The Daily Dish Archive
July 31, 2006
Exotic Peppercorns: Szechuan (China); Lampong black (Sumatra, Indonesia); Penja white (Cameroon); Sarawak black (Borneo, Indonesia); Vietnamese black; Tellicherry black (Northwest India); Ecuadoran black; and Long pepper (India, Southest Asia) are a few of the distinctive peppers on the market today. (USA Today, July 28, 2006)
July 30, 2006
Popular Wine Newsletter: Nat Decants offers feature articles on the great cork debate, drinks for big parties, organic wines, cellaring tips and wine and cheese matching. You can find many wine tips and articles at www.nataliemaclean.com.
July 29, 2006
Cheese Awards: Beating out a record 941 entries, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, a cooperative venture of Vermont cheesemakers Cabot Creamery and Jasper Hill Farm, was named Best of Show at the American Cheese Society's 23rd Annual Conference and Competition in Portland, Oregon on July 22. (Gourmet News)
July 28, 2006
Canned goods--how long do they last? Canned foods that have been frozen or exposed to temperatures over 100 degrees deteriorate faster than those stored at room temperature. High-acid foods can react with the metal can and affect the taste, texture and nutritional value of the foods, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If the cans have been stored properly, low-acid foods--such as canned meat and poultry, and most vegetables except tomatoes--will keep two to five years. High-acid foods--such as tomatoes, citrus and other fruits, pickles and sauerkraut--should be discarded after 12 to 18 months. (Houston Chronicle)
July 27, 2006
Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California Set to Reopen its Doors: The long-awaited reopening of the landmark Griffith Observatory is set for fall 2006. The 70-year-old art deco building will feature five new exhibition halls, the 200-seat Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater and an education center. In addition, the newly named Samuel Oschin Planetarium is being upgraded with state-of-the-art digital projection technology and a new Zeiss Mark IX planetarium projector. Upgrades are also taking place at the gift shop, restaurant (featuring Wolfgang Puck cuisine), the rooftop terrace (for disabled accessibility), and the facade, which is being restored to its original form. The renovations totaled more than $90 million. www.griffithobs.org
July 26, 2006
Hudson Valley, New York Wine & Food Festival: Join the Shawangunk Wine Trail July 29th and 30th at Adair Vineyards as they host the 11th Annual Bounty of the Hudson. This two-day wine & food festival brings together the Hudson Valley Wineries under one tent. Enjoy epicurean delights, farm fresh local produce, cooking workshops and Live Music.
July 25, 2006
Cajun Cookbook: Something to Talk About: Occasions We Celebrate in South Louisiana, by the Louisiana Junior League of Lafayette, is the fourth volume in the Junior League of Lafayette's successful cookbook series. Something to Talk About provides an abundance of kitchen-tested recipes from Louisiana's Cajun Country. Shrimp Grillades with Jalapeno Cheese Grits and Coconut Bread Pudding are among the offerings, as are new favorites like Cajun Fried Turkey and Injected Pork Roast with Tangy Satsuma Sauce. Occasional menus, entertaining hints, informative sidebars, and vibrant color photography enable readers to re-create South Louisiana-style celebrations in any locale.
July 24, 2006
Quantity Cooking: Mega Cooking: A Revolutionary New Plan for Quantity Cooking by Jill Bond offers a new and healthy way to prepare breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. This book is the perfect cooking plan for working parents and large families and offers tips on shopping, the science of cooking in large quantities and the use of freezer space. 300 recipes.
July 22, 2006
Green Cookbook: Good Green Kitchens by Jennifer Roberts. With more than 150 color photographs, comprehensive text, and extensive resource lists of recommended products, manufacturers, and retailers, Good Green Kitchens is a must-have-whether taking small steps to a green kitchen, or planning a thorough remodel. This newest book from green living advocate, Jennifer Roberts, is loaded with inspiration and information for creating a dream green kitchen.
July 21, 2006
Kosher Cookbook: The Kosher Palette II: Coming Home (Volume 2) offers the art and simplicity of kosher cooking. The book's goal is to incorporate flavors and aromas that people remember so fondly while creating new memories by offering a variety of innovative and delicious recipes. Cooking for the Jewish holidays as well as over 300 recipes make volume II of this fundraising book special.
July 20, 2006
Louisiana Cookbook: Recipes from Historic Louisiana: Cooking with Louisiana's Finest Restaurants by Linda Bauer & Steve Bauer is a collection of 120 favorite dishes from chefs at 48 of Louisiana's most famous restaurants. The history, stories and 130 full-color beautiful photographs combine with the recipes to enable you to recreate this incredible cuisine at home. The book is interesting in of itself for its historical content and the recipes are great.
July 19, 2006
Chile Pepper History: The chile pepper, a fruit, not a vegetable, has been a part of the human diet in the Americas since about 7500 B.C. They were one of the first cultivated crops in the Americas. Peppers were discovered in the Caribbean by Columbus, who named them "peppers." A physician on Columbus' second voyage brought them to Spain and they rapidly spread into India, China and Japan with Portuguese sailors. Today, there are more than 200 varieties of chilies, more than 100 of which are indigenous to Mexico alone.
July 18, 2006
New Audio Interview: Waiting for Splendido Travel writer Keith Allan interviews Giuliano Piscina, Restaurant Manager of the Hotel Splendido in Portofino, Italy about the art of waiting at table.
July 17, 2006
Just Arrived at Chantal: Chantal LiveSTRONG Latte Mug, Loop Teakettle, Plates and More. Chantal Corporation, the only housewares manufacturer to offer this opportunity, has partnered with the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Chantal has designed an exclusive line of ceramic items featuring the LIVESTRONG logo. A portion of every sale goes directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
New Audio Interview: Ritz Hotel in London as travel writer Keith Allan is invited by Executive Chef John Williams to visit the Ritz kitchens during the hotel's 2006 centenary celebrations.
July 16, 2006
Desserts Defined: Ice Cream: a dairy product that contains 10% or more butterfat; Gelato: the Italian word for ice cream that is usually 5%-6% butterfat; Frozen custard: a frozen soft serve product of 10% or higher butterfat content that includes egg yolk solids, milk solids, sugar and a stabilizer. Because of the high butterfat content, custard is best when served from a pressurized freezer. (Courtesy of ElectroFreeze)
July 15, 2006
New Food Article: Fresh Take: Tuscan Tomato & Bread Salad by Toni Lydecker. You can enjoy this version of Panzanella, a tomato and bread salad, originally from Tuscany. Great tomato photo included!
July 14, 2006
Happy Bastille Day!
July 12, 2006
New Chocolate Article: Tantalizing Truffles: Stephanie Zonis shares a recipe for White Chocolate-Lemon Truffles and her Chocolate Find of the Month is XOX Truffles in San Francisco.
July 11, 2006
Three Italian Cookbooks: Ciao Y'All: Recipes from the PBS Series Cucina Amore by Damian Mandola & Johnny Carrabba, the "two big Sicilian boys from Houston, Texas," is one of three books to showcase these chefs. Ciao Sicily and Ciao Tuscany! also showcase the flavors of Sicily blended with those of Texas and the South, including Cajun, Creole, and Mexican cuisines.
July 10, 2006
New Cookbook: Small Plates by Marguerite Henderson, author of Savor the Memories, offers appetizers as meals. Learn to make Feta and Herb Stuffed Shrimp; Fennel, Orange and Pecan Salad; and Braised Beef Short Ribs with Wide Egg Noodles, to name only a few of the flavors from Greece, Italy, Spain, Mexico, India and beyond..
July 9, 2006
Wine Program-Hilton Head Island, S.C.: WINEMAKERS & HOW THEIR WINES ACHIEVE GREATNESS with Jeff Morgan, Acclaimed Wine Maker, Noted Author & Former West Coast Editor for The Wine Spectator; March 8 - 11, 2007: wine studies, wine dinners with winemakers of Renolds Family, Turnbull, and Tres Sabores; wine sampling from the wines of Heidi Barret, Celia Masyczek, Philippe Melka, & Nils Venge; investment seminar with Melon Private Investment; and 1400 wines in the Island's Wine Festival. Contact: Monty Preiser at NightLawyer12@aol.com, or 561-212-9723.
July 8, 2006
Choose Your Language to Tour Los Angeles: This summer, Starline Tours of Hollywood kicks off an innovative, state of the art, multilingual Grand City Tour of Los Angeles. The tour provides visitors to the city with a cultural, historical and geographical overview that is now also available in six languages for international visitors. The tour features a luxury Euro Coach departing daily from the Hollywood Boulevard location that is outfitted with integrated headsets providing tour commentary in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese and German in addition to English. More languages will be added in the coming months. www.starlinetours.com
July 7, 2006
Travel Deals: Save big with 225 BookingWiz Top Travel Deals in the US and Abroad , which are updated every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day. Specials include hotels, car rentals and cruises.
July 6, 2006
2006 Food & Wine Celebration: a Gourmet Event to Benefit Veggie U – will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 15, 2006, on the grounds of The Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan Ohio. Veggie U has developed a national program that teaches fourth-graders how to make healthy food choices through an educational classroom curriculum. For more information or to purchase tickets: http://www.veggieu.org/
July 5, 2006:
Culinary Professionals Tour of Ireland: Last chance to reserve a place on this unique tour from Friday 29 September - Saturday 7 October 2006. Itinerary and Reservation form - http://www.goldribboncookery.com
July 4, 2006
Happy 4th of July!
July 3, 2006
New Cookbook: Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables by John Peterson. Join the real food revolution with a true pioneer in the Community Supported Agriculture movement-Farmer John Peterson and his farm, Angelic Organics, which serves 1,200 shareholders in the Chicago area. The book is arranged seasonally by crop, offering recipes and information on storing and preserving the exotic or misunderstood vegetables like sunchokes, rutabagas and kohlrabi.
July 2, 2006
History of Tequila: When the Spaniards arrived in Mexico in the 16th century, the Conquistadors brought the process of distillation with them. When it reached the western Mexico town of Tequila the townspeople were quick to put it to good use. To this day, authentic tequila can only be produced in Mexico, in the Tequila region, and must comply with strict Mexican government regulations.