Food Tube: Fat Tuesday’s Best TV Gluttons

This is one of my favorite episodes. Rachel and Chandler accidentally get delivered a cheesecake intended for a neighbor, and discover that it is the best cheesecake they've ever tasted. When another gets sent to them, they try to resist temptation and get it to the correct recipient, but they fail.

The best part, however, comes when they fight over this moral dilemma and end up dropping the cake all over the floor... then grab forks and dig in.

Ingredients
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
-One 9-ounce package chocolate wafer cookies, finely crushed (about 2 cups)
-2 1/4 cups sugar
-3 tablespoons sugar
-3 pounds (six 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-1 cup sour cream, room temperature
-1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-5 large eggs
-4 blood oranges
-2 tablespoons orange liqueur

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap exterior of pan (including base) in a double layer of foil. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place crushed wafer cookies and 3 tablespoons sugar in a large bowl; stir until well combined. Pour melted butter over cookie mixture and mix until evenly moistened. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.

2. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake until crust is set, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining 2 1/4 cups sugar and flour. With mixer on low speed, gradually add sugar mixture to cream cheese; mix until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined; do not overmix.

4. Pour cream cheese filling into prepared pan. Set pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake 45 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue baking until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in the center, about 30 minutes more. Turn off oven; leave cake in oven with door slightly ajar, 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack; let cake cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, at least 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around the edge of the cake.

5. Slice the top and bottom of 1 orange with a paring knife. Set one of the flat sides on your work surface. From top to bottom, following the curve of the fruit, cut away peel and white pith. Trim off any remaining pith. Holding the orange over a bowl, cut along both sides of each segment, staying close to the membrane, to release. Repeat with remaining oranges. Pour in liqueur and toss to combine. Serve over cheesecake.

(from Martha Stewart)

Though the premise of this episode is Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) punching up Robin's (Cobie Smulders) resume so she can get a new job and not get deported to Canada, all the talk of resumes has the gang recalling the "special skills" they've been unable to cut from theirs, even as they grow up.

Lily's (Alyson Hannigan) was hot dog eating contest, and while Marshall (Jason Segel) and Ted (Josh Radnor) give up their amateur successes, she sets out to break her own record... and gets a major food baby in the process. That's the spirit!

Ingredients
For the hot dogs
-8 kosher beef hot dogs
-8 good quality hot dog buns, split 3/4 through

For the BBQ sauce
-2 tablespoons canola oil
-1 large Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
-5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
-3 cups canned plum tomatoes and juices, pureed
-1 cup water
-1/4 cup ketchup
-1/4 cup red wine vinegar
-1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
-3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
-3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
-2 tablespoon honey
-1/4 cup molasses
-3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
-3 tablespoons pasilla chili powder
-2 to 4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, pureed (depending on how spicy you like it)
-Salt
-Freshly ground black pepper

For the cole slaw
-3/4 cup mayonnaise
-1/2 small white onion, grated
-2 tablespoons sugar
-1 teaspoon celery salt
-3 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
-Salt
-Freshly ground black pepper
-1 head cabbage, cored, finely shredded
-1 large carrot, finely shredded
-Sour dill pickles (not half sour), for serving

Directions

For the hot dogs:

Heat the grill to high. Grill dogs until golden brown on all sides, about 7 minutes. Remove to a plate. Place buns on the grill cut side down and grill until lightly golden brown, about 20 seconds.

For the BBQ sauce:

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

For the cole slaw:

Whisk together the mayonnaise, onion, sugar, celery salt, vinegar and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cabbage and carrot and stir to combine, season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving.

Place hot dogs in the buns and brush dogs with BBQ sauce, top with coleslaw and pickle

(from Food Network/Bobby Flay)

This one will easily put you off candy for 40 days: An unfortunate confectionary employee falls into a vat of chocolate before creating the company's biggest bar ever. But when they go to bite into the creation... Yep.

[Note: I couldn't find any recipes for giant chocolate bars, but I tracked down something almost as decadent.]

Ingredients
-3 cups sugar
-3/4 cup margarine (I like Parkay)
-2/3 cup evaporated milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-6 oz package semi sweet chocolate pieces
-7 oz. jar Marshmallow Creme (I like Kraft)
-1/2 cup peanut butter (I like Jif)

Directions

1. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 6 tablespoons margarine and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a medium pot.
2. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling for 4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
4. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate pieces until melted.
5. Add 1 cup (1/2 jar) marshmallow creme and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until well blended.
6. Pour into greased 13 X 9 pan.

Repeat with remaining ingredients substituting peanut butter and spread over chocolate.

Then, cool at room temperature and cut into squares.

(from Bakerella)

In the teen drama's first Thanksgiving episode, queen bee Blair (Leighton Meester) showed that UES life isn't peachy keen. After discovering that her father won't be coming this year, she steals away from the celebration and hides in the kitchen, silently stuffing her face with pie while crying. It really gave us a sense of the show's tone: Mostly ridiculous, but also with these dark moments of utter pain.

Ingredients
For the crusts
-2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon sugar
-2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the apple filling
-5 cups sliced, peeled and cored apples (use Fiji)
-2.5 tablespoon, unsalted butter
-3/4 cup, packed light brown sugar
-1/3 cup, water
-1 tsp, cornstarch
-1.5 tsp, ground cinnamon
-1/4 tsp, salt
-1 tsp, lemon juice

For the pumpkin filling
-1/2 cup, sugar
-1 cup, canned pumpkin
-1 slightly beaten egg
-1 tsp, cinnamon
-1 tsp, pumpkin pie spice
-2/3 cup, evaporated milk

Directions

Crust:
1. Mix 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon each salt and sugar in a medium-size bowl. Cut 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter into pieces. With a pastry blender, cut in butter, working until mixture resembles coarse meal.

2. Add 4 tablespoons ice water; work with hands until dough comes together. If dough is still crumbly, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time (up to 4 more tablespoons). Do not overwork.

3. Divide dough in half, and flatten halves into disks. Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour.

4. To form the pie shell, roll the dough on a floured surface into a 14-inch round. Wrap around rolling pin and carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Fit gently into bottom and side of plate. Use kitchen shears to trim dough to a 1-inch overhang; fold under, and seal to form a rim.

5. After filling pie with filling, roll the remaining crust over the pie and crimp to seal both layers. Egg wash top of crust and edges. Decorate how you wish. ***I used turbando sugar on the crust edges and a heart cookie cutter to make the center decoration.

Apples:
1. In a 1.5 qt medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, water, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt.

2. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil.

3. Stir in sliced apples; cook until tender - about 8 - 10 minutes - stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Spread apple mixture evenly on the bottom of the piecrust.

Pumpkin:
1. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, egg, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Whisk until blended. Stir in evaporated milk. Carefully pour pumpkin mixture over apples.

2. Cover edges of crust with foil to prevent over browning. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

3. Cool pie thoroughly on a rack at least 2 hours to set. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Securely cover and keep in refrigerator for up to a week.

(from The Kitchn)

If we're doing a post about binging, you can't include a good old-fashioned drunken night. In this episode from the first season, Britta drunk dials Jeff (Joel McHale) even though he's dating a professor. In an effort to keep Valentine's plans with his girlfriend but also fix his relationship with Britta, Jeff reciprocates by getting smashed with Abed so that he can drunk-dial Britta back. Friendship mended!

1. Go to bar.
2. Order something ridiculous like these Shot in the Dark drinks.
3. Repeat. (Responsibly!)