A Salute To The Master Chef

 Every chef,whether home or professional has a master chef to look up to. They are inspiring and creative as they provide good food and comfort. Some are so perfect they come along once in a lifetime.

This was my Mom who would have been 102(!!!!) today(There may have been some words about telling her age).I wonder what she would think of our Lidl hauls and their very economical prices as compared to Acem's and Stop & Shop. She would have loved their wide variety of international foods.The imports from France would have especially fascinated her and I know for sure we would have had the Lidl escargots and mini quiches. Sh probably would have liked their array of cheeses, with Brie and Lidl croissants on constant rotation. I know my Mom would have been amazed at the prices of many of their products. She would have been amazed at the prices too and what sixty  dollars can buy. A twelve pack of their soda is only $3.25. She would have been in awe of that ,especially since other twelve packs are anywhere between nine and twelve dollars. The lower priced veggies and fruits also would have impressed her since she always felt that cost determined the quality of produce. If it was cheap, it wasn;t any good. Yet Lidl disproves that. I also know she would have liked their soaps from France and their wide array of different personal products like face cream and nail polish remover.

Besides Lidl ,my Mom would have been fascinated with my summer classes of teaching English to both French and Vietnamese students. she would have liked my assignments which included creating fusion dishes. Vietnamese bread banh is on my to make list She would have been fascinated by this variation of the baguette and would have helped in creating them. I inherited her adventurous culinary daring. we were the first and really only people on our block to have a wok in the Seventies along with a yogurt maker. I feel her spirit when I make her favorite Szechuan dish, ants climbing a tree. For us it was sauteing plant based beef crumbles in a mix of olive oil, garlic and soy sauce.it's served on a bed of glass or rice noodles and was always a favorite of ours. I also feel she would have approved of me making the Eritrean stew of lentils and tomatoes , flavored with Berber spices. Would she have liked my Summerween and Christmas in July? Considering Halloween was never my favorite holiday , she may have regarded that with some snark. Christ mas in July? Maybe , if it's celebrated with ice cream cake and hand sandwiches instead of fresh baked cookies and roasted ham.

All chefs have their mentors. Mine was my Mom. She taught me a lot about cooking and baking. She introduced me to new and daring recipes while also cooking and baking centuries old family ones.

How America Food Shops

 How America food shops tells a lot about our country. It shows how people save and splurge. It also shows what people eat like, love and hate. Are there patterns emerging? Possibly.

Regular contributor Priya Krishna and new contributors Tanya Sichynsky and aliza Auffrichtig wrote this interesting survey in today's New York Times Food section, They talked to a cross sampling of shoppers throughout the US. A few things that are certain.Food prices have soared to unbelievable heights while packaging and food content has shrunk.Other interesting points are that Covid normalized such in store shopping like Instacart and Amazon Grocery and that consumers are staggered and spoiled by the array of choice. what really influences a grocery cart however is geography ,identity and income influence one's shopping list. Some relied on frozen food , some preferred fresh ingredients. Some shopped every day .Some staggered their visits to the local grocery store. Twenty -seven people were asked and their shopping analyzed.Different regions were represented, not just the coasts. Take Sawyer Bonsei of Malvern Arkansas  who's a former alcoholic prefers quick meals..He lives alone and works from home he has  a wide variety of sparkling water like Waterloo along with deli meats and rotisserie chicken. Ayse Gilbert of Anchorage Alaska who moved from California fifty years ago. She buys a lot of cheeses and the exotic fruit Buddha's Hand which is a expensive citrus fruit.

What about the  other shoppers? In Austin Texas' mom's Gabby Cavazos cart there are bargains. She often buys fruit that 's on its' last days or berries on sale. Deals like seven dollar sushi attract her. her cart does have a lot of fruit,  to give her two year old son instead of letting him eat processed snacks.Alan Young of Hilo Hawaii, probably hs the most expensive cart because food has to be shipped in from the mainland. Nr. Young is eighty and he qualifies for SNAP - the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He also relies on senior discounts so he can buy his favorite - mangoes.His is a simple list - mostly fruit and buckwheat ramen. Jackie Kesterson of Omaha Nebraska more or less centers her shopping around her two kids, one a toddler the other ten months old. She buys baby food pouches of veggies to give them the nutrition they need a long with easy food like cold cuts  to make into sandwiches.Kimberly Uhuru of Detroit relies on her low income childhood to select good food at low prices. She buys most of the food at  Target , basically the only grocery store in her area. A well stocked grocery store is a twenty-five minute drive away. Hers is a mix of vegan for her teenagers and fresh produce.

This is how America shops. We as a people tend to go for the easy and flavorful.Yet we're also go for nutritional and fresh too. Their choices reflect on us.

Heat Wave Cuisine

 What do you do when the temps goes past 100 degrees Farenheit and you can basically cook anything on your driveway? Go for heatwave cuisine. This is simple cooking at it's best. You can still have some kind of protein and a side but's its easily and simply made.

The temps here in northern New jersey is around 100 degrees. I did want to make something filling but easy for dinner. Luckily I found daring Lemon and herb flavored chicken bits in my local Acme.The company has many other flavors like Cajun, teriyaki and breaded.

                                            It's a quick cook in the skillet.I added a few teaspoons of Lidl's olive oil and then fried them until they were crisp.

it usually takes about ten minutes to get both sides well cooked and deliciously crispy.

what to serve with it? My summer go to  - broccoli salad made with Acme;s Signature brand broccoli.Again any salad is an easy make during a heat wave. Mix olive oil, any kind of vinegar, and garlic powder, toss with the veggies and serve.

This was a really delicious, fast and easy dinner.It checked all the boxes. I loved the chicken and plan on buying it again. I have a feeling that  we;ll have more hellish days here in North Jersey and I'll need simple dishes to create for dinner.

Don't sweat it when the temps get high. Go for a simple easy to cook main and a salad. Be creative. It could be a plant based meat  or a simple turkey burger. Throw in a veggie salad and you're good to go.

More Like A Flat Tire

 road trips can be like a fork in the road. They can be fun and exhilarating or they could have the the same effect as a flat tire  - not fun. A recent road trip was definitely in the four flat tires catagory.

The area is known for cute and kitcshy and that includes Peddlar's Village.There are several neat places like the candy store that sells vintage brands and fresh ly dipped chocolates and the German store that has everything from Haribo Gummies to schnitzel mix. There there ate the cute restaurants that offer their version of sophisticated.my group and I startedthe day at Frescafe a funky little cafet that styled itself after a New York one. I chose the  tomato basil soup that was more like sauce than soup.Friends had the different sandwiches from grilled cheese to a a turkey pesto.

dinner was at the supposedly wildly popular Porterhouse Inn. in Lahaska PA. it was a loud , noisy place .I wish I could say that the food made up for it was OK.

I ordered  the steak sandwich au jus without the prolone.Others at the table ordered the filet mignon sandwich and a seafood cavatappi.The sandwich was good ,dipped in a gravy .It came with a mound of slightly darkened fries. The same with the filet mignon sandwich. The cavatappi has little chunks of lobster scallops and shrimp. There should have been more seafood for the price.

Sunday was spent at the Black Bass Inn on the Delaware RiverIt's historic enough and the views were gorgeous.

The food was so so.I ordered a chicken salad with a strawberry dressing.The chicken was placed away from the greens while the dressing looked like strawberry yogurt.

The other dishes were the French toast served with a mound of bacon and a pepper and caramelized omelet. The salad was just barely passable while the chicken was too dry.They opened up with vile tasting cheddar and chive biscuits. This is supposed to be a popular place although I really can't see the charm.It was in Loyalist territory 250 years ago and It still is, thanks to it's Royal Family corner.

This was the road trip that was not that great . It was not a good one food wise If you want to explore the area then do so. Just eat at your own risk.

Note I did get some nice soaps at Soap Opera and a pretty chambray dress at Cotton, both at Pedlars's  Village. Shop at these.

Rooooaaadddd Trrriiipppp

 Yes, Foodie Pantry is finally taking a breather from food writing for a short time. It's on the road to Trenton and New Hope! There will be plenty to see and eat there.

New Hope Pennsylvania has farmer's markets and across the Delaware River in Lambertville there are four star restaurants.I am curious to see and eat at D'floret one of Lambertville's best.They feature French food and I am dying to try their wild mushroom and lobster crepe.Their dessert menu is pure haute patisserie with raspberry tart and with creme Anglaise and a creme brulee made with Tahitian vanilla. There is also The Hawke which features steaks in an Ninetteenth Century house,New Hope hosts The Dubliner which features authentic Anglo-Irish foods such as fish and chips and lamb stew. There will be so many to choose from.It should be an interesting where I wind up.There's also going to be a lunch trip as well. This could be a roadside stand offering burgers or someplace fancier featuring farm to table soups and sandwiches.

There is also the Trenton Food market right outside the Trenton Train Station. This has all sorts of fun stands and different dishes to sample.Of course this is also farm country with them on both sides of the Delaware.I.m hoping for farm fresh tomatoes and corn to bring back along with some fresh baked goods. Hunterdon County where Lamberville is and Bucks County where New Hope is located has dozens of farms and markets.If you're in the Philadelphia  or New York areas, drive down and see what they have to offer. There is nothing like the fresh peaches out right now and abundant on New Jersey farms. The same goes for corn. Buy a few ears .Use some for grilling while the others can be turned into a yummy corn chowder.Farms are also great for buying fresh herbs and plants so scoop up some for cooking sauces .

Yes, there's a road trip planned. Yes there will be pictures Monday. Saturday is traveling and tasting  so have a good weekend.

A Sweet Vietnamese Classic

 Everyone things of spring rolls and pho when Vietnamese food is mentioned. yet the country is also known for a classic South Asian cake.It reflects the ingredients of the area while providing a slice of comfort, not unlike a slice of Bundt cake.

Regular contributor and master pastry maker Genevieve KO wrote about banh bo duong or honeycomb cake in yesterday's New York TImes Food section,This is a dense cake with a verdant jewel green crumb thanks to glossy green pandan leaves. These give a citrus like flavor to the batter an d it's considered the vanilla of Asian cooking.There's also the addition of tapioca and rice flour to give the crumb its' stretchy bite/ It has to be made perfectly which has always been the bane of Vietnamese home chefs.It's a staple of pot luck dinners in teh Vietnamese community with "aunties" judigng and criticizing other's cakes.Los Angeles based Hannah Pham baked it for her mother and three sisters hoping they'd give it high praise. She has spent years refining the recipe , making sure it was up to her family's standards."They were so impressed after their initial clucking that their happy surprise was captured on camera. She now makes the cake for parties , letting others enjoy the cake's "squishy sweetness."The cake was fist recorded in 1895 and its name means grilled cake because it was first made on an open charcoal fire.

What is banh bo duong made ofThere is tapioca starch and full fat coocnut milk for body.Six large eggs are added for extra body and to give it a rich crumb. Then there are those pandan leaves that give the cake it's beautiful lime green coloring.These have been grounded into a paste , much like vanilla beans and can be bought only on Amazon or in some Asian grocery stores. As for the tapioca use the Erawan brand which is commonly found in Asian supermarkets. Erawan also makes rice flour which Ms Ko recommends using in the recipe.It needs finely ground rice powder similar to white refined flour in texture.Never use any rice flour bought outside Asian markets, glutinous rice flour , sticky rice flour or mochiko kind which is also glutenous.The recipe can be a bit labor intensive with all the dry ingredients being whisked together first and then adding in the wet ingredients.It's then put through a sieve two or three times before it's poured into a greased Bundt pan.it's baked in a low oven at 305 degrees Farenheit for forty five minutes. Melted butter is brushed over the top after it'[s been baked It's then cooled and should be nudged out fo the pan with a spatula. Serve with a cup of Vietnamese coffee to balance the sweetness.

Banh bo duong is a tasty alternative to a Bundt cake.It's using new flavors and ingredients to create a classic cake. Try it for a summer time treat.

S]'Mores Any Way

 S'mores a re always a special summer treat but imagine making them year round. They can be put under the broiler or turned into a pie. They cna be gobbled during the dog days of July then or the frosty days of December.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about two variations of this treat in today's New York Times food section.S;m ores are actually almost one hundred years old having first debuted in the 1927 Girl Scout book Tramping and Trailing with The Girl Scouts." even though they were called Some Mores ,one is quite enough the book admonishes. . Ms Clark gives a gooey broiler one and a pie that features a rich pudding like ganache topped with a meringue. The broiler version can be varied. Ritz crackers or even Saltines can be subbed in for the sweet cracker(although I would add chocolate grahams to the list). What is great is that Ms Clark also has the option of dark and light chocolate. Dark chocolate works very well and cuts down on the sweetness of the marshmallows. The snacks are assembled without the tops and then broiled for about two to three minutes Watch them carefully so they don;t burn and create a black gooey mess.(unless you like this).

The pie is more or less similar except the marshmallow topping is homemade as is the graham cracker crust. The crust is a mix of whole wheat flour and white as it is with a graham cracker recipe.Cinnamon and brown sugar are also added for flavor and  half a cup of butter is added to bind the crust together. The ganache is like a homemade pudding that uses chopped bittersweet chocolate instead of chocolate chips. These also melts better too. A pinch of sea salt also helps bringing out the sweetness too. As for the marshmallow filling six eggs whites will be needed along with granulated sugar and cream of tartar.A vanilla bean is also used for flavoring.The crust is baked first and then cooled before the ganache is added.The tart is then placed in the fridge anywhere between one hour and up to twenty four hours for it to firm up.The meringue is then made and whisked constantly in a bowl over simmering water. The mixture has to turn white and the temp should be 175 degrees Farenheit (use a candy thermometer for this)The meringue is then put into a mixer and whipped more as vanilla beans are added. Place the finished fluff on the ganache and use a blow torch to toast it.

S'mores are a true treat. Make then under the broiler on into a pie. Both are tasty treats.