Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2009 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/'Twilight' Restaurant Coming Soon to Forks, Wash.http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/twilight-restaurant-coming-soon-to-forks-wash/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/twilight-restaurant-coming-soon-to-forks-wash/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/30/twilight-restaurant-coming-soon-to-forks-wash/#commentsFiled under: ,

twilight restaurant

Blood on the menu at 'Twilight' eatery? Photo: spike55151/flickr

Here's something vampire fans didn't have to wait an eternity for -- a "Twilight"-themed restaurant is slated to open in Forks, Wash., the real setting for the fictional teen vampire romance novels.

Annette and Tim Root plan to open the "Twilight" restaurant next year, the Peninsula Daily News reports. The family restaurant, tentatively named Volterra after the Italian city where all the powerful vampires live in Stephenie Meyer's series, will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. No word on whether blood will be on the menu.

What do you think? Dumb idea or good marketing strategy?

[Via Peninsula Daily News]
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]]>Bella SwanBellaSwanedward cullenEdwardCullenStephenie MeyerStephenieMeyertwilighttwilight restaurantTwilightRestaurantSara Bonisteel2009-10-30T15:30:00+00:00'This Is Why You're Fat' Eat and Tweet Challengehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/29/this-is-why-youre-fat-eat-and-tweet-challenge/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/29/this-is-why-youre-fat-eat-and-tweet-challenge/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/29/this-is-why-youre-fat-eat-and-tweet-challenge/#commentsFiled under: , ,

this is why you're fat eat and tweet challenge

Taking on the Bistro Burger. Photo: Jennifer Lawinski

What do "dessert nachos" made of cookies and cakes, deep-fried dumplings and a loaded double cheeseburger have in common?

They were all on the menu for the This Is Why You're Fat "Eat and Tweet" challenge to celebrate the launch of the popular blog's new book of the same name (tag line: where dreams become heart attacks).

This Is Why You're Fat tweeted the locations of six Manhattan food trucks and the first person to send in pics of all six fattening treats won a party for 25 friends from the food truck of their choice and a copy of the "This Is Why You're Fat" book by blog founders Jessica Amason and Richard Blakeley.

See what folks ate after the jump.

Continue reading 'This Is Why You're Fat' Eat and Tweet Challenge

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]]>eat and tweet challengeEatAndTweetChallengefood trucksFoodTrucksjessica amasonJessicaAmasonnew york cityNewYorkCityrichard blakeleyRichardBlakeleythis is why youre fatThisIsWhyYoureFatJennifer Lawinski2009-10-29T16:30:00+00:00'Savory Baking' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/savory-baking-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/savory-baking-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/26/savory-baking-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under: ,


savory baking cookbook review

Photo: Chronicle Books

'Savory Baking: Warm and Inspiring Recipes for Crisp, Crumbly, Flaky Pastries'
by Mary Cech
Photography by Noel Barnhurst
Chronicle Books -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Baking doesn't have to be a sweet thing, as Mary Cech proves in her new cookbook "Savory Baking." The veteran pastry chef turns traditional pastries upside down with recipes for seafood strudel, Yukon gold brown betty and caprese-salad-filled profiteroles in this mouthwatering book.

You don't have to throw out everything you know about baking to feel at home in Cech's kitchen. Instead, you'll use your skills to whip up creative twists to the classics.

See what we tested and find out whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'Savory Baking' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>bakingchile cheese breadChileCheeseBreadcookbook spotlightCookbookSpotlightmary cechMaryCechsavory bakingSavoryBakingSara Bonisteel2009-10-26T14:00:00+00:00'Cake Wrecks,' 'This Is Why You're Fat' - New Food Humor Bookshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/cake-wrecks-this-is-why-youre-fat-new-food-humor-books/#commentsFiled under: , ,

cake wrecks and this is why you're fat books

Photo: Sara Bonisteel

We've long been fans of Jen Yates' fantastically funny food blog, Cake Wrecks, so we were mighty pleased to find the she's finally assembled enough disastrous misspellings, ill-conceived concept cakes and just downright nasty icing snafus to fill a whole book, "Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong."

Also on bookshelves this month, Jessica Amason and Richard Blakeley's "This Is Why You're Fat: Where Dreams Become Heart Attacks."

See our favorites from both tomes after the jump.

Continue reading 'Cake Wrecks,' 'This Is Why You're Fat' - New Food Humor Books

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]]>bookscake wreckscake wrecks blogCakeWrecksCakeWrecksBlogfood humorFoodHumorjen yatesJenYatesthis is why youre fatThisIsWhyYoureFatSara Bonisteel2009-10-14T16:00:00+00:00Food52 Tournament of Cookbookshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/food52-tournament-of-cookbooks/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/food52-tournament-of-cookbooks/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/14/food52-tournament-of-cookbooks/#commentsFiled under:

real cajun by donald link

'Real Cajun'. Photo: Clarkson Potter

Not sure which new cookbooks are worth investing in this year? Take the guesswork out of your decision and follow along with food52's Tournament of Cookbooks. The competition -- run by this new home-cooking Web site's founders (former New York Times food editor Amanda Hesser and food writer Merrill Stubbs) -- pits 16 of this year's best books against each other, to be cooked from and judged by 17 venerable chefs and food writers.

Tournament rounds will play out over the course of 4 weeks, with a decision announced every weekday beginning Wednesday. For the first challenge in the bracket, "My New Orleans," by John Besh was bested by "Real Cajun," by Donald Link, as judged by Daniel Patteron. The winning book will take home the first Piglet trophy and be feted at the Astor Center in New York City on Nov. 9, 2009.

After the jump, see list of the cookbooks and judges in play. ...

Continue reading Food52 Tournament of Cookbooks

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]]>Amanda HesserAmandaHesserdan barberDanBarberDonald LinkDonaldLinkfood52Gail SimmonsGailSimmonsgrant achatzGrantAchatzJohnBeshMatt LeeMattLeeTed LeeTedLeetournamentofcookbooksLisa Schweitzer2009-10-14T13:00:00+00:00'What We Eat When We Eat Alone' - Q&A with Deborah Madisonhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/13/what-we-eat-when-we-eat-alone-qanda-with-deborah-madison/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/13/what-we-eat-when-we-eat-alone-qanda-with-deborah-madison/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/13/what-we-eat-when-we-eat-alone-qanda-with-deborah-madison/#commentsFiled under: ,


what we eat when we eat alone
Photo: Amazon
For me, it's cured fish or perhaps cold, leftover dark-meat chicken, gnawed bare-handed and shared with my minimally patient dogs.

For my husband -- who can't tolerate the smell of the pickled herring I down like a rabid porpoise -- it's almost inevitably the nearest Chinese joint's chicken and mixed vegetables sauteed in brown sauce, chased by a bourbon Old Fashioned, muddled from the unpretty orange that tags along in the delivery bag. The cocktail, I can fully support. The gloppily sauced crinkle-cut carrots have featured prominently in several of my nightmares.

These are rituals of a chosen solo cuisine, and Deborah Madison, author of "What We Eat When We Eat Alone", says it's not at all unusual that we're so diametrically opposed.

Deborah Madison: People eat what their spouses don't like a lot of the time. A number of men said of blood sausages, 'My wife doesn't like blood sausage, so when she's gone that's what I cook.'

Slashfood: How did you get started on this topic?

DM: Many years ago, I was invited to go with Oldways Preservation and Trust -- which is a food think tank out of Boston -- to a lot of Mediterranean countries. I got to bring my husband, who's an artist, and he was just a little awkward, I think. He didn't really know people but knew of them so he started asking this question kind of as a way of breaking the ice. He kept a little notebook and I never knew about this until I found it when we were moving a few years later.

SF: So many of the people you interviewed have common experiences -- they'll make a big steak or have herring. And then there were some that didn't fit the mold. What was the strangest thing you heard?

Read more about solo toast, herring and margarita mix after the jump.

Continue reading 'What We Eat When We Eat Alone' - Q&A with Deborah Madison

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]]>booksdeborah madisonDeborahMadisonfood writingFoodWritinggross foodsGrossFoodssolo diningsolo foodSoloDiningSoloFoodwhat we eat when we eat aloneWhatWeEatWhenWeEatAloneKat Kinsman2009-10-13T13:00:00+00:00'Zagat New York City Restaurants 2010' Survey Releasedhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/zagat-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-survey-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/zagat-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-survey-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/08/zagat-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-survey-released/#commentsFiled under: , ,

zagat new york city restaurants 2010 survey
Photo: Zagat
On the heels of the release of the Michelin Guide's roundup of New York's best eateries, Zagat has unveiled its diner-chosen picks for the best of Gotham eats.

Zagat compiles its listings through surveys submitted by diners in New York. This year, the guide found New Yorkers dining out less because of the current economic climate (about 3.0 times per week now versus 3.3 to 3.4 times a week last year).

See the newcomers after the jump.

Continue reading 'Zagat New York City Restaurants 2010' Survey Released

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]]>new yorknew york cityNewYorkNewYorkCityzagatzagat restaurant surveyZagatRestaurantSurveySlashfood Editor2009-10-08T10:30:00+00:00Michelin Guide 'New York City Restaurants 2010' Releasedhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/06/michelin-guide-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/06/michelin-guide-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-released/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/06/michelin-guide-new-york-city-restaurants-2010-released/#commentsFiled under: , ,


michelin guide new york city
Photo: Michelin.
Michelin's "New York City Restaurants 2010" dining guide was released this week, bumping up Daniel Boulud's Daniel restaurant to three stars while stripping Mario Batali's Del Posto of a star.

Daniel is in small company in the three-star category of "exceptional cuisine and worth the journey." Masa, Per Se, Jean Georges and Le Bernardin also retained their three-star ratings.

Del Posto dropped from the two-star category ("excellent cooking and worth a detour") to one star ("a very good restaurant in its category").

Other restaurants that saw significant changes include the Italian restaurant Alto, with a bump up to two stars and Corton, which also won a double star.

What do you think of guidebook ratings? Let us know in the comments below.
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]]>altocortondanieldel postoDelPostojean georgesJeanGeorgesmario bataliMarioBatalimichelinmichelin guidemichelin starsMichelinGuideMichelinStarsSara Bonisteel2009-10-06T13:00:00+00:00Five Must-Have Vegetarian Cookbookshttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/01/five-must-have-vegetarian-cookbooks/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/01/five-must-have-vegetarian-cookbooks/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/01/five-must-have-vegetarian-cookbooks/#commentsFiled under: ,

cookbook shelf
The cookbook shelf of a former vegetarian. Photo: emdot, Flickr.
Whether you're a full-fledged veg or a pro-greens protein fiend, vegetarian cookbooks are the door to a world where beans, greens and grains are celebrated. These books will introduce you to a whole new pantry of ingredients. Just as a meat eater might strive to make use of the entire animal, vegetarian cooks grab inspiration from far and wide and turn every bit of edible, natural earth into a grand culinary experience.

What follows after the jump are five vegetarian cookbooks that any veggie lover must have, covering the staples of meatless cookery -- secret recipes from restaurants, classic culinary bibles, respected names and haute vegetarian food. Which do you think will reign supreme?

Continue reading Five Must-Have Vegetarian Cookbooks

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]]>best vegetarian cookbooksBestVegetarianCookbookscat coraCatCoraFresh at HomeFreshAtHomeGreat Chefs Cook VeganGreatChefsCookVeganHow to Cook Everything VegetarianHowToCookEverythingVegetarianjean-georges vongerichtenJean-georgesVongerichtenmark bittmanMarkBittmanmollie katzenMollieKatzenThe New Laurels KitchenThe Vegetable Dishes I Cant Live WithoutTheNewLaurelsKitchenTheVegetableDishesICantLiveWithoutvegan cookingVeganCookingvegetarian cookbooksvegetarian cookingVegetarianCookbooksVegetarianCookingvongerichtenMonika Bartyzel2009-10-01T15:30:00+00:00Judge Tosses Out Jessica Seinfeld Cookbook Suithttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/11/judge-tosses-out-jessica-seinfeld-cookbook-suit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/11/judge-tosses-out-jessica-seinfeld-cookbook-suit/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/09/11/judge-tosses-out-jessica-seinfeld-cookbook-suit/#commentsFiled under: , ,


deceptively delicious
Photo: Amazon.com
It turns out it was a lawsuit about nothing.

A judge has tossed out a plagiarism and copyright infringement lawsuit alleging Jerry Seinfeld's wife stole her cookbook idea from another author.

Federal Court Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed the suit by author Missy Chase Lapine alleging the ideas and recipes for Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food" came from her "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals," the New York Daily News reports.

"This is a complete vindication of Jessica's creativity," Orin Snyder, a lawyer for Jessica Seinfeld, told the Daily News.

The judge said the only similarity between the books was their goal of hiding healthy food inside kids' meals, the Associated Press reports.

Swain declined to rule on defamation claims against Jerry Seinfeld, saying they should be filed in state court. Last year, the funnyman appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" and joked that people with three names like James Earl Ray and Mark David Chapman turn out to be assassins, the AP said.

Lapine's lawyer told the AP that claim and one against HarperCollins -- the publisher of the Seinfeld book -- "are still very much alive."

[Via Daily News, Associated Press]
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]]>copyright infringementCopyrightInfringementdeceptively deliciousDeceptivelyDeliciousjerry seinfeldJerrySeinfeldjessica seinfeldJessicaSeinfeldthe sneaky chefTheSneakyChefSlashfood Editor2009-09-11T13:30:00+00:00'Mario Batali Simple Italian Food' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/mario-batali-simple-italian-food-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/mario-batali-simple-italian-food-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/21/mario-batali-simple-italian-food-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under: ,


mario batali simple italian food
Photo: Amazon.com
'Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes From My Two Villages'
By Mario Batali
Photographs by Mark Ferri
Clarkson Potter -- 1998
Buy it on Amazon

More than a decade ago -- long before Del Posto, Otto and road trips through Spain with Gwyneth Paltrow -- Mario Batali had two restaurants, Pó and Babbo, and was just beginning to grow his rock-'n'-roll, orange-Croc-wearing legend through the Food Network.

It's there that we find him with "Mario Batali Simple Italian Food," his first cookbook, which takes readers through the tastes of Borgo Capanne, where Batali worked in Trattoria La Volta on the border of the Italian regions Emilia-Romagna and Toscana, as well as his other "village," New York.

Batali divides the recipes of these villages by color: The orange-titled ones are those he invented in New York; the brown titles are those he learned in Italy.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'Mario Batali Simple Italian Food' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>babbocookbook spotlightCookbookSpotlightfettuccine with lobsterfettuccine with lobster alla PantelleriaFettuccineWithLobsterFettuccineWithLobsterAllaPantelleriagarlic breadGarlicBreadgwyneth paltrowGwynethPaltrowitalian foodItalianFoodmario batalimario batali simple italian foodMarioBataliMarioBataliSimpleItalianFoodpoSara Bonisteel2009-08-21T14:00:00+00:00Frank Bruni to Be Interviewed on 'Nightline' on Wednesdayhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/13/outgoing-times-critic-frank-bruni-to-be-interviewed-on-nightlin/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/13/outgoing-times-critic-frank-bruni-to-be-interviewed-on-nightlin/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/13/outgoing-times-critic-frank-bruni-to-be-interviewed-on-nightlin/#commentsFiled under: ,

frankie
"Born Round," the new Frank Bruni memoir. Photo: Amazon.com.
Mark your calendars, fans of "Garlic and Sapphires" and other food critic memoirs. Frank Bruni, the outgoing critic at the New York Times and the man behind the upcoming memoir "Born Round," will be blabbing to the press -- ABC News' "Nightline," to be exact -- about his history with food, including a childhood eating disorder this coming Wednesday night at 11:35 EST.

Choice quotes from a press release reveal that Bruni was on the Atkins diet at age 8 -- "Mom bought it in hardcover ... I remember leafing through it and learning about ketones and ketosis and you know, having no idea what that meant, I was 8 years old, but I thought, 'Oooh that's profound stuff. If I can get into this ketosis thing I'll be home free. I'll be skinny.' " Even later, in college, "I threw up a lot of my meals. Whenever I would eat a meal that would get out of hand, I would throw it up." Now Bruni has an incredible workout routine and -- perhaps most astonishing to those of us who write about food for a living -- is the same weight as when he started his gig five years ago.

We know we'll be watching, and we'll post our deepest thoughts about the interview online the next day.

For healthy ways to stay slim, check out our sister site, thatsfit.com.
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]]>born roundBornRoundbrunifrank bruniFrankBrunimemoirnew york timesNewYorkTimesNightlinesam siftonSamSiftonthe new york timesTheNewYorkTimesAlex Van Buren2009-08-13T15:30:00+00:00NYT Restaurant Critics Get the Last Bitehttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/06/nyt-restaurant-critics-get-the-last-bite/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/06/nyt-restaurant-critics-get-the-last-bite/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/08/06/nyt-restaurant-critics-get-the-last-bite/#commentsFiled under: , ,

"First let me introduce myself. I'm Craig Claiborne, and this is Julia Child." Photo: Scanned from A Feast Made for Laughter
"And to tell the truth, I was bored with restaurant criticism. At times I didn't give a damn if all the restaurants in Manhattan were shoved into the East River and perished. Had they all served nightingale tongues on toast and heavenly manna and mead, there is just so much that the tongue can savor, so much that the human body (and spirit) can accept, and then it resists. Toward the end of my days as restaurant critic, I found myself increasingly indulging in drink, the better to endure another evening of dining out. I had become a desperate man with a frustrating job to perform." -- from 'A Feast Made for Laughter' by Craig Claiborne, New York Times Dining editor and restaurant critic, 1982

While there have thus far been no reports of departing New York Times restaurant critic and newly-minted memoirist Frank Bruni tipsily pressing ham against the windows of the Second Avenue Deli, rolling members of the Cipriani family for spare change and Bellini drippings, or skulking through the catacombs at Ninja New York, randomly alarming the goofily hooded servers, it's not as if he's going silently into that last bite.

They rarely do.

Continue reading NYT Restaurant Critics Get the Last Bite

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]]>bryan millerBryanMillercraig claiborneCraigClaibornefrank bruniFrankBrunikat kinsmanKatKinsmanmimi sheratonMimiSheratonnew york timesNewYorkTimesrestaurant criticRestaurantCriticruth reichlRuthReichlsam siftonSamSiftonwilliam grimesWilliamGrimesKat Kinsman2009-08-06T15:30:00+00:00Library-Themed Ben & Jerry's Coming to a Freezer Near You?http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/30/library-themed-ben-and-jerrys-coming-to-a-freezer-near-you/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/30/library-themed-ben-and-jerrys-coming-to-a-freezer-near-you/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/30/library-themed-ben-and-jerrys-coming-to-a-freezer-near-you/#commentsFiled under: , ,

ben and jerry's pint of ice cream and a book
A Facebook group wants library-themed ice cream. Photo by ~Jetta Girl~/Flickr
Ben & Jerry's seems to be tops among many ice-cream eaters, but the feeling is particularly strong among the library-going set.

How else to explain the thousands strong Facebook lobby "People for a library-themed Ben & Jerry's flavor!"?

Continue reading Library-Themed Ben & Jerry's Coming to a Freezer Near You?

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]]>ben and jerrysBenAndJerrysfacebookgroupice creamice cream flavorsIceCreamIceCreamFlavorslibrariesSara Bonisteel2009-07-30T16:30:00+00:00'Farm City,' Rat Prosciutto and an Urban Rooftop Farmhttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/17/farm-city-rat-prosciutto-and-an-urban-rooftop-farm/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/17/farm-city-rat-prosciutto-and-an-urban-rooftop-farm/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/07/17/farm-city-rat-prosciutto-and-an-urban-rooftop-farm/#commentsFiled under: , ,

prosciutto
Prosciutto from Big Boy the pig. Photo: Rebecca Winters.
"What happened to the rats on your property?" someone asks urban farmer Novella Carpenter.

"I have a theory that my pigs ate the rats," Carpenter says. Realizing that her audience has been munching on slices of said pig's hindquarters, she laughed. "So enjoy some delicious prosciutto!"

Farmers are reputed to have a tough streak. They step over piles of excrement, battle gargantuan hogs and, of course, have to earn a living. Carpenter, author of "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer," seems no exception. She lives in the city, not the country, "so I can get Chinese food at 2 a.m."

The two 300-pound hogs she raised in what she calls the Oakland, Calif., "ghetto," also enjoyed Chinese takeout. She read about her adventures in urban farming on a Brooklyn, N.Y., rooftop adjacent to a 6,000-foot, 30-crop rooftop farm built by Goode Green and tended by farmers Annie Novak and Ben Flanner.

Dumpster diving, fish guts and the cost of rooftop farming, after the jump.

Continue reading 'Farm City,' Rat Prosciutto and an Urban Rooftop Farm

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]]>brooklyneventfarm cityFarmCitygardeningnovella carpenterNovellaCarpenterpigsprosciuttoreadingrooftop farmingrooftop farmsRooftopFarmingRooftopFarmsurban farmingurban farmsUrbanFarmingUrbanFarmsAlex Van Buren2009-07-17T17:00:00+00:00'Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/17/craig-claibornes-southern-cooking-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/17/craig-claibornes-southern-cooking-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/17/craig-claibornes-southern-cooking-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under: ,

'Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking'
Craig Claiborne with foreword by John T. Edge and Georgeanna Milam
University of Georgia Press -- 2007 (originally published in 1987 by Clamshell Productions, Ltd.)
Buy it on Amazon

"It is not a question of chauvinism, but I have always averred that Southern cooking is by far the vastest and most varied of all traditional regional cooking in this country," wrote Craig Claiborne in the foreword to this pan-Southern paean to the cuisine of his childhood.

While Claiborne fled the physical South -- and his legendarily smothering mother, Miss Kathleen -- in favor of a stint in the Navy, hotel school in Switzerland and a multi-decade tenure as food editor of the New York Times, his palate remained staunchly attuned to the servant-cooked colloquial fare he'd enjoyed at his mother's boardinghouse.

What we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'Craig Claiborne's Southern Cooking' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>craig claiborneCraigClaiborneGeorgeanna MilamGeorgeannaMilamjohn t. edgeJohnT.Edgekat kinsmanKatKinsmanpete wellsPeteWellssouthern foodsouthern foodways allianceSouthernFoodSouthernFoodwaysAllianceKat Kinsman2009-06-17T14:00:00+00:00'Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/03/jam-it-pickle-it-cure-it-and-other-cooking-projects/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/03/jam-it-pickle-it-cure-it-and-other-cooking-projects/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/03/jam-it-pickle-it-cure-it-and-other-cooking-projects/#commentsFiled under: ,

rustic fruit desserts'Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It - And Other Cooking Projects'
By Karen Solomon
Photography by Jennifer Martine
Ten Speed Press -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

Recession? Schmecession! No matter the country's economic straits, Karen Solomon's guide to DIY kitchen staples and handmade gourmet gifts is a must for crafters, armchair chemists, budget-conscious chefs, curious kids (and their parents) and anyone who's ever popped open a jar of processed preserves, a tub of watery ricotta or a plastic tube of sausage and thought, "I could do better."

The book is jam-packed with simple, flawless instructions for making marshmallows, bacon, cheese, pickles, lard, smoked fish, ketchup, olives and several dozen other edible treasures, entirely worth the effort and for a fraction of the cost of their store-bought counterparts.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>book reviewBookReviewcookbook spotlightCookbookSpotlightjam it pickle it cure itJamItPickleItCureItkaren solomonKarenSolomonKat Kinsman2009-06-03T14:00:00+00:00'Rustic Fruit Desserts' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/rustic-fruit-desserts-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/rustic-fruit-desserts-cookbook-spotlight/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/06/01/rustic-fruit-desserts-cookbook-spotlight/#commentsFiled under: ,

rustic fruit desserts"Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies and More"
By Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson
Photography by Sara Remington
Ten Speed Press -- 2009
Buy it on Amazon

James Beard Award-winning chef Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson of Baker & Spice in Portland, Ore., team up for this delicious ode to seasonal fruit baking.

Divided into the seasons, "Rustic Fruit Desserts" offers a juicy array of cobblers, grunts ("similar to a cobbler but ... cooked on top of the stove"), crisps, betties, pandowdies and other delights. And the stars of the fruit world are all here: rhubarb, cherries, apples, pears, raspberries, nectarines, apricots and even relative newcomers like pluots.

See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'Rustic Fruit Desserts' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>Sara Bonisteel2009-06-01T14:00:00+00:00'How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition)' - Cookbook Spotlighthttp://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/11/how-to-cook-everything-completely-revised-10th-anniversary-edi/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/11/how-to-cook-everything-completely-revised-10th-anniversary-edi/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/11/how-to-cook-everything-completely-revised-10th-anniversary-edi/#commentsFiled under: ,

how to cook everything (completely revised 10th anniversary edition) book cover'How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition)'
Recipes by Mark Bittman
Wiley -- 2008
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The Minimalist's take on cooking has pretty much become the last decade's go-to wedding present for young couples who haven't yet discovered their culinary chops. In his now Beard-award-winning update, Mark Bittman adds lexicons, reorganizes recipes and focuses on home cooking, "leaving most of that [restaurant food] behind."

In the 10 years since the debut of "How to Cook Everything," Bittman's own fame has grown exponentially as evidenced by his recent PBS roadtrip to Spain with A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow (with Mario Batali along for the ride). Maybe that's why some recipes get a bump up in stature. In 1998, his spicy shrimp recipe was titled "Shrimp, My Way"; in the new edition it's "The Simplest and Best Shrimp Dish."

But when you've essentially created a generation's "Joy of Cooking," you can afford to brag ... even if it's only about your shrimp.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.

Continue reading 'How to Cook Everything (Completely Revised 10th Anniversary Edition)' - Cookbook Spotlight

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]]>cookbook of the daycookbook spotlightCookbookOfTheDayCookbookSpotlighthow to cook everythingHowToCookEverythingmark bittmanMarkBittmanSara Bonisteel2009-05-11T14:00:00+00:00'Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers'http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/frommers-500-places-for-food-and-wine-lovers/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/frommers-500-places-for-food-and-wine-lovers/http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/04/frommers-500-places-for-food-and-wine-lovers/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


When it comes to food and travel guides, some are known for their frugality, others for their edginess and still others for their humor. Frommer's could perhaps best be described as "Old Reliable," with picks that rarely stray far from the well-trodden path and are somewhat on the pricey side. Instead of budget-friendly options and spontaneity, Frommer's devotees could bet on an authentic, safe and somewhat luxe travel experience.

That's why it's surprising that the hot-off-the-press new book "Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers" offers an incredibly wide array of options for every budget. Sure, it tips its hat to the traditional institutions that one would expect from the venerable publisher, but it also offers some down-market choices that should give adventurous gourmands a run for their money. Within its pages we spied Coney Island's Totonno's Pizzeria, with some of New York's most-buzzed-about pies in spite of its location on a scuzzy stretch of Neptune Avenue, and old-school Frank Pepe's pizzeria in New Haven, Conn.

Other Frommer's finds after the jump.

Continue reading 'Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers'

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]]>Cincinnati five wayCincinnatiFiveWayEmpress Chili ParlorEmpressChiliParlorFrank PepesFrankPepesFrommersFrommers 500 Places for Food and Wine LoversFrommers500PlacesForFoodAndWineLoversJell-O galleryJell-oGalleryKossars BialysKossarsBialysMolecular GastronomyMolecularGastronomyThe French LaundryThe Inn at Little WashingtonTheFrenchLaundryTheInnAtLittleWashingtonTotonnos PizzeriaTotonnosPizzeriaZabarsBruce Watson2009-05-04T17:00:00+00:00