Cork & Knife

TubeFood: Legal Issues and Playing Games

2008-07-17T02:17:42Z

Chef settles drunk driving charges

Celebrity chef Curtis Stone tied up some legal loose ends last week.

Stone, who has made several appearances on the Oprah show and is the star of “Take Home Chef” on TLC, was arrested in Hollywood in May. He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a valid Californian driver’s licence and driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher.

Two charges were dropped and he pleaded guilty to being over the blood-alcohol limit.

He was fined $350 and given a three-year probation license.

Stone’s “Take Home Chef” filming remains on schedule.

Atlantic City hosts TV chefs

Caesars’ Casino and Hotel has a slate of chefs appearing into the fall. Guests who will be appearing at the casino include Paula Deen (July 27), Tom Colicchio (Sept. 7) and Anthony Bourdain (Oct. 12). The events will include a cooking experience and demo with the chefs.

Gaming with Jamie

Atari will release “What’s Cooking? with Jamie Oliver,” in North America in October. “What’s Cooking?” will combine a cooking game and interactive cookbook starring Oliver (also known as The Naked Chef), for the Nintendo DS game system. A European version of the game was released in late June. Both games walk players through recipe preparation, use voice recognition support, help organize shopping lists and more.

DVR Alerts

After months of talk, the first Dinner: Impossible with Michael Symons at the helm airs this week. Also, taking over for the Deen brothers, Pat and Gina Neely take over a new season of “Road Tasted.”

Saturday

9:30 a.m. — Jamie at Home (Food Network) — Jamie gives a rundown on what can be done with curly kale, cauliflowers, broccoli, kohlrabi and more. From the garden, Jamie picks some incredible lime green and purple cauliflowers and uses them to make curried fritters.

12:30 p.m. — Everyday Italian (Food Network) — Giada has spent a lot of time traveling around the world, so she’s created some dishes that bring home the luxury of staying at a hotel.

1:30 p.m. — Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffman (Food Network) — Ingrid treats her gal pals and their kids to a backyard pool party with recipes for Fishy-dilla Kids’ Plate with Chicken and a Whale-Shaped Watermelon Salad.

Sunday

9 a.m. — Grill It! With Bobby Flay (Food Network) — Things get hot and fragrant as our West Coast guest toasts spices and grills his Lamb Tandoori Hoagies with Raita. Bobby’s Curried Lamb Skewers with Mint-Grilled Nectarine Chutney are sensational.

8 p.m. — Food Network Challenge (Food Network) — Four top pastry chefs square off in a competition to see who best captures the spirit of the Cirque Du Soleil La Nouba performance. The winner takes home $10,000 and a gold medal.

9 p.m. — Iron Chef America (Food Network) - Local NYC Chef Gabrielle Hamilton brings her down home style to Kitchen Stadium to take on Iron Chef Bobby Flay.

10 p.m. — The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) — Finalists must shoot scripted promos at iconic Vegas locations. Then they must each create a lavish buffet for the ultimate Vegas crowd: entertainers from famous Vegas shows and top Vegas chefs.

11 p.m. — Dinner: Impossible (Food Network) — Chef Michael Symons heads to the beach in Wildwood, N.J. His mission? To take everyday boardwalk food and turn it into a gourmet spread. He has just seven hours to grab all the fried, doughy, sugary, savory summertime favorites from shops along the boardwalk and transform them into an upscale feast for 300 boardwalk employees.

Monday

9:30 a.m. — Good Deal with Dave Lieberman (Food Network) — After the movies, the concert or the comedy club, Dave’s late night chocolate party provides the right pick-me-up when you just don’t want the evening to end.

9:30 p.m. — How’d That Get on My Plate (Food Network) — Sunny Anderson visits a farm to see the latest technology used to collect, grade and package eggs. She sees eggs transformed into donuts at LaMars in Broomfield, Colo., Fatboy’s Cookie Dough in Fairlawn, N.J., and Miss Meringue in San Marcos, Calif.

Tuesday

11 a.m. — Boy Meets Grill (Food Network) — The taste of the Mediterranean is fresh, healthy dishes with bright flavors. Bobby swings by the Upper East Side’s Malaga restaurant for a bowl of the Spanish classic gazpacho. Culling inspiration from this traditional fare, Bobby creates a version all his own. His version of Pork Gyros with Yogurt-Tomato Sauce would satisfy any Mediterranean aficionado.

9:30 p.m. — Road Tasted with the Neelys (Food Network) — Pat and Gina check out the local flavors of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

9 p.m. — Throwdown with Bobby Flay (Food Network) — Bobby battles for the title of best chiles rellenos.

Thursday

2-10 p.m. — Next Food Network Star (Food Network) — Catch up on this season’s competition.

Friday

3 p.m. — Guy’s Big Bite (Food Network) — Guy is entertaining friends with a tamale party. The menu is also packed with Cuban-style red beans and plenty of Agua de Palapa Joes.

Tube Food: Animal Love and a Famous Kitchen

2008-07-11T18:40:17Z

RSPCA sends compliments to the chefs

British chefs Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall were honored by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for their work in reforming the manner in which chickens and other food animals are treated.

Oliver has had a number of food programs and television appearances in the United States while Fearnley-Whittingstall may be more recognized from his appearances on Gordon Ramsay’s “The F Word.” Both Oliver and Fearnley-Whittingstall have produced documentaries about “factory farming.”

Everything but her kitchen sink

Julia Child’s home in Cambridge, Mass., is on the market for $4.35 million, but the room that made her famous is off the block.

The kitchen that belonged to the revolutionary mother of all celebrity chefs has been on display at the Smithsonian since 2001.

The kitchen at the home has been completely renovated.

DVR Alerts

Alas, the pickings are slim this week, but have no fear; next week will see more premieres on the Food Network. In the meantime, peruse the digital guides to catch your favorite reruns.

Saturday

7 a.m. — Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Food Network) - Celebrate with this all-American outdoor summer meal. It’s got grilled red wine burgers, creamy white potato salad and fresh blue blackberry tart.

11 a.m. — Down Home with the Neelys (Food Network) — Pat’s brother Tony and Gina’s brother Ronnie rally together in the Neely kitchen to make Roasted Tomato Soup, BBQ Paninis, Fried Green Beans and Rum Raisin Bread Pudding.

12 p.m. — Rescue Chef (Food Network) — Danny Boome brings a med student’s meal back to life with a heart-friendly menu including baked citrus salmon, roast vegetable couscous, watercress salad with citrus vinaigrette.

Sunday

7:30 a.m. — Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller (Food Network) — Robin has a menu so impressive you could serve it at your next dinner party, but it’s easy enough to prepare any old night of the week.

9:30 a.m. — Secrets of a Restaurant Chef (Food Network) — Tender, juicy roast chicken with perfectly crispy skin … it’s a restaurant favorite, and now you can make it at home with Anne’s two-temperature technique. Also learn the art of fluffy mashed potatoes and an earthy beet salad.

8 p.m. — Food Network Challenge (Food Network) — Some of the country’s greatest home cooks descend on Dallas, Texas to find out once and for all who has the best dish in the land. The overall winner takes home a staggering $1 million prize in the traditional Pillsbury Cook-Off.

10 p.m. — The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) — In Las Vegas, the Final Four compete in two competitions: they must each make an ultimate version of their own signature dish, while simultaneously creating an ultimate version of their competitor’s signature dish, all the while being peppered with questions from the judging committee.

11 p.m. — Road Tasted with the Neelys (Food Network) - Pat and Gina Neely are in sunny San Diego and they discover yummy chocolate cookies at Sweet Cheeks, firecracker chocolate at Chuao, a visit Carlsbad Gourmet creations to taste Strawberry Jalapeno Spread and Strawberry BBQ Sauce plus all natural Whale Tail Chips.

Monday

9:30 a.m. - Good Deal with Dave Lieberman (Food Network) - There are many types of fish and seafood that mimic the texture and flavor of more expensive fare, but cost just half the amount. Dave’s heading down the shore with a bunch of friends for a summer traditional clambake - and this one only costs $45.

9 p.m. — Unwrapped (Food Network) — Host Marc Summers takes a bite out of delicatessens. Get an inside look at how pastrami is made, how mustard gets mixed, how pickles get pickled, and how rye bread gets put together. Learn how a West Coast deli claims to be the king of corned beef.

Friday

10 p.m. — Paula’s Party (Food Network) — From the Fonz to a Wise Guy to a fashionista, it’s an hour to remember! Henry Winkler learns how to make country-fried steak for his wife while he reminisces about Happy Days. Sopranos star Steve Schirripa talks about the final episode of the show and shares stories about the cast.

Fried Milk, Chilled Red and 101 Ideas for Your Summer 'Staycation'

2008-07-09T15:35:18Z

Loyal reader-people,

Hot Plates has been away, but not at a beach or a luxury resort. Definitely not as “away” as we would like to be.

Instead, we’ve been enjoying a little something called a “staycation.”

No, we did not coin that term. We read about it elsewhere in the media. And it seems the word’s been around for a while.

According to an AP news story published this spring, “Experts say it’s not uncommon for overscheduled families to choose a ‘staycation,’ a term whose origin is often attributed to a popular Canadian television series. In 2006, a New York magazine further promoted the ‘staycation,’ encouraging people to spend their vacation exploring what the city has to offer instead of leaving town.”

Once you realize you’re having a staycation, you might just loosen up and start getting your playful vibe back. When your surroundings are staying the same, you have to change it up in other ways. One great, fun thing to do is try new foods and drinks.

Mark “Minimalist” Bittman was kind enough to send his own personal love letter to summer: “101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics” will keep you on your toes for weeks to come with ideas of things to whip up and pack into your cooler for all the not-so-far-away outings you plan. Roast beef and blue? Egg salad with sour cream, smoked salmon and chopped chives? Don’t miss “meats” and “cold noodles” especially.

Eating outside is its own pleasure, for sure. The same goes for cocktail hour. And for Hot Plates, this has been the Summer of Beer. Instead of always assuming the best match for our meal is a nice glass of wine — and spending time figuring out what wine we need to find and buy — why not pour an ice-cold beer instead?

There is something liberating about beer. It’s thirst-quenching, it has more flavor properties than most of us think it does, and you can play around with it some. We have enjoyed Belgian-style beers with a twist of lemon or even orange; if we are in the mood for something less sweet, we go for a freezing-cold Modelo Especial with a generous squeeze of tart lime. Nothing complicated, just totally satisfying and delicious.

It also feels very vacation-y, in some way, to put a red wine in the fridge and see what happens. Sometimes it works, and other times it just tastes strange. Eric Asimov is obviously on staycation, or just feels like he is, because he recently penned this lovely, lighthearted piece about the joys of cold red wine. It’s such a funny piece that you can’t help but feel transported as you read his upbeat declarations of desire for a cold drink that is something “more” than white wine, beer or lemonade, however delicious those things can all be.

What’s Asimov trying to say? Basically, sometimes all you want is a glass of red wine, but when it’s too darn hot you just can’t deal with it unless it is cold. Don’t miss it, and we apologize if this concept is old news to you … we don’t think it gets enough coverage.

Let’s say this go-with-the-flow spirit gets ahold of you and you find yourself laughing a little too easily after a few cold reds go down easily. Should you, maybe, fry up some milk? Who would do that?

The Chinese would, and so would the Italians or the Spaniards. They like the oozy center and the crisp outside, and they play with unexpected flavor combinations. “Bite into a piece of fried milk, and you’ll first notice the crunch of the breaded shell, then the contrast of a soft, velvety center that sometimes oozes into your mouth,” writes Ya-Roo Yang in The New York Times.

Maybe we’ll cook this up. Ginger … garlic … and milk. Sounds disgusting! But when it’s the middle of summer and you’re having fun right in your own backyard, you might just find a better attitude.

Maybe instead of killing the bugs you find in your house, you’re trapping them and setting them free outdoors. Perhaps you’ll scrap the whole idea of dinner and instead serve an assortment of semi-mismatched finger foods.

When all your expectations get burned away like bugs from a citronella candle, you might just relax enough to try something strange and new. Funny things happen when you’re on staycation.

Farm to Table: The Ruby-Red Glamour of Sour Cherries

2008-07-09T13:07:49Z

Blink and you’ll miss them. Sour cherries are a fleeting pleasure; their season lasts but a week or two, and then they disappear, leaving only the haunting memory of fragrant, sweet-sour pies.

I am late to this party. I only learned about pie cherries last year, in their last week. I bought enough for a cherry crumble, and then foolishly fed it to friends, without hoarding it and stabbing greedy hands away with fork tines.

I am not making that mistake again.

Sour cherries have been on offer for the past two weeks at the farmer’s markets, and I have spent all my money on them. I buy them by the quart — two or three quarts at a time. I have to restrain myself from buying more, reminding myself that I also need to buy yogurt. And lettuce. Which is so much less glamorous then sour cherry pie.

There’s probably one more weekend left of them, if I’m lucky. The Virginia farms have no more of the bright red orbs that feed my addiction. I’m hoping that next week, I’ll get the last few quarts from Maryland and Pennsylvania. I suggest you do the same (though I will be there early, and I’ll threaten you if you get in my way).

What makes them so great? What is it that beguiles me into spending all my money on them, tempting me into forsaking the healthy pleasures of skim yogurt and organic mesclun mix?

OK, well, since they are sour, these cherries are the perfect foil for cutting through the sweetness of dessert. The best foods are based on contrasting flavors; our palates demand salty with sour, bitter with sweet.

The pleasure of eating comes from the unexpected sharpness of goat cheese against sweet tomato. The crack of sea salt in lemon shortbread. The crunch of potato chip in a tuna sandwich. Sinking one’s teeth into a pie that is sweet and sour at once is a great summertime pleasure.

Dark red Bings are perfect for snacking on, their plump flesh bursting through thin skin, alive with sweetness. But for cooking, grab those sour cherries and hold on for dear life, while they last.

This year, I’m steeling myself for their departure. This year, I’m preserving them for the colder days of the fall and winter by making sour cherry preserves. They are remarkably easy to make, and so good they capture summertime in a glass jar. Like a firefly or a sunbeam, but so much better than either drizzled over vanilla ice cream.

Sour Cherry Preserves

Many people fear jam. I was one of them. It took a lot of coaxing, advice and reassurance from both my grandmother and my boyfriend’s mother. After the first couple of batches, though, you start to realize that jam is just fruit cooked with sugar!

After that, you can relax and have fun. If your jam doesn’t set, it’s OK! It will still taste delicious, will work in a pinch in a PB and J, and may be even better for drizzling into plain yogurt, over ice cream or onto a wedge of brie cheese. Or spooned directly from the jar into your mouth, which is my preferred method of delivery.

This time around, I didn’t sterilize my jars or seal them, so I’m keeping them in the fridge, where they should last several months before they start sprouting whiskers.

If you do want to can and seal your jam, be sure your jars are sterile by putting them in a 200-degree oven for 20 minutes, or submerging them in boiling water. To seal them, I simply invert the jars of hot jam so that the lid faces down for about five minutes, and then right them again.

As the jam cools, you’ll hear a loud thwack; it’s the sound of the lid sealing. Store them in the cupboard for up to a year, but if you find the seal broken, I’m afraid you should toss the jam out, for safety’s sake.

Now relax. Breathe. Can.

Gently wash as many sour cherries as you feel like pitting. I myself don’t have a cherry pitter, so I split them with a knife and remove the pit by hand. This means I only have the patience to do about three quarts at a time.

Roughly chop the pitted cherries. You want them big enough to impress your friends that you started with real cherries, but small enough that the pieces won’t roll off your toast.

In a large sauce pan, combine your chopped cherries with some lemon juice, about one lemon for each quart. Between the acid and the sugar you’ll add later, your preserves will be both delicious and will last longer. Bring the cherries and lemon juice up to a boil, and then lower the heat until they’re gently simmering for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Measure how much cherry mash you have, juice included. Then, add 3/4 that amount of white sugar. It seems like a lot, so you’ll have to trust me.

Bring the cherries and sugar back up to a rolling boil, stirring constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn at the bottom, heat the mixture to 224 degrees Fahrenheit. This will take longer than you think, and you’ll break a sweat stirring over a hot stove. Don’t worry! You’re almost there, and it’s worth it.

When the mixture reaches 224 degrees, the sugar-to-fruit ratio has hit the magical number at which it will gel. Though like I said, even if it doesn’t (mine didn’t this time), it’s still really, really delicious.

But don’t sample it yet, because at this stage it is 224 degrees of molten sugar and you will burn your tongue!

Ladle your jam into sterile jars, and seal as needed. Otherwise, allow them to return to room temperature, and then store them in the fridge.

Homemade jam makes a great, thoughtful gift come holiday time. But come on — you’ll want to keep this stuff for yourself.

TubeFood: No Royal Treatment for Martha, and Giada Gets Her Groove Back

2008-07-04T06:48:51Z

Not a good thing

She may be the queen of homemaking, but she isn’t royalty in England.

Martha Stewart was refused entry to England June 20 because of a travel ban against people with criminal convictions. Stewart was convicted on four counts of obstructing justice in 2004 for lying to investigators about her sale of ImClone Systems Inc. stock at the end of 2001. As a result, she served five months in prison.

The chairman of Stewart’s company said the issue would be “resolved” and Stewart would be able to reschedule here meetings with the English companies and business leaders she was meant to see while there.

Back in the saddle after baby

Now that she’s bonded with her bundle of joy, Giada De Laurentiis is ready to get back to work.

De Laurentiis, who had her daughter Jade three months ago, returned to the “Today Show” this week as a guest host and is taping “Giada at Home,” her new Food Network program set to premiere in October.

This new show will replace “Everyday Italian,” and focuses a little more on lifestyle and little Jade will be an occasional on-screen guest.

DVR Alerts

This week will tie up the end of Gordon Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” challenge, bringing back former contestants to assist in the finalists’ kitchens.

Meanwhile, Food Network debuts two shows from established network stars. The Neelys launch “Road Tasted” and Bobby Flay gears up with “Grill It!” this weekend.

Saturday

7 a.m. — Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Food Network) — For a horseshoe tournament, Michael’s friends gather to play a favorite summer lawn game and enjoy an Italian-inspired meal. With these dishes, you can eat and play at the same time and not miss a minute of the game.

1 p.m. — Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger (Food Network) — “More is more” when Ellie takes on salmon.

Sunday

9 a.m. - Grill It! with Bobby Flay (Food Network) - For the first episode of his new show, Bobby sizzles up some short ribs.

9:30 a.m. — Secrets of a Restaurant Chef (Food Network) — Get the inside track on roasting a leg of lamb.

10:30 a.m. - Cooking for Real (Food Network) - Sunny cooks fried chicken along with a menu that’s great for grilling.

3 p.m. - Road Tasted with the Neelys (Food Network) - The Neelys take a trip to sample some Seattle specialties.

9 p.m. —* Iron Chef America* (Food Network) — Iron Chef Morimoto is challenged by Chef Michael Cimarusti, the executive chef at Water Grill in Los Angeles.

10 p.m. — The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) — Each finalist prepares a healthy meal for a Girl Scout they are paired with.

11 p.m. — How’d That Get on My Plate (Food Network) — Sunny studies strawberries, following them from a farm in California to an ice cream maker in Colorado, margarita mix and strawberry spread.

Monday

7 p.m. - Food Network Challenge (Food Network) — Five home cooks compete with cookies for the grand prize of $10,000. Chocolate chip, spice, fruit and the unique signature cookie push our cooks to their creative limits as they challenge themselves and the clock in a quest to win the big money. There will be a whopping 20 award-worthy recipes to choose from.

10 p.m. — Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network) — Guy Fieri takes a Southern swing to check out different varieties of BBQ including a Mississippi barbecue “dive” where the locals like it sweet, a New Orleans, a little place doing North Carolina style pulled pork and outside San Antonio, Texas, visits a sprawling barbecue complex.

Tuesday

9 p.m. — Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) — As predicted last week, this is the second part of the final challenge. The finalists open their own “dream” restaurant to see who is Gordon Ramsay’s best chef.

9:30 p.m. — Throwdown with Bobby Flay (Food Network) — Ben Sargeant likes to call himself the “Brooklyn Chowder Surfer.” He has been making chowder since the age of 7, and has surfed waves worldwide. When Ben gathers his friends together in a local park, he has no idea that Bobby Flay will be arriving fashionably late to challenge him to a “Throwdown.”

Wednesday

10 p.m. — Dinner Impossible (Food Network) — Robert is in Puerto Rico to celebrate Quinceanero, a young woman’s sweet 15 birthday celebration. Robert has only nine hours to create a traditional Puerto Rican feast for 100 guests, but the highlight of the meal is an elaborate birthday cake.

Friday

4 a.m. - Hearty Boys (Food Network) — Dan and Steve share their take on traditional Irish pub food, including roasted parsnip bisque with honey, beer braised corned beef with red potatoes and carrots, smoked salmon on Irish soda bread with chive butter, and a grown-up Shamrock Shake.

Staying Creative With a Steady Supply of Scapes

2008-07-02T14:09:26Z

I have joined a CSA (community-supported agriculture), or a farm share.

Way back in February, when I was still eating potatoes and butternuts and dreaming of warmer days, I signed up as a member of the Bull Run Farm. For a flat fee upfront, I share in the farm’s bounties and failures in the coming growing season.

Every week, I walk the short block and a half from my front door to the pick-up point in Dupont Circle, where I load up my tote bag with that week’s produce.

Some farm shares pre-pack their boxes, and when you get it home you root through it and discover what treasures lie within. Bull Run’s allows for just a touch more control: The crates of produce are all laid out, and the quantities of each item allowed per share are written out, but I get to actually pick out the onions and heads of bok choi myself.

I also purchased an egg share, getting a half-dozen eggs each week, and a fruit share, which will start up next month.

CSAs are gaining in popularity as a less-expensive alternative to farmers’ markets (my vegetable, fruit and egg shares all came to just under $300 for the entire growing season). They also ensure a steady intake of diverse fruits and vegetables — a simple way to eat locally and seasonally while directly supporting a local, small farmer.

The Washington area has ample CSAs to choose from, and if you’re interested in signing up for one for next year’s growing season, visit www.localharvest.org.

In addition to all these do-gooder benefits of fewer food miles and support of local organics, what I really like is that each week I get a plethora of vegetables I have no control over. This is the aspect that sometimes keeps people away from joining a CSA, but personally, I think that’s what makes them so darn fun.

The late-season frost, followed by all the rain and heat, did some damage to some of the crops that Bull Run had originally planned on, so my daydreams about springtime broccoli all washed away, quite literally.

Instead, the past three weeks of pickups have been heavy on the spring onions, bok choy, and garlic scapes.

It is the challenge of finding things to do with a steady supply of garlic scapes that is the great part for me. Without this abundance of this lesser-known vegetable, I would never know the delicate pleasure of scape soup, or the pungent tang of scape pesto.

Garlic scapes grow out of the top of the garlic bulb. They are the stems — more mature than green garlic and cut away from the bulb. They are bright green and uncontrollably curly. Atop their wild, snaking length there sits a small, closed flower bud to be trimmed away when preparing them.

Scapes smell clean, like cut grass, but with a hint of sharpness. And they taste like the sweetest, mildest garlic; the garlic is a subtle undertone to the delicately sweet, clean taste of the scape.

With my recent abundance of scapes, I’ve had a chance to test several recipes. Not all of them succeeded (there was an unfortunate Asian-style soup that did not go well) but the two below were home runs.

The pesto is a near-classic pesto, substituting scapes for raw garlic to get a fragrant, basil-packed and slightly garlicky sauce. The soup is akin to the subtlest, most delicate vichyssoise, slightly sour and clean and bright with summer flavor.

Both of them will keep you satisfied and well fed when facing a scape-heavy CSA delivery.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Takes 10 minutes, makes about 1 ½ cups (freezes well)

3 scapes, trimmed and diced
1 c. fresh basil, loosely packed
1 c. parmesan cheese, grated
½ c. pine nuts
¾ - 1 c. olive oil
Salt

Toast the pine nuts by heating them over high heat in a dry skillet, stirring occasionally, until they are browned and fragrant. Let cool.

Add all the ingredients except the salt and olive oil in your blender (or food processor, or mortar and pestle depending on the kitchen gadgets at your disposal).

Add ¾ c. of oil to start, and then blend the ingredients. Drizzle in the remaining ¼ c. of oil (or less) until it forms a thick sauce. Taste, and add salt to taste (the cheese is pretty salty, so go light at first).

Spoon over hot pasta, as a condiment for sandwiches, dollop over scrambled eggs or freeze for later use.

Scape soup

Adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

Takes 30 minutes, serves 6

2 dozen scapes, trimmed and diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
5 c. vegetable stock
2 large handfuls of spinach leaves, stemmed
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add the scapes sauté for two minutes.

Add the potatoes and sauté for a minute more.

Add the stock, turn the heat up to high and bring it up to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and are beginning to break down.

Remove the soup from the heat, and add the spinach which will wilt immediately.

Puree the soup, using a blender. This is where a stick blender would be a dream, but unfortunately I only have a standing blender. If using a standard blender, be sure not to fill it more that halfway, as hot liquid expands and you don’t want to hurt yourself.

Stir in the vinegar, some salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings. You want to add vinegar until there is a slightly acidic bite to it, and salt until the flavors really pop. Serve immediately, or chill and serve cold. Makes for excellent leftovers.

TubeFood: Stars Are Fighting, Selling and Talent-Scouting

2008-06-27T14:46:28Z

Wolfgang goes to court, Flay goes to Kohl’s and Rocco goes on ‘Rescue’ mission

Kohl’s and Food Network continue to turn out products of the stars.

The latest, The Bobby Flay Collection, features southwest-inspired colors and, of course, grilling supplies and other kitchen necessities.

Three party bowls that fit into a rectangular tray for serving runs about $34.98. And these particular items are safe in the oven to 390 degrees and the microwave.

A restaurant by any other name …

New York restaurant owner Wolfgang Zwiener won the first round in a court fight with celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, reports the Los Angeles Business Journal.

But don’t expect this battle to be over.

Puck asked a federal judge to stop Zwiener from naming his latest restaurant “Wolfgang’s Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener” with a claim of trademark infringement, but the judge said no. It seems in a 2007 settlement between the dueling restaurateurs, Puck agreed to let Zweiner use his own first name.

Puck asserts that Zwiener’s eatery, just blocks from Puck’s Spago, confuses patrons. Now Zwiener has filed a countersuit saying Puck has not only breached the 2007 settlement, but is damaging Zwiener both in pocket and reputation.

Dispirito brings spirit to any occasion

Rocco Dispirito is calling on home chefs to celebrate a special occasion with his skills in your kitchen.

Dispirito, a well-known chef who most recently appeared on “Supper Club with Tom Bergeron” and as a guest judge on “Top Chef,” is casting in Los Angeles and New York City for a new show for A&E.

The show, tentatively titled “Rocco to the Rescue!,” will feature people who want to celebrate an occasion with a special meal and could use the help of the celebrity chef.

To apply for the show, email CookWithRocco@gmail.com with your name, age, phone number, a recent photo and the reason you need to cook with Rocco. You can also call the casting hotline: 818-752-5559.

DVR Alerts

Planet Green’s “Supper Club with Tom Bergeron” is already in reruns, but Food Network keeps summer momentum going with its premiere of “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.”

“Ace of Cakes” also gears up for a new season with a marathon Sunday followed by a new episode sneak peek. The schedule is light for July 4, so feel free to have a barbecue with those summer recipes you’ve collected.

Saturday

7 a.m. — Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Food Network) — Create a nighttime picnic under the summer stars with an easy menu you can pack up and take to the campground or just to the backyard.

9 a.m. — Tyler’s Ultimate (Food Network) — Tyler is celebrating the good times with his updated surf n’ turf with a tenderloin of beef and a spicy crab salad.

1 p.m. — Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger (Food Network) — Hot summer, cool food. Ellie chooses her own fabulous five of the salad world.

Sunday

9:30 a.m. — Secrets of a Restaurant Chef (Food Network) — Learn the secret to achieving rich, meaty bolognese bliss with Anne Burrell’s master recipe, which requires no overnight simmering or pricey ingredients. Her simple technique earns a huge flavor payoff, and leaves time for perfect poached eggs on grilled asparagus.

8 p.m. — Food Network Challenge — The winning dish is worth $100,000 at the National Chicken Cook-off, where 51 amateur chefs battle it out for the biggest prize in contest history. One competitor from each state and the District of Columbia have three hours to make their prized poultry.

10 p.m. — The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) — Iron Chef Cat Cora challenges finalists to describe food enticingly for the camera—only they’ve never seen the dishes before. Then finalists must team up to make easy versions of extremely complicated dishes. The winning dish gets featured in Bon Appetit. Looks like there might be another spill this week.

11 p.m. — Ace of Cakes (Food Network) — Now it’s Duff’s turn to give everyone a sneak peek at the new season of fun at Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes.

Monday

9 p.m. — Unwrapped (Food Network) — Cereal giants.

10 p.m. — Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network) — Family-run eateries, including a Baltimore favorite for pit beef.

Tuesday

9 p.m. — Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) — It’s the finals and time for some dismissed finalists to return to help the last two, Christina and Petrozza, create their own restaurants inside Hell’s Kitchen. This is going to be a two-parter for sure.

9 p.m. — Throwdown with Bobby Flay (Food Network) — Bobby and a South Carolina chef face-off for the ultimate coconut cake.

Wednesday

10 p.m. — Dinner Impossible (Food Network) — “Dinner Impossible” and Disney’s Dreamer’s Academy make dreams come true for Robert’s next mission. Robert’s challenge will lead him on a scavenger hunt through all four of Disney’s major theme parks.

Friday

10 p.m. — Paula’s Party (Food Network) — Entertaining in the South is all about enjoying good food with the people you love. In this episode she pulls out all the stops for a Las Vegas-style bachelor party with Beer in the Rear Chicken and Baby Back Ribs. A birthday is celebrated family-style with Jambalaya and Ice Cream Cone Cakes. Paula also kicks up her heels to cook a romantic dinner for two with a Paper-Wrapped Anniversary Salmon.

The Nouveau Speakeasy, a Bastion of Calm and Cool

2008-06-24T11:26:11Z

At 2 a.m., the small dining area of the hot dog shack is filled with grungy-looking twentysomethings awaiting their food. Milling between the vintage Pac Man arcade games with cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand, the clientele is a boisterous mix of those coming and going to the nearby indie rock temples and hip East Village bars.

Discreetly tucked away in a corner of the room sits the façade of a telephone booth which, when opened, reveals a red phone seated on the right-hand wall. The hungry masses don’t seem to notice that every so often someone enters the booth, only to never return.

The restaurant is Crif Dogs (113 St. Marks Pl.), a popular late-night destination for alcohol-diluting snacks like fried hot dogs wrapped in bacon. Toppings range from teriyaki sauce and pineapples (The Tsunami) to a fried egg and American cheese (the Good Morning).

The telephone booth, though, hides a secret known to only a handful of the hungry patrons: a high-end, reservations-only bar known as PDT — which stands for Please Don’t Tell.

PDT is only one example of a growing trend in the Manhattan nightlife scene towards discreet drinking temples — spaces whose front doors are as softly spoken as the imbibers who pass through these hidden gateways.

The physical design of these establishments evokes a time that has long since slipped away, when distinguished gentlemen stood in the place now held by loud frat boys clamoring for jaegermeister, and conversations focused on local politics instead of the cost of everyone’s designer handbags.

The drink lists at these establishments are typically designed by celebrated mixologists (the title being one colloquially bestowed upon truly innovative designers of mixed drinks), and all are dedicated to the tradition of quality.

Liquors are often infused with exotic ingredients on the premises, and large blocks of ice are cut down into a variety of specific shapes, including a 4 inch long rectangle for a highball glass, to ensure a each drink is appropriately diluted by the melting ice.

PDT’s list includes classics such as a gin and tonic made with house made tonic syrup along with more fantastical concoctions such as an old-fashioned made from bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup.

But the drink list isn’t the sole highlight; local celebrity chefs have kicked in to design their own hot dogs for the menu.

David Chang of the celebrated Momofuku outposts crafted a bacon-wrapped deep-fried dog topped with his Ssam Bar’s house-made kimchee puree. Molecular chef Wiley Dufresne, who has appeared as a judge on Top Chef, was far more esoteric with his design: a deep-fried dog covered with deep-fried mayo, tomato molasses and freeze-dried onions.

While Milk and Honey (134 Eldridge St.) doesn’t offer any kitchen service, it has carved out its own niche as possibly the hardest bar to find in the city.

Hidden behind the front of a tailoring shop in Chinatown, M&H has no listed phone number, which means that in order to get in, you have to know someone who has the private number (which is confounded by the fact that it is constantly being changed).

Once you are buzzed in through the signless industrial door, however, your rewards are evident. Dim lighting falls on large, dark-leathered banquettes, and the mellifluous tones of Bix Beiderbecke and Duke Ellington can be softly heard over reverently hushed conversation.

If you’re looking for a drink menu, you won’t find one; a waiter or waitress, dutifully dressed in prohibition-tinged clothing, simply inquires as to your preferred spirit, and the bartender then tailors a concoction based upon your requested flavor combination (salty, sweet, tangy and so forth).

At $15 a drink, it isn’t cheap, but the pours are just as generous and potent as one might expect they were almost 100 years ago.

For those who don’t want to spend the time tracking down the unlisted number to M&H, owner Sasha Petraske has opened up a less-exclusive venue in the West Village called Little Branch (20 Seventh Ave. South). The rules of behavior and bartender outfits remain much the same, and the entrance is denoted only by a suited gentleman working the door, but the number is listed for the public, meaning that anyone can enjoy phenomenal takes on classics like mojitos and hemingway daiquiris (light rum and maraschino liqueu mixed with lime and grapefruit juice).

Adding to the atmosphere is a black grand piano, which is used by the variety of jazz trios that grace the room with live music on Sundays through Wednedsays.

Of course, some of the new brand of speakeasies focus more on the atmosphere than on hidden entrances and difficult reservations.

Pegu Club (77 W. Houston St.) has the dark-wood-and-dimly-lit décor that defines the new speakeasy, and mixes all of the drinks on its inventive menu with freshly squeezed juices and house-made ingredients (such as ginger beer), but on a weekday evening you aren’t likely to have any problem walking right in off the street. There’s even a sign to tell you where the door is.

So what accounts for the popularity of these nouveau speakeasies? It could be that New Yorkers have grown weary of celebrity-heavy scenes and endless lines at popular night clubs. Or perhaps it’s an increase in gastronomical awareness that is making Manhattanites seek out drinks that transcend the typical watered-down fare.

Or it could be that the transporting, quiet atmosphere simply provides a short break from the hectic bustle of the city. Whatever the case is, the movement isn’t showing signs of slowing down; for those whose taste buds appreciate the finer things in life, its easy to see why that’s news that’s worth speaking about.

Giddy Gourmet: Honeymoon Paella, Washed Down With a Wine Slushy

2008-06-23T18:10:37Z

I’m a newlywed. My husband Pete and I got hitched in October and then dashed off to a honeymoon in Europe. Our first and longest stop was Seville, in southern Spain’s Andalucia region, for some much-needed de-stressing and relaxing. Of course, the food and the wine there only encouraged those activities.

We could not get enough of the tapas: anchovies, octopus, Serrano ham and manchego cheese. I researched restaurants and had our dining options mapped out every night. To fill the time before and after dinner, we found places that weren’t in the guide books — corner joints and holes-in-the-wall in back alleys.

We took a day trip to Cadiz and sat down at a table on the sidewalk on a busy street. Signs at this place boasted paella, and we hadn’t had any yet at this point. Pete went for it, but was sorely disappointed. This wasn’t the heaping paella pan with seafood and yellow rice that we had seen in Seville. It was dry and flavorless.

Occasionally during this first year of marriage, I try to recreate the mood we had when we were in Europe. I don’t want to ever forget how happy we were, the wonderful memories we made and the adventures we had. In that spirit, I occasionally try to make meals from our honeymoon.

My latest inspiration led me back to paella. I went to my usual source for initial recon: the Internet. Between that and reading my Spanish cookbook, I found a million different variations. I figured I understood the general concept, so I chose chicken chorizo, chicken breast and scallops. I had some homemade chicken stock in the freezer and Arborio rice in the pantry.

Every recipe I read said paella should really be cooked on an open fire, so I decided to take the largest pan we own out to the grill. My pans are heavy duty, the kind you can take from stove top to the oven, so I crossed my fingers, put the pan right on the grill rack and checked repeatedly to make sure the handle didn’t melt.

I threw in olive oil, chopped peppers and onions to get the party started. I had some trouble with getting the temperature even and hot enough, but it finally started to sauté. Then I threw in the chorizo and chicken to cook for a while before adding the rice and stock.

Was this dish actually going to work? It looked good, though not the color I expected - it was yellow where the saffron had settled, but it was pretty pale otherwise. I set the scallops on top and covered it to cook those a little.

Pete was completely impressed before I even began cooking. I think it could have turned out like rice pudding and he would have eaten it with a smile on his face. But there was no need to worry. It was excellent — beyond excellent. The scallops were cooked well, the stock was just salty enough and the rice was tender without being mushy.

Then I realized a flaw: I forgot the tomatoes. Oops! That would explain the pale color. Did I also mention that I froze the wine in my overzealous attempt to chill the bottle?

There were tons of leftovers, and while the second-day version held up, I would not recommend a second rerun. I based mine on recipes that serve eight people and I halved it. I think when I try it again I’ll halve the half, remember the tomatoes and keep my eyes on the wine.

My Frankenstein Paella (should serve about six)

¼ cup olive oil
1 quart chicken stock
½ lb scallops
½ lb chicken chorizo
½ lb chicken breast
1 medium onion
½ cup red pepper
½ cup green pepper
1 medium tomato
1 ¼ cups Arborio rice (rinsed)
¼ teaspoon saffron (soaked in 3 tbsp of hot water)
salt to taste

Heat an extra-large pan over even heat that will cover the entire bottom of the pan. Add oil to pan. Once oil is hot, add vegetables and parsley. When the vegetables have become soft, push them to the outer edge of the pan and add chicken and chorizo. Saute meats until cooked through and then combine with vegetables.

Add the rice and stir well to combine the flavors. Add three cups of the chicken stock and cover pan. Let simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Uncover and add the last of the stock to keep paella from drying out. Add the saffron and stir once more. Place scallops on top of the rice and replace the lid. Cook for about two minutes until scallops are opaque and serve.

TubeFood: Caught the Campaign in the Cookie Jar?

2008-06-19T22:27:23Z

Cindy’s not-so-sweet cookie controversy

Cindy McCain can not keep herself out of the culinary limelight — and it’s not a good thing.

The wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain was busted when she copied Food Network recipes for the McCain campaign Web site. The recipe was meant to be an original family specialty.

Now it seems a recipe posted to the “Family Circle” Web site is a replica of a Hershey recipe. The oatmeal-butterscotch cookies are nearly word-for-word identical.

The recipe was part of a potential First Lady bake-off. Michelle Obama submitted a shortbread recipe. No word on how the discovery will affect the contest.

The Lady & Sons eatery bounces back after blaze

The Deens won’t let something like a little fire keep them down.

It only took 20 minutes to get a fire under control that broke out in an upstairs storage room at Paula Deen’s The Lady & Sons restaurant in Savannah, Ga. After getting an OK from city officials, the Deens were able to reopen on time the very next day.

The Food Network star opened the restaurant in 1996 before she became a television personality.

It’s a Todd against a network for Emmy

Todd English, James Beard Award winner and restaurateur, is nominated for an Emmy award for “Food Trip with Todd English.” The first season of the program aired on PBS stations this year.

His worthy adversaries in the Outstanding Lifestyle Host category include Ina Garten of “Barefoot Contessa,” Bobby Flay of “Boy Meets Grill,” Giada de Laurentiis of “Everyday Italian” and Nigella Lawson of “Nigella Express.”

Though the trophy won’t be presented on tonight’s program (ABC at 8 p.m.), it will be announced during the ceremony.

DVR Alerts

It seems the Food Network believes culinary enthusiasts get up pretty early in the morning. There is plenty to check out this week, so you can save up some shows for the days the schedule is a little light.

Saturday 7 a.m. - Easy Entertaining with Michael Chiarello (Food Network) - Keep the oven off during the dog days and try out some “no cook” recipes.

9 a.m. - Tyler’s Ultimate (Food Network) - Tapas are not just for restaurants and bars anymore. Watch Tyler whip up some of his favorite small plates, get your friends over, and stir up some sangria.

9:30 a.m. - Jamie Oliver at Home (Food Network) - Jamie has a passion for pizza. This week he forages in the garden to find interesting veggie toppings. Jamie’s traditional wood oven is a great location for a magnificent quattro gusti pizza and calzones.

10 a.m. - Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee (Food Network) - Sandra deconstructs a menu inspired by the French Riviera. From La Romana Tomatoes Gratin to a St. Tropez cocktail, it’s an exotic meal on a budget.

Sunday 12:30 p.m. - Best Dishes (Food Network) - Paula reminisces about the backyard wedding she threw for her brother. This fun menu includes Martini Style Pork Grillades and Grits, Chicken Salad Sliders and Spicy Oyster Shooters.

8 p.m. — Food Network Challenge - Find a new twist on macaroni and cheese when experts get together to compete for $10,000 and bragging rights for making the best version of the classic comfort food.

10 p.m. - The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) - Tyler Florence tests finalists’ culinary skills doing videos for foodnetwork.com and then Iron Chef Michael Symon presides over the creation of unique seafood dishes for a ship full of Coast Guardsmen.

11 p.m. - Throwdown with Bobby Flay (Food Network) - Catch a sneak peek of the new season when Bobby challenges Maribel and Aristides Barrios, restaurateurs who hail from Venezuela, to a throwdown featuring arepas — delicious grilled cornmeal patties filled with sweet and savory treats.

Monday 9 p.m. - Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) - Jen is gone and now it’s down to three running the entire kitchen for a service at Hell’s Kitchen. Looks like it’s a tough challenge when each chef gets to run the pass.

10 p.m. - Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network) - Guy Fieri finds local favorites from a third-generation cafeteria outside Atlanta that serves Southern favorites, a Louisiana bar with a culinary school grad who’s making everything from rabbit to turtle soup, and the Albuquerque, N.M. steakhouse you can enter through the liquor store.

Wednesday 10 p.m. - Dinner Impossible (Food Network) - The next mission for Robert Irvine is to feed 1,000 hungry construction workers his version of an upscale brown bag lunch. However, he will be cooking in two Salvation Army canteen trucks normally used for disaster relief and will have only six hours to complete the task.

Thursday 10 p.m. - Supper Club with Tom Bergeron (Planet Green) - A green dinner party hosted by Tom Bergeron in an eco-friendly house in Venice, Calif. Guests: actor Ricky Schroeder, radio host Larry Elder, dance judge Bruno Tonioli, climate expert Heidi Cullen, and Chef Akasha Richmond cooking honey glazed chicken.

Friday 4:30 a.m. - Sugar Rush (Food Network) - Warren Brown discovers summertime’s sweet tooth as he makes cupcakes with Clare Crespo in Los Angeles, and Michael Brock of Boule creates luscious seasonal fruit tarts and sorbets while Chef Kraig Hansen of the Palisade restaurant in Seattle gives an ode to seafood with a dessert lobster.

10 p.m. - Paula’s Party (Food Network) - It’s Paula’s cheesiest show yet. Whether it’s soft, hard or cream, there are all kinds of creations for the curds.

Red Wine + Coke? Beer + Hot Sauce? Two Drinks for the Brave of Palate

2008-06-19T19:11:38Z

Victoria’s Secret had a campaign a while back: “What is sexy?” Well, our question today is: “What is delicious?”

Both things are very subjective; what’s sexy or delicious to one person could be offensive or nasty to another.

That is our little preamble to telling you about a couple of cocktails we think you should know about this summer. Whether they sound bad or, um, sexy, depends on you.

The first, a Calimocho (also known as a Rioja Libre or a Kalimotxo) we read about in The Washington Post last week. It’s ice, red wine and Coca-Cola, with an optional splash of vanilla simple syrup. The drinks writer Jason Wilson calls it a “sort of poor man’s sangria” that is “surprisingly delicious.”

The Michelada got a writeup — and a glorious photograph — by Bon Appetit writer Andrew Knowlton in the magazine’s June issue. Though this “beertail” possibly “sounds like a drink concocted by cash-strapped college kids,” Knowlton explains that this “simple mixture of beer and hot sauce” is completely normal in Mexico; “cerveza preparada” means beer mixed up with something else to enhance its flavor. It’s also been around for a while; it got a mention (which includes a recipe to try) on National Public Radio in 2001.

It was in the NPR item that we learned Michelada has nothing to do with a certain not-super-tasty beer; the word loosely means “my cold beer” in Spanish: “mi,” meaning “mine,” and “chelada,” cold beer. This is amusing for Hot Plates, as our friend Billy Bob J. introduced us one happy afternoon last summer to the Miller Chill, a “chelada-style beer.” When Washington gets really hot, it seems there is never a bad time to “chelada” (note how the noun becomes a verb).

Then, we read on Slashfood.com about the Budweiser chelada — which we haven’t personally tasted, but perhaps we need to get the gang together for a second chelada tasting on the next super-hot afternoon.

Anyway, the Bon Appetit writer enjoyed a Michelada in Austin and became a convert. The recipe he lists, from El Chile Cafe y Cantina, starts with a bottle of Dos Equis and requires Worcestershire, hot pepper sauce, lime juice, a lime wedge and some Chilimon or other seasoning for the rim of the glass. If you Google around, you will find all sorts of variations on this; there may be one out there to please you.

Farm to Table: Social Networking for Foodies and Locavores

2008-06-17T01:03:32Z

Here we are, moving along in the age of social networking.

These days, you’re nobody until somebody tags you as a “friend,” labels you in an embarrassing photograph or leaves cryptic in-jokes on your homepage for others to decipher. Your best friend from the fifth grade? Find her! Your junior prom date? See if he ever came out of the closet! Stalk your crush or make plans for Friday night.

Our profiles display our personalities and connect us to like-minded people. There is Facebook for the preppy, MySpace for the underage and LinkedIn for the professional set.

And for us gourmets and locavores? FarmFoody.org connects us.

Although if you ask Tom Davenport, the co-creator of the FarmFoody network, he sees it more as fostering a love affairs than connecting friends.

“It’s very much like Match.com, except instead of sex and brown hair and age, we match people over corn and peaches and beef.”

Davenport is a farmer these days, operating Hollin Farms in Delaplane, Va., while Steve Knoblock, the site’s other co-creator, is a web developer with a family history connected to agriculture. The two originally collaborated on a site, folkstreams.net, that streams short films about local folklore — films that weren’t finding distributors but were able to find an audience on the Internet. Extrapolating from the success of that site, and mixing in their agricultural backgrounds, they saw a way to connect farmers directly with those who might buy their wares.

“I realized that, using the Internet, as we had created an audience for these niche films that were 15 minutes long, maybe we could create markets for these niche farmers, to, and put them directly in contact with the audience.”

Their mission is to leverage social networking in a way that could help sustainable and small farms. Davenport and Knoblock want to provide small farms with a way to bridge the economic gap they are up against with agribusiness.

Instead of amassing “friends” like you might on other social networking sites, this site lets the user amass foodies. Farms can post bulletins on what they’re growing and what’s in season, and can post recipes that put the produce to good use.

Food people can find each other, exchange recipes or let people know who sells the best strawberries or where the best apple-picking is to be had.

Instead of favorite movies or quotations featured in the less-delicious social networking sites, FarmFoody asks for your favorite foods and what you’re “foraging for” at the moment.

If you’re foraging for strawberries, then a producer trying to sell them can find you when they search. If you’re looking for local goat’s milk, a simple search will direct you to a local producer, and you can befriend them and communicate a trade directly.

In the same way that small businesses must compete with the Wal-Marts of the world by providing personalized, one-on-one service, the founders believe that family-run, small farming can beat out agribusiness by becoming “personal farmers” to their customers.

In other words, farms grow what foodies are asking for, and foodies develop a stake in the farm; their loyalty becomes an effective counterweight to the Driscoll’s of the world.

“We like to think of the social network as restoring the balance that once existed in small-town America between the farmer and the customer,” explains their mission statement.

Davenport follows up on that idea: “Our site creates a direct relationship between producer and consumer that was broken after World War II. Before World War II, 80 percent of people were farmers. Now it’s 1 perent. The Internet can give small farms a chance by creating a personal relationship and a certain amount of trust in that relationship

“I think FarmFoody draws on a certain amount of nostalgia for that relationship. It’s in our genes, to want to be connected to the earth.”

And isn’t that the essence of what it means to be a locavore? Sure, it saves gasoline when you limit your “food miles,” but is that enough to give up on asparagus in the fall or apples in the spring? Eating in season certainly tastes better, but bananas sure taste good year-round.

Don’t those of us who try to eat locally and in season crave a more personal connection to our food and nurse a fondness for the days when we knew who grew it? Don’t we feel a connection to the changing seasons and the bounty that the earth offers us?

In my real life, I work in politics, and the political world is trying to predict the long-term effects of the social networking phenomenon. Can it replace face to face communication? Is someone tagged a “friend” of a candidate actually going to vote for him or her? Will people use the new technology to become better informed and make better decisions, or will it all just devolve into a mess of emoticons and pseudo-pornography?

These questions plague FarmFoody, too (well, maybe not the pornography bit, although we gourmet types do have great appetites for all the pleasures of life). Will virtual farms befriending virtual foodies translate into real money exchanging hands for real produce? Can social networking really impact people’s consumption habits? Can a website stop the decline of the family farmer and the forward march of agribusiness?

I can’t see into the future, but I am encouraged by the idea. There is a growing number of people insisting on local and organic — people like us who wake up early on our weekends off to visit farmers’ markets and put our money directly into the hands of those who grew our salad. Another tool that facilitates connection and communication can only be a good thing.

TubeFood: Wooing, Winning, and Warring

2008-06-13T14:16:19Z

Famous foodie takes on tasty urban myths

Ted Allen joins the Food Network family with “Food Detectives,” scheduled to premiere July 29.

As a regular judge on both “Iron Chef America” and Bravo’s “Top Chef,” Allen broke out of the label of the food and wine guy on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.”

Allen will team up with Popular Science experts to debunk or confirm classic myths including whether or not an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

According to reports Food Network was able to woo Allen away from Bravo, so don’t expect to see him on the next season of “Top Chef.”

A New Top Chef Crowned

Speaking of “Top Chef,” Stephanie Izard of Chicago won the $100,000 seed money for her own restaurant (she’s looking in New York City), a feature in Food & Wine, and a showcase at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

The chef, who left her own restaurant to travel, also won a trip to the French Alps as a part of her final win. She will also be able to go to Spain from her win in an earlier elimination challenge.

Ramsay’s on a roll

As “Hell’s Kitchen” ticks down to the finals, Gordon Ramsay is certainly kicking up his resume.

The final four on the show are battling for the executive chef position at Ramsay’s new U.S. restaurant, London, located off of the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. That eatery opened at the beginning of the month sans the “Hell” winner who is expected to start in the kitchen this summer.

Meanwhile, the acerbic celebrity is staying on the televisions around the world working on new programs.

If it’s not “Hell’s Kitchen,” then it’s one of two versions of “Kitchen Nightmares” (there’s one in England and one in the U.S. returning to Fox in September). “The F Word” on BBC 4 in the UK is in its third season. That show hosts celebrities who go head-to-head with Ramsay in the kitchen and a restaurant service progresses through the episode. Now he has a reality show in the works chronicling the opening of yet another new restaurant in Australia.

The first Ramsay venture Down Under will be at the Crown of Melbourne casino complex. The restaurant is slated to open in December.

For the aforementioned “The F Word,” now airing on the BBC (slated to be re-aired on BBC America in the near future), Ramsay donned combat gear and trained with the Royal Marines. The segment was a follow-up to cooking up a fortifying menu for the troops.

Perhaps the marine training will prepare the chef for his plan next year to climb Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak.

Let’s hope the married father of four isn’t stretching himself too thin.

DVR Alerts

This week’s schedule features menus from around the world. Whether Italian, Indian or Mediterranean, international dishes are a welcome addition to the recipe collection.

Saturday 9 a.m. — Tyler’s Ultimate (Food Network) — Ultimate Orecchiette Tyler Florence shows how to use fresh ingredients to make simple Italian fare. The menu includes bruschetta, pasta and dessert.

9:30 a.m. — Jamie Oliver at Home (Food Network) — Peas and Broad Beans Jamie makes spiced bean fritters and adds pears to a spaghetti recipe.

Sunday 9:30 a.m. — Chic and Easy (Food Network) — Team Bonding Brunch Mary Nolan’s show premiered just last month, and on this episode she brings in her touch football team for brunch with recipes for egg pie, fruit salad and chocolate cheesecake cupcakes — all with unique twists.

1:30 p.m. — Guy’s Big Bite (Food Network) — Indiana Jonesin’ Contrary to the title, this has nothing to do with Harrison Ford. This show is all about Indian-inspired cuisine, including Lamb Curry Empanadas and Blackened Green Beans.

10 p.m. — The Next Food Network Star (Food Network) — You … in a Jar Look for Martha Stewart to judge the contestants on how they market themselves and signature products.

Monday 9 p.m. — Hell’s Kitchen (Fox) — The Mother of All Challenges Down to the final four, Chef Ramsay calls the next task “the mother of all challenges.” The finalists will have to prepare a dish of their own for 80 customers.

9 p.m. — Unwrapped (Food Network) — Cozy Cuisine Host Marc Summers visits Campbell’s soup, the Boston Chowda Company, the American Pie Bakery, Manischewitz, Amy’s Kitchen and Thee’s Continental Pastries to follow some of the best comfort food around.

Wednesday 10 p.m. - Top Chef (Bravo) — Reunion Find out who’s the fan favorite and gets a check for $10,000, and catch up on what contestants have done since the show finished taping.

Thursday 10 p.m. — Supper Club with Tom Bergeron (Planet Green) — Chest Waxing, Homework Recycling and Mercury Poisoning The host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Dancing with the Stars” hosts another eco-friendly dinner with guests Catherine Oxenberg, Kim Wayans, among others.

Friday 4 a.m. — Party Line with the Hearty Boys (Food Network) — Olive a Party-Global Cuisine Unless you’re a night owl, this program is a great example of why we need DVRs. This episode offers new takes for the common ingredient of olives.

Top Chef Chicago Wraps Up

2008-06-12T17:17:56Z

It may not have been the most entertaining season, nor did I think it was the best culinary expose, but Top Chef has wrapped up another solid season. Along with many viewers, I breathed a sigh of relief last night when the winner was announced. Lisa came dangerously close to winning but to me that would not have been justified based on her past performance over the course of the season. She simply wasn't as consistent as Richard and Stephanie.

Alas, Richard's consistency failed him at the worst possible time. Fortunately, Stephanie delivered a solid, if not awe-inspiring, performance and claimed the title of first female Top Chef. This seemed to be the first season where the judges appeared to overtly consider past performance in making elimination decisions. There was no clear indication that it was a factor in the final challenge, but one must imagine that it could not be entirely disregarded given the closeness of the battle.

I, for one, am a huge proponent of factoring in past performance. In fact, I would be supportive of each week's challenge merely being one more factor to consider, rather than the overriding concern. Would it take away some of the weekly drama? I doubt it, particularly because you could still use the challenge to see who ends up on the chopping block. But I think the overall skill and execution of each chef should be factored in. Even the best chefs have off nights. And despite what the judges may say, some of the chefs are demonstrably better than others, even if Top Chef does a better job of assembling a quality cast than say Hell's Kitchen.

In any case, congratulations to Stephanie. A job well done. I look forward to another season of Top Chef next year.

With a Sniff and a Whirl, He Brings the Thunder

2008-06-11T19:13:38Z

When Cork & Knife catches up with Gary Vaynerchuk, star of Wine Library TV, he is in Las Vegas at a tea expo (just try explaining that one to your grandma). He notes, as we begin to chat, that there are interesting similarities between tea and wine. This is more proof to us that this person’s hunger for knowledge just doesn’t stop.

As many of you know, Vaynerchuk is the guy who licked rocks and ate dirt in the name of training his palate so that he would learn how to taste wine.

“Let’s give it a sniffy-sniff.”

That’s what he’ll say on each and every “Thunder Show,” as he has dubbed it, prior to swirling and getting a read on a wine’s nose. After a mini-storm of descriptives, he’ll then “give it a whirl,” and viewers can look forward to more wonderfully quick, sharp observations about a wine’s smell and taste.

To the uninitiated, we are describing Gary Vaynerchuk’s wildly popular WineLibraryTV.com, an Internet show with a devoted following of 80,000 viewers daily.

The show has spawned a book: 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire, Delight, and Bring Thunder to Your World. We are reading the book and planning to meet him in person when he comes to the Washington area this month (check the events calendar to find out when he is coming to your town) as part of his book tour.

We spoke with Gary recently to find out a little bit more about him, and to get his take on the changing wine world.

EXTRA: Learn Gary’s Top 3 Issues with the Wine World

If you’re a devotee, then you know Vaynerchuk was not born with his ticket in hand; there has been a journey. The son of Russian immigrants who owned a liquor store, Vaynerchuk went from working as a clerk in the store to becoming the businessman — and personality — that made Wine Library go from being a $4 million business to a $45 million operation.

This native of Springfield, N.J., who spits into a Jets bucket as he tastes, looks back often on his upbringing and thanks his lucky stars. “I think that when you come from zero,” he says, “where you understand the value of a buck,” it can be easier to stay humble.

“I have two massive advantages,” Vaynerchuk says. First off, he watched the family’s liquor store business, which he renamed Wine Library, go from small to big. “Number 2, my mom instilled a lot of good things in me, including treating every individual as an individual — and that affects how I think about wine.”

As you watch Vaynerchuk perform, you are struck by how truly psyched he is to be sitting there; this is not a reluctant celebrity. “It’s flattering to be recognized. I love it … I’m very proud of the hard work that has led to this point.

“There are pros and cons, but I’m a very social kind of person, so (the attention of) lots and lots of people get me fired up. The more people watching me, the more my energy skyrockets.”

There is something especially fun about WinelibraryTV.com being sort of an “underground” venture, he says, even though for Web foodies it is mainstream. “People that watch an Internet TV show realize there’s not that many people watching,” and that’s part of what drives his unusual breed of fandom.

The excitement Vaynerchuk projects really affects his audience, and we asked whether he aims to cut away at people’s insecurity about wine by goofing around and having an over-the-top energy level.

“You nailed it directly out of the stadium,” he says after a pause. “That is the core of WinelibraryTV.” He is quick to add that his pumped-up style is natural for him “because I really am that ridiculous. It just works because it’s authentic. People can tell what’s real and not.”

It isn’t something that comes easily to everyone. “After I did Conan the first time, he turned to me and said ‘Are you a comedian? You have good improv skills.’” But Vaynerchuk hasn’t had a life on stage or camera. “No plays, nothing. Never any of that stuff.

“I was always the class clown that the teachers liked,” he explains — the one who knew how to be funny and silly while also knowing where the line was, and knowing not to cross it.

Of course, that same goofy schoolyard sensibility helps Vaynerchuk be a fun person to drink with, whether people are experienced wine-drinkers or new to the game. What, we wondered, are his go-to wines for different crowds?

“I don’t have a separation of what I serve my wine-nerd friends compared to friends who have no wine knowledge whatsoever,” Vaynerchuk says. “It’s amazingly fun to give complex wine to newbies … and it’s equally fun to watch friends who are major sommeliers and give them “commodity wine” - maybe a $17 sauvignon blanc. Doing that helps bring people back down to earth, he says: “Let’s talk about this wine and not be a jerk-off.”

Someone having this level of success online can only be “indie” for so long, though, right? Won’t the big channels come calling? “I’ve been offered a lot of TV deals already,” he confides. “If something feels right in my heart I’ll do it, but nothing has crossed my path that has done that yet.

He’s a believer in Web TV shows, and feels no urgency to go mainstream even as a career move. If he did decide to go to cable, he says it would be “so my mom could run around and tell people her son is a TV star.”

Vaynerchuk is generally resistant to the idea that he should speculate on life beyond The Thunder Show. “The only thing I truly know about where I’m going is I’m going to buy the N.Y. Jets,” he says. “Everything between that and now is just a stepping stone.”