Al Dente

Cool New Kitchen Gear: The Shun Mandoline

You might get sticker shock when you look at the price on this new mandoline from Shun. But, let me tell you, this is the Mercedes-Benz of mandolines. I saw a demo of this mandoline recently and was amazed by three things: safety, results, and styling.

Safety: The clever design team at Shun deduced that the reason many people don't buy mandolines is because they're afraid. Either they've had a bad experience or heard horror stories. I could tell a first-hand--ahem, no pun intended-- story, but I'll spare you the gory details. Anyway, when using the Shun Pro Mandoline, it's nearly impossible to run your fingers or hand across the blade because the carriage features an offset handle. So, your hand never hovers over the super-sharp blade.

Results: I was amazed at how thin you could slice your produce. Think of the thickness of the ginger you get on the side of your sushi order. This mandoline could slice thinner than the thinnest slice of that ginger. So, what's the benefit in this for you? For starters, I'm thinking potato gratin, maple sweet potatoes, etc. And, how could those not be beneficial?

Styling: This is one pretty piece. The mandoline's legs are made of Pakkawood, which is known for its strength and durability. The black finishing on the wood offers a classy look to match other Shun Pro products. And, the sturdy stainless-steel deck matches more modern kitchen appliances. Overall, this piece is heavy, but that's what you'd expect of the Mercedes-Benz of mandolines, right?

Move over stand mixers, there's a new countertop king in town--the Shun Pro Mandoline.

--Sous-Chef on the Run

The Wednesday Wrap: Food News to Go

Where to Eat in Liberty City: If exploring the streets of Grand Theft Auto IV's Liberty City leaves you hungry, you can visit the NYC locations that inspired LC's virtual dining spots. [Ed Levine Eats]

Derby Day for Flay: Bobby Flay celebrates Derby Week as this year's official Kentucky Derby party host and grand marshal of the Derby Festival's Pegasus Parade (and offers a recipe for a Kentucky Hot Brown). [The Courier-Journal]

Hot Diggity Dog!: Charles Perry rounds up LA's hot dog scene, from Pink's to Dodger Dogs and everything organic (and not so organic) in between. [LA Times]

Say it Ain't Ko!: The first not-over-the-moon rave review of Momofuku Ko, David Chang's impossible-to-get-into 12-seat restaurant arrives. [Wall St. Journal via Grub Street]

A Chef's Life: Stacy Finz offers a profile of Michael Mina and his "$80-million-a-year empire of 13 restaurants." [San Francisco Chronicle]

Bruni Beat: It's one lone star ("good") for the  Greenwich Village bistro Commerce ("While there's some wonderful food that reflects the talent [Harold Moore] showed and the experience he received at Montrachet and then March, there's also some food that's not cooked or seasoned as it should be, and there’s food that's too fussy, not just for the ambience but also for its own good"). [NY Times]

--BTP

Midweek Happy Hour: Bibi Cocktails

Since this is unofficial BibiCaffè week, I thought I'd share some potentially delicious BibiCaffè cocktails. I say "potentially" because no one from TSR Imports has sent me any free samples to experiment with (yet). Here are a couple gems. They're all quite simple. The full list can be found here.

Urban Camper

Ingredients:
3/4 ounce vodka
3/4 ounce Baileys
BibiCaffè

Directions:
1. Pour over ice
2. Mix
3. Enjoy

Bibi Alexis

Ingredients:
3/4 ounce Brandy
3/4 ounce Baileys
BibiCaffè

Directions:
1. Pour over ice
2. Mix
3. Enjoy

--Spanno

The Only Thing Better Than Ice Cream...

...is free ice cream! Ben & Jerry's celebrates its 30th birthday today and is sharing the love with customers by way of free ice cream cones! Find a participating shop in your neck of the woods and have a sweet, sweet day!

--AndreaLeigh

Food Lust: BibiCaffè

While sitting in my favorite Italian restaurant for lunch on Sunday, I decided to try something new (to me). BibiCaffè, a sparkling espresso drink, has been around since 1941 but I had never given it a second thought. "Sparkling" and "espresso" just didn't sound very good.

I was waaaay wrong.

Turns out it's pretty darn tasty. It's sweet, sparkly, and has a nice kick. My wife likened it to "chocolaty root beer". It's exactly what you'd expect Coke Blak to be if it were good. BibiCaffè is all-natural and has no HFCS.

It's hard to find in the U.S.--only a few states have it. You can also find it online here.

--Spanno

Cool New Kitchen Gear: The BeaterBlade

Outfit your KitchenAid, Cuisinart, or Delonghi stand mixer with the new, functional attachment: the BeaterBlade. This nifty little attachment beats, scrapes, folds and mixes your ingredients around the bowl without your constant scraping down the sides with a spatula. And, yes, it works! Check out the side-by-side demo. Available now for pre-order, this nifty gadget will be shipped by June 1.

--Sous-Chef on the Run

Having a Drink in Church

At Pennel, in North Wales, a church may soon not only provide religion to its parishioners, but also, at least on occasion, a little liquid pick-me-up. According to an article on the BBC website, the Reverend Geraint ap Iorwerth, from St Peter ad Vincula Church, is going to the courts to apply for a license to sell and serve spirits, as well as beer and wine, in church. Naturally, the first reason is for events such as weddings, but the forward-looking reverend is also thinking about opening a bar in the church café for more regular sipping. The idea is that more people who aren’t coming to church will come to spend time relaxing and socializing and then stay for services. Dr. Barry Morgan, the Archbishop of Wales, says of the plan, "Indeed, sharing bread and wine is an essential part of the Christian ministry." And, "we see alcohol, taken in moderation and used responsibly, as something to enjoy with others." As someone who believes drinking with friends is one of life’s true pleasures, I say "amen" to that.

--A.J. Rathbun

Midweek Happy Hour: Banana Monkey

In Playa del Carmen, Head Chef and I enjoyed this tasty frozen concoction. A slight twist on the Piña Colada, this tropical treat is mighty refreshing.

Ingredients:
8 ounces piña colada nonalcoholic drink mix
1 fluid ounce Kahlua
1 fluid ounce vodka
1/3 banana
Ice

Directions:

Add ingredients into blender and blend, adding ice until desired consistency.

--Sous-Chef on the Run

Tortilla Soup Recipe?

As my Al Dente caballeros know, I am in love with Mexican food. Specifically, spicy salsas, anything wrapped in a corn tortilla, and guacamole. So, my recent honeymoon in Playa del Carmen was not only a vacation for me and my man (Head Chef), but also quite the fiesta for my taste buds.

Our breakfast buffets consisted of tortilla chip pancakes, all-you-can-eat deep-fried bacon, fried plantains, refried beans, fresh salsas, and fresh papaya. For lunch, we ate endless platters of chips and guacamole, and washed it all down with banana monkeys or frozen margaritas. For dinner, we usually started off with tortilla soup and finished up with some other tasty entrée.

Now that I'm back home, I am going through some serious withdrawls. Head-Chef and I have eaten chips and guacamole at least once a day, but what we are really missing is the tortilla soup. There are plenty of recipes on the web for tortilla soup, but I'm looking for a can't-live-another-day-without-this-tortilla-soup soup recipe. Do you, dear readers, have a tortilla soup recipe that you could share? Maybe as a little wedding present for Head Chef and me?

--Sous-Chef on the Run

The Wednesday Wrap: Food News to Go

Puddin' on the Ritz: Melissa Clark explores chocolate pudding and the upscale upgrade restaurants have been giving this comfort food classic--"Luscious and sexy, with a haunting bittersweet flavor and a texture like a silk camisole... less family matron than femme fatale." [NY Times]

A Papal Menu: Want to know what Lidia Bastianich cooked for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to New York? Ed Levine has the menu. [Serious Eats]

Case Closed: It turns out that Elvis Costello's new album, Momofuku, is not a tribute to NYC rock-star chef David Chang, but to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of the Cup Noodle--"Like so many things in this world of wonders, all we had to do to make this record was add water." [VH1 via Grub Street]

See You Next Year: Popular food blogger Molly Wizenberg revealed the title of her debut book, A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, coming out in Spring '09--"When I first started to work on it, I intended to write a cookbook, but what came out was more like a memoir, a collection of 'food stories' and recipes." [Orangette]

Home Entertainment: Marilyn Krause talks with Ina Garten about the evolution of the dinner party. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Cookbook of the Year: Paul Johnson's Fish Forever won Cookbook of the Year at last week's IACP Cookbook Awards. [IACP]

Bruni Beat: It's one star ("good") for Merkato 55, the meatpacking district restaurant with an Africa-inspired menu assembled by Marcus Samuelsson. [NY TImes]

--BTP

Slate Calls BS on PETA's Meat Prize

Just days after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PITA) announced a $1 million dollar prize for a commercially viable in vitro meat, Slate has called it "bogus" and a "publicity stunt". You can read the article here.

The problem, according to Slate, is that in order to cash in on the prize money, "they need to move 2,000 pounds of the stuff at supermarkets and chain restaurants spread out across 10 states during a period of three months. And the Franken-meat can't cost more than regular chicken."

A company would have to make a significant and successful investment in order to get paid. That's like your parents bribing you to get a decent job, but only paying you after you've had the job for three months.

To top it off, the test tube meat would need to be approved by the FDA in record time in order to meet the prize deadline of June 30, 2012. To put that time-frame into perspective, sucralose (Splenda) was discovered in 1976 and approved by the FDA in 1998.

I wouldn't expect to see animal-free meat anytime soon. Scientists have been working on lab-grown meat since the early 20th century. You can read more about this in Popular Science. They have a great article about test tube meat--from 1936.

--Spanno

Food Brands That Don't Export Well

Most of the time when you read about brands that don't export well, it's U.S. brands like GM's "Nova" not doing well in South America, or Gerber baby food creeping people out in Africa. This time it's foods brands that just wouldn't work in America.

From racist Australian cheese, to bowel-moving candy, the fine folks over at the Commercial Archive have come up with a giggle-inducing list sure to offend some American's delicate sensibilities.

--Spanno

IACP Cookbook Awards: 2008 Winners Announced

Last night, at an awards ceremony in New Orleans, the International Association of Culinary Professionals announced their 2008 cookbook award winners. Paul Johnson's Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood took home the top honor, Cookbook of the Year. John Wiley & Sons led the pack with four awards total, with Fish Forever taking Cookbook of the Year and the Single Subject Category.

On Friday morning I printed out the list of the nominees and, Oscar pool-style, checked off the titles I thought would win in each category (with a Cookbook of the Year write-in), put it in a sealed envelope and filed it away to compare and contrast once the IACP picks were revealed. Let's just say, thank goodness I didn't hit the casinos this weekend as my projections were an abysmal one for fourteen. Bring on the Beards!

--BTP

2008 Winners and Finalists

Cookbook of the Year:
Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood by Paul Johnson

American:
Crescent City Cooking: Unforgettable Recipes from Susan Spicer's New Orleans by Susan Spicer and Paula Disbrowe
A Love Affair with Southern Cooking by Jean Anderson
The Pastry Queen Christmas: Big-hearted Holiday Entertaining, Texas Style by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman--Winner!

Bread, Other Baking, and   Sweets:
Local Breads: Sourdough and Whole-Grain Recipes from Europe's Best Artisan Bakers by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman--Winner!
Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor by Peter Reinhart
Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

Chefs and Restaurants:
Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges by Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto--Winner!
Pier by Greg Doyle, Grant King, and Katrina Kanetani

Compilations:
Baking Boot Camp: Five Days of Basic Training at the Culinary Institute of America by The Culinary Institute of America and Darra Goldstein
Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Techniques for the Artisan Confectioner by The Culinary Institute of America and Peter P. Greweling--Winner!
Mark Bittman's Quick & Easy Recipes from the New York Times by Mark Bittman

First Book (The Julia Child Award):
Elizabeth Falkner's Demolition Desserts: Recipes from Citizen Cake by Elizabeth Falkner
Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto--Winner!
Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey by Efisio Farris and Jim Eber

Food Photography and Styling:
Asian Flavors of Jean-Georges by Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Good Spirits: Recipes, Revelations, Refreshments, and Romance, Shaken and Served with a Twist by A.J. Rathbun--Winner!
Rosa's New Mexican Table by Roberto Santibanez

Food Reference/Technical:
Discover Chocolate: The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting, and Enjoying Fine Chocolates by Clay Gordon
Food: The History of Taste by Paul Freedman--Winner!
Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America by Rowan Jacobsen    

General:
Chez Jacques: Traditions and Rituals of a Cook by Jacques Pepin
Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You A Better Cook by Jamie Oliver--Winner!
Cooking by James Peterson

Health and Special Diets:
Allergy-Free Cookbook by Alice Sherwood
Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide & Cookbook by Bonnie Sanders Polin and Frances Towner Giedt
How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman--Winner!

International:
Sweet Myrtle and Bitter Honey by Efisio Farris and Jim Eber
The Country Cooking of France by Anne Willan
Turquoise by Greg and Lucy Malouf--Winner!

Literary Food Writing:
Beans: A History by Ken Albala
Julia Child by Laura Shapiro--Winner!
The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy by Sasha Issenberg

Single Subject:
Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood by Paul Johnson--Winner!
The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou Heiss and Robert J. Heiss
Vegetables: Recipes and Techniques from the World's Premier Culinary College by The Culinary Institute of America

Wine, Beer, or Spirits:
Good Spirits: Recipes, Revelations, Refreshments, and Romance, Shaken and Served with a Twist by A.J. Rathbun
IMBIBE! From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, A Salute in Stories and Drinks to "Professor" Jerry Thomas, Pioneer of the American Bar by David Wondrich
The World Atlas of Wine by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson--Winner!

Jane Grigson Award (Tie):
Beans: A History by Ken Albala
To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science and the Battle for the Wine Bottle by George M. Taber

Design Award:
Egg

My, Oh Pie

Had I known earlier that this weekend is the National Pie Championships and the Great American Pie Festival, I would be in the sunny state of Florida today. And, the impending arrival of snow in Seattle (in April!), makes me think I really missed the boat. Here's the dish on this three-day pie extravaganza (courtesy of the American Pie Council website):

• Amateur entrants can enter into 1 or all 15 flavor categories
• Pies entered in the Professional Division are entered in the following categories; apple, fruit and berry, Crisco classic chocolate, citrus, Crisco classic cherry, open cream, open, and nut
• Best of Show prize for the Amateur and Professional divisions includes $5000
• Commercial entrants can participate in 22 categories, including: apple, blueberry, fruit and berry, open cream, citrus, open, nut, and chocolate, plus the new raisin category
• Junior chefs, ages 14 to 17, who win their division get a $1000 gift certificate to the Chef Depot
• Pies are judged on appearance (pre-slicing, after-slicing), taste (flavor, mouthfeel, crust, aftertaste), overall impression, and creativity
• And, I saved the best for last: Anyone can enter to be a judge

Past winning pies include:

• Strawberry Cream Delight Pie
• FunkyMonkey Pie
• Appealing Apple Caramel Pie
• Lemon Lime Meringue Pie
• Crisco Classic Cherry Cherry Bang Bang Pie

Readers, two questions for you:

1. Have you ever entered a pie competition?
2. What's your favorite pie?

My answers: Yes! We once had a pie competition at Amazon.com. And favorite pie: strawberry-rhubarb, with lemon meringue, key lime, and banana cream following close behind. Honorable mention to huckleberry.

In honor of the pie championships and all those hard-working pie bakers, make sure to eat some pie this weekend! I know I will!

--KitchenMaus

p.s. Check out these fabulous pie fun facts.

Waiter, Is That a Frog in My Salad?

As reported in an article on News.com.au, a tree frog (now named “Popeye”) was recently discovered in a pre-bagged batch of spinach, after the woman who bought the produce spotted him when unpacking her bags. Though slightly worn down from his travels, Popeye was taken to a wildlife sanctuary and is doing dandy. Which I’m glad about, because I find those little tree frogs pretty cute. What isn’t so gladdening is that the article reports that about 50,000 frogs make it into food packages every year. It doesn’t say (and if anyone out there can clarify this for me, I’ll be grateful, as will all Al Dente readers I’m sure) whether this is just in Australia, or worldwide. If just in Australia, that’s a pretty high number, and makes me wonder what the correlation is in the U.S., or in the world. Not that I’m worried about my salads (though, being a vegetarian, it freaks me out a bit)--I’m worried about the frogs. Not all of them, I’ll bet, are making it to nice cozy animal homes, instead being smothered in Ranch and taken for a chewy crouton. Can’t we find a way to keep the frogs out, and the lettuce in?

--A.J. Rathbun

A Cupcake Waltz

What's next, a muffin minuet? I assume this is an American waltz. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

--Spanno

The Wednesday Wrap: Food News to Go

Break Out the Swear Jar: Breaking news alert: chefs use salty language! [NY Times]

Pepcid Alert: Chicago baseball fans can finally agree on something: giant sandwiches. Wrigley Field introduces the 2-foot-long Italian beef sandwich and look for the Double-Header Dog, a 24-inch hot dog, at U.S. Cellular Field.  [Chicago Sun-Times]

Today's Forecast Calls for a "Meat Wave": Carla Spartos chronicles the "entrail-oriented" carnivores of the NYC dining scene. [NY Post]

In Memoriam: Pop Culture Eats: Eric Zimmer mourns the empty grocery store shelves for these Top 10 Awesome Nostalgic Foods We Want Back. Hi-C's Ghostbusters-themed Ecto-Cooler? Really? [Serious Eats]

Bruni Beat: Frank Bruni visits Adour Alain Ducasse in the St. Regis Hotel and hands out three stars ("excellent"): "This time around he's taking a less flamboyant approach, and he's eager to get out that message, so much so that advance reports on Adour, named for a river in France, made it sound like an embellished wine bar. Right. It's a wine bar the way Lourdes is a roadside shrine, and it proves that even a dressed-down Mr. Ducasse is still a puffed-up anybody else." [NY Times]

--BTP

Midweek Happy Hour: Piña Colada

Although the Piña Colada is known as the official beverage of Puerto Rico, the delicious blend of pineapple juice, rum, and coconut is also one of the most popular drinks in Hawaii. Seeing as I'm heading there in a few days for vacation, I figured I'd get my palate ready early. This drink also comes in handy if you happen to live in a city famous for rain and late-starting summers (ahem), and need something to remind you of sunnier days to come.

Ingredients:
4 ounces fresh pineapple juice
3 ounces rum
2 ounces coconut cream
2 cups crushed ice

Directions:
1. Pour all of the ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend briefly at high speed.
3. Strain into a glass.
4. Garnish with a slice of fresh pineapple and a cherry.

--AndreaLeigh

Something Sweet for Spring (and Mother's Day)

The Rosanna brand of tableware already has a lot going for it--they're based in Seattle, the people I've met from the company are super nice, and their cool soda fountain glasses recently made Oprah's favorites list. With Mother's Day coming up, I realized Rosanna is also a good place to find Mom the perfect gift--whether she's in to modern stuff, a retro look, or likes the funky patterns you might find at Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters. Some of my favorite patterns in the Amazon.com Rosanna store include Fleur, King's Road, and the Napoleon flatware. Oh, and Rosanna herself has a cute blog too!

--AndreaLeigh

Wendy Gets a Speaking Role

Wendy's has recently beefed up (sorry) their marketing and menu. They've given Wendy a speaking role, added a new catch phrase, slogans, and introduced a couple new sandwiches. Let's break it down.

New catch phrase:  "It's waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's." That's four A's. I bet there was a long and heated marketing meeting about the number of A's. I've been in meetings like that. It's a strange feeling to get mad at someone over how to spell aaaa word.

New marketing slogan:  "At Wendy's, we're unrivaled in our passion for giving people what they want — and uncompromising in giving people what they deserve." Now, I'm a little concerned about that last part. I thought that was Santa Claus' job.

New burger:  "The Spicy Baconator". Wendy's combined the Baconator with their jalapeno pepperjack burger to create this 880 calorie tongue-melting, heart-stopping frankenburger.

New breakfast menu:  Wendy's now has "Custom Bean" coffee and a "Maple Baked Frescuit". I'm not sure if the "Frescuit" is made with Fresca or is just freshly baked. And "Custom Bean"? WTF does that mean? Again, this was probably the result of a long and heated marketing meeting. Hopefully it doesn't have anything to do with genetic modification.

--Spanno

Nod to Kansas City

If “barbecue” gave out patriotism awards, perhaps it would go to Kansas City…maybe that is because in Kansas City, they have a saying, “we barbecue anything that moves.” If I could have all the great barbecue and eat it too, I’d be pretty content…the only catch for me is all the thick red sauce. I prefer my meat without sauce or with just a tiny bit of sauce to accent the food. In my opinion, the sauce often over-powers the meat, and if the barbecue is done right, you don’t need the sauce. In my years of eating in KC and judging the American Royal, I can say that Kansas City really is a melting pot of barbecue.

My barbecue buddy, Carolyn Wells is the founder of the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) and she grew up in Memphis. In all her years at the forefront of Kansas City Barbecue, you know at least a little Memphis had to seep in! And, the Royal and the Jack (Jack Daniels Invitational) are the only two contests I know that have a dessert category. The Royal has a sides category as well and I have judged many a smoked onion cup filled with peas and carrots! 

On one “research” trip to Kansas City a few years back, I was inspired to create a barbecue sauce that uses Dr. Pepper to sweeten it. The tradition of cola-sweetened sauces is rich in the barbecue world, but I had never had a sauce made with Dr. Pepper. Since Dr. Pepper originated in Texas, this is really my TexKan sauce. Sweet like Kansas and Spicy like Texas and Dr. Pepper. Use it for chicken, ribs or brisket. My favorite way to use it is on Beer-Can Chicken. It is best brushed on sparingly during the final minutes of the cooking time and served as a dipping sauce. And, if you like a ketchup-topped meatloaf, substitute this sauce for the ketchup and you’ll have a meatloaf surprise that just might make you a hero in the kitchen all week long.

What to Cook This Weekend: Salmon Burgers

It's Spring and that means fresh salmon is starting to show up in grocery stores. You won't be able to find any wild chinook (king) salmon, but you can still get PCB-fortified farm-raised salmon and wild Alaska salmon. No matter what kind of salmon you get, you should definitely make salmon burgers this weekend. This recipe is courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 pounds salmon fillet, skinned, pin bones removed
1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or other dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup minced scallions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cups shaved purple cabbage
3 cups shaved green cabbage
1/2 cup shaved red onion
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Kosher salt
6 sesame rolls or other soft hamburger buns, for serving

Directions:
1. Using a sharp knife, cut the salmon into 1-inch pieces and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the fish is finely chopped. (Take care not to overprocess or salmon will become a paste.) Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the panko, 1/4 cup of the scallions, 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, minced ginger, egg, sambal oelek, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the soy sauce. Using a rubber spatula, mix gently but thoroughly to combine. Divide the mixture into 6 even portions and shape into patties about 4 inches wide and 3/4 inch thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate while you prepare the mayonnaise and slaw.

2. In a very small saucepan combine the remaining soy sauce and the sugar and cook until reduced to a syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. The soy-sugar mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Set aside to cool completely. When cooled, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the soy glaze to the mayonnaise and refrigerate until ready to serve the burgers. (The remaining soy glaze may be kept indefinitely at room temperature and used to drizzle on grilled salmon or grilled tuna.)

3. Combine the purple and green cabbages, remaining 1/4 cup of scallions, the red onion, 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil, rice wine vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, sesame oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and crushed red pepper, and toss thoroughly to combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Refrigerate while you prepare the burgers.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, season both sides of the salmon burgers lightly with the kosher salt and add the burgers to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and the salmon is just cooked through, about 3 1/2 minutes per side. Serve the salmon on warm buns, garnished with the soy mayonnaise and the sesame slaw.

Serves 6.

--Spanno

Living the American Dream

For years now I've had a love affair with diners. And, while I do enjoy pretty much any old diner with retro attitude, what I really lerve is the real deal--the prefab dining car with a counter and stools, and stainless steel so shiny you can see it a mile away. Sit me down there, pour me a tall chocolate Coke, and serve up some pie à la mode!

Since about 2001 I've entertained the notion of writing a book on classic diners. During my "vacation" after the dot-com bust, I scoured the web and made an authoritative listing of all existing classic diner cars, broken down by region. My original intent was to do a road trip and chronicle the foods, designs, and cultures found at these places. Thoughts of money and cholesterol held me back, and then, alas, Amazon.com came calling. So, now I just enjoy the diners on vacations, working them into the roads we travel.

This morning I thought I'd check in on the American Diner Museum website and I discovered that they list classic diners that are for sale. How cool is that? I could just buy a diner (with my spare lunch money), ship it off to Seattle, and set up shop. I'm ready to live the American Dream! In fact, I'm kind of eying the Sunrise Diner in Pennsylvania. Seriously--check out the slide show and tell me that wouldn't be cool!

Got a favorite classic diner in your area? Add a comment and tell me about it! I'll stop by next time I'm in your neck of the woods.

--KitchenMaus

p.s. Check out this cool diner blog. And don't miss Diner City.

Call Me Lucky Charms

As recently reported in an article on The Argus, a Brighton (U.K.) man, once called Peter Thomas, has changed his name to Honey Monster, after the mascot for the cereal Sugar Puffs. Turns out that Mr. Monster had eater Sugar Puffs since he was 9, loves them, and consumes lots and lots of them--so much so that his pals said he should change his name to match the cereal mascot’s. And so he did. From what Mr. Monster says (just “Honey” to his friends), “my mum and dad think I'm crazy but I love the name.” Admittedly, it’s a pretty great name. And it made me wonder--what cereal or cereal mascot would I change my name to? Sugar Bear is darn swell (and tasty). Maybe Big Otis, lesser known mascot for Kellogg OKs? Definitely not Count Chocula, cause he sorta freaks me out. I think, at the end, I’d go with Lucky Charms, even though it’s a cereal and not a mascot (I sure don’t want to be Lucky the Leprechaun though). Not just because I think the name is good, but also because I was a fairly big fan of the cereal. What about you? If you have to change your name to a cereal or cereal mascot’s, what’ll it be? And if you have already changed your name to resemble any food or food mascot’s, what is it?

--A.J. Rathbun

Midweek Happy Hour: Basil Vodka Gimlets

Go ahead, let in a little bit of spring, even if it's still cold in your neck of the woods. This tart and herby take on a gimlet should help! Make the basil-lemon syrup ahead of time, and enjoy the cocktail through the weekend. You'll have extra syrup, so pour it over sorbet, let it soak into some fresh pound cake, or add it to any number of other cocktails. The recipe comes from the July 2007 issue of Gourmet.

Basil Vodka Gimlets

Ingredients:
4 cups packed fresh basil sprigs (top 4 inches; from a 1/2-pound bunch)
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
9 (4- by 1-inch) strips lemon zest
3/4 cup vodka
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup ice cubes

For garnish: Fresh basil sprigs; lemon zest strips

Directions:
1. Make the basil-lemon simple syrup: Bring basil, water, sugar, and lemon zest to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Let stand at room temperature, covered, 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container and chill until cold, about 1 hour. Strain syrup through a sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on it and then discarding solids.
2. In a pitcher, stir together 1 cup of cold basil-lemon simple syrup, the vodka, the lemon juice, and the ice cubes. Strain into 8- to 10-ounce glasses half filled with ice. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs and strips of lemon zest.

Makes 6 drinks.

--KitchenMaus