The Next Food Network Star, Food Network’s hugely successful culinary reality series, is on the lookout for a new food star. Is that you?

They are currently casting for the 2011 season and would like to inform Circle of Food readers that there will be an open casting call in Los Angeles/Burbank on Tuesday, August 10, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

They are looking for people who are full of life, passionate about cooking, and knowledgeable about food. If that’s not you, perhaps it’s your mother, spouse, neighbor, or best friend. Spread the word to any chef, home cook, caterer, or culinary enthusiast who might be interested in becoming the host of his or her own cooking show on Food Network!

Do you have?
Strong culinary skills
Personality that pops
Passion for cooking
Food knowledge
Lots of energy and enthusiasm

If the answer is YES, then show up here:

Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport
2500 Hollywood Way
Burbank , CA 91505

Be sure to bring:
1. Two recent photos
2. A copy of your resume
3. A COMPLETED application (found at http://www.FoodNetwork.com/star )

For more information or questions please e-mail: nfns7la@gmail.com or visit http://www.nfns7casting.com

Book Review-Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession

I wanted to like this book because I loved Julie & Julia by Julie Powell which led to the movie Julia starring Meryl Streep.

If you like reading a memoir about butchering animals and bad love, no, make that obsessive-compulsive bad love – then you will love Cleaving.

Although I’m not a vegetarian nor a vegan, the very graphic scenes of butchering was upsetting almost revolting. I eat meat. Not a lot, certainly less than last year after watching the movie, Food, Inc. but still eat meat to some extent just less of it.

At the end of Julie & Julia, Julie Powell had to be riding high on her success as a writer and ability to accomplish making a complicated Julia Child’s recipe every single day for a year. Hell, I was impressed that she went from blogger to book author and her book was the premise for a movie. That is every blogger’s dream.

Then along comes the book Cleaving which is totally raw in every sense of the word.

I can imagine that after having a successful first book, that to write an equally successful book is not easy or perhaps not even possible. Certainly, the pressures to reproduce on that level are higher than a perfect souffle.

In her book Cleaving, Ms. Powell is not happy. Her affair with “D” goes downhill (he sounds like a self-serving prick). Her husband because of her affair with “D” is also having an affair. To escape, she becomes a butcher apprentice away from NYC where she rents an apartment and works hard to the point of developing aching carpal tunnel, a byproduct of the meat cutting industry.

For me, it’s downright painful to see this woman whom I so admired grappling with such low self esteem. She seems lost. Where’s the Prozac?

But to her credit, she has the guts to write about it.

After she finishes her apprenticeship, Ms. Powell moves back to the city but is still not happy so gets on a plane  to Argentina. I was hoping she would eat a lot of gelato and have a few torrid one night stands but no such thing. She goes to the stockyard and watches too much slaughter. Somewhere along the line she drinks blood and then goes to Tanzania where some bad things almost happen.

What’s more amazing to me is that I actually read most of the book but skipped over much of the gore. I guess I was hoping for a happy ending…so much for great expectations.

While her first book was a delicious truffle, this book requires a strong antacid.

Want your food memoir or cookbook reviewed? Contact karynzoldan@yahoo.com

Photo: JB Cumberland

Thank you to rising culinary star, Chef Anthony Jacquet, executive chef of the Whisper Lounge in L.A. for this recipe of  grilled Australian lamb burger with brie cheese, cranberry compote, and roasted jalapeno aioli.

The recipe, originally conceived for fine dining establishments, won Chef Anthony a trip to Sydney, Australia after winning the “Make Australian Lamb America’s New Favorite Burger” contest, sponsored by Plate Magazine and Meat & Livestock Australia.

Recipe: Grilled Australian Lamb Burger with Brie Cheese, Cranberry Compote & Roasted Jalapeno Aioli

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Burger Patty
2 lbs ground Australian Lamb (Blogger’s note: or any ground lamb)
2 shallots, minced
1  jalapeno, minced
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 tsp thyme, chopped
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Cranberry Compote
1 bag fresh cranberries (Blogger’s note: I wonder how difficult it is to find fresh cranberries in July?)
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pinot noir
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup riesling wine (Blogger’s note: If you don’t have two different wines open, use one or the other)
1 cup sugar
zest of 2 orange
5  sprigs of thyme
2 tsp pink peppercorns
1  chili de arbol
1 fresh bay leaf
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
pinch of salt

Roasted Jalapeno Aioli
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp garlic, minced
2  jalapeno, roasted, peeled, rough chopped
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
½ cup olive oil
1 cup canola oil
to taste salt and white pepper

Other Ingredients
4 brioche burger buns, cut in half
8  3-inch x 1/4-inch slices of brie cheese
2 cups wild arugula

Preparation:

Heat your grill.

First make patties. Mix ground lamb with shallots, jalapeno, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix well and weigh into 8 oz balls. Use the top of a 3 lb spice container and form the patty into a round. Be careful not to pack too tightly. They should be about an inch thick. Set aside.

To make the compote, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add all ingredients and bring to boil. Let simmer for 30 minutes until cranberries have burst open and mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency. Set aside.

To make the aioli, place eggs in food processor. Add garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice and cilantro and start machine. As the blade is twirling, slowly incorporate the olive oil and canola oil, until the emulsification occurs. Season with salt and white pepper. The mixture should be of a mayonnaise consistency. If it is too thick, thin with a little water a teaspoon at a time. Set aside.

To prepare burgers, place patties on hot grill. Cook for 2 minutes and then turn a quarter turn and cook for another 2 minutes. Flip burger and cook another 2 minutes. Turn a quarter turn and cook another 2 minutes. Add brie cheese and cover with a stainless steel mixing bowl for another minute. Pull burgers off of grill and let rest. They should be medium rare.

Meanwhile, place buns on grill to toast for a minute. Place aioli on both sides of bun. Add arugula to bottoms of the bun, followed by the burger patties and brie cheese, top with cranberry compote and top with other side of bun. Serve immediately.

Blogger’s note: This recipe looks divine but I fear not being able to find fresh cranberries in July. Otherwise, you might be able to find a good quality store bought cranberry compote on the shelves of your favorite upscale market. If not cranberry, maybe plum compote or apricot compote. I think those flavors would be equally complementary to the lamb and aioli. As for the wine, what about a Chilean Cabernet or Australian Shiraz?

Chef Anthony Jacquet is always pushing himself to learn more and make each dish better than the last. A graduate from San Diego State University and the California Culinary Academy, Chef Jacquet discovered his love of food while cooking for friends in college. It was then that he discovered the satisfaction involved with seeing the happiness and sense of community when good food is on the table—the same satisfaction that continues to propel him today.

June is National Iced Tea Month. Here are some fun facts about iced tea, courtesy of Honest Tea:

•         As of June 1, iced tea turned 106 years-old (what’s old is new again)

•         80 percent of the tea served around the world is iced tea

•         Studies show that drinking tea is a good way to build strong bones

•         Despite its many variations and flavors, all tea comes from the same plant

•         American golfer Arnold Palmer’s favorite drink is a combination of half iced tea and half lemonade.  It was coined when a restaurant patron overheard him order the drink and asked for the “Palmer drink” too.

•         Honest Tea Half & Half offers a healthy way to satisfy summer thirst with USDA certified organic and Fair Trade certified tea with slightly sweetened lemonade and is only 48 calories per 8-oz serving.

Of course, I read a million articles about health and aging. One article by Dr. Oz in AARP magazine said to drink two cups of green tea a day. Every morning I drink a cup of green tea and eat five almonds then later eat breakfast.

This got me thinking about what other tea benefits were out there.

Polyphenols in tea have been known to:

* Help protect cells from the normal, but damaging, physiological process known as “oxidative stress.” Although oxygen is vital to life, it’s also incorporated into reactive substances called free radicals. These can damage the cells in our body and have been implicated in the slow chain reaction of damage leading to heart disease and cancer.

* Help prevent blood clotting

* Help lower cholesterol levels

* Help neutralize enzymes that aid in the growth of tumors

* Help deactivate cancer promoters

* Help stimulate the immune system

Hmmm, I just might drink two cups of green tea a day…

As a matter of fact yesterday I met a friend and we went to Seven Cups Teahouse in Tucson for a pot of hot tea. It didn’t matter that it was 99 degrees outside, the tea was amazingly soothing after our stressful days. Unfortunately, Seven Cups now has Wi-Fi and every other table had computers. All the ringing and chirping sounds that computers make did not make for serenity. My Zen was out of whack. I can imagine that Wi-Fi is a draw (isn’t that what Starbucks is for?) but it also detracts for those of us who want to de-computerize and converse quietly.

But back to iced tea…do you have any tips when making iced tea at home?

Who doesn’t like free?

National Doughnut Day or National Donut Day is always the first Friday in June.

According to Wikipedia, the traditional began in 1938 by the Salvation Army to honor the women who served donuts or doughnuts to the soldiers.

Whatever.

So, where can you get these free donuts?

Click here to find a participating Krispy Kreme store.  Dunkin’ Donuts ise also offering a free donut when you buy a beverage.

One caveat…it’s while supplies last.  I can see these puppies flying out there the door so early risers catch the carbs.