Cocoa Cherry Pork Tenderloin – Based on a True Story

My favorite candy growing up was the chocolate covered cherry. I didn't have them often, but when I did, it was always a special treat. The way that thin, crisp chocolate would break away to reveal the florescent red maraschino cherry suspended in the clear syrup was intoxicating.I almost never eat them anymore; only on the rare occasion my mother, Pauline, or mother-in-law, Peggy, happen to have some out, usually around the holidays. One such occasion came on my recent trip back to Clifton Springs, NY, and as I enjoyed the sweet treat a strange thought popped into my brain. What about a savory...

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Popping Off About the Oscars Tonight

Photo by Flickr User TimShoesUntiedI'm finishing up my last day of work here at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, and fly back to snowy San Francisco tomorrow. This means I will miss the Oscars, which upsets me about as much as missing a dentist appointment, but had I been around I would have done some kind of special Oscar party snack, probably based around popcorn.So instead you'll have to suffer though this little collection of popcorn-based content from YouTube. The song, "Popcorn," was the first "favorite song" I ever remember having, and below you get to see Will Ferrell dance to...

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Hello From South Beach!

Just wanted to do a quick hello from the 10th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Today was the first of three days in the Grand Tasting tent, where I'm serving as Chef Ambassador for Tonnino Tuna. Here I am standing in front of our table just moments before the gates opened and we were three-deep in hungry foodies eager to taste this great tuna. The fish was sampled very simply with "flavor enhancers" in front of each different variety. The consensus was, as I knew it would be, that the tuna was awesome. Anyway, stay tuned for more foodie fun soon, including a brand new video recipe...

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Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin Medallions – Half the Fat, All the Inauthenticity

Whenever you see those headlines like, "Worst Take-Out Food Choices Ever," on the various websites, you can be sure that sweet and sour pork will be near the top of the list. That's because it's usually made from fatty pieces of pork shoulder, cut into cubes, dipped in a thick batter, deep-fried, and finally coated with a super-sugary, thick, starchy sauce. I'm no shrinking violet around high-calorie food, but classic Chinese-American take-out sweet and sour pork is basically deep-fried, sugar-coated, fatty pork chunks. And yes, once in a while, it's pretty damn awesome (like twice a decade).For...

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Heading to South Beach to be a Tonnino Tuna Ambassador!

Well, that's one blog title I couldn't have anticipated writing, but that's exactly what's happening tonight as I board a red-eye for Miami. As many of you know, I won the Tonnino Tuna Chef Challenge recipe video contest, and one of the prizes was getting to serve as their Chef Ambassador for the year. As part of my duties, I'll be representing them at the 10th Annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Pictured here is an "Upside-Down" Tonnino Jalapeño Tuna Taco Bite that I created to celebrate the event. Recipe cards will be available at the Tonnino booth at the Grand Tasting, but I've...

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Coming Soon: Pork Tenderloin Times Two

I'm getting things ready for my flight to Miami tomorrow, where I'll be attending the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. I'll have much more on that tomorrow, but the good news is I'm almost done editing a couple terrific new video recipes. One features my much lighter take on sweet and sour pork, and the other a very sexy concoction inspired by, believe it or not, chocolate covered cherries. Stay tun...

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Apple Jicama Coleslaw – Don't Believe Everything You Read in the Produce Aisle

This crispy, crunchy, and extremely refreshing coleslaw recipe features a very under-utilized vegetable found in almost every large American grocery store's produce section – I'm talking about jicama.In fact, there's a good chance you've never had it, which is a shame. The flavor is very mild, and subtly sweet. It's just perfect for raw salads like this coleslaw, and blends wonderfully with the tart apple and crunchy cabbage.One problem with jicama is how it's marketed. As you'll see in the video, the label described it as, "a Mexican potato," which is just a terrible comparison. If you want to...

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Follow Me, Foodie, Over to Follow Me Foodie

During the video panel discussion I participated in at the 2010 Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, I offered to showcase videos created by any of the young, budding video bloggers in attendance. One such blogger is the lovely and talented, Mijune, from Follow Me Foodie.Of course when I made my offer, I should have been clearer that I didn't really want videos whose quality and production value were better than mine, but it's too late now. A promise is a promise. Here are Mijune's first two videos – an introduction to her new format, and a review of YEW Restaurant & Bar at The Four Seasons Hotel in...

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Shrimp Cooked on Himalayan Pink Salt – I Sherpa Hope You Like It!

I've always wanted to cook something on Himalayan pink salt, but I just can't for the life of me tell you why. I knew that flavor-wise there couldn’t be any real difference between cooking on pink salt, and simply seasoning with it, but that didn’t seem to matter.Just the idea of cooking on what's basically a slab of crystal, appealed to some indefinable internal force inside of me. Having said that, I still reserve the right to continue to mock those people that wear crystals for their healing properties, because that's just nuts.Anyway, back to these shrimp. As I summarize in the video: it was...

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A Chip Off the Old Pink Block

Tomorrow, I hope to have a new video up where I cook on a hot slab of pink Himalayan salt. I've been wanting to try this for a while, and finally found a nice piece of this sexy salt in a neighborhood grocery store. Will it work? Will it crack? Will it be too salty, or not salty enough? Will it taste like Yeti? Stay tun...

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Artichoke and Spinach Stuffed Shells - A Lesson in Leftovers

I love cooking with leftovers, and this artichoke and spinach stuffed shells recipe is a perfect example of why. There's something very satisfying about turning a dish of tired leftovers into a vibrant new creation. It's also great exercise for your cooking muscles, which should never be confused with your following-a-recipe muscles.When you follow a recipe, you're tying to manipulate food into something fabulous that fits some beautifully idyllic description, or looks like some photoshop'd picture in a cookbook. When you're cooking with leftovers, you don't have as lofty of a goal. In fact, your...

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Chef John is Flying High

Chef John is currently flying cross-country, back to beautiful San Francisco. In addition to typing in the third person, for no apparent reason, Chef John is plotting a whole bunch of exciting new video recipes. Stay tun...

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Last Minute Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas: Keep it Simple Cupid!

"Cupid's Span" Photo (c) grahamc99We're not going to judge you, much. Sure, you had weeks to plan a nice dinner for that special someone, but you waited until today to actually figure out what you're going to serve. And, since you don't really know how to cook, you're now panicking wondering what you can possibly pull off without a practice run. Nice going.Relax, we have you covered. Here are some very sexy main course ideas that can be pulled off by even the most inexperienced cooks and lovers (those two things usually go hand in hand). Just click on the recipe's title, and you'll be swept away...

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Valentine's Day Chocolate Mocha Pot de Crème - Now, What's for Breakfast?

Easy "no-bake" chocolate mocha pot de cremeThe real goal of any hot Valentine's Day date isn't to make a great dinner; it's to make a great breakfast for that same person the next day. With that in mind, we're going to need something a little richer, sexier, and more decadent than usual. Luckily, richer, sexier, and more decadent is exactly what this chocolate mocha pot de crème recipe is all about. Sure, it's basically just a soft, coffee-flavored chocolate ganache, but when you serve it out of those cute little demitasse cups, top it with some thickened cream, and dust it with cocoa to simulate...

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Valentine's Special: Average Betty and Fabio Sexy-Up Chicken and Rice!

I'm still in West Chester, PA, after a fascinating day of training at QVC. Since I have no new video recipe to share, I'll have to do the next best thing, and use somebody else's. Here's my buddy Sara from Average Betty getting all female on international playboy, and Top Chef All-Star, Fabio Viviani, who in return gets all Fabio on her. Together they bring you a rustic Chicken Marsala recipe served with an unusual, but erotically charged Strawberry Champagne Risotto. This menu is so Fabio and Average Betty, it hurts.I've posted my slightly less steamy version below, and it's one of the recipes...

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At QVC Learning How to "Move Product"

Hello from chilly West Chester, PA! After being postponed a week due to weather, I finally made it to QVC for a training session in preparation for a future appearance to promote the cookbook. It's going to be tough to reply to comments and emails for the next day or two, so I'll thank you in advance for your patience. Wish me lu...

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Why is Chocolate So Popular on Valentine's Day? Because it Works!

I'm not saying that homemade "Good for One Full Body Massage" gift certificate you're making for your Valentine isn't going to be a huge hit, but just in case, you may want to whip up one or more of these sexy chocolate desserts. Enjoy!Chocolate Sea Salt CrostiniThe marriage of warm, crispy-edged bread, peppery olive oil, bittersweet chocolate, and briny sea salt is sublime.Chocolate Egg CreamAlong with the chocolate come the simple additions of milk and seltzer water. The magic of this drink is how the minimalist design produces such a rich, yet refreshing chocolate beverage.Hot Chocolate StonesYou...

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Fresh (Really, Really Fresh) Brown Butter Perch Cooked on Ice

This video recipe for brown butter perch features my first on-ice cooking demonstration, and if I could've woken up before 8 AM, it would have featured my first ice fishing demonstration. I've always felt that an alarm clocks' effectiveness has an inverse relationship to how nasty the weather is. I love perch. I love everything about them – the sweet, delicate flavor, the striking coloration, and the stubborn fight they put up for their size. So, when some friends of mine invited me out to their little slice of frozen heaven to ice fish for them, I jumped at the chance.I will resist the temptation...

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Predicting the Super Bowl Winner with Chicken Wing Bones

I feel kind of guilty. I've been publishing this blog for four years now, and I this is the first time I'm letting you in on my magical method for picking the Super Bowl winner. I can't tell you how or where I learned how to do this (long story short, I'd be killed by a very tall, dreadlocked gypsy if I did), but I can tell you it's a sure thing. Normally, I'd never give insane advice like withdraw your children's college funds, and bet everything on the game, but here, it would be crazy not to. ;-) Enjoy!Speaking of Buffalo Chicken Wings – They're Now Available in Convenient Dip FormMy friend,...

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This Clams Casino Dip Will Cover the Spread at Your Super Bowl Party

I love clams casino, and I made that fact known publicly in this post last year. Certainly, a tray of hot clams casino would make a handsome addition to your Super Bowl spread, but large, fresh clams aren’t cheap, and you're probably looking for something a little simpler, and that can be made ahead of time.This clam dip appetizer (which is technically a "spread" as I explain at the end of the video), contains the same basic ingredient list as traditional clams casino, and while it really tastes nothing like its hot namesake, I think any fan of the clam dip will be very happy with it.You'll see...

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