A Legend Says Good Bye

 One of the most innovative restaurants in the last twenty  years is Noma in Copenhagen.Next year, 2024 is going is going to be it's last as a popular eatery.It will come back , with the same innovative food and original recipes. Yet it won't be the same.

The New York Times Food critic Pete Wells wrote about this legend of a restaurant in today's New York Times Food section. He was lucky to get reservations (although he had to piggy back his with a friend's) when he reviewed it in 2018.The top chef and owner Rene Redzepi took Nordic cooking and turned it on its' ear. It's a mix of new and old, with bringing in traditional ingredients and using them in different ways. He used the bright orange berries of the sea buckthorn and used them in all sorts fo recipes from jams to cocktails. Chef Redzepi and his assistants foraged wood sorrell and other plants , long used in Scandanavian cooking and made it a part of the new Nordic cooking manifesto. He used burning hay to perfume certain ingredients along with using parsnips instead of fruit in desserts(!) Noma made a big deal of serving  a variety of pickled foods as an appetizer. Even Chef Redzepi also renamed the appetizers, calling them snacks. 

Other restaurants like El Bulli in Spain and Chez Panisse have dozens of imitators and both eateries have given chefs inspiration with all sort of dishes. Yet it's Noma that all turn to for ideas. They can copy it's use of slates, rocks, seashells (!) longs and mismatched pieces of hand hewn pottery. There are influences from modern Scandanavian furtniture to not serving tomatoes in anything as Noma does. Yet as much as they copy  they cannot get it compeltely right. Mr. Werlls desctibes having a dish painted with edible paint in the shape of an iridescent starfish covered with the sparkling roe of Danish trout. Yet according to him its excellence may be inseparable from the culture of overkill. Maybe once Chef Redzepi gets rod of those "pesky diners" he can work on newer innovations and more original recipes that reflect the Nordic heritage. Or maybe he 'll be influenced by Asian cooking since Noma is now in Japan. He coud easily use sea weed in a new way or reinvent sushi or tempura,

Noma may only have a year but it will probably be a glorious one. Diners from all over th e world  still want to try its' innovative dishes. It still has spark and the ability to change the food world.

LA A Veritable Sushi Bar

 Los Angeles is known for many things. Sunny weather. Laid back lifestyle. Now it's known for its' wide range of sushi. This is just ordinary rolls but ones that transcend artistry and taste.

Chef herself and regular contributor Tejal Rao wrote about the city's thriving sushi scene in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Not surprisingly Los Angeles has had this type of cuisine since the early 1900's. It stopped in the 1949's when Japanese Americans were bused off to internment camps. It was only until 1966 when Noritashi Kanai opened the country's first modern sushi bar, Kawafuku in the city's Little Tokyo section.It not only offered Japanese fish but tuna bellies from Boston which chefs at the time looked down on. he also offered sea urchin which only Italian immigrant ate. Not far away  the California  roll was born at Ichiro Matsura's counter . He subbed in avocado for tuna for those who wanted  a fishless bite. Osho followed in 1970,in the shadow of 20th century Fox studios. It not only attracted actors and producers but also more ambitious sushi chefs to LA. It went from immigrant status to a novelty in the 1980's along with being a culinary accessory to a certain kind of lifestyle. Now's it's everywhere. Even drugstores sell it now. There are caviar laced omakases and cream cheese buffered hand rolls coming from ghost kitchens. There are pop up and home kitchens selling the rolls.

Another interesting thing is that Los Angeles sushi is varied, unlike what's being served to the rest of the country. Most of us are eating salmon and tuna filets. A great Angeleno sushi chef will offer up a buffet if shrimp, crab, clams, abalone and scallop along with such unusual choices as mackerel and trout, There's also snapper and liver, eggs and milt, the reproductive gland of male fish. A really good sushi chef is known for his range and skill. stylish local chefs at Nobu Matsuhisa' restaurants also employ citrus juices, herbs, oils , and vegetables. Nobu Matsuhisa also fine tunes techniques that he learned in Peru for a different vibe. Other sushi chefs do the same.Morihiro Onodera who runs a restaurant of the same name hand polishes his rice every mroning in his restaurant's dining room. This is done through a small mill. He also opens his meals with a gelatinous cube, whether it's a  custardy tofu or  tomatoes set in jelly. There's also cubes of okra and salmon eggs. he torches fish so that they simmer with char and bubbles of fat.Then there's take out sushi, made luxurious by chef Yoshiyuki Inoue. These are varied and look like a box of chocolate bonbons. These are delicate pieces of various fish like squid and eel or halibut and eel on tiny perfect beds of rice.

Sushi is everywhere now. Yet it's  Los Angeles that's offers a variety of delicious  pieces skillfully made.It is a place to go to , jsut for it alone.

A Briny Barbecue

Summer barbecues are always tasty. Yet they can get boring , thanks to the same old menu.Change it up some with an all seafood barbecue. It's a different take on classic grilled with a splash of the ocean or lake added.

If you're new at barbecuing seafood, then go for the easiest  - shrimp. It's a quick cook on the grill and can be marinated with a wide variety of marinades.Do they have to be boiled or parboiled before being placed on a hot grill? No. They can go from the fridge or the freezer and onto the hot coals. Just remember that they cook up fairly quick - two minutes on each side.What's a good marinade? Go for something citrus-y with zing. Start with one third of a cup of olive or vegetable oil. Add to it a quarter of a cup fresh lemon juice and grated zest (use a microhasp for a finer zest). Dried basil and thyme leaves give it color and a small dose of dried hot pepper shakes. Another easy grill are scallops.They're first washed and then patted dry with a paper towel. Scallops can be put on skewers and can be barbecued with cherry tomatoes and pepper chunks. They too can bathe in a variety of different marinades. Most home chefs prefer a citrus one but a Asian influenced one is also delicious. Try soy blended with freshly grated ginger and minced scallions. Again a micro hasp works well with grating the ginger .

Larger pieces of fish can also be part of a barbecue. any catch can work. Just remember to buy a special kind of spatula that has a very wide end with narrow slots . Try fillets, particularly salmon. It's very flavorful and a crowd favorite. Remember to buy it with the skin still on and to get it in steak form.This keeps the meat together and doesn't stick to the grill. Place the steaks on an oiled grill. Cook the skin side first for a nice, crispy crust and then the skinless side. Keep the pieces evenly spaced so they all cook evenly.The salmon should be cooked for about ten minutes  before it's plated. Fresh water fish also work. Trout makes a lovely change of pace from the typical fare. If you're adventurous you can stuff it with a tart but fiery lemon filling. This is simply lemon slices mixed with a va riety of herbs such as thyme and rosemary  gives it more flavor while chili pepper flakes give it a hearty bite.Plain barbecue trout is also very good. Use a basket to roast it about five to seven minutes.

A fishy barbecue? Why not. There's nothing as delicious as grilled seafood or fish. It's the perfect change for the hot days ahead.

Welcome To The Times

The New York Times Food section has a brand new writer and a  brand new column. Allison Roman is the newest member of the family.  Like her coworkers, she  will give readers and foodies
 good recipes and excellent information. Also like them, she knows food and will undoubtedly give us all good advice easy weekday and weekend cooking.

Who is Allison Roman and why is she worthy of writing for The Times?  She has contributed to the Food section in the past along with being the author of the cookbook, Dining In. Highly Cookable Recipes. which reflects American cooking and our changing tastes. She's also the former food editor at Bon Appetit and Buzzfeed magazines. She had also contributed to Cherry Bombe,Darling and the former Lucky Peach. - various  magazines catering to the trendy and hungry. Her first cookbook, Lemons was a mini book centering on just lemon recipes., her favorite ingredient. Her new column will be sort of like what Pierre Franey, the great Franco-American chef once wrote for the newspaper.. Every recipe will only take a home chef an hour to whip up. Her first article is a homage to her mother - a one pan affair that  pairs butterflied trout with  garlic laced broccolini.For Ms. Roman it's basically unfussy cooking with little effort and few ingredients.

Minimalist cooks will like this recipe.Butterflied trout can easily be bought at your local fishmonger's  (it's not fully deboned - only the spine and larger bones are removed). She points out that it's better to cook the whole fish than just fillets. Doing such will greatly reduce the risk of the fish from being overcooked. A larger piece also buys the home chef time in the oven. That means a side dish can also be cooked at the same time alongside the trout. For this sheet pan dinner, Ms. Roman uses broccolinii. because it crisps up nicely in the oven. Other veggies such as boiled and crushed potatoes, stripped leaves of kale,or halved cherry tomatoes  can also be used. She tells home chefs that they can make ir as simple or as complicated as they wish. Scatter a few slices of lemon over the trout, drizzle olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. The fish is placed in the center of the sheet , covered with lemon slices.The broccolini is then  placed around it and then drizzled with olive oil. Garlic gives it more flavor as do capers - which you can omit if you 're not into them.

No doubt that Alison Roman will leave her mark on The New York Times Food section. Home chefs will love her no fuss meals that can be made in less than an hour. She will definitely have a following.

From Gills To Tail

Mention cooking a whole fish and most home chefs will blanch. They don't want to be bothered with the scales or the tail and certainly not the head. Yet,  those sanitized and cleaned up fillets means flavorless and blandness. The best bet - going gills to tail.

Melissa Clark realized this and wrote about it in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Cooking a whole fish means a flavorful dinner later, especially when it's cooked on a grill.A grill is especially not kind to the delicate fish meat. It can dry it out in seconds , leaving  as Ms Clark puts it "petrified". Whole fish is a better choice for outdoor cooking. The skin and bones keep the juices from evaporating too quickly as it acts as insulation.There's also the plus of crisp fish skin. The only problem is that the skin sticks to the grate.The solution is a grill basket, a fish shaped , long handled stainless steel holder that goes over the grill grate .It can be found everywhere from Amazon to Target. If you don't have one , then use a flat metal spatula and ease it under the fish before flipping. Don't worry about it ripping. If it does, comes the advice. The spot can be covered up with a garnish of chopped herbs.Remember to remind guests about the bones or filet the fish right after it comes off the grill, scooping the meat off the skeleton, It can then be served cleanly , without bones or the head to freak out the more squeamish guests.

What fish works the best? Ms. Clark recommends whole dorade, branzino or trout.The first two may also go under the names sea bream and sea bass at your local fish markets. They're fatty skinned fish with sweet, tender meat underneath, She also suggest one fish per person. As for flavoring, sometimes just a hit of salt plus the grill's smokiness is all the  seasoning needed for these mild flavored kinds.If you do want to add aromatics, then use the cavity,.First season with salt, then the thinly sliced aromatics and finally oil the skin.  before popping over the hot coals. .Ms. Clark decided to add lemongrass, sliced lime,cilantro stems and and shallots inside the fish. She also makes a Thai inspired sauce  to go with it,using the same ingredients along with Thai chili sauce, mint, fish sauce and coconut milk,.All of it is put in food processor until it's like a mushy spicy relish. Another route would be using Mediterranean herbs on the dorade and the branzino since both fish have been served in Italy and Greece since ancient times. Try  a stuffing of rosemary,thyme and garlic along with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.They can  also be spiced up Mexican style with a jalapeno sauce spiked up with garlic and onions, along with cilantro and lemon juice. Of course also add olive oil along with salt and pepper.

Going gill to tail is a great way to grill fish, Keeping the head and skin on gives it more flavor. creating a delectable meal.It is the way to create a memorable fillet.

Your Holiday Roast Your Way

With Christmas and New Year's only weeks away , its' time to think of the the man dish, the roast..Many home chefs freak out at the idea of it. There;s so much prep, and pressure to cook it correctly and give family and guests , moist juicy slices. The best way of dealing with this is picking a roast that fits the skill level. That way there's a delicious roast, with little or no mistakes.

Neophyte home chefs should look into roast chicken for their first holiday meal. It's the simplest meat to roast and the finished product is always a good one.It only takes an hour to make and prep time is almost nil. You can just rub it with butter, salt and pepper and then pop it into the oven. Herbs such as rosemary and thyme accentuates the flavor even more and you can also add a squeeze of fresh  lemon or orange juice before adding the seasoning. If you're having more than five you could get two chickens or better yet  a capon or gelded rooster.An eight pound one does take two hours to cook and there is some basting required. Yet it's not that difficult and a first time roaster can do it.Fish is another easy roast. Go for a bronzino or a trout, s slim fish that cooks up easily. It can be seasoned with ginger, garlic and Asian sesame oil for an Oriental flavor, Give it a Mediterranean flair with chopped parsley, and red peppers along with salted capers and garlic. Bring the Caribbean to the holiday table by giving the fish a paste bath of ginger, garlic clove and allspice.Roasting time is only thirty minutes so there's no worry about it drying out or constant basting.

Intermediate home chefs may want to try leg of lamb for their Christmas or New Year's dinner.Again it's an easy roast of only thirty minutes. Most cooks usually make it with a rub of garlic and rosemary. There's even a thin gravy of  red wine, diced onions and chicken stock liberally laced with rosemary, chives and parsley.It can also be made Greek style with lemons and oregano. It should be bone in roast so you can get that extra taste/ If you want a more well done meat then roast for another half an hour or hour more.Roast beef or London broil is another good main dish for intermediate chefs to make.It's an easy seasoning  of just salt and pepper, and olive oil. Small slits are made throughout the meat for garlic cloves. Roasting takes two to three hours. The meat is cooked in a very hot oven at 375 degrees F for the first half hour to brown it, then at a lower 225 degrees F for the last ninety minutes.This gives you enough time to make the sides and gravy  too.Intermediate and experienced chefs may want to try something grander for Christmas dinner such as turkey.It's an elegant way to celebrate even though it can be a bit of work. Home chefs should roast the bird breast side down for a moister meat.It should be roasted on a bed of layered celery for a more delicious and flavorful gravy. Butter should be rubbed all over the outside for tender meat.It should be basted every so often. This makes the skin cracklier and crispier  and then it should be tented with aluminum foil.The bigger the turkey the more times it needs to cook. A small eight to twelve pound bird takes three hour, one double the size at sixteen pounds takes a whopping six to six and a half hours to thoroughly cook.

Don't freak out at making the holiday roast. Pick the one that fits your experience level and run with it. You'll come out with a memorable and delicious Christmas or New Year's dinner that will be perfect.

Bulletproofing Your Diet

Everyone thinks that the start of the holiday season means extra pounds and tight clothes. Not necessarily.You can actually eat tons of butter and red meat between now and the New Year's and actually lose weight. There's a new cookbook showing how with  the bulletproof way of eating. It's a great way of keeping healthy and satisfied during the weeks ahead.

Bulletproof, The Cookbook (Rodale Press) was written by David Asprey who also wrote The Bulletproof Diet, and developed the discipline of the same name. Mr.Asprey was a Silicon Valley tech magnate when he discovered a way to improve his life and shed pounds His famed  bulletproof coffee, a mix of high energy coffee beans, oil and grassfed butter, has a following that includes Jimmy Fallon.Mr. Asprey  recommends using grassfed butter in almost all of his recipes (more on that later). The book is an instrumental guide in how to cook as well as how to live .He recommends very rarely using microwaves because of the radiation leakage as well as not cooking food in metal pots and pans. Dieters following his advice should be buying a sous vide- and also gentle baking or baking at the moderate temperature of 325 degrees Farenheit.  In a way the bulletproof diet is one of extremes Mr Asprey recommends eating grass fed beef but looks down on eating certain fruits like cantaloupes and plums He is big on avocados along with Brussels sprouts and olives. One of the best aspects of the book is that he values spices, and their benefits. The diet is rich in cancer fighting turmeric and cinnamon, along with cloves , the last not normally used a lot in every day cooking.

The recipes are tantalizing, despite the many restrictions. Mr/ Asprey used grassfed butter along with the Indian clarified butter or ghee  in many main and side dishes. He also uses a lot of coconut oil and a concoction you can buy on his website called Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil. Unlike some diet recipe books, there is a wide variety of recipes that will appeal to all ages.He has an interesting spin on Salad Nicoise, which uses trout and sweet potatoes as opposed to the usual tuna and yellow potatoes.He gives a nod to the Paleo diet with  recipes for bone broth and an Asian version of it. The sides are pretty tasty too,His buttered kale and buttered Brussels sprouts would be good gracing a Thanksgiving turkey as would his spice roasted fennel. There are recipes for smoothies and lattes with one for the famed Bulletproof coffee. Surprisingly there are also dessert recipes in here as well such as bulletproof cupcakes made with the chocolate and vanilla bulletproof powders (that can be bought on the website) along with recipes for pineapple granita and blueberry gelato.The back of the book is devoted to home made condiments like mayo and herbed butters. Newbies may want to try these out before embarking on the whole lifestyle

Bulletproof The Cookbook, along with the actual diet is a great way of losing weight and gaining energy for the busy holiday season ahead. It's full of yummy dishes that cater to everyone. It's flavor plus goodness .

Holiday Luxuries Caviar And Champagne

This is the time of year when snacking on  caviar and champagne seems completely normal. Why not?Christmas week and New Year's Eve and day are the perfect time for indulging in these rich treats. There's nothing like a nibble of caviar washed down with a bubbly based punch and cocktail.

Both these culinary gold standards were the topics of articles in yesterday's New York Times DIning section. Dave Tanis of City Kitchen  wrote about blini, those light and delectable Russian pancakes topped with caviar . Blinis(the plural) can be topped with anything from fruit to lox  however spreading caviar on them takes them to a whole new level.Like any pancake they are easy to make,using buckwheat flour  eggs and water. with the eggs being separated so the whites give them a fluffy texture. Caviar can be pricy however., Domestic can cost as much as $70 an ounce. Fo cheaper varieties try salmon or even trout roe(although even herring and lox would just as well) which are just as delicious and even lighter in taste

What would work well with this dish? A champagne cocktail,Robert Simonson., a newcomer to the Dining section revitalizes old fashoned champagne punch recipes. These were popular over a century ago during New York's Giulded Age (think Edith Wharton).A strawberry cobbler is a great twist on a fruity cocktail. It; just is a strawberry  along with a lemon wheel and simple syrup added to champagne.You can also try an Andean Dusk made with Peruvean grappa, Pisco .For something tamer (and something that will go with the caviar and blini) try a Champagne Julep. This is bourbon , simple syrup and champagne graced with mint leaves. You could also try the suggested Mayfair Delight which has the freshness of cucumber and lemon juices mixed with Cognac and fresh ginger along with agave nectar for sweetening.A caveat though, use a brut champagne. A sweet one will only turn the punch into soda pop.

Nothing beats a glam dish like caviar and champagne. Treat yourself to these lush foods. Now is the perfect time t indulge in them.