Acai The Miracle Fruit

Acai is everywhere these days. You can find it in face creams and serums ; in shampoos and conditioners. However this berry is also go for your interior as well as your ex. More and more people , especially foodies, realize this as the fruit gains in North American popularity

There was an excellent article in Wednesday's Times Dining section(kudos to this section because they're really packing it with interesting and well written articles) Seth Kugel, a regular contributor to this section has researched about the fruit and what it can do . Acai has many properties namely it retards the aging process and is a fat super burner. The acai berry , like its' cousins the cranberry and blueberry is chock full of antioxidants and flavaoids . These help the body fight off damaging free radicals. The Brazilians have been eating them for a long time. Acai is usually a side dish and , instead of being an energy booster, it actually makes those who eat it sleepy. Still the extract is being added t power drinks across al of the US and it;s unlikely that you won't find some kind of power water or juice without it. It's been imported since 2000 and is definitely helping the Brazilian economy. The people living in the acai regions now can afford electricity, better food and better housing thanks to the berry's popularity.

What does acai taste like? Unlike its' cousins, it doesn't come in varying degrees of tartness and sweetness.I t is a bitter taste however most Brazilians like it that way. I guess the taste would be comparable to baker's chocolate or 80 percent dark, cacao; rich but with almost a sour aftertaste. Once the berry hits the states it's sweetened and mixed with other flavors like mango or blueberry to make it more palatable.

Acai berries are gaining in popularity. Yes, they are good for your skin and hair but they're even better for your your health. Try to incorporate them in your every day diet. They will give you a lift while protecting your body. Plus you'll look good, thanks to these healthy Brazilian treats.

Bot Cuisine

Robots in the kitchen? Sounds like a crazy 1950's movie theme but it was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section. Before all of you get excited and wonder when Target and Williams and Sonoma are stocking these, remember the kitchen 'bots are only in prototype phase right now. Maybe by mod decade they'll hit homes.

Ian Dalywrote this piece wher e he interviewed the robots' creators at the Carnegie Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh. One robot, dubbed the "Snackbot" served him a granola bar , not unlike Rosie on the cartoon series "The Jetsons"and even called him by his name.The Snackbot is just one type of kitchen automaton. A Chinese company, Fanxing Science and Technology have created other robots that can easily whip up thousands of Chinese delicacies. They know how to bake boil and steam. One even has a creepy looking human looking hand attached to pick up sushi. American scientists have also created a robot that whips up omelets.

As much as it sounds like a fantasy to have a robot doing all your cooking there is one big drawback. They're not human. Robots can't taste so food can either be uber spiced or too bland.A Japanese ramen restaurant has a robot to cook its' food, Unfortunately the cuisine is none too great because the bot can' ;taste it and make any necessary adjustments . Another drawback is that we flesh and blood cooks love to add and reinvent recipes making them our own. Without this human factor food is going to be as exciting and tasty as institution food.

Robots in the kitchen. Well , I wouldn't mind them to clean and core and knead for me but we already have gadgets that do that. Call me old fashioned but I prefer my cooks to have a pulse. i also prefer to have help that I can talk to and get a response.
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The Ultimate Comfort Food - TV Dinners

Nothing beats a TV dinner on a cold snowy or rainy night. There’s something infinitely comforting about either a piping hot, gravy infused pie or satisfying meatloaf with mashed potato. They’ve been a part of the American culinary landscape for almost sixty years and they’re just as good now as they were then.

C.A. Swanson and Sons created the first frozen meal in 1953. The first dinners were a take off of a traditional Thanksgiving one with sliced white meat, gravy and cornbread stuffing, peas and carrots were also added to round it out, The tray were designed to fit nicely in that new American addition to the living room - the TV tray. In 1960 Swanson added desserts such as apple cobbler and brownies . Nine years later the first frozen breakfast called Fresh Starts, appeared on the scene, giving busy families a chance to enjoy a hearty hassle free meal. Hungry man dinners appeared four years late r in 1973. These has big portions and diverse meals such a fried chicken and meat loaf. There are still Swanson TV dinners but now they’re in microwavable plastic try as opposed to the original aluminum.
What are the best TV dinners today? I’ve just discovered Marie Callendar’s meat pies. These are wonderful, homemade style potpies chock full of turkey or chicken chunks; a light gravy and veggies. I love the flaky crust which is similar to homemade. Of course there’s always Swanson, a favorite of mien since childhood. Nothing still beats their turkey and gravy and it’s still the best comfort food especially after a long, hard day.
TV dinners are a big part of the American landscape. They bring back good memories of sitting in front of the TV watching favorite shows. They’re still the perfect dinner or even lunch for those of us too busy sometimes to cook.

Oh Canada And Its' Cusiine

Mike Myers makes a joke of his native Canada's cuisine. He said once that" You never hear any one saying "Let's order out Canadian." The problem is that unlike our neighbor to the south, Mexico, the country's cuisine is not well known or popular here. However thanks to the Vancouver, Games, now everyone south of their border is curious. Is it just mooseburgers , Molson's and maple syrup ?Or is it something much more complex ? Is it a blend of indigenous and immigrant foods?.

What is Canadian cuisine?It's a mixture of the First Peoples tribes, European and Asian cooking . It's mostly French around Quebec and Montreal, where the locals enjoy pea soup and tourtieres. flaky meat pies usually eaten after Christmas Midnight Mass. Would you believe that the Chinese buffet, so popular here in the US is really a Vancouver invention? It started as early as the 1870''s when Chinese cooks made lunches for Swedish lumber jacks. The result was combining the smorgasbord with a variety of good provincial Cantonese and Mandarin foods . Indigenous and European cuisines came together in the fried bannock cakes, so beloved by the Inuit people. These were introduced to them when Scottish fur traders began business with them. Native meats are also eaten such as beaver and caribou. Seafood is big in Canada too. The country is basically surrounded by water, from north and th e Arctic Ocean to south with the Great Lakes. The Maritime and Pacific provences also benefit from the abundance of the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans. too.

Canadians also like their sweets. and there are many to choose from. one popular one is the naimioni which is a loaf cake filled with cream and topped with chocolate. this is from British Columbia. Another is the sugar pie which is similar to a cream pie and made with maple syrup , cream and sugar. Imagine a pecan pie with the the pecans and you have this treat. Canadians also have their version of Dunkin Donuts with Tim Horton's named for its' founder Canadian hockey great Tim Horton. Some Tim Horton's can be found in the states. , namely in Maine and New York(however they're also in Indiana and Kentucky right now too)

Canadian cuisine is varied and multicultural. Like the US and Mexico it is a blend of indigenous ingredients and European style cooking techniques. The food and the provinces it represents are as varied and and as delicious as any other on this continent.

When Good Restaurants Go Bad

What happens when your favorite eatery makes a misstep? Complain to the manager?? Do you go back? Or just move on to more delicious pastures? This has recently happened to me and frankly I don’t know what to do. As a foodie and a customer I’m going to say forget them and move on. As a loyal fan of their other wise good dinners and creative cookery I’m tempted to stay on. However I am wondering about another goof up.
It’s a problem all of us foodies face at one time or another. Our favorite restaurants disappoint us . Food comes cold or greasy. Waitstaff is snippy. The noise level isn’t what it used to be. What do we do? Move onto the next best thing and take our custom there? Write bad reviews? Tell friends and family not to go there either? That would be the proper thing to do yet it’s not always the right thing. Right now any business needs us and it would be foolish to leave a favorite place in the lurch, especially one that’s suffering during tough economic times. Besides it’s always difficult to find a new favorite.
The next step is what do you do? I think for myself I’ll just let the incident pass. I could easily chalk it up to a bad night and the fact that the food was old. This particular place, despite it’s location (and also celebrity cachet) has not been getting the business it used to receive in past years.. This small Village restaurant was not filled up on my last visit meaning certain ingredients and meat cuts have been there a long time. I’m hoping that on my next visit for Easter, everything will be just as it had been in the past with delicious food and fresh ingredients.

It’s a tough situation when a good restaurant goes bad. The best bet , I feel, is to give them a second chance. Maybe they were just having an off night. Maybe there was as light glitch in the preparation or refrigeration. Yet if it happens again then I know what to do. Leave. For good. There are no third chances in my book

Sundae Kind Of Love

Nothing beats an ice cream sundae even when the temps dip below freezing. There's something downright decadent about th e blend of ice cream, whipped cream and syrup. It may be good out but it's even better at home when you can customize with it all sorts of toppings too.

What sort of ice cream is the best base for a sundae? I prefer a gelato which is lighter than regular ice cream simply for that reason. You want something to be part of the treat,not overpower it. If you're still craving ice cream then stick with a basic vanilla or chocolate (you can try strawberry if you want however realize that you'll be limite d with toppings) You could also go with a chocolate chip or fudge swirl .These are always fun and provide the best foil for a choclate or fruit sundae.

As far as for syrups you can buy them or make your own. Purists may want to create their own which is easy to do these days. You can buy Droste baking powdered chocolate (you can also use Hershey's too) mix in with butter and sugar to create a fudgy, rich glaze. Also Fox's and U-Bet are pretty good and come close to creating that ice cream parlor taste. For whipped cream yes you can make your own going whole hog . I usually like the Cool Whip in a can because it's lighter and blends well with theother flavors. As for other toppings. go ahead and top it with a maraschino cherry or dust with chopped nuts. You can also layer chopped Spanish peanuts between the ice cream and syrup to create the famed Tin Roof sundae.

There's nothing like an ice cream sundae for the definitive treat. Make it as big or as little as you want. Start with a simple base, then add syrups along with fruit and nuts. As long as it tastes good to you and is as decadent as possible.

Gossip Grill

I read recently in another New York Times Dining section article about chefs who maliciously tweet about each other and their respective restaurants. Really? Don't they have things to do? Like order the ingredients for day's special, Try out new dishes? Hire staff? Cook? Isn't that more important than roasting one;s own kind?

Bad enough the catwalks are catty and the fashion industry snips rivals to pieces. Now it's chefs. or this new breed of celebrity cook.The Times',great food writer Julia Moskin delves into this. She has found that chefs write their own blogs and tweets to protect their restaurants and reputation? Really? Wouldn't you think that cooking good food and being humble would cut it? I can understand designers like Michael Kors or John Galliano tearing each other and their creations to well - shreds. The fashion industry has had a long and bitter history of rivalry and fighting. I can definitely understand it in the entertainment business. That's been going on since before Shakespeare? But therestaurant industry? Again, really?

I don't know how we managed but we place too much emphasis onto the cult of celebrity chef. What we need to do is place more stress on how good the food is and the atmosphere of the eatery. Prima donna chefs (and there have been them since royalty employed cooks) have been around for centuries. However they contained their rants and raves within their kitchens. They did not purposely set out to ruin other restaurateurs. If they did , it was by word of mouth and only reached a few select diners. Nowadays everyone , even the Dali Lama gets tweeted. Everyone knows when a restaurant is purposely trashed for no reason at all.

The best bet is judge a restaurant by what it's given you. If the food is delicious and the waitstaff courteous and attentive , then that's all you need to make a favorable judgement. If not,then don't go back. Don't let a chef's. viciousness deter you from trying good food and wine. Ignore the gossip grills as I call them, Follow to your palate.