I’ll Take that as a Condiment….

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Salsa! Like any good condiment — ketchup, mustard, soy sauce, sriracha, horseradish, kimchi, hot sauce, chutney, etc… — we’ve all got a jarred version in the cupboard that we turn to when needed to cover up a dish that would otherwise be a mistake. But a good condiment shouldn’t just enhance our food, it should also be good enough to stand alone.

Salsa, of course, just means sauce, and can come in many varieties. At their best, they’re straight-forward to make, but their beauty is in the abundance of fresh local ingredients available this time of year. Here are my four favorite recipes using the season’s great tomatoes, tomatillos, avocados, corn and more…

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Welcome to Salmonella Theatre

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

– A Japanese food show sends celebs to sketchy restaurants, braving serious infections for great food.  I wonder if Gansie is re-thinking that half-cooked egg?

– Yes, I’m actually required to include every mention of Sam Talbot, especially when they use the word “photogenic.”

After the jump…Food Network isn’t trying to kill me, Gordo looses the respect of another chef and a date I’ve had circled on my calendar for a while.

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Life is Tweet for Rick Bayless

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

– Funny, but if I was Tweeting when I should be busy doing my job, I’d be fired, not profiled by the Associated Press.  But then again I’m not Rick Bayless, and I’m not cooking for world leaders.

– All of a sudden, Rocco DiSpirito doesn’t seem like such a giant asshole!  At least he hasn’t tried to hire a homeless guy to kill his wife.

After the jump…go to school without putting on your pants, meet someone who watches more food TV than me and find out why Paula Deen is going to kill your kids.

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Cheflebrity Smörgåsbord: Don’t Bug Rachael Ray!

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

Rachael Ray‘s event at a New York school cafeteria had an unexpected, six-legged special guest!

– Apparently, the sign of a true foodie is your participation in a web-only mini series.  Tony Bourdain goes the animated route while Tom Colicchio and Todd English talk style for Diet Coke.

After the jump…more Top Chef news than you can shake a stick at and a story about Jeffrey Steingarten, who you would probably like to beat with that stick.

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Top Chef Masters Interview: Episode 3

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Left to Right: Wilo Benet, Cindy Pawlcyn, Ludo Lefebvre, Rick Bayless

Another week has come and gone on Top Chef Masters and last week’s LOST Supper episode was a fairly entertaining event. TCM managed to incorporate one of my all-time favorite shows with the LOST theme, we saw the return of the long lost Vending Machine quickfire, Wiley D proved he has quite the potty mouth, and we saw a very unassuming Suzanne Tracht kick some serious culinary ass without so much as raising her eyebrow.

This week we’re looking forward to the likes of Rick Bayless, Cindy Pawlcyn, Wilo Benet and Ludo Lefebvre battling it out for their respective charities. Once again, ES got to sit down with the foursome to talk reality tv and gastronomic inspiration. And once again our panel of well adjusted, professional chefs had nothing but praises, laughter and respect for each other.

Guys.. seriously, I hate dramatically engineered reality shows as much as the next guy, but give us something!

I didn’t want to have to tap into my DC political wonkiness, but you’ve left me no choice. You want to be civil? Fine, maybe a few Sarah Palin quotes will inspire some more trash talking banter next interview. Rednecks clinging to their guns after the jump..

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