A Food Weekend

 The New York Times had an excellent food themed weekend Sunday paper.The magazine was chock full of cuisine stories along with the Best US restaurant guide insert. It was a tasty read all around.

The magazine had six different food journeys. One was the amusing tale of their son Ollie by Peden and Munk.They went to France to get their son to like eggs. He even made homemade mayonnaise which has  - eggs.That he liked. It was fun to see which dishes got a thumbs up and a thumbs down.Then there was chicken that tastes like home about funding a chicken dish in Senegal.This was a spicy mix of chicken cooked in a flavorful spice stew that starts with MAggi broth and has fire added to it thanks to Scotch Bonnet peppers. Another story was about California sea urchins and how to fix a sex drive with them. Another interesting article was about Peruvian peppers. It can be made into a salsa to serve with various Peruvian dishes.The tastiest was about real Italian gelato, Tamara Shopsin wrote about trying to find the best taste after she lost her own .Italy now makes a yogurt version which looks creamy and tasty just like the milk based one

Then there's the Best Restaurant guide This is perfect for anyone traveling this fall.It could be a day trip to Mystic CT to eat at the Shipwright's Daughter. You would think it would be a seafood restaurant given it sits on the end of the Long Island Sound but it also has a mouth watering tete de veau and a roast chicken.If you;re going further failed look into North Of BOurbon in Louisville. This is Cajun country like fried cat fish served with Haitian pikliz, pickled vegetable relish. Chicago does have garden dogs but stop at the Spanish eatery Asador Bastian for Galacian ribe eye, rimmed with yellow fat or even plancha and a simple tortilla.Even small towns like Alna in rural Maine offer good and inventive food. Try The Alna Store for a buttermilk wedge of lettuce dusted with crispy fried shallots and capers or the shrimp on top of a creamy mound of grits.If you're not planning on leaving the New York area there's; Shaw-Nae's House ,a soul food house serving Soul Fries , fries buried under collard green ,fried chicken chunks and baked Mac and cheese.There's also Pennty for good seafood like grilled squid stuffed with tuna.

The Times always has excellent food articles. Yesterday's were no exception. Read them and get inspired. = and hungry.

Roast Season

Now that the weather is cooler it's time to think about roasts. These are the perfect Sunday meal.It brings about hearty food that's perfect for the chilly afternoons ahead. Yet many home chefs are sort of in the dark a botu roasting. Are they using the right pan? Do they need a meat thermometer/ How to flavor a roast? There needs to be a simple guide to follow.

The first question is what kind of roasting pan to use? The best kind is a straight sided stainless steel one with a V shaped or curved rack. This type of pan works well with  large roasts.It also works wonders to caramelize veggies and making sauce in the pan. This can easily be bought at such stores as Kohl's Target and Wal-Mart. Can you use a baking pan instead of a roasting one?Not really. Both serve different purposes and are constructed differently too. The roasting ones are generally larger and deeper with high sides.They're designed to accommodate large joints of meat and poultry.Baking pans are usually shallower and come in a variety of sizes and shapes.Their primary goal is to keep an even heat and hold in the batter or other liquid ingredients. What is the point of investing in a roasting pan?It's mainly to roast larger pieces of meat  and poultry like turkey easily.It;'s also good for racks of lambs and crown roast. Can you use something other than a roasting pan? Chicken and vegetables can use a rimmed baking sheet. You can also use a deep Dutch oven or aluminum roasting pan to do the job.

Will you need a meat thermometer for your roasts?Yes.it will result in well cooked roasts and lead to juicy chicken and turkey. You can buy them anywhere from Walmart to Target to any kitchen shop. They usually run around fifteen dollars and can also be used for hamburgers and ribs too.If you don't want to buy one there are ways to see if the meat is done. The juices will run clear.It's piping hot all the way through and the meat should be steaming.There also should be no pink meat left. Another good gadget to have is a baster. This sucks up the juices from the pan's bottom. and then you can squirt them all over the meat. This is a super cheap buy with one costing around two dollars for the cheapest and around ten dollars for the most expensive.Now what about marinades? What makes for a juicy interior and a crusty, crispy outside? Some  chefs recommend just rubbing it with olive oil and then a good sprinkling with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. As for chicken, rubbing butter or plant based butter under the skin and just a light seasoning of salt, pepper and some rosemary  should create a flavorful bird.

It's roasting season.Are you ready? With the right equipment you can create a tasty Sunday roast that's both flavorful and moist.

Your Favorite Fall Treat

 This is the time of year when everyone gets back into the kitchen to either cook or bake. What's your fall favorite? Will you be air frying spicy wings for your tail gating party? IS artichoke spinach dip on your radar?Or I it sweets you'r thinking of? Are you buying flour for your apple cider doughnuts or spice cupcakes?

What treat do you want to make as this season changes? Let us know

Texas Toast Your Way

 Everything in Texas is bigger including their toast. THis is garlic bread on steroids and can be used not just for Italain dish's but makes a nice base for sandwiches like roast beef au jus. Like garlic bread it's a simple make.

Regular contributor Christina Morales wrote about this treat in yesterday's New York Times Food section.This is a big  slice of bread with a buttery and garlicky top. Where it came from is iffy. Two outposts of Pig Stand, a popular barbecue stand throughout the state claimed to have invented it in either Denton or Beaumont.It was first made in the 1940's. A cook buttered both sides of a plump bread that was too thick to put in a toaster.It was then browned on a griddle. The last location of Pig Stand in San Antonio closed last year had made the bread the same way for decades. One longstanding waitress, Mary Ann Hill who had worked their since the Sixties recalled customers loved the bread so much that they asked for several pieces in advance and while others asked her to soak pieces in butter. Other Texans claimed fame in inventing Texas toast. Gene Dunson , owner of the Dallas restaurant Gene's Wheel toook thick slices fo bread from his baker ,brushed both sides with butter and  toasted it on the griddle. Customers fell madly in love with the slices

The bread is now finding its' way into sandwiches.Ian So who is the chef at Vuji Cafe in Houston tried several breads in his Vietnamese themed restaurant to see how they'd hold up.Nothing  really held up to his spicy jam packed sandwiches like the Texas toast from the Texas grocery store H.E.B. Texas toast is big in the frozen food aisle where there are several different brands featuring it. Yet it's a snap to make. All that's  needed is six thick sliced pieces of white bread. You can buy an uncut loaf  at any store or bakery (although the bakery is your best bet.) The slices should be three quarters of an inch thick.It's then brushing both sides with a mix of melted butter olive oil, parsley and  kosher salt like Diamon. Garlic powder can  be added to this , especially if you're planning to serve it with spaghetti and a lot of sauce. (the bread is perfect for sopping up all that rich tomato goodness.. Generously brush both sides. place  sliceson a sheet pan  and bake in a pre set 375 degrees Farenheit oven for eight to twenty two minutes or until the bottoms are brown .FLip over and bake the other side for three to ficew minutes more. (this side wont take long to brown.) Sprinkle with more salt  and serve hot. Keep in mind this would be great topped with meatballs and pesto sauce or London broil with gravy.

Texas toast is a great side for any dish. It's also a snap to make. Try it this weekend as a side to pasta or as a base for meat balls or roast beef.

Small Size Me

 Are Americans getting over their love affair with big restaurant portions? Apparently so. This is a new trend that's making the rounds ofmationwide chain restaurants and fast food joints. Diners don;t want platters of steaks or hamburgers the size of hubcaps. They're going for smaller for health and even ecological reasons.

Regular contributor Kim Severson wrote about this phenomenon in today's New York Times Wednesday Food section.For decades restaurants like Olive Garden and Chilis were serving huge platters or never ending bowls. Even fast food jointss like Burger King and KFC doled out huge portions to hungry diners. However it's all changing. There are many reasons after years of gorging that the country has said stop. People are realizing that it's unhealthy to eat meals that have a calorie count at a whopping two thousand calories .They want smaller b snack sized bites that will not increase their waist line. It's also impossible to finish a meal. There is also the very real threat of food waste which contributes to more waste being produced. According to a 2020 study  forty percent (!!!!) of all restaurant food does not get eaten.In an effort to stave off climate change states like California and Massachusetts have mandated how much food waste goes into landfills. Other states will more than likely follow so there might be a cap on serving oversized portions. Another factor is people taking GLP-1 or weight loss drugs.They are heading into what's known as snackification, people ordering appetizers or even kids meals because they know they can finish everything.

Customizing and basic downsizing of portions should be easy according to Dana Gunders CEO of Refed, the nation's leading organization in fighting food waste and one of the groups working on the Georgetown portion study.A group Portion Balance Coalition based in Georgetown's McDonough School of Business began a year long study to understand the problem.It hopes to sign on at least ten high volume chains like Panda Express and Chick Fil_A. Some chains have already embraced the principle Subway introduced a snack menu while Burger King shrank its ten piece nugget to eight pieces. Panera has the vastly popular You Pick Two - a cup of of soup with either half a sandwich or half a sandwich. This is one of the chain;s most popular orders Chip Wde who left Red Lobster North American operations to work for Union Square Hospitality Group predicts that this will be the wave of the futire. Some places sell their big portions as dinner today  lunch tomorrow to get two meals out of a larger one.

Will America as a whole embrace smaller portions. Quite possibly yes. People cannot eat large quantities of food. They will want smaller dishes that suit the,

The Rustic Baking Of Autumn

 The temps are starting to drops. The kitchen is inviting again.It's time to bake yet nothing fancy.That'll come in the new couple of months. Fall baking is simple baking. There's no fancy frosting or shiny decorations. It's the flavors that stand out - not the bells and whistles.

Surprisingly pizza is considered rustic baking. It's symbolizes a summer of harvesting tomatoes and basil, perfect for fall cooking. It can be made with just a simple crust made from flour olive oil, water yeast and sugar .The sugar activates the yeast and makes it rise. As for the topping ,again think a simple rustic one. Sliced tomatoes olive oil and little rounds of mozzarella. Do add basil and oregano from your garden if you have it. Another rustic bread is focaccia.Like pizza dough it's an easy bake.The dough is a mix of yeast, all purpose flour and warm water.Olive oil is added to create a silky crumb and rich flavor. Usually rosemary and sea salt is sprinkled on it and dimples made with fingers are on the top.These dimples serve as wells for olive oil added right before putting into the oven. The bread is a good accompaniment with a hot rustic soup like minestrone. It;'s also good as a base for salame and mortadella too There are other rustic breads too. A sourdough boule is easy to make and great to eat. What makes it stand out is the rough, crispy crust and the tender inside.

Sweet rustic baking is also a great treat during these upcoming cold days. Try a French apple cake, loaded with the gems of the season.It is rich with not only apples but also egg and butter too. It's not a fancy cake with just a simple dusting of confectioners sugar. An apple pie is another simple pie popular with home bakers right now. Try baking it in a cast iron skillet for a homey , old fashioned feel.There are no fancy ingredients here. Just Granny Smith apples, brown sugar and cinnamon mixed together. As for the crust try a butter one, rich with two sticks of butter. Simple cakes are also perfect for a snack or following a Sunday roast.A walnut espresso one is an easy bake and its' loaded with that much loved autumn nut - the walnut. This is an Italian recipe, redolent with espresso and the chopped nuts. Think of making this after a Sunday roast chicken or beef.Another fall flavor is pears. They're in season right now and the smaller Bosc pears would be perfect in a cake like this. Add warming spices of cinnamon and ginger to bring out the pear's flavor and give heat to each slice.

The cooler weather means baking. Create a rustic savory or sweet treat to warm up your family and yourself.These are the perfect recipes for autumn

Rustic Fall Recipes

 Just because the weather is cooler doesn't;t mean that you have to cook fancy. The season is known for down to earth comfort foods .Think country cooking with warming spices and flavorful bites.This is perfect for a homey dinner with family.

What is rustic cooking? It's simpl;e dishes without bells and whistles.It focuses on high quality ingredients  prepped and cooked in a such a way as to let the flavors shine. One of the best cuisines that exemplifies this is Italian cooking.Think homemade pastas and ravioli, easy to make fritters and pizzas. The cooler weather almost begs for scratch pasta. You will need a pasta machine which is simply a roller to create fla sheets.It also has a serrated roller to make tagliatelle and spaghetti.Any pasta starts with  all purpose flour, olive oil and an egg.That's it. Once you have this recipe then you can make simple dishes using what's left of the summer bounty. Think simple sauce with bases of butter, tomato  and butter. Another simple rustic recipe is potato fritters from the Trento Aldige region of northeastern Italy. This is a simple mix of grated potatoes and flours fried in olive oil. They're great on their own but also good with cured meats and a sprinkle of  Parmesan cheese. Germany also has rustic  but they're mostly breads.It's easy to make a homemade rye and have it for soups and sandwiches.

France is also a country that exemplifies rustic cooking and baking. The French are usually known for having their mats swimming in rich ,buttery sauces yet one of the best chicken dishes from FRance is a plain one.The meat is juicy and moist with a crispy , crackly skin. It;s flavored with herbes de Provence and pimento de'ville a simple pimento based pepper.It's then roasting the bird on both sides for first forty minutes then twenty. You can serve it with simply small or baby potatoes or a string beans with a lemon butter sauce. America has its' own rustic cuisine.It;s sometimes called farmhouse and features the sort of foods people are a century ago, Think fried chicken with an easy flour based crust or a meat loaf that simply ground beef mixed with milk, eggs ketchup,onions and Saltines(other crackers like Ritz and Cheeze its can also be used). This is perfect with a side of homemade mashed potatoes and a simple homemade gravy. What's the best rustic dessert. Think an apple scratch cake or  plum galette. These are perfect endings and easy to make. They also highlight the fruits of the season too.

Fall calls for rustic cooking. This simple cuisine is perfect for any chilly fall day. Create a one with French or Italian main dish, a German bread and an American dessert.