Previous Features
Featured Chef Kate Heyhoe
Bio
- Executive Editor: Global Gourmet, www.globalgourmet.com, created in 1994
- America Online partner since 1995, with 2 sites at AOL keywords: eGG and GG
- Winner: Versailles World Cookbook Award, Best Food & Wine Website (1999)
- Author: Cooking with Kids For Dummies (cookingwithkids.com)
- Finalist: Award of Excellence, Entrepreneur (IACP, 1999)
- Chairperson, Writers & Publishers Section (IACP, 2000-2002)
In 1994, Kate created the World Wide Web's very first food and cooking electronic magazine, the award-winning eGG (electronic Gourmet Guide). Today, the eGG and her more recent Global Gourmet sites have merged under one location, at www.globalgourmet.com. She also publishes two sites on America Online, which in 1995 selected her company to be one of only six partners to inaugurate its prestigious Greenhouse program for "infopreneurs."
In 1995, Kate accomplished another first by bringing Julia Child and Jacques Pepin separately into their first live appearances online. Other culinary leaders soon followed. Hers were among the first sites to sell online advertising (1994), and to initiate online commerce (1995). Her online accomplishments led to her first book, Cooking with Kids For Dummies (1999, IDG Books Worldwide), which includes contributions from over 400 families, all sent via e-mail.
Prior to launching her sites, Kate's then-career in Hollywood gave her valuable media experience. As a film and TV production manager for Warner Bros. and other major studios, Kate balanced the creative, financial, and administrative demands of entertainment media - a behind-the-camera experience essential to her current online publishing, publicity, and entrepreneurial activities.
In 1996, Kate was the first online editor to judge a major national recipe contest, for Bays English Muffins. She has traveled worldwide and was the chef-owner of her own restaurant in Italy. Early on, she formed a catering company and worked as a food columnist in Texas, where she pursued a Bachelors in Journalism and Masters Degree in Radio-TV-Film at the University of Texas at Austin. She speaks frequently at industry conferences, including those of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), and the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT).
Interview
What's new on www.globalgourmet.com?
Our Global Destinations area continues to grow with new countries, tips and recipes, from Argentina to Zaire. Click on "Global Destinations: JAPAN" for instance, and you can discover the foods and dining customs of a typical Japanese meal, along with authentic recipes you can make at home. As we like to say, at Global Gourmet, we bring you the world on a plate. In fact, our mission is to create international cooking for the home chef.
How has the Internet changed the world of cooking?
The April 2000 issue of Health magazine named the Global Gourmet as one of the 25 Best Web Sites for Women, and I think our history as a legacy site proves that. It was back in 1994 when my partner Thomas Way and I created the first food and cooking e-zine - at a time when very few people other than scientists and the military were online. Today, we reach an audience as diverse as our topics, with readers emailing in from Africa, Australia, Singapore and other corners of the world. They not only enjoy the recipes we present to them, but they share much of their own food heritage as well.
You recently authored Cooking for Dummies For Kids. What are the important things to remember when cooking with children?
Let loose and have fun. As I see it, every day's a great day…to cut up in the kitchen! Seriously, knowing the basics of cooking is important at all ages, so the book includes a 7-chapter cooking tutorial that even parents are using regularly. It also has a special section on time-saving appliances and pressure cookers, with over 75 recipes. You can sample recipes and tips from the 400 families who contributed to Cooking with Kids For Dummies by logging onto cookingwithkids.com, where we also sell the book.
What food trends do you see today?
Ethnic foods are the biggest direction, and a long term one as well. From restaurants to home cooking, people are looking for more exciting flavors. As new peoples come to our country, they bring with them the cooking, ingredients, and customs of their home lands, and this will continue to change our national palate for many years to come. That's why the Global Gourmet is so popular - it's a central connecting point for anyone with an interest in international foods.
How did you get started with pressure cooking?
I was given a pressure cooker and, like all inquisitive cooks, jumped head first into discovering its many uses. I was delighted to add it to my battery of beloved kitchen equipment.
Why do you think pressure cookers are gaining in popularity?
Time is the number one commodity these days and with pressure cookers, you can capitalize on time without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. Also, flavors seem crisper to me, especially herbs and spices.
What dishes do you like to make in pressure cookers?
Beans and legumes cook so quickly. I make a lot of Indian dals, using split mung beans and such. Measuring Indian ingredients can be time consuming, because they use so many wonderful spices. But cooking a dal or other Indian dish in a pressure cooker helps me save time, so I get to enjoy these healthful, flavor-packed foods more often.
What tips do you have for someone who's just starting out with a pressure cooker?
Don't wear a helmet. Today's pressure cookers have safety features so they won't explode like the ones your grandmother used. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, but also try experimenting on your own. My Greek Skinny Chicken grew out of a desire to have a very flavorful bird in just a few minutes. In fact, with the thawing capabilities of a microwave and the quick cooking assets of a pressure cooker, you can put a fresh-cooked meal from freezer to table in about 30 minutes.
What is your next big food-related project?
I'm working on several books exploring ethnic foods, including one on sesame seed and sesame products. At globalgourmet.com, we've got a lot of exciting articles in the works - with topics ranging from chilled premium sake to fiery Aleppo pepper. And, I'm the Chairperson of the Writers & Publishers Section of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, so that's taking up all my other spare time!
More Info
Kate shares one of her pressure cooker recipes
- Greek Skinny Chicken (pressure cooked)
by Kate Heyhoe The Global Gourmet Globalgourmet.com
- Serves 4 to 6
- Without its skin, this chicken looks like it walked out of a sauna bath! All joking aside, I love the ease of a whole chicken -- and the thriftiness! In this recipe, you skin a whole chicken (it takes just a minute), then marinate it for 15 minutes in Greek spices. Once brought to pressure, the bird takes only 10 minutes to cook, and with the skin removed it's virtually fat-free -- naturally! This is a terrific dish all year round, but is especially good in summer, when it's far too hot to consider roasting a chicken in the oven.
- Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds 5 cloves garlic, peeled 1/4 cup red wine 1 to 2 teaspoons fruity olive oil 1 lemon's juice (about 1/4 cup juice) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Greek 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 carrot, sliced in 1-inch lengths on the diagonal 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 2 stalks celery, sliced on the diagonal in 1-inch lengths
- Rinse the chicken under running water and pat dry. Skin the chicken by pulling the skin off with your hands, using a knife if needed (don't worry about the little bit of skin on the wings, which is almost impossible to remove easily). Tip: Hold the skin with a paper towel to keep it from slipping out of your grasp.
- Stab the chicken about 20 times all over with a fork and place in the pressure cooker. If you have a mini-chopper or hand blender, add the garlic to the chopping bowl and process until chopped, or chop by hand. Process or blend in the red wine, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato paste, fennel seeds, oregano, thyme, paprika and salt. Rub this mixture all over the chicken, pouring any excess into the pot. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Place the carrot, onion and celery in the sides of the pot around the chicken. Lock the lid in place and bring the pressure to high. Cook at this pressure, adjusting the flame as needed, for 10 minutes. Use the natural release method.
- Serving Suggestion:
The chicken will have a warm, red-yellow color from the seasonings. Serve it with the vegetables and juices. If desired, cook with 1 pound red potatoes, quartered, for a one-pot meal.
- Copyright 1997-2000 Kate Heyhoe. All Rights Reserved.
