Blog Posts by Gourmet

by Kemp Minifie, GourmetPhoto: Condé Nast Archives

Whether you have hardboiled eggs in your fridge from Easter and Passover, or are just celebrating spring with an ancient symbol of birth and fertility, you absolutely can't go wrong turning them into deviled eggs. It never fails: They are the first to disappear at a party! So here are five fantastic fillings to tantalize those taste buds. All are for 6 eggs, yielding 12 hors d'oeuvres.

See also: 10 Outrageous Pies

The Classic
(In culinary-speak, deviled means it's got mustard and a touch of spicy heat.) Mash the yolks with ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Season with salt. Fill whites and sprinkle with paprika. Hint: Kick up the snazz factor a notch by using Spanish smoked paprika. It comes sweet (dulce), agridulce(bittersweet) and hot (picante).

The Southern Belle
Mash yolks with ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon brown or yellow mustard, and 2 tablespoons drained sweet pickle relish. Season with salt and pepper. Fill whites

by Kendra Vizcaino, Gourmet

It's every host's worst nightmare. Your significant other has invited the boss over for drinks and "just a few nibbles." But there's no need to panic! Hand them a cocktail-and pour yourself one, too-and then take 10 minutes to whip up an array of appetizers that look and taste as if you'd been in the kitchen for hours.

See also: 10 Outrageous Pies

1. Prosciutto-Wrapped Bread Sticks

You can't go wrong with this Italian staple: a slice of prosciutto wrapped around a crunchy, slim bread stick or a fresh, slender asparagus spear. If you don't have prosciutto on hand, opt for any other high-quality variety of thinly sliced cured meat, such as ham or bresaola. Display this simple snack standing upright in a tall glass, making it the ultimate grab-and-go nibble for guests.

2. Pea Pesto

Fresh or frozen peas add a burst of flavor and color to any dish. For a quick-fix spread, combine 2 cups fresh (or 10 ounces frozen and thawed) peas with 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup

Photo: Romulo Yanesby Kemp Minifie, Gourmet

Kissin' Cousins
Would you believe asparagus is a member of the Lily family? That means it's related to onions, garlic, and leeks. It sure doesn't taste like its kin, but things that grow together go together, so no wonder asparagus is a winner when cooked with any of them.

See also: 10 Outrageous Pies

Four Years From Seed to Spears
That's how long commercial growers allow. It takes a year-and a depletion of the earth-for the seed to grow into a crown. The crown is dug up and transplanted to deep furrows in a new area of nutrient-rich soil. A few spears will develop in the first year after transplanting, but crowns need about three years to build up the strength to produce prolific numbers of spears for fifteen years or more.

Male Asparagus Produce More Spears
Come on, are we surprised? Asparagus plants are either male or female, but the energy females need to create seeds reduces the number of stalks they produce. Whether male or female, a stalk can grow an

by Kemp Minifie, Gourmet LivePhoto: CN Digital Studio

You'd assume that someone who's cooked professionally for many years would have the art of entertaining down to a science. I wish I could say I've got it nailed, but every party teaches me something. One thing is for sure: Murphy's Law-if anything can go wrong, it will-rules! Here are five likely mishaps and how to fix them.

See also: 10 Outrageous Pies

1. Market Upheaval
You saw it at the store a week ago, but suddenly one or more crucial ingredients you were counting on for your party, disappear. Don't waste your energy obsessing over it. Figure out a substitution; you just might create something even better than the original dish you'd planned.

2. Mechanical Failures
Oven on the blink? Hope you're on good terms with your neighbors, or fire up your grill. Plumbing nightmares usually happen on weekends, when plumbers are either off, or charging double-time. Our sink and toilets backed up once, just as about 100 people arrived for an informal reception

Photo by Romulo Yanesby Gourmet Live

In an ongoing collaboration between Gourmet Live and New York's Institute of Culinary Education, chef-instructor Erica Wides kicks off a new instructional series with a lesson in making your own maki.

Master sushi chefs may train for years, but all you'll need to get things rolling at home are the basic instructions, ingredients, and equipment outlined below. With a bit of time, space, and dexterity, you can go from DIY dream to dinner, whether for a party or a small supper for one or two. The proportions in this article will make about 10 maki, which is enough to serve four to six people, and can be scaled up or down as needed.

See also: Gourmet's Top 10 Timeless Recipes

1. Rice Reigns
The single most important element of sushi-making is the cooking of the rice. It's so important, in fact, that future sushi chefs in Japan spend the first two of their seven years of formal training learning to master this step. For the best shot at success, be sure to buy the right

Photo: CNP Archivesby Kemp Minifie, Gourmet Live

Easter is coming up fast, which means that lots of eggs are about to be hard-boiled for the annual ritual of dyeing eggs and hiding them for the Easter egg hunt.

See also: Gourmet's Top 10 Timeless Recipes

Thanks to food scientist Shirley Corriher and her book Cookwise, there's a ridiculously simple method that produces sunny yellow yolks (with no blue-green discoloration) and whites as tender as a baby's bottom. Over the years I've simplified it even further.

• Cover the eggs with 1 inch of cold water in a saucepan (Corriher uses 1½ inches, but 1 inch works well for me). And don't just eyeball the measurement; use a ruler. Also, make sure the lid's close by.

• Bring the water just to a full boil, then remove the pan from the heat, and cover it with the lid. Let the eggs stand 10 minutes (if you want a slightly moist center to your yolk), or 15 minutes (if you want a fully-cooked yolk).

• Pour off the hot water, then fill the pan with cold water and

by Kelly Senyei, Gourmet Live

Gourmet Live's Kelly Senyei rounds up the sweetest, cheesiest, largest, and just plain strangest pie-inspired foods from around the world.

More from Gourmet Live:

15 Perfect Pasta Dishes

Gourmet's Classic Comfort Foods

Chocolate Desserts to Bake This Month

The Best Sandwiches Across the Globe

Kelly Senyei is an associate editor at Gourmet Live and author of the forthcoming Food Blogging for Dummies (Wiley, spring 2012).

Photo by Romulo Yanes

by Kemp Minifie, Gourmet Live

Work on this week's issue of Gourmet Live, Pi(e) Eyed, got me bakin' some pies, and that got me itchin' to share some tips.

Related: A Baker's Dozen of Our Best Pie Recipes

Don't Knock Convenience:
• Your handmade crust may be the flakiest ever, but your food processor deserves a love hug. It makes a consistently great dough, as long as you pulse and don't overblend, and it does it all in a matter of seconds. When adding the ice water, stop the machine, remove the lid, and drizzle it evenly over the mixture. Then pulse until the dough begins to come together, but not as far as a solid mass.

• If you don't have time to make dough, go ahead and use the refrigerated pre-rolled crusts. They cook into a darn good pie.

What's Old Is New
• Rediscover what my grandmother swore by for rolling out dough: A pastry cloth and rolling pin sock. Even my local supermarket sells them. By rubbing some flour into the cloth, it holds the flour without forcing it into