Thankfully, J does. But apparently there’s a new trend of… wait for it… “Gastrosexuals.” I saw the post on Grub Street, and they’re quoting a Daily Mail article that says, “it’s a term for a new breed of man that, seemingly inspired by macho celebrity cooks like Gordon Ramsay, have taken to the kitchen to impress the ladies. According to a study, 23 percent of 18-to-34-year-old British men say they cook to potentially seduce a partner, and 60 percent regularly cook for friends and family.” I’m not incredibly shocked by this stat, but I am shocked that we’ve morphed Metrosexual into the food realm and created a new word to torment men with. Good work Britain.
Very special news: It’s my birthday on Sunday. I’m going to be 25—which is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. So to celebrate, J and I are throwing a little rooftop BBQ. It will all be very makeshift as I never have all the utensils, tools, etc. to throw a proper party (that only happens when you’re a real adult and probably live in a house with actual storage space). But we DO know the secret to a yummy burger. One day while watching Barefoot Contessa, she showed us how to make her recipe for “Real Hamburgers.” She adds all sorts of yummy things to the meat before she cooks it like steak sauce, eggs, and pepper. But here’s the secret: she makes a little indentation in the burger meat and sticks a small sliver of butter in the middle. Blew my mind! It keeps the burger really moist and buttery in the middle. Friends: expect this deliciousness at the party
If you cook at all, you probably know this, but I had to laugh when I saw this little asparagus tip on The Kitchn. I never knew that you were supposed to snap off the bottoms of asparagus until J and I started making dinner together. Now, that’s pretty much my sole job when we cook—he does things like bread chicken cutlets, bake herb-crusted salmon, and sautee yummy carrots in butter sauce. I do things like chop vegetables and now… snap asaparagus. Yipee! I get the fun jobs. So if you don’t know here’s the way to do it:
Take the end of the asparagus between your thumb and forefinger and bend until it breaks. The asparagus automatically breaks just where the woody part ends and the fresh, juicy part begins. It breaks this way, we assume, because the end has much less moisture and therefore less flexibility.
And no… I’m not talking about weed. A while back I gave J an AeroGarden, a smallish contraption that lets you grow fresh herbs or spices on your countertop through the magic of hydroponics (there’s no soil; the roots grow in water alone). It’s almost totally self-sufficient (no need to water or change the soil) and it’s all automated so it’s very difficult to kill your budding plants (it’s even got it’s own light source to keep it alive and well). We started to grow things like oregano, parsley, basil, savory, mint, and garlic chives about a month ago, and now we have full size plants to pick from as we cook. It’s such a great way to try to make your meals more healthy without cutting out the flavor. Last night we made a version of THIS, and it was delicious and super quick.
A while back I decided to buy myself a fancy grill pan and debated a few different options. I finally settled on the Le Creuset Cast Iron Skillet Grill which was on sale at Sur Le Table. Well, it came in the mail last week and it’s utterly beautiful. The ceramic blue handle, the deep black grill ridges—it’s a work of art. And I used it last night to make some filet mignon for Valentine’s day—actual grill marks on the perfectly grilled and broiled meat. It’s mega heavy, and I’m a little nervous to try the stove top-to-oven transfer without J’s manly muscles, but I want to cook with this pan every night. It’s still on sale, so go get one! It’s a kitchen must-have.
If there’s one thing that Argentina is known for in the culinary world, it’s meat. They basically eat every part of the of cow that they can. It’s really quite remarkable. All over the city (and the country) are Parrillas, the Spanish word for “grill” or “barbecue,” that serve different cuts of steak and sausage—without any marinating and without any sauce on top. While I was there, my favorite cut of meat was “lomo”—the filet. It was the best steak I’ve ever had. I also ate “blood sausage” for the first time, which is tasty but gross in texture… and concept. Though I loved the restaurants in Buenos Aires, my favorite meal in Argentina was some BBQed short ribs that our Gaucho guides cooked for us in Mendoza. After taking a 3-hour horse ride (my first time on a horse!) through the foothills of the Andes, we galloped back to camp in the pouring rain. What awaited us was the amazing, rustic BBQ that you see in the picture above. Paired with a few (read: a lot) bottles of red wine, it was an exciting adventure and very delicious. Then we tried to recreate our own asado (BBQ) when we got back to Buenos Aires on Kate’s patio grill—check out that hunk of beef smothered in Chimichurri sauce below!
The best thing I did in Buenos Aires? Take an amazing empanada cooking class with the lovely Teresita! It was so fun to see a real Porteno’s house, cook in her kitchen, and learn all her empanada secrets. We made 2 different types - one with beef, olives, egg, and raisins and one with sweet corn called “humita” (my favorite). Both types are classic Northern Argentina dishes. We even made the dough from scratch (see my lovely friend Kate’s kneading skills below). Once all our fillings were cooked and chilling in the fridge, Teresita taught us how to roll out the dough, fill the tiny empanada pockets, and close them with 2 different techniques that make 2 really beautiful designs. Then we baked a few of each and fried a few of each in sunflower oil. For the fried ones, Teresita sprinkled a bit of sugar on top and it was like eating a little piece of heaven. She also served some delicious white wine called Torrontes—which was the only white wine I drank in this red wine-centric country. I took copious notes, but I really wish my kitchen was a bit bigger and my oven a LOT bigger so I could make these for all my friends. Still, I’m going to try! It’s going to be hard since everything we learned was in the metric system, oy!
I was watching the Food Network this weekend, and I decided that I need to buy some sort of grill for my kitchen. So many yummy, healthy creations are made on the Food Network grills, and I feel left out. So I’m thinking about buying one of the three grills above. The first, is the Staub Square Grill and it’s $65, the second is the Lodge Logic Grill & Griddle Pan which is $50, and the last is the Le Creuset Cast Iron Oblong Skillet Grill for $60 (on sale from $90). Does anyone have ANY experience with any of these? I live in a small NYC apartment, and I’m usually just cooking for myself and maybe one other person. Which do you think is best for me?
I desperately wanted to make these cookies for my bosses—and I was going to personalize them and write things like, “Don’t let Molly lick me” (Molly’s a dog, who I love). But I couldn’t find a Gingerbread Man cookie cutter ANYWHERE in NYC. I tried all the regular venues: supermarket, Duane Reade, Whole Foods. And then I even tried Sur La Table. But nothing! This entire city is sold-out of gingerbread men AND red sprinkles. Why?!?! I will get you next year, Gingerbread Man!
I ended up making simple, circle gingerbread and sugar cookies, and then I just used a bottle of Wilton icing (in what looks like a glue bottle) to write their names and make cute designs. They still tasted good, at least.
In case you haven’t clicked over yet, GoodyBlog is doing a 2-week-long recipe fest with tons of great ideas for Thanksgiving. I posted Jo the MasterBaker’s Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, and it’s been a huge hit! There’s everything from pie, to Irish cheesecake, to deep-fried turkey, and there will be more coming every day until Thanksgiving.
Also, in case you missed it, the NY Times did a huge round-up of Thanksgiving recipes that all sound amazing.
I can’t wait for turkey-day! I love stuffing so much.
And then deep fry it if you’re really a badass! Serious Eats is giving away one turkey a day until (and including) Sunday, Nov. 18. I don’t know why I want to win this so badly, but I do. I want that turkey! They’re giving away a D’Artagnan certified organic bird that’s fed organic grains and pure spring water—no protein supplements, added poultry or fish byproducts, pesticides or herbicides. Additionally no antibiotics, no growth hormones. “The result is a poultry with great flavor, tenderness, and a 25 percent lower fat content than standard commercially raised turkey,” says S.E. Come on baby—momma needs a new turkey.
Jo the MasterBaker has decided to share the recipes for 2 different treats she made over the weekend. Wahoo!
The first is a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake (click here for the recipe). She made a few substitutions to try to cut down on the calories (amen!): she bought the pre-made graham cracker crust, used Neufchatel Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat! and better tasting), and Splenda sugar substitute. She says, “still delicious and creamier than the Junior’s pumpkin cheesecake that someone else brought.” So ha!
The second is a Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Bread (click here for the recipe) that I got the pleasure of tasting. It was so yummy—like warm, soft, comforting pumpkin bread with a little hidden surprise inside. Here Jo decided to make muffins instead of bread, and she says, “just make sure you cut the baking time to about 20 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean.”
Happy baking! And those of you who tasted either of these, please share in praising the MasterBaker.
Over the weekend, Kris and I went with a few friends to the Columbia County Fair in upstate New York. Highlights included a concert by The Bacon Brothers (Kevin Bacon’s band), a traveling zoo where we pet a baby kangaroo, and amazing quantities of fatty, greasy, disgusting, carnival food. I steered clear of any potential heartburn and got a simple hotdog and “fresh squeezed” lemonade. But other delights that made it into the group were funnel cake, tacos, gyros, and meatball sandwiches. One friend was very disappointed when no one would go in on a blooming onion with him. Really, we all commented on how horrible this scene was—very heavy, obese people diving into a “Bucket-O-Fries” made me realize just how bad the obesity epidemic is outside of NYC. But that’s beside the point. Check out the amazing sausages we BBQed that night to fit in with the crowd.
I can’t believe the summer is over, already. This means I have to say goodbye to the amazingly ripe tomatoes and corn that I ate over the weekend. The best thing about summer is that healthy foods actually taste delicious. Many a night I had sliced tomatoes and corn-on-the-cob for dinner (yet still, I do not lose weight… hmmm… see Mango Margaritas). But my favorite comment this weekend was a friend who said, “This corn is so good it’s like biting into a candy bar.” Mmmm…. so yummy. And the lovely Kate taught me this corn cooking tip:
Shuck the corn until there is only one layer of husk left. Leave this layer on, and then drop the corn into a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. The corn tastes amazing. I don’t know why—but keeping just a layer of the husk on while it cooks keeps all the fresh flavor. Check us out stuffing our faces, below.
