Seafood Choices

The July issue of Gourmet magazine had an article that, I’m sure, spooked a lot of people. It was called “Mercury Rising” and talked about the unhealthy levels of mercury found in the fish we eat. The author, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., says his doctor informed him that his mercury level was double the concentration that the EPA considers safe, due to his regular consumption of fish.

Another disturbing fact uncovered in the article was that one in six women have such high levels of mercury in their systems that, should they procreate, their children will run the risk of being born with organ damage, autism, blindness and mental retardation. The mercury threat is real, and consumers must make intelligent choices about the fish they eat.

Want to know which seafood is the best alternative for your health, the planet and your table? Visit the websites of Monterey Bay Aquarium and Oceans Alive for health and environmental profiles of seafood sold in the United States. The websites are easy to use and the information is clearly presented.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp
Oceans Alive: http://www.oceansalive.org/eat.cfm?subnav=healthalerts

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How-To to air on TasteTV in October

TV shows have been re-purposing and re-branding portions of their content as podcasts for quite some time now, but its very rare to see a program developed as a podcast make the leap to TV. The "How-To" video podcast joins the elite few as it makes it's debut on TasteTV's Video On Demand network this October.

read more | digg story

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TasteTV Accepting Online Viewer Nominations for Sexy Chefs Awards

TasteTV Accepting Online Viewer Nominations for Sexy Chefs Awards

SAN FRANCISCO, September 28 - TasteTV, the leading online and video on-demand food, wine and lifestyle television network, announced today that it is accepting viewer nominations for its newest program, SEXY CHEFS. TasteTV can be seen by millions of viewers from its broadband streaming video channel at http://www.TasteTV.com/ and on cable Video On Demand.

The SEXY CHEFS program will feature profiles of chefs nominated online by viewers at http://www.TasteTV.com/. The chefs can be located in any city, any state, or any country. The Sexy Chef Award will be included as part of the program. Any visitor to the site can nominate chefs, as well as TasteTV's community of Tastemakers, Tastesetters, and Taste Producers.

<>Launched in 2004 as the Indie Food Channel, TasteTV brings to food lovers exciting and delicious cooking shows, top chef recipe demonstrations, chocolate and wine tastings, product & restaurant reviews, and reality series. Several programs are viewer contributed content submitted by talented home chefs, culinary professionals, and independent filmmakers, as well as developed in-house by TasteTV.

Says TasteTV's Kevin Reed, "TasteTV was launched two years ago based on our CEO's predictions that online and on demand video bandwidth was increasing, that new ways of making video were becoming less costly, and most importantly, that content creation by individuals and independents was the wave of the future. We're very proud of our 100% accuracy rate in forecasting the YouTubes, Google Videos, mySpaces and others leading the way today, and it's also why we've been ready to cook!"

TasteTV's city-based restaurant and food coverage has been expanding nationally from Northern California cities like San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, Santa Cruz and San Jose to include Chicago, Las Vegas, Seattle, Miami and Los Angeles. This expansion includes both its Chocolate Television program and the Million Dollar Dinner brand.

TasteTV operates online on the Brightcove internet television platform, and is currently funded by TCB CAFE Publishing & Media. It can also be viewed by millions of households in Northern California on cable, via Video On Demand.

In addition to SEXY CHEFS, the firm is developing new programs from its cookbook/travelguide, "Chocolate French, 2nd Edition," and its business/relationship how-to, "Everything I Know about Dating I Learned in Business School."

TasteTV has added Apple's iTunes as a platform choice for making selected "taste-teaser" clips available as video podcasts

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Recently published food-related books about New Orleans

Rick Nelson of the Star Tribune writes about new food related books on New Orleans. Not bad, but he left out our book, CHOCOLATE FRENCH, 2nd Edition, which has an entire section on New Orleans recipes from the best restaurants in town.

"The best way to plan a visit to New Orleans? A pre-getaway jaunt through the city's distinctive flavors, via a few recently published food-related books."

See Rick's booklist here

See Chocolate French here (or go to one of the nationwide events with chefs and chocolatiers signing copies)

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“Take Home Chef” Celebrity Chef Eric Johansen

This sounded like it might be an interesting food event in a town we've never visited: “Under The Tent” party at Lewis Park on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 26, is a major fund raiser for the Historical Society of the Town of Warwick.

“Take Home Chef.” Celebrity chefs Eric Johansen, a CIA-trained chef from the Iron Forge Inn, Bellvale, and Michael DiMartino, a CIA-trained chef of the Landmark Inn, Warwick, will assist you in planning a menu, selecting the wine and shopping at your local grocer, then off to the comfort of your own kitchen to prepare a sumptuous meal for you and your guests.

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Neo Soul Food Cookbook

TAMMIE SMITH of the Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia) reports that there's a new cookbook out called, "Neo Soul, Taking Soul Food to a Whole 'Nutha Level," by Lindsey Williams.

What a title...

what a title...

what a title.

The cover design is actually quite well done. If we can get a copy we might review it on TasteTV.

I'm actually a little hungry now.

Tammie says it

"offers healthier versions of traditional Southern favorites, such as macaroni and cheese, apple cobbler, corn bread and fried chicken. The Joy Program celebration dinner included recipes from Williams' cookbook prepared by a local catering firm."

According to Amazon.com, it might be worth reading:

From the grandson of Harlem's queen of soul food, Sylvia Woods, comes a revolution in cooking down-home foods that taste as good as you remember but with less fat, salt, and calories. Lindsey Williams knows soul food. He grew up in the kitchen of his grandmother's restaurant, Sylvia's, where he mastered the art of soul-food cooking. But a lifetime of biscuits, coleslaw, corn bread, and fried chicken took its toll. When the scale tipped 400 pounds, Lindsey knew it was time to make some changes. The result is Neo Soul, a new kind of cooking that brings all the flavors to the plate but slashes the fat and calories.

Now, this paperback edition contains even more delicious soul-food recipes, alongside favorites like Grandma's Roasted Turkey, Lenzo's Trout Stuffed with Collard Greens, Okra Gumbo, Neo Sweet Potato Pie, and Blueberry Buckle. With food this tasty, no one will miss the fat.

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Gourmet Mango's Grilled Cesar Salad from Food TV Canada

Gourmet Mango blog has a pretty good recipe that according to them:

I must tell you, it felt almost criminal - like putting red wine in the fridge or something. I followed this recipe from Chef Michael Smith on Food TV Canada. It surprised the hell out of all four of us because we all really enjoyed it.


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Candlelit restaurant with linen napkins and fried chicken

Have you ever gone to a candlelit restaurant with linen napkins and ordered fried chicken? I have. And it was good. Real good.

The restaurant was Maverick, a posh little haunt in San Francisco’s Mission district where 12 friends and I gathered last week to celebrate a birthday. The menu is upscale American cuisine, with a focus on Southern fare, a concept that’s not commonly used in finer dining restaurants. In fact, the restaurant is named for Samuel Maverick, a renegade cattle rancher who refused to brand his herd. Hence, it’s easy to make the correlation between the unique cuisine and the restaurant’s namesake.

I was definitely in the minority at my table, where everyone but myself ordered the pan-fried snapper. Albeit, it was served with tempting little hushpuppies, but I wanted to keep it real with the Southern theme. When I saw the appetizers that were coming to our table: fried green tomatoes and barbecued baby back ribs, the fried chicken sung out to me as the entrée of choice.

Although fried chicken is considered a comfort food, it’s not as simple to make as you may think. Like anything cooked up in the kitchen, there are bad, good and exceptional ways to make fried chicken. I didn’t quite realized the nuances of frying chicken until a friend of mine was creating the menu for her new restaurant and fried copious amounts of chicken to develop her signature version.

There are many things to consider when frying chicken. Crunchy skin or crispy? Thick or thin? Spicy or mild? Cornflakes, cornmeal or flour? Buttermilk marinade or plain? Egg dip or plain flour dredge? Shortening or oil? Paper towel or rack drain? To the connoisseurs, it’s a very serious undertaking.

The fried chicken at Maverick turned out to be some of the best I’ve had. Not only was it cooked to its full juicy potential, the deep golden skin had a shatter so crisp it compelled me to pluck off pieces of the skin and munch them down before I even cut into the meat. In fact, even after I was full and couldn’t eat another piece of chicken, I managed to polish off the seasoned skin before my plate was taken from the table.

Never let the décor of a restaurant dictate your entrée choice. Even when you’re being treated by top-rate service and presented with a cork before enjoying the vintage of the evening, don’t second-guess what you’re palate is craving. Especially if it’s fried chicken.

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Melting Chocolate at GetFondant.com?

I like fondant, you like fondant, we all like fondant, especially if it's chocolate.

The writers at GetFondant.com realllllly likes fondant (and food, and politics, and all kinds of Phoenix based topics)


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How do You Judge if It's Healthy?

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I find many, many people don't only want to eat really great food, they want to know that it's healthy. Problem is they're not sure how to define healthy any longer. The debate about appropriate diet versus junk has left them confused.

It's the same with wine, and wine will become more problematic to judge as climates get warmer (undue warmth is actually the enemy of wine).

With food we know, for example, that complex ingredients have a habit of fooling the senses into eating more - no one signal gets up and says: stop eating! And we know a meal biased towards the meat element as the crown jewel is putting easy cooking ahead of healthy cooking.

So what can you say to provide an easily acquired instinct for healthy food? You can ask what a chef's doing to create balance. Balance between meat and non-meat, balance between sweet and sour, balance between green vegetables and red, and purple and yellow, balance between using the frypan and using the oven or steam, balance between cooked and raw.

Chefs and restaurants with an eye on health will pay some dues to this principle not only within a meal but also across the menu. And it's a good guide for healthy eating. Can I tick off some of those balancing elements as I scan down the menu? If I can I can construct a healthy meal from it.

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Spice Up Your Life!

As a young cook I was never one to follow recipes. The first cook book that I bought was an old worn out copy of Martin Yan's "The Joy Of Woking", I was seven at the time and got the book for a quarter at a garage sale. I enjoyed watching Chef Yan on TV cut up a chicken in 10 seconds and loved his goofy antics behind the stove. I got inspiration for a recipe of crispy glazed chicken in sesames. I read the recipe, but then changed it a bit. I added orange juice and red pepper flakes, now I made something else, something with my own twist. I had a chance to meet Chef Yan a few years ago, and I had him autograph my copy of "The Joy Of Woking". He was so touched that as a young child I was influenced by his cooking and now as a working cook I still admired his talents.

When I was a kid in my mother's kitchen I did not witness her opening books or pulling cards from a recipe caddy. She cooked from instinct and practice, and so I first learned from her. When I started working in kitchens as a prep cook, and while attending culinary school that all changed. Recipes were an integral part of my cooking experience in the kitchen. It took me a while to change to this. Now today some, 20 some odd years from the purchase of my first cook book, I am starting to create my own catalog of recipes. I have gained knowledge as a recipe writer from my jobs at Williams-Sonoma and as a private chef.

I have spent the last week working on new recipes for Hands on Gourmet's Fall/Winter 2006 menu rotation. Warm flatbreads, earthy spices, and seasonal produce will be given The Food Diva treatment. Get ready for flavor overload! As the weather gets cool I will be turning up the heat with spicy and bold flavors!
I find pleasure in creating something that is appealing to the eye, inviting to the senses and sensual on the palate. Rolling dough, roasting peppers, pulling cheese, toasting nuts, all of these activities make me giddy like a school girl fixing an afterschool snack. As a cooking instructor it is important to give my students a basic understanding of ingredients and culinary techniques. I don't want to bore them so I make all of my classes unique, interactive and together we create a memorable meal full of flavor and pizzaz!

For this season's recipes I sat and had a chat with Stephen, my boss and the Executive Chef of Hands On Gourmet, about incorporating seasonal items and bringing more ethnic cuisine to our clients. I love the smokiness of dried chiles and charred onions as well as the robust flavors of cinnamon, cumin, corriander, and saffron. Pair that with plump figs, juicy pears and dried apricots, earthy mushrooms, hearty grains, spicy chiles and winter root vegetables and we got the beggining of something spectacular! Along with Roger Feely, my fellow Sous Chef, we each created two menus to submit to Stephen. My task was to create a Mexican and Moroccan menu. And I tell you what, I think I did a kick ass job! However, I can't take all the credit. Most of the recipes for the Mexican menu are my mom's old classics. One Sunday afternoon we spent nearly an hour chatting about old family favorites. I can't wait for her to visit in the spring and help me teach a class. Two Latin Food Divas in the kitchen...watch out!
I am working on the recipes that will go along with the menu this weekend.I am happy to share these new menus with you, and I will be posting recipes and pictures as soon as I start cookin'! In the meantime read on and start salivating. 'Til next time get in the kitchen, raid the cabinets and create something new! Happy Cooking! The Food Diva~

Kasbah

Bastilla~ Fragrant saffron chicken with ground almonds and ginger in crispy pastry bundles
dusted with cinnamon.

Fez FrittersA Moroccan twist on a Middle Eastern falafel with harissa yogurt sauce.

Assorted Flatbreads with Charmoulla and Apricot-Currant ChutneyBeef Tagine, Preserved Lemons and Olives served

with Marrakesh Market Couscous

Lemon-Ginger Cakes, Honey-Yogurt and Cherry-Pomegranate Preserves

Hacienda
Gorditas filled with Wild Mushrooms, Epazote and Melted Oaxacan Cheese. Served with a zesty fire

roasted Salsa Borracha

Crispy Zucchini-Potato Pancakes, Jicama-Cucumber Relish and Scallion Drizzle

Aztec Corn Flan with Avocado-Poblano Sauce and Radish-Orange Ensalada

Turkey in Pipian Sauce, Buttery Rice Pilaf and Harvest Vegetable Escabeche

Mayan Chocolate Cakes,Kahlua Cream and Sesame Brittle

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Chef Idol: American Idol meets Iron Chef

Jackie on Myspace talks about some skits and sketches they did for WATCH TV (WTV), ending with something call "Chef Idol." Not sure where we can see it, but if it's good, it should be on TasteTV!



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Cookbooks that could be good

Unintended Consequences writes about some of the food and eating books they've been readying (or trying to read).

Their efforts takes some of the legwork out of it for the rest of us.


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Mediangler: Taste TV - More Visual Web 2.0

Food writer and Mediangler contributer Haydn writes about TasteTV:

The number of sites that give practical advice to users is growing, we’ve already witnessed that. Taste TV takes it a stage further by adding class.

Taste TV is operated by a west coast publisher, TCB, with a stylish portfolio of lifestyle books and now with added chocolate (yes it too is a TV channel).

It won’t be the last but it is a good indication of where things are headed. In the UK IP TV applications have been sports-focused or based around local television. Lifestyle TV over the web is so logical it’s a surprise there aren’t more examples.

Of course there’s fashion tv but that’s really an insiders’ magazine and, I suspect because it is French in origin, it hasn’t been given the attention it deserves.

Taste TV is done tastefully with good screen design values but it also aggregates blogs, is a user generated site for uploading food related video, and it integrates professional content and restaurant reviews. It ticks a few boxes. Definitely one to wawtch.

Red Orbit: Media Watch: Read All About Food

Online: TasteTV.com is an independent Web site offering all kinds of food content, from blogs to video clips and cooking shows. Prepare to spend some time poking around.

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Gordon Ramsay has won the Best Chef in London for the 11th year

Bfeed reports that Gordon Ramsay has won the Best Chef in London for the 11th year. Perhaps the voting panel is just scared of him (if you've seen his shows, you know what I mean)?

Gordon Ramsay has done it again, not only has he topped another top chef list, he has won the Best Chef in London for the 11th year running. In the acclaimed Harden’s London Restaurants 2007 Guide that came out yesterday, the Scottish chef again claimed the title of top chef.

Ramsay’s self-named restaurant was voted “Top Gastronomic Experience” by a panel of 8,000 diners for the 2007 guide. Five of celebrity chef Ramsay’s restaurants are in the top 10 of that category, with the number of diners boosted by his celebrity status.



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Alton Brown’s Asphalt Adventure

We're not really sure where the news is here in food tv hosts Alton Brown's blog, but if you find it, let us know. The Food Network has taken to sending all of their hosts out on the road and out of the studios in order to "connect" with their audiences.

Alton Brown’s Asphalt Adventure (CBS News)
To get the real story on American “road food,” celebrity chef Alton Brown took a trip. Now, he drops by The Early Show to show just how basic (and creative) asphalt cuisine can be.


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Video: "Feeding Desire" + FREE Taste England guide

Cool Hunting Blog has a great video about the Feeding Desire exhibition.

"Like a history of civilization told through forks, the current exhibit "Feeding Desire" (through 29 October 2006) at New York's Cooper-Hewitt design museum traces the evolution of utensils from 1500-2005. Including highlights like pre-18th century sharkskin-handled knives (used when inns didn't provide flatware for guests), and pieces by well-known Scandinavian designers such as Georg Jensen and Arne Jacobsen that exemplify the Danish modern aesthetic, the show reveals the way these quotidian objects of design are also some of the most emotional and intimate. Cool Hunting Video's 47th episode takes you on a personal guided tour of "Feeding Desire" with Cooper-Hewitt curator Sarah Coffin, who shares her knowledge and passion of Cooper-Hewitt's extensive collection.

Freebies Hunters Blog reports

Order your FREE Taste England guide bursting with information and special offers from England’s best pubs, restaurants, breweries and vineyards, as well as farmers markets, food festivals, cooking schools, regional recipes and much more!

http://www.TasteTV.com

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Organic fuels growth and sweetens Nestle profits

We know that Wal-Mart is going organic and what bloggers and foodies have to say about it (I'm Organic, Betty's Herb Garden, Grist Magazine, Down the Avenue, SCSU Scholars, Treehugger, The Business of America is Business, and City Hippy). Now

Veggie Ideas posts that Organic growth sweetens Nestle profits

MSNBC - Aug 23, 2006Strong organic growth and continued operational improvements helped Nestl , the world’s largest food company, beat market expectations for its half-year …
Source: msnbc.msn.com

See the press release from Nestle

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The Cookbook Critic on Beef Bourguignon

The Cookbook Critic on Beef Bourguignon and the Barefoot Contessa (see picture), with a new recipe:

"A quicker treatment than the classic recipe for beef Bourguignon, which requires a long cooking time. This recipe uses slices of beef filet, which cook up very tender and tasty. The downsides: a 3-pound filet of beef is very expensive, and the recipe didn't make enough sauce."

In a totally unrelated story, TMZ reports on actress Kate Bosworth, of Superman Returns, that "Bosworth dined at trendy Hollywood restaurant Magnolia on Saturday with four girlfriends -- including pop singer Jewel and their stylist Jessica Paster."

What they say she ate (bread, water and lettuce) doesn't sound like it recommends the menu , but you might want to check it out. The story was reported also on Famousipod, and Jeff's Celebrity Gossip Blog.

Not to gossip, but we certainly wouldn't mind talking to Kate on TasteTV.

Magnolia is located at 6266½ Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 467-0660

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DV Guru reports about Buy.com and Grouper

DV Guru reports:

Buy.com and Grouper have hooked up to allow users to share, create and upload video product reviews. With this partnership, Buy.com shoppers can create and watch video reviews embedded within the Buy.com website.
With Grouper's WebCam capture and share feature, recording and uploading video reviews to Buy.com is instantaneous and easy to do, as well as simple to view for anyone interested in learning more about a product.

How-To Video Sites Gaining Traction

An interesting article on StreamingMedia.com by Tim Siglin. We of course at TasteTV believe that we have a very unique approach and video content, but other companies are always interesting to watch.

Tim says "The appearance of UK-based Videojug.com suggests that the appeal of DIY video is growing, but potential investors in such sites would do well to consider three factors before signing the dotted line."

How-To Video Sites Gaining Traction