"jacques torres" news and stories

Love all things chocolate but perhaps you're a little wary of whipping up your own bon bons? Master pastry chef Jacques Torres (aka Mr. Chocolate) is here to help, with his new app (called MrChocolate, natch) for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch that channels his inner Willy Wonka. While the initial free app (available at the iTunes App Store) gives you a "behind-the-scenes" look at the Torres chocolate factory, a chocolate glossary, and an animated history of chocolate, among other features, the upgraded app is where the good stuff lives -- Torres video how-tos, recipes, and techniques.

It is almost Valentine's Day, folks. Isn't it time you learned to work it like Torres and bake a chocolate cake for real this year?

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Chocolate! Jacques Torres, former pastry chef of Le Cirque, last night showcased dazzling desserts at an anniversary bash to celebrate the launch of his chocolate factories in Brooklyn, and then in Manhattan, more than a decade ago.

But the dazzle at Torres's Hudson Street factory wasn't limited to the macaroons, chocolates, and bombolinis with vanilla custard that party people were eating faster than chocolate reaches the boiling point. Some of the stars of the culinary scene were also there to wish Chef Torres well. They even brought their families. Good Morning America's Sara Moulton came with her daughter, and Top Chef's Gail Simmons brought her parents, just in from their home base of Toronto. (Just Desserts judge Dannielle Kyrillos was also there with her husband, J.P. Kyrillos, publisher of Travel +Leisure.)

Jeffrey Steingarten, Vogue food writer and judge on Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef, and his wife, did a drive-by on their way to Lotus of Siam, one of the hardest Manhattan tables to snag.

Drew Nieporent (Nobu), who had recently returned from the 12th Annual Gastronomika conference in San Sebastian, Spain, where he ate around with the likes of Ferran Adrià and Daniel Boulud, was asking everyone (in between flashing BlackBerry pics of his trip) if they'd been to his new restaurant, Corton, located in the former Montrachet space. Yes, they had.

And where is the food crowd going for New Year's Eve? Vegas, of course. All the talk was about the Jay-Z and Coldplay shows at the new Cosmopolitan Hotel, where chef José Andrés just opened his China Poblano.

If you're not yet aware of Bravo's diabolical plan to make sure that no day of the year goes without a new episode of some variant of Top Chef, may we introduce Top Chef: Just Desserts.

Otherwise known as "oh, this is what Gail Simmons was doing when she wasn't on Top Chef DC," the newest member of the stable certainly has the same format: A gaggle of confident kitchen whizzes, a similarly sleek set (this one looks like giant layers of marshmallows), and cutthroat elimination judging ("you do not blow on food!").

But it differs in a couple of significant ways. First, if the mere sight of the gooey, creamy creations churned out by the competing pastry chefs doesn't make your fillings ache or your personal trainer call 911, then you've got way more self-restraint than we do. During the "decadent chocolate" challenge, overseen by none other than Jacques Torres himself, we were frantically scavenging for that last fistful of semisweet chips in our cupboard.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week:

• Popular American dishes are born from sea to shining sea.
• Take a sweet peek behind Jacques Torres' chocolate curtain.
• Domino's also shares -- shares TV production secrets, that is.
• South-of-the-border sage says not to fear chiles, then makes mole.
• Cook up these dishes before cherry season is kaput.
• You too can grill green.
• Gobble this burger fit for Michelle Obama.

Every election year, different bakeries and candy makers come out with party or candidate-identified treats. They conduct their own, unscientific straw polls, in an attempt to determine what the outcome of the election will be. While elections won't be won or lost over sweet confections, they do add an element of fun to your convention or election return parties.

Famed chocolatier Jacques Torres has thrown his hat into the election-themed chocolates this year, with a pair of white chocolate lollipops. They are available with either a blue donkey for the Dems or a red and blue elephant for the GOP. The back of the blue pops are printed with the slogan "Barack the Vote," the others cheer that "Mac is Back." They run $5 a pop and are hand crafted with some of the tastiest, citrus-infused white chocolate around. They'd make a great election time gift for your favorite policy wonk.

Guess the politicians' favorite foods!

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