Faith Middleton Food Schmooze

Lidia Bastianich’s excellent memoir, My American Dream, is out in paperback. Listen back to Faith’s intimate conversation with Lidia, support Connecticut Public Radio with your pledge, and we’ll send you Lidia’s memoir as our thanks. Get ready to be inspired!Support the show.

You asked for it, and we’ve got it for you: this week, we’re reairing our special hour dedicated to the Instant Pot. Why have home cooks put their slow cookers aside and jumped on the Instant Pot bandwagon? (Even Faith has one now!). Bruce Weinstein, co-author of the blockbuster cookbook, The Instant Pot Bible, explains why Instant Pots have staying power and shares recipes for every size and model of Instant Pot.Support the show.

Food & Wine’s Justin Chapple is a home cook’s dream. In his cookbook, Just Cook It!, Justin shares recipes for Roasted Carrot & Avocado Panzanella, Classic Meatloaf Sandwiches with Tomato Jam, and Chocolate-Peanut Pie. Oh, boy. Plus, in this favorite from the archive, the gang shares wine discoveries from Napa Valley and Spain. Support the show.

This week, we're listening back to some of our favorite tips to make you a better cook, including Chris Prosperi's trick for preparing your whole dinner in a rice cooker. It's possible! Plus the gang shares tips for using a mandolin to prep ingredients for salads and slaws; as well as a fast, easy recipe for garlic-lemon shrimp and grits. Instant grits are the "cheater" ingredient that make this a quick weeknight meal. Finally, we call out, "Table for one," loud and proud. Cookbook author Klancy Miller joins us to talk about her book, Cooking Solo. It's all about the joy of cooking for yourself. Klancy shares recipes for a salmon pasta dish (it uses up leftovers!), and Polenta with Shiitake Mushrooms. She shares her Orange Blossom and Almond Cake, too, because, well. . .you have to have friends over!Support the show.

Busy week? We figured. It's about that time. That's why we're listening back to the show where Faith and her food buddies shared lots of ideas for rush-hour meals and instant desserts. . .delicious little numbers you can whip up in no time at all, often with the stuff you’ve already got in your pantry or fridge. Ease is the name of the game. Think: Slow cooker chocolate fondue, puff pastry Napoleons, Klondike sundaes with dulce de leche, chocolate-covered Cheerios, and a chocolate cake you can bake in a mug in about two minutes. Fun stuff you can do in a flash—you don’t even need a recipe.  Support the show.

This week, Faith shares her recipe for Provençal roast tomatoes with a buttery breadcrumb crust. It’s her favorite thing to make right now. Plus, a simple tip for how to get the best sear on a grilled or pan-fried steak, our latest wine discovery, and fun recipes for roasted nuts, pulled pork, and shiny-red candy apples from the new book, Fair Foods.Support the show.

This is a show for coffee lovers. Where’s your favorite coffeehouse, and what makes a coffee shop great? This week, we’re listening back to Faith’s conversation with coffee expert Jordan Michelman. Jordan is the co-author of the book, The New Rules of Coffee: A Modern Guide for Everyone. Faith talks with Jordan about coffee’s history, legendary coffee shops, and coffee trends. Did you know old-school percolators and instant coffee are making a come-back? Grab a cup of coffee—your favorite mug makes a difference—and unwind while listening to this buzzed-up edition of The Faith Middleton Food Schmooze®.   Support the show.

This week, we revisit Faith's conversation with Food Network superstar and bestselling cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis. Giada speaks from the heart in our first two segments for a show recorded on location in Madison, CT. She shares recipes for Cacio e Pepe, Grilled Scallops with Prosciutto, and Grilled Chicken Involtini. Then, Faith and her food buddies round out the show by going crazy over corn. Recipes and ideas include corn salads, corn carbonara, and a savory corn pudding. What are you making with fresh corn right now that’s a little out of the ordinary? Share it with us!Support the show.

We’re holding on to summer with a celebration of everything that’s abundant in the market right now. We’ve got summer salad recipe ideas for your next party. Think: watermelon and shaved vegetables. Plus, rosé sangria (two ways!), and cookbook author and teacher Domenica Marchetti preserves fruit and vegetables the real Italian way. You can too. Domenica also shares a burger recipe topped with onion jam you’ll want to eat by the spoonful. Also this week, we sip a dry $9 rosé from the Bordeaux region that we say begs for experimentation. Make it a spritzer, add a little blood orange liqueur to it, make it into ice cubes. The possibilities are endless.Support the show.

You haven’t seen grilled cheese recipes like these before. The sandwiches in Eric Greenspan’s The Great Grilled Cheese Book will blow your mind. Recipes include the Elvis Grilled Cheese, a Mole Melt and more. Plus, we’ll talk to the co-owner of North Fork’s King Andrew Cheese Carriage, where they specialize in offering cheese flights. Faith details her experience touring the truck/cheese cave and eating founders’ Reeve Andrew and Jessie King’s delicious cheeses from around the world. For our white wine drinkers:  Have you tried Vermentino?  If you like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc, Calasole is a crisp white wine you’ll want to try. What’s happening on Facebook? Vacation photos! Share your vacation or stay-cation pics with the Food Schmooze® community.Support the show.

Fresh berries make fantastic easy desserts, drinks, and entrees. Add berries to pan sauces and salads, use them with store-bought dough and frozen puff pastry dough to make quick mouthwatering desserts. Chef, blogger, and the author of Pure Delicious, Heather Christo, joins the party from Seattle to share her sweet and savory ways with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. Think: interesting salads, flavor-packed salsas, and a gorgeous lemon blueberry coffee cake. Plus, Alex Province pours a $20 sparkling rosé. It's a bottle of pure joy.Support the show.

No pizza dough, no problem. This week, we've got all the lighting fast and fun ways to make pizza on the grill—even with a baguette or tortilla. In fact, Faith's new favorite "instant" pizza is chicken and watermelon with cheese on a corn tortilla. You'll want to steal this idea. For the scratch-cooks out there: a homemade pizza dough recipe from the editor of the cookbook The Total Grilling Manual, Lisa Atwood. Lisa also shares recipes for Grilled Peaches with Butter-Rum Glaze and amped up S'mores (think way beyond the grahams and chocolate). This one's for you, campfire cooks! Plus, the gang experiments with beer ice cubes. Will the beer freeze enough and will the cubes keep our mugs ice cold? We shot video to answer that question. Listen (and watch!). It's a Food Schmooze® pizza party with the works.  Support the show.

Author Drew Lazor joins the party to talk about the hot trend in cool cocktails—and his fun book—Session Cocktails. What are session cocktails? They're low-proof drinks to sip and celebrate with friends throughout an evening. Drew shares recipes for cocktail legend Dale DeGroff’s Watermelon Cooler (so perfect for right now), Pimm’s Cup, and everybody’s favorite frosty wine, Frose. Plus, Faith offers up a method for making crispy polenta fries, Alex Province shares his grilled quail with mole sauce, and Mark Raymond pours a rich white wine from the Côtes du Rhône region in France. We loved it. Support the show.

Grill like the French. In this favorite from the archives, Faith and the gang talk to the author of the eye-popping, mouthwatering cookbook, French Grill. Recipes include Salmon with Tarragon Butter, Grilled Potato Salad, and a decadent Flourless Chocolate Cake (it’s grilled, too, of course!). Plus, thanks to Alex Province, we taste an affordable boxed red wine from France and eat authentic handmade tamales from Tucson, Arizona—they ship! You'll also find out where you can recycle your wine corks in Connecticut.  Support the show.

This week, we invent a Shrimp Cocktail Bloody Mary with two local mixes, sip on a rose and a white wine from France, and share family recipes from Add a Pinch blogger Robyn Stone’s cookbook. Think: Southern classics lightened up—summery Citrus Shrimp, Lemon Meringue Pie with Mile-High Meringue, and a divine Georgia Peach Crisp. Plus, the gang gives shout-outs to locals making good food (and handy kitchen gadgets). We tell you where to eat in Mystic (ah, the views right now!), and Faith describes the best baba ganoush on the East Coast.Support the show.

What to make for 4th of July weekend? Faith and the gang share ideas for stuffed burgers, hot dogs, shrimp rolls, lobster rolls, and Faith’s BLT-inspired potato salad. Plus, discover two wines (a rose and a chardonnay) that go with anything you might serve at a holiday barbecue. They’re great for sipping while watching fireworks, but you’ll want to pour these easy-drinkers all summer long.    Support the show.

Beef tenderloin. Think it’s only for the holidays? Not any more. Chris Prosperi’s herb-crusted grilled beef tenderloin recipe will inspire you to serve this cut of beef on a regular ol’ weeknight, or better still, this weekend. It’s not difficult at all. Plus, move over chicken, Faith’s sliced duck breast (cooked in a skillet!) dresses up everything from salads to sandwiches (i.e. Anthony dreams up a duck po’ boy we’d all like a bite of). We’ll talk classic summer cocktails like margaritas, super-easy blueberry cobbler with pancake batter, and Chris and Alex Province walk you through how to make paella, step by step.Support the show.

Faith talks to the original domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson about her cookbook, At My Table. Get Nigella’s recipe for Emergency Brownies! Ring summer in with Faith’s Bourbon-Glazed Peaches and an easy summer watermelon cocktail. Alex Province encourages you to snip aromatic herbs and grab the most bulbous wine glass you own for his Spanish Gin and Tonic.  Plus, the gang sips two value wines that go with everything on the grill. One is a fruity rose, the other a Malbec we’re brazenly putting on ice.Support the show.

Mark Bittman joins the party with tips and recipes from his cookbook, How to Grill Everything. Think: the perfect steak, a whole chicken, and veggie “stacks.” Chris Prosperi introduces us to a sparkling rose in a can (and we loved it!). Plus, Netta Hadari—a New Haven local—makes phenomenal ice cream from pure ingredients. Netta’s business, an ice cream cart (peddled around on a tricycle), is called What Is Real? Ice Cream. We’ll take a triple scoop!  Support the show.

Food52’s cookbook, Any Night Grilling, has us wanting to grill every night of the week. The author, Paula Disbrowe shares grilling tips and recipes, including Grilled Vegetable Salad, Gulf Coast Shrimp Tacos, and Porchetta-Style Pork Kebabs. We talk to the trio behind Three Girls Vegan Creamery about the amazing vegan “meats” and artisan cheeses they make right here in Connecticut and we taste a tangy cocktail sauce—also made here in Connecticut. Plus, Alex Province walks us through how to make his Southwestern-Inspired Paella.Support the show.