Photo: Stephanie Foley
November is World Vegan Month and we’re celebrating by incorporating more meat and dairy free meals into our diets. We found out that giving up these foods doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice flavor. This Curried Carrot Almond Soup proves that vegan meals can be healthy, ethical, and absolutely delicious.
What’s your favorite vegan dish?
Photo: John Midgley
Peanut butter is delicious on its own, but it’s also great at lending its creamy, crunchy nuttiness to a wide variety of dishes. With popular preparations like cookies, pies, PB&J sandwiches, puddings, and cakes, it’s hard to choose just one. But, we want you to tell us:
What’s you favorite thing to make with peanut butter?
Photo: Kemp Minifie
“You went to Spain and brought back potato chips from Heathrow airport?” my younger daughter exclaimed. I dragged back plenty of other goodies from Spain, where her sister is studying, but it was the potato chips I found in a Marks and Spencer shop at Heathrow on my way over that tickled me so much, I carried them from Barcelona to Valencia and back to New York City to show my colleagues at Gourmet Live.
The old jokes about stodgy Brit food fell flat a while ago. For years, London’s been one of the it restaurant cities. Judging by the food magazines and cookbooks coming across the pond to the U.S., the Brits are cooking up great stuff and having loads of fun doing it. Continue reading
Photo: CN Digital Studio
Photo: Gourmet
October is National Chili Month! And, when it starts to get cold there is nothing as satisfying as a big bowl of warm, spicy, stick-to-your-ribs chili. One of my favorite recipes is for Turkey Chili topped with avocado, sour cream, and fresh lime.
What’s your favorite chili recipe?
The latest issue of Gourmet Live is spotlighting food’s freshest faces and newest places. Guest columnist Nanette Maxim introduces us to five rising stars that are second in command at some of the nation’s top restaurants, including Le Bernardin, The French Laundry, and The Publican. Pair their talents with the eclectic eats available in Canada’s dining hot spot as guest columnist Chris Nuttall-Smith takes us on a culinary tour of Toronto.
A summary of the latest and greatest wouldn’t be complete without a look at the tweens and teens shaping the culinary scene. I caught up with five young stars age 9 to 19 who are making names for themselves in the world of food. And for a sweet finale to their success, dessert diva Susan Chumsky is revealing Momofuku Milk Bar’s Christina Tosi’s famous recipe for Crack Pie.
With so much success, there are inevitably also failures. Guest columnist Robert Sietsema shines a light on the falling stars of the restaurant world with an in-depth look at what makes even the biggest eateries go belly-up.
You’ll find all of these stories and more in the latest issue of Gourmet Live. And now we’re dishing out three times the App Exclusive content, so check out three full-length features from this week’s issue:
In this age of corporate conglomeration and instant gratification—not to mention the groundswell of food nostalgia gripping the nation—it’s not surprising to see snacks that used to be local–only treasures popping up in supermarkets across the country. Nowadays, a North Carolina transplant just might discover Cheerwine soda in Utah; a born–and–bred Chicagoan may delightedly devour a bag of Gardetto’s snack mix at a Texas rest stop. It’s more shocking today to come across a few snack food producers sticking loyally to their core markets, letting their regional legions of believers keep the flame alive. Throughout the United States, you’ll still find cult snack foods that continue to use the same family recipes and small–batch production methods that they did in the days of their inception. Here are three of the best.
Gourmet Live guest columnist Casey Barber tracks down the best regional snacks turned cult favorites in the United States.
Download the free Gourmet Live app for the full story and more.
The full-length feature version of Meet Mr. Meatless Monday by Michael Y. Park appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Photo: The Monday Campaigns
The challenge makes Lerner’s smile grow even bigger. “Some die–hard people who never get out to vote, but you try to get them to stop eating meat at every meal and they act like you’re taking away their constitutional rights. Somehow they always make a larger thing out of it—that it’s the beginning of a nanny state that tells you what do with your life,” he says. “We can take care of ourselves, but we obviously aren’t taking care of ourselves. People forget that you can have a car that does 120 mph, but you don’t have to do 120 mph. You stop at red lights, you wear seat belts, you look left and right before you cross an intersection. That’s not an infringement of your liberties.”
Gourmet Live guest columnist Michael Y. Park chats with Sid Lerner, the man who’s bringing Meatless Mondays to millions of tables.
Download the free Gourmet Live app for the full story and more.
The full-length feature version of 10 Questions for Dr. Brian Wansink appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live and online. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Photo: Gilberto Taday
He’s been called the Sherlock Holmes of food, having conducted more than 600 experiments focused on eating behaviors and the psychology of consumption. And for Brian Wansink, Ph.D., it’s a question of learning not only what people are eating but how much. As a professor of consumer behavior at the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, and author of Mindless Eating, Dr. Wansink has devoted his entire career to researching how environment influences our eating habits. He weighed in with his most surprising finds, kid–friendly tricks for balanced meals, and what influence the USDA’s recent switch from a food pyramid to a plate has on our diet.
Gourmet Live caught up with Dr. Brian Wansink, a consumer–behavior and nutrition professor, and best–selling author, to discover how subtle cues can dramatically affect what—and how much—we eat.
Read the full version of 10 Questions for Dr. Brian Wansink online then download the free Gourmet Live app for the full story and more.
The full-length feature version of Three Things Every Ethical Eater Needs to Know Now by Kristin Kimball appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live and online. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Photo: © Kevin Fleming/CORBIS
When I left the city for farming, I carried some whopping misconceptions with me. Like the idea that bulls come with horns and cows don’t, or that you need roosters in order to get eggs from hens. Wrong and wrong. I also thought farming would be a pretty simple endeavor for a worldly chick like me. Excruciatingly wrong. I’ve got eight years’ worth of dirt under my nails now, and while I still have a lifetime of learning to do, I can at least hold my own in the nerdy conversations—about weed control, cover crops, artificial insemination—that farmers find absorbing when we are among our own kind.
Gourmet Live guest columnist and farmer Kristin Kimball shares her essential primer for ethical eating. It’s guaranteed to impress your local farmer—and boost your agri-intelligence.
Read the full-length version of Three Things Every Ethical Eater Needs to Know Now then download the free Gourmet Live app for recipes and more.
From mindless munching to ethical consumption, the latest issue of Gourmet Live is exploring the foods and the fads that are shaping the way we eat. We begin by boosting your agri-intelligence with Kristin Kimball’s primer on three things every ethical eater should know. And then it’s time to grab a seat at the table as we catch up with Dr. Brian Wansink, a consumer–behavior and nutrition professor who’s known as the Sherlock Holmes of eating habits. He’ll uncover how subtle cues can dramatically affect what—and how much—we eat.
Guest columnist Michael Y. Park gets the latest dish from Sid Lerner, who’s bringing Meatless Mondays to millions of tables. And our very own Kemp Minifie sweetens your spread with the inside story on her recipe for Honey Cake, the ideal Rosh Hashanah dessert. The feasting continues as guest columnist Casey Barber tracks down the best regional snacks in the United States.
You’ll find all of these stories and more in the latest issue of Gourmet Live. And now we’re dishing out three times the App Exclusive content, so check out three full-length features from this week’s issue:
The full-length feature version of Getting the Blues by Garrett McCord appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Photo: Garrett McCord
In the same way that few ever start drinking coffee black—beginning instead with plenty of milk and sugar—or cooking with habañeros before trying milder peppers, most people generally have to edge their way slowly into strong blue cheese. You can’t just jump into the deep end; any blue newbie will quickly learn that a chunk of piquant Cabrales will slap you in the mouth so hard your tongue will curl into the back of your throat. This, while amusing, certainly wouldn’t help win over Brian, so I decided to start him on some tamer blue cheeses.Gourmet Live guest columnist Garrett McCord tries to convert a moldy–cheese hater with a selection of “beginner blues.” Download the free Gourmet Live app for the full story and more.
This month on the Gourmet Live & BlogHer Road Trip, we’re hitting the streets of Chicago with the locals’ guide to some of the best eats being served up in the Windy City.
Check out a few of our exclusive tips below from local bloggers in Chicago, then download the free Gourmet Live app and visit BlogHer for the full insider’s guide to the city’s best cuisine.
Photo: Adam Jones/Getty Images
What’s the best brunch spot with a view?
The Signature Room at the Ninety–Fifth on top of the Hancock building has the best view. It’s a bit pricey, but there is such a great selection of different kinds of delicious food, and the views of the city and the lake from the 95th floor are incredible!
— Kathy Benson, Four of a Kind
Where would you send a vegetarian or vegan?
I would send them to Green Zebra. They offer vegetarian small plates that are creative, satisfying, and always involving seasonal produce. It’s a cool, date–appropriate restaurant, yet the prices are reasonable for the high–end style of cooking. Though we’re both omnivores, my husband and I consider the Green Zebra one of our favorite restaurants.
— Julie O’Hara, A Mingling of Tastes
For more exclusive tips, download the free Gourmet Live app and visit BlogHer.
The full-length feature version of The Search for the Perfect Fork by Alexandra Lange appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live and online. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Have you ever fallen in love with a fork? I did, on a recent Friday at Brooklyn pie mecca Four & Twenty Blackbirds. The fork in question had four long, evenly spaced tines, a slim stem that rested lightly on my fingers, and a tapered end that came to a petal–like point. On the stem, more abstracted petals, with tiny berries or buds peeking out between them. It was feminine without being fussy, modern without being clunky, and very, very nice to eat (buttermilk chess) pie from.
Gourmet Live guest columnist and design critic Alexandra Lange is on the hunt for the ultimate dining utensil. Read the full-length version of In Search of the Perfect Fork to join her in her pursuit, then download the free Gourmet Live app for recipes and more.
Gourmet Live got the latest scoop from Robert Roberts, Ph.D., who is an associate professor of food science and director of Penn State’s annual weeklong Ice Cream Short Course. We asked him what the reaction is when he tells people he’s the director of an ice cream school.
There are two typical reactions. One is, “That must be cool,” and the other is, “There’s really enough to learn about ice cream that you can take seven days to teach it?” And the answer is, yes, it is cool—in a punny way and in reality. It’s a lot of fun. And, oh, yes, absolutely, there is enough to learn that it takes at least seven days, and that just cracks the surface.
Learn the key facts to the ultimate swirl and get Roberts’ predictions for the future of the frozen dessert by reading the full article 10 Questions for Dr. Robert F. Roberts online.
The latest issue of Gourmet Live is stretching the summer spirit and offering a serving of comfort amidst the impact of Hurricane Irene. Our resident ingredient guru Kemp Minifie shares her tips and tricks for preserving the season’s bounty (hint: freezing is cooler than canning). And guest columnist Garrett McCord shows us the true meaning of a “labor of love” this holiday weekend, as he tries to convert a moldy-cheese hater into a blue cheese lover.
It’s then time to hit the road for this month’s Gourmet Live & BlogHer Road Trip, which is bringing you the local’s guide to Chicago’s best pizza, hot dogs, pork chops, and more. We also make a stop at Penn State’s ice cream university for a candid chat with the program’s director, Dr. Robert F. Roberts. Gear up for a festive Labor Day with our Top 10 entertaining tips, and discover how design critic and guest columnist Alexandra Lange fell in love with the perfect fork.
You’ll find all of these stories and more in the latest issue of Gourmet Live. And now we’re dishing out three times the App Exclusive content, so check out three full-length features from this week’s issue:The full-length feature version of Five Ham Finds by Kelly Senyei appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Photo: Kimberly Setner
Whether you want to get a head start on winter–holiday menu–planning or are looking for an easy, crowd–friendly option for entertaining year–round, one of our five favorite ready–to–eat mail–order hams will likely fit the bill. We sliced and sampled until every last piece was tasted and every ham bone was spoken for and ready to star in a batch of collard greens or a summer rendition of split pea soup. And although not everyone here at Gourmet Live shared my predilection for the HoneyBaked brand, everybody was eager to claim their own favorite flavor or texture among the selections.
Gourmet Live’s Kelly Senyei headed up a taste test of spiral-sliced, smoked, and sugar-coated mail–order hams to find the best ones around.
Download the free Gourmet Live app to see her five, pig-perfect picks.
The full-length feature version of 10 Questions for Chris Cosentino appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live and online. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
GL: With your restaurant Incanto’s menu including everything from Leg of Beast to Blood Pappardelle, is there a single dish you consider the most extreme?
CC: I don’t like the word extreme because it reflects a personality or trend versus what we’re actually doing at the restaurant, which is just serving good food with California ingredients (including offal) firmly rooted in Italian traditions. Also, what may be adventurous for an American diner is completely normal for another person from a different culture, so extreme is a relative term. I put food on the menu for flavor, not shock value.
Gourmet Live caught up with offal pioneer Chris Cosentino, who’s taking snout–to–tail cooking (and eating) to all new heights.
Read the full-length version of 10 Questions for Chris Cosentino then download the free Gourmet Live app for recipes and more.
The full-length feature version of Spain’s Foie Gras by Gerry Dawes appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Different types of jamón Ibérico in La Boquería market in Barcelona. Photo: Gerry Dawes©2011/gerrydawes@aol.com.
Indeed, jamón Ibérico de bellota, from free–range pata negra (black hoof) Ibérico pigs fattened on acorns, is to Spain what foie gras is to France—except that this luxury food item is available in even modest bars, stores, and restaurants all over the country. Named for the acorn (bellota) element of the Ibérico pig’s diet, this delicacy is at the top of Spain’s ham hierarchy, with prices to match. (In Europe, it goes for the equivalent of roughly $30 per pound at entry level to about five times that.) Less costly versions—made from pigs fattened on fewer days of free–range acorn foraging to supplement a cereal diet (jamón de recebo), or little or no acorn consumption (jamón de cebo)—can still be delicious yet don’t send pork partisans into the same heights of gastronomic ecstasy as do the top–of–the–line Ibérico de bellota hams.
Gourmet Live guest columnist Gerry Dawes takes a look at the pampered gluttonous lives of the celebrated Ibérico hams, the Spanish equivalent of France’s Foie Gras.
Download the free Gourmet Live app for the full story and more.
The full-length feature version of The Pigs Are Alright by Kristin Kimball appears in the current issue of Gourmet Live and online. Download the free Gourmet Live app for this story and more.
Photo: Kristin Kimball
And what meat. Of the animals we raise for eating, pigs are my favorite on the plate. The traditional scale of luxury runs from high on the hog to low: loin, chop, belly, feet, and offal. But if you ask me, when it comes to pork, there is no relation between price per pound and enjoyment. In fact, I’d take a cheap piece of fresh pig liver, transmogrified into pâté, over a slice of expensive loin any day. And I’m always amazed by how even a tiny bit of pork fat, combined with salt, makes magic with other food. If you think you don’t like kale, or Brussels sprouts, or cabbage—or cardboard—come over to our house and I’ll cook some for you with a little fatback or pancetta, and then tell me what you think.
Gourmet Live guest columnist and farmer extraordinaire Kristin Kimball reveals how her family can raise and care for pigs and kill and eat them at the same time.
Read the full-length version of The Pigs are Alright then download the free Gourmet Live app for recipes and more.
