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Wolfgang Puck's Pizza: Margherita

FitSugar — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 02:30:00 -0800

Wolfgang Puck is an awesome chef, so when I saw one of his frozen pizzas, I thought I'd give it a try.

Want to know what I thought of the Margherita pizza? Then read more

Serving Size	1/3 of pizza	1/2 the pizza (more realistic)
Calories	330	495
Total Fat	14g	21g
Saturated Fat	6g	9g
Cholesterol	30mg	45mg
Sodium	700mg	1,050mg
Carbs	36g	54g
Fiber	2g	3g
Sugar	7g	10.5g
Protein	15g	22.5g

So aside from the fact that the actual pizza doesn't look as glamorous as the photo on the box, I thought it tasted delicious. It's made with all-natural ingredients, like spinach, wheat flour, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese, which is a total plus. The crust was soft, chewy, and a little sweet. The pizza could have had a few more slices of tomato to make it even tastier and healthier, but then again you could always add some yourself.

From my photo, you can see that I could fit the entire pizza on a regular sized dinner plate, so it's pretty small. That means the serving size seems a little tiny, since most people would be more likely to eat half the pizza instead of just a third. So I figured out those numbers too so you can compare. Eating half the pizza isn't the worst thing you could do, but since it does have a lot of sodium, you'd have to limit the rest of your day's food so as not to exceed the recommended daily intake limit of 2,300 mg. Aside from that, this pizza is great in a pinch, and you can feel good eating it since it's made with simple ingredients.

Fit's Tips: The cooking directions say to bake it for 13-15 minutes, but it was done in my oven in seven minutes, so be sure to check on it halfway. You don't want to end up with a burnt pizza.

Frozen Pizza Breakdown

FitSugar — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:30:00 -0800

I'll admit that when I need a quick meal, a frozen pizza sure comes in handy. It's easy, the kids love it, and many are made with wholesome ingredients, so they're not as bad for you as ordering a pie from your local pizzeria. If you ever wanted to know how all the frozen pizzas at the health-food store compare then check out this chart organized by brand that I made.

1/3 of Pizza	Calories	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Kashi Five Cheese Tomato	290	3.5	570	37	4	14
Kashi Mediterranean	290	4	640	37	5	15
Kashi Roasted Garlic Chicken	300	4.5	650	39	4	16
Kashi Thin Crust Roasted Vegetable	250	4	630	28	4	14
Kashi Thin Crust Mushroom Trio & Spinach	250	4.5	660	28	4	14

To see the others how other brands compare, just read more.

1/3 of Pizza	Calories	Saturated Fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)	Fiber (g)	Protein (g)
Frontera Sausage and Roasted Pepper	300	4	580	42	2	15
Frontera Four Cheese	310	5	520	42	3	16
Wolfgang Puck Margherita	330	6	700	36	2	15
Wolfgang Puck Barbecue Chicken	360	6	800	40	2	18
Wolfgang Puck Uncured Pepperoni	360	8	870	32	2	16
Amy's Kitchen Pesto	310	3.5	480	39	2	12
Amy's Kitchen Margherita	250	3.5	550	32	2	11
Amy's Kitchen Cheese	290	5	590	33	2	12
Amy's Kitchen Roasted Vegetable	270	1.5	490	42	2	6
Amy's Kitchen Mushroom and Olive	250	3	560	33	2	10
Amy's Kitchen Veggie Combo	300	3	680	36	1	10
Amy's Kitchen Spinach	310	4	590	39	2	12

As you can see, for the most part, these pizzas are fairly healthy. They contain a good amount of protein, and the Kashi pizzas are also high in fiber. It's the sodium content you have to watch out for, especially because most people eat half the pizza rather than the suggested one-third serving. I'd aim for choosing the ones that contain 700 mg of sodium or less, and five or less grams of saturated fat. Of course, the ones loaded with veggies are probably your best option.

Jean-Georges Creating "the Applebee's of Haute Cuisine"

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:30:03 -0700

Famed chef and restaurateur Jean-Georges Vongerichten is up for one of this year's most prestigious James Beard Awards, but that's hardly the biggest thing on his mind. Fortune profiles the New York chef and his aggressive plans to open 50 new restaurants in the next five years.

Vongerichten, who already has 24 restaurants under his belt, has created a joint venture, Culinary Concepts by Jean-Georges, with Starwood Hotels and Catterton Partners, a private equity firm credited with turning P.F. Chang's into a national chain. The company's goal? To bring high-end cuisine to the masses in the same way Starbucks brought designer coffee to every corner of the world.

The venture will expand Vongerichten's name with three prototype restaurants: J&G Steakhouse, a steakhouse inspired by the success of Prime in Las Vegas; Spice Market, an homage to Asian street food based on the chef's wildly successful flagship in New York; and Market, a showcase for Vongerichten's signature dishes, such as tuna-wasabi pizza.

This year, Mexico City, Barcelona, Washington, Boston, and Milan are scheduled to open - although Austin, Aspen, and Dubai have already been put on hold given the uncertain economic times. Vongerichten is confident he's got the tools he needs to succeed - and if he doesn't, he can sell the restaurants and remove his name from all of them.

While the heavy expansion may sound overly ambitious given the economic recession, it's not all that different from what others - like Wolfgang Puck - have done. I question whether the Jean-Georges brand can succeed without becoming diluted. What do you think? Do you see this expansion plan being a success?

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Wolfgang Does It Again! - Photos From the Governors Ball Menu

YumSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:45:18 -0800

Yesterday morning, amidst a sea of reporters and video cameras, Wolfgang Puck unveiled the menu for this year's Governors Ball. While it is still an organic and natural affair, this time it's all about simplicity. It's the 80th Oscar celebration and so the theme - for both the food and decor - is about making the simple things fabulous. From miniature kobe burgers, to parmesan mac n' cheese, this year Puck promises everything will be, "simple but refined."

There is going to be plenty of food including: passed hors d'oeuvres, a ceviche station, a noodle station, a shellfish station, a pizza station, a sushi station, antipasti and a Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef entree.

I was lucky enough to be there, and while I was able to see Wolfgang prep and cook several dishes - they smelled unbelievable! - I sadly didn't get to taste them. I did, however, manage to get some pics of all the fare. This is just the food that his crew will be producing, you can see the look, and I'll follow up with drinks and desserts soon!

Check out the full gallery - that's just a teaser above - read more.

For those of you more interested in the look, be sure to check out our exclusive pics of this year's Governors Ball look!

View 26 Photos ›

Come Party With Me: Oscars Viewing - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 08:28:31 -0800

Instead of serving a sit down dinner at your Oscars viewing party, offer a smörgåsbord of snacks like Wolfgang Puck does at the Governors Ball. Provide a hearty mix of homemade and store bought appetizers. Have a cheese plate with several different types of cheese, crackers, flatbreads, crostini, and grapes. A platter of salumi - salami, proscuitto, chorizo, etc. - with olives compliments the assortment of cheeses. Order a couple of sushi platters from your favorite sushi restaurant.

Supplement these grocery store goodies with easy to make dishes: smoked salmon pizza, blue cheese popcorn, smoky chipotle hummus, and gingery chicken satay with peanut sauce. For the recipes, please read more.

Smoked Salmon Pizza
From Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Two 12-inch store-bought partially baked pizza crusts
Extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup drained capers
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 pound sliced smoked salmon

Preheat the oven to 450°.
Drizzle the crusts with olive oil, season with pepper and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, shallots, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon dill and the lemon juice.
Spread the cream cheese mixture on the crusts. Top with the smoked salmon, remaining 2 tablespoons capers and 1 tablespoon dill. Cut into wedges.

Serves 6.

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Blue Cheese Popcorn
From Emeril Lagasse

3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup white popping corn
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (1/3 pound) piece assertive blue cheese, frozen
1/2 cup coarsely chopped lightly toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

In a large, partially covered saucepan, heat the oil and 1 kernel of popcorn until hot enough to make the corn pop. Add the remaining popcorn and cook, partially covered, shaking until all the corn is popped.
Transfer the popcorn to a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. While popcorn is hot, grate the blue cheese over the popcorn. Add the walnuts and chives and toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Makes 10 cups.

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Smoky Chipotle Hummus
From Bon Appetit magazine

2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)*
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
21/2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies**
1 large garlic clove, minced
11/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 4-ounce jar sliced pimientos in oil, drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 6-ounce packages roasted-garlic bagel chips

Reserve 3 tablespoons garbanzo beans for garnish.
Blend remaining garbanzo beans and next 7 ingredients in processor until smooth.
Add pimientos; process, using on/off turns, until pimientos are coarsely chopped.
Transfer hummus to medium bowl. Stir in cilantro. Season hummus to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with reserved garbanzo beans. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.) Accompany with bagel chips.

Serves 20.

*Sold at Middle Eastern markets, natural foods stores and some supermarkets.
**Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

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Gingery Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce
From Food and Wine magazine

4 large shallots
4 large garlic cloves
2 stalks of lemongrass, bottom 6 inches only, outer leaves peeled, inner stalk cut into 1-inch pieces
2 serrano or jalapeño chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise 1 inch thick
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Light a grill.
In a mini food processor, combine the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, chiles, ginger, soy sauce, coriander and ground pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce and process to a fine paste. Transfer half of the seasoning paste to a large bowl. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
Thread the chicken strips onto skewers. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan. Add the remaining seasoning paste and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil, stirring. Whisk in the peanut butter and the remaining 1 tablespoon each of brown sugar and fish sauce and bring to a simmer. Transfer the sauce to a blender, add the lime juice and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
Grill the chicken skewers over a hot fire until lightly charred and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter or bowl and sprinkle with the cilantro. Serve with the peanut sauce.

Serves 6.

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Thomas Keller in the Frozen Food Aisle?

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:18:37 -0700

The man behind the Best Restaurant in America is surprising everyone with a new frozen food line. The folks at Bloomberg are reporting that Thomas Keller - owner of The French Laundry and Per Se - has designed and placed his name on two frozen dishes for FiveLeaf, a unit of Cuisine Solutions Inc. The first one, Mac and Cheese Lobster with Orzo will be pitched to retail stores soon.

In addition to his new frozen food line and two fancy pants fine dining establishments, Keller has two bistros, an American family-style spot, two bakeries and a catering operation. If this sounds like too much for one man to control, I might mention that Keller is also planning to open a meat shop, an inn at the French Laundry and a hamburger and wine restaurant.

When asked why he's willing to spread out his empire, Keller explained that it was mostly due to his staff. By creating advanced placement possibilities for his current employees.

"To maintain the consistency and quality of the staff, you have to give them opportunities."

However, all of this Keller leaves some food critics skeptical. San Francisco Chronicle editor Michael Bauer made comparisons to Wolfgang Puck and wondered if the fine dining brand could work with frozen food.

"Once you get into frozen food and pizzas, your fine dining brand gets a little fuzzed out."

Either way, I know I can't wait to try Keller's fancy mac and cheese, how about you?

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