Social Distancing with Gail Simmons, celebrated Top Chef judge and restaurant enthusiast
April 15, 2020
Live to Eat is back and I’m so excited to start season two with my friend, Gail Simmons! Though we had planned to chat in person, we didn’t let this global pandemic stop us; instead we talked while isolating across the country.
Gail Simmons is at the top of the food world! As a judge on Top Chef for 17 seasons and host of Top Chef Canada, she’s pretty much a professional eater. Gail also co-founded Bumble Pie Productions, a production company devoted to finding voices and stories that focus on what women are doing in the food and restaurant industry. Gail describes her cookbook, Bringing It Home, as “a book that people would pick up on a random Tuesday, open a page, and let it inspire them.” I’m sure that you’ll find Gail’s story just as inspiring!
- In this episode, we discuss:
- :: Tips for cooking in quarantine
- :: How you can help the restaurant industry in the pandemic
- :: Top Chef Season 17 highlights
- :: Recipes in Gail’s amazing cookbook
- :: Advice for focusing on your purpose
If you feel inspired, please consider supporting the Save Restaurants Campaign.
Still dreaming about Gail’s Black-Licorice Chocolate Bundt Cake? Find the recipe below!
Thanks for listening today!
Gail’s Black-Licorice Chocolate Bundt Cake
Adapted from Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating by Gail Simmons. Copyright © 2017 by GMS Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission from Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved.
Serves 10 to 12
ingredients:
- Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing pan
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ tablespoons licorice root powder
- 1 ½ cups hot water
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%), coarsely chopped (1 ¼ cups)
- 3 ounces Australian soft black licorice chews, coarsely chopped
- Special equipment: 12-cup Bundt pan
Preheat the oven to 350℉ with the rack in the middle. Brush the soft butter generously all over the inside of the 12-cup Bundt pan, then dust lightly with cocoa powder, shaking off any excess.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, licorice root powder, and hot water. Add the sugar and whisk well to combine. Sift together the cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
In three additions, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring between each addition until incorporated before adding the next. Fold in the sour cream, chocolate, and licorice chews.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto the rack; remove the pan and let cool completely. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving. Cake can be stored at room temperature, wrapped tightly in plastic, for up to 3 days.
A note on black licorice: Australian black licorice, which is perfect here, is available in most grocery stores. Dubbel zout is less commonly available and generally too stiff to bake with. But if you’re interested in stocking it for snacking purposes, it can be ordered online, as can the licorice root powder that you’ll need for the cake.