If you avoid the traditional Thanksgiving dishes because you feel it take too much work but your family request a roasted turkey, you will be pleased to know that Gourmet found a no-fuss way to cook a golden-brown skin turkey with moist, tender white and dark meat. Simply seasoned the turkey with salt and pepper, then roasted in a 450ºF oven. In their own word, the Gourmet expert said: no need for butter under the skin, no basting, no foil tent, just blasted. With the high-heat cooking method, it takes between 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours for a 14- to 16-pound bird. This may be enough incentive for roasting a turkey this holiday, if only making a good gravy was that simple.

Generally speaking, an unstuffed turkey baked quicker than a stuffed turkey. Note that the time difference will be smaller with the high-heat method. Get all the details on Gourmet. One last thing, if you ever wish to invite me for a Thanksgiving dinner or a traditional Christmas dinner, do not try to impress me with the stuffing, I do not eat it. But I will pour more gravy and try your cranberry sauce.

+ photo: Gourmet

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In case you are looking for more inspirations on what to serve at your Halloween party.

+ This Pumpkin Soup in a small pumpkin bowl is elegant. You could recycle the idea for Thanksgiving. Via Noob Cook.

+ Devilled egss are back in vogue. The Spooky spider eggs are a cute adaptation of the classic. The decoration is super fun. Via Sunset magazine

+ Start making the Cinnamon Pumpkin Seed Brittle at least 70 minutes before serving as you need to allow a cooling period. Via Sunset magazine

+ Plan an hour to make 30 Cheddar Witch’s Fingers. Except for one person, everyone who tried the recipes said it was a success. Via Sunset magazine

Even if you don’t host a party, you could serve any of these recipes to your family tomorrow for Halloween. They would thank you for that special attention.

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I read on the New Times this morning that Condé Nast plans to announce that it will close 4 magazines: Gourmet, Cooking, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride.

I told you last January about the fact that Condé Nast will need to consolidate its cooking magazines into one. With the current status of the magazine industry, Condé Nast could not afford to support both Gourmet and Bon Appétit. At the time, speculations were that Bon Appétit will survive. Lately, a lot of people speculated that Gourmet, with his richer history, would stay.

Honestly, there are many cooking magazines than are more inspiring than Gourmet. My faves of the moment are Delicious, Donna Hay, and the French Saveurs. The biggest problem for Condé Nast was that I typically did not feel buying their 2 cooking magazines was worth it. Plus some months, Gourmet and Bon Appétit talked about similar topics. Which one between Gourmet and Bon Appétit did you buy on a regular basis? For me, it is Bon Appétit. Therefore, I am glad and sad at the same time.

+ Bon Appétit
+ Gourmet
+ via New York Times

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If you are looking for a twist of the typical muffin cups, look at these Tulip baking cups. They are designed to fit the standard 2-inch muffin pans.

These four-petal cups are made of Swedish greaseproof white or brown paper. They come in three sizes. Make sure you get the tallest model (2 3/4) since it is the only one that form a uniform tulip shape. The smallest sizes are randomly folded. Plus, taller muffins look more sophisticated.

You may want to revisit my tall muffin presentation where I discussed how to make your own tubular muffins. The raffia string creates a modern rustic look. For a more stylish look, replace the raffia by a beautiful paper band hold in place with an elegant ribbon and a decorative button.

SOURCING:
+ White Tulip Baking Cups $3.95 USD for pack of 24
+ Brown Tulip Baking Cups $3.95 USD for pack of 24

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Old cooking traditions are hot again. According to an article on the Globe and Mail, the younger generations enrolled in canning workshops. I feel that it is simply a continuation of the grow your own vegetable garden movement and the desire to eat better.

My mother was running her own business when I was a kid so she did not have the time. Now that she works less, she takes the time to pickle fresh cucumbers and make her own ketchup. Since she lives 130 km from me, I do not think of asking her to show me the proper technique of canning.

What is stopping me is that I am afraid that my jars will not be sterile enough or that I would not sealed them well. Plus, I need good proven recipes.

For first timers look for canning workshops and books. A book that shows the basics, including which canning supplies we need, is Complete Book of Home Preserving. Depending on where you live it will be related to the Ball brand or the Bernardin brand.

Join the Canning Revolution

Canning Across America is a nationwide, ad hoc collective of cooks, gardeners and food lovers committed to the revival of the lost art of “putting up” food. The weekend of Aug. 29-30, 2009 they had a series of how-to classes, demos and home canning parties in cities around the country. The Canning Across America’s blog provides great information and recipes. For an overview of the process, watch this video by Seattle chef and veteran canner Diane LaVonne, of Diane’s Market Kitchen. You will see if it is for you or not.

SOURCING:
+ Top collage: photos by TheBittenWord on Flickr
+ For Americans: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry $15.61 USD
+ For Canadians: Bernardin Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judi Kingry $17.61 CAD
+ Canning Across America

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If you grow your own garden, chances are that you have plenty of tomatoes ready to be harvested. If you are out of ideas on how to use them, I got one cooking technique and two recipes for you.

No-pain Crushed Tomatoes

If the recipe called for a can of crushed tomatoes, make your own. On Gourmet, I found a technique that does not involved blanching to remove the tomato skin. Seriously, who has the time to do that? Best of all, his technique takes 10 seconds and uses a tool that everyone has in its kitchen.

Watch the video where food editor Ian Knauer demonstrated the technique. Once you made your crusted tomatoes, you will be ready to prepare his summery Angel-hair with fresh tomato sauce.

Penne with Roasted Tomato Sauce Recipe

If you have plum tomatoes ready to be harvested, make a simple pasta recipe for dinner. For an everyday meal, I enjoy the taste of this penne with roasted tomato sauce recipe by Chef Michael Smith. You need to start the sauce one hour before dinner time. What I like is that the sauce is done in a few simple preparation steps. You will free to do whatever you like during the one-hour cooking time.

All you need to cook the perfect pasta is two tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Plus, you should never rinse your pasta. Drain the water and put directly the pasta in the sauce.

RECIPES:
+ Angel-hair with fresh tomato sauce by Ian Knauer on Gourmet
+ Penne with Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe by Chef Michael Smith – photo from Foodtv.ca

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A Spanish name for a Swedish retailer is a good clue that you are dealing with a creative crew. Cosas sell their own products or products manufactured in cooperation with designers and craftsmen.

I like to browse their catalogue from time to time to discover what I consider to be the most interesting items. Bengt Ek Design designed a superb aluminum kitchen scale that show a clock on one side and a graduated dial on the other.

The red shelf edge paper would deliver a charming old-fashioned look for an apple pie station or a bake sale. Then, the stainless steel salt and pepper set from Define has modern line. They stand on their own outside the rosewood tray.

SOURCING:
+ Kitchen scale with clock from Bengt Ek Design 170.43 EUR
+ Red Shelf edge paper 5.83 EUR
+ Stainless Steel Salt & pepper set with a wooden tray 29.54 EUR

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As a fan, I am happy to tell you that a new season of David Rocco’s Dolce Vita will premiere September 14th, 2009. The show will air each Monday on Food Network Canada at 8 am, 11:30 am and 7:30 pm.

For the first episode, David throws a fall festa at his farmhouse for friends and neighbours. The recipes for the first two episodes of season 4 are already online if you wish to try them before watching the show.

This time, David will visit Italy with his wife Nina and their cute baby twins. The show has a new show opener that I feel reflect his family life. You can watch the show opener on David Rocco’s Web site. You can compare it to the 3rd season show opener.

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Beside mastering cooking techniques, the best way to improve your cooking is by learning how to balance flavor. First, you need to know which ingredients complement each other. You also need to know how flavor develops. This book is filled with tips, guidelines and basic principles that you can use in your own kitchen. For The Flavor Bible, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg concentrated on what make food tastes great and how to maximize flavor.

Page and Dornenburg explored four tastes in our mouth: sweet, salty, sour and bitter. They talked about how heat, textures, aroma and look influence the taste of a dish or an ingredient. They also explored the cultural preferences and particularities.

After reading The Flavor Bible, you will be better equipped to adjust any recipe to fit what is inside your pantry and your fridge. Moreover, it will provide you a solid foundation for inventing your own recipe.  My girl friend Nathalie bought it and she is delighted with the book. Now that I researched this cookbook, I intent to grab my copy soon.

SOURCING:
+ Americans: The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg $23.10 USD
+ Canadians: The Flavor Bible by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg $24.26 CAD

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This is a recurring topic lately. I worked too hard and by the time I returned home I do not feel like stopping at he grocery store. Ordering in can do a few times but you want more. Tonight, we ate dinner at 10 pm. But I took the time to prepare a quick and delicious pasta dish with items I always keep in my pantry. Keeping a well-stock pantry is one way to ensure that you cook a home made meal.

Since we need variety, our fast-forward world often calls for recipes that require few ingredients and can be prepared quickly. Besides revolutionizing food photography, Donna Hay came to our rescue by making recipes with less than 6 or 7 ingredients. Her latest book, No Time to Cook simply puts more attention on tricks for saving time.

Since I owned 6 Donna Hay’s cookbooks, I was wondering if I would succumb to her latest cookbook. I do not seem to use the last two I bought. Honestly, the mouth-watering pictures won me over. This layout of the book is her best so far. For that reason alone, I have to own it. At the end of the day, the pictures give me courage to cook when I feel that I have no time to cook.

The book was released last year in Australia. It seems to keep in countries of the Commonwealth since it is available in Canada but the book is not yet published in the United States.

SOURCING:
+ For Canadians: No Time to Cook by Donna Hay $23.30 CAD

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It may be too late but I still want to publish the info, just in case. Laura will do two signings for her latest book French Taste at Appetite for Books on today, May 30, 2009. Sadly, there is no words on the time. Apparently, you need to book your presence. To see if it is still possible for you to show up, call the bookstore at 514.369.2002. I wish they had a simpler system. Check out her datebook for details.

I will review French Taste in a few days.

SOURCING:
+ French Taste by Laura Calder $25.17 CAD at Amazon.ca

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I admit that I am a fan of Lékué. Their premium silicone cooking tools are fun, practical and imaginative. On the green side, this company finds permanent solutions to techniques that typically nourish our trash can. Their innovative products make the best of the possibilities offered by silicone kitchenware.

I told you before that I think Lékué produces the best collapsible silicone strainers. I am very pleased with mine. Here are some new products that I wish to add to my collection.

1. Cooking Mesh

The Cooking Mesh has many uses. First, it is perfect to boil mussels or vegetable in a pot. Use two mesh bags and boil two vegetables to perfection in a single pot. The Cooking Mesh makes it easier to blanch tomatoes, broccoli, green beans, peas or any other vegetables before putting them in the freezer. You transfer all your vegetables in a bowl icy cold water to stop the cooking in one step. Recall my story on tips for not wasting food and save time in the kitchen.

It also works on small tasks. The Cooking Mesh can replace cheesecloth when you need a bouquet garni for a soup or a stew.

2. Steam Case with Tray

The designers committee of Trends 2009  selected the steam case at Ambiente Frankfurt. I introduced the Steam Case one year ago. Lékué added a model with a tray to drain the liquids of accumulated during cooking, preservation or defrosting. So depending on the recipe you prepare, you can enjoy tasty and healthy food with Steam Case with tray.

3. Stretch Tops

This would greatly eliminate our consumption of clear food film. The stretch top creates a vacuum seal that prolongs the freshness of food in the refrigerator easily and hygienically. It is especially useful with leftovers stored in metal, glass or plastic. Plus no more search for the cover. The stretch tops come in two diameters to fit a wide range of containers. It is not just for containers; use it to keep fresh your halved citrus fruits.

MORE:
+ Cooking Mesh
+ Steam Case with tray
+ Stretch Tops 8.5cm – 3 units
+ Stretch Tops 11.5cm – 2 units (green / orange) or orange and white or green and white

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