If you are hosting the Thanksgiving festivities this year, perhaps you’re feeling the need for a little twist on tradition. (Let’s face it: the same old menu gets boring after a few decades.) Chef Mark has featured Southwestern flavors for our version, imparting the tastes and aromas he savored as a young lad. (P.S. If you have a smaller gathering than, say, Jennifer’s twenty-five-ish guests, this is an ideal alternative to cooking a full turkey.)

A dash of chipotle, a touch of Hatch chile, and a whole lot of flavor accent Chef Mark’s twist on Thanksgiving dinner.

TURKEY

Southwestern Stuffed Turkey Breast
Suggested pairing: Pinot Noir
(see Pairing Notes below for further details)

TRIMMINGS

Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Suggested wine pairing: Off-Dry Riesling

Calabacitas

DESSERT

Apple and Cinnamon Empanadas
Suggested wine pairing: Moscato d’Asti

WINE PAIRING NOTES

Since you might decide to use the entire menu above, or incorporate one or two of the recipes into your traditional menu, our wine pairing expert Lenn Thompson has offered several options for you below.  For more notes about Lenn’s other wine explorations, visit his LENNDEVOURS blog.

Southwestern Stuffed Turkey Breast

Pairing: Pinot Noir

Reasoning: Pinot Noir is a classic pairing with Thanksgiving dinner and it still works here. The red berry flavors and slightly tart acidity mimic the cranberry sauce that is so popular with turkey, while the light body won’t overpower the delicate turkey. Because of the chiles and spices, a plush, fruity style of Pinot Noir works best, so look to California or Oregon rather than Burgundy.

Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Varietal: Off-Dry Riesling

Reasoning: Riesling is another tried and true Thanksgiving accompaniment. The balanced acidity of well-made off-dry riesling will balance the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, while the wine’s sweetness tames the flames of the fiery chiles. Top U.S. rieslings come from the Finger Lakes region of New York and the Pacific Northwest.

Calabacitas

Varietal: Sauvignon Blanc

Reasoning: If you are using the recommended autumn squash in this dish, the off-dry Riesling from above will pair nicely. However, for the summer squash version, the citrus fruit flavors will go well with the combination of summer squash, corn, beans, cilantro and tomatoes. A ripe, fruity Californian will work (as long as you avoid those that have been aged in oak) but an herbaceous bottle from New Zealand would work as well. Note: Sauvignon Blanc is one of my favorite foils for vegetable dishes.

Apple and Cinnamon Empanadas

Varietal: Moscato d’Asti

Reasoning: At the end of a long, filling Thanksgiving meal, steer clear of high alcohol, heavy dessert wines. Instead, pick up an always-affordable, slightly fizzy Moscato d’Asti. The light effervescence will balance the fried crust while significant fruit and floral flavors enhance the delicious filling. And, most Moscato is around 5% alcohol, so you’ll be able to enjoy the rest of your day.

MISE EN PLACE

For those curious about the meaning of mise en place, it is a French culinary term for “set in place.” If you have ever watched a cooking show, or been inside a restaurant kitchen, you will notice that next to the cooking area, things are set up just so. Ingredients, sauces and critical elements are ready to be used, whether pre-cooked, pre-chopped, or ready as a garnish. This kind of organized setup enables a cook to focus on the actual act of cooking itself without distraction. Our intention with this section is to use the same approach at home, enabling you to host your own special occasions with flair.

This menu was originally published in 2006.

CHIC Podcast #204: Italian Beef

This week I have had so many great sandwiches, Italian beef sandwiches that is. I have been doing research on my favorite sandwich. The Italian beef sandwich is unique to Chicago. There are many shops that sell them. Wook Kang and I talk about our favorites and where you can get yours. We did it live from one of the great beef houses here in Chicago, Portillos. Wow, it’s fun doing research.

A heavy cocktail, much like a hearty soup, was created to the tune of the festive season. It reveals itself, as “Fields of Gold.” Corn paired with the musky sweetness of honeydew melon, leads the way in this unusual drink, which highlights the cocoa flavor of the vodka and rounded cane flavor of the white rum. The consistency is thick, so try this as an alcoholic intermezzo!

4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup freshly steamed sweet corn kernels
3 ounces freshly diced raw avocado
12 ounces freshly juiced honeydew melon
3 ounces white rum
2 ounces chocolate-flavored Russian vodka

Total: about 21 ounces, or 5 ounces per serving (guide for glassware)

Avocado, for garnish

Equipment

Blender
Ice cube tray, small cubes
Four rock glasses (8-9 ounces), for service

Preparation

Prepare at least 8 hours in advance. Chill the garnish until ready for use.

Prepare the corn:
After shucking the corn, clean off any silk under running tap water. Place the corn on a steam rack over boiling water, and steam covered for about 10-15 minutes. Use a corn holder at one end to hold the corn firmly while you slice off the corn from the cob with a knife. Leave to cool.

Make the cocktail:
Remove the pit and skin from the avocado, and dice the flesh. Juice about ½ of a honeydew melon to extract 12 ounces of juice. Reserve 6 ounces, and mix the remaining 6 ounces together with the avocado, corn, rum and chocolate vodka in the blender. Blend to a very smooth consistency.

Freeze half of this mixture in the ice cube tray keeping the remainder in the fridge. When ready to serve, remove the frozen cocktail cubes and crush in the blender with the remaining 6 ounces of freshly squeezed honeydew melon.

Pour the mixture equally into the rock glasses, and garnish with the avocado.

Serve immediately.

Recipe and photo by Damian Sim

INSPIRATION FOR FIELDS OF GOLD
BY DAMIAN SIM

This month’s ingredients of turkey and sage both share centuries-old histories with Man, which presents a compelling historic perspective from which to take inspiration, rather than the expected gastronomic angles. Similar ingredients such as corn, avocado and cocoa were chosen, from which a hearty drink was created for the festive season.

Honeydew melon, with its sweet muskiness, together with light rum, holds the other flavors together, especially the corn. The avocado mainly contributes to the creaminess while adding a touch of nuttiness.

The thoughts of children having fun in the open green fields served as a canvas onto which this cocktail was created. With corn as the leading flavor, I imagined a vision of “Fields of Gold.”

My tasting tour of Rias Baixas led to a wonderful discovery: The female winemakers in this region have made an indelible impression upon the quality of the wines and the respect Albariño grapes have earned internationally.

I spent an afternoon at Pazo de Señoráns with Marisol Bueno, one of the founders of the Albariño D.O., along with her daughter Vicky and their team to learn the history behind the creation of the appellation. Like many of the smaller wine regions around the world, Marisol wanted to showcase the grapes inherent to Rias Baixas, taking advantage of the terroir of Galicia and its unique qualities to craft what has become one of my favorite wines.

Winemakers often become philosophical about the “struggle of the grapes” and how it lends character to their flavor profile. In Galicia the grapes do indeed face difficult conditions, as the climate is consistently moist, presenting the ever-present danger of mildew. Albariño grapes must be coaxed to grow in a manner that enables sunlight to penetrate the vines and keep them dry, which winery manager Javier Izurieta Romero explains in detail in the following video.

Note: This wine tour was sponsored by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region.

a test kitchen dossier

Cur moriatur homo cui Salvia crescit in horto? (Why should a man die whilst sage grows in his garden?)
- Medieval saying

FoodStuff: Sage

Etymology
Salvia officinalis – Derived from the Latin salvere, meaning “to be saved,” as in ancient times, sage was held as a medicinal plant. This name was corrupted popularly to sauja and sauge (the French form), and sawge in Old English, which has become our present-day name of sage.

Area of Origin
Northern shores of the Mediterranean coast. Sage grows wild in areas with limestone formation and very little soil all along the Mediterranean, from Spain to Croatia and Dalmatia. The region around the islands of Veglia and Cherso is known as the Sage region.

Description
Common sage, the variety most often used for cooking, is a hearty plant which grows about a foot or more high, with wiry stems. The leaves are distinctive, about 1½ -2 inches long, with a silvery green color and a soft “peach fuzz” texture on the top, and marked veins on the bottom. Related to mint, sage has a hint of minty flavor with a rounded herbaceousness. It is, however, a rather strong herb.

Naturally, we get a little bit excited about the inviting, fuzzy texture and calming green hue of this wonderful herb. It is sensually satisfying both to the fingertips and palate, and we’ve caught ourselves more than once just fondling the sage on our test kitchen counter.

History
For most of history, sage was considered a medicinal herb. One of its names is S. salvatrix, or “Sage the Saviour.” An old French saying goes:

Sage helps the nerves and by its powerful might
Palsy is cured and fever put to flight…

In the Jura region of France, sage is often planted around graves because it is believed to mitigate grief. The Chinese love to drink tea made with sage leaves, and sage ale has been thought to be a curative for snake bites.

Cooking with Sage
Despite (or perhaps even because of) sage’s popularity as a curative, there are just as many culinary uses for the herb: Sage with brown butter makes an ideal sauce for veal or pasta, and sage pairs well with pork and rustic country pâtés. But perhaps the most ideal use of sage is with poultry – after all, what Thanksgiving table is complete without a sage rubbed turkey, or a sage infused stuffing? Sage is ideal in its dried form when used in savory rubs for roast lamb and pork.

Our Approach
This month we are exploring the classic uses of sage, along with a surprise or two. Veal Saltimbocca and Pork Tenderloin are typical uses of the herb, and here we present them in easy-to-make recipes which highlight the herbaceous loveliness of the fuzzy green leaf. Our Pastry Princess has taken a daring approach for an unusual dessert, highlighting many different qualities of sage in one dish, which looks complicated but whose components can each stand alone and serve as a mini pastry curriculum.

Recipes

Caramelized Napoleon with Sage and Cranberry
Sage Butter
Turkey with Wild Mushroom Sauce
Veal Saltimbocca
Sage-Stuffed Pork Chops with Cranberry Glaze
Vanilla Sea Cocktail

Resource
www.botanical.com
Photo by Lia Soscia

Gumbo is a traditional dish served in the South. There are many variations of the dish, but this one uses dark meat turkey instead of the traditional sausage and shrimp. To spice it up, we’ve added andouille sausage to accompany the standard okra, onion, celery and green pepper. This is an easy and delicious one-pot meal, and great way to take advantage of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup water
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (with juices)
1 (10.5 ounce) can chicken stock
2 bay leaves
½ lb dried andouille sausage, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
2 cups cooked dark meat turkey, diced
1 (10-ounce) package frozen okra, thawed
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
3 cups hot cooked rice

Equipment

Large Dutch oven

Preparation

Prepare the browned flour:
Place the flour in the Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat for about 7, minutes or until the flour is very brown. Stir constantly with a wire whisk to keep the flour from sticking to the bottom. When the flour is completely browned, remove from the Dutch oven and set aside.

[Chef’s Note: The browning of the flour takes patience but is an important step in achieving the gumbo’s classic rich flavor].

Prepare the gumbo:
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, green bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for about 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Sprinkle the vegetables with the browned flour and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the water, the tomatoes and their juice, the chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring the gumbo to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the andouille sausage and simmer, uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the cooked turkey, okra and Cajun spice seasoning and cook for another few minutes.

[Chef’s Note: Andouille sausage is a spicy, smoked Cajun pork sausage. There are two varieties: fresh and dried. This recipe calls for the dried version, which is typically found near the gourmet cheese and deli meat area of your grocery store. If you can only find the fresh sausage, you will need to precook it in a separate skillet before adding it to the gumbo.]

Service

Serve the turkey gumbo over fluffy white rice.

Variations

If dark turkey meat is not readily available, turkey breast meat or chicken are both adequate substitutes. Traditional gumbo also contains about ½ lb of medium-sized, peeled, deveined shrimp. If you choose to include the shrimp in your recipe, add them in at the very end with the turkey and okra. Cook them just until they turn pink.
Recipe and photo by Lia Soscia

ReMARKable Palate #222: Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

I speak with Mike Lee, Founder of an innovative new website called GLING.com, a social media community dedicated to the Gluten-Free lifestyle. Gling has published a Thanksgiving menuzine filled with gluten-free recipes for Thanksgiving, and it’s just in time for the festivities next week. I speak with Mike about strategies for making the holiday gluten-free!

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Note: This article is a companion to our Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home cookbook. With 13 dinner party menus, and the tips you’ll find in this and our other entertaining articles, we’ve done a lot of the work for you. Sally forth!

There is a certain art to being a good host, and it is one that is cultivated after what is likely trial-by-fire. You have learned that even the largest catastrophes can be met with a sense of humor, flexibility, and a little creative flair.

But how do you get to that happy place? The answer is not to be found in the bottom of a martini glass (ok, not always). Instead, it is to be found in planning well, being able to think on your feet, and putting the comfort of your guests at the top of the priority list. Even if your recipes turn out quite differently from what you had planned, your guests will remember how delightful you were as a gracious host.

Remember: Elegant does not have to mean complicated. There is beauty inherent in doing things simply, but doing them well, and it doesn’t require lots of frill and fuss. To use a cooking analogy, if you create an ornate dish with mediocre ingredients, the results will still be, well, mediocre. A simpler dish with top-quality ingredients, however, will stay in the memories of your guests long after the plates have been cleared.

That is the entire premise of our Mise en Place section, where you can find elegant menus that are not overly fussy, but that evoke beautiful flavors and use the art of food styling to elevate your presentation. (In fact, that section was the predecessor to our cookbook, which has more meat to it.) Such little touches turn an ordinary dinner party into a memorable occasion, and when combined with ambiance and good company, you can’t go wrong.

What will keep you most calm during all of this, of course, is good planning, which is why we have created a list of tips that we use to plan, as well as some templates for your organization. (Yes, we really, really want you to use them.)

If you wish to become better versed in the rules of dining etiquette, we highly recommend the grande dame of such endeavors, Emily Post. Her Advice for Every Dining Occasion is invaluable for understanding what fork to use for which course, and how to handle such dilemmas as inebriated guests, etc. It is somewhat hard to find now, but if you can get your hands on a copy, save it forever.

Guest Lists

Clearly, this is a critical part of being a good host, as your guests can make or break an event. Does the crowd consist of a group of fun-loving friends, or is it perhaps a small group of serious colleagues from the office?

When we create a guest list for our own parties, we try to ensure it includes at least several people with wonderful personalities who can liven up the room, as well as assist in making sure no one is left sitting by him/herself.

Obviously there are times when you will not have much choice in selecting the attending crowd, as it may be a party specifically for colleagues or a certain social group. In said case, prepare for the Party Hound, the Wallflower, the Drama Queen, and the rest. If you know in advance how to handle these colorful personalities, you will be less stressed when confronted with their expected behavior.

It is best to give as much advance notice as possible, understanding that most people have schedules as full as yours. Your invitations should be in hand at least two weeks before the party to give people time to respond, but if this isn’t possible, don’t panic. Thankfully there is now the possibility of e-mailed invitations through sites like www.evite.com, so there is no worry about delays from sluggish postal systems. However, for guests who haven’t quite gotten the hang of the electronic age, or for those with a true sense of aesthetic appreciation, there is nothing quite like a handwritten invitation. We like Kate’s Paperie and Papyrus for unusual, luxurious invitations.

We always request an RSVP for our events with at least four days of advance notice, whether for a cocktail party or sit-down dinner, as there is really no other way to finalize how much food to prepare. You can always count on a few people to just show up, as well as others to be no-shows; this is inevitable, but if you are well-prepared, these “surprises” should not put a damper on the affair. If it makes you more comfortable, request a confirmation a full week in advance.

In the case of a sit-down, plated dinner party, it is absolutely essential that guests RSVP, as well as show up on time. The worst possible thing a guest can do is interrupt the flow of a plated meal.

The best way to avoid this scenario is to state clearly on the invitation:

Formal, yes, but you’ll be thankful. And if a guest does arrive late, seat him and have him begin with whatever course you are serving — it is not your obligation to go back and prepare anything he has missed.

Our Favorite Mantras

As we also stated in our Survival Guide, there are a few mantras we use when putting on our aprons to prepare a feast for guests. We suggest memorizing them.

• Remember to take deep breaths; freaking out never helped any situation, no matter what the
disaster.

• You are not attempting to reinvent the wheel. You are throwing a party.

• Think on your feet. There is always a solution, so get as creative as you need to. No one else
needs to know — they only see the final result.

• If you absolutely run out of time, or cannot find an ingredient, we will not send you to culinary
purgatory for purchasing pre-made items. Do try, however, to keep such items to pastries,
crudités, and more complicated dishes like terrines and pâtés.

• Do not pickle yourself with cocktails before attempting to cook. Not only will your palate be
deadened, but flames, knives, and alcohol are never a good mix. Trust us on that one.

• Repeat after us: “A little Type-A goes a long way.”

Cranberries are a sweet but assertive fruity complement to this moist, yet crumbly golden cornbread. This recipe is a tasty twist to traditional cornbread, combining the best qualities of cranberry sauce and cornbread. It will surely make for an attractive addition to your holiday table!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

For the topping:
12 ounces (1 bag) fresh cranberries
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the cornbread:
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Equipment

8-cup baking pan (8×8 or 9×9 inch pans, 9×5 loaf pan or 10 miniature loaf pans)
Parchment paper

Preparation

Prepare the topping:
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease the pan using butter or non-stick cooking spray, cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan, and grease the pan again.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and toss well to evenly distribute. Spread the cranberry mixture in the pan over the parchment paper. Set aside.

Prepare the cornbread:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together the butter, eggs and buttermilk and another bowl, and then add to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

Pour the batter over the cranberries in the pan. Lightly tap the pan against the counter to smooth the top. Bake in the preheated oven until golden or a toothpick or tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes depending on the pan size. Cool slightly for 5-10 minutes, invert and remove parchment paper.

Service

The cornbread can immediately be served warm, but is also delicious when eaten a day or two later at room temperature.

Variations

The best thing about cornbread is that it is so versatile. Everything from savory bacon bits and cheese to sweet blueberries and honey make a terrific addition. Mix cranberries into the batter rather than use as an attractive topping, or bake in a cast-iron skillet to mimic the traditional Southern method.

Recipe and photo by Monica Glass

CHIC203: CHIC Update

Sometimes you just have to take some time and look back at what has happened in a week. I have had a great week with my new set of students. They have asked fun and challenging questions. This week, I answer some of their questions and yours.

Pineapple Meets Big Apple

I had the pleasure of being the special guest this week on “From Hawaii With Love” a podcast hosted by Jenny Fujita and Joy Koerte which celebrates the beauty and culture of the Aloha State.

The topic was “Pineapple meets Big Apple”, and we spoke about my recent adventure discovering the foods of Hawaii, and how Hawaiian cuisine has influenced foods on the mainland. I also spoke about our Gilded Fork Cookbook and offered some entertaining tips.

You can find all their shows on www.fromhawaiiwithlove.com

Chef Mark takes one last look at Wales through the grounds of the Cardiff Castle, a gem at the center of the old town of Cardiff.

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Autumn rarely goes by without at least one meal that contains a freshly prepared cranberry relish. Chicken, turkey, or chops adore being dressed with this relish, and the spices will add a wonderful scent to your home as the cranberries simmer.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups water
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
2 cinnamon sticks
2 large navel oranges, peeled and chopped
3 cups sugar

Preparation

Place the cleaned cranberries into a 3-quart saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil. Place the spices in a small cheesecloth bag tied with string. [Chef's Note: A coffee filter tied with string can also be used.] Add the spice package to the cranberries and simmer over medium heat until the cranberries pop, about 10 minutes.

Remove the cranberries from the heat and remove the spice package. Stir in the sugar and chopped oranges. Place in a container and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Service

Serve cold with your favorite meats or fish.

Recipe by Lia Soscia

ReMARKable Palate #221: Balancing Food and Fitness

This week, I speak with Chef Donna Mintz of Basil & Barbells. Donna has been a personal chef and Personal Trainer for years, and is now expanding her business into holistic health counseling, and she joins me to discuss ways that Americans can achieve balance between food and fitness.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

a test kitchen dossier

It has been an unchallengeable American doctrine that cranberry sauce, a pink goo with overtones of sugared tomatoes, is a delectable necessity of the Thanksgiving board and that turkey is uneatable without it.
– Alistair Cook

Foodstuff: Cranberries

Etymology: From craneberry, probably because the plant’s flower resembles the head of a crane.

Area of Origin
Slightly different species originated in Northern Europe and Asia, the Northeastern area of the United States and Canada, and the Southeastern part of the United States. The definitive origin is unknown.

Description
We say cranberry, you say Thanksgiving. Don’t worry, we’re not going to suggest anything crazy like not having cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving; we’re only suggesting that you look beyond cranberry sauce to all of the wonderful flavors and textures this pretty little berry can create. Powerful, even overwhelming, cranberries can begin to seem a little unapproachable; but cranberries are not meant to play alone. Just as red berries appear more beautiful against a background of green leaves or fresh snow, the flavor of cranberries truly comes alive when combined with other autumn and winter delights.

It is now common knowledge that a little orange juice and orange zest really make a simple cranberry sauce sing, so why not doctor up a holiday orange cake (or better yet, an orange-spice cake) with chopped fresh cranberries? Or toss some baby spinach with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries and a blood orange vinaigrette. You could even simmer some cranberries (dried or fresh) in red wine and a little sugar, then spoon the sauce over vanilla ice cream. Cranberries also pair beautifully with apples, chocolate and nuts, so let your imagination run wild (and don’t forget to take a look at our cranberry recipes below!).

Remember, cranberries helped Native Americans and European settlers make it through torturous Northeastern winters, so this wonder-fruit is a potent little reminder that even in the chilly weather there are plenty of fresh, seasonal delicacies to enjoy.

History
Cranberries have a lot to live up to. According to common mythology, they are not only one of the three fruits native to North America, but they were also served at the first Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, these myths are less than accurate. Cranberries weren’t solely native to North America, and the Native Americans ate many fruits besides the cranberry, blueberry and Concord grape. While it is true that the Native Americans introduced European settlers to cranberries, there is no specific evidence that they were served at the first Thanksgiving.

Ironically, this oh-so-American fruit has actually been eaten all over the world for centuries; cranberries have been eaten in the Arctic for thousands of years. A closely related fruit, the lingonberry, is extremely popular in Russia, Norway and Sweden. Wild cranberries once grew in Scotland, but have become almost extinct there.

Many Native American tribes ate cranberries, and sometime around 1620 they introduced them to the European settlers. While the settlers clearly took to the fruit — cranberry sauce was an early Thanksgiving staple, even if it was absent from the original day — it did not become extremely popular until sugar was readily available. In recent years the cranberry’s popularity has only grown as nutritionists have begun to proclaim the benefits of eating this “super-fruit.” More evidence for what we already knew: Anything that tasty had to be good for us!

Forms of Cranberries

Fresh
Fresh cranberries are generally available from September to December.

Frozen
Fresh cranberries can be frozen at home, and will keep up to nine months; they can also be used directly in recipes without thawing.

Dried
While you can make your own dried cranberries, they won’t be as sweet as commercially available versions. Dried cranberries are great in salads, baked goods, sauces, or as a snack. Just think of them as raisins with a little extra “zing!”

Juice

While unsweetened cranberry juice is available, the cranberry juice you typically drink is either sweetened or mixed with other juices. Cranberry juice is a bar staple, used in classics from the Cosmopolitan to the Seabreeze.

Recipes

Caramelized Napoleon with Sage & Cranberry
Cranberry Couscous
Chocolate Cranberry Jam
Provocachic (SM) Cosmopolitan
Sage Stuffed Pork Chops with Cranberry Glaze
Spiced Cranberry & Orange Relish
Upside-Down Cranberry Cornbread

Sources
Larousse Gastronomique
Steven Raichlen’s A Celebration of the Seasons
www.cranberryinstitute.org

Photo: Kelly Cline
Dossier by China Millman

We knew it was coming. In October it seemed far off in the distance, so we put it out of our minds. Now we look at the calendar and start to freak out inside…just a little bit.

The holiday season is upon us, so it’s time to get organized for the revelry ahead. Given that a normal holiday gathering with my immediate family means 20-25 guests, we’ve got this thing down to a science. We also have an industrial meat slicer, so I realize that we are a bit…unusual. But that doesn’t mean you can’t pull this off, too.

I joined Marsha Collier and Mark Cohen on KTRB Radio in San Francisco today to talk about tech tools to help manage the chaos, and wanted to give you an expanded list here as a handy reference tool.

Planning:
You’ve heard me say it before, but a little Type A goes a long way. Get it out of your head and on to paper (or your PDA/iPhone/latest gadget). We’ve created a whole section on Culinary Media Network to help you get started, from the number of guests to the style of your party.

I also discovered an amazing planning resource whose bells and whistles go far deeper than I imagined. You’ve likely received an invitation from eVite…but did you know what else is under the hood? Their tools enable everything from managing your guest list to creating a detailed timeline and checklist. They even have decor suggestions.

Calendar:
Set up a Google calendar for yourself with the title “Thanksgiving” or “Holidays,” and you can have e-mail reminders sent right to your inbox each day. You can also sync it to your other calendars so your tasks are like any other items on your to-do list. There are lots of tools online for this, so choose the one you like best, preferably one that is already part of your routine. If your form of organization and planning includes Post-It notes all over your desk, hey, I won’t judge.

Menu:
If you need menu ideas, there is no shortage of resources online for finding recipes, from our full recipe list to sites like allrecipes and Epicurious. If you would rather have a book in your hands, there is still time to order The Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home to have at your disposal for menu ideas.

Shopping

Ingredients:
Believe it or not, I don’t particularly enjoy grocery shopping, particularly if I’m feeling rushed. Thankfully there are now plenty of online delivery services to take care of that piece for you. The downside? If you like fondling your vegetables (the part I actually enjoy), the control freak in you will have to let go and accept that someone else will be picking out your potatoes. If you’re on the east coast or in Chicago, check out PeaPod (or your local supermarket’s web site). West coasters can take a look at Safeway, which has created a whole Thanksgiving section just for you.

Turkeys:
I’m not a big fan of the frozen bowling balls known as supermarket turkeys, but use them when necessary. If you prefer something a little tastier, here are some options:

• D’Artagnan: Gorgeous fresh or frozen turkeys that are delivered to your door, with 14-16 lb frozen turkeys for $65.
• Lobels: An NYC staple for Thanksgiving, they ship fresh organic and free-range turkeys for $75 and up

Wine:
Now this is a favorite, and not just because it was started by some friends of mine. Called the “Netflix of wine,” WineQ is a wine-delivery service that lets you queue up your favorites, start your own wine club, and discover what your friends are drinking.

Hostess Gifts:
If you are the lucky recipient of an invitation to a holiday party, please remember good etiquette and bring along a gift for your host. He or she is working very hard to entertain you, so a little reward is in order.

We’ve got some lovely gift ideas in the Gilded Fork Boutique, especially our Tondo flavored vinegars, so you can peruse gift options there, or at some other favorites including Dean & Deluca, Harry and David, or iGourmet.

If you want to dress *yourself* up a little, take a look at what The Hip Hostess has on display. She also features some gorgeous home decor finds.

But What If I Can’t Cook?!
Ah, the age-old dilemma. Guess what? There are solutions for that, too. Now, you could make a restaurant reservation, but I’m a huge proponent of welcoming people into my actual home for the holidays. The good news is that we have an entire country full of personal chefs, and you can find them all on the U.S. Personal Chef Association web site. Chef Mark is right here in NYC, so don’t forget to see his offerings at ReMARKablePalate.com.

Most importantly, remember to take deep breaths and not to panic. Worst-case scenario, open another bottle of wine and pour some more cocktails. It will all be just fine.

CHIC202: The Buffalo Guys

Buffalo is one of the most flavorful and nutritious foods you can consume. I talk with Ken Klemm on what is great about buffalo. He’s one of the buffalo guys. He is very knowledgeable about everything buffalo. He’s a true Western gentlemen.

ReMARKable Palate #220: Innovative Japanese Cuisine

This week, I go from Maui to New York City as we speak with 2 restaurateurs about their modern Asian style eateries. First, I chat with Chef DK Kodama of Sansei and other restaurants all over the state of Hawaii about his modern Pacific Rim style cuisine, and his support for local farmers in the state of Hawaii. I then speak with James Du, co-owner of Akai Lounge on New York’s Upper West Side, which is doing it’s part to offer innovative sushi and interpretations of Japanese classics.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I travelled to Hawaii as part of The “So Much More Hawaii” Press tour sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and my travel expenses were paid for by the HTA. My meal at Akai lounge was a complimentary tasting menu. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

There are as many ways to roast a turkey as there are grandmothers to teach us their cooking secrets. Everyone seems to have their favorite method for turkey, and while we do not zealously advocate one over another, we are partial to the high-heat roasting method, which produces a crisp and brown exterior without cooking the bird so long it dries out. To ensure a moist bird, buy a kosher turkey, which has been salted to draw out the blood. Otherwise, use a brining technique to ensure a moist bird. Below is one of our favorite brine mixes, which you can use for any kind of meat.

Fruit and Spice Brine Mix

Ingredients

For the fruit and spice brining mix (makes about 3 cups):
1 cup sea salt
¾ cup sugar
3 or 4 star anise
1 tablespoon whole black or pink peppercorns
6-8 cardamom pods
1 tablespoon dried orange peel
1 tablespoon dried lemon peel
2 tablespoons dried rosemary

8 cups water
8 cups apple cider or water

Combine all dry ingredients and mix well. This brine mix will keep indefinitely in a plastic bag. To brine a 15 lb. turkey, use the whole recipe above. Add the brine mixture to 8 cups water in a large pot and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve completely. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. It should be cold before you immerse the turkey.

In a tub or bucket large enough to hold your turkey and copious amounts of liquid, combine the brine solution with 8 cups of water or apple cider. Carefully submerge the turkey in the brining solution, making sure not to spillover. (Chef Mark has learned the hard way that large birds displace a lot of liquid).

Cover and refrigerate for 6-12 hours, turning the turkey halfway through the brining time.

Before roasting the bird, remove it from the solution and rinse it thoroughly with cold water. A chef friend of ours says “I don’t mean a little spritz! Wash that bird thoroughly for a couple of minutes and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels.”

[Chef’s Note: For brining smaller amounts of meat, up to 5 lbs., use only ¾ cup of the dry mix and reduce the proportions of water and apple cider by half. If you’re short on time, you can make a very simple brine with just salt, sugar and water. The salt opens the pores of the bird and allows the moisture to be drawn in. The sugar is hydrophilic and helps to keep the moisture in the bird.]

High-Heat Roasting Method

Ingredients

1 turkey, 8-12 lbs.
Salt (if not using the brining method above)
4-5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (or compound butter – see variations below)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 orange, cut into wedges

[Chef’s Note: This method is great for achieving a nicely browned bird with a crisp skin and moist breast meat. You should use a relatively small bird, since it requires flipping the bird. Well, you know what we mean…

As much as we love stuffing, we generally don’t cook the stuffing inside the bird. In addition to the food safety concerns, it’s just too much trouble for us. We prefer to stuff the cavity with onions and orange wedges, which help to keep in moisture and flavor.]

Equipment

Heavy-bottomed non-stick roasting pan

Preparation

Place a rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheat the oven to 425° F. Thoroughly dry the turkey with paper towels, and if you haven’t brined it, or you’re not using a kosher turkey, generously rub the body and interior cavities with salt, then brush with the melted butter. Place the chopped onions and orange wedges inside the cavity.

Place the turkey on one side, with the drumstick sticking up. If necessary, use onions or balls of aluminum foil to help keep the bird on its side. Roast it at 425° for 30 minutes, then remove and carefully turn on its other side. You can use bunched up paper towels to help you grasp the hot bird, and keep your potholders clean.

Baste the newly exposed side with the butter and pan drippings, then return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes more. Repeat this process so that the bird roasts on each side twice, for a total of 2 hours. Turn the bird with the breast facing up and baste once more, roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165° F.

[Chef’s Note: Food safety requires that the bird reach 165° F for a couple of minutes to be sure that any harmful bacteria is killed, but if you leave the turkey in the oven until it reaches this point, the carryover cooking time may take it well above this temperature, and dry out the breast meat. You can remove the bird when it has reached 155-160° F.

Important note! The pop-up timers that come with most turkeys will cook the meat to oblivion to ensure no one is going to file a lawsuit for an undercooked bird, resulting in cardboard-flavored turkey. Trust your instant-read thermometer above all!]

Remove the turkey from the oven, loosely tent with foil, and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. You can prepare your favorite gravy with the pan drippings.

Variations

Sage Butter

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, finely minced

Finely mince the fresh sage leaves and combine with the softened butter until thoroughly combined. Lay a sheet of cling wrap on the counter, and scrape out the sage butter onto it. Wrapping the cling wrap around the butter mixture, gently shape it into a log shape. Twist the ends of the cling wrap in opposite directions to enclose the log like a sausage. Place in the refrigerator until service to firm up.

[Chef’s Note: You may double or triple this recipe, and store the compound butter wrapped in plastic in the fridge or freezer for anytime you may want a tasty, buttery topping. You may also experiment with other variations, such as rosemary, thyme, or other herbs, or even blend the butter with blue cheese for another great steak topping.]

You can use any fresh herbs, alone or in combination, mixed into a compound butter, and rubbed over the skin, or even placed underneath the skin before roasting. As you know, we are also partial to truffles, and if your budget allows, you can go all out and make a turkey “in mourning” by placing a veil of sliced black truffles underneath the skin. See how we did it with hens for this recipe.

Recipes by Mark Tafoya

a test kitchen dossier

I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad at turkeys. There’s turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastrami. Someone needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself.
-Mitch Hedberg

Foodstuff: Turkey

Etymology
Europeans enjoyed the African Helmeted Guinea fowl, a bird that was imported from Madagascar by way of Turkey. Visitors to the New World encountered the bird we now know as the turkey, but mistakenly identified it with the helmeted guinea fowl that reached Europe in the hands of “Turkey traders,” and hence the turkey was named. In other languages, the word for turkey reflects the bird’s exotic New World origins (and often mirrors the fact that Christopher Columbus thought he had reached India when he had in fact reached the Americas). In French, for instance, the word for turkey is dinde, abbreviated from poulet d’Inde (chicken of India).

Area of Origin: Mexico

Description
The turkey is a large bird with a mild flavor that can be found either domesticated or running in the wild. Domesticated turkeys cannot fly, but wild turkeys are quite agile and can fly and run at high speeds (we know this from personal experience – don’t ask). The female turkey is smaller and less colorful than the male, and also less vocal, as only male turkeys can make the famed “gobble” sound (females make a clicking noise). Turkey meat is approximately 70% white meat and 30% dark meat, and while in the United States white meat is more popular, in most other places in the world the dark meat reigns supreme (we find it far more delicious, too).

Incidentally, whoever said bigger breasts make for better sex clearly has not spent time as a turkey. Given white turkey meat’s popularity in the U.S., many domesticated turkeys have been bred to produce large breasts. Now, most males would not object to such attributes in their female companions, but sadly these large breasts prevent the male turkey from properly bending the female forward for insemination, so today many turkey eggs are fertilized artificially. Bigger isn’t always better, folks.

Turkeys are also rumored to be rather simple-minded birds, and it is said, in fact, that if they look up while it’s raining they will drown. They also have weak hearts: Scores of turkeys reportedly dropped dead when the Air Force tried to break the sound barrier in a nearby testing area. All in all, it’s not great to be a turkey. To their credit, however, turkeys have excellent peripheral vision (270 degrees), which often helps wild turkeys to outsmart human hunters. Thankfully evolution gave them something to work with.

History
The turkey originated in Mexico, and archaeological evidence hints that the bird was domesticated as early as 200 B.C. By the time the Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Americas, the turkey had spread throughout Central, South and North America. Around 1520, explorers in the Americas brought the turkey back to Europe, and from then on it rose steadily in European popularity, often taking the place of the goose in traditional holiday meals. Later European explorers and settlers thought they were crafty in bringing turkey with them to settle in North America, and were often surprised to find the bird already living there in the wild.

Enjoyed for almost as long as there have been people around to eat them, the turkey has held a celebrated place in the United States’ history and culture. When it came time to pick a national bird for the United States of America, Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the official bird, and when the bald eagle was chosen instead, poor Mr. Franklin was dismayed. He believed the bald eagle had “bad moral character” for poaching other animals’ kills, and thought the turkey was “a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America.”

The turkey even has a special place in modern White House politics: Since 1947, it has been an annual tradition for the President of the United States to “pardon” a turkey each Thanksgiving. The turkey, spared from becoming dinner, peacefully lives out the rest of its life in a petting zoo.

In the past half century, thanks to improvements in breeding and disease control, turkey consumption has been steadily on the rise in the United States, with annual per capita consumption reaching 16.7 pounds in 2005. Each year, about 46 million turkeys are eaten at Thanksgiving (compared with 22 million at Christmas and 19 million at Easter). Approximately 96% of Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving.

Buying Turkey
Turkeys are available fresh and frozen all year long, and you can buy them either whole or in separate parts. Turkey can be used in almost anything, thanks to its mild flavor. The bird’s large size often leaves behind a generous proportion of leftovers, so it is a comfort to many chefs that turkey works wonderfully in everything from soups and stews to salads and sandwiches. In recent years, the Southern method of deep frying the turkey has risen in popularity, while the traditional roasting of turkey remains ever-popular. The gizzards of the turkey can be used to make a flavorful gravy.

Although male (tom) turkeys can reach 70 pounds, those over 20 pounds are becoming less and less available. The female (hen) turkey usually weighs from 8 to 16 pounds. Gaining in popularity is a smaller version of both sexes (sometimes called a fryer-roaster) which weighs in at about 5-8 pounds. The trend toward these compact turkeys is the result of both smaller families and the desire of turkey producers to make turkey everyday rather than exclusively holiday fare. Turkeys are available fresh and frozen year-round, and sold both whole and as separate parts, such as breasts or drumsticks.

Cooking with Turkey
Some words of caution: Many turkeys come with a built-in plastic thermometer that pops up when the internal flesh has reached the proper temperature. Please do be aware that given our litigious society, these often cook the bird well past the point of being done to “so cooked no one can sue us” land, resulting in a dry, unappealing bird. Do yourself and your guests the service of purchasing a good thermometer and keep track of the bird’s temperature with that instead. Once the turkey reaches 165° F it is ready to come out of the oven and rest for 30 minutes.

Another important note: “Self-basting” turkeys have been injected with vegetable oil to make the cooking process “foolproof”. Unfortunately, this is big business taking us for fools. The best way to keep a turkey moist is to brine it yourself prior to cooking, or to buy a kosher bird, which has been salted to draw out the blood. To brine, make a simple solution of water, salt and sugar, and feel free to add any other aromatics you like to add flavor. The salt opens the pores of the flesh to help it draw in the moisture, and the sugar is hydrophilic, meaning it helps to keep the water inside those pores. Brine the turkey at least a day ahead of cooking, and BE SURE to rinse it off well before cooking. We don’t mean a little spritz: Wash it out very well under running water for several minutes to get rid of any saltiness. Pat dry inside and out, and then proceed with your favorite way to cook it.

Our Approach
Rather than craft an overdone array of turkey preparations merely for the sake of overdoing them, we’ve decided to give you some very straightforward yet elegant preparations for your holiday meals. We’ve also crafted a few recipes for the leftovers, because we know how tiresome that turkey starts looking on Day 3.

Happy holidays!

Recipes

Turkey Preparations: Brine, Compound Butters and High-Heat Roasting
Turkey Gumbo (perfect for leftovers!)
Turkey and Wild Mushroom Sauce (also perfect for leftovers!)

Other ideas to consider for glazing and dressing poultry:
Apple Cinnamon Glaze
En Demi-Deuil (with truffles)

Dossier research by Ava Tramer

CHIC201: Wrapped Foods

This week, two of my best students join me to talk about tamales and pierogis. These are some of the best wrapped foods you can enjoy. Sergio and James bring a special perspective to talking about their respective foods. What are your favorite wrapped foods?

[Ed: This article has become a perennial favorite. Karen Resta is one of the most engaging food philosophers I've ever met, and her writing hits me in that special place.]

by Karen Resta

The wind blows dry leaves into bursts of dance, trailing its chilly fingers down the back of your neck. Dusk wraps its muffled blanket around the trees, houses, and street, but for a dim streetlight here and there. Silence is anchoring children’s feet to the sidewalks in fear of what might be around the corner on this yearly night of enchantment.

It is Halloween night, the night we save for spooks and witches, monsters and devils, cartoon characters in plastic masks, ghosts and goddesses; the night we walk out into the darkness with those who are not real, not of this earth. We enter into the dusk in search of treats, showing ourselves in trickery, fun or frightening. Yet what is it that awaits us on the porches of the homes we approach in our determined efforts with our sacks, awaiting candy, sweets, or maybe the odd granola bar?

A familiar face greets us, and it is glowing! It is glowing from within with a light that looks like the warmth of a loving soul. Orange, bittersweet orange, bright, happy, in-your-face orange sits in the place of honor on each porch step, orange pumpkins grinning from ear to ear with delight at our presence. It is our friend the Jack-O’-Lantern.

The pumpkin is set proudly in that place of honor on Halloween night. It completes the triad of vegetables we tend to remember as first nurturing the Native American, then the Pilgrim upon arrival to this country: the fat, round, orange pumpkin; the tall, rustling, blonde cornstalk; and the merrily curling mahogany vines of beans. This jolly squash that sits on the porch on Halloween night can offer so much more than a welcome inside from the dark. Pumpkin is not just for pie.

Look closer at that glowing face on the porch this shivery Halloween night, and dream perhaps of bringing the magic of this round orange offering into the bright light of your own kitchen. How, you ask?

Here are some ideas to spark the taste buds of your imagination: tortellini, perhaps, filled with pumpkin tossed in a sweet tomato-herb butter, all dolloped into a deep round bowl; pumpkin cheesecake studded with candied ginger, towering sideways, shapely and rich; pungent broths with chunks of pumpkin and slivers of deep green, fragrant in small, round, earthenware cups; a creamy rich purée of baked pumpkin gathered next to ladles of sweetened chestnuts, nestled next to a fine garlic-studded roast; sweet pumpkin butters spiked with Caribbean rum and zests of citrus, spread thick on nutty whole-grain bread; a bite or two of herb honey-candied pumpkin melting on the tongue; mouthwatering risottos dabbled with shiny triangular bits of  soft pumpkin and sharp cheese; a flaky strudel exploding into the fine softness of puddles of nutmeg-scented cranberry pumpkin sauce; the hot fragrant crunch of a long thin spike of pumpkin tempura, dipped gently into a soy-chili sauce, transported to mouth accompanied by murmurs of sensual pleasure.

Consider, please, giving a wee smile back — with quite serious intent — when that glowing warmth of the grinning pumpkin greets you in the dark on this fearful Halloween Eve.  Inviting the Jack O’Lantern into your home as the guest of honor just might bring a taste of ethereal pleasures and mouthwatering illuminations to the feast.

Karen Resta has had an…interesting…career history, one part as Executive Chef for Partners Dining at Goldman Sachs in NYC, and another as VP for Goldman Sachs NYC. Her final career choice: Avoid the word career like the plague and refuse to talk about the juicy parts for money or fame.

This article was originally published on 10/31/05. Since then Karen has launched a fun new food blog, Postcards from the Dinner Table.

We are huge fans of risotto, as we welcome the return of cooler temperatures, when once again rich, hearty dishes return to favor.  This is a variation of a spring vegetable risotto, and the addition of the caramelized Bosc Pears, plus a hint of fall spices, serve as autumn’s calling card.  This is an ideal on its own as a main course, or as a side to slices of pork tenderloin, roasted or grilled duck, or a perfectly cooked veal chop.

Serves 4 as a main course; Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

Ingredients

For the vegetables:
½ cup fresh carrots, small dice
½ cup frozen or high-quality fresh peas (See Chef’s Note)
2 large leeks(white and light green parts only, sliced lengthwise, then sliced on a diagonal), rinsed and drained
Kosher salt

For the caramelized pears:
6 firm (but ripe) Bosc pears (about 2 to 3 pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into a large dice (¾”)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt
1 tablespoon light brown sugar

For the risotto:
2 quarts chicken broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
½ cup coarsely chopped applewood smoked bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups arborio rice (risotto)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
½ cup white wine (Riesling works well here, though a Chardonnay is fine)
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, or more to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Asiago cheese shavings, for garnish
Fresh sage leaves, for garnish

Preparation

Place the chicken (or vegetable) broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to low, and keep the broth hot for the risotto preparation.

Blanch the vegetables:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.  Prepare an ice water bath by filling a large bowl with ice and filling it with cold water.  Add the carrots to the boiling water and blanch them for about 3 minutes, just until they start to soften and become bright orange.  Remove with a slotted spoon and place in the ice water bath.  Return the water to a boil and add the peas, blanching for 1 to 2 minutes until bright green.  Remove with a slotted spoon, add to the same ice water bath as the carrots.  Add the leeks to the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes until just tender.  Remove the leeks and add to the ice water bath.  Once the leeks have cooled, drain the vegetables and set aside.

[Chef’s Note: At this time of year, unless you can find excellent fresh peas, we recommend using frozen ones, both due to their texture and sweetness.]

Caramelize the Bosc pears:
Place the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Season the pears with sea salt and add to the pan.  Sauté over medium heat until the pears are browned and the edges crisp, about 7 to 8 minutes.  Add the brown sugar to the pan and toss the pears to coat.  Allow the pears to cook about 2 minutes more, until caramelized.  Set aside.

Prepare the risotto:
Place a large risotto pan, or large heavy saucepan, over medium heat.  When hot, add the bacon and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the olive oil and the onion and sauté about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 minutes more.

Reduce the heat just below medium, and add the rice.  Stir until coated.  Add the sage.  Cook, stirring until the rice begins to turn a milky white, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the wine.  Cook, stirring frequently until the wine is absorbed, about 3 minutes.  Ladle about 1 cup of the broth into the rice mixture and cook, stirring often, until the broth is almost completely absorbed.  Continue cooking and stirring the rice, adding 1 cup of broth at a time, but only when the previous cup has been absorbed.  After about 15 minutes, begin tasting the rice and adding the broth in smaller amounts until the rice is cooked through.  When the risotto is done it should be creamy with a slight firmness (al dente) to the bite.  Your total cooking time should be about 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Stir in the butter, the parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Gently fold in the vegetables.  When incorporated, gently fold in the caramelized pears.

Service

Place the risotto in warmed serving bowls.  Garnish with Asiago cheese shavings.  Serve immediately.

Recipe and photo by Donna Marie Desfor. Originally published 9/05.

In Mexico, pepitas are a favorite savory snack. Lightly toasted with salt, sugar, and a hint of chipotle chile, they are a perfect addition to a snack tray for a card game or a pre-dinner cocktail. (We do love them with a glass of Prosecco.)

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
kosher or sea salt, to taste
2 teaspoons crushed dried cipotle chiles
sugar, to taste
lime wedges, to serve

Preparation

Scoop the seeds out of a pumpkin and rinse them briskly in a bowl of water to separate out the strings. Lay the seeds out on paper towels and blot well to dry.

Heat a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the pumpkin seeds, dry-frying them for a few minutes. They will dry out and begin to swell. Be sure to keep the seeds moving in the pan so they don’t burn.

After the seeds have puffed up, add the minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes more, adding the salt and crushed chipotles. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the sugar over the seeds, then shake the pan well to coat the seeds.

Serve the pepitas hot with wedges of lime for squeezing over the hot seeds.

ReMARKable Palate #219: Food and Photography

This week, I bring you special audio from the participants in my
Brookyn Cookin’ food and photo workshop. You heard me talking about it the past months, well it finally took place this past weekend, with Chris Marquardt from Tips from the Top Floor co-teaching with me. We speak with the participants, and then afterwards I speak with my good friend and fellow food blogger Jaden Hair from www.SteamyKitchen.com about doing the food photography for her own cookbook.

photo by Chris Marquardt.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

After you taste the ethereal spiciness of homemade chai tea, you will be hard-pressed to purchase it in a store ever again. It only takes a few more minutes to make than “regular” tea, and it is worth every extra second. The wonderful thing about chai is that it is a mixture of spices you can custom tailor to your own tastes; use the quantities specified below as a guideline, and adjust them to suit your palate.

2 servings

Ingredients

1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon pink peppercorns
¼ teaspoon white peppercorns
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns (see Chef’s Note)
6 cardamom pods
2 cups milk
3 teaspoons high-quality loose black tea (or 3 tea bags)
2-3 tablespoons honey, to taste

Preparation

Place cinnamon stick and spices in zip-top bag or plastic wrap and crush with kitchen mallet or cast-iron pan. Add spice mixture to small pan along with milk, tea, and honey. Heat on a very low flame until steam begins to rise from the surface of the milk, stirring occasionally. Allow to steam lightly for 10-15 minutes until heavy streams of steam are rising from the surface. (If your tea bags break that is OK.)

[Chef’s Note: It is important to note that ¼ teaspoon of black peppercorns will give this mixture a significant kick. If you want to tame the peppery taste, reduce the amount to 1/8 teaspoon.

You do not want to boil the milk in this recipe. The creation of flavor relies on a slow, gentle infusion whose fragrance will make you swoon during the cooking process. We promise. If you do see small bubbles forming around the edge of the pan, the milk is ready to boil, so if you have not yet cooked the mixture for a full 15 minutes, simply turn off the heat and let it sit for the additional time, then continue with the instructions below.]

Strain mixture through a colander lined with a paper towel. Press on the spices and tea with a spoon to extract all the fragrant liquids.

Pour tea into cups and serve immediately, or chill and serve cold.

[Chef’s Note: Though tea bags might be the easiest route to take in this recipe, we really do recommend purchasing a high-quality loose black tea such as Ceylon or Assam. Teabags contain stale, dusty leaves that have been sitting on shelves since the time of Methuselah himself, and their bland flavor can detract from such a lovely creation. The bags fall apart in this recipe anyway, and you have to strain everything, so why not give yourself the indulgence of some fragrant, recently-dried black leaves?

If you prefer decaffeinated tea leaves, they can also be used, but we recommend increasing the amount of tea by 1 teaspoon to make up for the loss in flavor.]

Recipe by Jennifer Iannolo

Dinner party nightmares. We’ve all experienced them: Someone puts a plate down in front of you, or arrives at your door with a little “special something” to serve during the party. As good guests and hosts we try to oblige, but the gag reflex is in full effect and it’s all we can do to endure the experience.

Since it’s Halloween week, we’re delving into the realm of the scary with this week’s Gilded Fork Cookbook giveaway.

What’s the most frightening thing you have ever been served (or brought to serve) at a dinner party? Post your comments here, and the one that makes us cringe the most will be announced as the winner on Monday, October 26th.

Go to it!

P.S. If you’d rather not participate in this most disturbing display, you are welcome to purchase the cookbook (did we mention that every copy is signed by us?) in our Gilded Fork Boutique.

Also, to avoid being the source of said nightmares, we recommend said cookbook. We also have lots of recipes and entertaining tips here on Culinary Media Network.

CHIC Podcast #200: Chef Herve Chabert

Chef Herve Chabert joins us this week for the CHIC podcast. He has a strong resume in pastry and education. He gave us demonstrations on brioche and puff pastry. We talk about his upbringing and his career. He also tells us what to look for when visiting Chicago.

a test kitchen dossier

Honey comes out of the air….At early dawn the leaves of trees are found bedewed with honey…. Whether this is the perspiration of the sky or a sort of saliva of the stars, or the moisture of the air purging itself, nevertheless it brings with it the great pleasure of its heavenly nature. It is always of the best quality when it is stored in the best flowers.
- Pliny (A.D. 23-79) ‘Natural History’, book 20

Foodstuff: Honey

Etymology: From the Old English huniġ; honeycomb is from the Old English huniġcamb

Area of Origin: Middle East

Definition
What would life be like without the supple sweetness of honey? A versatile ingredient, this timeless sweetener can be used in just about every type of cooking, and is featured in the food of nearly every culture around the world. Made from the busy work of bees, honey is their food supply for the long winter months when flowers have gone dormant. Happily, the European species of bee (Apis Mellifera) produce enough excess that our own palates may be sated. We’re grateful for their productivity.

History
Honey has been a staple of kitchens since man developed a sweet tooth, which seems to be on record as far back as ancient Babylonian times (Twenty-First Century B.C.), as well as in documentation from other countries in that part of the world, including India and Egypt. One odd thing we discovered was that honey in fact does not go bad when kept at room temperature, though it may thicken or crystallize with time. Incredibly, honey pots from Egyptian tombs have been found containing honey that is still edible.

As a valued foodstuff, honey was not only used as a sweetener in ancient cultures, but as currency as well. In Ancient Greece it was used in tribute to the gods, particularly in mead (considered the drink of the gods). One also hears of the Biblical term “the land of milk and honey,” referring to the lands of Israel and Palestine, which were said to be brimming with plenty.

In the modern age, honey has become a bit of a delicacy; with the prevalent use of refined sugars, honey is often a treat or special ingredient. Artisanal production methods have resulted in numerous varietals of honey, which can be as esoteric as the truffled variety (we swooned when we discovered that one).

Though more details can be found in our review of Covered in Honey: The Amazing Flavors of Varietal Honey, below is a general overview.

Honey Varietals
There are more than 300 varietals of honey available in the United States alone. Apart from artisanal varietals, most commercially found (supermarket) honeys are a blend of clover and alfalfa, and can be found as liquid, spreads (whipped), and in the combs themselves. Here are some of our favorites:

Clover & Alfalfa: Popular varietal, found on supermarket shelves; mild-flavored, light-colored
Buckwheat: Darker color, more pungent flavor
Wildflower: Dark color, very sharp, molasses-like flavor
Lavender: Light in color, beautiful for baking; light scent of lavender
Truffle: To die for. Earthy yet sweet, with a pungent fragrance

Best Matches
Honey is beautifully matched with mildly flavored creams (hence our decision to pair it with Mascarpone cheese this month). It is also a delicious accompaniment to many fruits, including apples, figs, and pears.

Typical Uses
As a sweetener, honey can be used “straight” in beverages, or as a component of recipes to add delicate sweetness. It is also a wonderful thickener for sweet and savory sauces, and a good base for barbecue sauces and glazes. We’ll go into this in more detail in this month’s Test Kitchen Notes.

Our Approach
We are honey freaks, and we loved exploring its uses in both Middle Eastern dishes and as an alternative in baking, so we will feature a variety or uses this month.

Recipes

Honeyed Chai Tea
Pork Tenderloin with Asian Honey Glaze
Honeyed Carrot Cake
Persian Almond Honey Brittle
Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Chickpeas and Honeyed Sauce
Honey Biscotti
Mascarpone Cheesecake with Honeyed Pistachios
Lavender & Honey Roasted Chicken
Ever After Cocktail
Rosemary & Honey Roasted Pears
Honey Souffle with Earl Gray Anglaise
Roasted Fennel with Lavender & Honey Marinade
Milk & Honey Lavender Sorbet
Honey Lavender Caramels
Mascarpone Brownies with Honey Chocolate Sauce
Champagne Sabayon with Roasted Strawberries and Honey Pecan Twists

Resources:
National Honey Board
Honeyview Farm

Jennifer and Chef Mark enjoy a tour of the Stroud Brewery in the Cotswolds. Greg and Ian show them how they make their small batch craft brew, and tell some stories of the historic location they’re in.

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

by Mani Niall

There’s a whole lot happening in this episode, from my trip to BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas to my journey through the Cotswolds in the UK. I’m also continuing my Sex on a Plate adventures, so please do join me for a little stimulating conversation.

Among other things, I was invited to see Zumanity in Las Vegas — the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil. Suffice it to say, the show’s sumptuous, erotic display gave me much inspiration for what is ahead. Today’s show also features interviews with Sally Jarrett from Prince Charles’ Highgrove shop and Chef Shane Kisby from The Priory Inn, both in Tetbury, England.

I’m also sharing a little love for my dear friends C.C. Chapman, Laura Fitton and Jen Kushell, who were all with me for some tasty meals in Las Vegas.

And hey, have you purchased your signed copy of the Gilded Fork cookbook? (shop.gildedfork.com)

Music: Beau Hall (www.beaurocks.com), George Fletcher’s Bourbon Renewal (www.georgefletcher.com)

Food Philosophy is a production of the Culinary Media Network (www.culinarymedianetwork.com)

When it comes to simple desserts, there are few things as comforting and satisfying as warm pears. Don’t be deceived by the simplicity of this recipe; treated to a simple roasting, this is an elegant and flavorful way to enjoy them. Fragrant sprigs of sweet rosemary add a wonderful, yet unusually aromatic and peppery flavor to an otherwise ordinary dessert. This is also a perfect dessert for effortless entertaining — just prepare ahead of time and pop into the oven to roast while enjoying your main course. Buy firm pears, as they maintain their shape best with heat.

6 servings

Ingredients

For the roasted pears:
3 large firm Bosc pears, peeled, quartered and cored
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup good quality honey, such as Wildflower, Orange Blossom or even Rosemary Blossom honey
2 large sprigs of rosemary, cut in half
1 cinnamon stick
Strips of lemon zest from 1/2 lemon

For the whipped crème fraîche:
1 6-ounce container of crème fraîche
1 teaspoon honey

Good quality aged balsamic vinegar, for drizzling

Equipment

Handheld or electric mixer
Melon baller
Vegetable peeler
Zester

Preparation

Prepare the roasted pears:
Preheat oven to 450° F. Place the pears in a baking dish at least 8 x 8-inch in size. Add the rest of the ingredients and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the pears are just tender and caramelized, basting occasionally with the honey juices.

Prepare the whipped crème fraîche:
Beat the crème fraîche and honey together with a mixer until fluffy and a soft whipped texture. Do not over-whip. Refrigerate until needed.

Remove from the oven and serve warm with the whipped crème fraîche.

[Chef's Note: If you enjoy the pear skins, feel free to leave them on, as they take on a beautiful deep-amber glaze when roasted.]

Service

Place two pear quarters on each plate, spoon a dollop or a quenelle of the whipped crème fraîche on top and drizzle with the extra honey syrup from the roasting dish and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy warm!

Variation

Replace the pears with apples for another delicious late-summer or fall dessert.

Recipe and photo by Monica Glass

ReMARKable Palate #218: Stroud Brewery

This week, it’s back to the Cotswolds region of England, where we recently had the pleasure of meeting Greg Pilley from the Stroud Brewery. The Stroud brewery is truly a local microbrew, making small batch craft beer in the village of Thrupp in Gloucestershire. Greg tells us about his unlikely path to running a brewery, and we also learn about why the spot in which they brew has a unique place in history.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

We join Chef Lidia Bastianich at the NY Botanical Garden’s Edible Garden as she demonstrates some great recipes using fresh garden herbs and vegetables. Here she makes a savory crostata filled with rice, zucchini & ricotta cheese.

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

After a few days at BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas, we definitely came away inspired by old friends and new, re-energized by the strides they are making to enhance this lil’ experience we’re all having on the interwebs.

Looks like we’re not alone. We had some great responses to this week’s giveaway about who inspires you most in new media, and the Gilded Fork Cookbook goes to…

…Sean Park from Take Thou Food! (He’s also @TakeThouFood on Twitter.)

Sean has been inspired by Ree Drummond from The Pioneer Woman, a site I recently discovered for myself — and fell in love with for its beautiful design, photography and healthy pinch of sass. As someone who “channels Lucille Ball and Ethel Merman,” Ree has inspired students on Sean’s campus to get in the kitchen. As Sean says, “A lot of my friends around campus who had zero interest in cooking really got into it after discovering Ree’s site. She makes it look easy and the step-by-step photo/instructions helped my friends get inspired.”

I hope you will take a look at her work and Sean’s, because both convey the kind of passion we like to celebrate! Congrats, Sean!

P.S. That Beat Cancer effort? It made the Guinness Book of World Records as the most widespread social media network message in 24 hours. Well done!!

CHIC Podcast #199: Tango Sur

This week we visit Argentina at a restaurant called Tango Sur. It’s on Chicago’s North side. The order of the day is meat and plenty of it. Wook Kang and I talk about what to order at an Argentine restaurant. I loved the intestines! We also take on some listener mail from Singapore.

Fall’s bounty of fresh pumpkins, crisp sweet bell peppers, and tender zucchini blend tastefully together over creamy, warm polenta. Roasting the pumpkin pieces along with the other vegetables releases their natural sugars, making them tender and rich with caramelized flavor. This simple dish will be sure to please anyone on a cool autumn evening.

4 servings

Ingredients

For the roasted pumpkin and vegetables:
3 cups fresh pumpkin, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups fresh sweet red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups fresh zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

For the polenta:
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup polenta or course ground cornmeal
2 cups half and half
¼ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Equipment

Roasting pan
Serrated knife
Medium saucepan
Large non-stick skillet

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Prepare the roasted pumpkin and vegetables:
Using a serrated knife, cut and peel the pumpkin into 1-inch pieces. Next, cut the red bell pepper and zucchini into 1-inch pieces. Place vegetables in a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle about half of the olive oil over the vegetables and gently toss. Spread the vegetables into a single layer and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

[Chef’s Note: It is important to cut all the vegetables about the same size so they roast evenly.]

Prepare the polenta:
While the vegetables are roasting, combine the water, salt and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature, and slowly add the polenta while continuously stirring with a wooden spoon. When the polenta is completely incorporated into the water mixture and smooth, slowly pour in the half and half. Continue to stir well. Add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and continue to stir for about 5 minutes or until polenta is creamy and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Sauté the roasted vegetables:
When the vegetables are roasted and slightly cooled, heat the remaining olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about a minute. Be careful not to brown the garlic as it will become bitter. Add the roasted vegetables and toss with the garlic and oil for about 4 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Service

Spoon a portion of the polenta onto a serving plate and top with the roasted pumpkin vegetable mixture. Serve immediately.

Recipe and photo by Lia Soscia

As promised, we’re going to be running a different contest each and every week until the end of the year, as as a prize, you can win your very own SIGNED copy of our Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home Cookbook!

This week, we’re in Las Vegas attending Blog World Expo ‘09, the largest gathering of bloggers, podcasters, and other New Media types around, and having a great time connecting with friends both old and new. Among others we’ve had the chance to hang out with Grammar Girl, CC Chapman (one of the photo contributors to the book), Ariel Hyatt from CyberPR, Jason Van Orden, Chris Brogan, Rob Blatt, Howard Greenstein, Jim Turner, Rick Calvert (The head honcho of Blog World), Jen Kushell from YSN.com, and so many more. One of the things that we’re reminded of at these events is just how many enormously talented people are out there producing great content, and helping others perfect their own use of the media.

In particular, Christine Lu and Chris Noble are spearheading an effort this week at Blog World to beat cancer! By promoting the use of the hastag #beatcancer on twitter, they’ve managed to get a number of big companies, including eBay, PayPal, and Miller, to donate money to the effort, and in the process, they’re trying to beat a world record for most mentions of a single hashtag in one week.

So we thought we’d ask you: Who do YOU think is doing a great job in this cyberworld? Who do you admire for their great content, their commitment to a cause? Who puts out amazing shows on a regular basis that you love to consume and can’t imagine living without?

Add a comment to this post with the ONE person you admire the most, and give them some link love. And while you’re at it, be sure to pingback this post with one of your own so the person you’re giving love to knows you think they’re great. We’ll take all the comments and pick one at random on Monday October 19th at Noon EST, and that commenter will win a copy of our Gilded Fork Cookbook.

Of course, we know you’ll comment just to show appreciation for someone cool, right? But who knows, you just may win a signed cookbook!

ReMARKable Palate #217: The Cotswold Food Store

This week, I speak with Richard Brooks from the Cotswold Food Store & Cafe, a new business in the UK which brings together dozens of local and artisanal food products made in the region, and which serves as an example of how a local business can bring specialty foods together and make being a “locavore” an easy task. Richard took me through his shoppe and introduced me to so many local specialty products, so get ready for a quick intro to the foods of the Cotswolds!

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

This summer I was invited by Wines from Spain and the Rias Baixas wine region to explore their viniferous offerings. I came away from the trip with a lot of new thoughts on white wines, as they hadn’t held much excitement for me — until I discovered why. A big part of enjoying wine comes from finding out what you like, the reasons you like it, and building from the flavor notes that attract your senses, so much was revealed to me in the span of this tour. With 3 winery visits a day for the better part of a week, I really got to know the nuances of Albarino grapes and Rias Baixas winemaking, so I now feel more empowered and knowledgeable in my search for the flavors that awaken my palate. I hope my findings will help you to discover the sparks that awaken your own.

During my trip I toured the 4 sub-regions of Rias Baixas exploring both large and small winemakers, including Pazo de Señoráns, the winery of the D.O.’s founder, Marisol Bueno. The region is known for the fortitude of its female winemakers, which I have to admit, made me smile.

I’ll be releasing a series of videos and stories about the region, but for now here’s a little taste of my arrival in Santiago de Compostela, a site of pilgrimage for many Catholics. You might hear a sound that is quite unexpected coming from Spain. (Please pardon the video quality — been working out bugs with the conversions.)

A production of the Culinary Media Network (www.culinarymedianetwork.com).

Full disclosure: Travel and accommodations for this trip were provided by Wines from Spain. Any opinions expressed, however, are my own.

Welcome to our one-stop resource for your entertaining questions, quandaries and helpful hints. We know how stressful the entire process can be, but our goal is to do as much of the work for you as possible — we’d rather you spend most of your time enjoying yourself and the company you’ve invited into your home.

If you purchased our Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home Cookbook, you have 13 menus to choose from, so that’s a good place to start. Now there are some details to be dealt with, so we’ve compiled our favorite how-to articles and printouts to help:

Planning 101: The Power of the List – A little Type-A goes a long way
The Magic of Ambience – A how-to for decor, from table displays to music and lighting
The Good Host: Grace Under Fire – How to pull it all together without tearing your hair out

OK, so we like lists. Our reasoning behind this little bit of Type-A behavior is that once it’s on paper, it’s out of your crowded brain and less likely to be forgotten (and overwhelming). Here are some we love:

Household List
Shopping List
Master Calendar

Now all you need to do is get to it! If you want to riff on our menus a bit, feel free to peruse our full list of recipes for some ideas, as well as a great list of cocktails including wine, liquor and non-alcoholic varieties.

If you have questions, please feel free to post them below and we’ll do our best to answer you quickly. You can also find us on Twitter (Jennifer and Chef Mark), where we are often doling out tips, recipes and other tasty suggestions. We’ll continue adding to this entertaining page as we find new items for you, but for now we think this is a great starter kit. Into the kitchen!

CHIC Podcast #198: Southwestern Food

Just back from Santa Fe, New Mexico we talk about Southwestern food today. We ate some great food and had some great hospitality from the folks of New Mexico. We had everything from street food to the finest dining experiences. Come with me as we explore everything with green chiles.

As you know, we like to travel around the world and bring back videos of our exploration of world cuisine. Well, we’ve finally found a great new service that allows us to easily display the videos from each of the trips we take, and to more easily share them on other websites. It’s a new website called www.yubby.com, and they’re one of the sponsors of the 2009 Blog World Expo. They make it easy to aggregate videos on any topic into channels that are more easily shared.

Here are a few of the CMN Travels Feeds for your enjoyment. You can grab the embed code to display any of them on your own website or blog in the lower left hand corner of each widget.

We’ll soon have each of these feeds in iTunes as well.

And here’s a widget that plays ALL our CMN Travels content in one widget that pops up each channel in a separate window:

Well, you guys really came through, and with 54 comments, we got the most for just about any post here on Culinary Media Network! This week’s inaugural Gilded Fork Cookbook Giveaway was all about your perfect guest list for a dinner party. We asked which 5 guests you would invite to your dinner party (of course we assume you’ll be preparing one of the dinner party menus in our Gilded Fork Entertaining at Home cookbook!).

We had some great answers, including some pretty unusual guest lists! What struck us more than anything was the juxtaposition of some of the people, and the fact that most people picked at least one or two folks from their real lives in their “dream team”.

We picked one poster at random (seriously, we closed our eyes, scrolled through the comments, and put our finger on the screen!), and this week’s winner is….

Diego Moya from www.cookdiegocook.com

What’s great about these kinds of contests is that a whole bunch of people come out of lurking and post on the site, and we get a little more insight into the fascinating people who are reading and consuming our content. In this case, Diego has an insightful blog with his thoughts about food and cooking, and some pretty darn amazing photos of the food he cooks and grows in his garden. We urge you to go check it out. And while you’re at it, go through the comments of many of the other folks, and check out their blogs. Some great stuff by some great people.

Hey Diego, contact us at info@culinarymedianetwork.com and let us know where to send your cookbook, and how you want it dedicated!

Come back next week for another Gilded Fork Cookbook giveaway. We promise that we’ll mix it up each week, sometimes asking a trivia question, sometimes it may be a scavenger hunt on our site, or heck, we may even ask you to submit a video! We’ll be giving away one cookbook a week until the end of the year.

HOWEVER, if you like what we’re doing here at CMN, there’s no reason why you can’t head over right now and order your own signed copy. We’ll even dedicate it however you want it. So buy one for yourself now, and enter each week to win one for a friend. Or buy one for a friend now and come back next week to see if you can win one for yourself!

Also, remember that we have a great affiliate program, where you can earn a commission on all orders you send our way, whether it’s for the cookbook, Tondo balsamic vinegar, flavored sea salts, artisanal olive oils, or even gift certificates.

ReMARKable Palate #216: The Foods of Peru

I speak with Chef Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, one of the vanguard chefs of Lima Peru, who is trying to highlight the native foods of the Amazon at his Malabar restaurant in Lima. I then speak with Moises Olivares, at the Sol y Luna Lodge & Resort in the Sacred Valley, high in the Andes Mountains, where Chef Schiaffino is the Executive chef and oversees the culinary programs. I learn all about the unique dishes of this truly food-obsessed country!

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Full Disclosure: Our attendance at La Mistura, travel to Peru and accomodations were sponsored by PromPeru, as part of a Press Trip of North American journalists to learn about many foods of Peru.

Though we are loathe to say it, the holiday season is almost upon us, so we’ve set our sights on making it a bit more fun. And since we happened to publish a shiny new Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home cookbook, we’d like to help ease the stress.

By giving away free cookbooks.

Between now and the end of the year we’ll be posting a Question of the Week (which we’ll also link to from our blogs, Twitter & Facebook). Post your comments here on the CMN site and we’ll pick a random winner to receive a free cookbook. First question is at the bottom of this post to kick things off.

Or, hey, if you don’t want to think that hard, you can just buy a book. And tell your friends to buy them too, because the books really want to go to good homes.

To be sure you’re following the action, here’s where our questions might turn up:

Food Philosophy
ReMARKable Palate
Jennifer on Twitter
Chef Mark on Twitter
Facebook fan page

Good luck!

Question of the Week #1: What 5 guests (living or dead) would you invite to your perfect dinner party?

Jennifer’s guest list: Ayn Rand, Julia Child, Claude Monet, and my new pals David Rosengarten and Colleen Coplick

Chef Mark’s guest list: Jacques Pepin, David Sedaris & Amy Sedaris, JRR Tolkien, & my good friend Jaden from Steamy Kitchen!

Now you — GO! Post your guest list below! We’ll pick a winner at noon on Friday, October 9.

a test kitchen dossier

I’ve learned there are three things you don’t discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.
- Linus, It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Foodstuff: Pumpkin

Etymology: Alteration of obsolete pumpion, from obsolete French pompon, popon, from Old French pepon, from Late Latin pepon, from Latin, watermelon or gourd, from Greek, ripe, large melon.

Area of Origin: North America, specifically southern Mexico.

Description
Such a happy little friend is the bright orange pumpkin. He makes us think of jack o’ lanterns, fairy tale coaches, Ichabod Crane and even the Land of Oz. However, we rather like to eat him instead! Botanically, pumpkin is usually listed along with summer squash, but because it has a harder exterior and more solid flesh than zucchini, yellow, and other varieties of summer squash, it is typically grouped in with winter squash. Unlike winter squash, however, pumpkin is usually available just in the early autumn months; of course, this might have more to do with the market demanding pumpkins in October, when the vast majority of larger pumpkins go for decoration and for jack o’ lanterns! Pumpkin, like other orange colored vegetables, is high in beta–carotene.

History
Pumpkin seeds dating as far back as 7000 BC have been found in Mexico, and references from other continents can be found in the evolution of the pumpkin’s name from Latin, Greek and Old French. In North America, however, the pumpkin’s use is most well known.

Native American Indians used pumpkin as a staple in their diets centuries before the pilgrims landed, and made use of all parts of the pumpkin in their daily activities. They dried strips of pumpkin and wove them into mats, roasted long strips for eating, and used their flesh in recipes both savory and sweet. Interestingly enough, the origin of pumpkin pie is thought to have occurred when the colonists sliced off the pumpkin top, removed the seeds, and then filled it with milk, spices and honey. The pumpkin was then baked in the hot ashes of a dying fire (Source: www.pumpkinpatch.com).

Picking Pumpkins
Look for a hard rind with a firm stem and a bright orange color. The best pumpkin is like a gem: It should be perfect, deep and vibrant in color, and the surface should be smooth with no soft spots or cracks. When knocked, it should have a pleasant hollow “thump,” and be heavy for its size (which indicates a good ratio of flesh to inner cavity).

There is no significant difference in taste between large and small pumpkins, and although large pumpkins are prized at state fairs and for the scariest jack o’ lanterns, the best pumpkins for eating are the smaller ones (those less than four pounds) because the inner flesh is less fibrous. You will sometimes see “baking pumpkins” or “sugar pumpkins” in the supermarket, which do tend to be smaller and sweeter. Choose these whenever possible.

Cooking with Pumpkins
Pumpkins keep for a long time if kept in a cool place, and if the flesh is unblemished. Note: Since the outer flesh is so hard and durable (good for the pumpkin), it can be hard to get at the tender inner flesh (bad for Peter Peter).

To get chunks of pumpkin flesh for sautéing or for another purpose, it’s easiest to peel away the outer skin first, the same way you might remove the outer flesh of an orange. Cut off the top and bottom so that the pumpkin lies flat, then use a sharp knife to remove the outer flesh, curving along the outside from top to bottom. One you’ve removed all the skin, then you can cut it in half and remove the seeds and flesh.

If making pumpkin purée, you can simply cut the pumpkin open, remove the inner strings and seeds, and steam or bake the halves until the flesh is tender. Then you can scrape the flesh away and mash it or pass it through a ricer. It’s never advisable to boil pumpkin, as it absorbs too much water and gets mushy, and boiling leeches out the vitamins into the water (there’s nothing like orange water down the drain to ruin the pumpkin-esque goodness of a recipe).

Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas (recipe below), are incredibly popular as a snack in Mexico, where the pumpkin is native. They are a healthy snack for the kids, and are easy to make.

Pumpkin blossoms are also a tasty treat which can be enjoyed in many ways. (Be sure to peek inside to ensure no small insects are in there!) You may also wish to remove the stamen, which can sometimes be bitter. Pumpkin blossoms can be filled with goat cheese or ricotta, and cooked in a light tomato sauce, or lightly fried in oil.

Our Approach
We love pumpkin in both sweet and savory dishes given its smooth texture and hint of sweetness. We’ve used it in curry and bisque, and savored the crunch of pepitas. We couldn’t ignore the sweeter side, naturally, so there are also a few yummy desserts to savor (save some for holiday baking!).

Recipes

Calabacitas
Thai Red Curry Beef and Pumpkin
Roasted Pumpkin & Vegetable Medley with Creamy Polenta
Pumpkin Bisque
Pumpkin Streusel Cake
Pumpkin Flan with Ancho Chile Brittle
Pepitas (Spicy Pumpkin Seeds)

It’s back to Cardiff for an unexpected extra day of exploration. Chef Mark runs around the town discovering the covered 19th Century arcades, then stops in for a bite at the Victorian-era Central Market.

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

CHIC Podcast #197: Pumpernickel Bread & More

This week I had a request for pumpernickel bread. Normally, I would send the requester to the bakery to get a proper one but I thought I would try my hand at it. It was easy but it took 3 whole days to make it. I’ll tell you all about it. Plus we talk about some great restaurants here in Chicago. I guess they weren’t enticing enough for the Olympic committee. We love them though.