Popcorn Renaissance

Popcorn is one of the best (and actually) the most authentic of all American foods.However it's been in a slump in the last few decades.That's all about to change.Popcorn, like many other foods, is going artesanal.It will be getting back to it's roots as a flavorful, ,fluffier snack. Kim Severson wrote about this great American classic in today's New York Times Dining section.Popcorn has faced a slump in recent years, partly due to Orville Redenbacher over breeding it to suit his company's needs.The result was a bland flavored, full bodied popped kernel .The original corn developed by the indigenous people of what is now modern Indiana bred a kernel that was small but had an intense taste.Luckily an Iowam farm family is behind this revival.Gene and Lynn Mealhow are producing smaller ears of corn, no bigger than a child ,s hand is producing small flavorful puffs with a big toasty flavor.This is the way popcorn should be.Popcorn was poised to be transformed back into the artesanal.Once defunct breeds such as Dakota Black, ,Tom Thumb and Lady Finger are being popped not in the usual vegetable oil but in coconut or olive and flavored with just a kiss of salt and butter.The taste is not akin to the usual dull cardboard says another grower Glenn Roberts( no relation)who also grows another traditional brand, Appalachian heirloom sweet flint.The flavor has a floral note and this appeals to both home and professional chefs The nutritional value on these traditional corns is actually much higher .Their hulls are also smaller and won"t get stuck between teeth either. This renewed breed is a blank canvas for home chefs.The best oils for popping are again olive or cocunut. Also popping it should not be a minute or two in the microwave.Go old school recommends the Popcorm Board spokesperson, Wendy Boersema Rappel.Use a pot.The ratios are simple.A layer of oil is first then the second layer should be evenly spread kernels.From there it's just popping.Ms .Severson also recommends using a heavy pan and her own measurements:three tablespoons of fat to half a cup of kernels.Now here's the part that trips up even popcorn lovers.As soon as the first few kernels explode ,take the pan right off the burner and let them pop sans the flame.The pan is hot enough to heat up the late bloomers.So many people keep the pot or pan over the burner which leaves a good amount of scorched snack.If you are using artesenal corn. Remember that there will be a good amount that won't be popped.You can save this for feeding the birds or try to re pop them.You can use butter as flavoring or try the Indian gar am masala for fire or even herbs like Rosemary and oregano(if you want this then sprinkle the herbs on the unpopped kernels before cooking)for an earthy flavor.Soy and Ginger can also be used too for a tinge of exoticism and heat. Popcorn is not not only healthy but fun too.Made right with the right corn and it's amazing, a meld of flavors and textures. Go old school with artesanel kernels over a flame for a tasty snack.

Hot Breads For Cool Weather

There are many good things about fall.One of them is that the cool weather gets everyone in the mood for baking.One of the best products is a simple loaf of bread.Unlike cakes and cookies, it's versatile.A loaf can be used for everything from sandwiches to French toast.Also nothing beats an evening snack of fresh baked bread with butter and honey on it.Another plus of baking bread.The aroma.It's welcoming and warm chasing away the chill of a fall day. Many home chefs shy away from bread baking.They feel that it can be too labor intensive or express worries about working with yeast.Have no qualms.Bread dough is relative easy to create. The mixing is more or less the same as mixing up cake batter.Ingredients are simple as well.They are just yeast, flour and salt blended with milk, melted butter and salt.The only tricky ingredient is yeast because this is what makes the bread rise.If you leave the well kneaded dough covered with a towel in a warm place ( usually your stove top)and let it set for an hour you should have the beginnings of a very tasty and airy loaf.keep in mind however that different flours work differently when it's being mixed and kneaded.Rye and whole wheat flours will behave differently than white.The first can be very sticky when you begin to roll it out while the second, whole wheat usually requires half a cup less than your regular one.Once you start ,then 's there is no stopping.Bread recipes are versatile.You can try a whole wheat one week while the next you can experiment with raisin bread.If you feel really confident then you can make the Classic baguette.This requires two packets of yeast plus honey but no dairy at all in it,This is what gives regular bread it's cake like texture, while the lack of it gives the loaf it's traditional crustiness and chewiness. I can't say iterate this enough.There's so much you can do with bread recipes. One of the heartiest and perfect for tailgating picnics is sausage bread.This is a relatively easy recipe to replicate.Use an Italian bread recipe and already browned beef or pork sausage.Serve with a bowl of homemade tomato sauce for a fun appetizer or snack. Tomatoes can also be added to the dough , namely in juice form.Oregano and rosemary are also added for some zing.People who have made this type, add cheese to the finished loaf, to create a kind of pizza.One of fall's favorite loaves is cinnamon bread.Everyone loves this type, especially when it's gently toasted and slathered with butter.It's basically rolled put like a jelly roll, then generously dusted with the cinnamon and sugar mix(you can also add chopped pecans, almonds or walnuts to the mix or vary the spices with the addition of nutmeg).The finished loaf is then put into a generously buttered pan.As you become more proficient ,you may want to experiment with sourdough.This does require a starter .most bakers are given it from other bakers, however if you're not that lucky, don't worry.You can make your own.It's just a simple mix of flour and water ,left to stand for a few days.It creates what is known as wild yeast, which gives sourdough it's snappy flavor. Fall is the perfect time to bake a variety of yummy breads.There's nothing like warming up with a hot cup of tea and a large slice of bread slathered with butter, jam or honey. Fire up the ovens and get kneading!

Get Squashed

We are getting into squash season.Many home chefs are actually flummoxed by it. They wonder what to do with it?Stuffed?Mashed? Pair it with wild rice or marshmallows? The recipes for it and it's cousin are versatile.There are so many that tout its earthy sweetsness and satiny texture.Best of all they make fo great leftovers. There are several different types of squash.There is the summer one like zucchini that are fresh and green tasting.Winter squash have a denser flesh and sweeter flavor.Thue most popular are the pumpkin along with acorn and butternut varieties but there is also the buttercup and spaghetti types too.One of the easiest and most satisfying is soup.Use butternut along with chicken broth and heavy cream to make a rich , hearty potage.Since it is sweet tasting you may want to use garlic, onions and an olio of spices to cut it.you could also try fresh Ginger for heat and spices such has cloves and cinnamon, as Martha Stewart did. You can also try soup with pumpkin.Piedmontese pumpkin soup is simple, with all the emphasis on the pumpkin.It has vegetable broth mixed with it along with a fresh onion.It is then mashed with rice, butter and cream mixed in.This kind is the easiest to freeze as well.Make up a double batch so you can have a ready meal on a night when you don't feel like cooking.Of course mashed squash is an excellent side.Butternut makes for the creamiest and the most flavorful.It takes only eight to ten minutes to cook.Cut the squash in pieces and then place in a shallow microwavable pan.Mash with a potato masher. You can add butter or even milk for a creamy texture and taste. Squash is also great baked into breads.Again butternut work s the best although you can also use pumpkin too.A squash tea bread is a nice loaf to bake, especially for a fall Sunday brunch.It is loaded with a variety of spices such as allspice and cloves as well as Ginger and cinnamon.What is great about this is that you can use any left over bread as French toast .You can also use this veggie in muffins.Again home chefs can make this super healthy with the addition of raisins and whole-wheat flour.Serve with huge dollops of cream cheese for a tasty after school treat or as a nice breakfast alternative to corn or bran muffins.Surprisingly both pumpkins and squash can also be an ingredient in cookies.Of course, as with anything with it, there is a lot of heavy spicing a Ong with raisins.There are even squash chocolate chip snaps.Because squash is fibrous and watery , expect the cookies to be cakey and chewy.Candy can also be made from it as well.It's a neat way of combining healthy with wicked ,just to get the kids to eat veggies. This is the height of the squash and pumpkin season.Try these versatile gourds in everything from soup to candy.It a great way to vary the family's diet as well as making it healthy one too.

Discovering Malaysian Dishes

Fall is the time of year to discover and sample new flavors.One should be Malaysian cuisine, especially if you're tired of Chinese and Japanese. this is a different kind of Asian cooking, a mélange of East blending with West. Malaysia is located next to Thailand along with Singapore and near the Philipines.The main culinary influences are Filipino,Indian and Thai with lesser influences from the Britain,Portuguese and Dutch.The last was probably due to the sailors and missionaries who visited and settled the area.Two of the most used ingredients are chili peppers, in particular, bird's eye chili, an extremely hot variety.Another ingredient is a shrimp paste called belacan.It's pressed into a block and sun dried.It's an acquired smell and taste.Belmican can be ground and used with other spices such as garlic, shallots, Ginger and onions , to create rempah.It can also be blended with lime juice and shallots for a wet paste and condiments too.Coconuts are another key ingredient in Malaysian cooking. it's usually used as flakes or toasted and then ground into a powder called kerisik.Coconut fronds and sugar made from the coconut flower are also used in meal prep.All these ingredients make Malaysian cuisine a funky marriage of very sweet and very salty tastes.You can try an afternoon kuih, a meal of bite sized goodies.This is probably taken from the British high tea.Tidbits are a combo of small cakes and sweets.Imagine Alice In Wonderland's tea party with an Asian vibe.Fanciful cakes share plates with curry puffs, small pies filled with chicken / and or potatoes.Dishes of rice pudding are served along side of small rounds topped with shrimp paste. If you want something more substantial then think about trying Ayam goring ,a spicy fried chicken, zested with turmeric and other spices.Another dish, also involving fried chicken, a ram masak me rah,are braised in a spicy tomato and pea sauce.Curry is also big in Malaysian cooking. Gulai is a curried stew, that can be made from chicken but also beef or mutton.It can also be created with seafood and fish.Exotic veggies such as cassava are added with turmeric used for color and taste.The Chinese influence is strong as seen in its' ketupat.These are boiled rice dumplings cooked in palm frond pouches.Itis served for the Muslim holiday of Eid and is stuffed with curried beef.Many foodies are familiar with the Thai version of satay.It's a kind of kabob and cooked over an open grill it's super tasty and super fun to eat.It can be made from chicken or beef, first marinated and highly spiced.Desserts are heavily infused with coconut, both the flesh and the milk.Aikskrim potong is a kind of Popsicle made with coconut and condensed milk.Those two ingredients are also key in coconut candies, a kind of divinity fudge made for special occasions and holidays.Bean paste and curd are also used, sweetened and made in to puddings. Maylasian food is a different and exciting change of pace from the usual Asian fare.Try it to experience a new range of combined flavors and exotic dishes.It's a fun and fiery way to welcome in the fall.

Apples Sweet And Savory

It is apple season.There are baskets of them gracing the fruit sections of every supermarket.Orchards are rife with them.What's great about them is that they're versatile in both sweet and surprisingly savory dishes.Another plus is that there are so many different varieties that you can use any one of them in different recipes. Sweet apple recipes abound.One of the easiest and most fun is candy or caramel apples.It does require patience to enrobe them in that sugary goo.However they are fun to eat ,especially if you use the super tart Granny Smith kind.You can add some chopped peanuts or flaked coconut for crunch.Another beloved recipe is for apple fritters.These are purely decadent, especially when a splash of apple cider or apple brand is tossed into the batter.However they're good on their own, with just a dusting of powdered sugar.The best apples for this are Cortland,Golden Delicious or Mutsu.For a pie or tart with bite use Granny Smith in place of the other.Serve the finished pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream or to bring out the fruit's earthy sweetness, try a slice of sharp cheddar.One of the easiest apple recipes is apple sauce.This is simply simmered cubed cooking apples with sugar and a scant amount of water.It not only makes for a great dessert but also a relatively healthy snack and even breakfast.Speaking of the first meal, apples are wonderful in pancakes.They're definitely perfect for a Sunday brunch or just a hearty mid week treat.Try the Dutch apple one that"s baked and can be served for the morning meal or as a nice dessert with whipped cream and cinnamon. Apples are a treat in savory dishes as well.Apple slices are the stars in the famed Waldorf Salad.This blend of savory and sweet also has raisins and celery for flavor and crunch.You can also add leftover chicken or turkey to make it more of a main dish than a side.Another tasty apple based salad is one with walnuts and blue cheese.You can also do a salad with only a variety of different kinds from Fuji to Braymore, Mix with romaine and an apple cider based vinaigrette.The Germans have always known that apples go well with pork (and aid in the digestion too).Jazz up those boring pork chops with a mix of butter sautéed apples mixed with onions.You can also make a caramel sauce using brown sugar and peppercorns cooked together.Top the meat with heaping spoonfuls of it.Home chefs can also top a loin of pork with a spicy apple topping.Tenderloins can also benefit from this fruit as can pork loins.Try a stuffing made with Fujis and raisins.Beef dishes can also have the added zing of the fall harvest.Experiment with an apple infused beef stew.It's the perfect ,meal for fall, with the taste of apples and spices, cooked to perfection in a Dutch oven.You can also try beef fillets with apples as well.The two work well with each other, and bring out the other's rich flavors. Apples are in abundance right now.Try them in any meal, from breakfast to dinner or in a lunchtime salad.They're not only tasty but versatile.Try a recipe or two with your harvest.

New York Times Cooking App My New Love

After writing about the New York Times cooking app I can't keep my hands off it.It's everything a foodie and a food writer loves.There's recipes galore along with how tos about - well almost everything.There's one for creme fraiche, another for homemade barbecue sauce and even butter.This app site will probably change the way we think about recipes as well as rethinking the need for the old fashioned recipe book, full of pages. What is so great about the app is that you can customize it.There are vegan recipes for those who have eschewed meat.For fans of the Times Dining writers such as David Tanis and Julia Moskin, there are sections called recipe boxes of just their recipes.The site also has categories, with some good recipes about how to roast a Thanksgiving turkey and easy summer ones. chowder lovers will rejoice at the variety of chowder recipes from a buttery lobster one to the classic Manhattan clam.home chefs who love to experiment with regional cooking will also rejoice in the different American cuisines.There is everything from Tex Mex to a cornucopia of Southern fried chicken recipes.the holidays are covered .There are even recipes when you're home sick, from ginseng tea to a surprisingly spicy take on chicken soup. How is this different from the other cooking apps out there?Well, for one thing it is The New York Times, and the second is home chefs are receiving a kind of master class.Other cooking apps rely on everyday recipes along with people's home recipes.What may be tasty for one isn't always tasty for another.The pictures accompanying the dishes aren"t always the best either.(ok, most of the Times cooking app pics have been photographed by some of the best photogs in the business).The Times app also has a more concise grouping of dishes. There are problems with the apps as well.From the reviews I've read, most of the cooking apps crash and that's not good.Another problem is that some are just plain goofy.I mean the marijuana.cookbook app?????Really??The Times app does have a few shortcomings.It should have a section where home chefs can write a grocery list ,along a map to finding places in your area where you can find exotic ingredients.It could stand with a meal planning or party planning section but that's a minor complaint. If you haven't already go to The Times Cooking app or site.You'll get a slew of ideas for cooking and baking.They will inspire any home chef, from novice to the experienced to make a delicious top quality dish.

NYT Dining The Cooking Issue

Today's New York Times Dining issue is the perfect guide for any level of home chef.It is the cooking issue and it has almost nothing but recipes as well as technique how toss .This is also a great refresher for those who spent the summer wiling away too much time grilling and taking out.It is a good one to really study for home cooking skills. The issue coincides with the new Cooking app (Ipad only) and website from the New York Times.It has thousands of recipes from years past.It's pretty neat because you start the site having you recipe box and then fill it with recipes and ideas suited to your tastes and skill levels.The section has former chefs like the great Craig Claiborne (whose recipes I instantly put into my recipe box) to Mark Bittman and Melissa Clark.Anyone can benefit from this as will families.Sam Sifton,the Dining section's main editor, has an easy meal anyone can make.It's just the great Craig Claiborne's smothered chicken recipe with a side of buttered green beans.It has the Southern technique that calls for covering the chicken pieces with an weighted inverted dinner plate.This presses the chicken skin into the pan and creates a seared piece.There are other good nuggets of advice laced throughout the issue.Florence Fabricant and Mark Bittman both show how a home chef should go shopping along with balancing cooking time to multitasking.For bakers there is sound advice from Martha Rose Schulman who gives pointers as how to create a perfect tart and how to freeze the dough. One of the best articles is an entire page devoted to many different sorts of technique.This page is a keeper, especially for novices.There are simple ones such as trimming meat along with clarifying butter and chiffonading basil (roll up the leaves and then chop into ribbons).There are practical techniques such as cutting eggplant for the perfect Parmesan or fried slices.There's also a how to on how to shock vegetables, which is plunging steamed veggies into a waiting ice bath.This is done to firm and brighten them for plating.There are methods on how to deglaze along with prepping ribs and poaching fish.The page is chock full of different cutting ,slicing and dicing methods that you can use for every meal.Beginnners can even use it to practice some of the more complicated techniques such as making a roux , butterflying any piece of meat or one of the diciest, deveining shrimp. Home chefs should rejoice at the new app and this Dining issue welcoming it.There are some great recipes from some great chefs.This is not only a way of expanding your repertoire but also improving it.