There is nothing better than a sturdy, autumnal pumpkin dish, and Halloween is the perfect day to transform the gourd into a ghoulish dish. Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter and Feta from Reclaiming Provincial stars homemade, pillowy gnocchi fried in sage brown butter until golden and crisp. A final sprinkle of crumbled feta lends a smooth and humble tang.
Location: Toronto, Canada
If you had to blog about one ingredient every day for a year, what would it be?
Vanilla beans!
I will never eat:
Peanut butter and jelly. I love them separately, but please don’t make me eat them combined.
Is there a food you used to hate, but now love?
I used to cringe at the thought, smell, or taste of pineapple, but now I can’t get enough of it. I believe it was one fabulous pineapple upside-down cake that changed my fruity fate for good.
What’s your go-to quick and easy dinner?
With two small girls who are super particular, I find myself making homemade pizza at least twice a week. It’s makes us all happy, they can help me prepare it, and we can get as simple or as fancy as we like with the toppings and flavors. With less than 10 minutes active time, it’s the ultimate dinner solution for me.
What’s your favorite restaurant and what do you order there?
I love Woodenheads in Kingston, Ontario, which I often dine at with my sister-in-law, who has introduced me to all of their best dishes. I typically order the Nonna Mela Pizza made with apple butter, roasted garlic, cheddar, sweet onions, and blackened chicken. It’s amazing!
What is the first meal you ever cooked?
I can clearly recall the first meal I ever cooked from start to finish, because I was so proud of myself. I was in my young 20s and worked in a restaurant with the most incredible food. I decided to create a meal from the menu (in my tiny apartment) for my two best friends celebrating birthdays. I can still remember the kitchen “boys” giving me a crash course at work the day before, since it was pretty apparent that I wasn’t a seasoned chef! The meal was a great success and included Caesar Salad, Cheddar-Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and one seriously decadent orange and dark chocolate cheesecake.
Who would you love to have over for dinner?
I’d love to have a circle of my fellow food bloggers over for a true foodie feast. What a down-to-earth and laughter-filled (and likely wine-filled) evening that would be. I hope to someday make that happen!
Warm, gooey, a little sweet or plenty savory, bread pudding is a luscious and incredibly decadent food. But why stop there? This week I have bread pudding on the brain and I cannot wait to whip up a few fabulous recipes.
My fridge is always stockpiled with quality bacon and fresh organic eggs—a breakfast staple. When this recipe for Arugula, Bacon, and Gruyere Bread Pudding recently crossed my path, I knew that bacon and eggs were about to lose their breakfast spotlight. I cannot wait to fold crisp bacon, sturdy Gruyere, eggs, and sharp arugula into hunks of crusty white bread.
I’m also baking up a robust loaf of Irish Soda Bread, which means leftovers are going straight into Farmhouse Cheese and Caraway Soda Bread Puddings. Baked in individual portions, this recipe is dinner party-perfect. And I do love a solid seasonal specialty, so this year I plan to cash in on pumpkins in their autumnal prime. Pumpkin pie is a classic and my grandmother, Rita, makes the best. But I know of a recipe that just may be able to compete: Pumpkin Bread Pudding. The only ingredient capable of ousting pumpkin from the spotlight is chocolate, especially when it’s starring in Chocolate Chile Bread Pudding.
What’s your favorite sweet or savory bread pudding recipe?
The arrival of October every year signals the start to holiday feast planning, and my first thought is always to sweet potatoes, and more importantly, the crispy, crunchy pecan topping that often accompanies the Thanksgiving classic. The hearty nut takes on more than just a supporting role in this week’s roundup of sweet and savory recipes for gratins, parfaits, brownies, and more.
Photo: CN Digital Studio
Halloween is just around the corner, and we’re looking forward to sinking our teeth into our favorite spooky snacks. With classic treats like caramel apples, candy corn, popcorn balls, fun sized chocolates, and toasted pumpkin seeds, it’s hard not to indulge.
What’s your favorite Halloween treat?
Photo: Stephanie Foley
Of all the recipes I developed for Gourmet magazine, these Potato Ghosts are my favorite. There’s nothing unusual or special about the simple vegetable purée. It’s just that by the mere addition of two little seed “eyes” to each pointy mound of potato, the little “ghosts” suddenly anthropomorphize into individuals with characters of their own.
I’m sure I wasn’t the first to think of it. The idea came to me in the shower one morning when I was in the midst of creating a Halloween menu for Gourmet back in 1995. In the history of mashed potatoes it’s probably been done countless times before, but that didn’t stop me from trying it out myself.
The vertical squirts of “mash”, formed by a pastry bag, looked like miniature volcanic eruptions in the shallow baking dish until those little seeds were applied. The transformation from potato to person was instantaneous. When I pulled them out of the oven, the cute alert traveled around the office swiftly, and practically the whole staff wandered in for a look and a laugh.
The ghosts, along with the rest of the Halloween menu, were first photographed in the former home of photographer, Romulo Yanes. At the time, he lived in one of the old silk baron mansions in Patterson, New Jersey (Patterson was known as Silk City in the late 19th and early 20th century). The house was cavernous, with high ceilings and rooms that rambled on. All it took was a smoke machine to turn it into the perfect spooky stage set.
Several of the recipes featured in Gourmet Live’s Creepy Crawly Halloween issue under the heading, Eight Great Halloween Recipes were from that October, 1995 menu, and they were reshot in 2009: Witches’ Brew, Poppy Cheddar Moon Crackers, Black and Orange Halloween Pasta (revised and updated by Melissa Roberts in 2009), and Devil’s Food Cake With Chocolate Spider Web. Seventeen years later, the ghosts, along with their pals from that menu, never fail to bring on the smiles.
Our Halloween issue is bursting at the screams with terrifying pumpkin sculptures, ghastly goodies from around the world, and brand-new spooky snack recipes.
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:
Today marks the second annual Food Day, a nationwide celebration of healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. There are countless ways you can join us in drawing attention to this important day of recognition:
Photography student Chris Tonnesen elevates the hot dog to new artistic heights in this image of a Nordic Deerdog. Assembled by Tonnesen according to the specifications of John Michael Jensen, owner of John’s Hotdog Deli in Copenhagen, Denmark, this lovely link is topped with homemade hawthorn mustard, chanterelle remoulade, and lingonberry-red onion chutney.
Photo: Kemp Minifie
Titan parsley. Sounds like a giant of an herb, right? It’s the oxymoronic name of the parsley pictured above on the right. Compared to the regular Italian flat-leaf parsley on the left, it looks downright diminutive. But what it lacks in size—and who says small is a negative, anyway?— it more than makes up for in a dynamic, slightly sweet flavor.
“It’s like parsley unplugged, without the astringency of normally cultivated parsley,” said Dan Barber, the visionary chef behind Blue Hill in New York City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, north of the city. “We love titan parsley because of the clarity of its parsley flavor.”
I’ve been buying titan parsley for several years now from Paffenroth Gardens farm stand at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City, described as “the Target of vegetable vendors” by Regina Schrambling in the New York Times, and a more apt analogy there isn’t. Owner Alex Paffenroth provides a panoply of produce, and he’s the only farmer I know of at Union Square who offers titan parsley. But Paffenroth doesn’t just grow it. He features it with an informative sign and prominent placement amongst his many offerings, so it’s hard to miss.
Although Paffenroth supplies plenty of the usual suspects in the vegetable world, “I’m always looking to try new things,” he says. When I mentioned how much I liked the titan parsley, he replied that it had proved to be a hit among chefs. “Which chefs?” I couldn’t help asking. When he told me that Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns are his biggest customers, I put a call into chef Dan Barber. Continue reading
Location: Dublin, Ireland
If you had to blog about one ingredient every day for a year, what would it be?
Butter, always butter. We’re blessed here in Ireland with some fantastic produce, but none better than the butter. Everything good starts with butter rubbed or crumbled in; melted and sizzling to fry with; whisked to emulsify in a sauce; or simply slathered on some toast. I love my butter.
I will never eat:
Life’s too short to live by absolutes, but there are a number of Scandinavian fermented fish dishes that evolve to become putrefied rancid flesh that really don’t sound too appealing.
Who would you love to have over for dinner?
Nigel Slater, author of the first cookbook I ever bought, and someone who I have always adored reading for his marvelous writing and recipes.
What’s your go-to quick and easy dinner?
Hummus (homemade of course) swimming in a good olive oil with pine nuts and a hard-boiled egg. Super simple, always satisfying.
What’s your favorite restaurant and what do you order there?
Things change and I find myself eating out less and less these days. However, the one place I have eaten more often over the last couple of years is Crackbird in Dublin. How can anyone can resist good fried chicken is beyond me, and their buttermilk fried chicken is amazingly addictive. Genius place. I’ve celebrated my last two birthdays there — drunk, sober, and hungover — and I’ve always had a great time. It’s the type of place you love going back to, hanging out with friends, sharing fried chicken, and a few beers.
Cardamom is precious: one of the three most expensive spices by weight, along with saffron and vanilla. Its aroma is distinct, yet hard to describe. It’s a little bit spicy, a touch citrusy, a slight bit sweet and anise-like—maybe. In concert with fellow warming spices cinnamon or nutmeg, it smells like Christmas to me, especially when brewed in Spiced Milk Tea. You’ll want to wrap your hands around a steaming glass, bend your head and drink in the intoxicating scent before taking a sip. A lactose-free version, just as heady, can be made with soy or almond milk.
Indigenous to India and popular in Scandinavia, cardamom may be yellow-green, white, or brown. The seeds can be separated from the pods; both components are assertive enough to flavor a braise. You can get the seeds pre-ground, which is what you’ll want if Cardamom Sour-Cream Waffles suit your fancy, but act fast. The seed loses its flavor much faster once liberated from the protective pod. Try the waffles for breakfast with tart fruit preserves, like lingonberry, as homage to Sweden.
This week I’m most excited to revisit Paul Grimes’s bold Lamb Spice Rub, featuring white cardamom pods toasted in a dry skillet. Coriander, cumin, yellow mustard, salt, ginger, hot pepper flakes and nutmeg round out a complex crew, creating the perfect complement to lean meat. And, of course, there’ll be cardamom for dessert. The ingredient is front and center in Cardamom Milk Pudding (above), a silken five-ingredient variation on muhallebi, a Middle Eastern delicacy.
What’s your favorite way to use cardamom?
There are few things in life better than a warm biscuit–with the exception being two warm biscuits. These toasty bits of flaky goodness are surprisingly easy to make, such as these Crusty Buttermilk Biscuits (pictured above), but if you don’t want to take the time, Callie’s Charleston Biscuits will come to the rescue. Made by hand, fully-cooked, and sent frozen to your doorstop from South Carolina, these crumbly treats come in an array of flavors, including cinnamon, country ham, black-pepper bacon, and cheese and chive. You can also get an order of country ham, pimento cheese, and honey will you’re at it, cause life is too short not to have biscuits and ham at least once a week.
Have you ever attended a seasonal soiree where the food falls flat and the drink options lack necessary luster? To all future party hosts, guests, and planners, do not fear. From keg to cake, we’ve wrangled the best in seasonal party recipes.
Alcoholic Beverages
At the best fall bashes, cheap liquor and beer is little league at best. Time to make a major upgrade with Drinking Made Easy’s Pumpkin Keg or Caramel Apple Pie Pudding Shots from E is for Eat. If pudding shots and pumpkin kegs aren’t your thing, we suggest you serve a warm mug of Spiked & Spiced Hot Apple Cider from A Couple Cooks or a refreshing glass of Fake Ginger’s Honeycrisp Apple Sangria.
The Snacks
When you plan to serve liquid libations, it is best to have a selection of light bites on hand. If pumpkins or jack-o-lanterns are part of your party decor, why not feature the seeds on your snack table? A Subtle Revelry’s toasted Pumpkin Seeds Three Ways star in guest-pleasing flavors such as rainbow sprinkles, olive oil and sea salt, and cinnamon sugar. For the health-conscious, try replacing greasy potato chips and french fries with Carrot Fries from Dine & Dash and Crispy Cinnamon Apple Chips from Bijouxs.
If classic chips ‘n’ dip are going to be a party feature, why not make your own? My Baking Addiction will teach you how to make a flavorful French Onion Dip that will outdo any jarred variety. Chances are, the french onion dip will be finished in a flash, so plan ahead and make The Brass Paperclip Project’s 7-Layer Taco Dip. We promise that seven layers of cheese, guacamole, and other taco-inspired ingredients will be enough to satisfy the hungriest of party-goers. If you forget to purchase the chips, serve up some Fried Guacamole from Joy the Baker. Continue reading
Photo: Romulo Yanes
Pumpkins are iconic symbols of Halloween, and autumn, and are great for much more than just carving Jack-o’-lanterns. Pumpkin is a delicious, and nutritious, seasonal ingredient that makes a wonderful addition to a wide variety of dishes. With tasty pumpkin-filled preparations like pie, ravioli, soup, butter, cake, and purée, it’s hard to pick a favorite.
What do you like to make with pumpkin?
Photo: Kemp Minifie
Gourmet Live’s latest issue, Dinner And A Movie, along with Melissa Roberts’ popcorn recipes, reminded me that it’s been a long time since my husband and I have actually gone out to a theater to see a movie. Two adult tickets in New York City these days is a major investment. If you add the exorbitant cost of the movie theatre popcorn, the question becomes a choice between a movie or dinner in a restaurant, not both.
We also happen to be serious fans of popcorn. So serious, that we cheat when we do go to the movies: We bring our own popcorn. In a supermarket brown paper bag. Inside a plastic shopping bag. Inside a backpack.
Why bother? Because compared to the way we make our popcorn, movie theater popcorn doesn’t come close. Movie popcorn is usually way too salty, even for me—and I love my salt—but beyond that, we just don’t like the flavor of popcorn cooked in hot oil.
Call us popcorn snobs, but we think our homemade popcorn rocks. So much so, that we never seem to tire of it. A giant bowl of it counts as dinner more evenings than I dare admit to. Continue reading
We’re making a big night of it with film critics’ favorite food scenes, a Julia Stiles Q+A, the latest trends in movie theater dining, and sweet and spicy popcorn recipes in our Dinner and a Movie 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:
Cover Photo: Romulo A. Yanes
When I get really excited about something, I can’t stop talking about it. Just ask my family. That’s been the case with Gourmet Holiday, the latest Special Edition of Gourmet, now on newsstands around the country. During the past three months of work on it, I‘ve been raving to my husband and daughters about all the great recipes, entertaining ideas, cooking tips, and strategies our team managed to cram into 128 luscious pages.
Now I’m free to redirect my enthusiasm for the book towards you. (It’s none too soon for my husband and daughters.) Let’s just say you can count on Gourmet Holiday to have your back this season. And just in time.
New ways to cook the turkey? Check! Forgive me for boasting, but I’m jazzed about an approach I devised that brings out the best in the breast meat, thighs, and drumsticks. Separately. And don’t pass up the bonus recipe that turns turkey skin into cracklings that give bacon a run for its money. Prefer to stick to tradition with your big bird? Check! We’ve got a southern belle that will charm you.
Plenty of side dishes to absorb the gravy, you ask? Check! And what about vegetarian options for the meatless among us? Got that, too. Our Mushroom Farro Pie is worth eating all year long. Continue reading
Loaded with goat, Iberico, and Manchego cheeses, The View from the Great Island’s Jalapeño Poppers are baked until golden for a caramelized crunch. Serve these to guests as an addictive bar or party snack guaranteed to keep plates clean and bellies full.
