Super Chef

Holiday Gifts: Calphalon's No Peek Waffle Maker

2008-12-04T10:46:00.001-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Waffles are a marvel of engineering: crisp and tasty on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. They have pancakes beat. All you need is the right batter, a bit of maple syrup or strawberries and cream, and you'll have your self a breakfast feast.

The trick is to get a really great waffle maker that can turn out great waffles all morning without sticking. The old fashion waffle irons that go directly on the heat are fine, but its hard to tell when the waffle is done, and the mess afterwards might convince a sleepy cook that it might be easier to just have toast.

Get out your No Peek Waffle Maker from Calphalon.

Super Chef test drove a model recently with glee. This is a stainless steel wonder. A waffle maker with a spoiler! It should rumble, it should arrive with a set of wheels. Luckily, it doesn't. What it does have is precission: the dial actually works, you get a light, medium, or dark waffle in a very short time. There is no sticking, no mess, and no peeking. The waffle maker beeps when your waffle is done. And they are big - four great big Belgium style waffles with deep, crisp crevices, and fluffy interiors - more then enough to share.

The Calphalon users guide comes with a recipe, but Super Chef decided to turn to Colette Rossant for one of her well kept secrets for Christmas morning. Click here for her recipe.

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Beatrice Saalburg: Atelier de Peinture Botanique
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Ask Colette: Christmas Waffles

2008-12-04T10:43:00.001-05:00

Make the batter first, then go unwrap your presents. Meanwhile, the batter will rise and it'll be ready to cook after everyone admires what Santa brought.

Colette Rossant's Christmas Waffles

Ingredients

1 envelope dry yeast
3 cups warm milk
3 large eggs
1 1/2 sticks sweet butter melted
1/2 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups sifted flour

In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup warm milk. Separate the eggs, place the white in a large bowl and set aside. In a large bowl beat the egg yolks with the warm milk mixture. Add the melted butter and mix well. Then add the sugar, a pinch of salt and the vanilla. Mix well. Slowly add 2 cups of flour, mix well then add 1 ¼ cups flour. Again mix well. Add the remaining flour, mix well then add the remaining milk. Mix well.

Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the egg batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the batter doubles in volume. This step will take 1 hour but it is worth the wait as the waffles will be light and crisp.

Preheat you waffle iron. Follow the steps recommended by the manufacture.

Serve the waffle with whipped cream or Maple syrup. I also like to add some pomegranate seeds for a more festive look.

Makes 4 to 6 waffles

Immoveable Feast - A Paris Christmas: John Baxter

2008-12-03T09:25:00.000-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

John Baxter muses towards the end of Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas (HarperCollins 2008) about his special fascination with dinner parties, specifically Christmas dinner.

This is how he ends:

There was enough religion in me to see all meals as sacramental, and this one especially. Religion was full of food: bread and wine, fish and fowl, flesh and blood. When Christ felt his time on earth was coming to an end, he summoned his disciples not to a sermon, but to a supper. (p. 258)

He excels in describing not only the food, but also the atmosphere and conversations that make dinner parties so memorable.

This is a book to read for the pleasure of how well it is written, and how fun it would be to join the characters and explore their world - and eat the feast that John makes for Christmas. John is a marvelous writer who enchants with humor and passion. He delivers an inside outside look at the French and their cuisine in a terrific story. Immovable Feast is a book to give to a Foodie or non-Foodie – anyone who has lived in another land or longs to.

At his first Christmas dinner at the ancestral home of his French fiancée, he tells the story of a drunken Australian journalist, George Johnston's tour of France's great vineyards after WWII. He ends the story when a very drunk George is offered the last bottle of 1812 Bordeaux to taste. After he finishes his story that tells as much about his own understand of the French as George's, he writes:

I reached the end of the story feeling as if I had just hauled a wardrobe up six flights of stairs. There was silence around the table.
Looking up, I caught the eye of Jean-Paul, the elder statesman of the family, who was staring at me down the table. Then he smiled, and lifted his glass in a toast.
"Voici un bonne raconteur," he said. Here is a good storyteller. (p/ 28)

Tell us another one! Who can stop reading a story like that?

John goes on to related how he takes on the task of cooking for his French family and what that entails. It is sprinkled with marvelous French illustrations from his collection. This is a wonderful Christmas gift. Buy this book and read it over the holidays as you prepare your own feast.

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Holiday Gifts: Timberland Pro Black for Foodies

2008-12-02T10:33:00.000-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

You have probably already thought of plenty of gifts for foodies on your Holiday list: food and wine, cookbooks, cooking classes, cooking equipment, and a dinner at their favorite haut cuisine restaurant. (See below for some of Super Chef recent suggestions.)

But if you have already given all those things in years past, why not give something for their feet? After all, being a chef means getting sore feet after hours in front of a hot stove.

Chef's shoes have been a hot commodity outside of the kitchen ever since Mario Batali started showing off his orange Crocs.

But what about colder climates, sturdier shoes, and good old black?

Super Chef donned a pair of Timberland Pro Series Black, shoes called Parkset. They look fairly good, they are comfortable, slip resistant, and oil and water resistant. They aren't clogs, like traditional Dansko, Sven, Birkenstocks, and Doc Martens. Timberlands Parkset go from kitchen to sidewalk without looking like work shoes. Super Chef felt that they were comfortable enough to stand in all day without getting aching feet or blisters. They made it through Thanksgiving cooking, walking, and slogging through mud.

Think of your foodie slaving away in the kitchen. Baby those tootsies for the holidays.

Previous articles:
Holiday Gifts: Croissant for Santa from MyBoulangerie
Holiday Gifts: Olive Oil
Holiday Gifts: Turner Ham
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Holiday Gifts: Croissant for Santa from MyBoulangerie

2008-12-01T08:40:00.001-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Recently, a serious question arrived from one of Super Chef's young readers:

What kind of cookies does Santa Claus like?

Considering that Papa Noel visits millions, if not billions, of children's homes every Christmas Eve, Super Chef thought he might like something a bit better than the standard Oreo or chocolate chip cookie.

What about some warm croissants or petit pains au chocolat or a chausson aux pommes for Old Saint Nick?

If you are spending Christmas in the countryside, far from any good French bakery, and there just aren't any good cookies at the market, wouldn't a buttery pastry be delicious after sliding down a sooty chimney or through a radiator grating? Kris Kringle would remove his gloves to enjoy every last flakey crumb?

Super Chef thinks a sophisticated Santa would adore pastries from MyBoulangerie.com. The croissants rise to triple their size overnight, and bake up warm, fluffy and buttery. They taste great with a glass of cold milk, coffee or a morning café crème. Come to think of it…they taste great even every morning. The apple chausson are not too sweet, and the pains au chocolat have a generous piece of dark chocolate. Order a bag for your freezer or for your parent's freezer and start your morning like Santa, with superb French pastries.

Sophie Lavigne's MyBoulangerie also makes superb Buche de Noel and Galette des Rois for the Christmas Season, but they must be ordered by December 3rd. The Galette, traditionally eaten to celebrate the Epiphany on January 6th, is filled a light marzipan within layers of pastry. Both the Buche de Noel and the Galette des Rois are marvelous ways to end of holiday meal and cheer Santa and all his helpers.

Ho, ho, ho!

Previous articles:
Holiday Gifts: Olive Oil
Holiday Gifts: Turner Hams
Suvir Saran: American Masala for Diwali
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Cuisine A Latina: Michelle Bernstein

2008-11-26T09:30:00.002-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Tucked into the Northeast for Thanksgiving and looking for a bit of sun in all the coming winter brownness? It is worth heading straight south to Miami, even it you can only get there through your taste buds. Michelle Bernstein's Cuisine a Latina: Fresh Tastes and a World of Flavors from Michy's Miami Kitchen (Houghton Mifflin 2008) will get you there in a hurry. The book, written with Andrew Friedman, with photographs by John Kernick is flooded with greenness, flavor and spice – and not the usual ones that go with Thanksgiving turkey.

Michelle, who trained in ballet, found a love of cooking was already in her blood from her mother's Argentinean and European heritage, to the Cuban restaurants of her youth in Miami. Her cuisine explores all the flavors of the Latin world through both her French training and her world travel. That's evident in dishes like Poaches Oyster with Ginger and Lemongrass (p. 20) or Corn and Shrimp Empanadas (p. 36). Those two might fit well on that Thanksgiving table, but Caribbean Pumpkin Soup with Island Spices (p. 98) might be more in keeping with the Pilgrim's table.

You might be tempted by the Braised Fennel Risotto (p. 113) with both mascarpone and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the Brussels Sprout Salad (p. 59) to accompany the big bird. Rather then serving the Brussels sprouts hot, Michelle shaves them as thinly as possible. What about Collard Greens with Balsamic and Brown Sugar (p. 234) or Mashed Plantains with Lime Juice and Rum (p. 241) to throw everyone off balance?

The photographs are vibrant and the style of the book is so fun and inviting – you'll be thinking of Miami for Christmas.

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Holiday Gifts: Olive Oil

2008-11-25T14:45:00.000-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

What makes for an impressive hostess gift: something totally unexpected, or something completely luxurious and thoughtful? What about both?

Can you ever have enough good olive oil? It comes in a bottle - like perfume or wine - but there is usually more of it then perfume, and it lasts longer then an opened bottle of wine.

Tuck a bottle, nicely wrapped, under your arm and offer it with a flourish to your host and hostess and you are bound to be invited back again – as long as you behave well.

Super Chef recently sampled some excellent olive oils and vinegars from Global Gardens. The company, which grows olives in Santa Barbara, has a innovative gourmet food club: The Olive Revolution. Their California Estate First Cold Pressing Extra Virgin Olive, has a mild, warm flavor and a lovely golden color. It is made with Italian Ascolano olives grown in the St. Ynez Valley. It goes extremely well with California Estate Grown Pomegranate Vinegar. The company suggest that it makes a great reduction glaze – but it is also terrific on wilted greens, salads and anywhere else you use strong vinegar or balsamic.

Their Imported Greek 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a cobalt blue elegant bottle, paired with Raspberry Champagne Vinegar in a matching clear bottle would make impressive gifts. The fresh raspberry flavor is pronounced and the olive oil is fruity – almost like you could taste the wild oregano - and a lovely shade of green.

Lastly, Super Chef tried a bottle of Global Gardens Signature Estate Blend Certified Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Like wine, it is a blend of three different kinds of olives: Koroneiki, Manzanilla, and Farga. It comes in a tear-shaped bottle, and has a distinctive, slightly bitter taste, that is best appreciated with a piece of good bread.

The Olive Revolution is a fun gift for the holidays – or just bring along a bottle or two when you are invited out.

If you plan to give a bottle of vinegar, just make sure you pair it with a bottle of oil, or the recipient might get the wrong idea.

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Holiday Gifts: Turner Hams

2008-11-24T11:46:00.002-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

After this November's immensely important election, why not celebrate with American products from a state that finally voted Democratic. Super Chef likes fine ham, and though Europe is full of famous hams, this year we are excited Virginia ham from the Turner Ham House in Fulks Run, Va.

Super Chef traveled out to the Ham House to learn more about why these hams are so good. If you are familiar with the intensely salty Virginia cured ham, Turner ham will surprise you. It's cured with a mixture of both salt and brown sugar and saltpeter (sodium nitrate). Ron and Peggie Turner use Ron's great grandfather's recipe. They start with 42,000 pounds or about 2,000 Indiana hams that are delivered four to five times a year, usually starting in January. They are first coated in the brown sugar-salt mixture in a curing trough. Then the hams are laid out on curing shelves stacked three deep for about 54 days. The excess cure is washed off and the hams are left to dry in 75-degree heat for at least 35 days, which causes the ham to shrink and loose weight. The hams are ready after four to five months. The longer the hams are left to age, the deeper and darker the meat will look, and of course, the tastier. The hams hung for 11 months or more will take on the richness of prosciutto. Thinly sliced, it is melt in the mouth hammy perfection.

If you can get to Virginia, visit Fulks Run, which lies in the Shendoah, in a stunning valley just past Brocks Gap. The Turners run the Fulks Run Grocery store. It's a general store jam packed with local family histories, displays of arrowheads, antique farm equipment and toys, and fishing bait and tackle. They make great ham sandwiches out of their own fried or boiled ham - but it's also simple to order by phone.

For the Turners, traditional is best. They soak slices in warm water for 10-15 minutes and then fry them with eggs for a hearty breakfast. Their daughter Celia likes ham steaks on the grill. She recommends that after soaking grill the meat for 2-3 minutes on each side and then baste with a mixture of butter and honey. They like whole boneless ham cooked in a mixture of apple cider and water for twenty minutes per pound and served chilled, sliced thin.

Whole and boneless hams as well as ham slices make impressive holiday gifts. Turner also sells local bread and butter pickles, chow chow, and local biscuit mixes, and other Virginia specialties to serve with the ham. Christmas breakfast, lunch or dinner are all full of hammy possibilities.

Related sites:
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The Vegetable Box: Black & Quevrement

2008-11-20T06:30:00.002-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Ask any kid why they choose one book over another, and chance are it's because of what the book looks like. Kids know instinctively that packaging is everything. It certainly is part of what makes for a successful cookbook, especially at Christmas time. Likewise, if an author looses control of cover art, and it turns out badly - good luck rescuing the book.

The Vegetable Box (Octopus 2008) is a case in point. It is a series of 14 cookbooks in a faux vegetable crate. Veggie bookmarks stick out of each of the books whose bindings are camouflaged with grass. The whole thing looks like a vegetable patch with cute vegetable markers.

Remember getting a set of Laura Ingalls's books, or tiny Winnie the Pooh in a nifty box? This is the cookbook equivalent. Each of the 14 books has recipes by Keda Black (who pops up in French publications like Le Fooding) and Catherine Quevrement and charming pen and ink illustrations by Jose Reis de Matos. His playful piggy drawings appeared in last year's Stephane Reynaud's Pork & Sons.

Is this for adults? Sure, it's a charming gift for the gardener/cook. The first book on Garlic, Shallots, & Onions has sophisticated recipes for Aioli (p.6), Forty Clove Chicken (p. 18), and Sumac Bites (p. 34). These are interesting recipes from around the world that really highlight the vegetable involved. Have a bumper crop of zucchini? Then pull out the Squashes & Zucchini book. There are 10 recipes in which the main ingredient is zucchini. Need another pumpkin recipe for Thanksgiving? Try exotic Pumpkin and Coffee Soup (p. 8) or Savory Custard with Honey (p. 20).

Is this for kids? Definitely. They'll find the box intriguing. The box of recipes will get your kids excited about vegetables, or even get them reading – even if its just aloud to you while you cook. There are plenty of recipes that are easy enough for children to make, as long as there is a supervising adult helping them. Pull out Exotic & Traditional Vegetables and you can introduce children to chayote in Squash Gratin (p. 14) with beautiful drawings of different kinds of chayote, or the not so exotic Sweet Potatoes Lousiana Style (p. 20) with cinnamon, nutmeg and butter.

This is a sturdy crate of 14 creative cookbooks (each has 20 recipes) is great fun. Give this to your favorite gardener and their little helpers.

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New African American Kitchen: Angela Shelf Medearis

2008-11-19T10:01:00.000-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Is it time for a renaissance of African-American food? With an African-American president-elect, no doubt some chefs are thinking that they had better get out their Southern and Soul Food cookbooks, brush up on their sweet potato pie and update their hush puppies.

Jacques Pepin predicted back in 2005 when Super Chef interviewed him, that a reexamination of African-American cuisine was long overdo. He reminded us that most of the cooks in the kitchens where he worked when he got to America in the 1950s and 60s were African-Americans. There are plenty of rising African-American chefs, and chefs with backgrounds that are similar to Barack Obama's, like Morou Ouattara and Marcus Samuelsson, who have closer connections to Africa in terms of their immediate ancestors and look there for inspiration. Will we be seeing more Nouvelle African or inspired African-American, or whatever you want to call it?

If Agela Shelf Medearis gets her way, we will see plenty of New African-American cuisine. The self-style Kitchen Diva is on a mission to re-evaluate the fragmented knowledge most of us have of African-American cuisine. The New African-American Kitchen (Lake Isle 2008) is a cookbook with many parts: African, The Caribbean, Slave Kitchens, as well as three additional sections that address special dietary needs by updating classics: Divabetics (diabetic cuisine), Getting Reacquainted (new African-American kitchen), Holidays of Our Own (African-American Traditions). It is filled with great recipes from Africa, the American South and her own imagination. It deserves a wider readership then just African-Americans readers and cooks.

Angela runs a multimedia business that produces radio shows, a PBS cooking show, and an animated DVD project.

One thing I've learned during my short tenure on television: if you are an African-American woman who wants folks to try tofu, it helps if you're wearing what I often wear on the show–a feather boa and a red satin apron with the hot pads on the bustier. I have often spoken about food and health issues dressed in traditional business garb. Then the Kitchen Diva was born and demanded that the masses and the media pay attention to her message. If you are trying to convince die-hard pork lovers to taste a vegetarian entrée, a red feather boa trumps a tailored business suit every time. (p. 9)

Sounds like Angela has a thing or two to teach other TV story. African-Americans need to learn to eat healthier food, and teaching them takes the same kind of pizzazz that Emeril uses to embrace pork fat.

The first chapter starts with a brief essay on African cuisine and slave cuisine. The recipes range all over Africa. Appetizers include Akara Balls (p. 19) that are much like falafel made of chickpeas to South African Pickled Fish (p. 21) in a curry, chile, and ginger marinade. Angela excels in stew recipes, from Groundnut Stew (p. 31) to Muhogo Tamu, an East African Beef and Cassava Stew (p. 33) to Doro We't (p. 35 Ethiopian chicken stew. These would go well with Moi-moi (p. 56) Steamed Bean Cakes, East African Sweet Potato Pudding (p. 58) flavored with saffron and cardamom, and Rice Foofoo (p. 59). There are enough interesting recipes in this chapter alone to explore Africa in many fine meals.

When Angela turns to Making Do Slave Kitchens (p. 115-173), she recalls her own family's recipes. She writes about her own changing understanding of Aunt Jemima and the struggle of slave cooks to feed their own as well as their mistresses' families. The recipes include her grandmother Willie Mae's Green Tomato Chow Chow, (p. 118), Southern Fried Chicken (p. 128) from Elizabeth Ray, and Okra Gumbo (p. 142).

The New African-American Kitchen is a great book for those who want to make healthier versions of family dishes, or reach further in the past to African dishes that inspired - and continue to inspire cooks.

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Ron Duprat: Volunteer for Thanksgiving

2008-11-18T08:54:00.000-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

There are no shortages of opportunities to volunteer during this holiday season. With the economic crisis affecting more and more Americans – and people of everywhere around the globe – the need to help those who cannot help themselves is even greater. Sharing food on Thanksgiving helps all of us appreciate the bounty of our country.

Chef Ron Duprat contacted Super Chef recently to help spread the word about a worthy event he is leading. Ron, in conjunction with the Business Connections Club of Florida International University, is sponsoring a "Feed the Homeless" event at the Miami Rescue Mission/Broward Outreach Center on the day after Thanksgiving – that is on Friday, November 28. Chef Ron needs help in preparing, serving and clean up 320-500 meals for lunch and dinner to homeless members of the community.

If you are interested and available to volunteer, please contact Ms. Bettina Lett at bettina a5 chefronduprat.com or blett001 at yahoo.com.

Feel free to post your own Thanksgiving volunteer event on this page.

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Food Network-William Morrow Book Deal

2008-11-17T08:55:00.002-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

First came a deal with Kohl's to brand Food Network talent kitchen products with the department store, after FN stars like Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, and Ina Garten had been doing it on their own for years. Then came a Food Network Magazine to capture the audience already reading about their favorite FN stars in branded magazines like Every Day with Rachael Ray and Paula Deen Celebrates.

Now the Food Network is catching up to its own stars in the publishing world. Last week FN announced a deal with William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, for a first-look to publish branded books by FN stars based on their shows. The first book is Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives by Guy Fieri, published in October.

The deal is aimed at new talent groomed and picked by reality TV shows like The Next Food Network Star or new shows like Ask Aida or The Rescue Chef with Danny Boome. Most of the established stars already have multiple book deals with publishers. The next release in the joint venture, planned for late 2009, will be by Duff Goldman, star of Ace of Cakes.

Publisher's Weekly reports:

As part of the joint venture, Morrow (which will get the right of first refusal) will handle editorial, publicity, marketing, sales and distribution. Food Network will promote the books with on-air and online advertising. Sergei Kuharsky, general manager of Scripps Networks Enterprises, which owns Food Network, said, “William Morrow has the extensive publishing experience and working with them provides yet another way Food Network fans can touch and interact with the network and our stars.” The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

It looks like this opens the door to more book pitches woven into FN shows. With most episode recipes available online, it is hard to imagine how attractive these books will ultimately be.

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BET: Marcus Samuelsson's Urban Cuisine

2008-11-13T08:28:00.003-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

With all the attention on Bravo's Top Chef New York premier, there is another New York-based TV show that should be getting more attention. Marcus Samuelsson's Urban Cuisine on BETJ, which premiered on Monday, October 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. CT and regularly shows on BETJ on Thursday at 10:00pm.

Maybe you haven't been watching BETJ. It is the sister channel to the Black Entertainment Network (BET). Marcus Samuelsson's Urban Cuisine is BETJ's first foray into the food world. It shouldn't be the last, since there are so many fine African-American chefs who deserve a chance to bring their cooking knowledge to the public. Unfortunately, there are few African-Americans on Bravo or the Food Network.

Marcus Samuelsson is bubbling over with enthusiasm. He is a great chef with excellent, successful restaurants like his flagship Aquavit. Marcus has tried a few TV vehicles that have failed to capture his enthusiasm. He is not as much a teacher as an explorer of new flavors. There is also a divide between his restaurant cuisine and the comfort food he cooks on his shows. The reason Urban Cuisine works better is that Marcus is still cooking comfort food, but the emphasis is really on his guests and why he finds them interesting.

Super Chef got a peak at the first show, "African Flavors" with guests Brett Wright and Eric Woods. Urban Cuisine focuses on New York City's Harlem and on the Harlem Renaissance – Marcus' own neighborhood. The camera follows Marcus in the streets around 125th, past the Apollo Theater, and famous soul food restaurants like Sylvia's, into his apartment kitchen. There he starts to mix curry paste – various spices with olive oil, to coat a chicken later in the show.

His first guest is Brett Wright, publisher of Uptown Magazine, which has chronicled the Harlem Renaissance, and features cover stories like interviews of President Elect Barack Obama. Marcus and Brett prepare a stuffed curry roast chicken. It is easy enough to follow what Marcus is doing and look up the recipe online later. The point is that food is supposed to inspire conversation – and it does, even if it is a bit awkward at points.

His second guest is Eric Woods who owns a wine store called Harlem Vintage and a wine bar called Nectar Wine Bar. They prepare Marcus' version of Mac 'n Cheese. Both dishes are perfect for a winter's evening. The stuffing includes apricots, apples and sweet potato, while the Mac 'n Cheese has added bacon, garlic and onion. In this segment, Marcus encourages Eric to gives a short lesson on wine pairing with food, while they try various wines with the chicken and pasta. It is a good discussion mentioning different varietals and regions. It is the kind of unintimidating introduction to wine that many people need. It would work even better if Marcus simply cooked without interrupting his guests and leading his audience through each step.

Bravo BETJ and Marcus Samuelsson.

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Rick Tramonto: Osteria

2008-11-12T08:45:00.001-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

All eyes are on Chicago chefs these days as rumors swirl on whom the Obamas might choose for the next White House Executive Chef (see previous article). They would do well to choose a chef who has experience in high volume banquet meals, as well as small intimate family meals.

Chicago's Rick Tramonto fits the bill.

The food I cook at the osteria and at home is quite different from the food served at Tru. Both are faithful to quality and the seasons, and both are prepared with exacting care and attention, but the difference is in the experience., like putting on a tuxedo versus a pair of jeans. Both have to fit, but they are poles apart. (p. 2)

His new cookbook, Osteria (Broadway 2008) written with Mary Goodbody, is a good introduction to his rustic Osteria di Tramonto cuisine, the kind of food that would be welcome on a cold Washington DC evening. It is full of home-style Italian hearty (and some not-so-hearty) dishes that are prepared with fresh ingredients in a simple fashion.

Rick's background is both from Naples and Abruzzi, by way of Rochester, New York. He celebrates joy of food he learned early on in the very first chapter of the book on Breakfast. He acknowledges that a good breakfast in Italy is probably just good bread, homemade jam and coffee, but here are fine, hearty American breakfast dishes that are still quite Italian.

Breakfast is a wonderful meal to cook and eat together as a family. Many of us teach our kids to cook by starting with breakfast food. (p. 6)

Picture Michelle and Barack teaching Malia and Sasha how to make their first Frittata with Val D'Aosta-Style Frittata (p. 13) that contains potatoes, escarole and cheese, or Panettone French Toast (p. 22) for Christmas morning. Perhaps Chef Cris Comerford would be doing the teaching?

The Pasta chapter has more unusual, hearty fare. Forget those meatballs – Osteria includes Gloria's Lasgna (p. 120) direct from Rick's mother. It’s a simple recipe made with a thick meat sauce and plenty of ricotta. Ricotta Gnocchi with Simple Tomato Sauce (p. 131) is an unusual recipe, since the gnocchi are made of ricotta and flour with no potato added. For a cold night, the Obamas could try the Braised Rabbit with Porcini Mushrooms (p. 181). Perhaps they could start a trend that would bring back rabbit to the American table.

Osteria is full of well-written recipes for home cooked meals, whether they are for the White House table or a more modest home. As for state dinners, Rick displays his mastery in his other cookbooks, like Tru: A Cookbook from the Legendary Chicago Restaurant and Fantastico: Little Italian Plates and Antipasti from Rick Tramonto's Kitchen.

Here is one more chef to add to add to that growing list.

Previous articles:
Foie Gras War: Chicago Slaughterhouse
Foie Gras War 2: Ban on All Poultry
Mozart and Chefs: Start Young
[Cookbook Reviews - complete]

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New White House Executive Chef in 2009?

2008-11-11T08:00:00.009-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

President Elect Barack Obama has pointed out that lame duck President Bush is still Commander-in-Chief, until he takes office in January. Obama is busy forming his new cabinet and deciding on key cabinet posts.

White House Executive Chef wouldn't appear to be high on his list. It shouldn't be, since it is First Lady-in-Waiting Michelle Obama's decision who servers as Chef-in-Chief. But is it reasonable to assume she is thinking about choosing her top chef? Despite speculation in the press (even Super Chef has speculated), there already is an executive chef who can continue to serve the new first family. In fact, executive chefs do not change with each new administration. Laura Bush kept the Clinton White House Executive Chef, Walter Scheib for several years before dismissing him and finally hiring Cris Comerford. Cris is not only the first female and first Filipina to hold the post, she is also a very capable chef by all accounts. Her colleague, executive pastry chef Bill Yosses is even more renowned.

The New York Daily News has chimed in with suggestions of chefs Art Smith, Rick Bayless, and Daniel Young, all Chicago-based to take the place of Chef Comerford.

Wait a second!

Laura Bush made a wise choice in Cris Comerford. If Michelle Obama does appoint a new chef, why aren't there women chefs on the Daily News short list?

There are plenty of women chefs who work in Chicago, with whom the Obamas might be familiar should they choose to hire a new chef. Super Chef invites our readers to send in more suggestions for a short list of women who could fill Cris' shoes should she leave her job. Here is a preliminary list of nominees for chef:

Chef: Suzy Crofton
Restaurant: Crofton on Wells (Chicago)
Cuisine: American

Chef: Carrie Nahabedian
Restaurant: NAHA (Chicago)
Cuisine: Californian-Armenian

Chef: Sarah Stegner
Restaurant: Prairie Grass Café (Northbrook)
Cuisine: American

NAHA Partner Michael Nahabedian reports to Super Chef that Michelle has eaten at the restaurant as recently as last winter: "I know its been a few years since they've eaten here together. The new Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, eats lunch here as much as once a week and always sits at our famous table 81. Unfortunately he won't be eating as much here anymore considering his new position. Also, the Obamas got engaged here, however it was when our space was occupied by Gordon restaurant."

Sarah Stegner told Super Chef that she cooked for Michelle Obama at a fund raiser at her restaurant, along with Alice Waters. She believes that the White House chef should champion locally grown food: "When they do their state dinners they should showcase our own local food, food from that garden outside the window. If I was put in that position, I would say to Michelle Obama, 'You need to have this, your kids need to know where their food comes from. You need to show that it can be done, and it makes perfect sense, but it needs to be beautiful'." She urges the Obamas to plan for a White House kitchen garden, such as the ones Jeanne Pinsof Nolan has grown for The Green City Market’s The Edible Gardens in Chicago.

Tell us who you think should be a candidate for White House Executive Chef.

Related news:
Boston Globe
LA Times
Miami Herald
Chicago Tribune
New York Daily News
San Francisco Chronicle

Previous articles:
Michelle Obama and Paula Deen: Laying it on Thick
Marvin Woods: Obama's Chef in Waiting
O, the Oprah Magazine Cookbook
[Chefs & Politics - complete]
[White House Woman Chef - complete]

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Gourmet Chevalier: Ihsan Gurdal

2008-11-10T07:00:00.004-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Super Chef congratulates Ihsan Gurdal, owner of the Boston area's Formaggio Kitchen, who becomes a Chevalier de l’Ordre du Merite Agricole, a Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit, today.

This great honor has been awarded only rarely in the past, to the likes of Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Paul Prudhomme and Alice Waters.

Though it may come as a surprise to Ihsan, it should come as no surprise to those who know about his tireless work finding, importing and promoting the products of small producers around the world, primarily from the EU. His gourmet stores in Cambridge, Boston, and New York City are packed with precious and delicious products that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere in the US. Formaggio sells 90-95% non-US products, and of these, 50% is exclusive to his stores, or very small producers available at only a limited number of other places.

The process of finding and importing new products is difficult. Ihsan told Super Chef that he starts with one small producer, and then gets introduced to another and another. He tries to consolidate their products for shipment to the US. "Sometimes it takes as long as three to five years to convince a producer to export. After all, everything they make they sell where they are. They don't need to sell outside, they go to their town's market and sell what they make that year."

He and his staff make at least six international trips a year in search of new products. His policy is that you have to taste before you buy: "To me its very simple. You are the one that is going to buy it - you might as well get what you want. We have four different balsamic vinegars. Why would you plunk down 200 dollars for a bottle without knowing if you like it?"

Ihsan, who hails from Istanbul, started his career in California in 1977 working in a wine and cheese shop while attending UC Berkeley on a sports scholarship. "I thought it was suave learning about wine. We were beer and raki drinkers. He [the shop owner] introduces me to all these wines, and then cheese." After college, he moved to the East Coast and began working at Formaggio Kitchen as a counter person, eventually buying the business with his wife in 1992. Formaggio Kitchen is in the grand tradition of an Ottoman Empire emporium, run by a worldly man who searches out all four corners of our modern world for artisanal products. Without his passion for great products, we would sorely miss all these new flavors.

Previous articles:
Nancy Silverton: Leadership and Legacy Award
SOS's Bill Shore: Top Leader
Emeril Lagasse: Wine Spectator Award
Requiem for Granita
AIWF Honors Norman Van Aken
James Beard Awards: Dearth of Top Women Chefs

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David Macaulay: The Way We Work

2008-11-06T08:27:00.002-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

David Macaulay's The Way We Work: Getting to Know the Amazing Human Body (Houghton Mifflin 2008) might not seem to be a Foodie book for children or adults, but it most definitely is. Every Macaulay book brings accuracy, inquiry and acute perception into what surrounds us, whether it be the buildings we live in, the machines we use, or our own bodies. Knowing more and understanding more about our own bodies, especially when information is delivered in amazing drawings to explain complex processes simply, means we will appreciate food more.

Take Chapter 3, called "Let's Eat":

For most of us, what happens to food inside the body once a meal has been consumed is something of a mystery. But, as with so many aspects of the human body, this is a journey well worth taking. Why should food have all the fun?

The journey, through Macaulay's incredible drawings is wonderfully fun and illuminating. It is the pieces of the puzzle that makes eating understandable – and well - cool.

He starts with a drawing of what's for dinner: a red snapper, pasta, broccoli and tomatoes, with some yellow sauce that swim across pages 101-102. That gives him an opportunity to describe the building blocks of nutrition and set the scene for smell (pp. 102-103). A crew of yellow raincoat clad observers examine a slice of the nasal cavity as if they were visiting a construction site in slick rainfall. Your kids won't find this gross and disgusting – just amazing. They'll reach for fromage (presumably, a very stinky piece of French cheese a nose is sniffing in the corner) and try it themselves.

The same small group of intrepid investigators will follow the broccoli and fish and all the other food through the digestive passages. The drawings provide an unusual perspective – they place you at the back of the mouth looking out across the tongue and a close up of taste buds to the outside world. It is a view of the mouth that is unique and impossible to do oneself. Another picture shows the broccoli swimming about in a "Sea of Saliva" (pp 110-111).

Macaulay's other book look at architecture and engineering in surprisingly clear and insightful ways. He often turns to engineering to explain digestion. The liver is turned into a processing plant (pp. 128-129), Pancreatic Hormones are depicted coming out of cells and into cells that are like factories (pp. 132-133). If younger children aren't ready for the text, they can understand the "story" of digestion by "reading" these pictures.

The Way We Work is a great holiday gift for any child or adult – Foodie or not. It is more than a science book – it is a book of discovery.

Previous articles:
[Childrens Cookbooks - complete]

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Ferran Adria: Day at elBulli

2008-11-05T07:51:00.000-05:00

By JULIETTE ROSSANT

Want to play voyeur at elBulli?

Want to understand the choices and ideas behind the use of liquid nitrogen frozen coconut flowers (pp. 98-99) and dehydrated hibiscus infusion (pp. 196-197)?

Can't get a reservation at elBulli (join the other 1, 992,000 who also miss out each year), but you'd settle for a memento of what you might have enjoyed?

Then Ferran Adria's A Day at elBulli: An insight into the ideas, methods and creativity of Ferran Adria (Phaidon 2008) written with Juli Soler and Albert Adria with photographs by Maribel Ruiz de Erenchun, is for you.

The book is a photographic journey through one day at the restaurant, from pages of photographs of the seaside (presumably in the morning) to Adria himself walking up to the door of the waiting restaurant, to the cleaning crew and the darkened restaurant.

Would it have made more sense to make a film about elBulli that would capture the excitement, energy and inventiveness at work?

How many cameras would one need?

How many days would be filmed, cobbled together, in order to give the sense of one day?

That would have been a different project, which might have shown less than this book, since A Day at elBulli actually is limited to one single day. Even so, the smell, the taste of elBulli would be no more available on film then in a book of photographs (and text).

In the begining of the book is a list of when the photographs were taken (p. 5). There are also inserted texts on everything from The Stages of Developing a Dish (p. 64) to The History of elBulli (p. 184) and A Guest's Path Through the Restaurant (p. 312). The essays and the photographic story address everything but what one would expect in a cookbook, namely, the actual recipes. (The recipes from the day's dishes are, in fact, included in the book (pp. 345-377) along with beautiful photographs of each dish.) Adria already wrote a cookbook – this is what he left out about the actual place: elBulli. This is the restaurant book that shows how a restaurant works, its rhythm and ritual.

Innovation without reason can be confused with meaninglessness. The captions explain, to some extent, why foams, liquid nitrogen frozen ingredients, and jelly are created. There are practical pages of the weekly menu, order sheets, lists of dishes from the cold section and those served by the kitchen, that add to our understanding of the real operations of the kitchen (pp. 120-123). Any young person contemplating a serious career in restaurant kitchens would find these documents and photographs interesting and instructive.

Would it not be amazing to have A Day at Fernand Point's La Pyramide, or Georges Auguste Escoffier's restaurant at the Hotel Ritz in Paris, or other great restaurants of the past?

For that reason, this is a valuable book, a portrait of an important chef and his work.

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