Following through on an internet strategy that has rested heavily on working with MSN for the past two years, Hearst Magazines is working with the Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) portal on a new channel aimed at foodies called Delish.com, which will also be available at delish.msn.com. The site will be launched this fall (there’s nothing there yet). Delish is primarily a Hearst project; MSN’s main role is one as distributor.

The terms of the deal puts Hearst Magazines Digital Media in charge of the design, development and editorial content. MSN will be responsible for ad sales and syndication of the site’s content through the MSN network. Estimating that the food category draws roughly 60 million monthly uniques as a whole, MSN and Hearst claim that Delish’s traffic numbers will immediately put it in the top 10 food-related websites. As for the content, Hearst is promising more than just recipes, saying that they’ll feature general lifestyle and pop culture articles centered around food, as well as video and community tools.

• Interview: Chris Johnson, VP, Hearst Digital: Pinning Its Digital Strategy On Portals