Not Your Average Italian Cook

Italian cuisine is the most traditional of all cuisines.Or is it?There 's a new kind of chef that's rethinking traditional dishes while still honoring centuries of good recipes.He's creating quite a stir and gaining a massive fan base. Melissa Clark not only got to interview this chef,Massimo ,Bottura but got to sample his nonna's risotto, a milky creation that include the usual arborio rice AND cappuccino . Chef Bottura come from Modena, a well known culinary area where fresh ingredients and good recipes abound.He is the chef and owner there of the three starred Osteria Francesana.Ms.Clark opened up her kitchen to him where he made riso al latte or rice and milk.This is a traditional dish grandmothers male for the or nicotini or grandchildren.However he modernizes it with a covering of bread crumb foam,this last thanks to his nitrous oxide siphon.Even wilder is the tomato berry salad drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar.Ms Clark liked this,her daughter, more of food critic than her mom, didn't. Well not at first.He gave her a puff of breadcrumb foam(Chef Bottura specializes in foam) and she didn't cotton to it.However both mother and daughter loved the rice underneath, after he added some sweetened cappuccino.This is more of a dessert than a dinner.Think an espresso laced rice pudding which would be great after grilled meat or another Bottura recipe bollito misto or boiled meat. Chef Bottura is somewhat of a wild card on the Italian restaurant scene.He takes traditional recipes and zings them into another stratosphere. Ms Clark fell in love with his dishes when she visited his restaurant in Modena.His plates are a mix of traditional Emilia Romagna and an homage to Ferran Adria, the great chef who introduced foamed sauces to the public at his famed El Bulli.It comes as no surprise then to learn that the chef spent a summer working there, learning and absorbing the take on post Modern cooking.Like Chef Adria he combines science with cooking.He is known for Memory Of A Mortadella Sandwich, a rosette of mortadella foam along with Snow Under The Sunan unusualamd highly interesting raw potatoes with porcini gelatin coffee powder and snails.His take on bollito misto was almost considered a sacrilege by fellow chefs because he re imagined it as the Manhattan skyline.The meat is not boiled but cooked sous vide,cooking it in. Gasp plastic bags.He has famous fans too who praise his outré ideas such as the late and always great Lou Reed,along with fellow chefs Mario Battali who dubbed him the Jimi Hendrix of Italian Chefs.For fans or those curious about his recipes, Chef Bottura has a brand new cookbook Never Trust A Skinny Italian Chef. Chef Bottura is rethinking and changing the face of Italian cuisine.It may not be what purists want but it is what modern foodie's want.It is different but still maintains the flavors and ingredients of a traditional Italy.

Tarte Tatin Easy As Pie

Most home bakers have made at least one apple pie by now.This is apple season and the most obvious dish is pie.Unfortunately many find the recipe cloying the process tedious.If that's the case then look to the French.Their recipe tarte that in is a great way to use apples and enjoy a luxurious but relatively easy dessert. Julia Moskin recommended this recipe in her Recipe Lab Column in today's New York Times Dining section.Even though she is an accomplished baker as well as cook, she sought advice from Ron Paprocki, pastry chef at the famed Gotham Bar and Grill.His tarte Tatin is so well liked that it has a cult following.This dessert isn't really so much of a pie but a fluffy , buttery tart,it's origins coming from the Hotel Tatin in the Sologne region of the Loire Valley.It requires both the stove top and the oven, but it's not as complicated as that.Really. The apples are caramelized first then the bottom crust is put over them.The entire tarte is then flipped and baked in an oven.The result is a heavenly mix of buttery layered crust and the fruit.One of the aspects of the pie is it doesn't have cinnamon or brown sugar to detract from the rich earthy sweetness of the apple slices.It just the sugar and butter that brings it all to another level.Unlike American pies that require the tart Granny Smith tarte Tatin requires Braeburn or a mix of the Grannies and Honeycrisps to balance out the first 's tartness.The apples should be peeled and quartered before baking.As for the crust you can make it yourself or just buy the puff pastry. With any French dish, it's all about the hardware and the technique.You should have a heavy skillet for cooking the apples.This makes for a better caramelization and cooking Another must is drying the apples so they're not soggy.This is a have to because it can ruin the tart's texture.Pastry chef Paprocki recommends this,his method being leaving the sliced and peeled apples in bowls.Fans are then set around to dry them out.Home bakers can do this just by putting the slices in bowl covered by paper towels and placing it in the fridge for a couple of days. The result is leathery apples but doing this makes them hold their shapes during the caramelization process.Said process can be daunting however there's no need to freak out over this.Carmelization is actually easy.First take a layer of butter in the pan; this acts as a buffer to the then added white sugar.The apples are then put into a flower petal arrangement, standing up as opposed to just laying down.They are then caramelized,bathed in a mix of their own juices with the butter and sugar,.The pastry is then draped over them, kind of like draping a blanket over oneself.This should be done after five minutes and then popped into a waiting and hot oven.Don't worry if it turns out as a mush,This is one of the best parts of the tart Tatine.It is good on it's own but you can add a creme fraiche to it. Tarte Tatin is a tasty alternative to apple pie. It is a happy marriage of butter ,sugar and apples. This modern French classic is a great way to celebrate the harvest.

A Perfect Tea For Coleridge

Today is Samuel Taylor Coleridge's birthday and for many of his fans, including myself , this is a day to celebrate the great poet's birthday.He was born in the lovely Devonshire town of Ottery Saint Mary , where cream teas and other good food abound.This is English country food, of the finest farm to table and sea to table variety. Devon is a coastal county or shire located on the English Channel.It may be the birthplace of Coleridge but its main seaside town, Torquay, became famous thanks to the hilarious TV show "Faulty Towers" over forty years ago.The area boasts true farm to table cuisine.One of the most famous dishes is the pasty.This is a small, handheld pie stuffed with meat, usually beef or sausage.The pastry is buttery and flaky ,a melt in your mouth treat, especially if the filling is juicy and tender.Another tea or lunch time treat is white pudding, a highly spiced pork sausage.Mutton, lamb and beef are abundant here and everyone from visiting foodie's to locals can enjoy a variety of different roasts and stews .Since there are plenty of creameries, there is also plenty of good cheese.A favorite and decadent treat is fried cheese.This is when small wedges of different cheeses are breaded and then deep fried .A dash of tart lignon berry jam.They also love potted cheese, basically leftover cheese mixed with butter an, pounded for malleability and then poured into a pot.Sometimes sherry is added for zing and then it's served with bread or crackers.There is some good cheese here, from the cream cheese like Curworthy and Sharpham, a Devon take on the French Brie.Surprisingly seaweed plays a part in the diet too, thanks to locals gathering it up from the Devon coast. It's not as popular as it once was, however some chefs are cooking with it and appreciate it's nutritional value The county is also famed for it's cream teas.This is a proper English tea but with clotted cream generously dotting scones along with a healthy scoop of homemade jam.Most usually serve the tame and almost boring strawberry jam but some prefer the highly tart and eye opening rhubarb and gooseberry sorts.Devon is also known for their apples and these along with apple cakes abound here.Some recipes have been handed down since Elizabethan times and I'm sure Coleridge enjoyed a few during his boyhood in the Devon countryside?Clotted cream also figures in fudge as well.Creameries featuring fresh made ice cream is sold throughout the area, some creameries even using clotted cream as a base. Samuel Taylor Coleridge grew up with some of the freshest foods for his time.They can still be enjoyed today, thanks to the purity and abundance of meats, fish produce and dairy.Devonshire food is the food of poets, supplying them with sustenance for centuries.

A Healthy Birthday

Can you have your birthday cake and eat it too? Most diet conscious people will say no and insist on a tiny sliver instead of a hearty slice.However even a decadent birthday meal can also be good for you healthy.You can go crazy for your birthday , but it can be backed up with reason and thought. One of the most wanted or desired birthday meals is lobster.It is rich in flavor and the height of decadence,as well as self indulgence,It isn't high in calories, and it is vitamin and mineral packed.It's loaded with magnesium, niacin or Vitamin and potassium.It is high in cholesterol however so if you do have cholesterol issues, rethink it.Yes, you can have it with butter but for a better choice, just ask for a lemon wedge to spritz on it.You can also turn the lobster into a salad, with a simple olive oil and lemon or lime dressing.Serve it with bright and crisp Romaine lettuce along with Campari tomatoes and corn kernels. You could also make a lobster wrap with a tarragon dressing. Roast beef is another birthday wish for.It's a low calorie meat with only fifty four calories a slice.Unfortunately so many people love their roast beef on bread or stuffing ,drenched in gravy.This is the height of tastiness but drenched in fat and cholesterol, not to mention starch.A better alternative is a steak salad ,with a bed of kale, beefsteak tomatoes ,and red peppers.Nothing beats a beef fajita .You can even make this at home for a festive in house party.Cook up onions and peppers and just top with fresh made guacamole and salsa .If you want a tad of creaminess add just a dollop of sour cream.You could also add steak to pasta sauce for a truly delicious meal. As for sweets, yes there is is the birthday cake.The best part is the icing.?Let's face it nothing beats the sweet creaminess of a well made buttercream and that absolute prize, the pink blue or yellow buttercream rose.Each tablespoon has about sixty calries of fat.If you truly want the traditional taste for your big day, then gofer a cupcake.One 'loaded" cupcake is about three hundred calories.The best part is no leftovers.If you do want. Cake then think about an angel food cake.This is only seventy two calories per slice.What is great abut angel food cake is that it pairs up well with everything. One of the best is strawberries or blueberries but you can also try sliced banana with dark chocolate sauce.Also have a big blob of Cool Whip on top too.Fruit pies are another low calorie birthday treat .Add Ginger for zing and if you're baking it yourself,, then go for farm picked ones.A fruit birthday cake is super healthy and super fun.All you need is a watermelon as the base and various other fruits as decorations.Ice cream cakes are also big. However you can make a healthier one using frozen Greek yogurt along with fruit, syrup and CoolWhip as the icing. You can have your birthday cake and meal and eat them too.Just have it on the healthy side.It's a birthday gift to yourself, one that"s good for your heart and taste buds.

Your Fall Staple The Potato

Fall demands heartier eating.This is not to say that you should abandon healthy eating for rich sauces and bigger portions,Ypu can eat wisely thanks tone root vegetable.The potato is a good stick to your ribs addition along with being versatile.There are dozens of heart healthy recipes that fit into anyone's diet. Before you go shopping ,be ware that potato centered dishes demand certain types.What works for fries may not be good for gracing a roast.Surprisingly there are more than one hundred types of spuds being sold in the S. There are seven types such as russet, red, white ,yellow along with the purple/blue fingerling and petite. Russet potatoes are medium to long with an oblong or flattened oval shape.these can be used for baking, frying, mashed or roasted.The red kind are always small with thin red skin and a pure white flesh.Their sweet taste is the perfect foil for any beef or pork roast.The yellow potatoes are their golden counterparts but with a richer, more buttery flavor.These too, can be used to grace roasts can also use them in salads too.White potatoes are similar to the russet.They're good for mashing or frying.Purple and blue potatoes are the most exotic,They have a moist firm flesh but also have a high starch content.Be warned their texture can be floury and unusual for those, especially kids tasting them for the first time.Fingerling potato kinds are similar to these but actually more familiar to the American palate. The taste is nutty and are good for frying and roasting.Another choice is the petite, marble sized but carrying a big flavor.These are the best for potato salad because of their size. One of the easiest potato recipes is the baked.The best bet is still the old fashioned oven way.Microwaved baked potatoes are iffy,Sometimes they just don't cook all the way through which means another trip back to the microwave.The oven is longer but infinitely better.Potatoes should be baked in a 425 degree oven for fifty to sixty minutes.Prep them with a rub of olive oil and sea salt.Prick the skin all over with a fork and set on foil.I like mine with just butter but you can put anything on them, from cheddar and bacon to chili to cooked veggies.Another fall favorite is potato soup.What I like about this is that is is a blank canvas.You can add everything from bacon and corn to create a chowder to leeks to make a chic potage.This is usually a summer soup served chilled however it can also be served hot as an ideal fall meal.Scalloped potatoes are a great side to any Sunday roast dinner.It may sound hard but it's easy to Whip up.Used sliced Russet potatoes and layer in a casserole .A cooked mix of cream and butter is layered on it and then the entire dish is baked.Tail gating parties demand potato salad.Try one with grilled potatoes for a new spin.I prefer my family's recipe.It is a subtle mix of red potatoes and two hard boiled eggs with mixed with celery and chopped onion.The only dressing is just mayo, a cup of it mixed with oil to every pound used. Make this tuber your fall kitchen go to.Potatoes are varied and versatile. they can be turned into yummy, ribsticking recipes that are both tasty and good for you.

Easy Light Meals

 A good home cooked dinner that not only that promote good health but light on calories is a hard find. Many home chefs shy away from recipes that are good for you, simply because they're not packed with flavor. A new cookbook is changing that,  Woman's Day Easy Everyday Lighter Dinners  provides home chefs with recipes not only for dinners and sides but also desserts/ You don.t have to sacrifice taste for eating/ There's a wide variety of different dishes that will appeal to everyone.

The beloved magazine, Woman's Day has created a delightful and all encompassing cookbook with Hearst Publishers. that features all lighter fare.Kate Merker, the magazine's food editor as well as the chief editor, Susan Spencer have3 created the perfect cookbook for those watching their weight as well as their cholesterol and salt intake.What t is great about all the recipes is that they not only work for a weekday dinner but also for a holiday meal.Another plus is that they are easy to read  and easy to make a novice home chef could make the vegetable lasagna for Christmas or New Year's and with good results too. For those wondering if these good for you dishes lack flavor, don't fret. Try the seafood , chorizo  and vegetable stew, redolent with fennel, and tomatoes ,scented with garlic.Even kids will fall for these tasty dishes such as the tortilla crusted fish sticks with a side of crunchy slaw or the. asparagus and potato pizza.

The side recipes are also good and would be great on any holiday table whether it be summer or winter. There is the chic and elegant green beans almondine, ramped up a notch with garlic There's a yummy looking corn on the cob with chili sat all the recipes come with a picture}this is a snap to make, boil the corn make the seasoning and serve.One of my future favorites will be the smashed root vegetables,a blend of parsnips, potatoes rutabegas and carrots made creamy not with milk but with olive oil,Easy Everyday Lighter Dinners has an excellent  dessert section.I love that there are even holiday cookies like the stained glass ones, made with crushed hard candiesThere's  also the mini version of the classic blck and white. Yes there are fruit recipes, the cooking honeydew and mint ices as well as the melon pops.The editors s also include a classic poached pear in red wine , a perfect ending to a dinner with friends.

Creating healthy and delicious meals really is simple , especially if you use Woman's Day Easy Everyday Lighter Dinners. Home chefs have a cornucopia of recipes from soups to desserts  that are not only tasty but also heart healthy. It makes for good eating all around, even including dessert.

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A Wild Spin On Schnitzel

Schnitzel has always been associated with veal.Considering the heaviness of the dish,this light,delicately flavored meat works well with it.After all a stronger tasting meat might clash with the breadcrumbs and the residual taste of the oil.Yet that's being challenged.Many foodie's are trying a pork version that stands up well to the other flavors in the recipe.It makes for a heartier meal, perfect for a fall night. Melissa Clark featured pork schnitzel in her A Good Appetite column in yesterday's New York Times Dining section.Pork is in some ways a better medium to cook than veal.Veal is light. ,and easy to digest.It's a lean meat where as the other is fatty.However pork is also richer tasting and also forgiving. Home chefs can screw up with it and it's not so bad.It i easier to work with and a better meat to cook on those busy week days.Ms , Clark recommends using a boneless loin cutlet, preferably one with a ring of fat around it.Like the veal version it should be pounded with the smooth side of meat mallet.( although you can use a drinking glass and wax paper in a pinch)She dredges the pieces in panko breadcrumbs but you can use regular plain or unflavored ones.Fry up in safflower peanut or vegetable oil until golden and crisp. Ms Clark and I differ in what the sides would be with a pork schnitzel.She recommends homemade pickles ,I would go for the more traditional spaetzles with mushroom gravy.She gives the recipe ,a simple, one for the pickles , wanting something tart and crispy to complement the rich pork taste of the schnitzel.If you don't feel like making these, you can just spritz the cutlets with fresh lime juice.Most use lemon to cut the oily taste and the aftertaste too, however, the other adds a more refreshing zing.I would have a side of plain spaetzles , possibly with a homemade mushroom gravy or spaetzles with red cabbage if I want zest.Ms Clark also recommends serving the meat with a serving of lingenberry jam.This last is also a tart palate cleanser that would go well with the cutlets.Again this is a good idea but I would serve an unsweetened apple sauce to balance the meat's strong earthy taste.She also tosses chopped scallions on the schnitzel too, which would works and is a nice finish. Pork schnitzel is a nice spin on the traditional Austrian one.It is heartier, perfect for the cool fall nights.Have it with pickles or red cabbage and spaetzles for zest.The dish is an easy one and a tasty alternative to the veal version.