Attention all foodies!The Sunday magazine of the New York Times is completely dedicated to food! This is just a fun issue with all sorts of recipes and food related articles Spoiler alert! Some articles will be discussed.
I normally don''t write about any food issue the day before it hits the stands. However this was too good to keep to myself. The Sunday Times has some really good articles, especially the interview with America's Test Kitchen's Christopher Kimball. Alex Halberstadt goes beyond the Kimball's nerdy exterior and discovers a really interesting cook and writer with exciting recipes and ideas. There is also an article from Makr Bittman about California's Central Valley, the area where most of America's vegetables and fruits originate along with its' many problems.
There are also tons of really interesting recipes. Check out the twenty five ones just for bacon. There is even one for bacon laced popcorn which would make an interesting appetizer. It's combined with everything from polenta to lentils and pasta. Christopher Kimball'contributed an unusual vodka infuse pie crust while Bittman's article has some good fruit and vegetable based ones. Also check out the article with drink recipes from New York's lady bartenders.
Don't plan on going out tomorrow. Stay home and really savor the Sunday New York Times magazine. It's a chewy, yummy paean to food and drink.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Fall Crepes
Fall's crisp weather demands warm tasty meals and snacks. What better than freshly made crepes filled with the harvests of the season? They're a nice surprise to come home to after a hard day of work or a great way to beginning a Sunday brunch.
The basic crepe recipe is easy. It's sort of like a pancake with flour, water salt, oil and melted butter.Instead of pouring the batter thickly as you would with a pancake, almost drizzle it onto a heated and oiled skillet(you can use a combo of oil and butter to cook the crepes). The batter must be ice cold, chilled in the fridge for a good hour or more before using. The fun part is filling them. Now you can use the last of the summer tomatoes , peppers and eggplants to make a yummy ratatouille . This makes for a tasty and healthy dinner. You can also make a savory potato, ham and cheese crepe using a sharp cheddar mixed with thinly sliced ham shreds and any kind of potato.
Since it's apple season, don't think twice about using apples for both a savory and sweet crepe. Try the cheese crepe with apples for a different kind of dinner.. Caramelized apple , made with maple syrup is a nice dessert , especially served with a side of vanilla ice cream,.You can also just apples and raisins sauteed with butter and brown sugar, and then filled a buckwheat crepe with it and serve with a cloud of whipped cream. You can saute pears too. These are cooked with butter, sugar and cinnamon and them spooned into a hot crepe. Instead of making pumpkin pie, try pumpkin crepes instead filled with the cooked filling and topped with a sweet butter sauce.
Crepes in the fall - it;s not only a romantic idea but a tasty one. Try them savory or sweet. Either way they;re the perfect treat for a crisp autumn day.
The basic crepe recipe is easy. It's sort of like a pancake with flour, water salt, oil and melted butter.Instead of pouring the batter thickly as you would with a pancake, almost drizzle it onto a heated and oiled skillet(you can use a combo of oil and butter to cook the crepes). The batter must be ice cold, chilled in the fridge for a good hour or more before using. The fun part is filling them. Now you can use the last of the summer tomatoes , peppers and eggplants to make a yummy ratatouille . This makes for a tasty and healthy dinner. You can also make a savory potato, ham and cheese crepe using a sharp cheddar mixed with thinly sliced ham shreds and any kind of potato.
Since it's apple season, don't think twice about using apples for both a savory and sweet crepe. Try the cheese crepe with apples for a different kind of dinner.. Caramelized apple , made with maple syrup is a nice dessert , especially served with a side of vanilla ice cream,.You can also just apples and raisins sauteed with butter and brown sugar, and then filled a buckwheat crepe with it and serve with a cloud of whipped cream. You can saute pears too. These are cooked with butter, sugar and cinnamon and them spooned into a hot crepe. Instead of making pumpkin pie, try pumpkin crepes instead filled with the cooked filling and topped with a sweet butter sauce.
Crepes in the fall - it;s not only a romantic idea but a tasty one. Try them savory or sweet. Either way they;re the perfect treat for a crisp autumn day.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Nibbles And Bits
Tasting menus have graced Manhattan tables for the last ten years. Many famous ones specialize in just this , giving customers a soupcon of their favorite dishes and flavors. Tasting or sampler dishes are a great way of finding out a restaurant's best dishes .It's also a neat way of broadening one's palate , enjoying a host of different flavors and textures.
It was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.The section's main editor, Pete Wells, wrote about it and the epidemic copying now all around the US,There are even some New York City restaurants such as Atera and Blanca that serve noting but the tasting menus. Some other trendier ones as in San Francisco's Saison, diners receive chef Joshua Skenes techniques that involve dry aging, curing, fermenting, curing and grilling over fire.Unfortunately tasting tables comes with a few caveats. One is they;re darned expensive. New York's Brooklyn fare charges $225 dollars.Another warning is that they're length affairs taking two to three hours. This is fine if you're with a good party of fellow foodies..This is serious eating. Another problem is that they don't give out that appealing fresh bread most restaurants such as Momufuko Ko and Blanca.
Chefs also have a few problems with tasting tables and samplers. One, they can't tell what dishes are popular. Usually a clean plate or a barely nibbled on appetizer, dinner or dessert can tell the restaurants' cooks what's liked and what's hated.Because there's only a nibble placed on a dish, the whole thing is eaten up. Also they can;t come out and ask a completely stuffed customer "How was everything?" Not after three hours of scarfing down a dozen appetizers, mini meals and spoonfuls of dessert.There's also the headache of figuring out how to keep morsel sized portions from cooling down so quick. A regular sized portion will retain the oven's heat.A smaller one will not,.
Yet , despite it all, tasting menus are hot amongst foodies who have the time and money to spend . They may be responsible for the next trend. Sampling may be hitting restaurants all around the country and with that more palates will be broadened.
It was the subject of an article in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.The section's main editor, Pete Wells, wrote about it and the epidemic copying now all around the US,There are even some New York City restaurants such as Atera and Blanca that serve noting but the tasting menus. Some other trendier ones as in San Francisco's Saison, diners receive chef Joshua Skenes techniques that involve dry aging, curing, fermenting, curing and grilling over fire.Unfortunately tasting tables comes with a few caveats. One is they;re darned expensive. New York's Brooklyn fare charges $225 dollars.Another warning is that they're length affairs taking two to three hours. This is fine if you're with a good party of fellow foodies..This is serious eating. Another problem is that they don't give out that appealing fresh bread most restaurants such as Momufuko Ko and Blanca.
Chefs also have a few problems with tasting tables and samplers. One, they can't tell what dishes are popular. Usually a clean plate or a barely nibbled on appetizer, dinner or dessert can tell the restaurants' cooks what's liked and what's hated.Because there's only a nibble placed on a dish, the whole thing is eaten up. Also they can;t come out and ask a completely stuffed customer "How was everything?" Not after three hours of scarfing down a dozen appetizers, mini meals and spoonfuls of dessert.There's also the headache of figuring out how to keep morsel sized portions from cooling down so quick. A regular sized portion will retain the oven's heat.A smaller one will not,.
Yet , despite it all, tasting menus are hot amongst foodies who have the time and money to spend . They may be responsible for the next trend. Sampling may be hitting restaurants all around the country and with that more palates will be broadened.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
From Oops To Ooh!
We've all had them., Those kitchen disasters from baking to roasting where the whole cake or dish turns out to be a flop.What to do? Turn them into an entirely new dish. This actually works and can resuscitate a complete bomb , turning it into a tasty treat.
This was the subject of today's A Good Appetite Column in The New York Times Dining section. Melissa Clark writes of her own disasters and how she salvaged them. It's easily done. Any minus can be turned into a plus in the kitchen, For example overcooked meat or fish can be paired with sliced potatoes and fried into rosti , a tasty , and savory potato pancake.Overcooked and mushy veggies can be the main ingredient in a souffle. If a culinary disaster happens at a dinner party , then just rename the dish, Ms. Clark suggests. No one will be the wiser.
Desserts too can turn out to be bombs as well. Reconsider calling an unset pudding a creme Anglaise and use it as a sauce fruits and cakes. A bad batch of cookies or a gooey cake that didn't harden can either be turned into trifle or individual parfaits using berries and whipped cream,There is also the age old idea of adding more icing or whipped cream to cover the flaws too.This works well for cupcakes too. Sometimes they either wind up being undercooked or burnt. A mound of frosting can do wonders as can cute decorations.
Don's worry if you have any kitchen disaster. It can be reworked into an entirely new dish .In fact it may result in a better , tastier recipe.
This was the subject of today's A Good Appetite Column in The New York Times Dining section. Melissa Clark writes of her own disasters and how she salvaged them. It's easily done. Any minus can be turned into a plus in the kitchen, For example overcooked meat or fish can be paired with sliced potatoes and fried into rosti , a tasty , and savory potato pancake.Overcooked and mushy veggies can be the main ingredient in a souffle. If a culinary disaster happens at a dinner party , then just rename the dish, Ms. Clark suggests. No one will be the wiser.
Desserts too can turn out to be bombs as well. Reconsider calling an unset pudding a creme Anglaise and use it as a sauce fruits and cakes. A bad batch of cookies or a gooey cake that didn't harden can either be turned into trifle or individual parfaits using berries and whipped cream,There is also the age old idea of adding more icing or whipped cream to cover the flaws too.This works well for cupcakes too. Sometimes they either wind up being undercooked or burnt. A mound of frosting can do wonders as can cute decorations.
Don's worry if you have any kitchen disaster. It can be reworked into an entirely new dish .In fact it may result in a better , tastier recipe.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Cake Or Yeast Doughnuts ?You Decide !
This is the time of year for doughnuts.They;re perfect with a good hot cup of coffee or a sparkling glass of chilled cider. Which one do you want? The dense cake or the lighter yeast variety. Many people have opinions about which is better?
There has always a controversy between the two kinds. Yeast doughnuts ,like the ones Dunkin Donuts sell are good, albeit a bit chewy . They are always made with yeast like bread and are usually lighter in texture with a fluffier interior. The dough can be twisted into krullers or churros or roped to form pretzels.Most yeast ones are usually glazed and make for a better jelly kind. They are more complicated to make however, requiring the extra step of allowing them to raise. They can be made with chocolate , however most have a vanilla or sweet bread flavor.
Cake doughnuts or donuts are the best doughnut for beginners to make.They're mixed exactly like cakes with baking powder for a leavening agent,This results in a denser, more substantial treat ., Cider doughnuts are considered cake doughnuts. Both types are usually fried although you can bake and even microwave cake ones in special molds.As with cakes you can also vary the batter creating carrot cake ones,along with chocolate or black forest. You can also add nuts and chocolate chips to them as well. Cake doughnuts can be glazed but the more traditional way to go is either plain, or heavily dusted with confectioner's sugar or cinnamon sugar.
This is the season for a tasty doughnut or donut. Both the cake and the yeast version are delicious . treat yourself to whatever kind you like - and savor the its taste and texture.
There has always a controversy between the two kinds. Yeast doughnuts ,like the ones Dunkin Donuts sell are good, albeit a bit chewy . They are always made with yeast like bread and are usually lighter in texture with a fluffier interior. The dough can be twisted into krullers or churros or roped to form pretzels.Most yeast ones are usually glazed and make for a better jelly kind. They are more complicated to make however, requiring the extra step of allowing them to raise. They can be made with chocolate , however most have a vanilla or sweet bread flavor.
Cake doughnuts or donuts are the best doughnut for beginners to make.They're mixed exactly like cakes with baking powder for a leavening agent,This results in a denser, more substantial treat ., Cider doughnuts are considered cake doughnuts. Both types are usually fried although you can bake and even microwave cake ones in special molds.As with cakes you can also vary the batter creating carrot cake ones,along with chocolate or black forest. You can also add nuts and chocolate chips to them as well. Cake doughnuts can be glazed but the more traditional way to go is either plain, or heavily dusted with confectioner's sugar or cinnamon sugar.
This is the season for a tasty doughnut or donut. Both the cake and the yeast version are delicious . treat yourself to whatever kind you like - and savor the its taste and texture.
Monday, October 8, 2012
The Columbian Food Exchange
Today is Columbus Day , celebrating Columbus' voyages to the New World. Whether he consciously knew it or not he changed the way the wold ate .Foods were exchanged and introduced to the Native Caribs and the Europeans.. Thanks to him, diets were forever improved and mostly in a good way.
Thanks to this intrepid explorer European diets have become as varied as possible. The Northern Italians acquired corn for polenta, formerly made with barley. Tomatoes were introduced and became a vital ingredient in southern Italian cooking. No one can imagine the two cuisines without these. Ireland got potatoes, which also became a staple in other diets like the Scandinavian,. German Polish and again the Northern Pineapples also entered European society and has become a staple ever since.Without cacao, there would be no Swish chocolate. The New World also gave the Old World turkeys and peanuts too.
The Old World, however, also had its' contributions. Both the continents of Europe and Africa gave the new frontier fruits such as peaches and pears which grace many an American orchard. They also gave us coffee from Africa and olives from the Mediterranean along with turnips from Northern Europe.American farms welcomes bananas and grapes too . Most of America's bread basket originated in the wheat and barley fields over there as well Europeans also brought pork, lamb and beef to the indigenous population as well as horse to work the fields.
Christopher Columbus did not just settle new lands. He also created a culinary tornado with effects that we still feel today. More than any chef or nutritionist, he changed the way the wolrd ate
Thanks to this intrepid explorer European diets have become as varied as possible. The Northern Italians acquired corn for polenta, formerly made with barley. Tomatoes were introduced and became a vital ingredient in southern Italian cooking. No one can imagine the two cuisines without these. Ireland got potatoes, which also became a staple in other diets like the Scandinavian,. German Polish and again the Northern Pineapples also entered European society and has become a staple ever since.Without cacao, there would be no Swish chocolate. The New World also gave the Old World turkeys and peanuts too.
The Old World, however, also had its' contributions. Both the continents of Europe and Africa gave the new frontier fruits such as peaches and pears which grace many an American orchard. They also gave us coffee from Africa and olives from the Mediterranean along with turnips from Northern Europe.American farms welcomes bananas and grapes too . Most of America's bread basket originated in the wheat and barley fields over there as well Europeans also brought pork, lamb and beef to the indigenous population as well as horse to work the fields.
Christopher Columbus did not just settle new lands. He also created a culinary tornado with effects that we still feel today. More than any chef or nutritionist, he changed the way the wolrd ate
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Over Spicing Outselves
October is known for its’ fall harvest - namely pumpkins. Every store and fast food joint along with coffee shop features some kind of homage to this seasonal gourd. The problem is are we overdosing on it?Or more specifically the spices that go into making a pumpkin pie
No offense. I like pumpkin - preferably in soup.It's also good for you., rich in beta carotenes as well with vitamins. However when everyone from Dunkin Donuts to Starbucks features a pumpkin something, It's not thegourd though. It's the many spices that go into it, namely nutmeg, allspice ginger and cinnamon. Each one is fragrant and flavorful on its' own in a drink, Combined together and its just becomes too much - a sort of liquid gingerbread complete with addition of a mound of whipped cream and caramel drizzlings. There's nothing wrong with just cinnamon dusting the top of a foamy cappuccino, Add more and and the average coffee becomes an Indian spicy chai.
The same is true of some baked goods this season as well,.There's nothing wrong with an old fashioned spice cake. Yet some companies feel it's the season to make everything pumpkin-y and super spicy. That means loading up cookies and cakes along with doughnuts and muffins with those same spices along with a bright orange tint for to emphasize the gourd-y goodness of it all.Cinnamon along with allspice , ginger and nutmeg can be excellent if used moderately even blended together. However some places over saturate their doughs with it,creating a slightly overpowering treat.If they want to stick with the fall theme, then maybe try either a cinnamon or nutmeg based recipe or just decorate with iced on brown and gold leaves or again even a pumpkin drawn on top in icing./
It's the season to enjoy the harvest. However most places go overboard with worshipping pumpkin to the point of oversaturation. Enough is enough! Maybe its' time to turn the attention over to that other fall fave , the apple
No offense. I like pumpkin - preferably in soup.It's also good for you., rich in beta carotenes as well with vitamins. However when everyone from Dunkin Donuts to Starbucks features a pumpkin something, It's not thegourd though. It's the many spices that go into it, namely nutmeg, allspice ginger and cinnamon. Each one is fragrant and flavorful on its' own in a drink, Combined together and its just becomes too much - a sort of liquid gingerbread complete with addition of a mound of whipped cream and caramel drizzlings. There's nothing wrong with just cinnamon dusting the top of a foamy cappuccino, Add more and and the average coffee becomes an Indian spicy chai.
The same is true of some baked goods this season as well,.There's nothing wrong with an old fashioned spice cake. Yet some companies feel it's the season to make everything pumpkin-y and super spicy. That means loading up cookies and cakes along with doughnuts and muffins with those same spices along with a bright orange tint for to emphasize the gourd-y goodness of it all.Cinnamon along with allspice , ginger and nutmeg can be excellent if used moderately even blended together. However some places over saturate their doughs with it,creating a slightly overpowering treat.If they want to stick with the fall theme, then maybe try either a cinnamon or nutmeg based recipe or just decorate with iced on brown and gold leaves or again even a pumpkin drawn on top in icing./
It's the season to enjoy the harvest. However most places go overboard with worshipping pumpkin to the point of oversaturation. Enough is enough! Maybe its' time to turn the attention over to that other fall fave , the apple
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