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

The Michelin Guide, 2011

Highly coveted Michelin Stars for 2011 were recently awarded to a group of amazing New York City restaurants, including the highest three-star rating for Daniel, Le Bernardin, Masa, Per Se, and Jean-Georges. Originally started in France in 1900, the Michelin Guide sets the worldwide restaurant standards. The 2011 Michelin Guides covers U.S. restaurants in New York, San Francisco and, for the first time, Chicago.

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The enzymes in pineapple were responsible for Chef Estes' mushy pork, says our resident food science guru Alton Brown

Before our 10 rivals landed in L.A. to compete on The Next Iron Chef, each was asked what ingredient they couldn’t live without on a desert island. And what do you know? The chefs’ answers (ranging from corn and limes to chicken and whole pigs) determined their secret ingredient in the very first episode.

While Chef Duskie Estes had done so well in the first round, winning the sandwich challenge, her elimination-round meal landed her in the bottom three. Instead of utilizing the whole pig she received, she ended up preparing only a few cubes of skewered pork loin for her suckling pig surf-and-turf dish. While all the judges loved the broth and seafood components of her dish, even pork-obsessed Iron Chef Michael Symon said he thought the dish would be better without the pork, which tasted mushy—a secret ingredient failure.

What was the problem? Alton Brown mentioned the effect of the enzymes in pineapple on meats. Chef Estes said she thought the pineapple would make a good marinade, and she wasn’t entirely wrong. Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which actually breaks down proteins and can have great tenderizing properties. She selected the pork loin because it was the fastest-cooking cut of meat on the pig, but didn’t take into consideration that it was also the leanest, most tender, and most likely to completely break down from the pineapple’s enzymes.

Had Chef Estes chosen a tougher cut of meat, the pineapple may have worked better as the tenderizing marinade she envisioned. Fortunately for Duskie, this “fundamental flaw,” as the judges called it, did not send her home this round.

–Victoria Kabakian

Don’t let Chef Estes’ mushy pork scare you off from cooking with pineapple. Try one of these five-star recipes that showcase the fruit in delicious ways:

• Giada’s Beef with Pineapple and Parsley Sauce
• Bobby’s Fish Tacos with Pineapple Hot Sauce
• Paula’s Maple-Glazed Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

Check out all the rivals’ dishes in our behind-the-scenes photo gallery from Episode One.

Which rival chef do you think will get foiled this Sunday? Don’t miss The Next Iron Chef  at 9pm/8c.

Next Food Network Star finalist Aria Kagan and her dad

Two years ago I lost my father—my best friend and someone who represented all that is good in the world—to cancer. Since then I’ve set out to celebrate his life however I can. When I came upon Fred’s Team and the New York City Marathon, I knew it was a perfect fit! Fred’s Team and its dedicated runners raise money for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. With the money that is raised, MSKCC continues to work on finding better treatments, research and hope for a world without cancer.

I had never run a marathon before, but I felt it was an amazing challenge with a fabulous purpose. Training for a marathon takes a lot of dedication. I figured if my father could endure three years of chemo, radiation and multiple surgeries, I could totally run 26.2 miles. And so I did.

This year, I will be running in the 2010 NYC Marathon again with Fred’s Team (check out my Fred’s Team Page). I decided this year instead of just asking people to donate money, I wanted to do something to bring everyone together and celebrate the beauty of life.

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Bacon-Wrapped Everything: So Last Year?

Bye Bye Bacon? The Wall Street Journal traces the popularity of bacon from an everyday breakfast food to a cooking super-trend, and one that’s about to sizzle out fast. “It’s been overplayed so much and my taste buds are tired of it,” Boston chef Ken Oringer tells the WSJ. So he, alongside a growing number of other cooks, has started replacing beloved cured pork for new flavor boosters, like smoked salt, Indian spices and shitake mushrooms. Just how seriously are some taking the self-imposed bacon ban? Oringer reportedly ordered a pastry chef to melt down her bacon bon bons into mole sauce for the staff only.  [Wall Street Journal via eater.com]

Gardens are the New Bacon: According to a survey by the National Restaurant Association, the latest trend in the food industry is restaurant gardens. NPR reports that more and more spots are growing their own goodies in an attempt to control the quality of food and what ends up on the menu. And as for patrons? “It’s a benefit knowing the food you’re eating is grown 20 feet from the kitchen without pesticides or artificial fertilizers,” one Michigan restaurant-goer told NPR. “The scene, the beautiful colors when everything is ripe, and the way the gardens are laid out — [there’s] a beauty [to] it.” [NPR via eatocracy.cnn.com]

New Blog Favorite: Who doesn’t love a good illustrated book? And what about cookbooks? The best! So here’s where things get awesome: theydrawandcook.com combines recipes and imaginative artwork into one culinary fairytale. From a mojito infographic to an apple cider comic to a cartoony Yorkshire pudding, the recipes are as varied as their accompanying illustrations, and you can even submit your own pretty recipe renderings. [theydrawandcook.com]

The Way We Eat Now: Newsweek.com lists the 10 monumental things that account for Americans’ eating habits, tracking the evolution from early immigration through organic farming. Sandwiched in between are Julia Child, 750-pound microwaves, food-focused television programming (hey, that’s us!), and a spoonful of other easy-to-digest nuggets from history. Anything missing? [newsweek.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.

Simon Majumdar (second from right) enjoys a break from the seriousness of his first day as a judge on The Next Iron Chef.

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 task that lay ahead of the judges became apparent the moment the contestants for Season Three of The Next Iron Chef were introduced. All were serious players and every one had a chance of making it to Kitchen Stadium.

The first challenge gave the chefs a chance to show us their chops, or indeed their corn, limes, fish or whatever ingredient they had offered up when asked what their desert island “must have” would be. Some might have regretted their enthusiasm once they knew they had only an hour to show their chosen item to its best effect while battling blowing sand and the encroaching waves.

The end results caused much discussion amongst the judges. Chef Tsai was a unanimous winner, but who was to be eliminated provided a more heated argument. Iron Chef Symon finally gave Chef Pagan a pass for having sand in his dish and he survived. So too did Chef Estes, but only by the skin of her teeth, and very possibly because we were already a bit scared of her.

That left Chef Andrew Kirschner, whose food I admire, to be the first to hear the dreaded words “You will not be the next Iron Chef.” A great shame, but that’s what you get for serving fatty duck and trying to blow Donatella’s head off with a hot pepper.

Look inside Chef Kirschner’s Next Iron Chef journal and flip through our behind-the-scenes gallery from Episode 1.

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

Chef Andrew Kirschner's advice to future Next Iron Chef rivals: "Have fun; you’re on television."

I have to admit that doing The Next Iron Chef was nerve-racking, but I took away great friendships and an experience I’ll always remember. Cooking can be so subjective and culinary arts have never been a competitive sport for me; this was different from anything I’d ever done.

I felt confident about my dish, Grilled Duck Breast with Green Papaya and Mango. It was familiar and comfortable, and represented one aspect of my cooking style. In retrospect, I could have made something more intricate, with a higher level of skill to impress, but my strategy for the first challenge was to rely more on technique and stay within my comfort zone.

We cooked on a grill out on the beach. Too bad, because I was pleased overall with the dish, and think it would have been a total success if I had more control over my equipment.

I would tell any chef wanting to get into this that they will benefit from the challenge of the show, but at the same time I would warn them to not take themselves too seriously. Enjoy the wonderful relationships you’ll make with other chefs from around the country. And have fun; you’re on television. I just wish I’d been able to compete longer so people could have really gotten to know me, both personally and professionally. Having said that, I hope people will come to Wilshire Restaurant and sample my goods!

–Chef Andrew Kirschner

Look inside Chef Kirschner’s Next Iron Chef journal and flip through our behind-the-scenes gallery from Episode 1.

More about Chef Kirschner:
Wilshire Restaurant on Facebook
Follow @wilshirerest on Twitter

Next Iron Chef Judge Donatella Arpaia looks relaxed--but she's in the midst of super-busy times.

No matter how you slice it, this is an exciting moment for New York City restaurateur Donatella Arpaia. Doors opened this past week to her eponymously named pizzeria, Donatella, and Sunday starts her reprise run as a judge on the new season of The Next Iron Chef. “Donatella is my most personal project to date–it’s the first to carry my name. I wanted to create a rustic but glam environment and to use authentic ingredients,” says the attorney-turned-culinary-mogul and author of Donatella Cooks. “For some time I’ve wanted to go back to my roots, so I traveled to Naples and had in mind that I wanted to make the most authentic Neapolitan pizza possible.”

Donatella and her chefs traveled to Naples, where she spent summers in her youth, returning with tried-and-true artisanal techniques, ingredients (Caputo flour for the pies), and volcanic salt, sand and rock from Mount Vesuvius for the gilded wood-firing oven. It’s early, but her efforts are paying off with a big dose of attention to her plate-sized pies and antipasti (see for yourself at Zagat, Eater and Slice). “I didn’t really understand that other people are as obsessed with pizza as I am,” she says.

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The Neelys' Apple Crisp

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.

Bring on the apple crisp, baked apples and applesauce-d pork chops  — apple season is here! From popular supermarket varieties to the thousands of heirloom types you can pick up at a local farmers’ market, each apple has its own personality.

Some apples stand up to baking, while others fall flat in the oven. Some are too tart to munch on, but perfect for pies. So, how do you choose? Here’s a primer on picking the best apples for the job.

The best apples for favorite recipes »

Ina, Thrilled About Pumpkins

The Great Pumpkin Famine Declared Over: Were you among the masses that raided store shelves this time last year to build a bunker filled with canned pumpkin? Or did you shell out $6-$7 a pop on eBay for a coveted can of the orange stuff? This fall, there’s no need to ration your pumpkin goop. Nestle, who sells the cans under its popular Libby’s label, has declared the great pumpkin shortage that began in 2009 officially over. They’ve planted more of this “super food” and they’ve planted it earlier, meaning you now have every right to ask for extra pies, bars, soufflés, trifles, cheesecakes, cookies and, well, we have lots of ideas. [Boston Herald]

Arrested Development-Style Banana Stand Opens In Austin: So much for keeping Austin weird – the wily Texans behind the city’s latest pop-up dessert spot are making it bananas. Fans of the hilariously awkward comedy Arrested Development will appreciate names for Banarchy’s chocolate-dipped frozen bananas like the Afternoon Delight and the Job. Let’s just hope no one burns it down, because remember, there just might be money in that banana stand. [seriouseats.com]

Peaches Make Room for Olives in Georgia: In an attempt to enter the olive oil industry dominated by overseas countries, 95 acres of olive groves will be planted in the Peach State over the next three years. Olives grew in abundance in Georgia from the 1600s through the Civil War, when rice and cotton crops supplanted them. But now, because the United States is the third-largest consumer of olive oil in the world and demand for the staple here continues to grow, Georgia farmers seek to turn this liquid gold into real profit. [Washington Post]

Boston to Put a Cap on Soda Consumption? Government buildings in San Francisco have banned it. City facilities in New York City have restricted it. Now, Boston public officials, concerned about the health of fellow employees, may make it harder to find soda in city vending machines. Bostonians are considering limiting the availability of the sugar-laden drinks on city-owned property because, as Bill Walczak, head of a community health center and a member of the city’s panel, told the Boston Globe, “Somebody has to take a stand, and if it isn’t the government and health care institutions leading the way to a healthier lifestyle, who’s going to do it?’’ [Boston Globe via  consumerist.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.

Can you tell this is Rahm Fama's dream job?

Rahm Fama, host of the new Food Network series Meat & Potatoes, is a self-proclaimed meat nerd. “If you’re a car nerd, you know as much as you can about cars, but you’ll never know everything. You’re always willing to learn more,” the enthusiastic carnivore explains. “I am consistently and always excited to learn about new meat.”

On Meat & Potatoes, Rahm travels the country, checking out (and, naturally, tasting) the best and most interesting meat and potatoes America has to offer. It’s a dream job for a guy who grew up working on his family’s cattle ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico and then became an established restaurant chef.

To get everyone in a meaty mood for Friday’s premiere of his new show (10pm/9c), we played a little meat-and-potatoes word association with Rahm. His pairings will undoubtedly induce cravings, so try them out at home with some top Food Network recipes…

Let’s start with a classic. French fries and ________?
You know, I’m actually not going to go with a burger. I’d do steak au poivre with pommes frites.

Braised short ribs and _________?
Short ribs go great with pureed potatoes.

Potato gratin and _________?
I’d do a grilled filet mignon—gotta have those char marks.

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