How Three Foodies Stay At The Top Of Their Field

For the past twenty years Dana Cowin has been Food & Wine's editor in chief, but has keep a secret from her readers. Despite being surrounded by food nearly every single day, she never learned how to cook. But with the help of her friends, many of them famous celebrity chefs, Dana has mastered her mistakes in the kitchen and learned some invaluable life skills along the way. 

We're also joined by Tony Abu-Ganim, one of the world's leading mixologists. He's seen the profession go from being a secondary job to a respected career during his 30 years behind the bar and joins us to talk about the hardships he's encountered along that journey.

And for a set of bakers with roughly five years of experience on their hands, the crew at Bellegarde Bakery is making quite a name for themselves. We'll join Graison Gill and Brett Guadagnino at their Broadmoor bakery for an early morning baking session.  

Plus Ian McNulty and Chris Jay both join us for reports from the road. 

Pot Stickers (MAKES 40 POT STICKERS)

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE

1 tablespoon Sriracha

1⁄4 cup + 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1⁄4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions

FOR THE POT STICKERS

6 ounces ground pork

6 ounces medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and finely chopped

4 ounces soft tofu

3⁄4 cup finely chopped scallions

11⁄2 tablespoons minced peeled ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil

3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 package (at least 40) fresh round dumpling wrappers (31⁄2 inches in diameter)

Vegetable oil, for frying

1.       For the dipping sauce, stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl; set aside.

2.       Put the pork and shrimp in a large bowl. Wrap the tofu in cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. Wring out the moisture (so your pot stickers don’t get soggy), then crumble the tofu into the bowl. Mix in the scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper.

3.       Lay a few dumpling wrappers on a dry work surface (keep the rest covered with a damp paper towel) and top each one with a scant tablespoon of filling, right in the center of the wrapper. Set out a little bowl of water and, using your fingertip, brush the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold each one into a half-moon and seal the edges tightly together, making sure to press out any air. Starting at the center of each pot sticker, pleat the sealed edges, making up to 8 pleats. Then pick up each pot sticker by the pleats and tap it on your work surface to give it a flat bottom. Transfer the pot stickers to a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap and cover them with a damp paper towel. Continue forming pot stickers until you’ve used up all of the filling.

4.       Heat 11⁄2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Place 12 of the pot stickers, flattened bottom down, in the skillet and cook until the bottoms are browned, about 2 minutes.

5.       Hold a lid at an angle over the skillet, so you don’t get splattered, and pour 1⁄2 cup of water into the pan. Immediately cover the skillet and cook until steam stops rising. Remove the lid and cook just until the bottoms of the pot stickers are crisp again, another 2 minutes.

6.       Using a thin spatula, transfer the pot stickers to a serving plate. Serve immediately, with the dipping sauce. Wipe out the skillet and repeat the cooking process, serving each batch as you go so that the pot stickers can be eaten while they are hot.