President's Christmas Lunch

By JULIETTE ROSSANT This Christmas, with Baghdad burning, with USAID's provision of basic necessities to southern Iraq, and with a death toll surpassing 650,000 (according to The Washington Post from a report by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health), you can rest assured that George and Laura enjoyed an untroubled, home-style Christmas lunch (below) in the presidential retreat at Camp David (formerly known as Shangri-La to FDR -- where one can "fall off the world," according to Mark Knopfler). CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH MENU AT CAMP DAVID Turkey with Giblet Gravy Cornbread Dressing Mashed Potatoes Green Beans Sweet Potato Casserole Rolls Ambrosia Pumpkin and Pecan Pies Press release: Menu for the 2006 Holiday Receptions News releases for December 2006 Previous articles: Thanksgiving: Bush Thankful for White House Chef Colbert Spices White House Correspondents Dinner Newsweek Finds Cris Comerford Mangoes Gone Nuclear Jack Abramoff's Chef Morou of Signatures State of the Union: Food Terrorism Cris Comerford: 2005 Top Food Stories Cristeta Comerford Feeds Prince Charles Bush About Comerford: Fantastic! Cristeta Comerford: First White House Woman Chef [White House Chef - complete coverage] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef

FOOD FLICKS: Christmas Pudding Race

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Feeling a bit stuffed? Find out what the British do in London to shed a few pounds... Great Christmas Pudding Race in London Run time: 1 minutes 30 seconds Stay tuned for more "Food Flicks" each Friday! Previous articles: Thanksgiving: Bush Thankful for White House Chef [FOOD FLICKS - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Google video, Food Flicks --> back to superchefblog

Christmas: Sweet Treats

By JULIETTE ROSSANT It's Christmas time again. when Foodies of all stripes try to find treats to give as gifts or to devour themselves, because Christmas is time for indulgence -- for la gourmandise. If you happen to be heading North (in the direction of Santa's abode), you might take along something to tuck into your hot chocolate or to sandwich between your grahams (freshly baked). What you need is retro comfort food like Plush Puffs Gourmet Marshmallows. These are the brain child of former caterer Ann Hickey-Williams, who creates sinfully rich but airy, out-of-the-ordinary marshmallows that help set a new standard for this age-old fare. Plush Pluffs are as far from store-bought, stale, toast-untll-burnt marshmallow as possible. Try a mixed bag, or flavors like Chocolate Chipetta and Kona Coffee Crunch. Don't forget the exceptionally spicy Cinnamon for after Christmas dinner. What a great retro surprise for the whole family! These days you won't find many aspiring Garbo's or Gable's eating those little taboo chocolate cigarettes that often found their way into Christmas stocking years ago. Yet, the joy of playing with ersatz cigarettes was fun. Chocolate chopsticks for the Foodie child (or adult) are just as fun -- and far tastier. Made by Suedy of Kooki Sushi, the Belgian chocolate Choc Sticks come in various flavors, like Dark Chocolate Creme de Menthe and Milk Chocolate Mocha Bean. The mint runs the length of the chopsticks, breaking out of the chocolate like a fine marbling at the top. Twirled in coffee or hot cocoa, the chocolate melts and becomes even more luscious. They come in fancy gold packaging like two mahogany sticks. Not surprisingly, Suedy also makes clever sushi sweets from crispy rice and various fill-ins for the real thing. They are delicate and tasty and oh-so sweet. After so much sugar on the plate for Christmas meals, it's probably a good thing to feast on protein at breakfast like ham, sausage and bacon with fresh eggs. But if you're craving some sweet pastry without the fuss, try old fashioned blueberry muffins with a soy protein punch from Crum Creek Mills. The Bountiful Blueberry Muffin Mix is as easy to prepare as Betty Crocker's, minus artificial tasting blueberries, so much healthier. They also make a Brilliant Bran muffin with extra soya protein. The package is decorated with a naive painting showing a blueberry river, kite, farm and tractor - hostess gift? Previous articles: 2006 Holiday Gift Guide Christmas Remembered: Tomie dePaola Christmas Coffee: Tyler Florence and Senseo Christmas Breakfast: Bacon and Sausage Jack Turner's Spice for Christmas Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to Super Chef

Chrismukkah: The Hybrid Holiday

By JULIETTE ROSSANT It's Chrismukkah time again. If you need more encouragement to cross the religious gulf after last year's Chrismukkah: The Merry Mish-Mash Holiday (Chrismukkah.com 2005) or you want to update your celebration this year, get a copy of Chrismukkah: Everthing You Need to Know To Celebrate the Hybrid Holiday (Stewart, Tabori & Chang 2006), both by Ron Gompertz. In this year's edition, Ron explores all the possible ramifications of this hybrid holiday with chapters like Oh! Tannenbaum, Oy! Rosenbaum: Bush, Shrub or Tree? (p. 54) and Kris Kringle Kippahs and Yarmuclaus Hats (p. 68). There are plenty of craft recipes for kids like building a Matzoh Bread House (p. 52) . In Noel Nosh, Rob includes recipes for Gefilte Goose (p. 104), Matza Pizza (p. 1116) and Blitzen's Blintz (p. 118) to add to your holiday feast. Chrismukkah is getting so popular, there is even a rival book, Chrismukkah: The Official Guide to the World's Most-Beloved Holiday(Sasquatch Books 2006) by New York-based journalist Gersh Kuntzman. How confusing! The book also includes a chapter on traditional Chrismukkah recipes as well as a chapter called Found! Dicken's Long-Lost First Draft of a Chrismukkah Carol (p. 109). Ron Gompertz doesn't think much of this Chrismukkah knock-off. He told Super Chef: I bought a copy of Gersh's book from Amazon.com and found his interpretation of Chrismukkah to be far more fake than my own fake holiday... and without all those nice color photos. Never mind that his book seems suspiciously derivative of my website and cookbook from last year. My grandmother would roll over in her grave if she were to be served one of his recipes... which don't even try to be Kosher... or edible, for than matter.... While I own a U.S. trademark on "Chrismukkah," in the Chrismukkah holiday spirit of tossing snowballs and a little guilt, I've forgiven Gersh for his blaspheme on the good name of Chrismukkah. Check out Ron's blog for more on the Chrismukkah scandals. Whichever book you choose, just remember to eat, drink and be merry. Previous articles: NPR Brooklyn Papers Kankakee Daily Journal Baptist Standard Chruch Executive Canadian Jewish News Miami Herald Mobile Register Los Angeles Times Winston-Salem Journal Richmond Times-Dispatch Albany Times-Union Previous articles: The Sex in Chrismukkah [Coobook Reviews- complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks --> back to superchefblog

Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook

By JULIETTE ROSSANT High on the "Why didn't I think of that ?" category of cookbooks must rank the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook (Random House 2006) by Georgeanne Brennan, with recipes inspired by Dr. Seuss. What could be more fun than reading If I Ran the Zoo and then making the recipe for Kartoom Croquettes (p. 51), the wonderful dish that Gerald McGrew serves the Natch who lives in Kartoom? What about reading about the Zans in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and then making Zans Cans Chili: Even if you don't have a Zans --and few of us do because of the bans--you should still try to make the Zans chili from cans. (p. 27) The cans in question hold beans and tomatoes. And what about that mysterious picnic that Mr. Brown and Mr. Black eat in Hop on Pop? In Georgeanne's book, Brown and Black's Snack (p. 36) is Boston baked beans and black beans served with cornbread. The recipes are fun to prepare with children and will encourage them to read. The book has lots of pictures from Dr. Seuss' books and photos of dishes by Frankie Frankeny. What about Green Eggs and Ham? At Dartmouth College, where Theordore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) studied, they have been serving green eggs and ham to freshmen for decades at the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. They even sell their own cookbook, the Moosilauke Ravine Lodge Cookbook (available by emailing the Lodge at moosilauke.revine.lodge@dartmouth.edu). The Dartmouth version calls for green food coloring to be added to beaten eggs as well as to milk and orange juice. "We don't dye the ham. It looks too nasty and no one eats it," says Julie Clemons, Assistant Director of Outdoor Programs. Georgeanne's recipe (pp. 8-9) calls for mint apple jelly and vilantro for the ham and guacamole for the fried eggs. If you are shopping for a last minute gift for a child or a grown-up, Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook is sure to brighten up any face. Previous articles: 2006 Holiday Gift Guide {Cookbook Reviews--complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog

Charlie Trotter: Hotel Magic

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Super Chef, Super Chef, how does your business grow? "I'm into hotel dining. I'm in a casino." Casino hotels -- or a big city establishments -- can work magic for a chef. Of the six chefs profiled in Super Chef, all have restaurants in hotels and one, Charlie Palmer, owns two hotels. Why? Luxury hotels and casinos have guarenteed guests who can pay top dollar for a big-name chef's creations. The deals are sweet since the build out of the restaurant is typically the hotel's responsibility. The chef can negotiate a consulting deal that doesn't require him to be on premise often or be responsible for losses. However, if you already have a restaurant in a big city, why open your second in a hotel in the same big city? Take the case of Charlie Trotter. Recently, he announced that his next deal is a dinner-only hotel restaurant, this one in Chicago's Elysian Hotel and Private Residences, slated to open in October 2008. He will add a more casual restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner and be responsible for the hotel's room service and banquets according to the press release. Charlie already has his eponymous restaurant in Chicago, opened in 1987, plus two Trotter's To Go and a resort restaurant at Palmilla resort in Los Cabos, Mexico. The resort is a luxurious place for Charlie to visit, and a reward for his chefs. Trotter also had a short-lived restaurant at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and he dropped plans to open in the Time Warner Building in New York. So why is Charlie's second fine dining restaurant in Chicago opening in a hotel? This is what Charlie said in a press release: Over the past two decades, I have had countless offers to partner with hoteliers all across America, but this is the first time I have felt a real meeting of minds. David [Pisor] is a true visionary, and I look forward to working with him and his team to deliver a guest experience unlike any other. That only tells us that the management sees eye-to-eye. The kind of guests Charlie wants are the kind of guests that will stay at the Elysian, and Charlie got a sweet enough deal that he opted in. The advantages for Charlie are that he need travel only 2.2 miles between both kitchens, he doesn't have to pay or negotiate travel and moving costs for chefs, and hotel restaurants typically do not cannibalize established clientele at other restaurants. That's rather magical in the restaurant business. Then again, many chefs open a restaurant in an hotel in order to gain entry into the chain's business. Todd English agreed to put an Olives in the Aspen in a St. Regis Hotel so that he would get the more plum prize of Olives in the W Hotel in New York. Maybe Charlie Trotter has more magic up his sleeve than a single, Fine Dining restaurant in a single hotel?... Previous articles: Todd English: Beau Rivage Todd English's Foodie Hotel Drew Nieporent: Of Landlords, Leases, and Lamentations Wolf Want Meat: Wolfgang Puck Steakhouse Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog

Lydia Shire: Balancing Act

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Boston Magazine's recent article, "Let Them Eat Duck Fat" profiles the career and business moves of Lydia Shire. It takes on difficult question of how to balance artistic demands of great cuisine with the financial demands of running a business: And many of today’s rising stars are business savvy in ways that Shire has never been, parlaying their restaurant successes into lucrative personal brands. (Blue Ginger’s Ming Tsai has a TV show, three cookbooks, and his own line of Target cookware.) That kind of empire building doesn’t appear to interest Shire. What she enjoys now is what she’s always enjoyed: playing with flavors, textures—and expectations. If she makes great food, the business will take care of itself. This analysis begs a further question: if chefs like Lydia open more than one outlet, do they, by necessity, need to become business-minded and entrepreneurial? Many of Lydia's foibles, strengths, and challenges will be familiar to readers of Super Chef: re-doing a menu at inappropriate times, ignoring food and labor costs, attempting to keep an aging restaurant vibrant and fresh. Part of Lydia's talent lies in an energetic, relentlessly optimistic approach shared by many super chefs: Even in the face of her ugly squabble with [Kenneth] Himmel, Shire shows no sign of changing her ways. While we talk at her house, she reveals that she has a new project in the works—a restaurant in Maine, due to open next summer. With new horizons open to chefs in business and media, is the one-shop great chef on the wane? (Click here to read the entire article.) Previous articles: Vote for White House Woman Chef [White House - complete] [Chef Profiles - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog

Paula Deen Celebrates!

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Many chefs incorporate holiday recipes into their cookbooks, but for those chefs who want to churn out a timely gift for their fans to buy, they bundle up recipes with family stories that go with them into the holiday cookbook genre. Nigella Lawson wrote Feasts, Emeril Lagasse produced Every Day's a Party and even Mario Batali has penned Mario Batali's Holiday Food. No surprise that fellow Food Network bigwig Paula Deen has one too. Get Paula Deen Celebrates! (Simon & Schuster 2006) if you enjoy listening to her stories of friends and family in Savannah and the South. How do Food Network stars manage to write cookbooks when they are so busy with their TV projects and more? Paula herself is mighty busy these days with a new magazine, the aptly named Cooking with Paula Deen, two Food Network shows, and product lines for which she is on tour, to be writing a cookbook. So Paula asked Martha Nesbit, a Savannah-based cookbook writer and journalist to write one with her. Nesbit also co-wrote one of her previous books, Paula Deen & Friends Martha and I see eye-to-eye on a great many things, and Martha has been testing recipes for twenty-five years. I know her and I trust her. She has taken my favorites , like chicken potpie and she has made sure the recipes will work for you like they work in my kitchen for me 'cause you know I have a tendency to add a little of this and a little of that and by the time I get through with it I don't know what''s in it!. (p. 2) If there recipes work, then, it is because Martha Nesbit is a good cookbook writer. The book starts off with New Years' Eve Brunch and ends with Christmas. In between are are a year's worth of holidays like Elvis's Birthday (p. 23), Big Easy Mardi Gras (p.49), Paula's own wedding aniversary (p. 63) and "May Day Pink and White Party." Sprinkled through out are Paula's Pearls of Wisdom, like this choice morsel from Valentine's Day: Don't forget to get dolled up! He'll think you're better than a June bride in a feather bed! (p. 33) Paula is the Dr. Phil of cooking, and this book is full of her earnest advice -- there is spicier stuff in the recipe heads. The recipes for Valentine's Day focus on surf 'n turf: The Lady & Sons Crab Stuffed Shrimp (pp. 34-5), Shrimp and Lobster Bisque (p. 36) flavored with creole seasoning, and Stuffed Beef Tenderloin (p. 37). If you have room after all that for dessert, Paula has a recipe for Chocolate Bundles with Chocolate Sauce (p. 41), which is essentially puff pastry filled with Snickers, Chocolate Kisses or other candy and serced with chocolate sauce. Paula admits that she is sick of turkey and ham by the time Christmas rolls around, so she makes Standing Rib Roast (p. 202) or Soy-Rubbed Tenderloin (p. 208) with Twice Baked Potato Casserole (p. 209) followed by Coconut Pound Cake with 7-Minute Frosting (p. 211) for Christmas. Her recipes, one asumes under Martha's influence, are moving away from depending on packaged foods and prepared mixes to using more fresh products and even some exotics --like soya sauce--though she does not seem to distiguish ordinary soya sauce from mushroom and other dark varieties better suited to marinades. There are plenty of snap shots of Paula and her family, including one terrific one (p. 123) of Paula as a cheerleader complete with buffant hairdo and plaid mini-skirt. Fans of Paula will find a concentrated dose of her version of Southern charm. Happy Holidays! Book details: Publisher Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Previous articles: Exclusive Interview: Paula's Party Rossant on Rachael Ray's Competition Paula Deen: Egg Muffin Machine Jamie and Bobby Deen: Road Tasted Paula Deen & Friends [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, cookbooks, cookbooks superchefblog, cookbooks rossant --> back to superchefblog

Allen Susser: 5 Fabulous Female Chefs

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Who knew that there were such a plethora of fine female chefs in Miami? Allen Susser does, and he has organized a Share Our Strength (SOS) Benefit, to celebrate five top female chefs from Miami and the South, for the fourth year in a row. Susan Spicer of Bayona and HerbSaint in New Orleans and Melissa Kelly of Primo in Rockland, Maine, and Orlando, join Michelle Bernstein of Michy's,Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile and Jennifer Brown of Chef Allen's will be preparing a five-course dinner in support of SOS South Florida's Operation Frontline, a nutrition-education and fitness program. This program teaches at risk people how to shop and prepare nutritious food. Host Allen Susser is SOS's longtime South Florida chair. If you happen to be in Miami, go and eat well and support a good cause. 5 Fabulous Female Chefs begins at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, December 6, at Chef Allen's, 19088 NE 29th Ave., Aventura. Tickets are $250; reserve at 305-935-2900. To make a reservation click here. Previous articles: Skype a Chef for Charity Restaurants for Relief 2: August 29 [Chef Profiles-complete] [Chefs & Charity- complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog

Rachael Ray: Space Invader

By JULIETTE ROSSANT While the European Space Agency turned more than two years ago to the likes of super chef Alain Ducasse to feed European astronauts (see previous article), what do American astronauts get from NASA? Well, last August they got Food Network king Emeril Lagasse (see previous article). This month they get that Queen of Quickie Cuisine, that Midwife of 30-Minute Meals, Rachael Ray, according to reports from The Houston Chronicle and USA Today. Space Shuttle Discovery, leaving Earth on December 7, will carry three dishes made by Rachael. She'll be sending Thai Chicken and and two other dishes for the astronaut's fresh food tray, all prepared by NASA's kitchens. She even had Discovery commander Mark Polansky, an avid cook, on an October 4 episode. (Dont worry: if you missed the episode, Rach will let you buy it! Or watch "how science creeps in" as Rachael prepares one of the dishes in this video.) Hey, since Americans as a nation are still feasting on fast food like McDonald's, then why not enjoy a Rachael Ray rapid recipe in Space? After all, last month she began a second invasion -- into the inner space of our supermarkets. This invasion resulted from a celebrity endorsement deal with Nabisco for brands such as Ritz, Wheat Thins, Sociables, Premium, and Triscuit. In fact, she is Nabisco's custodian for the 2006 holiday season. (Keep your eye on Sociables: see if Rach doesn't make this her pet treat -- so to speak.) Come on! No doubt you've been accosted by this shiny, happy person? : Rachael Ray is invading not only outer but inner space: Rachael Ray is fast becoming a space invader. It's enough to drive some people to form a Rachael Ray Sucks Community or something! How does Rach's space invasion impact on the bottom line -- on food? Will Triscuits taste any better with her face on the box? Will astronauts really eat Rach's food while in space? The meals may make "a nice … psychological twist for our crewmembers," says NASA food systems manager Vickie Kloeris... Then again, is Rachael actually writing many if any of these recipes anymore...? Press releases: NASA Event News NASA Features NASA Humans in Space Subsequent news: Chicago Sun Times Related news: Houston Chronicle Entertainment USA Today Arizona Republic WZZM ABC TV 13 (Grand Rapids) WTSP CBS TV 10 (Tampa) USA Today AOL News Yahoo! News In-Store Marketer Richmond Times-Dispatch Previous articles: Emeril Leads Space Race? Forbes Celebrity 100 Chefs 2006: Cute? Rachael Ray: Media Empire Rachael Ray: A Few Days Later Rachael Ray Every Day from Readers Digest Alaine Ducasse: Hyperchef –– Now Serving Mars [Food Television - complete] [Chefs & Branding - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging --> back to superchefblog

FOOD FLICKS: Backwards Hamburger

By JULIETTE ROSSANT From Free Range Graphics, makers of such classics as The Meatrix, Store Wars, The Meatrix II, and The Meatrix 2.5 comes a flash movie in support of the movie Fast Food Nation... (Also available on YouTube.) Backwards Hamburger Run time: 2 minutes 39 seconds Stay tuned for more "Food Flicks" each Friday! Previous articles: Meatrix 2.5 Meatrix 2 Opens Today Trailer of The Meatrix 2: Revolting Meatrix: Seasons Greetings Before STORE WARS: The Meatrix STORE WARS: The Making of the Movie Year's Most Important Movie: STORE WARS [FOOD FLICKS - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, Google video, Food Flicks --> back to superchefblog