Uncategorized -

by forkitude

Battle Of The Brands: Staub vs. Le Creuset Enameled Cast Iron

Kitchen stores make me giddy. I was lucky enough this Christmas to be the recipient of a Sur La Table gift card from some special people. Like a kid in a candy store a chef in a kitchen store, I was excited to find one new ridiculous cooking tool.

With utter certitude that I had found the best deal in the tri-state area, and self-assurance that I had all the chef’s knives a girl could want, I settled on a Staub cocotte enameled cast iron pot that required a supportive hand underneath the paper shopping bag to prevent it from ripping. The sheer weight of the thing is impressive.

What a beaut it is, and I couldn’t wait to use it. Having studied in the Alsace region of France, known for their hearty, one-pot meals like baeckeoffe, I had an instant emotional connection to this pot, which was a product of Alsace. Having been a Le Creuset owner and a huge fan of soup and meals made in pots, I knew the benefits of enameled cast iron. Is there anyone who doesn’t love a little cast iron?

But the real question is: Would this beautiful red gem hold up to my faithful Le Creuset?

Gridiron Grub: Playoff Time

The playoffs are here and the Super Bowl is not far behind, which means it’s increasingly difficult to avoid football no matter how hard you try. Whether it’s a game blaring at the bar Saturday night, co-workers talking about how the weather will affect the Philly game or friends inviting you over for a Super Bowl party; the NFL is about to launch a full-scale assault on America.

We are well aware that many ES readers may not be football fanatics. If you are one of those people who doesn’t watch or can barely stand football, I apologize. You probably have read these Gridiron Grub posts only if the dish sounded/looked good, which is fine because, well, it’s free. But my point is — whether you love sports or hate them, January is the time to start seriously upping your appetizer repertoire. Because nothing saves a bad football game like a good dip

So Feed Us Back: What’s your #1 killer go-to gameday recipe? Share a link or a recipe below.

And of course, we’ll show you ours. Here are our favorite party recipes bound to please foodies and footballers alike:

Bacon and Bean Nachos
Chipotle Guacamole
Cuban Mixto Sandwich
Fancy Jalapeno Poppers
Fish Tacos and Chips
French Onion Soup Sandwich
Peach Bourbon Wontons
Southside Park Slope Sandwich
Stuffed Mushrooms with Spinach, Cream Cheese and Ricotta
Sugar Cane Shrimp
Sweet Potato Pizza
Tequila Mango Salsa
Texas Caviar Dip
Tofu Buffalo Wings
Zucchini and Chickpea Spring Rolls

in Uncategorized 5 comments

by gansie

Bagels: A Lifelong Journey

I am on a lifelong quest to catalogue all things bagel. I’ve seen a lot in the world of bagels. Actually, it’s been quite a personal journey. I used to only eat plain bagels, then cinnamon raisin, then everything and now pumpernickel bagels. There’s been bagels in Arizona, bagels with seeds in the dough, and get this: I spied one in the shape of a fucking turkey.

Anyway, all of the bagels, regardless of seed or grain, have been the same shape (well, besides the turkey). Until this past weekend. I was introduced to Thomas’ Bagel Thins.

The bagel is more like toast. It has some of the characteristics of a bagel, where there is a dome crust instead of an outer crust, but it’s as thin as toast. It’s interesting from a portion control angle, but I’d still rather have the density of a regular bagel but stop at eating a half. It’d probably be the same carb effect.

God I love talking about bagels.

in Uncategorized 5 comments

by forkitude

Oyster and Banana Runts Ravioli?

One of my favorite dinner games is opening the refrigerator and playing Chopped. Hey, I can pretend. I just love to play with food combinations. Of course, most of them usually taste damn yummy (to me…ahem). But every once in a while one of my bright ideas will be absolutely disgusting and inedible. Enter bologna, cream cheese, and pickle rolls. Sautéed Brussels sprouts topped with a sunny side up egg and sriracha. Bisquick + milk + bowl + microwave + grape jam + syrup + butter. A coffee mug + chocolate cake mix + peanut butter + whipping cream. Tortilla + Kraft singles + cucumbers + barbecue sauce. Soup is one of my favorite things to make, especially in the fall and winter. And following recipes, like a lot of things in my life, is just not acceptable. Why not put the cornbread IN the chili? How about jalapeño poppers in potato soup? (Turns out it doesn’t work too well.) Who would make a chocolate chip cookie stew? Um, yeah. It is a wondrous feat of nature that I don’t weigh 500 lbs.

This got me thinking — which food combination might be the most amazingly disgusting on the planet? I have a few below that would be excitingly terrible, and I would like to know yours, oh fearless ESers. C’mon, give me something really gross. If you’ve made it, great. If you’ve only dreamed of making it, it still counts. Here are mine:

Roasted Garlic Peach Crumble
Mint and Orange Egg Casserole
Cheese Whiz Lime Sorbet
Ground Beef and Mint Chip Ice Cream
Strawberry Peanut Butter Daquiri
Big Red Gum Guacamole
Black Licorice Linguini with Ketchup Mushroom Ragu
Nutella Pickle Relish
Oyster and Banana Runts Ravioli
Broccoli Sea Urchin Maple Scones
Grapefruit Junior Mints Protein Shake with Mustard Cottage Cheese Whipped Topping
Durian Fruit and Shallot Smoothie (if you haven’t tried durian fruit, please go buy one immediately)

in Uncategorized 8 comments

by Russell Warnick

Steamy Kitchen

Now that I’ve got your attention with that amazing looking chef sauce, I’d like to tell you about a recent trip I made, to Scottsdale, AZ. I was invited by Thermador to check out their test kitchen and in particular, the new Thermador Steam and Convection Oven.

Having not grown up in America I was never exposed to the Thermador line of appliances, and those of you who live in DC probably have GE in your cookie cutter apartments, so I haven’t yet come across it here either, although it was the kitchen of choice for The Brady Bunch and Julia Child.

Being in a test kitchen with a personal chef for the day (above: Chef Kyle) I knew I’d be treated to some five-star cooking — a perfectly uniform beef tenderloin, salmon wellington, tomato jam, creme brulee and pears in red wine were just a sampling of what was prepared using this new style of oven — but in true ES fashion, this is not what I wanted to know. I wanted to get down to the nitty gritty; what can this oven do for me in an everyday capacity? After all, at $3k I need to get my money’s worth.

Keep reading to see how I tested the oven the Endless Simmer way.