"chicago tribune" news and stories

• Have a spot of sherry -- it's making a reentry on the cocktail circuit.
• Pastry chefs around the country offer their tips for a well-stocked baking pantry. (Hint: Chocolate is a must.)
• Truly transformative: Peel some oranges, add some red wine and let the magic happen.
• Ming Tsai offers this recipe to unleash your inner [year of the] tiger on Valentine's Day.

• Simple tips for a hassle-free Thanksgiving.
• Compound butters pack an amazing punch.
• A pre-roasting milk bath is a good alternative to salt-brining your holiday bird.
• But don't forget the gravy.
• Here's an American culinary tradition you've probably never heard of: tomato pudding.
• Cranberries are good for the adult kind of "sauce" too.
• Should you have a catastrophe on the big day, try one of these turkey hotlines.
• Add a Thai twist to turkey leftovers.

• A brief background on bloodsuckers, plus "a bloody fete Dracula would thirst for" -- creative fanger foods, pun intended.
• When left home alone with the task of feeding trick-or-treaters, one columnist came to discover the marvelous match of red wine and chocolate.
• Bacon banter has finally leveled out a bit, but isn't going anywhere anytime soon. However, a recent local event preceding April's Baconfest Chicago wowed porcine appreciators, with dishes like the pumpkin-bacon-waffle with pomegranate-glazed pork belly.
• More than "junk food with a European pedigree," Nutella is a "vaguely wholesome" snack with an interesting background -- and can be made at home from scratch.
• The Festival of Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer takes place November 7, and pays tribute to a worthy beer trend on the rise.
• A gallery of ten "superfoods" we should be consuming more of, from avocados and beets to chia seeds and dandelion greens.
• Recipes: Comforting Chicken Pot Pie with Drop Biscuits ("the gustatory equivalent of curling up with your favorite blanket"); the luscious Vanilla Ice Cream with Bourbon Walnuts and Caramel; Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork and Spicy Slaw "warms up a Halloween party;" Sheila Lukins' Banana Cake.

We're fans of the Chicago Tribune's "Cheeseburger Show," and we had to chuckle as "cheeseburger bureau chief" Kevin Pang gears up for a the fall burger season with a tribute to "Perfect Strangers." It's kind of a sloppy scene-by-scene re-enactment -- perfect for a cheeseburger. Click on the photo for the video. (Warning: Mild vulgarity by French Fry.)

Leading the charge at the Tribune is olive oil, with recipes for Orange salad with olives and cilantro and Peppery red aioli. Also, Five countries, five oils, What to look for in olive oils, and Chicago-area sources.

If you feel like fish, there is advice on what types of seafood are in season and a recipe for Pan-seared halibut with shaved fennel, watercress and radish.

Also in the kitchen, community cookbooks are a treasure trove, pork medallions are good for the planet, white anchovies, tarragon,and lemons are a yellow marvel.