Monday, November 28, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Non-Thanksgiving Recipe
Thanksgiving is probably the "biggest" holiday in the USA and it is beyond any religion or culture. I truly respect it and celebrate it each year with all my heart. But I don't still get the obsession of Americans with roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pecan pie. I realize the importance of a successful Thanksgiving Dinner but I can't relate to this turkey-mania....
That's why I will post today a fun, easy to make recipe just for a snack to start your day. Even better, the recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cooking with Friends (from the famous TV series). As I feel that I grew older with Friends and remember their fun Thanksgiving episodes (apparently popular with the cast), I publish below the Spiced Pecans recipe taken from the book (page 9). Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoon salt
6 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Makes 6 cups, enough for 15 people
Method
Preheat the oven to 325F. Combine the spices and salt in a small bowl. Toss the pecans and oil in a large bowl. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the nuts out in a single layer over 2 large baking sheets. Toast until the nuts are fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool the nuts to room temperature. (The nuts can be stored in an airtight container for several days). Serve a little at a time, or otherwise you'll find your guests have devoured all of the nuts in just minutes.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Winner announced for the PALM Trivia Giveaway
Thank you for your postings....it was a challenging trivia but there are a few PALM beer pros. It was difficult to pick the winner --- the best answer goes to the person who posted as Unknown (I need your name and address to be able to have the gift sent to you as soon as possible).
Here are the winning answers:
1. Speciale Belge
2. It's a tulip-shaped chalice, which helps with head retention and directing the aroma to the drinker's nose.
3. Top (ale) fermentation, bottom (lager) fermentation, spontaneous (lambic/gueze) fermentation and (this is a guess:) secondary (bottle) fermentation.
Congrats again!
Thanks to the PALM beer that sponsored this giveaway!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
PALM BEER Trivia Giveaway
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Good Food Awards
It was a wonderful breakfast when this year's Good Food Awards Finalists were announced and they kindly and generously presented their products at the Il Buco's New Alimentari in Noho. I didn't have the stomach to taste everything - 71 in total!- but I did pretty well tasting at least one third of those amazing food creations. Even better, I tried the entire list of finalists in the Preserves "section", something that brought memories from my childhood. My favorite, the American Spoon Heirloom Tomato Preserve and Wild Thimbleberry Jam, perfectly balanced in sugars and fruit, reminded of my grandmother, a master in marmalade and preserve making. One bite was just for exploring, the second stayed in the mouth for a few minutes, enough to make me nostalgic, nearly a Proustian experience, this time without Madeleines.
Here is the entire list of the finalists, the winner will be announced in January 2012 in San Francisco!
Ricco/Maresca Gallery Opening Reception
Monday, November 14, 2011
Chocolate Show in New York
Made from Chocolate! |
The Chocolate Show, an annual New York "institution" ended yesterday but flavors and smells are still with those who attended the event. There was no bacon chocolate nor chili chocolate chips as seen in the previous years. High quality bars mixed with nuts and dried fruit, elegant pralines and ganaches, champagne truffles and 100% cacao bars were a few of the highlights. I strongly felt that this year's trend was the covered "everything" chocolate: pretzels, almonds and even goji berries. Additionally, top pastry chefs showed off their skills using chocolate making from chocolate pasta (an Italian Christmas Eve specialty) to chocolate quiche for breakfast. Look below and don't be too jealous....
Chocolate Quiche and Creamy Toast |
Pasta with Chocolate and Walnut Sauce |
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Kitchen NYC
The festive cocktails took place early this year at The Kitchen NYC, where guests gathered in the interactive event space while watching Executive Chef John McAllister & Sous Chef Dan Sanchez create handcrafted seasonal hors d'Oeuvres right in front of them. Tuna tartare, eggplant tapas, chicken bites, meatballs, dates wrapped with ham, fish cakes and plenty of cheese with dried fruit and delicious nuts were the delicacies all of us had the chance to taste.
The Kitchen NYC, now renamed as FoodPop Studios, is 7,500 square feet and divided into fully customizable spaces including a separate state-of-the-art kitchen studio, tasting room and raw event space. In addition to the kitchen studio, the space includes a beautifully designed Tasting Room ideal for intimate gatherings such as food and wine tastings or private dinners prepared by your favorite chef.
A unique venue for events, tasting and cooking!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Pickle Festival at Amsterdam Market
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
The Meatball Shop Cookbook
Posted by
fullybooked
at
5:48 AM
0
comments
Labels: Ad hoc store events, Authors and books, Culinary