My friend's farm: Rachael's destination

What do you cook when Rachael Ray’s coming to dinner? That’s what I asked my pal Brent Ridge when I heard Rachael Ray visited his farm to film a Food Network special, Rachael’s Vacations: Farm to Table, which airs tomorrow at 11 pm EST/10 C. I’d lean on comfort, just to make myself comfortable: Something seasonal, mac-n-cheese or chili, probably. But whose? Would making my own offend? Would making hers be odd? Brent had a different approach, one I appreciate. Menus must be more clear from the outset when you spend days growing your own food and minding your own herd of goats, which beget luscious creamy goat cheese.

A few years ago Brent, a physician, blogger and all-around interesting guy, and his partner, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, parlayed their New York City love of terrace-grown tomatoes into an ex-pats’ paradise Upstate called Beekman Farm. Their “experiment in seasonal living,” as they call it, has become a full-on way of life, with 60 acres of land to tend, dozens of animals and 110 different kinds of heirloom veggies to sow, grow, harvest, can, freeze, pickle and share.

Brent’s always cooking up something fun, but I’m sure he had a few moments of panic at the idea of entertaining Food Network.  “Sharon Springs is a very, very small town,” Brent says, “and of course the news that Rachael was coming couldn’t be kept a secret…”

“Rachael got her start in upstate New York,” he says, “so not only were we welcoming a celebrity, but also celebrating a hometown girl who made good. Every store on Main Street was polished to a shine, and the local beauty salon worked overtime getting everyone ready.” Sounds idyllic, no? You should meet Brent—this is how he speaks and really how he lives, with enthusiasm and a good spirit and a sunny outlook. You can take a virtual tour of his place here.

What Brent made: Green bean slaw with bacon

Rachael’s visit was a ways back, in high harvest season, so Brent made a green bean slaw and welcomed Rachael and crew. He said it was a blast, and that he can’t wait to see the special tomorrow. (It has to be strange to be on the other side of things, getting filmed and interviewed without knowing what will make it to air!) He’ll be watching with friends. On the table? Some of the farm’s first artisanal cheese, Beekman 1802 Blaak (the name comes from Dutch spelling of the color, and the color of the cheese’s rind). To go with it, Brent suggests a mellow Malbec, rosemary crackers and maybe onion jam as a to-go-with, or chili pepper jelly. I loved his idea of setting out whole honeycomb to go alongside, but I don’t think I can get that in my ‘burbs. Still, it’s nice to hear such a simple, dreamy idea and to think if I ever stop by his place like Rachael did that I might be able to enjoy some, too.

–Editorial Director Deb Puchalla

Most secretaries don’t count testing video games as part of their job responsibilities. But Food Network has high standards and everything gets tested plenty–even our new Wii game, which hits stores tomorrow, Cook or Be Cooked! We Food Networkers all wear many hats, so when I was asked to try out the new game, I got my nunchucks waxed and ready to go. I loved having a sneak peek and I corralled a few colleagues to play with me in one of our television-filled lounges (sorry, those pictures are top secret!).

In seconds, VP of Marketing and The Next Food Network Star judge Susie Fogelson and Food Network Kitchens chef Mory Thomas came to life before us, explaining how to play the game and how we’d be judged. Funny how something that looks so simple and seamless on screen took hours and days and weeks and months of planning! They’d be watching how we cooked, of course, including timing, seasoning, multitasking and temperature of several different dishes. Then, they’d give them a taste. The pressure was on! The idea is to start with simple dishes and cook your way through dozens of culinary treats until you’re master of a Food Network-worthy virtual kitchen.

You can have game, in the kitchen and out. Get our new Wii game in stores everywhere, starting November 3.

We fried up eggs and bacon for our first recipe. You’d think that would be a rather simple meal, but crack that egg on the edge of the skillet the wrong way and–splat!–major points are deducted. I’m usually too busy keeping everyone and their meetings on track to play much wii, so there was a bit of a learning curve for this new chef, not only with the food but also with gaming technique. We had to use our time wisely. If, say, the eggs take eight minutes and the bacon six minutes, start your eggs first. Once you start one task, you can’t move on to another until you’ve completed the first. Note to future players: Too much pepper can be a catastrophe! Ahem, I found this out rather quickly. (Hungry for breakfast all of a sudden? Get more recipes here.)

My colleague, Dan, who likes a challenge opted for a more expert meal and made the Penne, Turkey Meatballs and Quick Marinara Sauce–looks like the recipe might have been inspired by a Giada extravaganza. As he chopped his onions, he was told the correct way to dice them. I liked this: You’re not only playing a game but being taught technique along the way. It would be fun to play thgis game with kids–they’d be learning to cook while I got used to getting my video game on!

The game includes more than 30 Food Network recipes, so from breakfast to dinner, you can make a whole week’s worth of meals without dirtying a dish (or gain a pound)! You’ll learn new recipes to try with confidence for real,  and you’ll get helpful cooking tips from Mory and Susie. And, for a competitive twist, you can also play in “Hot Potato” mode with four people or have a cook-off battle with two players. So, are you ready to Cook or Be Cooked? Happy gaming–get cooking or get cooked!

- SC

The Foodnetwork.com staff — and pals from our sister sites Food2, Recipezaar, Fine Living and Healthy Eats — kicked off the wicked weekend with a Halloween sweet swap.

The FN Dish’s own Secretary Confidential led the sugar charge with these ghastly goodies (above). She claims she’s no cooking pro, but these chocolate-y brownies, drizzled with icing in the shape of ghosts, tasted frightfully good. (Try making similar treats with Ina’s Outrageous Brownies.)

Our resident baking goddess, Alexis, built this clever graveyard cake from her mom’s chocolate cake recipe and homemade chocolate frosting. Then she used assorted candies, marshmallows and shortbread cookies to make spiders, ghosts and tombstones. (By the way, we were mesmerized by the new Blood Orange Dots candies she found at the market.)

Healthy Eats’ Kristine wanted to make sure we weren’t on calorie overload, so she prepped these lower-cal gingerbread bats. Who says gingerbread is only for Christmas? Get the right cookie cutter and it’s a year-round fave. Better still, a medium-sized cookie is only 65 calories.

Balancing out her healthier treat, Kristine also shared some pumpkin whoopie pies with cream cheese filling (above) — nothing light about these monster cookies! She spotted the recipe on Serious Eats this week. A tip from her: Eat them right away and up the cream cheese if you want a tangier, cream cheesier filling.

Pumpkin was definitely a flavor theme. Emily from the Food Network Store shared some decadent pumpkin-chocolate chip squares (below). The recipe is a secret (she won’t give it up), but if you want to try something similar, how about these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies?

And Kirsten, FN web editor and our party photographer, returned from her family’s Nebraska pumpkin farm with a batch of pumpkin fudge. It went really fast! (Read more about her trip home.)

Of course, we needed something to wash it down, so we mixed up some blood-red mocktails. These vibrant bevies are actually the classic Shirley Temple (one part Grenadine to three parts lemon-lime soda) that we tricked out with colorful gummy worms and skeletons, bats and spiders on the rims. We brainstormed for a festive name. Mark from Food2 was the winner: Shirley Temple of Doom. Runner up: Shirley’s Got Worms!

Looking for last-minute Halloween ideas? Check out more tricky treats.

What did you whip up for Halloween?

Farms aren’t usually known for smelling good, but when you walk into Vala’s you’re greeted by the aroma of coffee and freshly baked cinnamon rolls. (When the craving hits, try Cinnamon Rolls from Food Network Magazine for a similar homemade version.)

The coffee house is named after me, since I started it years ago. Bragging rights, right?

Working your way around the farm, two can’t-miss, signature treats are caramel apples and kettle corn, foods I crave all year.

Here’s a fresh apple being dipped into a cauldron of perfectly melted caramel. To make caramel apples at home, check out this recipe: Perfect Caramel Apples. And don’t miss our toppings bar.

Like many festivals, fried foods are sure-fire favorites. I’ve spent hours and hours in front of Vala’s fryers, making funnel cakes, potato ribbons, French fries and onion rings. Yumm! Food Network’s Spider Web Fritters make a great homemade goodie, if you want to fry up your own Halloween treat.

The most popular drink on the farm is Vala’s own root beer.

And you can never go wrong with a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookie. Check out all of our devilish desserts for Halloween. Or, you can also try a pumpkin main course, like Paula’s Pumpkin Baked Ziti or Rachael’s Pumpkin Penne.

Munching my way around the farm, I was amazed by all the Food Network fans I ran into (people I never would have guessed liked cooking and/or Paula Deen). And even though I work for the Web site, everyone had the same request: “You should bring Food Network to Vala’s!” I don’t know about that, but I did bring a backpack full of Vala’s food back to New York City with me. You really can’t beat the kettle corn! Once I run out, I’ll rely on Paula Deen’s caramel corn to get me through until my next trip home.

- Kirsten, Web Editor

Thursday, 10/8:

Food Network HQ looked like it does every morning when I arrived at the office, but by the end of the day it had transformed into party central for the Chelsea Market After Dark event. Talk about a tour de force of FN talent. I spotted Alton, Guy, Sandra Lee, Aida, Alex, Anne and several contestants from The Next Iron Chef. Guy’s party den was out of control, complete with screaming fans, dancing bartenders, Guy tattoos and Jagermeister shots.

Friday, 10/9:

FN staffers were looking and feeling worse for wear after the previous night’s festivities. While others headed to the Burger Bash, I chose a calmer evening of lectures and cooking demos.

* Martha Stewart rustled up a gorgeous autumnal feast of seared duck breast with fig sauce, braised red cabbage and a potato cake from her brand-new cookbook. The smells wafting through the auditorium made me feel much happier about the cooler weather and new season.
* Former NY Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni was smart, well-spoken and wildly entertaining, especially when outing certain restaurants for pretending not to recognize him when it was painfully obvious they did. His most-loved foods: aged prime steak and o-toro (tuna belly). Most hated: whole anchovies and sprouts.
* Anthony Bourdain and Chef David Chang, beers in hand, regaled the crowd with their commentary on the food world and the restaurant industry. According to Chang, there is nothing sexy about being a chef. (I hazard FN fans would not agree.) Bourdain brushed off his notoriety as a “bad boy chef,” saying he’s not a boy, he hasn’t been a chef in nine years, and he has invisible tea parties with his two-and-a-half year old. He also put cupcakes, butter, bacon and pork belly on the judge’s stand as overexposed foods. Don’t tell Paula!

Saturday, 10/10:

After checking out the Good Food Garden assembled in the Meatpacking District, I headed to sushi class with Iron Chef Morimoto. We made nigiri with the kitchen staff, drank wine and met the master himself. I rolled out with new skills, a full belly and a sushi mat signed by Morimoto-san. Pure bliss.

Sunday, 10/11:

On the final day of the festival, I hit cooking demos featuring two of my favorite chefs.

Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio shared a feast of confit: tomato, lemon, tuna and pork. He told the crowd he loves cooking confit at home since it’s so hearty and comforting. Want to try your hand at confit? Check out our recipes.

Tom’s top restaurant tip: Write your food allergies or dietary restrictions on a card to give to your server. Having written instructions makes it easier for the kitchen to meet individual diners’ needs.

Tom’s best quote: “We need to get away from always asking how much of an ingredient to use. It’s all about the feel. In the restaurant we don’t use recipes; we teach methods and techniques.”

The crowd hounded Colicchio with questions about Top Chef, but he claimed he doesn’t yet know the winner — though he does have the scoop on whose cuisine will reign supreme in The Next Iron Chef. He’s not telling.

Iron Chef Morimoto showed up with his arm in a sling and handed over demo duties to his chef de cuisine. So what happened? Morimoto told the crowd to pick their favorite of two stories: he injured himself while a) cage-fighting or b) big-game fishing. I’ll place bets on the latter.

Monday, 10/12:

Chef withdrawal.

— Angela Moore, VP/Site Director

The meat was on. At stake, title of “best meatball,” a $5,000 prize and, of course, one’s pride. More than 25 chefs and restaurants were competing. The judging panel, tough… Food critic extraordinaire and The Next Iron Chef judge Jeffrey Steingarten, restaurant critic Frank Bruni of NY Times fame, and Gail Simmons, best known for her regular role as judge on that food-reality competition show that’s NOT on our network. And then there was me. The toughest of them all, with the lingering memory on my palate of my mother’s mouth-watering Sicilian meatballs… firm yet delicate combo of beef and pork with killer ingredients of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, pignoli nuts and raisins, bathed in the most delectable tomato sauce. Lucky them, my vote wouldn’t count.

Table to table we meandered, meatballs at every turn. Anne Burrell said she had the winning meatball. The secret from this restaurant chef was in the sauce — a little pancetta. Claire Robinson was on hand to help serve. Mamma mia, it was good. But Mamma — Mamma (Rocco) DiSpirito that is, would beg to differ. Famous for her classic Neapolitan meatball, mother and son rocked it with a side of rigatoni. Try as I may, even in my best Italian, she wouldn’t give up her recipe. Across the way, The Next Iron Chef’s Amanda Freitag was convinced that the meatball she serves at her NY restaurant, The Harrison, was the one. No day off for Alex Guarnaschelli either. She turned up with her mini meatball pizzas — three perfectly sauced morsels of meatball perched atop fried dough, along with homemade ricotta cheese and grilled radicchio.

Thirteen meatballs later, I sought relief in a cannoli and a tiramisu lollipop. Thankfully, someone was smart enough to provide dessert.

In the end, the judges awarded Locanda Verde’s Andrew Carmellini the bestest, for his lamb meatball slider. Meatball Madness gets my vote as a must-bring-back-next-year event to the NYC Wine & Food Festival. In the meanwhile, I’ll always have my mamma’s.

— FN ClipChick

It was a fan’s dream, come true: Once inside I would actually have the opportunity to meet and hang out with some of my favorite FN stars like Alex Guarnaschelli, Aaron McCargo Jr. and Next Food Network Star winner Melissa d’Arabian. Each FN host was down to earth and genuinely delighted to chat with fans, which only reinforced my love for all things Food Network (if I sound like a kindred spirit, check out the I Love Food Network blog).

Shortly after entering Chelsea Market we were greeted by none other than Sandra Lee. Let me tell you, she was incredibly radiant. She was cheerful and gracious as she signed autographs and snapped photos with fans (including me!). The sweet scent of freshly baked goods like red velvet cake from Ruthy’s Bakery and savory aromas of the Lobster Place’s chowder filled the air, pulling me through the market. Chelsea Market was filled to the brim with casually dressed fans and foodies alike but to my surprise I never waited more than a few minutes at each tasting or food station.

I stopped staring for a minute to enjoy a cup of Upstate Chili from Dickson’s Farmstand Meats; it was made with tender Hudson Valley Beef and soft Fingerlake navy beans with just a hint of smoky cumin. There I met Tony and Alice from Austin, Texas who made the trip just for the opportunity to meet and be photographed with Guy Fieri! I have to admit I, too, was hoping to meet Guy and before long the lure of Guy’s Big Bite and Bar captured my full attention. It was like being transported into the swankiest multilevel dimly lit lounge. Beautiful white sofas with plush red area rugs were carefully placed on the perimeter. At center stage was Guy, in true rock-star fashion surrounded by a crowd of screaming fans just waiting to get a glimpse of him. The lounge featured a full bar and a live rock band (Anne Burrell was bopping her head to the music).

Then there were the temporary tattoo stations and a Ninendo Wii where guests lined up to try their hand at Food Network’s Cook or Be Cooked video game. The energy in this room, as Guy would put it, was off the hook! I couldn’t have asked for more. Chelsea After Dark certainly exceeded my expectations and set the tone for an incredible weekend to come.

Check out this Flickr stream for highlights.

–Food Network’s superfan, Robin Koury

Here’s a little-known Jamie fact: his first job out of culinary school was as the head pastry chef at a leading Italian restaurant in London. So, unlike many traditional chefs who occasionally throw together a cake or some cookies, Jamie really knows his way around sweets (he makes great Blackberry and Apple Pie and Creamy Rice Pudding).

This is truly the easiest muffin recipe possible – you throw everything into the food processor, butternut squash skin and all. It ended up making a few more than the recipe yield (bonus!), and they baked up beautiful, moist and flavorful. The tangy citrus, sour cream frosting wasn’t bad, but it was unusual. I actually preferred these unfrosted – more like muffins than cupcakes.

You can find 100 of Jamie’s best recipes on his chef page, here. And there’s also a ton of Jamie info, news and recipes from all of his cookbooks at his own Web site, www.jamieoliver.com. I cooked up Jools’s Favorite Beef Stew (Jools is Jamie’s wife) to use up the other half of my butternut squash. It’s a hearty, veggie-filled one-dish dinner, great for a fall weekend.

- Kirsten, Web Editor

Check out these fun finds for autumn 2009.

Wine Ratings Guide iPhone App:
A one-million wine database, plus your own personal ratings list

Harvest Tweets:
Vineyard reports from across North America

From the Expert:
Screwcaps and boxed wine are in!

Wine Shop Savvy:
How to return a flawed bottle

Harvest Vine Wallpaper:
Dress your desktop for fall.

Need info and tips on vino? Let us know.

- Angela Moore, VP/Site Director

Yesterday, Extreme Cuisine host Jeff Corwin told Secretary Confidential he had homemade pasta fagioli for dinner — pasta, white beans, red beans, fava beans and broth — along with crusty bread and a glass of red wine. Pretty tame, right? Tonight, tune in and join in on a much different culinary experience as Jeff and crew debut a run of all-new episodes of Extreme Cuisine. We caught up with Jeff to find out where he’s been — like Greece and Morocco — and what’s been on his plate, including one bony dish of fish.

SC: Tell me about the prep that goes into the show and how you choose where to visit?

JC: We do a ton of research. I approach these shows not only as foodie but as a biologist, as a scientist and as an anthropologist [for Jeff's bio, click here]. I reach into all of these different satchels to harvest information. I want to know where the dish originates from, what makes the dish unique, what sort of environmental connection there is. I’m looking to not only push myself but push the audience. Basically, we chose each location based on the stories, the food and the people. What I want the audience to do is leave their cultural biases behind and jump in the fryer with me. My hope is that they really see how food is the glue that binds culture.

SC: This season takes you not only abroad but to spots in the United States that we never knew could be so exotic. What surprises have you found?

JC: Incredible surprises! That’s the whole thing — Extreme Cuisine isn’t just in India or Thailand. It can be in Louisiana. There, we met Mr. Conny, who is 83 years old and lives without electricity on the Chasile River. And he goes out and fishes for catfish. We cooked them the traditional way, the way his mother and grandmother cooked them. We’re there to tell his story. Or being in Washington and going with the Grande Ronde tribal community as they climb 100-foot waterfalls going after eels. They cook them in a traditional manner that’s been done for hundreds of years.

SC: Have you ever seriously hesitated on downing the food?

JC: No, not really. We were not going to eat food for the sake of grossing people out. We didn’t want to “Fear Factor” it. The big filter for me was to make sure it was an ethical meal, a sustainable meal and a meal that had some root in renewability. I also, realize that if I have any cultural prejudices against food that’s my problem. I had to leave them on the burner and take a chance. And you have to trust yourself and the people you’re with. When you walk through a marketplace and see a dog licking at your ankles and you don’t see any running water and you think, “This meal is raw!”  Then you have to think, “I’m in line with 40 other people; they must know what they are doing so hopefully it will all work out.” And so far it has. Flavors don’t bother me; as long as things fall within my ethical filter it doesn’t bother me.

SC: You travel extensively. Where would you most like to bring your fans?

JC: I have many places in the world where I want to take the Food Network audience. I want to take them to a Boma in Kenya with the Maasai, where you see how the Masai live and eat. We’ll work our way to those places. Another place where I really want to take them is to India. I’ve been there before but what’s neat about this series is I get to approach the visits from a gastronomic epicurious angle. The show’s a cultural kaleidoscope — every region has something unique to offer.

With an open mind and mouth, Jeff Corwin is traversing through land near and far on radical culinary adventures. Check him out tonight on Extreme Cuisine. And let me know where you’d like to see Jeff go!

Eat Well- Secretary Confidential