SparkBlog by The Hartman Group

Thank Goodness!

With the Thanksgiving holiday rapidly approaching, we know you're eager for a little inspiration. Allow us to present the ultimate in post-modern turkey:

Layers of turkey loaf, stuffing and mashed potatoes all topped with bubbling marshmallowly sweet potatoes. Essentially, Thanksgiving in a neat little package. Think of the dishes you'll save! For those of us who don't mind our food groups touching, that is.

If you make only one Thanksgiving turkey cake this year, let it be this one.

Recipe here.

Holiday Shopping? Done.

For the iPhone owner who has everything, may we suggest the above grilled sausage scented iPhone soap. That's right, we said grilled sausage scented iPhone soap.

Oh, Etsy, what what did we ever do without you?

(via Make)

The Value of a Dollar

A compelling and beautiful series of images from photographer Jonathan Blaustein exploring the value of a dollar in his home state of New Mexico.

Blaustein explains: "The photographs in this project attempt to strip back the artifice; to depict food items as they were sold, (minus packaging,) without styling, retouching, or artificial lighting. The subjects exist as equivalent amounts of commodity, and nothing more. The resulting images allow for a meditation on the power and seductive nature of the photographic medium itself."

View the entire series here.

Sun Chips and the Power of the Consumer

Crunch, crunch, crunch. By now you've probably heard that Frito-Lay has decided to discontinue production of its 100% compostable chip packaging due to overwhelming complaints from consumers that their SunChips bags are too noisy. Sales of the chips have declined since the introduction of the new bags last December and consumers have taken to YouTube to air their grievences about the tasty noisemakers.

Now, we're hearing that the bags may not live up to their compostable promises in the first place. Frito-Lay's claims that SunChips packaging will break down in fourteen weeks has been met with cynicism from expert composters. One blogger writes:

A good sixteen weeks after we composed the bag, I pulled it out and...I've been accused of being cynical, and I think that the real problem is that the bag doesn't work as advertised. To be even more cynical, most of the people who bought SunChips for their environmental benefits don't know this because they don't compost.

Perhaps the worms found the noise off putting as well?

The larger lesson here of course is that consumers increasingly have the power to call companies out on their claims. With increasingly powerful results.

 

Stuff We Like: Mary & Matt Chocolate Editions

Brooklyn-based designers Mary Matson and Matt Even are making chocolate.

Their motto? Handmade chocolates made in small batches. Always fresh and delicious. We haven't gotten our hands on one of these bars yet, but have already fallen for the whole package.

And what is that package, you ask? Bright colors and clean lines served with a heaping side of nostalgia.

 

The husband and wife team (she's designed for Kate Spade, he's an art director at an ad agency), made sweet treats for friends each holiday for a decade before deciding to make a business of it. They claim to draw inspiration from vintage rugby shirts to Sol LeWitt's deceptively simple canvases to old fashioned Neapolitan ice cream.

It's the celebration of the candy bar as a perfect pop object.

As if the whole situation couldn't get more precious, you can watch the trailer for the bespoke chocolate editions here or take a peek inside Mary & Matt's studio here.

Pop-Tart Pops Up in Times Square

Pop-Tart sushi? Count us in.

Kellogg Co.'s Pop-Tart destination, appropriately named Pop-Tart World, debuted Tuesday to fans in Times Square. The 43-year-old frosted treats join M&M World and the Hershey store as stand-alone food boutiques in the landmark neighborhood.

One may envision a Spears or a Cyrus performing their hits and reveling in paparazzi-fueled antics housed inside a space called Pop-Tart World, particularly in the past few years as gossip blogs have adopted the term to describe such infamous figures. But aside from perky brand ambassadors cheerfully explaining how to use The Varietizer (a sort of mix and match vending machine), the original toaster pastry is the star of the show at here.

Store attractions include a bakery featuring Pop-Tart inspired treats, loads of merchandise, the aforementioned Varietizer, interactive social media portals, and an hourly light show that simulates frosting. Let's pause to absorb the magnificence of a light installation that mimics the production process of the pastries, from frosting to sprinkling to wrapping in foil. After all, Pop Tarts originally got their name the Pop Art movement, a household buzz word thanks to the Brillo box & soup can antics of Andy Warhol.

We suspect Mr. Warhol would be proud, although he may have passed on the sushi.

(via The New York Times)

Nostalgia in a Giant Noodle

For your safety, do not climb on the noodle.

Kraft is tugging at the heartstrings of grown up mac & cheese fans with their latest push for the original convenience food. Measuring 20 feet long and 9 feet high, huge noodle statues are the newest additions to Kraft's nostalgic ad campaign, which also features the smiling noodles in interactive storefront displays. 

The noodles are currently on display at Wrigley Field and Navy Pier in Chicago and Fisherman's Wharf Pier 39 in San Francisco. Other locations will be added throughout the summer.

Not to be the squeaky wheel here, but we'd much prefer a noodle slide that lands us fresh into a puddle of cheese sauce. Anyone?

(via AdWeek)

Hot Heat, Grown-Up Treats

In case you haven't heard, it's hot outside. If you find yourself in need of a little post-work refreshment while soaking up those last-minute rays, may we suggest the following recipe? Think of it as reimagined nostalgia for the 21-plus set.

Watermelon Margarita Popsicles

Recipe via YumSugar

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon puree (roughly 1/4 medium size seedless watermelon)

• 1/4 cup lime juice (roughly 1 large lime)

• 3 ounces tequila

• 1 ounce cointreau
• 
2/3 cup sugar
• Popsicle molds

Directions

1. Chop the watermelon into small pieces. Using a Cuisinart, puree the watermelon. Place the puree in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add lime juice and sugar to watermelon puree. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Add tequila and cointreau and stir well.
4. Fill popsicle molds.
5. Place the popsicles in the freezer and wait patiently until frozen.

Makes 10 3-ounce popsicles.

If the thought of mixing and freezing is just too much for you to bear, try a pint of spiked delights from Silver Moon. A four-pack of their signature flavors features Lavender Limoncello, Mojito Ice, Orange Creamsicle, and Mango Mimosa. Yum.

Any way you shake it, summer is more delicious with grown-up refreshers. 

37 Or So Ingredients

Ever wonder what's in a Twinkie? Dwight Eschliman has the slideshow for you. Eschliman has photographed all 37 ingredients that make up the often picked-on dessert, right down to the riboflavin (above). See more here.

(via GOOD)

Recipe: elBulli's Savory Ice Cream Sandwich

This week on HartBeat we're bringing you everything you'd ever want to know about technoemotional cuisine (also known as molecular gastronomy). If our delectable reporting leaves you eager to roll up your sleeves and get scientific in the kitchen, may we suggest elBulli's savory ice cream sandwich?

Chef: Ferran Adrià

Restaurant: elBulli

Ice cream

• Ice Cream
• 5 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 pound finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Place a fine strainer over a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to a simmer. While stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add Parmesan. Stir constantly until mixture is smooth, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour mixture into strainer and press any solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Pour mixture into a 9x12” baking dish and cover with plastic 4. wrap. Freeze until solid, about 6 hours.

Marmalade

• 5 lemons
• 1 cup sugar

1. Using a sharp knife, cut all peel (including white pith) from lemons. Dice lemons into 1/2” cubes and transfer to a small saucepan. Add sugar and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.
2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick, about 1 hour. While marmalade is simmering, prepare Parmesan cookies, below.
3. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Tuiles

• 5 large egg whites
• 1/2 pound finely grated Parmesan cheese
• Nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine egg whites and grated cheese.
3. Spray two 10x15” nonstick baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Spread half of the mixture in center of each sheet. Top with a sheet of wax paper and use a rolling pin to press mixture evenly across each pan. Remove and discard wax paper.
4. Bake mixture until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.
5. Remove pans from oven and trim dark edges. Cut remaining mixture in each pan in twelve 3” squares to make a total of 24. Using a spatula, turn the squares over and return pan to oven. Bake an additional 5 minutes; remove from oven.

Assemble and Serve

1. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and place on top of a warm, damp cloth for about 5 minutes.
2. Using a knife dipped in hot water, cut ice cream into twelve 3” squares.
3. Place a square of ice cream on a Parmesan cookie, top with a spoonful of marmalade and top with another Parmesan cookie.
4. Serve immediately or freeze until ready to serve.

Makes 12 ice cream sandwiches.