'Brunch!: 100 Fantastic Recipes for the Weekend's Best Meal' Recipes by Gale Gand with Christie Matheson Photographs by Ben Fink Clarkson Potter -- 2009 Buy it on Amazon
Ah, brunch, that most indecisive and superfluous of meals: it's certainly not necessary, and probably wouldn't even exist if people weren't inclined to sleep in on the weekends.
But where French toast and eggs Benedict are concerned, necessity has never been the point. So it follows that of course brunch should have its own cookbook: any meal that can gouge so much time and effort out of an otherwise unremarkable weekend naturally requires a repertoire of recipes.
Gale Gand, a James Beard Award-winning pastry chef and the owner of Chicago's renowned Tru, has stepped up to the plate, and then some, with 'Brunch!' If the title's exclamation point tells you all you need to know about Gand's enthusiasm for the subejct, then her recipes -- from beverages like White Hot Chocolate and Gale's 3-Alarm Bloody Mary, to caloric delights like Corn and Parmesan Fritters and Chocolate Waffles -- should give you a generous hint of her serious dedication to the cause. Whether you prefer to drink your brunch or be put into a sugar coma by it, there's pretty much something for everyone here.
See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
Sometimes, you really just want to eat whatever's placed in front of you. Other times, you just want to look at it, amused and delighted by nature's more whimsical side.
Such is the case with this bowl of carambolas, commonly -- and aptly -- known as starfruit. Immortalized by Kitty LaRoux in the Slashfood Flickr pool, they could be used as a centerpiece or placed strategically on a mantelpiece or coffee table. Taste, obviously, is important, but if you caught a bowl of shooting stars, wouldn't you want to just sit back and admire them for a little while, too?
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Cold, briny, clean and salty: is there any food that offers a more refreshing counterpoint to the heavy summer heat than the oyster? These beauties, from Pt. Reyes, Calif., were snapped by Nicole at Cucina Nicolina. Their pearlescent, craggy appearance captures the soothing yet bracing pleasure that lies within the act of swallowing one whole. It's an almost otherworldly experience, tasting the essence of the sea and mysteries of the earth's history on your tongue, but there's nothing alien about the feeling of suddenly wanting to follow it with another oyster. And another. And another.
'Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine' Recipes by Bryant Terry Da Capo Press -- 2009 Buy it on Amazon
It's almost impossible to think of soul food without thinking of pork, butter and drippings, and equally improbable to imagine a vegan who would voluntarily consume any of these things -- or anything else containing animal products, for that matter.
So Bryant Terry's "Vegan Soul Kitchen" would appear to be both a novelty and oxymoron, something Terry himself admits when he writes "I do realize that veganism ... .is antithetical to the way that African-American and Southern cooking has been constructed in the popular imagination over the past four decades."
A deeper look, however, reveals that prior to the industrialization of the food industry, the traditional African-American diet included plenty of fresh produce, and as Terry demonstrates with his book's 150 recipes, those fruits and vegetables can still play a central and innovative role in dishes ranging from Creole Hoppin'-Jean (a bacon-free twist on Hoppin' John, the traditional black-eyed pea and rice dish) to Savory Triple-Corn Grits, which substitutes creamed cashews for butter. In other words, as Bryant writes, think "Alice Waters meets Melvin Van Peebles," a farm-fresh update on a rich and soulful tradition.
See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
From the UK comes excellent news for beer drinkers -- and their bellies: According to the results of a new study, beer bellies are caused by genetics, not beer.
After tracking 7,876 men and 12,749 women over the course of eight and a half years, a group of German and Swedish researchers discovered that while regular drinkers -- especially those who consumed the equivalent of two pints a day -- were more likely to gain weight overall, that weight did not necessarily accumulate in the abdominal region. The scientists concluded that while "beer consumption seems to be rather associated with an increase in overall body fatness," evidence of more "site-specific" weight gain was limited. Somewhat unsurprisingly, given its pivotal role in most weighty matters, genetics was the real culprit.
The news couldn't have come at a better time, i.e summer, when hot days call out for cold brews and beer aficionados seek sweet relief in air-conditioned bars across the country. It's possibly the best news since, oh, last week, when New York City declared July Good Beer Month, and will doubtless inspire countless toasts made over frosty mugs held high.
The combination of grill marks and paprika is a timeless and potent one, up there with martinis and olives or biscuits and gravy. It has the power to evoke all of the five senses, to say nothing of a Pavlovian response. T
his photo of grilled chicken, liberally seasoned with the smoky, peppery spice, was taken by Kristin of The Kitchen Sink. It could cause a slab of Sheetrock to salivate, to say nothing of the unfortunate mortals who happen to stumble upon this photo on an empty stomach. So behold with caution ... and possibly a napkin or two.
Smoked salmon is rarely seen out of the company of a bagel and thick smear of cream cheese, particularly at the breakfast table. But this photo, taken by zenchef of Zen Can Cook, presents an incredibly tempting alternative. What you're looking at is Scottish smoked salmon, perched on top of a pea pancake and crowned with a bit of crème fraiche and Meyer lemon. Granted, it takes a little more preparation than slicing open a bagel, but colors and flavor combinations like these are well worth the effort.
So Fourth of July has come and gone again. Lest you already be feeling nostalgic, here's one last photo to make you feel a bit misty. Grilled and photographed by marilyn819 at Flickr, these fat brats, with their artful tan lines, are for many people the sight and smell of the Fourth, as well as the approximately two remaining months of summer. They're a reminder to go out and buy some sunscreen and lighter fluid, drop a lit match through the grates and wait attentively for dinner to be ready, as yet another summer afternoon disappears into the realm of lightly charred memory.
What you're looking at may very well be the platonic ideal of crab and corn chowder. Note the massive chunks of crab, the bounty of fat yellow kernels of corn and a creamy broth whose surface is speckled with little pools of chili oil. Made and photographed by Susan Filson of the appealingly named Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy, it looks like the perfect antidote to summer's swelter: If the dog days are getting you down, fight them off with a bit of crab.
'Everyday Food: Great Food Fast' From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living Clarkson Potter -- 2007 Buy it on Amazon
Launched in 2003, "Everyday Food" was designed for home cooks who didn't have a lot of time on their hands to make elaborate weeknight dinners but did have a desire to make high-quality, satisfying meals.
The diminutive magazine, which was put out by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, gained a devoted following thanks to its practical recipes, approachable ingredient lists and low-fuss food that yielded great flavor.
"Everyday Food," the cookbook, offers these same qualities, with 250 recipes that put both the seasons of the year and multiple variations on favorite foods front and center.
See what we tested and whether the book's worth buying after the jump.
This cloudy drift of buttermilk ice cream, made and photographed by Molly Watson of the Dinner Files, looks less like dessert than something out of a lactose-fueled dream. While it was undoubtedly delicious, it's so serene and ethereal that eating it seems almost sacrilegious.
National Ice Cream month starts today, however, and its devotees -- and really, anyone -- will have difficulty resisting a treat that looks this luminous and fresh. Indeed, the notion of spooning it straight from that frozen metal bowl is enough to inspire dreams of its own.
Bluefish with Fava Beans, Corn, Tomatoes and Fresh Herbs. Photo: Rebecca Flint Marx
Let's face it: ever since Hannibal Lecter sung their praises in "The Silence of the Lambs," fava beans haven't enjoyed the greatest associations -- particularly where Chianti and liver are involved.
And that's a shame, because they're some of the most flavorful and versatile treats that summer has to offer. In season for a few precious weeks, favas -- which have been enjoyed throughout the world for about 5,000 years and are packed with so much protein they've been called "the meat of the poor" -- can be used in everything from salads and purées to soups and pasta dishes.
When the flat, wide beans are shelled and blanched, they adopt a vibrant grassy hue and buttery texture that enriches any meal, and their rapid cooking time makes it easy to incorporate them into a quick weeknight dinner -- or into lunch the following day. While stringing and shucking the beans (which, unshelled, are about five inches long) is a bit labor-intensive, it's one of those activities that's all but made for summer, particularly if you have a porch, some time on your hands and a glass of something cold by your side.
While a picture can be worth a thousand words, it's a rare baked good that manages to be equally concise. So this cupcake, baked and photographed by Sarah of milk and honey cafe, is particularly special. It was made for a bridal shower, and is pretty much the edible equivalent of everything matrimonial. The creamy white frosting, the demure smidgen of pastel pink, the celebratory flair of its silver beads; it could almost be wearing a veil. Standing serenely on its white porcelain altar, this is a cupcake that all but says "I do."
Few fruits burst with the luscious, velvety sweetness of a ripe fig; there's a reason why the ancient Romans regarded them as sacred. To know how it feels to bite through a fig's smooth skin into the plush flesh underneath is to know that luxury is often synonymous with simplicity. This photo, snapped by Hopkinsii at Flickr, captures them at their plump, unassuming best, their cool green skin giving little hint of the earthy delights hidden just beneath the surface.
Attention, residents of the nation's capital: After two long years of waiting, Washington, D.C.'s historic Eastern Market re-opened this morning.
The Capitol Hill market, which had been in continuous operation since it opened 1873, closed in 2007 after a devastating fire. Home to many farmers and a wide range of culinary delights that included everything from buckwheat blueberry pancakes (known in local parlance as "bluebucks") and cured meats to pumpkin ravioli and crab cakes, the market was the shining jewel in its neighborhood's crown.
While the fire that closed the market was a blow to a historical site, it also presented what some considered a long overdue opportunity for improvement.
Learn more about the opening party and $22 million renovation after the jump.
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