What's Up With Comfort Food?

By John Scroggins | December 5, 2017 1:13 pm Follow @scrogdogg

In honor of National Comfort Food Day, we offer up some recipes for a few favorite comfort foods, from the Kitchens of The Food Channel, our international network of guest chefs and one from a recent cookbook review.

What exactly are comfort foods? There’s no strict definition. If it’s your go-to food for watching movies at home, celebrating special holidays and making life a little happier, it’s a comfort food.

At The Food Channel, we’ve been talking about comfort foods for decades. What’s changed over the years, is the expansion and inclusion of cultural comfort foods outside North America. We celebrate the comfort in every cuisine and hope you’ll give some of these comforting recipes a whirl!

Southern Fried Chicken

Southern Fried Chicken. Photo: Chef Ace Champion.

It’s a given. Let Louisiana-native Chef Ace Champion show you the way it’s done. A traditional Louisiana Southern Fried Chicken recipe, guaranteed to yield juicy and tender chicken with a golden-brown crust. Recipe here.

Indian Lentil Soup

In her cookbook, Stock the Crock, Phyllis Good says this recipe for Indian Lentil Soup is a mild but irresistible introduction to Indian food. This dish is best served with naan, an Indian flatbread. Excerpted from Stock the Crock by Phyllis Good. Copyright © 2017 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved. Recipe by Margaret H.

Grilled Pimento BLT

Nothing speaks comfort food like a grilled cheese sandwich with a twist. This version, created by the chefs of The Food Channel featured pimento, Tobasco and sharp cheddar cheese.

Pimento Grilled Cheese BLT. Photo: Lance Mellenbruch.

This delicious mash-up pairs the comfort food appeal of a grilled pimento cheese sandwich with a classic BLT. The combination of gooey pimento cheese on buttery crisp bread, salty-crisp bacon, juicy fresh-cut tomatoes and fresh lettuce may just be the perfect sandwich! Recipe here.

Grilled Pork Banh Mi

Grilled Pork Tenderloin Banh Mi. Photo: Lance Mellenbruch.

This spicy-fresh Vietnamese sandwich layers thin slices of tender marinated grilled pork tenderloin with crunchy pickled veggies, fresh-cut jalapeno, thin ribbons of cucumber and spicy chile mayo on a French baguette. Banh Mi perfection crafted in the Food Channel’s very own kitchen! Recipe here.

Ham and Cheese Frittata

Ham and Cheese Frittata. Photo: Lance Mellenbruch.

These make-ahead portable breakfast muffins keep it quick and easy to get the kids out the door with a warm and nutritious, protein-rich, breakfast on a hectic school day morning. Recipe here.

Cubano Sandwich

Cubano Sandwich. Photo: Lance Mellenbruch.

Our classic Cubano sandwich recipe, made famous in the Tampa Florida neighborhood of Ybor City, features mojo-marinated roast pork tenderloin with deli-sliced ham, Genoa salami and Swiss cheese, thin-sliced pickles and mustard- all layered on soft buttery Cuban rolls grill pressed flat and crispy. Recipe here.

Peanut Butter Pie

Peanut Butter Pie. Photo: Rattan Direct.

A ridiculously easy, no-bake recipe, you can get this glorious confection into the fridge within half an hour of stepping into the kitchen. From the Guest Chefs of Rattan Direct. Recipe here.

Ending on A Sweet Note: Mother’s™Imperial Grind Cupcakes with Cold-Brew Buttercream Frosting.

This is a half-scratch recipe that can be adapted to taste and will fill the kitchen with a wonderful coffee aroma while baking. Feel free to use your favorite coffee stout, we chose Imperial Grind, brewed with ground espresso and cold-brew coffee, from Mother’s Brewing Company.

Mother’s Imperial Grind Cupcakes with Cold-Brew Buttercream. Photo by Lance Mellenbruch.

You’re welcome. This is a half-scratch recipe that can be adapted to taste and will fill the kitchen with a wonderful coffee aroma while baking. Feel free to use your favorite coffee stout, we chose Imperial Grind, brewed with ground espresso and cold-brew coffee, from Mother’s Brewing Company. Recipe here.

We hope you enjoy your favorite comfort foods today – in moderation!