A Chef's Legacy

What will a cook leave the world? Phenomenal food? New recipes? Inventive techniques? That's what one chef, Thomas Keller of the famed French Laundry, is pondering. What is the next chapter of his life book of cookery.

Chef Keller proved to be an interesting topic of an article published in yesterday's New York Times Food section. Regular Food contributor , Kim Severson , interviewed him and talked to him about his future plans.French Laundry is one of the most famous restaurants in the world where dishes such as bread and butter are elevated to culinary heights. He also has created the famed Bouchon bakeries.He has also has designed pots and plates along with olive oil infused chocolates.Chef Keller also sells gluten free flour, Cup4Cup as well as silver clothespins at a store called Finesse.There is the problem of who will inherit all of this.He has no children or protegees.He has also created Per Se and Le Bernardin too, both famous and culinary trendsetters. He does sit on the board of the CIA - the Culinary Institute  of  America . He also started a mentoring program called Ment 'or to further culinary tradition of French cooking in America.It will also guarantee a win at the Bocuse 'd'Or, a competition  named for the famed chef, Paul Bocuse, and his mentor.

Some younger chefs find him  a throw back to the "Madmen" era of restaurants. Preeti Mistry, the owner and chef Juhu Beach Club in Oakland ,California feels that Chef Keller is stuck in another era and  views fine dining as disingenuous , built from a system rife with oppression and hierarchy where women, minorities and gays  - whether they be customers or cooks, are treated the same. He needs to address those issues and bring his restaurant and ideology into the Twenty-first Century. Chef Keller just shrugs this off. He did fight convention as a young chef but after realized that fighting and pushing is worthless.There's no value.Chef Keller believes that hard work and dedication will right all the wrongs. While his attitude may infuriate  a younger generation, Chef Keller will continue to push on. He is overseeing the rehaul of French Laundry where there will be a one million dollar renovation.It will have a soaring kitchen  ceiling that will resemble a large tablecloth floating down.One wall will have a large clock with his favorite saying underneath "Time is Urgency."

Chef Thomas Keller will be leaving a tremendous legacy. French Laundry,Per Se and le Bernardin will be talked about for generations and decades to come.His name will be up there with Escoffier and Child.

The Best French Toast Recipe Ever

With Mother's Day right around the corner, everyone should be honing their breakfast skills. One of the components of a lush morning meal is French toast. Nothing beats this variation of the French pain perdu. It's a surprisingly easy to make dish that even works for a Saturday or Sunday night supper.

Julia Moskin lets us  in on the magic in her column in today's New York Times Food section. She has always gone for what she calls the "slosher" method. where milk and eggs are sloshed together in a bowl. It's then whisked together into a frothy liquid and white bread is dunked in, scooped out and fried in butter.  The chance if it is delicious is about fifty-fifty - not very good odds for any recipe,Ms Moskin goes to a good source for advice , this being  Jessica Koslow, the owner and chef  of Spirit. Her French toast starts with thick, almost steak like slices of white bread, first seared on the stove and then roasted in the oven. She follows the popular New York trend of stuffing the slices with jams (other restaurants use a sweetened cream cheese) However the secret isn't this, but whole cream. A  few tablespoons go a long way according to her,It gives the custard a richer mouth feel. Home chefs who are still wary about using such a rich ingredient should opt for whole milk. The effect is sort of the same  yet results in a better taste than using two percent milk.

Another aspect in making the pain perdu parfait is the bread itself. Home chefs can use regular or Pullman bread which will give uniformly dipped and grilled slices. Ms. Moskin also suggests using the egg rich challah or equally rich brioche bread.Personally I'd prefer either French or Italian bread.It's dense and chewy and makes a wonderful French toast when sliced into half inch rounds.Another factor in making an excellent slice is the amount of time in the custard mixture.Remember that French toast that has been over soaked will have a damp and gooey middle while the crusts stay crisp and brown. To have an evenly coated slice dip it in, letting both sides soak for about three to four Mississippi  as Ms. Moskin advises. There are some schools of thought that advocate adding everything from sugar to Gran Marnier and Amaretto. Don't.It's not a dessert to be later served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Stick with the butter and maple syrup.Cooking it means aiming for a lacy brown crust on both sides. Think the golden brown of caramelized sugar   and not the dull brown of overcooked eggs. You can do what the chefs do and coat it in sugar  as it's fried in butter (Or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter).It'll be the perfect slice.

French toast is a simple but decadent dish. Make it correctly and it will come out as good as any restaurant.version.It will be more than a simple slice of bread, it will be a sensual experieince.

The Best Aquafaba Cookbook!

Aquafaba is one of the hottest and trendiest ingredients in the food world today. This miracle ingredient  is nothing more than bean water, coming from the humble bean. Yet it can create anything from elegant French macarons to homey scrambled eggs.

This magical elixir is the subject of vegan food blogger. Rebecca Coleman's new all vegan cookbook Aquafabulous (Robert Rose Publishers 2017). This cookbook is completely devoted to aquafaba, or bean water that comes not only chickpeas but also from navy beans and cannellini beans, The  recipe book is perfect for hard core , serious vegans, who have eschewed all meat, eggs and dairy products.What is great about the book is that it has recipes covering everything from breakfast to dessert. Mostly aquafaba is used for meringues and macarons, but there are all sorts of easy to create dishes and treats.A plus of the book is that Ms Coleman answers the many questions about the liquid. She  assures home chefs that their sweet desserts won't have an overpowering bean flavor.There is also an explanation of the different beans used in making a light or dark meringue along with the surprise of using tofu water to also create aquafaba.She also has a list of the important ingredients that are musts in any vegan pantry.There's also three different recipes for making homemade aquafaba, using  stovetop, slow cooker and pressure cooker methods.The last two methods do require an extra step of boiling, but this is minor.

I absolutely love this cookbook!! I had no idea that bean water could be so versatile. I have been wanting to make homemade macarons with it  - and the book has the recipe - but thought it was only used for this. How wrong! It can be used to make a sub in for real scrambled eggs in such tasty recipes as Breakfast Burritos and a potato -kale frittata. It makes waffles airy and light and pancakes puffy. Aquafaba is also a main ingredient in homemade pasta, creating a feather light dough along with being in a healthy baked mac and cheese.Of course there are meringue and macaron recipes. Ms. Coleman has an excellent one for French macarons filled with a chocolate ganache that I would love to try. There is the other famed meringue recipe, Pavlova that is a combination of heavenly meringue covered in macerated berries. Vegan bakers will love making the lemon meringue pie, sans the usual egg whites. Chickpeas themselves shine in some of the savory recipes too. Anybody, even fervent meat lovers would gobble up chickpea curry, chock full of sweet potatoes, chickpeas and green peas.There is a vegan chicken salad made with mashed chickpeas that's on my radar. It will be perfect for picnics . A meatless loaf with miso gravy is another must make, perfect as a the main course at any holiday dinner. An aquafaba  based ice cream will be the perfect ending to these dishes,.

Aquafabulous is the definitive cookbook for this amazing ingredient. Buy it and create not just out of this world macarons and meringues but a wide variety of tasty and healthy savory dishes.It's amazing what this humble and simple ingredient can create.

May Gifts From Mom to The Bride To Be

It's May  and we all know what that means - gift seaso for moms and future brides. Between Mother's Day and the start of bridal shower season,, everyone from kids to coworkers have to think of an interesting and memorable gifts. The best bet? Kitchenware. It's not only practical, but fun.

What to get those mothers and brides who like to cook? There's a plethora of items that would excite any cook.Cookbooks are always a good start , especially for those home chefs who love to experiment with different cuisine.You can also buy accompanying accoutrements and create a theme. Have a tangine pot along with basmati rice and spices to go along with a Morroccan themed cookbook. Think a pasta maker paired with an Italian cookbook  or a crepe pan to go with a book on French cooking.Another great idea for the modern home chef is a tablet stand . After all many home chefs and bakers now get their recipes from the web. Unfortunately, many of the tablets don't have stands and hotly have to lay flat on a usually messy table. This is where they get doused with flour or splashed with water or gravy. Keep them from this with a lucite stand that elevates them and also makes the tablet easier to read. Target has them for as low as thirty dollars and can be bought in either black or white , either one going with any kitchen decor.It even has a stylus pen so no greasy or floury fingerprints . For five dollars more there 's the stand that comes on top of a paper towel holder.This actually holds the tablet at eye level - so no bending down anymore to read it.

There are also some great no-tech gift ideas too. Nothing beats a lovely set of all cotton dish towels.I recently received a pair of them from my very best friend of almost forty years.

As you can see they are not just pretty,a throw back to a simpler time in cooking and in kitchens.It's also practical, being made with a very sturdy , moisture absorbent cotton. The top ecru ones are crocheted and would even make lovely place mats.These are easy to make for  those who know how to knit and crochet.. My towels came with this

A really elegant bottle of dishwashing soap. It's an aromatic blend of lavender and rosemary that not only leaves dishes clean has my smelly kitchen sink with a fresh , garden scent.

May brings flowers but it also brings Mother's Day and the start of the bridal shower season. Pick gifts that are not only pretty but practical. Thye'll be appreciated for years to come.

Baby Foods

Notice something about your foods? Like they're getting smaller?That's because they are. As palates are expanding, dishes are shrinking.Portions are getting tinier and tinier.

The trend may have started with White Castle , the favorite East Coast hamburger chain.They introduced mini hamburgers called sliders.These were small sandwiches that were quarter of  the size of a regular hamburger. The chain sold bags of a dozen by the dozen. They were great for kids because they fit in small hands and weren't overwhelming to eat. It took restaurants and diners a long time to catch on.It's been only the last twenty years that most eateries are now offering them. Now they come in all different styles from pulled pork to chicken to even crab cakes. Sliders are easy to make at home. Just use freshly ground meat such as ground chuck to make a smaller, meatball sized burger. As for the rolls ,King's Hawaiian Rolls are the perfect size for creating these mini marvels. As with regular hamburgers , served with a slice of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes. The rolls can also be used for making grilled cheese sliders along with mini versions of Sloppy Joes. You could even do a breakfast one with eggs, cheese, and bacon. To get a compact eggs, cook them in them in egg poaching rings for the perfect miniature.

Other dishes are getting smaller. Many restaurants are serving timbales of rice and polenta with a smattering of stew or gravy. Again home chefs can make these at home using timbale molds and cooking the grains into small shapes. They are a perfect way of introducing the kids to more sophisticated tastes without them wasting food. Try polenta timbales in a puddle of chicken cacciatore or pork with mushroom gravy.. Rice timbales can be the perfect base for salmon or sole in lemon butter sauce. Timbales can also be delicately fried baskets of dough, filled with quiche or the onion custard used in the Swabian dish zweibelkugen, onion pie.They can also be filled with spinach and mushrooms for a spin on a classic Julia Child recipe, spinach tart. These make great hors d'ouevre's but an even better main brunch dish, especially with a side of fruit. Fruit itself can be turned into miniature delicacies, thanks to melon ballers and sharp knives. A lemon or orange filled with fruit salad is a fun way to start or end a meal.Apples can be hollowed out too and filled with a mix of minced apple, caramel and crushed walnuts for a tiny but tasty end to a meal.

Baby sized versions of favorite dishes are always a fun and novel way to eat. Try  a plate or  sliders
or an lemon bursting with fruit salad. You'll then realize good things really do come in small packages!!

Leeks On Toast - Pure Heaven

Leeks are flavorful and fragrant. They're a cousin of garlic, hence their strong taste and aroma which adds to any dish. Imagine cooked ones on toast, dripping with butter and Parmesan cheese. This is one of my family's favorite recipes, coming from my great aunt's in-laws from Biella, Italy. Leeks on toast have been one of my all time favorite ones, one I could eat it every few days if I could.

Leeks are an easy cook. They are expensive though , being almost nine dollars for just a bunch of three.They have to be thoroughly rinsed in cold water  to get the sand out(they grow best in sandy soil - for those who want to add them to their vegetable garden). Wash for two to three minutes. They then need to be cut into half inch pieces and then cooked in salted water for about twelve to fifteen minutes. They'll look like this

They're kind of soupy looking but there's a reason for it. but let's get to the recipe first. There will be a portion drained and reserved for the toast. This is about a cup of drained leeks,. Drain the excess water back into the pot. 

As the leeks are cooking, toast eight slices of white bread. Any good sandwich  bread such as Pepperidge Farm will do the trick. Once toasted, place the slices on an ungreased cookie sheet. Evenly spoon cooked leeks over the slices, followed by a liberal sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and a fat knob of butter. Bake for ten  minutes in preheated 325 degree oven Farenheit. 

This is the finished product

They are bites of pure pleasure with the almost garlicky greenness of the leeks married to the melted butter and baked Parmesan. It's seriously the most perfect taste!

As for those leftover leeks and water,wait until they're cooled, then drain. Keep the leeks for leeks on toast or soups. Keep the leek water for soup. It's more flavorful than vegetable stock and would be a great addition to potato soup or even making an onion soup with it. Some home chefs add potato peels to it for more flavor and depth - that's up to you.

Leeks are the most wonderful veggie on earth. They're fragrant and flavor. Use them for vichyssoise or better yet, spoon them on toast and bake them with butter and Parmesan cheese for a truly yum moment!

It's Asparagus Season!!!

\One of the best things about late April and Spring is that it's peak season for one of nature's most delicious veggies - asparagus. This flavorful spear is excellent grilled or par boiled, served in soup and salad. It's also a wonderful canvas to work with, using lush ingredients to create a special dish.

David Tanis wrote about it inhis column  City Kitchen yesterday's New York Times Food section. This is asparagus season and there are many different types. He reminisces about eating the wild variety which grew along an irrigation ditch on a California ranch. It has the same look, taste and texture as the cultivated kind, It's more feral,  and not really wild, being indigenous to Europe.There's also white asparagus, big in Germany at this time of year.What's coming into the farmer's market this year is not coming from there but from Peru. They are tasty but take a bit longer to cook. For many home chefs in North America, the quick cooking green variety is the most preferred.It does come in different sizes., from pencil thin to jumbo fat with a nice medium in between. Any size should have smooth, shiny skin and tightly closed tips. Asparagus is versatile and can be served raw, charred or the preferable parboiling. The best way is simmering the stalks in salted water, drained at the right moment and served warm.

There are some good recipes included. Mr. Tanis gives us shaved asparagus salad with ginger and sesame. This may take some getting used to  since it's using the raw spears.It's pealing each one with a vegetable peeler and then cutting the asparagus into very thin - but  not paper thin - slices.Think the width of a thinly sliced onion.. They're then placed in a salad bowl and seasoned with salt and pepper.The dressing is a fiery mix of jalapeno, rice vinegar , ginger and garlic. Brown sugar is the surprising sweet factor. He also gives us the exotic dish of charred asparagus with green garlic chimmichurri sauce. It's first making the sauce which consists of chopped  parsley and chopped green garlic.Oregano and olive oil are also added. You do need the pencil thin asparagus that will be cooked on a grill or in a very hot cast-iron pan.It needs to be lightly oiled and salted first.It should not only be charred but burnt and blistered first. After cooking the sauce is poured on top of it.It's then topped with crumbled feta.The last recipe is steamed asparagus with pistachios and browned butter. It's just steaming the spears and then making a brown butter sauce that has the added zing of lemon juice. The asparagus is quickly bathed in it and then pistachio nuts are sprinkled onto the buttery spears.

Take advantage of the abundance of asparagus right now. Try it in a variety of different ways , from raw, to charred  to just simmered and served with a butter sauce. All are delicious.