What do chefs eat when they need a palate cleanser after so much fancy restaurant fare? When they take off their aprons, they reach for the same indulgences we do -- perhaps just with an upgrade. Slashfood asked celebrity chefs to share their favorite cravings.
Mario Batali When orange-clogged chef and television personality Mario Batali isn't reinventing Italian cuisine, he's still got it in the bag -- of Doritos, that is. "I love two things: good gelato and, strangely enough, Doritos and salsa. It has to be Doritos, though. I especially like the lime-flavored ones with chili."
Nigella Lawson Which foods make domestic goddess Nigella Lawson feel sinful? None! Nigella, who is famous for her intimate, relaxed cooking style says, "I don't have any guilty food pleasures. The only thing one should ever feel guilty about is not taking pleasure."
See what snacks Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio and other celebrity chefs sneak after the jump.
'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.
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.
So you think you're out playing hooky from work on the promise of a lovely Southern lunch stewed up by your favorite cookbook authors and then all of a sudden, in strides Bobby Flay.
Matt Lee and Ted Lee and the rest of the assembled had been lured to a barge on the Hudson River -- Matt's preferred canoeing channel -- on the premise that the brothers would be filming a segment for a Food Network special called "Lowcountry Lowdown." They'd filmed the first half in Charleston, S.C., and reportedly, the duel would have gone down on their home turf, had Chef Flay not fallen prey to the vagaries of air travel.
Read more about throwing down with the Country Captain after the jump.
Politicians are used to getting grilled, but when Bobby Flay dropped by the White House for a private lesson, the tables were turned. The chef schooled President Obama on his corn technique and the importance of not flipping positions on meaty matters.
Long lines at the Great American Food and Music Fest. (c) Pamela Palma
With everyone yakking about sustainability, organics and local ingredients nowadays, especially in the San Francisco area, the sight of Bay Area residents (who notoriously champion these ideals) noshing on bagels flown in from New York City and BBQ trucked from Texas was an odd one.
At the Great American Food and Music Fest on Saturday more than 10,000 people turned out to a massive ampitheater overlooking the Santa Cruz mountains to tuck into food and music. Though the stage at the Shoreline will host Coldplay, No Doubt and Phish later this summer, on Saturday the fans that turned out in droves were mostly the hungry kind (hungrier than they expected, due to a technological meltdown involving electronic wristbands, very long lines and occasionally soldout food -- for which co-curator Ed Levine has profusely apologized).
But the day had its bright spots, among them glimpses of celebrity chefs and TV stars like Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Aida Mollenkamp demonstrating recipes for modern American cuisine. For price tags ranging from $35 to more than $500, festival-goers were able to see their heroes live and -- when the crowds didn't prove too daunting -- eat some serious food.
Next week, the Charleston Food + Wine Festival kicks off its fourth annual event enhancing the city's culinary reputation. While tasting the various unique flavors of the South Carolina Lowcountry, guests will enjoy epicurean delights of the country's best chefs, authors and wine makers at more than 50 events throughout the weekend.
On March 6, Bobby Flay will host a Down South Charity Luncheon. Mario Monticelli, winemaker at Trinchero Napa Valley, hosts a seminary on the Napa Valley. There will be several pastry chefs, including François Payard, hosting events as well. In addition, there will be over a dozen chefs from Charleston. The Charleston Food + Wine Festival is a non-profit organization; its proceeds go towards raising charitable donations for the MUSC Children's Hospital and area culinary-related charities.
The festival begins on March 5th and ends on the 8th. Events are quickly being sold out. So, if you're interested, do not hesitate to purchase tickets for events on the festival's website.
Each Most (I had a memory lapse last week and forgot to do a round-up. My apologies.) Thursdays, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.
Several things I did not know about Bobby Flay before our brief, but amusing phone chat last week:
1. He has a trademark* on the term "crunchify" -- which means to add potato or tortilla chips to a sandwich or burger for the express purpose of introducing a textural element.
2. He's Churchill Downs' official Kentucky Derby Party Host. Though actually that puts to rest the nagging questions I'd had as to why a born and bred New Yorker would put a Hot Brown sandwich (it's a Bluegrass State thing) on his menu at Bar Americain.
3. Chips, dips and burgers for the Superbowl celebration chez Flay? Nope -- he's a paella man for big parties.
4. Holy heck, is he an entertaining radio host.
Bobby Flay Radio is a limited run series wherein the titular host waxes authoritative on subjects ranging from football, personal style, dating, and oh yeah -- food. While an audio-only cooking show might seems a tad spare, Flay manages to demo a Sandwich of the Week, conduct on-air taste tests (consisting largely of potato chip bags being opened loudly in front of open microphones) and dispense hardcore cooking advice to callers in a manner appealing enough to make one want to ratchet up the caliber of one's lunch plans once the show wraps at noon.
Bonus -- occasionally his wife, actress Stephanie March, shares mike duties and misses not a single chance to rebut his claims or bust his chops. A Burns & Allen in the making? Dunno -- how 'bout giving 'em more than five weeks to find out, Sirius?
Bobby Flay Radio airs on Sirius / XM Channel 108 from 10-12 on Thursdays (replaying Saturday and Sunday from 3-5) through February 5th. Don't subscribe? Sign up for a free online trial.
Alanna is traveling for the next couple of weeks, and while you may see a post or two up from her appear on the site while she's away, she isn't near a TV and so can't watch The Next Food Network Star. I'm going to be subbing in for her in the recap department. So let's get started, shall we?
I warn you, after this point, there will be spoilers!
It is beginning to look like unofficial hot dog day here at Slashfood, though I'd like to clarify that this recipe calls for 100% all-beef wieners rather than some of the other available alternatives. Ugh.
Anyhoo...
For those of you gearing up for some grilling this weekend, you may want to check out Bobby Flay's "Texas Dog" - a simple recipe which includes a hot dog smothered in his special homemade BBQ sauce, then topped with freshly-made coleslaw and quartered dill pickles. This is perfect for backyard "plate-less" eating since the usual side dishes are already on the bun.
Granted, this recipe may not win an award for being the fanciest dish or require a lot of skill to prepare, because let's be honest, at the end of the day it is still just a hot dog, but it tastes delicious and everything can be prepared beforehand. If you are having company over for a backyard barbecue, really, isn't that the point? I've included a copy of the recipe and instructions after the jump.
Earlier today, Joanne gave you the results of the Food Network Awards, and now chef/writer/adventurer Anthony Bourdain gives his opinion of the ceremony.
Bourdain hasn't been shy in giving his opinion on what he thinks has become of the Food Network (too much focus on "star" chefs, bad food being cooked, an emphasis on too many things that have nothing to do with cooking, etc), and he has some choice words for the awards show:
The 2007 Food Network Awards were held in February during the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, but the results were just broadcast a few nights ago during a 90-minute TV special. I missed the actual show, but have a full listing of the winners which you can find after the jump.
The categories this year were strange to say the least - you won't find anything relating to any of the actual shows or people of the Food Network, however, the network personalities were out in full force. Giada De Laurentiis, Bobby and Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, and Bobby Flay (among others) presented alongside a rather odd choice of celebrities (really, this is food - not the oscars!) including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart. Though it may seem odd, I'm sure it was highly entertaining.
If you want to catch the entire awards show, the Food Network will apparently be running an encore tonight.
Bobby Flay has an impressive list of titles including famed chef, television personality, Iron Chef on the Food Network, and author of several cookbooks. He also runs a group of restaurants including Bolo and Bar Americain in New York City, Mesa Grill located in both New York and Las Vegas, and Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City. Today, Flay is opening a third Mesa Grill, located in the Bahamas at the Cove Atlantis - marking his first business venture outside of the United States.
Widely known for his Southwestern cuisine, Bobby Flay is apparently excited about mixing his signature style with ingredients and flavors of the Caribbean, and will be serving dishes such as Bahamian Spiced Chicken Skewers with Yogurt Cilantro Sauce, Crispy Squid and Cracked Conch Salad with Orange-Chipotle Vinaigrette, and Bahamian Lobster Tail with Red Chile-Coconut Sauce and Green Chile Rice. Sounds pretty delicious to me.
The restaurant, according to the Cove Atlantis webpage, overlooks beaches and the Atlantic Ocean and features vibrant colors, Southwestern motifs, and an auburn and white cow print on the dining chairs. The bar "features a terrazzo and sea shell counter with backlit glass and embedded goatskin, flanked by columns of river rock."
Not to leave any possible stone unturned, it seems that the Food Network has plans to expand their reality television horizons this fall as they conduct a search for The Next Iron Chef. Though details are very limited at this point, the show will apparently be hosted by Iron Chef's own Alton Brown, and the contestants will be culinary professionals hoping to become one of the shows celebrity Iron Chefs alongside the current roster of Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Masaharu Morimoto, and Cat Cora.
Though a number of old shows have been weeded out, The Food Network has enjoyed increased viewership over the past few years and are working on introducing even more new content to their regular line-up, including "America's Best Recipe" - where everyday cooks compete for best recipe in various categories, as well as "Food Dudes", which will follow two young "scruffy" chefs from Hollywood as they run their catering business.
It seems as though the days of one (highly trained) chef standing behind a counter preparing meals are definitely numbered.
Warning: The post below contains spoilers, so if you TiVo'd last night's "Iron Chef America" and don't want to know who won, I suggest you stop reading now.
Last night, the oddest battle in the history of Kitchen Stadium took place, a battle of the Food Network All-Stars that pit Mario Batali and Rachael Ray against Bobby Flay and Giada de Laurentiis. The theme ingredient was cranberries. It seemed to take Rachael and Mario several minutes to find their groove, with Rachael seeming to get flustered and Mario looking a little impatient, although the pair seemed to have the dishes they would do divided up already. It looked like things started out very smoothly for Bobby and Giada, on the other hand, who both appeared focused. As time wore on, however, Rachael adapted more and more to the kitchen and the pressure of the time began to affect Giada's performance. Bobby did his usual good work, but unfortunately, the judges weren't as impressed with Giada's plates as they were with Rachael's -- although it probably didn't hurt that Mario bribed them all with cranberry Bellini's halfway through the competition!
From the fact that both women seemed a bit stressed out at the end of the cooking period, it seems as though neither would be eager to return to the stadium. If the Food Network is thinking of doing another All-Star battle, however, how about Ina Garten vs. Paula Deen?
Several things I did not know about Bobby Flay before our brief, but amusing phone chat last week:
It is beginning to look like unofficial hot dog day here at Slashfood, though I'd like to clarify that this recipe calls for 100% all-beef wieners rather than some of the 
Earlier today, Joanne gave you 
Bobby Flay has an impressive list of titles including famed chef, television personality, Iron Chef on the Food Network, and author of several cookbooks. He also runs a 
Not to leave any possible stone unturned, it seems that the Food Network has plans to expand their reality television horizons this fall as they conduct a search for 
Warning: The post below contains spoilers, so if you TiVo'd last night's "Iron Chef America" and don't want to know who won, I suggest you stop reading now.
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