As unabashed trend followers, we’re suckers for anything phrased in the form ____ is the new ____. So we were stoked to read epicurious’ list of the Top 10 Food Trend Predictions of 2009.
Apparently, molecular gastronomy, Thai food, and Portland, Oregon are out; while rustic food, Peruvian, and Portland, Maine are in. Who knew?!
What food trends would you like to see put to rest in 2009?
Picture: Elephantitits of the mind.
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to start thinking about our next favorite end-of-year ritual: The Second Annual Endless Simmer Eater of the Year Awards!!!
Last year, Tony Bourdain was crowned the inaugural Eater of the Year, beating out such luminaries as hot dog eating champ Joey Chestnut, amuse bouche eating champ Padma Lakshmi, Chocolate Jesus, Al Gore, and the Locavore Four.
But which eater made the most impact in 2008? Is Bourdain primed for a repeat? Was this the year Michael Pollan ruled them all? Or should it be Sarah Palin and her moose meat? Duffy Lyon and her cow sculptures? Will 2007 runner-up Joey Chestnut rise to the top? Or will long underexposed chef Rachael Ray finally get her due?
The only thing we know for sure is that it’s all up up to you. Once again, Endless Simmer readers will get to choose who deserves this highly coveted title. But first, we need to figure out the nominees. Have ideas? Hit us up in the comments. Finalists will be announced next week.
If you’re surely above eating hot dogs on Thanksgiving, and if you’re definitely not basting a turkey with Coke, you may be in the “I’m too good for Thanksgiving” camp. There are absolutely people out there that cook Tgiving-type meals every week. Ten courses for 20 people, peeleze! That’s cake. Here’s ES’ guide to a holier-than-thou day of thanks for our pretentious readers. We love you too.
To Start: Cheese Course
Sliced cheddar cheese—even if you milked the cow and curded the wheys (okay, not even sure if that’s right) yourself—will not do for an appetizer. You need something fit for royalty. Let me introduce you to fromage de Clon. A cheese so rare and regal, that it hasn’t been produced in 250 years. According to Gourmet,
Partly because of its saffron, partly because of its manufacture [lush green meadows of eastern France], Clon was uniquely esteemed and expensive. It appeared on the tables of Savoy and the kings of France and was found as far as the Vatican.
But then it mysteriously disappeared until just recently. Actually, its so trendy that you can’t even read Gourmet’s article online and if you google “fromage de Clon” you’ll mostly find French language sites. Or you can just call Europe for an order: 011-33-4-74-30-65-46. (Photo: Conseil général de l’Ain)
The Bird: Capon
An organic, free range, local turkey is simply not good enough for this discerning gastronome. No, it must be more than a bird favored by peasant America. Enter the capon. This rooster has been bred its whole life for a stately meal. A capon is castrated between 6-20 weeks, resulting in tender, plump flesh. And because they are not as active and therefore do not have the muscle mass of roosters, capons taste less gamey than the common bird. Order from your local farmers market. Better yet, make your pool boy do it. (Photo: Waspie Produce)
More ways to shame your guests into thinking you’re the shit…
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OK, this is the last Halloween post of the year, I promise. But I just had to make sure everyone noticed that our obsession with food costumes caught on with the Hollywood crowd this year.
Gwen Stefani takes the lead in our fav-celeb-ever contest by dressing up as an Endless Simmer icon, the fried egg. Her hubby Gavin Rosedale, however, loses some points for slithering out of his matching bacon costume when the paparazzi caught site of them. Who could be embarrassed of bacon? Jerk. The Superficial has a great photo gallery of the sequence of events.
More celeb food costumes after the jump.
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Now ES has surely given you recipe advice, political advice and feminism advice, but one thing we haven’t really lectured about was your love life. Slate, however, gave us an in: humans should be dating locally just as much as they are eating locally. (No offense BS and Alex!)
The same type of environmental logic has already been applied to our eating habits. The Local Food movement encourages us to cut CO2 emissions by calculating food miles—the distance a meal travels from production to the dinner table—and eating only what’s produced within a 100-mile radius. Isn’t it time for a Date Local movement, too? Let’s start thinking about “sex miles”: Just how far was this person shipped to hook up with you? And how many times more efficient would it be to date someone within a 100-mile radius?
So while you’re slutting it up this Halloween, remember, you’re doing the world a huge eco-favor by getting your ass locally.
Date Local. The case against long-distance relationships [Slate]
First…
OMG! THE PHILLIES WON THE WORLD SERIES!!!!
Anyway, um, is this, or is this not, the worst kitchen supply store cover advertisement of all time. Most of the time, I find it an absolute joy to browse the cook’s corner of Bed Bath & Beyond (see DAD GANSIE and my mom’s Chanukah credit card bill.) But, this cover – different story. Now, I was only a Communications minor, but I can tell you that this ad screams of mixed messages and eating disorders. I was also a Women and Gender Studies minor.
Let’s break it down.
Top Left / Buffet Server
There’s no possible way a home cook needs this. Who eats this much food?!?! This is such an unnecessary purchase, unless of course, you’re serving the entire team of the WORLD CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES at your Thanksgiving dinner. Now, let’s talk about what’s pictured. Yucky, soft carrots with, um, sliced onion over top. No. A soggy mess. Asparagus with mustard / hollandaise over top. No. Asparagus is a spring vegetable and should not be promoted for Thanksgiving or other winter holidays. And stuffed mushroom. Well, I can’t argue. We always serve some sort of stuffed mushroom app. Basically, this device is a red alert for over indulging. (Which, I’m not usually against for Tgiving, but in this ad – yes.)
Top Right / Chafing Dish
Another totally unnecessary purchase that is really just tacky looking. And what’s inside. Sliced turkey splashed with jarred gravy and garnished with cherries? Guess they’re taking the fruit cue from the ritzy mags. I still don’t buy it. Oh, I punned! Or wait, is that not a pun? Whatever. Not my strong point.
