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Top Five Television’s Most Influential Chefs

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Do you feel as if you’ve come to the end of television, and there’s nothing else to see? Do the cooking shows on TV get you down? Here are some of the most noteworthy shows throughout cooking show history to give you a more inspired take on TV cooking.

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1)      Julia Child – The grand dame of cooking show hosts and the author of the timeless classic The Art of French Cooking, Julia Child attributed her long and successful career in the kitchen to her love of eating good food. A delicious meal of oysters, sole meuniere, and fine wine in Paris sparked her passion for French cuisine, and this in turn led to her attendance in the cooking school Le Cordon Bleu. She later joined the cooking club Cercles des Gourmettes, and with three friends, decided to make French cooking more accessible to American audiences. Thus, her TV show The French Chef came to be. With her cooking expertise and her indomitable cheerfulness, cooking shows were never to be the same again.

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2)      Stephen Yan – Best known for his punny “wok” aprons, Cantonese accent, and quick charismatic wit, Stephen Yan has entertained and taught audiences in the 80’s on his show Wok with Yan. With his creative approach and disarming humor, Mr. Yan made cooking Chinese mainstays such as Beef with Broccoli, Chicken Chow Mein, and other dishes easier for families everywhere. His quick tips on decorative vegetable and fruit cutting are also vignettes that are not to be missed.

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3)      Alton Brown – If you want your Cooking with a generous helping of Science, Alton Brown’s Good Eats is just the show for you. Brown not only explains the steps to create the featured dish of the day, but also focuses on the scientific goings-on of the cooking process and couches it in fun and easy-to-understand terms. Alton Brown is also not afraid to let his silliness and humor shine through, and this makes watching the show all the more worth it.

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4)      Nigella Lawson – Nigella makes cooking sexy again. Dubbed the “Queen of Food Porn”, Miss Lawson’s enthusiasm shows in her explanations of the cooking steps. The way she explains the steps to each dish is seductive as it is sincere in its love. Her recipes in her TV show Nigella Express are also notable for their speedy short-cuts that yield surprising, delicious results.

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5)      Mario Batali – He regards orange crocs and shorts to be appropriate working attire in the kitchen, and who can blame him? Mario Batali whips up sumptuous Italian dishes that focus on the delectable purity and simplicity of its ingredients. In his show, Molto Mario, he regales guests not just with hot off the stove samplings of his creations, but also educational tidbits on the origins of and stories of each dish.

 

Author Bio:

While not trying her hand at fusing Mexican and Italian cuisine, Julienne loves to watch cooking and travel shows via her Direct2TV service.

Delia Smith’s Roast Pork and Crackling

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A Pork joint, with perfectly crunch crisp crackling covering it is a treat for the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Crispy Pork Crackling

This recipe calls for a loin of pork, with the bottom bone taken out, but with the top bone left in – it takes less than thirty minutes to prepare, but over two hours to cook, so plan your meal around it carefully.

To Serve 8

2.25kg Pork Loin

1small Onion

1 tbsp Plain Flour

275ml Dry Cider

275ml Vegetable Stock (or potato Water)

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1. Heat the oven to 240C

2. Score the skin of the Pork. It should probably be done already, but it’s always best to add a few more lines. Use the point of a knife, and score it all over – try to separate into thin lines, bringing the tip of the blade to around halfway through the fat that’s under the skin.

3. Place the pork in a tin, skin side up. Cut the onion into half, and wedge the pieces under the meat slightly. Put a tablespoon of the sea salt and press it into the skin as evenly as possible.

4. Put the tin into the oven on a high shelf, and roast for around twenty five minutes. Lower the heat to 190C and cook for a further two and a half hours – if you’ve got a smaller meat loin, cook for thirty five minutes per pound.

5. To make sure it’s cooked properly, pierce with a skewer and the juice should be completely clear, with no sign of pinkness to it. Remove the meat from the tray and leave to stand for thirty minutes before carving.

6. To make some lovely rich gravy, when the loin is cooked remove from the tray. Tip and spoon all of the fat out of the tray. Remove the charred Onion, and add the flour to the juice, and stir well. Place the tray over a medium-low heat, and stir well. Gradually increase the heat, and add the cider. Using a whisk, keep stirring until you have a smooth, rich gravy, and season to taste.

Try a variety of herbs and spices on the Crackling – Garlic, Thyme and Chillies all make a nice adjustment to the taste.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

Before anything else: this cake is not a pretty one. It is at its most basic a recipe for chocolate mousse that you stick in a tin and bake in an oven. But oh my, if you like chocolate, this tastes amazing. It’s light and melts in your mouth, yet is impossibly rich. And because you bake it in a water bath (essentially steaming it), it’s incredibly moist.

The recipe is from Nigella’s How to be a Domestic Goddess, and for a while it’s the only recipe I made from the book- over and over again. The truth is, I think this one recipe will turn you into a Goddess, domestic or otherwise, in anyone’s eyes. Make it for the chocoholic in your life- if that’s you, so much the better.

Nigella’s Chocolate Mousse Cake

300g best dark chocolate (bittersweet is best here)
50g best milk chocolate
175g unsalted butter
8 large eggs, separated
100g light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

25cm springform tin
tin foil

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C and put the kettle on to boil. Line the inside of the springform with foil, making sure you press the foil well into the sides and bottom of the tin to make a smooth surface.

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave, let it cool.

In another bowl beat the egg yolks and sugars until pale and really thick, like mayonnaise.

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form then fold gently into the chocolate mixture. Pour the cake batter into the foil-lined springform which you have placed in a large roasting tin.

Add the hot water from the kettle to come about half way up the sides of the tin and put into the oven.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The inside of the cake will be damp and mousse-like but the top should look cooked and dry.

Let it cool completely on a cooling rack before releasing from the tin. Now peel the foil gently away from the sides.

I like to sift some powdered sugar over it when we have company- but it really doesn’t need it.

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay on Conan O’Brien

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Gordon Ramsay Conan.jpgCelebrity chef & all-around name-caller Gordon Ramsay was invited to be a guest on the late night Conan O’Brien TV show last Friday, & I daresay it might be his last appearance on the chat show. 

The British chef held nothing back in his culinary segment on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as usual for the curse-happy Hell’s Kitchen host.  When O’Brien began struggling a bit with his task of making pasta, he stopped his work to call a grumbling Ramsay a ‘bastard,’ to which the chef retorted ‘You f**ker,’ to which an offended O’Brien stated, “We don’t swear in this country; not on TV.”
 
But, of course chef Ramsay never let up saying, “God, you’re f**king useless,” as O’Brien made a stab at making tortellini under Ramsay’s tutelage.

Red-face but equipped with humor & irony, Canadian funnyman Conan led a soccer chant “USA, USA…” whilst pointing at the chef.

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Ruth Roger’s ‘Italian Two Easy’ Spaghetti, Raw Tomato, Arugula Recipe

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Ruth Rogers Recipe.jpgJust in time for the summer weekend, try this Ruth Roger’s Spaghetti, Raw Tomato, Arugula recipe.  Allow this River Cafe chef treat your senses & relax your palate.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • 4 plum tomatoes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoon capers
  • 3 tablespoon black olives
  • 3 tablespoon arugula leaves
  • 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 11 oz spaghetti

Cut the tomatoes in half. Squeeze out excess juice and seeds, and chop the flesh coarsely. Peel the garlic and squash with 1 tsp sea salt. Crumble the chile. Rinse the capers, and pit the olives. Roughly chop the arugula.

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, chile, capers, and olives. Season generously, add the olive oil, and put aside for 30 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, and stir the pasta into the tomatoes. Add the arugula. Toss to coat each strand. Season with black pepper.

Serve with olive oil.

Note: Plum tomatoes are fleshy and easy to peel and have hardly any juice or seeds, which makes them ideal for rich, thick tomato sauces. This raw sauce should only be made in the summer, when you can buy sun-ripened plum tomatoes that are really sweet.

 

Eat well & Laugh often!

Ruth Rogers of London’s River Cafe Shares New Cookbook on CBS

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Ruth Rogers Early Show.jpgThe co-owner & executive chef of London’s trademark restaurant River Cafe, Ruth Rogers, has published her sixth cookbook with the cafe’s other owner, Rose Gray. 

Italian Two Easy is the second volume of “simple & delicious” Italian recipes by Rogers & Gray.  The two sought inspiration for the second cookbook while visiting Puglia, Italy; but you will find your taste buds enjoying recipes from Verona to Tuscany.

The “simple and delicious” philosophy of cooking is seen in their five former cookbooks, all best-sellers.

Rogers shared a few recipes from Italian Two Easy this morning in the final segment of The Early Show’s weeklong series, “Culinary Inspirations” in which chefs have been dishing it up for summer meal ideas.   

Stay tuned for Ruth Roger’s Spaghetti, Raw tomato, Arugula recipe post coming soon.

 

Eat well & Laugh often!

 

Walter Scheib Key West Basted Shrimp with Fruit Salsa Recipe

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Former White House chef Walter Scheib takes us to Key West is this delicious rendition of tropical shrimp.  The warm fruit salsa is a perfect accompaniment & adds to the flavor of this Duvall Street favorite.  Enjoy.

Ingredients for Shrimp Baste:

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoon dark rum
  • 2 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chile paste
  • 2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • S & P, to taste
  • 16 large shrimp, peeled & deveined

What’s Next:

In a large bowl- combine all ingredients except shrimp & set aside

Go ahead & preheat your grill to medium heat.

Toss shrimp in baste mix & grill on lightly oiled grill.  Turning once, cook 4 minutes on each side. 

Baste shrimp once more before serving.  Serve on top of warm fruit salsa.

Ingredients for Warm Fruit Salsa:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon jalapenos, chopped
  • 2 oz. julienne red onion
  • 2 oz julienne tomato
  • 2 oz. sliced mango
  • 2. oz. sliced pineapple
  • 2 oz. sliced banana
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 tablespoon coriander
  • 1 oz. lime juice
  • Hot sauce to taste
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

What’s Next:

In sauté pan over medium heat- sauté oil, onions, garlic and jalapeños for 2- 3 minutes.

Add fruit and tomatoes, cooking for 2 – 3 minutes, don’t stir or over-mix as fruit will break up.

Add cumin, coriander, lime juice & hot sauce.  Cook 1 – 2 minutes, the fruit should be warm, not mushy.

Add chopped cilantro when ready to serve.

 

Eat well & Laugh often!

Former White House Chef Spills the Beans on Clinton & Bush Families

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ClintonBlairWalter.jpgIn a recent interview with ABC Nightline, former White House chef Walter Scheib spilled all sorts of beans about his former employers. 

For instance, President George W Bush was huge fan of peanut butter & honey sandwiches & that he once chocked on an Amish-made organic flour pretzel.

Former first daughter Chelsea Clinton’s vegetarianism caused many kitchen complications & the Bush twins received calorie counts for meals.  Both the Clinton & the Bush families loved enchilada dinners.

Chef Scheib was hired as head chef for the White House by first lady Hillary Clinton 11 years ago & continued to serve the Bush family until 2005 when he was dismissed by first lady Laura Bush.  Scheib was replaced by his assistant Cristeta Comerford, making her the first female to hold the White House head chef position.

Stay tuned for the Walter Scheib Key West Basted Shrimp Recipe post coming soon.

 

Eat well & Laugh often!

 

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay Outwits Pop Veteran Sir Cliff Richard

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Gordon Ramsay Sir Cliff Rihard.jpgThis was too good to pass up, particularly with our recent Gordon Ramsay posts.  During a filming of celebrity chef Ramsay’s The F Word British cooking show, the host outwitted his guest to the latter’s chagrin.

British pop veteran Sir Cliff Richard was left red-faced & steam-eared when Ramsay tricked Richard into criticizing his own brand of wine.  The singer owns vineyards in Portugal & is quite proud of his Vida Nova wine, yet he may lack the educated wine-tasting palate.  Let’s let Ramsay explain in his own words.

“Sir Cliff Richard told me to f**k off! Sirs can’t swear like that!  Cliff’s got this vineyard in Portugal that he’s obsessed with, he’s crushing grapes and all the rest… so we had this brilliant wine-tasting challenge.

“He thought one of the wines was amazing. Of course it was, it was $550 a bottle. Then we got to one which I told him was a $20 wine.

“He said, ‘That’s rubbish! I wouldn’t pay for that. It’s tainted, it tastes like vinaigrette. I’d never even buy that.’ “I said, ‘Cliff, that’s your own wine!’ He went bananas. He bent over and whispered in my ear, ‘F**k yourself.'”

And that’s what I call a good wine tasting!

 

Eat well & Outwit often!

Gordon Ramsay’s Pumpkin Risotto with Parmesan Recipe

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Pumpkin Risotto.jpgDon’t let this Gordon Ramsay Pumpkin Risotto with Parmesan recipe leave you foulmouthed.  Enjoy this truly unique risotto this weekend & treat yourself to something new & delicious.

Ingredients: 

  • Large wedge of ripe pumpkin
  • Olive oil, for cooking and to drizzle
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 cup risotto rice
  • S & P
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • Small handful of sage leaves

What’s Next:

Cut the pumpkin into small cubes or get your pumpkin puree ready.

In a skillet- heat oil over medium heat.   Add the pumpkin and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside one-third. Put the rest of the pumpkin into a blender and whiz until smooth.

Bring the stock to a simmer in a pan and keep it at a gentle simmer over a low heat. Heat a little olive oil in a larger saucepan and tip in the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, for a minute, then add a ladleful of hot stock and stir until it is almost all absorbed before adding another ladleful.

Repeat until you’ve reached your last few ladlefuls of stock. Taste the rice to see if it is al dente. If not, add more stock. Add the pumpkin purée and reserved pumpkin, stirring through and seasoning to taste. Stir in a few knobs of butter and the grated Parmesan. Keep warm.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a small frying pan until hot. Fry the sage leaves for a few seconds until crisp then drain on kitchen paper.

Ladle the risotto on to warm plates and tap the bottom of each plate gently to spread it out. Drizzle with a little olive oil and scatter over the Parmesan and sage leaves, then serve.

 

Eat well & Laugh often!

UK Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay Signed with Channel 4

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British Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has confirmed his title as Britain’s most loved & respected chef yesterday by signing a contract with Channel 4 believed to be worth about $10 million.  With this new deal, Ramsay has become one of the highest paid chefs in the UK. 

Ramsay, famous for his fresh approach on cooking & the English language, is a welcome addition to the channel.  His decision to sign is a relief to Channel 4’s director of programs Kevin Lygo after ITV, a competing channel, made a bid of about $6 million to woo the foulmouthed chef. 

The 39-year-old chef presented the first series of Hell’s Kitchen two years ago & has been trying to balance his TV work with his growing restaurant empire ever since.  Stay tuned for Gordon Ramsay’s Pumpkin Risotto with Parmesan Recipe coming soon.

Eat well & Laugh often!

Paula Deen Squash Casserole & Blueberry Tart Recipes

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Paula Deen Cooking With.jpgNow that we know a little more about the woman & chef Paula Deen, let’s mosey on over to the kitchen & cook up her famous Squash Casserole & Blueberry Tart.  Here we go! 

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Paula Deen Squash Casserole Recipe

  • 6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon House seasoning, recipe follows
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup crushed butter crackers (recommended: Ritz)

What’s Next:

Go ahead & preheat your oven to 350 F, or 175 C.  

In a large skillet- saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside.

In a medium size skillet- saute the onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Paula Deen House Seasoning Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup black pepper
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder

What’s Next:

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

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Paula Deen Blueberry Tart Recipe

Ingredients for Crust:

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, or your favorite type of nuts

Ingredients for Filling:

  • 2 (3-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 (21-ounce) can blueberry pie filling

What’s Next for Crust: 

Go ahead &  preheat oven to 350 F, or 175 C.

Combine powdered sugar, flour, and butter in the bowl of a food processor, processing until mixture forms a ball (you can combine dough by hand, if desired). With your fingers, press dough into a 12-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, taking care to push crust into indentations in tart pan. Pat nuts onto crust. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Let cool completely before filling.

What’s Next for Filling:

In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar. In a separate mixing bowl with the hand mixer, beat the heavy cream with the sugar until it forms soft peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon this mixture into the cooled pie shell and top it with blueberry pie filling. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
Eat well & Laugh often!

Paula Deen: A Short History of a Fine Woman & Chef

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Paula Hiers Deen was born January 19, 1947 in the town of Albany, Georgia.  She is known as a proficient chef, restaurateur, writer, TV personality & mother.  Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia where she runs her restaurant The Lady & Sons with her two children Jamie & Bobby.   

Paula is also known for her ability to overcome agoraphobia, or a strong fear of public places, as well as raising two boys as a single mother.  Soon after Deen moved to Savannah in 1989, she divorced her first husband and was left with $200 & two young children.  So she did what she does best, she cooked up a storm.  Deen started a catering business called The Bag Lady where she would make sandwiches and other meals while her sons delivered the food, due to her agoraphobia.

The business was quite successful and outgrew Paula’s kitchen in a matter of months.  She was hired as the head cook at the local Best Western hotel where she worked for five years before opening her own restaurant, The Lady & Sons which is now a Savannah tradition. 

Deen took up with the Food Network in 1999, when a friend introduced her to Gordon Elliott. She would also appear on Ready, Set, Cook! & Deen got her own show, Paula’s Home Cooking, in 2002.

Paula remarried on March 6, 2004 to tugboat pilot Michael Groover. The wedding & preparation were documented by Food Network and aired in late 2004.  Not only is this woman a wonderful Southern US cook, she is also an achiever & over-comer. 

Stay tuned for the ‘Tuesday Paula Deen Menu Recipes’ post coming soon.

Eat well & Laugh often!

 

 

Wolfgang Puck Thursday- Chocolate Souffle

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Chocolate Souflee.jpgNow that we’ve tried our hand at Gouda Cheese Fondue, it’s time for my other favorite item, Chocolate Soufle recipe!  This is a truly wonderful & easy treat, just make sure to separate the eggs carefully so that no specks of yolk contaminate the whites.  Enjoy!

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 2 tablespoons orange liqueur
  • 3 egg whites
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • Powdered sugar, for garnish
  • Unsweetened whipped cream

Go ahead & preheat your oven to 400 F, or 200C.  Butter 6 (1-cup) soufflé dishes and dust them with about 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Chill them in the refrigerator until needed.

Melt the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a double boiler. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the egg yolks and the liqueur.

In a clean bowl, using a wire whisk or an electric beater, beat all 7 egg whites until they form soft peaks when the whisk or beaters are lifted out. Beat in the lemon juice and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue beating the whites until they form stiff peaks that are still very shiny. Stir a quarter of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, and then gently fold in the remaining whites.

Fill the buttered and sugared soufflé dishes with the soufflé mixture. Run your thumb around the inside edge of each dish to make a shallow, uniform depression all along the rim of the mixture, so that the soufflés will form hat shapes when they rise. Put the dishes in the oven and bake until the edges are set but the middles are still soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Carefully transfer each soufflé to a napkin-lined dessert plate. Dust the tops with powdered sugar, if desired, and spoon a dollop of whipped cream into the center of each soufflé. Serve immediately.

Eat well & Laugh often!

Wolfgang Puck Thursday- Gouda Cheese Fondue Recipe

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Wolfgang Puck.jpgWhat says Thursday more than Wolfgang Puck, I ask you?  With this terrific Gouda Cheese Fondue recipe you can indulge your senses in cheese wonderland.  Give this recipe a try and you won’t regret it.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large clove garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 5 ounces fresh Gouda cheese, or mozzarella, shredded
  • 5 ounces aged Gouda cheese, shredded
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons Kirsch
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
  • 1 baguette loaf, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • Assorted vegetables and cooked meats and salami, cut into bite-sized pieces 

What’s Next:   rub the bottom of a medium saucepan with the sliced garlic. Put the pan over high heat and immediately add the wine, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to dissolve the garlic residue.

In a small bowl- toss together the two cheeses and the cornstarch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cheese mixture. Stir continuously until the mixture is melted and smooth. Stir in the Kirsch and season with black pepper and nutmeg.

Serve the fondue immediately, accompanied by the bread, vegetables, and meats, with long fondue forks for guests to spear bites of food and dip them into the sauce.

Eat well & Laugh often!

Jamie Oliver’s Tender & Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes Recipe

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The Naked Chef himself Jamie Oliver is stepping up to the plate on the Today show for a spring cooking school.  As part of his ‘Feed Me Better’ campaign, Oliver is taking us by the ear and making us cook & eat better.  Here is the sexy chef’s Tender & Crisp Chicken Legs with Sweet Tomatoes recipe, enjoy.

Ingredients:

  • 4 chicken legs, jointed
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • A big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
  • 2 big handfuls of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved, and ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves
  • 1 fresh red chili finely chopped
  • Olive oil
  • Optional: 1 14 ounce can of canellini beans, drained
  • Optional: 2 handfuls of new potatoes, scrubbed
  • Optional:  linguini or spaghetti

What’s Next:

Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350 F, or 175 C.

Season your chicken pieces all over and put them into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chili and drizzle over some olive oil. Mix around a bit, pushing the tomatoes underneath.

Place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, turning the tomatoes halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone. If you fancy, you can add some drained cannellini beans or some sliced new potatoes to the pan and cook them with the chicken.

 Or you can serve the chicken with some simple mashed potato. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins before serving. You could even make it part of a pasta dish – remove the chicken meat from the bone and shred it, then toss into a bowl of linguini or spaghetti and serve at once.

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Eat well & Laugh often.

 

Say Goodbye to ‘Celebrity Cooking Showdown’, NBC Cancels Show

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Puck & Margolis NBC.jpgWell, it was good while it lasted- the show anyway, the ratings never reached sky-height.  NBC has decided not to air the remaining episodes of the reality show ‘Celebrity Cooking Showdown‘.  The show, similar to Iron-Chef, was being produced by Sean “P.Diddy” Combs and Wolfgang Puck. The Showdown was supposed to air every night this week but has received abysmal ratings and the final episode has been canceled.  But never fear you can catch the last Showdown on NBC.com.

I guess it was meant to be, how can you compete with American Idol’s ratings?  The show featured celebrities such as Gabrielle Reece, Cindy Margolis & Ashley Parker Angel.  Naomi Campbell was on the list originally, but due to some unfortunate circumstances, she was not able to compete.  Somehow I just can’t see Campbell dishing up a creme brulee, but if you step into my kitchen, I bet we can whip up a mean one!

Stay tuned for the ‘Weekend Creme Brulee Recipe’ post coming soon.

Eat well & Laugh often.

Dolly Parton’s New Cookbook Will Raise Your Imagination

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Dolly Parton Dollys Dixie Fixins Cookbook II.jpgDolly Parton has revealed her favorite recipes in her new cookbook, Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s.  The cookbook will feature recipes from her mother Avie Lee Parton, her mother-in-law “Mama” Ginny Dean, as well as recipes from her Dollywood restaurants and dishes she discovered while touring on the road for the last 40 years.

Proceeds from the sales of Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s will help fund Parton’s Imagination Library.  The Library was founded by Parton in 1996 and has been established in 42 US states.  The Imagination program encourages reading by distributing a free book a month to children from birth to age 5. 

When you purchase Dolly’s cookbook before September 1 of this year, you enter yourself to win a personal backyard barbeque and bluegrass festival with Parton as your special guest.  I promise won’t tell anyone if that’s the only reason you’re buying Dolly’s Dixie Fixin’s.  The cookbook is available for purchase at Dollywood, the Dixie Stampede restaurant and the more convenient websites.

Stay tuned for ‘A Tribute to Dolly Parton Recipes’ post.  You won’t want to miss this collection of Parton recipes.

Eat well & Laugh often.

We’re Cooking with Amy Today

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Kappa Restaurant Cooking with Amy.pngCooking with Amy is a great food escape, you come out refreshed, full of culinary joy and a happier person for the visit.  I felt the same as I was looking at her recent post on Japanese cuisine.  Amy revisited the koryori style restaurant Kappa this week, here she is now:

“When I went to Japan I thought I knew what Japanese food was. Boy, was I ever wrong! Going to Kappa is much the same experience. In addition to the kimono-clad hostess, the menu written in Japanese and the virtually all Japanese clientele, the food is koryori style, a traditional small plate cuisine from Kyoto not found anywhere else in town. Sure most of the dishes are familiar, but if you order the prix fixe meal several of the items are quite out of the ordinary.

Lee has been wanting to go back to Kappa ever since we went two years ago for his birthday. Since the prix fixe meal is rather special that was his choice again for this year’s birthday. As I mentioned the last time around, there is no sign in English for the restaurant and the wooden door slides open so you really don’t know where you are going. Lost in Translation anyone?”

This gem located next to Denny’s in San Francisco is worth your time and your well-deserving palate.  Amy goes on to describe each dish they tasted, complete with wonderful, clear photos. 

Look out for the upcoming ‘Tori no Mizutaki’ Japanese Chicken Stew Recipe’ post.

Until then,

Eat well & Laugh often.