Minnesota Restaurants Supporting Local Farms I love all four seasons, but there are few greater things in life than the first days of a Minnesota spring. We love celebrating another winter survived, and if you’re anything like me, food plays a huge role. I can’t wait until restaurants unveil their spring menus, teeming with fresh… Read More →
Pig in the Stable The Cochon 555 weekend takeover kicked off with a Chef’s Course Dinner at Spoon and Stable last Friday—a seated five-course meal prepared by host chef Gavin Kaysen, Steven Brown, Erik Anderson, Doug Flicker, Diane Yang and yours truly. An amazing group of local chefs that have made this city’s food scene what… Read More →
A Modern Approach to Mexican Tradition There’s no doubt that Pujol, Enrique Olvera’s flagship restaurant in Mexico City, is one of the most important eateries in the Americas. Open since 2000 and currently ranked among the world’s best restaurants, Pujol showcases Mexico’s pre-colonial and indigenous foods shot through a fine dining prism. Last year, the… Read More →
From the culinary adventures of Bob & Sue By Bob & Sue We enjoyed three spectacular dinners and several memorable lunches from the best of Chicago: Grace Both the Fauna and Flora tasting menus included a number of dazzling presentations from a highly-trained kitchen staff. Among the highlights were Alaskan king crab in cucumber juice with… Read More →
My Favorite Cookie Recipes It’s the holidays. You’re bound to be invited to an annual cookie exchange, take goodies to the office, or be in charge of a Christmas dessert spread at some point. So we thought we’d help you out with my favorite cookie recipes, including a few classics from Minnesota State Fair blue… Read More →
My Favorite Cookbooks of the Year Every year hundreds of cookbooks are published, dozens of which deserve a spot on your shelf. But we’ve tried to narrow it down to a handful that really impress–whether it’s the private cooking lessons from the world’s best chefs in Dana Cowin’s Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen, cooking… Read More →
Recommendations for the Far Flung Faroe Islands Halfway between Iceland and Norway in the heart of the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islands have famously been described as ‘the windy edge of nowhere.’ The 50,000 Faroese who live among the 18 islands are proud descendants of a Viking culture that landed here 1,200 years ago. Centuries… Read More →
Brisket ‘a la Guida’ By Andrew Zimmern Serve this braised beef brisket with plenty of potato pancakes and noodle kugel.
One of the Best Restaurants in North America Housed in a stunning example of classical Newfoundland architecture from the early 20th century and overlooking St. John’s harbor, Raymonds is widely considered the best restaurant in all of Canada. Chef and Newfoundland native Jeremy Charles pulls inspiration from the land and sea around him, showcasing the… Read More →
Holiday Doughnuts By Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg Adapted from Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Zoë François and Jeff Hertzberg.
How I SweeTango I’ve been a huge fan of SweeTango apples ever since they debuted a few years ago. It’s a juicy apple that has unique touch of spice with just the right honey finish, but they’re only around for a few months every year. Here’s how I eat them: Frankly, they are killer ‘under-cooked’… Read More →
Frozen Passion Fruit Mousse By Andrew Zimmern This passion fruit mousse with coconut and lichee nuts is my idea of the perfect tropical dessert.
Decadent and Delicious By Gunnar Gislason In the town of Stykkishólmur where Simon Sturluson harvests his blue mussels and dulse, there is a cozy restaurant that serves a beer called Black Death, which features a skull and crossbones on its label. The beer dates back to only 2011, but it was inspired by the story… Read More →
Where to Eat at the Great Minnesota Get-Together I love the Minnesota State Fair so much that I try to go all 12 days. Every year there’s a list of new food booths, serving every type of novelty deep-fried and on-a-stick creations, but when it comes down to it, half of the food sales comes… Read More →
New State Fair Foods for 2014 Every year there’s a host of new foods at the Great Minnesota Get-Together, and while the imaginative deep-fried-on-a-stick creations can be hit or miss, sometimes the shear novelty is worth shelling out a few bucks to try. Without further ado, here’s the line up for 2014: Photographs courtesy… Read More →
Classic Angel Food Cake By Andrew Zimmern I love angel food cake. It reminds me of my childhood, it’s the dessert I’d always request on my July 4th birthday. This classic recipe is super moist, airy, and just heavenly served with fluffy whipped cream and fresh summer berries.
The Ultimate American Waffles By Jeni Britton Bauer Trust me when I say that these are the ultimate American waffles. The batter is put together the night before and it gets really airy overnight. The results are fantastic: crispy outside, light and a bit chewy inside, with a warm, yeasty flavor. I love these for breakfast… Read More →
Sin City Recommendations Las Vegas is wholly intoxicating, a city dedicated to sensory overload that’s all about being the biggest and the best. And while chefs from all over the country are generating a lot of great food in glamorous settings on the Strip, you won’t be sorry if you venture off the main drag… Read More →
A Quintessential Early Summer Ingredient Some call rhubarb a fruit, others call it a vegetable (which it technically is). Sunset’s New Western Garden Book calls it an uncommon vegetable used as a fruit in sauces and pies. The Joy of Cooking calls it a reasonable facsimile of fruit. Ouch! Here in the hardy zone of the… Read More →
#JBFA Every year a new crop of Bizarre Foods alums win Journalism and Media awards. This year Tim Byres led the charge for his book Smoke. Buy it. It’s a great one. Amy Thielen is loved by all, she cleaned up this year and her son Hank and husband Aaron were by her side all weekend.… Read More →
Congratulations JBF Award Winners! I had a fantastic weekend at the James Beard Foundation Awards in NYC, the nation’s most prestigious awards ceremony honoring professionals in the food and beverage biz. Winners of the Foundation’s annual Book, Broadcast, and Journalism Awards were presented on May 2, at Gotham Hall in New York City, during a… Read More →
Sensuous Chocolate Custard By Andrew Zimmern Pot de crème (or ‘pot of cream’) is a traditional French custard. This sinfully decadent chocolate version is easy to prepare and perfect for dinner parties since you can make it ahead and refrigerate until you’re ready for dessert. Serve with whipped cream, sprinkle powdered sugar, top with berries,… Read More →
Our Favorite American in Paris A veteran pastry chef who spent more than a decade working at Chez Panisse before moving to Paris and launching a wildly successful blog, David Lebovitz is our go-to guru for Parisian food and cooking. He’s written several cookbooks, including The Perfect Scoop, his best-selling guide to homemade ice cream,… Read More →
This recipe is not an April Fools’ prank. Why would you think it was? Because Miss Myra never shares it…but she did with me. And when I tell you, without equivocation, that it’s the most famous, most amazing, best tasting banana pudding recipe in the world, trust me, it is. Four generations have carefully guarded this recipe… Read More →
Contemporary Canadian Cuisine Located in the heart of downtown Vancouver, chef David Hawksworth’s eponymous restaurant is one of the best in the city. Trained in Europe and adept in a myriad of global techniques, chef Hawksworth’s forward-thinking Canadian cuisine is consistently flawless, fresh and modern. He’s passionate about local ingredients, a chef who believes food is… Read More →
Congrats to the Nominees! Yesterday, the James Beard Foundation announced the finalists for the 2014 JBF awards. Congratulations to all of the nominees, what a talented pool of culinary greatness. If you didn’t catch the nominee announcement, the full list is below. The winners for the Book, Broadcast and Journalism Awards will be announced at… Read More →
Sweet & Tangy By Andrew Zimmern With its flaky crust and tangy lemon curd filling, this is one of my favorite desserts. Lemon meringue pie is a classic with an instant wow factor. Follow this recipe and you’re bound to impress your guests.
Another South Beach Wine & Food Fest has come and gone. And yes, it was hot, humid and awesome. HUGE thanks to Lee Schrager & his team for putting on what I like to think of as spring break for the culinary world…. except in this case, what happened on spring break is not staying… Read More →
A Refreshing Dessert By Andrew Zimmern As Thomas Hyll wrote in his 1593 cookbook, “…[strawberries] are much eaten at all men’s tables with wine and sugar.” While cream is the traditional English accompaniment, elsewhere in Europe crème fraîche, or sour cream, is preferred. In Italy, red wine and sugar seem to be everywhere. I developed… Read More →
A Few Latin Favorites Miami’s population has seen a radical shift in recent years. With an influx of Caribbean, Central American, South American, and other Latino communities in the city, it’s become the unofficial capital of the Latin world. You should expect in a city where nearly 70 percent of the population is Latin American… Read More →
