The Bitten Word

Leftovers | Interesting Stuff from March Food Mags

With March nearly behind us, we wanted to point out a few things that caught our eye in this month's food magazines that weren't necessarily recipes.  In case you missed it, here's last month's list. 

Bon Appétit

• Pop-Up Cakes Note Cards -- We're not typically into cutesy stuff like this. But c'mon, these are adorable! They're available from the MoMA Store.

• The Best Places for Chili in the U.S. -- Number one on the list? DC's own Ben's Chili Bowl. We've been known to drop by Ben's after the occasional late night out, and when Zach's mom Brenda visited a few weeks ago, we had lunch there. If you ever visit our Nation's Capital, a chili dog at Ben's is a must.

Everyday Food

• Cook It in the Sauce -- In a feature about "10 New Ways to Love Pasta," Everyday Food includes a marvel idea (at least to us): cook the pasta in the sauce, rather than in boiling water.  We're eager to try it. The idea totally makes sense -- we've just never thought to do it.  If you give it a go, let us know how it turns out. 

Martha Stewart Living

• Etched Glass Storage Jars -- We're a little obsessed with storage jars recently. A few weeks ago we cleaned out our cupboards, and transferred a lot of items we had in bags (like raisins, risotto and various kinds of nuts) to empty jars we had around. It looks quite nice in our cabinet and has made finding items much easier. Well Martha has gone and one-upped us, with a do-it-yourself guide to etching your own glass jars.  Good grief, Martha -- these are beautiful!

Food Network Magazine

• Tomato Paste in a Tube -- Tomato paste is one of those products with perpetual leftovers.  You purchase a can of it for a recipe and only need a tablespoon, and then you're left with a small amount of it.  We've been wrapping whatever's left in cling wrap and freezing it.  No more!  At the behest of Food Network Magazine, we're now buying tomato paste in a tube. We've already used it in several recipes and it turned out great.  If you're interested in buying some, it's available in supermarkets nationwide. 

See anything in food magazines this past month that you particularly liked?  Let us know in the comments!

Braised Lamb Shanks with Spring Vegetables and Mint Gremolata

Bon Appétit (March 2009)

It's wet and unseasonably chilly in our nation's capital right now. But with the cherry trees in bloom and more vendors returning to the farmers market every week, we can't help but be tempted by thoughts of spring. And, more importantly, spring cooking!

For us, there's something about lamb that's extremely evocative of early spring. Prepared along with some seasonal vegetables, it's the perfect dish for this time of year.

Bourbon Banana Pudding with Glazed Pecans

Gourmet (March 2009)

One of us (whose name rhymes with "mack") served on his high school's cafeteria committee.

Okay, he was the co-chairman of the committee. 

For two years.

Lest you think this was dorky, well, first of all, Zach was a dork in high school. So, joke's on you. Or something.

But Zach was also able to use his cafeteria leadership position to help get a jukebox for the cafeteria, as well as a pizza cart where you could get a slice every single day, and a patio with outdoor seating for seniors.

So the bottom line is, THERE IS NO SHAME IN THE CAFETERIA COMMITTEE.

What does this have to do with banana pudding? Well, Zach's high school's banana pudding was highly revered. It was delicious, the perfect blend of spongy wafers, slices of banana and sweet, custardy pudding. Students loved it. Teachers loved it. On the days it was served, kids would travel from other high schools just to eat it. [Ed note: No they wouldn't.] For Homecoming the year Zach was a freshman in college, the cafeteria ladies made a special batch of banana pudding to serve at the football game, at the request of Zach and his friends. [Ed note: That is actually true.]

So it was with that warm sense of nostalgia in mind that we turned to this Bourbon Banana Pudding with Glazed Pecans. It had all the promise of that delicious childhood banana pudding, but with some decidedly grown-up accents. We were sold!

Crispy Baked "Fried" Chicken

Food Network Magazine (February/March 2009)

We're no strangers to fried chicken, but we don't often make it.  We of course love it, but it's a rare treat in our house -- as much because of the messiness of making it as the fact that it's, um, fried. 

Truth be told, we've only made it handful of times, for birthday picnics or a fried-chicken cook-off with friends.

That said, we're way on board for "oven-fried" chicken. Thumbing through the second issue of Food Network Magazine, this recipe was one of the things we were eager to make.  It promises to be crispy and flavorful, without all the mess of oil-frying.

Could it stand up to the deliciousness of real fried chicken?

Root-Vegetable Gratin

Food & Wine (March 2009)

We could wax on and on about how much we love meat, or how one of our culinary resolutions was to eat more vegetarian meals.

But let's cut to the chase: This root-vegetable gratin is delicious. It is stunningly, vibrantly, gorgeously, out-of-this-world delicious.

Whether you're looking for a vegetarian entree or not, you've just got to make this the next chance you get. Pair this gratin with a simple salad, and you've got a perfect meal.

Chocolate Stout Cake Revisited

Bon Appétit (September 2002)

Last March, we first made Chocolate Stout Cake for St. Patrick's Day. 

It was so good, we decided to revisit it this year when looking for a dessert for our St. Patrick's Day Dinner.

How would it stack up to our first attempt at this recipe?

Irish Soda Bread

Martha Stewart Living (March 2009)

For our St. Patrick's Day dinner of corned beef and cabbage, there was no better pairing than a fresh, warm loaf of crusty Irish soda bread.

The bread has a delicious wheaty earthiness, scented with the almost-rye flavor of caraway seeds. Studded with plump, dark raisins, it's a great accompaniment to any meal. But it made our St. Patrick's Day feast even more special.

Homemade Corned Beef with Vegetables

Martha Stewart Living (March 2009)

When you think of St. Patrick's Day food, there's only one dish that really comes to mind: corned beef and cabbage. It's delicious and traditional -- even if it ain't exactly Irish.

This year, as promised, we brined our own brisket for two weeks. As it happens, Zach's mom B. (of Fajita Sweet Potato and Omelet Sous Vide fame, among other things) was in town, so we decided to have a bunch of people over for an early St. Paddy's Day feast.

Tuscan Kale Chips

Bon Appétit (February 2009)

Don't let their resemblance to something Sigourney Weaver might fight aboard a spaceship deter you. Tuscan Kale Chips are well worth your time.

A recent dinner with friends finally provided an occasion to try this recipe we had flagged in February's Bon Appétit. Their image of the dish was striking -- beautiful, almost sculptural kale protruding from a beaker.  On aesthetics alone, we knew that we had to try it. 

Rendering Duck Fat

Saveur (December 1999)

So we bought an entire duck for our recent meal of Risotto with Duck and White Balsamic Vinegar. The recipe only called for duck breasts, but we were surprised to discover that it was easier to find a whole duck for sale than duck breasts.

But we were kind of excited, too. Buying a whole duck meant we could try something we'd always been meaning to do: rendering duck fat.

The process of melting down duck fat turned out to be extremely easy. We followed this handy recipe from a 1999 issue of Saveur, but you don't even really need a recipe at all. Simply remove all the skin and fat from the carcass of the duck, cut the skin and fat into small pieces and place them in a stockpot. Cover with a half cup of water and boil on medium heat for an hour.

As you can see, the transformation is almost like magic. The fatty pieces transform from white, fleshy, meaty chunks to crispy little nubbins. The liquid morphs from watery foam to a gorgeous amber color.

And -- according to Saveur at least -- that's not even the best part.