Good Christmas Recipes

 Christmas should be a time fo feasting but also easy recipes to follow. The New York Times has a slew of them for the big day ,from a main course to sides to even a show stopping dessert. These are perfect because of their relative ease. It's not only enjoying the meal but the cooking too.

Newcomer Clare dDe Boer ,a four times James Beard nominated chef and Food writer contributed these gems to today's New York Times  Wednesday Food section.She does recommend having family and friends getting involved to make preop time easier and simpler. Her appetizers consist of grilled by guests sausages(these aren't mentioned but you can still do them either in your fireplace or set up on an outdoor grill) The main course is sliced orange duck which consists of braising duck legs with a mix of ginger, anise and orange and cooked until they're so tender the meat falls off the bone. The recipe calls for six whole duck legs (which you can get at your butcher's) and they need to be cooked in batches.One of the sides is simple boiled greens.This involves cooking dinosaur or Tuscan kale .It's boiled until it becomes a paste on the fingers and garlic is added to it. Olive oil is drizzled on top of this along with a sprinkling of sea salt

Another great side is the winter salad. This is a mix of radicchio, Castelfranco lettuce or butter lettuce, Belgian endive and watercress. The dressing is what's make these greens sing.Combine olive oil,red wine vinegar and maple syrup with garlic cloves. MMix with the greens and then adjust the taste. Of course the big side is the rice and  squash bombe, A bombe is usually a dome shaped dessert but  it's used as a savory dish here.This is a marriage of honey nut squash and basmati rice.Pita bread is used to line the bombe mold before it's baked.Pine nits and cranberries give ti color and flavor along with cumin and  slivered almonds. Shallots and crushed red peppers add some zing to it as well. It could easily rival Chef de Boer's dessert, a custardy creme brulee. This one has a tang to it thanks to the addition of creme fraiche or sour cream.It's also a rich custard with six (!!) egg yolks. Like any creme brulee it has vanilla seeds and pods.in it.It's then coated in sugar and "torched to a crispy, crunchy top.

Christmas is a time for feating. Let it be an easy feast with simple prep. It makes for a delicious meal that allows for enjoying the day and the food.

Are Food Magazines Still Tasty

Are food magazines still relevent in this digital age? Are they worth the money when recipes could be got for free on the internet? Some home chefs and bakers think so as do their publishers.

Food magazines have been around since the 1800's. One of the earliest was the strangely titled Berney's Mystery of Living  from 1868 that offers "tasty morsels" of recipes. There was also The Table 1886 , American Cookery,1876 the Caterer Philadelphia 1882, Cooking Club  1895 and The Boston Cooking School Magazine 1896. These were undoubtedly aimed at young housewives who had the benefit of an education but not the luxury of a cook. They probably were bored of the tried and true dinners and desserts their mothers and grandmothers clung to. They wanted to try what the families of the Gilded Age ate.(look at the dates of these magazines, they' began publication right after the Civil War when American wealth was exploding and ordinary people wanted to emulate the magnates and tycoons). Young home chefs were also eager to replicate fancy French and English dishes and sweets.Women's magazines also had offered recipes .These were usually featureing some  popular product of the day, like evaporated milk or Jello. The first serious magazine was Gourmet created in 1942. This was for serious home chefs who were taking advantage of their modern kitchens. Dishes and desserts were more complicated thanks to publisher and writer Earle McAusalnd. Fifties housewives could appreciate recipes from James Beard who wrote for the magazine in its' early days.

The question nowadays is are these food magazines worth buyig?. Most , including Gourmet are on line. It and many other require a subscription to look at recipes. There are tons of different blogs from mommy ones to cake to air fryer ones that offer free recipes along with suggestions and variations. They're easy to access and also there's no worry of ruining pages with ingredients or messy hands. You just have to quickly wipe a tablet off if there's a splotch of frosting or a drip of gravy on it.  Then there's the ecological dilemma of wasting paper  - and trees for them. Yet there are some home chefs and bakers who love these magazines. They do offer some great theme ideas , especially for upcoming Halloween parties. There are always some interesting and fun recipes for cakes and treats.Next month there will be a plethora of Thanksgiving recipes , from different kinds of turkey brines to variations on pumpkin pies. There are even smaller sized food magazines that feature such dishes as dump cakes and keto desserts. 

Are food magazines worth buying. The answer is yes if you're a devoted home chef. They're fun reads too as they offer advice and suggestions. They are work picking up.

Stolen Recipes

 Recipes have a way of becoming our own. Some are legitimately take, passed down from family members or across from friends , neighbors and co-workers. However legit recipes do get stolen.It is a form of plagiarism and something should be done about it.

Priya Krishna, a cookbook writer herself and a regular contributor to the Wednesday New York Times Food section wrote about this in yesterday's section.recipe's really aren't protected by US copyright law.It's much harder to prove someone's stealing your cookbook recipes than it is for such creative material as sheet music, poetry, architectural works, paintings and even computer software.Cookbook writers who believe their works have been copied have little recourse. They can rant on online forums or confront the offender face to face which isn't wise.It's widely known as well in the publishing world that recipes can't be copyrighted.It's a common practice in the US according to Bonnie Slotnick,a bookstore owner that specializes in selling cookbooks and antique tomes.The first one, "American Cookery" written by Amelia Simmons in 1798 liberally borrowed from English cookbooks of the time. In ensuing years white cookbook writers shamelessly stole recipes from Black American cooks, passing them off as their own. Even the famed James Beard stole from his colleagues, claiming the recipes were his creations.

There have been a handful of famous cases in recent history that did result in law suits. One of the famous involved Jerry Seinfeld's wife Jessica and her book "Deceptively Delicious"/ It was all about putting veggies in such treats as brownies. Yet it was originally written by Missy Chase Lapine. However a court ruled against Ms. Lapine because her concept wasn't protected. A more recent and much more famous case deals with famed British chef Elizabeth Haigh, book "Makan: about her native Singapore. Another author, Sharon Wee noticed that the recipes were exact replicas of the ones in her book,"Growing Up In A Nonya Kitchen". even Ms. wee's personal recollections were copied to the letter in the other's book. This involved a heated debate about recipe ownership. Many writers wondered how they could safeguard their recipes against future theft. Now social media makes it even harder  with chefs taking and giving across many platforms. Ownership gets muddled. All chefs, home and professional just use recipes and claim them as their own.

What to do? Give credit where credit is due. That's the best way to honor and respect recipe writers.

The Legend Of James Beard

 James Beard was a giant in American cooking, influencing the cuisine in the last century. A new biography on him is out and it delves into the dark corners of his life.  Yet despite it all, his recipes and legacy still endure.

Julia Moskin gave an interesting article on this American master in today's New York Times Food section. Beard is the subject of a new book The Man Who Ate Too Much by John Birdsall. James Beard was a visionary, creating such dishes as a full charcuterie platter long before the Instagram and Pinterest crowds claimed it for their own. Yet not many home chefs use his recipes nor do they know of his enormous body of work. Ms Moskin is familiar with him because her mother both cooked from Beard's and the other great American's cook, Julia Child's cookbooks. Mr. Beard handled the everyday recipes like potpies, potato salad, bean soup and cornbread. However he was visionary with what he made. He was the first to write about sliders and sunchokes,scallion tarts and roasted figs with prosciutto. He also included such international dishes as ceviche, Syrian lentil soup with swiss chard, menudo and basil pesto, the last a radically raw and shocking flavorful sauce not yet embraced by all of America. All modern chefs owe their repertoire to Beard who embraced all aspects of the immigrant melting pot that is American cuisine. He accepted them as Seventies home chefs bought Moroccan tangines , Indian spice blends and Japanese pottery.

Yet , according to his biographer, Mr. Birdsall , it was not all great. He was the only child of Elizabeth Beard, famed for her cooking at the elegant boarding house she ran in Gladstone,Oregon near Portland. He grew up eating Chinese food thanks to Jue Let, a master chef from Guangdong, China who worked for his mother.. He fed Beard congee , steamed salt fish and lychees and both him and Beard's mother gave the young chef to be a good background for food. Yet his mother was not attentive  and more impatient with him. She never accepted or understood his "difference" - his homosexuality. His father was often missing from the scene. Beard was expelled from his college  Reed College in Portland for being caught with a male professor. Later on he was despondent about his weight 350 pounds for a 6'3"  tall man. In later years, he suffered from edema and had to wear stockings. Other health problems plagued him. However he did find happiness later years with his partner Gino Cofacci in Greenwich Village. They had parties and barbecues where he ruled. Ms. Moskin includes his Farmer's Chicken recipe , sauteed chicken with onions and peppers, flavored with red wine , raisins and olives along with paprika and oregano. It's served with toasted almonds , rice or garlic rubbed bread.

James Beard was a driving force in American cuisine. This new biography should pique interest in his recipes and life. It's time for a new generation to discover his philosophy and food.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten The Kitchen's Bad Boy

Chefs are like maestros. They can be temperamental yet brilliant; furious yet philosophical, creating masterpieces that will leave crowds and fans breathless. This is true with the famed French chef and restauranteur , Jean-Georges Vongerichten. He may be a culinary bad boy, but he's also a master too.

Chef Vongerichten was interviewed and the subject of a lengthy article in today's New York Times Food section. The piece was written by Alan Richman, famed , himself, for reviewing New Orleans restaurants and winner of several James Beard food writing awards.  A young Jean-Georges was not destined for the kitchen, by any means. He was the typical bad boy in his native Alsace-Lorraine town, near Strasbourg. The family business was coal, thanks to his great-great grandfather coming from Holland (hence the last name). He found land along a canal and settled there The chef to be was an altar boy despite his wild nature, skipping classes at the local parochial school. He was apprenticed young and even turned down a chance to cook in the Elysee Palace for the French president. He wanted to cook on a boat instead. This got him a chef's job aboard a submarine which docked in such exotic ports as Casablanca. Here he learned about different spices such as cumin. He tried the spice with carrots and that changed his perspective completely. From there he went to the Riviera where he discovered rosemary and then off to Bangkok

Now Chef Vongerichten is known around the world. He has restaurants throughout the world, being well known here in New York. His mark is everywhere , including Madison Square Garden where he has a chicken-centric Simply Chicken. Here, Chef Vongerichten elevates both the simple chicken salad and sandwich to another level with pickles and a spicy aioli. There is also the extremely elegant Jean-Georges that's decorated all in white with signature tasting menus. His empire, here in the States, stretches to Las Vegas and California, along with eateries in Miami Beach and Philadelphia. He has created restaurants also in Bridgehampton, the start of the Hamptons on Long Island and in Pound Ridge near where he lives in Waccabuc with his second wife and youngest daughter, Chloe. Despite the success he did have failures, namely the V Steak House in the Time Warner Building in Manhattan. The formula worked well with his steakhouse in Las Vegas but somehow the idea didn't translate to New York City. The same was true with his Chicago restaurant where he charged fifteen dollars for fried rice with fresh crab. Diners could get the same dish with frozen crab for $3.50 down the road. Still he will always have success.It's evident in his many successful restaurants here in New York alone.

Being the bad boy can be a good thing. That rebellious attitude has worked well for Chef Vongerichten. It's given him one of the mist successful culinary careers in modern times.

Salt Tricks

Salt is one of  the most important seasonings. Without it, our foods, both savory and sweet would be blah creations.Yet many home chefs don't really know how to use it or how to vary with different types. There's so many uses and different ways to salt food - and not necessarily with a sprinkle of NaCL.

Samin Nosrat, now a regular contributor to the Wednesday's New York Times Food section wrote about it today,Many home chefs are afraid of salt, fearing it for health, but sometimes fear adding too much can ruin a dish.Yet it is needed as the great chef James beard, once asked "Where would we be without salt?" To be honest , stuck with bland , unexciting food. Salt's relationship with food is multidimensional. It has its own particular taste  while balancing and enhancing the flavors of other foods.That's why it's even needed in baking because it enhances the cake's main flavor and sweetness.Does this mean throwing all cares to the wind and increase our salt intake? No, according to Ms. Nosrat, it means we have to learn how to use salt better. Add it in the right amount at the right time in the right form.Also just don't add a pinch at the beginning of cooking a dish and then forget about it. A dish must be tasted throughout its' cooking. The mantra is taste and adjust. Just use small pinches instead of handfuls as to not have too salty a dish.

Many home chefs use different types of salt but don't really know what they are. Common table salt is small and dense , making it very salty. Thanks to the added iodine, it has a slightly metallic taste. It also contains anticaking agents to prevents clumps from forming or dextrose a form of sugar to stabilize the iodine. A better choice is kosher salt and the best brands are Morton's and Diamond Crystal,  the same companies that make table salt. These are perfect for sprinkling over foods. The crystals are actually hollow and crumble easily. Sea salt is the trendiest and it's what's left behind when sea water evaporates.Sometimes classified as solar sea salt, there are the unrefined and more expensive ones such as Maldon, fleur de sel and sel gris, These come in flakes and should be used as more as decoration for lettuces or, caramels or even atop cupcakes. Don't toss a handful of this into the pasta water. Use everyday salt for that. As for salting, it's all about the wrist wag.Ms.. Nosrat suggest grabbing the salt in an upturned palm, then letting it shower down with a flowing wag of the wrist.

Cooking and baking need salt to be tasty and layered. Pick out the salt needed . USe it wisely and accordingly so that dishes will pop with flavor.

Sancruary Restaurants

In this day and age we have to do all we can to help and protect others. Now the concept is going from towns and the cities to the restaurants in them. Should this be?Or should our eateries stay out of politics.

This was the dilemma posed in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Food regular, Kim Severson wrote about this movement that happened after Donald  J. Trump became president.This current leader has brought about a nasty and pervasive climate of xenophobia, racism and misogyny. It sadly affects everyone from the farmers that provide the ingredients to the restaurant help who make those ingredients into delicious dishes. Yet at any moment those people can be snatched up by ICE and sent back to their countries of origin.Families will be split up. One restaurant owner arranged to take guardianship of thirteen employees' children if the parents get deported.Another restaurant, Double Comfort in Columbus, Ohio has declared itself a "sanctuary restaurant" meaning that all are welcome, from the LGBT community to immigrants to all races and religions. This was a no brainer for owner , Mary Lyski who already donates all of the restaurant's profits to local food pantries.She even invites Trump voters and supporters in,

Is it good to bring politics into food? Many social media followers have shown their dismay at celebrity chef, Mario Batali for his views, saying he should just stick to cooking and not policies. Yet some policies are connected to our appetites.Chef Edward Lee, who owns restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky and Washington DC feels that politics has always been a means to an end to improving their communities.He uses his restaurant as a tool to do just that.For those who want to get involved there is what is known as James Beard Foundation Boot Camps which trains chefs to shape food policy,Interest in these have grown since the election. There's a waiting list of eight hundred for this five year old service. Issues are dissected at them, Politics are forbidden as is the president's name.Luckily for the industry there is a new generation of  chefs that have grown up on creating fundraisers and giving back to the community along with creating food drives. They will need that determination when they deal with various policies regarding nutrition and GMOs.

Do politics need to be in our restaurants? Should chefs be outspoken about our politicians? Yes on all acccounts. They too , are voters, and Americans too. They need to be heard. They need to be  a strong universal voice.

Black Bean Soup The Perfect Soup For Now

With the last days of winter and Lent coinciding, it's nice to have a hot meal that doesn't rely on meat. Black bean soup is the best dish for this.It is filling and satisfying, great for a chilly March night,

Julia Moskin wrote about in in Wednesday's New York Times' Food section. Black beans have been around for ages, being a decidedly American bean, growing only on the North American continent. There have always been recipes regarding them in soup, In fact , Ms. Moskin cites a recipe The Times has printed in 1879, that  has home chefs cooking them for three to four hour and then rubbed against a colander to create a paste. The soup tirned out to be smooth and murky, often thinned with cream and served with a sliced lemon and sieved egg. The famed James Beard suggested stirring in a glass of madeira to brighten his black bean soup recipe.. (although a glass of madeira was added to every soup recipe of his). The bean became super popular in the 1970's thanks to the uprise in vegetrian cooking. Thanks to another famed chef, Jeremiah Towers, black beans became the defining  ingredient in Califrnia cusine as he created black bean cakes,  thick tortillas made from a kind of bean dough and topped with creme fraiche and salsa.What is great about these beans  is that they don't need any kind of meat to give them more flavor. The beans absorn the flavors of the aromatics cooked with them.

The recipe is a tasty looking one and I'm eager to try it. Ms. Moskin does add chiles, chipotle and jalapeno for heat along with such aromatics as oregano and bay leaves. The recipe starts out with a non traditional kind of sofrito. Along with the chiles it has carrots and onions cooked in oil with  garlic. This is then deglazd with a cup of red wine . The broth used can  be chicken but  vegetable can be used, especially if the soup is designated for a Lenten meal.. Salt isn't added until the beans are at least halfway cooked, and the heat can only be turmed up in the begiinning to create a hard boil for only ten to fifteen minutes. Home chefs can use an immersion blender for pureeing the mixture into a satiny soup.. This will give it a lush mouth feel, like a rich cream one. This way doesn't have to be set in stone. Home chefs can leave the beans whole and serve them over a bowl of white rice.It can also be used as a side dish with quesdadillas or fajitas.Ms. Moskin advises not to cook it in a pressure cooking because it will turn the texture into a kind of pudding with no liquid left. The finished dish is served with a blob of sour cream and avocado slices. I wouldn't mind adding a few crumbled tacos on top for more texture.

A fiery , creamy black bean soup is the perfect dinner for a blustery Lenten night. It is hearty and spicy without being too overpowering. It's the right soup for these days ahead.