Puerto Rico Rebounds

Puerto Rico has always been known for its' locally farmed ingredients. Two violent hurricanes changed all that two years ago, leaving the island to rely on canned and frozen goods from the US mainland. Thankfully , that's all changing and fresh produce and spices are coming back to centuries old recipes.

Julia Moskin wrote about this brave island endurance in today's New York Times Food section. Hurricanes Irma and Maria destroyed the farmland and the local food movement on Puerto Rico. Everything was wiped out from restaurants to greenhouses. fish farms to food trucks.The mega storms surprisingly stirred up patriotism  of young chefs who had left the island for success
. Mario Juan is  one of them.He was trained at the CIA and worked at the famed Momofuku Noodle Bar and Blanca. Yet he felt the storms were a portent of a career on his native island. Now he is proudly making pernil sandwiches in a permanently parked Airstream trailer. Thirty year old university trained botanist Gabriel Meja Lugo had his farm destroyed thanks to Hurricane Maria. He had to retreat to his extended family in Brooklyn where he sometimes worked , helping farmers at the Union Square Greenmarket. He is back in Puerto Rico. dedicated to his farm. Older farmers aren't that loyal, just taking their insurance checks and retiring. Before the destruction, farms had a lot of restrictions thanks to the Jones Act which gave islanders all the rights of US citizens along with privileges and limitations.Only American shipping companies can legally transport goods from one  US port to another.That meant chefs sometimes had to go to Costco for their ingredients.

Some of that changed with Hurricane Maria. Food supply chains were snapped in the urgency of feeding people. Mobile kitchens were pressed into service to make sandwiches and sancocho, the island's comfort food, a stew like soup made with chicken and ham.A huge help came from Chef Jose Andres who mobilized an army of cooks, farmers and volunteers days after the storm. His top "lieutenant " Erin Shrode from World Central Kitchen has not left the island. She coordinated the relief effort long after the news crews had left, moving food, cooks and trucks as sections were cleared and power resumed. Two months after the hurricanes, she began alloting grand money from World Central Kitchen to help replant farmland, rebuild bakeries and reopen restaurants. The grant program, Plow To Plate has now garnered almost $600,000 to farmers and other food producers. The farms now are all geared to the side effects of climate change .Greenhouses can be quickly dismantled before a storm and crops saved.This means also bringing back indigenous plants that are the backbone of Puerto Rican cooking.It's sparked an interest from a new generation interested in using heirloom recipes and practicing veganism. The last is thriving on the island, thanks to the news farms and produce.

The hurricanes may have destroyed Puerto Rico but they didn't decimate its' spirit. It is thriving, especially in the  culinary arts. The food culture has come back with a vengeance that even nature can't obliterate.

The Egg Controversy

Yet again eggs and their effects are in the news. Now they're considered bad for us, despite their pluses. New studies find that they can shorten a person's life if eaten every day. What do we do? How do concerned home chefs handle this?

There was an interesting article in today's New York Times Science section. Writer, Nicholas Bakalar , the author of eleven books about health wrote this in depth piece along with conducting interviews with doctors and professors.Keep in mind that the findings are observational and cannot establish cause and effect. Yet it is noticeable that the more eggs a person consumes, the higher their cholesterol will be, despite the fact that their overall eating habits are quite healthy. The problem is without eggs , there might be some disadvantages. They are rich in Vitamin D and calcium, which are necessary for the body to absorb calcium. The ovals are chock full of other vitamins , especially the Bs -  B12,B5, and B2, It's also good for expectant mothers, with its' dose of folic acid. The yolks themselves slow down macular degeneration, an eye disease where the retina and macula are damaged due to UV exposure or age.. Eggs also contain large amounts of choline which the body uses to build cell membranes and also creates signaling molecules in the brain. Surprisingly eggs can also be good for cholesterol.It can raise the good kind, HDL which helps in reducing the risk of stroke and heart attacks,

So, what should you do, especially with Spring and Easter coming with their eggy dishes? You could cut down and maybe have them three or four days a week. If you're going to have them as a topping for Spring asparagus, then think about having something else like oatmeal for breakfast. Quiches are rich in eggs, giving the savory tarts their characteristic silkiness and flavor. I wouldn't give them up but I wouldn't go wild with second and third helpings either. What about rich holiday breads and cakes that call for them.Do you give these up or just modify the recipe? Don't give them up if they're a family tradition.Instead try vegan versions.Eggs can easily be replaced with applesauce and tofu.It's not like they lend a distinctive flavor to any baked good. They won't be missed.What about omelets? Consider letting the other  ingredients shine. The eggs should be secondary.A  veggie omelet should be filled with different colored peppers, tomatoes and broccoli.Also think of adding asparagus and kale for more flavor. What about cheese and bacon ones? Try soy cheese and bacon for something a bit more healthier. Also consider making a frittata which is just a flattened omelet that's served to the entire family. Eat one slice , supplementing the rest of the meal with salad.

Eat eggs - just not so many.  Have those poached or scrambled ones  but not on a daily basis. As with everything  moderation is the key. Keep the egg intake at a healthy minimum. You'll feel better.

The Lamb Experiment

One of the highlights of my Mom's baking career was her Easter lamb .It was a super moist, super dense cake covered in icing and coconut. She made several - for my cousins, neighbors, friends. Everyone enjoyed theirs, going wild for the jellybeans that wreathed it or the buttery icing layer/
Now it's my turn.

This is the lamb - Lambie

It's a metal tin from Wilton and it's close to forty years old. The company still makes them and they $16.97 on Amazon, a good price for something that will last decades.With the lamb came the instructions for baking and icing it>There was also an extra - my Mom's version of the cake recipe written in her enviable neat and concise handwriting. She always used Dream Whip which was responsible for the cake's moistness. I recently bought a package.

It can be used on its' own as a whipped topping along with dense, rich cakes. Dream Whip  can also be  used as an icing, mixed with cold milk and any pudding mix. I may go this route because the Wilton icing has both butter and vegetable shortening. I did order a complete set of Wilton  icing nozzles and icing bags from Amazon. I may try half buttercream and half Dream Whip icings when I bake this for my friends' Greek Orthodox Easter.

Then there's the cake mix.My Mom always swore by Pillsbury but as we all know I'm more a Duncan Hines kind of baker. I bought their French vanilla flavor.

I'd recommend a plain flavor without any additions like their butter flavor which needs a stick or two of butter. I may make the next cakes (remember the first one is the tester cake) in chocolate.I saw one on the internet with an uniced face and it looked pretty much like a real lamb.

This is going to be a daunting experiment to say the least. I look forward to baking the challenge. It is a complicated bake and finishing but I am up to it. Let's hope the creative acorn doesn't fall far from the creative tree.

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Your Elegant Hosting Guide

Spring ushers in a season of entertaining with lovely meals served on elegant china at exquisite tables. Yet it can be hard to not only plan a meal but set the right mood. Thankfully there is new book that gives not only serving suggestions but also what kind of tableware to use as well.

Kristal Damron, a caterer, wrote this picture filled guide Entertaining And Celebrating: An Elegant Feast For Every Season (published by Reward Your Appetite Catering 2019).It gives  hosts and more expressly, caterers  ideas about how to serve a simple ,classy feast for any celebration. It is a glossy coffee table book, with elegantly taken pictures. Every celebration is covered, from showers to Christmas dinner and the book is divided into the four seasons. One page shows how the table should be set  while the other has the ala carte menu. The meals are divided into four courses starting with an amuse bouches - appetizers and ending with desserts The dishes given are all season appropriate. A Mother's Day brunch offers zucchini gazpacho and red grouper Poele while the Christmas Day dinner has such suggestions as roasted Cornish hens with mushrooms duxelles stuffing, and baked eggplant with marinara sauce.

This book may not be for the home chef looking for recipes.  This is  one strictly  for caterers, especially those just starting  out in the industry. There are so many ideas for what to serve and jumping off points for the more creative. One of the best pluses is the wine and tableware guides located in the appendix. The tableware is all Lenox and her choices are stunning.Some are delicate, some look utilitarian yet fresh. The same goes for the glass and tableware. To be honest this section is a good guide for those just starting their household. Chef Damron's choices work well together, and can definitely serve as inspiration for householders wanting to pair the appropriate glassware and plates together. Another source of inspiration are the centerpieces. These are lovely seasonal arrangements that complement the tables and can be used for any family dinner or celebration.

Entertaining And Celebrating:An Elegant Feast For Every Season is a must have for every caterer.It offers a plethora of recipe ideas as well as suggestions for wine and tableware. Buy it today, not just for these but also for the beautiful photographs of elegantly set tables.

New Irish Cuisine

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day and Irish-Americans will be overdoing the whole corned beef and cabbage thing.However these really aren't indicative of Celtic cooking. Real Emerald  Isle cooking can  be a mix of hearty and delicate, of land and sea, of old traditions and new methods.

The early Irish relied on a variety of grains and it's still evident in some of their foods today.Oat wheat and barley have been grown since Gaelic Ireland ,around the early 1000's. Oat cakes and oat breads were baked then and ancient households had such new fangled equipment as a kneading trough(?) a kneading slab along with a griddle and griddle turner.Twenty-first century bakers , throughout the island make oatmeal bread, a hearty, nubby loaf that makes for excellent toast and sandwiches.Of course there is Irish soda bread, which would have been for the very wealthy centuries ago. This is made with white flour and baking soda, the last used for leavening. It's one of Irish American bakers go to recipes and it's been amped up with raisins and sometimes currants or orange zest. Porridge is one of the most ancient of all Gaelic recipes and it is still being cooked today. Then, as it is now, drizzles of honey or melted butter is added for some oomph. Some even add a drop of whiskey or chocolate for fun.

Pork is another staple of the Irish diet. The use of it goes back to Neolithic times when it , beef and venison were eaten regularly. Modern descendants still enjoy it in the form of trotters, pigs feet or a dish called coddle.This is a soup laden with bacon, sausage , potatoes and onions, perfect for a cold St. Paddy's Day. Ireland has always been associated with the potato, yet it was the English who introduced the South American tuber to the country around the late 1600's. It was a good source of vitamins, especially Vitamin C and was widely cultivated up until the Great Famine of 1848, It was the potato that caused the migration too, along with introducing Gaelic food to America. A true dish that is made on both sides of the Atlantic is boxtie. This Irish potato pancake is flavored with onion and nutmeg.Unlike German  potato pancakes and latkes , they're fried in butter until they're crisp and golden.It can be served as a side or main dish but always plain without the usual accompanying sour cream or applesauce.

Modern Irish cuisine takes ancient ingredients and turns them into delicious , hearty dishes.It is not just corned beef and cabbage. It's grains and pork, potatoes and oatmeal, refashioned into easy to make recipes.It is Ireland, then and now.

A Trio Of Goodness

Homemade treats are always welcomed, especially snack cakes. They're a great fix at work or after school, along with being a picker upper on weekends. The problem is that manufactured ones are loaded with all sort's of preservatives and have a plastic-y taste. The solution is three recipes for delicious cakes that can be easily made in a home kitchen.

Melissa Clark gives us these in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Food section. They're easy bakes, with all the ingredients that are probably on the pantry shelf already.
The flavors are on everyone's cake wish list.There's chocolate with a tangerine glaze (!), lemon with a coconut one , a banana one dripping with a salted caramel topping.The first two are made with a neutral oil such as canola or grapeseed while the banana cake has melted butter. The flour used for all three is all purpose  - nothing fancy. The chocolate one has both Dutch processed cocoa and chopped dark chocolate.For a really intense flavor buy the 70 to 80 percent bars as opposed to the chips. The recipe has a hit of hot coffee for a mocha vibe. Sour cream is added for a dense, moist crumb.The icing is a zippy tangerine- lemon fusion that compliments the chocolate.Ms. Clark recommends that if it's too sweet add a extra drop or two of lemon juice.

Lemons are the backbone of the second cake. Three of them give it a burst of tartness thanks to their juice and zests being used. Ms. Clark also adds coconut milk and shredded coconut. Two large eggs and again, sour cream give the cake body and a moist crumb.The glaze is a mirror of it as it , too, as it uses coconut and finely grated zest.The only difference is that it has melted coconut oil which makes for a smoother glaze. The last is a yummy mix of bananas and caramel. The snacking cake has two to three ripe bananas mixed with sour cream and brown sugar. Half a cup of melted butter is added to kind of give it a Bananas Foster flavor.The crumb will be incredibly moist , the perfect texture for a snack cake.It's then topped with a buttery homemade caramel glaze. Half a stick of more (!) butter is mixed with brown sugar and heavy cream.These are cooked in a large saucepan for a minute, cooled and then blended with confectioner's sugar. To cut the uber sweetness flaky sea salt is sprinkled over the icing. It's a nice pop of savory to counterbalance all that sweet.

Happiness is a snack cake that's delicious and filling. The three recipes fit that bill.They are full of homemade goodness and flavor from the kitchen.

Plus Size Restaurants The Plus Side

Our society is supposed to be all inclusive. No matter who you are,or  what you look like should not matter. Yet it does  in of all places restaurants. Eateries are  surprisingly not up on accommodating  overweight and obese people. Yet they should. We all enjoy a meal out with family and friends. Where we eat shouldn't put a damper on that.

Regular contributor,Kim Severson, wrote this eye opening and thoughtful piece for today's New York Times Food section. She interviewed both customers and managers in exploring this. Eating out for any overweight person can be nerve wracking,There  so many problems that they could encounter. Smaller places like fast food joints and storefront restaurants have very little elbow room to begin with, cramping even those with small frames. The seats are tiny, almost belonging in a nursery school.Bar stools are another problem. They , too, are tiny - not to mention too high for an overweight  person to sit on. Many leave with bruises and marks on their arms and legs due to poor seating. Then there's the fear of breaking flimsy seats. It doesn't help that most restaurant managers don't want to deal with a weight challenged customer , fearing that singling them out may cause unease and embarrassment. if there is a seat for them, the table is usually out in the eatery's hinterlands, far away from the main crowd, and sometimes hidden away.

Luckily all this is changing. One there are apps dedicated to plus size dining such as AllGo by Rebecca Alexander that is sort of like Yelp for the overweight.It also works with corporations and conglomerates to create accommodating offices,  restrooms. theaters and most importantly restaurants that are all inclusive. The last is important because quite a few places have no clue as how to handle  plus sizes. They are loath to do it for two reasons, one, there is no strategy for dealing with them and two, they don't want their dishes linked to obesity. some places like Waffle House, the 2100 unit restaurant chain in Georgia offers booths and fixed counter seating.It also provides larger customers with freestanding chairs at tables and counters.Many other chains have followed suit, adding movable furniture , wider booths and chairs. The last meets industry standards for people who weight as much as 400 pounds. Some of the changes happened thanks to The Americans With Disabilities Act to satisfy their requirements. A few restaurants probably just wanted to expand on the inclusiveness. Golden Corral Buffets has expanded their space which means more space between tables and chairs. Taco Bell has stopped bolting down their chairs allowing for more room and movement. White Castle did the same after almost being sued by a lawyer who had trouble with their chairs.

Restaurants should be all inclusive. It will take time but eventually all people will feel welcomed in a favorite eatery. There should be no prejudice against what a person look like.