Alton Brown's Mac & Cheese in People

People magazine's current issue, Prince William is on the cover, features Food Network's most popular recipe or to us Alton Brown fans, the most popular application. AB's baked mac & cheese.

This little discovery came by way of a co-worker. Our reference librarian was reading the magazine on her lunch break and came up to me asking if I had read the current issue. She was clutching the publication to her chest, then said "You must not have read it." She whips around the magazine and I am starring right at a photo of AB.

Immediately, I snatched it and tore out the page.

Alton Brown at NYC Food and Wine Festival 2010

Mark your calendars, the Food Network New York City Food and Wine festival is scheduled again this year for October 7 - 10 and Alton Brown will be participating. AB is slated to host the "Chelsea Market After Dark" party.

Details are still not complete. However, ticket go on sale June 21.

Keep on eye here and at www.nycwineandfoodfestival.com for more details.

Alton Brown, Welchs famers helping kids learn about food

Students at a lucky elementary school in Atlanta, Ga. received a visit from Alton Brown to learn more about growing fruits and vegetables. As a part of the Welch's Harvest Grants, 100 schools nationwide were selected to participate in a program that gives students tools to grow plants at their school.

Kids at Whitefoord Elementary School in Atlanta were treated with a visit from AB and Welch's family farmer Jamie Militello of Forestville, New York.

In a press release for the events, Alton says of the program,

"If we really want our kids to enjoy long, healthy lives they've got to develop good eating habits and that means teaching them to really rely on and appreciate fruits and vegetables from an early age. By giving them the opportunity to actually raise their own crops in school, we can help them not only to cultivate those habits but to fully experience the science and art of food itself."

The original press release is here. There is another photo with it.

Alton Brown caused me to smoke

One culinary interest I can firmly place blame on Alton Brown for causing is my fasination with smoking meats. Ever since that first episode, "Where's There's Fish, There's Smoke," when AB explained the process and demostrated how simple it truly is, I've been a die-hard smoking fantanic.

In the fall, I built a smoker similar to AB's Army surplus version from last year's Opryland and later "Once and Future Fish" episode. I have a big post planned on that showing the construction. But until then, let's have a blast from the past and revisit the very first (albeit odd) smoker AB showed us:

The Good Eats Custom Corrugated Vapor Colloid Applicator

(Cardboard Box Smoker)

Key:
a) heavy-duty corrugated box (no interior painting)
b) flap door
c) electric hot plate
d) small cast-iron skillet with hardwood sawdust (no pressure-treated wood or plywood allowed)
f) small battery-operated fan (optional)
g) 2 quarter-inch wooden dowels inserted through box in parallel fashion
h) oven rack
i) target food (fish skin-side down)
j) thermometers (although probe styles are shown, standard stem models may be used in a pinch)
k) thermometer probes (one in the box, the other in the fish)

Panini press use ala Alton Brown

On occasion a few nice little things find their way to me through this site. Last month my bonus was being asked to do a product review. Since reading how Alton Brown used his panini press to grill up Cornish game hens in an interview several years ago, I have been contemplating a purchase. Last fall at the Smithsonian event in DC, Alton talked again about using the panini press to cook up the hens. Unfortunately, I neglected to ask about what kind he owned and what else he did with it. I always seem to get off topic with AB at those things.

Then came the offer from the nice folks at CSNstores.com. They offered the product review and seeing that I was pining for a panini press, that became the item selected. Unfortunately, the first one I selected was out of stock and no longer available, so the nice guy at CSN Stores, Sean, let me have a slightly more expensive model--Haier HPG1400BSS Panini Maker.

Ecstatic!

Of course, the first item for the new press had to be AB's method for the hen. The process begins with butterflying the hen. AB give a fantastic tutorial on butterflying hens in the Fowl Terrority episode. It is basic and straightforward. Using kitchen sheers, I prefer to use my sturdy and sharp 6 inch chef's knife, slice down either side of the hen's backbone to remove it. Once the hen is more open, removing the keel bone is much easier. Just slice down the membrane on the inside of the bird and bend it back, then run your fingers down either side of the keel bone to remove it.

Now the bird is butterflied and ready to meet the grill. I decided to add some flavoring to the hen with salt (kosher, of course) and a rub. The rub was season salt, adobo seasoning, smoked paprika and dried thyme. Put the rub on the bird and let it sit for a few minutes while the panini press is heating up.

Place the hen skin side up on the press and close the lid. At this point, I pressed to flatten the bird more. Cook the hen for 12 minutes.


Once the birdy was crisp, I threw some asparagus on the grill. Cooked them until tender and had some sear marks on it.

The verdict on making Cornish game hens on a panini press... well there's a reason Alton is my favorite culinary personality. The man is brilliant!

This is an awesome method to prepare the little chickens. I love doing them on the grill in the summer and this makes an excellent wintertime alternative.


The skin becomes extremely crisp under the grill. Since the hen is butterflied, the dark meat cooks at the same time the white meat; thus, not drying it out during cooking and remains juicy. If you have a panini press, this it highly recommended!

Alton's new endorsement

As most Alton Brown fans know, our favorite cooking guru is a big time supporter of sustainable seafood. Well keeping with his interest in the movement, AB has attached his name to a new item related to fish.


AB will be the spokesman for Swedish Fish candy. Beginning in May a new adverting campaign will debut. Expect to see Alton promoting the joys of the little candy fish on TV spots and magazine ads everywhere.

The company producing the candy said in a news release it is elated to land a big culinary name for its product. The company hopes this partnership will boost sells and name recongintion as well.

Oh and one last thing...











Happy April Fool's Day