Al Dente

Burger King Wants to Pimp Your Whopper

The Whopper turned 51 this year and Burger King plans to celebrate by opening a string of bars later in the year. Instead of serving alcohol, they're going to get you drunk on a highly-potent combination of flame-broiled beef and choice.

"Customers will be treated to a smorgasbord of Whopper options" and "will also feature a build-your-own option for customers hoping to customize their burger."

Personally, I love this concept. Limited selection with hyper-customization. It would be like GM opening a Hummer-only dealership. They should take it one step further and just serve Pepsi--not only for the comedic value, but to keep me from going there altogether.

Little known fact: I've never eaten a Whopper.

--Spanno

What to Cook this Weekend: Pretzels

With the advent of pretzel stores flooding shopping malls across the nation (okay, this started a few years ago, but I re-noticed it last weekend) I wondered why the pretzel presence was so rampant. The short answer? Because they're delicious. Maybe it's my German heritage, but I adore pretzels to a ridiculous degree, and have decided that I'm going to resist the store-bought version and make my own. There's a great step-by-step recipe (with pictures!) at kitchenproject.com, but here's the condensed version:

Soft Pretzel Recipe

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon yeast, dissolved in 1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon baking soda mixed with 1 cup boiling water
1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl

Directions
1. Mix water, yeast, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor or large mixing bowl. Add flour and mix until dough is smooth. Add more flour if sticky. (If possible let the dough sit overnight in a plastic container in the fridge).
2. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope, very thin, a little bigger than a pencil. Shape into an upside down U shape. Bring the ends together and twist them. Flatten the ends with your fingers and bring to the top of the pretzel and press in the dough to secure. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
3. Let pretzels rise for 30 minutes or until they double in size. Brush with baking soda-water solution, then brush pretzels with the egg and water mixture for a shiny glaze. Sprinkle with toppings such as sesame seeds, parmesan cheese, or cinnamon and sugar.
4. Bake at 400-450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until well browned. Makes 12 pretzels.

--AndreaLeigh

Batter Up!

With opening day right around the corner, Al Dente readers might want to start their mouths watering by dreaming about all that great food available at baseball stadiums these days. It's no longer just peanuts and Cracker Jack! At Seattle's own Safeco Field, I can't miss the barbecue and Dippin' Dots whenever I attend a game. Here are a few other tasty treats found around the country:

• Barbecue stuffed baked potato (Houston)
• Shrimp tacos (San Diego)
• Cuban sandwich (Tampa Bay)
• 40-clove garlic chicken sandwich (San Francisco)
• Crab cake sandwich (Baltimore)

What unique treats do you eat at your stadium? Add a comment and let us know!

--KitchenMaus

Curtailing the Barbershop Beer

I can admit it--I used to have a scraggly ponytail kind-of-a-thing going. A really unattractive hairdo (though I feel I’m slagging the word “hairdo” by associating it with what I had at the time) which I wore mostly because I was working at a bar more than going to school, this was during undergrad days, and thought that an extra 5 minutes of sleep was more important than stopping off to get a haircut. I also had a Castro-esque beard for the same reason, but the hair, and that nasty, wanna-be-English-major ponytail, are center stage here. My manager at the bar hated it (it scared customers, too), and told me he’d pay be $10 to go across the street to our neighborhood barber and get a haircut. Finally, to get him off my back as much as to fancy up, I did go over after an afternoon shift to Roy’s Barbershop, which was a traditional one-seat shop, a place where older and younger folks would hang out and talk before getting their hair cut, maybe read a magazine or two, tell jokes, and generally form a community. Of course Roy (who I’d poured a drink for many times) was excited to rid me of the offending hair, and of course my manager followed me over to make sure the pony tail actually went by the wayside. Between us, I hadn’t been to get a haircut in a while, and having someone there watching over the cutting made me a little nervous. But Roy, following the lineage of many great barbers, handed me a Miller High Life when I sat down, handed one to my manager, started off with a “man walks into a bar” joke, and brought the room together. Walking out, I not only looked better, but felt better. I also realized when looking in the mirror that my hair had been an affront to nature, and I’ve had short hair since. Then, today, I read an article on Mlive.com that the attorney general of Michigan recently wrote a five-page ruling to stop Jude’s Barbershop in Grand Rapids from giving a beer to of age customers. I’m sure somewhere the owner of Supercuts is chuckling, but me, it just made me sad. First, doesn’t the attorney general of Michigan have better things to spend his time on? And second, why is it that a PG movie can teach kids 20 ways of bloodletting, but a barbershop can’t hand out a beer? What’s next? Is someone going to bust a doctor for handing out lollipops?

--A.J. Rathbun

Fun with Fideua (Guest Blogger: Joanne Weir)

I am crazy about Spain right now. I am so crazy about it that I’ve been cooking anything Spanish for weeks. It all started with a visit to Murcia. I was there doing research for one of my cookbooks “From Tapas to Meze,” traveling, seeing and tasting as much as possible in the shortest amount of time. It was just another day of work! (Did I tell you I love my job?)

Mamen, Marisol and Lelis, three sisters and good friends of mine, are always fun to hang out with. Mamen is the oldest sister and the mother of the group. She’s also a doctor, so very busy and her time is precious. Marisol is like a burst of sunshine, gorgeous smile and perfect in the travel business. Lelis is the baby of the three and also an attorney. She keeps the girls straight. But all three of them make me laugh!

On Sunday they invited me to lunch by the sea where their family has a summer house. Eating with them is always a treat. They know food and love it. You would never know by looking at their skinny little perfect Spanish bodies! But we put all that aside, this was a day of celebration, a day to feast! Their friend, Ignacio, the chef, had made us their favorite dish, fideua!

Imagine a paella pan filled with the creamiest noodles and jumbo prawns scented with shellfish broth baked on a paella burner until the bottom has a crust. For hours we spooned big mounds onto our plates and topped it with a pungent allioli or garlic mayonnaise, and watched it melt over the noodles.

Valencians are crazy about cooking and also pretty disagreeable on the origins of fideua. Some say that in the harbor region of Gandiá, the fishermen came up with the idea when they wanted paella but didn’t have rice on their fishing boat. They had lots of fish and dry noodles and this is what they came up with. Or, supposedly a few hikers from the mountain forgot paella rice at home and had noodles instead. Whoever came up with it, doesn’t matter. It’s an ingenious dish and honestly once you start eating it, you can’t stop.

Click for the recipe.

The Wednesday Wrap: Food News to Go

Is That a Bullet in My Blackened Catfish?: Legendary Louisiana chef Chef Paul Prudhomme takes "Iron Chef" a whole new level as he was grazed in the arm by a stray .22 caliber bullet  while setting up his cooking tent on the golf course at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The "falling bullet" felt like a bee sting and was fired somewhere within a 1.5-mile radius. "Within five minutes, he was back to doing his thing."  [ESPN.com]

Dollar-Store Dinner Party: Henry Alford takes a Marco Polo approach to exploring the edible delights (and downers) on the shelves in New York's 99-cent stores. "For dessert each night we turned to the slightly wanton charms of the Little Debbie product line, particularly young Debbie's Oatmeal Creme Pies, whose velvety filling so perfectly captures an imagined marriage between buttercream frosting and Noxzema." [NY Times]

Bee Season: Russ Parsons chronicles Colony Collapse Disorder and how the shrinking honeybee population is affecting California's almond industry.  [LA Times]

Indiana Jones and the Summer Wedding Catered by the Naked Chef:  Rumors are swirling that Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart hope to hire UK celebrity chef Jamie Oliver for their summer nuptials. Let's hope that the monkey brains dinner sequence from Temple of Doom doesn't serve as inspiration for the menu. [Hello Magazine]

Collards and Candied Yams and Cobbler... Oh My!: Food critic Kevin Nance seeks out Southern "down-home deliciousness in the Windy City." [Chicago Sun-Times]

Cookbook Award Season is in Full Swing: Last week the IACP announced their 2008 nominees and on Monday the James Beard Foundation announced their 2008 finalists. Winners will be revealed on June 8. [James Beard Foundation]

Bruni Beat: Frank Bruni revisits the four-year-old West Village restaurant Mas and sticks with two stars ("very good"). "For the most part this isn’t a restaurant for diners with big, blunt appetites. It’s for those who revel in little surprises and unexpected nuances..." [NY Times]

--BTP

Top Five Food-Related Threats, March Edition

Here are the top five food-related threats facing the world this month.

#5. Downer Cow Peddler, Steve Mendell
On May 12, 2008, Steve "Mad Cow" Mendell, president of Westland/Hallmark Meat Co.,  was hauled in front of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, better known as HCOEACSOOAI, to answer toothless questions regarding a video that showed "downer" cows being forced to enter slaughter chutes. As everyone knows, only the healthy ones go quietly. The video led to a recall of all beef produced in that Chino, CA facility--143 million pounds--since February 1, 2006. Roughly 100% of that beef had already been consumed, most of it by kids, but it's the thought that counts, right?

#4. Food Network Siren, Paula Deen
Paula hates your heart and is trying to stop it. After numerous cardiac assaults with fried butter balls, bacon-wrapped fried mac 'n cheese, and Velvetta and butter fudge, she dropped her MOAB (Mother of all Burgers) this month: the bacon, egg, and cheese burger on two donuts. It solidified her as an evil genius bent on keeping our mouths watering and hearts fibrillating.

#3. Starbucks' Shift Supervisors
Over the past eight years, these evil "agents" of Starbucks stole $100 million from Starbucks' California baristas. The coffee proletariat revolted against their bourgeoisie masters and a San Diegan judge ordered the capitalist pigs company to pay over $100 million in back tips to the baristas. Despite performing the same duties as baristas and pulling down a whopping $1.50/hour extra, Starbucks' shift supervisors, according to California labor laws, are "agents" of Starbucks, and cannot be given money from the tip jar.

#2. Chip Pimp, Steven Colbert
Last week on the Colbert Report, Colbert announced that the show's Pennsylvania presidential primary coverage would be sponsored by his long-time political sponsor, Doritos. Doritos is owned by Commie-loving PepsiCo.--the first American cola in Russia. Pepski just finalized a $1.4 billion deal to buy Russian juice maker JSC Lebedyansky, solidifying their stake in Russia's soft drink market. American democracy is sponsored by various multi-national corporations, which sharply contrasts Russia's Gazprom-sponsored democracy. So until Colbert gains two or three more sponsors, every time he sinks his teeth into those Sweet Spicy Chili chips, democracy dies a little.

#1. Pop-Tarts
A study released this month stated that breakfast is extremely important for kids who don't want to be fat. A pediatrician interviewed for an article on the study specifically called out Pop-Tarts as not being breakfast worthy, despite their essential vitamins and minerals. Two conclusions can be reached from this: Pop-Tarts will make you fat--which is the same as not eating breakfast--or eating Pop-Tarts is worse than not eating breakfast. I guess it really doesn't matter--according to Pillsbury, every kid's school locker is filled with uneaten Pop-Tarts and the kids just end up eating their friend's Toaster Strudel.

--Spanno

Bananas for Twinkies

Back by popular demand, banana cream-filled Twinkies return to shelves. According to Wikipedia, the Twinkie was invented in 1930 and originally contained a banana cream filling that was replaced with a vanilla version during a banana shortage caused by World War II. Formerly only available for special promotions, the banana version is now here to stay.

More Twinkie fun facts:
- About five hundred million Twinkies are produced each year
- Twinkies don't last forever--the shelf life of a Twinkie is about 25 days
- Bill Clinton chose a Twinkie as an "object of enduring American symbolism" for the National Millennium Time Capsule in 2000
- In Latin America and Mexico, Twinkies are sold under the name "Submarinos" and come in regular or strawberry flavors

Want more mileage out of your Twinkies? Hostess.com offers tons of weird and wonderful Twinkie recipes including Twinkie smores, Twinkie tacos, Twinkie-misu, and Twinkie sushi.

--AndreaLeigh

James Beard Foundation Awards: 2008 Finalists Announced

Following last Monday's reveal of the 2008 IACP finalists, today the James Beard Foundation announced their nominees for 2008 (along with a snazzy update to their website).  Hailed as "the Oscars of the food world," the Beards honor cookbooks, chefs, journalists, food writers, and food and beverage professionals. Winners will be announced in a black-tie ceremony at Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 8.

Ten Speed Press led the pack with the most IACP nominations and continues their run with the most James Beard nods (6 total, including their Celestial Arts imprint).

Titles Nominated in More Than One Category: The Country Cooking of France (International, Photography)

Total Nominations Per Publisher:

Ten Speed Press: 6
John Wiley & Sons: 5
HarperCollins: 4
Artisan: 3
Penguin Books: 3
Stewart, Tabori & Chang: 3
Chronicle Books: 2
University of California Press: 2
W.W. Norton & Company: 2
Bloomsbury: 1
DK Publishing: 1
Farrar, Straus & Giroux: 1
Flammarion: 1
Kyle Books: 1
Little, Brown & Co.: 1
Scribner: 1

Congratulations to Amazon in-house favorite Junot Díaz (who seems to make almost every book-awards shortlist), who was nominated for the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award in the Broadcast Media Awards category for his piece "He'll Take El Alto," which ran in last September's Gourmet. He's up against Alan Richman and Francine Prose.

And on the Seattle front, we raise a glass of Veuve to these local nominees:

Tom Douglas (Outstanding Restaurateur)
Canlis (Outstanding Service)
Maria Hines, Tilth (Best Chef: Northwest)
Holly Smith, Cafe Juanita (Best Chef: Northwest)
Ethan Stowell, Union (Best Chef: Northwest)
Jason Wilson, Crush (Best Chef: Northwest)
Maneki (American Classics Award)
Sara Dickerman (Multimedia Writings on Food)

Ribs: Mike Mills Style

So, we’ve touched on Texas, and North Carolina. Now how about a little rib action? I have never met a man, woman, or child who isn’t crazy about my good friend and rib master Mike Mills. 

I first met Mike on the banks of the Mississippi. It was my first year at the Memphis in May International Barbecue Contest and, as it turned out, it was his last year competing. I was a neophyte and he was the Grand Master. That year, he won his final Grand Championship and retired from competing.

That same year, I had my barbecue epiphany. It was the first time I ever had real pit-cooked ribs. I couldn’t believe how sweet and succulent and smoky they were. At that time, most rib restaurants steamed their ribs until they fell off the bone and then slathered them with sweet sauce—often accented with liquid smoke. And as hard as it is to believe, even today a lot of restaurants prepare ribs this way.

The best news of course is that you can make them yourself on a backyard grill or go to restaurants that use actual smokers and slow cook the meat before serving. This brings me back to Mike. In his retirement from the barbecue circuit, Mike has worked even harder to spread the good word of championship ribs. He operates 7 restaurants in southern Illinois (17th Street Bar and Grill) and Las Vegas (Memphis Championship Barbecue) and he consults with Blue Smoke in NYC. In his spare time, he runs a “best of the best,” barbecue contest in Murphysboro, Ill., and cooks at special events like the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. If you are ever anywhere close to any of these venues, you must stop by for a chat and a chew of his award-winning ribs.

In the meantime, here's a recipe for his trophy-winning rub and a recipe for making the ribs in your own backyard. Mike uses apple wood for his ribs, and I have to agree that the apple wood makes a big difference in the sweetness of his ribs. Use a low heat (about 275-300°F) to cook the ribs and take them out when they feel done. It may take you a little longer or a little less time than the recipe states.

The ribs should have a mahogany color, a nice dark crust, and a little “spring” to the meat when you fold the rack back on itself. You should be able to tear the bones apart, but you still want some “chew.” If the bone slips out easily, without any meat on the bone, the ribs are over-cooked. Finally, no matter what you do, never, ever, par-cook the ribs in a pot/pan of water. That technique will remove all the fat, and fat is flavor! Besides stripping the ribs of all of it’s flavor and color—the meat will turn grey—you’ll have one horrible pot to wash.

Happy ribbing!