Cablevision Restores Food Network

Well, Cablevision and Scripps reached a settlement on Thursday and now beleaguered Cablevision customers in the Tri-State area have the Food Network and HGTV back. That’s great news, since they’ve been without those two channels since January 1st. We don’t know what agreement was reached, but it was good enough to allow Scripps to restore access to its programming.

Frankly, I would still be mighty po’ed if I were a Cablevision customer. I wonder if they’re issuing refunds for the loss of those two stations for almost a month. Hamilton Township, NJ Mayor John Bencivengo thought they should do something of the kind.

I won’t hold my breathe that a refund (or an apology) from Cablevision is on its way, but I’m glad that my fellow Food Network fans have their network back…and how they lived without House Hunters all this time, I’ll never know.

Will Emeril Be The New Rachael?

This is so interesting. Rachael Ray, backed by the Oprah machine, has been very successful – double Emmy-winning successful – with her talk show. Now Emeril, backed by the Martha machine for the past two years, is embarking on his own journey as the host of a talk show.

There are big differences, though. The hour-long Emeril Lagasse Show will be on once a week and will mix cooking, music and famous guests. There will be a live band and it will air on Sunday’s at 8 pm starting March 28th on the ION Television Network.

But like Rach, Emeril will have a live audience and the show will include taped pieces to take advantage of its New York City location.

I’m guessing (and praying) that his show will not be the “service” type that Martha’s and Rachael’s are. Hopefully, there will be no decoupaging* segments and he’ll stay as far away from PMS, as possible.

Good luck to Emeril. He has a kind of lousy timeslot, plus I’m not even sure if I get ION, but I am willing to give him a chance. I’ve actually never loved his food, but I like him and I think his accent is a gas.

So what do you think?

*These ARE actually really cute ideas.

Note: Em, if you fill in Coco's name, I'll know it's you!

Ina’s Test Run For A Magazine Plus Roasted Soup AND Roasted Shrimp

Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten

Feature Flavor

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

Maple-Oatmeal Scones

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup and Curry Condiments

Ina is writing an article for Food Network Magazine. It’s about flavor. Her first recipe is a ROASTED butternut squash soup with curry condiments.

I LOVE this idea. I’ve been making curried butternut soup for decades, but I never thought to ROAST the butternut and I never thought to serve it with traditional curry garnishes. Not revolutionary, but these are fabulous ideas that will be fun to try.

Ina adds 1 quart of chicken stock to a pan. Then she gets butternut squash, apples and onions ready for roasting. (Oh, I put apples in MY soup too!) She cuts 3 or 4 pounds of butternut squash into 1 inch cubes and puts them on a sheet pan with 2 cubed yellow onions, 2 chopped Macintosh apples and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Ina divides the mixture into 2 sheet pans so the vegetables are in a single layer and cook evenly. She roasts them at 425°F for 35 to 40 minutes.

(Those ingredients are identical to the ones in my soup, but the method is sooo different.) Ina purées the cooked vegetables in a food processor with a bit of the chicken stock and then adds them back to the pan. She likes to roast the vegetables because it gives so much flavor. I love that Ina smiles at the mixture as she purées it. I think it’s important to treat your ingredients courteously.

There IS a problem brewing here, however. I’m concerned that the curry powder will just be thrown into the soup without having been cooked in a bit of oil…with onions is always good. Oy, I was right. Ina adds a ½ teaspoon curry powder without so much as a by-your-leave.

When I use curry powder, onions are usually involved, so I after I’ve softened the onions, I stir in the curry powder and cook it on the lowest heat there is for 2 to 3 minutes and then proceed with the recipe.

Another problem, I like to purée the soup in a blender, because nothing else will get the soup as smooth. Ina is just stirring the stock into the slightly chunky purée.

Ina starts on the condiments. She slices a banana. She chops scallions - she likes the color with the soup. Next Ina sautés cashews for 5 minutes in a dry pan and then rough chops them. She also dry sautés coconut for 5 minutes over low heat. This is sounding good.

Ina tells us there’s a whole team in New York waiting for the recipe to be finished. The team includes photographer Quentin Bacon, food stylist Cyd McDowell, and prop stylist Philippa Braithwaite. Ina says her soup better be good enough for them to photograph. She puts together a bowl with all the condiments. She takes a picture and sends it to the team. Her soup is MUCH chunkier than mine. I like it much smoother.

Ooh, this IS fun. We see the whole team in NY styling the shoot for the Food Network Magazine. We see them receive Ina’s photograph and then making the soup. They’re styling it. I think THEIR soup is smoother than Ina’s.

Next Ina is making oatmeal scones for her article. She measures 3½ cups of flour in a bowl, while remembering that her mother added maple syrup to oatmeal when she was little, so she’s doing that for the scones. She adds 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 cup “good“ Irish oatmeal and 2 tablespoons of baking powder and the same of sugar plus 2 teaspoons of salt. (That’s A LOT.)

Ina adds FOUR sticks of butter on low speed with 1/2 cup of buttermilk, ½ cup of GOOD maple syrup and 4 beaten eggs. Ina likes to use a measuring cup as a mixing bowl, because it has a handle and a spout.

The Barefoot One adds all the wet ingredients on low speed JUST until mixed. She says it’s a really wet dough. She dumps it out onto a floured board and it IS really sticky. GOSH, she could make 200 scones!

Ina rolls the dough out to a three-quarter inch thickness. She likes 2½ to 3 inch wide scones. She says to remember to flour the cutter first.

Ina tells us that when she was running The Barefoot Contessa shop, a New York Times reporter asked her about the different flavors of scones she carried. Ina lied and said she made lots of flavors and so she had to quickly come up with many more varieties.

This is interesting. She would cut them out and cover them and then bake them the next day. Before baking, Ina mixes an egg wash with water, milk or cream and brushes the scones (JUST on the top) before baking them at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes. They’re huge.

For a glaze (yum), Ina mixes 1¼ cups of confectioner’s sugar, ½ cup of maple syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. After the scones have cooled for 5 minutes, Ina spoons the glaze over and then sprinkles just a bit of oatmeal on top. That’s smart, it makes them LOOK healthy. Oh, we’re at the shoot again…They place the scones in a red napkin-lined basket.

The last recipe is definitely a redo of an old Ina recipe. She takes 2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp and tosses them with olive oil, salt and pepper. She roasts them at 400°F for 6 to 8 minutes and says that roasting results in perfectly cooked shrimp.

Ina adds lots of salt to a big pot of water and then 1 lb of capellini goes in for 3 minutes. She heats 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 4 tablespoons of butter and the zest and juice of two lemons in a big pan with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

Ina adds the drained pasta to the pan. She likes making the sauce in a BIG pan so she can add all the pasta at once. Hey, Ina, how’s about some parsley? Ina adds the shrimp and its juices to the pasta. It REALLY needs parsley. She zests a little extra lemon and takes a picture. The magazine folks take pictures of their rendition of the pasta and they really want to eat what’s left. They ALSO added no parsley. Shows what I know…

Ina takes questions from viewers. The first is from Marcy. She wants to know how to prevent Parmesan from going bad. Ina says to cut it into 2 pieces and wrap it in plastic wrap. She says to put one piece in the fridge and store one in the freezer. The next question better be more riveting.

Janice King, the next questioner, says she doesn’t care for cilantro. Ina says she doesn’t either and that there are two kinds of people – people who like it and people who hate it. Ina says to just leave it out or use parsley.

Tom wants a marinade. Ina suggests one that is like a vinaigrette. She says to mix ½ cup lemon juice, 2 tablespoons Dijon and 1 cup of olive oil. Then add herbs and some kosher salt and pepper.

This is the mini recipe, Ina gives him. Sprinkle chicken with salt and then pour over half the marinade for an hour or overnight. Then bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Pour the other half of the marinade over the warm chicken. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Good answer.

The photo shoot folks say thank you to Ina for the food and say they hope she likes the pictures. She loves them and next time, she wants to be there. Me too.

Links for Haiti Relief

The pictures and the stories of the earthquake are more than heartbreaking, but I’m so encouraged by the President’s response. So much help is needed. These are all places that I feel comfortable donating money to. First is the link to the organization, followed by the donation page.

American Red Cross

• Donate to the American Red Cross

CARE

• Donate to CARE

Doctors Without Borders

• Donate to Doctors Without Borders

Save The Children

• Donate to Save The Children

Unicef

• Donate to Unicef

William J Clinton Foundation

• Clinton Foundation Haiti Relief and Recovery Efforts

Other sites with good information:

WhiteHouse.gov

CNN Impact Your World

EARTHQUAKE HAITI on Facebook

Haitian Earthquake Relief on Facebook

Shortcrust Pastry From Scratch

I love, love, love Giada, but AGAIN this week, she didn’t make her own pastry (OR pancake batter*). Lys was looking for a good pastry recipe and this is one that I’ve used for years (decades, actually).

I make this quantity of pastry for any size pie shell and, truthfully, it’s a bit much for a 9 inch shell, but I like the proportions. If I have too much dough, I just trim it and keep the extra in the freezer. I use it if I ever need to cut out leaves or other shapes.

Shortcrust Pastry

1½ cups flour

6 tbls. unsalted butter, cold

2 tbls. Crisco (or lard, if you have the nerve)

2 to 3 tbls. ICE water

Add the flour to a food processor. Pulse once.

Cut the butter into small pieces. (I quarter the stick lengthwise and then cut it into small pieces.) Add that to the food processor with the Crisco. Pulse on and off until the fat is uniformly broken up.

Add 2 tablespoons ICE water and process for about 30 seconds, just until the mixture begins to come together. If it doesn’t come together, add the 3rd tablespoon of water. (I almost always use all 3 tablespoons.) Pulse a few more times until the mixture begins to form a ball.

Remove dough from processor and knead just long enough to make a smooth ball. Pat it out into a flat round.

At this point, I lay 2 sheets of plastic wrap out on the counter. I put the dough on top and cover it with another sheet of plastic wrap, so that I’m rolling out the dough between the sheets of plastic.

I roll the dough to the size I need and then line my pie dish. THEN I refrigerate it. The plastic wrap makes it possible to roll out just-made dough easily and you don’t need any flour. I cannot stand rolling out chilled dough.

If I’m freezing the dough, I line the actual pie dish with the dough as soon as I make it and then freeze THAT.

Some recipes call for prebaked shells. Baking a shortcrust pastry shell without a filling is called baking it blind.

To bake the pastry blind, line the unbaked pastry shell with parchment paper or waxed paper. Pour in pie weights (I’ve had the same ones since the 1970’s) or dried beans or rice to weight down the shell. Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for about 15 minutes or until just golden. Cool on a rack. (I like to chill the lined pastry shell for 20 to 30 minutes before baking blind.)

Note: To make by hand, cut fats into flour with a pastry blender or two table knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Add the first two tablespoons of water and mix in using only your fingertips, which will keep the dough cooler. Add the additional water, if necessary, and knead quickly to a smooth ball.

*My pancake recipe is from The New York Times Cookbook and takes about 30 seconds to put together. (No mix needed.) It's not my recipe to post, but email me if you want this really good basic recipe.

A Little Something For Everyone - Giada Cooks For Firefighters

Plus Do You Know The Difference

Between Almond Paste And Marzipan?

Giada at Home with Giada De Laurentiis

Smoke In The House

Breakfast Tart with Pancetta and Green Onions

Almond Pancakes

Citrus Cream Smoothie

Giada AND Firefighters! Where Do We Look First?

Oh, it’s not as challenging as I thought it would be. These firefighters are certainly heroes that would save your life, and THAT makes them hot, but not necessarily the types that would appear in a calendar. I couldn’t have taken that much beefcake on top of…whatever it is Giada has. Actually she toned down a bit for her visit to the firehouse but she still looks gorgeous and they still are heroes, so it’s all good.

Giada visits an LA fire station to work out a strategy for their annual Pancake Breakfast. Firefighter Darnell is working with Giada. They go into the firehouse’s really nice, HUGE kitchen.

Giada inspects the pots and pans and is quite pleased with what she finds, including blenders for breakfast smoothies and lots of tart pans, which gives her the idea for a breakfast tart. (Are we sure those weren’t planted there?)

Back in her own kitchen, Giada starts on a breakfast tart that includes Pan–CHITTT-Tah. Sorry, I can’t help it. It does sound funny, but I should stop remarking on her authentic Italian. At least, she knows what she’s saying unlike all those Top Chefs folks mispronouncing French words.

Giada puts a 9 inch pie crust into a tart shell. Did she make it? She cuts off the overhang. Did she make it or not? I just checked the recipe and it says to use a Pillsbury pie crust. C’mon!!! Don’t firefighters deserve REAL pastry?!! WHY did she go to the Cordon Bleu if she’s using garbage pastry? Her Cordon Bleu instructors would not approve!!!

Giada pricks the crust and then brushes it with a beaten egg white to seal it, so the filling doesn’t seep out. Not a bad idea. She bakes it at 400º F for ten minutes.

For the filling, Giada beats 5 whole eggs. (She cracks them on the edge of the bowl, not the counter. Good move.) She whisks them with a half a cup of room temperature mascarpone. WHY does her fridge looks like it has 3 foot tall grass growing out of the bottom shelf. Oh, that’s the window next to her glass door fridge. It’s so pretty out there.

Giada heats vegetable oil in a skillet. She chops 3 ounces of pancetta into cubes and adds it to the pan to get crispy. To the beaten egg and mascarpone, she adds 2 cups of grated Gruyère cheese. Giada says it’s a milder Swiss cheese and melts beautifully. Then she adds 3 or 4 chopped green onions with pepper and salt. That DOES look good.

Giada takes out the not-homemade pie shell, reminding us that it has to cool before it’s filled. She drains the pancetta onto a paper towel. (Remember I like to get away with using just one paper towel by using a stack of newspapers underneath.)

They’re showing the cute Dalmatian from the firehouse.

Giada adds the cooled and crispy pancetta to the tart. This may not be revolutionary, but it will be good! She pours it into the tart and bakes it at 400º F for 18 minutes until the top is golden and the eggs are set.

Oh, we see the gorgeous ocean out the window as she fills a water pitcher. WHAT are we doing in the Northeast?!! Or anywhere else for that matter, except sunny southern California? Oh yeah, California is going to hell in a handbasket.

Giada starts her pancakes. She pours one and a half cups of water in a food processor. She adds 1 tablespoon of sugar. Hold on, I have NEVER heard of WATER in pancakes! Oh wait, she’s adding half a cup of mascarpone cheese, which is incredibly rich. Is that the reason for the water?

Giada adds 2 teaspoons of almond extract. I love opening the bottle and smelling it. She also adds 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

OH!!! NO!!! She’s adding 2 cups of pancake mix. THAT’S the reason for the water. I’m not happy. WHY, G., why? These big burly men can handle measuring a bit of flour and leavening in a bowl and adding eggs and milk.

I love her flavoring ideas, but not the mix. I would just add the extracts and substitute the mascarpone for some of the milk to any pancake recipe.

Now this interesting. Giada is adding almond paste to the processor and pulsing it. She wants it to stay in chunks. I like that idea. (Do you know the difference between almond paste and marzipan? Don’t click on the link until you answer.)

Giada heats a couple of tablespoons of butter to a nonstick griddle. She likes the color and flavor it adds to the pancakes. She uses a 1/4 cup measure to the batter (from a mix). They look good and perfect! (My first batch is always for the cook.)

Firefighter Darnell comes over to taste everything. Boy, is he lucky! Before Giada lets him dive into the pancakes, she makes him help her with the smoothies. Give the guy and break and let him eat the pancakes while they’re hot!

Darnell pours some sugar syrup to Giada’s really fancy blender. It looks suspiciously like a Breville blender. Incidentally, in case you’re interested in some of the other things in her kitchen, you may find them here.

Darnell adds 3 cups of Greek yogurt, 1¼ cups orange juice and a couple of teaspoons of vanilla to the blender. I LOVE Greek yogurt, but it’s sooo expensive, I’m thinking tapped out fire houses probably won’t include it very often on their shopping lists.

Darnell tells G. that he cooks once a week and his favorite dish chicken parmesan. (Sorry, Rach, HE called it that.) He zests an orange while Giada slices a banana. Darnell blends everything together with a cup of ice. WOW, I want that (with a little rum, perhaps.)

Darnell pours the smoothies after Giada garnishes the glasses with slices of oranges. She serves him pancakes (only two) and the breakfast tart (pretty small piece) and garnishes the plate with raspberries. (Giada! Raspberries AND Greek yogurt? California has a 19 BILLION dollar shortfall. This firehouse may not even there next year!)

Darnell loves all the food.

It’s the day of the pancake breakfast. The firefighters go to Gelson’s with the shopping list Giada made. Including flowers??!!! (I sure hope they donated the food.)

The firefighter cooks get to work. Darnell puts a big vase of sunflowers on the table. Giada arrives. She looks suitably dressed down, but still gorgeous with only about two inches of cleavage happening. The firemen (no women, except Giada) are all wearing rubber gloves to prepare the food. I really love a man who can not only handle an axe, but observe food sanitation as well.

The community comes in. It all looks really good. Darnell made the pancakes BIG. I LOVE that the syrup is in half gallon pitchers. THAT’S the way I take my syrup too.

Giada brings a table of kids to the breakfast. Oh, there’s a picture of the firefighters with Giada. And we learn that the Pancake Breakfast is benefiting The Los Angeles Firemen’s Relief Association and its The Widows, Orphans & Disabled Firemen’s Fund. It is really great that Giada is highlighting this.

Firefighters, food and fundraising. What a worthy combination! If anyone deserves pastry and pancakes made from scratch, it’s these guys.

Food Network Deprived Fans – You WILL Be Able To See The Iron Chef Super Chef Battle

Out of the goodness of their hearts (I always like to think the best of people ;-), WPIX-TV (channel 11 in NY) and WTXX-TV (channel 20 in Connecticut) are broadcasting the Food Network’s Super Chef Battle: An Iron Chef America Event tomorrow, Sunday, January 10th from 8 pm to 10 pm.

The GOOD news is that watching this show for 2 hours will take you A LOT less time than reading my blow-by-blow blog posts on the challenge - Part One and Part Two. The BAD news is that you’ll be watching it and NOT reading my blog.

Brooke Johnson, president of Food Network said, “We have the greatest fans in the world…These encore presentations are just a small way to say ‘thank you’ for their support and understanding while we do everything we can to get our networks back on Cablevision.”

There are also plans in the works to broadcast some HGTV shows on these two stations during the stalemate.