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by Russell Warnick

Marshmallow Nachos

Growing up in England didn’t expose me to the many culinary delights offered here in the U.S.; at least that’s what I had thought. Watching television sitcoms and dramas I would hear references to foods and drinks that would always stimulate my curiosity. What was I being denied in England that people in the U.S. were eating freely?

When I finally moved here over six years ago I sought out a sweet dish what you guys call S’mores, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I’d had them before. My mother used to make a variation of these for me as a kid: marshmallow and chocolate chips sandwiched between two digestive biscuits and microwaved for 30 seconds. Ever since then my curiosity feigned. Apparently all the delights I thought I was missing were clearly a matter of translation.

A couple of weeks back I was sent some marshmallows in the mail by the gourmet marshmallow maker Plush Puffs to celebrate none other than National Toasted Marshmallow Day.

Yes, there is such a day and it happens to be this Sunday, August 30. I will admit I was slightly bemused by this as I don’t recall eating marshmallows since that fateful night back in 2003. Yes, it had that much of an impact on my life, but still, I was willing to give it a go and see what I could do with these sugary treats. I managed to create two dishes: my take on one from the Plush Puff recipe page and the other was inspired by something I stumbled upon last week. Check them out after the jump.

by gansie

The Many Ways of Purslane

The enlarged clover-like leaves, the purple tinged stems, the blaring Omega 3 endorsement. Purslane, a green I’ve yet to hear of, grabbed the five dollars right out of my worn wallet.

When I mentioned to some foodie friends that I bought this mysterious-to-me green, they dismissed it. It was too stemy. It was nothing special. I’m here to promote purslane, and not just because its name reminds me of my favorite accessory.

Purslane #1
I quickly cooked the chopped up green in butter, added in halved sungold tomatoes (My very favorite variety this year; as my friend Jeb noted: they’re so sweet it reminds you why a tomato is actually a fruit), shoved them to the side of the pan—added more butter!—and scrambled two farm fresh eggs. When the eggs were almost cooked, I stirred everything together and hit it with salt and pepper.

in Eggs / Featured / Recipe / Veggie 12 comments

by BS

Top 10 Food Finds at the Iowa State Fair

This Sunday marked the conclusion of the 157th annual Iowa State Fair, known to downscale gourmands far and wide as the annual pinnacle of American eating. From cupcakes to astronauts, if it exists, you can bet the folks at the Iowa State Fair can grow it to an obscene size, deep-fry it and eat it off a stick, or of course, sculpt it out of butter.

10. The Butter Cow

A classic. Look at the detailed carving in that butter udder. Masterful work.

9. Frozen S’more on a Stick

Mmmm…a new era for desserts on a stick. Genius.

8. Giant Gourds

Anyone else think there’s something really creepy about this photo?

7. Rodent Cake

Another creepy one! Who wants a rodent on top of their cake? And this was a blue ribbon winner! What did the losing cakes look like??

6. Mystery Cake

Oh right. This is what the losing cakes looked like. Can anyone even begin to explain what is going on here??? Are those jalapenos? Chocolate covered hot dogs? Deep fried garbage?

Next: Top 5 Food Finds at the Iowa State Fair

in Desserts / Endless Cupcakes / Featured / Fowl / Lists / Pig / Top 10 Lists 22 comments

by BS

100 Ways to Use a Strip of Bacon

Long-time readers know that, like most of the western world, I’m obsessed with bacon. There’s just something about this salty, smoky, crispy, fatty, forbidden treat that elicits a drool factor no other food can equal. In recent years, food bloggers have taken bacon to new heights, helping us see how this beloved breakfast meat can be incorporated into nearly every dish imaginable. It’s been bacon for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks.

However, I’ve noticed a disturbing trend creeping up in the blogosphere: the bacon backlash. “Bacon has jumped the shark” opines Grub Street. “Bacon is Dead,” says J-Walk. “BLAME BACON,” yells So Good. I have four words for all you bacon haters: Bacon. Will. Never. Die. Fine, the bacon lube and bacon bras are a little creepy. Maybe we’ve gone too far when we’re literally trying to screw bacon. But I steadfastly refuse to stop eating it in every form imaginable.

So to celebrate the endless survival of bacon, I’ve compiled this handy chart of 100 Ways to Use a Strip of Bacon. From bacon apple pie to bacon guacamole, bacon pickles, bacon marshmallows, and yes, even bacon-wrapped tofu, here are the 100 most glorious ways to enjoy god’s greatest gift to tastebuds. But please, folks — try not to hump the computer screen. The bacon haters are watching.

Click on the photos for full recipes.

PS – What did we miss? Have a recipe that does right by bacon? Drop your link in the comments. If your photo makes us drool, we’ll add it to the list.

Also on ES: 100 Ways to Cook an Egg
100 Ways to Cook with Guinness
100 Ways to Cook with Sriracha

More Bacon: Recipes, raves and other bacon bits in Endless Bacon.

Update! Thanks for all your tips – even more ways to love your bacon:

in 100 Ways / Bacon / Endless Bacon / Featured / Personal / Pig 109 comments

by BS

Jacques Torres Shows How to Make a Chocolate Sculpture

Famed Brooklyn chocolatier Jacques Torres recently showed ES (and some other folks) how to make one of those fancy-pants chocolate sculptures you see at weddings and bar mitzvahs but would never think to make yourself. Seems like it would be really difficult, right? Turns out it’s child’s play. All you need is some high-quality chocolate and a few balloons.

Step 1: Jacques melts down a pot of dark chocolate over indirect heat, and then spreads a six-inch circle of it out on a papered baking sheet. Then he blows up a balloon and sticks it on the chocolate (really!)

Step 2: Jacques pours the rest of his chocolate into an icing-squirter thing (what are these things really called, anyone?) and starts drawing chocolate lines from one end of the balloon to the other.

in Desserts / Featured 7 comments

by Russell Warnick

Best Food iPhone Apps

The first thing all of my friends would tell you about me is that I’m pseudo-addicted to my iPhone. My better half refers to the gadget as my other boyfriend; in which order he and the device are placed I am yet to figure out. Whether I’m checking my email, tweeting or reading the news, I will always find a reason to play with it.

But one of the more surprising and perhaps most purposeful tools I have found for my iPhone is its usefulness in the kitchen and in the grocery store. There are an unbelievable array of food-related apps on the market, enabling me to plan dinner, make restaurant reservations, research menus for my diet-conscious friends, create a grocery list and even expand my enviro-conscious.

Having downloaded and deleted many, many applications, I thought I would share my favorites so you don’t have to waste your bandwidth. Check out the best after the jump.

in Featured / Personal / Trends 10 comments

by gansie

SOS Zucchini Boats to the Rescue

I hope everyone has read Westcoast‘s fantastic okra-starring dish, Bhindi Masala with Whole Wheat Dill and Garlic Parathas. And I’m sorry you all could only *read* about it. The day after he made it we met for lunch. He brought his Indian okra leftovers and I brought my Kefir Parsley Pesto with Zucchini, Peas and Udon Noodles leftovers.

He totally fucking won. Especially because the udon noodles sucked up all of the moisture from the veggies and the sauce and, well, it was really bland compared to his spice-heavy mixture.

As we were packing up lunch, he flippantly said he’d be tossing what we hadn’t finished. I clearly was having none of that! I took home some of the masala, one of the parathas and the dill-ed yogurt mixture. But there wasn’t enough for a full meal, which to me is a perfect excuse for some kitchen creativity.

Luckily, it was Monday and I caught Kim O’Donnel’s Meatless Monday post on her new blog, Licking Your Chops, on the site True/Slant. Okay, enough with the plugging for the great KOD.

in Featured / Recipe / Veggie 4 comments