World On A Plate

Chinese Watermelon Art

Chinese Watermelon Art

I simply do not have this level of patience and skill!

The Five Verse Egg

“If you boil an egg while singing all five verses and chorus of the hymn, 'Onward Christian Soldiers.' it will be cooked perfectly when you come to Amen.”

Letter to the Editor, London's 'Daily Telegraph'

Abalone to Zungenwurst

Ramblings of cranky woman.

It's been quite a week.  Very low lows and high highs. Emotionally speaking--some of it just too personal to reveal here. Other events too boring to detail out--such as my tax bill, and the BIG marketing strategy presentation that needs to be pulled together in less than 72 hours. And there goes most of my weekend.  And I find PowerPoint dangerously linear. Although David Byrne's view of the presentation software is intriguing and pleasing to me.  My hope is that this strategy will be implemented but this corporate citizen knows that when a bunch of men (really there's no woman in senior management, but I won't start up on that) get in a big board room egos and any sense of sound business process seem to be left at the door.  Anyway, I'm learning to hold no expectations of corporate success but just do my best job.  I had my first 100% leaded coffee in three in a half months due to all these machinations.  Quite a delicious cafe con leche from San Francisco's newsest cafe via Cafe Lo Cubano. Hearing Ruth Reichel in conversation with Isabel Duffy/City Arts & Lectures seems like a far off mid-week deviation. In fact when Ms. Reichel closed she told a story of a friend who teaches at a Bronx middle school.  The instructor held up an orange and half the students didn't know what it was--the other half thought that orange juice grew in a box.  I wept silently and quietly in the dark hall.  Similiar experience also happened to me when I watched the American Masters show on Alice Waters when they talked to the kids at the Edible Schoolyard.

Here's about what I can muster for today--a small, fun quiz for food lovers.  Ma naturalmente parlo la lingua della cucina! (10/10!) (Sto sognando recentemente di Roma y Toscana.)   

Housekeeping

I'm trying a few things out here.  Everyone likes the news.  It took me longer to assemble one of the Friday Frys than a typical post.  So rather than omit the category I've niftily figured out how to have an ongoing roll in the right hand column.  And yes, I've renamed it to 'Potluck', which is more fitting.

There will be more changes down the road but I need to think those changes through a bit more soundly before implementing. 

Friday Fry #22

The qualities of an exceptional cook are akin to those of a successful
tightrope walker: an abiding passion for the task, courage to go out on
a limb and an impeccable sense of balance.

Bryan Miller, N.Y. Times 10/23/83
via BBC.com

An advertising campaign that began with teaser billboards containing the message "inNw" have had me curious.  Turns out it's part of a larger ad effort for which includes TV, text messaging and a website with language that shows I don't fit into the demographic target (16-24).  It's a way of integrating text messaging to connect with teens. The riddle is solved, "inNw" means "If not now when?".  It's also the tagline for the roll-out of the Doritos Black Pepper Jack.  The package copy states that the chips, "combine the bold tastes of black pepper and pepper jack cheese to bring you a great new flavor with the intense crunch you gotta have!"  It's a unique campaign to say the least.

The world's most expensive tea bag--280 diamonds!

Mexico City is in the throes of a revival.  And in the city's Condesa-Roma district you'll find it on the menu.  The younger generation has more money to spend on dining and chef-owners have responded by updating the type and quality of food that can be found on menus.  As the Los Angeles Times article states, "a handful of women...are making waves by treating traditional Mexican cuisine with less reverence...with flamboyant presentations and unexpected combinations of common ingredients."  Patricia Quintana, donned by Gourmet as Mexico's Marcella Hazen, "is throwing hibiscus flowers into her mole and wrapping up masa-less tamales at her restaurant, Izote."   Diana Kennedy, the high priestess of Mexican culinary history and preparation, has called the whole thing, "absurd", "ridiculous" and "barbaric".   

In addition to Chef Quintana, Gabriela Cámara, Monica Patiño and Martha Ortiz are causing sensations such as fideo (vermicelli) sauced with black mole, garnished with fried chiles and queso panela and served with a spicy pasilla mole dipping sauce; and fish-stuffed jalapenos.  Ortiz created an all-black Day of the Dead meal featuring, margaritas made with volcanic ash, dark huitlacoche (corn fungus) quesadillas with goat cheese and black habañero sauce, duck in smoke-scented mole and sea bass with chirmole, a mole darkened with charred chiles.

This is one revolution that's worth the fight. 

Contramar tuna tostadas with chipotle mayonnaise

Coconut water promises to be the next trend in beverages that we all go nuts over. Apparently, it's a long kept powerful antidote. First sold in Brazil over five years ago it is second in popularity to orange juice. According to the manufacturers of Vita Coco, "The coconut water phenomenon has been kept a secret from Americans for centuries, not because of its evident benefits to the enjoyer, but because of the difficulty in packaging coconut water and preventing it from oxidizing."  Coconut water is not the same as coconut milk. Coconut water is extracted from young, green coconuts. Coconut milk comes from the meat of the nut.  It is also free of  fat and cholesterol, contains more potassium than two bananas (for and alkalizing minerals such as magnesium and calcium.  Runners, gym-goers and athletes look for this new natural energy drink for a change in your routine. I suppose it could also make a tasty lower fat umbrella drink.  Taste Report

Loco for Coco

Coconut water promises to be the next trend in beverages that we all go nuts over. Apparently, it's a long kept powerful antidote. First sold in Brazil over five years ago it is second in popularity to orange juice. According to the manufacturers of Vita Coco, "The coconut water phenomenon has been kept a secret from Americans for centuries, not because of its evident benefits to the enjoyer, but because of the difficulty in packaging coconut water and preventing it from oxidizing."  Coconut water is not the same as coconut milk. Coconut water is extracted from young, green coconuts. Coconut milk comes from the meat of the nut.  It is also free of  fat and cholesterol, contains more potassium than two bananas (for and alkalizing minerals such as magnesium and calcium.  Runners, gym-goers and athletes look for this new natural energy drink for a change in your routine. I suppose it could also make a tasty lower fat umbrella drink.  Taste Report

What's For Lunch

A friend sent this to me--origin unknown.  I don't know but I found this funny. If anyone knows the source please let me know--I need to give full credit.

Friday Fry #21

World on a Plate, champion of New England from here in the Northern California, has uncovered a new food novelty product, the Cool Dog Sundae an ice cream hot dog cradled in a sponge cake bun. According to the New York Times, who's obviously as excited as I am about the product, the creator, Peter Franklin, spent years perfecting molding technology to get an authentic looking hot--complete with pleats at the end. The next innovation are the toppings--ketchup (raspberry) and mustard (mango).  Competition comes from the more established, Good Humour Choco Tacos. Distribution is limited to amusement parks, BJs Wholesale ($7.99 for 8) and of course, Fenway Park, home of the 2004 World Series Boston Red Sox.

Chiquita, the world's largest banana producer, is purchasing pre-packaged salad producer Fresh Express.  This diversifies Chiquita's product mix and provides a leadership position in the pre-packaged salad market.  Bananas made up 85 per cent of their annual sales. According to the news article, "Fresh Express pioneered ready-to-dress salad greens in 1989 and now dominates 40 percent of the $2.7 billion market." Fresh Express also supplies McDonald's, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut with salads an d more recently with fruit. No doubt the benefit of a higher profit margin had a hand in the decision.

Happy Birthday! Epicurious is 10.  Born as a recipe database of 500 to CondeNet, a division of publishing giant Conde Nast it's evolved into a 20,000 collection from Gourmet and Bon Appetit.  New user enhancements are expected in the coming year such as a recipe contest, "a series of 10 contests will kick off in March, inviting users to show off their creativity in the kitchen. Each contest will be based on a culinary theme." Another planned feature is  Epi to Go, "enables users to download recipes onto their mobile phones or PDAs."

New York City cheese lovers looking to expand your horizons can now take classes at The Cheese Course.  The school owned by Murray's Cheese Shop covers subjects such as pairing beer and cheese, intro to Spanish cheese, and also the more serious matter of , 'Can Pastuerized Taste as Good as Raw?'. Full details and schedule of classed can be found at their website.

Image credit:  Cool Dogs website

Friday Fry #20

In 1968 the Department of Agriculture put into place a ban on the importing of Sichuan peppercorns.  The law was not actively enforced until three years ago when canker, possibly carried by the spice, began to devastate citrus crops in Florida. Due to a new heat-treatment process the ban may be lifted. The peppercorn is not a true peppercorn but rather a member of the citrus family and carries a "lovely woody-citrus-peel flavor."  According to a recent news report, "The deep, dark reddish-black dried pepper berries come from a woody ash shrub that grows in the mountainous regions of northwestern Sichuan. The peppercorns are one of the components of the classic Chinese five-spice blend, the peppercorns are so revered that they were once offered in tribute to the emperors of China, according to Sichuan cuisine authority Fuchsia Dunlop."

What happens when  you mix the 1970s energy crisis with the women's movement?  According to Slate, the Crock-Pot whose motto"cooks all day while the cook's away " created a small cooking revolution which quickly waned. Today, Rival, who owns 85% of the market, has experienced a 20 per cent increase in sales.  Could be because of economic times, a desire to eat healthier meals and the simplicity of preparation.   The article reviews and rates eight slow cookers.

In a urgent effort to control avian flu Vietnam has banned duck and goose farming.  The disease has killed 45 people this winter.  Many in Southeast Asia passed over making traditional New Year's fowl-featuring dishes for the second year in a row as a precaution.  Duck plays a pretty key food role as it is cheaper than chicken and other meats and also produces income for farmers who raise the ducks for meat and eggs.  Vit Kho Gung (Braised Duck with Ginger) recipe. 

Eric Ripert of New York's Le Bernardin puts a four-star meal together for eight in a small NYC kitchen.  True he's Eric Ripert but it goes along way toward planning.  Tips include having the food delivered a few hours before prep; editing your pots and pans and having good knifes. Chef Ripert also likes a constitutional of Patron tequila--it "makes me happy."  Recipe for Shrimp with Coconut Milk, Tomato, Avocado.

And finally to follow up on Sugar High Fridays "Puff Pastry" there's an article in this week's Food section of the Los Angeles Times (registration may be required) that explores quiche technique via Thomas Keller and his recent cookbook Bouchon. 

Photo Credits:  ChineseTakeaways.com (a nifty site if you live in the UK)

Friday Fry #19

Great chefs possess creativity and inventiveness.  It is a rare combination.  According to an article in the New York Times (sign in may be required) features the innovative sushi at Chicago's Moto where "at least two or three food items made of paper are likely to be included in a meal at Moto...Even the menu is edible; diners crunch it up into a bowl of gazpacho, creating Mr. Cantu's version of alphabet soup." Chef Cantu, whom I might add is only 28, uses organic, food-based inks to concoct a champagne, caviar and oyster dish, sushi rolls on to flavored and edible papers made of soybeans and cornstarch. He's no stiff in the kitchen either. Before arriving where he is today; he was the sous-chef at Charlie Trotters. The article details more of his food-related inventions. Someone to watch.

On the return flight from Chicago my plane reading was the latest issue of New York Magazine. Martha Stewart donned the cover with the headline, ""The Return of Martha Stewart" It's a bit of an odd premise for an article--a woman who looks like Martha saves the company while the queen is at Camp Cupcake. What's more fascinating are the people who have surrounded Martha in order to build the business and today are reshaping it for post-slammer release. A bit gossipy but don't we all need balance.

Why weren't there classes like this when I was in college?  Professor Fields, whom students call "Doc Choc" teaches a course about the "mystery, history and allure of chocolate" at Olivet College. He wears a chocolate covered lab coat, too.  Sweet.

Morgan Shylock of Super Size Me fame has re-edited his documentary for educational use.  The film will be distributed for use in the classroom to instruct on childhood obesity.   Shylock thinks schools are the best places to teach nutrition.  The DVD format will be geared for grades 6-12 and contains lesson plans and special interviews with nutritionists and doctors. In the past he has been critical of of schools distributing junk food while cutting back on recess time. 

Not really food related but one of my favorite tech dailies Good Morning Silicon Valley pointed me in the direction of 43 Things, a social networking site (ostensibly).  Essentially you post your wants and desires to the site and find other like-minded souls to connect with.  Well, Salon.com has pieced it all together. What's behind this independent site? The largest on line retailer, Amazon.  Now I'm a marketing person by day and I'm going to have to agree with GMSV, "leading folks to believe they're sharing their souls with kindred spirits, when in fact they are entering their innermost thoughts into the database of the Web's biggest retailer (which undoubtedly has some goal-fulfilling products to sell them), is one of the lowest things I've run across in a looong time."