Per Se Five Star Goodness

It's rare that any restaurant these days achieves five stars these days. As a parting gift to his final column at the New York Times Dining section Sam Sifton does just this. He was lucky to have his "last meal" at this exquisite New York eatery. What a way to say adieu. Good food. Good wine. Excellent service

Per Se is one of Manhattan's best gems. It's a satellite of the famed Napa Valley French Laundry , that bespoke restaurant of wine country fame. The owner, Thomas Keller, opened the New York branch in 2004 and introduced the East Coast to the some of the restaurant's best loved dishes. One is called Oysters and Pearls a unique blend of sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters. Better yet they arrived with sturgeon in a Limoges dish. What more can you ask for. (although all of Per Se's dishes come elegantly plated and served)

It seems that Per Se seafood dishes shine the brightest. There is their version of clam chowder which has apple wood smoked Massachusetts cod in it along with little neck clams . Swimming with them are pickled garlic celery and parsley shoots. A lobster dish was butter poached and served with a melted leeks and a horseradish infused creme fraiche. Of course other meats were well represented there too. Per Se does an amazing pressed duck and Mr. Sifton raved about the charred eggplant plate as well.

If you;re in Manhattan for any of the upcoming holidays, treat yourself to a heavenly meal at this five star wonder.It's a gourmand's dream come true. Elegant service, elegant surroundings and best of all - elegant food!

Spotlight On The New

Usually the Wednesday and Thursday entries are reserved for the New York Times Dining articles. However there were two new products in the section entitled Food Stuff that caught my eye. They're new spins on old classics and something foodies will definitely go for.

The first is sea salt. This once rare ingredient is as common as well salt these days however this kind is locally produced. It doesn't come from England or France or even the South Seas. It comes straight from the surf of New York's own Amagansett, hence the name Amagansett Sea Salt.Steven and Natalie Judelson have create a locavore version of the trendy condiment . These two lawyers have developed a way to eliminate sand and silt from the water and then have it dry slowly in the sun. This leaves for a non bitter tasting salt. There are several varieties but the one with lemon zest is the most popular. There will be a smoked one coming out next.

The next new foodie item is microwave popcorn. Like salt, you would think that there's not much to be improved on however that's where you're wrong.Another clever couple,. Kristy and Coulter Lewis have developed a chemical free corn named Quinn Popcorn after they baby son. The kernels come in a simple food grade parchment paper bag instead of the usual ones treated with perfleuro-octanoic and metals. Oils and seasoning are added later . Quinn Popcorn comes in several flavors such as the lemon zest and sea salt and Vermont maple along with Parmesan and rosemary.

These are two ordinary products with great invitations. if you have the chance try them. They are new spins on classic foods.!

Foodie Sick Day Kit

Yes it's that time of the year when flues and viruses make their debuts. It's also the time of year to stock up on the essentials, mandatory for any sick day. You'll feel better knowing that these are just at your fingertips. After all who wants to go grocery shopping with a high fever or a bad cold?

The most important item to have is bouillon cubes. These are priceless because they can just be boiled into broth or as the base for any soup. You can buy them in chicken, beef and even vegetable. The broth can also be used as the boiling water for rice when you're sick. Everyone recommends this grain however it's a bit blah when boiled in just plain water. The broth flavors it and it does become a tasty dinner.Stock up on rice as well. You can use it in soups or plain as well as your family having something easy to cook when you're down. Another grain is oatmeal. Again, it's a good and bland start to the day and also it's another easy thing your family can cook.

Another idea is stocking up on everything instant. If you're not big on making your own soups then buy a few cans of chicken soup with anything. These are so easy to heat up.Even your littlest cooks can make a nice bowl of satisfying soup.. Also buy a few extra canned veggies that are quick and easy to make. As you're coming out of your sickness, you want to cook foods that are easy to prepare. They're also easy for the family's non chefs to prepare as well. After all you can't screw up opening a tin and then nuking the contents.. Another ideal stock up are pasta and noodles. They can be easily boiled and served wit just a simple sauce of melted butter.

This is the time of year when all those nasty little flu bugs want you. Have your kitchen prepared with easy go to foods that are a cinch to cook. That way you can just concentrate on getting better instead of worrying about your meals.

Hypes For The Best

Like the latest celebrity or fashion trend, food, and especially restaurants get hyped. This is true in any big city , mostly in Manhattan. There's always a buzz around a certain product or eatery. Even foodies get all hot and bothered for certain sections. The question is are these worth it?Are they worth the hype? Or is it just hype?

I asked myself this the other day on a trip to New York's famed West Village area. This section was made popular during the TV program "Sex and The City"'s long run. There are even tours based on it, where Carrie Bradshaw affectionados get to dine the way she did.All very well but in reality the restaurants are usually very over priced , extremely noisy and worst of all - just over promoted. I found one restaurant, formerly the beloved Hudson Corner very much like this. My dish of gnocchi were one of the best dishes on the menu, tasting wonderfully home cooked. My friends didn't fare as well. One had to send back her pork chop twice before switching to a linguine. My other friend had only four ravioli for eighteen bucks ( that comes to $4.50 a ravioli seriously?????).

After dinner both had wanted to go to that famed West Village bakery, The Magnolia, This was another place that was immortalized in the series. People are allowed in , club style with only one or two at a time. I guess this adds to the mystique. Jersey bakeries have never done that even at the busiest time- Christmas. The cupcakes were three dollars a piece. I had hoped that they would have improved from the last timeI bought them, about seven or eight years ago. They did not. The icing was too overly sweet and the cake was none too special. It tasted like a mix.I hate to poison pen any establishment, however it was just not good. Yet , thanks to endless hype, The Magnolia is one of the world's most famous bakeries and has branches worldwide.

All I can say is don't believe what you hear. For anyone, whether foodie or just curious, rely on your own tastes. Don't go by if it was mentioned in any magazine or is a fave amongst celebrites.T ry it for yourself. If it's good, then make it one of your favorites. if not - move on.

Rethink Turnips

Mention the word turnip and most people will wrinkle their noses in disgust. Yet this root veggie is actually tasty as well as being versatile. It can be made into a number of dishes , from roasted to mashed. It can be used in stews or accompanying roasts. Turnips can be a great addition to any fall feast.

This common root veggie is mostly harvested right now in the autumn. It’s been around for centuries although the name and origin are unknown. There is actually wild version known as a “hot turnip“ and it‘s also a cousin of mustard and radish. The Scandinavians cross bred it with a cabbage in the 19th Century to create the plant rutabaga. It was also the most popular vegetable there until the potato was introduced sometime in the 1700. The turnip was also the precursor of the pumpkin in Halloween celebrations in Ireland and Scotland where it was carved out jack o’lantern style and then had a lit candle placed inside it. Turnips and their greens are one of the healthiest veggies to eat. The root is high in Vitamin C while the tops or greens are high in both Vitamins A and K.

Turnips can be made a variety of ways. Most people simply like them mashed like potatoes and served with butter. You can also make then in a gratin with cream, butter and parmesan Romano cheese. For a tasty side try them Paula Deen’s waywith brown sugar and butter and then mashed. This would be a great accompaniment tot any pork roast or even ham. You can also try a Finnish casserole, or even a turnip salad to go with holiday turkeys or goose.. Many soups call for chopped or diced turnips , especially vegetable and beef based ones.

The turnip isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. It is a tasty root vegetable, good for you and good tasting too. Have some in a tasty side . You’ll be surprised a t just how wonderful they really are!

That Extra Dash? Cider

This is definitely the month for cider. Usually most people have it just a chilled drink during this time of year. However it can be a vital ingredient to any fall cooking or baking. Its' taste livens up any dish , giving it a pop of unexpected flavor. A dash of cider is just a great idea for whatever you have in mind.

Surprisingly any meat goes well with cider. It can be used with turkey. duck and chicken, as a sauce or a marinade to flavor the meat. Mostly it's used in pork and ham dishes. which makes sense. For centuries Germans have been serving apple dishes as sides with these meats. To add cider to them is a no brainer. There is a great crock pot recipe that calls for slow cooking ham with cider for four hours and then roasting it in a cider bath. You can also braise pork loin in it for a both delightfully sweet and savory main meal. Wild meats such as venison can also be cooked with apple cider. too, mostly in pot roasts. If you're adventurous you can try cider as a marinade for this as well.

Apple cider is widely used in baking. Many farms across the country feature apple cider doughnuts amongst their baked products. These add a sweet fruity note and are almost impossible to resist. For a different spin make cider doughnut holes too for fun party snacking. The drink is also used in muffin recipes along with cake ones. Apple cider pound cake is a New England favorite , perfect for a Sunday afternoon tea. There is also the decadent caramel apple cake made not only with cider but also with a good helping of apples and caramel. You can also use apple cider in making spicy sorbets, a good dessert for warm Indian summer evenings.

Apple cider is perfect on its' own as a refreshing, chilled drink. However it's even better used as an ingredient in any kind of dish from dinner to dessert. Try it for it's versatility and to liven up your fall menu!

Moroccan Cuisine Updated

Morocco was always the mainstay of traditional and expected North African cuisine. There were always the traditional tagines and kabobs. In short typical tourist fare. However two new cookbooks ares rediscovering some old recipes and doing justice to new. Consider it an update on a centuries old table.

The New York Times Dining regular, Julia Moskin wrote about this in her column yesterday. The first cookbook is by Alice Wolfert who had spent sometime in the exotic country back in the seventies. Her book, The Food of Morocco by Ecco Publishers is a reworking of the original that put her on the map. The second is by Mourad Lahlou, born in the famed Casablanca. His book is Mourad: New Moroccan by Artisan . Both explore the region's dishes however each has their own spin on them. Mr. Lahlou is the more modern of the two, taking the cuisine to new heights with different spins.

He believes that variety can spice up this traditional cuisine. Moroccan dishes were first influenced by the Berber tribe and later by the Spanish and the French, Persian and Turkish. Lahlou wants to shake up the traditional tagines , get rid of the couscous recipes and introduce more family based ones. Ms. Wolfert goes more for the traditional route, taught to her by Morocco cooks back in the Seventies. She feels that the dishes have to be elaborately made, using no modern shortcuts. After all she ground spices and learned how to preserve lemons in salt along with even grinding wheat. She feels that losing these labor intensive but valuable techniques will take away from true Moroccan cuisine.

The two chefs are right in their own way. Ms . Wolfert believes in preserving the country's culinary past while Mr. Lahlou wants to modernize the ancient dishes. No matter what book is bought there will be a wealth of delicious and exotic dishes.