We return to magazines this week to look at what some of the major food rags are talking about and which ones might be worth a trip to the newsstand. Christmas spirit abounds, of course, and the first two in particular have some great food gift ideas.
If you can find the food between the advertisements, then the holiday issue of Gourmet is a lot of fun. Gorgeous, glossy, and a little over the top. They look at a fairy tale Christmas in Alsace, some fantastic holiday food gifts (Indian nut brittle!), dramatic cookies, and a delicious Hanukkah brunch. There are also some very tempting holiday breads; I've bookmarked the chocolate babka. Buy it on the newsstand? For the gift recipes. Subscribe? Maybe.
Saveur rolls in with a beautiful edition full of holiday food from around the world. World culture seen through food and cooking is one thing they do very well, and this month they look at Christmas in Provence, a holiday feast in Australia, Caribbean rum, and Madhur Jaffrey's reflections on tamarind. There's recipes for holiday gifts, a wonderful Nick Malgieri recipe for jam-filled cookies and much, much more. Buy it on the newsstand? Yes, for the culture. Subscribe? Yes.
Cook's Illustrated brings in their January/February issue with a wonderful collection of winter food, including herb-crusted pork loin, no-stuff manicotti, Thai chicken soup, and steak frites. They test Dutch ovens, and a $40 version from Target nearly beats out the Le Creuset. One of their writers spends 4 months making 1000 pounds of fudge in his quest for just the right recipe. None of this is available on the website, but they do have two free pieces available right now: Marinated Mushrooms and Holiday Brunch. Buy it on the newsstand? As usual, yes! Subscribe? Smart idea.
I'd like to see a cooking magazine geared toward a younger audience, or perhaps not younger, but less culinarily (?) educated. Instead of assuming we know every term and dish, take some time to explain (ala Alton Brown). It would just be nice to see something more visually fun and accessible.