Chefs Gone Wild

What happens when chefs are taken out of their comfort zones and thrust into the wild? The result is interesting dishes with wild animals and foraged plants.it creates a new spin on the farm to table ideology.It's more of wilderness to mouth kind of idea. Will it make for a better cook? Possibly.It's a way of thinking on one's feet ,literally.

Julia Moskin explored this concept in an article in today's New York Times Dining section.Chefs from around the world meet in Hardeeville South Carolina, in areas very different from the controlled  and civilized atmospheres of their restaurants. It is a Scandanavian concept, first being done in Denmark,Called Cook It Raw , it has nothing to do with the raw food movement, Instead it let chefs not only hunt , kill and butcher wild game but also forage wild plants and gourds that also figure largely in the later dinners. They can chase after deer or  even alligators one day and look for wild mushrooms the next.

Does this make for a better chef?It may make for one that's highly creative.One chef, created a delicate dish out of a deer's heart, an animal he recently shot. Another group used a strain of Carolina Gold rice,a fluffy variety  that hasn't been tried since the 1920's.They were taught how to harvest, from threshing to pounding and polishing.. They're also made to use low tech methods such as cooking over an open fire and butchering anything they've caught. Some have even cut up alligators in the glaring lights of a truck.

WIll more chefs go on these ventures ? Probably,Cooking in the raw teaches them new skills as well as introduces them to new ingredients.It  could make for some wild recipes inthe world's most civilized and sophisticated eateries.

The Elegance of Petit Fours

It's the start of the holiday baking season .For something different and elegant try making petit fours. Many bakers are daunted by the intricacy of them however there's a new cookbook out that will help.The Petit Four Cookbook can guide even the most novice of bakers through the difficult steps.The result, moist little cakes with beautiful designs and tasty fillings.

Brooke Coulson Nguyen the owner of Dragonfly Cakes Bakery wrote this amazing must have cookbook for Ulysses Press. What I  love is that Ms Ngueyn has petit fours for every holiday as well as just for teas. The cakes themselves are not only traditional vanilla and chocolate but also raspberry, gingerbread , lemon and carrot. Luckily, she includes creamy butter cream fillings as well as cream cheese and a salted caramel. There are recommendations on how to bake and create the perfect layers for the petit fours base as well as layering marzipan on top for body .

What puts most bakers off on petit fours is the elaborate decorating involved. For some it can be complicated and labor intensive. Baker Nguyen dispels this . The decorating process can be done in two days. One day is for the robing, dipping the cakes,  in the white or dark chocolate coating and the next is for the decorating. Putting them in the fridge helps to set the coating and makes a better canvas for decorating. The decorations are done artfully, being cut out with a paring knife or gum paste cutter.Also decorating tubes are also used to create fun and intricate designs.

The Petit Four Cookbook is the perfect guide for creating an elegant holiday dessert table. Use it to create pretty little treats for family and friends. It will result in an memorable and delicious holiday memory.

Junior's Home Cooking At Your House

Junior's Restaurant is one of New York's and Brooklyn's best known landmarks/ The restaurant started , over sixty years ago is famed for its' variety of creamy home made cheese cakes and home made comfort foods. Now it's come out with a cookbook, perfect for the restaurant's fans as well as those who appreciate a good old fashioned dish/

The aithors are Alan Rosen, the grandson of the founder Harry Rosen and the third generation of owners and Beth Allen who has written two other cookbooks on Juniors. Those solely concentrated on cheesecakes and desserts. This has the whole menu, from appetizers to breads, from main meals to salads and sweets. The dishes are varied from sophisticated Asian chicken salad to the comfort food homeyness of meat loaf and veal cutlet Parmigiana. What I love about this book is that it even has the recipes for holiday meals like roasted turkey and honey glazed hams. The sides are oozing with pure flavor and comfort, like the creamed spinach and mashed candy sweet potatoes.

Of course Junior's is known for its' cheesecake and treats. Mr.Rosen and Ms.Allen don;t disappoint here. There are truly delicious recipes for a cheesecake tart and Little Fellas, mini cheesecakes with a butter cream / cream cheese frosting. Cupcakes steal the show too, especially the recipes for gluten free peanut butter ones and s'mores, chocolate cupcakes with a marshmallow filling and frosting. Pies are another big deal.Junior's has Key Lime meringue , cherry crumb and chocolate cream. All three would make a nice ending to any holiday dinner. There is also a chocolate babka loaf, a wonderful addition to any weekend brunch.

Junior's Home Cooking is like bringing the famed eatery home. The recipes  are the restaurant's best dishes and desserts that anyone could easily make.It's great for fans and foodies.

Cold Weather Charity

Now that November and the cold weather have arrived, it's time to start storing up for our local food drives , pantries  and soup kitchens. Those less fortunate deserve  a good hot meal  to ward off the chills as well as enjoy a holiday meal with all the trimmings.It's up to us to provide for those who can't as we did in earlier times.

One way of helping is by donating cans and packaged goods. Many of us overbuy and we always wind up with extra. Donate the surplus so others can enjoy a side of healthy veggies or beans. Check expiration dates to make sure cans haven't expired  though. Another way is shopping for both your family and any charitable organization at the same time. Some stores such as Stop & Shop and A&P will give discounts if you buy two or three cans. This also applies to certain breads and English muffins as well along with cold cuts. Buy fresh fruit too and donate it . Nothing  helps ward off colds and flus than a dose of apples ,oranges or bananas. The same with vegetables. Buy tomatoes not just for yourself but for your local soup kitchen too.

Another way of helping is volunteering. Of course there are the holiday soup kitchens but which is a good way of donating time. You can also go there on weekdays or any day off also. If you bake , then volunteer to make cookies or cupcakes. Also baking for the holidays is nice too.Bakers could even have a baking party where three or four get together and make a variety of treats to hand out. (You may want to check with your local pantries to check their policies) Other things like utensils, napkins , even tablecloths  can be bought at your dollar store and given too.

This is th eseason to give.You can donate food or time to  help others. They're greatly appreciate it.

A Time For Chestnuts

Today is All Saint's Day and tomorrow is All Soul's Day, two days of memorial in the Christian calendar. It surprisingly  is a food day  as well, with hot, roasted  chestnuts commemorating souls.Yet November is the time to usher in the chestnut season as well. It's a nutritious nut, with a lot of versatility to it.

Chestnuts have been around since BCE, growing mostly in Southern France , Italy, Spain ,Portugal and some parts of Greece. The ancient Greeks even won a battle by just storing up on them. Originally the ground chestnuts were used as a kind of cereal by ancient Romans and Greeks and its' ground flour was used in a variety of cakes and breads.it was also grown in the Orient, mostly in China, being employed more as a savory ingredient. It's a good source of Vitamin C and thiamin .Chestnuts are  mostly carbohydrates and has always been a great addition to any diet. The flavor is mild , perfect on it's own but also good candied..


For All Saint's and All Soul's Day, you can  roast chestnuts which is a very easy process. Slit the top with a cross so they don't burst. This allows steam to escape too. Roast over a low flame for about twenty minutes and then eat hot. The result is a delicious sweetmeat  with a hearty center and a light sweet, smoky taste. They're also good  as the classic dessert marron glacee. This is boiled chestnuts soaked in a simple vanilla syrup for a good half a day, .then baked in a low oven for forty five minutes.Chestnuts can also be pureed and mixed with sweet cream for an interesting tart or pie filling.


Commemorate All Saint's and All Soul's Days with roasted chestnuts. They are a traditional and tasty, redolent of smokiness and sweetness.They're a perfect fall dish for the season.

Amother Spooky Celebration

Halloween isn;t the only holiday that celebrates the spirits. Mexicans and Mexican -Americans are gearing up to honor their lost loved ones for Day of The Dead, Dias  des los Muertos which is November 2nd. Like this day, it centers around food, but instead of candy, more of the breads and favorites  of those gone.

Rachel Wharton wrote about it along with visiting a Mexican bakery for yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Guadalupana Bakery  in the Bed Stuy section of Brooklyn specializes in baking the skull shaped loaves as well as the daily pan dulce or sweet breads. The owners Maria and Amador Rojas learned how to bake th e classics in their native Piaxtla Mexico.Mrs. Rojas shapes the breads, dusting them with pink sugar, filling them with raisins and cinnamon along with orange blossom water or almond extract.The pan de muerto as it's called is shaped like a smiling skull. Bunny shaped cake are made for little ones lost as well.

The holy day which falls on the Catholic calendar, All Saint's Day  celebrates the lost loved ones favorite foods. Along with the breads families also make tamales and moles along with tequila and even coffee brewed the way they liked it.Mexican bakeries also make the brightly colored sugar skulls too. Most  families bring the victuals to the cemetery to eat there although some urban ones set up an altar, an ofrenda, in their homes.The families then eat the treats on that day as a kind of communion with their ancestors.

Halloween is the time to celebrate the spookiness and the spirits along with the fun of the day. Day of the dead celebrates those lost but always remembered. It's done with  special  breads and candies , a sweet way to keep memories alives

The Easiness of Mussels

For many cooks, a mussel dinner can be daunting.Bivalves are usually tricky to cook however that's quite the opposite with this traditional seafood. In fact anyone can make them and have an easy  but hearty meal.

Melissa Clark wrote about them and experimented with them in her A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Dining section. She demystified the myth that mussels are not the easiest  to cook. They  are very simple. Most home chefs have always hated cleaning them because mussels are gritty with sand. All it takes is just a quick rinse under the e tap and make sure they're still living when you put them in the pot. A dead mussel will have an opened shell. Discard these .If you have bought wild mussels the cleaning is a bit more labor intensive. You have to pull out their beards and then soak them in cold water for about twenty minutes. This allows them to expel any residual sand . Afterwards scrub clean again.

Ms. Clark steams them with cauliflower basil and lime. She suggests using a water heavy vegetable like cauliflower works as do  cabbages and mushrooms. For summer you can steam them with corn or tomatoes, both have a high water content,All of these impart a nice flavor on the bivalve's  flesh Mussels can also be steamed with white wine and aromatics for a more sophisticated meal. You can also try  lemon water  and garlic as well or again white wine and oregano. Another way is just  water steamed with a side of butter or tomato sauce for a heartier spin.

Mussels are not as complicated to make as people make them out to be. They are relatively easy to clean and to cook. They make a hearty, briny good  meal with or without vegetables.