Serious Eats gives us Apple Cider Doughnut Ice Cream.

Why the hell not?

Here’s the recipe. Oh, baby.

From Taste Food, this looks promising.

Check the technique with one of our heroes, Jacques Pepin.

“What’s the best knife?”

“A sharp one.”

The Essential Pepin, man, I can’t wait.

Dig this recipe for Lemony Chicken Tortellini Soup from the beautiful site, The Parsley Thief.

Over at Eater, dig this interview with Christia Tosi of the Milk Bar. It’s a goon ‘un.

Oh and peep Tosi’s new book. I haven’t see it yet but sure am looking forward to checking it out.

[Photo Credit: foodists]

Fresh direct from the Goddess at Smitten Kitchen: Apple Pie cookies.

Dag, where have you been my whole life?

Food 52 is a regular stop for me. It’s a wonderful site that just got a face lift and is now better than ever. Drop by.

Oh, and dig this fat bastard ridiculousness: croissant french toast.

Fug me.

[Photo Credit: Jennifer Causey]

Serious Eats gives us a recipe for spicy beer mustard.

Why the hell not? Hey, I just wanted an excuse to post this damn picture.

Currently my favorite hot sauce.

[Featured image photo credit: Melissaraydavis]

From Eater, here’s a brief Q&A with Eric Ripert on the Art of Fine Dining and Not Being a Jerk:

ER: I used to be a very authoritative chef — a young, borderline violent dictator. Very intolerant, insulting my cooks, screaming in the kitchen, breaking china. But I wasn’t happy and my team wasn’t happy. In 2000, I started to contemplate what had gone on in my career. I was losing a lot of employees and was confused. So I decided to change the way we manage people. I realized that you couldn’t be happy if you had anger. It’s a very simple thought. But it helped me decide to not be abusive any longer. We decided to change.

But how did you manage to transmit that to your staff?

ER: It took me a long time to pass that to my cooks — there was a lot of resilience. I couldn’t yell at someone for yelling, so I had to be very patient and explain that yelling is not good. First of all, you’re not happy. Second, the cook you just yelled at is scared. Third, the team isn’t happy. And it creates an ambiance in the kitchen which is not productive. I want a peaceful environment. It took us a while, but today we have arrived at a certain level of management where the team is happy to be together and work together, and it stays that way even at our busiest times. The chefs don’t yell and scream, and there is no drama.

Sometimes we have lapses. It’s not like every day is joyful. But when we have a bad day, we recognize it and try to compensate for the mistake and move on. Sometimes a guy will flip.

Do you ever flip?

ER: The other day I said something mean to a sous chef. I didn’t really scream, but I knew I got him. I regretted it, apologized, and that was that.

But I notice the success in the turnover. People will stay, even line cooks, for three years. They feel that they are part of the experiment, and they realize that you can do good food, under pressure, without being an asshole.

Go figure that.

Nicole Franzen visits the greenmarket.

A postcard from Tabasco Country.

[Photo Credit: Little House in the Suburbs]

Food 52 keeps it simple and light.

Saveur offers up Mexican comfort food.

Serious Eats finds the best Vietnamese sandwich in New York.

[Photo Credit: Plate of the Day and Serious Eats]

An apple a day, the old saying goes. But I eat a carrot every day. Or almost every day. Don’t ask me why, but it’s been that way for years.

David Lebovitz has a good recipe for grated carrot salad.

Dig in.

A few weeks ago I bet my old pal Johnny Red Sox that his team would make the playoffs. He said they were going to blow it. Here’s the bet: If the Sox won, he takes me out to dinner. If they lost, I take him out.

Figured it was a win-win for me. Now, let’s just hope his tastes are reasonable. That doesn’t mean Gray’s Papaya, but let’s hope it doesn’t mean Del Posto either.

My mom was in town and came over for dinner last night. Ted Berg had given me some of the pulled pork he cooked over the weekend so I figured I’d make a couple of sandwiches, and as luck would have it, mom brought a loaf of challah. I’m not sure why, maybe in honor of the Jewish New Year that I don’t celebrate. She doesn’t celebrate it either, though she was once been coerced into “converting” to Judaism.That expired, at least in spirit, well before she divorced my dad. Still, maybe she brought the challah to remember the old days. Or just because she thinks it is delicious.

Anyhow, the bread was ideal for the pork, and we topped it with some homemade coleslaw and a vinegary bbq sauce.  I usually only think of challah for french toast but it’s more than lovely for a pulled pork sandwich too.

Happy New Year, indeed.

[Photo Credit: James Ransom for Food 52]

Yeah, I know it’s only Tuesday but dig these apple pancakes over at Smitten Kitchen.

Mail order bacon? Saveur’s got the spots.