Slashfood

Filed under: Newspapers , In Sixty Seconds , In 60 Seconds , News Photo: llsimon53, Flickr

Filed under: Trends , Coffee Shops , Coffee Photo: sean dreilinger, Flickr What if walking into a coffee shop were more like stepping into your local wine store? Imagine if you could peruse brews from different regions, processed and prepared by different growers and roasters -- just as you can scan the bottles for a spicy Spanish red or a crisp French Riesling. Would you feel empowered or overwhelmed? Some boutique coffee shops are banking on the idea that more is more, with cafe owners adopting almost a curator's eye toward the caffeinated offerings. But is this a passing fad or the next wave in coffee connoisseurship? Read on after the jump to hear what some coffee people think. Continue reading Do Multiple Roasters Give Coffee Houses Too Much Variety?

Filed under: Feast Your Eyes Photo: stinkkatze, Flickr You can take your coffee after your meal, or, like photographer and cook stinkkatze, take your coffee and put it in a marinade . Based on a recipe from Good Eats host Alton Brown -- who uses good strong coffee, cider vinegar, molasses and mustard to tenderize and flavor pork -- our blogger uses chicory, which is naturally non-caffeinated. The marinade is later cooked down as a glaze for the meat. Here it's served with sweet potatoes and onions. A terrific source for all things porcine (as well as for another killer coffee-molasses marinade) is the Complete Book of Pork: A Guide to Buying, Storing, and Cooking the World's Favorite Meat, by Bruce Aidells. Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Filed under: Cheese Course Charolais stands tall, left. Photo: chez loulou, Flickr When it comes to cheese consumption, measuring the depths of taste is no easy task. Take a demi-sec (medium-aged) French goat's milk cheese like Charolais from Burgundy. It has a bright grassy aroma and a smooth, firm paste that melts on the palate, giving way to several different taste sensations that are all mildly citrus-like and "goaty." At first, the cheese seems to be fairly mild, making it the perfect goat's milk cheese for the sensitive palate. However, after the cheese is swallowed, its flavor resonates and increases in strength, accumulating deep floral and grassy notes. In other words, it has a kick that lasts for a bit. Continue reading Charolais - Cheese Course

Filed under: Restaurants Photo: Safari Express For many people Minnesota conjures up images of frigid temperatures and duck boots. But ironically it's also home to the largest Somali community in the United States, more than 30,000 people. Located in the horn of Africa, Somalia has had many culinary influences throughout its history -- Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian and Italian to name a few. In 2006, Jamal Hashi, a 28-year-old Somali chef, who was forced to flee his homeland when he was only eight years old because of civil unrest, opened a restaurant in Minneapolis called Safari Express, which offers Somali fast food. It's become hugely popular not only for Somali immigrants but among Americans craving something different and a little spicy. "African food has not gotten much recognition because it's been overlooked by political problems there," Jamal told Slashfood. "When I talk to people about Somali food they are always taken aback a bit by the idea of an East African cuisine." Continue reading Minnesota Meets Somalia

Filed under: Reviews , Drinks Photo: Ame Otoko, Flickr Red-wine blends are akin to a coffee roaster's espresso blend, as it's formula that is unique and carefully thought through. By merging grapes, sometimes from different terroirs (vineyards), complex layers are introduced. To the winemaker, it's an opportunity to demonstrate his or her craft and talent in mixing flavors for a really great mouthfeel. Lots of experimentation, lab time and sipping trials go into creating the perfect blend. After the jump, find seven red blends we've recently tried and have no hesitations recommending. Continue reading Wine of the Week: Interesting Red Blends

Filed under: Health & Medical , News Photo: jek in the box, Flickr . Australian scientists claim they've stumbled upon a sixth sense -- but not the kind where you see dead people. No, researchers down under have found a new flavor sense: fat. Everyone knows that fat is an excellent vehicle for food flavors and has a highly appealing mouthfeel. A new study, however, suggests that along with sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (essentially, the ability to detect protein), we can also actually taste fat itself. Dr. Russell Keast , an exercise and nutrition sciences professor at Deakin University in Melbourne, told Slashfood, "This makes logical sense. We have sweet to identify carbohydrate/sugars, and umami to identify protein/amino acids, so we could expect a taste to identify the other macronutrient: fat." In the Deakin study, which appears in the latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, Dr. Keast and his team gave a group of 33 people fatty acids found in common foods, mixed in with nonfat milk to disguise the telltale fat texture. All 33 could detect the fatty acids to at least a small degree. Continue reading So Fat, You Can Taste It

Filed under: Magazines , Celebrities Photo: Hoffman Media Hey, y'all, listen up! There's a new food magazine just for you fellas, created by none other than Paula Deen's boys. The frosted blond TV chef's two sons, Jamie and Bobby, have launched their own quarterly magazine called Deen Bros. Good Cooking . Target audience? Men. Hoffman Media, which already puts out the bimonthly Cooking with Paula Deen , will be the publisher for the 63-year-old Food Network host's boys, too. President and CEO Phyllis Hoffman tells Media Bistro's FishbowlNY blog that the Deen Bros. will aim to attract a "dual audience" of male and female readers, but will offer "light, easy recipes" that will likely "have strong appeal with men." Bobby and Jamie Deen, who are 39 and 42, have made appearances on their mother's various Food Network shows over the years and hosted one themselves in 2006 called Road Tasted . When they're not in the public eye, the Deen brothers are in Savannah, Ga., running their mom's now-famous restaurant, The Lady and Sons . Continue reading Paula Deen's Sons Create A Food Magazine for Guys

Filed under: Fast Food , New Products Photo: Jeremy Brooks, Flickr Customers asked, and now Jack in the Box has answered: New French fries are on the way, with improvements to crispness, texture and freshness, Nation's Restaurant News reported. "Fewer menu items generate more polarizing opinions than French fries," Tammy Bailey, division vice president of menu marketing and promotions for Jack in the Box, said in a statement. "So we created our new French fries with a crispier outside texture that enhances the potato flavor and helps them retain their temperature." The new fries will be available at participating Jack in the Box restaurants later this month. They will come in small, regular and large sizes, costing approximately $1.39, $1.79 and $1.99, respectively, plus tax. San-Diego based Jack in the Box operates about 2,200 franchises.

Filed under: Business , Chefs Courtesy of Ingrid Hoffman While food trucks are a dime a dozen in cities like Los Angeles and New York, the trend is relatively new to Miami. Food Network personality and cookbook author Ingrid Hoffmann saw the void in the marketplace and recently debuted her Latin Burger mobile kitchen in Miami. Since Hoffmann of Simply Delicioso fame is known for her Latina-style cooking, her food truck has a decidedly ethnic flair to it. The hot-pink-and-black customized truck serves up gourmet tacos (pulled pork, chicken mole and chicken tomatillo) and a signature burger with a chorizo and sirloin filling. This marquee patty also features Oaxaca cheese, caramelized onions, jalapenos and red-pepper mayo. "It's street food," she acknowledges, "but it's quality street food. We use Latin influences in a modern way." All of the ingredients used on board the renovated UPS truck are fresh and never canned. Continue reading Ingrid Hoffmann's Latin Burger Food Truck Rolls All Over Miami