Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Day's Round-Up

Late Summer Plums as an Easy Sauce

“DOES duck sauce have duck in it? Are there oysters in oyster sauce? What about plums in plum sauce? Or Scotch in butterscotch?” MORE....

Flour That Has the Flavor of Home

DETERMINATION'S HARVEST Alton Earnhart, at his farm in Millbrook, N.Y., is one of many small farmers around the country growing wheat.

Advocates of local foods have bemoaned the state of mass-produced flour, even from higher-end brands. Midwestern wheat has been bred for uniformity and yield instead of flavor or nutrition, they say, and processed for shelf stability. But avoiding commercial flour has been a challenge.

Against a backdrop of concerns over food and transportation costs and with demand forlocal food growing, small wheat farmers see an opportunity.

French Laundry chef Thomas Keller talks about his profession

Beyond the kitchen, chefs are now TV stars, tableware designers and more -- businesspeople who, to succeed, must stay connected to cooking and to diners.....

Saveur's Salt Porn:

13 Beautiful pictures of unique salt, and where to find them....

Eating Certain Foods Can Help Fight Bad Breath

Avoiding bad breath could be as simple as eating the right foods. And knowing what to consume, and what to stay away from, could go a long way toward giving you healthy teeth and a great smile.

It’s Soup: Vegetables, Herbs, Water

Ultraripe vegetables, abundant herbs — summer is quite possibly the ideal time to make soup.

VIDEO.....

Late Summer Plums as an Easy Sauce

By MELISSA CLARK

An uncooked sauce that preserves the freshness of the fruit and can be easily thrown together with just a cutting board and blender.

For Better, for Worse, for Richer, for Pasta

An interview with Marcella and Victor Hazan. After 53 years of marriage, a shared love of Italian food, countless books, and now, a memoir.

She’s 84 now, and a parade of Marlboro Lights and afternoon shots of Gentleman Jack whiskey have added up. She has recently endured an infected foot, circulation problems and the other ailments that come in endless waves after a certain age.

And if that wasn’t enough, the woman who taught American home cooks the right way to make Italian food endures the indignities of her local supermarket, which sells jarred bruschetta topping, inflatable alligator beach toys and artichokes so big they offend her. MORE....

Amazon.com to sell wine online in U.S.: vintners

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com, the largest global online retailer, plans to start selling U.S.-produced wine on its website within the United States by early October, wine industry insiders said on Wednesday. MORE....

New from MOMA:

Double-Walled Cruets
Corrado Dotti, 2005

When filled, the double-walled feature of these dispensers creates a stunning visual effect with the liquid appearing to float within the glass. Suitable for serving oil, vinegar, or other liquids, they have removable glass spouts for easy filling and cleaning. Made of hand-blown glass. Hand-wash only.

Daily Recipe Round-Up

In A Quandary? Try Recipe Roulette
Tampa Tribune - Tampa,FL,USA

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

I just needed to pick a recipe, and get moving. Sometimes, choosing a recipe becomes a game for me. Take, for example, what I call recipe roulette. ...

Tomato-Basil Bisque
Detroit Free Press - United States
In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in the onions and continue cooking over ...

Recipe: Caramelized Pears with Blue Cheese and Ginger Gastrique
Detroit Free Press - United States
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, vinegar and ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 8 ...

Immersion blender mayonnaise
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA Basic recipe for mayonnaise

Servings: Scant 2 cupsWhisk constantly until the yolks reach 160 degrees (they will thicken noticeably and lighten in color), then proceed with the recipe.....

Roast potatoes, onions, fennel and bay leaves
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA

Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

VERSATILE: When it comes to bay leaves, less is more.

Note: From Nancy Silverton. This is a summer dish that captures the run of new potatoes, fennel and sweet onions in farmers markets. ...

Recipe(s) of the Day: Smooth Enough Tomato Sauce

Recipe(s) of the Day: Smooth Enough Tomato Sauce

Kerri’s sauce, left, and Ed’s finished product. (Kerri Conan; Edward Schneider)By Mark Bittman
Kerri’s sauce, left, and Ed’s finished product. (Kerri Conan; Edward Schneider) Another two-fer, courtesy of Bitten contributors Kerri Conan and Ed Schneider. Here are their takes on late-summer tomato sauces, ...

Spice-Rubbed Slow Roasted Pork with Onions
Detroit Free Press - United States
Tina Kumiega served this slow-roasted pork at her supper club's rustic fire- side-themed meal last February. In a large skillet, melt the oil and butter ...

Steamy Kitchen

Here's the latest Tropical Storm from Florida - Jaden.
She's the publisher of steamykitchen.com. Not only is she a great cook,
sexy, irreverent and funny as hell, but she's a great mom too....

Guest Writer for Martha Stewart + Thai Curry Beef Skewers

MORE....

Here's a new spot in NYC - Apothéke, the apothecary-themed cocktail bar that opened inside a former opium den on September 5th. Check it out next time your there.....

Albert Trummer’s ‘Novice Apothekers’ Are at Your Service

"I'm a classic person."Photo: Melissa Hom

With all the fuss over Apothéke, we haven’t heard many specifics about Albert Trummer’s drinks, which will cost anywhere from $12 to, well, “market price.” So we decided to ask the~~bar chef~~ apotheker himself to tell us about them. Trummer says many were inspired by the apothecaries he visited as a 10-year-old in Vienna. “Over the past seven years I’ve been trying to develop drinks almost like a pharmacy,” he tells us. “I’m shipping special oils from Valencia, Spain, and combining fruits and liquor and soaking and fermenting my own special herbs.” We asked him, for starters, whether he’s sure all of this is legal.

You make your own absinthe — how is that legally possible?
The distilling process was banned in the U.S. What is legal, and what I do, is to take my special herbs (one is wormwood) and soak them in an anisette. Normally you pour the water tower into the absinthe — instead of that, I’m using the anisette to burn off the alcohol so 80 percent of the alcohol is gone. It’s a very smooth absinthe.

And how are you able to use coca and opium leaves, as the press release describes? MORE....

RESTAURANT PREVIEWS - (September 9, 2008)
MARKET - JEAN-GEORGES CONFIRMED FOR SHANGRI-LA

By tomorrow all of Canada will be aware that Vancouver'sShangri-la Hotel has cemented its long drawn out negotiations with Culinary Concepts of New York, and that Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten will indeed be operating a restaurant (to be called Market) in Vancouver. The official PR notice went out to all local media this morning, and the national press will be notified this evening.

For a city with an insatiable need for acknowledgment as a "world class" dining destination, we agree that the marriage is a juicy validation. However, we're not going to hyperventilate over the news just yet. ... MORE....

KFC shoring up security for secret recipe

Bohannon/AP

KFC's top-secret recipe is on the move.

— Pssst. The secret's out at KFC. Well, sort of.

Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten recipe of 11 herbs and spices was removed Tuesday from safekeeping at KFC's corporate offices for the first time in decades. The temporary relocation is allowing KFC to revamp security around a yellowing sheet of paper that contains one of the country's most famous corporate secrets.

The brand's top executive admitted his nerves were aflutter despite the tight security he lined up for the operation.

"I don't want to be the president who loses the recipe," KFC President Roger Eaton said. "Imagine how terrifying that would be."

The recipe that launched the chicken chain was placed in a lock box that was handcuffed to security expert Bo Dietl, who climbed aboard an armored car that whisked away with an escort from off-duty police officers.

Eaton's parting words to Dietl, "Keep it safe." MORE...

Wine Spectator Video Contest

Here are the 5 finalists, which Wine Spectator's editors have chosen from the videos created by their readers. Your votes will determine the winner. The 2nd and 3rd place finishers will be revealed on Monday, September 15th. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 16.

What's at stake? Bragging rights and big prizes, so watch the videos and vote..........

Watch the five finalists

picked from dozens of entries by Wine Spectator's senior editors

at WineSpectator.com/videocontest2008