January 6, 2009
From Recipes
Posted by Michele Humes, January 6, 2009 at 1:30 PM
While traditionally made in a clay vessel, today's Cook the Book recipe is just as easily made in a Dutch oven. In fact, Andrea Nguyen, author of Into the Vietnamese kitchen, prefers it that way, because it forms a beautiful, crunchy crust at the bottom. "Scoop it out," she writes, "and serve the shards separately for anyone who enjoys their crisp, nutty taste."
Full of tender thigh meat and aromatic veggies, chicken and vegetable clay pot rice makes a warming and inexpensive one-pot meal.
Win 'Into the Vietnamese Kitchen'
In addition to excerpting a recipe each day this week, we're giving away five (5) copies of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. Enter to win here »
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Posted by Grace Kang, January 6, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Cindy, of Hungry Girl Por Vida, made an earlier version of this jam cake, but was heartbroken after dropping half of it on the floor. Sad faces all around. For her second try, she combined two different recipes and finally got to enjoy what she deserves. With a jeweled swirl of jam and a simple crown of confectioners' sugar, this is a "charming little cake, perfect for sharing or curling up." Looks like second time's the charm.
From Photograzing
Our favorite photos from Photograzing, our photo sharing site. Add yours today!
Posted by Alaina Browne, January 6, 2009 at 12:30 PM
No, I cannot explain this.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, January 6, 2009 at 12:20 PM
The Mirror has a story about a fake-brands mall in China, where food options include McDnoald's, Bucksstar Coffee, and—the best one—Pizza Huh. The pictures on the site are just crappy enough to make me think this might be some sort of Photoshop hoax, but the website reports that there's been some anger about the venture: "City bosses are under pressure to ban the soon-to-be opened mall after pictures of the fake stores were leaked, causing uproar amongst angry consumers who feared they'd be ripped off." [via Phauxtoe]
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 6, 2009 at 11:45 AM
The Bacon Explosion. Photographs from BBQ Addicts
The cross section above is from something the BBQ Addicts blog calls The Bacon Explosion.
This thing is like the Borg, assimilating bacon memes, rolling up all known bacon tech, and conquering the baconverse. It's a bacon mat layered with sausage and more bacon that is then sauced and rolled and smoked. [via @arscoquinaria]
Posted by Jamie Forrest, January 6, 2009 at 11:15 AM
Photograph courtesy of Artisanal Cheese
The cheese world can be overwhelming, especially if you're buying a bunch of different varieties to serve at a party. What wine do I serve with a triple-cream like Pierre Robert? Should people eat the Beaufort before or after the Idiazabal? Thanks to the folks at Artisanal Cheese, creating a well-balanced cheese plate has just gotten a lot easier. They have created the "cheese clock" (pictured above), an apt and simple metaphor for guiding you through the process of selecting a group of cheeses.
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From Recipes
Posted by Joy Manning, January 6, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Editor's note: Philadelphia food writers Joy Manning and Tara Mataraza Desmond drop by each week with Meat Lite, which celebrates meat in moderation. Meat Lite was inspired by the book coauthored by the two, Almost Meatless, due out in spring.
In the summer, I eat a huge fresh salad once or twice a week thanks to the mountains of crisp, fresh lettuce I get in my CSA box. But in the winter, I’m afraid salads usually go the way of sweet corn and peaches. This year, I refuse to acquiesce to a salad-less season. This week's Meat Lite combines a huge pile of seasonal veggies (Brussels sprouts and butternut squash) with savory year-round staples to get a healthy, hearty, and warm salad perfect for these cold weather months.
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Posted by Hannah Howard, January 6, 2009 at 8:30 AM
I blog by day and wait tables in a New York City restaurant by night. I'm excited to bring you Served, dispatches from the front of the house. Enjoy!
The restaurant owner’s parents had flown in from Texas. After all, their son B. was opening his first restaurant, in Manhattan. They sat on table one, which had yet to be designated table one. It was our second night of service, and we were still ruminating about how to classify our tables and split them up into waiter stations.
Yet somehow, it happened that I was to wait on B.’s mom and dad. They seemed thoroughly easy-going and amiable, yet I was mildly terrified. They made maybe the seventh assemblage whom I had served, and I felt ill-equipped to wow them. I hoped I wouldn’t spill their Hungarian wine or cheerfully relay flawed cheese info.
It turned out to be painless. They had come in the previous night, too, and decided on evening number two to order what they had not eaten on night number one. B. introduced me, talked to them, and relayed their wine order to me. I scribbled down the rest of what they wanted and uneventfully brought it to their table.
“Make sure to show me their check,” B. said, “before you drop it.” In the early days, we were computer-free. I diligently recorded what they ordered and added up the damage. We kept losing the calculator that would tell us what was 8.725% of the bill—tax.
When the time came, I handed the check-in-progress to B.. Next to the three dollar olives and mustard miso pickles, he scribbled “comp.” In other words, B. bought his parents six bucks worth of freebies. “That’s it?” I asked, surprised. I was expecting a more drastic rewrite of their check. But that was it.
To Comp or Not To Comp
B.’s philosophy, I think, was that he was just opening his first, little place; friends, family, our initial (and almost instantaneously loyal) customers, even investors were expected to support us financially when they came to drink and eat and grace us with their presence. Our gifts to them tended to be eight dollar nibbles rather than eighty dollar bottles of wine.
But that was not always the case. Old friends, old bosses, the occasional industry person we wanted to impress might get a dazzling array of food, cheese, meats and beverage pairings.
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Posted by Adam Kuban, January 6, 2009 at 12:15 AM
Brittany Murphy has cultural clashes and goofy misunderstandings with the Japanese while under the tough-love tutelage of an asshole-with-a-heart-of-gold ramen master in her quest to become The Ramen Girl. Yup. I think it's safe to say that if you've seen Tampopo and Lost in Translation, you can pretty much make a mashup of this movie in your head and save the cost of admission. The trailer and the synopsis, after the jump—if you're curious.
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From A Hamburger Today
Posted by Robyn Lee, January 5, 2009 at 9:00 PM
What would you do with this overcooked burger?
After reading about Damon’s experience with receiving an overcooked burger at 8 oz. Burger Bar, AHT reader Joshua S. emailed us to ask what our take is on sending a burger back if it is overcooked. "I don’t want to seem picky and waste food, but should I not get what I asked for considering I am paying for it?"
I've never sent a burger back to the kitchen for being overcooked, but that's because the thought has never entered my mind, not because I considered sending it back and decided it was easier not to. I've only had one recent experience when I asked for medium rare and got something closed to well done. Instead of asking for a new burger, I ate it and told myself I wouldn't go back. That's what I get for being insanely passive. Because of Josh's question, I'm going to keep the "send it back" option in mind.
If you have the sense that the kitchen has the ability to cook the burger right, I think it's safe to send back the offensive burger and get a new one. What would you do?
That's 1300 percent of the check. Eric Hawthorne, a pre-med student and single father of one, has no idea why the couple he waited on left it. And, no, it wasn't a mistake. Here's the video. [via MenuPages Philly]
Posted by Adam Kuban, January 5, 2009 at 8:15 PM
The folks behind popular Chicago restaurant review show Check, Please!, just released a video teaser for a show they taped in August 2001 with then state senator Barack Obama. He talks about visiting the Dixie Kitchen, where 3 or 4 pancakes are "pretty dangerous," he says because they'll give you a food coma. "I've learned from some past mistakes that I have to be cautious." He also says he prefers simple food that tastes good—and is a good value—to fancy-pants settings. The full episode will air Friday January 16. The video, after the jump.
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Posted by Gordon Mark, January 5, 2009 at 7:45 PM
With all the channels on broadcast TV and cable—and the inevitable episode repeats—it's hard to sort out what's new or worthwhile. Let us sort it out for you so you don't miss anything worth watching. Times may vary with region; check your local listings for exact hour and channels.
Recommended Shows:
Tonight is the season premiere of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. He'll be heading to Mexico with Carlos, who took over as head chef at Les Halles. Here is also a preview of the new season. Monday, 10 p.m. ET, Travel Channel
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Posted by Grace Kang, January 5, 2009 at 7:30 PM
What's better than a hearty squash soup in January? One with the added kicks of roasted garlic and a spicy tomato salsa! Chris and Lisa, of We [Heart] Food, used up the remains of their CSA veggies with this soup from the Ultimate Soup Bible.
As Chris says, "That sweet-and-spicy combination is a winner." Plus, roasted garlic? I'm there.
The good folks at weblogawards.org have placed us among the finalists for the 2008 Best Food Blog Award, alongside a host of other fine contenders. Head on over and cast your vote » You can vote once every 24 hours until the polls close on Tuesday January 13, 2009 at 10 p.m. GMT.
