Archive for the ‘Desert’ Category

I’m not really sure how I managed this, but somehow I was able to convince the gang over at Endless Simmer to let me take a crack the Top Chef Masters interview for this week. Luckily, BS and gansie didn’t use their better judgment and gave me a shot at it, which is saying something given that the entire experience was a complete trial by fire for me. I really can’t thank them enough for letting me run with it, and the fact that they let me splice in WuTang Clan lyrics throughout the article just goes to show how fucking cool the ES gang is. Check out the full post here.

First of all, and I know everyone says this, but when actually listening to the sound of my own voice after listening to the recorded the interview the next day was extremely cringe inducing. I sound like a clown, and it honestly baffles me that anyone, anywhere can take me seriously. Then there’s the excessive wordiness that comes out of “thinking on your feet” while trying to ask an decent question or two. This amazing folly only produced semi-cohesive statements and resulted in sentences that only vaguely imply that I’m asking an acual question. And of course there’s the actual writing itself. How the fuck was I supposed to write up a four person interview into one coherent and readable piece?! But then again, I expected to face a learning curve and it’s not like I don’t have plenty of experience publicly looking like an idiot.

I’m digressing.  The fact is my lunch break the other day consisted of sitting on a conference call with some of the most talented and well recognized chefs in the country. Wiley, Elizabeth, Graham and Suzanne were all exceptionally friendly and excited to talk about their experiences on the show. So if my amateurish attempts to sound professional were as transparent as I thought, they never let me know it. The only hang up I had with the whole process is that we couldn’t talk more about the food.  In fact, pretty much everything was clouded in mystery except that they love each other, and the show is great, and blah blah blah. But I guess there’s a contract out there somewhere stating if they leek any details before the air date a baby seal will get decapitated, so fair enough.

One detail I do know (thanks to the commercials) is that the contestants are cooking for the LOST crew… which is possibly the best idea ever, ever. Well played Marketing Execs and your piles and piles of demographic data. Blending two of my favorite shows sure will keep me tuned in. Maybe next episode you can use The Wire as a theme and have the chefs cook on the sketch-town neighborhoods of Baltimore.

Given my love for geeky baked goods in general, I figured I would put something together for this episode, but ran short on time this week. Low and behold someone else beat me to it! Sydney over at Crepes of Wrath busted out a true blue Dharma Initative themed cake. Not only was this cake a technical achievement but she deserves full fan-girl credit for making this delicious looking sliver of Lost lore to celebrate/mourn this season’s finale. Now now if I could just find my Transformer and Ninja Turtle culinary brethren..

When I was a kid, every time I would go to the grocery store with my mom we would stop by the bakery first thing, and I would get a cookie. I assume to keep me from being a pest.  But it wasn’t just any cookie.  It was a big Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle head sugar cookie slathered in colored frosting and a big goofy smile.  I lived for those cookies, not only because I was completely obsessed with Ninja Turtles, but because they were just so damn good. 

So it should not be a big surprise that 20 years later, I’m decided to recreate a part of my youth for an equally dorky passion, the premier of the new Watchmen movie.  I’m not sure how many people out there that are both comic book nerds and food geeks, but I’m sure I’m not alone in this world.  If you haven’t read the Watchmen comic graphic novel, all I’ll say is that it deserves your attention, whether you were a comic book fan in the past or not.  So, here’s my attempt at baking cookies and recreating that nostalgic indulgence.  I wandered over the Bread and Honey to snag a cookie recipe since those girls do an amazing job.

Read the rest of this entry »