4/4/11: Links We Love

Credit: Helen Rosner

A look at what we're reading, clicking, and cooking this week.

• SAVEUR.com contributor Sarah Kanabay runs a deep, wry, engrossing interview with chef-turned-cheesemaker Kurt Timmermeister, in which he praises the return-to-the-land trend, debunks the myth of the bucolic life of the independent farmer, and pulls the curtains back on the cliquishness of farmers' markets. [The Farmer General]

• Vegetables are the new animals ? A look at chefs who are turning away from meat, and making plants the culinary centerpiece. [WSJ]

• Garden and Gun's Southern Food Bracket is a brilliant spin on March Madness, but how could you possibly choose between pulled pork BBQ and fried chicken? [Garden and Gun]

• Eggs are the perfect meal for these awkward post-winter, pre-spring days. This scrambled egg recipe elevates the basic to something truly special. [LA Times]

• Interested in beefing up your food photography? Start with the right gear. [Lara Ferroni]

• The question of whether a perfect food and wine pairing is a lie resurfaces, with more arguments against the idea of trying to match what we drink to what we eat. [All We Can Eat]

• This recipe for butternut squash candy calls for just two ingredients, and a lot of patience. [Food 52]

• A look at why we like our food to be brightly colored, and why the debate over artificial coloring speaks to the very heart of what we find delicious. [NYT]

• In 2010, the owner of a French vineyard received an anonymous note saying his grapevines would be poisoned unless he paid a million-euro ransom. It sounds like something out of a crime novel, but it really happened — and the story is riveting. [Vanity Fair]

Photo: Kurt Timmermeister checking the milk for his cheese at Kurtwood Farms, Vashon Island. By Helen Rosner