How do you follow a pizza crawl? For many, a salad and a triathlon might be appropriate, but for the some Emeril’s and Martha Stewart Living editors, you follow a pizza crawl with a Pizza Cook-Off. Previous cooking contests include a Chili Cook-Off and a Taco Cook-Off–the events are similar to a potluck, except a theme is assigned in the invite, and guests are invited to compete with the dishes they bring. The competition has gotten quite fierce at these parties, with the contestants putting more and more effort and creativity into their dishes.

The Pizza Cook-Off entries:

Mallory Cruz entered a White Clam Pizza, inspired by the Vognole pizza, served at Otto. Mal’s version included a homemade pizza crust topped with a creamy garlic sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted garlic, and clams sauteed in white wine, garlic, and olive oil.

Read more »

Halloween is huge in New Orleans and why not. This city just loves a good costume party. And of course we can’t have a party without food. There is a big block party in my neighborhood which generally means guests milling in and out all night. So I want to cook something that does not require much last minute work and that will hold well. It might actually be cool here so I would also like something to warm up my guests when they come in from the cold.

I also have a plethora of limes. I have a key lime tree in my yard that is over loaded with limes- I mean hundreds of them. I cannot use them fast enough. Seems to me a big batch of Margaritas or Mojitos are definitely in order as well.

I will probably whip up a batch of jalapeño corn bread too.

This pozole recipe is delicious and you do not have to worry about soaking the hominy. You can check out some of Emeril’s other pozole recipes on our website or on The Food Network. Read more »

 

« Back

Next »

Picture 1 from 5:

You’ve heard all of the hype of cooking with seasonal and local ingredients. And there are reasons for it: it’s healthier, eco-friendly and it reconnects people with, not only their food and planet, but each other. I like to cook; otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing what I do. And I only want to offer myself and others the best – needless to say, I’m a believer. Read more »

Hello Everyone!

My name is Angela Sagabaen and I work as a culinary writer for the Culinary Department here at Emeril’s Homebase. The Culinary Department helps Chef Emeril with recipe development and testing; it’s a fun and unique job and there’s always something new to learn and experience  (not to mention eat).

I’m going to start blogging on the site regularly and I just wanted to introduce myself! I hope to bring you interesting information about food, New Orleans and maybe a tidbit or two on life.

I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and lived in NYC preceding New Orleans. I have been a NOLA resident for 2 years now and would love to show you the city through my eyes. So, nice to meet you and I hope to take you along a fascinating journey.

~Angela

In case you were wondering, this is what I look like.

On Saturday, several Martha Stewart/Emeril Lagasse colleagues and I embarked on a New York Pizza Crawl. One day and 6 pizzerias — all in the search for the best slices in NYC!

 

« Back

Next »

Picture 1 from 27: Here's the Pizza Crawl crew minus me. From left to right: Alison Sickelka (online editor for marthastewart.com), Tiffany Sun (online editor), Todd Hodgson (managing editor), Michelle Buffardi (online editor), Mallory Cruz (sister of Katie Pitre), Katie Pitre (friend and wife of TJ), TJ Pitre (developer) and Paul Kodila (radio producer for Martha Stewart Living Radio).

As mentioned earlier, a group from Emeril’s and Martha Stewart Living has been hosting monthly cooking competitions. The first was a chili cook-off, the second was called, ” Your Signature Dish,” and the most recent was a taco cook-off. The events are a raging success, and at each cook-off, there are more competitors with increasingly creative dishes. The Taco Cook-Off entries included: Tuna Sashimi Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa, Korean Short Rib Tacos, Grilled Swordfish Tacos, Pork Tacos with Roasted Pineapple-Habanero Chile Salsa, Grilled Cod Tacos, Chicken Tacos, and a “Bahn Mexicano” Taco (Vietnamese Slow-Cooked Pork with Sriracha Mayo). Fancy, right?

The way the cook-off works is that the event and theme are announced a few weeks ahead of time and all guests are invited to bring a dish to compete. At the cook-off, the food is served, along with drinks and snacks–like a typical dinner party, but at the end of the buffet-style meals, guests vote for their favorite dish.

When the Taco Cook-Off results were tallied, there was a tie for first place: TJ’s Tuna Sashimi Tacos, and Tim’s Bahn Mexicano Tacos were the favorites, and Brian’s Grilled Swordfish Tacos came in second.

Regardless of winning or losing (which is something a good loser would say) the event was a great time and it was exciting to be a part of competition full of adventurous cooks. And while the winning tacos were amazing, I think that a re-count would reveal the Cod Tacos as #1.

Homemade hard taco shells for TJ’s winning Tuna Sashimi Tacos

Tony’s Braised Short Rib Tacos

Tim’s winning Bahn Mexicano Tacos

The pork for Alison’s Pork Tacos

Tequila, the Official Beverage of the Taco Cook-Off

A team of culinary enthusiasts (ok, fine, we just like to eat) from MSL and Emeril’s have been hosting monthly cook-off competitions — the theme of the first was chili, and for the second, everyone was asked to bring their signature dish. The competition has been heating up at these events, so when a Taco Cook-Off was announced, I knew I had to pull out all the stops. I began researching taco recipes (more on that later) but I knew that whatever I made HAD to be served in a homemade tortilla. I might have been intimidated by the thought of making my own tortillas, but I was emboldened by a recent tortilla-making how-to that Marc Matsumoto posted on twitter, and of course, motivated by the thought of taking the taco crown.

TJ Pitre, my friend, colleague, and cook-off cohort happened to have a near-full bag of masa harina, which is pretty much the only ingredient in tortillas, and I happen to have a brand-new tortilla press, so we teamed up to make a large batch. 7 large batches, in fact. The results were incredible in every way. I couldn’t believe how easy the tortillas were to make; we were adventurous enough to tackle both hard and soft shells. The hard shells were a little trickier, but after our 30th or so, we had all of the bugs worked out. They were so delicious and fresh, that I may not ever purchase packaged tortillas again.

 

« Back

Next »

Picture 1 from 11: Masa harina and my new tortilla press.

Get the recipe after the break:

Read more »

This is Danny Devito’s Limoncello, quick-frozen with liquid nitrogen.  You’ll have to take it on faith, those are the gloved hands of Danny himself.  While the Limoncello itself, is delicioso, frozen like this is not my favorite; too much liquid nitrogen perhaps?  Ah well, Tales of the Cocktail continues to be a full-on blast-in-a-glass.

Ok, Dan Aykroyd’s “luxury” Crystal Head vodka.  Watch the video, ignore the video, be puzzled by the video (me!); drink the vodka, it’s quite nice… and pricey too (about $50).  The skull head is very cool and I’m pretty psyched about the “magical powers.”

This is a cocktail called “The Glazed Ham,” which included bacon-infused vodka, pineapple juice, and a simple syrup made from brown sugar and ginger.  The bacon-vodka was made with a “fat wash” - bacon grease and vodka mixed together, left to infuse  for several days, then refrigerated and the hardened fat removed.  The drink is delicious - sweet, smoky and a bit of back heat from the ginger -  though to me it tasted more teriyaki than glazed ham.