Category: Cooking, Food & Wine

The founder of the project dedicated to the culinary arts zooms in on dishes from the world’s best chefs.

Hands down, this is legit the best-ever classic green bean casserole! SO EASY and made from scratch!!!

So, TRUTH TIME.

I don’t like green beans.

I just don’t. It’s odd, I know. But we had to reshoot this 3 times, which means I’ve had this for dinner about 17 times now.

Except. Well, despite my heavy dislike for green beans, this casserole is legit HOLY COW amazing.

So how does a non-green-bean-lover eat a green bean casserole?

Well, this is what I do.

I kind of fish out all the green beans, and instead, I steal all the fried shallots, soaking them all up in the to-die-for mushroom cream sauce. Sometimes I get a quarter of a green bean as collateral damage, but I let it slide.

Because hey. This is what Thanksgiving is all about. It’s about stealing all the crispy fried shallots when your fiance is distracted at the dinner table.

The post Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Fried Shallots appeared first on Damn Delicious.

At one point in Carla Hall’s life, she was afraid to be labeled as a certain type of chef. Growing up in Tennessee, the Emmy-winning TV co-host, two-time Top Chef competitor and former model developed a love of soul food, which embodies “the stories of her heritage.” But Hall strayed from being associated with the cooking style. “I just didn’t want to be typecast,” she says.

Competing on Bravo’s Top Chef in 2008 changed things. “I started to just embrace it,” she recalled. “Now I want to show that soul food is much broader than people think it is.”

That’s the aim of her newest cookbook, Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration. Hall wants her recipes—ranging from ideas for a holiday spread to a quick Monday-night meal—to be relatable to home cooks of any background, even if they feel the need to tweak the directions or substitute a spice they’re more used to cooking with. “Even though it’s a dish that might be from another culture, [it’s about finding] what makes it unique to your culture.”

For a celebration like Thanksgiving, however, the desire for simplicity is universal. “When I think about Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving), people want to take something that travels well, something that is super-easy,” Hall says.

She falls back on her tomato pie as a good side for this reason, as tomatoes are easily accessible year-round. For this recipe, use whatever variety of medium-sized tomatoes you can find, whether hothouse-grown or sun-ripened on the vine, or swap in a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes.

A staple in the South, tomato pie has many variations. Hall chooses a lighter style, incorporating a simple garlic-bread crust so that “the tomatoes really get to shine.” It makes for a welcome companion to a classic Thanksgiving turkey, which Hall elects to break down into eight parts like a chicken, cooking the white and dark meat two separate ways.

For dessert, pecan pie is a no-brainer. “There’s nothing like those toasted pecans with the perfect crust,” she says.

One of the most important additions to Hall’s pie might come as a surprise to some, but it prevents the dish from being “cloyingly sweet,” a trait she dislikes in many pecan pies. The secret ingredient? Vinegar.

“Even if it isn’t in the recipe, just take the recipe that you have and then pour a little bit of vinegar,” Hall says. “Start with a little bit, then taste it. That acid sort of balances the sweet, and it becomes more interesting.”

While Hall takes the lead on most of the family cooking decisions, her husband, Matthew, who describes himself as “an enthusiastic enophile,” handles the wine pairings. For the tomato pie, he suggests a creamy white that backs lush fruit with the vibrant acidity of the Roussanne grape variety, such as the 2014 Eric Texier Brézème Cotês du Rhône. For the rest of the meal, he chooses a versatile cru Beaujolais, the 2009 Jean-Paul Domaine de Terres Dorees Morgan. With its light tannins, juicy fruit and touch of spice, he says, it can carry all the way through the meal to the pie. It’s a perfect fit for people who prefer dry reds to sweet wines, as it won’t exaggerate the tannins of the nuts and the richness of the filling. (However, he also enjoys the pie with Madeira.)

Below, Wine Spectator suggests 11 similar recently rated wines that should hold up well to the full spectrum of flavors and textures on the holiday table. The mix includes additional Rhône white blends and cru Beaujolais, as well as alternatives: bright Chardonnays from Burgundy and Tempranillo-based reds from Spain’s Rioja region, which balance moderate tannins with fresh acidity.

Hall emphasizes that sharing her traditions doesn’t mean she’s implying they are for everyone. Instead, she hopes they might inspire “the curiosity of finding your own personal terroir.“

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Recipes reprinted by permission from Carla Hall’s Soul Food by Carla Hall and Genevieve Ko. Copyright 2018 by Carla Hall. Published Oct. 23, 2018 by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Tomato Pie and Garlic Bread Crust

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more forbrushing
• 1/2 loaf country bread
• 5 ripe medium-sized tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Brush a 9-inch square metal cake pan with oil.

2. Cut four 1-inch-thick slices from the loaf. Arrange them in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. They should cover the bottom. If they don’t, cut more slices to fit. Brush the bread all over with oil. Bake until the bread is golden brown and well-toasted, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, core the tomatoes. Trim the very tops and bottoms, then peel the tomatoes. Cut each in half through its equator. Mix the garlic and 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl.

4. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer over the bread. Gently smash them into the bread, then brush with the garlic oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Tear the remaining bread into 1-inch chunks and toss in the garlic oil until evenly coated. Scatter the torn bread and remaining 1 teaspoon thyme leaves over the tomatoes.

5. Bake until the top is golden-brown and crisp and the tomatoes are juicy, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly, then cut into squares and serve. Serves 6

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Pecan Pie

• 1 disk Carla’s Classic Pie Dough (see recipe below), fitted into a deep-dish pie plate and frozen
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups chopped pecans, toasted

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Line the frozen dough with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until dry and set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil with the weights and bake the dough until golden-brown, about 5 minutes longer. Let cool completely, then place on a half-sheet pan.

3. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.

4. Cream the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or by hand with a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. While beating, add the eggs in a steady stream, then beat in the corn syrup, vinegar, salt, Bourbon and vanilla until smooth. Fold in the pecans and pour into the cooled pie shell.

5. Bake until golden-brown and mostly set but still a bit jiggly, about 45 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes one 9-inch pie

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Carla’s Classic Pie Dough

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
• 1 cup (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Dissolve the sugar and salt in 1/3 cup water and chill until cold.

2. Pulse the flour and butter in a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-size pieces. Add the 1/3 cup water all at once and pulse until the dough almost forms a ball. Divide the dough in half and flatten into two disks.

3. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day. Makes two 9-inch crusts

Note: You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.

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11 Recommended Thanksgiving Wines

French Whites

DELAS Crozes-Hermitage White Les Launes 2017 Score: 91 | $21
Creamy in feel, with alluring melon, pear and brioche flavors laced with a light verbena thread on the finish. Flash of macadamia nut adds a flattering hint. Drink now through 2019. 1,000 cases imported.—James Molesworth

CHÂTEAU DE LA GREFFIÈRE Mâcon-La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes2016 Score: 90 | $18
A lush, ripe expression of apricot, golden apple, pastry and mineral flavors come together, focused by the bright structure. It’s tangy and lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2022. 1,250 cases imported.—Bruce Sanderson

JOSEPH DROUHIN Pouilly-Fuissé 2016 Score: 90 | $29
Bordering on creamy in texture, here is a vibrant white that exhibits peach, apple and pastry flavors. It converges on the finish with a mouthwatering sensation. Drink now through 2022. 3,500 cases imported.—B.S.

M. CHAPOUTIER Côtes du Roussillon White Les Vignes de Bila-Haut2016 Score: 90 | $15
A creamy, broad white with fresh peach and melon notes woven together with lanolin and blanched almond details backed by a solid acidity. Spice notes linger into the finish flanked herb and mineral accents. Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Macabeu and Marsanne. Drink now through 2020. 10,000 cases imported.—Gillian Sciaretta

Reds

BODEGAS ONTAÑON Tempranillo-Graciano Rioja Reserva 2010 Score: 91 | $28
This red is fresh and lively, with a core of black cherry and plum accented by licorice, tobacco and mineral notes. The tannins are light but firm, the balsamic acidity bright, focusing the polished texture through the smoky finish. Drink now through 2022. 6,000 cases imported.—Thomas Matthews

BODEGAS RODA Rioja Sela 2015 Score: 90 | $35
This firm red shows black cherry, plum, licorice, smoky and underbrush flavors, supported by well-integrated tannins and orange peel acidity. Has depth and focus. Drink now through 2027. 8,000 cases imported.—T.M.

MAISON L’ENVOYÉ Morgon Côte du Py 2016 Score: 90 | $20
Plush tannins hug the cherry tart, red plum and spice box flavors of this medium bodied red with a fresh acidity highlights details of licorice, herb and mulberry on the finish. Drink now through 2023. 1,200 cases imported.—Gillian Sciaretta

BODEGAS PALACIO Rioja Glorioso Crianza 2015 Score: 89 | $14
Smoky and cedar notes wreathe black cherry, mint and mineral flavors in this sinuous red. Firm tannins give it structure and lively acidity gives it energy. Drink now through 2025. 150,000 cases imported.—T.M.

VIGNOBLES BULLIAT Morgon Cuvée du Colombier 2016 Score: 89 | $20
Light-to-medium bodied with woodsy undertones to the cherry and boysenberry fruit, this red offers spice box and floral aromas with lavender and mulberry flavors on the lightly tannic finish. Drink now through 2023. 5,000 cases imported.—G.S.

CHÂTEAU DE PONCIÉ Fleurie Le Pré Roi 2016 Score: 88 | $20
Fresh and focused with a nice stream of cherry, black raspberry and anise flavors that are lined with floral and mineral details. Clean, with light-to-moderate tannins on the finish. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases imported.—G.S.

VIGNOBLES DES ROCHES Morgon 2016 Score: 88 | $18
Nicely focused with cherry, apricot and red currant fruit detailed with woodsy spice and zesty accents. A juicy acidity and light, fleshy tannins offer support on the clean finish. Drink now through 2021. 2,600 cases imported.—G.S.

Almost too beautiful to eat: this artist’s food carving creations take fancy food garnishes to a whole new level.

The British chef has written his first cookbook dedicated to the casual fine dining post in Mayfair, London.

Viewers and judges were shocked at last night’s Masterchef when a contestant created a Soufflé with ice cream inside.

Discover recipes for red pozole, white pozole and green pozole…all flavorful versions of the traditional Mexican stew prepared with meat and hominy.

João Wengorovious tells Fine Dining Lovers how his book – We, Chefs – came to life: ‘Cuisine to me is a vehicle for universal messages’.

Take a look at the dishes from 13 newly starred restaurants in the Michelin Guide for New York 2019.

In Malmö, Sweden, people are lining up to peep at bull testicles, get a whiff of Thailand’s notoriously stinky durian fruit and even try a bite of surströmming, the local fermented herring. No, it’s not an audition for Fear Factor: Chef’s Table; it’s part of a new (and straightforwardly named) pop-up exhibition, the Disgusting Food Museum.

Featuring 80 repulsive so-called foods and drinks from around the world—many of which can be smelled and some of which can be sampled by guests—the museum aims to make visitors question commonly held beliefs about what they think is “gross.” On display are real foods that are either eaten today or have historical significance somewhere in the world: casu marzu, maggot-infested cheese from Sardinia; cuy, roasted guinea pigs from Peru; hákarl, fermented shark from Iceland; and root beer, the sassafras soft drink from the U.S. that apparently is widely hated elsewhere!

There’s truly something to disgust everyone—enophiles will be particularly intrigued to find a Chinese delicacy mysteriously billed as “mouse wine” among the displays, while libations thrillseekers on the trail of the next winebeer shouldn’t miss kumis, a Central Asian horse-milk-… beer(?). Pair with a selection offered at the Altar of Stinky Cheese.

The idea for the project came from psychologist and the museum’s “chief disgustologist,” Samuel West, whose earlier curatorial efforts resulted in the internationally traveling Museum of Failure. West teamed up with Andreas Ahrens, a tech investor and economist, to make the latest collection a reality.

“The research was extensive and we involved Lund University,” Ahrens, who serves as the museum’s director, told Unfiltered. “Sourcing the unusual foods was and still is a huge challenge. You should see my credit card bill—I’ve ordered stuff from all over the world!”

But the museum isn’t just a freak show of food for fun’s sake: “Our current meat production is terribly environmentally unsustainable, and we urgently need to start considering alternatives. But many people are disgusted by the idea of eating insects and skeptical about lab-grown meat, and it all boils down to disgust,” West said. “If we can change our notions of what food is disgusting or not, it could potentially help us transition to more sustainable protein sources.”

The museum opened on Halloween and runs until Jan. 27, 2019, but may soon come to befoul a city near you, considering its success in Mälmo. “We have triple the expected number of visitors!” West said. “Two have vomited.”

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Château de Beaucastel Unveils Sharp Plans for New Cellar Powered by the Winds and Rains

Château de Beaucastel, elite estate of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and anchor of a Rhône mini-empire, is getting an $11.4 million cellar renovation and reimagination, a project that attracted bids from 400 architects around the world. Ultimately, the owners, the Perrin family, chose a design presented by Studio Mumbai with an emphasis on earth materials, a natural landscape and sustainability as the guiding ethos.

“I think whatever we do in architecture, we shouldn’t compromise the environment of our children and grandchildren,” said architect Louis-Antoine Grego of Studio Mumbai, in a recent presentation unveiling the design.

Described as more green than just tech-y, the design will rely on capturing the mistral—the fierce wind blowing two out of every three days in the Rhône—to provide natural air-cooling. “This is a system that’s been used in Iran for 500 years, probably much more, and it still functions in those old buildings,” said Grego. “Today it’s used all over the world. We will adapt it to the conditions in the Rhône at Beaucastel.”

And all the facility’s water needs will be met by a roof catchment and filtering system, with the water stored below the underground cellar. The building material for the above-ground structure—compacted clay—will come from the 49-foot-deep hole dug to make room for the new cellar, as will the sand mixture used for the underground construction.

Vintner Charles Perrin reflected on the admiration he and his family felt when they opened a bottle of Beaucastel made by previous generations. They hope to inspire the same respect farther down the line. “We’re building to impress our grandchildren.”

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Artist-Label, Porcelain-Bottled Champagne Is the, Uh, ‘Champagne’ of Amphora Wine Movement

Humans have been storing wine in pottery since they learned how to make wine, and pottery, at least 8,000 years ago. Winemakers have lately brought back paleo-retro-trendy “natural” vinification in clay amphora and qvevri, and the latest region to run with the kilnware movement is none other than Champagne.

But the jars and ditches and funky bacterial effluvia stuff they dig on in the Caucasus don’t quite translate to Champenoise. Instead, Cuvée Sensorium presents the first-ever porcelain-packaged Champagne, a 70/30 Pinot Noir/Chardonnay non-vintage wine from grands and premiers crus vinified by the house Edouard Brun and bottled in vessels crafted by the historic German porzellanmanufaktur Reichenbach, an esteemed name (as you know) in Thuringian porcelain. But … why?

“The material porcelain brings optimal conditions for Champagne,” Joi Regestein, Sensorium CCO and partner, told Unfiltered via email. “Porcelain offers optimal cooling conditions. The Champagne stays longer [at] the optimal temperature.” The feldspar, quartz sand and kaolin used to make the porcelain, Regenstein noted, are “very environmentally friendly raw materials.” Each bottle must be cast in a mold from the raw clay stuff that becomes china, to a specific thickness, then dried, fired to 1740 F, hand-glazed, fired again to 2550 F, painted, and then fired a third time. It’s a lot of stress, all that getting fired, which makes the porcelain strong enough to contain Champagne.

For an even headier experience, Sensorium is releasing “Art Edition” 6-liter bottles to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Brun house, each wearing a fanciful illustration of “Champagne Dreams” from the late American pop artist James Rizzi.

“James Rizzi was a very cheerful and positive artist,” explained Regenstein of the choice. More artists will adorn future bottles, but archaeologists of 4018 should have plenty to chew on when they turn up Rizzi’s anthropomorphic technicolor houses and grinning cartoon sun-moon-bird creatures.

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Vintner-Restaurateur-Hotelier Gavin Newsom Is Headed to the California Governor’s Mansion

We’re always pleased to hear when a local wine boy or girl makes good, so congratulations to Gavin Newsom. The owner of San Francisco wine shop PlumpJack became a Napa vintner in the mid-’90s with the purchase of an Oakville winery, and soon would become a restaurateur, hotelier, sustainability champion, 2006 Wine Spectator Distinguished Service Award winner, San Francisco mayor, lieutenant governor of his state, and as of Nov. 6, the governor-elect of California.

“If I’m correct, I think he’s the first governor-vintner-restaurateur to run one of the largest economies in the world!” Newsom’s business partner John Conover told Unfiltered; the general manager of PlumpJack and sister wineries Cade, Odette and the recently acquired Ladera property had attended Newsom’s celebratory fête on Tuesday, but by Thursday, we reached him up in the crosswinds on Howell Mountain on the final day of harvest for the season.

“It’s a great American story, a California wine story, in that a young man—he was in his mid-20s when he started the wine shop—went from being a small entrepreneur and wine shop owner to being the governor,” Conover said of his partner.

Newsom won the Distinguished Service Award in part for his early championship of progressive practices like using screwcaps on premium wine and, later, achieving the LEED Gold sustainability certifications for two wineries. He will be sworn in on Jan. 7, 2019.

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