'Long Nights and Log Fires: Warming Comfort Food for Family and Friends'
Commissioning Editor Julia Charles
Photography by Ryland Peters & Small Ryland Peters & Small -- 2009 Buy it on Amazon
"When the cold wind blows and the snow piles up outside, where better to be than at the heart of a warm kitchen, enjoying the aromas of good home cooking wafting from the oven?" ponders the intro to the supremely satisfying "Long Nights and Log Fires" cookbook.
Crafting a comprehensive repertoire to all things comfort food, the gratifying collection dishes up everything from "soups and snacks," "sides and salads" to "one-pot wonders," "bakes and desserts" and even heart-warming drinks, including Mocha Maple Coffee and Mexican Chocolate with Vanilla Cream. Using a bevy of autumnal ingredients -- relying on fresh produce, flavorful herbs and spices and a comforting dairy element -- this cookbook features everything sweet, spicy and savory to satisfy palates on cold nights.
See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
As wine sales have dipped with the failing economy, the results of the annual Plonkalooza, which judges 50 local wines -- half whites, half reds -- priced at $12 or less, are more promising than ever.
L'Ecluse 16 in France's Alsace region serves "traditionally French [fare] with an inventive twist," with consideration of seasonal produce.
An interview with Boston "Rising Star" Jiho Kim, head pastry chef at L'Espalier.
A gallery guide on how to satisfy your "pumpkin palate," from its savory cameos in coffee and beer, to inventive pancakes, pastas and whoopie pies.
Reminiscent of collegiate endeavors, the Boston Globe goes on an informative pizza crawl, sampling everything from cheese-loaded dive pizzas to the upscale quality-ingredients of refined Italian eateries.
Restaurants: Jamaica Plain's Bon Savor serves French and South African cooking and is "as much about charm and personality as food;" "the coolest place in town," Trina's Starlite Lounge dishes up delicious bar fare; Barbara Lynch's flagship restaurant No. 9 "is still tops" for French and Italian seasonal cuisine.
Although Halloween treats are typically served as desserts, we love the excuse to start the day off sweet provided by these delectable Pumpkin Five-Spice Sweet Rolls.
As if the sweet roll weren't intrinsically indulgent enough, blogger Rachel of Coconut & Lime updated the treat for fall, using pureed pumpkin as a base and Chinese five-spice as an unexpected yet pleasantly subtle filling. Pictured here, the seasonal bonne bouche is positively delectable, with a hint of orange revealing its autumnal base, a generous helping of gooey cream-cheese frosting, and -- one can only imagine -- a springy, moist texture that will melt in your mouth.
If you can afford yourself some autumnal decadence, go ahead and bake up a batch.
Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.
Quiche Lorraine from Thomas Keller's cookbook. Photo: esposj, Flickr.
The craft beer hype has brought stout beer into the mainstream -- but the public's perception of it as purely "stout" is inaccurate.
Playwright humorist Paul Rudnick disproves parents everywhere in his new book, "I Shudder," by living 51 years subsisting mainly on candy -- and sveltely, at that. "What I love about Halloween is its childhood honesty," he says. "It's about what children want rather than what parents want them to want."
A touching story on the "softening" of chef Thomas Keller preceding his last meal with his once-estranged father.
Tater tots and Tecates have started to replace caviar and Chardonnay as foodie first dates take a more casual, adventurous note.
Prompted by a resourceful reader in Beijing, a New York Times writer matches Italian wine with Chinese fare In a pairing fit to make Marco Polo proud.
After ruinous delays for restaurateurs, the liquor license process has been streamlined by the new New York State Liquor Authority chairman, David Rosen.
Restaurants: Flushing, Queens' Imperial Palace is "at the zenith of Cantonese cooking in New York City;" Green Apple BBQ in East Harlem proffers a Mexican influence on Southern cuisine; Brooklyn's Rocky Sullivan's in Red Hook tackles steamed lobster, successfully.
Openings and closings; plus Dining Calendar -- highlights include Day of the Dead workshops, a pumpkin dinner and a meal in memory of Sheila Lukins of the Silver Palate.
I love to host a party around Halloween time -- dressing up is optional, eating is a must! Every year I'm reminded of a story my Granny tells at Halloween. She is the queen of holiday celebrations and always had plenty of food, decorations and guests.
One Halloween, as she was giving away the best treats in the neighborhood, my family cat, Ariadne -- black as night -- decided to show off by stretching and cleaning her paws in the window. Just then, a little boy from across the street rang the doorbell. "Hey lady, did you rent that cat?" he asked my Granny, who responded quickly, "Yes, we just got her yesterday but she expires tomorrow!"
After the jump, find a recipe for Pumpkin Tortellini with Sage and other menu ideas to host your own "Black and Orange" Halloween fest. The catch? You'll have to rent your own black cat!
When most people think of pumpkin, the first thing that comes to mind is pie. But pumpkin is nutritious, inexpensive and the canned variety is available year-round, so there's no need to confine it just to sweet recipes.
One cup of canned pumpkin has about 80 calories and pumpkin is high in vitamin A and potassium, rich in dietary fiber and also contains nutrients like folate, manganese even omega-3 fatty acids. But when it comes to antioxidants, pumpkin is bursting with beta-carotene, which lends the squash its rich orange hue.
Since pumpkin-growing season is primarily in the fall, other fall foods like chestnuts, apples and sage make naturally delicious flavor combinations. Try layering fresh sheets of pasta in between canned pumpkin with a part-skim ricotta filling. Top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and sprinkle on a handful of toasted walnuts.
After the jump, see the Skinny Chef's recipe for Cheesy Pumpkin Biscuits.
Yet more critical praise for Francis Ford Coppola, whose Sofia Sparkling Blanc earns Wine of the Week kudos.
Microbrew reviews for Farmington River Brown Ale, Trout River Rainbow Red, Harpoon Leviathan, Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout, Trout River Chocolate Oatmeal Stout and Iniquity Black Ale.
As someone who has never managed to make ravioli that didn't look like thin, lumpy pillows from some dystopian prison ward bunk bed, I'm completely and totally awed by these beauties, from Jezzfoodieme on Slashfood's Flickr pool.
They're filled with pumpkin and piave vecchio cheese, toasted in butter and topped with walnuts. There's a link to a recipe at Yum-O-Rama, with helpful photos -- unfortunately for me it calls for a ravioli mold.
The term squash covers a whole host of scrumptious fruits - yes, they are fruits.
They are grouped basically into summer squash and winter squash. Summer squash is harvested as an immature fruit, and winter squash is harvested in the fall or winter when it has ripened. Zucchini is probably the most commonly used summer squash, and winter squashes include everyone's favorites: butternut, buttercup, acorn, pumpkin, and spaghetti squash. The skin of a winter squash is hard, and requires cooking.
Squash can be a great, healthier alternative to potato or pasta in many recipes. Here are eight great ways to serve up squash, starting with one you don't have to cook:
These recipes are varied enough that you could make them all for one giant meal and have a squash feast! If there's someone in your life you have to lie to about there being squash in what they're eating, spaghetti squash with pasta sauce is usually a safe bet. Or, you can totally get away with soup - picky eaters often don't pay attention to the broth, just the stuff floating in there. Good luck and happy squashing!
At every major meal event, I have to limit my mother to one "food in a food" -- meaning one dish where the plate/bowl is also edible. It's true that serving food this way can make for a killer presentation, but there's a fine line between killer and overkill, so I try to limit her to one dish. That said, here are some fabulous for serving food inside of food this fall...
You can tell that we here at Slashfood are knee-deep in autumn: some of us are swilling pumpkin beer and mixing pumpkin cocktails; some of us are making comfort food from soup to pot pie; and no few of us are stuffing Halloween candy into our mouths. So what better time to share a slim, marvelous volume devoted to recipes and techniques for autumn's centerpiece ingredient?
Yes, a pumpkin is a squash (and squashes, by the way, are gourds), and so are crooknecks, acorns, butternuts, zucchinis, chayotes, pattypans, carnivals and all of the summer and winter squashes that take center stage in A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash. The book begins with cookbook author Lou Seibert Pappas' thoughts on squash, from their history to their purchase and preparation, followed by a wonderful and useful squash glossary (squashary?). From there we proceed to squash recipes (squashipes?).
If you've made your way to a bar or local beer seller in the past month, you can't help but notice pumpkin beer season is in full swing. BeerAdvocate has 197 products in their "pumpkin ale" reviews archive, and since pumpkin products tend to be seasonal, familiarity can be fleeting, often making it feel like we might as well have all 197 in front of us when making a selection.
Adding to the confusion, Pumpkin beers cover quite a range. Some emphasize subtlety, showing almost no overt pumpkin flavor, instead focusing on light winter spices (like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves). Others can be like pouring a piece of pumpkin pie down your throat with a sugary, sweet taste and a huge mouthfeel.
Like all beers, personal preference is the final factor, but with pumpkin beers especially, when trying one for the first time, it might behoove you to know what you're diving into before you make your purchase.
After the jump, find a quick breakdown of BeerAdvocate's eight most reviewed pumpkin beers, with some personal thoughts on each.
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