December 2010

Features

• Scott Conant's 10 Favorite Italian Restaurants

  Chef Scott Conant's favorite haunts, from NYC to LA.

• Scott Conant's Global Christmas Dinner

  When Manhattan chef Scott Conant makes Christmas dinner, the menu honors his mother's Italian background—but also his father's New England heritage and his wife's Turkish roots. Oh, and there's a Dominican-inspired cake, too.

• Gastronaut: Homemade Sausage

  Making sausage at home is a fabulous project well worth the effort. Here, some great recipes, tips and shortcuts.

• Kevin Sbraga's Christmas Cookie Recipes

  One way to get kicked off TV's Top Chef: make dessert. That was the prevailing wisdom, anyway, until Kevin Sbraga proved it wrong. Here, the Season 7 winner shares his best Christmas cookies.

• California Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

  What forces are shaping the future of California Cabernet Sauvignon? F&W's Ray Isle considers trophy bottles, bargain buys, emerging regions and wine-country recipes that make any delicious Cabernet taste even better.

• Chocolate Tasting

  Trying chocolates side-by-side shows how origin and cacao concentration affect flavor. Compare different bars from around the globe, or lighter-to-darker types from a producer like Michel Cluizel (worldwidechocolate.com).

• Cocktail Party Tips from Mixologist Jim Meehan

• Creating Faux Shark's-Fin Soup

  Chef Corey Lee updates a classic soup for a new generation of conscientious eaters.

• Editor's Letter

• Extreme Chocolate

  Call it the Chocolate X Games. Here, two delicious and extreme chocolate desserts go head-to-head: One is a sophisticated bittersweet-chocolate tart; the other, Mom's Chocolate Cake.

• 10 Italian Red Wines for a Holiday Meal

  Chef Scott Conant shares his picks for 10 fantastic Italian red wines that are perfect for holiday meals and gift giving.

• Become an Intuitive Cook: Thomas Keller's Cooking Lessons

  Writer Daniel Duane decided to teach himself how to cook by becoming a cookbook zealot. Then a miraculous encounter with master chef Thomas Keller showed him a better strategy.

• Best Handmade Gifts

  America's finest food artisans have begun teaching their crafts to ardent amateurs. F&W presents their best recipes for handmade gifts, plus other amazing presents to complete the package.

• Will Cotton's Food Art: Bûche de Noël

  Will Cotton has painted women in ribbon-candy wigs and lollipop tiaras. He invites F&W to be the first to document his new food obsession, chocolate, as he reimagines a classic holiday cake as art.

• Top Chef Top 10: Susur Lee

  The ponytailed, Toronto-based star of Top Chef Masters talks to F&W about 10 of his biggest food, style and art obsessions—and explains why reality TV is kind of like a game of Jenga.

• Trendspotting: Vintage-Inspired Food Gifts & Experiences

  The 19th century is back in style. This might seem like a reaction against the pressures of our wired times—except that items like heritage seeds and Victorian-inspired cheese knives are sold online and promoted via Twitter.