Mention subway eating to the average person and they'll instantly tell you about their favorite hero. However in NewYork subway dining is entirely different.It's actually eating on a real subway.Real eating with a tray and utensils. It's not just a bagel or a smoothie.It's fine dining during rush hour.
This was the subject of a New York Times Dining section article by newcomer, Melina Ryzik. The idea was brilliantly created byDaniel Castano and Michael J. Cirino. They had a subway train outfitted with dining trays and even a waiter. Guests were invited by email and were given scant info. The dinner was super luxurious for underground dining. There was a soup of puree ramps over morels garlic and prosciutto along with foie gras and a port wine jelly. The main was too classy for a subway:filet mignon mashed potatoes and pickled asparagus tips.
Dessert was also served and it was just as elegant as the preceding courses. It was panna cotta with a raspberry coulis and a warmed St Andre cheese. However these were not the finishing touches. DIners were also treated to a readng from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and sprigs of lavender on their dining trays. Unfortunately there were no alcoholic beverages so diners couldn't get a flute of champagne while taking the L train.
Subway dining was only an experiment at best. Maybe there will be more train banquets in the future. For now it's back to the real Subway sandwich on a dirty seat.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Old Fashioned Farming Returns
In this fuel drenched era it's nice to have our farms rely on old fashioned power. Oxen are making a big comeback on many big acreages these days. It's not only a quaint, romantic way of farming , it's also cost efficient. Oxen run plows also make for better , more organic produce.
Oxen technology is the subject of an interesting article in today's New York Times Dining section . Newcomer, Tess Taylor, has delved into this new movement (although using oxen for farming goes back to almost caveman times). An ox is actually better for a farmer than any modern tractor. They don;t require expensive diesel fuel nor do they require new parts every now and then (there are vet bills to deal with from time to time)An ox is also lighter on the land and doesn't crush the soil, preserving microbial layers. Another plus is that they leave plenty of nitrogen rich fertilizer which makes for lush plants.
Where does a farmer get oxen? From that other old and reliable source : the local dairy. Male calves are sold off dairy farms for as low as $150 for one . There are literally hundreds of them born a year thanks to cows constantly being pregnant for milk. Before getting their oxen, farmers study and even intern at historical villages to learn how to plow with a yoked team.
Using oxen is cost efficient for farmers in these cost high days. If these noble animals can save them money , then farmers can lower their prices on their produce. Old fashioned plowing is not only good for the land, but also for the consumer too.
Oxen technology is the subject of an interesting article in today's New York Times Dining section . Newcomer, Tess Taylor, has delved into this new movement (although using oxen for farming goes back to almost caveman times). An ox is actually better for a farmer than any modern tractor. They don;t require expensive diesel fuel nor do they require new parts every now and then (there are vet bills to deal with from time to time)An ox is also lighter on the land and doesn't crush the soil, preserving microbial layers. Another plus is that they leave plenty of nitrogen rich fertilizer which makes for lush plants.
Where does a farmer get oxen? From that other old and reliable source : the local dairy. Male calves are sold off dairy farms for as low as $150 for one . There are literally hundreds of them born a year thanks to cows constantly being pregnant for milk. Before getting their oxen, farmers study and even intern at historical villages to learn how to plow with a yoked team.
Using oxen is cost efficient for farmers in these cost high days. If these noble animals can save them money , then farmers can lower their prices on their produce. Old fashioned plowing is not only good for the land, but also for the consumer too.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Tomato Guide
The warm weather is here and with it will come a dearth of tomatoes. These wonderful garden gems are perfect in every summer dish, from sandwiches to kabobs. Yet what kind of tomato goes with what dish ?There are several different varieties to choose from and add to your summer diet. Some work well as a main ingredient .Others carry on better as second strings. What to use and when?
Tomatoes are categorized roughly into sizes and shapes. What you buy in the grocery store are mostly called "globe". These are do all tomatoes. They can be sliced for sandwiches or used in a fresh pasta sauce. They can be quartered for salads or hollowed out to hold egg or tuna salad. Beefsteaks are the biggest and they're great sliced on their own or in a hamburger. However storebought beefsteaks are not the best tomato to buy. They have very thin skin which can be easily bruised. If you do want them then buy them off a roadside stand or farm where they have been fresh picked.
Smaller tomatoes are also tasty and can be used in a variety of dishes. Plum tomatoes are good just sliced and in salads but they're better off being made into sauce. They have thicker flesh.Their cousin, the grape tomato, a recent hybrid are excellent in salads or just as a great snack or appetizer . They can be spritzed with olive oil and then sprinkled with sea salt. Cherry tomatoes are one of the season's most versatile.Bigger and juicier than They can be used in all sorts of salads from mozzarella and Romaine to grilled kabobs . They are sweet and that adds to any dish .
Tomatoes are a great addition to the summer diet. Use the right ones to create yummy and nutritous dishes . There's a big variety out there for so many good recipes
Tomatoes are categorized roughly into sizes and shapes. What you buy in the grocery store are mostly called "globe". These are do all tomatoes. They can be sliced for sandwiches or used in a fresh pasta sauce. They can be quartered for salads or hollowed out to hold egg or tuna salad. Beefsteaks are the biggest and they're great sliced on their own or in a hamburger. However storebought beefsteaks are not the best tomato to buy. They have very thin skin which can be easily bruised. If you do want them then buy them off a roadside stand or farm where they have been fresh picked.
Smaller tomatoes are also tasty and can be used in a variety of dishes. Plum tomatoes are good just sliced and in salads but they're better off being made into sauce. They have thicker flesh.Their cousin, the grape tomato, a recent hybrid are excellent in salads or just as a great snack or appetizer . They can be spritzed with olive oil and then sprinkled with sea salt. Cherry tomatoes are one of the season's most versatile.Bigger and juicier than They can be used in all sorts of salads from mozzarella and Romaine to grilled kabobs . They are sweet and that adds to any dish .
Tomatoes are a great addition to the summer diet. Use the right ones to create yummy and nutritous dishes . There's a big variety out there for so many good recipes
Monday, May 2, 2011
Foraging Recipes
This is the season for foraging. May brings a lot of interesting wild edibles. It is an amazing bounty , full of interesting tastes . The problem is what to do with nature's groceries. What are they good with and how to prepare them? Surprisingly enough there are many good recipes that highlight their aroma,s textures and flavors.
Ramps are one of those interesting plants that can be used in quite a few dishes. I wrote about them a few weeks ago , thanks to New York Times Dining article about them. You can buy them at your local farmer's market however you can pick them fresh in the wild. These onion cousins are good flavoring a pasta sauce or better yet, served with buttered new potatoes alongside a baked chicken or lamb. Prickly lettuce and sour grass can go into a neat salad along with "civilized" greens like arugula and lettuce. Use baby leaves for a sweeter taste which is mild. Older prickly lettuce leaves can impart a bitter taste which can ruin the entire salad.
Wild mushrooms, that grandaddy of all foraged foods, are great with anything. These are called morels and are extremely versatile. They can be sliced and used as a topping over artisanal pizza or even tossed into an omelet. Morels are elegant as the main ingredient in a white wine sauce which can go over any meat as well as over rice or pasta. The Piedmontese fry them in butter and garlic and then use them as a side. You can also batter dip morels and serve them with dipping sauces.
Foraging is fun and can yield a huge bounty. There are amazing sauces and salads to create with them along with using them alongside standard ingredients. Try them any way you like. The taste will be delicious and add to the meal.
Ramps are one of those interesting plants that can be used in quite a few dishes. I wrote about them a few weeks ago , thanks to New York Times Dining article about them. You can buy them at your local farmer's market however you can pick them fresh in the wild. These onion cousins are good flavoring a pasta sauce or better yet, served with buttered new potatoes alongside a baked chicken or lamb. Prickly lettuce and sour grass can go into a neat salad along with "civilized" greens like arugula and lettuce. Use baby leaves for a sweeter taste which is mild. Older prickly lettuce leaves can impart a bitter taste which can ruin the entire salad.
Wild mushrooms, that grandaddy of all foraged foods, are great with anything. These are called morels and are extremely versatile. They can be sliced and used as a topping over artisanal pizza or even tossed into an omelet. Morels are elegant as the main ingredient in a white wine sauce which can go over any meat as well as over rice or pasta. The Piedmontese fry them in butter and garlic and then use them as a side. You can also batter dip morels and serve them with dipping sauces.
Foraging is fun and can yield a huge bounty. There are amazing sauces and salads to create with them along with using them alongside standard ingredients. Try them any way you like. The taste will be delicious and add to the meal.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Royal Breakfasts
Today is the day after the Royal Wedding and there was a big breakfast, a Survivor's Breakfast that the Palace (more like Prince Harry) threw.It was mostly sandwiches and anything breakfast-y that can be fried. On the part of the best man it was a nice gesture. However fried food after a night of drinking and partying could be rough.
The English love a good fry up.This is with eggs and bacon, good on its' own but there are additions. Fried beans, mushrooms tomatoes and even bread are crisped in the bacon drippings and eaten deep fried This whole meal is usually washed down with endless cups of milky sweet tea. An English fried breakfast takes some getting used to and even Brits these day prefer healthier fare.
Sandwiches or sarnies were also served. The most famed is the bacon butty, a big buttered hamburger roll full of streaky bacon (it's just known as plain bacon here in the States). It's usually drowned in ketchup or brown sauce . There may have been other sandwiches too (although details on these were kept mum). Hopefully these fit in well with a night of knee's up as the Brits would say.
After a big event it's always nice to have a cooling down decompressing period.After the Royal Wedding , it's good to know that Harry threw a breakfast worthy of this. One can only wonder if the newlyweds joined their guests for some fried eggs and bacon butties.
The English love a good fry up.This is with eggs and bacon, good on its' own but there are additions. Fried beans, mushrooms tomatoes and even bread are crisped in the bacon drippings and eaten deep fried This whole meal is usually washed down with endless cups of milky sweet tea. An English fried breakfast takes some getting used to and even Brits these day prefer healthier fare.
Sandwiches or sarnies were also served. The most famed is the bacon butty, a big buttered hamburger roll full of streaky bacon (it's just known as plain bacon here in the States). It's usually drowned in ketchup or brown sauce . There may have been other sandwiches too (although details on these were kept mum). Hopefully these fit in well with a night of knee's up as the Brits would say.
After a big event it's always nice to have a cooling down decompressing period.After the Royal Wedding , it's good to know that Harry threw a breakfast worthy of this. One can only wonder if the newlyweds joined their guests for some fried eggs and bacon butties.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Royal Wedding Day!!!!
Today is Prince William's and Princess Catherine's wedding today and with it came a sumptuous wedding breakfast. (it's a good thing when your Granny runs the country). The newlyweds enjoyed not only family and friends but also good food compliments of Buckingham Palace chefs.
The Windsors will probably have what we would call a cocktail hour of canapes and hors d'ouevres for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge .It was accompanied by British (yes British) cultured champagne with the grapes possible coming from the groom's father vinyards. There was talk of shepherd's pie being served as well. There will be two cakes: the Royal Wedding cake and the groom's cake)is this where the Southerners got their tradition from the early English settlers?") The first is a fruit cake , a favorite of the couple and the second is a combo of McViteys' biscuits and chocolate (read refrigerator cake) that was William's childhood favorite.
There is a second bash thrown tonight thanks to Prince Charles. With the groom's brother Prince Harry planning it, it's bound to be a boozy, rocking affair in Buckingham Palace.I don't think it will be a traditional sitdown dinner. There's rumors of ice cream trucks being parked outside the palace to offer sweet respite after all that dancing . There may be champagne fountains and who knows that American wedding reception classic the chocolate fountain.
Today is a day for history. I'm sure WIlliam and his Catherine will remember everything about it rom the pageantry to the excitement. Hopefully they will remember the great food and magnificent cakes too
The Windsors will probably have what we would call a cocktail hour of canapes and hors d'ouevres for the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge .It was accompanied by British (yes British) cultured champagne with the grapes possible coming from the groom's father vinyards. There was talk of shepherd's pie being served as well. There will be two cakes: the Royal Wedding cake and the groom's cake)is this where the Southerners got their tradition from the early English settlers?") The first is a fruit cake , a favorite of the couple and the second is a combo of McViteys' biscuits and chocolate (read refrigerator cake) that was William's childhood favorite.
There is a second bash thrown tonight thanks to Prince Charles. With the groom's brother Prince Harry planning it, it's bound to be a boozy, rocking affair in Buckingham Palace.I don't think it will be a traditional sitdown dinner. There's rumors of ice cream trucks being parked outside the palace to offer sweet respite after all that dancing . There may be champagne fountains and who knows that American wedding reception classic the chocolate fountain.
Today is a day for history. I'm sure WIlliam and his Catherine will remember everything about it rom the pageantry to the excitement. Hopefully they will remember the great food and magnificent cakes too
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Salty Language
Sea salt is a daily par t of our lives nowadays. Once, thought to be gourmet, It's now on every table an din every restaurant.it's even considered a health food. What most people don't know is that several different countries, including the US produce different kinds. These also come with different flavors and colors as well as aromas. Salt now is just as varied and nuanced as pepper.
This was the topic of a great article by Harold McGee in yesterday's New York Times The Curious Cook section of Wednesday Dining section. Mr McGee delves in to what makes even ordinary table salt what it is. Standard table salt is produced simply by injecting water into salt mines to dissolve the minerals. It then has the sodium chloride leached out of it which would leave it with a bitter taste. Culinary or gourmet salts come fresh direct from the ocean themselves or from areas that once held ancient seas. They're produced by evaporating salt water or boiling it at high temps.
Sea salts also come in different flavors and colors too. Kilauea Onyx comes from Hawaii and is black sparkly salt. Andes Mountain Rose comes form Bolivian salt mine s an dis colored a light pink thanks to the iron found in them. Maldon sea salt which are lovely melt in your mouth flakes is made by heating sea water over a gas fire to form those hollow flakes along with pyramids. Then there is the ultra rich sel gris de L'Ile de Re . This is salt harvested from France's famed Bay of Biscay (where most gourmet shop sea salts comes form ). It is a coarse salt grey from minerals and clay.
Sea salt isn' t your ordinary table salt.It comes form all over the world and has different colors and flavors. Some go well with some foods, while other highlight simple dishes like fries or tomatoes. Get acquainted with all of them for a variety of different tastes.
This was the topic of a great article by Harold McGee in yesterday's New York Times The Curious Cook section of Wednesday Dining section. Mr McGee delves in to what makes even ordinary table salt what it is. Standard table salt is produced simply by injecting water into salt mines to dissolve the minerals. It then has the sodium chloride leached out of it which would leave it with a bitter taste. Culinary or gourmet salts come fresh direct from the ocean themselves or from areas that once held ancient seas. They're produced by evaporating salt water or boiling it at high temps.
Sea salts also come in different flavors and colors too. Kilauea Onyx comes from Hawaii and is black sparkly salt. Andes Mountain Rose comes form Bolivian salt mine s an dis colored a light pink thanks to the iron found in them. Maldon sea salt which are lovely melt in your mouth flakes is made by heating sea water over a gas fire to form those hollow flakes along with pyramids. Then there is the ultra rich sel gris de L'Ile de Re . This is salt harvested from France's famed Bay of Biscay (where most gourmet shop sea salts comes form ). It is a coarse salt grey from minerals and clay.
Sea salt isn' t your ordinary table salt.It comes form all over the world and has different colors and flavors. Some go well with some foods, while other highlight simple dishes like fries or tomatoes. Get acquainted with all of them for a variety of different tastes.
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