I have always thought of marshmallows as a sort of "magic" food, like Pop Rocks or bubble tea. How, exactly, are they made? Sugar is obviously a major ingredient, but what else goes into them?
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Words by Ed Levine | Just in time for the holidays and this week's Cook the Book giveaway comes Ina Garten's new book, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics. I love Garten's books and recipes for three simple and satisfying reasons: 1. Her recipes always work 2. They're eminently doable 3. Boy, does the woman know delicious I also feel that Garten manages to empower home cooks in a thoroughly appealing and noncondescending fashion. Whenever I make one of her recipes, I'm supremely confident it's going to turn out well. For this week's recipes we chose dishes that are perfect for any kind of a holiday get-together, from a Thanksgiving feast to a casual cocktail party or potluck dinner with friends...
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Photos from House Beautiful Ina Garten has the reverse schedule of the average Manhattan apartment owner with a Hamptons summer estate—she spends most of her year "summering" on Long Island, while occasionally visiting the downtown duplex. On the Barefoot Contessa, we're so used to watching her shoe-less, strolling along the sand, but hardly get to see her urbanite side. House Beautiful magazine interviewed Garten and toured her 1920s one-bedroom apartment. Inside, the ceilings are high, the kitchen is "tiny," and the Belgian couches have just the right amount of cushiness. "I'm short, so if a sofa is too deep I feel like a little girl with my feet sticking out. These are comfortable, but not too cushy," explained Garten. [Via...
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Our friends at Eater San Francisco live-blogged the Golden Clog Awards. We are sure Anthony Bourdain and Michael Ruhlman were sufficiently inebriated (even in the daytime) to make the whole affair more than a little amusing. Some of the high-lowlights: The Fergus Award for "greatest achievement in pork and guts" went to David Chang of Momfuku fame. The Rocco for "worst career move" went to Tyler Florence for "Applebee's, Applebee's, Applebee's." Ina Garten won The Alton, for "being on the Food Network and yet, somehow, managing to not suck."...
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Micheline Maynard has a long piece in the NYT today about the mini-empire of Ina Garten, a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa. It's interesting that she was actually reluctant to do a show herself after her first cookbook took off, because of stressful experiences filming segments for her friend Martha Stewart's show. What changed her mind? "A friend sent her a copy of "Nigella Bites," the television show that starred Nigella Lawson, the popular British cookbook writer and journalist. Ms. Garten said she liked the show, in which Ms. Lawson selected a topic, explained her menu in simple terms and often invited family or friends to sample the results." The Barefoot Contessa show ended up being produced by Rachel Purnell, the same...
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