"landmarc" news and stories

Happy National Cotton Candy Day!

Long a staple at circuses, amusement parks and county fairs across the country, cotton candy is beloved as a whimsical and edible piece of childhood nostalgia. Though the concept of spun sugar dates back to the 1700s, cotton candy as we know it dates back to the early 1900s, when it first came to be known as "fairy floss."

Although its debut is debated -- some argue the Ringling Brothers take credit for it, while others claim the sugary treat was first showcased at St. Louis' 1904 World's Fair -- one thing is certain: Tennesseans John Wharton and William Morrison patented an early cotton-candy machine in 1899, "in which a revolvable or rotating pan or vessel containing candy or melted sugar causes the said candy or melted sugar to form into masses of thread-like or silk-like filaments by the centrifugal force due to the rotation of the vessel." The devices haven't changed much -- and cotton candy is still a delightful confection to modern audiences of all ages, currently being served at popular restaurants like Landmarc and BLT Fish today.

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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]