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Fridge Magnet

Test your foodie smarts!

Are you "amused?" There's one bad hint.

Are you "amused?" There's one bad hint.

This word quiz was published the other day in the Kansas City Star. It's based on culinary terms that get tossed around on Top Chef. I had so much fun doing it that I pulled it off the wire to share with you guys. I'm going to be a trickster and wait to publish the answers tomorrow. I trust no one to cheat! And if you are serious about the quiz, you may not want to read comments on this post until you have done it. Some of them may give certain answers away.

25 FANCY FOOD WORDS USED ON 'TOP CHEF'

(Do You Know What They Mean?)

See how many of these food words you can correctly match with their definitions. See definitions below!

1. Ganache (GAHN-ahsh)

2. Ceviche (seh-VEE-chay)

3. Risotto (rih-SO-toh)

4. Carpaccio (kahr-PAH-chee-oh)

5. Hamachi (hah-MAH-chee)

6. Remoulade (ray-muh-LAHD)

7. Chiffonade (shihf-uh-NAHD)

8. Panna cotta (PAHN-nah KOH-tah)

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New restaurants and cooking classes

If you drive through Fincastle very often, you may have noticed that the old Captain's Tavern and Bill's Seafood location is the site of a brand new Italian restaurant called Leonardo's. Botetourt County community journalist Cathy Benson has a little bit more info on her blog. Apparently, the new owners of this endeavor are related to the folks who run New York Pizza in Vinton. That's promising!

Out in Salem, there are plans for a new Mexican restaurant in the space that used to house Fast Freddy's. It sure was a shame to see Fast Freddy's go after so many successful years on that corner. But fans of Rancho Viejo will be pleased to see Jenny Boone's report here.

Prefer to cook at home? Well, check out the cooking classes on offer to the general public this summer at the Culinary Institute at Virginia Western Community College. That's the campus located at 109 Henry Street, behind the Roanoke Higher Education Center. The classes are $40 per person. Topics are:

* July 20, 6-9 p.m., "Sassy Sushi."
* July 24, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., "Mediterranean Tour."
* July 27, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., "Going, Going, Gone! Meals in Minutes."
* July 30, 6-9 p.m., "Party Panache."

To find out more about these classes and to register for them, go to http://www.virginiawestern.edu/bet/culinary/. For questions, contact Lacey Carey at (540) 857-6210.

Congratulations, LeeAnna!

Every time I decide to do a Cookbook Giveaway and pick the winner myself based on comments, I wonder what in the hell is wrong with me. It's so much easier to just draw a name than choose someone based on comments. You guys always offer such compelling arguments!

I'm proud that everyone has an adventurous spirit, though. I was curious as to whether anyone would really want to cook over an open fire. It turns out that many of you think that sounds like a perfect afternoon!

Congratulations to LeeAnna Tylor, who wins this time based on her promise to teach Boy Scouts how to prepare gourmet dishes over the campfire. Here's what LeeAnna had to say:

Five years ago when my son became a Boy Scout, I swore I would never camp. Then I decided if I had to camp we would definitely eat good. Over 100 camping nights later, I have a trailer load of dutch ovens that I carry with the scouts on every campout. Open fire cooking would open a whole different avenue of adventure for myself and my scouts. One of my newest scouts as decided to become my dutch oven cooking apprentice. Just imagine the possibilities with a new cookbook. Cooking merit badge here we come.

I'm impressed that LeeAnna has already taken it upon herself to perform above and beyond the typical hot dogs and hamburgers and beenie weenie schtick. Because she's already been experimenting quite a bit on the scouting trips, I feel confident that she won't let this book go to waste. LeeAnna, please e-mail me your mailing address at lindsey.nair@roanoke.com and I'll send the book right away.

Everyone else, don't fret! The book is still available for purchase if you've decided you can't live without it. And I'm sure to do another Cookbook Giveaway before long!

Cookbook Giveaway

Okay, I am extending the deadline for entries for the Cookbook Giveaway until 5 p.m. tomorrow, Friday. I will announce a winner on Monday! Good luck, everybody.

Blacksburg's dining scene

Here, a link to a great story by Amy Matzke-Fawcett, a Roanoke Times business reporter in the New River Valley bureau, about the changing face of the dining scene in downtown Blacksburg. Check it out.

Cookbook Giveaway!

It's time for another Cookbook Giveaway.

Today, I'd like to offer up a beautiful hardback cookbook called "Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way" by Francis Mallmann, which normally sells for $35. Mallmann, a native of Patagonia and a celebrated chef in South America, has reportedly given up the fine dining scene to return to his roots. He writes about growing up in a rustic home in the heart of the snow-capped Andes Mountains, where a fire was always burning for warmth, heating water and cooking.

The recipes in his book are meant to be prepared over an open fire, whether it is in a campfire ring, a fireplace or an outdoor oven. And they are all accompanied by lengthy instructions and exquisitely beautiful photographs.

Does Burnt Tomato, Goat Cheese and Anchovy Bruschetta sound good to you? How about Beef Tournedos Wrapped in Bacon and Sage? Brook Trout in Crunchy Potato Crust? King Crab, Potato, Corn and Leek Cakes? If so, post a comment telling me why you would like to learn more about cooking creative, flavor-packed dishes over an open fire. I'll pick the person with the best argument for winning the book. Contest deadline is 3 p.m. tomorrow!

Get milk! And patriotic ice cream!

Today is Dairy Day on the old Fridge Magnet blog. I've got two udderly exciting food developments to pass along.

First, the Got Milk? campaign is coming to Roanoke next week, and they'll be hosting a fun day on the Roanoke City Market on Tuesday, June 30 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. That day, you'll be able to pose for your own milk moustache photo, watch behind-the-scenes footage from celebrity milk moustache ads, gather wellness information about milk, enter a contest to win a year's supply of milk and enjoy free smoothies. The Got Milk? folks will also be sampling milk from local dairies.

Next up, what's better than milk? Ice cream! And here's a little ice cream trivia for you guys: Did you know that Rocky Road ice cream was first introduced in 1929 during the Great Depression? Yep, Bill Dreyer and Joseph Edy of Dreyer's/Edy's Grand Ice Cream invented the beloved flavor to cheer people up during the depression. According to the Edy's company, ice cream was typically only made in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry back then. But Dreyer decided to add walnuts (they later switched to almonds) and used his wife's sewing scissors to snip marshmallows into bite-size pieces for the ice cream.

Eighty years later, the same ice cream company has introduced a temporary new flavor designed to brighten the mood during this latest recession. It's called Red, White and No More Blues, and it consists of vanilla ice cream with swirls of real strawberry and blueberry throughout. Sounds incredibly delicious to me, but then I've always preferred fruity ice cream flavors to chocolatey ones.

Red, White and No More Blues will be available  in 1.5 quart cartons in your grocer's freezer for $5.99. Hurry up and buy a carton before summer ends and ... well, I guess we are allowed to get the blues again.

Pondering pickles

After last week's blog entry about pickles, reader Connie wrote in with a few questions about pickles. I went in search of her answers and here's what I discovered:

Q: Isn't there such a thing as refrigerator pickles? I don't want to can five quarts of pickles, just make one jar.

A: Yes, there is a such thing as refrigerator pickles. A quick Google search turned up an array of different recipes, including both dill and sweet versions. Many of the recipes look a lot like the sliced cucumbers with vinegar and sugar that many Southerners like to prepare as a salad/side dish in the summertime. But with enough vinegar, I guess you can let them keep in jars in the refrigerator for a long period of time. I will paste a few of the recipes I found below the jump.

Q: Also, what is the difference between dill and Polish dill pickles? And why are the Polish dills so hard to find?

A: This is a good question. It was a lot harder to find an answer for this one than the previous question. In fact, I'm still not sure I know the difference. One source says the only difference is that the Polish dill pickles are made in Poland. Another says the Polish dills are spicier than Kosher dills because they have garlic and other seasonings in them. Yet another source says Polish dills are made without vinegar. Instead they are made using natural fermentation and a special brine.

My guess is that it's a combination of all three. Probably, this pickle recipe originated in Poland. And the authentic ones are probably not made with vinegar but with some kind of salt brine. And perhaps they are even a little more flavorful than your average dill pickle. Most interesting to me, however, is that when I Googled "Polish dill pickle," I got all of these recipes for a Polish dill pickle soup. Apparently, it's quite the experience. I'll paste one of those recipes below the jump.

Q: Wonder why you can't buy bread and butter pickle relish. B and B pickles are much better in tuna salad, egg salad, and ham salad.

A: I always thought bread and butter relish was basically the same thing as sweet pickle relish, but now I think bread and butter relish is a little sweeter. I have not been able to find a recipe for bread and butter relish. Have you tried mincing bread and butter pickles for your salads? I know that's a bit of a pain when you could just spoon it out of a jar.

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Seeking a pickle recipe

This past weekend, I received an email from reader Ginger Rose, who is looking for a little help from fellow readers and pickle lovers.

Ginger wants to make bread and butter pickles, but she needs a tested-and-tried recipe. Does anyone out there have a good recipe for bread and butter pickles that Ginger could have? With cucumber season almost upon us, maybe some other folks would find it useful, too!

Meanwhile, keep those iced tea comments coming on the post below. And have a sweet - or unsweet, if you prefer - weekend!

Sweet vs. unsweet

June is National Iced Tea Month, and who understands iced tea better than Southerners?

Obviously, sweet tea is a staple in the South. But I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you don't have to like your tea sweetened to be a true Southerner. In fact, my grandparents often had a pitcher of freshly made iced tea in the refrigerator, but it was never sweetened.

Come time for dinner or supper, Grandma would put the pitcher on the table along with whatever she had prepared, which usually included good home-cooked foods like meatloaf, roast beef, green beans, potato salad or just tomato sandwiches. If you wanted sweetened tea, you had to add sugar and stir pretty much the entire rest of the meal to get it to dissolve. Even then, there was always a clump of sugar at the bottom of the glass.

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Comments

    • Whitney: Oooooooooh! I MUST have even if I don’t win it here! My 7 year old and I LOVE to watch Alton Brown....
    • Mike: Im such a dork. I posted this too soon. (please ignore my comment)
    • Mike: Lindsey, I posted a comment yesterday expressing my love the tv show, Good Eats. However my comment is not...
    • paul h.: i read this blog every day,i watch altons show alot,ive entered cookbook giveaways many times but never...
    • Betty H: I love Alton and would love his cook book…..Thanks!