After Dark:Gastronomy

Photo credit: ©Intellectual Ventures/Modernist Cuisine

Are you curious about the modern techniques and ingredients often lumped under the controversial term "molecular gastronomy?" While I never ate at El Bulli or Alinea, and I don't have copies of Nathan Myhrvold's Modernist Cuisine I can't help but wonder if cutting edge techniques have the ability to make food taste significantly better. And although I've yet to invest in the equipment to cook sous vide, I have enjoyed reading Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking which has taught me a bit about food science.

This Thursday April 5th, the Exploratorium is hosting After Dark:Gastronomy from 6-10 pm. It will be a true hand's on experience for those with curiosity when it comes to the modern techniques and ingredients that utilize our understanding of science. Modernist Cuisine’s head chef and co-author Maxime Bilet and SeattleFoodGeek blogger Scott Heimendinger will demonstrate how tools such as centrifuges and homogenizers and ingredients like hydrocolloids and emulsifiers are used in culinary applications. Cooking for Geeks author Jeff Potter will also be on hand, and will demonstrate sous vide techniques with eggs.

Join me and lean how to make fruit juice “caviar," liquid nitrogen ice cream and find out if you are a “super-taster” (and if that's a good thing to be). Tickets are $15.

Exploratorium @
The Palace of Fine Arts
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA

Kitchen Upgrades

Non-stick pans, kitchen tools and storage containers. Your kitchen is filled with them, some good and some not so good. Sometimes your kitchen deserves an upgrade. Here are a few of my recent discoveries:

I've reviewed a lot of pots and pans over the years. I love the convenience for non-stick pans, but no matter what the brand or cost, eventually they flake. I like the ceramic non-stick, but they are a bit delicate and can chip if you're not careful, well, not the Earth Pan II from Meyer corporation. The non-stick surface is made from sand, and has no PTFE or PFOA and it can be used with high heat! It's stovetop safe up to 600 degrees. I've been using a 12-inch pan for several weeks and it is easy to clean, and shows no signs that it will chip and there is no coating to flake off. Of course, the true test is how it performs in the long term, but so far so good.



My old measuring cups were so ugly! They were stained and I hated looking at them, never mind using them. When someone from Trudeau offered to send me something of my choice from their line of kitchenware, I knew it would be their 5 piece measuring cup set. Each piece is a different color and the shape is particularly easy to use. I also got their can opener since my old one had melted from being to close to the stove one day. If you don't have a can opener that lifts the top rather leaving sharp edges this is a great upgrade. I already have and love the Trudeau pot clip spoon rests and one piece silicone spatulas (no wooden handle to burn or stain).



I just bought this Chef'n dual grater and I really like the design. It's coarse on one side, fine on the other, and it has little rubber feet so you can use it vertically or horizontally. It also takes up very little room when it's not in use. It's a really smart design and it was relatively inexpensive. I had another one from Microplane that I liked, but it broke. Eventually they also lose their edge and need replacing. The best Microplane product I have is the zester. If you don't have one, I highly recommend you get one.




My last recommendation is to ditch your plastic storage containers. Oh you can use them for dry things like sugar and flour, but don't use them to store cooked food or to reheat. They stain and they get scratched and they might just be leaching chemicals into your food. A much better choice is glass. I've just purchased a set of Boroseal, Borosilicate glass stroage containers and while they aren't cheap, I expect them to last for a very, very long time. They have airtight plastic tops and can be used in the freezer, oven and microwave. Unlike plastic they will not stain or scratch or melt! Pyrex glass storage containers are less expensive and also get high ratings on Amazon, though I haven't personally used them.

My thanks for Meyer for providing a sample of the EarthPan and Trudeau for the measuring cups and can opener. All other products mentioned I purchased.

In Organic We Trust

In Organic We Trust trailer

What do terms like “organic” and “natural” mean? Are they marketing terms or something more? The documentary “In Organic We Trust,” begins by taking a deeper dive into what the public thinks organic is all about and also how big corporations are getting in on the act. Through a very Morgan Spurlock style film with animations and interviews, filmmaker Kip Pastor raises as many questions as he answers.

While we might want to believe that organic produce is healthier, the film refers to research that shows, that's just not the case. And it turns out pesticides are often organic. Yet the numbers are climbing when it comes to organic consumption in America. At the root of the film is the question--is organic a philosophy? If so, what is it?

The interviews with government critics, educators, farmers and food entrepreneurs are illuminating, but I wish the film had gone further into the philosophy that is the underpinning of organic, a philosophy of taking care of the earth, sustainability, etc. At many times the very reasons for organic seem at odd with the heavily processed unhealthy organic food that is being pumped out by big companies.

Is organic part of the solution, along with eating locally, and better labeling? How do we encourage better food policy? There are no easy answers. We will just have to stay tuned as the story progresses...

In Organic We Trust will be available on DVD and shows at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival February 23, 2012.

Avocado Tofu Salad with Ponzu Recipe

This is a zen salad. For one thing, like meditation, it requires slowing down. Normally salad is something you throw together at the last minute. Not this one. Patience, little grasshopper. You need to marinate the tofu overnight. It's also simple and straightforward. And it requires no oil. I know what you're thinking, what does THAT have to do with being zen? I'll tell you. This is an enlightened salad. The avocado is rich enough that you really don't need any additional oil.

I know there are people out there who don't like tofu, but I wonder, have they had any good tofu dishes? I like tofu with something to really give it flavor and tang. Ponzu sauce is perfect. The extra firm texture of this tofu really shouldn't bother even people with "texture issues." But if you or your guests really are adversed to tofu, you could certainly substitute diced chicken breast or chunks of seared tuna.

This salad is perfect for when your are trying to eat healthy or to enjoy on a warm day. It's very light and refreshing but at the same time hearty and filling. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Avocado Tofu Salad with PonzuMakes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 large avocado, firm, not too soft
7 ounces of extra firm tofu (1/2 of a standard package)
1 small Persian cucumber
3 Tablespoons ponzu sauce (Kikkoman's is fine or make your own)
Salad greens, preferably baby lettuce
1 green onion, minced
Toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Slice the avocado in half, remove the pit, cut into medium size chunks and place in a mixing bowl. Drain the tofu and cut into chunks, roughly the same size as the avocado. Add to the mixing bowl along with the ponzu sauce and toss, gently. Allow to marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Use a mandolin to slice the cucumber into thin slices, or cut with a knife. Line each plate or bowl with salad greens, top them with cucumber slices. Place the avocado mixture on top of the salad greens and top each serving with green onion and sesame seeds. Drizzle each serving with a bit of the ponzu sauce.

Enjoy!

Oliveto's Whole Hog Dinner 2012

After experiencing one of the Whole Hog dinners at Oliveto last year, I couldn't wait to do it again. This time I brought along a friend Susie, who had just moved to the neighborhood. While it may seem like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and doing a whole animal dinner, the one at Oliveto is one of the oldest and surely one of the best. For one thing, it's a la carte, so you can eat and spend as much as you like. This year chef Jonah Rhodehamel focused the selections and there were more rustic options, but it's not all ears and trotters.


First up was a very hearty favata bean soup made from dried fava beans. Restaurant owner Bob Klein is the mastermind behind Community Grains and really knows his beans! The soup had tender chunks of braised pork, a chewy crouton and plenty of lift from a minty herbal puree. This is the kind of soup I would make and eat all week long.


Next up was a spectacularly good lasagna from Calabria called Sagne chine it had the lightest noodles and meatballs, plus a fresh and spicy tomato sauce and thin slivers of hard boiled egg. It was the most ethereal lasagna I have ever tasted. I was tipped off that a similar recipe is in My Calabria:Cooking with Rosetta cookbook so you may want to bookmark it. The recipe includes peas, and the Oliveto version does not.



The main course we shared was not the more common porchetta, but rather spit-roasted pork leg served with roasted carrots, turnips and greens. It was lean but still juicy, full of flavor. The chef told me he gets his pork from several sources including the sustainably raised ones from Magruder Ranch and Riverdog Farm.


After a palate cleansing salad of garden lettuce, we chose a pear strudel for dessert with vin santo ice cream. The leaves of the strudel with crackly crisp, because of course, they were slathered in strutto. Ah porcine goodness from beginning to end!

Note: There may be a few more seats left for this dinner 2/10/12, but call the restaurant to find out.

Oliveto
5655 College Avenue
Oakland, CA
510.547.5356

Winter 2012 Fancy Food Show Cookies

At the Winter 2012 Fancy Food Show there were quite a number of truly great cookies. Last year I discovered Vin Tucci, biscotti made with wine, for pairing with wine and also Cookies and Corks cookies designed to pair with wine.


This year in the new products showplace I tried Napa Cookie Company's Wine Snaps. These thin little cookies have a nice crunch and buttery flavor with a spicy kick of black pepper. Red and white wine versions include wine in the recipe and are designed to pair with wine. Sturdy enough to top with cheese like a cracker, but sweeter. I love these cookies and I love this trend!



Another cookie that includes a beverage in the recipe as well as for pairing are Biscottea. Designed to pair with coffee and tea, they include a variety of ground tea and coffee in each shortbread cookie. Flavors include favorites like Earl Grey, Chai, Mint and even Rooibos. I liked the coffee ones too, that come in Espresso, Cappuccino and Mocha.


For a more classic pairing with tea, there is the traditional French Madeleine. Locally Donsuemor makes a wonderful version, several in fact, including chocolate, lemon and chocolate dipped. Widely available at coffee shops, these cookies come to life with a cup of hot tea. Packaged in a pretty box they make a nice Valentine's Day gift for someone suffering from French macaron fatigue.



For innovative shapes and decoration two cookies caught my eye. One was a line extension from Walker's, known for their shortbread cookies. Now they are making adorable scottie dog shaped shortbread cookies with a percentage of sales going to the ASPCA. I cannot imagine a dog lover not being utterly charmed by these!

Another company that was new to me, was Queen City Cookies. They make very decorative cookies that are sold as gifts. Rather than using nasty tasting fondant, they create lovely designs using molds and white or dark chocolate or buttery frostings and some are painted with great detail. Each cookie is also a gift card. The floral and "love" designs would make particularly nice gifts for Valentine's Day. Also worth seeking out are their savory rosemary shortbread with sesame and sunflower seeds. I really liked these a lot and could see pairing them with wine. A bag of them would make a great hostess gift.

For pure deliciousness, I saved perhaps the best for last. At Kitty Keller's booth I tried Les Sables & Palets de Mere Poulard (they are available at Market Hall Foods). These crumbly, rich cookies will transport you to France with their divinely sweet butter direct from Brittany. Melting and crumbly as sables should be, they come in flavors too like double chocolate and salted caramel. As if you need another reason to buy them, the colorful tins they come in are extremely gift worthy, decorated with Mont St. Michel and art nouveau flourishes. But I won't blame you if you keep both the cookies and the tin for yourself.

Love begins in Winter

There's nothing more cozy than cuddling up on the sofa with a book and a box of chocolates on a chilly Winter day. And it seems I'm not alone in my love of pairing chocolates with a good read. For Valentine's Day this year one of my favorite chocolatiers Richart has combined a big box of chocolates with a book of short stories, from an award-winning writer Simon Von Booy. Even better, there are twelve specific chocolates that pair with passages from the book! The gift is called Love begins in Winter ($75), after the name of the book.

I haven't experienced any of the lovely pairings yet, but I spoke with Benjamin Auzimour in charge of Richart in North America, and he shared one of his favorites:

"Here's an extract that I like, about happiness, to be read while tasting a Petit Richart filled with salted butter caramel coulis, which will enhance the warmth of the feelings created by the scene. We can sense Simon's precise, concise, although almost impressionist style"

"when it started to get dark, Hannah and I left the shop. Bicycles were being wheeled home in the snow. Old women left bricks of cake on one another's doorsteps. The butcher was dressed up like Santa Claus.
Children peered out into the night from upstairs windows. And for several kilometers Hannah and I waded through snowy fields, past old gates and fallen tress, laughing and calling out as our bodies disappeared from view.
The shadows remained.
Gifts from the fallen, not lessening our happiness but guiding it, deepening it, and filling us with the passion we would need to sustain our love in the coming days."

If you don't know Richart chocolates, I highly recommend you try them. Richart not only makes some of the creamiest confections thanks to their intense conching process, but also takes a very thoughtful approach to chocolate called QuintesSense:

1. Knowledge of what you're tasting - background, origins, geography...
2. Sensory analysis
3. "Emotional" analysis - memories, feelings...
4. Finding the overall flavor of this very moment
5. Sharing it with others

They use Venezuelan criollo cocoa beans and make delicate confections using a wide variety of flavors, some that might seem unusual like flowers and herbs but always achieve balance and pure perfection, as far as I'm concerned.