Peek Inside Bobby Flay’s Refrigerator
I admit it. I love getting to see inside other people’s refrigerators. Who knows what new must-have condiment I might discover? So you can guess that the Celeb Fridge feature in Rachael Ray’s magazine is a particular favorite of mine. A recent issue highlighted the contents of Food Network celeb chef Bobby Flay. Here’s a peek:
RR: You’ve got a well-stocked fridge. What are some of your staples?
I have bacon from Oscar’s Smoke House. I also keep a stash of Greek yogurt on hand - I mix it with hot sauce to make a quick topping for an easy dish like roasted asparagus or smoked bacon frittata. I keep organic eggs around too, because I’m a fan of big, savory brunches.
RR: [I noticed] you make rows in your fridge - that’s a good tip. So what’s a surefire, Iron Chef-caliber dish that you like to make for Stephanie [his wife]?
She’s from Texas, so she loves Sunday-night chicken dinners. When I go all out, I make her fried chicken and waffles with a spicy maple-horseradish syrup to go on top. That’s a serious Sunday dinner for her!
What Makes a Perfect Hot Dog?
In a recent issue of People magazine, they were all about hot dogs. First, there was famed restauranteur Danny Meyer’s tip (see yesterday’s post) and now they hit up the celebs (both chef and otherwise) to find out what makes their perfect hot dog. Here’s what they had to say:
Giada DeLaurentiis: “I like it grilled; sometimes I broil them. And I like it plain, none of the stuff on top.”
Mario Lopez: “I love spicy food, so for hot dogs, it’s jalapenos and salsa.”
Rachael Ray: “I love a Chicago dog - the cucumbers, the pickles, the hot peppers, everything!”
Rob Thomas: “Mustard and ketchup. I like the New York City dogs on every corner.”
Photo courtesy of StarPulse.com.
Danny Meyer Serves Up Hot Dog Tips
When you think of NYC restauranteur Danny Meyer, you don’t generally think of hot dogs, but now that hot dog season is in full swing, everybody is in the mood. In a recent issue of People magazine, in their Under $10 column, he shared some of his tips and tricks for enjoying of one summertime’s favorite tasty treats:
- When he was a kid, he frequented St. Louis Cardinals games and when chowing down on a dog, he’d “put one inch each of ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, barbecue sauce and pickles all on the same 6-inch dog.”
- He sometimes drizzles maple syrup or salad dressing on a hot dog because “you have cold and hot, crunchy and soft, sweet and salt.”
- Meyer favors Hebrew National hot dogs and their 97 percent Fat Free Kosher Beef Franks, with only 45 calories each.
- He suggests rummaging around in your refrigerator for “that stuff you haven’t used in months” (like capers and salsa) to add a bit of zip. [The] “hot dog is a delicious vehicle for any other flavor,” he added.
Photo courtesy of 7×7.com.
Wisconsin Cheese - A Wonderful Cookbook
Cheese as been around for over 5000 years, yet this delicious compilation of Wisconsin Cheese recipes has only been around since 2008. True, California may have happy cows and Vermont has its laid-back cattle, but Wisconsin leads the pack when it comes to delicious cheese and the wonderful recipes made from their milk. Wisconsin has more licensed cheesemakers than any other state, and each one must pass stringent testing in the areas of dairy science and cheesemaking. More than two billion pounds of cheese are now made annually in Wisconsin.
Within these pages are not only recipes, but an Introduction to Wisconsin Cheese, followed by recipes on everything from American Swiss to Zesty Wisconsin Parmesan Popcorn. The recipe index will help you by breaking down the recipes in the areas of Breakfast Dishes, Soups, Salads and Dressings, Sandwiches, Hors D’oeuvres and Appetizers, Entrees, Pastas, Pizzas, Side Dishes and finally Desserts, Snacks and Treats.
Season’s Best - 2009 Spring/Summer Recipe Collection
Pampered Chef has certainly put together quite a collection of cookware and recipe books. This is the 2009 recipe collection that lists main dishes for around $2 per serving. In today’s economy, that is a welcome relief because grocery items have not dropped in price and gas is on the way back up.
The California Club Pizza offers the savings of around $2 per serving and is loaded with flavor. It’s very easy to make with a few simple ingredients. Another great recipe, and my personal favorite that my wife makes for me every birthday and special occasion, is Chocolate Banana Cream Trifle.
If you are looking for a fresh spin on a traditional summer favorite, then look no further than Fresh Pineapple Salsa. The color is bright and loaded with snap thanks to the addition of fresh cilantro and pineapple. Be sure to make it with gold pineapple; they are the sweetest around and loaded with flavor.
To top it off, this small collection of tasty recipes is only $1.00. Contact your local Pampered Chef representative for your very own copy.
My Summer Reading List: Kitchen Confidential
Last time on My Summer Reading List, I reviewed Ruth Reichl’s Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, the beautiful story of a little girl in love with food who grows up to be a renowned food writer. Tender is a romantic telling of a life spent in food. Kitchen Confidential is a whole other beast.
Semi-retired chef Anthony Bourdain shocked the world with his tome on the inside workings of the restaurant industry, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. As the story goes, Kitchen Confidential shocked the world upon its release in 2000 by revealing the drunken, drug-laden debauchery that exists in American professional kitchens. I question how many people were genuinely surprised by the revelations in Bourdain’s work; after all, the restaurant industry employs more people than any other in the nation, save the Federal government, over 12 million jobs nationwide.
I believe that most of the hullabaloo was feigned. After all, those not currently employed in the Life (as Bourdain calls it) most in the media at least used to be employed in it. To a lifer like myself the book was comfortable. It was like sitting down with an old friend over a bottle of Johnny Walker getting three sheets while reliving memories and swapping tales.
Review: The School of Essential Ingredients
I love reading a good novel. What I love even more is reading something that tugs at my emotions. I thoroughly enjoy books that incorporate food into the story and are able to tie in food to the character’s emotions.
In The School of Essential Ingredients
The author describes the cooking process and flavors so perfectly that you can imagine being in the class and tasting the various dinners with them. With Lillian, the cooking teacher and restaurant chef, we see how she became the chef she is in the story. With one simple dish, she was able to touch her distant mother and from that moment on she saw the power of creating food that can fill the soul. She uses this knowledge when teaching the class and as we meet each of the students and find out more about them. Through Lillian we begin further understand how a confused young woman can see that she’s made some poor choices and can finally find her way after taking these classes. There is also the young man who has fought against his mother’s creativity so strongly that he didn’t realize that he had it within him as well. Then there is the elderly couple who is so affectionate, but has had their share of ups-and-downs in their relationship.
Fork: The Real Food Magazine
I discovered this wonderful little regional magazine by a recommendation on twitter; despite its detractors, twitter can be a wonderful facility. Although unashamedly a regional UK publication (Fork is based in Bristol and thus covers England’s South West), the articles and recipes have a much wider appeal. A brief run through of the contents in issue 7, Summer 2009, should demonstrate the breadth of interesting content:
- Interviews with Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw in his Cornwall seafood grill and with former Bibendum chef Bob Parkiinson bringing a “slice of Chelsea chic to the Cotswolds” with his “stunning new restaurant and deli.”
- A seasonal look at the humble, overlooked gooseberry.
- A chat with the founder of the Cotswold Ice Cream Company.
- A review of the Queens Arms in Newbury, Berkshire, slightly outside the South West, as well as a brief look at the Real Food movement in New York.
Writers Wanted
Do you check your mailbox eagerly for the next installment
of your favorite food magazine?
Is the Wednesday paper your favorite edition
because of the food section?
Are the latest celeb chef’s cookbooks on your must-have list?
Then we’d love to have you come write for Paper Palate! Drop us a line at info@wellfed.net for all the details.
Giada De Laurentiis Hits Redbook Magazine
Food Network celeb chef Giada De Laurentiis is smiling from the cover of the June issue of Redbook magazine. Inside, she answers questions about life, food and her baby daughter, Jade. But what’s more important, is that she also shares quick and easy recipes that are fit for entertaining and toddlers alike.
The first recipe that I tried from the article were for her mini chicken meatballs. When I removed them from the skillet, I tried one. And then another. Total yum. Moist, juicy and just downright delicious. Just a few simple ingredients mix together to make these mini little meaty treasures. Brown on each side for two minutes and then cook in chicken broth for 5 minutes. For about 15 minutes of your time, you’re rewarded with a nice, easy, healthy dinner that you can feel good about putting on the table. And the mini little size made these perfect for the kids, although truth be told, my six-year-old Nick took one look at them and made a series of disgusted faces. No matter, his one-year-old sister Madeline ate his share and then some.
But how to serve them? In the article, they were shown plated in a large bowl with fresh cheese sprinkled on top. That is wonderful as an appetizer or for a party, but not so much for dinner. I needed more. And I found it, another new recipe, in the most recent issue of Food Network magazine. But that recipe is a story for another day.
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