Oscar Party Snack Ideas! And the Winner is...

I have no problem waiting a year to watch feature films via my overpriced cable provider, but the major drawback is that I never have any clue what's gong on during the Academy Awards show. I won't get any of Billy Crystal's inside jokes, and the video clip montages will only serve to confuse and annoy. So, for people like me, the highlight of any Oscar party is the food. Here are a few ideas that should garner rave reviews. Enjoy!

Deviled Eggs with Candied Pepper Rings

Clams Casino Dip

Italian Rice Croquettes

Green Hummus

Bacon Ranch Chicken Skewers

Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip (Warning: Intended for Mature Audiences)

Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip Photo (c) SmithBites.com

My friend, Linda from Salty Seattle, called this Chocolate Soufflés with Nougat Whip video, “porn without people,” and I couldn’t agree more. The term “food porn” gets thrown around way too easily these days. Sorry, that picture of your red velvet cupcakes was nice, but it wasn’t really pornographic. This, however, could make you blush. By the way, the surface temperature of a blushing face is the exact temperature at which chocolate melts. Coincidence?

This semi-sweet tour-de-force is from Debra and Rod “The Professor” Smith, from SmithBites.com. I’m relatively new to their work, but quite impressed to say the least. I’m very proud Food Wishes helped pioneer the chef-less recipe video, but this is taking that idea to a whole other place – surreal and viscerally sensual, yet still comforting and familiar. Please follow this link to check out the original post, and see more of their fine work. Enjoy!

A Perfect Time for Pumpkin Pancakes

A friend sent me a nice note recently that his wife had made these pumpkin pancakes for dinner, and that they were thoroughly enjoyed by all. I always appreciate those kinds of messages, especially since they often serve as a reminder for doing seasonally appropriate recipe re-posts.

This was the week pumpkin made its yearly appearance into my life. On restaurant menus, on television, in store windows, on neighbors’ steps, and all over our living room…and dining room…and kitchen…and, well, you get the idea. So, to celebrate the beloved American gourd, I decided to rerun this tasty winter treat. Enjoy!

Click here to read the original post, and to get the ingredient amounts.

Getting Overexpose by Hungry Nation

When my friends at Hungry Nation were over here filming my “Fresh Five” secret ingredients, they also forced me, under threat of severe physical injury, to do an interview called a “Meet & Eat.” I spend most of my free time thinking of ways to avoid going on camera, so I’m really never comfortable (or very good) doing these things, but since they did such a great job on the production, and took the time to put this together for me, I feel the least I can do is show it off here. I’ve also included the full Mahi Mahi Ceviche video below. Enjoy!

Mahi Mahi Ceviche (click here for original post with ingredients)

A Happy Labor Day Weekend Pep Talk

Feeling a little melancholy this holiday? That’s okay, you’re not alone. Sure, this weekend is supposed to acknowledge and celebrate the labor movement in America, but what it does even better is remind everyone that summer is gone.

Wow, that was fast. It seems like only yesterday I was phoning in a Memorial Day post. But, before you get too down, remember, we are now entering prime cooking and eating season. From now until Christmas (only 112 shopping days left!), the kitchen replaces the beach, backyard, and ball diamond, as the center of our happy place. As much as we'll all miss that fun in the sun, this is any serious foodie's favorite time of the year.

Anyway, here’s a shout out to all the dishwashers, cooks, chefs, and other hospitality workers that celebrate Labor Day by working, while the rest of us sit around sipping beers, trying to figure out how summer went by so fast. Have a great holiday, and we'll see you on the other side. Enjoy!

Speaking of labor – if you’re still searching for some long-weekend-style lusciousness, here are six of my all-time, backyard favs:

Grilled Pineapple Pork Al Pastor

Garlic Ginger Grilled Salmon

Grilled Five Spice Chicken

Grilled Lemon Yogurt Chicken

Grilled Thai Red Curry Beef Flank Steak

Grilled Lamb with Honey Mint Vinaigrette

Coming Soon: Beautiful Breast of Lamb

Metaphorically Speaking

Wow, it's been three days since my last post, and six days since my last video, and that my friends, is a new Food Wishes record. That's how insane the schedule's been working on the show down here in Los Angeles.

Not only haven't I had much time to film, but I also haven't had any time to visit with my SoCal food blogger buddies, which means I haven't been going to any fabulous restaurants. However, I did have a very nice Korean lunch on Friday, at a place next to our office called, Genwa, where I filmed this 100% cotton-based excuse for a lame metaphor. 

Right about now, I feel exactly like those tightly wound wads of gauze, desperate to be soaked with lots of clean, warm time. I'll be back in San Francisco Tuesday, and I can't wait to get wet! Stay tuned!

So What's the Deal with Cornell Chicken?

I'm planning to do a video recipe for Cornell chicken, so if you have any information, tips, secrets, anecdotes, memories, or other pertinent details, I'd love to hear about it! In case you've never heard of Cornell chicken, here's a little video tease I found on someone called skeeler1954's YouTube channel. By the way, as someone who appreciates a well-done voice-over, the British narrator in this clip is awesome.

If you're from upstate or western New York, and feel like getting all nostalgic, you may want to take a peak at the other videos posted there. Enjoy!



Note: I couldn't find a decent photo of Cornell chicken for this post, so I used this picture from our grilled lemon yogurt chicken recipe.

With Friends Like Mandometer, Who Needs Enemies?

Did you ever think to yourself, "I wish they made a dinner plate that would criticize me while I eat?" Well, thanks to a clinic in England, that very thing is now a reality!

At first glance I thought this device was intended to scold overeaters, but it looks like its real mission is helping people with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. Still, I can't help but imagine setting a plate of chicken fried steak down and hearing, "Oh no you didn't!"

Hot Soup

Michele and I stopped for some Korean food on the way home from a thoroughly enjoyable trip to Berkeley Bowl. Sahn Maru, in Oakland, CA, is one restaurant that will never have a customer send back a bowl of soup for not being hot enough!

Directly below, you'll see the iPhone video I took of our spicy soft tofu soup. My phone was off at the time, so this was after it had cooled for a minute! It was the hottest soup I've ever been served.



When I posted to YouTube, I was amused to see that many others had filmed this same soupy scene, so I gathered a small collection. There is something mesmerizing about watching this soup boil in the cast iron pots. Below these, I've posted a video recipe for how to make this super-delicious soup! (you just need to find the pots!)


How to Make Korean Soft Tofu Soup (aka Stew)

The Magic of Puff Pastry

One video recipe I plan on tackling soon is puff pastry. This very special dough is readily available in our grocery store's frozen foods case, but it's a recipe that any foodie must try at least once.

This is from Vah-Chef, Sanjay Thumma, who does a great job explaining the process. I will do the recipe in US measurements, so don't worry about converting the metric measurements he gives.

If you've tried to make puff pastry yourself, I'd love to hear your experiences, and also pass along any recipes you found successful.

By the way, I'll be flying back to San Francisco on Tuesday, so things should be returning back to whatever normal is on this blog. If I've not responded to a comment or email, I've either not had time, or simply missed it -- so try again. Thanks and enjoy!



Photo (c) Flickr user foooooey

Another Take on Foie Gras

This very interesting lecture is from the Taste3 conference, and features chef Dan Barber talking about a farm in Spain that has developed a more humane way to produce foie gras. Enjoy!

In Defense of Foie Gras

This video from Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations is dedicated to a recent commenter named Matt, who wrote:

"I love your site Chef John but if you ever use Foie Gras in any recipe I swear I'll never come back here."

I hope he took my advice to stop visiting the site immediately. I mean, why wait until I post a foie gras video to stop coming? I love foie gras, and think that anyone who works to get it banned is a sanctimonious ignoramus well-intentioned, but misguided.

A fan named Lysa saw the comment and sent me this video. I thought I'd post it to show some of you how foie gras is processed, at this farm at least, and more importantly to give "half the peace sign" some good-natured ribbing to Matt and his pious peeps like minded friends.

Things I've Made That I Wished I'd Filmed, Part 74: Five-Spice Peach Tartlet

UPDATE: I forgot this recipe is from an old Julia Child's cookbook! I'm going to film for my Julie & Julia post for Monday. Stay tuned!

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: I did film the peach tartlet, but I decided not to use it for the Julie & Julia post for Monday. Instead I decided to film my favorite Julia Child recipe, a delicious roasted chicken with watercress. Stay tuned!

Ravenous Couple Gives Chef John Money Shot

The beautiful ribs pictured here are from Hong and Kim who publish the blog Ravenous Couple.

I received a very nice email from them in which they reported great success making and (fortunately for me) photographing the Hoisin-Glazed Ribs recipe I posted a few weeks ago.

They remembered I'd lost my "money shot" when my hard disc crashed, and generously offered up their photos for me to use in the post. Thank you Hong and Kim!

I hope you'll reward their thoughtfulness with a visit to check out their version of these great ribs on the Ravenous Couple blog. I don't want to give anything away, but they did add one very secret ingredient. Enjoy!

Barbecued Venison and Cheesy Elvis

Happy Easter!

Whether you're celebrating for religious reasons, or you’re just in it for the candy (the real miracle is how much they charge for a hollow chocolate rabbit these days!), I want to wish you all a happy Easter. Today it's okay to keep all your eggs in one basket.

If you're a regular reader, you probably know about my goal to keep this blog virtually religion and politics free, but that doesn't mean I can't remind you to take a moment to think about all the miracles that happen all around us on a daily basis.

The latest example is pictured here, my new niece Malia Grace Manfredi. Congratulations Kenny and Josette! Now that's an Easter basket.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday, and stay tuned for some great video recipes this week, including Rocket Beans, Maple-Brined Pork Roast, and Lamb Meatballs. Enjoy!

Photo (c) Flickr user tristanf

Yes, We All Did See Too Much!

Some of you may have already seen this short and disturbing video clip of celebrity cook Paula Deen, and her recent wardrobe malfunction. Apparently, the weight of the cordless microphone set on her pants pulled them down causing her to moon the audience - who seemed to enjoy it a little too much.

This really upset me because if I ever get a show on Food Network, I had planned to do the exact same thing as a publicity stunt. Now, I've have to come up with a Plan B. The question in the poll is regarding whether you think this was an accident, or she planned the whole thing.

Did Paula Deen intentionally expose her buttocks?
	No! They probably just slipped from all the butter on her.
	Yes! That's how those southern ladies roll.
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Paula Deen Cake Photo (c) Flickr user bunchofpants

The Art of Seduction with Dave

I rarely post videos from other online culinarians, but once in a while I see something so brilliant, so perfectly done, I feel I have to share it with the rest of you. This Valentines Day video is from "Cookin' with Dave," starring Dave, who according to his apron is the "World's Greatest Chef."

I highly recommend watching the entire 13 minute clip several times to make sure you didn’t miss anything, but in case you just can't find the time, forward to about the 7 minute mark. That's when his date arrives and the magic truly begins.

Dave not only shows you how to make a gourmet steak dinner for two, he also gives lots of great pointers on making your Valentine feel very special. This is a 13-minute Tour de Force that is sure to inspire. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If this is your first visit to Food Wishes, please know that this is meant as satire, and we really aren't a bunch of jerks. I'm sure Dave is a great guy - and many, many men will use this video to help close the deal.

When I Grow Up, I Want to Be a Celebrity Chef! Right, Mommy?

I received a link recently to an article from The Oregonian, written by Casey Parks, about a five-year-old named Julian Kreusser who has his own cooking show on an Oregon public broadcasting network. As I read about "Chef" Julian, I became intrigued and decided to watch a few of his shows.

Normally, I wouldn’t care about some cute kid making cooking videos with his parents, which there are probably hundreds on YouTube, but why this kid's show has me so interested, and disturbed, is it's being packaged as an actual cooking show, with the kid as some sort of culinary savant. I have a feeling there's more here than meets the eye.

The driving forces behind "The Big Kitchen with Food" seem to be Julian's parents, and Portland Community Media, which airs the show starring the young, slightly confused chef. After watching the clip, I couldn't help but question some of their claims and quotes from the article. It all seemed a little "hoaxy" to me.

"He actually understands what he's doing. He's not just following orders," claims executive director Sylvia McDanie. She says the viewer's love him, and adds, "It has potential to be a national program." Has she seen the show?

"It's great that he gets to do what he wants to do," says his mom, Kristen McKee. "We want him to do what's in his heart, to follow his interests." Isn’t that what those beauty pageant moms always say?

The parents claim the recipes, as well as the theme song are all Julian's ideas. Even though his father admits he used some connections to help get the show on the air (thanks, I thought he may have put on a little suit, took a cab to the station, and pitched them the show on a milk crate), he insists Julian came up with the concept. Really? "We are just enablers," says his dad, Ben Kreusser. That's one word for it.

It may not come as a huge surprise that along with all this adult "guidance," Julian is also home-schooled, or as it's referred to in the article, "unschooled." Apparently this is some type of home schooling where the child decides what they want to learn. Julian is quoted saying, "So everything I see, I can learn about." Well, isn't that convenient. Must make scheduling the show's filming a breeze.

I've posted a video of Chef J below, making some "tomato sauce without tomato paste," and after watching it, all 13 agonizing minutes of it (the "cute" wears off after about 45 seconds), I would love to hear your thoughts. By the way, the viewer comments I read on Yumsugar, where this same video was also shown, weren't very kind.

There are several moments in the video when Julian doesn't even seen to remember what he's making (even though he "created" the recipe himself). He also struggles with the tools - instead of being cute, the sight of him trying to use the vegetable chopper was kind of sad. Then, the camera cuts away, and wha la! The veggies are cut and it's on to the next step. Thanks, Mommy.

Anyway, you be the judge. Maybe I'm being too suspicious. Maybe he isn’t being manipulated and exploited by parents that want the celebrity they believe will come with star chefdom. Maybe the fine folks at Portland Community Media don't have any ulterior motives. Maybe I should pick on someone my own size?