Showing posts with label Designers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Designers. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

WWD Wednesday: Designer Dishes


WWD gave the inside scoop on how designers spend their thanksgiving cooking their favorite recipes. Incorporate some of these dishes for tomorrow’s festivities and keep it chic while cooking this holiday!


"I bake a lot at home. This recipe, my own, is a way to create a more exciting and sumptuous cookie that, albeit rich, is refreshing after a big Thanksgiving meal. The sweetness of the molasses perfectly marries the heartiness of the sesame seeds."

Spiced Thanksgiving Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup almond flower
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup salted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon water
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sift all the dry ingredients together. In a larger bowl, mix the sugar and the butter until fluffy. Add the water and molasses. Then add the dry ingredients to form a dough.

Take about a tablespoon-and-a-half of the dough and roll into balls. Slightly flatten with the palm of your hand and place on a tray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes and allow 5 minutes to cool.


"I make Paul Prudhomme’s corn bread dressing every year. I met him a long time ago in New Orleans and have made the dressing ever since. We have Thanksgiving dinner in the office every year and it has become an office favorite as well."

Nicole’s Corn Bread Dressing: 
1½ pounds turkey, duck or chicken giblets
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons margarine
1½ cups finely chopped onions
1½ cups finely chopped green bell peppers
1 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3 large bay leaves
2 cups basic chicken stock
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
10 cups finely crumbled Paul and K’s Corn Bread
2 12-ounce cans evaporated milk
6 eggs, beaten

Seasoning Mix:
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 teaspoons ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Boil the giblets in water until tender, about 1 hour. Drain the giblets and (preferably) grind or very finely chop them. Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a medium-size bowl and set aside. In a 5½-quart saucepan, heat the butter and margarine over high heat until half melted. Add 1 cup of the onions, 1 cup of the bell peppers, ½ cup of the celery, and the garlic and bay leaves. Sauté about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the seasoning mix and continue cooking about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the pan bottom frequently. Stir in the remaining ½ cup onions, ½ cup bell peppers and ½ cup celery, the stock, giblets, and Tabasco. Cook about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add the corn bread, milk and eggs, stirring well. Spoon the dressing into two greased 13-by-9-inch baking pans (preferably not nonstick types), spreading the mixture evenly in the pans. Bake at 350 degrees until browned on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and discard bay leaves. Serve as desired. Note: Be certain to let the dressing cool, then refrigerate it and chill it well before using it to stuff fowl. Makes about 16 cups.

"For the longest time, we have been making Pommes Anna. It’s a sophisticated French-y take on scalloped potatoes — and part of Julia Child’s repertoire — that makes for a fabulous presentation. It looks like a cake! Thinly mandolined slices of potato (believe me, you’ll need a mandolin) are laid out on a pan along with butter, finished in the oven and then turned out tarte Tatin-style. We follow the Julia’s recipe (with a few practical notes from us)."

Pommes Anna:
4 pounds boiling potatoes, thinly sliced
2 sticks butter, melted
Optional: a few springs of thyme!
Salt and pepper to taste
A touch of finely grated gruyère or parmigiano reggiano. (Our apologies to Julia but this helps with keeping the cake together.)

Blot the potatoes with a paper towel to remove some of the starch. Work fast, as the potato slices start to discolor quickly. No pressure! Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Clarify the butter (melt and let the white pieces move to the top). Using a basting bulb, squeeze the end of it in the clear butter — use only this, otherwise the potatoes will stick. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or other very heavy pan, put in 1/4  cup clarified butter, arrange potato slices around the pan, covering the bottom in a design. Salt and pepper the potato layers, pouring on a bit more butter. Then salt and pepper and arrange the two other layers. Continue layering the potatoes, butter, salt and pepper, until the potatoes are all used. Take a smaller pan with a flat bottom and press down to compress the potatoes into a cake. Put in the oven for 20 minutes. As a precaution, put something under the potatoes to catch any butter that may spatter. Remove from the oven and press down on the potatoes again. Return to the oven for 25 more minutes. Remove to compress the layers again. You can return for 5 more minutes or, if you need to bake something else in the oven, finish the potatoes over the burner on low, until the main dish is cooked. Invert onto plate and cut into wedges.


Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Fashion Star

Since Fashion Star's premiere on Tuesday night, people have been buzzing! This is the only fashion show that allows viewers to be able to purchase the pieces seen at the end of the show and in stores the next day! The judges panel consist of fabulous representatives from Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, and H&M! Did you miss the show? Here's your recap!



Friday, March 9, 2012

The Weekender: Ms.FIT


It's finally Friday! Time to let loose and this weekend is even more exciting, because the wait is finally over for the Ms. FIT pageant! This is the reason we go to FIT! Well one of the reasons...and you need to be there! Until then we'll give you something to do for pre and post the big event!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Designer Walk


Looks like the models are not the only ones taking a walk down runways this time at Fashion Week!  Designers are also walking the walk for their final times! Yes, it's true designers are getting dumped left and right this year. Leave it to the fashion industry to reveal huge news in the midst of their busiest time.


Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Reality show with ONLY F.I.T. students...BELIEVE IT!

Footwear News has been putting on an online reality show with only F.I.T. students, and guess what...IT IS IN IT'S SECOND SEASON!! FN Shoe Star is a show to watch out for, and here's why...

UM HELLO FERGIE!! Yup she's a part of the show.
Her shoe company is who the winner would get to work for!

Now I know I heard about this a while ago, but I didn't get a chance to check it out until tonight, and I'm not gonna lie, it is definitely something we should ALL BE WATCHING! I'm addicted, especially because I HAD CLASS WITH ONE OF THE CONTESTANTS!! Keena Fleming and I had 21st Century Conflict together and seeing her designs in this show blows me away!

Obviously, I'm cheering for Keena!
FN Shoe Star starts with 12 F.I.T. students who have to pitch their footwear designs to Footwear News editors, and only 6 are chosen to become contestants for the rest of the season, that will go until June.

He's the man! And joined by 2 beautiful FN editors.

Yup, they're sweating....
Not only is this a fantastic show, but it really focuses around the talent we have here at F.I.T. and supports our fellow students! I will definitely be keeping you guys updated on what happens, and hope you'll be watching too!

Watch them sweat it out in the audition process!! (GO KEENA!)
Watch Episode 1 Here!

Only 5 days until the next episode!!