My new favorite “I’m not having dessert, I’m just having a bite” snack.
Step 1: Cover half a spoon with chunky peanut butter. Don’t bring me any of that natural shit. The junky kind – like Skippy – is necessary here.
Step 2: Cover the other half of the spoon with Häagen Dazs vanilla ice cream.
Step 3: Eat.
Step 4: Try not to repeat. It’s difficult.
And yes, I know I could buy peanut butter ice cream. And no, it’s not the same.
Okay, so we’re a day late. But L’Shana Tova!
That basically means have a good new year. This past weekend was the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah. And while we may be tardy in directing you to dip apples in honey for a sweet new year, I do have a fall dish for you. Oh, and I’m not sure why exactly we dip apple slices into honey, (I’m guessing seasonality on this one because at this time of year one can buy both apples and honey at the farmers market) but I can tell you it’s a delicious treat. Actually, you can learn a lot from these two videos.
Here’s the song I was taught at Hebrew school back in the day:
And here’s a slightly updated version on the new year gig:
Post jump: Celebrating not just a new year, but a new season: apples!
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– ESers are officially on the Mark Bittman bandwagon. Nicky:
I have to say I couldn’t agree more. I love Bittman or M. Bitty (as we jokingly refer to him in our house). His cookbook How to Cook Everything is excellent. It’s a wonderful resource.
ChiCityDame:
Yes, yes… I look forward to the online videos on Bitten every week. Please put this man on my DVR!!
You heard the people, Food TV execs — more M. Bitty!
– A few weeks back we covered the story of the world’s biggest cupcake. But cupcake queen C. Christy Concrete returns with a very good point:
A giant cupcake? Wouldn’t that technically just be a…cake?
Hmm…we might have to consult the Guinness people about this one.
– Finally, I’m not exactly clear how Summer‘s comment relates to powerful women in food, but she hits on Kraft singles, patriotism, and Heidi Montag’s boobs all in one go, so I’d say this one’s a winner:
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You know we always love a good rant here on ES, so it’s time to introduce our newest feature: Grinds My Gears Burns My Bacon.
As much as I love food, there are just so many little thing to complain about. Every time I go to a restaurant, deli, grocery store or coffee shop there is always something that’s just not right. It’s usually a simple thing that can be easily rectified but it persists, probably because no one has ever complained about it before. Not any more, people of ES. I’m not prepared to sit back any longer. This is a time that demands action. So, without further ado, here is your first Burns My Bacon:
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Top Chef left Vegas for the desert this week, but the heat by the campfire was too much for one chef-testant. We find out why, after the jump.
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(Artist’s rendering of what Food Network looks like on my new television.)
Dear Comcast,
I know a lot of people give you a hard time, bit I don’t think you’re so bad. My service is pretty reliable, any problems I’ve had have been addressed quickly and accurately, and it’s cool living in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where I get both New York and Philly stations (I’m impossible to get off the couch on football Sundays). And I was really excited when I bought a new HD television so that I could start watching those HD signals that you run.
However, while my wife is thrilled to be able to watch Toddlers and Tiaras in stunning high definition, I’ve found the lack of Food Network in HD to be quite disappointing. You see, when they first announced that Food Network would be broadcasting in HD, I dreamed of the day when I would upgrade my unit, experience succulent dishes in amazing clarity and come one step closer to Emeril’s mythic “smell-o-vision.” And yet here I am with my snazzy new set and no HD signal with which to decipher the hidden messages in Guy Fieri’s tattoos.
Look, I know it takes a while to roll this stuff out, but anything you can do to fast-track HD Aida Mollenkamp would be greatly appreciated.
XOXOXO,
TVFF
Remember, the smörg always comes to you in the highest possible resolution.
– Padma insists that the odds aren’t stacked against women on Top Chef, but I do find the unusual requirement that all female cheftestants be both barefoot and pregnant to be a bit unfair.
– Here’s an article that includes the words “Jamie Oliver” and “testicles.” Bon appetit!
After the jump…a double dose of awesome news from Paula Deen and Duff Goldman wants to entertain your daughter.
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Many of you already know TV host Jeff Corwin from his wildlife and conservation shows on Animal Planet. And while we’re all about saving the earth here at ES, we’re more likely to get excited about animals when they’re thrown on a grill, which is why we’re glad to hear this hungry heartthrob is turning his attention to food. In Extreme Cuisine, which debuts on the Food Network this Thursday, September 17, Corwin travels the world in pursuit of the tastiest, most far-out food he can get his hands on. In short, he has a job that makes us very, very jealous. We caught up with Corwin to find out how he’s handling this difficult new assignment.
We mostly know you from your shows about wildlife and conservation. What made you decide to transition into food?
In my heart of hearts I’ve always been a passionate foodie. I’ve worked in the restaurant business for a lot of my life, since I was 12 with my family. And as I travel around the world I always look forward to getting to that restaurant everyone talks about or getting to that great food destination. So I’ve always wanted to take the spirit of adventure and exploration that I bring to a nature show and apply that to food.
Working in restaurants since 12? Tell us more about that.
My great-grandfather, Maximallian Macadelli, opened one of the first pizza shops in the United States. Some would dispute that. There are those who say the first pizza came from New York, but if you ask anyone in my family, the first pizza came from Brick Bottom in Somerville, Massachusetts. So when I was a little kid I worked in restaurants, everything from dishwasher to busboy to prep cook to line cook to bartender, waiter – I did it all.
Do you watch the Food Network yourself?
I do. That was very much an inspiration. I’ve been a fan of Food Network for like 8 or 9 years and like seven years ago I had a conversation with one of their executives and this show eventually grew out of that. Food for me has always been an adventure. So part of the impetus for this show was so that my own family, my daughters, will know where food comes from. I once had a conversation with a little kid who told me food comes from the refrigerator. Well what if you didn’t have a refrigerator? What if you didn’t have electricity? What if every morning you woke up and your day began with making sure you and your family have enough food to eat for the day?
How did you chose what locations to visit on the show?
There are a lot of food shows out there, so I wanted to make sure we were doing new things that people haven’t seen, to give them the spirit of a new place they haven’t experienced. We wanted to be able to not just walk into a home and shoot, but to be there at five o’clock in the morning with a fisherman as he paddles out, or in the Andes as they go out to harvest potatoes.
Did you get to take anything home with you?
Absolutely. Anything I can. I brought back this mortar and pestle from Peru and I’m using it to grind up my spices now. We also went to a salt mine in Peru where these families harvest salt as it dribbles out of a mine and I brought some of that salt home. I’m putting it on everything.
Extreme Cuisine premieres on the Food Network Thursday, September 17 at 9pm ET
Also on Endless Simmer: ES Chats with Ted Allen about Chopped