Gourmet Live Blog

← Older posts

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Brie Schwartz

Valentine’s Day is my favorite fake holiday, stemming from kindergarten when even Jared Levine, the class heartthrob, had to give me a doily-covered cardboard. Beyond the bliss of teacher enforced equality, Valentine’s Day holds true significance for me because it’s when I drank my first cocktail (if you’d consider a cranberry-Popov a cocktail). No, I wasn’t pouring my post-break-up tears into a Solo cup, if that’s what you’re thinking. It was a tumbler.

Since that landmark occasion, I have celebrated every Valentine’s Day like most romantics do: by drinking. Whether you’re toasting your best “Gal-entines” or sharing a solo evening with your own Jared Levine, the “Rosé Kiss” created by Moses Laboy of NYC’s Red Rooster, makes a sweet start to your night of swooning.

To create it at home, muddle pineapple (canned is fine) and mint in a cocktail shaker. Then, add 2 parts Courvoisier Rosé, ½ part French dry vermouth, ½ part fresh lime juice, 3 splashes of bitters and ¼ part simple syrup (or less if you don’t want to be cursing Cupid’s hangover). Shake well and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a fresh pineapple chunk and gaze longingly.

Posted in Cocktails, Wine & Beer | Tagged cocktail, Mint, pineapple, valentine's day | 1 Comment

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Sarah Angileri

When did munching between meals become taboo? The overly-stigmatized ritual is only problematic when junk food boxes and bags are emptied in a matter of hours, not days. Instead, ditch your 100-calorie packs and cook up a healthy snack that can suit the palate of even the most refined three-square-meal food purist. Think of these as medians between ants-on-a-log and canapé.

• Curry gives Sprouted Kitchen’s Spiced Pomme Frites with Cucumber Dip a kick of heat, while the complementing coolness a low-fat yogurt dip trumps ranch in both protein content and zesty flavor (picture above).
• Similar to hummus in texture, Inspired Edibles’ Sundried Tomato and Zucchini Bean Dip with Warming Chili Garlic Sauce abandons the chickpea as a base in favor of the creamy and fiber-packed cannellini bean.
• Sweet Pea Kitchen’s Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas are a low-fat alternative to candied nuts. If you’re feeling especially daring, add a sprinkle of sea salt.
• Roasting Once Upon A Chef’s Crispy Kale Chips with Lemon and Parmesan replaces the raw kale’s bitterness with a smoky, caramelized crunch.
• No white flour here. Roost’s Savory Pecan Biscuits with Garlic-Herb Confit & Crispy Sage utilize garlic’s sweet pungency as a smooth topping for nutty, buttery biscuits made with almond and pecan meal.
• A bowl of Lottie + Doof’s fragrant Rosemary Cashews on the kitchen counter makes for a pretty party snack.
• Kitchen Table Scraps’ Sangria Jam can use up leftover fruit scraps from the famous Spanish cocktail—or make a new pitcher for jam’s sake! Serve with versatile home-baked Whole Wheat Crackers.

• RSS feed for this blog
• Sign up for our email list
• Join us on Facebook

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged appetizers, healthy, sides, snacks, winter | Leave a comment

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Share and Share Alike: If you didn’t learn it in kindergarten, now’s the time. Choose dishes that involve the intimacy of sharing: fondue, or a porterhouse steak for two. If you’re a guy, just don’t pull a macho move like the date I had where the dude grabbed a large head of iceberg lettuce and split it in half with his bare hands.

Aromatherapy: Borrow that old real estate trick and simmer a cinnamon stick in your teakettle. Or bake cookies. Or toast some nuts. All are guaranteed to perfume your home with enticing scents.

To Breathe or Not to Breathe Garlic: Either you both indulge, or you both abstain. If you know up front that the two of you adore garlic, then go for it. Otherwise, hold off on that allium for the evening.

Finger Lickin’ Good (Not): Chicken wings are ideal for the Super Bowl, but not for Valentine’s Day. Ditto for ribs. You don’t want to look like the guy attacked by a chicken wing in the Tums ad, with sauce smears on your face.

Last Chance To Stop The Gas: Avoid any embarrassing moments by limiting, if not steering totally clear of the bubbly, from champagne to beer to seltzer. And for noise-free digestion, bypass the meat and starch combo in favor of meat with green and/or orange veggies. If you’re a vegetarian, go vegan, ditching any dairy for the evening. And if you’ve got chocolate covered strawberries, eat them before dinner.

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged cooking tips, Kemp's Kitchen, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Kendra Vizcaino

There are lots of foods that can just make your heart melt. A few of our favorites include: chocolates, oysters, wine, honey, caviar, cheese fondue, and strawberries with whipped cream. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner we want to know:

What do you think is the most romantic food?

Posted in Reader Polls | Tagged chocolate, fondue, Oysters, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Kelly Senyei

This week we’re celebrating February 14 with romantic dinners, a look at the interplay between dating and food, and a chat with chef Marcus Samuelsson’s model wife in our Valentine’s Day Issue. Download the free Gourmet Live app for access to all of the issues and recipes, and visit Gourmet.com to read this week’s issue in full, including:

• The Dating Game by Matthew Kronsberg
• Meet Marcus Samuelsson’s Valentine by Kelly Senyei
• Road Trip: Top 15 Romantic Restaurants In Partnership with BlogHer
• Wine Tasting Along France’s Loire by Ted Loos
• A recipe for Tuscan Porterhouse Steak for Two 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

“Low and slow” is a key component to mastering the art of barbecue. Not Without Salt makes slow-cooked Pulled Pork Sandwiches from scratch, including homemade barbecue sauce, slaw, and buns. The pork shoulder is marinated overnight in a brown sugar spice rub before being cooked at a low temperature for 6 hours until meltingly tender. The barbecue sauce adds a touch of hickory smoke, while the fennel, apple, and radicchio slaw bound together with crème fraiche and cider vinegar, adds a refreshing crunch. The sandwich is complete with a homemade golden-brown sesame seed bun.

• RSS feed for this blog.
• Sign up for our email list.
• Join us on Facebook.

Posted in Image of the Day | Tagged barbeque, coleslaw, image of the day, pulled pork | Leave a comment

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Kelly Senyei

I’m skipping the crowds this Valentine’s Day and trading in a two-top at my favorite restaurant in favor of a memorable meal created in my very own kitchen. A DIY dinner may require a bit more time and planning than making an online reservation, but you can bet it will also be infinitely more romantic.

Make it a memorable February 14 with a few of my tips for the ultimate restaurant-free romance:

• Mood Before Food: As you brainstorm the perfect meal for two, also consider the fantastic four elements of ambiance: music, flowers, candles, and lighting. Soft candlelight will create the perfect mood, but remember to only use unscented candles so that there are no competing aromas with the enticing scent of your meal.

• All that Sparkles: Up the romance factor by opting for sparkling water in place of traditional flat. The bubbles add an element of elegance and allow you to dress up your cup with a wedge of fresh citrus or DIY citrus-infused ice cubes (made by placing small slices of lemon or lime in ice cube trays, covering with water, and freezing until solid).

• Disconnect to Connect: Make it a meal for two instead of 2,000 by unplugging from the world of social media for the evening and enjoying the company that’s in your own home. Snap photos of your sweetheart or your spread but save the online sharing for after the meal.

• Dress to Impress: The key to stress-free entertaining at home is organization, and I’ve always found the best way to stay organized while prepping multiple dishes is to make sure I get myself all ready (think hair, makeup, attire, etc.) before I start cooking. This timeline prevents any last-minute kinks in my cooking from forcing me to greet my guest(s) in my pajamas.

• A Sweet Sendoff: Dessert is an essential course of any Valentine’s Day spread. Cakes, cupcakes, and tarts are all a great way to end your feast, but you can also keep it super simple with a quick-fix fondue for two. Melt your favorite chocolate in a double-boiler (consider adding a splash of your favorite liquor) and serve the hot and creamy confection with your choice of dippers, such as fresh fruit, cubes of pound cake, coconut macaroons, and bite-sized cookies. 

Posted in News & Events | Tagged cooking on Valentine's Day, romantic dinner, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

Remember that cake I was going to make with my homemade butter and buttermilk? It was a flop. And I know why.

I was so excited by the homemade buttermilk I made last week that I brought it in for my colleagues to sample. We all marveled at its sweet, buttery flavor. Tangy? Not a bit. I stupidly ignored that fact.

But commercial buttermilk sold in supermarkets has an unmistakable tang. That’s because it’s cultured, whether it’s the cultured skim milk product most of us buy, or Kate’s Real Buttermilk. The tang is the lactic acid that’s been formed by the breakdown of the milk sugar, lactose. It’s that acid that interacts with the baking soda to create the bubbles that make a cake rise.

My sweet homemade buttermilk was really more like regular milk. If I wanted to produce a decent cake, I needed to add some acid. Continue reading →

Posted in Kemp's Kitchen | Tagged Baking, buttermilk, Cooking Tip, Kemp's Kitchen | 1 Comment

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Brie Schwartz

Name: Dalia Dogmoch Soubra
Blog: D’s Kitchen

Location: Dubai

What is your favorite recipe from your blog?
Do I have to choose just one? I adore the simple Spaghetti al limone, the perfect Blueberry Crumble Muffins and most recently the amazing Stuffed Turkey I made. I combined the traditional American turkey with a date stuffing, which is an ingredient used in abundance in this part of the world.

If you had to blog about one ingredient every day, what would it be?
Butter, butter, and more butter. I guess that’s what happens when you grow up in Paris. The French use and abuse butter and it’s never been a problem for them. Somehow everywhere else in the world people have become overly conscious of eating and cooking with it, which is a shame. Everything tastes better with butter!

What is your favorite restaurant and what do you order there?
That is such a tough question! I have several restaurants splattered across the planet that I go nuts for. So let me list a few places which are amongst the ones I love most: L’ami Louis in Paris, Supper in New York (East Village), Yauatcha in London, Mayas In Beirut, and Peppercrab in Dubai.

Who would you love to have over for dinner?
Jamie Oliver, Hugh Grant or Sean Connery. I have a thing for the British it seems.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged blueberry muffins, butter, Pasta, turkey | Leave a comment

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

My idea of the classic American culinary experience is noshing on munchies while watching the Super Bowl. And if you’re in a bind and need a few creative ideas for gameday snacking, there’s no better place to turn than to homemade takes on a few of our stadium favorites.

Turn boxed crackers into a cheesy breading for Cheddar Chicken Tenders with Wilted Spinach, which features tenders tossed in tangy mustard and rolled in crushed crackers. It’s a hearty snack that both adults and children will appreciate. Or for a crunchy bite, try Chile Peanuts that are roasted with smoky paprika, cayenne, lime, and sea salt.

And for those who are avid fans of the salty-sweet combo, opt for Maple Pecan Popcorn, a mixture of buttery popcorn tossed with chopped pecans and maple syrup. Serve it in a large, communal bowl, or divide into individual bags for simple snacking.

What’s on your snack spread for Super Bowl Sunday?

Posted in News & Events | Tagged popcorn, snacks, Super Bowl, what we're cooking | Leave a comment

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Kelly Senyei

Test your culinary skills with seven sweet and savory recipes in our Ambitious Foods collection, now available in the Gourmet Live Store.

Let the flour flinging begin by making puff pastry from scratch, and then move on to the more challenging molecular gastronomy techniques by making guacamole “pasta” using agar flakes and plastic straws. Chocolate truffles doused in cocoa powder are the ultimate sweet finale to this ambitious feast.

Download the free Gourmet Live app then head to the Library to access the Store for our Ambitious Foods collection.

Posted in New on the Gourmet Live App | Tagged ambitious foods, molecular gastronomy, recipes, truffles | Leave a comment

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Brie Schwartz

I tend to avoid any activity that’s catered to couples, including (but not limited to) spa services for two, sharing food, and anything in the skating, blading, or go-carting department. Keeping that in mind, when I agreed to go to a “Valentine’s Day Cooking Experience” sponsored by Godiva Spirits, I was a bit hesitant. However, given that it is the month of Amor, I figured at the very least, my fiancée would learn how to put a nice sear on a sirloin (he did), and best case scenario, I’d meet some couples with a good sense of irony.

Continue reading →

Posted in Cocktails, Wine & Beer | Tagged bourbon, chocolate, Godiva, Manhattan, valentine's day | Leave a comment

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Kelsey Vala

Nothing says “great football host” like a simmering pot of chili to welcome your guests. Chili purists will gawk, but try using chorizo or turkey instead of ground beef, replacing the kidney beans with black beans, baking your chili with spicy cornbread, or ladling it over crunchy Fritos. Who knew this cold-weather staple could be so versatile?

• Smitten Kitchen’s Classic Beef Chili wouldn’t be complete without Sour Cream Cheddar Biscuits, a unique compilation of chili’s classic toppings (pictured above).
• Slowly cook this Black Bean Chili from Lana’s Cooking with rich, smoky spices and serve with your favorite fixins’ for a meal your guests won’t forget.
• Kitchen Konfidence’s use of shredded turkey stewed in bold spices makes a welcome modification in this recipe for Turkey Chili.
• The addition of chocolate adds a balanced richness and a deep hue to Baked Bree’s Chocolate Chili.
• Spicy cornbread serves as a golden topping in Dorie Greenspan’s Cornbread-Chili Casserole.
• Nostalgic comfort food on a heaping mound of corn chips? This recipe from Homesick Texan for Frito Pie with One-Hour Texas Chili will make you wish you were a cowboy.
• Amateur Gourmet’s Seven Chile Chili toasts a variety of hot chiles to bring out the fruity, smoky flavor in this bowl of red.

Posted in From the Food Blogs | Tagged beans, Beef, chili, weekly roundup | 2 Comments

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Kemp Minifie

As if I haven’t extolled the virtues of authentic buttermilk enough in my article “Crazy For Kate’s Real Buttermilk” in this week’s issue of Gourmet Live, let me add another one: At less than 1 percent milk fat, it’s lower in fat than some of the commercial brands of “buttermilk” that are actually cultured skim milk!

Not only is Kate’s a delicious product to drink—it’s cultured to give it a delicious tang—it also makes baked goods so tender, you’d swear they had gobs more butter in them. I know, because I’ve tested a standard yellow cake recipe with the cultured skim milk product, whole milk yogurt, and sour cream, and none of those cakes could match the texture and flavor of the one I made with the bona fide buttermilk.

But if I’m frustrated I can’t get Kate’s Buttermilk where I live in New York City, I’m sure many of you are, too. So this morning, I made my own butter and buttermilk according to a recipe on Epicurious.com. Call me a food geek, but it was so thrilling! Within less than ten minutes—I made mine in two batches—I had a total of 1¼ pounds of glorious, fresh butter, and 3 cups of genuine buttermilk. Both the butter and buttermilk are going into a 20th birthday cake this weekend for my younger daughter, and I know it will be the best chocolate cake I ever made!<">