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NOVEMBER 15, 2001 CLICKS & MISSES By Susan J. Marks Emeril's Fare and Fowl For beginners and experts alike, the TV chef's Web site offers an entertaining guide to preparing the Thanksgiving feast
Emeril has achieved pop-icon status by dishing out nouveau traditional, Cajun, and Creole food, all of it spiced with hefty dollops of his telegenic enthusiasm. His TV persona -- his essence, to dip into Emeril's trademark vocabulary -- also works on the Web site, where pictures of the smiling ham are all over the place. "Don't be freaked out by the thought of making Thanksgiving dinner!" says a section called "The Battle Plan," in which Emeril talks turkey. "None of the recipes or procedures we're giving you here are difficult," he says on the site. "Just draw up your battle plan in advance and get organized. Make up your shopping list and do as much as possible ahead of time, and make at least one thing a day leading to the big day." PRIME CUTS OF ADVICE. To paraphrase a line from Donn Pearce, who penned the Cool Hand Luke screenplay, what Emeril has is an ability to communicate. Unlike many of TV's stuffed-shirt chefs, Lagasse doesn't intimidate -- nor does he make a show of sweating the small details. Instead, he urges fans to trust their instincts. On the Web site, however, his advice helps cooks break down the giant Thanksgiving task into components small enough for even a kitchen novice to handle. Emeril takes it for granted that whoever brandishes the baster this Thanksgiving will begin preparations a week in advance. Emeril starts small with "The Plan," a step-by-step checklist that aims to help novices assemble their shopping lists, even down to the kind of roasting pan a first-time cook should buy. From there, he delivers a quick lesson on preparing the turkey, followed by cooking instructions, gravy guidance, side dishes, desserts, and, of course, what to do with leftovers. PARTY HEARTY. For some reason, there is also a section on cocktail parties, which mostly deals with post-Thanksgiving get-togethers and seems strangely out of place. Another weird thing: Emeril puts his Thanksgiving recipes at the end of his advice, which is both an invitation and a temptation leap ahead and miss his valuable tips. The recipes are true to Lagasse's roots in spice-crazy Louisiana, where he made his name as a chef. If you think Thanksgiving means nothing but roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, it's time to reconsider. An Emeril Thanksgiving entails pumpkin soup, natchitoches meat pies, caramelized salmon in new potatoes, singing shrimp (a pastry-cup-filled shrimp, shiitake mushroom, cognac, and a cream concoction). And that's just for openers. Then add pepper-stuffed turkey (with Cayenne pepper -- in New Orleans, is there any other kind?), caramelized andouille spoon bread, baked oyster dressing, deep dish apple cobbler, pecan pie, and more. Proceed only at the risk of bursting a few buttons! There is a lot more to Emerils.com than Thanksgiving. Credit the chef and his Web helpers with thinking of everything from online reservations at one of his New Orleans restaurants to recipes, cooking advice, even Emeril paraphernalia. WEALTH OF INGREDIENTS. Then there is Emeril's monthly column, a wealth of feature stories, and more than 4,700 recipes. Unexpected cooking trivia abounds. For kids, there is a guide to everything they might want to know about peanut butter, which we are told was invented by a St. Louis doctor in 1890. There also are articles about wine and "off the eaten path" reviews of restaurants, places like Phantom Ranch inside Arizona's Grand Canyon, Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Mason, Tenn., and Café Lucy in Napa, Calif. Despite a full plate of options, Emerils.com is easy to navigate. As is evident with the Thanksgiving guide, the site's authors have taken the time to make everything accessible, relaxed, and easy. Searching for recipes is simple since they are categorized according by name, key ingredients, and the episode of the show on which Lagasse cooked them. Users can save favorites in an online "recipe box," print them out in file-box size, or send them to a friend. Emerils.com is a Web oasis that tantalizes the taste buds. But be warned: Don't, under any circumstances, check it out on an empty stomach.  When Marks isn't cooking up a storm, she covers technology from Denver Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds.  Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed. Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video. To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here. Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page  | | NOVEMBER |
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