New York - Smokin' good times

Smokin' good times at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party
BY ROSEMARY BLACK

The city's biggest barbecue starts smokin' June 7, with 14 of the nation's top pit masters turning out ribs, brisket and all the trimmings for a two-day feeding frenzy that will serve an estimated 125,000 people. The sixth annual Snapple Big Apple Barbecue Block Party at Madison Square Park is one of the city's best-smelling summer events, and it gets bigger and better each year. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Can a Strawberry Be Savory?

Can a Strawberry Be Savory?
Washington Post

A big shout-out to the strawberry, who's back in town and making Washington area farm markets a little more gorgeous.
A member of the rose family, the strawberry is unlike her other berry brethren, as she's the only one that keeps her seeds in full view, on the skin. Of all the berry options to come our way this summer, More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Restaurant Side Dishes Take Centerstage

Restaurant Side Dishes Take Centerstage
By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley | Food Editor
Sun Sentinel

These days, you can get a juicy strip steak or porterhouse at just about any steakhouse. And most seafood restaurants carry the usual mahi-mahi, tuna and salmon. What sets these restaurants apart is their sides.
Often ordered a la carte and served family style, these side dishes are where chefs shine. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

A new crowd cultivates a taste for caviar

A new crowd cultivates a taste for caviar
By Tina Dirmann,
Special for USA TODAY

At some of the USA's hottest and hippest restaurants, young chefs are rediscovering a food once revered by their grandparents but largely ignored by today's jet-set diners: It's those salty little fish eggs, better known as caviar. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

U.S. Agencies Must Talk to Boost Food Safety

U.S. Agencies Must Talk to Boost Food Safety: Study
By Christopher Doering

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agencies must do a better job of sharing information with each other as well as state, local and private organizations to combat deadly bacteria such as E. coli that threaten thousands of people each year, More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Deceiving Diet Menus

Deceiving Diet Menus
By Annie Bell Muzaurieta
The DailyGreen.com

Beware When Opting for "Healthier" Fare; You Might Be Getting More Calories and Fat Than You Ordered
Several TV stations conducted an investigation of dishes touted as healthy at popular chain restaurants, according to Good Morning America. The results were not appetizing. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Rice Bran Approved as Meat Enhancer

Breaking News on Food & Beverage Development - North America
Rice Bran Approved as Meat Enhancer
By Laura Crowley and Jess Halliday
FoodNavigator-usa.com

NutraCea has received approval from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to supply stabilized rice bran as an enhancer for pulverized meat and poultry products.
The Phoenix-based company hopes to reach new markets following the approval, and has filed a provisional patent for the rice brand, both in the US and internationally. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Cupcakes, Sex and the City style

Recipes:
Cupcakes, Sex and the City style
Telegraph.co.uk

So easy to bake and yet so fashionable. Xanthe Clay has the last word on cupcakes
It's classic television. Carrie Bradshaw sits in Magnolia Bakery, New York, bites into the thickly iced cupcake, spraying crumbs and licking buttercream from her lips. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Photography - Spiral on Pink

Spiral on pink

Photo by tanakawho

~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

~~~

Harvard's New Food Pyramid

Harvard's New Food Pyramid
Posted by Elizabeth Cooney
Boston.com

Remember when the government revised its food pyramid three years ago, only to confuse Americans with its 12 versions and staircase on the side?
The people at the Harvard School of Public Health certainly do. They set out to create a guide to good nutrition that uses the familiar pyramid shape but incorporates current research findings in a more straightforward way. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~
~

Brown Rice Wins FDA Health Claim

Brown Rice Wins FDA Health Claim
By Shane Starling
Food Navigator

Brown rice has been added to the FDA-approved list of whole grains that may make health claims including reducing the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
Brown rice, along with many other grains was prewviously excluded because its dietary fiber content was considered too low, but this requirement has been relaxed.
The health claim means brown rice products will be able to bear a whole grains logo and information pointing out the benefits of consuming whole grains. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Chefs in a Stew Over "Pretentious" Cuisine

Chefs in a Stew Over "Pretentious" Cuisine
By Jason Webb
Reuters.com

MADRID (Reuters) - A chef with three Michelin stars has created a schism in Spanish cuisine by labeling avant-garde creations that revolutionized cooking "pretentious."
Restaurants like El Bulli near Barcelona, More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Putting and End on Mindless Munching

HEALTH JOURNAL
Putting and End on Mindless Munching
Melinda Beck
Wall Street Journal

First, ask yourself how hungry you are, on a scale of 1 (ravenous) to 7 (stuffed).
Next, take time to appreciate the food on your plate. Notice the colors and textures.
Take a bite. Slowly experience the tastes on your tongue. Put down your fork and savor.
"Most people don't think about what they're eating -- they're focusing on the next bite," More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Italians Are Losing Taste For Pasta

Italians Are Losing Taste For Pasta As Price Rises Begin To Bite
Richard Owen
Times Online

The Mediterranean diet is under threat in the country that invented it as rising prices for staples such as pasta, bread, fruit and vegetables alter Italian eating habits. The Confedera-zione Italiana Agricoltori (CIA), the Italian farmers’ confederation, said that Italians were eating “chicken pieces instead of pasta, fried foods instead of vegetables and cheese instead of fruit”. Even wine sales have fallen by nearly 5 per cent. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Seafood, Sustainably Speaking

A Lesson in Seafood, Sustainably Speaking
By David Hagedorn
The Washington Post

As Shannon and Jamie Konn dined on fish cakes and salmon rillettes at the bar of the Westend Bistro in January, they unwittingly inspired today's column. Standing near the petite blonde and her tall, dark-haired husband, I noticed how carefully they savored each bite. But I could catch only snippets of commentary.
So I moved in closer and struck up a conversation. As I'd suspected, the Konns, both lawyers in their mid-20s, proved to be ardent gastronomes; they eat in restaurants two or three evenings a week and cook at their Dupont Circle home on the other nights. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Cooking for a Crowd

Kitchen Window
Cooking for a Crowd
by Kevin Weeks

This is the season when home cooks become caterers, the time of year when the online cooking consulting company I work with is inundated with requests for help from people planning events. A typical question: "I'm cooking two, 5-pound pork roasts. Can I cook them at the same time?" or, the rather vague: "I'm planning a graduation party for 75. How much food do I need?" More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

The $175 Burger

The $175 burger is a haute handful for rarefied tastes
By RACHEL WHARTON
Daily News

Forget talk of a recession - a new $175 burger has set the city's gold standard for conspicuous consumption.
Literally.
The Richard Nouveau - from the Wall Street Burger Shoppe, natch - comes topped with a blizzard of real gold flakes, plus 25 grams of black truffles, plus 25 grams of black truffles, a seared slab of foie gras and an aged Gruyere typically reserved for a high-class cheese tray. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Veggie Pride Parade

Veggie Pride Parade Humanely Devours Manhattan
The Gothamist

New York’s Veggie Pride Parade wound through downtown Manhattan yesterday, stretching from its defiant start in the Meat Packing District to its triumphant conclusion at the Washington Square Park. The event, intended to raise awareness about the benefits of a vegetarian and More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Iceland Okays 2008 Whale Hunt

CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN ME THE REASON TO HUNT WHALES???

Iceland Okays 2008 Whale Hunt
Yahoo News

REYKJAVIK (AFP) - Iceland's government approved on Monday the commercial hunting of whales this year, a move that drew quick criticism from conservationists.
"The quota for 2008 was decided today, that is 40 Minke whales," a senior official in the Icelandic fisheries ministry, Stefan Asmundsson, told AFP.
Whalers could begin hunting from Tuesday and continue through September, he added. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Crustless Quiches

The Minimalist
Removing the Crust for a Savory Custard
By MARK BITTMAN
The New York Times

I SUPPOSE crustless quiche is a contradiction in terms, like seared ceviche. But if, like me, you sometimes crave what amounts to savory pie filling without the hassle of making an actual crust, this is the way to go. (The other option is to buy a crust and fill it, but if you can find a good pre-made crust you’re a better shopper than I am.)
I don’t question the fact that a good crust can add flavor and crunch to cheese custard (that’s what basic quiche filling is), but there are times when I’m not willing to put up with either the work or the extra calories that come along with that crust. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Asparagus - Power Food

Power Foods:
Asparagus
MarthaStewart.com

For such a small vegetable, asparagus demands a whole lot of patience. After all, the plant needs to grow for at least three years before you can harvest it. But the wait is always worth it, because in early spring, a time of year when very few green things emerge from the ground, the roots send up shoots that can reach up to 7 inches in as little as a day. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Make Grilled Meats Delicious

Sweet and Spicy Recipes Make Grilled Meats Delicious
By ERIN COVERT
Dallas Morning News

It may be the quickest way to turn your back yard into a tropical getaway.
Adding sweet, citrusy flavors to spicy grilled meats and fish makes an everyday dinner seem like a vacation feast. Even dessert benefits from the combination of tropical fruit and chile flavors, ending a meal with an exotic exclamation point.
"It's the balance of sweetness and spiciness that people like in this sort of cooking, More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Reindeer Town in Siberia

The Gastronomer
Where Home Cooking Gets the Cold Shoulder
By Andreas Viestad
Washingthon Post

SCHUCH'YE, Western Siberia -- Of all the cowboy towns in this part of Siberia, this must be one of the roughest. When we ride our tractor into town, the first thing I see is a man with a gun next to a dead wolf. On a nearby field a group of men are showing off their lasso-throwing skills.
But of course it isn't a cowboy town. It is a reindeer town. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Tomatillo - A Tomato's Cousin With a Sweet Side

COOKING
Tomatillo: A Green Sourpuss With a Sweet Side
By Noelle Carter and Donna Deane
Los Angeles Times

TANGY: The tomatillo, a cousin of the tomato, is available year-round, but the main season is May through October.
Roasted, sautéed, grilled or stewed, tomatillos liven many Latin-inspired recipes with their vibrant color, often silky texture and mildly tart flavor.
It's vibrant green and looks like a small, under-ripe tomato hidden under a delicate, paper-like husk. Peel back that wrapping to reveal firm, slightly sticky flesh with a scent faintly reminiscent of freshly picked herbs. Take one bite and the sweet-tart flavor rings with plum, apple and citrus notes. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

World's Best Street Food

World's Best Street Food
by JJ Goode
Concierge.com

Street cooks are magicians: With little more than a cart and a griddle, mortar, or deep-fryer, they conjure up not just a delicious snack or meal but the very essence of a place. Bite into a banh mi—the classic Vietnamese sandwich of grilled pork and pickled vegetables encased in a French baguette — and More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Foie Gras Is Back on the Menu in Chicago

Ban Lifted, Foie Gras Is Back on the Menu in Chicago
By MONICA DAVEY
The New York Times

CHICAGO — Foie gras, run out of town with great fanfare two years ago, is being allowed back.
On Wednesday, Chicago’s aldermen voted, 37 to 6, to repeal their ban on sales of the controversial delicacy, the fattened livers of ducks and geese. Since 2006, when this became the first major city in the United States to enact such a ban, it had been mocked by critics, including Mayor Richard M. Daley, who wondered whether aldermen should really be devoting precious time to telling Chicagoans what to eat. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Whipping Up Some Mayo

Taste
Whipping Up Some Mayo
Cooking 101
By Kate Shatzkin
Baltimore Sun

Mayonnaise is so easy to buy. But what lots of people don't know is that it's almost as easy to make, and can be dressed up as a sophisticated accompaniment to the vegetables coming off your grill.
"If you can make a base mayonnaise, you can expand your sauce repertoire to 25 sauces," says Baltimore International College chef instructor Michael Wagner.
Start with room-temperature egg yolks More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

The United States Threatens to Ban Brunello di Montalcino

The United States Threatens to Ban Brunello di Montalcino
By Monica Larner
Wine Enthusiast

Taking extreme measures, the United States has issued a warning to Italy that all imports of Brunello di Montalcino could be blocked starting June 9th.
From that date forward, the US will require laboratory certificates accompanying all Brunello authenticating that the wine contains 100 percent Sangiovese. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Old-Fashioned Cheesecake

COOKING
Old-Fashioned Cheesecake Without All The Trappings
By Amy Scattergood

Whether you fill it with ricotta, farmer or goat cheese, cheese curd, mascarpone or cream cheese, the smooth taste is iconic.

THE HAPPY childhood goes like this: My mother unwraps the silver boxes of cream cheese as if they are presents. She beats the soft cheese -- the crack of eggs, a dust-storm of sugar -- into pale snowbanks in the bowl while she lets me crush the graham crackers with a hammer. I sneak a few butter-laced crumbs and, later, watch the cooling cheesecake with that wistful ache children can have about certain foods. Such moments, repeated through the years, transform simple favorites into profound emblems. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Sparks of Flavor Stand in for Heat

The Minimalist
Sparks of Flavor Stand in for Heat
By MARK BITTMAN
The New York Times

BACK in the early ’80s, when I had just begun to write about cooking, I used to hang around in the kitchen of a man named Peter Chang. Mr. Chang ran a one-man-show of a Chinese restaurant in New Haven, and was kind and patient enough to teach me some of what he knew.
Mr. Chang’s efficiency was questionable: he’d start grinding the meat and shredding the cabbage when someone ordered dumplings, and often began a batch of stock only when the first patron asked for hot-and-sour soup. More ...



~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Pollo Papantla From Zarela Martínez

One Pot
Pollo Papantla From Zarela Martínez
By ELAINE LOUIE
nytimes.com

ON a visit to Papantla, a small city in Veracruz, Mexico, Zarela Martínez visited a club of retired women, each 65 or older, or what the locals call “people of the third age,” she said. The women kept local traditions in cooking, dancing and needlework alive, and introduced them to outsiders.
Ms. Martínez, the New York restaurateur and cookbook author, was offered a plate of chicken legs browned and simmered in a glossy sauce flavored with orange juice, a bit of vinegar, garlic, chilies and vanilla.
“I had never had vanilla in a savory setting,” More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Herb Infusion Adds Pizzazz to Chocolate

Herb Infusion Adds Pizzazz to Chocolate
Pioneer Local

The subtle infusion of herbs has long been the secret ingredient to many favorite entrees, but this timeless trend has evolved and can add an unexpected twist of flavor to desserts and beverages, too.
From rosemary to green tea to fresh mint infusions, the process of extracting flavor from herbs is a great way to spark new life into traditional recipes.
Here are a few tips to infuse flavor into culinary creations by way of household herbs: More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Chocolate 'May Cut Diabetes Risk'

Chocolate 'May Cut Diabetes Risk'
BBC.com

Scientists are to investigate whether eating chocolate can reduce the risk of heart disease in women with diabetes.
Volunteers - postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes - will be asked to eat a bar of chocolate a day for a year.
Cocoa is rich in compounds called flavonoids, which are thought to benefit the heart.
The University of East Anglia is using a specially formulated form of chocolate which contains more flavonoids than usual. More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Fashion Statement by Eating Fresh Peas

Backyard harvest ~ Right from the pod is tastiest way to enjoy the first peas of spring...

Peas | BBC Good Food

Fresh Shelling Peas: Four Ways Recipe | 101 Cookbooks

12 Ways to Use Fresh Peas | Care2 Healthy Living

French Chef Crazy for Chocolate

French Chef Crazy for Chocolate
Shelley Boettcher
Calgary Herald

If you love chocolate, you'll have a hard time choosing what dessert to make first from the new cookbook, Chocolate Epiphany: Exceptional Cookies, Cakes and Confections for Everyone by Francois Payard with Anne E. McBride (Potter, 2008, $40).
One option? A plateful of rich chocolate financiers. According to Payard, More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

Recipe for Semolina Pasta

Recipe for Semolina Pasta
By J.M. HIRSCH
AP Food Editor

This simple, egg-free pasta is a delicious, fun and child-friendly way to try your hand at homemade pasta. While it can be shaped however you like, this style traditionally is formed into small, thin discs.
This recipe calls for forming the dough into long snakes, which then are cut into small chunks that can be pressed with your thumb to create the discs, More ...
~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~

20 Ingredient Greek Salad

20 Ingredient Greek Salad...

Recipes : Greek salad | BBC Food

Greek Salad | Vegetables Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes

Greek Salad Recipe | Taste.com.au

~~~~~~~~
ADS!
~~~~~~~~