"avec eric" news and stories

Burger and fries. Photo: onlinehero, Flickr.

• Now that California law requires fast food joints to list nutritional information, consumers are learning that the seemingly healthy salads and dips are often fattier than the pizzas and fries.
• A list of cookbooks for frugal cooks starts off with former Slashfoodie Alanna Kaufman.
• A chat with chef Eric Ripert about his new PBS show, "Avec Eric."
• An Internet search might give you the idea that reheating spinach is dangerous, but a food toxicologist says the concern is baseless.
• Produce Picks goes nuts for Bartletts and suggests pear quesadillas.
• Recipes: Molten Chocolate Cake, Microwave Risotto, Baked Apples with Dates and Pecans.
  
• San Diego's food calendar.

Since last June, Eric Ripert has been making his own online cooking show, in which he uses a toaster oven to prepare an assortment of wonderfully easy and tasty looking dishes (I've embedded one of my favorites above, in which he mades toaster oven-roasted chicken tenders). It's a charming show, reminiscent of the old days of food television, but with a splash of modern charm. He's comfortable in front of the camera, without being overly chummy or showy.

American Public Television took note of his on-camera appeal and has given him a ten-show deal. It will be called Avec Eric (which is also the name of his online show) and will be airing nation-wide beginning in the fall. I'm really looking forward to it (especially after seeing him on Top Chef last night).