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Garnacha: The Wine That Goes With (Almost) Everything By: Jameson Fink Published: March 17, 2010 Whenever I visit my mother in Reno, I always take advantage of her palatial kitchen (which is about as big as my studio apartment) to make her favorite dish: pork tenderloin. I never buy any specific spices for the pork, I just empty out the spice rack and create a new rub each time. The most recent rub included: salt and pepper (duh), pasilla chile powder, garlic powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning. And maybe a few other things that I cannot recall. I do not measure the spices nor know how the flavors will work together but, luckily, pork tenderloin is a pretty blank canvas that can take a lot of seasoning. I started by searing the tenderloin in a pan. To get the pork ready to finish in the oven, I sliced up some apple and onion to make a bed for it on the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Hmm...maybe I should add some liquid? Why not pour in a little Old Rasputin Imperial Stout from the bottle I was enjoying to help keep the pork moist? When it was time to take it out of the oven I let it rest, sliced it, and served a reduction of the beer with the apples and onions on top. Now what wine do you drink with a pork tenderloin with a motley spice rub and an apple/onion/stout sauce? It called for some Spanish Garnacha (aka Grenache). Something about Grenache, with it's rich body, peppery/spicy notes, and low tannin make it work with just about anything from chicken to pork and even beef. And Spanish Grenache, like the old-vine Las Rocas, also has loads of fruit that compliments all kinds of disparate savory ingredients. I think the only red as versatile would be Cotes-du-Rhone, which is not surprising as it is usually Grenache-based. But I find the Spanish examples usually ramp up the fruit, which really ties everything together. So how do you go about creating a spice rub? The everybody-in-the-pool technique or is there more of a method to your madness? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: SarahKate March 21, 2010 I love love love a good Grenache. When we lived in Australia a lot of wine makers started selling GSM- Grenache, Shiraz and Malbec blends. Gorgeous! Las Rocas Source Thanks for the mention, Jameson! I agree with you on the food-matching point: conventional wisdom calls for serving a “big” tannic wine with red meats, but actually full flavor is more important, and smoother reds do just as well as those with upfront tannins like Cabernet and Merlot. In fact, a good Garnacha, like Las Rocas, can work well with just about any kind of meal—the flavors are bold enough to stand up to juicy steaks but also behaved enough to not overpower poultry and fish such as salmon. VOIPNJ sj managed pbx to wobble round new jersey unclaimed funds. Mutuelle senior Good post. I learn something more difficult on completely different blogs everyday. It is going to at all times be stimulating to read content from other writers and observe somewhat something from their store Mutuelle senior... Thank you, I've recently been seeking for information about this subject matter for ages and yours is the best I have located so far Devis mutuelle ... thanks for posting this, It?s simply what I used to be researching for on bing. I?d rather a lot relatively hear opinions from an individual, slightly than an organization internet web page, that?s why I like blogs so significantly. Many thanks Comparateur mut... fantastic post, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector do not notice this. You must continue your writing. I am sure, you have a huge readers’ base already Furniture Desig... The post is written in very a good manner and it entails many useful information for me. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement the concept.

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Q&A With Top Chef Kevin Gillespie By: Melissa Peterman Published: March 22, 2010 With a recent James Beard nomination and a new restaurant in the works, last season's Top Chef contestant Kevin Gillespie is far from being out of the spotlight.  Kevin tells Foodista about his style of cooking, his ultimate comfort food and what cooking trends he sees for 2010. 1. Congratulations on your James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year nomination! What do you hope to gain from this recognition? Thank you! I have always wanted to be nominated for this award because it is an award given by my peers. My goal is to be well respected in my industry. 2. What new in-house ingredients are you making at your restaurant? Is there anything you are particularly proud or excited about? Really, everything we do is made in-house and I’m proud of it all! 3. When did you start cooking? What can you suggest for someone just starting out who wants to learn how to cook professionally? I started cooking as a child and began cooking professionally at 18 years old. My advice is to find the best restaurant in your area and go there and beg for a job. If they’ll give you one (even if it’s unpaid), give it 100% every day. Don’t ever be late and don’t ever complain. That will open more doors than anything else. 4. We all know chefs don’t eat gourmet every single night. What is your ultimate comfort food or quick meal? My ultimate comfort food is pho. When I want to make something quick at home, I cook breakfast – eggs and grits! 5. What food or restaurant trends do you see for 2010? Is there a certain ingredient that you have recently discovered? Or a meal that inspired you? I think people have really started to re-embrace pork. And you see charcuterie a lot now. I also think Indian food is a coming trend. It has so many dimensions and even though the ingredients are foreign, the preparation is very similar to American Southern – sit and simmer.  I’ve really enjoyed working with smoke steelhead roe recently. It has an amazing quality like salmon roe but a clean, smoky flavor. It works not just with seafood but as a garnish with light meat dishes even. 6. What preconceived notions about the Top Chef were dispelled during and/or after your time on the show? Is it what you were expecting? Do you plan on doing more cooking shows in the future? I had never seen the show so I didn’t really know what to expect. But in general it was much more of a fight to survive every single day than I thought it would be. I would be interested in doing a cooking show at some point. 7. Most people say that you never stop learning when it comes to cooking, do you agree with that? What is something you recently learned even after all of your cooking experience? Yes, I agree. Just last weekend I was learning from my peers at the Charleston Food and Wine Festival. I recently made up a new dish by accident – 24 hour grits. 8. Who is your greatest cooking inspiration? Edna Lews, Thomas Keller, Michel Bras 9. Tell me more about the concept and flavors of Woodfire Grill, what can guests expect from your style of cooking? Our food is micro-regional. We source locally, follow the seasons, embrace the South and create dishes that are unique to Woodfire Grill. Our food is a blend of Southern cooking with French and European cuisines. 10. What local farms, foragers or gardens are you currently sourcing from? I'd love to know if you have played around with any heritage breeds of pork, like Mangalitsa for example. We work almost exclusively with local farmers at Woodfire Grill. The list is way too long but we print the names on our menu every day. We use a lot of heritage pork. I’m a big fan of Berkshire and Red Wattle. When I worked in Spokane, I was one of the first chefs ot buy Magalista from Heath Putnam. 11. I read in Access Atlanta that you were planning on opening up a new restaurant in the near future, possibly with a barbecue theme, can you tell me more about that? What will you do differently in preparation to opening this new venture compared to opening Woodfire Grill? My business partners and I always wanted to expand our operations and do something new – not replicate the Woodfire Grill concept. We want to do something casual where more people can come. We have not settled on a location yet. This time around is different because before we purchased an already operating restaurant and modified it to make it our own. A new restaurant will be built from the ground up. Above photo by Fredrik Brauer Comments: uberVU - social... March 22, 2010 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New Foodista Blog Post Q&amp;A With Top Chef Kevin Gillespie http://www.foodista.com/blog/2010/03/22/qa-with-chef-kevin/.. jillian Great interview. Kevin was by far my favorite on Top Chef. Melissa Peterman We're big fans of Kevin here too! janelle My family watches Top Chef religiously---and Kevin rocked. My two adolescent sons were first in line to cheer him on---esp. for his authenticity, big heart and sheer talent. Bravo! Barnaby Dorfman Great interview with a great chef! Toward the end of the last Top Chef, I kept thinking to myself, of all the finalists I would be most interested in eating at Kevin's restaurant...someday I will!

foodista

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Tasting the Legends of Napa: Beringer Private Reserve By: Jameson Fink Published: March 24, 2010 As part of my job as a wine buyer I get invited to a lot of tasting events. Normally the ones I gravitate towards involve esoteric French country wines, but I was intrigued as Beringer Private Reserve (especially the Cabernet) is one of the most iconic California wines. I came to the tasting with an open mind and ended up having to reconsider my (numerous) preconceived notions about Napa wines. Before we sat down for a formal tasting of the Cabernet, a glass of the 2007 Private Reserve Chardonnay was offered. Normally when I think of Napa Chardonnay, I'm expecting a buttery and oaky concoction, lacking in acidity. The Beringer, however, was balanced and elegant. It tasted like Chardonnay rather than just oak. It's the best Napa Chardonnay I've had in a long time. On to the Cabernet. We started by tasting a 1979 (!) Cab. I thought it was fading; it was dominated by olive flavors, a bit too acidic, and lacking in fruit. What made it interesting, however, was that 1979 was considered to be a disastrous vintage in Napa, so to taste a 21 year-old wine that was still drinkable was definitely an impressive achievement. The 1995 and 2001 were showing very well; both of these elegant, restrained reds demonstrated that there is a world of Napa Cabernets beyond those showing nothing but oak, alcohol, and tannin. The Cabernet portion of the event ended by tasting the components that made up the 2006 Private Reserve: 4 wines, each from a different vineyard that contributed to the final blend. I ended up mixing and matching my portions to make my own blend of Private Reserve based on my favorites. (Sadly, no one from Beringer offered to bottle this new blend.) To finish we enjoyed a glass of Nightingale, a Sauternes-like dessert wine that is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. And like Sauternes, it is a revelation with blue cheese. So while we are always looking for the newest, trendiest, hottest wine, it's important to realize that the classics never go out of style. (Special thanks to wine writer Linda Murphy, who guided us through the tasting. I appreciated her comments on the vintage variations, winemakers, vineyards, and history of Private Reserve and Napa in general.) Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

foodista

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Chef Q&A with Tamara Murphy By: Melissa Peterman Published: March 25, 2010 James Beard award winning  chef, restaurateur and soon-to-be author, Tamara Murphy has more than a couple irons in the fire right now.  We asked the Seattle chef about her new book, her passion for locally-sourced ingredients and the future of Terra Plata. There is a lot going on in your world these days, besides running Brasa, you are currently working on the relocation of Elliott Bay Café and hoping to open Terra Plata in the near future, how are you holding up?I definitely feel challenged. I feel confident knowing that I have handled my challenges respectfully and with integrity. Considering the circumstances, I am doing well.   What would be the ultimate outcome for everything you have going on? Terra Plata is open and thriving, and I am able to put my energies towards  the creative side of my life, which is what I love most.  Elliott Bay Cafe will be staying in its current location in Pioneer Square and I am opening my second Elliott Bay Cafe in the new book store on Capitol Hill. You also have a book coming out this spring, congratulations! Can you tell us more about TENDER: farmers, cooks, eaters? What was your inspiration behind it? And where can we find it once it's released? I have been working with farmers for a long time. Our local farmers are truly inspiring to me.  They grow and handle our food with care and in a sustainable and respectful way, which is very important to me.  Our farmers take care of our rural landscape and our farmers markets take care of our urban landscape. I wanted to share this simple message. TENDER is about honoring those farmers and the message behind their work. Its not just a recipe book. The photographs are beautiful.  TENDER... that which requires careful handling; soft and easily chewed; a softness or gentleness in ones relations with others that is expressive of warm affection, concern; to offer, to give; a means of payment; has or expresses affection, love, consideration; someone who tends. The name reflects the connection we share with  a farmer, a cook and an eater.   TENDER is currently available for pre-lease to reserve a signed copy of the first printing. It can be reserved at  http://www.farmerscookseaters.com/purchase-tender. Once the dust settles from everything going on and Terra Plata’s doors are open, can you elaborate about the concept of Terra Plata; what can guests expect from your style of cooking? Terra Plata loosely translated means "earth to plate."  Spanish and Mediterranean influences will be strong,  because I love big bold flavors, but mostly it will be a menu that really expresses my values and honors our farmers in a personal way.  Of course using ingredients  from our local farms as well as items from the restaurant's garden is what I look forward to most. You are one of the strongest proponents of eating locally and paying attention to your food sources. What local farms, foragers or gardens are you currently sourcing from? Whistling Train Farm raises  my pigs.  Working with a farm that raises pigs for me is a symbolic message, a lesson in sustainability as much as it is a product.  Ninety Farms in Arlington for lamb.  Totten Creek for goat.  Loki Fish for salmon, Taylor Shellfish for clams and mussels, oysters, geoduck.  Foraged and Found for wild greens and mushrooms. Of course, visiting the farmers markets weekly keeps me up to date in regards to new farms. What new in-house ingredients are you making at Brasa, the cafe, or working on for your next venture?  Is there anything you are particularly proud or excited about? I am making vinegars , from wine that was made about 6 years ago, by my friend Doug Graves. I have been aging it and now playing....it's really really good. I have a couple of other items I am working on, but they will have to wait for now, as I have a lot going on. What advice can you give to busy people who want to play an active role in sourcing their food locally? Farmers Markets! They are  are  all over the city.  These markets, are a great way to meet our regions growers, and get to know them in a personal way as well as the products they offer.  Visiting the farms are a fun way to develop a deeper understanding and connection to our local food source.   Many of the farms have a CSA( Community Supported Agriculture) program.  Signing up for a CSA is another way to get weekly product in support of your favorite farms. It  can help out with our busy schedules, as well. One  just has  to pick up the box at a designated pick-up spot and some  farms even deliver.  Buying  locally takes a commitment, but its worth it. Besides,  buying from a local farmers market is so much more fun than pushing a cart in a grocery store. Hands down the food is better for us and the flavor? That's a no brainer.  Also, when buying from a farmers market you want to allow yourself the opportunity to be inspired and driven by what is on the farm table, not a recipe that you have come with and shopped for and can't find everything your recipe calls for. Once you are familiar with the markets and what they offer seasonally, you can have a game plan before you go to speed things up if you are short on time.  The farmers are a great resource for how to cook their products simply! Simple is key. For so many foodies in the northwest, one of the most anticipated events and one I am dying to go to, is an event that you came up with called the Burning Beast. Is it happening again this year? For people who have never been, what can you tell us about this event? Oh yes, it is happening.... July 11th.  Burning Beast takes place at a non-working dairy farm in Arlington called  Smoke Farm.  BB  is the ultimate outdoor BBQ. Chefs cook locally raised meat and fish over  open fires. Pig, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, Duck, Buffalo, Elk, Salmon, Oysters, Geoduck and more!  Loads of fire roasted  vegetables as well, all from our local farms.   This year Swamp Soul and Pickled Okra are performing and they are really  fun.  Think of BB as a food version of Burning Man. Not that I have ever been, but you get the idea.  Guests arrive sometime in the early part of the afternoon, wander the farm and play in the river. Chefs  begin building their fires, early in the morning using different fruit woods. We have at 5-6 different fruit woods to choose from.  Chefs and their crew are hanging out cooking  on contraptions they have created out of re-bar, and other metals, or the chef may have something in the ground or in a cauldron, or on  spit.  Everyone is meandering from site to site, drinking, watching, talking and hanging out. At 6pm the dinner bell rings and then the party REALLY begins.This party goes  well into the night. BB is all about supporting the our local meat supply.  For us chefs, if we want local meat  in our restaurants we have to buy the whole animal. We can't just call up the farmer and ask for rib-eyes, or lamb chops. It doesn't work that way.  This event is all about supporting what are farmers and chefs are doing to bring locally raised meat to our markets, and restaurants. The line up of chefs, participating is amazing. Tickets will be available online, soon. This event also supports Smoke Farm, one of the other "loves" in my life.  Check out their website. www.smokefarm.org Tickets will eventually be sold here thru Brown Paper Tickets as well as on the chef's web site. Details will be on the web very soon. Just Google Burning Beast in the next month or so. We all know chefs don’t eat gourmet every single night. I have to ask, what is your ultimate comfort food or quick meal? Pho, especially on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  I love  Roast Chicken. I am also a fan of Iceberg with Blue cheese dressing. Most people say that you never stop learning when it comes to cooking, do you agree with that? I do! We  learn technique and that is an important component to good cooking, but I think  there is more. When we cook daily I think  we "discover."  Approaching it this way, frees us up.  Good cooking, comes from the heart, not from the head.  I don't usually follow a recipe to the letter, unless I am baking or making something for the first time. The recipe is a blue print.  Often I say "oh wow, look at this...taste this...this is the better than the last time I made this and I am not sure why. My best dishes happen when I am in a good mood and have beautiful product.     What is something you recently learned even after all of your cooking experience? I haven't recently learned this, but again I discovered ....I like over-cooked vegetables, especially asparagus. When vegetables cook down the sugars intensify and so does the flavor. I am all about what something tastes like and put less emphasis on pretty food. I know its not a popular idea, and a diner would most likely be upset if their dinner came with over cooked asparagus. We have all been taught that colors, crispy textures is what we should expect.  For me its a flavor component that changes.  Chefs like to puree vegetables. We get away with cooking the vegetable totally soft, and a carrot puree tastes totally different than slightly blanched carrots.  I am  now learning how to use the sous vide circulator and work with a few molecular ingredients to see if that fits with my style or not. The jury is still out on that one. Is there a certain ingredient that you have recently discovered?  Or a meal that inspired you? I am part of Seattle Chefs Top Tables and  last night with Thierry Rautureau, Holly Smith, Maria Hines, Jason Wilson, John Sundstrom, I was inspired by that meal and the company. I absolutely adore each and every one of them, of course the food was awesome. What food or restaurant trends do you see for 2010? In my view,  how many really new things, under the sun, can we come up with when it comes to food? I believe that we  will be content sharing simple meals with great friends in casual and low budget build outs. There is a lot of movement towards less designed restaurants to save on those costs and the cost to keep those spaces up. Chefs want to spend their money on what matters, the food.  There is certainly a trend  towards interesting, savory cocktails, using local ingredients. Seems to be appropriate... in a challenged economy we all tend to indulge a little more  in the "spirit world." Has the bacon martini been created yet? Probably. Will we see a Tamara Murphy food truck anytime soon? HA! You must be reading my mind....I have something kind of like that in mind, but just a little different...for now my lips are sealed.

foodista

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News Flash: Hundreds Gather To Talk About Gristle By: Jameson Fink Published: March 27, 2010 I attended an event at Town Hall Seattle last night where chart-topping musician and longtime vegan Moby and his co-editor, Miyun Park, discussed their book, Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety. Normally I would fear attending an event featuring two vegans talking about food ethics and politics. I was hoping Moby would not lecture us on how superior and morally just vegans are compared to planet-decimating carnivores. Moby, however, was surprisingly self-deprecating, hilarious, charming, and anti-polemical. It's refreshing to hear someone who has been a vegan for almost 20 years look back on his strident youth and admit: "My militancy was truly annoying." (And I'm not just picking on vegans; this kind of insufferableness is present among a multitude of people who claim moral high ground over a polarizing issue.) How truly annoying did Moby get? Well, he admitted that this happened around the beginning of his conversion to veganism: "To PROVE the depth of my commitment I decided that I would only talk to vegans." (Seriously. But it only lasted for 6 hours.) Therefore, in the spirit of overcoming vegan militancy, he envisioned Gristle as a collection of essays simply detailing the facts and ramifications of animal production rather than beating the drum for veganism. Following Moby and Park's lengthy Q&A session, PubliCola sponsored a conversation with Kurt Timmermeister, who owns a farm on Vashon Island (Kurtwood) where he raises animals and makes cheese. Whereas Moby and Park were focused on veganism vs. factory farming, Kurt illustrated a model for humanely raising animals for food on a small scale. He also made a very good point about Moby's concern about the number of animals killed each year in the US for food production, a number that is in the billions. Kurt wondered, if we just cut the portion size of our steaks (and all our meats), how many less animals would be slaughtered? The biggest thread I perceived between both discussions was the huge role that federal subsidies play in making food, especially fast-food and factory farm products, so cheap. It's not that high-quality food is so overpriced but, rather, fast-food is fantastically underpriced due to subsidies on beef, pork, and chicken. The big topic that I would have liked to have seen Moby and Park discuss concerning the rise of factory farming and fast food is the lack of cooking going on in this country. You have a lot more control over your food choices and food costs if you are cooking at home. Then again, if you are living in an impoverished urban area, your food-purchasing options might just be fast food and a corner store devoid of fruits and vegetables. Economic injustice certainly has an impact on access to healthy food. So how do we reduce the role of factory farming in this country? Going vegan? Buying from local, small-scale producers? Ending or shifting government subsides? Legislation and oversight? Discuss, Foodista readers. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: News Flash: Hundreds Gather To Talk About Gristle http://bit.ly/cTjpH0...

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Hug a Pineapple By: Helen Pitlick Published: March 29, 2010 I just got back from an amazing week of relaxation in Hawaii and one of the amazing sights I was fortunate to see was the Dole Plantation. It wasn’t the most scenic places I visited, but it was an educational celebration of one of the greatest foods on earth: the pineapple. I hadn't given much thought to where pineapples came from until this trip. I used to think pineapples grew on trees until someone told me a few years ago that they are actually cultivated from bushes. What I didn’t realize until seeing these bushes is how small they are: just a few feet tall. The bushes look remarkably similar to the top of the pineapple, the crown.  The reason for this is that pineapples are not grown with seeds; the crown is placed in the ground (by hand), and this becomes the plant. It takes 20 months for the plant to produce its first fruit, and 14-15 months for the second-- makes me thankful that the human gestation period is only 9 months.  Pineapples originated in Paraguay and Brazil, but spread to the Caribbean, Philippines and Hawaii thanks to the Spanish. There are many different varieties, though we are most familiar with the Smooth Cayenne; James Dole elected to grow this variety on his plantation for its shape and relatively smooth body, and it has become the industry standard. Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme found in bromeliads (like pineapple) that breaks down protein. This makes the fruit an excellent marinade or tenderizer for meat—and a tasty digestive aid after a heavy meal. However, bromelain can interfere with setting in jellies and dishes with gelatin-- and with proteins in the bodies of people with compromised systems; for this reason, people with hemophilia, protein disorders and kidney or liver disease should not eat raw pineapple. The good news is that bromelain breaks down with heat, so canned pineapple is safe for all, and (as every Midwesterner knows) works well in gelatin-based desserts. Alright—enough with the trivia. On with the recipes! I feel a little guilty eating pineapple at home in Seattle because it is certainly not local, but I give in to the occasional indulgence. Here are 5 of my favorite ways to consume this wonderful fruit:   Grilled Pineapple: grilling caramelizes the sugars in the flesh for incredible flavor. Pineapple Curry: The sweet, salty and spicy flavors of this economical dish play deliciously on the taste buds. Pineapple Haupia: Haupia is an amazing Hawaiian coconut pudding, made all the more delectable with the addition of pineapple. Cocktails! Whether it's in the minimalist pineapple cocktail, the avant-garde combination of pineapple and herbs, or the classic pina colada, pineapple juice makes a versatile mixer. More pineappley goodness: Simply Recipes' Pineapple Upside Down Cake What's for Lunch at our House's Pineapple Blueberry Muffins My Treasure... My Pleasure's Pineapple Pachadi Appoggiatura's Pineapple Salsa Sugar Shop's Pineapple Infused Vodka What's your favorite way to prepare pineapple? Comments: Melissa Peterman Fantastic post Helen! Very interesting and educational- I didn't know about the reactions pineapples can trigger in the body! Very cool.

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Sharing Recipes for Passover and Cooking with Those you Love By: Melissa Peterman Published: March 30, 2010 For many, Passover represents a time of sharing, giving back and caring for others. What better way to give back than cooking recipes made with love and sharing them with friends and family. Here are a couple Passover recipes from the Foodista community you might want to share with others! Passover Kugel Passover Buns Chicken Matzo Ball Soup Looking for more inspiration for Passover recipes? Gwyneth's Goop provide's a list of great Passover recipes Milk & Mode provide a recipe of pure comfort Bay Area Bite's shares some Passover baking tips Above photo by : Word Ridden Comments: VOIP cv phnhbdvio voip wholesale

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The World's Most Neglected Wines (Part Three): Chablis By: Jameson Fink Published: March 31, 2010 My idea of heaven is opening the door of a charming restaurant, Seattle's Corson Building, for example, to find a table full of Chablis awaiting. Much like the photo above. For some, Chablis conjures up memories of extremely large glass bottles with a handle or a giant box of California white wine. Like Burgundy, the good name of Chablis was hijacked and affixed to numerous subpar bottles (and boxes) of plonk. True Chablis, however, is Chardonnay from (and only from) the village of Chablis. It often gets lumped into Burgundy, but its location and soils make it more akin to Champagne or maybe Sancerre. (See this map for an idea of where Chablis lies in relation to Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire. Note that this map also list Chablis as part of Burgundy.) The hallmarks of Chardonnay from the cool climate and limestone soils of Chablis are sharp acidity and minerality. Also, the vineyards are strewn with fossilized oyster shells, which many point to the reason why Chablis and oysters are a classic pairing. The notion of tasting minerals in a wine, and how roots transfer soil "flavors" to the vine, however, is somewhat puzzling and controversial. If I grew tomatoes in the soil of Chablis, would people remark how "mineraly" my tomatoes tasted? What do minerals taste like? The French notion of terroir, that certain sites produce wines with a distinct sense of place is possibly nowhere more iconic than in Chablis. But it is certainly not without its detractors; reading an article co-authored by food scientist Harold McGee about, well, tasting dirt, caused a sleepless night for this old-world wine curmudgeon. Now I've turned a post what should have solely been a love letter to Chablis into a pedantic debate about terroir. So let me get back on track. William Fevre makes exquisite Chablis. Think about all the hallmarks of popular, New World Chardonnay: buttery, oaky, alcohol-laden, soft, and sweet. Then toss them out the window. These are elegant Chardonnays with perfect balance, great acidity, and long, lingering finishes. And talk about amazing food wines! Besides oysters, try Chablis with trout in a little cream sauce, shellfish, or, with the top Grand Cru wines, lobster. I have been fortunate enough to enjoy many of Fevre's top Chablis from numerous vintages and they are simply some of the consistently finest white wines I have ever had. And if that praise seems a bit dispassionate, I'll just sum up with three words: I adore Chablis. (And I was tempted to put an exclamation point there.) Dear Foodista readers, will you please go out and buy a bottle of Chablis and experience it for yourself? And let me know how you would describe the hallmark flavors of Chablis. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Mary March 31, 2010 I'm not really a white wine drinker, but you've convinced me to go out and buy a chablis!

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Egg Hunt By: Melissa Peterman Published: April 3, 2010 I'm overly excited when Easter comes around and it's not because all of the chocolate eggs, but actually it's because of the leftover hard boiled eggs! Those that know me, know that I'm an egg lover.  I'm partial to fresh farm eggs and if I truly get to pick, it's duck eggs all the way. I'm actually on my own personal egg hunt as I search for every type of egg I can try. There are SO many different types of edible eggs! Beyond duck and chicken eggs, I've only had quail eggs and even some delicious turkey eggs. but with all the egg possibilities still out there to try, my quest has barely begun! Not up for hunt? For the less adventurous egg eaters out there, here are a few recipe ideas to give new life to your leftover, hard-boiled, painted chicken eggs. Wasabi & Nori Deviled Eggs Pickled Eggs Scotch Eggs More Easter Fun: Latvian Easter Egg Technique Sinful Deep-fried Cadbury Caramel Egg Homemade Chocolate Easter Eggs Comments: qt VOIP mitel pbx to stretch except new jersey legislature. fingertip pulse... The following time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I know it was my option to learn, but I truly thought youd have something fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you would fix for those who werent too busy in search of attention.

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Easter Dinner Side Dish: Flowering Kale By: Jameson Fink Published: April 4, 2010 Most Sundays I travel to the West Seattle Farmers Market, looking for inspiration. I know I'm having ham tonight and I have been put in charge of a vegetable side. This flowering green kale really caught my eye; not only is it pretty, but it's something I've never cooked before. And I like a challenge. Since it reminds me of broccolini (with thinner stems), I'm planning on dropping it in salted, boiling water for just a minute. Then a plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and preserve the lovely green color. (The classic blanch and shock technique.) Drain, and a quick sauté in olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, and it's done. If I'm feeling fancy I might slice up some garlic, fry it in the oil, remove it when it gets crispy, and then add the kale. Foodista readers: How would you prepare this flowering kale? And do you seek out the unusual and unfamiliar when you visit your local farmers market? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

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Food Haiku Contest By: Helen Pitlick Published: April 5, 2010 April is National Poetry Month. In this spirit, we're launching the Foodista Food Haiku Contest. All month long, we're looking for your best food-related haikus via Twitter or posted to our Facebook wall-- if you're tweeting, simply include @Foodista at the end of your tweets so we can acknowledge your masterpieces (this does not count towards your haiku's syllable limit). In case you need a high school English refresher, Haiku is a three-line poem with 5 syllables on the first line, 7 on the second, and 5 again on the third. Because of this lingual limitation, haiku is one of the most Twitter-friendly forms of poetry-- try squeezing a Shakespearean sonnet into 140 characters. Your food haikus can convey the humor of eating something that isn't what you thought it was, the sweetness of a memory of your grandmother baking pie, the sadness of finishing the last delicious morsel of your favorite dish-- any emotion you wish to express. The only requirements are that it be a legitimate haiku (no 5-7-6, people) and about food. We'll pick our favorite composition at the end of the month (4/30), and send that culinary Matsuo Bash? a Foodista apron and a copy of Dessert Haiku: Petite Desserts for the Sweet Tooth & Poetry for the Soul. In case you need some inspiration, here's our graphic designer Karlyn's first attempt: Lo! A crimson grape I bite into its smooth flesh Yuck, it's an olive :P And if you want to really learn how it's done, Miss Yu of Tops in Toronto combines haiku and photography for a lush visual experience-- brilliant. image by sleepyneko Comments: Serge Lescouarnec Can Food be Poetry by Itself? Will mention your Food Haiku contest? In the meantime let me broadcast my own contest on Brazilian Kitchen cookbook. Prize is copy signed by Chef Leticia Here's the link for details http://www.sergetheconcierge.com/2010/04/name-famous-soccer-player-born-in-porto-alegre-win-brazilian-kitchen-cookcook.html Serge 'The French Guy from New Jersey' uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Food Haiku Contest http://www.foodista.com/blog/2010/04/05/food-haiku-contest/.. archintrain Digging the blog... I will be sure to become a fan on facebook! Heather - Ghost... fun idea! :-) Joe I can't seem to find the winner announcement of the Moleskine Passed Down Recipe contest. Has it been announced yet?

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Cooking with the iPad By: Helen Pitlick Published: April 7, 2010 In addition to being a cooking encyclopedia, we’re also an online media company, and at every online media company you’re bound to find at least one gadget geek. Therefore, I wasn’t too surprised when a member of the team brought an iPad into Foodista HQ on Monday. I was, however, shocked and delighted when he announced that we could each take it home to play with. Having recently finished a term project covering how the way home cooks access recipes has evolved over the past 150 years, my first reaction to the iPad was: "it’s neat, but can you cook with it?" With all of the recipe apps out there, much has been written about cooking with the iPhone, so I hypothesized that the iPad’s larger screen would make this an exponentially better experience. In the interest of full disclosure, I’m a long-time Apple user; Steve jobs lives in my hometown, and personally gave me candy at Halloween when I was a young'un. However, I have mixed feelings about Apple products. They are flashy, expensive, and (in my experience) not always all they’ve cracked up to be; though I own an iPhone, the last computer I bought was a PC. So, while I was blown away by the opportunity to play with such a hot gadget, I tried to keep an open mind throughout the experience. 1) Searching for a recipe Searching for a recipe was easy; once I connected to the internet (what was my wi-fi password again?), I was quickly able to find what I was looking for (cookies!) at a speed that was faster than my laptop or flipping through my cookbook library—and left the iPhone in the dust. The tactile feel of the iPad is comfortable; I loved how I was able to recline on the couch without a heavy computer or book (Bittman, you're wonderful but How to Cook Everything weighs a ton) on my lap, making the already enjoyable task of looking for the perfect recipe even more fun and relaxed. iPad: 1; other media: 0 2) Shopping for ingredients I took a precursory glance at the ingredients list and determined that my pantry was lacking a few requirements. Plus, I wanted to see how the iPad stood up at the grocery store. The iPhone's dainty size, though a pain for reading or cooking, combined with its 3G network makes it an ideal shopping companion; the iPad doesn't fit quite as easily in a purse or connect to the internet from anywhere. And I feel a little silly/showy whipping it out in the produce aisle. I imagined that the supermarket would not have wi-fi (who uses a laptop while grocery shopping?), so I kept the page with the recipe open. However, I didn’t leave right away. I made a snack. I checked my email. By the time I reached the store, the iPad was asleep. Sure enough, there were no free accounts to log into; I stared down a menacing blank screen. #Fail. I knew I was out of sugar (most cookie recipes do call for sugar), so I was safe with buying that, but there was something unusual in this particular cookie. What was it? Tofu? Lesson learned: load the page you need before venturing beyond reliable wi-fi, then go to ‘settings’ and turn the autolock off. iPad: 0; other media: 1 3) Cooking with the iPad With the aid of a cheap book stand, I propped the iPad upright on the counter rather than lying it flat, which made a noticeable difference in its kitchen usability. It took up minimal counter space, and its bright screen provided excellent visibility-- both pluses in my small, windowless kitchen. Cookbooks threaten to close during a crucial step if not held open, which gives the iPad even more of an edge in this arena. Plus, I hate ruining the crisp, clean pages of my cookbooks by actually-- gasp-- cooking with them. In addition, the iPad interface, when positioned vertically, is ideal for viewing recipes; the entire recipe —ingredients, steps and all— fits legibly on the screen. Crucial steps are not lost below the fold as the often are on my laptop, and the iPad’s size makes this much, much more positive user experience than looking a a recipe on the iPhone. Again, like the grocery store, this is a situation where the autolock should be off (you don't want to be handling a $500 when your hands are covered in flour and butter), though I probably could have made it under the 15-minute shut off mark if I hadn’t been taking pictures of my (err, the office's) new toy every few seconds. iPad: 1; other media: 0 4) Conclusion The iPad's dimensions and speed are ideal for browsing, and it performs superbly in the kitchen. However, its main weakness is wi-fi; without an internet connection, you're left with a really expensive, really shiny paper weight. Plus, the iPad doesn't have a camera, and when I pull something especially delicious out of my oven, I like to take a picture of it. Regardless, I see so much potential in this device. The iPad has been touted as the savior of printed publications, and I think it could revolutionize the cookbook and food magazine industry as well; it seems perfectly poised for online subscription models. Oh, and if you're curious about how the cookies turned out, they were fabulous. Comments: Tom Bryant <a href="http://recoveringaddictmassachusetts.viviti.com/" rel="nofollow">Drug Addiction In Maine</a> Pam Thanks for visiting Alisa! Added to my blog! Mimi Cooks Great post! I hope that Apple are working on improving the IPad . Once it has internet access and camera, then i might get one! Helen Pitlick Thanks Summer! I'm with you on the camera and internet issues; both of those are deal breakers for me, since I can see the size and design of the iPad as ideal for reading on the bus or train, where wireless access is not often available. Hopefully Apple will get the second generation iPad right! Yvette Cool website and article. We could really use some Foodistas to try our new app, Stir. It is for keeping your recipes and if you want to share them with the Stir community you can. Please find us on the web and request a code for a free download. mutuelle Very nice article. Thanks for sharing. Comparateur mut... thanks for posting this, It?s simply what I used to be researching for on bing. I?d rather a lot relatively hear opinions from an individual, slightly than an organization internet web page, that?s why I like blogs so significantly. Many thanks! Comparateur mut... This article gives the light in which we can observe the reality.

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Get Ready for the Summer of Watermelon and Beer. Together. In a Can. By: Jameson Fink Published: April 7, 2010 Gloomy Seattle has me longing for summer, sitting on a porch or patio, and knocking back a cold beer. I have to admit I kinda laughed/cringed when I first saw this watermelon wheat beer from San Fransisco's 21st Amendment Brewery. Not only for the loud, obnoxious packaging, and punny name, but watermelon? In beer? Seriously? I've had loads of beers with fruit flavor and a plethora of exotic ingredients but I definitely never envisioned watermelon in my beer. Well, I'm here to say I love it. This is by no means a sweet beer, but you definitely get lots of watermelon flavor, which really works well with a wheat beer. It's low in alcohol (under 5%), so it's not going to put you in a stupor after a couple, like all those high-octane, barrel-aged, mega-hopped extreme beers that are the vogue. Notably, the Hell or High Watermelon (groan) is but one of a growing number of high quality, craft beers coming out in cans. 21st Amendment, like craft beer canning pioneer Oskar Blues, doesn't do bottles. Just cans and kegs. And for the carbon footprint/environmentalist crowd, cans are a lot lighter when it comes to shipping and much easier to recycle than glass. So are you still prejudiced against beer in a can? And would you, like me, proudly imbibe a watermelon wheat beer in public, without hiding it in a can cozy? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Get Ready for the Summer of Watermelon and Beer. Together. In a Can. http://bit.ly/bgjLrX... Helen Pitlick One of my favorites-- the perfect beer for summer! I was initially hesitant to try HOHW because it's a fruit beer and it's packaged in a can, but my worries were unfounded. It's delicious. Mmm... thanks for featuring it. Sean I'm fortunate enough to live in San Francisco so I can get the watermelon wheat fresh off the tap. I just met the head brewer for 21st Amendment yesterday, and he said the new batch of watermelon will hit this week. Whee! Brad Huh, I'll have to try it while at the IFBC, if it tastes good I don't think it matters if it's in a can or bottle.

foodista

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What I Got at the Farmers Market By: Jameson Fink Published: April 11, 2010 It was a beautiful day to be in West Seattle. What do to my purchases? Let's take these potatoes and boil them in salted water until tender, then cool and slice. I'll quarter the radishes and marinate them in a bit of vinegar, salt, and sugar. Some of the olive oil will be drained from the salmon and set aside. Assemble a dressing: vinegar, olive oil, maybe some Dijon mustard, a little honey to balance, and salt/pepper. Potatoes, radishes, salmon, and arugula will all get tossed with the dressing and I'm done. So what would you make with these ingredients? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

foodista

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The best vegan cheese By: Helen Pitlick Published: April 12, 2010 Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich day. I'm vegan, but I eat a whole lot of grilled melted cheese-like product sandwiches. My mom gave me her panini press a few years back, and it gets more use than almost any other appliance in my kitchen. However, the perfect vegan grilled cheese is elusive. The thing about most vegan products, from veggie burgers to ice cream to fake cheese, is that you need to experiment until you find the right fit. There are some terrible, terrible products on the market, and the fact of the matter is that many vegan cheeses taste like garbage, with textures and colors not found in nature. (You heard it from a vegan.) Plus, it's important to note that many brands of soy or rice cheese are not actually vegan; these contain casein, a milk protein, or other milk derivatives. However, there are some vegan cheeses that are quite excellent. In celebration of this glorious day, I present you with a sampling of my extensive research into vegan cheeses, the good, the bad, and the Tofutti. Daiya, cheddar: Daiya is, completely deservedly, the It cheese substitute of the moment. It has a chewy texture and savory, slightly nutty flavor, without the horrid plastic taste you get with some vegan cheeses. It melts quite well, and actually stays fairly solid rather than turning into a runny liquid; some people rave that it even forms cheese-like strands when pulled apart. I find the texture a trifle gelatinous when melted, but all-in-all this is a first-rate product. It's one of the few vegan cheeses that is soy free, and is now available at many Whole Foods Markets, though an employee at the Whole Foods closest to me looked at me like I was from Mars and said, "I wish" when I asked him where I could find it on their shelves. Tofutti, mozzarella flavor: Eaten plain, it has a creamy, tangy, garlicky flavor, not unlike feta cheese or raita. It actually sort of burns the throat, not something I look for in a cheese replacement, or food in general. When grilled, the burning sensation goes away, but the cheese itself disintegrates into the bread; it's like eating two pieces of toast loosely bound together with a sticky substance. I love Tofutti's other products (Cuties, Sour Supreme, and vegan cream cheese) but this fake cheese was just terrible; I bought it at QFC if you really want to try it. Vegan Gourmet, mozzarella, cheddar and nacho cheese: In my opinion (and the opinion of many others, as evidenced by it winning VegNews' award for best vegan cheese in 2005), this is the best vegan cheese on the market. The mozzarella has a creamy, soft texture that actually resembles fresh mozzarella. The cheddar is a little closer to American in flavor and texture, but has a sharpness to it that I find irresistible enough to eat by the slice. The nacho cheese is ideal for nachos or giving grilled cheese sandwiches a bit of kick. The best part is that all of the flavors actually melt superbly; it's a little more liquidy than Daiya, though not as extreme as Tofutti. Vegan Gourmet available almost everywhere I shop (QFC, Whole Foods, the local food co-op), though is significantly more expensive at the regular supermarket. Definitely buy. Vegan Rella, mozzarella flavor: I cannot get over the smell of this stuff. I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is that I find so repulsive, but something about its odor activates my gag reflex. The sticky, slimy texture upon removing it from the packaging is also off-putting. The taste is passable, though strikes me as very artificial; if sort of reminds me of yogurt that may or may not be past its expiration date. In its solid state, Vegan Rella has a mild flavor and creamy mouthfeel that is well-suited to crackers or rice cakes. Melted, it turns into a runny opaque fluid that I really can only compare to forms of bodily discharge that have no place on a food blog. AVOID. WayFare, out of Bozeman, MT, may be a new contender on the market. They had a booth, though no samples, at VegFest this past weekend, and are starting to gather buzz in the vegan food blogging community. I haven't had the opportunity to sample their wares yet, but will approach with an open mind. These are by no means not the only vegan cheese on the market; my favorite vegan pizza joint uses Teese, which is difficult to find in stores. You can find small, artisan cheeses in shops that cater heavily to vegans. And, if you're really adventurous, you can make your own. I'm always looking the try new vegan cheeses, so what's your favorite? Comments: Jessie (Vegan-m... April 13, 2010 I just tried Daiya (and blogged about it) a few days ago and I was completely blown away. It is definitely the best vegan cheese as far as I'm concerned. Awesome for grilled cheese sandwiches! Helen Pitlick Sweet post Jessie! (http://veganmindedblog.com/2010/04/10/dreaming-of-daiya/) Great documentation of Daiya's stretchiness. I really hope my local Whole Foods starts carrying it soon! Nathan Reagan Thanks for sharing. I have stayed away from most substitutes because I don't trust them so its great to get an overview of the ones I should consider trying. Chris In Charlie Trotter's cookbook Raw- he has recipes for both a Cashew Cheese and a Rawmesan. Not being a Vegan, I haven't had the burning desire to make them myself- but I may, just to see ......... My biggest gripe with vegan cheese? the melting factor. Eco-Vegan Gal OMG - wait until you try WayFare We Can't Say It's Cheese - out of this world! Daiya remains my favorite vegan cheese, but WayFare is an awesome dip. I'm addicted to the Hickory flavor - yum! helen Yeah, I actually should post a revision: I picked up a tub of WayFare's cheddar spread over the weekend (was sooo giddy when I learned that Sidecar for Pigs Peace here in Seattle carries it) and it's AWESOME!!! I've already gone through most of a tub and it's only been 3 days. Who would have thought that something oat-based could taste so much like cheese, right? social media ma... thank you for this post. The review you provided is very helpful for people who are also having a similar dilemma about the food properties in a vegan diet. Jordan Hall Hello, I was wondering if you allowed advertising to your list? If so, I would be very interested in purchasing some Solo Ads. It really looks like your site would be a great fit. Let me know what you think. Also, I'm open to talk any time you're available. Thanks! Jordan Hall 512-825-4772 jordanhvent@gmail.com Carlton Ohotnicky Attractive section of content. 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It Just Got Easier to Find a Good MAN By: Jameson Fink Published: April 14, 2010 I'm not sure there is a better sub-$10 white wine than the MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc. It's a very dry and crisp white that has surprising complexity. Wait. Did I just call a wine complex? Please allow me to retract. Calculus is complex; wine is delicious. I'd rather say that the MAN Chenin is distinctive. And for a wine at this price to be distinctive is quite an achievement. Food-wise I love the MAN Chenin with vegetarian cuisine. Below is my ideal pairing with this wine. Thoughts? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: minority scholarship April 16, 2010 this post is very usefull thx! Annmarie Kostyk That is one delicious looking sandwich!

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Foodista Heads to Portland for IACP By: Melissa Peterman Published: April 16, 2010 EAT MOBILE "It was like being at a night market in a foreign country with all these different food choices, except that I was in downtown Portland." Those were the words of my husband Mark as he tried to explain the breadth of food carts that have taken over the city of Portland.  I have been to Portland on and off over the years and have seen several food carts, but according to Mark, who was in Portland last weekend, the current food cart scene is unreal. According to the Willamette Week, Portland has more than 300 food carts. That's enough to satisfy a hipster's changing mood on food choices for months! Since Portland has become the center of the food cart movement, it’s not surprising that the annual food cart awards, EAT MOBILE should also be held here. Willamette Week’s 3rd Annual Portland Food Cart Festival will take place next Saturday, April 24th. FOOD FILM FESTIVAL Along with the Food Cart Festival, Join us for the Food Film Festival co-sponsored by The International Association of Culinary Professionals and Foodista.com. The Food Film Festival is open to the public and will be held in the Salon Ballroom of the Portland Hilton located downtown on SW 6th Ave. An intriguing Q&A discussion will follow each film. A no-host bar will be available.  Get Tickets Here! Ingredients Friday, April 23 @ 8:30 pm The End of the Line Saturday, April 24 @ 7:30pm Today’s Special Saturday, April 24 @ 10:00 pm (Starring Aasif Mandvi of The Daily Show) The International Association of Culinary Professionals, IACP 32nd annual conference Takes Place Next Week! The 2010 IACP Annual Conference Committee and the Portland Host City Committee invite you to experience The New Culinary Order on April 21-24, 2010 in Portland, Oregon.  The Foodista team will be joining scores of food writers, chefs, cookbook authors and food geeks from all corners of the globe to talk shop! Comments: Food lover April 16, 2010 Food Film Festival? What a great idea! We need one in Australia Melissa Peterman Hi Food Lover! Yes! The more the merrier I think. If you'll be in town- we'd love to see you at the film fest!

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Farmers Markets are tops! By: Helen Pitlick Published: April 19, 2010 This week is Earth Week, and I would like to reiterate the impact our dietary choices have on the planet. It's important to eat local, sustainable and organic foods, and one of the best places to fulfill each of these three goals is at your local farmers market. Farmers markets have an unfair reputation in some circles for being havens for hippies, liberals and elitists (since caring about where your food comes from automatically makes you elitist, right?), which can turn off people who do not identify with any of these groups. However, farmers markets shouldn't be viewed as anything other than convenient places to shop for quality edibles. Buying locally-grown organic vegetables does not make you better than someone who does not-- only more informed, perhaps. Here are a few of the reasons to make the trek to the farmers market every week. Keep it local Shopping at the farmer's market keeps money in the local community and greatly reduces food miles; a sign at my local farmer's market on Saturday said that while the average American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate, the produce at the market traveled an average of just 65 miles. Plus, it's not just produce: bakers, wine-makers, craftspeople, beekeepers, nurseries and more often sale their wares. Meet your meat I don't eat animal products, but my boyfriend does. I do the shopping in our household, and while I respect his dietary decisions, I am constantly frustrated by the lack of "ethically"-raised meat in stores, even at our local food co-op. Buying meat and eggs at the farmer's market allows me to talk directly with the farmers in order to ensure that the animals lived the least detrimental life and died the least painful death possible; I know these purchases don't support factory farming operations. End the guessing game I hate going to the supermarket and seeing that my broccoli is a 'product of USA.' The USA is a big country-- where in the USA? Washington? California? Florida? When was it picked? Is broccoli even in season in April? There is no guessing about freshness, seasonality or point of origin when you shop at the farmers market-- the produce is almost always fresh, local and in season. Try new things Farmers markets encourage you to discover new flavors-- and new culinary adventures. I challenge you to find stinging nettles, fiddleheads, hopped apple cider, purslane or honey-roasted hazelnuts at your nearest supermarket chain.  How are you ever going to try new foods if you don't know what your options are? It's fun! Farmer's markets can also be wonderful social opportunities; there is often live music, local businesses selling breakfast and lunch, and plenty of people milling about. This past Saturday, I was treated to a rousing Son Jarocho performance while double-fisting kombucha, then serenaded by a Tiny Tim look-alike while buying kale. It's no wonder friends and families make a Saturday or Sunday trip to the market a weekly ritual. So, shop local, organic, and sustainable: shop farmers market! (Just don't be snooty about it.) Need help finding a farmers market in your area? LocalHarvest.org can help. More resources: The NDRC's Food Miles Organic Education What is sustainable agriculture? Comments: Tonya Peele April 19, 2010 Great article! CSAs are also great options for local, affordable produce. Don't know what a CSA is? visit www.theinspiringcook.com for a detailed explanation. uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Farmers Markets are tops! http://www.foodista.com/blog/2010/04/19/farmers-markets-are-tops/.. Emily bahhh...I have to drive 4 hours to get to the nearest market! unfair!

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Through Rosé-Colored Glasses: Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte By: Jameson Fink Published: April 21, 2010 I was invited to a tasting of multiple cuvées and vintages of the rosé Champagnes from Nicolas Feuillatte. For all Champagne lovers, there is a special place in their hearts for rosé. The range of beautiful colors certainly plays a part in this: some a delicate copper, others pink as a salmon, to those with a deeper, red berry hue. How does a winemaker achieve such a range of colors? Either by blending still red and white wines or the more difficult method of saignée, the bleeding of the grape juice after limited contact with the red skins. Since the grape skins give color to clear juice, the winemaker has to be extra-vigilant to separate the juice from the skins at the moment the desired color is achieved. (Or as Winemaker Jean-Pierre Vincent, who was present at this tasting, put it: "You need to sleep beside the tanks.") The most compelling thing about rosé Champagne, naturally, is the taste. In evaluating these Champagnes, I was really struck by a comment by Jean-Pierre that these were "wines with bubbles." It was a simple, yet perceptive, way to help me focus on Champagne as a distinct wine region and to evaluate every sample as I would a still wine. With that in mind, I was really struck by the Pinot Noir character that came out of many of the rosé Champagnes, especially (my favorite) the 2004 Cuvée 225 Rosé. Although a blend of grapes, it had qualities I expect to find in great Pinot Noir from Burgundy. Maybe the time it spends in wood adds complexity and richness that accentuates its relationship to the best-known examples of Pinot Noir? (This Champagne is aged in old 225 liter oak barrels, thus the name.) On further thought I should feel a bit reticent to draw too many comparisons between these Champagnes and wines from other famous regions. Every rosé I tasted was distinctive, showing how blending, aging, and different vintages can produce a wide variety of styles and coax out a multitude of flavors. These "wines with bubbles" were emblematic of arguably the most iconic wine region in the world: Champagne. Coming Up: An interview with Winemaker Jean-Pierre Vincent and There Will Be Lunch Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

foodista

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14 great single-topic blogs By: Helen Pitlick Published: April 24, 2010 Some of the most entertaining food blogs out there tackle just one topic-- and tackle it well. These become all the more fascinating because most of us do not have the diligence, dedication or focus to write a single-topic blog; our culinary ADD means we can barely stick to one cuisine, let alone one microcosm of the food pyramid. Here are 14 great single-topic blogs. While there are blogs floating around in cyberspace that chronicle the quest to find the best donuts, fish tacos, cookies, etc., most of the blogs below represent the desire to create, not just review. The others made the list because of their sheer awesomeness. We salute these bloggers who not only cook the same foods day after day-- they eat them as well. Bacon Offal and cheeks may be catching up, but bacon remains the hottest meat on the internet.  Bacon Unwrapped has been posting about this cured wonder since 2005. Bento Bento has gained in popularity over the bast few years, leading to many blogs on the topic. However, AnnaTheRed's Bento Factory takes bento cuteness to levels of adorability we didn't think were possible for mere mortals to achieve. Cheese Combine a clever title and in-depth knowledge of the world's favorite way to eat mold, and what do you get? It's not you, it's Brie Cilantro hatred For some people, cilantro adds heavenly flavor to savory dishes. For others, eating cilantro brings back unwelcome childhood memories of having their pottymouths washed with soap. I hate cilantro raises awareness of this phenomenon (which is most likely genetic-- so don't disrespect, cilantro lovers!). Cupcakes There are many cupcake blogs on the internets, many of them very good. However, Ming Makes Cupcakes' simple, clean design, stunning photography, and intriguing flavor combinations (such as Port Wine and Cherry Chocolate with Mascarpone frosting) make it the choice for this list. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Bread and cheese: two of man's most favorite foods. Combined with fire, they create a comfort staple dating back almost to the Neanderthals. However, the least-worthy grilled versions of each (American cheese and Wonderbread) have become the standard. Grilled Shane asks us to Imagine a different world of grilled cheese in his blog. Ice cream Ice cream cools us on a hot day, soothes our soul after a bad day, and temps our sweet teeth on any day. Ice cream Alchemy's churned dairy creations make Ben and Jerry's Phish Food look like actual fish food. Jello What do you do with collection of unique jello molds? If you're the Jello Mistress of Brooklyn, you make fancy gelatin desserts! Microwave cooking When most of us think "microwave cooking," we think popcorn, reheating leftovers, or Lean Cuisine. However, 100% Microwave Cooking proves you don't need a stove or oven to make tasty home-cooked meals. Nuke 'em! Mushrooms Mushrooms have one of the most cult-like followings of all produce, and The Mushroom channel celebrates the many ways to prepare the glorious fungi among us. Panini What is it about a hot grill that transforms a mere sandwich into an epic dining experience? Panini Happy chronicles one woman's adventures with her panini maker. Pizza Pizza allegiances make or break friendships in some parts of the country (we're looking at you, Chicago and New York) but PizzaBlogger approaches each slice of pie with an open mind. That's amore! Ramen Ok, it's in Japanese, but i-ramen.net tackles the pressing issue of which packet of 39-cent deliciousness is worth your time-- and which ones should be left to the college students who have ruined their taste buds with cheap beer. Waffle irons Will it waffle? Thus is the timeless question proposed by the Waffleizer, who sticks everything from hash browns to aloo paratha into a waffle iron. Do you have a favorite single-topic food blog? Share it below! Comments: uberVU - social... <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: 14 great single-topic blogs http://www.foodista.com/blog/2010/04/24/14-great-single-topic-blogs/.. Brad Thanks for the interesting article, it's great how these blogs focus on their fav topics and continue to keep us well informed. Steffyvl Hi I am Stephie. I just wanted to start this thread here to say hi to everybody I am a long time watcher of www.foodista.com and decided it is time to sign up and say hi! I look forward to being an active poster on here! ~Take care Stephanie Adam This is very good work. You have done a lot of homework on this topic and it certainly shows in the way you have represented your material. I enjoyed this article and appreciate your viewpoints. BOGEGLALLEY I rightful sign up and i upright fancy everybody to differentiate that i found a locate where i can learn discount Broadway Ticket and Concert They are 100% legit and legal and it is hassel free. Large Fellow service, the website is gather : http://ticketforeverything.com

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International Association of Culinary Professionals Conference 2010 By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: April 25, 2010 Greetings from Portland, OR! We just finished attending and presenting at the 2010 conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. It was a wonderful experience getting to know so many amazing food writers! After 15 years in technology companies in other parts of the world, it was a fun to reconnect with the Portland food scene. I did my first startup here, MARSEE Baking, nearly 20 years ago. The most memorable food for me was at the "Vita PDX Midnight Supper," conjured by the completely unique team of Maggie Savarino, Whitney Ricketts and Michael Hebb...it was quite simply THE BEST! [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="431" caption="Photo: Annie Beedy"][/caption] Another highlight was the Food Film Festival we organized with IACP. A first for the 32 year old organization, we started small with three titles: Ingredients End of the Line Today's Special Today's Special ended with a raucous standing ovation and a fantastic Q&A led by Warren Etheridge with stars Madhur Jaffrey and Aasif Mandvi and co-producer Nimitt Mankad. A midnight curry buffet arrived during the screening, leading several viewers to think we were projecting in Smell-O-Vision. And, none of it would have been possible for us without the support and help of the fabulous Ms. Kat Flinn (may she recover rapidly)! During the conference I also had the honor of giving several presentations and was asked by participants to share the slides, so here you go! Iacp 2010 managing your personal brand online Iacp 2010 all about amazon for authors View more presentations from bdorfman.

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Talking Champagne With Jean-Pierre Vincent By: Jameson Fink Published: April 28, 2010 I was invited to chat with Jean-Pierre Vincent, the winemaker for Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte. What follows are some thoughts and comments by Jean-Pierre about food and Champagne. Then some photos and a rundown of a fantastic lunch that cemented my belief that Champagne is one of the best food wines, period. Why aren't more people selecting Champagne to pair with a meal? As Jean-Pierre explained, "For a long time, Champagne was the aperitif, then white wine in the beginning, and red wine after." What it boils down to is that "it's a problem of communication." Working in the wine industry and suggesting food pairings constantly, I have to admit it takes some guts to go outside your comfort zone of steak and Cabernet. I liked what Jean-Pierre said about being adventurous with Champagne and food: "Sometimes it is possible to make a mistake, but I'm not afraid." We talked about Champagne's affinity with the flavors and spices of Asian cuisine. Jean Pierre vividly remembered being in Singapore and having the top cuvée of Nicolas Feuillatte, Palmes d'Or, with a ginger dessert and it being "marvelous." For sushi he recommended Blanc de Blancs, a 100% Chardonnay Champagne. I also wanted to know about any unusual or unexpected successful pairings with Champagne that he experienced and his first thought was "sweetbreads with truffles." I was curious about his philosophy as a winemaker, if he had, like other Champagne houses, a "house style" that he tried to achieve to ensure consistency year in and out. Jean-Pierre said rather than a "house" style, he just makes the style of wine he likes: easy to drink, light, elegant. This strategy shifts a bit for the vintage Champagnes, where, as Jean-Pierre explained, "I try to keep the specificity of the year." If you are still hesitant or intimidated by Champagne, and pairing it with food, just take it from a guy who has made Champagne for 30+ years: "Champagne is good with every food." And it was certainly good, if not great, with lunch later that day! Some highlights: The Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay) had a freshness and brightness that was fabulous with the raw to barely cooked tuna. Palmes d'Or 1996, an aged Champagne with a yeasty component, was fantastic with the mushroom bread pudding. A rich fish like King salmon can stand up to a Champagne of this caliber. I wasn't too sure how a dry rosé would match with chocolate, but the sweetness of the dessert really brought out the strawberry and raspberry flavors of the Champagne and it ended up being a very pleasant surprise. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: uberVU - social... April 28, 2010 <strong>Social comments and analytics for this post...</strong> This post was mentioned on Twitter by foodista: New blog post: Talking Champagne With Jean-Pierre Vincent http://bit.ly/dyF0R9... sippitysup This is a very informative post. I agree that champagne is such a great food wine. These pointers help me decide when and where! I was recently at a Veuve Cliqoot tasting event at the Pebble Beach Food &amp; Wine Festival. I leaned so much about vintage, and how the weather in a certain year can effect the final product– producing a Brut that is floral one year and perhaps slightly "mushroomy" in another year. GREG

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Foodista Haiku Contest Winner! By: Melissa Peterman Published: May 3, 2010 Last month was national poetry month, to celebrate we held our own Foodista Food Haiku Contest. After many delicious, hilarious and thought-provoking entries, we're proud to announce Cathy Dellinger, from North Danville, Vermont, United States, as the winner of the Foodista Haiku Contest! Thank you all so much for joining in on the fun! Cathy Dellinger's Winning Haiku: Shy asparagus Peeking through quiet spring earth Seeking salad bowl. Fantastic Honorable Mentions: Deborah Berlin-Berger Oh! Jalapenos! Eating them a hot delight, Next day; not so much. Jennifer McHugh Hello frog cookies snazzy chocolate pants I heart eating you. Brian Hancock Hard boiled eggs Perfect snack for on the go dumb shells everywhere David Wright Flavors harmonize Infinite combinations Japanese Hot Pot Above Asparagus photo by Chiot's Run

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Unsung Kitchen Pantry Ingredients: Corn Starch By: Jameson Fink Published: May 3, 2010 I do a lot of vegan cooking at home because I have a cholesterol level that, if you put a decimal point in front of it, would make Ted Williams tip his cap. (Stupid heart. Why can't you just pump blood and foster unrequited crushes?) One of the challenges of vegan cooking is making a sauce for a dish that has any significant level of thickness and silkiness without using butter, cheese, or meat-based stocks. Enter corn starch. Corn starch does double-duty here, starting with pan-frying tofu. Unless you use about 1,000 paper towels or a drawer's-worth of tea towels, it's hard to squeeze out enough moisture from tofu that you can actual fry it rather than have it steam in its own liquid. So for the dish in the photo above, I start out by tossing the tofu in a highly seasoned corn starch dredge. The corn starch absorbs the bulk of the liquid, so that when it hits the oil you get browning and crispness. Next you make a slurry by whisking corn starch and cold water together and then stir it into your liquid to thicken. So what is just sautéed peppers, onions, and canned tomatoes transforms into a nice glazed sauce for the tofu. And cornstarch, unlike flour, doesn't make a gloppy paste. So how do you make sauces without meat and dairy? What other uses do you have for corn starch in the kitchen? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Megan May 3, 2010 Cornstarch yes, and also arrow root, and simply by blending all or part of the sauce/soup. I use cornstarch in some vegan baking as well, as an egg substitute. Gabi I am a big arrowroot fan. It doesn't add any extra after taste the way cornstarch does. You start it with a tablespoon in about two tablespoons of cold water and it blends right in. On an un-vegan note, it is the secret to the thick, pudding-like hot chocolate they have in many parts of europe. Frugal Kiwi Corn starch is also the secret to my favorite cooked pudding recipe. Mmmy, chocolate pudding. Jaime i don't know what my mom dredges hers in but she makes a great fried tofu!! my dad brought his cholesterol down from 270 to 180 in a few months with just diet changes...it's amazing! Dee I love using cornstarch in my low fat gravy as a thickener of my stews and soups and many other recipes. Yes indeed its a true unsung hero! I've never tried arrowroot but I just might try that too! I dislike using flour since it does not dissolve quite as well. SisterMableSyrup I took my cholesterol from 280 to 128 without changing my diet by adding Red Yeast Rice and Resveratrol supplements to my daily regimen. I doubled up the recommended dosage and within a month brought the numbers down so far that my doctor accused me of sending in someone else for the blood draw :) Interestingly, my cholesterol has remained low, even though I no longer take the supplements. It's been two years now. My triglycerides also went down to 118. lexy ' i LOVE cornstarch so much ! i can eat it ALL day ; i suck it threw a straw and i can eat a box a day ! ; i like any type of cornstarch i usally eat argo or i will eat a store barnd ; mu mother doesnt like me too eat it she says '' its not good for yuu ] why do yuu eat it '' i was eatinnqqq it since the 7 th grade noww imm a senior in highschool ! - cornstarch is great : i wanted too know do it i eat it baecauuuse i havve loww ironn ? . i have idea ; it is good for yuu ? , IDK ? cann it bee harmfulll ? . WHO KNOWS ? . i ? cornstarchhhhhh '' lexy CORNSTARCH is like a druqqqqq ;; kim i no what you mean. i eat cornstach to i love it also! its addicting ; i wanna know those so same questions ; nd i love the way u type

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Wine Question: Does Vintage Matter? By: Jameson Fink Published: May 6, 2010 I've been a little fatigued with the recent parade of "best-ever" vintages in Europe, especially Bordeaux. First 2000, then 2003, no, wait, 2005, and now, 2009. So four of the best vintages ever in the last 10 years? Please. The flip side to this is an aversion to vintages without the hype, which means you get great deals on Bordeaux from less-celebrated vintages. (My advice: snatch up all the 2001s you can.) I thought about highlighting one of the unheralded vintages in Bordeaux, but to challenge myself and the preconceived notions about certain vintages, I decided to sample a wine from the Barolo region of Italy's Piedmont from a year considered disastrous: 2002. Not only was 2002 a cold and rainy vintage, but hail devastated the vines (and grapes). Many top producers didn't even make wine. Those that did, for the most part, took all of the grapes from their best sites and, instead of making single-vineyard wines and/or reserve wines, put them into a "regular" Barolo. So how did this wine taste? It wasn't bad at all; actually, it was pretty nice. Though it wasn't without flaws: it definitely lacked fruit and was a little too dry. (I can't believe I am pegging a beverage made from fruit as "lacking in fruit." Not to mention calling a liquid "too dry." Welcome to the convoluted world of wine writing, where logic is a major casualty.) I will say it was more an exercise in evaluating a vintage based on what was in the bottle, rather than being in lockstep with the press and critics. So does vintage matter? Well, yes. Especially where unpredictable, cataclysmic weather events (such as hail, excessive heat, frost) occur. Not so much, however, in arid lands that have predictable weather and irrigated soil. (Examples: Washington and Argentina.) The point of posing this question is to make a request to those who buy wine to enjoy in the present or the future: do not get too caught up in the doom-and-gloom or hyperbolic praise about the quality of a vintage. One more note about Barolo and Italy's Piedmont: most wine nerds, when asked what region outside of France they hold nearest and dearest, would probably say Piedmont. Whether the grape is Dolcetto, Barbera, or Nebbiolo (the grape of Barolo), some of the most exquisite reds can be found here. Seek them out! Just, uh, not the 2002s. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Furniture Desig... The post is written in very a good manner and it entails many useful information for me. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement the concept.

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Fava Beans For Meatless Monday By: Melissa Peterman Published: May 10, 2010 It's Meatless Monday! Which can also mean, try something new! This week, I'm encouraging you to try fava beans. When I say the words "fava beans" to a group of people, I'm guaranteed to get mixed reactions. Several people won't know what a fava bean is, or have tried one. Most people in the group will be quoting lines from Silence of the Lambs and anyone who has ever cooked them will swoon at their flavor but balk at their preparation. In short, fava beans, also known as broad beans, are light green beans with a buttery texture and mild flavor.  You can find fava beans at farmer's markets and in larger grocery stores in late spring and summer. They're very popular in the American South, the Mediterranean, Middle East and parts of Asia. Favas grow on low leafy bushes that heave with weighty beans towards the end of summer. You know when fava beans are ripe when the beans are firm to the touch within the pod. Avoid any squishy bean- it's not ready!  I love eating fava beans in salads, smashed on a crostini like you would an avocado, or simply tossed with good olive oil and quality salt. To cook fava beans, first remove the small beans within the large pod.  You can pull the string from top to bottom of the bean or you can use your thumbs to pry open the thick outer shell.  You will be surprised to find that the inside of the pod is fur-lined, like a sleeping bag, holding the buttery seeds in their pajamas.  The beans inside are not ready to eat on their own. The outer layer, (the pajamas) must be removed first, via blanching. Once you have removed all the small beans from all the pods, ( I go with 6 fava bean pods per person), add them to salted, boiling water for about a minute. You will know when they are done, when they float near the top. Remove them and shock them in ice water.  Next, peel off the thin, rubbery outer layer of each bean. The small, bright green bean within is the edible bean! Similar to eating crawfish or crab, it's a lot of work for very little meat, but the reward is worth it. I still remember how sore my fingers were after I had to tackle 20 pounds of fava beans for a catering gig,  three hours later, I had only reached half way through the box, all for a garnish! That is what I recommend when trying out favas for the first time- start off experimenting with fava beans as a garnish. Unless you grow them yourself, or happen upon a farmer's market that is exploding with the season's crop, they can be a bit pricey. yet another reason to buy within the season. Good food takes time. Grab some friends, a recipe for favas and Parmesan and pair them with a nice pinot grigio, (not a Chianti) - this is the part where  I queue the Hannibal Lecter  "Fth fth fth fth fth." Below are three Meatless Monday recipes inspired by this Monday's featured food- the fava bean. Green Broad Bean Salad Pappardelle With Asparagus, Fava Beans, and Ricotta Frittedda With Scallion Crostini Comments: Nicole I have always wanted to try fava beans but haven't had the pleasure...do you think frozen beans would be an acceptable substitute? I never seem to find them fresh! Melissa Peterman Hi Nicole! Yes, you can buy frozen fava beans. I believe Whole Foods carries them. Likely all the flavor without all the work! :) Serge Lescouarnec Just mentioned your 'bean' story on 'Serge the Concierge' Here is the link http://www.sergetheconcierge.com/2010/05/broad-beans-got-soul-and-are-in-season-spring-is-fava-time.html Take care Serge 'The French Guy from New Jersey' Sophie I so love fresh fava beans. You have to peel them 2 &amp; it is a lot of work but the flavours are just the best!! I just made a lovely fava bean spread &amp; topped it with smoked salmon &amp; home grown garden cress! I also posted it on foodista!

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Building A Better Berry By: Sean Timberlake Published: May 11, 2010 image How well do you know your strawberries? When you pick up a carton of berries at your local store, do you know their provenance, their names? Like most, I took mine for granted, assuming one berry was more or less like another. On a recent trip to Central California, I had the opportunity to visit one of the organic farms that supplies überproducer Driscoll's, to learn a little more about what exactly goes into building a better berry. The coastal community of Watsonville's fertile land and cool, temperate climate make optimal conditions for growing strawberries, and the landscape is carpeted with rows of the plants as far as the eye can see. Here, Phil Stewart's family farm is one of several who provide berries to Driscoll's. For those who think farming is a simple matter, consider this: Stewart actually has a Ph.D. in Horticulture with a specific focus on strawberries. Yes, he is a Doctor of Strawberries. The Strawberry Whisperer, if you will. Image Phil, pictured above left with Patrick Sheehy of Driscoll's, shared the process behind breeding the plants. Strawberries are annuals, and so must be replanted each year. But before the planting begins in earnest, Phil and his team must first determine which varieties to plant. For those of us in Northern California, some variety's names may be familiar from the farmer's markets: Albion and Seascape often grace the stands at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. But Driscoll's develops their own proprietary varieties. By method of cross-breeding, they end up with some 26,000 varieties at first. A small percentage of these will germinate and grow, even fewer will fruit, and just a few might actually pass muster over a two-year test period and make it to market. Many factors go into deciding whether a variety is worthy of production. Flavor is certainly one of them, but shape, color, yield, rain tolerance and of course shelf life also must be considered. Image Unfortunately, this does mean that sometimes they develop a variety that excels in flavor, but fails in shelf life or rain tolerance, and is therefore not suitable for production. But those varieties are continually reintroduced in the gene pool. Ultimately, a scant few varieties strike the perfect balance of all factors. While new test varieties are being put to the test, they have cryptic monikers such as 96R116. But once a variety has proven itself worthy, it is given a name and put into production. Currently, Del Rey, San Juan and Takara are among the varieties being grown on Stewart's farm. But you won't find the names on the packaging. Driscoll's goal is to produce berries with great consistency. In other words, it shouldn't matter which variety you're getting, so long as it's good. This kind of large-scale production may seem out of step with today's drive toward restoring heirloom varietals, but this is not Monsanto-like monoculture nor is it genetic engineering. It's classic genetics, using cross-breeding to coax out the best traits through sheer trial and error. Maintaining the berries' genetic diversity is key to the long-term sustainability of the process. Once berries are ready for harvest, it is an almost entirely manual effort to pick them. Pickers learn how to wrest them from the plant with a quick snap of the wrist, severing the fruit from the stem neatly. It's not as easy as it looks, and it's back-breaking work. Stewart is also not only interested in chasing the ideal Driscoll's berry. He dabbles in more experimental combinations as well. Phil shared one of his more esoteric creations, a berry that remains almost pearly white; the tiny seeds blush red when the fruit ripens. Image It's unlikely you'll see this berry on the shelf anytime soon. Aside from the challenge of determining when the berry is actually ripe, there would also be the matter of educating the market to accept a white berry. Pity, for the berry tasted quite good indeed, with bright notes of tropical fruit and citrus. Another variety, 44R40, was luridly red. This had been bred with a European variety called Mara des Bois, which is famous for its intense and musky flavor. The reason for this is a volatile compound, methyl anthranilate, that gives it a candy-like aroma reminiscent alternately of concord grapes or bubble gum. This one seems to have more commercial promise. I know I'd seek it out. This epic saga, this great and complex effort, culminates in one simple result: Cartons of bright, red berries at markets all around the country.

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The World's Most Neglected Wines (Part Four): Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley By: Jameson Fink Published: May 12, 2010 At my job I have salespeople, while they are pouring wines for me to taste, tell me that a wine "needs food." What I hear, however, is, "This wine is so acidic/tannic that unless you had, respectively, some ceviche to compliment it or a slab of prime rib to tame it, it tastes way out of balance." Am I supposed to tell my customers, "You can buy this wine, but it won't be enjoyable unless you have a specific dish ready to accompany it?" If you are looking for wines that have zero problem shining in the glass and at the table, seek out Loire Valley Cabernet Francs. The Loire is an expansive wine region in Northern France, and you can find everything from delicate to robust whites, sublime sweet wines, sparkling wines, and, yes, reds. You probably won't see "Cabernet Franc" on the label of any French wine, so look for these village names: Bourgueil (where the wine pictured, the Domaine des Ouches "20", comes from), Saumur-Champigny, and Chinon. What I love about these Cab Francs is that they have great balance; this is due in part to the cooler climate of the Loire and I think a certain regional winemaking philosophy that shows a lot of restraint. They have great fruit and the right amount of acidity and tannin (lively, rather than gum-searing); I find them to be the definition of "medium-bodied." Cabernet Franc as a grape, and specifically its expression in Loire Valley wines, also has really distinctive secondary characteristics. By that I mean the grape (and the winemaking) gives you more than just fruit flavors. Again, I'm going to be a bit coy about describing what I think these characteristics are, as I would prefer to have you go out and pick up a bottle and decide for yourself. Side note: I was very tempted to make this wine my second entry in the Label Lust series. French wine labels can be so old-fashioned, and the 20 is on the opposite end of the spectrum. The "20" on the label is a play on the similarly-sounding French words for twenty (vingt) and wine (vin). Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: heidi May 16, 2010 Count me as a big cab-franc fan. Friendly without food, yes, but I definitely have my favorite pairings. Try pasta cacio e pepe and tell me what you think.

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Purple Top Turnips? Help! By: Jameson Fink Published: May 13, 2010 Update: Thanks to Laura at Hey What's For Dinner Mom? for pointing out that these are some sad turnips. See what happens when I get adventurous at the market? The ones I brought home look a lot better, but I did pick through some questionable ones. Will seek out the small and tender next time! I replaced the photo so more people who know turnips won't recoil in horror! For every trip I make to my weekly farmers market, I like to find something that I am unfamiliar with and challenge myself to find a way to cook it. I have never cooked with turnips before, so I snatched these up and decided to worry about what I would do with them later. Naturally when I got home, the first thing I did was turn to fair Foodista for guidance. I searched for turnips, filtering for recipes (443 of 'em!). Below are widgets that link to the recipes I am most likely to use. Raw or roasted? Maybe I'll try both! Pickled Turnips Roasted Purple White Top Turnip With Garden Thyme So what do you do with turnips? And have you brought home a vegetable recently you had no idea how to prepare? (How did that work out for you?) Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: laura May 13, 2010 Hi Alaska Master Gardener here-those look like some sad purple globe turnips. Have you ever eaten them before at all? They look old and woody so don't judge turnips by these. Wait to get some small fresh turnips w/o lumps bumps and what look like root maggot burrow holes. If you are determined to eat these I'm afraid you just won't like them anyway you go. I love turnips but once they pass the small fresh or big fresh stage I don't bother b/c they'll be woody. Good luck. laura Ahahahaha that's funny! I DID recoil in horror though. So did you eat them? I love them peeled sliced and salted. That's it! Thanks for being good natured and I hope you find a turnip that is firm to the tooth, but soft.

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Avocado Toast for Meatless Monday By: Melissa Peterman Published: May 17, 2010 Here's a toast to another Meatless Monday! Back in high school, I was introduced to "avocado toast" for breakfast. At the time it sounded kind of strange; to smash avocado on toasted bread and sprinkle it with salt and garlic powder, but after one bite , I was sold on the salty, creamy and crunchy gorgeousness that is avocado toast. These days however, I tend to shake things up a bit and see where this blank canvass of avocado on toast can take me. My last creative toast topper, inspired by spring's bounty of farmer market nettles, involved avocado garnishing toast, but not as the base. This morning has avocado schmear written all over it, plus back up. In this case, caramelized sweet onions and grape tomatoes with fresh garden chives and chive blossoms. It's Meatless Monday and in certain circles, it's also Meatless Week, but if you are new to the idea of sans "meat and two veg," you maybe into the idea of trying  one day out of the week to give it a go. I tell you what though, caramelizing vegetables, like you would meat, provides those same savory flavors one might mistake for caramelized chicken or pork.  (I can imagine the purists on both sides rolling their eyes). In any case, I believe there are more creative ideas for breakfast beyond the bacon and eggs. For all you believers in going meatless one day a week, I toast to you! Avocado Toast with caramelized sweet onion and grape tomatoes with fresh garden chives and chive blossoms. Comments: Sophie A stunning &amp; ooh so good for you slice of bread!! Very tasty too! Melissa Peterman Thank you Sophie! Almost as good as one of your dishes! ;-) Really glad you approve!

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Meatless Monday's Vegetable Bibimbap By: Sheri Wetherell Published: May 17, 2010 Many of us still find ourselves teetering on the edge of winter and spring. In Seattle, one day we're outside grilling, the other we're inside yet again pulling out the slow cooker we thought we'd packed away for its long slumber. Today is one of those days we're reaching for something hot and comforting while we await the April <er, May> showers to bring about the flowers (and the sun! Pleeeease, sun!) If you, too, find yourself in need of something warm and comforting for your tummy, try this classic Korean dish, bibimbap. Bibimbap, also called dolsot bibimbap, is traditionally served in a searing hot stone, usually granite, bowl known as a dolsot. The bowls can withstand temperatures as high as 615 degrees F and remain sizzling hot for quite some time. Rice is placed in the bottom of the bowl and ingredients, usually a combination of meat, vegetables and egg, are organized in neat sections on top. The rice that's against the edge of the blazing bowl becomes crisp and toasty, a special treat that Koreans call nurungji. Our bibimbap contains a spicy marinated tofu instead of meat, and we've bulked up on the vegetables for a healthy, Meatless Monday version. Vegetable Bibimbap 1 cup firm tofu, rinsed and cut into 1-inch cubes ½ Korean barbecue bulgogi marinade 4 cups short grain white rice 2 toasted sesame seeds ¼ cup sesame-oil 4 egg yolks 1 carrot, julienned 1 cup zucchini, julienned Pinch of salt 1 ½ cups bean sprouts 1 cup green onions, chopped 4 cups fresh baby spinach 2 garlic cloves, minced Pinch of sugar ¼ cup kochujang vinegared hot pepper paste, or more to taste 10 ounces cabbage kimchi 1 fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced 4 dolsot stone bowls (available at Asian markets) 1. Marinate tofu overnight in Korean barbecue marinade. 2. Cook rice and keep warm 3. In sesame oil and a pinch of salt, sauté carrots and zucchini until almost tender. If necessary add a bit more sesame oil and toss in the remaining vegetables, garlic and a pinch of sugar and continue to sauté approximately 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are almost done (they will continue to cook in the dolsot or stone bowl) 4. Broil or barbecue the tofu. 5. Pour 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in the base of each stone bowl. Divide rice between the 4 stone bowls. Arrange all ingredients on top of the rice side by side around the bowl. Put a teaspoon (or more depending on taste) of the Korean chili paste on top of the vegetables and in the middle of the bowl place an egg yolk. Pour a tablespoon of sesame seed oil around the edge of the bowl. 6. Place stone bowl on top of stove and on high heat leave for approx 5 minutes or until you can hear the rice popping and crackling. 7. Remove from heat and serve. Be very careful as the stone bowl will be extremely hot. Enjoy! 8. Purchasing note: dolsots can be found in Asian markets. Vegetable Bibimbap Photo by: wEnDaLicious Comments: newrose This looks so colourful and delicious and i am going to have a go at this. Gill You wrote that this is a vegetarian recipe for Meatless Monday using tofu instead of beef for a vegetable bibimbap. If this is so, then why does your recipe include step number four about broiling or barbecuing the beef? This is an inappropriate and unnecessary inclusion. Sheri Wetherell The original recipe, which included beef, was edited to make it vegetarian. It was our mistake for missing the necessary edit in step four. It should say indeed say "Broil or BBQ the tofu." My apologies! Human error :( jesica Nice post. I like your post.

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Mount St. Helens 30th Anniversary By: Sheri Wetherell Published: May 18, 2010 Today marks the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens. For us Pacific Northwesterners, we clearly remember the day of May 18 in 1980 when our majestic mountain blew her top, spewing volcanic ash that covered everything for miles. While our beautiful volcano lost her summit (when flying in to Portland International Airport look for the flat-topped mountain), I do think this must have added a great nourishing benefit to our gardening soil! To celebrate her blowing - and us humans not getting Pompei-ified - we've put together some fun lava-related treats: Season your dishes with Black Lava Flake Salt, a beautiful and full-of-flavor spice! Snack on delicious ash-lined cheeses: French Morbier and Californian Humboldt Fog Get Happy Hour started early with the volcanic-strength Lava Flow Cocktail Treat your rumbling tummy to a Molten Chocolate Liquor Cake Photo by: skedonk Comments: Sophie May 18, 2010 Thanks for these luscious suggestions!

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Moleskine Passed Down Recipes Contest Winner! By: Sheri Wetherell Published: May 19, 2010 We're happy to announce Nancy White - and her young son's wonderful story about his great-grandmother's ravioli - as the winner of our Moleskine "Passed Down Recipes" contest! Nancy will receive a beautiful suite of journals from Moleskine's new Passions line, such as their fabulous Recipe journal (I have one and LOVE it!). For more on Nancy visit her blog, Nancy's Full Circle. Nancy submitted Emma Barsotti's Ravioli, her Italian grandmother's recipe for handmade ravioli. We loved this submission because it encompassed everything we were looking for in a winner:history, tradition and a special dish that's stood the test of time. While this dish may not frequently be made today, it clearly remains reasonably intact in the hearts and memories of multiple members of this family. We hope you enjoy as much as we did! Food Traditions: Ravioli (recipe follows) As transcribed by my son, Chris, when he was in 6th grade in 1998. For the full story see this page. From Chris when he was in 6th grade: To better understand how the tradition has been passed down, I have interviewed several family members. The interview consisted of questions like "When did you learn?" "How did you learn?" "What tools were used?" etc. I interviewed people via telephone, E-mail, and in person. This is what people told me: Nancy White, my mother, said that she learned to make ravioli from her grandmother, Emma Barsotti. She learned to make ravioli when she was fifteen or sixteen. She learned by watching Emma . She thinks that Emma probably got the recipe from a family member. She remembers Emma using a big ceramic bowl, a meat grinder, a ravioli cutter, and a special rolling pin for making ravioli. She has only made them three or for times her entire life because they take too long to make and are lot of work. She also remembers Emma making big batches and then freezing the extras all nice and flat in boxes so she would have them on hand in case unexpected company came over. Mary Frances, my mother’s sister, said that she too learned to make ravioli from Emma Barsotti. She learned in her late teens to early twenties. Mary Frances said that Emma did not use a written recipe and that she had to write it down so she would have it. Emma used a large cutting board, and a ravioli rolling pin. Mary Frances doesn’t make them now because they are so time consuming to make. They are also easier to buy ready-made. Mary Frances remembers Emma that served ravioli as an appetizer although she serves ravioli as a main course. She also remembers the freezing of the raviolis so they would be on hand. Randy Wright, my mother’s brother, learned by asking Emma Barsotti for the recipe and filling in details with cook books (Joy of Cooking). He learned when he was twenty-five years old. He remembers Emma using a hand meat grinder, a special rolling pin, and a cutter similar to a pizza cutter. He doesn’t make them much anymore because they take too long to make and they are easier to buy ready made. Dolores Wright, my grandmother, watched her mother, Emma Barsotti, make ravioli, but she never actually made ravioli on her own. She remembers Emma using a special rolling pin and a ravioli cutter. She never made ravioli on her own because they took too much work and she found it too hard to guess how thin the dough should be. She enjoys eating ravioli though. My conclusion from the interviews is that the recipe is slowly dying out because it is not being made as often. One reason is that it takes too long to make. Another reason the tradition is slowly disappearing is because now most anything you can buy ready made. The ready-made pasta at the stores also is not bad. Another conclusion is that today most people’s jobs take up most of their day and they have found it is not worth it spending half the day to make what could be bought and made in ten minutes. I have also found that there seems to be patterns and differences in how people have learned the ravioli tradition. I have also discovered that people’s memories are not always the same. Ravioli Filling: 1 pound veal 1 pound pork ¾ cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped celery ½ cup chopped parsely Garlic, to taste 2 cups chopped drained spinach ½ to ¾ cup parmesan cheese 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks Salt and pepper, to taste 2 Slices of bread soaked in bouillon and crumbled up Pasta: 6 cups flour 8 tablespoons water ¾ teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons oil 4 eggs The first step in making my great-grandmothers recipe for ravioli was gathering the ingredients and the tools you will use. The tools include: a big mixing bowl, a rolling pin for rolling dough and a special one for making ravioli. You also need a big cutting board or surface to roll out the dough. This step is simple. The next step is to make the dough.For this you need to put the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together. Then make a well in the dry ingredients and put the eggs, oil, and water in it. Mix it gently with a fork, gradually mixing in the flour until it is to tough to mix with a fork. In this step you must pace yourself and mix the ingredients bit by bit because it makes it easier to mix. Gradually you incorporate all the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. This is where you need to make sure it is not too wet or not too dry. After it is too tough to mix you have to pick it up and knead it. You should knead it for about ten minutes. As you knead it will become elastic, shiny and easier to knead. I found that your wrists get sore while kneading. If the dough is too dry you might have to sprinkle water gradually until it is no longer dry. After the dough is made you must let it set for one hour. This is boring, but there is some thing you can do while you are waiting. You can make the filling. To make the filling you brown the meat. Make sure it is fully cooked. We used ground veal and pork. Emma Barsotti used to brown cubes of meat and then hand grind it herself. Then you take all the vegetable ingredients (which include onions, celery and parsley) except the spinach and chop them up and sauté them with the meat. The meat smells really good, but you have to keep your mind on what you are doing. You can tell when the vegetables are done when the onions are transparent. Now you must take the drained spinach (we used frozen, like Emma Barsotti did), the meat, and the cooked vegetables and mix them with the Parmesan cheese in a food processor. Emma Barsotti did not have a food processor. She used a grinder. I suggest that that you taste it now because you don’t get another chance because next you mix the raw eggs in. The filling tastes really good. Beat the egg and mix it with the filling. Now you have to get the dough out and tear off a chunk. Take the chunk and flatten it out with a rolling pin. If the dough is dry this step will be really hard. That is why I stress that you should take your time and make sure the dough is not too dry when you make it. We made ours a little too dry. Although you do not want to make the dough too wet. That is why making the dough and judging how thin the dough should be are the hardest steps. Once you have rolled the dough into a large rectangle about one eighth of an inch thick, put small balls of filling about twice the size of a marble about one half an inch apart in a grid pattern over half of the sheet of dough. This is where the special ravioli rolling pin comes in. The rolling pin is like a regular rolling pin except that there are several thin strips of wood that make a grid pattern with indentations in between them. As you roll this pin over the dough it makes the grid that the filling will lay on. (note: you don't have to use the ravioli pin) In between each row of balls you must paint a line with water making a checker pattern that will help the pockets seal. Then the dough is folded over and you roll the rolling pin over it and the rolling pin seals the dough making the separate pockets. You use a cutter similar to a pizza cutter to cut the edges of each pocket. The cutter is a metal disk with a crimped zig-zag cutting edge that cuts the pattern on the edges of each ravioli. The last step is to cook them by boiling them until they float to the top of the water. Then comes my favorite step, eating it! For a printable version of the recipe click below: Emma Barsotti’s Ravioli Comments: Julie M. May 19, 2010 Thanks for sharing that recipe. I am one of those people that believe it's so important to carry down recipes through the generations. They're a link to family history and can be so easily lost and never repeated again. I'm glad you were able to document this and save it for the next generation! Thank you for stopping by my blog and I'm so glad I was able to check out yours! Abigail Louise Congratulations! Passed downs recipes are always the best, and its great to see this is being recognised! I am slowly copying all my mothers recipes when cooking! Abigail x

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The Wine to Enjoy on This Deck: Chilean Sauvignon Blanc By: Jameson Fink Published: May 19, 2010 I was invited by Wines of Chile to take part in a blogger Sauvignon Blanc tasting. The hardest part was sitting on the bottles they sent me via FedEx for a couple weeks. They were very tempting. My patience and perseverance were rewarded when, shockingly, Seattle handed me a sunny day and access to a lovely outdoor setting. After plowing through (a judicious sampling of) 8 bottles, what did I learn? Although there were a wide variety of styles and regions, Chilean Sauvignon Blanc proved to be dry, refreshing, and delicious. I did not detect any of the strong green bean (think high school cafeteria) odor that I find so off-putting in many New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. 7 out of the 8 were good to very good, and most were in the $10-20 dollar range.  If anyone who knows me as a  buyer ("The Hater") read that I enjoyed 87.5% of the wines presented to me, they would fall out of their chair. These wines were lovely with seafood.  I made a halibut ceviche with onion, red and yellow bell pepper, cilantro, and lemon juice.  We also had a black cod marinated in grated ginger and lemon zest; it got poached in, naturally, Sauvignon Blanc. The wines were also lovely on a rooftop deck on a warm (for Seattle) day with great friends. My personal favorites were the Veramonte, the Cono Sur Organic, and the Ventisquero.  I liked the zippiness of the Veramonte, the balance and sheer deliciousness of the Cono Sur, and the richer profile of the Ventisquero.  And, taking part in this event with bloggers from all over the country, my favorite descriptive phrase for one of the Sauvignon Blancs was "grassy creamsicle." Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: WineontheWay.com I would have personally went for an 02 Chablis by Fevre! But thats just me... evemo I went to Ayza Wine and Chocolate Bar for trying Chilean Sauvignon Blanc,it was awesome,I liked it.

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Cochon 555 in Seattle this Weekend! By: Sheri Wetherell Published: May 20, 2010 Last year we attended Cochon 555, a pig-centered culinary event, here in Seattle. It was pork-tastic! The event showcases 5 heritage breeds of pig, 5 chefs, and 5 wineries with a handful of "official" culinarians to judge which chef mastered the pig. This year, Cochon 555 Seattle is this Sunday, May 23 and tickets are still available! Though a bit on the spendy side (around $125 per ticket) we can attest that it is well worth the coin! Indeed, an event you shouldn't miss.  Check out our experience last year where we porked out in piggy heaven (sorry, couldn't resist). Join us in the feast this year. But be sure to eat light that day as you'll want to leave room for fattening up Sunday evening! Click here for tickets. Oink! See you there.

foodista

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Cookbooks We're Devouring By: Sheri Wetherell Published: May 21, 2010 Urban Pantry: Tips and Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable and Seasonal Kitchen by Amy Pennington Fat of the Land: Adventures of a 21st Century Forager by Langdon Cook The Butcher and the Vegetarian: One Woman's Romp through a World of Men, Meat, and Moral Crisis by Tara Austen Weaver Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories by Grace Young The Newlywed Kitchen: Delicious Meals for Couples Cooking Together by Lorna Yee and Ali Basye Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals by Jamie Oliver Gourmet Game Night: Bite-Sized, Mess-Free Eating for Board-Game Parties, Bridge Clubs, Book Groups, and More by Cynthia Nims Mastering the Grill: The Owner's Manual for Outdoor Cooking by Andrew Schloss, David Joachim, Alison Miksch Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes: Recipes from a Modern Kitchen Garden by Jeanne Kelley Fat: An Appreciation for a Misunderstood Ingredient, with Recipes by Jennifer McLagan Comments: Meredith May 21, 2010 I would love to check out that book about foraging. tom | tall clov... I just pored over Amy's book at a friend's house. He suggested I get my own copy. And so I shall! (Perhaps it was my rhubarb-stained hands?) assurance Thanks for sharing this nice post. assurance Thanks for sharing this nice post. VOIPNJ qx small pbx system to describe as well as new jersey statutes.

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Sweet Potato Enchiladas for Meatless Monday By: Melissa Peterman Published: May 24, 2010 When it comes to comfort food, several dishes come to my mind; Tuna Casserole, Fried Chicken, Macaroni and Cheese or "Mom's Lasagna" to name a few. Comfort food is what we eat when we miss home, when we have had a hard day or simply because it's pouring outside. They say you won't need food in heaven, but it's ironic to think the closest thing I can equate that to  is a gooey chocolate chip cookie just out of the oven- pure bliss! For today's Meatless Monday post, I wanted something comforting, soulful and satisfying. Therefor, I give you my recipe for Black Bean, Caramelized Onion and Sweet Potato Enchiladas each bite offers up its own hug in your mouth. There are tons of vibrant flavors and these enchiladas are healthy! For all you serious veg heads, you can make this dish vegan by simply omitting a couple ingredients.  Another thought I had after I had already sprinkled Jack cheese on the top, is that these enchiladas would be killer with goat cheese instead- (mouth is watering at the idea). The best part about making a large pan of enchiladas is that they reheat well for lunch the next day. Seriously, you will make everyone jealous at work when you microwave these enchiladas in the office.  Happy Meatless Monday everyone! And here is the recipe! Black Bean, Caramelized Onion & Sweet Potato Enchiladas Comments: Angie's Recipes May 24, 2010 If I could have such delicious enchiladas, then let everyday be Monday and meatless. :-)) Melissa Peterman Thanks Angie! Yes, you definitely won't miss the meat!

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Turnip Redemption By: Jameson Fink Published: May 24, 2010 After Turnip Debacle 2010 a few weeks ago, I went to the farmers market armed with more knowledge. (I seriously owe this mom.) Success! I don't know what it is about us gourmet types, but we just love a vegetable with the word "baby" in front of it. Turnips? Yawn. Baby turnips? I'm opening my wallet. (It's also a little bizarre when you think about ascribing anthropomorphic qualities to a vegetable. But I digress....) The best part about these turnips is how easy they are to prepare. Here are the ingredients you need: Turnips Salt Technique? Below: Cut turnips in half. Sprinkle with salt. That's it. You're done. I know, you're tempted to guild the lily a bit. Of course you are! That's why we love you, Foodista faithful! If you wanted to drizzle a little bit of the most superb olive oil, OK. I will also accept slicing these turnips thin and adding a dash of rice wine vinegar (and salt) to quick pickle (quickle) them.  Flavor-wise, these turnips remind me of radishes, but less watery and sharp and a bit more earthy. (Note to radishes: I adore you, please don't change.) They would be fantastic with any sparkling or dry white wine. And also great with a hoppy beer. Yes, beer. I am now willing to get tossed out of any bar after I eschew peanuts and pretzels to ask: "Barkeep! Any baby turnips to complement my beer?" Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Melissa Peterman May 24, 2010 Jameson! We haven't even met and I simply adore you! What a great post! I was a turnip fan before, but now, like you, forget about those peanuts- turnips sound divine. Drew Jameson! I do know you, and my adoration is much more complicated, but I will be enjoying those babies tonight! Thanks laura Oh see now here we go! This is the way to do it. Mmmmm best veggie, well almost the best :D Glad you found some that were young and sweet. Lisa Wow, I just posted a recipe on foodista using baby turnips: http://www.foodista.com/recipe/SMWD4D3S/turnip-tots/> I fell in love with them, too, when I spotted them at my farmers market this past weekend. They are delicious - sweeter and more tender than their adult counterpart.

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Wine in the News: Bordeaux Bashing By: Jameson Fink Published: May 26, 2010 A recent article in the New York Times by Eric Asimov about Bordeaux sent the wine world into a bit of a tizzy.* Apparently younger wine drinkers are turning their backs on Bordeaux, home of some of the most historic (and historically expensive) wines to seek out those with a better price and a more personal story. I'm not exactly sure what Asimov means by younger: Under 40? Under 30? If it's the former, then I'm flattered, as I am a (barely) younger wine drinker. If it's the latter, I say to these kids: "Get off my lawn!" I understand that Bordeaux has an image problem. It's the epicenter of wine critic Robert Parker, he of the 100 point rankings and laundry list wine reviews. Bordeaux is also home to chateaus owned by mega-conglomerates and investment bankers; the top wines are treated as a commodity rather than something to be enjoyed. (Though when a wine costs more than your car, I'd probably consider it too precious to drink as well.) This stuffy image of Bordeaux seems to manifest itself in the minds of younger wine drinkers as a classic generational gap. We don't want to like the music our parents liked, and we don't want to drink their wine, either. Discovering and nurturing our own unique wine experiences, like seeking out Austrian Gruner Veltliner or Chilean Carmenere, has become paramount. (And here is where we must tip our glass to all the wine importers, restaurants, retail shops, and ahem wine writers and bloggers for discovering and championing global wines. So how do we go about solving this image problem of Bordeaux? One way is to sell it by the grapes in the bottle not the name: "You want a good Cabernet Sauvignon? Merlot? A blend? Try this one from Bordeaux." The majority of domestic wine drinkers are familiar with these grapes and tend not to respond to your suggestions with a glazed-over look. Like when you suggest a Mencia from Bierzo. I do, however, love and sell unusual wines. (I noted that in the photo at the top of Asimov's article, there is a bottle of Chateau Musar from Lebanon. This is about as esoteric as you can get, and I admire the adventurousness of a wine bar promoting such a historic and unique wine. Though I would prefer to drink a Bordeaux over the oxidized-style Musar. But take a long look at the wine list at Terrior; it's like wine dork's wish book.) So how do you find good, cheap, interesting Bordeaux? It's out there! Go to any local wine shop and ask whoever is working for a $10-$15 Bordeaux that they like. Chances are these are the kind of wines that end up going home with those who work in the store after the doors are locked. And if they don't have cheap Bordeaux, ask, "Why not?" Or, more productively, "Can you find me one?" That's what I just did today! I went to my two neighborhood wine shops had them pick out a Bordeaux for under 15 bucks. Tune in next week to see how they fared. *Asmiov responded to all the hubbub with a very nuanced, thoughtful, and productive article that you can read here. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Above photo by alister66 Comments: WineontheWay.com May 27, 2010 Burgundy is becoming quite popular in my ranks!

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The Art of the Chocolate Chip Cookie By: Andie Mitchell Published: May 27, 2010 Sometimes I wish all of the world's ills could be solved with a cookie. If patience could be as virtuously attained as it is gazing into the oven door for the perfectly puffed round of dough. If happiness were as guaranteed as a sprinkling of semi-sweet chips. If security was as sure as a treasured family recipe. If wealth meant having butter, sugar, flour, and eggs on hand at all times. If we could build a few lasting friendships by sharing bites of gooey, warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies, toasting to good health with an ice cold glass of milk. Surely there's magic in a cookie. Old fashioned sugar, chewy chocolate chip, salty peanut butter, chunky oatmeal raisin...you name it. Each with their own sugary nostalgia. What I love about these decadent disks is their heritage. The tried and true quality of recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Not Toll House, not Pillsbury, not even Chips Ahoy. I'm referring to the recipes we use that mean something, the hand written ones with tattered edges, smudges of greasy fingerprints, the directions for your most beloved dozen. What are the steps to creating the perfect cookie? It may vary with type and personal preference, but over the years I think I've learned a few secrets about my favorite of the cookie jar assortment: the chocolate chip cookie. And let's be honest, who doesn't love a rich, brown sugary, unfailingly chewy cookie studded with morsels of semisweet chocolate? Well... after much research, a few choice curse words, a sink full of dishes, and a few deliciously earned pounds on my thighs, I think I'm ready to share these secrets with you: Tips for baking the perfect, the absolute chewiest chocolate chip cookie: Melting the butter makes the dough taste utterly deep and rich, almost like toffee, and ensures a chewy texture. Using mostly brown sugar. Since brown sugar has molasses added to it, it is already much moister than white sugar and will not only lend that wetness to a perfectly tender cookie, but it will impart a more caramelized flavor. Making large cookies. If you bake little, teeny-tiny mounds, the cookie will not have enough area to differentiate between the crisped edges and the soft, gooey center. You need at least a 2-3" diameter to fully delight in the texture of a truly chewy cookie. Baking at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. I've found that 325° allows the cookies to bake up slowly- making sure that they cook evenly and you don't end up with an overly crisped edge and underbaked interior. The final secret: Letting the dough rest in the fridge for up to 48 hours before baking the cookies. This, my friends, makes all the difference in the world. This takes a chewy cookie to the chewiest cookie. The difference between better and best. What are your tips for the best chocolate chip cookie? Do you prefer chewy or crunchy? -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista Intern and Blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: LKP May 27, 2010 Oh my God.. I am going home and making these. THESE. I must have them. Donald Jonathan... I am a frequent lurker but felt compelled to comment on this post. Your writing is among the best I have ever seen on a food blog. You describe things with such precision and flare, it is truly a joy to read. I will be sure to seek out your posts in the future. Michelle Is there a recipe to go with these amazing looking biscuits? Samantha Angela... #6 Never use baking powder. Baking powder will make the batter rise and a cookie should never taste cakey.

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10 Great Memorial Day BBQ Dishes By: Sheri Wetherell Published: May 28, 2010 Kick Ass Barbecue Sauce Spiced Butter Barbecued Corn Garlic and Parsley Grilled Flank Steak Asian Meets Cajun Barbecued Ribs Easy Grilled Vegetable Salad Red Dill Potato Salad Cabbage and Fennel Cole Slaw Grilled Miso Chicken Grilled Fruit Skewers With Ginger Cream Tamarita, a refreshing tamarind margarita Comments: antonella May 30, 2010 What a beautiful blog!Your recipes are so interesting and tasty!Congratulations and greetings from Tuscany

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Pad See Ew Just For You By: Andie Mitchell Published: May 30, 2010 If you're anything like me, you visit Asian restaurants, devour plates piled high with delicately and masterfully sauced noodles or rice, and walk out promising yourself you'll find a recipe to capture the essence of that flavorful fare. Well, actually, I usually leave the greasy spoons that I frequent wondering whether or not I mistakenly drank a half gallon of peanut oil in my tea cup and finished my meal with a few spoonfuls of salt. But that's me. MSG-induced comas aside, I do often wonder how the Thai, the Chinese, the Korean, the Japanese, and so on, craft such luscious stir fries. What is that flavor that I'm missing in my own kitchen attempts? Soy sauce, check. Ginger, check. Sesame oil, check. Sugar, check, check , check (an admitted sweet seeker, here). What I've discovered, other than that soy sauce doesn't rinse out of my favorite white button down, is that these dishes achieve that brilliant balance of sweet and savory with the addition of a few splashes of ingredients I am always too cheap to buy. Namely, fish sauce and oyster sauce. I justify that if the recipe only calls for a teaspoon or two of one of these $5 bottles, it surely can't affect the flavor much. Fact: they can. Last night I proved it. After poring over a dozen or so recipes for Pad See Ew, a popular Thai comfort food, I bit the bullet and paid for all the necessary ingredients. Fish sauce, oyster sauce, hot chili paste, wine. Ok, wine wasn't on the list, but it sure did make the meal complete. An hour in the kitchen later, I was seated in front of a piping hot plate of scrumptious, authentic Thai. Pad See Ew, a first and a triumph. Slippery noodles lacing in and out of juicy strips of marinated chicken, swirling around tender, wilted baby bok choy. The whole dish glazed in a sauce that touched on sweet, played with savory, and flirted with spice. And just for you, a photographic journey through the meal preparation. Try it, delight in it, save the leftovers for a midnight snack. Oh who am I kidding, there won't be any leftovers. Pad See Ew (serves 4) Ingredients: For Chicken Marinade: 2 TBSP soy sauce 1 TBSP oyster sauce 1 tsp brown sugar For Stir Fry: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced thinly into 2" strips 12 oz dried, wide flat rice noodles 3 cups sliced baby bok choy (3 small heads) 2 TBSP plus 2 tsp oil (sesame, vegetable, canola, any variety would work), divided For Stir Fry Sauce: 2 TBSP soy sauce 2 TBSP oyster sauce 2 TBSP fish sauce 2 tsp brown sugar 1- 2 tsp hot chili paste (depending on how spicy you prefer your dish- start with 1 tsp and taste test it) 2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for thirty minutes to allow the flavors to penetrate the chicken and ensure tenderness. 2. Whisk together your stir fry sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 3. Slice the baby bok choy, keeping both leaves and stems. 4. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your rice noodles. Let them cook for about 6-7 minutes, until tender. 5. Drain and toss the noodles with 1 TBSP oil to lubricate and ward off sticking. 6. Heat 1 TBSP oil (I used toasted sesame oil) in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. 7. Add the chicken strips, discarding the remaining marinade. Stir fry for about 6-7 minutes, until the chicken is opaque and browned on all sides. Remove to a plate. 8. In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Add the bok choy. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, just until it begins to soften and wilt. 9. Add the noodles to the pan and stir to combine. 10. Now pour in the stir fry sauce. Lift the noodles repeatedly to separate into individual strands. 11. Return the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that may have accumulated on the plate. 12. Stir to combine and coat noodles, chicken, and bok choy evenly in the sauce. Taste for desired flavor, adding a few additional splashes of fish sauce as needed. Comments: susan May 30, 2010 That looks delicious! I'm inspired to go to the Korean Supermarket close by, get all the ingredients and cook it. Thanks for the step by step. Rice Palette I think you made the right decision by biting the bullet and spending for those extra sauces! I buy a lot at once, and I can always re-use them for other recipes. And it's a good way to experiment a little for your own secret recipe ;) I liked the recipe, so I started following you on Twitter, I look forward to see more great recipes :) tom | tall clov... I love Phad Thai, and then I tried Phad See Ew, um um my new favorite! I use broccoli instead of bak choi. Pei - teanamu e... Ahhh ... now I am craving for stir fry noodles for my lunch. :-p Kelly This is amazing! My most favorite Thai place is 30 mins away so I don't get it much but I ALWAYS crave it. I've been looking for recipes and nothing ever compares. This is the closest one to my fav that I've found. Instead of the baby bok choy I used broccoli and in the stirfry sauce I added quite abit more brown sugar and used Mrs. Dash extra spicy seasoning blend instead of the hot chili paste. It's so good! Now I can cure my cravings anytime I want! THANK YOU! :)

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The Sub-$15 Bordeaux Battle By: Jameson Fink Published: June 2, 2010 Spurred on by an article in the New York Times detailing the disdain for Bordeaux that young(er) wine drinkers and pros inexplicably have, I decided to gather a few inexpensive Bordeauxs to taste. I was hoping to be able to mount a spirited defense of this wine region under siege. Here are my impressions of the four wines you see pictured above: 2007 L'Ecuyer de Couronneau: Very acidic, thin, and lacking in fruit. 2007 Chateau La Grange de Grenet: Classic and classy Bordeaux. 2006 Chateau Douley: Pronounced minty/eucalyptus character that I enjoy but would be very polarizing. It's a love or hate wine. Reminds me of a Chilean Cabernet. 2008 La Croix du Duc: The winner. Perfectly balanced, nice acidity, moderate tannins, and low oak influence. Developed remarkably for a $10 wine. So what can I extrapolate from this (admittedly) small sampling? I think one of the biggest problems Bordeaux is facing is that none of these wine have the rich fruit and sweet oak that most casual drinkers have come to expect in wines from California, Washington, Australia, and Spain. They don't have any of that initial sizzle on the first sip. (Nor, from a marketing standpoint, do the labels have any sizzle as well.) The wines are a bit austere and, even at this price, need a bit of air to show their best. And when you are picking out a wine that you want to take home and enjoy with dinner, you don't want something you have to think about opening in advance. (Though you could pour yourself a small glass while you cook.) This issue was most apparent in my favorite, the La Croix du Duc. When I first pulled the cork, this wine was a bit funky smelling. It tasted good, but the smell was slightly, let's say, troubling. After about an hour, that off-putting smell had blown off and it was a lovely wine. Boy it would've been great with a burger or a steak, especially if mushrooms were involved in some way. So if you need a vacation from monolithic wines dominated by oak to the point that they smell and taste of vanilla extract, Bordeaux is still quietly producing distinctive wines at reasonable prices. And yeah, like any other wine region, you have do a bit of exploring to find the gems. One final thought about the La Croix du Duc: this would be a great wine for the cellar. Yes, a $10 wine for the cellar.  Not to keep for an eternity, but I would buy a case of this (which would probably knock the price down to 9 bucks a bottle), stash it away in a cool, dark area, and drink a bottle a month for a year. I think by the time you opened that last bottle, you'd have a great education on how a wine can develop and change--without breaking the bank. Cellaring wine is not just about ferreting away $100+ trophy wines for decades; it's within your reach! Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Maxine June 2, 2010 Thanks for the article. Great Bordeaux can be truly great, even at some lower prices, and on occasion, pricey Bordeaux can be less than satisfying, so I really enjoyed your notes here. Part of the joy of tasting wine is finding that "diamond in the rough." Keep encouraging!! Gabi This is really interesting. Thanks for pointing out the NYT piece. I had no idea so many people are so passe about Bordeaux these days. As someone who used to work for a wine magazine themselves, I have a fair bit of disdain for Robert Parker, and I was disappointed to see his praise of the 2009 vintage: "“For some Médocs and Graves, 2009 may turn out to be the finest vintage I have tasted in 32 years of covering Bordeaux.” I remember a great clamour about the 2005 vintage, and I think he may be handing out his praise to this (no doubt praise-worthy) region a bit too easily. I think, particularly among younger wine drinkers, this shift is marked more by price, even than perception. I can't argue with the fact that Bordeaux may have a slightly "stodgy" reputation, and that lesser known (and less expensive) grapes from Spain are very in these days. But in my own food serving experience, Bordeaux is a great wine for less-cultivated palates because of the luscious grape flavor. Malbec, which is also very in this days, is very rough and can be quite tannic. I think younger wine drinkers are drinking this wines more for the price or the name and have gotten used to these loud flavors.

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White Chocolate Banana Nut Bread By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 6, 2010 I've been baking for years. Years and years. Since I was old enough to hold a whisk, I've been whipping up pies, pastries, and petit fours like a girl after Martha Stewart's heart. I relish the smells, the sounds, the science of the artwork created by butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. And let us not forget the tastes. For most, warm homemade breads rank high on the list of comfort foods. Right next to chocolate chip cookies, a loaf of moist, tender-crumbed banana bread feels like that well-worn cotton sweatshirt you've had for decades. It's coming in from a day of sledding in the snow to a warm fire. Cozy and nostalgic. Banana bread is a classic. A recipe that exists in the heirloomed recipe box of every family. The handwritten treasure of your grandmother, and hers before that. Though, if I'm really being honest, my own beloved grandmother couldn't bake to save her soul. She had one specialty: Irish soda bread. The fact that no one ever ate that loaf, nor dared ask Nana for the recipe might say something about her baking prowess. But we'll just consider my family the exception. Whether you've got your own favorite recipe for this sweet loaf  or not, I'll share with you a true gem. A how-to that will produce the most luscious, the most decadent of results. After baking dozens of banana breads in every which way, with oodles of various mix-ins, I've settled on what I consider to be the best.  Sweet banana flavor with creamy, melting white chocolate, warm notes of cinnamon, and the deep roasted taste of walnuts. Each bite is unfailingly soft and supple. Unforgettable on its own, and even more so with a warm mug of tea. White Chocolate Banana Nut Bread (makes 1, 9x5" loaf) Note: This recipe is a slight adaptation from this recipe, created by the Food Network. The original recipe called for white sugar, but I believe brown sugar to be the best option for yielding a moister baked good, so I used one hundred percent brown. I also added cinnamon for a warmer, spicier loaf- a perfect complement to bananas and walnuts. The third, and final, addition I made was my use of white chocolate chips. They offer a subtle sweetness and a rich, creaminess to the loaf, without being as pronounced as semi-sweet or milk chocolate would be. I did not want to detract from the classic flavor notes of banana bread. 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan 1 cup brown sugar 3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (half of a 6 oz bag) 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon to a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside. 2. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with melted butter. 3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. 4. Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl. Set aside. 5. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 6. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. 7. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don't worry). 8. With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. 9. Fold in the nuts and white chocolate chips and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. 10. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. It is recommended that you wait until the loaf is completely cooled before slicing, but I personally don't have super-human willpower and therefore could not restrain myself for more than 10 minutes before taking my knife to it. A thick hunk of warm banana bread smeared with a touch of salted butter. "Mmm"ing and "Aaahh"ing  may commence. Comments: A Canadian Foodie June 7, 2010 What a great looking banana bread with detailed instructions. I have never met a Banana Bread that I didn't like... but, I prefer mine without chocolate - however, white chocolate is an excellent idea. This would really be yummy. :) Valerie karlyn Thanks for sharing, Andrea! I wouldn't have thought to put white chocolate chips in banana bread but it was delicious : ) Sophie MMMMMM,...yourwhite chocolate banana bread looks a bit moist &amp; so tasty! What a neat idea to use white chocolate! Lovely banana bread!! Cruise Ships Thanks for sharing. I learnt a lot from your site

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Your Official World Cup Party Wine By: Jameson Fink Published: June 9, 2010 Over two years ago I took a great trip to South Africa; the above photo is a shot of Cape Town, dominated by Table Mountain. As the World Cup kicks off on Friday, I thought it appropriate to suggest a wine from the host country that also comes in a large, portable, non-shattering vessel. My choice? MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc/Viogner in a three liter box. The MAN Vintners Chenin Blanc in a bottle is a long-time favorite white: a crisp, dry, and distinctive wine for 8 bucks. What could be better? How about when you package it in a 3L box for $20, dropping the per-bottle price to a sensational 5 bucks? I have to note that this is not the exact same wine as in the bottle. It's not vintage-dated and contains 5% Viognier. (I'm guessing that the Chenin Blanc and Viognier are from different vintages.) What is remarkable is how seemingly such an insignificant amount of Viogner really transforms this wine. You get the classic, tell-tale, floral aromatics of Viognier, especially honeysuckle and orange blossom. (A side note: Viognier, especially from the microscopic French wine region of Condrieu, is one of the loveliest smelling wines in the world.) Not only does the Viognier boost the aroma of the Chenin Blanc, but it tames the acidity and adds a little bit of heft to the finish. So how do you feel about box wines? Do you find them useful for large gatherings? Economical? Environmentally appealing? Irresistibly and adorably packaged, like MAN in a Box? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Helen Pitlick June 9, 2010 A good choice on so many levels. For one, country of origin. Second, it's a white wine: I can see cups flying after a critical goooooool, and you don't want red all over the living room. Third, the box. If you are one person watching from your couch, one box could last many games. If you attend a party, the box makes for easy delivery, opening and pouring. The versatility of it is brilliant-- great selection. Anne @ Food Lov... I would love to visit South Africe too :) Jose Conde Thanks for the nice mention. Actually, that wine is made from the same Chenin vineyards as our regular MAN Chenin, but with a small bit of Viognier added. Technically, it could have been a vintage wine -- 2009 -- and future releases will have the vintage stamped on the side of the box. Regards, Jose Conde (Director, MAN Vintners)

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Basic Vanilla Cupcakes By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 10, 2010 Cupcakes. The perfect five bites. A cradle for a mound of fluffy buttercream.  I can see why they're all the rage. After all, they're not as daunting to bake as their finicky, full-sized sister, Layer Cake. These rounds offer much more than their petite size. They're a blank canvas for the artist in every baker. A tiny puff just waiting for adornment. Over the years, I've baked dozens upon dozens of petite cakes, from spiced carrot to devil's food to Boston cream. The possibilities are endless. With a little finesse, I can turn one bowl of vanilla or chocolate batter into a butterfly: A chick, a bird's nest A gooey s'more, a cookie dough truffle A vision in coconut Devil's food filled with vanilla buttercream and glazed with chocolate ganache Warmly spiced carrot cake And a twist on Boston cream pie. But none of these are worthwhile without a delicious base. The tender crumbling cake matters just as much as the precise piping of frosting. I've come to rely on a luscious and moist yellow cupcake recipe from Martha Stewart, a cupcake connoisseur if there ever was one. It tastes of rich vanilla custard and will surely be worthy of each and every dazzling variation you can dream up. Vanilla Cupcakes (Recipe courtesy Martha Stewart) Makes 1 dozen 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup milk Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or using a hand held mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; scrape down bowl, and beat in vanilla. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture. Beat for a few seconds, just to combine. Then add 1/2 of the milk, beat for a few seconds. Add another 1/3 of flour, beat for a few seconds. Add remaining milk, beat. Then add the last 1/3 of the flour. Beat. This whole process should only take about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it one final beating to ensure that everything is well combined. Do not overbeat the batter. This will cause the cake to become dry and dense, more like a bread than a springy and light cake. Divide batter evenly among a 12-cup muffin pan lined with paper cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until golden and tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once halfway if needed (I like to rotate halfway to ensure even baking for all cupcakes). I pulled them out of the oven after 18 minutes: Transfer pan to wire rack; cool completely. Comments: Lick My Spoon oh my goodness! that bird's nest cupcake is the cutest thing i've ever seen!!

foodista

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Eating My Way Through Iceland By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 13, 2010 Just when you thought you'd heard enough about Iceland this year, I'm here to tell you another tale. Fortunately this one does not involve volcanoes or cancelled flights. This past December, I traveled to the North Atlantic nation for four days of exploration.  Before leaving for my trip I spent time reading all about the country- the diverse geology, the culture, the places to visit, Icelandic curse words, but nothing was as interesting as the food. What is a trip without the tastes, after all? I love to try new things, even when they sound slightly scary at first (should we consider this a bad thing?). The dozens of guide books I consulted informed me that Icelandic cuisine focuses heavily on animal products, most notably lamb, seafood, and dairy. Sounded good so far. Then I read that a number of popular dishes included smoked puffin, rotten shark meat, reindeer, and horse. Not sounding so good at this point. But despite the few times I may have cringed at the thought of digesting whale, I knew that I should give them a chance. By the end of my stay, I had tried almost all of the peculiar (slightly stomach-turning) delicacies and discovered that the dishes were not quite as daunting as they had seemed. In fact, some were downright delectable. Since most of them involve similar preparation: curing, smoking, pickling, often they shared a similar salted, briny flavor. Among my favorite dishes were those involving Icelandic lamb and seafood. Salmon and haddock stand out most notably. Another delicious discovery was skyr, an Icelandic yogurt made from goat or sheep milk. A twin of greek-style yogurt, it is ultra-thick and tangy, available in the U.S. but with quite the hefty price tag. And then there was the butter. Oh the butter. Luscious, creamy, slightly salty, smooth, everything that you could want in a spread. I won't recount the number of times I thought about leaving the bread out of the "bread and butter" equation. Below are a few photographs of the delicious food that I sampled during my travels. The first is a typical breakfast of smoked salmon, cream cheese, thick-sliced grainy bread, and greens. This next meal requires a preface. I generally dislike soup. I know, who do I think I am to not like soup? Everyone likes soup. The truth of the matter is that unless it's a bowl filled with hearty ingredients with a few splashes of liquid, I'm setting down my spoon. But don't write me off just yet- this bowlful may have changed my mind. Unbearably tender and flavorful pieces of lamb in a rich, savory broth with potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. After an eight hour tour of the glaciers, geysers, and nearly falling head first into a waterfall, this warm and hearty stew tasted divine. And accompanied by a crusty, toasted sourdough roll with butter, I was convinced that  a meal could be just as remarkable as a landscape. I'd read that Iceland supposedly has some of the best hot dogs in the world. Made from a mixture of lamb, pork and beef, they are extremely popular. Just minutes after setting foot in the country, I was en route to Baejarins Beztu, quite possibly the most famous hot dog stand in Iceland. The tiny, humble shack had a line that stretched down the block and a framed photo of Bill Clinton munching on one of the foot long delicacies. That's all I needed to see to know I'd come to the right place. I ordered a dog with "the works:" remoulade (a mayonnaise based sauce), ketchup, sweet honey mustard, chopped fresh onions, and fried onions. The verdict? Hands down the best I've tasted. On my last night in Iceland, I dined on a favorite meal of mine: Fish and Chips. Now, I'm from Massachusetts so I've eaten my fair share of what I consider to be delicious, fresh seafood. But as I was licking my plate clean, to the disgust of fellow diners, I came to a realization. I might as well have been eating canned tuna up until this meal. No, I shouldn't go that far, canned tuna can be delicious. I simply mean that although I consider the northeastern United States to be home to some wonderful sea fare, this was a step above. Beer-battered and fried haddock, served with crisp, herbed roasted potatoes. And for my dipping pleasure, a tangy twist on tartar sauce involving skyr rather than traditional mayonnaise. And lastly, a photo of just about the only thing I did not stick my fork into in Iceland. I tried. -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Alina Thank you for this insight into Icelandic foods! I've been to Rejkyavik once and I absolutely fell in love with this chilly and beautiful city! I even had some fermented shark, hehe :) I also remember their lattes and hot chocolate - always with an extremely thick cap of whipped cream, sprinkled with sweetened cocoa and cinnamon - heavenly! Alex @ IEatAsphalt This is a great post! I love hearing about ethnic foods. I went to China in October and ate so many crazy foods that I never would have normally tried. The best thing about traveling is always trying the regional foods. I don't think I'd want to try puffin any time... they are just too darn cute! erin Great post! We're traveling to Iceland in September and I have to know where you ate those fish and chips- looks amazing! Thanks! Conor @ HoldtheBeef That is totally my type of breakfast. After having spent the last four weeks travelling, and often eating breakfast out, smoked salmon became a staple breakfast ingredient. I just can't resist it when on a menu. Also, hooray for crispy fish and spuds :) Sigthor Hrafnsson Very favorable article on Icelandic food and culture. It's all true but please don't tell to many people, we are trying to keep this place a secret :) P.s. I see you almost had the traditional Icelandic meatsoup. Ask for Islensk kjotsupa the next time you are over.

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Wine Talk: A World of Rosés By: Jameson Fink Published: June 16, 2010 There are few non-sparkling wines as pleasurable to drink as rosé. (Add bubbles to rosé and you've got heaven in a glass.) Most rosé is made by leaving the skins of red wine grapes in contact with the clear juice long enough to impart a pink hue. You can make rosé by blending finished red and white wine, but all the best rosé is made by the skin contact method. This latter technique is called saignée in French, which sounds much more appealing than the English translation: bleeding. (Ew.) It is, in fact, illegal to make rosé in France any other way, though there is some controversial discussion about allowing rosé to be produced by simply mixing red and white wine. So as we stroll into summer I would like to share with you what I think is quite the rosé selection to slake your thirst and compliment your warm-weather cuisine. Naturally, when it comes to rosés, I am quite the Francophille. Starting on the left in the image above are two of my favorites: the Peyrassol and, from Bandol, the La Bastide Blanche. What I love about the Peyrassol is that it is textbook rosé from Provence: ultra-dry and austere. The La Bastide Blanche has a little more richness and complexity; it's an example of why the region of Bandol is justifiably famous for its rosé. Lest you think I turn up my nose at domestic rosés, let's take a look a the next three I have on my shelf.  The Robert Sinskey Vin Gris (100% Pinot Noir) is the undisputed king of American rosés. It is about as hard to come by as any allocated red wine. If you see it, buy it. The Sinskey is the epitome of elegance and has real Pinot Noir character. Traveling north to Oregon, the Evesham Wood (also tough to come by) is notable for being made from Tempranillo. How can a Tempranillo rosé can be so light, pretty, and gulpable? And in my home state of Washington, Syncline has been the standard-bearer for Rhone-style pink wines; it's a welcome break from too many heavy, sweetish rosés from here that seem like an afterthought rather than a crafted wine. If you are looking for value in a rosé, the Sorin and Sables D'Azur (both from Provence) are dry and delicious for around ten bucks. And as a nod to the World Cup (as well as a long-time favorite) I'll finish my rosé roundup with the Mulderbosch from South Africa; it's a wine I drink year-round. This 100% Cabernet Sauvignon rosé is one I especially enjoy with my Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing. (Just want to give you a five-month warning about the wines you'll want for Turkey Day.) Rosés are great on their own outside on the porch or deck, and at a picnic or BBQ. If you're looking to pair them with food, you can't go wrong with salmon, shrimp, salads, grilled vegetables, and/or herb-rubbed chicken. Cold, leftover fried chicken and rosé is a heavenly match. So what are some of your favorite rosés and what food do you like to enjoy with a glass of pink? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Edible Society Great article! Current favorite - Chateau D'Aqueria Tavel Rose 2007 or 2008. tom | tall clov... Wine tastes are a fickled lot. I remember being shunned for bringing a rose (or perhaps it was the pigs in a blanket). I look forward to the day when white wines get some respect and a Reisling and Gewurztraminer aren't dismissed on sight. India females It is rather interesting for me to read that article. Thanx for it. I like such themes and anything connected to them. I definitely want to read a bit more soon. David Watcerson

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The Butcher and the Vegetarian By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 17, 2010 When you grow up in a strictly vegetarian household, tofu and tempeh come to feel like siblings. At times odd and off-putting, but a part of you nevertheless. Meat becomes the intimidating neighbor down the street that you'd prefer kept its distance. But when your health is waning and doctor's orders leave you standing on the threshold of a butcher shop, how do you maneuver through the icy meat cases? Can you learn to distinguish rump roast from top round? Do you even want to? Tara Austen Weaver's book, "The Butcher and the Vegetarian," is her plunge into carnivorous waters. Desperate to solve the mystery of her perpetual weight gain and her nearly debilitating fatigue, Weaver honestly recants her journey in navigating through the butcher shop. The reader is at once charmed by her wit and admiring  of her sincerity. She understands that the choice to eat meat is not simple, nor should it be taken lightly. It is with beautiful honesty that she shares her struggle to find a middle ground between beans and bacon. In a culture that has been deemed a bit meat-centric, she carefully considers every aspect of meat eating- from ethics and the environment to her own energy and enjoyment. But her writing isn't limited to salami sandwiches and fragrant Syrian kebabs, though those parts are mouthwatering. What makes her tale worth reading are the personal reflections she shares along the year-long journey. The story is in itself a top quality cut of beef. Aged with just the right amount of history and anecdotes, well marbled with characters, seared with heart, and juicy in its honesty. A fine dining experience to read. Comments: lisaiscooking I loved this book. I flew through it and then missed it when I was done. It was a very even-handed look at meat eating versus vegetarianism. Learn to speak Greek i am not a vegetable lover but i think i can eat this! <a href="http://www.livinginthesun.info" rel="nofollow">learn to speak greek</a>

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Slow Cooked Beef Chili By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 20, 2010 Let's try an analogy: Dads are to beef as bees are to honey. Either that makes sense to you or you're considering what my SAT verbal score could have been. When I asked friends and acquaintances which foods their dads cooked well, it was always the two "B"s: Beef and Breakfast. Time and time again, Dad was painted as a meat-eating morning person.  Are dads limited to grilled steaks and scrambled eggs? Of course not. Is every man with a few tots running around a meat eater? No. But overwhelmingly, and perhaps undeservingly, men and meat get tied together. My own dad is one such man. A carnivore with culinary prowess that rivals Julia Child and gives Emeril a run for his money. And though he can cook nearly everything indexed in the Foodista Food 500 Project, he specializes in beef. Perhaps it was years as a butcher, or just a taste for a top notch cut of meat, but when I want to dine on a  perfectly seared New York Strip- he's the guy I go to. So this Father's Day, I'm paying tribute to the carnivorous connoisseur in my life with a recipe that features fork tender pieces beef, slowly simmered in a tomato sauce that is all at once smoky, spicy, and sweet. A chunky and rich beef chili to remember. Slow cooking the chili brings out the best qualities of the savory stew. The hours spent bubbling in a pot allow for the flavors to marry, the beef to tenderize, and the vegetables to absorb the rich depth of the spicy chili powder, cumin, and paprika. It's the kind dish that you love to eat the day after cooking- when the taste has intensified ten fold. And because it's so simple and hands-off, you'll have all the more time to spend with the special men in your life today. Enjoy! Recipe available at Foodista! Slow Cooked Beef Chili Comments: Learn to speak Greek this is so delicious!!! i really wanted to cooked it for my family! <a href="http://www.livinginthesun.info" rel="nofollow">rosetta stone foreign language</a>

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Wine Talk: My Back Labels By: Jameson Fink Published: June 23, 2010 Although I swoon at wine labels designed with some sizzle, the longer I work in the world of wine the more I find that the info on the back label is what makes me pluck something new from the shelf. Taking home the Colombelle red was a perfect example of my back label predilection. I have loved the Colombelle white for years; it was the first wine I had that was weird (Ugni Blanc/Colombard blend from Gascony...huh?) and cheap. And I have spent the last decade drinking it like someone was going to take it away from me. So when I came across the red version of this wine I was intrigued. And reading the back label, I was hooked. And a little confused. Cabernet, Merlot? Got it. Tannat? 60%? What the hell is Tannat and why is it in 6/10ths of my bottle? Oh, wait. Tannat is that hard as nails grape. The only reason to make wines from it is to handle the cuisine of Gascony, which is foie gras-intensive. It may be the only wine that has the gum-searing tannins to cut through a cooked goose liver. But wait. Delving deeper into the back label I see this wine is 12% alcohol. That is very low for a red wine. And, what? Serve it lightly chilled? Seriously? Tannat? I believe the Cabernet and Merlot mellow out the Tannat a bit, but I wonder how they get this red wine to be so light and refreshing. Are the grapes picked earlier or fermented briefer to control the level of alcohol? However they do it, chilling it is apropos. It makes the Colombelle red the ultimate summer BBQ wine; put it in the fridge for an hour and drink it with hot dogs, cheeseburgers, and ribs. Save the Zinfandel for keeping you warm in the winter; this summer, it's all about the Tannat. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Anne @ Food Lov... Haha, I'm such a beginner with wines that I usually first choose the country (Germany is my favourite) and then I choose the wine according to the best label :) I have a friend in Germany who once tried to educate me about wines, but I have long forgotten everything. Someday I'll learn more about them :)

foodista

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A Dressing for Every Salad By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 24, 2010 You could call me salad-centric. A voracious vegetable eater. Just scanning through the photo files on my computer, I'm bombarded with billions of rainbow-hued bowls filled with the farmers market. Each season bringing new greenery to my lunchtime. And perhaps someday when I pen my autobiography I'll title it, "My Life in Vegetables," or "Fiber is the New Black." The truth of the matter is: I just love them. I've heard salad likened to rabbit food, poo-pooed as boring, and disregarded with diet fare. But I've never agreed. To me, salads offer variety, creativity, freshness, and undeniably-volume. Nearly every day, I'm overfilling an economy-sized bowl with a bed of crisp greens, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, and whichever toppings strike my fancy on that particular afternoon. It's not only an opportunity to sample the season's bounty, but also an artistic endeavor. The salad as an artform. Because I find it to be true that we eat with our eyes first. That our senses deserve to be dazzled in every way at every meal. So if you're like me, and you love the garden on your plate, then I'll offer you some inspiration: 5 vinaigrettes to dress any salad. But even if you're not as veggie-voracious, I encourage you to whisk up one of these homemade dressings and drizzle it on your next salad. I promise the flavor will convert you. Classic French Dijon Vinaigrette Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette Asian Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista Staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Joanne OMG! That looks so good. It is SO my kind of meal. I love all things veggie, or as you describe "veggie-voracious". Your photos make it look so alive and fresh. I can taste it .... I WISH I could taste it now. carla Ummm thank you! I needed some inspiration. Right now I'm going to make a salad and top it with a piece of halibut I'm going to cook. Anne @ Food Lov... I love salad, I could eat it every day! and vinegrette is my favourite kind of dressing, I'll try out your dressings for sure :) Anne @ Food Lov... I love vinegrette! I must try these! :)

foodista

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Make-Ahead Meals By: Andie Mitchell Published: June 27, 2010 I adore cooking. The sights, the sounds, the familiarity of my stove top. The simple sashay from chopping on the counter to tossing ingredients in the pan is a move that is ingrained in my muscle memory. I'd even call cooking cathartic and relaxing. But on Tuesday at 6:30pm as I walk in the door from work, it can be a challenge to bypass the couch and tie on my apron. Okay, I never wear an apron and I've got the stains to prove it. Still, the energy required to make an elaborate weeknight meal is often lacking at the end of the day, and it takes quite a bit of willpower to shift my gaze from the box of cereal to the fresh chicken breast sitting lonely in my fridge. Tony the Tiger and all his sugary temptation. Since I've learned that preparing the meal is always more worthwhile than its prepackaged brethren, I've taken to make-ahead meals. On Sunday mornings, I do my grocery shopping for the coming week. I also have a good round of financial anxiety as I watch my bankroll diminish with each scanned item. No need for a workout when you sweat so profusely in the check-out line. "That costs what?!?" I digress. Purchases unpacked, I get cooking. Stir-fried meals are a staple in my home. They're quick, easy, and as long as you have a flavorful sauce to glaze the ingredients with, you're assuredly left with a delicious dish. I like to cook up a big pot of rice, make an economy sized pan of sizzled vegetables combined with chicken, pork, fish, tofu, or beef and portion the servings out into individual storage containers and refrigerate them for meals throughout the week. One large wok turns into four hearty lunches or dinners. The beauty also being that meals with rich sauces only get better with time- the flavors more intense, the ingredients better blended. The Sunday hours I spend making these meals ahead of time are so worthwhile. I'm no longer halfway to dialing- in my favorite Thai takeout, and I'm content eating the home-cooked meals I've made. And while I find the simple stir fry to be a tried and true favorite by way of ease, you're certainly not limited to the wok. I've made everything from lasagna to frittata to stew. For a little inspiration, here are a few tasty Asian pan dishes to try. Fast, full of flavor, and just as delicious reheated. Beef Teriyaki Stir Fry Fried Brown Rice Soy Ginger Glazed Sea Scallops With Stir Fry Vegetables Apricot Chicken Stir Fry Comments: aurore beautiful....I'm hungry, I'm going to try this http://biscottirosaetralala.blogspot.com Quick Easy Meals Yeah this was on twitter. I have read it. Good post.

foodista

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Fourth of July BBQ Poll By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: June 28, 2010 Get the Form Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Meatless Monday: Caramelized Cauliflower By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: June 28, 2010 In Seattle, the sun has been playing an elaborate game of hide and seek—one moment blissfully bright and warm, another moment behind a cloud, threatening torrential rain. With such unpredictable, un-summery, fickle behavior of our weather, I give you the recipe for the simplest, most delicious cauliflower you’ll ever taste. This versatile dish goes well with summery barbecue fare just as much as it does with cloudy-day stews and soups. The first time I discovered how mouth-wateringly scrumptious vegetables become when roasted in high heat, I was agog. Where was the soggy, flavorless boiled or steamed cauliflower I had learned to detest as a kid? As my favorite veggie friend best put it, this roasted, toasted cauliflower “are transformed.” But let me assure you, there’s nothing mystical about this recipe—in fact, it could not be simpler, and when served with some equally simple brown rice (spiced with lemon and garlic, or cilantro and parmesan), could actually become quite the delicious light summer entrée. I grabbed the best quality olive oil I could find, some sea salt (table salt would substitute just as well, but I love the grainy mouthfeel of sea salt), black pepper, and a large mixing bowl. Green or white cauliflower both work well according to your preference. I only used half a head of cauliflower for two people, but oh goodness -- we devoured it in a minute flat. I highly recommend slicing up a whole head. You'll be glad you did. Slice the cauliflower top down, aiming for slices about a quarter inch thick. It's okay if pieces crumble over the cutting board. Push all your slices into the mixing bowl. Pour a generous amount of olive oil on top--I gave it two or three good glugs. Salt and pepper to taste and toss with salad tongs or big spoons so all cauliflower is equally coated. Try to resist sampling! Spread out cauliflower in a single layer over one or two cookie sheets and roast 20-25 minutes in a very very hot oven (mine was 450 degrees, and I ended up wishing I had turned it up to 500 degrees for an even crispier result), turning once about halfway through your cooking time. Consume the delicious finished product gleefully. I fell in love with cauliflower so much by the end of this plate, I ended up putting more in my morning egg scramble. Caramelized Cauliflower --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer Comments: Cook Clean Craft I still haven't recovered from the boiled cauliflower my Mum served to us as a child (which was even more revolting because I left it until last, so it was always cold too). Maybe I'll have to give this vegetable another chance. This doesn't sound too bad! Andie Mitchell Wonderful post, Anneka! I adore cauliflower, and now you've given me an ever better way to prepare it! Thanks, this looks divine! Analog Girl Try adding lemon juice and thinly sliced garlic - it's Fabulous! Anne @ Food Lov... Mmm! great dinner idea :) Nancy We love roasted cauliflower! When I have an abundance I will roast it (along with some onion and spices) and then puree it with veggie broth for a delicious "creamy" soup. My favorite little produce store had organic cauliflower on sale for 99 cents so I bought two - I think I'll be roasting them up! Jackie Roasted cauliflower is literally the best thing IN THE WORLD. It tastes just like fries but it's healthy! And delicious! So glad to see you're spreading the cauliflower word =) Thanks for swinging by my blog - love what you've got here, too! Jax x Claire LOVE this. :)

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Drinking Pennsylvania By: Jameson Fink Published: June 30, 2010 Living in Seattle and working in the wine industry here for the past five years, I am inundated with bottles from Washington (duh), Oregon, and California. My domestic wine knowledge and judgment has definitely taken on a myopic West Coast bias. So when I got the invite from some friends to try wines from Pennsylvania, I was beyond intrigued. The wines were from Chaddsford Winery. It's west of Philadelphia and north of Wilmington, Delaware. The first wine was an unoaked Chardonnay, dubbed with the "Naked" adjective that has more sizzle than "unoaked." I would have liked it to be a bit drier and have a little more zip. But I could see guzzling a well-chilled bottle between bites of highly-seasoned fried chicken (with a fennel and apple slaw on the side) out on somebody's deck/patio/lawn. The Pinot Noir did show the true character of the grape, and I believe most wine dorks would readily identify it as such in a blind tasting. Yet I thought it was a bit of of balance, with alcohol too predominate when you smelled it and after you took a sip. Decanting may have been in order: Sometimes when you let a wine get some air, characteristics that seem overwhelming at first tend to calm down and integrate. Or they may not have. Unfortunately, and possibly unfairly, four words were uttered that changed the course of the evening: "Let's drink that Port!" Do I have some quibbles about both these wines? Absolutely. But I want to reiterate that as a sometimes jaded wine buyer, I can't recall being more enthusiastic and curious about tasting wines in a long time. Chaddsford's first release was in 1983; how many wineries in my home state of Washington can beat that? Wow! I'm ready to seek out more from Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, Texas, Michigan, and every other state out there making unique and interesting wines. So what other domestic wines am I missing out on while I reside in my ivory tower in Seattle? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Lindsay June 30, 2010 Maryland has some great wines as well. Boordy Vineyards, just outside of Baltimore, makes a great SVC (Seyval, Vidal, Chard mix), among others. If you are ever in the Baltimore area in May, check out Wine in the Woods (in Columbia, MD) where you can sample wines from all over Maryland in a woodsy setting. Barnaby Dorfman Great post, I've shared the same biases, will have to try some of these. Thanks! Jameson Lindsay, thanks for the tips. And Barnaby, thanks for the kudos! Maria Boyer Jameson, We enjoy Chaddsford and Nissley here in PA, but one of my personal favorites is Wisconsin's Wollersheim Winery (http://www.wollersheim.com/). Toured it years ago; fun tasting, and a GORGEOUS setting in the summer. If you ever get the chance to try it, I'd be interested in your take. Thanks for the shout-out to the Keystone State! Sarah Just a few miles from Chaddsford Winery is a much better vineyard. VaLa Vineyard to be exact. A bit higher priced, but the flavors are much more interesting and developed. The owners are a bit quirky, but its one of our favorites here in Pennsylvania.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Everything Grillable By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 1, 2010 It's difficult to toss around superlatives when it comes to food. Too many delicious dishes to consider. But I feel confident in saying that food that has been grilled is among the best. Burgers, ribs, chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, you name it. There's just something unique about the charring of the food's exterior, the sizzle of searing, that unmistakable smoky flavor, the way the high heat brings out the gentle sweetness in an otherwise savory food. Summertime grilling deserves a special kind of attention. Since it so often occurs at cookouts, beach vacations, gatherings of family and friends, the meals that emerge from those blackened grates are that much more meaningful. They're a shared experience. Memories made not only around the taste of those thick juicy burgers, but around the company you grilled them with. With the Fourth of July in sight, it's time to wrangle some grillable recipes. Ones that will make the holiday as delicious as it is fun. This week, the blogworld has been abuzz with summery fare. Everything from pork to pizza to peaches.  Here are a few tasty recipes to consider when planning your weekend festivities! A juicy, chipotle glazed "Swine Burger" topped with caramelized onions and pork belly from Foodo del Mundo: Steamy Kitchen's sweet and savory Hawaiian Luau Burger: Grilled Korean Short Ribs from Another Pint Please: Because every burger needs a bun, Gluten Free Hamburger Buns from Gluten Free Girl: To quench your thirst: Mango Lemonade from Joylicious! And just for fun, patriotic Rice Krispie treats from How Does She? -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Shelley July 1, 2010 Thanks for featuring! Such gorgeous grillable ideas here. :) Anne @ Food Lov... Mmmmh! awesome burgers! lucky me for going to a BBQ tomorrow ;)

foodista

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Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Teens! By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: July 5, 2010 More and more, kids are going veggie. According to a 2010 poll by the Vegetarian Resource Group, a full seven percent of teens (age 8-18) are vegetarian, up from one percent in 1997. Of the vegetarians, one-third (approximately 1% of the US youth population) also abstain from eating eggs, dairy, and honey and fall under the classification of vegan. Teens decide to go vegetarian for reasons ranging from animal rights concerns to desire for a better diet and health—but often, non-veggie parents are the ones with heightened anxiety in the wake of a teen swearing off meat. Before the Food Pyramid debuted in 1992, the United States Department of Agriculture recommend the Basic Four: meat, dairy, grains, and fruits/veggies. Parents of young veggies struggle with the idea of their children giving up one or even two of the Basic Four—how could it possibly be healthy for a still-growing young adult?  It can be! Check out this vegan food pyramid: Veggie kids are also making efforts to mold a meat-eating world to their needs. For example, 17-year-old New Yorker Jay Astafovic decided to become vegetarian and then vegan while working at his family’s pizzeria. The New York Times quotes Jay as saying, “I would look at all those pizzas” topped with cheese, “and wish there was a vegan option.”Jay has helped his family pioneer a veg-friendly menu, including vegan versions of meat-eater Italian staples such as chicken parmesan. Check out a CBS Health and Wellness three-minute feature on Jay and his vegan pizza here. Vegan kids like Jay are demanding tofurkey at Thanksgiving and veggie burgers during summer barbecues, and opting for veggie wraps for lunch. As long as parents are careful to help their veggie teens maintain a nutritional diet, going vegetarian be beneficial in terms of not only health but also carbon footprint. Vegetarian high school students can even win college scholarships of $5000 from the Vegetarian Resource Group. Some easy vegetarian recipes to get you (and your teens!) cooking: Vegetarian Meatballs Vegetarian Tacos Golden Onion Quiche Aubergine Rolls Comments: Penny This is a great article! I'm a veggie teen and I love these ideas, which I'll definitely be incorporating into my recently new lifestyle in the future. I heard about Jay's story and think it's really great. I've also grown to love tofurky and so have my parents too. I think it would be great if you did a post about top vegetarian brands too. I know that some of my favorites are Kashi, Amy's and Tastybite, but I'm always looking for more. Lately I really can't get enough of Tastybite's Peas Paneer and Jaipur Vegetables - and they only take 90 seconds to make. These are great to take with me to school because the only vegetarian options offered inthe cafeteria are pretty unhealthy. So thanks for the great article and can't wait to hear what you have to say! Japanese knotweed Hey i think its great to let children gain an understanding of their own free will when it comes to food. If the child wants to be a veggie than i would definetly encourage it, however I think when adults have a stong influence on their child because they are themselves a vegetaitian i believe this is wrong. Thanks for the post

foodista

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2010 Wine Bloggers Conference Review By: Melissa Peterman Published: July 7, 2010 “I’m brimming with inspiration and fired up to write!” That was the mutual afterglow of the wine bloggers who attended the 2010 Wine Blogger’s Conference. The three-day conference was held at the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla, Washington; an anticipated change from previous wine blogger conference venues in the California wine country. Would wine bloggers actually make the trip out to this teeny town in the middle of nowhere? A sold out attendance of 300 wine bloggers with a waiting list proved they would! By seeing a show of hands that almost half the room was first time conference attendees, I assume their waiting lists will only grow in time. From the moment I arrived, it was like I had walked in on a family reunion. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” was the common greeting. Even though many of these people had not met yet, they all knew each other very well. There were far more hugs than handshakes; these people go way back, before their small wine blog had its own domain name, before their hobby took over their day jobs. Joe of 1winedude.com, who won this year’s Best Wine Blog Overall award, had more than three bloggers come up to him within twenty minutes of his arrival to offer their condolences about the health of his dog, Sam, a common topic in his posts. This was my first Wine Blogger’s Conference and I was quite impressed. Zepyhr Adventures organized 300 wine bloggers for three days, and stayed on schedule to the last half hour of the conference.  Every attendee I met had nothing but great things to say about the venue, speakers and the overall experience. Some Notable Highlights Hot topics discussed throughout the weekend were on mobile apps, vlogging (video blogging), transition of old media verses new media and the importance of finding your voice. Impressive keynote speeches from Steve Heimoff of Wine Enthusiast and Lettie Teague of The Wall Street Journal offered great insight on print media verses digital media and both stressed the great responsibility for bloggers to be transparent. The Friday taco truck lunch provided a unique experience that was very playful and delicious. The evening wine tasting at the tasting rooms in downtown Walla Walla offered outsiders a great opportunity to see the town and sample some of Walla Walla’s best. The Saturday field trip out to different wineries to experience a vineyard tour and listen to a panel of wine makers discuss secrets of wine making was eye-opening. Who knew Semillon was so incredibly underrated?  Winemakers Caleb L.E. Foster of Buty, Jay Soloff of DeLille and MartinClubb of L'Ecole N 41 proved how much I had underestimated this varietal. Chef John Sarich of Chateau Ste. Michelle winery paired delicious beef and morel sliders with Northstar wines on Friday night. Saturday night bloggers had the opportunity to dine with a winemaker at their table while gourmet dishes, made by Chef Hank "Bear" Ullman from the Marcus Whitman Hotel, were passed around. My personal favorite speaker of the conference was Chef Jeffrey Saad, who speaks as passionately as he writes about food and wine. And, lastly, we ended with an unbelievable wine and food pairing lunch at the Marcus Whitman on Sunday that I am still talking about. Overall, I learned that I wasn’t writing nearly enough as a blogger. Steve Heimoff believes it’s important to blog 5 days a week. Many other wine bloggers argued that bloggers need to write every day.  Wine bloggers were very passionate about promoting honesty and originality in wine blogging. Just because wine writing is moving digital, doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as meaningful. Equally stressed,  was the  importance of voice.  It takes time to write content that is really you. “Write as if you are writing a letter to your best friend.” That was a great piece of advice from wine writer, Lettie Teague on finding your true voice. Wine Blog Awards Announced at the Wine Bloggers Conference Best Wine Blog Graphics, Photography, & Presentation: Good Grape Best Industry/Business Wine Blog: Criteria: Good Grape Best Wine Reviews on a Wine Blog: Bigger Than Your Head Best Single Subject Wine Blog: Criteria: New York Cork Report Best Winery Blog: Criteria: Been Doon So Long Best Writing On a Wine Blog: Catavino Best New Wine Blog: Criteria: Swirl, Smell Slurp Best Overall Wine Blog: Criteria: 1 Wine Dude Due to the extended rain this year, the Walla Walla countryside was lush and more green than what was typical for late June, and the weather was gorgeous all weekend. As a Washington gal, I was grinning with pride for Walla Walla. Not just for its scenic beauty, but for the remarkable wine making talent that is coming from this region.  The Wine Bloggers Conference exceeded my expectations. I met some incredible people and was truly inspired. I can only imagine what is in store in 2011 when the conference is in Charlottesville, Virginia. Comments: Jordan Winery Dear Melissa, I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk at the Wine Bloggers Conference. You were on my list of people I wanted to meet in person. I might be attending the FBC in Seattle in August. We donated our videography services to the conference: www.youtube.com/winebloggerschannel. Our primary goal was to make video diaries for the attendees to share their wine stories, but we also recorded Chef Saad's speech too. Please look me up if you’re ever in Sonoma County wine country. We have an inhouse chef, so we are ingrained in food culture as much as wine. I look forward to staying in touch with you. Best, Lisa Mattson <a href="http://blog.jordanwinery.com" rel="nofollow"> The Journey of Jordan: a wine and food video blog</a>

foodista

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White Wine Gets Older, Fatter and That's OK By: Jameson Fink Published: July 7, 2010 One of my wine reps knows my weakness for zesty whites with loads of enamel-stripping acidity. So when he said he was sending me a sample of a Muscadet, I was pleased as punch. Muscadet hails from the western edge of France's Loire Valley and the wine is made from the (awkwardly named) Melon de Bourgogne grape. Typically this is a wine you would drink young, fresh, and well-chilled. It is, for the money, the ultimate oyster wine. So I was a little surprised when the bottle showed up and it was the 2006 vintage. I expect to be seeing Muscadet from the 2009 vintage shortly. Would this wine be past its prime? Would I be robbed of the charming pleasures I have come to expect? In a word, sorta. There is no doubt that the 2006 Muscadet from Clos Saint Vincent des Rongeres (a producer I am not familiar with) is a very good wine. It's just a lot less racy than Muscadet I am used to; the extra years in the bottle have made this wine different, yet not tired. Like most of us, it seems to have gained some weight as it aged. It's a much richer wine, with an almost nutty quality on the finish. The acidity is still there, it's just not as pronounced. As far as food pairings go, I'd say it's still firmly in oyster territory but certainly could mingle with salty, cured meats and fried Marcona almonds. When was the last time you were surprised by a wine, especially by one you thought you had all figured out? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Wet Shaving the older it gets, the more money it is worth Decor Girl I love zesty whites too, but the "enamel-stripping acidity" never registered. I'm going to have to watch that, I want to keep my nice teeth. Jameson I have dentures now so I don't even have to worry about enamel. Problem solved!

foodista

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I'll Take My BLT in a Bowl, Please. By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 8, 2010 Admittedly, Seattle isn't the hottest place to be in the summertime. It's quite different from the summers I remember growing up in Massachusetts. The ones where the humidity wraps around you like a wet terry-cloth towel upon opening the front door. Those car rides home from Cape Cod, my sticky legs frying like sausage links against the leather car seats. Realizing that sleeping with a fan blowing on you isn't cooling, but instead the equivalent of a convection oven.  Trying to look presentable when no amount of Frizz-Ease will tame my inherently curly hair. Thanks, Mom. But even though I'm removed from the 95 degree July days of my youth, I still crave the cooling meals that represent summer. Juicy slices of red watermelon, popsicles (preferably the double-stick ones in banana flavor), dripping ice cream cones, and cool, crunchy vegetables. Lately, I've traded my beloved toasted BLT sandwich for a refreshing deconstructed version. After seeing a few bacon-laden salads around the blogosphere, I had a hankering to toss one together for lunch. A bowl of crisp romaine, halved grape tomatoes, chopped applewood smoked bacon, crumbled blue cheese, and thinly sliced red onion. Sounds good, right? Well I like to make a good think even better: I dressed the mess in a warm maple bacon vinaigrette. A spin on Alton Brown's "Bacon Vinaigrette," this drizzled sauce is deliciously sweet, savory, and rich. The perfect accompaniment, really. What about you? Which foods do you crave in the summertime? Maple Bacon Vinaigrette -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: jsalvatier I don't know if this would be very good on a bacon salad, but I cannot over emphasize how good Hollyhock Yeast Dressing is (http://freerangeliving.blogspot.com/2008/01/things-i-love-hollyhock-yeast-dressing.html). It's absolutely amazing.

foodista

2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Reconfiguring My Plate By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 11, 2010 I'm in love with meat eaters. My boyfriend, my parents, my friends- all of carnivorous persuasion. And me? A meat eater too, but without that same level of attachment to the animal at each meal. Though I adore the succulence of a perfectly seared steak, the sweet smokiness of  pulled pork, and the way lamb seems to melt on my tongue after a day of slow cooking, I could go days, weeks, even months without those tastes. I know that there are volumes to be written about the merits of going without meat even once a week. The impact on health, wealth, and the environment. But I'll let others write those pages. Sometimes I wonder if we haven't missed at least one aspect of the point behind letting go of meat-centricity. What if instead of praising our smaller carbon footprint and going easy on our arteries, we simply said, "Hey, did anyone realize that plant-based dishes can be different and absolutely delicious?" The point being that we don't need to find the reason why we're stepping out of the box, but instead the reason why we've limited our culinary creativity in the name of tradition. Not the why, but the why not? I suppose my foray into cooking in the last five years is what has allowed me to see more shapes inside the traditional square meal. More configurations of the divided plate. A vegetable can be my centerpiece. It's the artist in me that likes the challenge of taking plants from side dish to supper. The tremendous opportunity to create and to fancify. Because I get that kobe beef will always taste as luscious as butter and that turkey, carved on Thanksgiving, will be nostalgically and physically satisfying. But the frontier for vegetable exploration is still fairly unsettled in my book. Who says lentils aren't as lovable? Grilled portobello mushrooms as "mmm" inducing? Well, no one. I've experimented up a storm. A few failures of note. A few, "Let's never try this again." The hard part isn't pleasing my palate, but the one belonging to my boyfriend. Convincing him that tofu isn't only a funny word to say aloud has been grueling. Perhaps trickery was involved. A wink as I placed the top bun on our "burgers." Fingers crossed behind my back while presenting a bowl of chili missing the carne. Whatever white lies I may or may not have told have been worthwhile. Our kitchen now is a much more adventurous place. And not just because I have a penchant for throwing pots and pans. Here is the dish that changed his mind about tofu. Crisp-crusted with pillowy centers, this tofu is surrounded by bok choy, carrots, and a savory-sweet Thai-inspired sauce. Full of so much flavor that no one will miss the chicken, the pork, or the beef. Thai Tofu with Bok Choy (serves 4) 1, 12 oz block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed to remove water 1 large head bok choy, chopped 2 carrots, sliced thinly 3 tsp sesame oil, divided 1 tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 TBSP cold water For the Sauce: 2 TBSP soy sauce 3 TBSP oyster sauce 2 TBSP fish sauce 2 tsp brown sugar 1- 2 tsp hot chili paste (depending on how spicy you prefer your dish- start with 1 tsp and taste test it) Cut the tofu into 1" cubes. Whisk together sauce ingredients. Set aside. Heat 2 tsp sesame oil over medium-high heat in a large wok or pan. When the pan is hot, add the tofu and let cook for 2 minutes on one side, undisturbed, until they develop a crisp crust. Flip and cook 2 minutes more. Remove the tofu to a plate. Return pan to the heat. Add remaining 1 tsp sesame oil to the pan along with the carrots. Saute for 3 minutes, until the carrots begin to soften. Add the bok choy and saute for 2 minutes, until it begins to soften and wilt. Stir in the sauce. Return the tofu to the pan and stir in the corn starch mixture. Allow the sauce to come to a boil for it to thicken. Stir. Note: I also tossed in some leftover steamed broccoli at the end. Serve with brown rice. Thai Tofu with Bok Choy -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Theresa I'll have to make this for my sister, she hated tofu when she first tried it but is ready to be convinced of how awesome it is! :) Kip You're right about extolling the virtues of plant-based dishes beyond the usual arguments, and I love seeing people who consume meat acknowledging the fact that meat doesn't have to be central in order to enjoy a meal. It took me nearly ten years of vegetarianism before I could stomach tofu! I'll have to give this recipe a go, only sans the fish and oyster sauces. Cheers for the recipe! Laura (Starloz) I love tofu &amp; this sauce sounds delicious. I'll be trying this. seriously amazing sounding sauce! torviewtoronto lovely flavours fingertip pulse... The article written by you very good, I like it very much. I will keep your new article.

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Meatless Monday: The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Dr. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: July 12, 2010 Going vegan – it can sound like a scary choice, even to those who have already chosen to follow a vegetarian diet. However, the short and long-term health benefits can be worth giving up old favorites such as scrambled eggs. Vegan cookbooks, such as the Get Healthy Go Vegan Cookbook written by Dr. Neal Barnard and Robyn Webb, make it easier than ever for those willing to take the plunge to assemble healthy, delicious vegan meals. Dr. Barnard’s introduction to the Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook boldly begins, “This book holds the culinary secrets to lifelong health.” Dr. Barnard explains that there are undeniable health benefits to following a low-fat vegan diet: artery blockages melt away, reducing the risk of heart attacks, and cholesterol and blood pressure levels plummet. The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook’s first fifty pages are a quick primer on vegan lifestyle and health benefits of vegan living. The cookbook contains 125 recipes for everything from breakfast foods to appetizers to vegan banquets fit for entertainments. This is a great book for those who aren’t big on tofu or other texturized vegetable protein—Dr. Barnard and Webb focus on vegetables and yummy carbs such as rice or polenta to round out meals. This is a great addition to any cook’s bookshelf, regardless of diet. Dr. Barnard answered some of my questions for this week’s Meatless Monday post: Foodista: How would you sum up the one or two most important things for would-be vegans to understand in a few words? Dr. Barnard: This is a powerful approach, not only for weight loss, but for overall health. People who have really not met their goals with other diets should really try going vegan. It is a real eye-opener. F: What advice would you give for someone interested in following a vegan diet, but unsure about taking the plunge? Is there a best way to acclimate to a vegan lifestyle? Dr. B: Break it into two steps. First, take a week or two to try out recipes and convenience foods that happen to be vegan. Then, when you’re ready, give it a three-week test drive. At the end of that time, you’ll be sold. F: Not only are the recipes in your cookbook vegan, but they are also extremely low-fat.  Why do you recommend skipping olive oil (a relatively healthy fat) and replacing it with water or vegetable broth? What are your thoughts on the effects of carb-heavy diets versus diets that balance complex sugars with monounsaturated fat? Dr. B: Olive oil is healthier than animal fat in that it is lower in saturated fat. That’s a good difference. But, olive oil is not providing much of anything the body actually needs. Like any fat or oil, it is loaded with calories. Carbohydrate-rich foods—rice, beans, pasta, fruits, vegetables—are naturally lower in calories. Contrary to Atkins-era mythology, carbohydrates are not fattening. It’s the carb-grease mixtures—cookies, donuts, etc.—that are fattening. Fat has 9 calories per gram, while carbs have only 4. F: Calcium, iron, and vitamin B12 are notoriously difficult to get enough of in a vegetarian or vegan diet. How you recommend vegans best replace meat-y sources of these vitamins and minerals? Dr. B: Calcium and iron are easy. You’ll find plenty of both in green leafy vegetables and legumes (beans, peas, and lentils). For vitamin B12, I recommend taking any common multiple vitamin or B12 supplement, although you will also find it in fortified cereals, fortified soymilk, and similar foods. F: I found your thoughts on language (using vegan as an adjective instead of a noun: for example, someone follows a “vegan diet” instead of  “being a vegan”) in the intro very interesting. Do you think that people who follow vegetarian and vegan diets encounter backlash? From where do you think negative feelings towards vegetarianism stem? What can we do to counter the backlash? Dr. B: Meat-eaters are defensive, which is understandable considering what they know to be true about how that sort of diet affects animals, the environment, and their coronary arteries. And defensiveness is a natural stage that eventually gives way to healthier attitudes. But vegetarian and vegan diets are now widely viewed as healthful and intelligent choices, both by health professionals and the lay public. F: Any further thoughts or advice for people aspiring to a vegan diet? Dr. B: Jump in! You’ll be glad you did. Readers: what do you think about going vegan? What's stopping you? If you follow a vegan diet, what about it do you love? --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer Comments: Krys I have followed a vegan diet for several years now, and it's hard to even choose what I love most about it. I love having more energy and getting sick less frequently. I love how much more flavorful food tastes, and how much I've actually expanded my diet to include foods I'd never even heard of before. I'm more adventurous in the kitchen, I'm thinner, and I feel more alive. I didn't expect any of these results. I thought I would be sacrificing pleasure for the sake of the animals, but by saving their lives, I've only improved my own! Caity The idea of a vegan diet is so compelling. I wonder if I can ever rev up the right kind of positive energy to "take it for a spin"? I would sorely miss pralines and cream ice cream....

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Judgement Day: Boeing Wine Club By: Jameson Fink Published: July 14, 2010 I had the privilege of being one of the judges for the Boeing Wine Club's annual Winefest. It's pretty amazing to think of the talent, past and present, being nurtured in a club consisting of current and former employees of this aviation giant. Even the Wall Street Journal recently took notice, suggesting that Boeing may have "The World's Best Wine Club." (Many distinguished alumni are now selling their wines nationally, if not globally, and garnering significant press in the most well-know wine publications.) It had been a while since I evaluated wines in such a rigorous and detailed manner. What I appreciated about the group of judges, winemakers, and our hosts was the laid-back and collegial atmosphere. I could not imagine a less stuffy (yet serious) wine event. The judging took place in a members home; the kitchen, living room, and dining room were where we evaluated the wines. Laughter was not only allowed, it was encouraged. It was a pretty warm day and I made sure I was at the table that would be scoring the white wines. (Although we started out with a salvo of Merlots to even out the number of wines each of the three judge's tables would consider.) We also had the sweet wines thrown in at the end. So what was my highest scoring wine, the one that I gave an 18 out of 20? Surprisingly, it was a fruit wine. A nectarine wine, to be specific. I thought it would be sweet, but it was actually quite dry; it had enough acidity to mask whatever sweetness was present. It was lovely to smell and drink. I couldn't help but to think how great it would be with spicy Asian fare or fried chicken with a lot of pepper in the crust. And I could drink gallons of it on a hot day! (Or cut it with some club soda. Or add gin. Vodka? Sparkling wine? All of the above?) And as a final bonus, I got to taste one of the oldest bottles of Washington wine in existence! Wow! Comments: Audio Equipment... January 11, 2013 The post is written in very a good manner and it entails many useful information for me. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement the concept.

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Cooking Childishly By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 15, 2010 "Alice in Wonderland:"  A tea party featuring "Croque Monsieur" sandwiches. I don't have children. Don't even have them on the horizon. But thinking of myself as an adventurous eater with a penchant for making meals involving exotic ingredients, I can't help but wonder how some of my favorite daring dishes would appeal to my future children. Will they turn their tiny noses up at caramelized brussels sprouts? Balk at brie? Or poo poo the thought of panzanella? I hope not. But that's not to say that I always eat things that sound as though they've been plucked from the pages of Bon Appétit. I eat macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and even chicken nuggets. I just don't believe in the separation of adult food and kid food. Because really, who decides what children will or will not find appetizing? The connection between children and picky palates may be, at least in part, an inaccurate assumption. One that leads some parents to prepare two meals- a task that must prove taxing. But what if instead of changing the foods that we present to kids, we change the presentation itself? Even better? Getting kids involved in that presentation. I've got a fanciful mind. At twenty five I'm still playing with my food. Reverting to childhood as often as possible. Mixing peas with mashed potatoes, doodling with ketchup on my plate. A few months ago, my whimsical way with food led me to create dinners inspired by my favorite children's books. For a whole week I concocted and styled meals based on "Alice in Wonderland," "The Hobbit," and even "The Giving Tree." It was part madness, part marvelous. My boyfriend and I dining with the likes of Winnie the Pooh and the Mad Hatter. And though I was only feeding my own childish mind, I can't help but think that these silly suppers would have delighted a tyke. The fun of dreaming up a dinner to go with Roald Dahl's "The Witches," making it, and then staging it just so. Perhaps then, split pea soup would be more palatable. I could be wrong. Kids might still find portobello mushrooms icky. But it's worth a try, even if only for your own wacky entertainment. "The Hobbit:" Portobello mushrooms stuffed with ground bison and topped with caramelized onions, and goat cheese. Served with a sweet potato. "The Giving Tree:" A tree formed from brown and wild rice with wilted kale leaves, and chicken stuffed with tart apple, brie cheese, and bacon. "The Witches:" Split pea soup in a small cauldron, surrounded by all things witchy- potions and worms (of the gummy variety). "Winnie the Pooh:" Honey baked ham with scalloped potatoes. What do you think? Would children eat more adventurously if meals were presented differently? -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Glass Bottles Very cool ideas. Thanks for sharing them with us! Helen Very, very cute photos! Love it. Jennifer Right up my alley! Very cute, we always make presentation a big deal too!

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Get Your Beans Out of My Brownies! By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 18, 2010 In recent years, I've heard quite a bit about the "sneakier" side of cooking and baking. The ways in which chefs add and substitute seemingly odd ingredients into beloved dishes to make them healthier. Sure, you might know applesauce to be a second-rate stand-in for part of the oil in baked goods. And that grated carrots and zucchini make one helluva moist muffin. But what about pureed spinach in chocolate cake? Or butternut squash in macaroni and cheese?  The additions may sound strange and unappetizing, but sneaking produce into platefuls adds vitamins, minerals, fiber, moisture, and in many cases, lowers the amount of fat. Here's the catch: the additions must go undetected by the taster. Sure, the apparent strands of carrot in carrot cake are welcomed and pleasant. But when you get into blending cauliflower puree into your corn muffins, let's hope your taste buds don't know. And if your goal in adding fruits and vegetables into your baked goods is to get your kids to eat more healthily, let's both cross our fingers that they aren't privy to the black beans in the brownies. Black beans in the what?!? I know what you're thinking: beans should stay where they belong- in burritos, chili, and alongside savory fare. Until yesterday, I would have agreed with you. But after fiddling with a few recipes, and popping pans in and out of my Easy Bake Oven, I've realized that beans, when dressed in the proper garb, can go undercover with the best of CIA agents. Even in brownie territory. Let's think of this recipe as my foray into covert ops. After pulling the pan of chocolate fudge out of my oven yesterday afternoon, I set them atop a wire rack in my kitchen to cool. Noses were alerted. My boyfriend was beside the 13x9 in 47 seconds. "Brownies?" "Uh huh." I decided not to tell him about the black beans as he bit into the first, still-hot-from-the-oven brownie. I didn't even smile coyly as he cut himself a second fudgy square. But on the third I couldn't help myself. Pun intended, I spilled the beans. And after a bit of explanation that I wasn't trying to kill him...per se, he warmed to the idea. And by warmed I mean- didn't spit the chocolate onto my just-cleaned hardwood floor. Rather, he quite liked them. Truth is, they don't taste of black beans. The traditional pasty texture of beans disappears in the chocolate fudge, leaving behind only moisture and a pleasantly rich density. These brownies are thinner and much less cakey than your standard style. In fact, they barely rise. But they're quite scrumptious- sweet, ultra-moist, and fudge-like. A surprising satisfaction crossed my mind as I lifted my second out of the foil-lined pan. I smiled knowing that on top of the taste and texture, I had built a brownie that was lower in fat, higher in fiber, and richer with nutrients. Mmmm. The only problem? Convincing myself that healthier chocolate brownies don't count as breakfast. Black Bean Brownies (recipe adapted from Melissa D'Arabian, Food Network chef) 1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and rained 2 TBS canola oil 1/4 cup applesauce 2 eggs 1 egg yolk 3/4 cup sugar 3 TBS unsweetened cocoa 1  1/2  TBS instant espresso powder 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped 2 TBS unsalted butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped Preheat oven to 350° F. Mix beans, oil, applesauce, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, cocoa powder, and espresso powder in your food processor. Pulse for 1 minute, or until smooth. Place your chopped chocolate and butter in a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute, stirring halfway. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes. Add chocolate/butter mixture, vanilla extract, and salt to the food processor; pulse to blend. Pour batter into a large bowl and stir in the flour. Spread batter into a foil-lined 8x8" baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Smooth the top and sprinkle evenly with the walnuts (if using). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the brownies cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve! Black Bean Brownies -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: HWinDubai Looks delicious! love the recipe, thanks for sharing :) Gabi I like the black bean idea. As a vegetarian always on the lookout for protein, sometimes you get sick of the same bean or egg dishes. Also, brownies with pumpkin are delicious and have a really nice texture. Barbara @modern... Although my children are grown, I still try to smuggle healthy ingredients into recipes I make in a hush-hush sort of way. I love that you took this chance with these black bean brownies and shared the results with us, including the blind test taste by your boyfriend. They sound like a great idea to me! Bookmarked and stumbled. Melissa d'Arabian thanks for sharing the story....glad your boyfriend liked the bean brownies! I like them because I really try to incorporate some fiber and protein when I make sweets....just helps with the sugar ups and downs (with my kids and the adults, in my opinion). I just feel better if I have some protein and fiber with my sugar. :)

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Meatless Monday: Prepackaged Veggie Burgers Review By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: July 19, 2010 Meatless meat – faux beef – mock burgers: it can be confusing. If your experiences as a vegetarian (or pescatarian, or vegan) are anything like mine, sometimes despite your best intentions you end up with an unavoidable craving for a cheeseburger. And veggie burgers? They’re arguably the most reviled part of a vegetarian diet by non-veggies. Who wants texturized soy protein over a juicy ground chuck patty? Can diced mushrooms and protein fillers really take the place of a Big Mac? YES. Let me just say – yes. Swap your beef quarter-pounder for a veggie patty and realize that your meal is doubly healthy (not to mention green, socially conscious, yada yada yada) and even… tasty. Dare I say--delicious. But what brand to buy? A quick Amazon Fresh search turns up eighteen varieties of veggie burgers, from seven different brands. For this post, I’ll test drive three of the most popular veggie patties in the hopes of making your next veggie burger adventure a success. Happy protein crumbles! Amy’s Organic Texas Burger (vegan) Nutrition Facts Ingredients : (VEGAN) FILTERED WATER, ORGANIC SOY FIBER, ORGANIC ONIONS, WHEAT GLUTEN, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC TOMATO PUREE, ORGANIC MUSHROOMS, ORGANIC BULGUR WHEAT, ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, ORGANIC WALNUTS, ORGANIC OATS, ORGANIC CELERY, ORGANIC CARROTS, SEA SALT, ORGANIC POTATOES, ORGANIC APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, ORGANIC BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC SAFFLOWER AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL, ORGANIC BELL PEPPERS, ORGANIC GARLIC, GRAIN VINEGAR (DISTILLED FROM CORN), GROUND MUSTARD SEEDS, NATURAL HICKORY SMOKE FLAVOR, SPICES*, BLACK PEPPER. CONTAINS SOY, WHEAT AND WALNUTS.*100% PURE HERBS & SPICES (NO HIDDEN INGREDIENTS) Taste: B Comments: The texture does a good job of imitating meat. However, the barbecue flavor conflicts with the overall sweet taste of the patty (both tomato puree and evaporated cane juice are high on the ingredients list), leaving a terrible aftertaste in my mouth. I’d eat this—but honestly I would rather put barbecue sauce on a less oddly flavored veggie burger. Gardenburger Veggie Medley (vegan) Nutrition Facts Ingredients: COOKED BROWN RICE (BROWN RICE, WATER), BROCCOLI, WATER, CARROTS, ONIONS, WHOLE KERNEL CORN, ROLLED OATS, BROWN LENTILS, RED BELL PEPPERS, GREEN BELL PEPPERS, OAT FIBER, GROUND FLAXSEED, CONTAINS TWO PERCENT OR LESS OF CANOLA OIL, ONION JUICE CONCENTRATE, SALT, METHYLCELLULOSE, NATURAL FLAVORS, SOY SAUCE (FERMENTED SOYBEANS, SALT), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, HYDROLYZED WHEAT GLUTEN, EVAPORATED CANE JUICE, SPICES, CARAMEL COLOR, GARLIC POWDER, YEAST EXTRACT, ONION POWDER, SOY LECITHIN. Taste: A- Comments: My twelve-year-old sister attested, “It tastes fine, but I don’t know if I would eat this like a burger.” Indeed, the Veggie Medley is not really imitation meat: there are visible chunks of carrot, broccoli and spinach sandwiched between all that soy protein. It’s an attempt at a true vegetable patty. That said, it’s well-flavored (lots of onion!) and would be a great addition to a barbecue. Boca All-American Flame Grilled Nutrition Facts Ingredients: WATER, SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, REDUCED FAT CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED PART-SKIM MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SLAT, ENZYMES, ANNATTO (COLOR), VITAMIN A PALMITATE), WHEAT GLUTEN, CORN OIL, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF METHYLCELLULOSE, HYDROLYZED CORN PROTEIN, WHEAT GLUTEN AND SOY PROTEIN, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, CHEESE POWDER (CHEDDAR CHEESE, [MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES], CREAM, SALT, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, LACTIC ACID), DRIED ONIONS, YEAST EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR (NON-MEAT), SESAME OIL, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE. BROWNED IN CORN OIL. CONTAINS: SOY, MILK, WHEAT, SESAME. Taste: A Comments: To be honest, if someone slapped this Boca burger in front of me, complete with bun, cheese, and ketchup, I think it would take me a good five minutes of munching to figure out that my burger was not, in fact, made of ground beef.  The texture is quite meaty, and the flavor is good but not overwhelming. Drawbacks: to me, the ingredients list seems sketchier than Amy’s or Gardenburger’s by leaps and bounds. What is disodium inosinate? It concerns me. Also, this Boca contains a good deal of cheese, so it is by no means vegan. Bottom line: if you’re a former meat eater jonesin’ for an excellent faux cheeseburger, Boca’s your choice. Do you have a favorite veggie burger brand, or do you prefer to make your own? Are you a vegetarian, but is faux meat not your thing? Let us know in the comments! --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer. Comments: Ellen (lapuremama) These are all really great quick alternatives! You can also make your own... it's not as hard as you think and you can get really creative with your ingredients :) Gabi MorningStar black bean burgers all the way. They can sometimes be hard to find, but tastewise are a definite step above Boca. I even have highly carnivorous craving them after I force them to try my "fake" burger. Also, I know a lot of pescatarians who love salmon burgers. I have always had a hard time keeping them together (the flaked salmon doesn't always stick as well as ground beef), but now Crate and Barrel has burger shaped grill molds that will hold the burger together for you. Jameson I am not a fan of trying to make things that aren't meat taste like meat. How processed and manipulated are some of these veggie burgers to approximate the texture and appearance of meat? I vote for the Gardenburger or anything more like a veggie patty. Decor Girl The Boca flame grilled burger is pretty tasty. I eat it as an olive burger when my husband is out of town and I don't want to fire up the grill for one. Claire I like the Boca Portabello mushroom burger--delicious! Especially with swiss cheese; it's like a swiss/mushroom burger but the mushroom is IN the burger. Epic. -kenna Lisa Morning Star Black Bean Veggie burger is the best!

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Zucchini? No. Baby Zucchini. By: Jameson Fink Published: July 20, 2010 I am a sucker for tiny vegetables. I swoon when the adjective "baby" precedes the name of any vegetable at my farmers market. The pictured zucchini are no exception. I love how tender, flavorful, and quick-cooking these zucchini are. Before I started to be a bit more discerning and knowledgeable about produce, and how to cook it, zucchini to me was always watery and bland. This was probably because I was used to eating cooked zucchini that had sat in a steam tray for a cruel amount of time. (Anneka's post about cauliflower brought back similar bad vegetable memories.) How to cook? I regret not having them raw, maybe thinly slicing them with my mandoline and making them into a salad with a drizzle of oil and simple seasoning. (Next time!) Instead I used my chef knife to cut them into fairly thin pieces, sautéed with olive oil and S&P. Done. I ate about half of them straight out of the pan, alternating bites with a sip of a zippy, vegetable-loving Sauvignon Blanc. So how would you cook these baby zucchini? Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Scott July 22, 2010 I cut them up into one inch cubes saute them in olive oil until they are a medium caramelization. Then ad a simple garlic seasoning with very little salt. Add type of onion to likeing of taste. I like to saute them in butter some times depends on my mood. Jameson Scott, Butter makes everything better! Thanks for chiming in. Lisa Question: After hard boiling an egg how do you get the shell off without losing most of the egg? Jameson Lisa, You can post your question at http://www.foodista.com/questionsand the foodista community will respond!

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2024-05-23T00:42:18.321809

Spanish Verdejo: Patio-Loving Wine By: Jameson Fink Published: July 21, 2010 I've always been a fan of white wines made from the Verdejo grape. It's the signature grape of Spain's Rueda region, located in the northwest part of the country. Most of my experience with Verdejo reminded me of Sauvignon Blanc: a crisp, dry, easy-drinking white without a whole lot of complexity or richness. Nothing wrong with that; they are fantastic to guzzle all afternoon in the summer. When I received a sample of the Shaya Verdejo, however, I had to adjust my thinking about this heretofore (to me) humble grape. I am guessing this has to do something with this being an wine made from (as so proudly noted on the label) "Old Vines." Purportedly, older vines produce wines with much more complexity. The Shaya certainly had a richness and flavor profile much more pronounced than most deck-chugging Verdejo. This is where the intellectuals of the wine world will start throwing out descriptors like "minerality" and the hallowed mantra of terroir. Terroir is a French term (naturally) that purports that location, weather, and soil all bring intrinsic properties to a finished wine; a terroir-driven wine has a sense of place. The poster child for terroir is probably Chablis, where the Chardonnays are said to have a (wait for it) pronounced "mineral" quality from the flinty/chalky/fossilized soils. (Full disclosure: Chablis is a desert island wine for me. I absolutely adore it.) I'm a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to terroir. The New York Times, and food scientist Harold McGee, got the ball rolling on this debate in 2007. If flavor is transmitted from soil to roots to grapes to finished wine, then if I grow tomatoes in Chablis will I be talking about how they taste like minerals? (Gross.) And since wine is a highly manipulated, fermented product, how does it retain any sense of where it came from? Wines like the Shaya, from the Jorge Ordonez portfolio, have been placed at the forefront of this debate. For some reason Jorge Ordonez wines have become the whipping-boy for proponents of terroir. They are accused of a litany of heinous wine crimes: not reflecting their place of origin, homogenized in flavor, and tailored to suit unsophisticated palates. (If you want to read the perspective of the vanguard of the terroir movement, I suggest you join the e-mail list of Garagiste. You'll get an e-mail a day lengthy and verbose enough to have made Norman Mailer blush.) If that's the case, then I will happily rub elbows with the simpletons of the wine world, who want their wines interesting, tasty, and maybe to come with a label that has some eye-catching sizzle on the dinner table. OK, stepping off the soapbox; let's wrap this up and put a pretty bow on it. The Shaya, and Verdejos in general, are great seafood wines. They are also equally delicious outside on a deck, patio, or (as pictured above) in a red chair on the balcony. Comments: fingertip pulse... Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wondering your situation; we have developed some nice procedures and we are looking to swap techniques with other folks, please shoot me an email if interested.

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The Kids Cook Monday recipe contest By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: July 21, 2010 Here at Foodista we’re excited to announce a kid-friendly recipe contest with the group who brought you Meatless Monday! The Monday Campaigns just launched The Kids Cook Monday, a new program which encourages families to start each week cooking, learning and eating healthfully together . Starting July 26 until August 29, Foodista invites you and your family to enter its first The Kids Cook Monday recipe contest. Submit your kid-friendly recipes to us for a chance to have your family’s recipe featured on Foodista.com. Recipes need not be meatless, but they should be healthy. We are also accepting step by step, 3-5 minute family cooking videos (optional). To submit a family cooking video, upload it to youtube.com or another video hosting site and enter the url to the video as you submit your recipe. Family cooking videos may be featured on Foodista as well as The Kids Cook Monday website. You don’t need to submit a video to enter The Kids Cook Monday recipe contest, but we’d love to showcase your family in action! Five recipes will be chosen from those submitted to us, and the winners will receive a Foodista apron.  And each week, starting on August 30, Foodista will feature one of the winning recipes on the Foodista blog in honor of The Kids Cook Monday.  The Kids Cook Monday website will also feature some of the kid-friendly recipes that are submitted by participants, and will give a Meatless Monday mug and recipe book to interested families.  There is no limit to the amount of recipes you can enter. How To Enter Your Favorite Kid-Friendly Recipe Sign up onto Foodista.com Add your recipe into the provided template Enter the url to your family cooking video under the recipe (optional) Upload a photo Add the tag: The Kids Cook Monday in the tag field Click save We can't wait to see what you cook up! Comments: jackseoexp Recipes need not be meatless, but they should be healthy..Tuna pasta bake full recipe with easy steps. Make healthy tuna pasta with different flavor like tomato, potato etc. <a href="http://www.tunapastabake.net/">Tuna Pasta Bake</a>

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Almond Joy Cheesecake By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 22, 2010 If my calculations are correct, almonds + coconut + graham crackers + sugar + cream cheese will either equal sweet oblivion or my demise. More likely the latter. Last year I was on a bender with candy bars. Filling my daily chocolate quota with the likes of Almond Joy, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and Snickers. Practically veering off the road anytime I spied a mini mart. Never passing up 2 for $1. The only problem with this sweet addiction, other than the trans fat collecting in my arteries, was that empty candy wrappers replaced my love of baking. I felt somewhat blue when friends stopped by to say hello and all I had to offer them was a Nutrageous. What happened to the homemade sour cherry pie and handmade truffles I once kept covered on my counter? What's a neighbor to do when I can't even supply them with that cup of sugar? That just wouldn't do. So I gave myself a good stern talking to, fetched my apron, and got back to basics. Okay I didn't get the apron, but only because I like to live on the edge (and apparently pay $6.99 for stain removers). I baked, putting a creative spin on my desperate dependency on 59 cent packaged milk chocolate. I whipped up whoopie pies that tasted of peanut butter cups, dark chocolate mousse as billowy as the filling of a 3 Musketeers, and the confection pictured here: an Almond Joy-inspired cheesecake. The recipe is one I found on Epicurious. I'll assure you that it is divinity on a plate. A must try for the coconut-crazed. A puffed layer of sweet coconut-scented cream cheese, set atop a buttered graham cracker-almond crust, and topped with a rich chocolate ganache. Sprinkled with toasted coconut, because we could always use a little more decadence in our lives... and because taupe was missing in our color palette. A slice is divinity on a plate. A must try for the coconut lover. Addiction curbed? Not quite. Addiction morphed? That's more like it. Coconut Almond Cheesecake -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Adrienne Oh. My. God. I should not be looking at this. It's just so wrong...but right. Decor Girl Wow does this sound yummy. I am stuck on the picture. The cheesecake part looks soooo fluffy and good. When are they inventing the smell-i-vision screen? Lisa Leong Hello, I like this coconut cheese cake. I am going to make it next week.I have to scale down the recipe to <a href="http://www.bakingfrenzy.com/m07---7-inch-round-cake-tin-p-155.html" rel="nofollow"> 7 inches tin</a>. Can anyone let me know how to estimate the ingredient? Merry Xmas. Regards, Lisa

foodista

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Inspiration from the Market By: Andie Mitchell Published: July 25, 2010 As a cook, I go through food ruts. Those times when not even Emeril can convince me that a generous sprinkling of "BAM!" will resuscitate my flat-lining passion for chicken. I simply can't kick it up any more notches, Mr. Lagasse. The remedy? Heading to the market. I could get lost in a grocery store. And not just because the end caps on the aisles look strangely similar. Wasn't that tortilla chip display in the produce section just a moment ago? No, I get lost in that, "This place is like Candy Land for adults," sort of way. Eagerly spying sales and rainbow-hued fare in the same way I did at age seven, scouring the Gumdrop Mountain for Queen Frostine. Just browsing the bins of zucchini, avocado, heirloom tomato, and squash is enough to revamp my dinner repertoire. So much promise in the produce. Whole Foods becomes an activity; farmers markets a day trip. It's the color scheme, the freshness, and the palatable possibility that excite me. I'm reminded to eat seasonally. I feel less overwhelmed when I don't try to plan meals based upon options listed in the twenty-page index of "Joy of Cooking," but instead focus on what's fresh now. And those items? The ones that are so fresh that they smell as divine as they look and taste? They're worth any cost. Auctioning a kidney or two. Whatever you can spare. Yesterday, in a few hours of sunshine shopping, I picked up a week's worth of groceries. And by week's worth I mean a year supply. A mix of staples, old stand-by's, and stuff I'd never heard of. I've now got a fridge filled with ingredients for suppers that celebrate summertime, Seattle, and by the looks of it, squash. What about you? Where do you find your cooking inspiration? -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Jennifer Clowers Big, beautiful, brand new cook books with lots of pictures do it for me....in fact, I am waiting for one to arrive in the mail! Also, any cooking mag. I subscribe to Bon Appetit and Cooking Light...they have incredible recipes! Lana Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. Farmers markets are a therapy for me, too. I can go without fancy shoes and the most fashionable perfume, but I cannot go without red, orange, yellow and green produce, knowing that a lot of great meals are awaiting to be prepared. I envy you your fresh produce outlets. SoCal cannot compare with the Northwest, but we have to try:) My daughter attends UC Berkley, and I am planning a weekend visit in September. Farmers markets and the Berkeley Bowl are a must! Greetings from California! Anne @ Food Lov... I wish we had Farmer's Markets like that, it would give me an endless inspiration too! I usually get my inspiration from blogs. Gabi I went to this market when I was in Seattle at the beginning of the summer and I could stop photographing the flowers! I barely even noticed the food! I am actually stuck in a bit of a rut right now myself. I have just spent two episodes of Dollhouse flipping through David Tanis' A Platter of Figs. When I need inspiration I usually flip through cookbooks, but I actually wrote a post almost a year ago now about how to combat chef's block. You've inspired me to go back and take my own advice ;) Thanks Andrea! Carla Hi, I just saw your comment on my Lemon Icebox Cookies featured on Sotto Il Sol Catering blog. I hope you can check out my site for more desserts and eats! So are you located in Seattle? I'm from Portland, OR so I have visited the city dozen of times. I love going to Pikes Market when I visit, although I miss the fish flying through the air!

foodista

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Meatless Monday: Savory Caprese Crêpes By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: July 26, 2010 Crepes: I usually like mine with nutella and a little powdered sugar. Last week, I was inspired by 80 Breakfast’s recipe for chocolate-filled cinnamon sugar-crusted crepes (which, by the way, I highly recommend for dessert or brunch), but it got me thinking about how easy it would be to make a meal of savory crepes. You don’t really need any special equipment to make crepes—just a ladle and a frying pan. In terms of fillings, the sky’s the limit. For this post, I brainstormed ideas: should I make a spanikopita-inspired crepe, stuffed with feta and spinach, perhaps with a little tzatiki on the side? Or something more similar in style to a breakfast burrito, with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and onions? I settled on a caprese salad: mozzarella, basil, and sliced tomato. Be still, my beating heart. I whipped up the crepe batter, which literally took me around six and a half minutes. We’re talking easy, folks.  I whisked the ingredients (flour, milk, eggs, a little salt) together and then let the finished product sit overnight in my fridge. If you don’t want to let it stand overnight, I do recommend at least 20 minutes—in which time you can prep your filling. Click through for the batter recipe: Basic Savory Crêpe Batter I picked out some gorgeous late-summer tomatoes on the vine, organic basil, and fresh mozzarella balls (I’m a fanatic). If you’re using fresh mozzarella, I suggest letting it drain on paper towels for a while, lest it soak through your crepe. More prep: slice the tomatoes as thin as you can. Cut the mozzarella into medallions. Tear up the basil. I poured my crepe batter on a pancake griddle, but a large frying pan would work just as well. I used the ladle to distribute the batter evenly, and let the crepe cook on high heat until golden brown. If you're making a large batch of crepes, put the finished ones on wax paper until all your batter is used up (the wax paper will keep them from getting soggy or sticking together). Flipping crepes is a little tricky—use a combination of a spatula and your fingers to wrestle it onto its other side. Don’t panic if it folds, just readjust. Once your finished crepes have cooled a little, distribute the mozzarella, tomato, and basil over half of the crepe. Salt and pepper to taste. Fold in half, then fold in half again to make a triangle with two layers of delicious filling. I chose to brush melted butter on both sides of the crepe, and then I popped it back on the griddle on low heat to warm the filling. The result? Great success. The mozzarella was soft and warm but not gooey, and the tomato and basil were just right. A thought: next time I try this recipe, I want to add some herbs to the batter! Do you have a favorite savory crepe recipe? Can you articulate the magic of how to execute a flawless crepe flip? Let us know in the comments! --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer Comments: Allie Yum! This looks great :) I love anything caprese style. I bet it would taste great if you put some rosemary in the batter! Caity Delicious recipe and absolutely gorgeous, edible photos!!! Gabi Spanikopita-inspired crepe - I love that idea! I have seen caprese style crepes on a lot of menus, but my favorite (at Bistro Maxine in Palo Alto) is walnut, goat cheese, and honey. A little sweet, a little savory. But spinach is a great savory filling. Maybe a middle eastern spinach filling with cinnamon, pine nuts and honey? JC I am a semi vegetarian and upon seeing this made my water mouth. I would say that this is the best breakfast for me so far. Thank you for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to more healthy recipes. Brittany These look easily and delicious. Thanks for posting! Yum! Keri Dito Oh My, these are a must do. Wonderful is not an adequate word. But it will have to do. Keri Marilyn Hello there.. I just wanted to tell you that your blog is wonderful... and I plan on trying the Savory Caprese Crêpes This very afternoon. :)

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Chardonnay and Oak. Together. Why Can't We Be Happy For Them? By: Jameson Fink Published: July 28, 2010 If you've read any of my missives on the Foodista blog, you know I like weird, esoteric wines. Bring me your Picpoul, your Gros Manseng; I'll take a blend of Colombard and Ugni Blanc, thank you. Chardonnay? Please. Well, as long as it's unoaked. Then can I still keep my indie cred, right? Well, I am here to tell you that oaked Chardonnay is not the devil. I came to this shocking conclusion while enjoying a sample bottle of 2008 MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. Much like the Sideways-fueled Merlot bashing, Chardonnay is getting the cold shoulder from wine drinkers. Everybody wants to be in the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) camp. How did this come to be? I know I cut my teeth in the world of white wine on Chardonnay, probably like 99% of all wine drinkers. How did we get here? I (naturally) have some thoughts: Waaay too much oak in Chardonnay. If a little is good, more is better. Right? Nope. Chardonnay got to the point where it felt like you were drinking it out of a wooden cup. No acidity. You know how a squeeze of lemon brightens up food? This is what Chardonnays were lacking. Winemakers were enamored with a process called malolactic fermentation. (Oh, you didn't see me getting all Mr. Wizard on you, did you?) Basically, you take the zesty, citrusy acidity and turn it into something more creamy. Think lactic as in dairy. High alcohol, high sugar. Grapes were left to hang longer on the vine to achieve greater ripeness. Which means more sugar. Which means more potential for alcohol during fermentation. The FrankenChardonnay was born, and received wide critical praise. Like oak, more of everything was better. Chardonnay became more Anna Nicole Smith at the expense of Audrey Hepburn. (Personally, I like my Chardonnays lithe and charming, a la Holly Golightly.) In contrast to this pumped-up style of Chardonnay, the MacMurray Ranch has subtle oak, decent acidity, and some real character. It's balanced enough to drink on its own or would pair nicely with chicken, pork, or richer seafood dishes. And, as you can see in the above photos, MacMurray Ranch and the surrounding vineyards are gorgeous. (I got a chance to go there last year on a trip put together for my fellow grocery store wine brethren.) Fred MacMurray (yes, that Fred MacMurray) certainly knew a good thing when he saw it. And I think he'd continue to be proud of the unassuming, well-made wines (especially the Pinot Noirs) that carry his name. Comments: Gabi I somehow managed to be in the 99% of people who didn't start drinking Chardonnay as their white of choice. I think it maybe because I lived in Italy when I started drinking, but even when I returned to the U.S., there was a lot of Pinot Grigio going on. To this day, apart from the odd bottle guests bring to parties, I have always gone with other grapes (Albarino, Viognier). Not quite off-the-grid enough to qualify for that indy card, but enough to keep my friends interested and discovering new things. Nancy Nice post, Jameson! I have to admit I was delighted to find Viognier entering the Washington wine scene a few years back so that we could have another alternative to Chardonnay. These days I'm finding I enjoy Chards that are half oaked and half unoaked. It seems to strike the right balance for my palate. Although, when I have crab cakes I really crave one of those more traditionally buttery Chards to match the food. Chef Dennis I am with you, too much oak is not good for a chardonay...audrey hepburn all the way with this wine! Jameson Gabi, Albarino totally gives you indie cred. It's great that you are willing to experiment and try new things. Thanks for the comment! Jameson Jameson Nancy, I wish Washington winemakers would treat Viognier differently; I feel it's all oak and high alcohol. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish Viognier from Chardonnay,except for some more compelling, floral aromas. I totally agree with crab (cakes) and a more butter Chardonnay; it definitely has its time and place. Do you have a crab cake recipe on Foodista? Jameson Jameson Jameson Chef Dennis, Breakfast at Tiffany's with a nice, unoaked Chablis! Jameson TERRI I was never a fan of the oaky Chard. On a hot summers day there is nothing like a ice cold Sauv Blanc. or White Bordeaux(Rotheschild has a great one for 7.99 per bottle)

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Gluten-Free Food: 2010's Hot Trend? By: Andie Mitchell Published: August 1, 2010 I've recently read a few articles describing gluten-free diets as trendy. Heck, The Daily Beast added gluten-free food to its list of Top Ten Biggest Food Trends of 2010 , right alongside coconut, bacon-flavored sweets, and 'tricked-out popcorn.' It seemed a bit insensitive to me at first. While I agree that gluten-free diets do fall in line with the general definition of a trend, in that there seems to be a greater prevalence of individuals being diagnosed with celiac's disease or at least a sensitivity to gluten, describing something as "trendy" also implies that it is a fad- popular, current, and possibly passing. And unfortunately for those who do have an intolerance to gluten (and therefore wheat and nearly all related grains), adopting a modified diet is anything but passing. “So many people have wheat allergies, and even if they don’t, they just feel better if they don’t eat wheat,” says The Fancy Food Show’s Ron Tanner. His point was evident at this year's event, where it seemed labels like organic, vegan, and gluten-free were everywhere you looked. Even the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, the association organizing the show, felt similarly. Publicist Jennifer Lea Cohan was quoted in a New York Times article as saying, “Judging from this show you’d think the whole world had celiac disease.” Lately, I've thought the same. In planning the International Food Blogger Conference, due to take place at the end of August here in Seattle, I couldn't help but wonder if half of our attendee list was gluten-free. I've received emails and Twitter messages asking about the event, the agenda, and most frequently, the food. Will there be gluten-free options? Making careful note that many of our guests have dietary restrictions, I've spent time informing chefs that our hope at the event is to have quite the inclusive spread. A range of dishes for every palate and preference. Only recently have I taken a closer look at the hard numbers of guests with these special dietary concerns. Now, with the conference sold out and hopeful attendees placed on a waiting list, I'm able to assess the list of roughly 250. What a surprise it's been. Below is the distribution of eating restrictions for IFBC. To be clear, if someone was both gluten-free and vegetarian, they were counted once for each category. On the list of food allergies, no more than one or two people were noted as being allergic to each food.   IFBC Food Allergies and Eating Restrictions: Gluten-free: 17 Vegetarian: 12 Dairy-free: 9 Vegan: 2   List of allergies: Almonds Avocados Bananas Corn Egg yolk (large quantities) Fish Garlic Hazelnuts Lavender Mushrooms Nuts/seeds Peanuts Perilla Pork Potatoes Raw onion (shallots, leeks, chives) Raw pineapple Rice Roasting peppers (fumes) Rosemary Shellfish Soy Stone fruit (nectarines, peaches) Strawberries Interesting. Not nearly the stats I'd imagined from all of my correspondence with guests inquiring about gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options. How naive of me to think that a dozen or so emails meant gluten-free was taking over the world. Of course I'd only be hearing from folks with food allergies or serious restrictions. An omnivore isn't going to send me  letter informing, "I eat everything. Please plan accordingly." The individuals with gluten-intolerance are wise to speak up about their needs. And while their voices don't make them a majority, the prevalence and more mainstream status of the G-Free community can be viewed as a success. In her Examiner article, health writer Liz Schau points out, "Our lifestyle diets and ways of eating will be taken more and more seriously, in hopes that new standards for gluten-free certification and quality control and labeling will become regulated." What do you think about the prevalence of gluten-free diets? Do you think g-free food merits a spot on the Top Ten Food Trends of 2010? -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: carla Check out Hipp Kitchen. You will find lots of ideas for gluten free meals and gluten free restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. Katie As someone recently diagnosed with Celiac and "forced" to go gluten-free, it greatly bothers me to hear "gluten-free" described as a trendy or fad diet. I'm all for more education about Celiac and gluten-intolerance. However, I'm afraid that those who are just trying to be gluten-free because they think it's healthier or a way to lose weight shortchange those of us who have to do so out of necessity. I'm afraid people for whom being gluten-free is medically necessary may not be taken as seriously because of the "fad dieters" out there who can afford to be more lax about being gluten-free. Lee I agree, gluten free food is being treated as a new fad. For those of us who are required to remove the family of wheat products from our diets, it is not trendy nor a fad to us. I suspect some in the medical field may be jumping the gun on diagnoses without going thru all of the tests. When you hear someone saying "my doctor told me to go on a gluten free diet to see if that makes a difference", then it's time for the person to become their own advocate and see another doctor. The average person not required to be on a gluten free diet does not realize that our continuing to eat gluten filled foods, (even with no symptons) can wreak havoc on the body. In the long run, anemia, gout, CFS, autoimmune arthritis, thyroiditis and other illnesses can appear with no explanation. Basically we need the basic prepared gluten free foods at a comparable price to the existing foods. There are so many prepared foods that have wheat as a thickener added for which tapicoa, rice, cornstarch or arrowroot flours could be substituted. Destination Hea... I think the gluten free trend will open the doors to much more balanced cuisine in the near future. Catherine I do not have to eat gluten-free but have been trying to bake more GF within my home. The way I look at it is that our American diet has become too wheat laden. When you take into consideration the enormous amount of other grain options out there, why are we so focused on wheat? Other cultures have been eating other grains and flours for centuries. Perhaps we are too restrictive. I agree that the GF 'trend' will open up more opportunities in food in the future. I can eat plenty of gluten products outside my home, so why not try to be more GF within it? Christina D I would agree with Katie. "trendy" "fad diet" not good. I have an 18 month old son who has severe diagnosed food allergies (dairy, soy, tree nuts and peanuts) and has recently been presenting common symptoms of Celiac's. Both anaphylaxic food allergies and Celiac's seriousness gets muddled when people go off a specific food-stuff (dairy, wheat, ect) and then claim to have an allergy simply because they feel better without proper testing and consultation with a doctor. Since many people use the word "allergy" instead of "intolerance" to waiters/friend/family members/ co-workers/general public the meaning of the word "allergy" gets diluted which makes it hard for me to safety take my son to public places, such as a family member's house or a restaurant. A lot of times people think he will only get a stomach ache or diarrhea if he ingests the problematic food, when in fact he could have a life-threatening reaction. Celiacs in the House I have found that when I inform people that my children and I have celiac disease, we are taken seriously. I think the more people become aware of the gluten-free diet, the safer we are. Yes, it is trendy right now, but partly due to the increase in people finally getting a diagnosis and more healthcare professionals seeing the benefits for helping with other autoimmune diseases, cancer patients, even athletes see benefits. To me it is all helpful. As one of the 17 gluten-free types heading to IFBC this month, I am so happy to hear we will be well-fed despite our GF diet. Katherine Gray I'm always a little shocked when people ask me if eating gluten-free is a "lifestyle choice." Uh, no. I don't enjoy hauling around GF nut bars, avoiding certain great restaurants altogether because there just aren't enough options to make it worth eating there, spending shocking amounts of money on what to many people are food basics like bread. On the upside, there seems to be a little more knowledge among waitstaff now that more people are asking about gluten-free options. But when eating gluten-free is perceived as optional it only means that even those of us who really, truly can't ever have gluten are seen as picky or selfish or inconvenient.

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Meatless Monday: Tomato Bread Soup By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: August 2, 2010 As our sunny, bright July becomes August, our shadows are lengthening and deciduous trees are beginning to show the first blushes of autumn color. In honor of late summer tomato season, I give you a recipe that will make full use of the tomatoes hanging heavy in your garden. This Tuscan soup (Jamie Oliver's recipe) can be either a light appetizer for your next dinner party or beautifully filling entrée for a summer night. The best part about this soup? It doesn’t need to simmer for hours – in fact, you can throw it together in around thirty minutes. Click through for the detailed recipe and list of ingredients: Tomato Bread Soup Gather your ingredients: basil, garlic, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, canned plum tomatoes, stale crusty bread. If your house is like mine, a good-quality French or sourdough loaf is devoured fresh--stale artisan bread does not exist in my life. However, it was a problem easily fixed: I bought a loaf of fresh crusty bread, sliced it in half horizontally, and stuck it in the oven for about fifteen minutes on a low heat. Ta-da! Stale bread. Prick your cherry tomatoes, and toss them with olive oil, one sliced clove of garlic, and some basil leaves. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Mmmm. To prep your soup pot, pour in a good glug of olive oil with the remaining sliced garlic and basil leaves and let sizzle for a minute. Try not to salivate. Add your canned plum tomatoes and around a cup and a half of water. Just a note – I had an extraordinarily difficult time finding canned plum tomatoes. In a pinch, canned whole peeled tomatoes work as a substitute. Do not use diced! Push the canned tomatoes apart with your spoon, allowing them to break apart and release their flavors into the broth.  Bring the soup to a boil and let simmer for fifteen. Season like mad – I ground up fresh sea salt and pepper into the mix. Tear up your stale bread into small (Jamie Oliver instructs, “thumb-sized”) pieces and add to the soup. Watch in awe as the stale bits become thoroughly soaked in bright red tomato juice. Let the soup sit on low heat for about ten minutes. Your cherry tomatoes should come out of the oven ready to burst, with cracks in their skins. Add the whole shebang to the soup, including the garlic and basil from the bottom of the pan. Stir gently, and if the soup is too thick (mine wasn’t), add a little water. Add a generous amount of olive oil (Jamie says six to seven tablespoons), and serve. If you’re like me, you’ll be utterly amazed by the sweet, intense tomato flavor. Delicious. Do you have a favorite way to use late-summer tomatoes? Made tomato bread soup before? Let us know in the comments! --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer. Comments: Kip This looks pretty nomtastic. I'm obsessed with oven baked/roasted tomatoes at the moment, so this is perfect! Laury @thefitne... Ohh....I love this recipe! It looks fantastic! I am a BIG fan of Meat-free Monday as well :-) Thanks so much for stopping by so I could find you!! Glad you like the Friday 5! Chaya This is such a good idea. The idea of the read in the soup is so nice and filling. Would you link this to My Meatless Mondays? http://sweetsav.blogspot.com/2010/08/pan-roasted-root-vegetables-ina-garten.html It looks delicious and it would be fun to share. jenny m Hey Alisa: Like your blog too...thanks for your sweet comment on mine. Those little tomato's look delicious. :)

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Alsatian Riesling: Dry and Delicious By: Jameson Fink Published: August 4, 2010 I attended a tasting earlier this week that included a selection of Alsatian Rieslings from Domaine Weinbach. This French wine region is nestled between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine River, very close to the German border. Riesling is arguably the most famous wine from Alsace, but you'll also find Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewurztraminer, and excellent sparkling wines (Cremant d'Alsace). Although the wines of Alsace are some of the first that really got me interested in a world beyond California Chardonnay, they can be frustrating. It's hard to know whether or not they will be dry or have a bit of sweetness. Thankfully some producers, such as Zind-Humbrecht, have started discreetly labeling the level of sweetness in their wines. But I can tell you that if you are looking for great dry Riesling, I would steer you towards Domaine Weinbach. I got to try a selection of different vintages and vineyards and what I came away with was that all of these wines have fantastic richness and concentration without being heavy or tiresome. These whites have great acidity to balance out all that lush fruit. And boy can they age. A Riesling from the 2001 vintage was spectacular; nowhere near the end of its life. With age, the color of the wine became deeper and more golden. I also detected some subtle smoky/flinty notes that reminded me of German Riesling. If you were taking an Alsatian Riesling home for dinner, I think it would be lovely with richer seafood such as salmon, crab, or lobster. If you were in Alsace, you would definitely have loads of pork with your wine; that is the classic pairing of the region. And if you are enjoying the wine on its own, I suggest being outside like I was. Domaine Weinbach Riesling and the outdoors may be the best pairing of them all. Comments: BMW guy Eating, loving, singing and digesting are, in actuality, the four acts of the mirthful opera known as the freshness, and they pass like bubbles of a grit of champagne. Whoever lets them break without having enjoyed them is a entire fool. Sent from my iPad 4G VOIP pf voip technology to suit above colleges in new jersey. VahJapShoopup [url=http://twitter.alt.com]alt.com[/url] Congruous Brand-new Friends amp COUPLING Partners Anonymous Personals Tete-…-tete amp videochat bdsm.

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Cream Cheese Pound Cake By: Andie Mitchell Published: August 5, 2010 Since I was a tiny baby...scratch that, I was never a tiny baby. Since I was a venti-sized baby, I've been baking. I know, impossible. A newborn with a whisk? Sometimes I wonder. But it's true. I find baking when I scan my oldest memories. Flour dusting over third birthday parties, crumbly dough balls wedged in between that time the front tire popped off my Big Wheel and I learned that pesky cursive “Q,” a melted butter sheen on my first love letter. How did my crib get in the kitchen? A question I ask because my mom never invited me in. And not to say that I wasn't welcomed, I just wasn't drawn in out of encouragement. We never set out on an afternoon chocolate chip cookie project. No, rather, it was the scent of pound cake that caught my nose and captured me. The Bishop's Cake, freshly baked, having leapt from the black and white pages of The Silver Palate cookbook and onto my formica countertop. So heaven is a smell, I thought. I've always been an observer. Keen on watching people, things, and events like I was going to be tested on my recollection later. A shame I didn't go the detective route. A wonder I didn't do better on my SAT verbal. I'm intensely interested in how things are made and in the manner in which others go about doing things. Fitting that I'd sit for hours on the painted oak footstool in the kitchen and watch my mother put on a magic show with butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. What's her trick? Though never a rabbit, the sweets she pulled out of the oven were magnificent- different every time. I soon became the magician's apprentice. Cracking eggs into the bowl, stirring, and running a knife's edge along the top of her measuring cup, excess flour dropping off the sides. I learned the timing. I learned the precision. I learned the delicate nature of baking. And my favorite- the requisite taste testing. There's value in wrapping your tongue around the beater's wires to get every last lick of buttercream. What that value is, I'm not aware, but my belly is, and I'd say that's enough. I leave most major decisions to that part of me- the wisdom of my waist. I spent years at my mother's side, asking questions, watching cupcakes dome through the oven door, learning to read almost exclusively by recipe cards. I divided my time between Sesame Street and Julia Child. And somehow, without consciously realizing the transition, I became the baker. Funny how that happens. I sit here now in my own kitchen, a coast away from my mother, and recreate the confections we once made. The ones that drew me, nose first, into the kitchen, tied themselves to moments in my life, and tucked themselves away in the closet of my memory. And even as an adult... the butter, the sugar, the flour and the eggs...they still feel like magic. Cream Cheese Pound Cake (recipe courtesy How to Eat A Cupcake) makes one 10" tube cake or two loaves 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature 3 cups sugar 6 large eggs, at room temperature 3 cups cake flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract **Note: I halved the recipe to only make one loaf. The pictures depict half of the ingredients called for. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter a 10-inch tube pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Alternately, you can use two 8x4" loaf pans. I cut the recipe in half and made 1 loaf. If using the loaf pans, line them with parchment paper- cut one long thin strip to cover the pan length-wise, then a short and wide piece to cover it width-wise. This will form a sling to aid in removing the cake from the pan. Your eggs should be at room temperature for this recipe- as they're crucial to the proper rising of the cake. If you were not able to bring them to temperature over the period of an hour or two, place them in a small bowl with warm water and let them stand for fifteen minutes. Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside. Place the butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use an electric hand-held mixer) and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture. Gradually increase speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Beat in the extracts. Add the remaining flour and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and shake lightly to even out the top. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour and 15 minutes. Place the pan(s) on a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Pound Cake with Cream Cheese Comments: Amy B. I'm so keen to try this out!! :-) I'd also probably add some cheese shavings as topping! i love cheese! Keri You're killing me here, but I wouldn't have it any other way. This is a little bit of heaven, right here in front of me. I can almost taste it. You have a nice way with ingredients and I can see the passion. Thanks. Keri Katie Thank you for the comment on my blueberry parfait!!! I linked it on the bottom of my post with that widget! I also made an account on foodista! I never heard of the site and it rocks! Thank you for the comment and for leading me to the site! : ) grace what a lovely post, complete with an oh-so-decadent dessert. pound cake is good, but cream cheese pound cake is best, particularly doused with strawberry and their juices and some fresh whipped cream! :) The Heritage Cook <strong>Pomodoro Crostini - Festive Friday!...</strong> I found your entry interesting thus I've added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)... Gabi Andrea - I always resonate with your recipes! This pound cake looks so moist. I am intrigued by the cream cheese addition! I can totally picture you worming your way into the kitchen as a young girl; what a great story. I was the opposite. My mom was a cake decorator when she was younger, and so I was coerced into learning. She would even come to my girl scout meetings and do cake decorating classes! Alisa - Frugal ... Seriously so many drool-worthy photos! This is one dessert I haven't yet trialed dairy-free, but I think it would be so easy and delicious! At Home With Rebecka Pound Cake is one of my favorite comfort foods! I remember making rum and lemon pound cakes with my mother when I was young. Such a moist and yummy treat!! I look forward to trying your cream cheese recipe! Beautiful Blog!!!

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Sixty Days of Baking By: Andie Mitchell Published: August 8, 2010 In the past year, I've lived in four states. Before moving to Seattle, I was working in the art department of film production. Shuffling from Boston to Philadelphia to Hamden, Connecticut. In the film world, as well as in television, there's a magical land on set that everyone prizes above all else: Craft Service. There are unicorns and rainbows and butterflies and...Okay there aren't butterflies. But when you're working a twelve hour shift, the sprawling and elaborate spread of snacks and goodies feels quite a bit like the inside of the pearly gates. Cast and crew flock to it. The catering companies are known on a first name basis. The idea is that well-fed workers will be both happy and productive. I don't know about the happy, but I think the productive part is true. Now, if you've read any of my babble here on this blog in the last few months, you might already know about my passion for baking. I practically wrote a love poem to butter, sugar, flour, and eggs in my previous post. That's what cream cheese pound cake will induce. But if you haven't read any of my tales, I'll have you know: I love to bake. The energy, the finesse, the decoration, and certainly the tastes of what's made from scratch. For me, a Sunday isn't quite as special without me in my kitchen whipping up confection after confection, throwing one to two pans at the wall, and cursing. So one lovely Sunday last fall, while I was living in Philadelphia, I decided to package some of my sweets and tote them to set with me the next day. Hmm....which does Jack Nicholson prefer...chocolate or vanilla...? What began as “a simple sweet treat” for my coworkers turned into homemade oreos, congo bars, and oatmeal cream pies. A good indication that my brain does not register words like “one” or “simple.” The bake shop I set up in the production office on that Monday was a hit. Or a hoot, whichever way you choose to look at the obscenity. Within thirty minutes, a line had formed to my own little craft service station, and the goodies were gone. I think a part of their appeal was that they were homemade. More special than, say, Chips Ahoy. Making people happy (even if just through their taste buds) felt wonderful. And because I wanted to maintain that joyful high, I did it again on Tuesday, but this time the treats were black and white cookies, and Wednesday we had coconut cupcakes, Thursday was cheesecake, and on and on until I started bringing desserts in with names that needed phonetic spelling and a dictionary: “What the hell is ganache? And why did you coulis the raspberries?” Each morning I was not only carrying my laptop, but a few tupperware containers of sweets. Everyday something new. When I had exhausted my own recipe collection, I went to my Nana. When I realized that Nana should never have been allowed to set foot near an oven, much less a stovetop, I went to my second grandmother, Julia Child. I read cookbooks, blogs, and the backs of sugar packages for inspiration. In all, it was sixty straight days of baking. I'm not sure that's even something to be proud of. It might be better classified as “the time I should have been in that institution where they filmed Shutter Island.” Either way, I was happy. Content to work a twelve hour day in film and moonlight as a baker. When asked how I found the time to do it, I responded with the only true statement I knew at the time, “You find time for the things you love.” My boyfriend might have disagreed. That span of two months was bliss: I made quite a few friends, learned new baking techniques, new recipes, the art of cake decorating, that there is a such thing as a sugar-induced coma, and that even though you think you deserve a medal for your hard work, Oprah only wants guests on her show who have done something remarkable for humanity. Unfortunately. This story might merit a disclaimer: Don't try this at home. Here are two of the recipes I brought to the film set that first day. Oatmeal Cream Pies Oreos Comments: Laura Hi Andrea! I remembered the name of the cupcake place: radical cupcake! Check um out! Laura

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Meatless Monday: Yum Veggie Sandwiches, Open Face By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: August 9, 2010 It’s Monday night. You burst in the door from work, exhausted, irritated, and utterly unwilling to cook. Your sole desire is to flop on the couch and have someone fork-feed you a cheeseburger. But… what about Meatless Mondays? This week’s recipe is not only as simple as they come but completely adaptable to whatever ingredients you have in your fridge. It takes ten minutes to prep, tops, and only five to cook. Assemble your ingredients—seasonal, juicy sweet onions, ripe tomatoes, buttery avocado, crunchy alfalfa sprouts and toasted sesame seeds. Pop two sliced English muffins in the toaster and set the oven to broil. Dice the tomatoes. Dice the onions. Mash the avocados. After placing the muffins face up and close together on a cookie sheet, thickly cover them with mashed avocado. Although the original recipe recommended the use of only one avocado, I’m kind of a fanatic. I used two. Double the avocado, double the fun. Your next layer will consist of the alfalfa sprouts, followed by the chopped sweet onion. At this point, I decided to add the requisite ranch dressing—and let me tell you, this is the key to success. I covered each muffin with a tablespoon, and they may have been a little too gooey. I recommend around two teaspoons per muffin, but if ranch is your thing, hey. Go crazy. Salt and pepper to taste. I added some of my favorite hot sauce (Cholula), which was fabulous. Cover the ranch-y, sprout-y, onion-y avocado-muffs with the diced tomatoes and sprinkle lightly with sesame seeds. Next time, I’d love to try any number of garnishes: pine nuts or sunflower seeds spring to mind. Add a small handful of sharp shredded cheddar to each muffin, pop under the broiler for a few minutes (it only took three and a half minutes for the cheese on mine to start bubbling). BAM. A crunchy, filling, kind-of-unbelievably-decadent vegetarian sandwich. Although… can you really call it a sandwich if it’s open face? Discuss. --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer Comments: vt kitchen ninja I make mini muffin pizzas using this same concept -- which, hilariously enough, my sister and I learned as part of our efforts to attain the cooking badge in Girl Scouts many, many years ago. Magda @ Be Nutr... Omg that thing looks just so ridiculously tasty and juicy that I wanna try it right now. Looks so cheesy and healthy. Keri Dito A rustic work of art! My kind of breakfast, lunch and/or dinner. A woman after my own heart. Fabulous. What else can you say without the benefit of a bite? But I can almost taste it because your photos do it so much justice. Keri Kitten with a Whisk I love this idea! Easy, yummy, fast. The Gothic Gourmet You had Me at avocado. I must must must share My grilled veggie sandwich with marinated fresh Mozzarella with you. To die for. I'm going to try this one this week if I am up and running that is. I love your website. So well put together. If only I had those 'skilz' I think that is how the kids these days say it and spell it. ;) As it were, keep on keeping on. Your site rocks! Sincerely, The Gothic Gourmet Becca Jones This is so Yummy! Thanks! Furniture Desig... The post is written in very a good manner and it entails many useful information for me. I am happy to find your distinguished way of writing the post. Now you make it easy for me to understand and implement the concept.

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My New Favorite Esoteric Wine By: Jameson Fink Published: August 11, 2010 I love rosé. If you can make a pink wine out of any grape and it's dry, I'm interested. So when I found out that Austrian dynamo producer Hofer made a rosé, I was thrilled and ready to step over anybody to try it. Naturally, Foodista blog faithful, you remember me extolling the virtues of a red Zweigelt that Hofer makes in a one-liter size sealed with a bottle cap. (Oh, you don't remember? Well, in the midst of wiping away the tears flooding my keyboard, I'll try to find the time to give you a link.) Anyway, Zweigelt is a traditional grape from Austria that is a bit earthy and a lot juicy. It makes really fun reds that, for me, are some of the ultimate BBQ companions. And if these wines weren't weird enough, just try to sell a rosé version. (Dearest Hofer: Thank you for doing so.) This is a rosé wholly in my wheelhouse: pale, austere, and mega-dry. It also, as you will see in the photo on the right, has a bit of spritz to it. Just a touch that reminded me of drinking Vinho Verde from Portugal. So step up to your winemonger and demand Austrian Zweigelt Rosé! Either they will give you a blank stare, scream in terror, or maybe lean in for a hug for validating their eccentricity. (You'd be right to think I'd respond with the latter, but I'm anti-hugging.) So in the world of wine, what bizarre bottles pique your interest?

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Meatless Monday: Poblano, Mango, and Black Bean Quesadillas By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: August 16, 2010 Sometimes it feels like Mexican food is all ground beef and refried beans—even tostadas are covered with icky, lard-y beans and gloppy sour cream. While Tex-Mex is a delicious indulgence once in a while, lately I’ve found myself craving Mexican food with a little more snappy flavor and a little less guilt. Celebrate the end of summer by added a little tropical fruit to your quesadilla! Skeptical? I was too. But the sweetness of the mango totally balances and plays off the spice of the poblano pepper, leaving you pleasantly full and entirely satisfied. Click through for the full recipe: Poblano, Mango, and Black Bean Quesadilla Glug a little olive oil into a frying pan, and add your diced sweet onion (deliciously in-season). Allow to sizzle while you seed and chop a whole poblano pepper. A note: after a bad experience seeding a jalapeno with my bare hands a few weeks ago, leaving me with mild chemical burns and utterly unable to touch my face for a whole day, I was more than a little nervous to battle this poblano. And no, I hadn’t been smart enough to purchase disposable gloves (d’oh). Lucky for me, I remembered a recent #KitchenTip tweeted by @Foodista: coat hands with olive oil to prevent oil from spicy peppers from adhering to your fingers. It worked! Hurray. Note my shiny hands in the photo below. Add chopped poblano to frying pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Your eyes might start watering! Retreat if necessary. Allow mixture to sauté for a few minutes, or until onions are tender. Add the rinsed black beans to the pan. Allow to heat for about a minute. In this time, peel and cube an avocado… …and a small mango. (If you’re like me and have no idea how to properly cube a mango, watch this video tutorial by Chef Allen Susser). Pull your frying pan off the heat and stir in the mango and avocado. Yum. Prepare your tortillas by either frying them in butter (my favorite), or arranging them on a lightly greased cookie sheet, covering them with a small handful of cheddar cheese each, and letting the cheese melt under your oven’s broiler. Spread the bean mixture over half of each tortilla and fold over. Cut into three pieces, and serve with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole! Enjoy. Comments: Nicole @ making... I love this recipe! I love making meatless meals especially mexican style. Every once in awhile I'll make guacamole and just eat that and beans in a wrap for dinner. Alysa Bajenaru,... That looks so good! Thanks for the idea! Wendy Demarzo I have a recipe for Mexican Lasagna. Great for the working woman!

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Reconsidering Aussie Red Wines By: Jameson Fink Published: August 18, 2010 Though I love white wines from Australia, I've become more and more disenchanted with the reds. They all seem to be port-like in their alcohol levels and are heavy and sweet, bludgeoning your palate with oak and fruit. Once the darling of critics and consumers in the halcyon days of the early 2000s, Australia is facing a bit of a crisis in its wine industry. As detailed in the Wine Spectator, there is a glut of Aussie wine out there to the tune of 100 million cases. (Good news: You'll get 10% off when you purchase by the millions.) Now everyone wants Malbec from Argentina and has left Aussie Shiraz holding the bag. So in my line of work I am getting all kinds of crazy deals and close-outs. Recently I had a red from Australia poured for me with a bit of age on it and I was really impressed: the 2004 Poonawata Estate Eden Valley Shiraz Monties Block. Even though it clocks in at a hefty 15% alcohol, which is pretty typical for South Australia, it was not drinking like so many over-the-top Aussie wines. Age has mellowed out the fruit and oak components and some really interesting secondary characteristics had appeared, like aromas of licorice and flavors of baking chocolate and coffee. (Normally I am loathe to detail aromas and flavors of wines as it reminds me of one of my pet peeves in this industry: mind-numbing, arbitrary, laundry list wine reviews.) So if you are tired of Aussie Shiraz, I suggest seeking out bottles with some age on them or explore the reds outside of the famous regions of Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. Here's a map. I would especially recommend checking out Western Australia and the cool(er) climate wines from Margaret River. I've even had some sparkling wines from Tasmania that are really cool. So what do you think of Aussie Reds? Have you moved on to Malbec? Still drinking the classics? Or experimenting with new regions and grapes? Comments: Andrew Holt Good to see a few bottles of the 2004 Monties Block still around the place. I opened one last night- first look at the wine in 6 months and was quite pleased with the layers of complexity coming through now that it is showing some more mature characteristics. Eden Valley's cooler climate does give us a nice elegant fruit structure to work with. We had a large crop in 2004 and the Monties label came about from our declassifying the wine from our 1880 Shiraz label- so it is probably one of the better value wines to come from century plus old vines. Andrew Holt, Poonawatta Estate Jameson Andrew, Thank for for the additional information! Now I understand even more what makes this particular vintage special. I think we only have a couple cases left and my assistant and I might just buy it all ourselves. Jameson MyncAcehypope native wit and a tongue that could give as good as was ever given him.

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Seattle's U-District Food Bank: Fighting Hunger & Inspiring Chefs By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: August 22, 2010 On Seattle’s University Avenue, an area where college students grab coffee, hang out at trendy bars, and frequent hip clothing stores, there quietly exists an organization that caters to another demographic entirely. The University District Food Bank, each week, serves more than 1,000 families in Northeast Seattle, allowing them to choose groceries from stocked shelves to meet their nutritional needs. In 2008, the food bank had more than 46,500 customer visits and distributed over 1.8 million pounds of food—an astounding feat for a physically tiny organization. Nationally, the need for food banks is growing. According to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) data from 2008, 17.3 million people live in households that are considered to have "very low food security," a USDA term that means one or more people in the household were hungry over the course of the year because of the inability to afford enough food. This number has increased from 11.9 million in 2007 and 8.5 million in 2000. The University District Food Bank, one of the most successful nonprofits in North Seattle, not only fills an important service niche, it also participates in unique outreach events. Last Saturday, I had the privilege to attend Ready Set Go Cook, a live, Iron Chef-style competition between local chefs Zephyr Paquette (of Elliott Bay Café) and Justin Newstrum (of Portage Bay Café). The chefs’ challenge: to make, on the spot, a dish using fresh ingredients from the morning’s farmers’ market, as well as ingredients sourced from whatever was on the shelves at the University Food Bank. Local, ethical, low-cost ingredients were combined in delicious and creative ways before the audience’s eyes. A pantry of ingredients from the food bank, from which the chefs pulled ingredients, was highly visible during the event. After being scored by the judges, Zephyr Paquette came out on top, with Justin Newstrum scoring an extremely close second. Click through for Zephyr's winning recipe for a delicious tuna-topped summer salad. Zephyr Paquette's Summer Tuna Salad Comments: Jessica August 22, 2010 How awesome! And I loved all the photos!

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Meatless Monday: Cheddar, Spinach, and Pepper Omelet Sandwich By: Anneka Gerhardt Published: August 23, 2010 I love omelets. Really--give it to me florentine-style, or with mushrooms and hot peppers, or even (gasp) with some ham or bacon. Omelets are super adaptable to whatever ingredients are cluttering your vegetable drawer, and of course, super delicious. An omelet sandwich is even better: perfect for a hearty breakfast, lunch, or light supper. Try it with different cheeses and breads! (pepperjack on pita? mozzarella on English muffins? gruyere on sourdough?) To lighten up an otherwise heavy omelete, I used two whole eggs and two egg whites. Separate an egg by holding it upright, carefully cracking the top, and tilting it so that the white runs into the bowl and the yolk is preserved. Whisk together your two egg whites, your two eggs, and a tablespoon of nonfat milk in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste, and add a splash of your favorite hot sauce (another moment in which I say: Cholula is practically ambrosia. Amazing). Set the bowl aside. Chop up a medium red bell pepper and small sweet onion, and throw in a large pan on high heat. Add a glug of olive oil. Allow to saute for three or four minutes or until properly softened. Reduce pan to medium heat, and pour in the egg mixture. Allow to cook for another three or so minutes, then pop it under the broiler. Broil two minutes or so or until lightly browned. Sprinkle cheese on your sliced bagel, and broil until melted. Delicious. Cut the omelet in half, fold, and place on top of one of the bagel halves. Top with a handful of baby spinach leaves, and the remaining bagel half. Consume with gusto. What are your favorite omelet fillings? Any tips for getting an ideal, fluffy consistency? Let us know in the comments! --Anneka Gerhardt, Foodista staffer. Comments: Brenda The Heal... August 23, 2010 I love eating eggs. I usually make them in an english muffin with ham, tomato, cheese, and some mayo. Next time I make it I'm going to try this recipe it looks healthier :) Thank You, -Brenda Rick This is a really good substitute for a veggie burger. At first I thought there was meat in it. It looks that good! But I have to say, spinach and goat cheese is the best omelet ever. Jay That sounds beyond amazing...I can almost taste it from here ...( I wish )..Droooooool...:) Do drop in at my space sometime... Lauren @ Fun, F... MMMMM I absolutely love omelets! I have them multiple times a week. I love onions, cheese, mushrooms, pico de gallo, and spinach in mine! Leslie Uhl That sandwich looks AWESOME! Annapet How yummy! Coincidentally, I will be enjoying a Meatless Monday lunch, too. Lauren This sounds like a great breakfast sandwich. I never really consider making and omelet and then making a breakfast sandwich. I always keep the ingredients separate for breakfast sandwiches but this is a great idea! Much less of a mess too! I love breakfast and work for Better Recipes so I always find myself looking for good <a href="http://breakfast.betterrecipes.com/" rel="nofollow">Breakfast Recipes</a>. I think this would also be great with a few jalapenos, yum! At Home With Rebecka Love this recipe!! Love Meatless Mondays!! Omelet on a bagel, how could you go wrong! YUM Mil Apostol Love a pro egg post instead of the recent anti-egg articles. I love Mexican style eggs scrambled with onions, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro. I eat it with avocado and tortillas. Mil Apostol I love this pro egg post instead of the spate of anti egg articles we've been hit with lately. I love eggs Mexican style: scrambled with onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro. I eat it with avocado and tortillas.

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Tasmanian Sparkling Wine Fever: Catch It! By: Jameson Fink Published: August 25, 2010 I get so bored with the wines I am normally presented with at work. Napa Cab? Yawn. Another mediocre, overpriced Washington wine with a dreadful label? I shudder. Frankly, I'm jaded. But when something new and totally unexpected comes my way, it reminds me of why I love both my job and bottled, fermented grape juice. This just happened when I was invited to lunch by a wine importer. So what came out his bag that was to become my latest wine crush? Sparkling wine from Tasmania. Yes, Tasmania. That island off the southeastern coast of Australia. I know, when you think Tasmania you're thinking about that famous, copyrighted cartoon character known for his energy, quick temper, and a contentious relationship with a certain wise-cracking, carrot-chomping rabbit. Hey, I was in the same boat. But it's time to expand your horizons and equate high-quality sparkling wine with this remote island. I must stress that I like the Clover Hill for more than just its esoteric qualities. It's delicious. The juice is barrel-aged like many of the most famous, pricey French Champagnes. So you have a very rich and complex still wine made magical and sultry with the addition of bubbles. Wait, who the hell am I kidding? Forget about all this back-pedaling "it's all about what's in the bottle" BS! It's from Tasmania!!! How cool is that?!? Drink it up! So Foodista-ists, what was the last wine with unusual origins you enjoyed? Comments: Michelle August 25, 2010 So how much is this sparkling wine from Tasmania? And where can you get some? Sounds delicious!!!! Jameson Michelle, It should be about 25 bucks. It's imported by a company that I am pretty sure is owned by California winery Clos du Val. So call a wine shop and tell them you want this wine and whoever they get Clos du Val from can get the Clover Hill for you. Jameson Laury @TheFitne... That wine looks amazing! Enjoy!!! Have a great weekend! Tuscan Foodie Funny: being Italian and having lived in a French wine dominated country for many years (Belgium) I consider Washington wines exotic! I do love Australian wines though. But I never tried a Tasmanian one. Jameson I still can't help geeking out over discovering sparkling wine from Tasmania. Try it; it's a nice, richer-styled sparkling wine. It would be lovely with lobster.

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Please Do Not Call Me a Sommelier By: Jameson Fink Published: September 1, 2010 I know, Foodista. You've gotten used to my weekly enthusiastic postings about esoteric wines, full of an embarrassing amount of exclamation points, numerous parenthetical asides, and an unnerving propensity for semi-colons instead of just separating two damn sentences with a period. (I can't help it; it's who I am!) This week's going to be a little different. Why, you ask? Well, my hackles got raised by a blog post in the Seattle Weekly called "7 Reasons Why Your Sommelier Hates You." First of all: duh, I get it. It's supposed to be a bit of a tongue-in-cheek, humorous piece. Well, based on the majority of the comments, no one is getting the joke. Sommelier humor? Please. I guess the part that bothered me the most was a sommelier who gets a bit perturbed when someone orders a big red wine with fish: "I hate it when people ask for a huge, meaty red like a California Cabernet or a Southern Rhone to go with something delicate like fish; it just kills any chance that they have of enjoying either component of their meal." Seriously? You know that I will not enjoy both my food and wine? Or you are aghast that people actually make choices based on what they want rather than what someone deems appropriate? This is the height of sommelier arrogance and ego. Boo! These are my colleagues?!? Pass me a can of High Life! (I actually do love High Life. It's mild, smooth flavor tends not to overpower delicate fish.) I responded with a well-reasoned, non-provocative comment: "I don't mind if someone wants a Napa Cab to go with their fish. If it's what your customer wants, enjoys, and is paying for, then that's the best food and wine pairing." You can read the rest of the comments to see how this ended; there are people who agreed with me and others who thought I didn't get the joke or the point of the post. (Oh, and ALL CAPS makes a brief appearance, provoking a shift in the direction of my comments from judicious to snarky.) So while I can blather on about Gervrey-Chambertin, Savennieres, blah blah, have years of experience in the industry, and have minor certifications from the International Sommelier Guild, please don't call me a sommelier. I'm just a wine guy, working in a grocery store, wearing a name tag, and helping you find diapers and trash bags. And though I would rather have a sparkling wine or a crisp, dry white with (most) fish, the best wine advice I could every give is this: Drink what you like. PS: You are all invited to my place for fish and Napa Cabernet. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. You can read more of his musings about wine on his blog, Sparkling Vouvray. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now. Comments: Heather September 1, 2010 Thank you for this post! If I don't like a particular type of wine, it's certainly not going to matter to me if it pairs well with my meal. I had a waiter at a high end restaurant correct my wine choice and tell me that what I ordered didn't go well with my meal and that instead I should order X. To me, that is just bad service, not to mention arrogant. Alyssa I like your refreshing attitude toward wine! Don't get me wrong...I don't think anything beats an excellent food and wine pairing. But I think when people take it too seriously, it just takes all enjoyment out of the meal. I've been at dinners with people where almost everyone was just having a great time, enjoying food, wine &amp; friends, and someone was just in a huff because the dish was too spicy to be paired with a certain wine. Who wants to live like that? Lee Great advice. While I do appreciate a sommeliers wine suggestion( and I do take it sometimes), I would still order the wine I want, after all I'm the one who's drinking and paying for it. boohoobaby God advise! I'de never find out pink wine goes so well with expired shrimps coktail if I lisen to bagboy at wine storre. Jameson Paper or plastic? Frederick I can't imagine ever being corrected on my wine choice by a sommelier at a fine restaurant, but that's because I almost always leave the matter of choice in their hands. As an expert in my own field of study, I respect the hard work and experience that goes into oenology and would no more presume upon their territory than offer my surgeon tips on where to cut. I've never been disappointed by their recommendations, in fact the enjoyment of the meal and the wine is heightened by their passion and willingness to share their knowledge. Jameson Frederick, That was a thoughtful defense of the sommelier; nicely stated. Every time I see the world "oenology" my brain goes sophomoric and I think of "onanist."

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Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook Winners! By: Andie Mitchell Published: September 2, 2010 Foodista and Andrews McMeel Publishing are thrilled to announce the winners of The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest! From December 1, 2009 through February 28, 2010, food bloggers worldwide were invited to submit their favorite blog posts, recipes, and photos to compete for a spot in a published cookbook. After receiving over 1,500 submissions, which were then voted on by the Foodista community, the selection process shifted into a more traditional editorial effort (informed by community votes), to choose and edit the final 100 entries. Andrews McMeel will publish the winning blog posts and recipes in a beautiful, full-color, internationally distributed cookbook, set for release on October 19, 2010. Born out of the "Blog to Book" panel at the first International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in 2009, the cookbook celebrates the best food bloggers worldwide. Click here to see the list of winning bloggers and recipes! Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you to everyone who participated! Pre-order your copy of the Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook by clicking here! Comments: carla September 6, 2010 Congratulations Sheri, Colin and Barnaby. Let us know how we can get that book in the top 100 at amazon.com

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The Value of Free By: Barnaby Dorfman Published: September 2, 2010 During the 2010 International Food Blogger Conference Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy displayed a slide in her presentation on "The Art of Recipe Writing," where she declared to food bloggers: "DO NOT GIVE YOUR RECIPES AWAY FOR FREE." While I respect Amy greatly, I disagree. I saw the slide before the talk and welcomed the debate, but have been surprised by how strong and long-lasting it has been. Some of the best debate has happened on the blog of Dianne Jacobs, who was also on the panel. Disclosure: I have a very strong feelings about this subject and a clear self-interest in my point of view. I am building a business, Foodista.com, based on the generosity of people giving their time, knowledge, and in some cases creative works. Still, there is a lot of power in giving and I fear many took away a message from the conference that will deprive them. So, I'm offering the following thoughts... What is Free? One problem with much of the conversation has been that it's been based on the notion that free = I give rights without receiving cash. In truth, people who give rights or licenses to their works often receive significant financial benefits in return. Similarly, it's not altruism that drives the multi-billion dollar coupon/product sample industry and Justin Bieber will tell you that posting his videos on Youtube for "free" has worked out pretty well financially. Here are some benefits that food bloggers may get from giving away blog posts: More people to read your work and give you feedback Build your brand/resume/portfolio Have professional editors help improve your work Connect with potential clients/publishers for related services/work Receive a public stamp of approval from respected authorities We recently announced the winners of "The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook," a competition where over 1,500 people submitted blog posts in the hopes of getting published in a printed book, but for no pay (they do get a book). For many, the above benefits are a great value exchange in return for a blog post. Similarly, if you use Blogger.com (Terms), Wordpress.com (Terms), Posturous.com (Terms) and other blog platforms, you give them rights to your posts, including the right to sell advertising on your blog, in return for the service of hosting. But What About Love? Several attendees said they only blog because they love it, which I applaud. Others went so far as to be offended at the notion people would blog for money or care about traffic. However, I have a hard time reconciling that feeling with the paid advertising and popularity badges I found on their blogs. Still, I agree that there can be great personal benefit to creating and giving away work for no money or promise of money, including: Personal satisfaction of having your work seen Social status Advancement of your values/beliefs in society Sending traffic to friends' blogs Promotion of products and services you like and support Of course, I also don't see a conflict in doing something both for money AND love! What About Society? Some went so far as to say that it's wrong to give away recipes because it hurts other people and that's it's wrong for companies to republish content they didn't pay cash for.  Again, I disagree and would use the free software movement as a comparison. Twenty-five years ago there was very little free software in use, today we are ALL using free software on the Web. Some of that software was created by companies in the pursuit of money, but much of it was written by individual programmers who contribute to projects for the simple love of doing the work...often anonymously! Without their efforts, we would all be much poorer (if this is making you feel guilty, you might want to consider donating to the Apache Foundation). My big takeaway from this conversation is that there are many motivations for blogging about food and that they are all valid. Finally, I am thrilled that this conversation is happening! We are collectively exploring new territory and leading the way for future generations of food writers, bloggers, journalists, photographers, editors and READERS! Comments: Jason Phelps September 2, 2010 Awesome post. I come from an IT background so this debate seems so weird to me, since we already dealt with this in our industry. Now as a food blogger, and a reader of Free by Chris Anderson, I am giving content away specifically to build a brand that MAY one day get paid in one way or another for something we do. Good enough for me. Jason Sean Sullivan Advice with absolutes like NEVER should really be limited to things like blow-drying your hair in the bathtub or asking a child to pluck french fries bubbling in oil by hand. Cheryl Wondering if your book will be free -- you know, to help advance the Foodista brand. If not, why not? Amy The one thing you left out was the context of the comment. That slide came directly after a slide that said "Going pro: Developing recipes beyond your blog." I have no issue with amateurs giving away content and participating in community or even contributing to a cookbook like yours. But bloggers often straddle the line between amateur and professional. If they want to be professionals, they cannot give their content away. It would be like you Barnaby, working at your job for no pay. Note: the slide show is up on the conference web site for anyone who would like to see it. Barnaby Dorfman Amy, good point on the slide, sorry about that. But that's also part of my point, many people are repeating that line without any additional context. I hoped to add some more. Chef Gwen Good conversation. By the way, I just picked up a free recipe at Cooking with Amy... but I guess that's not the same thing as giving it away for free...or is it? Perhaps Amy meant "don't give away recipes" without some value exchange... which is what you are saying in this post. Or maybe she meant "don't give away recipes for free" to people who could and should pay something (i.e., corporations, websites that will make money off said "free recipes/content" etc.) Maybe it's just a case of semantics...or a free market society. I don't know, I wasn't at the conference, but I did see the lively chatter on Twitter, and felt like someone should present the other side, and Foodista just did. Mil Apostol There are many points for and against; it is hard to make a fast and hard rule here. The way I look at it, there are so many sites giving away recipes for free; I consulted some of them when I was cooking in a restaurant and writing menus. True, you don't know which ones are worth making, but neither do you know with published cookbooks. Very interesting debate. I'm interested in hearing more. A Tuscan Foodie... If you have a blog, giving away things for "free" is a given. If you have a food recipe blog, you will give recipes for free, no question about that. In the hope, one day, of being paid for doing what you love. A different thing though is when a magazine or a newspaper tells you they are ready to publish a long article of yours on which you have worked hours, but that they will do it "FOR FREE". Well, then, thanks but no thanks. Karen If I knit sweaters because I love to knit and then give them away because ....well, how many can I wear at one time? If I concoct recipes because I love to, and give some away because I've already made the dish and am on to something new, well??? What if I knit sweaters or developed recipes as a profession --- would I even think of giving them away? I doubt it unless there were a specific reason for giving away a given number of them. It seems that it is the line drawn between the professional bloggers/recipe developers and those who are hobbyists/dreamers/creatives that is the sticking point here. The louder voice of dissent against giving some away seems to be that of the professional. Others seem not to have made up their minds which they are. And then there are the rest who are happy as the proverbial clam just giving things away because they are creating out of love and the pursuit of happiness. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Eric @Amy: Theres a book called "Free" by Chris Anderson which is gaining popularity in the tech world (where I live when not doing my blog) and its something that every blogger, photographer and writer should read. There is a basic problem with the concept of "pay to view" content models of the 20th century: the internet. The music industry in the US is sticking to this model hard and fast and it is failing them miserably. Any product that exists (or could exist) digitally is going to hit the internet, and be distributed for free. The real question that needs to be addressed is not "how do you stop that?" but rather "how do you monetize that?"

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Blackberry Trouble By: Jameson Fink Published: September 5, 2010 I was at my local farmers market and bumped into a friend who informed me that there is going to be a bbq at The Compound tonight. (The Compound is the affectionate nickname for a row of rental homes and apartment buildings on 12th Avenue whose residents enjoy an abundance of eating, drinking, and socializing. Stop by; it's cool. Bring bubbles.) I volunteered to take care of dessert and bought all these blackberries. Naturally I am going to do a thorough perusing of Foodista, but I thought I would also use the blog to solicit advice. Here's what I know and my parameters: They are a bit tart and I would like a simple preparation so I can spend my time at The Compound chitty-chatting rather than slaving away in the kitchen. Help! Please leave your suggestions in the comments. (And I apologize if you thought this post was going to be about smart phones rather than fruit.) Comments: Amy September 5, 2010 FILO shells, sweet glaze for berries, top with whipping cream or meringue! Jameson Fink Thanks for the suggestion and quick response, Amy! I am going to cook the blackberries with lime juice, fresh ginger, and honey until it is compote-esque. Then I will cool and serve over ice cream with some granola for crunchy contrast. Stop by! Frederick Oh this Compound sounds so great. That is what I miss so much about living in Boston's famed South End neighborhood - the ad hoc random block parties popping up all over where everyone is always welcome. We are trying to foster something similar in our new neighborhood here in Riverside (WalkScore: 97) but it is an uphill battle since generosity and openness isn't in the Florida DNA yet. Good luck with the blackberries! I'd be stopping by with a couple chilled bottles of Nicolas Feuillatte which would play against your honey and ginger... Amy Jameson, how did it turn out? Sounded yummy and I just happen to have fresh ginger in my fridge, will have to try today! Jameson Fink Frederick, You and the champers would have been a welcome addition. The dessert turned out fantastic; we enjoyed it while playing a riotous round of Apples to Apples. Frederick Jameson - that does sound pretty cool! I was also thinking how great a Kir Royale would pair with that dessert. In the old days in Boston back when I was single (queue the sad violin music) I would organize a huge Valentine's Day bash every year for all the other inexplicably single guys in the neighborhood and serve flights of 10-14 different champagnes along with exotically bizarre desserts like frozen raspberry soufflés, wine-poached pears with white chocolate and candied violets, and espresso brownies frosted with gold leaf. Joseph's Grainery Probably a little late, but this is my favorite thing to do with fresh blackberries: http://www.josephsgrainery.com/2010/08/whole-wheat-berry-cobbler.html Jameson Oh man I am totally making cobbler next time! A simple recipe that results in a classic. VOIPNJ nb sip provider trying to divide including new jersey senators.

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Gloomy Weather. Gloomy Mood. Gloomy Wine. By: Jameson Fink Published: September 8, 2010 Monday was such a bummer. It was a full-on, stereotypical Seattle day: soul-crushing gray skies and constant drizzle. I couldn't even think about white wine, rosé, or even (gasp!) bubbles. I decided I was going to bring home a wine black as my mood. Alma Negra? (Black Soul?) Perfect. This is a rich, dense, very tasty wine that filled me with a much-needed warming glow. So what's this wine all about? The Alma Negra, from Argentina, is a somewhat quirky blend of Bonarda, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. Bonarda is primarily a workhorse blending grape, but more and more I am seeing it as a single-varietal wine or as a major component of a blend. (The Alma Negra is 70% Bonarda.) It's really low in tannin so you can sip it without any other accompaniment. Just bring your gloom.  PS: Alma Negra also makes a crazy good sparkling Malbec rosé; it's really pale and elegant, which usually is not Malbec's MO. Comments: David September 8, 2010 Alma means "soul", so it's "Black Soul", probably an even more fitting name. Jameson Fink David, You are so right, very fitting! I updated the post; thank you for the correction. LKP This sounds outstanding!

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Falafel Burgers By: Andie Mitchell Published: September 9, 2010 I fell in love with falafel in Paris.  My best friend, studying at the Sorbonne for a semester, took me to a little cranny of a place near the Latin Quarter.  I had to wonder what French delicacies I could have been filling my belly with while we were en route to a Middle Eastern mom and pop shop. She promised, "You'll die over this sandwich." Never one to poo poo death by food, I followed her. We passed crepe carts, restaurants touting foods I'd only heard from Julia Child's high pitched pipes, eateries Rick Steves would have approved of. But no. Falafel or bust. There I stood, holding a paper-wrapped flatbread- hot and slightly charred. Cumin hit my nose first, then a bright whiff of parsley. The open end of the rolled dough revealed crusty brown patties, slightly glazed from the fryer. Flecks of green, red, and honey colored grain in the form of tabbouleh. A drizzle of tahini. I looked to Sabrina in a way that said, "This better be good," and took my first bite. She hadn't exaggerated. Crispy yet crumbly falafel, richly spiced yet balanced with notes of fresh parsley and lemon. The flatbread perfectly buttered and doughy. The tahini sauce, creamy and cool, the ultimate compliment. I immediately wondered what the customs policy was on traveling with food in your suitcase. And how long will falafel stay fresh? Those firsts of eating, the times when you explore new dishes and cuisines, are memorable. They are tastes that transcend time. Five years later and I'm still thinking about that falafel sandwich eaten with my best friend in the streets of Paris. And of the dozens of times I've eaten falafel since, none can quite compare. These falafel burgers were born from my nostalgic craving. Me seeking to transform the traditional small patties to a larger, more substantial burger. The recipe belongs to Rachael Ray, who like me, tries to turn everything into a burger at one time or another. All you need to do to make these deliciously spiced burgers is to combine parsley, garlic... drained and rinsed chickpeas... along with hefty spoonfuls of flour, turmeric, chili powder, coriander, and cumin into the bowl of your food processor . Pulse a few times to ensure that the mixture is well combined . I even added a heaping half cup of freshly grated zucchini because I bought more than one should ever buy at one time. That's what happens when you go to the farmers market with a full wallet.   Form the mixture evenly into four large patties and fry them for about 6 minutes in a skillet heated with 1/4 cup oil, flipping halfway. Top the burgers with tahini sauce, lettuce, tomato, and tabbouleh if you like! Serve on a bun or in a warmed pita pocket. For the full recipe: Falafel Burgers -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Helen September 9, 2010 Wow-- all I can say to this recipe is omnomnomnomnom... These falafel patties look amazing, and I love the addition of grated zucchini! Teresa I will have to try these out at my next BBQ! Thanks for sharing! SAMCat am going to Paris next month - any idea where this Falafel place was??

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Mushrooms: To Wash or Not? By: Jameson Fink Published: September 12, 2010 I picked up these lovely chanterelles at my farmers market today; luckily they are pretty clean already. When there is more dirt involved I have no problem running them under water, but I know for some this is blasphemy. Alton Brown did a bit of debunking about how much water mushrooms absorb, but the opposition is strong and well-organized. Mushroom brush, anybody? Wash? Brush? Rinse? Dab? Penny for your thoughts? Comments: Tuscan Foodie September 12, 2010 I always wash them, even if they are in the same conditions as those of the photos. At the very least, I pass them very quickly under cold water and dry them immediately after with a dry cloth. I don't care how much water they absorb: even if you buy those at a farmers market, you have no idea where they have been. And where they have grown. Kiki I always wash my mushrooms because I'm afraid of the pesticides on them! But I always blot them dry afterwards. And if I'm cooking them, all the water will cook out anyway so it doesn't matter if they absorb a little extra. anu Wash, always. I never know what's on them or how much dust they may have gathered on their way to the market shelves! Unless I'm growing them myself and know exactly what's on them... wash! Charlie I usually clean them with a damp cloth (and yes, the cloth is black after!). Brad I rinse my mushroom quickly then pat them dry with a towel. They don't seem to absorb too much liquid that way Mil Apostol I wash very quickly and I make sure to put it somewhere it can drain. When I used to work in a restaurant, someone would wash, cut, and then put the mushrooms into a container. It didn't matter how long I tried to cook off the liquid, the mushrooms always remained slimy. Ick!!! Jameson I'm really surprised how many people came out on the side of washing. I imagine all these restaurant chefs becoming apoplectic if you didn't use a mushroom brush. You'd be lucky to get out of the kitchen with both your thumbs! I totally washed mine under water at full-blast and shook them dry. There was a lot of liquid in the pan but they ended up tasting great. I wonder if you rinsed them, tossed them in oil, and broiled them on a rack how that would work? Can this be done? I'd try with some mushrooms a little less pricey in case the result was grim. Cassandra I usually used a dampened kitchen towel and do a gentle brush off. Jacques Pepin, who of course has got to be one of the most prominent chefs in the world, has washed his mushrooms on his show. He stresses that it must be done at the last minute. When my dad would take me hunting for morels in the spring, we would soak the whole mushrooms in salt water for half an hour so insects would be expelled. It really worked and they tasted fine. Maybe the each mushroom type needs to be treated differently.

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Stump the Wine Geek By: Jameson Fink Published: September 15, 2010 I've tasted (drank) loads of wines but what I what I love about this business is that I'm always stumbling into new and unexpected things. The latest? Corsican Vermentino. While I can say that I've sampled Vermentino before, I certainly had not tried (and was ignorant of) wines from Corsica. It was fantastic! Most of the Vermentino I've had has been decent, if unremarkable. This wine has some sizzle. I looked up some information for this wine on importer Kermit Lynch's website, and both he and his staff thought there was something Chablis-like about this wine. I'd agree with that in the way where Chablis showed me the pinnacle of Chardonnay's elegance and grace, Corsica is producing some Vermentino that elevates my appreciation of what can be achieved with this humble grape. So what have been some of your more unusual wine discoveries?

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Spicy Coconut Chicken with Mango Basil Salsa By: Andie Mitchell Published: September 16, 2010 I can't tell you the number of times I've sworn off chicken forever. Thinking, in a fit of what I like to call "cooking block," that there are simply no more frontiers to explore in white meat territory. Years of sauteing, frying, breading, baking, butter-flying, slow cooking, and roasting, and I'm spent. The chicken is too. Coincidentally, just when chicken and I have decided to amicably split, divide our assets, and move on to new partners, that's the precise moment it goes on sale at the market. A note about me: If you put an item on sale, I will buy one. Unless said sale item is Pepperidge Farm Milano Cookies, in which case I'll buy two. Within thirty minutes of spying chicken in the weekly circular, I'm elbow deep in the cold meat case at Metropolitan Market, stacking as many pink packages of boneless breasts as I can manage. And when I emerge, to the horror of the crowd I've elbowed while I was mining for chicken, I feel proud. This pride can only last the duration of the car ride home. Because once I'm rearranging my freezer to fit the behemoth mass of chicken breast, I realize, yet again, that I'm plumb out of ideas. After making a few desperate phone calls to friends for inspiration, and a few consultations with a chocolate chip cookie, I discovered this dish. My friend Emily can be thanked for it.  The recipe is for Spicy Coconut Chicken with Mango Basil Salsa, a slight variation from Dave Lieberman's version, only using chicken in place of shrimp.  It's so unique and rich in flavor that I may reconsider breaking up with chicken. The chicken is unbearably succulent- bursting with juicy flavors of lime, rich coconut milk, sweet brown sugar, and basil.  It's then topped with fresh mango salsa that has been marinated with basil and jalapeno. All at once sweet, savory, and spicy. The taste trifecta. Spicy Coconut Chicken With Mango Basil Salsa -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: jenn September 16, 2010 I will most definitely have to try this. So many wonderful ingredients. Thank you for the inspiration and restoring my curiosity of chicken. jenn Oh, and this also reminds me of a dessert I made a while ago... Caramelized mango with lime, blueberries, and a hint of basil. That would be GREAT with a side of coconut sticky rice! Anne@ Food Lovi... The salsa sounds amazing! I just had mango/spring onion/bean salsa last weekend and it was so good. Even though I don't like mango as a fruit that much, it makes awesome salsa! DawnK That sounds really good. We are going to have to try it in the next month or so.

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Friday Fun Links 9/17/10 By: Andie Mitchell Published: September 17, 2010 It's Friday, so a special treat is in order. A little food for the eyes. The linked recipes are just a sample of the delicious doings that occurred in the blog world this week. Hopefully they'll inspire you to try new recipes, techniques, and ingredients! Enjoy! Caramel Glazed Apple Bread from Pass the Sushi Roasted Tomato and Carrot Soup with Basil Cream from My Diverse Kitchen Courgette Fritters with Feta from Cook Your Dream Mouse Wraps Tiffin Bento from Happy Little Bento Homemade Tagliatelle with Browned Butter and Butternut Squash from These Peas Are Hollow Beer Cheese Dip from The Hungry Housewife Spiral Butternut Squash Mooncake from Roti 'n' Rice -Andrea Mitchell, Foodista staff and blogger at CanYouStayForDinner.com Comments: Kita September 17, 2010 Thanks for including my pic! :) Aparna I can see a couple of recipes here that I would love to try out. And thanks for featuring my soup. anu These are so many amazing recipes, I wonder which one I'll try first :). Thx for sharing

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House The Cider Rules By: Jameson Fink Published: September 22, 2010 Hard cider is getting crazy, taking a page out of the book of beer. Belgian Trappist yeasts? Yes, please. This is what thrilled me about getting a sample bottle of this delicious, fermented, gluten-free beverage. These days you cannot make a (beer or) cider too weird, esoteric, pricey, funky, crazy, experimental, sensational, eye-opening, thirst-quenching, and/or intriguing. All I want to do is empty the contents of a bottle over a ham and create the greatest glaze ever. Ever. Please join me for cider maple-glazed ham sandwiches with some Crispin on ice. Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago (where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries) five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. You can read more of his musings about food and wine on his blog, Sparkling Vouvray. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

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