February 2011

Features

• Food Art: The New Farministas

  Working farms have become the new country retreat of choice for fashionistas, artists and singers looking to reconnect with the earth.

• Gastronaut Files: Smoked Foods

  Smoking doesn't require a pit, a hog or even a lot of time. A chef shares his speedy trick for adding subtle flavor to foods—even vegetables—using an inexpensive stovetop smoker.

• Laos Food: Searching for a Lost Cuisine

  Led by a chef-anthropologist in cowboy boots who has devoted himself to reviving Laos's culinary traditions, writer Emily Kaiser explores the miraculously vivid flavors of serene Luang Prabang.

• Broomball: A Wintry-White Dinner

  As a defiant fist shake to the bitter Midwestern winter—with its short days and limited pantry—chef Tory Miller and the staff at Madison, Wisconsin's L'Etoile follow an entertainingly dorky afternoon of broomball with a brilliant dinner featuring local winter-white ingredients.

• Editor's Letter

• Ancient Wine Techniques, Simple Dishes

  They're sometimes cloudy, oddly hued and more savory than fruity—and sommeliers can't get enough of them. F&W's Kristin Donnelly explores the world of edgy wines made with ancient wine techniques and shares the simple dishes that set them off best.

• Top Chef Top 10: Ludo Lefebvre

  The talent behind Los Angeles's LudoBites pop-up restaurant was a fierce competitor on Top Chef Masters, Seasons 1 and 2. Here, 10 of his obsessions, including his desire to tattoo ingredients.

• Trendspotting: Minimalist Cooking & Inspirations

  Minimalism, downsizing, unitasking, going slow: Today's most provocative trend may be the return to simplicity and minimalist cooking. Here, a look at all the low- and high-tech ways people are transforming chaos into calm.