Weekly Newsbits: Goodbye Dom, Online Restaurant Reviewers, Is Your Recipe Mambolicious?

Posted by Jennifer Heigl

A few weekly food newsbits for you today:

Oh, Dom! We loved you so! We’re sad to report that actor, and avid chef, Dom DeLuise passed late last night at a Los Angeles hospital at age 75. DeLuise, though well known for his roles in Blazing Saddles and Cannonball Run, also wrote four cookbooks focused on humor and comfort food recipes.

The Washington Post has a great article today on foodies who have made a name for themselves as restaurant reviewers online, noting the ongoing debate on whether online food bloggers should follow proper restaurant reviewing guidelines, such as those outlined by the Association of Food Journalists.

Finally, Mambo Sprouts has announced the start of their annual Healthy Recipe Cooking contest! The Mambolicious Healthy Recipe ‘09 contest includes a top prize of $2500 cash plus a whole host of free food products for aspiring chefs who submit their favorite recipes. Entries will be judged by Peggy O’Mara, publisher of Mothering magazine; Chef Keith Snow of HarvestEating.com; and food journalist Kimberly Lord Stewart. The contest is open until June 15, 2009, so get your entries in!

It’s Kentucky Derby Time! What Are You Serving?

Posted by Jennifer Heigl

Get your horses ready! Today’s Kentucky Derby looks to be like a fun one, despite all the recent drug-related controversy. Can’t make it for this year’s Run for the Roses? We’ve wrangled some of our favorite Kentucky Derby recipe links for your at-home entertaining!

Not sure how to decorate the place for a horse race? About.com has a few suggestions for throwing the best Kentucky Derby party!

Bon Appetit’s Andrew Knowlton has posted a fabulous Mint Julep recipe just in time!

Chef Bobby Flay teamed up with Churchill Downs to provide a whole array of yummy Southern recipes for your Kentucky Derby party. He has a great Blackberry-Bourbon Julep recipe over at the New York Times as well.

Now, throw on your hats, gals, it’s time for the races!

Daily Blender Exclusive: Food Network’s Tyler Florence

Posted by Jennifer Heigl

Tyler Florence

How can you not love Tyler Florence? He’s cute, he’s sassy, and rumor has it he can cook like a dream! As a member of the Macy’s Culinary Council, Tyler recently participated in Macy’s Keeps America Cooking contest, where contestants were asked to submit videos based on original recipes that demonstrated what keeps them cooking. The prize? A trip to San Francisco, a fabulous Macy’s shopping spree, and a chance to cook with Tyler himself. Too bad I’m not much of a chef.

You can check out all the contest submissions here, or take a look at Tyler’s marvelous podcasts, where he prepares everything from ratatouille to carrot cake, here.

We also had a chance to chat with Tyler about what keeps him cooking!

Q: What really gets you cooking?

A: My family!

Q: How has your experience been as a member of the Macy’s Culinary Council?

A: What’s not to love? Macy’s has a dream team of culinary professionals and the best selection of kitchenwares you’ll find.

Q: What recipe really reminds you of home?

A: Fried chicken

Q: What kitchen tool could you not live without?

A: My Gaggia Espresso Machine

Q: Who are your culinary influences?

A: There are too many to name! David Burke, Charlie Trotter, Donald Barickman.

Q: Who’s your dream sous chef?

A: My main man, Anthony Hoy Fong, who travels the country with me.

Q: What’s your go-to restaurant for a favorite meal?

A: The Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley, California for some smoked ribs and a bottle of my Tyler Florence 2006 Zinfandel.

Nothing Spells Easter Like Peeps!

Well here we are in the Easter afterglow. While I maintained my tradition of not eating traditional on holidays (it was a pizza and ice cream cake kind of day) I hope all of you enjoyed your fabulous food holiday.

Our friends over at Food & Wine were kind enough to point us in the direction of this year’s Peep competition held by the Washington Post this last week. The guidelines were pretty flexible for the Peep dioramas, and the entries were spectacular. Be sure to take a look at the winning ‘Peep Shows’.

I haven’t really enjoyed the marshmallow-y goodness of Peeps in quite a while – particularly since going more organic with my foodstuffs – but Slashfood provided a link to a yummy recipe for making your own, slightly-more-natural Peeps. I wonder if they still blow up in the microwave.

Food Links: Tainted Irish Beef, FN Canada’s Casting Call, $97K At Cracker Barrel!

• Taking on your own food business, even in this dreadful economy? Food Network Canada has announced a casting call for new food entrepreneurs called For the Love of Food. Interested? Take a look!
• If you’re chowing down on a burger in Ireland, maybe you should stop to take a moment. MSNBC reports that cattle at three farms in Ireland have tested positive for cancer-causing dioxin. Though not at the same levels as recently found in the Irish pork industry, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland says not to worry. (Take it with a grain of salt, of course!)
• Strange bag in the ladies’ bathroom at your local restaurant? You never know when it just might be $97,000.
• Our friends at Bon Appetit have put together a wonderful slideshow of their favorite food blog recipes (complete with delicious photos of final dishes).

It’s Time To Make Your Thanksgiving Grocery List!

This week, foodies and non-foodies around the country will dig in to their favorite holiday meal! Whether it’s ham or turkey, mashed potatoes or candied yams, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite holiday recipe links for your enjoyment.

• From top to bottom, Rebekah Denn at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer covers everything from sides to prep to table decorations. Including a video of how to properly carve a turkey, think of it as your complete Thanksgiving guide!
• Food writer Liz Pearson of the Los Angeles Times suggests avoiding the traditional standards when it comes to your holiday meal, suggesting plenty of research and ’show-stopping’ side dishes to wow any Thanksgiving guest.
• The Wall Street Journal chimes in with a savory roasted turkey recipe as well as an intriguing Sweet Potatoes Kittichai from Chef Joël Robuchon’s “The Complete Robuchon”.
• Looking forward to all of the turkey leftovers? Serious Eats recommends a Crispy Leftover Stuffing Hash for your post-Thanksgiving breakfast.

Weekly Newsbits!

• After fighting a class-action battle with former employees over wage discrepancies (primarily tips unlawfully shared with managers), celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has agreed to pay $1.75 million to settle the dispute. The owner of JoJo and Jean Georges, Vongerichten has vehemently denied the allegations, arguing that his companies have complied with all labor laws. A number of other New York area restaurants, including Pastis and Tao, are facing similar lawsuits.
• Looking for a good culinary laugh? Juliette over at SuperChefBlog noted this week the recent release of Every Freaking Day with Rachell Ray, a parody on the ever-popular Every Day with Rachel Ray. The 64-page tongue-in-cheek “cookbook” boasts a ridiculous 10,081 recipes. Check it out for yourself!

Don’t Miss Your Chat With Cat!

Just a quick reminder for those interested -

As I mentioned back in August, Chef Cat Cora will be participating in a live, 30-minute “chat” next Wednesday, September 10th, thanks to Morningstar. Cora will discuss some of her favorite vegetarian recipes, and answer fan questions! To join in on the phone fun, be sure to register over at the Morningstar website. You can learn more about America’s first Iron Chef over at her website, Cat Cora Cooks.

The Short Buzz: A Cocktail to Defy Space and Time

It is believed by a growing number of mixologists that a cocktail garnish should attribute more function than aesthetic filler.  In Sydney, Australia, the philosophy is being applied in a sprits of beach essence sprayed over the faces of blindfolded consumers strapped to an I-Pod.

Grant Collins’ aforementioned design is one of four sensory cocktails debuting at Zeta, a trendy nightspot in downtown Sydney.  The cocktail is actually a colada of rum, pineapple and coconut, but it’s the semi private area, the blindfold, and shots of Hawaiian Tropic sun tan oil that complete the drinks experience.

Mr. Collins states he was influenced by Heston Blumenthal, the chef of Fat Duck, whose menu graced a seafood dish paired with the ambience of ocean sounds.  Mr. Collins asserts the process can “heighten the link between the drink and the experience. Listening to the music makes your mind drift, and the blindfold heightens your sense of smell.”

Along with beach inspired meditations, the Zeta drink menu also totes a salty sea breeze cocktail paired with aquatic renditions and a martini designed to whisk one away to New York City circa 1950 at tunes of the Rat Pack.

But the complete experience is not without consumer participation, “You have to almost will yourself to be transported,” Mr. Collins advised. “For us, it’s about creating the right environment for that to happen.”

For those not dissuaded to work for metaphysical travel here is Zeta’s Tiki Sensory Colada (blindfold and sun tanner not included):

Tiki Sensory Colada

1.5 oz. Appleton Estate Reserve rum

.3 oz. coconut liqueur

2 oz. unsweetened coconut milk

3 oz. pineapple juice

.3 oz. ounce simple syrup

Combine the ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake vigorously, and then pour into a hollow pineapple or a tall glass.  Serve with a straw.

The Short Buzz is a regular post highlighting spirits.  

Recipes: Clementine’s Banana Cake (LA Times)

As I previously mentioned, I’m not big on recipes or cookbooks or meals out of my ability range. Even though I make a mean Dijon chicken, I know my place in the kitchen is really in the pantry. (Salad prep anyone?)

But how can I not want to spend an afternoon in the kitchen at least attempting the latest drool-worthy LA Times recipe? This week, the paper featured a recipe for a decadent banana cake found on the menu at Clementine’s Bakery. The Century City bakery has been noted as one of the ten best bakeries in the LA area – so how can you go wrong?

Clementine Bakery’s banana cake
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Servings: 12

Note: From Clementine Bakery in Century City. Pastry flour is available at baking and cooking supply stores.

Banana cake
2 2/3 cups pastry flour
2 2/3 cups sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large or 4 small very ripe bananas
3 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Into a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mash the bananas. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, until each is completely incorporated, then mix in the buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Finally, mix the dry ingredients into the batter just until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch greased pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden-brown on top, a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool on a rack.

Cream cheese frosting and assembly

1 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
5 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons sour cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth and there are no lumps. Add the butter and whip until incorporated, then add the powdered sugar and the sour cream. Frost the top of the cooled cake, then slice and serve.

Each serving: 580 calories; 7 grams protein; 79 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 29 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 90 mg. cholesterol; 375 mg. sodium.