​While working on this month's story about white chocolate ("Beyond the Pale,") we called in more than 100 pounds of the buttery confection to make bread puddings, panna cottas, cookies, and mousse. Given its silky texture and the way its pale hue lends itself to decoration, we were excited to work with it-until we discovered that it's almost impossible to pipe through a pastry bag. That can be a problem if you're trying to cement a gingerbread house, or top that house off with a "snow"-covered roof. Unlike regular chocolate, which holds its shape after heating, white chocolate, with its high percentage of slippery cocoa butter, turns runny.

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Hoping to find a way to pipe it, we paid a visit to Jacques Torres' chocolate factory in Manhattan. The key to decorating with white chocolate, Torres told us, is to sprinkle in water before pouring it from pan to pastry bag. So long as you're working with real white chocolate, with at least 20 percent cocoa

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In a year punctuated by presidential barbecue campaigns, bacon shortages, rising food prices, and Doritos Locos becoming a thing, it's important to consider that the food world managed to give us delicious, comforting, and well-executed moments, too. In the spirit of looking back, here are fifteen of those, from our own John Mariani.

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Read More »from The Best of Food and Drink in 2012

Zoe Singer, SELF magazine

Throwing a boozy brunch is a fun, easy and cheap way to celebrate the season. Prep almost all of these delish dishes the day before so, come party time, you can actually hang out. Cocktail?

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Read More »from Holiday Brunch How-To

Make a simple cake in less than an hour. This cake's so good, Fabio gave it to the Pope (literally).

Tips:

• How to pick the best apple for your recipe: Use ripe apples for maximum sweetness. Firm apples with bold flavors are best for baking because the flesh doesn't break down, get mealy, or melt.
• Secret ingredient: olive oil. Olive oil draws out the sweeter notes in apples and brings superior character to the ingredients. Besides being a "healthier" fat, olive oil contains natural emulsifiers that lead to a more moist cake with great texture.

Fabio's Apple CakeFabio's Apple Cake

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yield: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

3-4 very ripe Red Delicious apples, peeled and cored

1 cup all-purpose, unbleached flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 large eggs, plus one yolk

¾ cup granulated sugar

zest of one orange

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp golden brown sugar

powdered sugar, for dusting

fresh mint sprigs, for garnish

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Mosaic portrait artist Jason Mecier is most known for his creative celebrity portraits made from the celebrity's own trash, but he is always experimenting with new mediums. He has done a Martha Stewart portrait out of veggies, Rachel Ray made out of beans and noodles, and Rosie O'Donnell out of junk food. We met with him the other day for the reveal of his most recent food portrait: Kevin Bacon made out of bacon!

Kevin Bacon...made of baconWhen you look at it up close, it looks like a box filled with bacon, but take a step back and there he is! A perfect representation of Mr. Kevin Bacon. Jason used fifteen pounds of bacon to complete the piece. The lighter colored sections, such as the skin on Kevin Bacon's face, were made with raw, fatty pieces of bacon that were cut with scissors to the right shape. The background of the portrait was made with perfectly cooked bacon that all blends together to be a solid reddish-brown. The darker sections, such as his hair, pupils, and darker shadows around his face

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For not much money, and very little time, you can whip up homemade treats guaranteed to wow: savory crackers, gourmet salts, delectable decadent marshmallows, and more.

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37 Delectable Holiday Appetizers »

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Christmas Cocktail Recipes »

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.

Read More »from 10 Delicious Homemade Food Gifts

Personally, I never need an excuse to whip up a batch of cupcakes ... especially during the holidays. Generally I try to avoid eating a lot of sugar, but come December, I think we could all use a little splurge, right? Cupcakes are the perfect treat to bring to a holiday party or to keep on-hand for your kids' snack-time. Here are 10 stunning (and scrumptious!) festive cupcake recipes and ideas to try this holiday season. - By Selena Burgess

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Chicken Yakitori Rice Bowl

Mirin is a rice wine low in alcohol, and most of it cooks off in this recipe. For a nonalcoholic substitute, use a mixture of equal parts rice vinegar and sugar.

Chicken Yakitori Rice Bowl

Ingredients

2 (3.5-ounce) bags boil-in-bag basmati rice
1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
3 teaspoons peanut oil, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
8 ounces snow peas, halved lengthwise diagonally
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

See More: Superfast Kid-Friendly Recipes

Preparation

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

2. Combine soy sauce and next 4 ingredients (through broth) in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to

Read More »from 20-Minute Recipe: Chicken Yakitori Rice Bowl