November 21, 2006
A new product from Canada, called Vinifera, has turned grape skins and seeds into a flour.
The product is obtained using a patent-pending drying process, applied to the grape pomace – or what is left of the fruit after it has been crushed for wine-making. Primarily made up of grape skins, together with a small amount of seeds, this by-product is dried, sifted and ground into a flour. Read more…
October 16, 2006
Below is my award winning recipe for the biscotti voted Best for Dipping at this year’s biscotti event, hosted by my friends Tom and Alicia in Astoria, Queens. With almost 30 entries and twice as many tasters, it’s truly amazing to me that I garnered a prize. I was surprised at how much fun it is to WIN! Sadly, I forgot my camera.
CINNAMON-SUGAR & PECAN BISCOTTI
2 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon (throw a stick or two in a food processor, its spicier than the pre-ground)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup (or more) cinnamon glazed pecans (I used Trader Joe’s)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
cinnamon sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in medium bowl to blend. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add 1 egg; beat well. Add egg yolk; beat well. Mix in vanilla, then dry ingredients.
Transfer dough to work surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into 9-inch-long, 1 1/2-inch-wide log. Transfer logs to baking sheets. Bake until golden and firm to touch (dough will spread), about 50 minutes. Cool on baking sheets. Maintain oven temperature.
Using serrated knife, cut logs into 1/2-inch-wide diagonal slices. Place biscotti, cut side down, on baking sheets. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each biscotti. Bake until pale golden, about 20 minutes. Cool on racks. (Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in airtight container.)
Makes 30-40.
Adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1997 via Epicurious.com
October 13, 2006
Meet Max Brenner. He is the self-proclaimed Willy Wonka of our time, references abound at his Union Square shop and restaurant, not the least of which are the pipes of (allegedly) chocolate snaking their way around near the ceiling. It’s a fanciful place, and is as much for the eye as the tastebuds. Desserts are playfully named, imaginatively served and everything available for purchase at the gift shop.
It was the attention to aesthetic details (Brenner’s elegantly whimsical china among them) that led me to believe our dessert would send me into orbit a la Wonka. I ordered the Eskimo, a waffle cone with two scoops of ice cream accompanied by two little crunchy toppings, each in their own dish. The presentation was delightful, but the “dark” chocolate ice cream did not deliver, the warm chocolate sauce was overly sweet and too milk chocolate-y for my taste. My inner child was served but my adult palate was disappointed. I did steal a bite of my mother’s molten chocolate cake, which, though well executed, seemed banal compared to the otherworldly confections on offer. The confections in the gift shopped looked promising, but again I suspect the presentation outweighs the cocoa quotient.
August 22, 2006
Richard Hellman opened a deli in New York City in 1905 and the rest is history.
Also courtesy of NPR, here’s a recipe for Cracker Jack-Style Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts
July 25, 2006
Why wasn’t Dirty Sugar Cookies lauded all around on all the foodie this that and other sites I come across? Hail Halliday, down with snobbery. Her irreverent stroll (I’m sure she’s sick of being called irreverent) through midwestern picky-eater youth to NYC omnivore will send the germ-phobic unsettled and the Martha Stewarts a-eye-rolling. She’s a Hip Mama, Bust and Bitch contributor but you never feel chastised or anti-feminist for wanting an easy-bake oven. Food lust trumps politics in one vignette after another, except perhaps for her waxing and waning vegetarianism. Highly reccomended and each chapter ends in an as cleverly written recipe.
Along these lines, a playful slap on the wrist from the Guardian: “You delight in dining off-menu. Your knives are worth more than your car. Self-confessed gastronome Tim Hayward on 10 tell-tale signs that you love food a little too much.” Click here for the full article.
July 18, 2006
When the temperature goes up, it helps to keep the flames to a minimum. My little window a/c is no match for the stove. So my interest was peaked when I came across this lovely new book on entrée salads. Salads are also great because you can substitute and experiment without much fear, especially convenient if you’re missing one or two ingredients.
Some recipes include:
Click here for a printer friendly version of Tuna, Quinoa, Wild Arugula, Olive, and Blackened Tomato Salad with Chopped Egg and Parsley Dressing
June 19, 2006
Beautiful modern accents for your next fiesta at CB2, and everything under $15.
June 9, 2006
If you’ll be anywhere near Traverse City, MI this July 1-8 you should find yourself at the National Cherry Festival and dripping with ruby deliciousness.
Over at Mighty Foods, a celebration of cherry season:
Out west, the LA Times has some fresh ideas about leafless salads.
On the road again, with Jane & Michael Stern. I will have these books at my side for the next week as I roadtrip from San Diego to Austin!
If you can’t make it down south, Cook’s Illustrated rates bottled BBQ sauce.
Over at D magazine, the D is for Dallas, the hunt for the perfect burger is the cover of their May issue. Declaring all chains ineligible, they focused only on local talent. Triumphing over 39 contenders, Wingfield’s Breakfast & Burgers (above) was declared champion. 2615 S. Beckley Ave., (214) 943-5214
Happy summer!
June 5, 2006
As a long-time single girl, I appreciate cooking for one. Even now there are times I could whip up a small batch of this or that. Look no further than the micro rice cooker. It basically turns 45 minutes and a microwave into an individual, stoveless pressure cooker. via Popgadget.
The same company brings us this irressistible individual egg boiler. Just add water, pop in the microwave and program 5 minutes for soft, 7 for medium and 9 for hard.
June 5, 2006
natural
The June 12 issue of TIME magazine has hit cyberspace already. This is some essential reading for those of us juggling the constant flood of information on how America does food.
The foremost expert on the subject, Marion Nestle, weighs in with Decoding the Grocery Store, her newest book What to Eat is a 600-page investigation of exactly that. She answers such simple mysteries such as Why don’t more Americans eat more fruits and vegetables?
They don’t always taste good, and people don’t know what to do with them. Look, there are seven kinds of apples here, but there’s no one to give you a sliver so you know which one you’ll like. Also fruits and vegetables are perceived as expensive. But a USDA report found you could eat five servings a day for under a dollar. I didn’t believe it until I tried it.
Other highlights: The Grass-Fed Revolution, How Sweet It Isn’t, The Menu Magician, The Lure of the 100-Mile Diet, and Get To Know Giada
In other news, Michael Pollan looks at the mixed blessing of Wal-Mart’s shift to organic in the New York Times Magazine
