Staying healthy during summer season

Nutrient-rich food helps restore appetite and energySummer keeps heating up and as the weather starts to get warmer than usual, many people might already feel exhausted from the heat.Still a long way to go till the end of the season, staying healthy during the summer requires some nutrient-rich food to keep you revved up. According to Jeong Ian, an Oriental medicine doctor, summer is the time when you easily lose your appetite and energy, a result of exhaustion you feel amid the heat and perspir

June 8, 2012

Disney to banish junk food ads from kid shows

NEW YORK (AP) ― Disney says its programming will no longer be sponsored by junk food.The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday that it will become the first major media company in the U.S. to ban such ads for its TV channels, radio stations and websites intended for children. The guidelines won’t go into effect until 2015 because of existing advertising agreements.First Lady Michelle Obama, who has pushed for healthy eating, called the announcement a “game changer” during an event announcing Disney’s dec

June 6, 2012

Italy introduces ice cream for dogs

 Dogs across Italy are wagging their tails as a new ice cream for man's best friend goes to market.It's called IceBau and it was released Friday at a gelato festival in Ancona, Italy's ANSA news agency reported.IceBau creators said the product will hit grocery store freezers across Italy this summer.Meanwhile, Italians chose not to give up ice cream during the country's economic crisis, ANSA repor

June 3, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2010 Villa San-Juliette ‘Fat Monk’ Pinot Noir

I don’t know anything about the Fat Monk depicted on a bottom corner of the label hoisting a wine glass, halo hovering over his head. But I would like to second that halo for making a terrific everyday Pinot at an everyday price. I first tasted this wine when an astute friend brought it to dinner months ago. She’d scooped up the last few bottles at Surfas but kept an eye out and when they restocked, she picked up half a dozen bottles for me. Now it seems to be around at a few more places. The Ca

June 1, 2012

Bite-size treats

Tiny temptations high on cute, low on guiltWhat’s less than 2 inches wide, covered in candy and impossibly adorable?A cake pop, those irresistibly moist confections made by mixing crumbled cake and frosting. The blogger Bakerella first unleashed these miniature cakes on sticks back in 2007. Once they went viral, pastry chefs, home bakers, even Starbucks jumped on the trend, creating ambitious shapes and speckled surprises at about 200 calories a pop.As a result, a miniature movement is upon us.I

June 1, 2012

Maejakgwa (fried ribbon cookies)

Maejakgwa is a type of cookie made by kneading wheat flour with salt and ginger juice. It is sliced thinly and slit, then flipped over after squeezing one end into the slit. The cookies are fried in oil, coated with sugar syrup, and sprinkled with pine nut and cinnamon powder. Maejakgwa gets its name from its shape, which is similar to a sparrow (jak) in an apricot (maehwa) tree. Ingredients● white dough : 70g wheat flour, 0.5g salt, 30g ginger juice ● pink color dough : 25g wheat flour, 0.2g sa

June 1, 2012

Korean-American chef puts memories of Korea onto plate

Akira Back talks about where Korean food should be headedKoreans who tasted a Korean-American chef’s Las Vegas cuisine in Seoul earlier this week might have found some common ground with him. Akira Back’s seven-course Las Vegas meal was a representation of his memories of Korea and life experiences. “When they eat it, they will go like ‘I ate this when I was little,’” Akira Back, the executive chef at the Yellowtail Japanese Restaurant & Lounge at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, told The Korea

June 1, 2012

Delivered dinners a godsend for new moms

Exhaustion reigns when a new baby arrives. Between the 2 a.m. feedings, endless diaper changes and extreme sleep deprivation, merely getting dressed becomes a herculean effort. And don’t even get us started on cooking one-handed while a purple-faced infant howls in your ear.Thank heavens for grandparents, colleagues and neighbors, because one of the loveliest rituals that accompanies new motherhood is the parade of dinners, lovingly delivered by family and friends. There’s lasagna, to be sure, b

May 25, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2007 Rainoldi Valtellina Superiore ‘Inferno Riserva’

This is an elegant expression of Nebbiolo (here called Chiavennasca) from one of Italy’s smallest appellations in the mountains near the Swiss border. Valtellina has several sub-zones, the best known of which is the wonderfully named “Inferno.” Giuseppe Rainoldi’s 2007 Valtellina Superiore “Inferno” Riserva is definitely a keeper. Though these wines age well, this one is drinking beautifully right now, so why wait? The bouquet of flowers, cherries and leaves seduces right away, but it’s the flav

May 25, 2012

Oi-sobagi (stuffed cucumber kimchi)

Oi-sobagi is a type of kimchi made with slightly fermented cucumbers that have been slit and stuffed with seasoned Korean leeks. Oi-sobagi may also be served without fermenting. Ingredients● 3 ea cucumber (white), 30 g coarse salt ● saltwater: 380 g water, 20 g coarse salt ● 50 g small wild leaks ● 1 tbsp salted shrimp ● seasoning : 2 tbsp minced green onion, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger, 2 tbsp ground red pepper, 1 tsp salt ● stuffed cucumber liquid : 3 tbsp water, 1/4 tsp salt 1.

May 25, 2012

A Burgundy field guide

Beyond Romanee-Conti and into the diverse world of historic French wine regionThe impact of Japanese comic book series, “The Drops of God,” on Burgundy and its wine can still be felt. When the press highlighted the bottle of wine that inspired “The Drops of God” and the series itself put the spotlight on Burgundy, the storied region in eastern France got noticed. It was a bottle of 1985 Domaine de La Romanee-Conti Echezeaux from Burgundy that fueled Shin and Yuko Kibayashi’s passion for wine, a

May 25, 2012

Hot dogs fall from the sky in Detroit

To celebrate a Detroit restaurant's 95th anniversary, 955 raw hot dogs were dropped from a hovering helicopter onto a soccer field Wednesday morning.The stunt, arranged by WKQI-FM, Detroit, honored the American Coney Island restaurant, whose third-generation owner, Grace Keros, noted the famed eatery has "been at the same location for the past 95 years."The hot dogs, referred to at the restaurant

May 24, 2012

Wine of the Week: 2010 Calera Viognier ‘Mt. Harlan’

Calera is best known for its compelling Pinot Noirs, but the limestone soils of the Gavilan Mountains east of Monterey Bay work their magic on Viognier too. That’s the genius of the site founder Josh Jensen chose for Calera Wine. This Viognier comes from the Mt. Harlan vineyard, first planted with the grape in 1983 and farmed organically. The bouquet of jasmine and ripe stone fruit draws you in right away. Then comes that lush texture and the tastes of honey, pear and tropical fruit. It’s got a

May 18, 2012

A new look on artichokes

You have to wonder about the man who ate the first artichoke.Prickly and ugly with a giant fur ball inside, how could he have known what a treasure he had?Luckily, we can all reap the rewards of his bravery, particularly now when artichokes are in season and easy to find in the grocery store produce section.“I think it’s an intimidating-looking vegetable,” said New York-based cookbook author and Italian cooking expert Michele Scicolone.While artichokes are abundant in Italian cuisine, many home

May 18, 2012

Jeonbokjuk (rice porridge with abalone)

Jeonbokjuk is a delicacy made of sliced abalone and non-glutinous rice. It has a sweet taste, pleasant aroma and is rich in nutrients. It was served as a noble dish in Joseon’s royal courts. Blue jeonbokjuk is a special delicacy cooked with abalone entrails. It is blue in color and has a bitter taste. Ingredients- 1 1/4 cups non-glutinous rice - 2 abalone - 1 tbsp sesame oil - 8 cups water - 1 tsp clear soy sauce - 1/2 tsp salt 1. Wash the rice, soak in water for 2 hours, drain for 10 min.2. Was

May 18, 2012

Yakseon of ancient wisdom embraces food, people and nature of today

From catering companies to restaurants serving elaborate course meals of Korean cuisine, a new buzzword has found its way onto menus that focus on seasonal ingredients and their health-giving benefits.The word “yakseon,” literally meaning “food that is (as good as) medicine,” has spread to community centers that have set up classes teaching its basic principles and home recipes. Ahead of the regional festival season in coming months, more yakseon seems likely to be introduced in presentations an

May 17, 2012

Chocolate pyramid breaks world record

At 18,239.5 pounds, the chocolate sculpture is the largest in the world (UPI)The Qzina Institute of Chocolate & Pastry in California announced it broke the world record for the largest chocolate sculpture by recreating a Mexican pyramid.The sculpture of the Kukulkan pyramid in Chichen Itza, created by corporate chef Francois Mellet, measures 6 feet high and 12 feet by 12 feet at its base.Guinness

May 17, 2012

New Nordic afoot

Hip new Nordic cuisine showcased at Danish food event in SeoulWho would have thought that trees, hay and ashes would be the nouveau chic eats of the year? Yet, here it was, on a plate, a piece of very black bread, so black it resembled a hunk of charcoal. There was a reason why it was black. Not only had the bread been made with hay, leek and onion ash, according to AOC executive chef Ronni Mortensen, it had also been sprayed with “black burned vegetables.” “We like the nature-like thing,” expla

May 16, 2012