The Stalwart Reviewer

This year is the year when most ninety somethings sat indoors and either put puzzles together or learned how to Zoom with family. Not so much with ninety-four year old Marilyn Hagerty. She still reviewed restaurants in her native North Dakota. She's an inspiration for foodies of all ages.

Restaurant reviewer and regular contributor Pete Wells wrote about this remarkable woman in yesterday's New York Times food section. Ms. Hagerty first got into the business by writing about the first Olive Garden to open in her town of Grand Forks. She had been already been retired for two decades when she started to write again. She is still covering local restaurants which intrigued Mr. Wells whose job has been severely curtailed thanks to the pandemic. North Dakota, especially Grand Forks has very few people, despite the fact that the city does have something of a cosmopolitan air about it. It's directly south of Winnipeg Canada and north west of Minneapolis. There are art museums that feature dali and Picasso along with a big outdoor activity scene. Yet it's not New York with the city's myriad choices of eateries. You would think her career would die. it didn't.

Yet , unlike Mr. Wells, Ms. Hagerty renews chain restaurants , her favorite seems to be The Olive Garden. She's reviewed it several times, even when she had to take out  shrimp scampi, another favorite. from her local one. There is also the local Ramada Inn where she reviews the bar's food. There are also critiques of local  Thai, Vietnamese and Somali restaurants. There's another factor . The nonagenarian uses factual data instead of her own tastes which is a refreshing departure from decades of either sharp criticism or rapturous praise. It got the attention of Anderson Cooper who had her on his show twice. it also has given her a legion of fans too.  She also writes about little random items and events for the paper that her late husband, Jack was the editor. (their son is an obituary writer at the Wall Street Journal).Whatever catches her eye gets a mention. Even in her self imposed isolation there has been a dearth of things to write about such as the search for smaller Thanksgiving turkeys along with the adaptations for pandemic safety made at the University of North Dakota along the rush for chippers, chocolate coated potato chips.

Marilyn Hagerty is a unique restaurant reviewer  for many reasons. She has outlasted this pandemic and will probably be visiting restaurants  afterwards. She is truly an inspiration to all food critics across the globe.

The Legend Of James Beard

 James Beard was a giant in American cooking, influencing the cuisine in the last century. A new biography on him is out and it delves into the dark corners of his life.  Yet despite it all, his recipes and legacy still endure.

Julia Moskin gave an interesting article on this American master in today's New York Times Food section. Beard is the subject of a new book The Man Who Ate Too Much by John Birdsall. James Beard was a visionary, creating such dishes as a full charcuterie platter long before the Instagram and Pinterest crowds claimed it for their own. Yet not many home chefs use his recipes nor do they know of his enormous body of work. Ms Moskin is familiar with him because her mother both cooked from Beard's and the other great American's cook, Julia Child's cookbooks. Mr. Beard handled the everyday recipes like potpies, potato salad, bean soup and cornbread. However he was visionary with what he made. He was the first to write about sliders and sunchokes,scallion tarts and roasted figs with prosciutto. He also included such international dishes as ceviche, Syrian lentil soup with swiss chard, menudo and basil pesto, the last a radically raw and shocking flavorful sauce not yet embraced by all of America. All modern chefs owe their repertoire to Beard who embraced all aspects of the immigrant melting pot that is American cuisine. He accepted them as Seventies home chefs bought Moroccan tangines , Indian spice blends and Japanese pottery.

Yet , according to his biographer, Mr. Birdsall , it was not all great. He was the only child of Elizabeth Beard, famed for her cooking at the elegant boarding house she ran in Gladstone,Oregon near Portland. He grew up eating Chinese food thanks to Jue Let, a master chef from Guangdong, China who worked for his mother.. He fed Beard congee , steamed salt fish and lychees and both him and Beard's mother gave the young chef to be a good background for food. Yet his mother was not attentive  and more impatient with him. She never accepted or understood his "difference" - his homosexuality. His father was often missing from the scene. Beard was expelled from his college  Reed College in Portland for being caught with a male professor. Later on he was despondent about his weight 350 pounds for a 6'3"  tall man. In later years, he suffered from edema and had to wear stockings. Other health problems plagued him. However he did find happiness later years with his partner Gino Cofacci in Greenwich Village. They had parties and barbecues where he ruled. Ms. Moskin includes his Farmer's Chicken recipe , sauteed chicken with onions and peppers, flavored with red wine , raisins and olives along with paprika and oregano. It's served with toasted almonds , rice or garlic rubbed bread.

James Beard was a driving force in American cuisine. This new biography should pique interest in his recipes and life. It's time for a new generation to discover his philosophy and food.

Your Blizzard Menu

 The first of the big blizzards is coming to the new York area and  that means staying home. We are used to it by now and it's a good time to make hearty meals.A hot steamy dish or pasta or chili can get your through a day of shoveling or just having fun. 

A crock pot is your best friend in this weather.  It's great for making rib sticking chilis and pastas. A good chili is one loaded with beans and ground beef. You can vary the beans, using pintos and kidney  along with black beans for extra flavor. If you want heat , then add a good tablespoon of hot pepper flakes. For a five alarm one, think about sliced jalapenos, chipotle, adobe and ancho. If you want a more veggie based, then add more onions and sliced green peppers. What to serve with it? rice is always a good choice but polenta is another hearty side.It is a cooling factor for spicy ones along with being great at sopping up the sauce. Of course you could also have a bed of saltines or tortilla chips. A different spin is white chili which is a blend of chicken or pork,mild Anaheim peppers and green or red peppers.It's topped with sour cream or guacamole. Your crockpot can be used for that second classic winter dish tomato sauce for pasta. A basic sauce is combining olive oil with tomato paste and sauce along with chopped onion and garlic. a dollop of honey gives it a mellow sweetness and balances out the tomatoes tang. The most obvious choice of pasta is spaghetti but penne and farfalle work well too.

If you don't want to use your crock pot, there 's the oven. Casseroles are a great winter dish and flavorful. Lasagna is the most famous and loved of all of the dishes. It's tasty layers of whatever you want, You can go with homemade sauce from your crock pot or jarred. Cheese can be ricotta or even cottage cheese. The meat can be sausage or ground beef or you can try a vegan version. Vegetables can be subbed in for meat. Try bell peppers and squash along with zucchini and broccoli. Another tasty casserole is baked mac and cheese .The traditional version is a deep dish layered affair, with a roux of flour butter and milk. Sharp cheddar  gives mac and cheese its' famed bite and tang. You can add a layer of bacon strips or bits for more flavor . Tuna casserole is one of the most famous dishes , going back to the 1950s. It's actually a simple mix of tuna, egg noodles and green peas.Cream of mushroom soup is the liquid used to moisten and flavor it while a topping of breadcrumbs give it crunch. For a different  spin on a hearty meal, think chowders. These chunky soups are perfect for a cold day. They can be made either in a crockpot, stove top pot or slow cooker. A tasty treat would be a lobster or shrimp chowder but you can also have a corn one or one laden with chicken.

Blizzard weather is here and with it comes the need for hearty meals. Create something that's rib sticking and satsifying. It'll get you and your family through the  blustery days ahead

Holiday Baking For Vegans

 Baking comes with its' own set of challenges. Now add vegan restrictions of no butter, no dairy and no eggs. What do you do? Sub - and be flexible. You can create tasty treats perfect for any hard core vegan.

Before using substitutes understand what each animal product does. Eggs add color, structure, leavening color and flavoring in our cakes and cookies. Milk softens, and contributes moisture to the entire product, along with adding tenderness and flavor. It also lends structure and support while whole cream adds more flavor and contributes to the browning effect. Butter is the most important ingredient in holiday baking.  It gives flavor, tenderness and flakiness. Cakes need it for moisture and richness. What about sour cream and cream fraiche? One will give added moisture while the other gives both added flavor and moisture. Can you bake without any of them? Absolutely not. You need some form of them and luckily there are vegan substitutes. For egg sub in use Vegg's Uncaged Baking Mix which can be used for any kind of baked good even challah bread. The only problem is that you have to buy it exclusively through Amazon and there may be delays right now. You can also use baking soda and vinegar along with unsweetened applesauce or soy milk. Ripe banana or flaxseed can also fill in for those yolks.

Milk is one of the easiest to sub in thanks to the arrival of almond, soy, cashew and oat milk. Yet which is the best one for baking? Almond is the most preferred because it cooperates nice with other ingredients and has a naturally sweet taste  - just like milk. Yet some vegan bakers will tell you to go with soy. It has the most protein of all the plant based ones. What about if you need whipped cream? Use aquafaba, or chickpea brine. Mix it with cream of tarter , vanilla extract and powdered sugar for a sub in that will fool everyone. Keep in mind that aquafaba can also be used for egg whites and are excellent for creating  meringues.You can experiment, using one milk for one recipe such as cookies  and another one for cakes.As far as the faux butters, one of the best (and an absolute favorite) is the I Can't Believe It's Butter sticks. These have all they buttery flavor of the real thing and the right texture for both baked goods and frostings. I Can't Believe It's Butter gives icings a melt in your mouth feeling and also whips up nicely  perfect for airy frostings.  You can also use it and almond milk to create a creamy fudge too.

Vegan bakers should breeze this holiday baking season. There are many substitutes that will produce delicious cookies and cakes along with creamy fudge and frostings. It's easy to forgo animal products in your list of ingredients to produce true vegetarian treats.

Oh Sugar

 The holiday  baking season is firmly in place. Sugar is one of the key and top ingredients in every aspect, from cakes, to cookies, frostings to icings. Yet can we sub in one kind for another? It's an interesting question that needs to be answered.

All sugars are not created equal. The New York Times did an interesting pictorial in last Wednesday's food section about sugar cane and how families have been making it for two  centuries since 1814. It's purple can sugar which has a lovely magenta tint. It is expensive but can it be subbed in for regular sugar? Yes. The tastes are the same. The only thing is adjusting the recipe to fit liquid measures.  Another sub in for this is maple syrup although you will have that distinct maple flavor which may not work with such traditional cane sugar desserts as syrup cake. What about white and brown sugar? Surprisingly they can be interchanged however there are slight differences. Brown sugar is naturally moist so the baked goods' textures will be softer and less dry than their white sugar made counterparts. If you want a regular cake such as chocolate or vanilla with a dry crumb, then stick to white sugar. A fruity cake like banana bread needs  a moist crumb so brown sugar is good.  Also cakes and cookies baked with brown sugar come out darker in color. Think the golden brown of chocolate chip cookies.Is there a difference between light brown and dark brown sugar? Not really.It's down to the amount of molasses in each. Light brown has around 3.5 percent while dark has much more.

Many organic and vegan bakers claim honey is the way to go. It is better for you health wise, because it doesn't raise blood sugar levels the way white sugar does. It also has magnesium and potassium, vital elements for the body. However it can also be responsible for fatty liver disease too. You can easily sub in a cup of  it for a cup of sugar  however it may make the final product a bit more sweeter. The same applies to maple syrup which is also better for you since it doesn't cause a significant rise in blood sugar. Keep in mind that it does have woodsy caramel notes which can change the flavor of traditional cookies and cakes like shortbread and chocolate. If you are intent on using it, then try recipes that call for it such as maple shortbread  or maple cupcakes. What about stevia? Everyone is adding it to their coffees and teas along with their mocktails. Leave it in those. It's really not suited for baking being overly sweet in flavor. One teaspoon of sugar equals one eighth of a teaspoon of stevia. You could easily add too much and ruin a whole recipe.What you could do instead is add applesauce which has natural sugar for a healthier bite. Just reduce the amount of liquid used by a quarter of a cup,

Yes, there is a difference in sugars. Be aware of this as you begin to bake for the holidays.A good sugar background will mean tastier treats this season.

Comforting And Festive Food

 In years past December meant rush. A rush at the office to get things done and out by year's end. A rush for holiday parties<A rush for shopping. Cooking and even baking was literally put on a back burner. Not this year. We have time to cook leisurely comfort foods  - foods that we can actually sit down and enjoy.

Susan Spungen, a cook and food stylist wrote an article about this in Wednesday's New York Times Food section. She gives three relatively easy and long cooking recipes. One is a spice rubbed braised brisket with a really interesting mix of spices and the addition of finely ground coffee.There is a blend of coriander, garlic powder, and cinnamon for the rub and then the brisket is marinated in pomegranate juice, dry red wine and chicken stock or water.Cipollini onions are cooked with it. The whole process takes close to an hour.It's served with lemon juice, pomegranate seeds and parsley with stems. Ms. Spungen suggests serving it with mashed potatoes but roasted ones would work nicely . Another dinner, lunch breakfast or brunch dish is caramelized sheet pan French toast.As with any French toast it is a lush mix of egg , whole cream and bread. There's also sugar, cardamon and vanilla to give it more flavor. The bread is soaked in the egg mixture for more than eight hours in the fridge. The sugar coated slices are cooked in a 345 degree F oven for fourteen to eighteen minutes on a buttered sheet or skillet. The French toast is served with homemade berry compote and maple syrup. This takes about eighteen minutes to bake.

A perfect holiday dessert is ginger chocolate cake with clementine confit.The slow cooking comes from the clementines where they're soaked in a simple syrup and then into the 275 degree F oven for two to three hours. The result is a complex, chewy  and fancy fruit, right in line with holiday fruits of years past. The cake itself is a heady mix of fresh and ground ginger and Dutch cocoa along with a stick and half of butter and bittersweet chocolate.It's given airiness by whipping six egg yolks and whites separately. Creme fraiche give some tang. As with any holiday cake it gets a good shot of Cognac or a ginger liqueur such as King's Ginger Liqueur or Domaine de Canton. The cake is baked for forty to forty-five minutes in a 350 degree F oven. Used a well buttered springform pan for this. Ms. Spungen also suggests subbing in sour creme for the creme fraiche. The clementines and creme fraiche are spooned on top of the cake but you can also use freshly whipped cream too.

This holiday season you have time to cook and bake. These recipes are perfect for passing the time while providing delicious flavors. They're a great way to unwind in the kitchen.

Hanukkah Treats

 It's time for traditional treats with tonight being the first night of Hanukkah.Nothing beats a kugel along with latkes for at home parties. These are a fun way to celebrate the Festival Of Lights, with good food that's easy to make.

Both Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan gave their version of traditional Jewish food in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Melissa Clark tries her hand at Yerushalmi kugel which can be made with traditional egg noodles or angel hair pasta. what makes this different than the usual fare is the two and a quarter teaspoons of black pepper to give it bite and zing. The recipe is from Adeena Sussman's cookbook Sababa: Fresh Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen. Ms Sussman grew up in California coming from an observant Jewish home but fell for this kugel or noodle cake during a trip to Jerusalem as a teenager. She fell for the it's chewy  sweet pepperiness and its' texture. The last has a crunchy exterior and a soft chewy interior. According to Ms Clark, there is a slight problem with making the caramel which is a cooked mix of any mild oil such as vegetable, grapeseed or sunflower and white sugar.The noodles are cooked and mixed with  six (!) eggs and the pepper. The caramel is poured over this in a Dutch oven which already has two tablespoons of heated oil and baked for an hour and fifteen minute to an hour and a half. It can be served on its' own or with a roast chicken or cooked greens.

Latkes are a holiday must . Regular Times Food section contributor Joan Nathan, She offers a recipe that borrows from the Swiss recipe rosti. Her potato pancakes are crisp on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside.Chef Nathaniel Wade who created it at Misery Love Company , a restaurant he ran with his sister and brother-in-law in Winooski, Vermont. The potatoes are first baked before being grated with a box grater. Use the large hole side. You could use a food processor. Just remove the potato skins first. These are different in the sense that there are no binders like eggs, matzoh meal or even onions.After seasoning with just salt and pepper  squeeze the grated potatoes into patties. These are put on a plate and chilled overnight in the fridge.The latkes are fried in canola oil, only for three or four minutes per side. Transfer the cooked ones to a paper bag or paper towels to drain. Ms. Nathan suggest serving them  hot , topped with smoked salmon atop creme fraiche or sour cream. You could just serve them plain but with a spiced apple sauce on the side.

Hanukkah is a time of good foods and fun. Celebrate with a peppery twist on kugel or melt in your mouth latkes. Both are tasty treats that bring joy and light during this Festival of Light.