Rock N Roll Desserts

pastry chefs are usually ported as neurotic maestros ,fretting over a sweating eclair or creating an ethereal ganache.However there's a new kind emerging, laid back with punk rock cool.With this come desserts with the same vibe.Edgy.Out there.Yet they're just as tasty as any elaborate confection, The New York Times Dining section featured one of these unique beacons in a piece written by Dining regular contributor,Jeff Gordonier.Mr. Gordonier interviewed Brooks Headley pastry chef at the very elegant, and staid Del Posto Ristorante in Manhattan.Del Posto is known for it's owners and chef, Lidia, Bastianich and her son and Mario Batale.Chef Bastianich wanted a pastry chef who was more in her step with restyle of cooking, creating simple dishes that only enhance an ingredient's flavor and look.It has to be pared down which meshed perfectly with Chef Headley's philosophy and esthetic.His work can be out there.He even has a dessert book out soon featuring his creations. One interesting one is a surprise homage to Bugs Bunny with sliced purple, yellow and orange carrots that are candied and sit ,snuggled between a Zagat bar and a roll of Life Savers.It's from the cartoon where the famed rabbit buys carrots out of a vending machine.The book,due out in October, called Fancy Desserts also features a tribute to the outré band Dead Kennedy's .The recipe with it? Sugared Green Strawberries With Toasted Fennel Cakes with mint gelato.He specializes ,though, on the old school relationship of ice cream and cake together.His cakes often have a savory aspect.There could be pecorino cheese or polenta as an ingredient along with peas, olive oil and carrots paired with a savory gelato, redolent with basil, parsley , celery ,olive oil, corn and cashews.He focus on the taste, not on the exterior , if it looks pretty on a plate.It should be all about the flavor. Unlike other pastry chefs, the Baltimore raised Chef Headley has another talent.He creates out of this world veggie burgers.In fact his pop up stand, is called The Superiority Burger.He is not bragging.The burger has a following.It is an homage to the Clean Slate sandwich in the Saltie cookbook(based on the famed hipster Williamsburg hangout and restaurant Saltie).At his heart , Chef Headley is both an artist and a rocker,He has been in several bands while working at different restaurants.He never went to culinary school.It was just necessity. That he began working at the Washington DC eatery Galileo when he couldn't get any gigs.He had no background save for his time helping his Italian mother put in her Baltimore kitchen.His mentor and Galileo's chef,Laura Aleman Weber became his inspiration.Her passion for cooking matched his for music.They were kindred spirits.He then went to the West Coast, working at the famed Camanile, under the tutelage of another female chef,Nancy Silverton.He learned by being inquisitive and observing how they worked with temperatures and textures.However his endings aren't fluffy and French.He created a chocolate gelato with two cocas, it's flavor mimicking a Fudgesicles.In fact the recipe he gives to Dining is a homemade ice cream sandwich, with butter fried white bread and Cherry Garcia ice-cream.It's an Ametican spin on the great Sicilian dessert of a brioche topped with gelato. American cuisine is undergoing several changes.It's going back to it's basics.Even the desserts are becoming simple again.Dessert Chef Headley realizes this and creates them, but with a pun rocks Ish spin on those sweet endings.

Punch Up Your Dishes

Sometimes food just screams to be embellished.Soups that need zing ,pasta dishes that need zest.Adding just a pinch of that or a sliver of this is all it takes to elevate your meal or even snack to the next level.It's an easy, fun and creative way to punch up any food. One of the most accepting foods is soup.A simple broth can be turned into a special potage by adding pasta or veggies.I recently brought home a simple onion soup from a local and favorite diner.It was just a plain beef broth with onion pieces.To turn it into more of the French classic,I add a generous slice of French bread covered with two slabs of Emmentaler cheese.Three minutes in the microwave and I had a tasty bistro classic.The bread and cheese added so much oomph to it.One of my favorite culinary canvasses is vegetable broth. Cook up plain rice in it for a more flavorful side.Top with a big blob of good French butter for a quick late night snack or a light supper before going to a party.Another idea is adding beaten egg and bread crumbs to make the Piedmontese specialty pane pesto or breadcrumb soup.Sub in shredded spinach for the eggs for the Roman favorite stratichella soup.You can also use any broth, whether that, beef or chicken when soaking bread for stuffing.Also canned soups can have the same kind of zinging up.Toss in oregano or Rosemary to tomato soup along with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.You can also add orzo or smaller sized pasta as well.Even canned pea soup can be made zestier with easily made bread crumbs and a tablespoon or two of minced ham. Even standards like pizza can be zzzuzzhed up.Take a plain pizza and add minced garlic or sliced scallions.Open a can of chicken chunks .Scatter the pieces before naming to create a yummy alternative.You can also take Italian cold cuts and diced them for a topping for pre made or home made pie.Some seafood lovers add crab or shrimp to theirs for extra zing.Mashed potatoes, whether homemade or packaged, can also be spiced up.True, there are instant mashed potatoes that already have garlic and cheese added.However you can also add Parmesan cheese to give it some depth or flesh it with beef or ham bits.Want an eye opener.Add dried chili flakes to that mound for some fun unexpected heat.Those veggie sides can also be punched up with the addition of pepperoncino or almonds for a more elegant almondine dish.Make a garlic or lemon spiked butter and dab onto green beans or broccoli.Squash can be made earthy with the addition of cinnamon or nutmeg and a maple butter or creme fraiche topping.Even raw veggies like tomatoes can be tasty, with an olive oil and garlic bath.Serve with generous slices of Italian bread for extra pep. A simple corn dish can be turned into something sublime with the addition of creme fraiches,fresh ground pepper and French sea salt.A diced green pepper can also be added to corn for zesty side inshore served cold for an unusual salad. There are some foods that donned jazzing up.That's why we haves spices and herbs to do it along with other fun add INS like butter and cream.Experiment with those hokum dishes.They'll be transformed into fun ,exciting dishes inn time.

Don't Push The Pumpkin

It's only September and already we're inundated with everything pumpkin and pumpkin spice.From pasta sauce to muffins from coffee to even candies, we're being gagged with the flavor of October and November. Hate to say it but it's still September,still summer.We should still be enjoying the flavors of fresh fruit and veggies not holiday spices. Instead of rushing Halloween and Thanksgiving we should be slowing down and enjoying all the tastes of late summer.It"s the second raspberry season. How come Starbucks or even Dunkin Donuts don't have raspberry iced teas?Some gardens are still yielding tomatoes.Instead of pumpkin and I seriously hope it's not laden with pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon and nutmeg) why not sauce made with September plum tomatoes.If you want a more autumnal flavor, then roast them on the grill with olive oil and Rosemary,,following by puréeing into a sauce.Apple season is also just beginning.Focus on them.They're versatile, being good as a chutney with any roast loin of pork, or in pies and tarts.Dunkin Donuts does have an iced cider drink,Sadly it's also doused with a hearty dose of cinnamon.Leave it be and it will be fine.Just because we're heading into fall doesn't mean we have to over spice everything.What next?Cat and baby food? Pumpkin spice bones for Rover? American businesses tend to rush any season.It's done to bring in money.That's why we have our stores awash in bathing suits in cold, rainy April,school stuff in the middle of vacations season and candy corn melting on store shelves during the dog days of summer.the problem is that with the foodstuffs, unlike clothing and decorations they do get stale.We also get sick of those tastes long before the actual holiday arrives.After all two months of too much spice can be cloying and irritating. Protest this.Use social media.Tell all these coffee shops and supermarkets to delay serving these autumn flavors until late October or early November.If it gets any more out of hand you"ll be drinking Christmas hot cocoa during your July vacation at the beach. We are heading towards fall however we,re far from Halloween and Thanksgiving.Let's enjoy those late summer flavors while we can.Taste the raspberries and tomatoes. Enjoy the taste of sun ripened foods.

Fig Season

One of the best harvests right now is the fig ones.These plump beauties are versatile,they can be perfect as an appetizer or wonderful as a dessert.It's the time to use them at the height of their short season. Figs come from the Middle East and Western Asia,however it's the Romans who brought fig growing to a high art.Roman writer, Cato the Elder listed several varieties in his De Agri Cultura,one of the world's first cookbooks in part.the fruit is one of the healthiest fruits you can eatThey are rich in potassium,They are also loaded with calcium and magnesium as well and are a good fruit to eat for anyone suffering from high blood pressure.Dieters should make figs part of their daily regime because they can aid in losing weight.It's due to the fiber.Surprisingly enough they're also helpful in decreasing the risk of macular degeneration ,an eye problem, afflicting the elderly..Even the leaves have tremendous benefits.They can reduce triglycerides as well as lowering insulin.There are several different types, usually identified by their colors.there are the Black Missions, which have blackish purple skin and a pink exterior.There are the green Kadota and Calimyrna while the Brown Turkey is adept eggplant purple .The Adriatic , which provides the filling for the ever popular Fig Newtons are light green with a tan interior.right now your stores or farmer's markets are selling the European figs.For dried figs, remember.to look for ones that are mold free and pleasant smelling.They 'll stay good all year round while the just picked ones last only two days in the fridge. Most people think figs are only good for filling bar cookies.However they 're much more than that.David Tanis of The New York Times Dining recommends them in a ricotta and phyllo dough tart.He also adds honey and almonds, a nodd to their exotic past.Of course ripe figs are perfect foils to salty prosciutto as an appetizer or even light meal.You can even pair them with pecorino cheese again in a salty. And sweet combination.Another fun idea is using it and dried salame as topping on foccaccio..You can also wrapped them in cured or dried meats as tasty appetizers for a late summer barbecue.Figs can be added to salads too, to give them a pop of color and earthy sweetness.They can be added to Moroccan tangines or as a glaze for lamb chops or chicken.Try them roasted with the chicken as well.Figs can also add a touch of the exotic to desserts too.Oven roast them and serve with ricotta and vanilla ice-cream.They can top a gâteau di riz or a baked rice pudding.They would be great in a tart tatin or better yet enrobed in dark chocolate.You can also go the traditional route and bake them into bars.Homemade Fig Newtons are relatively easy to make.It requires dried Calmyra figs cooked with water ,sugar and apple juice.The cookie wrap is a buttery one made with eight tablespoons of butter.Assembly is easy,Think jelly roll and then cut into inch or two inch cookies.These are not only a nice snack, they're also a great dessert too. Take advantage of the fig harvest right now.They're healthy and sweet ,along with being versatile.Try them in a salad or exotic dish, or better yet, in homemade cookies.They won't disappoint, not with their flavor and benefits.

Reinventing BritIsh Cuisine

It was only a mere quarter century ago that British food got sneered and ridiculed.Then something amazing happened.Homegrown chefs started to make the cuisine interesting.Gone was the green goop known as mushy peas and oil soaked logs known as fish and chips.Britain introduced the world to farm to table along with a return to artesanal foods made without preservatives and chemicals. This , along with two new British authored cookbooks, was the center of Melissa Clark's A Good Appetite on Wedmesday.She reviewed and recommended two chefs' books.Yottam Ottolenghi just released Plenty More(Ten Speed Publishers) is about English cooking as well as Caribbean ,Indian Japanese and Thai cooking.His recipe for scrambled eggs is an eye opener.It is zinged with cumin and Chiles, along with tomatoes.He also has an exotic and bracing salad of three ingredients not always thrown together.Broccoli shares a bowl with edamame and coconut spiced with curry leaves, mustard and lime.I can see this as a side to roast or barbecue pork or chicken.Another plus about Chef Ottolenghi's cookbooks is that it is vegan(although it's not marketed as such).He has a following, thanks to his other books on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.This book is bound to have another set of groupies. The other chef, Diana Henry, has a more traditional cookbook.Hers is A Change Of Appetite (Mitchell Press)which features more down to earth recipes.While Chef Ottolenghi's recipes are for impressing the dinner or brunch crowd. Chef Henry's is more for a cozy Sunday afternoon supper.Hers is more farm to table with fish ,seasonal vegetables along with whole grains.There is a touch of the exotic ,with some of the recipes having Harissa and borage along with dried limes and togarashi peppers.Her recipes celebrate her loves, fresh unprocessed seasonal foods.Ms. Clark enthusiastically tries and loves Chef's Henry's butterflied leg of lamb with Persian mint syrup along with garlic crab and fragrant lentos.Her eggs are spiced, semi hard with a warm runny center.Her cake recipes are made with the healthy spelt flour and juicy cherries.This is a great book for the holidays, the perfect gift for any home chef interested in the farm to table cuisine. British cooking is leading the world in culinary innovation.Thanks to these chefs, Chef Ottolenghi and Chef Henry, kitchens are producing not only exciting fare but healthy too.It's a brand new spin on a cuisine ,once maligned and now loved.

Paying It Forward Foodwise

Even though today is a sad one, it can be used to fulfill a life purpose.Anyone can give back simply by donating time or food to food pantries in their areas or helping out military families.Doing such is not only a great way of giving back but also of getting in touch with the greater community.You get out of your circle and embrace the bigger one. The last of the summer harvest is always a great gift to Amy food pantry.Tomatoes are much needed and they can be used in sandwiches or in a homemade sauce.Another is zucchini.These can be stuffed or sliced,definitely making up a solidly nutritious meal.Even fresh cut herbs have their place, being used for extra flavoring in sauce or breads.For those who are lucky to have fruit trees, think about donating any overage.Nothing is better than fresh fruit and it's a better alternative to candies and pasties.It's also versatile enough to go into breakfasts or snacks.Bakery owners can easily give slightly stale leftovers. Day old rolls and breads can still be used. Sandwich shops can donate any sub's that hadn't sold at lunch time.Also diners can contribute making hot meals to go so families can relax with a hot and nutritious turkey or beef dinner. Another way of giving back is recognizing service families. Think about giving their kids special birthday parties at your local veterans posts. Host a pinata party with the added fun of make your own tacos or a cupcake decorating station.Another fun idea is apple picking where you can organize groups. Throw in a fun picnic with healthy sandwiches and sides. For couple just returning volunteer to babysit so the couple can enjoy a night to themselves. You can also make them a romantic home cooked dinner with little extras like fresh baked biscuits or homemade barbecue. Also think of donating time to veterans hospitals too. Help them celebrate their birthdays in a big way with good food and good stories plus a big cake. This day is one of sadness. It will always be known for it.Yet it can also be a day of giving back. Donate your time skill or overage to make it a bit better for all.

Alaska The NEw Culinary Frontier

Saying Alaska is known for its culinary innovations is like saying it's known for its beaches.Yet this rugged state is starting to be recognized for delicate cuisine and innovative dishes.What is even more interesting is that most of the ingredients are locally grown. The chef who is changing this is Alaskan native , MArian Beck and the restaurant was her the Saltry.Julia Moskin was granted an interview with Chef Beck at the restaurant located on the wildly beautiful Kachemak Bay, across the water from Homer.The nearest town is Anchorage, located 220 miles to the northeast.This is not usually an area for gourmet restaurants however Chef Beck is from the area.She is shattering the concept of Alaskan cuisine being nothing more than salmon burgers and corned beef.Her list of ingredients are salmon halibut and cod, all fresh caught by herself as well as fresh picked rhubarb that grows during the area's short summer season. luckily Homer does have a farmers market and here she can buy other cooking staples.There are big leafed vegetables such as kale as well as multicolored root vegetables, cabbage and broccoli(basically what we call fall or winter veggies in these parts).There are also mushrooms and for fruit raspberries and huckleberries.She can also get Thai dumplings and Japanese noodles, along with halibut poke ,thanks to a surprisingly Hawaiian population.Her garden yields edible flowers, herbs and salad greens. She no longer cooks at it but hires chefs who can live up to her legacy. Chef Beck's restaurant maybe in a rustic area but her dishes were certainly not.She took the smaller. Sweeter halibut and turns them into seared filets.Their broth is a herbed affair, punched up with salsa verde.Risotto ,flecked with root vegetables is the side.Chef Adam Walker is the current chef at Saltry.He is following in Chef Beck's footsteps, using the local fish as the stars of the menu.Halibut is the star, it being the go to food for the population up there.It is a treat when it is air dried and then slathered in butter or dipped in seal oil.There is also the pickled salmon,another recipe from the Beck family.It is made from a local strain of China Poot.The flesh is a deep reddish orange.There are also vegetable nori rolls, a nod to the elder Beck's trips to Japan when he was the chairman of the North Pacific Fishery Management Council.While most of Saltry's desserts have locally grown fruits, the restaurant's crown dessert is a mile high chocolate cheesecake with imported European chocolate. Thanks to both Chef Marian Beck and Adam Walker, Alaskan cuisine is turning into a foodie must have.Gone are the salmon burgers and in their place, interesting ,locavore cuisine.It is changing ,being red hot in a cold climate.