The Future Of British Baking

As we all know there's nothing as entertaining as The Great British Baking Show. It's a fun yet refreshingly gentle romp through competitive baking. Unlike American reality shows, there's no cattiness or backstabbing. It as soothing as a slice of Victoria Sponge cake with a good cup of tea. Yet, it's future is being threatened. Will it be the same?Or a blander, less sweet version.

That was one of the questions posed by Melissa Clark who took a break from her A Good Appetite column to write this in today's New York Times Food section.. "The Great British Bake Off "or as it's known here in the States, "The Great British baking Show" (the phrase "bake off can;t be used because Pillsbury has the exclusive rights to it). The show  had good anchors and.hosts, Paul Hollywood and  Mary Berry were fair and sometimes strict judges but in the end, they always chose appropriately. The hosts, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins gave us witty, as only the British can, puns and  sisterly encouragement to all contestants.The contestants themselves were an egalitarian mix of all classes and all races.The last winner was the bubbly and skilled Nadiya Hussain. Even though she was born to Bangladeshi parents  and wore a hajib, this Luton born Brit was just sassy and funny as Sue and Mel. She added pop and fizz to such classics like gingerbread - she added cayenne -and oomphing up croquembouches with such flavors as bubble gum and peppermint.

Now the show is in what could be serious trouble. The show is heading over to Channel 4 from BBC.Only Hollywood went with them. The other three quit out of loyalty to the station. How will this affect the show? Who will replace them? There's no talk or even suggestion of replacements. The show has given the world and Britain a renewed interest in such British classics as the Victoria Sponge and Eccles cakes, More and more Brits are baking and getting back into  cake decorating. There has been an uptick in icing and piping tools at Hobbycraft , a UK version of our hobby shop , Michael's  There are also more baking classes being offered and in such diverse recipes as potato farl from Northern Ireland and Welsh fruit and tea loaf.Ms. Clark includes two recipes the aforementioned  Victoria Sponge and Mary Berry's lemon drizzle cake. Both are relatively easy to bake and construct. The first is a simple plain sponge with a raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream filling while the other is simple butter snack cake with a crusty lemon sugar topping.

There will always be an England. There will hopefully be a Great British Baking Show. It shows the best of the British people and their loves of cakes. Rule Britannia and the Brits who bake.

Rabbiting About Carrots

Mention carrots to young and old and you're bound to get the same reaction - a grimace. Yet these diet vital veggies are tasty,bringing just the right amount of sweetness to any lunch or dinner. They're good raw or cooked, served with dressing or with butter. They really are a treat.

As a lifelong carrot lover, I can only write good things about one of my most favorite vegetable.s I have always loved them cooked and drenched in butter.  Not surprising they are one of the world's oldest prepared vegetable. first being grown in ancient Persia. Their leaves and seeds were valued and then eventually the taproot underneath.They  then spread to Europe.where it grew wild,  being cultivated in ancient Switzerland and Germany.Carrots were  part of the varied Roman diet.The early versions of the veggie were originally purple and , red and yellow. The orange kind was probably cultivated in what is now Afghanistan and were introduced to Europe through the Netherlands in the 1700s. The name comes from ker or horn, It is a biennial plant, usually growing in the summer but some slower growing varieties are being harvested now in the fall. The roots contain high quantities of both alpha and beta carotene along with high amounts of Vitamin K and B6.They're also high in potassium too as well as in lutein.It's an easy grow for novice gardeners and is great first plant for little green thumbs An extra plus is that carrot stems produce clusters of pretty white flowers, similar in look to Queen Anne's lace.

What abut carrots themselves? Again a simple , yet delicious side dish is just cooked carrots ith butter.It's boiling them in water until tender and then adding  a quarter of a cup of butter or margarine. Some add brown sugar,but that's just making them too sweet ad taking away from their natural sweetness. Minced garlic can be added to give it some oomph but be sparing with it. Many home chefs go the ultra sweet route when it comes to them. There are many recipes that call for everything from maple syrup to refined sugar. Don't go this route.Aim for ingredients that accentuate their flavor. Cook them with different herbs such as dill or rosemary.Again be sparing ith them. Too many herbs may give the carrots a medicinal taste. Carrots are also great in combos.Try them with green beans and button mushrooms as a great side to both chicken and beef. Sub in cauliflower for the mushrooms for another nice companion to holiday and Sunday roasts.Raw carrots are perfect in crudite plates. Try them and other raw veggies with such good dips as a classic vinaigrette or a simple Greek yogurt.Anything sweet like a French or Russian dressing dip would detract from the carrots. Carrots also make lovely decorations too. There are carrot curls and carrot roses, both easy to create.

Give carrots  a try. They're great starting off a holiday meal or Sunday dinner or as a side to any roast. They're not only good for you but good tasting, their sunny brightness adding to any plate.

Medicinal Foods

Remember the old saying : feed  cold and starve a fever.It's true. What you eat can help or hinder your illness,whether it's a full-blown stomach virus or a slight sniffle.You need to be prepared since it's cold and flu season already.

One of the best elixirs I can recommend is that Jamaican classic ginger beer. It's great for taming a stomach virus along with helping to relieve gas and bloating.Many confuse it with its' milder cousin ginger ale. The beer is actually brewed and  another tummy settler - lemon juice - is added in.It's much stronger than ginger ale which is nothing more than fizzy water with ginger flavor added.The first was created surprisingly not in Jamaica but  in Ireland in 1851 while the other was created in 1907 by Canadian John McLaughlin. The company evolved into Canada Dry and they still make the mellow drink. Try to have one or the other (not many stores sell ginger beer,Stop &Shop has its;' own brand and Stewart's also makes it).Another must for virus season is any cola drink, whether it be Coke, Pepsi or a generic in house brand.Cola poured over crushed ice also helps soothe a troubled stomach, .All kitchen should have herbal teas, especially peppermint or chamomile.These not only help a stomach that's been ravaged by a nasty bug but great in calming a sore throat.Colds benefit from fresh pressed juices This is the time to get oranges along with apples and pears ad start juicing..

Boullion cubes should be in every kitchen. Individual cubes ca be turned into broths for one,They are a great bridge from not eating to be able to get down some food. It seems vegetable bouillon is the mildest. There's none of that slightly fatty aftertaste that you get with the chicken and beef kinds. They also make excellent bases for simple soups such as pastina, orzo and my all time favorite pompeist, the Piedmontese mix of broth, beaten egg and bread crumbs.Stay away from canned soup. They're not hat your stomach needs. Homemade is better. Have these with crackers and oysterettes.in fact these will probably be the only kinds of foods that you'll eat after a stomach virus. What about transitioning into regular food again.  Think dry as in sliced chicken or turkey.If you don;t feel like cooking a whole bird, remember that diners always have these two meats . Order a plain  no mayo sandwich from yours on toast.from your local one. The BRAT diet-bananas, rice, applesauce, toast  is a tried and true one for diarrhea. Bananas are chock full of potassium which will be depleted thanks to  it being forced out fo you. Rice with butter is another good transitional food. For more flavor cook the rice in broth as opposed to plain water. Use the applesauce if you're craving something sweet.


Be prepared this cold,  flu, and virus season with the right foods. These will help you get over those nasty bugs, sniffly noses and scratchy throats.Having them is your best for a speedy recovery.

Front Yard Farming

Imagine taking a step out your door and picking a pumpkin for soup or tomatoes for a salad. You can, thanks to turning your front yard into a garden. It's a great way to save money as well as practicing sustainability. Besides, nothing beats cooking with  fresh ingredients.

Since it's the middle of the fall growing season, you can easily plan your garden for Spring 2017. First of all, decide if you want to do it yourself or leave the initial planning and planting to landscapers who specialize in front and back yard gardens. Also, decide on how much land you want to designate for growing.Discuss it with everyone in the family and also consider neighborhood activities. A front garden may have to be moved to the back or the side of your house if you live in a one with a lot of active kids.It's no fun having to deal with trampled vines or the occasional baseball or Frisbee lobbed into your corner of Cobb lettuce. Your yard's location is another aspect to take into consideration. If there's too much shade, then plan to plant veggies that grow well in them such as beets , carrots, and turnips . Kale, lettuce, and spinach are also shade lovers too.The same goes for plants,such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas that thrive in direct sunlight. If the yard is big enough then draw out sections where you;d like to plant three or four  kinds of veggies. Make sure you include paths for easy access.Another must is carving out space for a compost heap.It's usually in the farthest corner of the yard, far away from the house.

Many towns across the country have bans and restrictions on front yard gardens. Before you even plant, query and see if it's legal in your neck of the woods. Another potential roadblock may be neighbors. There are some who want their block to look like the cover of a landscaping magazine. The idea of  a front yard garden may not be to their snooty likings. Granted it's your property and you can do whatever you ant in it but there may be some opposition. Feel them out.If the all over tone is favorable, then tell them your plans . You may inspire them to start their own and begin a neighborhood collective where veggies and even herbs are traded.. Be prepared, though for some opposition. Gardens not only bring pests such as aphids but they also bring larger pests such as squirrels. raccoons, woodchucks and even bears. Your neighbors may not cotton to the idea of having their street turned into a salad bar for creatures. You could then wind up getting slapped with some kind of citation. What could be done to win them over is just tell you're only going to plan a small garden, They won;t wake up to see a cornfield or a pumpkin patch. A sneakier way of  introducing a front yard garden to the neighbors is planting decorative herbs, sort of the first step in starting a garden. Basil and chives can be used as ornamentals in a rose garden or arranged around fruit trees


A front yard garden is an excellent way to not only save the planet  but eat healthier. It's also a great way of .introdicing veggies to the family diet. Think about it in your plans for next Spring.

Buffet Bonanza

In the last twenty years a phenomenon  has happened with American dining - the birth of the all you can eat buffet. These are all over the US right now, competing with fast food and slow food. Are they all that they promised? Yes and even more.

It seems that every town now has some kind of buffet. They used to be few and far between.I remember going to one twenty years ago for a bridal shower. It was amazing to see , with the variety of meats and sides.I had only ever experienced this in Atlantic City , where there was an all you can eat buffet in every hotel/casino. This probably was taken from Las Vegas where the concept is used to keep gamblers in the casino.Now it's one of the top industries for Chinese immigrants.providing employment for many young Asians..The buffets are taking over from the concept if a sit down restaurant where there is a set menu, usually  featuring Cantonese or sometimes Szechuan dishes or a combination of both.The buffets do offer such classic dishes as fried rice, lo mein and shrimp in lobster sauce but they also appeal to trends such as a sushi station along with other ethnic dishes such as ravioli and kielbasa.I know two local ones that also feature a weekend brunch menu that highlight bacon and sausages, along with pancakes and egg foo yung  (oh, well, they do try). Another non-Chinese idea is dessert. The Chinese usually just have fruit, namely oranges yet most buffets have a whole pastry  tray featuring Italian specialties like panna cotta and tiramisu. There are also neat little squares of vanilla, chocolate and carrot cakes as well as ice cream too. Fruit is there , thankfully, as a respite from all those calories..

Are these buffets good for a country known for overeating and obesity? Actually yes. Unlike most restaurants and fast food joints , people have more healthy choices. Any diner can make a plate of lean meats and veggies with melon or strawberries for dessert. It's just staying away from the sauced dishes and fried foods like chicken, cod, French fries and onion rings. Throw in a good portion of  plain white rice to fill up, This will fill you so you don't go back for seconds , thirds or even fourths. Another smart idea is portion control. Yes , you can have those fish sticks, just don;t pile your plate with them as some careless diners are wont to do. The same for those "fun" sides like crab filled mushrooms, and fried plantains. The idea also applies to dessert too. As tasty as your buffet's chocolate cake is, don't go hog wild and get three pieces. Share it table side.All buffets also offer bottomless drinks. Again choose wisely. Buffet foods tends to be salty which brings on massive thirst. Before you know it you;ve finished off your first glass and want more. Soda and sweet tea is loaded with sugar and calories. Stick with lemon water and unsweetened ice tea.Some buffets do offer club soda  and this is a great choice of having a fizzy drink without all the guilt.

Buffets are now a fixture in America. They're not going away any time soon People love them too much . After all, they are fun to visit and to indulge those foodie passions and crushes.

Sous Vide Made Easy

The sous vide method of cooking can either excite chefs or scare them.Yet, it's a really simple way of having thoroughly cooked meats and vegetables.it's also a great cooking technique of sealing in flavor. It's something all home chefs should embrace.

Brian X. Chen wrote about them in yesterday;s New York Times Food section.This is a first for him because he usually writes about new tech gadgets . A sous vide is a kind of kitchen one, although not so new.It was invented in 1799 by Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford and brought back into the cooking world in the 1960s, thanks to frozen food companies. Restauranteur George Paulus was the first chef to use it in his famed Troisgras Restaurant in the mid Seventies.. Since then it's become a restaurant staple which can intimidate a home chef.There's really nothing to fear.It's a pretty simple method of meat being sealed in a bag and placed in hot water as a cylindrical  gadget circulates hot water and the bag around for thorough cooking..Another turn off is the fact that the cooking method takes too darn long!.A piece of meat can take anywhere from an hour to a day to cook. The end result though is worth it . Many home chefs may also be leery about the sous vide price, usually between $200 to $300 hundred dollars however it does pay itself off.It's the price of a microwave or a good emulsion blender.

Sous vide cooking is easy , Mr. Chen had a pictorial for pork or beef roast with his article but directions are easy to follow. He recommends using a 3 to 5 pound chuck roast or boneless pork shoulder. The meat should be trussed with cooking twine. Tie it around its' midsection, leaving one inch spaces. The meat can be preseared in a Dutch oven using vegetable oil.Afterwards place the meat and two sprigs of rosemary inside a one gallon freezer bag. Fill a large pot halfway with water. Attach the sous vide and set it to140 degrees for the pork shoulder for medium doneness 130 degrees for the beef chuck which will turn it medium rare. Submerge the bag when the water reaches the desired temperature.  Remember to seal the bag as airtight as possible. Once the bag is submerged, it has to cook for twenty-four hours. Add more water if it starts boiling off When done ,remove the meat from the bag and transfer to a cutting board. The juices can either be discarded or used for a gravy. For a nice crust season steak on both sides with salt and pepper. The pork can be rubbed with brown sugar Heat in a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil. hen they start to smoke add butter and herbs for flavoring.

A sous vide should be considered a home chef's best friend.It's a great gadget to for cooking roasts for a tender , melt in your mouth texture Its a great addition to any chef's arsenal of gadgets.

Pumpkin Season With The Pumpkin Queen

Imagine if your whole life revolved around pumpkins.Imagine growing different types from all over the world and turning them into all sorts of dishes. This is the life of Sarah Frey, the pumpkin queen who is steadily changing the way we think about pumpkins. They're not just for Halloween anymore but for fall dining.

Kim Severson interviewed this interesting pumpkin mogul for today's New York Times Food section. The squash has been good to her as she plants such diverse varieties as the rough skinned peanut and slate green Jarrahdales from Australia as well as the blue green Marina di Chioggas from Italy. Her jacks, industry shorthand for Jack'o lantern, the tradtional bright orange ones are sold at Lowe's and Walmart. Now she's after other big box stores such as Target and Trader Joe's to sell her line Pumpkins of the World for home chefs. She researched and also knew from her experience that only the most dedicated cook would crack open a twelve pounder so she looked into growing smaller ones that would good on the front porch while being tasty and versatile in the kitchen,There's only one problem. Americans can't seem to get beyond pumpkin pies and pumpkin breads. All over the world the gourd is used in a variety of dishes.It shows up in Indian curries. Mexicans make a mole out of it.It graces stews across Africa.It can go beyond pies as any Piedmontese chef will tell you. We've been turning it into a creamy milk and butter laced soup for generations.

Another problem is that some fresh pumpkins don't translate well into pie. The flesh comes out stringy and cloying, perhaps a bit too "squashy" tasting for some. Home chefs should stick with the heirloom variety. These are deep bright orange in color and resemble the quintessential Halloween decoration.Mostly it's best for savory dishes,something Ms. Frey is trying to impress on American home chefs.Professional chefs have also urged this too. Chef Dorie Greenspan, author of  "Around My French Table" has given an interesting spin on stuffed pumpkin. Hers is Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good and features a baked whole pumpkin filled with bread, cheese and bacon.It became popular with food bloggers and also on food shows but then went nowhere. Since then there hasn't been a breakout recipe featuring the many varieties from the Japanese kabocha to the Italian ans Australian ones Yet pumpkin is wonderful in ravioli with a sage butter sauce and it can even be turned into gnocchi.Ms Severson includes Ms. Frey's stuffed pumpkin recipe.It's a mix of scallions and Gruyere cheese heated with red pepper flakes Kale and scallions are added for color and flavor.The article's second recipe is chicken and dumplings with pumpkin from the cookbook, My Two Souths by Asha Gomez.It's a marriage of chicken with not only raw pumpkin but with celery and ginger too, Dumplings are added at the last for more body.


Ms. Frey is turning America into her pumpkin kingdom. It's time we get past those pies and breads and discover just how tasty the gourd is. One day we'll realize what Ms. Frey already knows, that they're versatile and easy to cook with.