The Snail Lady

Snails surprisingly require as much work as cattle. Hard to believe those little escargots can be as troublesome yet  as tasty as any flock of chicken or herd of cattle. However they have a wrangler who makes them plump and delicious , perfect for satisfying the retro meal of escargot avec beurre.

The lady in question is Mary Stewart and she was interviewed in today's New York Times Dining section. Dining regular , Jeff Gordonier  conducted the interview on Stewart's snail farm,(yes, there is such a thing) north of Bakersfield, California. She has been raising and selling them to prime restaurants like Tertulia and Vinegar Hill House in New York and Moto in Chicago. The Walrus and The Carpenter in trendy Seattle also asks for her escargot. She is even trying to launch a snail caviar which are snail eggs. These are whitish pearls that have the same saltiness as roe but with a more earthy ,less briny flavor.

Escargot was the hit of the Sixties. Gourmands and hip foodies of the time always had it on their plates and on their radar. Nowadays this retro food is coming back  but without the traditional butter sauce (although it is a good introduction for those new to snails).Moto's chef, Richie, Farina pairs it with  wild mushrooms and edible flowers along with herbs and garlic arranged to be moss. It;s a stunning visual that serves the snails well. At Tertilia in New York's West Village the snails are paired with a risotto and Spanish ham or jamon Iberico..For novices with fresh snails, try them in a white wine sauce , infused with garlic and  au x fine herbes.

Mary Stewart is a unique woman., She has not only become a snail rancher but put escargot back on foodie;s menus again. Thanks to her, it;s now fun to eat snails.

Healthy Fall Party Foods

This is the time of year for all sorts of get togethers- from tailgating dos to Halloween parties. It's also time for harvests too, full of  healthy fruits and veggies . Combine the two to get fun and nutrition. You'd be surprised at what can come out of a healthy menu.

Tailgating parties are a must this time of year. However they;re usually a leftover from the summer barbecue. The menus revolves around barbecued everything . This may be good but a bit unhealthy . Try adding some veggies to those kabobs such as fall faves like Brussels sprouts or carrots. Beets are big right now and you can make a regular salad with sliced ones or a slaw full of shredded beets.This is a nice offset to those brats and dogs.If you're planning on an at home party then think about another seasonal favorite- artichokes, These can be stuffed with breadcrumbs or just have the leaves dipped in a vinaigrette  as a nice hors d'ouevre . Artichoke hearts are also a good topping on homemade pizza as well.

This is also the time for fruits as well.Of course every Halloween party planner is probably planning a bob for apples games. You can also vary it by having a bob for pears instead. Both are good in mini tarts or in regular sized ones too. Any get together would benefit from an old fashioned homemade pie too. Try a sweet potato one because this is also the season for them. These can als be made into pudding as well and served with a creme fraiche. You can also make a fudge with them or bake them into chips.Cranberries are another fall treat. These can be baked into cookies and muffins, and mixed with nuts , makes an interesting after dinner nibble.

This is the season for fun fall parties. Inject some healthiness in them by adding the fruits and vegetables of the season. They can not only be good for you too but also tasty in some great recipes!

Fall Baking

This is the perfect time for cake baking. The weather is free of humidity.The air is cool and crisp and many bakers do appreciate a hot oven warming up a cold kitchen.It's time to get out the flour and sugar and start creating good old fashioned cakes.

One of the best cakes to make is a pound. It's the most versatile, going from bake sales to a finishing off a nice Sunday dinner.It's also good in the sense that it is a true scratch cake and doesn't come from a chemical laced mix.Pound cake is one of the earliest recipes having graced tables from Colonial times. You can stick with the basic recipe and make a simple vanilla one or vary it with spices or chocolate chips. Try baking one with a fall theme, by using apple cider. Glaze with caramel sauce to finish it. Sour cream pound cakes may be very dense and rich but they are tasty.

Coffee cakes are another fall treat that can be easily made. They too are wonderful for finishing a fall meal or perfect for a church gathering or bridal shower. Coffee cakes start with an almost yeasty bottom topped with luscious cinnamon laced crumbs. Aptly enough they're also called crumb cake too as well as streusel cakes.A crumb cake is one of the simplest cakes to make and always turns out right. You can also create different varieties as well , adding cocoa powder instead of cinnamon to the spice mix. Another idea is keeping the cinnamon but blending in cooked apples for a fruitier treat. Add sour cream too to the cake batter for again a rich and smoother cake .

It's the perfect time for baking now that the weather is cooler.Try a classic pound cake or delicious crumb to celebrate the season. Either one is perfect for an autumn get together or bake sale.

The Times Food Issue

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.

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.

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.

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.