcoming soirée, make it a point to reflect on all that happened at your party, good and the bad.

Having a special little book that you specifically use for making after party notes is a great way to motivate yourself to reflect. You can get the above diary (which I have!) at Shop Intuition for $16.95. Aspinal calls their hostess diary, the dinner party book, and comes in an assortment of colors including my personal favorite pink. A simple red leather hostess book is available at Amazon UK and a who ate what when mini hostess book can be found at William and Son for £68 (about $130).

Top Chef 3.9 - Second Helping (aka RWII) Recap

YumSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 12:32:31 -0700

In RWII (Restaurant Wars 2), the cheftestants received a chance to correct their mistakes from last week's episode. They were still divided into two teams - Restaurant April (CJ, Brian, Tre and Casey) and The Garage (Howie, Sara, Dale and Hung) - and each team had to redecorate their restaurants and tinker with their menus in hope for a flawless evening. But before they could begin, there was (of course) a quickfire challenge. This time they were greeted by both Padma and Chef Tom. To find out what happened next, read more

The quickfire was a Mise en Place relay challenge. The first contestant had to shuck 15 oysters, the next had to dice 5 onions, the third had to break down 4 chickens and the last member had to crack and separate 3 eggs, then beat the whites until they were stiff enough to remain in a bowl upside down for five seconds. Brian smoked Howie on the oysters, but Casey ruined her lead by meticulously chopping her onions. Eventually her slow as molasses style chopping caused them to lose the lead and the challenge. The Garage is declared victor and they receive $200 additional dollars for wine, plus the assistance of a guest sommelier - which later turns out to be Stephen from season one. Did anyone else see this coming?

Next they head back to their restaurants and work on the style. Interior designer Christopher Ciccone - Madonna's brother - works with them to fine tune their design and although The Garage - soon to be named Quatre - looks much nicer and more put together, Dale says it looks like "Valentine's Day threw up all over it."

During the service, Chef Tom decides to stay in the kitchen while the other judges, including guest judge Geoffrey Zakarian and four former TC contestants, are seated up front. Back there he gets to see how Sara commands the kitchen as executive chef, and how Tre just lets things go out.

Meanwhile out in the front of the houses, the judges hate half of Restaurant April's food. They even call Tre's beet dish one of the worst dishes they've had in a long time. Over at the other restaurant, they wonder why in the world Dale is in a short sleeve shirt and jeans.

In the end the renamed Garage is declared the winning team and Sara, for her assertiveness in the kitchen, is declared the final winner. This means it's sayonara to either CJ, Brian, Tre or Casey. At this point I started panicking, I realized that Casey and Brian both received very little screen time, so it couldn't have been either of them. This meant it was either Tre or CJ - both of whom I thought would make it to the finals - who would be packing their knives. I couldn't figure out which would make me feel worse, but seeing Tre gracefully say farewell was definitely heartbreaking. Bravo you had me fooled! Even the blogging community assumed Tre had made it to the end, how could you do this to us?!?

Now, after wiping my tears, I have a few things to ask you:

Dale absolutely hates the designer, but is very professional about it. Would you have been able to be so nice?
Are Bravo's editors finally learning? Dale received so much screen time, I definitely thought he was either winning or losing.
Could you chop onions faster than Casey?
Was Stephen an addition to the team or an obstacle?
I know it's due to editing, but what did Brian do last night?
Did you love the scenes of Chef Tom eating in the kitchen as much as I did?
Were you surprised by Sara's assertiveness?
Wasn't it great when Joey said the lamb was undercooked and therefore must have been Howie's?
Who are you rooting for?

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45 Things To Do With Salt

YumSugar — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:58:13 -0700

Salt is fantastic for seasoning food, but there are actually a number of other uses for salt. In fact, the folks over at Canadian Living have come up with 45 things to do with salt. Some of my favorites include:

If wine is spilled on a tablecloth or rug, blot up as much as possible and immediately cover with a generous amount of salt, then leave until dried. Vacuum up salt and rinse with cold water. The stain will (cross your fingers) be gone.
Wash dirty green vegetables such as spinach in a sink of mildly salted water to make them easier to clean.

For a few more great tips, read more

Pour salt into a vase to hold dried or artificial flowers in place.
Keep sliced potatoes, apples or pears from browning by placing them in a bowl of mildly salted cold water.
A greasy pan will wash easier if you rub a little salt on it first. Wipe with a paper towel and then wash pan in hot soapy water.
When adding flour to a recipe for thickening, stir flour with a pinch of salt to prevent lumps.

If these tips have you intrigued, be sure to check out author Sarah Kramer's entire salt list.

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Exercise in Excess: The French Laundry Part 2

YumSugar — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:01:18 -0700

Yesterday I walked you through the first part of my extravagant time at the French Laundry, and while everything I posted was definitely tasty, you guys haven't even seen the meat of the story (bad pun intended). Today I'll take you from fish course to beef and all the lovely bits in-between.

After the foie gras, the next course was either Filet of American Red Snapper with Summer Squash, San Marzano Tomato "Fondue," Cuttlefish and Arugula-Castelvetrano Olive Pudding (shown right) or Spanish Mackerel "En Escabeche" with Hawaiian Hearts of Peach Palm, English Cucumbers, Cilantro Shoots, Haas Avocado "Coulis" and Rangpur Lime "Gastrique" (shown above). I ordered the snapper, while Jimmy ordered the mackerel. When our dishes arrived I was envious of his dish - the presentation was so gorgeous - however after tasting both of them, his fell a little flat and I was certain I picked the winning dish.

To see what's up next (and believe me, the best parts are next),read more

Once the fish was devoured, they presented us with a selection of fresh baked breads. There were some delicious choices, but my favorite was definitely the pretzel bread. [Note to self: get recipe for pretzel bread.]

With the bread out of the way, we moved on to the lobster course, or as the menu said: Lobster Tail "Pochée Au Beurre Doux" with Caramelized Cipollini Onions, Oregon Hazelnuts, Sunchoke Purée and Valrhona Chocolate-Coffee Emulsion. I believe this was my favorite part of the meal, as it was perfectly cooked and paired well with the sauce. Also, whenever anyone asks how my experience was, I immediately tell them about the lobster, so this must've been my favorite part.

After the lobster it was time for either All-Day Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly with Brentwood Corn, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Piquillo Peppers, Fava Beans and "Pimenton Jus" (shown right) or Devil's Gulch Ranch Rabbit Shoulder "Farci Au Ris De Veau" with Jacobsen's Farm La Ratte Potatoes, Lovage, Celery Branch and Apricot Mustard (aka fancy pants rabbit lollipop that my fellow diners wished they ordered instead).

Finally, rounding out the main course, and pushing out my waistline, was the "Chateaubriand" of Nature-Fed Veal with Morel Mushrooms, Green Asparagus, Veal Cheek "Pierogi" and Madeira Sauce. This might actually have been the highlight of the feast. However, at this point I had way too many glasses of wine and far too much brioche to fully enjoy it. In fact, I'm ashamed to say, I actually had to GIVE 1/3 of it to my fellow diners. I also couldn't down all the pierogi, which was a crying shame because they were delicious.

Now wipe up your drool, because after a little breather (seriously, I had to get up for a minute and catch my breath and appetite), we'll hit the cheese & dessert courses tomorrow - so be sure to come back!