Bulletproofing Your Diet

Everyone thinks that the start of the holiday season means extra pounds and tight clothes. Not necessarily.You can actually eat tons of butter and red meat between now and the New Year's and actually lose weight. There's a new cookbook showing how with  the bulletproof way of eating. It's a great way of keeping healthy and satisfied during the weeks ahead.

Bulletproof, The Cookbook (Rodale Press) was written by David Asprey who also wrote The Bulletproof Diet, and developed the discipline of the same name. Mr.Asprey was a Silicon Valley tech magnate when he discovered a way to improve his life and shed pounds His famed  bulletproof coffee, a mix of high energy coffee beans, oil and grassfed butter, has a following that includes Jimmy Fallon.Mr. Asprey  recommends using grassfed butter in almost all of his recipes (more on that later). The book is an instrumental guide in how to cook as well as how to live .He recommends very rarely using microwaves because of the radiation leakage as well as not cooking food in metal pots and pans. Dieters following his advice should be buying a sous vide- and also gentle baking or baking at the moderate temperature of 325 degrees Farenheit.  In a way the bulletproof diet is one of extremes Mr Asprey recommends eating grass fed beef but looks down on eating certain fruits like cantaloupes and plums He is big on avocados along with Brussels sprouts and olives. One of the best aspects of the book is that he values spices, and their benefits. The diet is rich in cancer fighting turmeric and cinnamon, along with cloves , the last not normally used a lot in every day cooking.

The recipes are tantalizing, despite the many restrictions. Mr/ Asprey used grassfed butter along with the Indian clarified butter or ghee  in many main and side dishes. He also uses a lot of coconut oil and a concoction you can buy on his website called Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil. Unlike some diet recipe books, there is a wide variety of recipes that will appeal to all ages.He has an interesting spin on Salad Nicoise, which uses trout and sweet potatoes as opposed to the usual tuna and yellow potatoes.He gives a nod to the Paleo diet with  recipes for bone broth and an Asian version of it. The sides are pretty tasty too,His buttered kale and buttered Brussels sprouts would be good gracing a Thanksgiving turkey as would his spice roasted fennel. There are recipes for smoothies and lattes with one for the famed Bulletproof coffee. Surprisingly there are also dessert recipes in here as well such as bulletproof cupcakes made with the chocolate and vanilla bulletproof powders (that can be bought on the website) along with recipes for pineapple granita and blueberry gelato.The back of the book is devoted to home made condiments like mayo and herbed butters. Newbies may want to try these out before embarking on the whole lifestyle

Bulletproof The Cookbook, along with the actual diet is a great way of losing weight and gaining energy for the busy holiday season ahead. It's full of yummy dishes that cater to everyone. It's flavor plus goodness .

A Drunk Turkey And Other Ideas

What goes well with a holiday meal? A holiday drink. Any wine, cocktail or punch can highlight all types of food, from a roast to a cookie. It's just knowing what to serve and what pairs well with it. This creates a nice harmony  where one accents the other.

Many will wonder what will go with next week's holiday meal. After all, a true Thanksgiving dinner has a mélange of flavors , from the unami of the gravy, the saltiness of the meat and stuffing to the sweetness of the yams and cranberries. Since turkey is fowl , it's best to stick with a white wine, preferably sparkling. The German Reisling is about your best bet.it goes well with any flavor, sweet salty and even spicy.It is a very fruity wine with notes of apple and apricot which makes it the perfect companion for a sweet potato casserole along with a crisp turkey leg.Another  German white is Gerwurtztraminer, a lively white that has a slight spiciness to it.  Sauvignon Blanc,a crisp citrusy wine, that has strong herbaceous and cut grass overtones.is a good one to pair with  any spicy dish, especially a strong herb based dressing.It is also a great wine for party food too.Serve it with artichokes dip or even bruschetta at a Christmas or New Year's get together.Red wines can also be served at the Thanksgiving table.Pinot Noir is about the best one because its' fruitiness and earthy, fungi tones shows off the bird and the different sides..

Thanksgiving is the official start of the holiday season. It's when mixed drinks and boozy punches reign supreme. You can liven up the holiday dinners and get togethers afterwards with an apple cider cocktail. This is a mix of  rum, apple cider and cinnamon schnapps  with a apple kabob garnish., apple cubes skewered on a  swizzle stick.It would also be a fun sip at any tree decorating party too. A mulled cider is a nice way to finish any holiday meal.A warm cup of it is a dessert , after a heavy feast and best of all it's non-alcoholic. It's just simmering the liquid with allspice, cloves and cinnamon. A thinly sliced orange is also added to cut the spiciness and cut through the heaviness.For pure elegance serve a cranberry Kir Royale. This is a bit labor intensive but worth it for the sleek flavor. It's first cooking down frozen cranberries along with orange juice and zest with sugar.it is then strained and cooled. The thick syrup is then spooned into the bottom of champagne flutes and any kind of champagne is poured over this for a layered effect.Cranberries can be added for decoration. For real fun , think about an apple pie sangria , a kind of punch made with Pearl Apple Pie vodka, cider and pear nectar. Ginger ale is added for bubble and fizz.It's a great party drink too, perfect with roast pork or a nice roasted ham.

Yes, this is the season for food and wine. It's part of the holiday feasting to pair holiday dishes with holiday drinks. The two set each other off perfectly.enhancing its' other flavors and notes.

Gravy Training

One of the most important parts of any holiday dinner is the gravy. It can be the thin au jus which lets thee meat shine or a thick, rich sauce that's perfect on slices of turkey and bread. The secret to any gravy is a good recipe and how you make it. It' not just luck. Technique and know how play important roles too.

What exactly is au jus?It's from the French and means with it's own juice.It's used primarily with beef dishes like prime rib or London Broil but it can be used with turkey too. To prepare  all home chefs have to do simply skim the fat off the meat after cooking and mixed with water .It is then heated  until bubbling an d then poured over the meat. A sandwich can be made,using the roast and typically French bread,  and it can be dunked in the gravy. This is called a French dip and is very popular in diners and some restaurant chains like Denny's and Friendly's. Soy sauce and Worcester sauce can be added to enhance the brown color along with brown sugar, garlic and onion , these last added to enhance the flavor. Turkey au jus is easy to make.It's just skimming the juices from the bottom of the pan. You can add dry white wine or butter to stretch it.You can also add a cup of chicken broth to stretch it out if you want. Au jus can be frozen for three month however be warned. Freezing and then reheating makes it lose its' flavor. It's better off eaten fresh with the meat.

Many people prefer the thicker kind of gravy. After all, it goes well with everything from slices of whte meat to mashed potatoes to stuffing.It's also good reheated, ,moistening a sandwich made with leftovers. This gravy is easy  to make. It starts with a roux, a mix of butter or fat with flour and water. Home chefs can omit the butter, because the drippings already have fat.Drain the drippings off the bird along with skimming off the fat. This last will be mixed with a 1/4 cup of flour and will be whisked into a smooth almost paste like gravy. Pour the dripping into this until thick and creamy. Constant stirring and whisking  is key here..Gravy can lump up which can ruin it. If there are any flour lumps, then break them up with a fork and then forcefully stir into the liquid.If you want a meatier version then add the giblets. These are the gizzards, neck, liver and heart of the bird and should be cooked for at least an hour or until they're tender before adding.They're then minced and added to the gravy.It's recommended to cook these before you start on the main part. Leftover gravy should be refrigerated right after using due to the fact that it's a bacteria magnet. It can be frozen for up to four months in an airtight container.

Gravy, whether it's the delicate au jus,or the hearty thick kind adds so much to  the Thanksgiving dinner. Make either one for a tasty plus that goes with both bird and stuffing . They'll not only enhance dinner but also make the leftovers special too.

More Thanksgiving From The Times

For those of you who missed out on last week's New York Times Food section, there is another one, filled with more advice and different, exciting recipes. Best of all this issue features' not only an homage to Julia Child but also her best Thanksgiving recipes..These last alone are keepers and perfect for establishing new traditions at the holiday table.

Times Food expert Julia Moskin wrote about the another food expert Julia along with the recipes Ms. Child gave us.She interviewed Sheryl Julian , the current food editor at the Boston Globe., about her two Thanksgivings at the Child home. Surprisingly the meal was devoid of all Gallic influence. In fact it was a very simple meal, inspired by Ms. Child''s New England heritage (her mother's line could be traced back to the first Thanksgiving celebrants.) One recipe is genius . It is a kind of "sandwich" involving shaping two boneless turkey breasts around stuffing.It's then wrapped in turkey skin and cheesecloth  and basted with butter. The result is a golden roast that's done in two hours and slices like a dream. She also served early American staples like oysters and pumpkins. Ms. Moskin also includes Ms. Child's recipe, her Aunt Helen's fluffy pumpkin pie. It's a decadent old fashioned kind with heavy cream and bourbon or rum added.There is also a spicy dried fruit sauce that could go with the pie or better yet, topping French style vanilla ice cream.

Another good article from the issue is from Melissa Clark and it involves the second stars of the Thanksgiving feast: the sides. These are not your typical ones. They're bright and zesty, a refreshing breeze after the heaviness of gravy and turkey. She suggests leaving those alone along with the mashed potatoes. There could be a revolt if you change them comes a caveat.One is roasted radishes with anchovies, a kind of bagna calda that would definitely compliment the turkey's sweetness. This could even be a hot appetizer before dinner too. Another is shaved butternut squash with dates,a take on salad with a buttermilk dressing. If guests are still craving green sides then think of  Ms Clark's other recipe, sautéed Brussels sprouts with apple and prosciutto. This last is sautéing sliced apples, preferably Golden Delicious,  with the sprouts. They're then covered with shaved prosciutto and for vegetarians and vegans, shaved Pecorino cheese. Desserts have also been changed up to, thanks to David Tanis.He combines another flavor of the season, chestnut with chocolate in a light , flourless cake..It is made with chestnut flour and chestnuts for an airy flavor,.He took the recipe from cookbook author, Alice Medrich and her chocolate soufflé cake  For those who still want cranberry  Mr. Tanis offers a cranberry curd tart a variation of the French lemon curd one. It still has the same tartness , thanks to the cranberries and a hazelnut crust as opposed to the usual sable or shortbread one.

It's always fun to change up tradition now and then. Home chefs can change their Thanksgiving with the addition of any of these recipes. They're a fun departure from the usual, thanks to the Times.

A Different Spin On Holiday Dishes

In another week we'll all be sitting down to the usual turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes. Yet its' not written in stone that we should have this for Thanksgiving or even Christmas. If the menu is boring, or too predictable, then it's time to mix it up. Nothing livens up a meal than a surprise dish.

Turkey is always a mainstay in any Thanksgiving, holiday or family dinner. It's usually basted in just butter and then seasoned simply with salt and pepper. For a little zing try brining the bird in citrus.It's a mix of lemon and orange wedges with more traditional ingredients such as thyme and onion. A sweeter brine can be made with  apple cider or apple juice. The cider is the hard alcoholic  kind and brown sugar is also added too, along with a variety of spices like cinnamon, allspice and whole peppercorns.If you really want to change it up serve capon which is a castrated rooster..It has a higher fat content , thus having a richer taste and moister texture.It can be brined, just as a turkey, try a lemon sherry one .Many just like it basted  with butter. It's an easier roast than turkey and novice home chefs should try it before graduating to the bigger bird. Some may worry that capons won't feed large crowds. Most are between eight and ten pounds so it can feed a small crowd.Of course there is tofurkey, the tofu loaf that's a standard with vegans and vegetarians. It's certainly different but also healthy.There are zero carbs and it's slightly lower in calories. Be warned however, tofurkey is made with wheat which has gluten.If you want  a different main dish, then go with the capon.

If you still want the traditional turkey , then switch sides - literally. Cranberry sauce usually evinces winces and groans. Liven it up with some spicing.Add some cloves   and cayenne(!) for true zip and zing. There will be no leftovers, guaranteed. Another recipe  is cranberry chutney, a nice alternative to that glop that slides out of the can.The cranberries are mixed with cut apples and diced celery along with different sweet spices such as cinnamon, ground clove and nutmeg .Mashed potatoes are always thought of as bland sometimes. Try buttermilk instead of regular milk for something different. Garlic mashed potatoes are  a restaurant top favorite. They're easily replicated at home, simply by adding six to seven crushed garlic cloves. Throw in some parmesan cheese for more flavor. A totally different interpretation is making the mashed potatoes the day before and then turn them into puffs. It's an easy transformation of rolling the cold mash into balls then first dipping into beaten eggs and then bread crumbs. Fry in oil or butter. It's a fun crisp twist on the classic goes well with gravy or as a base for a hot turkey sandwich.

Thanksgiving or any holiday dinner is meant to be fun eating. Liven it up with some twists and spin on the original. It wll be a memorable meal with truly memorable dishes that everyone will love.

Stuffed With Stuffing

Stuffing always takes a supporting role in any holiday dining. Yet, it complements any fowl through, while maintaining  its' own savory flavor. One of the best things about stuffing or filling is that it's easy to create. Novice home chefs can make one as good as experienced home chefs can,

Stuffing is one of the oldest dishes, being invented by the Romans. Look in one of the earliest cookbooks , De re Coquineria and find dressing recipes for chicken,rabbit, pork and even dormouse !(luckily for us stuffed rodents went out of culinary fashion) The French were and still are the biggest makers of stuffing,It was also big in Renaissance England where it was known as farci.The dish got a name change in Victorian England when it was renamed dressing.Jump 100 years to 1972 when  Stovetop Stuffing was invented and changed the way America ate the dish. It was primarily eaten just for Thanksgiving with some families also eating it  for Christmas. Stovetop Stuffing changed all that.It was an easy mix and stuffing could made during any season. Most home chefs usually go for a strictly bread ,however there is also chestnut,rice and sausage based ones too. Stuffing depends mainly on taste. The recipe is flexible, with different kinds of breads and even pretzels being used for texture and a variety of herbs and spices used to vary the flavor.


What is the best dressing? Most people love a bread only stuffing. Many stores just sells loaves that are primarily for the dish. These will have stuffing written on the label and the loaves will be unsliced.This makes it easier for it to tear into workable pieces..  You can also use any other kind of bread. Whole grain is good and imparts a sweet ,  nutty taste that works well with a wild bird like turkey. Stale rolls of any kind work as do braided breads. As for spicing, sage is the number one herb used. Usually a teaspoon or two of dried sage will flavor one recipe. You can also use poultry seasoning too and this can be made at home. It's just a mix of rosemary,thyme, more sage and nutmeg. Before mixing anything soak the bread in chicken broth so  its' "squishy" to manipulate . Eggs are also added as binders to hold everything together..Sauteed chopped celery and onions are also added to give the stuffing a flavor boost too. The mixture should be baked in a butter  greased casserole dish and baked for only forty five minutes.You can stuff the turkey with it but be warned, Many have wound up with salmonella this way, thanks to the bird may have salmonella laden juices that soak into the bread.Wait until both are cooked before you put it in the bird's cavity.it can be easily microwaved  the day later.

Stuffing is a tasty side that usuallysteals the show. It's an easy dish to make this Thanksgiving. Novice home chefs  give it a try. It's a treat that's worth making!

Viva La France Toujours

Our hearts go out to the Parisians and the French who  experienced those atrocious attacks of vile barbarism. It is a shame that the city and country of good food, where haute cuisine originated will have this scar for a long long time. Let's celebrate the dishes and treats of the City of Light. They are magnifique and what the city should be known for.

One favorite is the croque monsieur , that heavenly cheese sandwich.This is one if my all time favorite dishes to make..It's taking ham and Gruyere and drying it in butter. There should be a dash of mustard added for color and bite and it can be served with a béchamel sauce. A croque madam is one served with an egg on top and tomato can also be added for a croque provencale. Another Parisian favorite is steak Diane with pomme frites..These are a snap to make, with pan cooked steak with a cognac,tomato and shallot sauce.The sauce was originally meant for venison and wild game and named after the goddess of hunting , Diana.Pomme frites are French fries which can easily be made with Idaho potatoes. Cut  the potatoes into two to three inch sticks with a 1/2 inch width. Be warned, once you start frying these , you'll be snitching them  as they drain on a paper towel.The omelet is quintessentially French, having being created in the capital city in the 1600s. Originally called an aumelette, it has been a staple of French cookbooks for four centuries.The perfect one is made with three eggs and lots of butter (NO margarine, please). The eggs should be whisked into a smooth glossy liquid and then slowly poured into a hot buttered pan. As soon as the egg mix starts solidifying,, tilt the pan and coax it into a roll. Brush with melted butter for a nice glossy finish and decorate with fleur de sel and chives.

French pastries are another great gift to the culinary world. Croissants are true Parisian specialty, originally coming from Vienna with baker August Zang in 1839 . They were first called kipferl and later croissant by the  city that embraced them. In twenty years times, they were a breakfast staple. Even the famed English writer, Charles Dickens,  wrote about it in his periodical, All The Year Round. A variation of the croissant is pain au chocolat, a yummy, layered squared filled with bitter chocolate.There is also the almond croissant , stuffed with a buttery, crunchy almond paste, and again the taste is sheer heaven. Cream puffs, or profiteroles are another lovely treat,made with the slightly complicated choux pastry and filled with cream. These are topped off with melted dark chocolate and made into a tower called croquenbuche, translated as crunch in mouth. Eclairs are another must when in Paris. These are not those soggy ones American bakeries sell, but light , crisp choux pastry fingers filled with whipped cream or vanilla pastry crème and topped with a generous coating of melted semisweet chocolate. Patisseries also sell mille feulle,a thousand leaves, a crunchy  creamy layered pastry , perfect with the French coffee, café au lait

Vive le France! Vive Paris! Its ' people and food will shine through these dark days ! They have in the past, they will again! Salut!