Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feed_logo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Jamie Oliver Dances as the Village Peoplehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/31/jamie-oliver-dances-as-the-village-people/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/31/jamie-oliver-dances-as-the-village-people/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/31/jamie-oliver-dances-as-the-village-people/#comments
Jamie Oliver, five ways. Image: JamieOliver.com.
Jamie Oliver: cowboy, sailor, Native American, construction worker, biker ... or chef?

Eat Me Daily pointed us to this can't-look-away video of the culinary celeb -- whose show "Jamie's American Road Trip" will bring him stateside this fall -- dancing as each of the different Village People... to a Village People soundtrack, of course.

It's a mesmerizing montage in which the chef known for his boyish charm reveals that he has perhaps not quite as broad a repertoire on the dance floor as in the kitchen, but it's still a grand departure from Monday afternoon tedium. Indeed, this promo video boasts much more joie de vivre than the rather staid description on JamieOliver.com: "Jamie delves deep into the social issues and diverse cultures of 21st century America."

Whatever. More dancing, please.

Episodes may crop up online on this side of the pond soon, but for those on vacay in the U.K., it's airing at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Now we're going to go watch that video again, as it is mightily addictive (almost as much as his recipe for monkfish skewers wrapped in pancetta -- maybe even more so).

[JamieOliver.com via Eat Me Daily]

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]]>eat me dailyEatMeDailyjamie oliverJamieOliverjamies american road tripJamiesAmericanRoadTripvillage peopleVillagePeopleAlex Van BurenMon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 ESTVermont Cheesemakers Festival Recaphttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/26/vermont-cheesemakers-festival-recap/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/26/vermont-cheesemakers-festival-recap/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/26/vermont-cheesemakers-festival-recap/#commentsFiled under:



At the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival last weekend, it was when a girl wearing a cheese hat walked by -- we were nowhere near Wisconsin, and there were zero Packers in sight -- that we realized the extent of cheesemania 'round these parts.

The sold-out festival took place on the grounds of a farm, appropriately -- Shelburne Farms -- and its primary sponsor was Vermont Butter & Cheese. And the 50 cheesemakers present, who had lured chefs, locals and fromage freaks from far afield, delivered quite a variety of fare. From chocolate-covered cheeses to cheese-and-chili-stuffed breads, the gamut was on offer.

Tickets were cheap, too: $20 for all-you-can-cheese, with $10 for wine and beer tastes. The old and young ran amok over the verdant grounds (this one got completely lost while trying to walk from one part of the sprawling farm to another). Children sampled cheddar voraciously, farmers shook hands, and we observed more than one woman sipping beer cautiously while a baby slept nestled against her chest. It seemed like a family affair. Though panels were available on how to pair and make cheeses, it was the stuff itself that got our attention.

Our top 10 favorite cheeses and photo editor Rachel Been's attached photo gallery after the jump.

Continue reading Vermont Cheesemakers Festival Recap

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]]>cheesecheesemakersvermontvermont cheesemakers festivalVermontCheesemakersFestivalAlex Van BurenWed, 26 Aug 2009 16:00:00 ESTJasper Hill Farm Cheese Cave Tourhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/26/jasper-hill-farm-cheese-cave-tour/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/26/jasper-hill-farm-cheese-cave-tour/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/26/jasper-hill-farm-cheese-cave-tour/#commentsFiled under:

barn
City slickers at Jasper Hill Farm. Photo: Dimitri Saad
The cows knew something good was going on. There they were, chewing their cud and jamming out to R&B. One was visibly swaying to the beat.

The beasts behind a few of the brilliant cheeses at Vermont's family-owned Jasper Hill Farm and its extraordinary, 22,000-square-foot cheese-aging cave, built right into the earth (one of only two like it in the nation), are up on their current pop for two reasons. As sales and outreach specialist Zoe Brickley told a group of self-proclaimed dairy enthusiasts, it's both because "the barn boys like it" and because the cows do: "If cows are stressed out, their production goes down. Happy, contented cows are best for milk quality."

Jasper Hill seems intent upon making its fellow cheesemakers happy and contented too, by providing aging facilities for 10 to 12 farmers throughout New England. With their enormous cave, they have recreated an atmosphere that has been "historically used" to create cheese, which is a boon for many local cheesemakers, who traditionally had to rely essentially upon tricked-out refrigerators. Owned by two couples (brothers Mateo and Andy Kehler), Jasper Hill is helping keep artisanal cheese alive in New England, and sustaining some of the top fromagers in the country.

After the jump, how they do it and a look at the caves and aging process.

Continue reading Jasper Hill Farm Cheese Cave Tour

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]]>cheesecheese cavecheese cavesCheeseCaveCheeseCavescommunityjasper hilljasper hill farmsJasperHillJasperHillFarmslardtourzoe brickleyZoeBrickleyAlex Van BurenWed, 26 Aug 2009 15:00:00 EST'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' Tops New York Times Bestseller Listhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/24/mastering-the-art-of-french-cooking-tops-best-seller-lists/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/24/mastering-the-art-of-french-cooking-tops-best-seller-lists/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/24/mastering-the-art-of-french-cooking-tops-best-seller-lists/#comments
cookbook
Photo: Knopf
In case you were wondering to what extent the mania for "Julie and Julia'" had gripped the nation, Sunday's New York Times delivered the answer.

This August 30, nearly half a century after the book was published in America, Child's classic tome "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" will be listed in the number one spot on the gray lady's bestseller list in the how-to category. The paper reports booksellers selling seven times as many copies in a month as they are accustomed to selling in a year.

This is not a small deal, particularly for the struggling publishing industry. Blogger Julie Powell is of course largely responsible for the surge of interest in the French Chef, and we wonder whether top Knopf execs have been bombarding her with flowers and thank-you notes.

More importantly, we are curious about how many of our own readers have invested in the book because of the blog or the movie. So spill it in our poll: Have you bought Child's cookbook? When? Tell us why in the comments.

View Poll

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]]>julia childJuliaChildjulie and juliaJulieAndJuliamastering the art of French CookingMasteringTheArtOfFrenchCookingpollAlex Van BurenMon, 24 Aug 2009 17:00:00 ESTEditor's Picks - Best of the Resthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest/#commentsFiled under:

pop
Grown-up sodas. Image: Details.
A few of the best stories spied elsewhere on the Web this week:

BoingBoing picks up The Economist's story (and awesome graphic): "How many minutes do people in your city have to work to buy a Big Mac?"

Adult sodas from the stylish fellas at Details.

Starbucks-lovers, alert! They are lowering prices on some drinks but kicking them up a notch on others.

The L.A. Times reports: Facebook has created "Restaurant City." You may never get work done again.

Another ephemerally gorgeous piece from Design*Sponge's "In The Kitchen With" column, featuring a meringue-raspberry ice cream cake and some enviable dishware.

Portland, Oregon continues to rule, with a Fermentation Fest on Thursday of next week. (Clearly either our invite was lost in the mail, or they do not know about our pickling problems.)

Have you sampled the blackberries in the market right now? They are super-sweet. This Blackberry-Cabernet Caipirinha from Chow had us drooling.

The best Bruni interview of the bunch -- from the New Yorker.

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]]>best of the restBestOfTheRestdesignspongedetailseditors pickseditorspickEditorsPickslos angeles timesLosAngelesTimespicklingportland oregonPortlandOregonstarbucksthe economistTheEconomistAlex Van BurenFri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:00 ESTBon Appétit Names Top 10 Best New Restaurantshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/20/bon-appetit-names-top-10-best-new-restaurants/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/20/bon-appetit-names-top-10-best-new-restaurants/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/20/bon-appetit-names-top-10-best-new-restaurants/#commentsFiled under: ,


menu
Brunch menu at No 7.
Photo: Arthurohm, Flickr
Bon Appétit's September issue has hit newsstands with its annual list of the nation's Top 10 Best New Restaurants. Featuring mouthwatering top dishes from Cleveland to Decatur, Ga., there are some interesting picks in the mix.

If you're located in -- or traveling to -- any of the cities mentioned, keep in mind that in this era of seasonally shifting cuisine, the dishes Bon App editors loved back when the issue was being put together might not be available right now.

We called Tyler Kord, chef and co-owner of No. 7, in Brooklyn, N.Y., to inquire about his pumpkin-seed-encrusted tofu, which editors sampled last winter and adored. A different rendition of tofu is on his current menu, but the pumpkin-seed version is gone. "I've never repeated anything," Kord says. Will he consider putting it back on? "Maybe."

Was Kord -- a fellow whose menu has featured luxe choices like bavette steak and grilled arctic char -- surprised by the editors' choice? "Yeah, definitely. I mean, they picked tofu. It's a delicious dish, but it was a little surprising."

The top 10 new eateries and dishes are after the jump.

Continue reading Bon Appétit Names Top 10 Best New Restaurants

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]]>bar julesBarJulesbest ofBestOfbon appetitBonAppetitcakes aleCakesAlefeasthungry motherHungryMotherlistsmadono. 7No.7oliviarestaurantsspring hillSpringHillthe greenhouse tavernTheGreenhouseTaverntop tenTopTenwoodberry kitchenWoodberryKitchenAlex Van BurenThu, 20 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST'Summer Cooking' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/19/summer-cooking-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/19/summer-cooking-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/19/summer-cooking-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under:

book
Photo: Amazon.com
'Summer Cooking'
Elizabeth David
Foreword by Molly O'Neill
New York Review of Books -- 1995, reprinted in 2002
Buy it on Amazon

Sometimes you want a cookbook author to give it to you straight.

None of this "You can whip this up in 10 minutes!" when you are certain, as you possess merely mortal chopping skills, it will take you 20 with that pile of onions.

The well-traveled cookbook author Elizabeth David, who many think brought "real food" to the English in the 1950s, is of this no-nonsense school. She saw it among her duties to bring picnic food and something called "seasonal shopping" to her countrymen and women, as they were stuck in an out-of-season loop. On one page she gripes about the mortification of seeing ratatouille on a February menu comprised of tomatoes and (ugh) cabbage.

On another she writes of the English approach to the "dread" salad season that is summertime: "What makes a cook think that the beetroot spreading its hideous purple dye over a sardine and a spoonful of tinned baked beans constitutes an hors d'oeuvre?"

Tell us how you really feel, Elizabeth.

What we tested and whether the book's worth buying, after the jump.

Continue reading 'Summer Cooking' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>elizabeth davidElizabethDavidenglishmolly oneillMollyOneillpicnicpicnicssummer cookingSummerCookingAlex Van BurenWed, 19 Aug 2009 14:00:00 ESTTweak Today Asks: What Food Do You Hate That Everyone Else Loves? http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/18/tweak-today-asks-what-food-do-you-hate-that-everyone-else-lo/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/18/tweak-today-asks-what-food-do-you-hate-that-everyone-else-lo/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/18/tweak-today-asks-what-food-do-you-hate-that-everyone-else-lo/#commentsFiled under:

coffee
Coffee is not for everyone. Photo: bitzcelt, Flickr
We've opined long and hard about our most hated foods here on Slashfood, but we like the twist that newish website Tweak Today, a photo- and mission-oriented oriented site, has chosen as today's topic: "What's something you don't like that everyone else loves?"

Though a few responses are cultural markers ("The Princess Bride," Elton John, Michael Jackson), we are seeing a slew of food-related numbers pop up there, from shrimp to melons to coffee to oysters. So now's your chance. Pop on over and express your loathing in pictoral form. Maybe grab some coffee first. Or don't, if that's how you roll.

[Via Tweak Today]

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]]>americas most hated foodsAmericasMostHatedFoodscoffeefoods we hateFoodsWeHatewtfAlex Van BurenTue, 18 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST'Le Fooding' and Omnivore - France Drops by New York City This Fallhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/17/le-fooding-and-omnivore-france-drops-by-new-york-city-this/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/17/le-fooding-and-omnivore-france-drops-by-new-york-city-this/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/17/le-fooding-and-omnivore-france-drops-by-new-york-city-this/#commentsFiled under:

france
Photo: Le Fooding
Summer's salad days -- which some calorie-counting, bikini-wearing types take literally -- are coming to a close, as beach bags are upended and emptied of sand across the country.

September always has us craving heartier fare: cheese, bread, red wine, prosciutto, frites. We start clicking on plane fares to Europe, only to shudder at the prices.

Thank goodness, then, that Paris is doing us a favor and hopping stateside this September in the form of several events. Francophiles in New York City and beyond might be intrigued by 'Le Fooding,' a two-day urban picnic held at P.S.1, one of the city's fairer museums, on September 25th and 26th.

A dozen well-known Parisian and New York chefs will be joined by mixologists, DJs and performance artists in a two-day extravaganza. We wouldn't have given it much pause if we didn't see the famous Bo Ssam from Gotham's Momofuku on offer alongside grilled chicken necks drizzled with yuzu by WD-50's Wylie Dusfresne and several tempting items from a variety of well-known Parisian eateries. Tickets are $30 per day, and we're liking the Friday night lineup.

Continue reading 'Le Fooding' and Omnivore - France Drops by New York City This Fall

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]]>Bo ssamBoSsameventsFIAFfrancefrench foodFrench Institute Alliance FrancaiseFrenchFoodFrenchInstituteAllianceFrancaisele foodingLeFoodingMichel BrasMichelBrasomnivoreAlex Van BurenMon, 17 Aug 2009 16:00:00 ESTEditor's Picks - Best of the Rest: Our Bloggershttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/14/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest-our-bloggers-edition/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/14/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest-our-bloggers-edition/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/14/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest-our-bloggers-edition/#commentsFiled under: ,

gazpacho
Gazpacho. Photo: Emily Farris, Fifty Bucks a Week.
Each week, we round up the top food articles we've spied Web-wide. This week, a special edition of our own bloggers' primo pieces from elsewhere on the Web.

Pervaiz Shallwani boards a bus with a stripper pole alongside a bunch of bartenders to harvest rye in upstate New York ... for Gourmet ... really.

"Mad Men" fiend Eric Diesel reveals his recipe for perfectly "clean" martinis -- a 2-to-1 gin-to-vermouth concoction at his Urban Home blog.

Mike Pomranz on the phenomenon of a cat opening a jar of food at Comedy Central.

Bruce Watson reports at sister site DailyFinance that the United States may "run out of sugar" in the next year!

Cook and film buff Monika Bartyzel notes that Michael Moore might be done with the documentary style that made him famous, for Cinematical.

Gretchen Roberts, our savvy sommelier-in-training, offers freebie gourmet treats at her wine blog Vinobite.

CoffeeMeister Erin Meister makes peace with the five-second-rule over at her culinary blog, the Nervous Cook.

Joshua M. Bernstein visits Scores, a Manhattan strip club, to eat steak (again, really!) for the New York Press.

Emily Farris tries to toe the budget line with a basic, beautiful gazpacho at Fifty Bucks a Week.

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]]>bruce watsonBruceWatsoncat foodCatFoodemily farrisEmilyFarriseric dieselEricDieselerin meisterErinMeisterfifty bucks a weekFiftyBucksAWeekfive second ruleFiveSecondRulefreebiesgazpachogourmetjoshua m bernsteinJoshuaMBernsteinmartinismike pomranzMikePomranzmonika bartyzelMonikaBartyzelnew york pressNewYorkPresspervaiz shallwaniPervaizShallwaniryesommeliersteakstripperssugarAlex Van BurenFri, 14 Aug 2009 17:00:00 ESTFrank Bruni to Be Interviewed on 'Nightline' on Wednesdayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/13/outgoing-times-critic-frank-bruni-to-be-interviewed-on-nightlin/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/13/outgoing-times-critic-frank-bruni-to-be-interviewed-on-nightlin/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/13/outgoing-times-critic-frank-bruni-to-be-interviewed-on-nightlin/#commentsFiled under: ,

frankie
"Born Round," the new Frank Bruni memoir. Photo: Amazon.com.
Mark your calendars, fans of "Garlic and Sapphires" and other food critic memoirs. Frank Bruni, the outgoing critic at the New York Times and the man behind the upcoming memoir "Born Round," will be blabbing to the press -- ABC News' "Nightline," to be exact -- about his history with food, including a childhood eating disorder this coming Wednesday night at 11:35 EST.

Choice quotes from a press release reveal that Bruni was on the Atkins diet at age 8 -- "Mom bought it in hardcover ... I remember leafing through it and learning about ketones and ketosis and you know, having no idea what that meant, I was 8 years old, but I thought, 'Oooh that's profound stuff. If I can get into this ketosis thing I'll be home free. I'll be skinny.' " Even later, in college, "I threw up a lot of my meals. Whenever I would eat a meal that would get out of hand, I would throw it up." Now Bruni has an incredible workout routine and -- perhaps most astonishing to those of us who write about food for a living -- is the same weight as when he started his gig five years ago.

We know we'll be watching, and we'll post our deepest thoughts about the interview online the next day.

For healthy ways to stay slim, check out our sister site, thatsfit.com.

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]]>born roundBornRoundbrunifrank bruniFrankBrunimemoirnew york timesNewYorkTimesNightlinesam siftonSamSiftonthe new york timesTheNewYorkTimesAlex Van BurenThu, 13 Aug 2009 15:30:00 EST'Mad Men' Party Guidehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/12/mad-men-party-guide/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/12/mad-men-party-guide/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/12/mad-men-party-guide/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

martini
Photo: Heath Fradkoff
Been seduced by "Mad Men" yet? Have Frankie Valli on repeat on the Hi-Fi? Find yourself buying dusty vintage TV trays decorated with mallards? Drinking a gin martini, up, for dinner?

OK, we're projecting. Half the Slashfood staff is enamored with the show (see New York Magazine's handy primer) that is about to plunge into its third hard-drinking, heavy-philandering, Gotham-glamorizing season this Sunday. We are over the moon about the style, the cocktail culture, and those insane retro recipes.

It's the perfect excuse for a cocktail party (especially a costumed one), so bust out the pearls and heat up the curlers -- or grab the fedora and tiepin -- because it's totally OK to drink with friends on a Sunday night. No one batted a heavily lined eye at such a thing back in the day.

Our party primer, with tune selections, deviled eggs and LeNell's perfect martini, after the jump.

Continue reading 'Mad Men' Party Guide

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]]>cocktail hourCocktailHourdeviled eggsDeviledEggsliquormad menmad men partyMadMenMadMenPartymartinisparty guidePartyGuideAlex Van BurenWed, 12 Aug 2009 16:00:00 ESTMartha Stewart Gets Tomato Blight Toohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/11/martha-stewart-gets-tomato-blight-too/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/11/martha-stewart-gets-tomato-blight-too/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/11/martha-stewart-gets-tomato-blight-too/#comments
marthamarthaMartha Stewart.
Photo: Mario Tama, Getty Images.
Martha's got the blight! Martha's got the blight!

At first, hearing that the doyenne of domesticity has fallen prey to the same late blight that struck thousands of gardens might produce that "it can happen to all of us" smirk -- like when the popular high school cheerleader got a zit.

But to look at this photo gallery is heartbreaking to anyone who has ever gardened (including this journalist) or enjoyed a succulent August tomato. Martha lost 70 percent of her 50 varieties of tomatoes. Beautiful, plump fruits suddenly went leafless in July, and now look horrendous -- like an outtake from an "X-Files" episode.

It's worth surfing through her gallery for tips on how to properly stake plants or simply to see what this unusual blight looks like close-up.

[Via The Martha Blog]

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]]>late blightLateBlightmartha stewartMarthaStewarttomatotomato blightTomatoBlightAlex Van BurenTue, 11 Aug 2009 13:00:00 ESTTortang Talong How-Tohttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/11/tortang-talong-how-to/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/11/tortang-talong-how-to/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/11/tortang-talong-how-to/#commentsFiled under:



Eggplants. They just hang out in the farmer's market like they own the joint. Big, fat, smug and kingly purple.

And we can't resist them. In an attempt to partake of their charms without heating the heck out of muggy apartments, we were pleased to stumble upon this recipe for Tortang Talong, a traditional Filipino recipe that brings egg and pork into the eggplantian universe.

Yup, egg. No big surprise to see it sneak into the equation, since it's had cross-cultural starring roles in pork-vegetable dishes from Japanese ramen to Korean bibimbap. But watching this video somehow still floored us: "Tortang Talong!" Who doesn't want to brag to her friends that she's whipping that up for dinner? Check it out and let us know if you give it a go.

[Via Howcast]

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]]>eggplantfilipinofilipino foodFilipinoFoodhow-to videoHow-toVideohowcasttortang talongTortangTalongAlex Van BurenTue, 11 Aug 2009 11:00:00 ESTDan Barber Explains the Tomato Blighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/10/dan-barber-explains-the-tomato-blight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/10/dan-barber-explains-the-tomato-blight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/10/dan-barber-explains-the-tomato-blight/#commentsFiled under: ,

tomatoes
Photo: La tartine gourmande, Flickr
Those perplexed by this season's tomato blight, aka "late blight", or simply wondering why the heck the price of the beloved ruby-hued edibles has gone through the roof of late would do well to read this piece by chef/ restaurateur/ locavore Dan Barber in Sunday's New York Times.

Barber reveals that Stone Barns, the farm that is part of his restaurant north of New York City lost half its tomatoes in the span of only three days due to the "pernicious" blight sweeping the northeast. Many organic farmers have been forced to spray using pesticides, losing their organic certifications in the process.

Evidently the spring's wet weather has proved a "four-star hotel" for late blight. Americans looking to save money this year -- seven million more of us investigated home gardening this year -- unknowingly bought starter plants infected with blight from large industrial stores. Ironically, this helped create the problem, as tiny "Trojan horse" vines popped up on windowsills and in cages along the eastern seaboard.

Has late blight made an impact on you yet?

View Poll



[Via the New York Times]

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]]>blue hill at stone barnsBlueHillAtStoneBarnslate blightLateBlightnew yorknew york timesNewYorkNewYorkTimesstone barnsStoneBarnstomatotomato blighttomato plantsTomatoBlighttomatoesTomatoPlantsAlex Van BurenMon, 10 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST'A Great American Cook' -- Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/10/a-great-american-cook-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/10/a-great-american-cook-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/10/a-great-american-cook-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under:

waxman
Photo: Amazon.com
'A Great American Cook:
Recipes from the Home Kitchen of One of Our Most Influential Cooks'
Jonathan Waxman with Tom Steele
Photographs by John Kernick
Houghton Mifflin -- 2007
Buy it on Amazon

It's rather hilarious when a chef's cookbook matches his real-life persona.

We interviewed Jonathan Waxman -- of recent "Top Chef Masters" fame -- a year or two ago about how to properly cut open an artichoke. He was confident that we'd be able to briskly pick up the trick (which could cause an untrained cook to handily slice off a digit) without much practice.

It shouldn't have been a surprise that the man who trained Bobby Flay in the kitchen some 20 years ago is a pretty darn good teacher, and we were happily producing pretty decent artichoke specimens within minutes.

That same confident, coaxing voice is present throughout Waxman's cookbook, a hodgepodge of his culinary experiences. From the red-pepper pancakes with corn and caviar he introduced at Alice Waters' Chez Panisse to a potato gratin he picked up while training in France, this is a fine compilation from a man who has trained many of the American greats -- and who used to hobnob with the likes of James Beard and Julia Child.

What we tested and whether the book's worth buying, after the jump.

Continue reading 'A Great American Cook' -- Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>a great american cookAGreatAmericanCookalice watersAliceWatersbobby flayBobbyFlaychez panisseChezPanissecookbookcookbook spotlightcookbooksCookbookSpotlightjames beardJamesBeardjonathan waxmanJonathanWaxmanjulia childJuliaChildrecipestop chef mastersTopChefMastersAlex Van BurenMon, 10 Aug 2009 14:00:00 ESTEditors' Picks - Best of the Resthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/07/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/07/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/07/editors-picks-best-of-the-rest/#comments 10 chow Julia Child's 10 best bon mots. Photo: Chow Chow sums up its 10 favorite Julia-isms in time for tonight's release of "Julie and Julia". Our fave? "When a sommelier asked her to name her favorite wine, she replied, 'Gin.'"

Holy adorableness, Batman: Bakerella's pie pops.

Bill Keller, editor of the New York Times, jumps on the Diner's Journal blog to weigh in on the non-anonymity of new critic Sam Sifton.

Freakishly beautiful Meneghini refrigerators, via Apartment Therapy.

Speaking of John Hughes, over at sibling site Moviefone they've summed up the 10 best cinematic moments in eating.

BoingBoing finds a great Snopes article about Van Halen trashing a concert venue after finding forbidden brown M&M's in the backstage area. Apparently David Lee Roth used the candies as a litmus test of a venue.

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]]>apartment therapyApartmentTherapybakerellabest of the restBestOfTheRestbill kellerBillKellereditors picksEditorsPicksjohn hughesJohnHughesjulia childJuliaChildmeneghinimmsmoviefonenew york timesNewYorkTimespie popsPiePopsrefrigeratorsam siftonSamSiftonvan halenVanHalenAlex Van BurenFri, 07 Aug 2009 17:00:00 ESTJohn Hughes '16 Candles' Tribute - Feast Your Eyeshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/07/john-hughes-16-candles-tribute-feast-your-eyes/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/07/john-hughes-16-candles-tribute-feast-your-eyes/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/07/john-hughes-16-candles-tribute-feast-your-eyes/#commentsFiled under: ,

16 candles
16 candles. Photo: Michael Brunk, NWlens.com
It's a well-known fact that writer-director John Hughes, who died Thursday at age 59, was a master of capturing teenage ennui (not to mention a master of setting too-high romantic expectations for a generation of women raised in the '80s.)

What's less remarked upon is his fascination with food and the way American culinary rituals define adolescence. There's the lunch scene in the detention hall of "The Breakfast Club," in which Molly Ringwald snottily articulates the concept of "sushi" to an incredulous Judd Nelson and "bad girl" Ally Sheedy demonstrates fantastic Coke can catching skills before creating a sandwich out of Pixy Stix, butter, bread and cereal -- which she proceeds to devour like a raptor.

Then, of course, there's Samantha's forgotten birthday in "16 Candles," which ends with that mesmerizing kiss over the cake.

We're stuck on a loop of John Hughes memories, but this photo of a different 16 candles -- a snapshot taken by a father of his rosy-cheeked son "caught in the glow of his 16th birthday cake" -- caught our eye.

It's a tribute to the maestro that any cake teeming with candles will always make us think of him. So to paraphrase one of his own characters, "May we admire you again today?"

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]]>16 candles16Candlesbirthday cakeBirthdayCakecakefeast your eyesFeastYourEyesjohn hughesJohnHughesRIPAlex Van BurenFri, 07 Aug 2009 10:00:00 ESTHow to Cut Open a Lobster with Chef Marc Murphyhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/06/break-down-a-lobster-with-chef-marc-murphy/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/06/break-down-a-lobster-with-chef-marc-murphy/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/06/break-down-a-lobster-with-chef-marc-murphy/#commentsFiled under: ,


How To Remove Meat From a Lobster on Howcast

Summer leaves seafood lovers craving lobster in some incarnation, whether it be tucked into a buttery roll, scattered throughout risotto or luxuriating in the butter-cream bath of lobster Thermidor (thought to have been a favorite of Napoleon).

However you like your lobster, getting to its tender meat can be nightmarish, with spiny claws and juice flying everywhere. Not so in this excellent Howcast video, with a demonstration by chef Marc Murphy of New York City's Landmarc, who knows his way around the leggy critters. Who knew you could either snip open or crush those dastardly knuckles? Or crush the tail under a towel?

The video even ends with a quirky factoid: Boiling lobsters alive in Reggio Emilia, Italy is illegal, with violators facing fines nearing $800. We wonder how many Italians risk it!

[Via Howcast]

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]]>how tohowcastHowTolandmarclobsterlobster risottolobster rolllobster thermidorLobsterRisottoLobsterRollLobsterThermidormarc murphyMarcMurphyvideoAlex Van BurenThu, 06 Aug 2009 14:00:00 ESTSam Sifton to Replace Frank Bruni as New York Times Dining Critichttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/05/sam-sifton-to-replace-frank-bruni-as-new-york-times-dining-criti/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/05/sam-sifton-to-replace-frank-bruni-as-new-york-times-dining-criti/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/05/sam-sifton-to-replace-frank-bruni-as-new-york-times-dining-criti/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Bobbique Restaurant in Long Island
New York Times and coffee. Photo: The Nickster, Flickr
We reported back in May, along with the rest of the food blogosphere, that Frank Bruni, dining critic for the New York Times, was departing his beat as perhaps the most powerful journalist in the national restaurant scene.

Blogs like Eater, Grub Street and Gawker covered the departure obsessively, and their sadness at the departure of the man some called the Brunz -- or when feeling particularly tender, "King Brunz" -- was palpable.

Now Sam Sifton has stepped into the spotlight and, as editor Bill Keller's memo notes, up to the treadmill. (Bruni wrote about his rigorous workout routine for Men's Vogue). Food writers are already apoplectic about the newcomer: Eater has given the casual "Sifty" a shot, whereas Gawker is far more interested in finding a proper costume for the not-at-all-anonymous Sifton, who has long been the Gray Lady's Culture Editor. No doubt the suggestions of Gawker commenters, which range from Harry Potter to Lenny Dykstra to Anna Wintour, will prove helpful to the new critic.

As per the departure of the Brunificent One, his photo was released to the public this week. Gael Greene quickly tweeted, "Would you trade in your clunker and buy a new car from this man?" Eat Me Daily -- to hilarious effect -- delivered at once.

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]]>criticeat me dailyeaterEatMeDailyFrank BruniFrankBrunigawkergrub streetGrubStreetnew york timesNewYorkTimesrestaurant criticRestaurantCriticrestaurantsSam SiftonSamSiftonAlex Van BurenWed, 05 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST