Food Network Magazine May 2021

What’s the best pizza you’ve ever had? “My nonnie’s was pretty amazeballs: bread dough, good olive oil, thinly sliced onions and salt. She called it Cresia, even though it isn’t cheese bread.”“Pizzana in Los Angeles makes a cacio e pepe pie that’s insane. It’s one of the best things I’ve eaten!”“Lou Malnati’s deep dish, well done, easy on the cheese, sausage, peppers and onions! Chicago 4ever.”“Una Pizza Napoletana in downtown New York City.” All-New Food Shows! If all the TV watching you’ve done over the past year has made you hungry for a new favorite series, take a peek at discovery+. The streaming service is packed with more than 1,000 hours of original content, including the new show Duff’s Happy Fun Bake Time, which stars Duff Goldman…and puppets from The Jim Henson Company!…

If we are ever going to come together as a country, we’re going to have to work out our carrot cake differences—because they are real, and they are intense. I had no idea anyone felt so strongly until we made a simple request to our test kitchen chefs: Could you create a perfect carrot cake (ideally one that would be pretty enough for the May cover)? A debate erupted immediately: One recipe developer insisted that a proper carrot cake should include pineapple, another shunned the pineapple and demanded tons of nuts and dried fruit. Someone else swore by shredded coconut; a fourth developer rejected that idea for a pared-down version focused more on the spices in the batter. I took the conversation home, only to discover even more unrest: My daughters…

1 It’s Derby Day! Whip up a mint julep: Muddle fresh mint with 1 tablespoon simple syrup; add 2 ounces bourbon and crushed ice. 2 Make asparagus for Sunday dinner: Toss with olive oil and salt; broil 4 minutes. Toss with balsamic vinegar; broil 2 more minutes. 3 Bake a spring treat (like the carrot cake on our cover!), then watch the new season of Best Baker in America tonight at 9 p.m. ET. 5 Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with tostadas: Top with sour cream, fire-roasted corn, cooked shrimp, sliced radishes and jalapeños. 8 The first Coca-Cola was sold on this day in 1886. Have a cola slushy! Freeze the soda in an ice cube tray; blend the cubes with cold cola. 9 Happy Mother’s Day! Treat mom to pancakes with a twist. Melt a…

Hot and Cold Fans of chili crisp—the most sought-after condiment of the year—will tell you that you can put it on just about anything, and Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp confirms this right on the label: Ice cream is the first suggested use! The crunchy chili-oil condiment, inspired by the Chinese brand Lao Gan Ma’s iconic Spicy Chili Crisp, was created by Los Angeles–based chef Jing Gao and famously attracted a months-long waiting list (flybyjing.com). But fear not: It’s back in stock, and chefs and restaurants across the country, including Momofuku restaurant group (shop.momofuku.com) and New York City’s Milu (eatmilu.com), are selling their own riffs. PHOTO: MIKE GARTEN; FOOD STYLING: CHRISTINE ALBANO; PROP STYLING: CHRISTINA LANE.…

Trisha Yearwood is dishing out new dinnerware. When the star was growing up in Monticello, GA, her mom, Gwen, made wedding cakes for local families. After Gwen passed away in 2011, Trisha found some old sketches of her mom’s cakes, and now she’s launching a line of plates, bowls, cake stands and more inspired by those drawings. The pieces are for sale at Williams Sonoma—just in time for Mother’s Day. Presentation really does matter. In a recent experiment, participants thought that pieces of avocado toast were less processed and had fewer calories when the slices were artfully arranged rather than mashed.SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Food-themed pet names are all the rage. A recent survey suggests that all the time we’ve spent making bread, coffee and cocktails this past year has led to some…

Visit any serious cocktail bar or well-stocked liquor store these days and you’ll likely encounter mezcal. The smoky Mexican liquor, distilled from the roasted hearts of agave plants, has long been central to Oaxacan culture but has more recently become a stateside obsession: America imports more mezcal than any other country in the world, with sales having grown 77 percent since 2017, according to the Distilled Spirits Council. Mixologists have helped fuel the boom by creating new mezcal cocktails, although many fans also drink Mezcal the traditional way: at room temperature with salt and an orange slice. Here’s how to buy it, drink it and discuss it like a pro. Message on theBottle Read the label to know what you’re drinking. VARIETAL Tequila is a type of mezcal distilled from Blue Weber agave, while…