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A few weeks ago we reported on Bompas & Parr's Architectural Punchbowl.  They are the Brits who are known for doing things on a grand scale (remember the Breathable Cocktail?).  Well, like any good food event, there is a contest involved.  People submitted ideas for punch.  They had to include Courvoisier (a sponsor).

Veronique sent this picture of her cherry pie:

I recently entered my apple pie in the Malibu Pie Festival and, thanks to the delicious See Canyon apples that go into the pie each year, won another ribbon. And though I also baked a cherry pie to enter into the fruit category, it came out so beautifully that we couldn't bear to part with it.

The Good Food Pie Contest might just be the beginning of your competitive culinary streak.  If you dream of being on Top Chef, you will have an opportunity to strut your stuff in front of their casting team this Sunday, November 15.  Here are the details:

Check out this great piece by Peter Davies and Mark Scherzer about turkeys - from their history to a hilarious account of eating turkey in Turkey...

Food52.com launched a tournament (think college basketball style brackets) to decide who had the best cookbook of the year.  

I love John Pleshette's recipes.  He's the actor and foodie who shares delicious season recipes with friends and family.  We're so lucky to be in his inner circle:

Chicken with Chanterelles

Serves 4

 

3 to 4 lb chicken cut into 8 pieces

Vegetable oil

Butter

1 lb of fresh chanterelles

6 shallots

White wine

Fresh thyme

Fresh tarragon

Crème fraiche

Lemon

Fresh chives

 

Heat a large steep-sided pan over a high flame.

 

Dry the chicken pieces in paper towels.  Salt and pepper.  Pour 4 tablespoons of oil into the pan. 

 

Brown the chicken pieces skin side down in two batches so they don’t crowd the pan.  Adjust the heat so the skin browns but does not burn.  Cook for 6 minutes, turn, brown the other side 4 minutes more. 

 

Meanwhile, mince the shallots.  Cut the caps off the mushrooms.  Roughly chop the stems.  

 

When the chicken is browned, remove to a warm plate.  Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of fat, lower the heat, add 3 tablespoons of butter.  When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallots and the mushrooms. Cover. 

 

Cook for five minutes.  Uncover.  Raise the heat and cook off most of the liquid.  Pour in 1/2 cup of white wine.  Chop two sprigs of fresh tarragon, strip the leaves off a sprig of thyme and add to the pan. 

 

When the wine has reduced to a few tablespoons, pour in 1 cup of crème fraiche and stir for a couple of minutes to melt into the mushrooms.

 

Lower the heat and arrange the chicken pieces on top of the mushrooms.  Squeeze in 1 tsp of lemon juice.

Cook for about 10 minutes.  Pierce the thickest part of the second joint with a sharp fork.  If the juice runs clear, the chicken is done. 

 

Tilt the pan and nap the chicken with the chanterelles and cream.  Garnish with chopped chives and a few sprigs of tarragon.

 

Serve with rice, orzo or a rice-sized pasta such as chitarra.

 

 

Cellarwise wine pairing

Look for wines with an earthiness to complement 

The chanterelles, enough acid to cut the crème fraiche, and the density to hold up to the dish as a whole. The ’07 michel juillot bourgogne chardonnay (france, $13) has flinty green apple fruit and a bread dough note that would be exquisite here. If you don’t mind spending a little more, the ’07 j. M. Boillot montagny blanc 1er cru (france, $30) defines earthy, edgy green-fruited burgundian chardonnay.  Riesling  works here, such as  one with the stature and backbone of the ’07 peter lehmann riesling eden valley (australia, $15). For reds, the ’07 a to z wineworks pinot noir oregon ($20) is a very pretty, feminine partner to the chanterelles while the ’07 peachy canyon zinfandel paso robles “incredible red” (california, $11) will wrap the entire dish in a soft, red fruit blanket. Enjoy.

Cranberries require a flood of water during harvest.  This week, third-generation cranberry grower Dawn Allen Gates tells us just what happens in a cranberry bog.  Farming is hard work, but it can also be therapeutic.  Michael O'Gorman explains how getting veterans out in the field can help deal with the damages of war.  Food writer Jonathan Gold takes us to a hip new street in Palms for some Indonesian food.  How about a chipa with your yerba mate?  Good Food listener Natalia Goldberg tells us what tea time in Paraguay is like.  Can pie be gender specific?  Barbara Swell shares stories about her pie competition in rural Appalachia where they had a special category for men's pies.  Still looking for WMD?  You just might find them in your fridge.  Arun Gupta explains how bacon is a weapon of mass destruction.  Laura Avery finds fresh macadamia nuts at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

After my interview with Scott Simon on Weekend Edition, so many people have asked for the recipe.  So, without further ado...

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE PECAN TART

In this recipe the Cocoa Nibs, coffee extract and bittersweet chocolate cut the sweetness of the traditional filling and add a deeper flavor.

1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen deep-dish pie crust
6 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate, broken into chunks
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo® Light or Dark Corn Syrup
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ¼  cups pecans
¼  cup Sharffen Berger Cocoa Nibs*
1 Tablespoon Trablit Coffee Extract *

Can be found at Surfas in Culver City or at www.surfasonline.com

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Scatter the chunks of chocolate over the pie crust.

In medium bowl with fork beat eggs slightly. Add sugar, Karo®, butter and coffee extract and stir until blended. Stir in pecans and Cocoa Nibs. Pour into pie crust.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

A lovely rich and savory side dish for a festive holiday dinner.