October, 2009 -

by tvff

Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

Thanksgiving may be more than a month away, but the ES commenters have already begun planning for their turkey prep . The consensus is that brining the bird is the way to go. And the benefits of that salty bath go beyond juicy meat, according to Summer:

Brined turkeys don’t simply yield the most succulent, delicious meat — they make awesome gravy, too. Just remember that the drippings will be salty, so don’t add any extra salt, and use plain water rather than broth. All it will need is a little bit of fresh-ground pepper. I make gravy right in the roasting pan, just whisking in flour and warm water.

Republican Congressmen aren’t the only ones imagining that “Muslim spies” are infiltrating our most cherished national institutions. Jeb pointed out some suspicious looking characters among the creepy Halloween foods:

I thought, at first glance, the Mummy Dogs were Taliban Dogs…is that weird?

It seems that our very own Brittania has some strong feelings about the relative quality of the glossy cooking magazines:

We lost he likes of Gourmet and the potential downsizing of Bon Appetit for the likes of FN Magazine- Food Magazine for Dummies.

(Photo: emotionaltoothpaste)

by Russell Warnick

Breadless BLT

Living a block from the 14 & U St. Farmers Market and working a few blocks from the White House Farmers Market there is little reason for me to venture to any of the other markets in the city, unless of course ES’ own Gansie is working it. This past Saturday I battled the rain and headed north to Mt. Pleasant, and let me tell you, the weather was not so pleasant. The market might be smaller than most in the city but it doesn’t stop short of selling everything the others do, I went in search of chili peppers for a cook-off at work- but that’s for another post.

As I was perusing for the great deal on habaneros, poblanos and jalapeños, my eye wandered over to the fresh meats, since I needed some beef round for my chili. Instead it was the bacon that caught my eye, naturally. A whole slab of bacon, I’d seen these before but not really thought much of it, I bought some anyway figuring I could make a delicious treat- and that I did.

Before heading home I went over to Gansie to show her what I had bought and she too marveled at the bacon, immediately, without hesitation she suggested I make a breadless BLT, and without hesitation, I said OK.

in Bacon / Breakfast / Endless Bacon / Featured / Recipe / Sandwich 4 comments

by tvff

Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Susie Fogelson Needs a Virtual Heimlich

The latest and greatest news about celebrity chefs, served up buffet style.

– The new Food Network Wii game, Cook or Be Cooked!, will make you a world-class chef in the same way that Wii Sports has turned you into a professional athlete. Remember: video bowling ain’t exercise, chubby.

– Salman Rushdie is reportedly still obsessed with Padma Lakshmi. That’s a stunning lack of willingness to “live in the moment” displayed by someone who was wanted dead my millions of people.

After the jump: A murder in the publishing business, Bobby Flay is moving on up and a celeb chef shows us that it’s never too late.

in Celebs / TV 2 comments

by gansie

Appetizers All Night

My back hurts. Really hurts. I have no idea how chefs stand for that many hours in a row. I just finished my most recent catering gig. This was with 80P’s mom again. I conducted many, many brainstorming conversations (thanks: Maids, Romeo, El, WestCoast, BS, 80P…) but because I’m so used to Eating Down the Fridge (using up ingredients in my fridge/pantry and not shopping for new food) that I could only fathom working with items already in my possession, or ones I knew I could pick up while working at the farmers market.

Fortunately, I was recently in Philly for work and had some spare time before dinner (ate at Monk’s–mussels, fries and stout–with BroadAndPattison). I found this adorable nut shack: Nuts to You.

I’m not even kidding, I was in that place for 45 minutes browsing the 4 aisle store filled with nuts, dried fruits, grains and candies. I walked out with, and I’m still not kidding, FIVE pounds of food, which I then had to drag around as I wasted more time checking out Banana Republic, Lacoste, Williams-Sonoma (don’t get me started on their uni-tasker inventory; they have 6 instruments alone to peel and chop garlic) and this weird all-natural soap and lotion place with the perkiest staff of all time. Soap that smells like pine nuts and lavender, no thanks.

I left Nuts To You with: dried dates (pound), dried figs (pound), quinoa (pound), mixed bag of almonds, cashews, peanuts, hazelnuts and walnuts (pound) and cashew butter (pound). Yes, not peanut butter, but cashew butter. And I saw them make it. There was this crazy looking glass machine with some peanut oil in it and the salesperson dumped a pound of cashews into the machine and then out oozed cashew butter. No salt, no preservatives, no corn syrup. Just nuts and oil. A-mazing.

Anyway, with that in the cupboard, here is what I proposed to 80P’s Mom:

Dates and figs (either or both) stuffed with cheese (either ricotta, goat cheese or quark) and herbs. This can be served warm or room temp and can be stuck with a toothpick for serving
Sweet potato disks with cashew butter and chili powder spread ( Can spread the cashew butter on top of the chips or let people dip it)
On a toothpick: cube of roasted winter squash, cube of feta, cube of squash
Cucumber slice with Greek yogurt, lemon zest and quinoa
Artichoke, olive and caper crostini
Radish, cashew butter and broccoli (Or the broccoli can be cooked)

80P’s Mom selections after the jump.

in Cheese / Desserts / Featured / Recipe / Veggie 2 comments

by BS

ES To-Eat List

Eaters mingle with star chefs at New York Taste.

We’re constantly getting news of various delicious events crossing our virtual desks here at ES, and we figured we should probably start sharing them with you. So here’s our first list of upcoming edible events we’re already drooling over:

Wed. Oct 21 (TONIGHT!): David Sax speaks about his book Save the Deli at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, Washington, DC. (look out for local celebrities in attendance.)

Thurs. Oct 29 – Sun. Nov. 1: Boo and Brew Gourmet Getaway. The best of Vermont all in one weekend: gourmet meals at Good Commons coupled with Long Trail beer brewing and a local cheese tour, plus Halloween scariness like a corn maze and hay rides. Transportation from NYC included. Plymouth, Vermont.

Mon. Nov 2: New York Taste: New York magazine serves up food from 40 of NYC’s top chefs — Dan Barber, Govind Armstrong, Morimoto, etc…basically everyone you’ve ever seen on Top Chef. Skylight, Manhattan. (we’ll be there – say hi!)

Wed. Nov 4: James Beard meets Jersey. At this benefit dinner, past James Beard Award winners cook up some fanciness in West Orange, New Jersey.

Sat Nov. 7: The 5,000 Egg Giant Omelette Celebration. Yes, that’s 5,000 eggs. Don’t really need to hype this one up anymore, do I? Abeville, Louisiana.

Sat Nov. 14: Winter coming doesn’t mean beer festival season is over. The Great International Beer Festival kicks off in Providence, Rhode Island.

What else should we be eating and drinking over the next month?? Let us know.

in Celebs / Eggs 2 comments

by broadandpattison

Move Over Wings, Beer Found a New Friend

I have two words: Pretzel. Necklace.

A few weeks ago, I trekked out to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival. I actually recorded much of our travails, and even interviewed my brother about the organization, the taste, the vibe, and yes, even the drunk snacks being dished out from every vendor like it’s Halloween candy. Unfortunately, I mistakenly interviewed him at the end of the festival – and just in case he ever runs for public office – the video simply cannot surface.

Despite the plethora of convenient snack vendors (jerky, pulled pork in cups, hot dogs, sausage), we found a much more convenient way satisfy our drunken hunger: We made necklaces. Out of pretzels.

5 Steps to a Pretzel Necklace

in Drinks 4 comments

by BS

Top 10 Creepy Halloween Recipes

Is it just us, or do Halloween recipes get creepier and simultaneously more delicious every year? Halloween isn’t just about candy and Halloween costumes any more. Here are our top 10 favorite finds from around the web: