I have great news, my George Burger won in the top 3 by Judges at Burger Bash hosted by Rachel Ray; the kick off event by the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival. This outstanding evening of chefs coming together grilling up burgers for 3000 attendees benefitted The Food Bank for NYC and SOS—No Kid Goes Hungry Campaign. It was the largest turnout in five years of this event.
If I can do it, You can do it!
Pretzels are commonly thought to have originated in Bavaria, but believe it or not—they can be traced back to the days in Roman times. A legend says that the crossed ends represent arms folded in prayer.
Have you ever made pretzels? This is one treat that is so easy to make; just allow one hour for the dough to rise. Pretzels are the must have snack at your Oktoberfest party or you can stack them up on dowels and take-along to a weekend tailgate. Mustard. Optional.
Hot Baked Pretzels Recipe
Recipe by George Hirsch | Makes 12 large pretzels | chefgeorgehirsch.com
1 teaspoon brown sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water, 120 degrees F
4 1/2 - 5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
For Pretzel Wash:
1/2 cup baking soda
4 cups hot water
For The Topping:
1/4 cup kosher salt
Optional Additional Toppings: caraway seeds, sesame seeds, Parmesan cheese
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in warm water. Let yeast bloom for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the dough is too wet add the remaining 1/2 cup a flour a little at a time. Knead the dough until smooth and it comes off the sides of the bowl cleanly about two minutes; then remove to a floured board and knead for a total of about 4-5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place (about 80 degrees) until doubled in size, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
When risen, turn dough out onto a large lightly floured cutting board and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about eight inches in length, and twist into a pretzel shape. With a large skimmer, dip each pretzel dough into the baking soda solution and back on cutting board, top each pretzel with salt and any other optional topping.
Place pretzels on a greased baking sheet, bake for 8 minutes, or until browned.
chefgeorgehirsch.com | From Adventures in Grilling Cookbook, by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco.
Playoffs & Gameday Party Plan
With this weekends playoffs + Super Bowl XLV is a couple weeks away at Cowboy's Stadium in Arlington Texas, it's time to plan your GameDay party. With the biggest sporting event of the year in Texas - Why not plan an authentic smok'n cowboy style party as fun way to entertain this year's playoffs + Super Bowl.
In Texas they sure love the flavor of smoke; so whether your party is indoors or out, plan a menu with a little Texan style hickory or mesquite smoke for ultimate flavor!
A good game plan to consider is serving finger foods such as Mexican Calzones, Pork Sliders and steaming bowls of chili. But, don’t forget to honor the host city with my viewer favorite Crock of Beer Chili. I’ve served it myself in Texas – so you know it’s got to be good.
This year marks the 177th tapping of the first barrel of beer celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich. What better way to celebrate than have the party last for weeks - this year September 18 - October 4.
Hofbräuhaus prides itself in being the most famous beer hall in the world. You can expect oompah bands, waitresses in traditional "Dirndls", homebrew beer in one-liter steins, and hearty Bavarian food such as veal sausage with sweet mustard, crackling pork roast and pretzels.
You can join in the celebrations and make yourself some hot baked pretzels. For My Hot Baked Pretzel Recipe.
images: hofbraeuhaus
The East End of London, aka Bangla Town is a neighborhood that's receiving acclaim and popularity through it's noteworthy eateries and restaurants. You may have heard of London’s East End, through its popular BBC soap opera Eastender’s, airing on PBS TV stations in the US.
It's no wonder the popularity has spread- the curry houses of Brick Lane are known for good, cheap, vibrant diversity of foods; also luring an art and fashion vibe as a student hangout. Youth are a great indicator of birthing trends.
Head cross the pond for the annual event in London's East End, celebrating the exotic aroma of Bangladeshi cuisine. The Brick Lane Curry Festival continues until October 10th, but you can enjoy the great Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani restaurants year round.
