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Mocktails Packed with Vitamin C

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Brie Schwartz
lemonade

Photo: Gourmet

It seems everyone is some variation of ill around here, and as much as I swear by a nice hot toddy to make you tipsy enough to forget your sore throat, if you’re actually fevered, it’s probably best to abstain from alcohol (though I seldom take my own advice). If you’re among us sicklings, then the idea of consuming liquor makes your stomach turn.

For those of us who still have birthday dinners we have to attend, even though we desperately want to be on the couch, catching up on Oscar contenders (okay, the “Kardashians”), and non-negotiable out-of-town guests to entertain, I give you a roundup of my three favorite Vitamin C laden mocktails. They’ll put you in the festive spirit, even if you’re snotty.

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Weekly Roundup: Dinners for One

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Sarah Angileri

Drunken Spaghetti

The day winds down and you find you’re the only mouth needing to be fed. Unlike the passenger-less car you drove home, a delicious dinner is no excuse to settle for the occasional jerkiness of a meal thrown together with refrigerator scraps. Instead, look to quick meals with little clean up and avoid future roadblocks by preparing enough for leftovers.

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Five Reasons to Start Braising Your Veggies

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Braised Carrots Photo

I used to be solidly in the roasted vegetable camp. I’d crank up the oven and blast my veggies to candy-like sweetness. But there’s a lot to be said for braising vegetables, too. If author Molly Stevens doesn’t convince you in her Eight Essential Braising Tips in this week’s Gourmet Live, here are five more reasons to braise vegetables.

• Economy: Roasted vegetables shrink substantially, so you’ll need to start out with more, at least 11/2 times as much. You’re concentrating the flavor, but you’re also losing water your body needs.

• Speed: The dry heat of an oven takes longer to tenderize than the moist heat of a braise. Compare 30 to 40 minutes for cauliflower florets in a hot oven versus 5 to 10 minutes on top of the stove!

• Energy Efficiency: Add up the time it takes to preheat the oven to the upper reaches of hot and then roast those veggies, and you’ve used a lot of energy. With braising, you’ll spend significantly less time over a single burner on the stovetop.

• Great Flavor: Steaming and boiling—your other top-of-the-stove choices—are boring. They can’t give you the flavor you get from a braise. The fact that you can brown your veggies and cook them in moist heat gives you the taste you crave without the shrinkage.

• Sublime Texture: Vegetables with dense fiber, such as carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas, need the moist heat of a braise to get to meltingly tender. Just watch out that they don’t turn to mush.

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A Passion for Potatoes

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Kendra Vizcaino
French Fries

Photo: Gourmet

Potatoes are not only a time-tested comfort food staple, but this terrific tuber is also among the most versatile of vegetables. There are countless ways to cook them. Some of our favorites include mashed potatoes, latkes, potatoes au gratin, gnocchi, potato chips, hash browns, baked potatoes, potato salad, and French fries.

What’s your favorite potato preparation?

Posted in Reader Polls | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

01.25.12: Winter of Our Content

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Kelly Senyei

This week we’re tucking into cozy chowder and robust braises, as well as food for thought on slow cookers, yeast, and a farmer’s delight in winter produce in the Winter of Our Content Issue. Download the free Gourmet Live app for access to all of the issues and recipes, and visit Gourmet.com to read this week’s issue in full, including:

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Image of the Day: Kentucky Hot Brown on a Biscuit

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

Kentucky Hot Brown

Consider the biscuit: a simple bread, best eaten when taken glowing and golden from the oven and pulled apart to reveal a tender, steaming crumb. Whether doused in thick spoonfuls of honey or piled high with creamy sausage gravy, biscuits make a wonderful breakfast main. For an unconventional way to top your buttery biscuit, Seven Spoons’ recipe for Kentucky Hot Brown on a Biscuit gives a twist to this classic Southern breakfast sandwich. This biscuit is topped with roasted turkey breast, thick slices of bacon, creamy Mornay sauce, and a fried egg, all toasted under the broiler until bubbly.

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Food Blog of the Week: Kitchen Butterfly

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Brie Schwartz
Kitchen Butterfly

Name: Ozoz Sokoh
Blog: Kitchen Butterfly

Location: Nigeria

What is your favorite recipe from your blog?
Tarte de Pommes et sucre, a thin-crusted apple pie inspired by an autumn trip to Paris, when the skies were orange and the streets were lined with maple leaves, lovers arms entwined, and delightful pastries. The result: caramelized apple slices on a bed of pastry cream and apple curd!

What is the first meal you ever cooked?
I can’t remember what I first cooked, but one of my most memorable recipes is cooking up a tomato salsa in 1999, inspired by a store-bought jar of Dorito salsa. I read off the ingredients and made up my own version, which garnishes tortillas and sandwiches to this day.

Is there an ingredient you used to hate but now you love?
Celery. I’m nowhere near being in love with it, but I am working on it. Apparently it tastes great with ketchup, according to my 8-year-old.

What’s your go-to quick and easy dinner?
Pancakes, without a doubt – they are my backup plan for everything from unexpected guests, to really hungry children (of which I am blessed with three). I almost always have a bowl of homemade batter in the fridge. Accompaniments always include fruit, some dairy (yogurt, whipped cream) and syrups from maple to chocolate. Occasionally, I’ll have lemon and sugar, or bacon and sausages

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Five Tips for the Ultimate Super Bowl Bash

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Kelly Senyei
Super Bowl Party

Photo: Chris Gentile

I’m ignoring the fact that my hometown team, the San Diego Chargers, never made it to the NFL playoffs this year. I consider their lackluster performance to be no reason to shy away from celebrating one of my favorite food days of the year: the Super Bowl. Nachos, sliders, soft pretzels, snack mix—if it can be found in a stadium, I’m serving it up fresh from the comfort of my kitchen (or couch).

Get prepared for the big game with five tips for a winning Super Bowl XLVI spread:

  • Throw the Flag: Don’t stop at decorating with your team’s colors. Add yellow and red napkins to mimic the referee’s flag and the coach’s challenge flag. This simple decorative touch will add an element of coffee table competition to your spread.
  • The Perfect Spot: Keep things simple by positioning food near your TV, with sweets kept separate from savory dishes. You don’t want guests to be forced to choose between watching the game and eating. It’s a Super Bowl party, not a seven-course dinner.
  • Tebowing for Trophies: Celebrate the NFL season’s breakout star by organizing your own Tebowing competition complete with score cards and trophies.
  • Pre-game Warm-Up: Include a mix of both hot and room temperature foods, the latter of which can be prepared and set out ahead of time. Opt for a few appetizers that can even be made a day or two in advance, such as homemade snack mixes, potato chips, and roasted nuts. 
  • Call for Substitutions: It’s not all about the booze. Don’t forget to include kid-friendly mocktails like freshly squeezed lemonade or fruity iced teas for those who are looking for beverages that don’t have to be shaken or stirred.
Posted in News & Events | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Celebrate Chinese New Year Simply

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Kemp Minifie
Simple Asian Meals

Photo: Romulo Yanes

Happy Chinese Year of the Dragon today! Celebrate by skipping take-out and letting Asian food authority Nina Simonds guide you in preparing Golden Scallion-Ginger Scallops that look like gold coins, which imply a wish for prosperity in the new year. Or Seared Black Bean Chicken Over Crisp Noodles because noodles symbolize longevity. Or Spicy Hoisin Pork Roll-Ups, a stir-fry served wrapped in lettuce leaves, because the Chinese word for lettuce is similar to that of “rising fortune.”

These recipes and plenty more are in Simonds’ latest book, Simple Asian Meals. Full disclosure: Simonds is an old friend from our cooking school days in Paris, but I’ve just spent the weekend with Simple Asian Meals and it’s going to stay within an arm’s reach in my kitchen.

Continue reading →
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What We’re Cooking: Chinese New Year Classics

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

Chinese White-Cut Chicken

The Chinese Lunar New Year begins tomorrow on January 23, and to celebrate the Year of the Dragon we’re cooking up traditional dishes that are an essential part of the festive Chinese table. Food becomes a quintessential component to the celebration, and each dish is assigned a specific meaning and is symbolic of the year to come.

Serving the whole bird in this recipe for White-Cut Chicken represents unity, while the white pieces represent purity. This moist chicken is served with a scallion-ginger sauce and topped with cilantro. Or opt for traditional Shrimp and Pork Pot Stickers, which are a symbol of prosperity. These dumplings are stuffed with water chestnuts, ground pork shoulder, shrimp, and sesame oil, and then fried and dipped in a mixture of Chinese black vinegar, soy sauce, and Asian chile oil. 

Maximize flavor and presentation by serving a whole fish, such as a Whole Black Bass, which is symbolic of abundance for the coming year. The fish is steamed in the oven and delicately seasoned with ginger and scallions so that the fresh fish takes center stage in this all-important Chinese New Year dish.

What are your favorite Chinese New Year recipes?

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What Your Drink Reveals to Your Date

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Brie Schwartz
Old Fashioned

Photo: Gourmet

There’s been a deluge of less than scientific findings about what your cocktail of choice says about you, including David Wondrich’s rather fine write-up. This intel is especially important when you’re on a first date, since all it takes is one curious order at the bar to make your date question you.

My 60-year-old mother recently joined the online dating scene. Her go-to is a vodka martini (which she pronounces vodk-er), straight up, and she asks the bartender to just wave the vermouth over the glass. She likes to pantomime this motion. I think her choice implies that she’s a sophisticate who likes to get buzzed efficiently. Perhaps too efficiently.

Continue reading →
Posted in Cocktails, Wine & Beer | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Weekly Roundup: Winter Pickling and Preserves

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

Buckwheat Pancakes with Citrus Preserves

Summer’s not the only time to pickle and preserve in-season ingredients. Winter hosts a number of wonderful ingredients ready to be pickled in vinegar and spices, or simmered into bright citrus jams and curds.
  • The Year In Food stews together a variety of citrus fruits for a quick, tart topping for Buckwheat Pancakes (pictured above).
  • Add a few golden-emerald dollops of Jammy Chicken’s Lime Curd to yogurt, or spread it luxuriously on scones.
  • Vanilla bean and cinnamon are added to Banana Jam from Souvlaki For the Soul for a unique way to use ripe bananas.
  • Start your morning by spreading tart and tangy Bergamot Vanilla Bean Marmalade on hot buttered toast with this recipe from Chez Us.
  • Smitten Kitchen’s Pickled Grapes with Cinnamon and Black Pepper demonstrate the softer side of pickling with a hint of mustard seed and black pepper in a syrupy-sweet brine that will give this pickle a subdued pucker.
  • Rock Recipe’s Pink Peppercorn Pickled Red Onions make a piquant topping for pulled chicken or pork sandwiches.
  • Pictures and Pancakes offers a wonderful way to pickle beyond the cucumber with recipes for Pickled Fennel and Beets.
Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Non-Asian Tricks for Leftover Asian Ingredients

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Kemp Minifie
thai hot chili sauce

Photo: CN Digital Studio

If you cook Asian food, you’ve probably got a cupboard and refrigerator-shelf full of bottles and jars of the many different ingredients and condiments. But just because you used them in an Asian dish doesn’t mean you can’t apply them elsewhere. Here are ten non-Asian ways to jazz up your standbys:

Chili Pastes and Sauces:  

  • Substitute for hot pepper flakes in pasta sauces, pizza, or wherever you use crushed red pepper.
  • Spice up Dijon mustard.
Sesame Oil:
  • Drizzle it sparingly over salad greens or green vegetables, then toss with a little lemon juice and salt. Some toasted sesame seeds would add a welcome crunch.
  • Beat a little into peanut butter cookie dough to push that nutty flavor forward.
Hoisin Sauce:
  • Work a spoonful into tuna or chicken salad for a dynamite sandwich.
  • Stir a little into unsalted peanut or almond butter for an intriguing cracker snack.
Thai Curry Paste:
  • Mix into chicken noodle soup for some nasal clearing action.
  • Mash with hard-boiled egg yolks for stuffed eggs with an exotic zip.
Miso:
  • Substitute miso for some of the oil in a lemony salad dressing to give it a creamy consistency; thin, if necessary, with a little water.
  • Stir some into mayonnaise or sour cream to make a super-savory dip for crudités.
How do you use yours?

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A Welcome Wake-Up

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Kendra Vizcaino
Cauliflower and Feta Omelet

Photo: Romulo Yanes

As it gets colder, getting out of bed in the morning becomes more and more difficult. But, a great breakfast can make leaving even the warmest bed worth it. My favorite way to start a chilly day is with a great omelet.

What is your favorite breakfast food?

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01.18.12: Eating Up Asia

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Kelly Senyei

Eating Up Asia

This week we’re visiting China, Kurdistan, India, and Vietnam with expert food guides in our Eating Up Asia Issue. Download the free Gourmet Live app for access to all of the issues and recipes, and visit Gourmet.com to read this week’s issue in full, including:
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Image of the Day: Grapefruit Salad with Sweet Milk Granita

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

Grapefruit with Milk Granita

With cold winter days of hearty stews and comforting soups before us, it’s easy to forget that citrus season is now at its peak. Not Without Salt brightens winter with Grapefruit Salad with Sweet Milk Granita. Brilliant jewels of segmented grapefruit and meyer lemon are tossed with sweet slivered dates and mint to offer a stunningly refreshing flavor. When topped with the sweet milky granita, the flaky vanilla-bean ice crystals will melt into the citrus, taming its tart bite.

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What’s up with the Wheat Belly Diet?

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Megan Steintrager
Wheat Bread

Photo: CN Digital Studio

For my recent Gourmet Live article Rating the Diets, I asked food lovers to test-drive some popular new diets and report on their results. Most of the responses I received were about the Paleo Diet, the 17 Day Diet, the Dukan Diet, and Weight Watchers, and so the article focused on those four weight-loss plans. I also got one questionnaire back about the diet advocated in the book Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist who draws links between “modern-day” wheat and a host of ills, including weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, and dementia.

Read on to learn more about Wheat Belly and to find out what our tester had to say after trying the diet for a few weeks, then share your thoughts in the Comments section if you’ve given a wheat-free diet a whirl. Continue reading →

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Food Blog of the Week: Anja’s Food 4 Thought

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Brie Schwartz
Anja's Food 4 Thought

Name: Anja Schwerin
Blog: Anja’s Food 4 Thought

Location: Dubai

What is the first meal you ever cooked?
Probably an attempt on pasta and tomato sauce while I was still at University. The dish that triggered my love for cooking was creamed soup. It was a true revelation to me that vegetables and stock just have to be puréed to make a delicious meal.

If you had to blog about one ingredient every day for a year, what food would it be?
I am crazy about nuts. They are such a versatile food that can be used for anything from starters to main dishes to desserts.

What is your favorite recipe from your blog?
I love my Rosewater-Scented Pistachio Cake. It looks and tastes absolutely divine, and it’s inspired by Middle Eastern flavors.

What’s your go-to quick and easy dinner?
I love quick curries. I love making chicken or fish curries in less than half an hour.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Lowdown on Natural Sweeteners

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Megan Steintrager
Honey, Agave, and Molasses for Health

Photo: CN Digital Studio

When researching her recent Gourmet Live article The Truth about Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners, Julia Savacool also asked experts whether honey and agave are better alternatives to table sugar. Here’s what she learned:

Not really. After all, sugar is “natural,” too. “If we’re looking at honey or agave nectar, they have slightly more nutritional value than sugar,” says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., a physician and dietitian in Sarasota, Florida. “But you’d have to consume them in such enormous quantities to reap that benefit, that it isn’t realistic.” Local honey, she adds, has been shown in some studies to help strengthen the immune system against seasonal allergies.

The one natural sweetener that does have health benefits: Molasses, which is loaded with vitamins and minerals like potassium, iron, and calcium. But users take note: There is very little difference calorie-wise between these sweeteners and table sugar. If you’re looking for a healthier swap in your baking, consider unsweetened applesauce or fruit purees, says Dr. Gerbstadt. And if you’re looking to top off a dish with a little something sweet, try sprinkling with cinnamon or nutmeg and forgoing sugar altogether. “You’ll get a lot more flavor with zero calories,” she adds.

- by Julia Savacool

Posted in News & Events | 3 Comments

How To Measure Parmesan Cheese

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Kemp Minifie
Parmigiano

Photo: Kemp Minifie

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. You see it everywhere in recipes. So what’s the problem? Measuring it the American way, (i.e., cups and tablespoons) is a nightmare! There are different tools to get to grated, which result not only in vastly different textures, but also in vastly different yields when measured by volume.
  • Punched-out holes (a.k.a. knuckle-bleeders) on a box grater: This gives you a fine, more powdery result, similar to the pre-grated sold in stores. A one ounce chunk—in foreground in photo—yields about 1/4 cup (the small pile on the right).
  • Food processor: If you cut your Parmigiano into small cubes, drop them through the feed tube with the motor running, and let the blade spin for a while, you will end up with small nubbins like the pre-grated stuff. One ounce yields about 1/4 cup.
  • Small tear-drop shaped holes on a hand-held grater: small, yet sturdy shreds that read well for food photography. One ounce yields about 1/3 cup (not pictured).
  • Microplane: This marvelous tool has pushed the box grater aside and taken over the job of grating Parmigiano at home and in restaurants. And for good reason: It makes grating so easy. The airy fluff of whisper-thin shreds it produces are beautiful (see the pile on the left in the photo above), but they totally upend the task of measuring by volume. One ounce equals about 3/4 cup! If you firmly pack it, though, you’ll get to 1/4 cup.
  • The Take Away: To measure microplaned Parmigiano, pack it.
Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | 1 Comment
 
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