Slashfood

• Taste Nibbles From YumSugar
  

  Filed under: YumSugar

  Each Thursday or Friday (oops!), we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.
  
  • Competitive eating isn't for amateurs - an Indian man died after choking on a pastry at his company's eating contest.
  • Who doesn't love a good holiday puree! Check this slide show for five varieties.
  • Looking for a retro nibble for your Thanksgiving relish dish? Try these Chicken Salad Stuffed Celery Bits.
  • An interview with Dale DeRoff, King of Cocktails.
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  • Craft Beer 101 - Weekend Reading Assignment
    

    Filed under: Beer, Magazines, Trends

    As much as I attempt to pander to the populous, and despite amplifying ubiquity on local store shelves and pub draft dockets alike, proper craft beer appreciation still seems to be relegated to the realm of "beer snobbery." And gosh darn it, articles in the freakin' New Yorker aren't going to help anything!
    
    But all kidding aside, I was turned on to this extensive article in The New Yorker discussing "The rise of extreme beer." Hmm... If the X-Games eventually garnered mainstream acceptance, maybe xtreme beer will have its day in the sun. [Writer's note: This officially marks the first and...
    
  
  
  
  • The Giglio - Cocktail Hour
    

    Filed under: Cocktail Hour

    After a week spent wandering the halls of Tales of the Cocktail in July 2008, sipping many finely stirred and shaken libations; I said to myself, "These special cocktails need to be shared with the world." So I bring you Cocktail Hour, a finer way to celebrate the end of the day; with these recipes. They have either been created specifically for Tales of the Cocktail, or re-designed for a new approach on the traditional version by some of the top Mixologists in the world. Many are being presented to the public here for the first time. Enjoy!
    
    The Giglio cocktail recipe...
    
  
  
  
  • The Future of Fish
    

    Filed under: Farming, Business, Fish, Food News

    
    Mark Bittman, AKA The Minimalist, has an interesting op-ed in the New York Times this week, about the future of fish. A few key points:
    
    - If current fishing practices continue, many major commercial fish stocks will likely collapse in the next fifty years. Many fish populations have already been seriously depleted.
    
    - Smaller fish species like herring, anchovies and sardines are also in trouble, as they're being caught and made into fish meal for livestock and farmed fish. Using fish meal to feed farmed fish is extremely inefficient - at least three kilos...
    
  
  
  
  • Beaujolais Nouveau - The Hello Kitty Version
    

    Filed under: Wine, Asia, Trends, Thanksgiving, Fall

    Yesterday I posted about the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau--and why I think you should try a Cru Beaujolais instead. Some commenters told me that they'll stick with the Nouveau version, and that's totally cool. Especially if you live in Japan, where you can get Beaujolais Nouveau with a Hello Kitty logo. As if that's not a sweet enough deal, the bottle is also plastic, a much more environmentally friendly shipping container, especially for an inexpensive wine meant to be drunk immediately like Beaujolais Nouveau.
    
    It may surprise some to hear that plastic is...
    
  
  
  
  • Last Meals - What's on Your Plate?
    

    Filed under: Dinner, Food News

    
    Last meals.
    
    You discuss it after a particularly satisfying holiday feast. Melanie Dunea wrote a book about the topic last year. And now, the National Museum of Crime and Punishment has queried more than 500 of their visitors on the subject, asking: "What if you could have absolutely anything you desired -- and what if you knew it would be the last meal you ever ate?"
    
    There were absolutely no limitations or conditions set on the answers. The questioners found that people tended to gravitate towards foods that were either comforting and familiar or extravagantly luxurious for...
    
  
  
  
  • Diary of a Distiller: Chapter 27 - Getting Closer and Closer
    

    Filed under: Diary of a Distiller

    Over the weekend we finished installing new steam pipes and condensate returns for the brewery boiler. Late Saturday afternoon we fired the boiler up and it seemed to work fine. When we got in Monday to check on things, the sight glass on the brew kettle was broken. We think it probably had the wrong gaskets or some other small problem and cracked during the cool-down. We ordered a replacement, and some valves, and then we're set to start brewing.
    
    Later Monday we got our first shipment of brewing ingredients: crushed malt, hops, yeast, and assorted adjuncts and fermentation nutrients. So as soon as we clear up...
    
  
  
  
  • Provencal Salad - Two Salads in One
    

    Filed under: Recipes, Soups/Salads

    
    Have you ever been torn between the flavors and textures of a potato salad, and those of your usual tossed salad? If so, I strongly recommend the following recipe -- a great way to have the best of both worlds.
    
    The Provencal Salad from Epicurious is a mix that gives you the creamy chew of potatoes and eggs, matches them with the crisp, fresh flavors of tomato and green beans, and then tops it off with capers and tuna. It's quite easy to make, and can be made in stages. Boil the eggs ahead of time, prep the green beans, then just bring it all together...
    
  
  
  
  • 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes - Cookbook of the Day (Plus Giveaway!)
    

    Filed under: Cookbook of the Day

    More and more people are discovered that they have gluten intolerances these days (and many of them have documented their dietary changes on these here interwebs). A gluten-free lifestyle can be a huge adjustment but there are some good cookbooks out there that can help with the transition. One such cookbook is 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes, which has become the modern-day Joy of Cooking for gluten-free set.
    
    This book clocks in at nearly 700 pages and has recipes for just about every dish, baked good, sauce and salad that you could possibly want to prepare. It's not a glossy...
    
  
  
  
  • Get a Little Spice With Some Carrot Cake
    

    Filed under: Recipes, Comfort Food

    
    For months I have been itching to try Archana's Spiced Carrot Cake, a sweet treat that is pumped up with the addition of ground cardamom. I'd been leaning on my banana bread recipes for those moments when a sweet, but not sugar-saturated treat was in order, but it was time for a change.
    
    When you have all the ingredients prepared, this is a great, simple recipe that yields solid, tasty results. The cardamom gives this nice, subtle push of flavor that sets this mix apart. But be warned -- it's a pain in the arse to grind it. I bought some over the summer,...