Epicurious.com: Editor's Blog

Holiday Season Healthy-Eating Tip: Try These Five Stress-Fighting Foods

Megan O. Steintrager — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:17:00 -0500

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, we're getting deep into the most wonderful, a.k.a. hectic, time of the year. To combat stress during the holiday season, the November issue of Self magazine suggests a pretty appealing approach for food lovers: eat. The magazine lists Five Stress Fighting Superfoods and promises, "Done right, noshing when your nerves are jangling can keep you calm and healthy." Sounds good to me. Read on for a list of the stress-busting foods they suggest (with links to healthy recipes on Epicurious for each one). Spinach. The leafy green provides magnesium, a mineral that "blunts stress's effects on the body by stopping blood pressure from spiking," the article says. Oranges. "Healthy people who were exposed to cold viruses were more likely to get sick if they were under pressure," according to a Carnegie Mellon University study, the article's author, Jan Sheehan, explains. But the vitamin C in citrus can bolster the body against infection. Fish. "Omega-3 fatty acids in fish such as salmon and tuna can help quell anxiety," the article explains. Oatmeal. "The B vitamins in oats stimulate production of serotonin, a key neurotransmitter that sends soothing signals to your brain," says Self. Chocolate. Compounds in cocoa can trigger the brain to produce "a sense of happiness and relaxation," says an expert quoted in the feature. For more on staying well this season, see our feature on Foods That Fight the Flu. Pictured recipes: Asian Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado, Lime- and Honey-Glazed Salmon with Basmati and Broccolini , and Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

A Cookbook for the Pennywise and Time-Crunched

Regina Schrambling — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:29:07 -0500

This is the time of year when time and money start to go into serious competition to see which will be in shortest supply. Which is why Jamie Oliver's newest cookbook, "Jamie's Fast Food Revolution," has been open on my counter night after night. It's like the "60-Minute Gourmet" for a new generation. The recipes are quick and easy and really smart, and they're as affordable as billed. All this fish needs is a coating of curry powder before being pan-fried in a little oil and butter; he called for cod, but I had blackfish, and it was outstanding. I've been making his "simple cheesy mustard sauce" for both fish and vegetables: You just heat olive oil with mustard, flame it with brandy, add cream and bring it to a boil, then throw in some grated cheese. I'd forgotten how sauce really does elevate just about anything; it's like liquid bacon. But Oliver's baked Camembert pasta is the best example of how he streamlines to great effect. The whole round of cheese (which I bought for all of 99 cents at Zabar's because it was near its sell-by date) was topped with sliced garlic and rosemary and baked until oozy, then spooned over rigatoni, plus spinach blanched in the pasta water, with olive oil, rosemary and Parmesan. It's a three-step sensation. Oliver's goal is to get more people cooking, and this would do it. The book has a list price of $35, but Christmas is coming. . . .

Treat of the Week: Almondina Pumpkin Spice Biscuits

Carolina Santos-Neves — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:45 -0500

It used to be that you knew summertime was officially over when the leaves start turning red and yellow. But for the food-obsessed, like myself, it's when pumpkin-flavored products start to pop up: lattes, whoopee pies, muffins etc. This is not a complaint. Pumpkin-flavored treats are probably the only reason I no longer dislike the winter season. In fact, last year I decided that every winter for the rest of my days I would pick one pumpkin-flavored treat to obsess over. So last November I befriended Edy's Pumpkin flavored ice cream. Per my usual behavior, I spent a little too much time with good ol' Edy's (i.e. I grew sick of it) and have since opted out of walking by the frozen section of the supermarket throughout the months of October to December. Out of sight, out of mind, out of my pie hole. I believe I have found my new winter favorite: Almondina Pumpkin Spice Almond and Pumpkin Seed Biscuits. And I thank the Pumpkin Gods that summer has left us. WHAT WE LIKED BEST: 1. Packed with pumpkin pie spice (like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) which is oh so nice. It goes without saying that the smell and intense flavor alone can get you hooked. 2. Serving size matters. You can have four flavorful crunchy biscuits (120.5 calories total) and be satisfied. Though I will admit I had six without a single regret. 3. Coffee break just got better. No need to eat that stale, overpriced, supposedly almond-flavored biscotti from the coffee shop ever again. Opt for the treat where you can taste and see the almonds that is listed as one of the main ingredients. 4. Multipurpose. Eat them with Greek yogurt, frozen yogurt, dipped in hot chocolate or use them as a stocking stuffer. WORTH IT OR NOT? Without a doubt. These all natural cookies have no preservatives, cholesterol, added fat, or salt. They also have 3.5 grams of protein per serving (thanks to all those almonds and pumpkin seeds). $3.49 per 4 oz. bag.

Foodie Festivals This Week

Joanne Camas — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:12:00 -0500

California: Big Sur Food and Wine Festival (Nov. 6-7) Florida: Florida Seafood Festival (Nov. 6-7) Hawaii: Kona Coffee Cultural Festival (Nov. 6-15) Oklahoma: Oklahoma WineFest (Nov. 7) Pennsylvania: 5th GoodTaste! Pittsburgh Food & Cooking Expo (Nov. 7) Tennessee Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival (Nov. 7) Virginia: Brunswick Stew Festival (Nov. 7) Louisiana: Giant Omelette Celebration (Nov. 7-8) Washington, DC: Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show (Nov. 7-8) Jamaica: Kingston Restaurant Week (Nov. 7-14) California: Great Chefs of Los Angeles "Go Green, Go Organic" (Nov. 8) Texas: New World Wine & Food Festival (Nov. 8-15) New Jersey: Vanilla 2009 (Nov. 10-11)

Chef Recipes from Our Epicurious Entertains Event

Lauren Salkeld — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:07:00 -0500

Last month, Epicurious hosted its first Epicurious Entertains NYC event. The 5-day food extravaganza included dinners prepared by Mario Batali, Daniel Boulud, Paul Liebrandt, and Marco Canora, plus the Ultimate NYC Lunch Break, a day of football and barbecue (from Chef Zak Pelaccio's Fatty 'Cue), and cooking demonstrations from some of our favorite chefs and experts. At each and every demo, we kept hearing the same thing: "Where can we get the recipes?" Lucky for you, many of our great chefs and experts agreed to share their recipes with Epicurious. See below for recipes from Chef Michael Psilakis of Kefi, Anthos, and Gus & Gabriel, Cooking Teacher Lourdes Castro, Magnolia Bakery, BR Guest Mixologist Eben Klemm, Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit, Jean Georges Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini, and more. Lourdes Castro's recipes from Simply Mexican: Crab Tostadas Chicken Tamales Homemade Mexican Crema Chipotle Chile Sauce Creamy Salsa Verde Michael Psilakis's recipes from How to Roast a Lamb: Chickpea Spread Tzatsiki Tanya Steel's recipes from Real Food for Healthy Kids: Peachy Keen Chicken Edamame Succotash Salad Chocolate Chip Flying Saucers James Cury demonstrated Camper English's cocktail, The Cure Marcus Samuelsson's recipe from New American Table: Maple-Glazed Tuna with Pear-Potato Salad Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing Eve Felder's Roasted Fall Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter and Crispy Sage Johnny Iuzzini's Chocolate Noodles with Peppermint Broth and White Chocolate Sorbet Eben Klemm's cocktail recipes: Pine Needle Daiquiri 3-Second Ramos Gin Fizz

What to Eat After Getting Your Wisdom Teeth Removed?

Esther Sung — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:08:00 -0500

Since having two wisdom teeth extracted one week ago, I have been eating lots of soup, pudding, oatmeal, and applesauce. Eggs, very ripe bananas, smashed potatoes, fruit smoothies, and lox have also made their way into my stomach but with another week of healing to go, I am missing foods that are savory like burritos, crunchy like granola, and chewy like rice, shrimp or even a simple green salad. The oral surgeon suggested tiramisu and a colleague mentioned flan, but what I could really go for right now is a juicy, ripe apple. I might just drive myself crazy thinking only about foods I can't or shouldn't have! So help me out: What foods did you find yourself craving after oral surgery and what did you do about it? In the end, what foods sustained you?

Becoming A Cake Boss

Tanya Steel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:48:13 -0500

This weekend I will be a mistress of ceremonies at the Cook Eat Drink Live food festival in Manhattan, but I also need to find time to bake a cake for a friend's birthday Sunday night. Even though I must have made more than a hundred cakes, I still nervously read the recipe over and over again, worrying that I didn't line the springform pan well or that my baking powder has lost its potency or that my frosting will be too soft or too stiff. But, I just read through Nick Malgieri's cake primer story, and watched videos of Toba Garrett on how to decorate a cake, and feel ready to embrace my inner cake boss. Are you a nervous baker or are you the next cake boss? If the latter, what is your dessert of choice?

Food News Round-Up: Soggy Cereal Claims

Michael Y. Park — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:31:50 -0500

Kellogg's Yanks Health Claims: The cereal company's getting rid of the immunity claims on its boxes of Rice Crispies and Cocoa Krispies because of the heightened concern people have about swine flu. Meet the White House Food Guru: Sam Kass isn't just another University of Chicago history major-turned-food dude, he's also hugely influential on the Obamas' take on food and health. Do You Know How to Eat Sushi? No? Then consider taking sushi lessons from this guy. (Or just save yourself $105 and remember to dip the fish, not the rice, and not put wasabi in your soy sauce.) So the Yankees Won the World Series: No. 27 for the Bombers. What did you eat or drink to celebrate? Or what did you throw at the TV in your fury? Just curious. Kentucy-Fried Restaurant Conundrum: People are going cheap, cheap, cheap ... and that's bad news for high-end eateries in the Bluegrass State. Butterscotch Is Back: No, not Owen Wilson. The childhood treat that's making a comeback on the menus of fancy restaurants. Me? I could never stand the stuff as a kid, so I don't buy the "reliving your childhood" stuff. Beer Pool. 'Nuff Said: But you'll have to fly to Austria to swim in it. Thatsa Spicy Cockatail! Bartenders are kicking cocktails up a notch with spicy ingredients. Five-alarm martini, anyone? And for the Teetotalers ...

Thanksgiving Answers: All About Stuffing

Sarah Kagan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:20:44 -0500

This month on the Epi-log, we're answering your Thanksgiving questions. A few days ago, a commenter raised the issue of stuffing. This seemingly simple subject can actually get a bit complicated, so I thought I'd break it down. Here's the deal: Thanksgiving cooks are split between those who stuff their turkeys and those who bake their stuffing in a casserole dish rather than in the bird. Why the disagreement? Part of it has to do with tradition and regional variations: Baking the stuffing outside the bird is more common in the South, where it's often called "dressing" rather than stuffing. But there are also culinary and safety arguments behind each position. The safety concerns have to do with salmonella and other bacteria, which can come from eggs in the stuffing or from the interior surface of the turkey's cavity. If the bird is removed from the oven before the stuffing reaches 165°F, some bacteria could remain alive and make diners sick. Getting the stuffing to 165°F is harder than it seems: It takes time for the oven's heat to penetrate all the way to the center of the bird, and by that point, the breast meat on the outside might very well be overcooked and dry. For this reason, many experts recommend baking the stuffing outside the bird, where it can easily be cooked to 165°F and is less likely to harbor bacteria. However, many people who grew up eating stuffing from inside the bird find it lacking moisture and flavor when it's baked in a casserole dish, without the benefit of the turkey's juices. Luckily, whichever method you prefer, there are ways to get around the problems. If you choose to bake your stuffing alongside the bird, drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of extra stock over it before it goes in the oven. This will replace the extra moisture and flavor the turkey would have provided. Using a rich, flavorful homemade stock, such as the Homemade Turkey Stock that Thanksgiving expert Rick Rodgers created for Epicurious, will also go a long way toward providing that indescribable roast-turkey-ness. If you want to cook the stuffing inside the bird, you should take several precautions to ensure safety. First, do not stuff your turkey until right before it goes in the oven. Yes, when faced with a long list of Thanksgiving Day tasks, it's tempting to stuff the bird the night before, stow it in the fridge, and then just pop it in the oven the next morning. But this will create an optimal environment for bacteria to flourish: The moist stuffing, likely warm from the cooked veggies and stock, will sit in the fridge for hours before it gets below the "danger zone"the range of temperatures in which bacteria can grow. This will allow any bacteria present, already thriving in the moist conditions, to multiply like crazy. Once the stuffing finally cools down, they won't be killedthey'll just stop multiplying as quickly. Then, when the turkey goes into the oven,...

Thanksgiving Cooking Classes Around the Country

Megan O. Steintrager — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:02:00 -0500

Epicurious has tons of Thanksgiving recipes, menus, and how-to videos, but if you'd also like to add some hands-on (and perhaps hands-in, when it comes to the bird) cooking experience before Turkey Day, check out this small sampling of upcoming cooking classes around the country, below. Our list includes classes with Thanksgiving pros Rick Rodgers and Diane Morgan, two authors and teachers who have contributed their expertise to Epicurious. Thanksgiving Classes with Rick Rodgers, Multiple Locations in the U.S. Thanksgiving Classes with Diane Morgan, Multiple Locations in the U.S. The Ultimate Thanksgiving Dinner, The International Culinary Center, New York, NY Thanksgiving 101, In Good Taste, Portland, OR Thanksgiving Side Dishes, Kitchen Table Cooking School, Greenwood Village, CO Thanksgiving Treats and Thanksgiving Dinner, Culinary Classroom, Los Angeles, CA Lowcountry Thanksgiving Feast, Pies and Tarts, and Thanksgiving Wines, Maverick Southern Kitchens, Charleston, SC The American Heritage Thanksgiving, Cajun Thanksgiving, and Thanksgiving to Go, Nibbles Academy of Cooking, Fayetteville, AR Thanksgiving Cooking Class, Bozeman Recreation and Parks, Bozeman, MT Do you run a cooking school or know of a great Thanksgiving cooking class? Share the info and links below in the Comments section.