Bring Out Dave Lieberman and Bring Out the Best
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 | posted by Mike
Dave sure has embraced the whole "online presence" thing. He's got a pretty nifty personal website, although it doesn't quite receive the kind of love and attention it needs, as evidenced by the fact that there are no events listed for June or July. Maybe he's just resting. It's really cute that he put his brother's birthday on the calendar during May, though, so we'll cut him some slack.
In addition to the site, he's also done educational videos about beer for herestobeer.com and of course there was the Dave Does series for FN's site. For the most part, all of this works quite well for Liberman since he's the kind of upbeat, young and energetic guy you associate with the InterGoogle and his no-nonsense delivery is well suited for the short-form structure of online videos.
Apparently, these are the same sorts of thoughts going through the heads of the folks at Unilever and Hellman's mayonnaise (that's Best Foods to those of you out west), because they're about to launch a new series of videos on the Yahoo! Food site featuring Dave Lieberman. AdWeek has the info on In Search of Real Food
The series, called In Search of Real Food, will be included on Yahoo! Food and feature chef and Food Network personality Dave Lieberman. The series, in 12 episodes, follows Lieberman as he travels across the U.S., talking to people about recipes and how they define "real food."
The settings will vary, from restaurants to events such as state fairs. And during one segment of the show, Lieberman will prepare recipes, some of which require mayo. He'll also write a blog for the site, Ogilvy said. In addition, consumers will be able to post videos about food stories and recipes.
Can I tell you how much I love the phrase, "Lieberman will prepare recipes, some of which require mayo." You don't say?
As always, the value of the series will rest upon the quality of the info that it provides, and any attempt to make it a blatant sales job would be embarrassing. I don't mind them selling me something if they give me some useful info or entertainment in return. I'm guessing that we won't get a tutorial on how to make your own mayo at home, though.
Ed. note: I don't mean to sound like I'm ragging on Hellman's. Theirs is the best brand available and I see absolutely no need to may my own mayo at home. I guarantee a bout of salmonella would be my reward for even trying.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
HeresToBeer.com Expands
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 | posted by Mike
Considering what I did this weekend (and there will be a lot more about that shortly), it took me a few days before I was able to get back in the saddle and write about a beer-themed topic. However, I will soldier on for you, my dear and loyal TVFF reader, in order to bring you the latest info on the Here's To Beer campaign featuring Dave Lieberman that we mentioned last month.
As we said at the time, www.herestobeer.com is a website dedicated to teaching its audience about the finer points of beer. The site is part of a campaign which is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch to raise awareness of beer as a more "refined" beverage for enjoying with your gourmet foods, like you would wine. To that end, they've brought on board Dave Lieberman. This past weekend saw the launch of a bunch of new content, including Dave's video series, "Beer School."
Dave gives an overview of the whole program in the video that introduces the Beer School, with a preview of what is up there now and what will be available in the months to come. The key to the whole video series is that, if you go through all of the lessons, you can be certified as a "Beer Connoisseur," a title that I am probably already well on my way towards. But there is always more to learn, so I'll certainly be tuning in as they roll out the new videos. Lieberman (or his copy writers) do a good job of pointing out one of the most underappreciated aspects of beer, the fact that there are a wide variety of flavorful beers that can compliment everything from buffalo wings to chocolate cake. It's unfortunate that beer suffers such an inferiority complex at the hands of wine, but lessons like this that encourage people to step outside the realm of lagers and pilsners go a long way in fixing the problem.
The lesson even goes so far as to guide you through how to properly "taste" a beer, including the visual appeal, smell, taste, mouthfeel and finish. The info is detailed and helpful, and included many of the same tasting strategies and terminology as seen at last weekend's big beer tasting event. There is a ton of information here, and it will take you a while to get through it all, so be sure to set aside some time. In fact, I'm still working my way through the first round of lessons.
Each learning module has a number of subsections, with little clickable facts and even printable information, including a PDF of the five tips for the beer connoisseur. (I was slightly disappointed to learn I couldn't print down a fantastic looking flavor wheel for use at my next tasting.) You can also sign up to get an e-mail when the site updates with new content.
There really is some great information here for the beginner, and there is even plenty of material in the first couple of lessons for the more advanced "beer geek" such as myself. Dave Lieberman is a good match for this program for the same reason he's likable on his show -- he's enthusiastic without being over-the-top and he gets you excited about what he's talking about. In short, he's the kind of guy you'd like to have a beer with, so I guess he's right in his element.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Dave Lieberman Is a Bud Man
Monday, February 19, 2007 | posted by Mike
What's up with Food Network personalities and beer companies these days?
First, we had Alton Brown hooking up with Miller Lite, much to the dismay of -- well -- just about everyone.
Now it looks like FN's favorite "young and hungry" chef is a little "young and thirsty." According to an article in the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch, Dave Lieberman will be contributing content to an Anheuser-Busch website. Actually, to be more accurate, Dave will be part of the "Here's to Beer" website, which you can check out at www.herestobeer.com. According to the Post-Dispatch article:
The country's largest brewer began the campaign last year in an effort to promote beer in general rather than market its own brands. A-B set up a website, www.HeresToBeer.com, and ran a series of television ads.
If you like beer (and who doesn't!?!?), you should check out the site. It isn't tied to any of the A-B brands and it spends quite a bit of time talking about the types of beer that aren't even made by the company. There is some good stuff there.
This sort of awareness advertising isn't that uncommon with other industries or even with other foods (think about the "Beef...It's What's for Dinner" campaign), where the idea is to raise general awareness about a product without pitching a particular brand. My guess is that the folks at A-B sensed a gap in the credibility of beer when compared to more "respectable" drinks like wine.
Beer aficionados (such as myself) know that beer has as broad a range of tastes and nuances as wine and that, just like wine, there is an art and a science to matching the proper beer with food. This is covered in the "Beer and Food" area of the site, and it brings us to Dave's involvement.
Dave Lieberman, a Food Network chef, will appear in video clips, dishing out tips on combining beer and food.
While we're on the topic...there will be more beer-related TV Food Fan info coming down the pike soon.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Review: "Dave's Dinners"
Monday, January 29, 2007 | posted by Mike
Congratulations to Dona from Dallas, our winner in the Dave's Dinners Cookbook Giveaway! Thanks again to everyone who sent in an entry for our contest. We wish all of you good luck on the next giveaway (there will be another in a few weeks for a different cookbook...stay tuned). Of course, if you didn't win, there's always the link on the left to Amazon.com, where you can order it through the TVFF.com Store (more about that a little later).
The themes and attitude behind Dave's Dinners are very similar to the approach that author Dave Liberman brings to his television show, Good Deal with Dave Lieberman. On the show, Lieberman brings his personal chef know-how and adds to it a budget and time consciousness that will appeal to younger audiences who want to entertain but who have limited funds and a tight schedule. Lieberman includes recipes for dishes that will be crowd-pleasers (or couple pleasers) and he does it with ingredients and techniques that are more basic than what you would see in other books. However, don't think that there aren't some good, aggressive and interesting flavors involved.
The recipes in Dave's Dinners span an entire evening's worth of entertaining (from drinks to desert) and come literally from around the world. You'll find a meatloaf recipe, but there is also tikka masala in there, so it will work for you whether your tastes are "comfort food" or "world cuisine."
The book is broken down into eight sections: Drinks and Finger Foods, Salads, Soups, Poultry, Fish, Pasta, Meat and Desserts. The most unique section is the first, which includes a number of syrups (rosemary, ginger, lemongrass, etc.) which can be used in mixed drinks, including the ones provided in the book. Party food and appetizers, including our favorite: Mini Moroccan Lamb Burgers with Lemon Yogurt Sauce (see my photo on the right and the recipe at the end of this post). My version used a baguette rather than the brioche indicated in the recipe (not by choice...the usually reliable Wegman's was out). As Lieberman explains in the intro to the recipe, lamb "is one of the greatest bargains out there because the meat is so flavorful and juicy." He's right about that, and I have a greater appreciation for ground lamb because of this recipe. The additions of ground cumin, cinnamon and coriander (grind it yourself if you can!) brought a wonderfully vibrant flavor to the burgers. The yogurt sauce provided a nice cooling contrast and lent it a authentic Mediterranean flavor. I'd happily serve them at a gathering, and I absolutely plan on making the burgers again (maybe stuffed in a pita with some lettuce, red onion and tomato).
Lieberman assumes that the reader has a limited set of skills and always warns when a specialized piece of equipment is needed. For example, he gives a description of how to put together a make-shift double boiler for the pasta that we tried, Creamy Lemon Almond Linguine. The dish was a nice variation on an egg-based dish like carbonara, with the pungency of the lemon substituting for the pork. One quibble...as someone who goes very authentic with my carbonara (see Mario Batali's recipe...no pre-cooking of the eggs at all), the sauce turned out just a little too "custardy" for my liking. I fixed it with a bit of the pasta cooking water.
The book's attention to details when it came to techniques was at times strong and at other times a bit lacking. With the Roasted Chorizo and Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Over Rosemary Black Beans, Lieberman warns you to "protect the chorizo and tomatoes from drying out too much by tucking them underneath the chicken." As we found out, this is valuable advice, as the sun-dried tomatoes that weren't under the chicken came out of the oven looking something like a charcoal briquette. The Carrot Mash Cake with Cream Cheese Icing that Mrs. TVFF.com made, however, didn't include any icing instructions, which would have been nice.
Dave's Dinners is squarely aimed at introducing novice chefs to a wide variety of flavors. It captures Lieberman's youthful exuberance by presenting dishes that provide interesting tastes without scaring off someone who might not feel comfortable diving into some of the more complex, specialized cookbooks out there. The photography provides enticing images and Lieberman's introductions get you excited and eager to get in the kitchen.
Mini Moroccan Lamb Burgers with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
I like making mini versions of things as finger foods. No exception here. I think ground lamb is one of the greatest bargains out there because the meat is so flavorful and juicy. The point of the sauce is to be tangy and refreshing to contrast with the rich flavors of the lamb burgers.
For the Mini Burgers
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
About 20 grinds fresh black pepper
2 garlic cloves, pressed
For the Lemon Yogurt Sauce
7 ounces plain yogurt, preferably full fat
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon, plus more lemon zest for garnish
Salt
1 Loaf fresh brioche bread
Preheat the oven to 500F.
Make the burgers: Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and work together until they are fully incorporated.
Roll a tablespoon of the mixture into a 3-inch ball and then flatten into a round burger about 1/2 inch thick.
Place the mini burgers on a nonstick baking sheet and bake about 7 minutes, until evenly and well browned.
Make the sauce: Stir together the yogurt, lemon juice and zest in a small bowl. Season to taste with a couple of pinches of salt.
Cut the brioche into 1/2-inch slices, then use a small glass to cut as many circles as possible, about 3 inches in diameter, from each slice. Place the bread circles on a baking sheet. When the burgers come out of the oven, slip the bread in for just a couple of minutes to toast lightly. Watch the bread carefully, or else it will get too dark very quickly.
Place the mini burgers on top of the cut brioche. Top with a dollop of the lemon yogurt and garnish with a good pinch of lemon zest.
Makes about 30 burgers.
Excerpted from DAVE'S DINNERS by Dave Lieberman. Copyright 2006 Dave Lieberman. All rights reserved. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
TVFoodFan.com Cookbook Giveaway - "Dave's Dinners" by Dave Lieberman
Friday, January 19, 2007 | posted by Mike
The folks at Hyperion were nice enough to send us a copy of Dave's Dinners by Dave Lieberman. We're working our way through a bunch of the recipes and we'll have a review of the cookbook up next weekend.
We're thrilled to let you know that we're going to be giving away a copy to one lucky TVFoodFan.com reader. And the best part (for the site's traffic) is that you'll have up to five chances to win!
Here's how it works: Each day next week, starting early on Monday, January 22nd, there will be the name of one of the book's recipes in the box on the right side just below the banner.
You enter by copying the name of the recipe and sending it in an e-mail to mike@tvfoodfan.com. Every day that you come back and send another e-mail with the new day's recipe, you get another entry into the drawing. The final day's recipe will be available until Sunday at midnight. All e-mails must be received by 11:59 PM on January 28th.
See the details below and, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at mike@tvfoodfan.com.
FINE PRINT: Everyone is eligible. The drawing will be conducted by a impartial third party. Entries are limited to five per person. Saying nice things about me or the site in the e-mail, although greatly appreciated, will not improve your chances of winning.
I will take care of shipping the book to the winner within the United States. International entries are welcome, but I may ask you to kick in the difference between domestic and international shipping (Paypal accepted).
Please don't send in your postal address...I'll contact the winner via e-mail and we'll take care of shipping at that time.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Have You Voted?
Tuesday, November 07, 2006 | posted by Mike
If not, the folks behind food network addict have provided some motivation.Labels: Dave Lieberman
When Recipes Attack!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006 | posted by Mike
Approximately 63% of the fun of watching cooking shows on television is the fact that you can track down the recipe on a web site or in a cookbook and try to replicate the magic in your very own kitchen. As you all know, this goes absolutely flawlessly every time and your family pats you on your back for your accomplishment and proclaim: “Move over, Giada!”Sure. That’s how it happens.
Who are we kidding? Most of the time, we’re lucky if it tastes like a reasonable facsimile of what you heard described on the television (which, of course, Sandra Lee assured you tasted fantastic!). We’re not even going to mention what it looks like, a fact that you can attribute to your lack of in-house food stylists.
When I first started this blog, I had an idea to try to recreate a recipe each week and document the event for you, dear reader. Then, I remembered that I’m really not that good a cook. Fortunately, two of my favorite food TV blogs have a greater faith in their cooking abilities. Sometimes, things go badly. Sometimes, they go very badly and there are pictures to illustrate the carnage.
Everything Rachael Ray has a running feature wherein Madeline tries out a Ray-Ray recipe and lets you know if it’s a keeper or not. Her recent attempt at Birds in a Nest falls into the latter category. To her credit, she senses it and adds the helpful disclaimer:
Okay, please don't make fun of me.Too late. Although the recipe did not go as planned, the comments are supportive and Madeline vows to try again some time. We’ll be looking forward to that update.
Another favorite, Food TV and Me, went the Dave Lieberman route and tried pot roast. What could possibly go wrong, you ask?
Things were going well and I was very engouraged, until, to my peril, I had a lightbulb moment. The meat that I had bought was significantly smaller, I mean about half the size of Dave’s meat, which meant, it needed less time. Oh no. I had this lightbulb moment fairly late in the game.(As an aside…how did food network addict not manage to swing by and comment on this post? I mean, it’s almost too easy:“half the size of Dave’s meat?!?!?”)
Jessica also included a helpful photo of the dish (seen above), which just goes to prove that there is no visual difference between good pot roast and bad pot roast.
All right…I’ve had some fun at Madeline’s and Jessica’s expense, but it’s only because they do such a good job on their sites that I’m always checking them out. You should too!
We kid because we love. And because it makes me feel better about my own inadequacy.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Dave Does: Snorkeling, Apparently.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 | posted by Mike
Another week, another couple of Dave Does webisodes.At the beginning of each week, I’ve been having trouble remembering to check out the new webisodes. Probably a lack of caffeine buildup in my system…I’m not usually up to speed until Wednesday.
Fortunately, there is the Food Network Newsletter, which is conveniently delivered to the TVFF inbox every week. It helpfully reminds me about the latest additions to their site, new sweepstakes that I can win and why I should also be watching Home & Garden TV. This week they headlined the newsletter with the image you see above, which clearly proves that Dave Lieberman has a tremendous sense of humor. I’m sure the goggles serve some purpose, but it really just looks like he’s going on some underwater adventure. There’s probably a Steve Irwin reference I could make, but it’s likely still too soon for that.
Also…check out the last bullet in the image. “Coffee and Doughnuts.” Looks like someone at Food Network Interactive Marketing took my advice.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Review: Dave Does
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 | posted by Mike
I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time reviewing this new Web-based series, which we previewed some time ago. I’ll just go ahead and say that the content is interesting (the first two episodes are up, one is about school meals, currently a crusade of Jamie Oliver in the UK) and star Dave Lieberman is in his element. As usual, he excels when he’s out talking to “real” people, and his interactions with the kids are great. I like him more and more, and Dave Lieberman is someone who I actually would like to see more of outside his usual Good Deal show. Just go ahead and watch it…it’s really very good.What I do want to talk about a little is the way this is being presented. You’re getting a whole lot more than the video when you tune in. There are “deleted scenes,” tabbed content that comes up at the appropriate time during the show and links to many of the people and places that Lieberman visits. Recipes and additional photos are also available. The video is usually clean and clear (a little bit of choppiness) and the audio is strong. I will admit that the interface can be a bit overwhelming, particularly if you’re trying to watch the video for the first time. No worries…you can always “rewind” it using the scroll bar under the video. (I had some problems in Firefox. You might want to stick with IE.)
Similar to the experiment that ABC ran with a number of its shows (on-demand episodes of Alias, Desperate Housewives, etc.) last year, Dave Does requires you to watch a short commercial before the video. I think this is a real win-win that may translate to more shows (both web-only and on-demand regular episodes) showing up in this format. I win because I know I’d happily sit through a few ads for the opportunity to catch that episode that I missed or can’t see on television. And, of course, it’s a win for the advertiser, who gets a highly targeted viewer for their spot.
It's good to see Food Network taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the technology.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Dave Lieberman Taping Webisodes in Philadelphia
Thursday, July 27, 2006 | posted by Mike
The Philadelphia Inquirer has a short item in the “around town” column Inqlings about Philly native and Good Deal host Dave Lieberman shooting segments for his upcoming web-only series “Dave Does” in and around Philadelphia.The Inky also tells us that there will be thirteen episodes (just like last year’s Eat This) and that the first will debut on August 14th. Stop back then -- we’ll have a review once the shows start.
Lieberman will be shooting a piece on “meals ready to eat” with soldiers at Fort Dix (which is only a hop, skip and jump from the TVFoodFan.com offices in New Jersey) and will be talking about “retro-cool dining” with the folks at occasional TVFF.com staff hangout The Continental in Philadelphia’s Old City.
As always, for the best info on places like The Continental and other restaurants in Philadelphia, check out PhilaFoodie.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
Dave Lieberman Working on New Webisodes
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 | posted by Mike
I like Dave Lieberman. I like him because he’s young, he’s fun, he’s energetic and (like me) he’s a Philly guy. I do have to give him a hard time about including fontina cheese and red onions in his Cheesesteak recipe, though. I'm giving him three trips to Tony Luke’s as penance.By the way…the Tony Luke’s site makes a reference to the recent Geno’s English-only sign brouhaha. If you want a great summary of the silliness of Geno’s owner Joe Vento’s point, check out this post at PhilaFoodie. Whatever your politics -- and for purely taste reasons -- you should be going to Tony Luke’s, not Geno’s.
OK, back to Dave. Last year saw the debut of the first Web-based series staring Dave Lieberman, “Eat This with Dave Lieberman.” Now, they’re working on “Dave Does,” which will be free-wheeling and ad libbed, according to this article in The Oregonian. His conversational style and engaging personality should be a nice draw for the younger audience you would expect from a Web-based series.
Good to see that the Food Network is embracing new delivery methods for their programming.
Labels: Dave Lieberman
