FN Dish – Food Network Blog: Go behind-the-scenes at Food Network featuring your favorite chefs, shows, recipes, events and more.

And we thought we had weird pancakes

Mac & Cheese Pancakes? The story goes something like this: Famed NYC chef Kenny Shopsin had a patron who only ate either mac and cheese or pancakes. One day, said patron couldn’t choose between the two and asked Shopsin to decide. The result is a serendipitous combination of the disparate dishes, and now Shopsin is showing us how they’re made. [youtube.com/TheNewYorkTimes]

DIY Easter Candy: We’re looking ahead to Easter, and we’ve been busy baking up the most festive desserts yet: springtime cupcakes, a new kind of carrot cake and more. Well here’s another totally adorable idea: a deviled egg-inspired Cadbury Creme. [seriouseats.com]

Cooking Beets and Spinning Beats: The New York Times profiles “Lunch Breaks,” a web video series that combines hip hop and healthy cooking, helmed by famed break dancer Richard Colon. Its verdict? “Think of Wayne’s World meets the Food Network — with a funky beat.” Fun! [nytimes.com]

Kitchen Things You Can’t Live Without: 13 chefs weigh in on their five favorite kitchen tools. They range from the commonly used (pepper grinders) to the totally personal (special spoons). We’re still unclear on what to do with one chef’s tweezers. What can’t you live without? [huffingtonpost.com] [Food Network Store]

Here’s our round-up of food news, trends and happenings across the web. Check back for more, and tell us what else you’re loving in the comments.

In the last round before the finale, four veterans experienced the other side of the chopping block.

The cast and producers of Chopped get this all the time from fans, on Facebook, on the street, at festivals: Yeah, sure, those judges of yours can pick apart a dish all day long—but could they handle the pressure on the HOT side of the chopping block? For four of our judges, this episode finally put that question to rest for good.

From our newest regular critic, Maneet Chauhan, to veterans Amanda Freitag, Geoffrey Zakarian and Aarón Sanchez, the energy and enthusiasm was incredible—and so were the nerves! In the judges’ lounge before the battle, Geoffrey acted cool as a cucumber (as always), but I didn’t believe him. Aarón was hopping up and down with nervous energy and even more bluster than usual—a different person than the sensitive, hilarious judge you see seated at the Block. Amanda confessed to some butterflies, too, but as a formidable competitor who came in third on The Next Iron Chef, we knew she would be vicious at the stove. Maneet, also a NIC veteran, seemed the least ruffled to me.

For me, this battle was the most anticipated of the whole series. But for the judges, it was the most dreaded. It is not easy to criticize the work of your friends, colleagues and peers, face-to-face, on national television, let alone to chop three out of the four, and Alex Guarnaschelli, in particular, was not looking forward to it. But everybody came in knowing that this was for charity and for fun, and that only one Chopped judge was going to come out on top. So we started the clock and got down to business.

Of course, our judge/competitors had a huge advantage over the average Chopped contestant — they’re all top-flight New York City chefs with years of experience, they know the palates of their colleagues, they know the kitchen inside and out, and not only are they not afraid of cameras, they know how to seduce them.

Read more »

It’s true! Food Network Magazine’s new cookbook, Great Easy Meals, is officially a New York Times Best Seller. The new cookbook is packed with 250 simple meals that are perfect for weeknight cooking, including 50 new ten-minute dessert recipes. The book also has dozens of cooking tips from the Food Network Kitchens, menu-planning ideas and looks inside the kitchens of your favorite FN stars. Food Network Magazine featured a few of the super-easy, super-fast desserts in its April issue. Here are a couple of favorites:

Grapefruit Mousse

Read more »

Chef Geoffrey Zakarian faces off against three of his fellow Chopped judges this Sunday night.

There’s just one spot left in the Chopped All-Stars finale battle on April 3, and four esteemed chefs are determined to lock it down. In the previous three All-Star battles, some chefs didn’t quite know what they were getting into when they stepped onto the Chopped set. In Round Four, however, these chefs are intimately familiar with the intensity of the show — but they’re usually seated on the judges’ panel.

Geoffrey Zakarian, Aaron Sanchez, Amanda Freitag and Maneet Chauhan are accustomed to doing the chopping, not being on the chopping block, but all four were excited to turn the tables and compete for their favorite charities. We chatted with Chef Geoffrey about the experience of being a Chopped competitor, the camaraderie among his fellow judges, and where he’ll be watching the battle unfold this Sunday night.

Did you hesitate at all before signing on to compete on Chopped All-Stars, since you know just how tough it is?
I didn’t hesitate a bit. It was terrific, although it’s very difficult. I’ve done Iron Chef and this I believe is more difficult. Everything is wilderness. I mean, 20 minutes? It’s borderline impossible when you really come to grips with what you’re trying to do. It was as hard as I thought it would be. I was ready to do it, but when you get there in the morning it’s very nerve-wracking.

Did the experience change the way you judge at all?
We always knew it was hard, but this just really emphasized how hard it actually is. The reality is whether you get bad ingredients or good ingredients, it’s hard. It’s almost harder when you get good ingredients! When you’ve got rack of lamb, sometimes all the plates turn out the same. With some wild stuff, you get a small chance of putting together some very interesting combinations.

Read more »

Meet Nadia G., Cooking Channel host and South Beach reporter extraordinaire

At this year’s South Beach Food & Wine Festival, Cooking Channel’s Nadia G. — the hilariously irreverent host of Bitchin’ Kitchen — was on the ground chatting it up with everyone from Duff Goldman to our newest Iron Chef, Marc Forgione. Check out some footage from this Canadian rising star’s whirlwind weekend down South.

At the Best Thing I Ever Ate at the Beach party, Nadia posed a question that’s bound to get any chef fired up: What’s the worst thing you ever ate?

During the day, Nadia chatted with Guy Fieri about cooking with kids, a subject near and dear to both of these personality-packed chefs, who also share a penchant for tattoos.

Then Nadia hung out backstage during Guy’s standing-room-only cooking demo, which truly looked like a rock concert. Check out her guest appearance on stage — it was a surprise to everyone, including Nadia!

Want to see more Nadia G.? Check out more videos from South Beach on our sister blog Devour and catch Bitchin’ Kitchen on Wednesdays at 10:30pm/9:30c on Cooking Channel.

Dressed Up Swedish Meatballs - Image Courtesy Food Network Magazine

If you are like me, you grew up eating meatballs in their most traditional sense: tossed in an Italian tomato meat sauce next to a heaping scoop of spaghetti pasta. Well, this is only one way to enjoy the minced meat creations. But have you ever had meatballs on a stick? Or have you featured them in a chili-based soup or combined them with bulgur wheat, pine nuts and lamb? These meatball concoctions are loaded with fun flavors.

While the traditional version is topped with a thick gravy alongside lingonberry preserves, this recipe for Swedish Meatballs from foodnetwork.com offers an updated twist. These golf ball-sized bites are flash fried, skewered with a pickled cucumber slice and served with lingonberry-cream dipping sauce.

Use the word “meat” loosely and try David Rocco’s recipe for Tuna Meatballs from cookingchanneltv.com.  For a mix of sweet and savory, David minces sushi-grade tuna and combines it with breadcrumbs, pine nuts and raisins before frying the balls and glazing them with a simple balsamic rosemary reduction.

Such classic Mexican flavors as cilantro, chili and mint are highlighted in Food.com’s recipe for Authentic Sopa De Albondigas (Meatball Soup). Better make an extra large batch of this timeless sopa – one bowl and you will be hooked.

Lamb and onions are sautéed then stuffed inside a hearty mixture of bulgur, mint and allspice in food2.com’s recipe for Kibbeh Meatballs. For a refreshing touch, serve these two-bite meatballs alongside a light mint yogurt dip.

Duff Goldman: Ace of Ice Cream

Duff’s New Ice Cream: This Ace of Cakes has partnered with Blue Bunny to create four cake-themed ice creams. Here’s the scoop on the new flavors: Chocolate Lovers Triple Chocolate Cake, Strawberries are Forever Shortcake, I Do I Do Wedding Cake and Red Carpet Red Velvet. We’re already screaming for them. [eater.com]

Bolivia’s Quinoa Conundrum: Global demand for quinoa is so high these days those farming it in Bolivia are having to give it up as a dietary staple. As richer countries discover the super food, which is packed “with an exceptional balance of amino acids,” prices for quinoa have skyrocketed, making local consumption dwindle. [nytimes.com]

Alice Waters’ Daughter (Shockingly) Loves Salad: The Wall Street Journal profiles Fanny Singer, daughter of legendary chef Alice Waters, and reveals several noteworthy bites:  her first word was “lobster,” she doesn’t use a microwave and her biggest food indulgence is spending roughly $150 on 12 biodynamic limes. [wsj.com]

Restaurants and Bars Helping Japan: Here in New York, some local restaurants are donating proceeds from special menus to Japan’s relief fund. The New York Times shares a few of these spots, while Grubstreet.com has listed some local bars lending a hand. What establishments in your area are doing the same?

Here’s our round-up of food news, trends and happenings across the web. Check back for more, and tell us what else you’re loving in the comments.

Louie and the Redhead Lady in Mandeville, LA celebrated its DDD appearance with this tasty tribute to Guy. Image courtesy Louie and the Redhead Lady.

It’s not news to anyone that Guy Fieri is a total rock star. His “Chef-Dude” magnetism has been chronicled by the New York Times: It all started with his win on The Next Food Network Star; then came Guy’s Big Bite and soon after, the wildly popular Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. More recently there’s been Tailgate Warriors, a game show and cooking demonstrations that rival sold-out pop concerts. When Guy’s yellow Lamborghini went missing a couple of weeks ago, it was national news.

Diners at Louie and the Redhead Lady watch Guy's visit to the restaurant on a continuous loop.

But Guy’s rock-star status was never more evident to me than when I stumbled upon a mom-and-pop restaurant in Mandeville, Louisiana (a suburb across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans), that had received a visit from Triple-D. The episode featuring Louie and the Redhead Lady aired this winter, and Chef Louie and his wife Ginger (a.k.a., you guessed it, the Redhead Lady) are still flying high from the experience — and the huge boom in business that it set off.

Read more »

The third round of Chopped All-Stars featured four culinary heavy-hitters.

Now this is stone-cold talent: For the third episode of Chopped All-Stars, three of our four celebrity chefs have competed in the culinary Super Bowl that is Iron Chef America: Chefs Beau MacMillan, Anita Lo and Nate Appleman. And one of them, Chef MacMillan, in a battle I was lucky enough to judge, actually won there, an incredibly difficult feat. The remaining competitor, lovable Frenchman Jacques Torres, is one of the most famous and successful chocolatiers in the world—a force to be reckoned with in any dessert competition. But could he get there?

Read more »

On Chopped All-Stars this Sunday, Nate Appleman faces off against three other well-regarded chefs. Read on to find out who he considered his biggest threat.

This Sunday’s episode of Chopped All-Stars features four celebrity chefs with serious culinary chops. Anita Lo is a longtime fixture on the New York City restaurant scene, Beau MacMillan helms an applauded restaurant in Phoenix, pastry chef Jacques Torres is often credited with creating the best chocolate chip cookie on the planet and Nate Appleman has run successful restaurants on both coasts and has a James Beard Award (for Rising Star Chef) under his belt.

In anticipation of his Chopped appearance, Nate sat down to chat with us about competing for his son, how this experience compared to his run on Season Two of The Next Iron Chef, and what motivated him to recently make the move from an upscale restaurant kitchen to…Chipotle? That’s right — visit New York’s Chelsea location and you just might score a burrito made by a celebrity chef.

Did competing on Chopped bring back memories of your experience on The Next Iron Chef, Season Two?
It did, it brought back a lot of memories, just the competition aspect of the whole thing. By doing The Next Iron Chef, I realized how much I missed competition like that; I mean like when you’re a kid and you compete in games or whatever it is. It brought back that desire to want to compete. It was just really fun to do.

Was Chopped very different from NIC?
The timing of everything is very different, not only that Chopped is just one day but the timing of the battle, it’s 20 and 30 minute rounds versus…I think the shortest Next Iron Chef challenge was 45 minutes. It’s also different because on The Next Iron Chef I felt like I was really competing for myself. This time I was competing for everybody out there who went through the same thing I went through with my son. I did it to raise money for his disease through the Kawasaki Disease Foundation. I felt like I was doing it for everyone besides me.

Was Chopped harder than you expected?
It is at least twice as hard as The Next Iron Chef. It truly, truly is. Here, they open the basket and go. It was mind-blowing. I was trying to peek in the basket to see what was in there; it is a real surprise. I’ve always been a fan of Iron Chef, so watching that and Chopped, I’d think, what would I do with that as quickly as possible? That ended up being something that helped me; I was used to thinking that way, in a very quick manner. Then again, actually putting that to the test is very different from sitting on your couch watching.

Read more »