SousChef Community

Mainstreaming the macaron: The delicate and dainty macaron is showing up everywhere, even at McDonalds (mon Dieu!), and Parisians are not pleased. The search for pizza perfection: The Washington Post finds the perfect technique for baking a personal-sized pizza: use a pre-heated cast iron pan and cook directly under the broiler. Bunnies are big: ...

Here, some food and drink events to explore this week. What's happening where you live? North Carolina: National Truffle Fest (through Feb. 27) California: The sf|noir Wine & Food Event (through Feb. 28) Florida: Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival (through Feb. 28) New York: New York Wine Expo (Feb. 26-28) Oregon: 33rd Annual Newport ...

Are cupcakes too cute for men to enjoy? Well, now there's a new bakery just for dudes who may appreciate a diminutive cake, but bristle at pastel-hued frosting. If Magnolia Bakery's cupcakes became synonymous with ''Sex and the City,'' Butch Bakery's mancakes might be destined for the ''Entourage'' set. ''It was time to combine a masculine ...

If whisky puts hair on your chest, I'm not quite sure what will happen if you try this powerful brew. Scottish brewery BrewDog in Fraserburgh, near Aberdeen, has unleashed Tactical Nuclear Penguin on an unsuspecting beer-drinking world. The beer's 32% alcohol content has health officials alarmed. But fear not. The bottles come with a warning ...

Doctors seek choking labels on food: The American Academy of Pediatrics is calling for changes in the way food is designed and labeled to minimize children's chances of choking. Fight brews in France over Halal fast food: A decision by Quick, a French fast food chain, to serve only Halal meat on its menu is drawing criticism by right wing ...

Amazing Carola potatoes you can't find in a supermarket are just one reason my consort and I make a pilgrimage to our neighborhood Greenmarket every Friday morning, snow or shine. It's a big-city social; you see friends and shoot the breeze, and you can't help getting to know the people who grow or catch or produce your vegetables and fish and ...

Last night, I went to a launch event for NBC's online food destination Feast, a brand new player in the increasingly crowded world of restaurant news and review sites. The site is the brainchild of Ben Leventhal, founder of the restaurant blog Eater. Feast features a clean, smart design that includes a blog, maps, videos, photos, and a searchable ...

Polenta Smackdown, East Coast: In the New York Times, Mark ''Bring the Slurry'' Bittman recommends starting with a cornmeal and water slush as the best way to achieve (lumpless) polenta perfection. Polenta Smackdown, West Coast: Meanwhile, writing in the Los Angeles Times, Russ ''Stir & Bake'' Parsons wants you to try his stovetop-oven combo ...

Here, some edible, drinkable adventures for the week. What's on the calendar where you live? Calgary, Canada: Winefest (Feb. 18-20) Minnesota: Eel Pout Festival (Feb. 19-21) California: 29th Annual Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook-Off (Feb. 20) Maryland: Wine & Chocolate (Feb. 20) Massachusetts: Open Hearth Cooking Classes: A Winter Menu (Feb. 20) ...

British chef Jamie Oliver drew two standing ovations with his powerful speech after he received the 2010 prize at the TED conference this week. TED is a small nonprofit that brings together people from the worlds of technology, entertainment, and design to develop ''ideas worth spreading.'' Oliver's speech is truly gripping. He sets out the facts ...