4 Things Everyone Can Learn from a little Food Science
18 Sep 2008

4 Things Everyone Can Learn from a little Food Science

by | posted in: Demos & Workshops | 22

Isn’t that term just scary? Doesn’t it make all you wholesome, organic, farm-to-table types just squirm? Indeed, “food science” used to be a derogatory way of describing the process by which overly processed foods are hatched in labs. Michael Pollan may have made a mockery of the industrial food industry’s overuse of it in The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but like it or not, molecular gastronomy is everywhere right now. After being embraced by chefs like Wylie Dufresne, among many others, these … Read More

Fresh Watermelon Pie
15 Sep 2008

Fresh Watermelon Pie

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, Desserts, NYC Events, Pies, Recipes | 15

It’s really the last week of summer. The skies are really becoming darker sooner, and that chill breeze in the evening is really happening. But on the flipside, and in celebration of late-summer local fruits, this watermelon pie is also real. I didn’t think it would make it past the dream stage for a while.

Peach Watermelon Sangria Sorbet
7 Sep 2008

Peach Watermelon Sangria Sorbet

by | posted in: Desserts, Events, Ice Cream, Recipes | 9

Some people like to do a lot of canning, jamming and pickling this time of year, to preserve summer’s harvest of ripe fruits and vegetables. Others simply chop them up and throw them in the freezer. In something of a cross between jamming and throwing in the freezer, I decided to take up the age-old tradition of boozy sorbet-making.

How the Highbrow BBQ Cook-Off Was Won
27 Aug 2008

How the Highbrow BBQ Cook-Off Was Won

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, NYC Events, Recipes | 11

Some of you may have heard certain stories about New York magazine’s Highbrow BBQ last weekend. You may have seen a video about it on Grub Street, and if so, caught an unsightly glimpse of me chewing, or something. You may have even been there yourself, under the clear, blue sky at Solar One’s East River waterfront playground. But in any of these cases, what you probably haven’t seen is an up-close account of the cook-off that took place toward … Read More

CJ’s BBQ Menu, and Cook-Off Co-Judges
21 Aug 2008

CJ’s BBQ Menu, and Cook-Off Co-Judges

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, NYC Events | 3

New York magazine’s Highbrow BBQ has sold out, and those who snagged tickets are in for a treat. As for the rest, I can only promise more tales of barbecue bliss, and hopefully a recipe from the winner of the amateur grilling cook-off. Let’s hope he or she isn’t one of those “it’s a secret” types.

Brooklyn Takes Down Chili
12 Aug 2008

Brooklyn Takes Down Chili

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, NYC Events, Recipes | 12

What you’re looking at is the title card for the first-place judge’s choice chili of the latest Brooklyn Chili Takedown, made by first-time cook-off contestant Zeph Courtney. With a dark, earthy flavor and thick, rich sauce surrounding golf ball-sized hunks of beef, it’s as in-your-face as its name suggests. And below, exclusive to this blog – I think – is the winning recipe for it.

BBQ your best (for me!) at Highbrow BBQ
4 Aug 2008

BBQ your best (for me!) at Highbrow BBQ

by | posted in: Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 10

You know that summer is in full swing when there’s a barbecue to attend to every other day. But the best ones always seem to roll around just at the cusp of Labor Day. This time, New York Magazine is upping the ante with a waterfront BBQ of unprecedented heights: Announcing the first-ever Highbrow BBQ on August 23 — an afternoon extravaganza of charred, smoked and spice-rubbed goodness, plenty of beer, and live music by Islands. If the lure of … Read More

Banana Coconut Cornbread with Peach Compote
31 Jul 2008

Banana Coconut Cornbread with Peach Compote

by | posted in: Breakfast & Eggs, Desserts, Events, My Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 6

This recipe is like a southern housewife who just flew back from the Bahamas. There’s nothing that smells of home, sweet home like a fresh-baked pan of cornbread, but who wants to forget the intoxicating aromas of the tropics so soon? Heck, a compromise. And to return to reality from that little hyperbole, this dish was indeed a compromise when it was planned for the menu at the BBQ last night, hosted by Finger on the Pulse.

The Great Hot Dog Cook-Off: It was great
14 Jul 2008

The Great Hot Dog Cook-Off: It was great

by | posted in: Cook-Offs, My Events, NYC Events, Recipes | 13

I was a proud glutton on Saturday. Not that co-hosting a Great Hot Dog Cook-Off isn’t reason enough to celebrate (or pack on five extra pounds), but through it all, we made over $1500 for the Food Bank for NYC from ticket sales and cash donations at the event. Fourteen chef-contestants made trays full of fabulous, fantastical frankfurter creations. We made new friends, lots of them. And it was also a day when the majority of the ballot-voting audience made … Read More

1 … 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17