Is Soul Food Going Away?

African American food has always been a big part of the American table. it has influenced the way Americans cook and eat for four hundred years. There is a problem  though. Restaurants celebrating it may be going away.

New contributor and Washington DC journalist Alexander Nazaryan wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday Food sections. Washington  D C was a hotbed for all sorts of soul food restaurants. One very famous one, Georgia brown attracted everyone from former president Bill Clinton to such celebs as Denzel Washington and  Wesley Snipes.It's many dishes also attracted newsman Ted Koppel and the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson. Not anymore. It had to close because the traffic was not coming anymore to this thirty year institution that was a second home to Marion Barry , DC;'s four time mayor and Vernon E. Jordan a civil rights leader and top aide to President Clinton.It's closing exemplifies how Black restaurants are receding from the Capitol's once vibrant restaurant scene. Other famous restaurants such as Horace and Dickie's known for its' fried fish closed way back in 2020. Other eateries like The Dsitrict Soul Food and The Bussdown DC, also have shuttered their doors.  Cultural scholar W, Ralph Eubanks believes it has to do with the fact Washington's tastes are changing.

The demographics are changing and a new generation is coming up. Menus are in flux, even at one of the city's oldest restaurants the Florida Avenue Grill, first opened up in 1944. It claims to be the world's oldest seafood restaurant. The new owner Jay Hawkins is going to offer more vegan dishes and cocktails in order to draw in a younger, crowd. It offers all day breakfasts and lunch  which are offered at good prices. Two large eggs and bacon are ten dollars with no extras offered Toast is an extra cost along with home fries . These may be too expensive for both locals and tourists who  watching their  budgets, Also, such classics as chitlins are off the menu. Ms. Hawkins gets numerous calls from older regulars who want them back on the menu.Florida Avenue Grill most likely will survive because it is also a museum to the civil Rights movement. Many leaders are there while in Washington. There are still options for soul food fans. There is still sweet potato pie at Hnery's Soul Cafe.The United House of Prayer for All People houses the saints paradise Cafeteria  while Ethiopian chef Elias Taddesse runs Doro Soul Food.

Is Washington DC a bell weather for the demise of soul food? Maybe not. A new generation has to discover its; classic flavors and goodness. They need good restaurants  to do this.

 

The Dirt Candy Controversy

 What could a Texas farm and trendy Manhattan vegan eatery have in common? You would mayb e think thar veggies and fruit  grown on the farm were sent to the restaurant. However it's somewhat deeper - and darker.It all has to do with a name Dirt Candy.

Regular contributor Kim Severson delved into this battle in yesterday's New York Times Wednesday ZFood section. New York Dirt Candy,a popular vegan eatery on Manhattan's Lower East Side went up against an organic farm in Wimberly ,Texas located directly north of San Antonio.  The farm was started by husband and wife team Mitch and Tracey Cutler who wanted a better life. Although their restaurant  La Fondue in Saratoga California was doing well and receiving rave reviews .they wanted a simpler life. After suffering prostrate cancer Mitch embraced his wife's pure and ayuervedic way of life. Their children were also looking for a simpler life. They found the sleepy town of Wimberley and bought fifty-one acres .They came up with the name Dirt Candy  Farm after a night of brainstorming. The problem was Dirt Candy restaurant, owned by its' chef Amanda Cohen. She and her husband, the writer Grady Hendrix came up with the name. It would be perfect for a solely vegan restaurant with such specialties as  a kale and cabbage tasting menus. Chef Cohen is no stranger to name copyrights. Her famed fried dough , named Beaver tails, a specialty in her native Canada was challenged by Beaver Tails restaurant. They sent her a cease and desist notice. She no longer made them.

Chef Cohen did the same to the Cutlers. They changed the name to Dirt Candy Farms. They could lease the name from her for a nominal fee and no royalties. That worked - for a while. The question of Ms. Cohen approving artwork they may use on their farm - it's also a vacation spot with rental cabins - came up. The Cutlers hired a lawyer and tried to get a registered trademark. Their request was denied.They could still fight. After all they already spent $10,000 on legal fees, yet to continue would cost $40,000 more. Their son Sky  realized that forty grand could buy more farm equipment that they needed. After so many new names tossed around they changed their farm's name to Wild Candy Farms. It worked , yet not without some fall out.The story made it to local television stations as well as social media. Wimberley locals told Ms. Cohen to be kind on her Instagram. Facebook blew up with locals leaving kind comments about the Cutlers. LOcal farmers market who carried the Cutlers' produce fumed about the intrusion of an outsider. Vanessa Simpson who manages a local farmers market wondered why this ever happened. Many businesses shared the same name.

 Dirt Candy is more of a brand than a restaurant. It has been around long than WIld Candy Farm.It is a lesson for any entrepreneur to learn from.

New York's Best Pizza

 Last week the New York Times Food section gave a very good and extensive guide to finding the city's best bagels. Now it's a guide for the best pizza. The city is famous for its' yummy slices , rich with sauce and cheese. WHich is the best? That's a hard answer.

Keep in mind this guide stretches to all the boroughs so you don;t have leave your own to get a tasty pie. Even if you're in New Jersey, it's an easy trip to Staten Island to get a dinner. The same goes for Long Islanders seeking a great pizza in Brooklyn or Queens. Those from Westchester and even Connecticut can visit the Bronx for an out of the world creation too. Yet it's Manhattan pizzerias that attracts the famous and ordinary alike.Greenwich Village was always known for it's excellent Italian restaurants, spillover from Little Italy. Joe's Pizzeria is one of these, located on Carmine Street.They serve a New York style pizza with a slightly chewy cheese and a wealth of pepperoni.A Staten Island favorite Joe And pat's Pizzeria has branched out to the East Village. They also serve Italian American classics liked stuffed manicotti veal alla Milanese and chicken Parmigian. Yet it's the pizzas that shine.Try their vodka sauce topped one.It has a creamy  tomato sauce that is well known throughout the city.Also try their calamari one as well. Coal oven pizza is always desirable. Try Arturos's in Greenwich Village.Their arugula and prosciutto one.It's a cross between a bar pie and a deep dish one/

Of course the boroughs are known for their amazing pizzerias.The Bronx has its' own Little Italy at Arthur Avenue. Yet go to the Morris Park section and have a slice from Emilio's.fans go made for their chicken and vodka sauce pie.For zing try their Partanna pizza which has red onions and a dusting of Calabrian chili along with pecorino cheese,oregano and the surprise drizzle of orange blossom honey. Another borough Brooklyn is also home to some great places. A visit to L & B Spumoni Gardens is well worth it ,especially for fans of the Chuck E. Cheese pies. They kind of mimic it with the fried doughy crust and gooey cheese.They also have thick, satisfying squares of Sicilian pizza and ice cold beer to wash it down. Have a dessert of their almond Spumoni too.  Astoria Queens may be known for Greek food but you can find a decent pizza there too. Go to the sweetly namedMilk flower for the personal pan style ones.Try the unusual stun Dunn which features caramelized onions along with a mix of Gruyere(!) and mozzarella along with scallions and red onions. Jersey it's will love going to Staten Island for Seppe's Pizza Bar 's pies.The place is on the Narrow facing Brooklyn, perfect for warm weather dining. Their pizza  topping has a combo of hot honey, jalapenos and pepperoni. It's a refreshing combo of sweetness and bite.

New York is a pizza city. Visit Manhattan, Take a trip to the outer boroughs for some good pie. This is not only what New Yorker's rave about but the entire world .

The Year's Best of The Best

 This is the time of years for lists. There's the best , the worst, brightest, richest.It applies the same for food and drink.what make the cut this year?

The New York Times food section asked this and presented their bes tof 2023 lists(although this really should be done at the end of the year - there are two more weeks for that. Recipes, restaurants and libations. The recipes are a wonderful blend of savory and sweet. Home chefs will appreciate the Marry Me chicken, a Tiktok sensasation that has chciken married with sun dried tomatoes and heavy cream along with butter, tomatoes paste and Parmesan cheese . This delightful dish supposed ly has brught on several marriage proposals.  Another good dish is the white chicken chili, redolent with cumin and jlapenos.As for sweets, we're lucky to have the Magnolia banan pudding recipe, a perfect holiday dinner dessert and the comforting lemon pudding. There is also a recipe for a refreshing summery drink called tinto de verano from Spain. The drink, whose name means summer wine is a blend of  sweet vermouth, lemon lime soda , simple syrup and dry red wine. It's a nice breezy break from the usual holiday cocktails.

Of course there are the best wines also listed . Eric Asimov heads it off with a Prosecco spin off called Ca DeiZago Valdobeladene Mariarosa Frizzante 2022.Little known indigenous grapes are used to make it instead of the usual glera sort. There are also mid century sherries from Spain , Olaroasa, that are worth trying and sipping;One was from an island vinyard where the terroir produced a more robust flavor. There is also a good German emruch-Schomleber Monziger Resiling Kabinett 2021. It is lightly sweet and delicate, very fragile in taste. You may want to sip any of these whe you lookover the Food section's extensive  best cookbook list. The choices do not disappont and would make excellent Christmas gifts.Every cuisine is mentioned. For those who absolutely adore Chinese cuisine, get  A Very Chinese Cookbook 101 recipes From China and Not China (But Chinese Really)  The book contains detailed photos and tips from the authors, father and son team Jeffrey and Kevin Pang.Restauranteur Brecia Lopez has written an extensive book on Mexican grilling Asada , The Art of Mexican Grilling.

This has been a year of good food and drinking . Follow these lists for excellent recipes and liquors along with great holiday gifts. They really are at the top of their field.

The New Face of College Eating.

 It used to be that colleges had a one meal plan fit all ideology. Yet there are more and more students who don;t fit this. They could have nut allergies, be vegan or have religious restrictions. The meal plan has to change to fit the student body's needs.

Regular contributor and chef Priya Krishna wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times  Food section. Years ago many a handful of students were allergic to peanuts or couldn;t eat various baked goods. Now one in six students have dietary demands as opposed to the one in eight just a few years ago. Now students can have customized plans, thanks to campus dietticians creating different dishes and opening up allergen free cafes. The students should come first. Most meal plans cost  around $5,023 according to a 2022 report from the Department of ducation.  some schools such as Vanderbilt University has a cafe that bars te F.D.A;'s top nine allergens. another dinign hall is free of peanuts, tree nuts and gluten along with an app that lets students with allergies customize their meals.Other schools have made similar moves but there are some colleges that simply list their ingredients and offers bins of alternative choices like gluten free bread and dairy free yogurt.

There is always a debate about how far college dinign halls  shou;d go with accomodating their students. robert Nelsom, the chief executive of the National association for College and Universuty Food  Services said that some dining hall managers argue that it's better for affected students to learn to navigate a convential bufffet. After all they'll have to do it once they graduate and enter the workforce. This may make sense to some students who find their school's dining ha;; choices adqequate however there are many who do have serious problems. Yale senior Maria Bambrick  Santayo, a celiac disease sufferer only had six symptom free days where she didn't feel sick from eating. Students would mix up spoons whioch lead to cross contamination. A busy kitchen can't guarantee that bits of flour will also fall in gluten free dishes University of Virgnia graduate Erica Kem had all sorts of allergies , including beef, sesame  mustard and tomatoes. The school didnt address these unusual allergies. her parents had to make her meals. Luckily there is a board created by two Northwestern students. Kethan Bajaj and Julia Auerbach. Their  College advocates  For Food Allergy Awareness and Education. 

College dining halls are not what they  once were with simple meal plans. They are changing to fit students' needs and wants.  Doing this will make student life easier.

Cold And Easy

 This is the time for a cold dessert or snack. Nothing beats soemthing that's a  snap to make  along with being eeasy to prepare. Look to some simple sweets that are frosty and delicious.

Many love homemade ice cream. Nothing beats the taste of a homemade chocolate or vanilla.Home chefs can create an eggless one using cocoa powder, whole milk, sugar and heavy cream . A dash of vanilla is thrown in to heighten the chocolate flavor. Everything is whisked together and the put in the fridge for thirty minutes before it s oured into an ice cream maker. You can add chocolate chips or even nuts for a Rocky Road flavor. Vanilla ice cream is also an easy make.I'ts just taking whole milk and combining it with heavy cream granulated sugar and vanilla. You can also make a vegan version using coocnut or plant based milk milk and cashew butter. It still uses vanilla as flavor. You could also try an ice cream that doesn;t require a machine.Melissa  Clark offers a  no churn caramel one in Wednesday's New York Times  Food section.It's an easy make of whipped cream,  blended with  a  can or jar of dukce de leche . A sprinkle of flaky sea salt cuts the sugariness. Serve ti in a cone of waffle bowl, with a spoonful of hot fudge for decadence.

That Italian classic granita is another cool treat that's super easy to make. A favorite is a coffee granita, a homemade ice that's served with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.Mix three cups of strong espresso with three fourths cup of sugar and teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until everything is dissolved and pour into a nine by thirteen inch pan. Place the pan in the freezer for one hour until the mixture becomes slushy. Rake the crystals with a dinner fork to break up the crystals. Pop back into the freezer and then rake it every thirty minutes. Serve in parfait or martini glasses with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Granita can be made with fruit too. You just need four cups of any cubed fruit, a quarter cup of any flavorful liquid and a quarter cup of granulated sugar. A pinch of salt can be added to bring out the fruit's flavor. As for the flavorful liquid, try lemon or lime juice but even wine or kombucha can do. Puree all the ingredients and then freeze in a metal pan. Freeze anywhere between thirty and forty five minutes and start to flake it with a fork afterwards. Keep doing this every thirty minute two or three times. It't then frozen for four hours before serving.

A sweet cold treat is just as easy to make as it is to eat. Make a quick ice cream or granita to beat the heat.It's great way to beat the summer heat.

How To Make Strawberries Shine

 It's June and that means strawberry season. These gems are always the perfect ingredient in any dessert. There's only one problem - they can become soggy. They need to be fleshy and firm.How to do that? Luckily there are different ways to make those berries shine.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. We will be inundated with the juicy fruit for the next few weeks. Strawberries did not have a good start to the year. California , where the winter ones are gtown was beset with bad weather . This caused them to have a bland taste.Luckily fate turned around for them and they and other strawberries have become sweeter and juicier. Unfortunately they do weep or seep moisture into a crumb or crust.Ms Clark gives three new recipes that call for either macerating, roasting or simmeringthem. This condenses their juices and allows them to hold up better in pastry and cakes.Simmering them let them to top a flaky tart. The berries top a tangy cream cheese mixture spread on a base of puff pastry.The tart emergres from th e oven with a crisp, buttery crust.It's a mixture of a lemony creme filling thanks to freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest. The berries are put on top last and then baked in a 425 degrees Farenheit oven.

You could also macerate or soak them in sugar before baking them into biscuits. This prevents from becoming gummy.These then can be turned into the ultimate shortcake with a layer of macerated berries and then a puff of whipped cream. Adding poppy seeds to the biscuits gives them extra crunch. The shortcake is a basic buttermilk one but also very buttery too. A half cup of unsalted butter is used.The strawberry juice is mixed with the buttermilk and added to the dough. As with any shortbread the dough is frozen for forty-five minutes before baking. There is roasting , with the strawberries being briefly roasted before being mixed into a  delicate andtemder almond cake, This gives the fruit an intense flavor and caramelizes the juices. The cakes themselves use only egg whites along with five large egg whites. Browned butter is added. Almond and regular white are combined in the batter.The roasted strawberries are cooled patted dry and then folded into the mix. They're baked in muffin tins with a little granulated sugar sprinkled on top The oven should be set at 400 degrees Farenhweit.

These recipes are the perfect way to enjoy fresh and juicy strawberries. They're create a tender fruit without all that soppiness. Try them for a perfect strawberry dessert.

Are You Looking For A Pizza Pop Up

 It was going to happen eventually  - the pop up pizzeria. The planet's trendiest food center New York City is where it's happening .What's best about them is that these pizzas are variations on the traditional pies. They're innovative as they are tasty.

Long time restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote about them in yesterday's New YorkTimes Food section.Pop ups across Manhattan and its' boroughs are not that unusual. There are tacorias and ice cream parlors along with pop up bakeries and coffee shops. Pizzerias are not that common though, especially ones that have unusual and new toppings. How is this phenomenon happening? It's due to the ovens .There is the electric Breville Pizzailo, a  small, portable brick oven and several models by Ooni. The last can be powered by wood pellets, carcoal and gas and cost between and  $299 and $1,000 These were made for home use but are quickly becoming popular with chefs who have to be on a budget.Most commerical deck ovens cost many times as much). These devices have allowed a batch of self taught makers to storm a traditional , family owned business, The most traditional ones are owned by men. Now thanks to the new pop up trade , two of the most avidly followed are run by women.

 How are the pizzas? They range from the unuusal to the traditional. Natalie De Sabato is leading this craze with her company Traze, She sells grandma (ones with thick crusts) to bars, breweries and other spots throughout the city.Her best known pie has crumbled fava bean squirted with halal-cart white sauce.I'ts put into into a counter top electric oven that's smaller than a microwave and baked.Mr. Wells declared it the best pizza he's ever had.Augie Russo of Tiny Pizza Kitchen creates a variety of traditional and different. He is known for his Margherita pizza with his black bubbles, airy interior and crusty rim. Then there's his Betty White which changes topping with the season.One night it had gooseberries, pomegranate seeds ,spiced butternut squash and sauteed leeks.It's decorated with edible flowers and herbs.His Farewell To Figs is redolent with the fruit.His pizza is tiopped with fresh  ones along with a spicy fig jam from a small batch reserve in California.salame ribbons, salted raw onions, charred cherry tomaotes and fice kinds of cheese top it.

Pop pizzareias are becoming more and more popular. They're a great outlet for creative chefs looking to break free from the traditional mold. They'll be around for a while.

welcoming Lent with Tasty Dishes

 Tuesday is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. It's a time to not only celebrate but use up foods forbidden tfor the Lenten period. These are butter and milk which can add to any dish.\

Newcomer Matt Haines who is also the author of The Big Book of King Cakes and The Little Book Of King Cakes wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section.He knows abotu mardi Gras living in New orleans and writing about that classic King Cake.It's celebrated all over the Christian world from fastnacht in Germany to Shrove Tuesday in part of the US and the UK.It's mostly a day to celebrate with rich treats.One of the easiest to makes are pancakes. Mr Haines gives us buttery pancakes with sugar and lemon. These are more like crepes, thin and crispy fried in butter. These are on my radar to make on Tuesday Mine will be a vegan version, subbing in Just Egg for the egg used and frying the pancakes in a mix of Melt and vegetable oil. The recipe also calls for a teaspoon of baking powder for lift. It's  served with granulated sugar and lemon , much in the style of a street crepe. I may just douse mine in Melt and maple syrup.There is also Carnivale celebrated in Brazil with big raucous parties and parades. Is it any wonder that they have colorfully dyed pancakes stuffed with freshly grated coconut and jaggery or palm sugar. Cardamon pods also give them extra flavor as well along with an earthy spicy flavor. The pancakes are the typical recipe but with sugar added.

Even the northern countries like Sweden have special pre Lenten treats Ingrid Schatz makes cardamon buns at her  Richmond Virginia bakery Axelsdotter.These are called semlor anf it makes her customers nostalgic for them, reminiscing about eating the treats  with their parents. The whole day is special in Sweden as it its in other countries. She feels proud to contnue with the tradition. The dough is a yeast one made with bread flour (preferably the King Arthur brand ) and dry yeast. It has seven tablespoons of butter for a rich flavor. The filling is a mix of Odense almond paste, whipping cream, confectioner's sugar and vanilla. This creates a stiffer filling that can easily be piped into the buns and not lose its' shape The recipe is a bit labor intensive with the sugar , butter and milk cooked to what the Swedes call fingenvarm, just above body temperature. The filling is made as the buns are baking. They also have to be forned into balls and left to rise for forty five minutes , covered in Saran wrap.Once baked, the tops are cut off and there should be room made to accomodate the filling.Pipe the filling on top and then decoate with a square of the bun's top.

Celebrate Fat Tuesday or mardi Gras any way you want. Use up that fat and sugar for fun treats. It's a day for tasty treats before the austerity of Lent.

Delving Into NOLA's Past

 New Orleans hs always been knonw for it's phenomneal food. Many thought the French were responsible for this culinary paradiuse. However delve deeper and its' the enslaved that gave the city its' distinct flavor. Now it's coming to light in a variety of ways.

Regular contributor and famed food writer Brett Anderson wrote about his native cityin today's New York Times Food section.For centuries the French influence was thought to be the guiding light in their local cuisine. However this is wrong. It's the West African influence . It's the force behnd jambalaya and gumbo. A new generation of black chefs is discovering thus as well as the strong Caribbean and Creole influence too. The dishes are being featured in such restaurants as Dakar NOLA. There is Last Meal , a blend of black eyed peas, crispy rice and Louisiana blue crab. A dish  called from ndambe that the restaurant's chef Serigne Mbaye ate while growing upin Senegal. It was fed to enslaved West Africans beofre they boarded ships to the US.LAst Meal's variuation contained palmoil which us high in saturated fat. Kidnapped Africans needed to be Fattened up" before being loaded on tp slave ships.Their investments had to be protected. It's a story that Chef Mbaye shares with diners.

There are other stories that reflect the city's racist history. New Orleans has always been known as a town of merriment and great food and drinks.It was also a majority Black city at possessed a thriving slave market where more than 135,000  individuals were sold. The disparity that started then is still existing now. Chefs  such as Chef Mbaye want to emphasize the importance and contribution of the enslaved in the region's dishes. They are dismantling the whitewashed stories about the European influence  that have been fed to tourists for generations. There's a strong emphasis on the French which extends back to slavery according to Zella Pamer anfood scholar and the director of the Ray Charles Progran in African American Material Culture at Dillard University. She pointed out that most of the enslaved people brought to Louisiana in the early Eighteenth Century came from West African, and that included the Senegambia people.. The New New Orelans are getting more and more West African restaurants and with them the truth about New Orelans cooking. Stories are being told and the Frenhc influence myth like the famed Galatoire's ]was influenced by Chef Prudence instead of Jean Galatoire, a white French man.

NewOrleans is indeed a city of good food. Yet it is not solely French as many are want to think.It is the African Creole and Caribbean influences that make its' food great.

Easy Winter Dishes

 The best thing about January is that it's a time to relax. Gone are the hectic holiday meals and harried work days leading itno parties. It's simply a month to just take it easy. That also applies to cooking.  A simple and easy meal and dessert is all you need.

Regular contributor David Tanis wrote about this in yesterday's New York Times Food section. He believes on easing up on cooking and baking yet retaining flavor.It also doesn;t have to feel restrictive either and if you want to keep it festive then do so. he offers three dishes - carrot -leek soup with miso followed by baked fish with mushrooms and ginger. Dessert is  triple sesame tea cakes. Mr. Tabis uses Asian pantry staples like miso and ginger for the savory dn toasted sesame oil for the cookies.The influence gives all three recipes oomph and elevates them from just plain winter dishes to something special despite their easiness. The soup starts with a homemade vegetable broth made from the leeks and carrots. They're  first sauteed in butter  and then simmered in salted water to create a fragrant broth.Both sare preed to gether for a creamy mouth feel and then the miso is added,It can be yellow or white however the yellow is saltier . If you want to taste te veggies then use the white instead.

As for the dush Mr. Tanis recommends eihter halibut, bass or grouper. They;'re baked in just salt and pepper. while they're baking make the mushrooms. These are shiitake ones, without the stems cooked in soy sauce and ginger. This sauce is then spooned over the fishn and put back into the oven to be baked fo twenty minutes at or an  additional twenty to twenty-five minutes. You could sprinkle on scallions and cilantro springs for color and more flavor. Make sure to pou any gingery pan juicings over the fish. End the meal with simple triple sesame tea cookies.This is an easy cookie dough enhanced with the toasted seasame seed oil along with tahini or sesame paste.Te liquids are blended first with  a mix of  flour  and baking powder slowly added in later. It's then rolling the dough into walnut sized  balls followed by rolling them in sesame seeds. Bake them for twenty minutes at 350 degree Farenheit. A nice drink for this meal would be a hot  ginger or green tea ,

Janiary should be a simple time with easy meals. Make these recipes for that simplicity  but with flavor. They're a great meal that can be easy to make and delicious to eat.

The Sweetness Of Dewali

 Monday is the start of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. As with any holiday. there are fun foods and treats. One of the best spects of the holiday is that there is always freshly made sweets on hand to enjoy with fanily and friends.

Regular contributor and cookbook author Proya Krishna wrote about this celebration of light over darkness in today's New York Times Food section. There will celebrations worldwide along with ones here in the States.Ms Krishna heads to South Asian shops across the country to sample their special Diwali treats or mithai. There is Maharaja Sweets in Jackson Heights Queens. Owner Sukhdev Bawa employees  travel back to India on aregular basis and bring back ideas for regional snacks. He has the Bengali sweet amarkali filled with cherries and pistacchios. He ships these and other mithai sweets across the country.Kent , Washingon  outside of Seattle has Punjab Sweets offering such treats as besan burfi made with chickpea flour and milk cake. The owner Iqbal Dha hires only other women to bake a variety of desserts. It's also the central meeting place for many of the desi community.Jayasri Sweets of Herndon Virginia has got such a reputation that even people bring its' signature sweet, kaja a deep fried pastry back to India to show relatives the Americn version. Owner Jaysari Gampa and her husband Dilipkumar run this popular bakery. 

Some mithai makers have adapted American ingredients. Sohan Lal Gaba uses cow's milk instead of buffalo for his slabs of milk cake in his Brij Mohan Indian Sweets and Restaurant in Sharonville, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb.he also found the American versions of chickpea floir and sugar were much different too. Surati Farsan Market in Artesia, California, a big South Asian hub is opend for twenty hours a day during this time. The store is festooned with lights as owner Ashvin Patel sells such goodies as cashew based kaju katli and  coconut rich kopra pak. Ms. Krishna also includes recipes for coconut ladoos from Jaysari Gampa and Mr. Patels' caramel badam burfi. The ladoos are a mix of just unsweetened coconut, sugar and cardamon. The coconut and sugar are cooked together as they become a kind of candy. The spice is added later as the blend is rolled into golfball sized balls. The badam burfi is  like a milky fudge made with cooked milk , sugar and almond flour.It's then pressed intoa pan and caramel and nuts are poured over ir.

Celebrate Dowali with lights, love and sweets. These mithai are deilcious whether store bought or homemade. Enjoy them with family and friends.

The Movable Kitchen

 August is the month for getting away. That means packing up everything, from bathing suits to blankets to even blenders for a week or two away. Yet what do you bring? What stays at home? That's the question.

Regular contributor and cookbook author Ali Slagle created a guide for those cooking away from home in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Why shoould you cook in your rental as opposed to enjoying the local restaurants and treats? Because it's economical and soothing to enjoy familiar recipes. As with packing she advises, plan ahead and stay flexible. Start by listing everyone's allergies and what they're excited about eating. You will have to work with what's in the rental kitchen (unless you bring some of your own gear).Also keep lunch and dinner ideas simple. Choose dishes that use pantry staples that use basic tools.Please bing your knives because you're familiar with them.Ones you find in rental kitchens are usually dull and hard to handle if you're not used to them. It will also make chopping much easier.Of course take advatnage of local markets. There are usually some great nearby farms where you can not only get veggies and fruit in season, but fresh baked breads and treats along with honey and even freshly laid eggs.Seafood markets are a must if you heading to the shore. You can always pick up a a few good lobsters or at least and freshly made  clam chowder.

Again simplicity is the key here. Don;t bring four kinds of herbs when you can use the one that everyone in the family likes. Lean on ingredients you and the family like.Cook hamburgers if they're into them. If they want potato chips and dip for a nightly snack, then buy them. Also buy what looks good. Basics like bread, grains and eggs are essential and should be bought fresh They'll also perk up leftovers. Ms. Slagle also recommends not starting at zero. Chop veggies and fruits at home along with marinating proteins (these can be carried in a cooler) Make dressing ahead of time to bring down with you. Another point before you leave clean out your  rental's fridge  . Make kitchen sink salads where everything isused up or omelets using leftiovers meats and cheeses. Try tofu scrambles or  loaded. pizzas or flatbreads. It has to be as empty as it was when you arrived. The article also has two recipes , one for smashed zucchini with chickpeas and peanuts. and turkey burgers. The first is a fiery mix of beans, nuts and veggies, spiked with jalapeno and spices like  sumac and coriander. The turkey burgers are easy , with ground meat and onion for flavor. Have a fixings bar set up so everyone can put on them what they like.

It's the season to rent a nice water front or mountainside house.The living is easy and so should be the cooking. Plan ahead for a week of simple  and delicious cooking.

Cheese Fest

 Who doesn't like or even love cheese? It's a food that's fun to share or to be savored on one's one, perhaps with a good hunk of artisinal bread and a glass of wine. Now there are even contests centering on it.Cheese nerds can rejoice over this.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this great even in today's New York Times Food section. It was the 2022 Cheesemonger International held in Brooklyn where many artisinal cheeses and cheese shops are these days.The event began back in 1999 when a powerful cheese cartel collapsed. Cheese maker Adam Moskowicz created this festival/competition.. His family's  background is in food, with his grandfather selling butter and eggs at Washington Market and his father owned a wholesale produce market in Manhattan;s meatpacking district along with starting Larkin Cold Storage. Although he and his father have had a difficult relationship, Mr Moscowicz chose food  after a varied career of rapper and actor. He is also a recovering addict whose rehab coincided with the competition. Cheese saved him, He started as a cheesemonger at Formaggio Essex on the Lower East Side and joined his father's business in 2007.  He discovered a passion in the nascent farmstead cheese movement in Switzerland.

Now he 's in charge of the Coachella of cheese contests.It started in 2010 when he staged the first invitational as a kind of after party for the Fancy Food Show, This is where global cheese manufacturers descend on Manhattan. That was debauched according to Mr. Moskowicz who barely remembers any of it. The recent gathering was open to anyone . Any working cheese maker could join; the only requirement for the competitors is that they show up three days beforehand, This time is packed with demonstrations, tastings and lectures, Most of the competitors value this and the camaraderie more so than the actual competition. There are different competitions. In the salesman one judges pose as customers and ask all sorts of questions , Then there is the blind tasting one where cheese mongers compete to identify cheeses from around the world. They have to sort through five primary characteristics such as  milk type, milk treatment, style, country of origin and name. There' sort of like wine tasting but without the classist attitude.

This is the perfect contest for cheese lovers. It shows all the different kinds in the world and appeals to all sorts. Cheese isn't just for the elite. It's for everyone.

The Many Sides of Juneteenth

 Junettenth is an important African-American holiday, much in the same way as Fourth Of July. It celebrates freedom but also the different recipes and customs of Black-Americans and their ancestors. There are so many different  recipes , each tasty , each traditional.

Nicole Taylor , chef and author of the definitive Juneteenth cookbook  Watermelon And Red Birds :A Cookbook For Juneteenth and Other Black Celebrations (Simon and Schuster 2022) just out now, wrote this in the cookbook.Today's issue of the New York Times Food section excerpted it along with  some of her recipes.Some background is needed here. Juneteenth celebrates and acknowledges  when Major General Gordon arrived in  the port city of Galveston Texas and issued General Order 3. This meant,that, two years after Abe Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation that all enslaved people were free,. This happened on June 19th, hence the name Juneteenth  although some plantation owners waited to tell the enslaved in the fall after harvest season.  A year later festivities commenced. Like the Great  Black Migration, it moved from the South to the north , east and west. with it not only came recipes for barbecue but a place at the table for watermelon. June  in Texas was prime season for the fruit.in 1883 The Galveston Daily News has reported that there were celebrations across the state but one in San Antonio had "twenty-three wagons loaded with watermelons. They're now an integral part of the celebrations.

Chef Taylor's recipes are amazing with different spins on traditional dishes. yet they represent her deep roots in Georgia where her family has lived for generations. Her recipe for peach and molasses chicken is a spin on the traditional barbecue soaked one of years past. The sauce is a tangy mix of peach jam and apple cider vinegar mixed with tomato paste, soy sauce ,mustard and coriander seeds. The chicken is basted twice in it and served with more coriander. She takes the traditional cole slaw and zings it up with poblanos  and scallions and dresses it in a coating of virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar and garlic cloves. Celery seeds are also added and a dash of hot sauce can also be thrown in. What to finish it off with? A strawberry sumac (!) cake. The berries are macerated with a mix of ground sumac, granulated sugar and almond extract. They're dotted on the homemade cake that's also spiced with the ground sumac. The perfect drink for this is Chef Taylor's watermelon ginger beer. This is a fiery mix of  red watermelon and ginger beer with the pureed fruit. Ice cubes , full of fennel fronds are put in to cool it.

Juneteenth is a day of thought but also f celebration and honoring all those who were enslaved. They should be celebrated with good food and good drink. It's their recipes and their legacies that should be honored.

Sharing Love And Food

Food and love should be shared freely. Gullah cook Emily Meggett know this as she doles out equal parts  of them in the heart of South Carolina's Low Country Her cooking and attitude get love back, It's no wonder that she and her dishes are well known and adored.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about Ms. Meggett in today's New York Times Food section. The entire world will be knowing Ms Meggett in two weeks time when her cookbook,"Gullah Geechee Home Cooking:Recipes From the Matriarch of Edisto Island (Abrams Publishing) The 123 recipes centers on  the staples of the Gullah Geechee table: rice seafood and locally grown fresh vegetables.Ms/ Meggett gives reader the definitive chicken perloo and okra soup along with one pot dishes. Other dishes reflect her own creativity to feed a large family or countless friends. She created leftover meat casseroles and canned pork and beans over rice and smoked sausage. Her wildcat sauce is made with crisped salt pork,flour and sauteed scallions with a splash of coffee. Ms. Meggett also has made countless shrimp and grits lunches for the Charleston car dealership where she gets free tune ups.The cookbook has a mix of complex recipes such as making wine(!) from muscadine grapes and stuffing shad with parsley and rice and serving it with roe. This is a two day prep. Then there's easy ones like pancakes made with melted butter and corn syrup and making juice pops called thrills or bears with Tropical Punch or Kool Aid.

Ms. Severson includes two of Ms. Meggett's recipes. One is the Gullah favorite crab cakes and the other is the classic benne wafers. The crab cakes are  made with homemade toasted bread crumbs as the filler. There's also self rising flour too (although you can sub in a mix of flour and baking powder,Mace and onion give it that distinct flavor as they're whisked into a cream sauce that also features , flours eggs, white vinegar and milk. Lump crab meat is added to the sauce and mixed lightly. They're then divided into thick rounds and coated with the bread crumbs. They're fried in half a cup of vegetable oil and then drained. Of course the benne wafers could follow these. This classic Gullah cookie gets its name from the benne seeds used

 in the recipe. They're actually sesame seeds so you can use these as well.These are rich  cookies thanks to th the addition of half a cup of butter used. There's also the mix of brown and white sugar for more flavor and baking soda for lift.Eggs and vanilla are also in the mix too. These' are a lovely ending to any meal.

Emily Meggett carries on the Gullah tradition of making good food and sharing it with those she loves. Thanks to her new cookbook, now the world can also love her good food and share it with those they love. It is food from the heart.

The Perfect Ham And Eggs.

 The main course to a Easter meal should be the perfect ham. it should be a bright to smoky pink on the inside side and have a deliciously crusty and flavorful glazed exterior. What should accompany it? Eggs of course  but with a Chinese twist.

Regular contributor , food writer and recipe developer Genevieve Ko wrote about these usually breakfast staples in today's New York Times Food section. She gives a recipe for honey ham, taken from her own experience with cooking city hams or as we know them just hams. These are injected with water which can dry out in the oven. The best way to cook and serve them  is to eat them without cooking and at room temperature.according to Brian Heffern, operations manager at the Honey Baked Map Company. This may freak out more than a few home chefs, but keep in mind the meat is already cured, so there's no worry. You could do what ms KO recommends. Cook it on the stove first for thirty to forty minutes and then transfer it to a 450 degree Farenheit oven for the last ten or fifteen minutes.The inspiration cam from her working with the great  Alsacian chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and the German chef Gabriel Kreuther. She helped with editing their respective cookbooks. Her ham has the German influence thanks to first a bath of Reisling wine mixed with juniper berries,peppercorns and honey. An onion is added which will serve as a rack for the ham to sit upon. When it's ready for the oven, it;s rubbed with a mix of brown sugar, Dijon mustard and more honey.

The second recipe comes from Ms. Ko's childhood. It's the tea eggs  that all her "aunties" brought to her childhood church every Easter Sunday.  This is a snack but  it's also a great way of having those hard boiled eggs. They're soaked in a brew of black, tea, soy sauce and ginger. There is also the addition of star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. Use either oolong or jasmine tea loose or in tea bags.Plain eggs are cracked in the boiling process and when peeled, reveal intricate marbled patterns. If you're using your dyed eggs, then peel off the colored shell.Fully peeled eggs will have a richer, more intense flavor  while being dyed a deep brown  Keep in mind that raw eggs should be room temperature before boiling. Cold shells will instantly crack once they hit the hot water and that can create a mess. Tap them lightly with the back of a spoon to create hairline fractures. The tea will seep in and give them that pretty marbled effect. Cook never before cooked ones for six minutes for a jammy yolks  seven minutes for just set ones and eight to ten minutes for hard crumbly ones. After they're cooked, drain the hot water, add cold water from the tap until they're completely cool. The already boiled ones can just be marinated in the heated sauce and then put into containers. These  go into the fridge where they can be stored for up to a week.

Ham and eggs are always a great combination. Yet imagine the ham as a crispy, tender Easter one and the eggs as Chinese tea eggs. It's a nice way of celebrating Easter.

Conchas A Mexican Treat

 The French may have the croissant but the Mexican have the concha. This delightful roll is m every bakery and a treat to eat. It's also an easy bake to make for a weekend brunch.

Pati Jinich a regular contributor , cookbook author and the host of the PBS series Pati's Mexican Table wrote about this classic in yesterday's new York Times Food section,. A concha is simply a bun with a crisp tender top, many peaked like that of a seashell, hence the name. They're sold in Mexican bakeries or panderias and they're an integral part of everyday life and celebrations. They're so beloved that there are even pillows and slippers in their shape.Like croissants or rolls, they can be eaten for breakfast with  milk, coffee or hot chocolate and turned into a sandwich for lunch or even dinner. However most of  them have a stale bread base and tasteless toppings. Yet many still want them. In Mexico City they are immensely popular, Bakers strive for affordable prices at a cost.Butter is reduced in the recipe and cheaper vegetable shortening is added. Water is subbed in for milk and sometimes eggs are entirely skipped.It makes  for a spongy concha that needs to be dunked in hot coffee according to Francisco Migoya , a Mexican chef and author of Modernist Bread.

Conchas can be easily baked at home You will need a concha mold which you can buy a silicone mold or cutter on Amazon though to create that seashell shape..Keep in mind there should be a right amount of fat, whether it be lard, butter or shortening. Lard is used  in traditional kitchens however the conchas will stay flat and be dense. Butter is your best bet because it doesn;t weigh down the rise  and gives the buns a pillowy puff and delicate taste.The dough needs to be needed a lot. It will seen wet at first but then gets stickier with each push and pull. Follow Chef Migoya's stretch and fold way for a tender texture. The topping is just as important as the body. Make sure there are ridges . These hold the concha together during the first bite (a flat one would shatter to pieces)Ms. Jinich's recipe is forty percent topping as opposed to just ten per cent.There are cocoa, dulce de leche and vanilla. These are made sort of like icing  with a certain thickness to them. You will also have to dip the mold in flour before using them. Once made they do have to be proofed for  anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours.Its then baking them for  twenty minutes at 350 degrees Farenheit.

Conchas are the perfect bite whether for breakfast or a snack. Homemade ones are the absolute treat. Bake them and taste this traditional Mexican treat.

In Praise Of Chocolate Chips

  Chocolate chips rule as much as baking snobs hate to admit it. These tiny little morsels shouldn't be discounted. Their tininess can add a big impact and flavor to any dessert recipe.

Regular contributor Genevieve Ko knows this and wrote about the tasty nibbles in yesterday's New York Times Food section.It's partly for nostalgia's sake. How many of us always snuck a few while making homemade Toll House cookies? Yet there are other reasons too, namely composition. The bars that some chefs use is high in cocoa butter which makes it more fluid when melted. It's perfect for coating bonbons, look at that shiny , snappy shells coating truffles and caramel. However what works for candy making doesn't necessarily work for baking according to Jacques Dahan, president of the chocolate company Michel Cluizel USA. Bakers want less cocoa butter for baking chocolate.Cocoa butter may give the recipe more  fat but so does dairy add ins like butter and milk. It is also expensive which is why the mass produced chocolate morsels have less of it. They have more cacao solids instead. These also yield more flavor too. Also you need a stronger flavor when mixing the chips with other ingredients like you'd find in a brownie recipe. In a flourless chocolate cake they shine through the creaminess of the butter and the richness of the eggs. They also help bind the other ingredients together in absence of flour.

Another plus to using chocolate chips is that they hold their shape in a hot oven. They give structure and height to chunky cookies and banana bread. There's no worry of them melting and creating gullies in the treat's surface. It was Ruth Wakefield, a Massachusetts housewife who first created the chips in the 1930's and the cookies named after the famed Toll House Inn. She sold the idea to Nestle for only a dollar and since then other companies have copied idea. To be honest there really isn't  the best. They all taste good, They all bake well.Donald Wressell, an executive chef at Guittard Chocolate Company suggests sampling a wide range first.This is what pastry chef  Jacqueline Eng and owner of New York's Partybus Bakery, She feels like she is a bread baker first so she experiments with the sweet ingredients. She feels that approaching chocolate can be intimidating because you can deep dive into sourcing beans from other counties. The best way is to just taste them and decide what works. she finally decided on Callebaut 54 percent cacao pellets. However during the pandemic she used chocolate chips from her local grocery and still received compliments on her cookies. 

Chocolate chips rule. They are perfect for baking yummy cookies or tasty banana bread. It doesn't matter what brand is used, they deliver a great taste and texture.

A Savory And Sweet Valentine's Day Meal

 You don't have to go to fancy restaurant for a delicious Valentine's Day meal. Everything from the main to dessert can be made in your kitchen. It's a fun cook that both can enjoy making.

Regular contributor , cookbook author and chef, Eric Kim created a menu in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. It's the perfect cooking for two, let new lovebirds get to know each other while long standing couples a nice reminder to check in on each other. His first course is a radicchio salad not cold, but warmed, perfect for a chilly February night. It's spiked with gooey cheese choices that melt well, You can either try Camembert, Brie or Taleggio cheese from Lombardy.It's very similar to the other too and cooks nicely. The radicchio will smell like Brussels sprouts or kale and the greens are taken off the stove top before the leaves wilt. A drizzle of sherry vinegar and honey gives it bite and sweetness, perfect with the cheese and counteracting the radicchio'd sharpness. The next dish is the luxurious beef Wellingtons' These are individual loafs not the grand one with a decorated crust.It's taking two filet mignon cuts and enrobing them in pastry. They cooked first and then brushed with Dijon mustard for extra flavor. Instead of adding pate de foie gras and prosciutto, standards in the traditional Wellington., Chef Kim subs in cremini mushrooms which are cooked in a combination of honey, an acidic red wine such as pinot noir or cabernet franc and cream. These and the filets are then encased in either homemade or store bought pastry dough and baked.

As with any Valentine's Day meal, the dessert is the star .Of course it has to be chocolate-y and Chef Kim does not disappoint with this recipe for no churn olive oil ice cream and hot fudge sauce. It's a riff on Atlanta's Ecco restaurant's sea salt olive oil ice cream. Use extra virgin olive oil for the oil to give it a fruity flavor.It's whisked with the sweetened condensed milk and sea salt. In another bowl beat heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. A dollop of this is added to the condensed milk and olive oil mix and folded in. Repeat this folding to keep bubbles form forming. Once blended it's put into a container in the fridge. The hot fudge sauce is again made with sweetened condensed milk and two ounces of coarsely chopped dark chocolate. Microwave on high for thirty second increments. After the first time add a tablespoon of fruity extra virgin olive oil for smoothness. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over a low flame, stirring until smooth and glossy. Let the ice cream thaw for ten minutes before scooping into bowls and adding the sauce. You could add candied rose petals for more romance.

Celebrate your love and your love of cooking at home. There's nothing more romantic than a home cooked meal. Enjoy it and each other.