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Briefs: Gadgets guide

By JANET K. KEELER and CHRIS SHERMAN
Published October 12, 2005

What do Messermeister shears, an Oxo julienne peeler and the J.A. Henckels boning knife have in common?

They get top rankings in Fine Cooking's Great Finds, a guide to the best kitchen tools and ingredients. Olive oil, interesting white platters and standup mixers are just some of the items tested and ranked. Look for Great Finds at bookstores for $7.99.

Was it a wedding in 30 minutes for only $40? Details are sketchy, but the Food Network reports that its cooking luminary Rachael Ray married New York attorney-musician John Cusimano on Sept. 24 in Montalcino, Italy. The bride wore Vera Wang but encouraged her guests to wear jeans. Ray's magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray, will be on newsstands Oct. 25.

USA Today reported last week that Ray has also signed a deal for an hourlong syndicated talk show to debut next fall. Add that to her magazine, four shows on the Food Network, a cookbook empire and public appearances. That's one busy cook.

The 2005 edition of Best Food Writing (Marlowe & Co.) is worth the $15.95 price just for two essays, though there are plenty more to read. Gabrielle Hamilton, owner-chef of Prune restaurant in New York City, horrifies and enlightens with her brief tale of the first time she killed a chicken. Nancy Grimes, wife of former New York Times restaurant critic William Grimes, proves herself an entertaining writer with an account of what it was like to be his dining companion.

Wait until you try Turkey's luscious haydari dip. It blends homemade yogurt (labneh) with dill and garlic, to which you can add walnuts, the health food of the moment and a part of the Caucasus longevity diet.

That's how it's served at Tampa's new Gengiz Khan (6102 S MacDill Ave.; (813) 805-6400). Food runs from such dips and spreads to entrees of lamb, shish kebabs and whole fish.

Betty Crocker has released a bilingual cookbook with recipes in English on one page and Spanish on the facing page. Cocina Betty Crocker: Favorite American Recipes in Spanish and English (Wiley; $19.95) includes 125 recipes for classic dishes such as stuffed peppers, Cobb salad and mashed potatoes.

Waldy Malouf, a New York chef with firepower - and the pride of Palm Harbor - has something new on his wood fire. Malouf, who headed the kitchen of the Rainbow Room and his own open-fire Beacon, has come up with a casual menu format.

The last word in Waldy's Wood Fired Pizza & Penne is the breakthrough: penne. The restaurant roasts the tube-shaped pasta a la macaroni and cheese with mix-n-match trimmings. Sauce can be two-cheddar mix, mozzarella with tomato vodka cream or Roquefort. Diners season with their choice of oils, spices and herbs they clip from plants. Waldy's is at 800 Sixth Ave., New York; (212) 213-5042.

Jason Orchard, who oversaw the revival of Redwoods in downtown St. Petersburg, has moved north to Dunedin. He is now in the kitchen at Kelly's for Just About Anything, where he has revamped dinner and lunch menus. . . . Frank Wolff, a chef who trained in Germany and then worked in Washington, D.C., at Jean-Louis and Occidental Grill, has taken over the cooking at Redwoods. . . . Christian Briner, formerly of Ambrosia, Cafe Alma and O Bistro, has left for Costa Rica, where he will be executive chef at Tamarindo resort and its restaurant Stella on the Pacific Coast. . . . Taking over the kitchen at T.C. Choy's Asian Bistro, Tampa's premier Chinese restaurant, is Jeannie Lau, a chef with a taste for seafood who has recently arrived from London.

- JANET K. KEELER and CHRIS SHERMAN. Keeler can be reached at 727 893-8586 or krieta@sptimes.com Sherman can be reached at (727) 893-8585 or sherman@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 11, 2005, 09:36:05]