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	November 15th, 2012 Roasted, Smashed, Dolloped, Devoured Posted 1 day ago by markbittman to bittman 3 There is nothing new or unusual about mashed squash or about mashed vegetables on toast. (What’s new is that the toast is now frequently called crostini, but that’s not exactly revolutionary.) Still, there is such a broad range of foods that can be served on toasted bread that it’s not surprising some of these will come as revelations.   This squash-and-toast combination is served by Dan Kluger, the executive chef at ABC Kitchen. Something about it drives me wild: the squash is creamy but chunky, rather than puréed. There is a lot of complex sweetness, but acidity as well, and it’s lean as well as fatty. (It doesn’t take a detective to see the layer of ricotta underneath the squash.) Put it on a nicely toasted piece of bread and you have a real winner. But it also occurred to me that the mashed squash alone would make a terrific Thanksgiving side dish. So I asked Dan’s boss, my friend Jean-Georges Vongerichten, to show me how to put it together. I would not have figured the dish out myself, which made this a rewarding experience. Jean-Georges peeled the squash: almost any winter squash will yield to a sharp knife and some patience, though as I wrote a couple of weeks ago, thin-skinned varieties like delicata are easier to peel or can be left unpeeled entirely. He cut the squash in half, took out the seeds and sliced it into not-quite-random pieces, mostly about 1/4-inch thick. These he roasted with oil until they were tender enough to mash; by that time, a few had blackish, caramelized ends. To cut to the chase: next, he confited onion slices with both maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. Veteran cooks will immediately get the idea: Cook the onions awhile, until they’re dark and soft, then add the two liquids and continue to cook until they’re jammy. The process could take as long as an hour, depending on the heat, your attentiveness and the water content of the onions. But it isn’t difficult. At that point, the two preparations are simply mashed together. If you serve them in a bowl at Thanksgiving, you will be serving something on a, er, higher level than mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Otherwise, lightly toast some good bread in olive oil, spread it with a light, fresh cheese and top with the squash. Do not forget the mint; it’s not the same without it. Watch the video here, and get the recipe here. Top 10 outlandish reasons men shave [infographic] Posted 1 day ago by Kate Rinsema to Holy Kaw! As the temperature drops and we approach the halfway point of Movember, the fuzzy among us are looking at the clean shaven wondering what it takes to get a man to go “back to nature,” even for a good cause. The folks over at Vizual Archive have rounded up some fascinating facts about facial hair and why many choose the chin nudist route. (Never thought about it that way, did you? Via VizualArchive. Hairy infographics. 狩 Posted 1 day ago by Koichi Mitsui to s a s u r a u 246。 How social media can help companies improve internal communication Posted 1 day ago by SmartBrief to Holy Kaw! While many organizations get their feet wet with social media campaigns, once they try to do more with social media integration they encounter challenges that come with social media touching all the different parts of a company, says Maddie Grant, Social Fish’s chief social media strategist. She says that what often happens is different departments of a company do different things with social media that all falls under that company, revealing a need for enhanced communication. Full story at SmartBrief Social Media. More SmartBrief stories. Photo credit: Fotolia How fast-casual chains are changing the way America eats Posted 1 day ago by SmartBrief to Holy Kaw! 1 Not everyone is familiar with the term “fast casual” yet, but there’s a good chance you’ve eaten at one of these restaurant chains before, such as Chipotle Mexican Grill, Subway, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Panera Bread. With buzzwords such as “fresh,” “healthy” and “natural,” fast-casual restaurants are those that prepare food more quickly than a regular table-service restaurant, most often right in front of the customer, with fresher and more health-conscious ingredients than an ordinary quickservice chain. Full story at SmartBrief Social Media. More SmartBrief stories. College drinking: No fear, all reward raises risk Posted 1 day ago by Futurity to Holy Kaw! 1 Brain scans show that stressed out college students are more likely to abuse alcohol when they have both a strong desire for reward and little fear of the dangers. “Imagine the push and pull of opposing drives when a mouse confronts a hunk of cheese in a trap. Too much drive for the cheese and too little fear of the trap leads to one dead mouse,” says senior author Ahmad Hariri, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University. Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Photo credit: Fotolia Sent by Posterous. Change your email settings or unfollow. Other questions? We'd love to help.