Gifts For The Gourmet Dad

Father's Day is a week away and it's time to start seriously thinking about gifts for his special day. If he's into serious cooking then think about some interesting cooking and baking gadgets and ingredients your gourmet dad may like. It's be a true surprise and a real treat to receive something unusual.

Men love gadgets. That's a given. A gourmet father may enjoy the various ones designed to make cooking  easier. A sous vide or a water oven is the perfect present, especially for the fussy cook. It's basically a water oven that cooks food perfectly. The food is put into a vacuum sealed pouch and then cooked for a period of time. The end result is juicy. flavorful cuts of meat and tender vegetables.  It can even bake a cake ! Everything comes out restaurant perfect every time.  It is pricey at five hundred dollars but dad will get a lot of use out of it. A bit cheaper but still fun is an air fryer. Whatever is cooked in it also comes out perfect. A big plus is that you can cook fried food in the air fryer without all the grease and calories. Price wise they come as low as $39,99 at Target or Wal-Mart. It will get a lot of use. If your father loves the smokiness of a good barbecued rib or chicken, then think about getting him a smoker. These can be pricing with the most expensive starting at $1,200 however you can buy a simple charcoal one for $170 to $180. It can smoke everything from beef to fish  along with chicken and pork.

For dads who love flavor think about exotic spices. Berber spice is big right now, since it can be used in the Moroccan egg dish shakshuka. It can also be used in Ethiopian dishes along with being a tangy rub for chicken and beef cuts.For a more Asian vibe consider a large shaker full of Chinese five spices. One of the pluses is that this can be made at home.It's a mix of star anise, cloves,Chinese cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds. You can also add anise seed, ginger root, nutmeg and turmeric.It's great for rubs but also adds to stews and batters for fried foods. For the baker dads,  think about bottles of Neilsen Massey extracts. The company has such interesting and classic flavors as vanilla, peppermint, coffee and lemon.It also sells vanilla paste and sugars which produces a more vibrant vanilla flavor. You can also buy whole vanilla beans that come from such exotic islands as Madagascar and Tahiti along with Mexico. The company also  sells rose and orange blossom water for Greek and Middle Eastern dessert recipes. A box of Ghiradelli baking chocolate is perfect for those dads who love to bake brownies and cakes.

There's plenty to buy for the gourmet dad.  It can be a fun gadget or an interesting spice. Whatever it will be he will love it, that's a guarantee.

Fancy Up Your Bake Sale

The new school year is here and with it the promise of bake sales. Sadly it'll be the same old products - cupcakes with blobs of store bought icing. Slice and bake cookies. Maybe a batch of scratch chocolate chip cookies. Perhaps it's time to fancy it up. Make elegant but easy treats that will be absolute hits and bring in more money for your cause.

Add a bit of France to your bake  sale with a  variation  of Gateau breton .This is a buttery tart made with buckwheat with the filling of  dried prunes and apricots. Melissa Clark made this , and gave the recipe in her A Good Appetite column in Wednesday's New York Times Food section.It is a tad labor intensive , because the prunes and apricots have to be cooked in rum before spreading on the dough. Still' it's about the same amount of work as a scratch cake.Also if the prunes and apricots are not to your liking, then try a hazelnut filling. If hazelnuts are hard to find, then try pecans.Another crowd pleaser is the French yogurt cake, This scratch cake looks and has the same dense crumb as a pound cake. It's zinged up with Greek yogurt and finely grated lemon zest. It can be sold in slices or make four or five loaves and sell them.Of course macarons are still hot and will definitely be a big draw to any bake sale.It's a flourless recipe made with a combination of almond meal and confectioner's sugar. One popular combination is a vanilla macaron with a chocolate ganache filling.

Italian treats are another idea. Biscotti is a well known favorite (and a chance to serve cappuccino) and relatively easy to make. It's a twice baked cookie with a simple flour and butter based dough. What is great about them is that the recipe can be varied.Add a cup and a half of cocoa powder for chocolate biscotti. Also nuts can be used to vary the flavors. To give them more oomph, dip the ends in a variety of chocolate  white, milk and dark . Crostoli, those deep fried ribbons of dough will definitely be best sellers at any bake sale. They are deep fried  dough, flavored with vanilla and lemon juice. You could sub in freshly squeezed orange juice to vary it. Most recipes usually call for them to be fried in peanut oil, however due to the large number of peanut allergies, use vegetable oil instead. As far as what to drink with these gourmet goodies,think cappuccino and espresso (although have regular coffee and tea for customers), Also have a variety of teas, from Earl Grey to peppermint and jasmine. If someone has  a Keurag machine and  there's an outlet, then use it to offer a wider variety of beverages.

Zing up your bake sale with fancier cakes and cookies. They'll not only be top sellers but will bring in much more cash than a regular bake sale. Make it fancy - and you'll reap the rewards.

Etsy's Sweet Side

Many know Etsy as that cool place to buy cool artesanal jewelry and hand crafted home design ware and clothing. Others (such as myself) use it for handmade mineral cosmetics and lotions. Yet many - incluing me -didn't know that you cn buy all sorts of home made treats. Yup, Etsy is also the coolest treat store too.

I first stumbled upon Etsy's sweet side while probably looking for homemade fudge. The food and beverage section is hard to find.It's not obvious as it is on other web sits such as Amazon or Target You have to first go to Home and then the Food And Drink . There are all sorts of categories, from soups, to herbs, spices and seasonings to baked goods to candies. There's even a section on recipes. The last can be a money maker for any home chef.A Scottish home chef is charging  almost three dollars a recipe for a kind of vanilla fudge called tablet (and as we all know we can get this free on any candy making or Scottish heritage website). Someone else  is charging for vintage cherry and strawberry recipes as well.I'd rather get the actual item than the actual recipe. Home chefs can buy ingredients such as ground capiscum and vanilla beans  along with all kinds of salts and garam masala. Here you can even find the ingredients for making gin.

Etsy also has a wide variety of ready made treats.You can try a huge flavor assortment of cupcakes at the Mississippi based The Dessert Cafe. They also have brownies , from plain to mint to a wide range of oatmeal cookies. I stumbled not on fudge- but on handmade flavored marshmallows from Sweet Jumbles in Jersey City.

These are the strawberry. I also bought the coffee as well as the peppermint (which looks like bloodied gauze) I thought about popping them all in hot cocoa bit they're huge, pillowy types.I have bought chocolate graham crackers which I may make  fancy s'mores with soon.

Etsy is the place for finding all sorts of gourmet goodies. Yes, you can get one of a kind Spanish leather bracelets and lotions that smell like spun sugar. You can also real spun sugar too.

Snow Day Gourmet

Snow days offer home chefs a lot of free time.These free hours can be spent trying out new recipes, perfecting favorite dishes or experimenting with new gadgets. They're also good because they provide you with a captive audience, family , neighbors and roomies, to test out and critique those new creations.

One of the biggest deals about a day off is having an actual breakfast with the family. No one is going anywhere so there's not that mad dash to eat and run. This is a great time to try out new egg dishes or perfect your breakfast crepe recipe. Instead of the usual fare you can whip up that new recipe for stuffed French toast as opposed to the regular kind. Add a cup of ham and chives to that waffle mix to create a bed for sunny side up eggs. Try those hoecakes in bacon grease or  spicy Mexican hot cocoa.A snow day is always a good time to try out those new gadgets you received for Christmas or picked up at the January white sales.There's no rush and you can sit down and read the appliances instruction  as well as browse through the recipe book before the family wakes up. Another good thing about a snow day is that it lets you prep things early on such as crepe batter and diced veggies and then you can go back to bed to sleep for an hour or two.

Most home chefs , both big and little, love to take the time to bake. It's a great day for fresh from the oven cupcakes and cookies (especially for the rest of the family  after  hours of shoveling or sledding). This is the day to finally give that complicated croissant dough a test because it's all about time and patience.Those spare hours are also needed if you're making and baking bread.Free time can also be helpful in perfecting your merengue recipe or experimenting with even baked Alaska. New ingredients  such as whole wheat can be tested out and what better than serving a whole wheat pizza  to a crew hungry from a day spent outdoors. Some home chefs can also  use a snow day to try out party recipes and tweak them before the actual event.Also it's fun to play , and try new ideas or put spins and twists on everyday recipes.The family can be introduced to panko breadcrumbs coating veggies or chicken wings. Instead of a cup of chicken noodle soup home chefs can offer their brood the more elaborately made apple squash soup.Croque monsieurs can be a more lively supper than just a ham and cheese.Better yet. Get out that brand new fondue pot and give it a test run with some Gruyere and baguette slices.

A snow day is a day that can be spent in the kitchen. Use the time to test and try out different ingredients and ideas. It will be a day off well spent.

The Absolute Best Flan Ever!

A well made flan is like tasting heaven.Unfortunately most store bought ones have a pallid flavor.They're basically just vanilla pudding marinating in some over gooey caramel sauce.Take heart.There's a brand new flan on the mArket, an artesanal one that will make the dessert as trendy as bespoke macarons or the much wanted cronut. the creator of this is Claudia Berroa who has launched Claudy's Gourmet in the Bronx.(and let's hear it for this borough who stands in the shadow of trendy food places like Chelsea and Brooklyn)She has taken her Peruvian grandmother's time honored recipe and turned it into something for both hip foodies and traditional flan lovers alike.Each flan is handcrafted, not poured into molds and laced with preservatives and artificial flavorings.The chocolate is made from dark Belgian chocolate while the vanilla has Madagascar vanilla bean extract,made by her and her husband!Rich.The flan comes in five flavors, the traditional such as vanilla but also coffee and lychee.The idea to create artesanal flan came from her love of cooking,along with being inspired by The Food Channel's The Iron Chef.She studied business administration but her heart , it seems, belongs to creating wonderful Peruvian dishes and desserts. Ms. Berroa is a true genius when it comes to creating flans.Hers is the most perfect ,with the right combinations of egg, milk and sugar.Their lightness is reminiscent of Italian zabaglione,ethereal and airy.I sampled the coffee, passionfruit and vanilla.I love the coffee,it's flavor wasn't overpowering and the light caramel sauce worked well with it.The passionfruit was also amazing with real bits of fruit and just a slight,barely perceivable tartness.For flan purists,I'd recommend the vanilla.Unlike the store-bought and homemade kinds, this is not cloying with no eggy aftertaste.It was like a creamy puff of tradition and exoticism blended together.I will probably be heading to Gourmet Garage in NYC(it's also sold in the Union Market in Brooklyn) for more and to try the chocolate.She has definitely made me a flan fan for life. Claudia Berroa has redefined flan and has raised this simple dessert to gourmet status.It is one of the best out there and one that has to be tasted.To be honest it will be Manhattan's and then the world's go to sweet.

Caramel Goodness

There's nothing better than caramel. This rich buttery treat is the perfect dessert or pick me up after a long hard day. Caramels aren't what they used to be. Gone are the small icky squares that were packed into a plastic bag. There's a new crop out there that's been elevated to the gourmet status.

Caramel has been around in some form or other since the early 1700's. It wasn't until the 1800's that butter and cream were added to give the candy its' rich chewy texture. Vanilla, chocolate and yes, even maple syrup were added to give caramel it's unique creamy taste. Caramel, then and now, is made in copper vats over a steam heat. You can make caramel at home, using regular metal pots and pans but remember this candy gets very hot (around 240 F). If you're adept at candy making, go for it. If not you can always buy some good quality caramel.

Nowadays candy stores throughout the world sell gourmet caramels. These are bigger than the ones you grew up on. The taste is richer and more often than not they've been sprinkled with sea salt to accentuate their sweetness. The salt brings out all the flavors and heightens the caramels' flavor. Other ingredients have been added such as licorice and even habenero peppers. If you're a purist then stick to the basic vanilla and chocolate flavors. These are always the best.

Caramels are not what they used to be. Like chocolate, they entered a whole new level of gourmet status.However they still maintain their rich buttery flavor that caramel lovers around the world enjoy.