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

Tyler's Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Pecan and Marshmallow Streusel

We’re teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Fall Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, it’s time to seriously ponder sweet potato sides. What will it be this year – mashed, baked, stuffed or smashed? Here are some top recipe picks from Food Network chefs.

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I’m definitely on Team Cornbread when it comes to Thanksgiving stuffing specifics, so I was intrigued when I came across a 5-star recipe for the World’s Best Cornbread Stuffing. What, I wondered, makes it so special? What makes it good enough that one reviewer exclaimed “So sorry, Grandmum. After generations of yours, this is tastier!”?

I had to find out. I don’t know if it’s the sweet corn muffins in place of the typical savory cornbread, the hot Italian sausage or the earthy fresh sage, but the combination of flavors is enough to make me (almost) swear off my family recipe.  This stuffing has definitely earned its place on my Thanksgiving table this year.

For hundreds more ideas, recipes and menus for your feast, check out FoodNetwork.com/Thanksgiving.

Chocolate Bars May Cost a Gold Bar - Image Courtesy Food Network Magazine

Time to Stock Up on Chocolate: Turns out that cocoa, the stuff responsible for so many confections we love, is less than sweet to grow. According to industry experts, farmers may stop producing the crop, resulting in skyrocketing chocolate prices over the next 20 years. “[Chocolate] will be like caviar,” John Mason, Executive Director of the Nature Conservation Research Council, told the Independent. “It will become so rare and so expensive that the average Joe just won’t be able to afford it.” [independent.co.uk] [PB&J Chocolate Bars, pictured above]

Fashion-Forward Foods: 15 clothing designers, including a couple from Project Runway fame, were challenged with crafting outfits made entirely of the foods their models were craving. The fashion whizzes stepped up to the proverbial plate with incredible pieces, like waffle pants, artichoke gowns and something resembling noodle drapery. [superpunch.blogspot.com]

No-Shave November’s Foods to Avoid: Fellas, whether yours is evil villain-y or Tom Selleck-approved, your mustache might be the keeper of some unsightly foods. So consider heeding the Pitch‘s advice by avoiding the crawfish boil and 4 other perfectly delicious dishes. [pitch.com]

New Lizard Species Discovered at Lunch: A previously unknown species of lizard was discovered in Vietnam by a reptile scientist as he happened to enjoy the delicacy one day at a lunch buffet. According to reports, this creepy-crawly strand does not taste like chicken. [cnn.com]

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.

The age-old question remains: What’s the difference between stuffing and dressing? Traditional wisdom holds that stuffing is actually cooked inside the turkey, while dressing is cooked separately and served alongside. Makes sense, right? But in my experience, it really comes down to geography. My family (from New York and Pennsylvania) never stuffs the bird, but we always call our savory bread pudding-style side dish ”stuffing.” Go further South, and everything is “dressing,” as I learned at my first Thanksgiving with my fiancé’s family in Louisiana.

I’m not sure why Food Network Magazine decided to call this one dressing—maybe there was a Southerner in the room. Call it what you wish; it’s filled with many ingredients I love—kale, fennel sausage, focaccia—and is definitely going to show up on my spread this year.

TELL US: What stuffing and/or dressing will be on your Thanksgiving table?

For hundreds more ideas, recipes and menus for your feast, check out FoodNetwork.com/Thanksgiving

Chef Tio's advice to future rivals: "Follow through and listen to your gut."

The experience I had on The Next Iron Chef was “once in a lifetime.” I met and worked with nine great chefs, pushing the boundaries of what I thought I could do each time I approached a challenge. It taught me more about myself and my willingness to take risks in order to make things happen.

I always say you should never look back and say, “What if…?” Unfortunately, I didn’t listen to my own advice. When I was plating my Moi dishes, I literally hesitated when I was on the ginger-braised daikon portion of the dish, thinking I wanted to add a pinch of Maldon salt to add that crunch and add that bright, clean, up-front flavor to the dish. I know Simon Majumdar is more salt-sensitive, so I opted not to add it, and Michael Symon thought that dish needed a touch more salt. If you hesitate, it means you should follow through and listen to your gut. I did not.

In this case, I can’t think about the “what if…”, I focus on the fact that I was a strong competitor who gave all the other chefs a run for their money. I represented myself and my cooking proudly and with integrity every time I stepped into battle.

–Celina Tio

Look inside Chef Tio’s Next Iron Chef journal and flip through our behind-the-scenes gallery from Episode 7.

More about Celina Tio
Julian Restaurant
Chef Tio on Facebook
Follow @crtio on Twitter

"Marc vs. Marco to be the Next Iron Chef. I could hardly wait."

Next Iron Chef judge Simon Majumdar joins us on the FN Dish each week to share his insider’s take on what went down Sunday night.

The Chairman’s decision to allow four chefs to battle it out for a place in Kitchen Stadium made the judges’ decision even more difficult. So did the fact that the remaining combatants had been the ones to impress most in the competition to date. Although it was not going to be easy, at the end of the penultimate challenge two would be going home and two would face off to become The Next Iron Chef.

With Lobster, Mangalitsa Pork, Wagyu Beef and Hawaiian Moi to choose from, the chefs could have no complaints about being denied the best of the best, even if they had to run a marathon to collect them. They did not disappoint and the three dishes placed in front of us showed each of the chefs cooking at the very top of their game. With such skill on show we had to search for the most minor of flaws in technique, seasoning and plating to make our final decisions.

Chef Canora was, for me, a clear winner. Not least for his unapologetic use of rendered Wagyu beef fat to add a delicious savory note to a beet broth and a parcel of meaty mushrooms. It was pure Canora and made me determined to give him the opportunity to cook one last time.

Against any other group of challengers, Chef Tio’s elegant cooking would have surely seen her go through to join him. Yet, while I disagreed with Donatella’s opinion that the crispy moi was under-seasoned, I couldn’t argue that she had been outshone by her rivals and, by the narrowest of margins she was the first to be eliminated.

Chef Tsai and Chef Forgione remained before us as two chefs who could both grace the final battle with their very different styles and culinary backgrounds. I put my X against Chef Forgione’s name. I had been his toughest critic in the previous two challenges, but was seriously impressed with his dishes and determination to show me he could use a pressure cooker to good effect.

Chef Tsai looked genuinely stunned when Alton announced that he would not be the Next Iron Chef, but a misjudged dish of lardo had been enough to fell Ming The Magnificent, and send an equally astonished Forgione to Kitchen Stadium.

Marc vs. Marco to be the Next Iron Chef. I could hardly wait.

Look inside Chef Tsai and Chef Tio’s Next Iron Chef journals and flip through our behind-the-scenes gallery from Episode 7.

More about Simon Majumdar:
Simon’s Website
Simon’s book, Eat My Globe
Follow @SimonMajumdar on Twitter

The Cheesecake Factory wouldn't share the recipe for its popular November special, so Food Network kitchens got to work and recreated it.

Pumpkin Cheesecake is a seasonal special at the Cheesecake Factory chain, and diners can’t get enough. Good thing Food Network Magazine asked our kitchens to create the perfect replica. Even die-hard pumpkin pie traditionalists won’t miss the classic after a forkful of this decadent treat. Sure, it’s rich—as cheesecake should be!—but still fluffy and light thanks to a filling that combines cream cheese, sour cream and pure pumpkin. A sprinkling of toasted pecans adds a festive touch.

TELL US: What desserts will be on your Thanksgiving table?

For hundreds more ideas, recipes and menus for your feast, check out FoodNetwork.com/Thanksgiving

Paula's Pumpkin Bars make a great take-along Thanksgiving treat.

Paula’s Pumpkin Bars are the perfect Thanksgiving treat to take to a friend’s house or an office party. They’re quick and easy (see how Paula makes them), yet full of that pumpkin-y goodness that’s so essential during the fall season. The best part about these pumpkin bars is the rich, buttery frosting (using a whole stick of butter and a package of cream cheese!). Do not skimp on the frosting. Slather it on to make this pumpkin dessert completely irresistible.

Browse more Thanksgiving dessert recipes from Food Network chefs, to find the perfect finale for your feast. And for hundreds more ideas, recipes and menus for your feast, check out FoodNetwork.com/Thanksgiving.

Champagne Risotto from FoodNetwork.com

The key ingredient to a great date night at home is a little bit of imagination. Make cooking together part of the fun with a creative adventure featuring romantic recipes.

Start your special evening with a champagne toast, and set aside some bubbly for Giada’s Champagne Risotto with tender asparagus and crisp pork. Asparagus has long been considered an aphrodisiac. According to an old French tradition, bridegrooms prepared for their wedding night by eating three different asparagus dishes on the previous evening.

While your risotto is heating up, cool off with this Melon and Prosciutto appetizer. Luscious melon is kissed by a touch of berry syrup and wrapped with prosciutto in a near perfect combination of salty and sweet flavors. This is as much fun to assemble as it is to eat.

Rachael Ray’s quick cooking Garlic-Buttered Sliced Steak with Onions makes a mouthwatering main course. Believe it or not, garlic has a reputation for stirring up passions. Long ago, Tibetan monks were not allowed to enter the monastery if they had eaten garlic for exactly this reason.

And for dessert, nothing is more romantic than sharing a dish of Chocolate Orange Mousse with Raspberries. This simple yet indulgent recipe from Sandra Lee is the perfect ending to a fantastic meal made better together.

Paula's Pumpkin Roll Cake

Let’s face it: Turkey is great (especially if you make Alton Brown’s famous Good Eats Roast Turkey), but desserts are the real star of Thanksgiving.  To help you fill out your dessert table, we’re featuring favorite Thanksgiving Desserts every day this week.  Today, a dessert that’s a universal crowd-pleaser: Paula’s Pumpkin Roll Cake.

Paula tucks toffee-studded cream cheese filling inside a classic pumpkin cake, then tops with powdered sugar and caramel sauce.  For bakery-worthy results, roll the cake in a powdered sugar-coated towel while you make the filling to avoid cracks. (Watch Paula’s cake-rolling technique .)

TELL US: What desserts will be on your Thanksgiving table?

For hundreds more ideas, recipes and menus for your feast, check out FoodNetwork.com/Thanksgiving