Pecan bourbon buche de Noel. Photo: sassyradish, Flickr.
- The French "buche de Noel" dates back to the 1870s, when chocolate sponge cakes were first designed to look like a festive yule log.
- Feisty -- and notoriously foul-mouthed -- chef Gordon Ramsay of "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares" is set to host an American cook-along. He'll teach Americans how to prepare an elegant three-course meal, including a shrimp and chile-pepper festooned pasta appetizer, an entrée of steak Diane and a tiramisu dessert.
- Catering to tight wallets, fast food moguls McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell continue to create meals of increased "value," ranging from a $1 breakfast menu at McDonald's to a $5 box of four food items and one drink south of the border.
- With the possible threat of bioterrorism or tainted food sources, government auditors say the FDA's monitoring system is flawed, pointing out that half of the food manufacturers registered with the FDA don't even have valid contact info.
- A Parisian alcohol auction sells some 18,000 bottles from the renowned wine cellar of restaurant Tour d'Argent -- and a 1788 Vieux Cognac fetches more than $36,000.
