Search This Blog

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Highland Kitchen in Somerville MA

I was visiting Boston this weekend and found myself in Somerville looking for a place to eat. Luckily for me my friends live just a few buildings away from Highland Kitchen

I really can't say enough about this restaurant. From the outside I would have walked by this place. The building is nothing special on the outside but once you step inside things change.

At this point you should be warned that unless you arrive at the beginning of dinner service you are going to wait. Even if you show up at 10 pm you are going to wait. This place is extremely popular with the locals and is always very busy.

Highland Kitchen serves what I call southern comfort food with a local New England twist. The food is fresh, homemade, seasonal, and delicious. I could honestly go on for a few paragraphs about how much I enjoyed my dinner but I wouldn't want to make you all jealous.

There were five of us dining and we did not order a dish that was not enjoyed. I would strongly suggest the short rib potato gnocchi. These gnocchi rival the best that I have had at any Italian restaurant.

The locals might just appreciate the bar at Highland Kitchen more than the food. The bar is stocked better than many fine dining restaurants and the bar tenders are extremely skilled. They specialize in classic cocktails as well as a nice selection of local beer.

The service is also top notch. The waitstaff was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and very polite. The best part was the little touches of service that make dining out enjoyable. My water was always full, my waitress was always available, and I was brought all the items I needed before I needed them. Dessert menus were brought after dinner without us having to ask and a manager took time to talk with us and make sure we had had a great time.

I hope anyone in the Somerville area will stop in Highland Kitchen and support a very well run local restaurant.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Coupons

I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard a commercial for a show that deals with saving money on groceries by clipping coupons. Now I'm all for saving money but here is my issue with coupons: they don't offer coupons for the foods I buy!!! Once the farmer's markets open I generally do most of my shopping there but during the winter when the market's are closed I do hit up the grocery store but I don't buy a lot of packaged food. Coupons are generally only offered for packaged food so I'm out of luck. Sure sometimes there is a price cut on fruits and veggies but for the most part coupons are of no use to me.

As a country we are trying to eat healthier and most people recognize that a diet consisting mainly of processed and packaged foods is not that healthy so why aren't the stores offering store coupons on healthy food to make it more attractive to people? Maybe some stores are but not the ones around me.

Coupons are great and saving money is great but I really wonder if all coupons are doing is leading people to eating less healthy food because it is less expensive or maybe I just don't have my pulse on what coupons are out there. If anyone does know of stores that offer incentives though to buy fresh healthy food I would be interested in knowing.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Silken Tofu and Soup

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't like vegans. I'm sorry but if you are a vegan you have given up your right to have any opinion or talk to me about anything. You have given up the nature of your being if you are a vegan. Now that being said I am trying to cut back on my saturated fat intake and I have a great tip for anyone trying to do the same.

Try using silken tofu in your cream soups in stead of cream. The tofu will give the soup a richer mouth-feel like cream but doesn't bring all of the fat that cream does. Now I don't have a tried and true substitution of tofu for cream so you have to play around.

For a quart of soup I would start with about 4 ounces of silken tofu. Now remember past a certain amount you will start to taste to tofu so think about the flavor profile of your soup. A stronger flavored soup can take a bit more tofu than one with more subtle flavors.

To add the tofu all you need to do is puree it in a blender with some of the liquid. You are going to want to strain the tofu and liquid mixture because no matter how well you blend it there will be little white specks so strain it through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth lined sieve of medium fineness.

So get in the kitchen and experiment this week now that the cold weather has made a brief return. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The Sad Truth of Artificial Flavors

Today at work I experienced what artificial flavors have done to the palates of people. We had to use an artificial strawberry flavored fruit paste and nobody seemed to have a problem that the end result tasted nothing like strawberry but instead just like cotton candy. The paste had so little strawberry flavor that all it brought to the party was sweetness. Sitting here writing I still can't believe that nobody had an issue with calling a product strawberry flavored that tasted nothing like strawberry, not even remotely!

I blame the prevalence of artificial flavors for this problem. I also blame the laziness of people who don't want to cook so they buy processed food which is generally inexpensive so it contains inexpensive ingredients such as artificial flavors.

I understand there is a market for products made with artificial flavors but I won't believe we can't make flavors that at least taste a little like the food they are names after. Flavor scientists I am very disappointed in you. I'm also disappointed in anyone who doesn't care enough about their product to use artificial flavors when they don't have to and they are just being cheap. Shame on you. Have some pride in your product and use good quality ingredients and flavors.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Modeling Chocolate Redux

After writing about modeling chocolate the other day I figured I would share a picture of a piece made from modeling chocolate.


This is a modeling chocolate tree made at Desserts International. I made about 45 or so in one day (just the tree part) the leaves were done on a second day. The entire tree is modeling chocolate (leaves have been dredged in edible gold powder) and the base the tree is on is tempered chocolate sprayed with chocolate spray.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Regionality

Recently WalMart announced what many would call sweeping changes to their policies regarding food stocked in their stores. One of these changes was that they wish to being stocking more locally sourced produce.

I think locally sourcing produce is a wonderful idea because it can lead to lower prices for the consumer and higher quality because the items are seasonal and do not have to travel great distances. Less travel can also theoretically lead to fewer green house gas emissions so obviously this is something wonderful for everybody. Or is it?

My question here is what type of produce will Wal-Mart be sourcing? How will it be grown? Who will own the farms? I do not necessarily believe the produce needs to be certified organic because that can raise the final cost to the consumer and in many cases is just a load of malarkey. Did you know there are still certain products you can spray on certified organic crops? Certifying a crop organic also does not stop it from being mono-cropped or produced by a large company that does not put the money it earns back in the community where the farm is located.

What all of this means is I hope WalMart can work with locally owned farms that practice sustainable and socially conscious farming techniques to supply their stores. Obviously WalMart is a huge company and I can only imagine the volume of produce that goes through one of their stores in a week but I really hope they do what I see as the right thing and partner with locally owned farms not just farms that are local but have absentee owners.

Of course it would also be wonderful if this means the end of Strawberries in December in stores but I doubt it will because too many people are still willing to buy out of season produce.

At least a huge retailer looks to be making some positive changes to their food sourcing policies. We shall have to wait and see how it pans out.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Modeling Chocolate

I was thinking today about how awful fondant is which made me remember how wonderful modeling chocolate is. Modeling chocolate is nothing more than a mixture of liquid sugar, chocolate, and glucose (a syrup very similar to corn syrup).

Modeling chocolate can be used in place of fondant to cover cakes or mixed with equal parts fondant for the same application. Modeling chocolate can also be used to as the name suggests hand model shapes for cakes, showpieces, and any number of other fun pastry applications.

This recipe is lifted directly from Chocolate Paste Cakes by Adrian Westrope and Dan Tabor.

A few notes about modeling chocolate:

1. Make the paste one day before you intend to use it so that it can age.
2. Never refrigerate the modeling chocolate. Instead keep it tightly wrapped and in a cool place.
3. Before using the modeling chocolate you may need to worm it slightly. A great method is to take a wrapped chunk and carry it around in your pants' pocket for a bit. Is that modeling chocolate in your pants or are you just happy to see me?
4. The amount of cocoa butter in your chocolate will have an impact on the modeling chocolate. The more cocoa butter in your chocolate the better the modeling chocolate will be. If the consistency of your modeling chocolate isn't what you want try a different chocolate.
5. Modeling chocolate can be flavored using essential oils mixed in with the liquid sugar. Peppermint and cinnamon are two easy to find oils that work very well.
6. Do not kneed modeling chocolate on a wooden surface because the wood will pull fat out of the modeling chocolate and it will lose its sheen.

This recipe calls for liquid sugar which is 3 parts water and 4 parts granulated sugar that you have boiled together for 3 minutes and then cooled. Liquid sugar can be kept at room temperature in an air tight container almost indefinitely.

Ingredients:

500g Chocolate (Semisweet, bittersweet, milk, or white)
150g Glucose
50g liquid sugar

Procedure:

1. Melt the chocolate in the manner of your choosing.
2. Mix together the liquid sugar and glucose and warm slightly (115 F or so is good).
3. Stir the sugar mixture into the melted chocolate and stir until you have a smooth paste.
4. Wrap the paste in plastic wrap.

The best method for melting the chocolate and warming the sugar solution is to use a heatproof bowl over a pot of steaming water.

Once you are ready to use your modeling chocolate warm if needed and then kneed until pliable. Like fondant you do not want to over kneed the modeling chocolate.

Enjoy this great alternative to that absolutely awful rolled fondant.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mystery Basket

My wife enjoys the Show Chopped on Food TV and I must say it is nice to see a food based tv show that is basically about skill and has very little drama. While I do have a good amount of respect for people who put themselves out there by going on the food reality shows I have a huge amount of respect for people who compete on a show involving a mystery basket.

For anyone who has cooked out of a mystery basket before you know it is difficult and the difficulty is only compounded when you are being timed and watched by some very well respected culinary personalities.

I wish I had more opportunities to cook from mystery baskets because they really do challenge your creativity and resourcefulness plus it is a blast to work with ingredients you are unfamiliar with.

Amazingly I do have a point here and that point is that if you love cooking and want to challenge yourself at home have a friend or loved one make some mystery baskets for you to cook dinner from. You will be challenged and learn a lot in the process. Just make sure the person putting your basket together isn't too mean because some of the items I have seen chefs stuck with on Chopped are truly cruel.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Decrease in Soda Consumption

I saw an interesting article today that overall soda consumption was down last year in the United States. The story also talked about how 4 of the top ten selling sodas are now diet sodas for the first time ever.

I am wondering if anyone has performed a study tracking overall sugar intake in this country. Now I know that would be difficult but I would be very interested. I am sure we have all seen or heard of the studies that claim diet soda actually increases the craving for sweets and can lead to increased sugar consumption in other areas.

I am very curious if we are as a nation in fact decreasing overall sugar consumption or simply shifting where we consume our sugar. Are people drinking less soda but more juice? Or perhaps eating more candy. An interesting point about candy is that even when economic times are tough candy sales never really drop the way that other consumer goods do. We see people eating less expensive food when they have less money but you rarely see them eating less candy.

In a related note I have noticed that many major companies are now marketing their product as not containing High Fructose Corn Syrup. I must say I feel this is wonderful because HFCS is just scary stuff but remember they are replacing the HFCS with sugar. This doesn't mean you can eat more of the product because it still has sugar and too much sugar is not good. Of course too much of anything isn't good for you so do enjoy sugar and all these wonderful new HFCS free products just please do so in moderation.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Revenge of the Pizza!

I just re-posted the awesome Pizza video as a public video on you tube so check it out and share it with all your friends!!!

Fun With Butter

Just posted a new video all about making a classical french sauce. Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Airline Food

My post about hospital food garnered a comment comparing it to airline food which brings up a question. What is the state of airline food today? I am asking because I haven't been on a plane since about 2 months after September 11th.

In the comment my friend attributed the awfulness of airline food to the fact that the audience is captive. I am going to posit another idea. Airline food is awful for three reasons:

a) the airline is trying to appeal to a very wide range of clients with widely ranging tastes

b) the food must be stable for long periods of time and easy to transport

c) generally speaking higher quality food is more expensive while highly processed food is less expensive

At one pastry shop I worked in we made some desserts for airlines and they were the most terrible, horrible, tasteless desserts you could imagine. Imagine making dessert out of raw meat, garlic, unsweetened chocolate, and fish sauce. Got that image in your head? Well what we made for the airlines was even worse.

The main problem was that the airlines provided the recipes and who knows what type of trained ape formulated them. Most of the desserts were mousse based and the flavorings were all artificial and there was enough gelatin in there to gel the great lakes. All of them! You could seriously bounce these mousses off the wall. Truly scary stuff.

The reason the airline wanted them made that way was stability. The more gelatin in the mousse the more stable it is and the easier it is to transport and hold for service.

If anyone out there does travel frequently I would be very interested to hear about the state of airline food because I have to go on a trip this year and would love to know which airline is going to give me the best meal. Thanks!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

My Profile Picture

Some people have asked what the hell my profile picture is. Well truthfully nobody has asked but I just feel like sharing because I just found all these old pictures (well actually they were sent to me thanks to an old school friend) and I feel like doing something with them.



This cake was one of the first cakes if not the first cake I ever covered in fondant. Now a quick word to the wise. Fondant is stupid. It looks nice if you know how to cover a cake with it but basically it is stupid. Fondant is much to sweet and has the consistency of leather if you boiled it for a really long time. At least it is what I imagine boiled leather to be like. That is to say fondant is unpleasant. The end. As a home baker avoid the stuff because it just isn't worth the money and making it yourself never yields the high quality results you see on your television or on professional cakes (because ALL professionals buy their fondant). So focus on making your cakes taste delicious and let them look like they were made with love and fresh, local, great tasting ingredients.

Now back to the happy green cake :) This was a spring cake so I piped my own Peeps on top and made fake jelly beans for the side. I would have loved to make jelly beans and peeps but this had to be done in a day and those tasks have an overnight drying stage.

So there you have it, all of you wonderful readers who don't bother to ask thoughtful questions, the answer to your unasked question. Just don't ever ask me to make you a cake like this one because I won't :)

Monday, March 14, 2011

Why to Measure Ingredients by Weight

As a loyal reader of this wonderful space you have noticed the recipes posted or offered via video use weight measurements. Weight measurements are used because they are more accurate than volume measurements. Four ounces of flour is four ounces of flour is four ounces of flour but depending on how you fill a one cup measuring cup with flour you can get anywhere between 4 and 5 ounces of flour.

There are too many variables that are difficult to control when measuring ingredients by volume-- especially dry ingredients. Using a digital scale can cut back on mistakes and help make your baked goods and desserts more consistent.
The world of baking and pastry relies on consistency and the precise scaling of ingredients. A confection like a pate de fruits is something you need to have measured out accurately and volume measurements just do not cut it at that point.

Many people think that digital scales are too expensive but you can find ones that are not. You can find a good digital scale for between $20 and $30 at your local kitchen supply store or online.As you start to use your scale you will see how easy it is and how quickly you will get your money's worth out of it.

When buying a scale just make sure it can measure in increments that work for you. Some scales can only measure in 2 gram or 5 gram increments. There is also always a max load for the scale so make sure the scale can weigh enough product at once for you. Most digital kitchen scales can measure at least 7 or 8 pounds at a time. There are also small scales you can buy from specialty scale retailers if you want to get crazy accurate but for 99.99999999% of your kitchen tasks a scale you can find in almost any store will work.

Scales: They just aren't for drug dealers anymore!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Hospital Food

I have been thinking about hospital food quite a bit lately because my mother just underwent heart surgery and the food she has been served has been well to be kind absolutely awful.

I actually think hospitals have such terrible food because they use it as a treatment tool. Think about it. If they serve you pork tenderloin with an apple, bacon, and fennel chutney, with your favorite starch would you ever want to leave? If dessert was Ben & Jerry's ice cream every night people would be jumping in front of cars to get into the hospital.

Instead those clever folks in the dietary department figured out long ago they needed to offer some motivation to the patient to get better and get the hell out because there are plenty more paying customers out there. By offering food that is just complete rubbish the patient yearns for their favorite foods, doctor's orders be damned, and get motivated to get better and get their eat on.

I know if hospital food was placed in front of me I would walk, run, or crawl if need be with tubes trailing behind, to the closest decent restaurant. Hell after a hospital stay you might find me eating in a chain restaurant *gasp*!

I must however give mad crazy props to the clever folks who thought this scheme up because if it works and get my mom better I'm totally OK with that horrible hospital food.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Lemon Curd Video

Well you have asked for it, no really some people really did ask for more crazy videos, so here is a fun video all about making lemon curd.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Fun with Fish

Those of you who know me know that I am not crazy about Whole Foods but I have to give them credit for their fish counter. Recently Whole Foods announced that in a partnership with the Monterey Bat Aquarium and Blue Ocean Institute they will end sales of red-rated species of fish by March 2013. The color ratings deal with the sustainability of the fishing practices with red being the worst.

Another large retailer, Target, has announced that it will be ended sales of farm raised salmon in stores due to the guidance of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program.

So kudos to these two companies for doing something that in theory is good for the planet. We will have to see who follows these companies in the fight to end unsustainable fishing practices.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Trail Mix Cookies

This recipe is for what I call a trail mix cookie. Why do I call it that you ask? Good question!!! The add-ins for the cookie are all items you would find in a pretty basic trail mix. Remember to enjoy these cookies in moderation because while they are a little better for you than a store bought cookie they still don't fall under the label of healthy! If you do want to do away with a little of the sugar take out the brown sugar and add 3 ounces agave or honey. If you do this remove 1/4 C of the applesauce. If you really don't like butter you can substitute oil but it will significantly change the flavor and texture of the final cookie however it will get rid of the saturated fat from the butter. Your choice (just choose wisely or the evil flying monkeys will get you, look out, AAAAHHHH)!

For super hippie cookies add some toasted sunflower, pumpkin, or flax seeds. You can also take out an ounce of flour, either one, and add flax seed meal instead. Again choose your additions and substitutions well or you might find yourself listening to too much Phish and Grateful Dead music (no angry letters please I like both those bands).

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces All Purpose Flour
• 8 ounces Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 6 ounces butter- room temperature
• 7 ounces granulated sugar
• 4 ounces brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups apple sauce (unsweetened)
• 4 ounces toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamia, hazelnuts, or a mixture)
• 4 ounces raisins, dried cranberries, or a mixture of the two
• 4 ounces chocolate chunks or chips (white, milk, dark, or a mixture)

Procedure:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 F.
2. Sift the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and spices together. Add the kosher salt.
3. Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until the mixture has lightened slightly, about 3 minutes.
4. Scrape down the bowl and mix on the slowest speed for 30 seconds.
5. Whisk the eggs together.
6. Set the mixer to stir and slowly stream in the eggs. Mix until combined.
7. Scrape down the bowl.
8. Add the applesauce and stir until blended together.
9. Add the nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit and stir until combined.
10. Add the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
11. Scrape down the bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 2.
12. Line sheet trays with parchment paper and scoop batter (about 2 tablespoons per cookie for a small cookie and about 4 tablespoons for a larger cookie) onto sheet trays.
13. Bake for 8-12 minutes (for a smaller cookie bake for less time and bake longer for a larger cookie) until the bottoms of the cookie are browned and the center has just set.
14. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5 minutes then transfer for a wire rack to cool completely.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Shortbread

After my post about sugar I thought it would be a good idea to post a few recipes that I would consider slightly sweet. Remember these recipes are not exactly what I would call healthy but they are not cloying like most of the sweets you can buy in the store. I hope you enjoy this first recipe for a ginger shortbread. You will notice there is a good amount of butter in this recipe so it isn't exactly healthy so enjoy in moderation. If you do want to make the cookie slightly better for you substitute up to half the all purpose flour for whole wheat or white whole wheat flour.

Enjoy!

• 1 pound butter, unsalted, at room temperature
• 7 ounces granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh ginger, grated or finely minced (a microplane works great)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 20 ounces all purpose flour

Now if this cookie doesn't have enough ginger for you add 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (or more) depending on how gingertastic you want the cookie to be.

Procedure:
1. Using the paddle attachment cream the butter and sugar together with your stand mixer on medium speed until the butter has lightened slightly, 3-4 minutes.
2. Stir in the ginger and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the salt, pepper, and flour, and on the slowest speed mix them into the butter until just incorporated.
4. You can now press this shortbread into a prepared baking pan (simply a pan sprayed well with non-stick spray) and bake now or you can wrap and chill the dough for 1-2 hours and then roll the dough out into a log and cut cookies out of it.
5. For baking the cookies preheat your oven to 350 F and bake until the shortbread is golden brown. Time is going to depend upon how you bake the cookies. Smaller cookies will bake faster than if you press the dough into a pan. For the traditional shortbread look dock the dough with a fork before baking. All this means is that you make marks in the dough with the prongs of a fork. Take out all your frustration on the unsuspecting shortbread.
6. No matter how you bake the shortbread check it after 8 minutes and then again every 2-4 minutes depending upon your oven. As an avid baker you should know how your oven tends to run (the oven in my house can run marathons for example).

Sunday, March 6, 2011

The Problem with High Fructose Corn Syrup

The problem with High Fructose Corn Syrup )HFCS) is how prevalent it is in our food system specifically processed and packaged foods. I saw a commercial a few days ago that tried making HFCS look like the friendly neighbor next door but it isn't.

The issue here for me though are the people who are out to do away with HFCS but see no problems with any other sugar. Drinking 4 glasses of orange juice for example in one day is basically just as bad for you as drinking 4 sugary sodas. Sure you get more vitamins and nutrients from the juice but if you are concerned about you or your child's sugar intake you need to watch all the sources of sugar you are eating.

HFCS becomes an issue because it is so inexpensive and that allows it to be everywhere even places it really need not be. Cakes, cookies, cereals, breads, ice creams, TV dinners, ketchup, the list of foods with HFCS is incredibly long. Obviously some of the foods here on my list do require a sweetener and because if the cost HFCS is the choice of the global food conglomerates. The solution here is quite simple; don't buy their mediocre crap.

I know people are very busy with jobs, little Billy's soccer practice, little Sarah's ballet lessons, and all the other time consuming aspects of life but try for the love of all things sacred to take an hour each week and make some homemade treats for the family.

The great part of making homemade treats is that not only are you cutting out HFCS (which amazes me that they can call natural because of how processed it is) but you can limit the total amount of sugar you are feeding your family. You may be thinking why not just buy the low sugar or sugar free options available at your local mega-mart. The answer there is that those products have less sugar but an insane amount of fat. At home you can make what I like to call slightly sweet treats that have no extra fat and less sugar.

The next time you do go to the market take a few minutes and check out not only where HFCS syrup is hiding but all forms of sugar because it really is everywhere in our packaged food system. Don't get me wrong I love sweets and I'm not telling anyone to cut them out but what you should do is try to cut out the foods containing sugar in your diet that really don't need to.

Healthy Eating :)

Saturday, March 5, 2011

A Public Service Announcement About Cheese

Fresh Mozzarella should never go into a refrigerator. In fact if you buy some on a cold day you should bring a nice little warm container with you to hold it in if you plan on being out and about for a while. There is really no argument here so if you disagree with me you are simply wrong so don't waste your breath.

I am bringing this up because I was planning my dinner the other night and lamenting the fact that unless I want to drive into Philadelphia I can't find fresh mozzarella of any kind that is not vacuum packaged and refrigerated. Even the cheese shop at the farmer's market I go to puts their mozzarella in the reach-in fridge. Just a shame.

The way you fix this problem is by eating your cheese the day you buy it. Isn't that just a simple fix? Sounds crazy thought? Not keeping food in the fridge for a few weeks is very Un-American. Well in this case plan your meals around the day you can get to your cheese monger and trust me you will be happier and better off for it.

Now you know and as we all know knowing if half the battle. The other half is not butting your damn cheese in the fridge. Oh and the last half is knowing that butter doesn't have to go in the fridge if you plan on using it up in a week or so. On that note neither does buttercream.

So remember America refrigeration is great but some items, especially your fresh hand made mozzarella, should never ever be punished by being placed in that cold box of doom.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Bread Pudding


This is a bread pudding recipe I originally published on examiner and I have had so many comments on how great it is I figured I would reprint it here for everyone.

I hope you enjoy!

This is a very basic bread pudding recipe because the intent is for everyone to personalize the recipe based on the season, the ingredients they have in the pantry, and their mood. So try the basic recipe once or twice and then try adding some personal flair such as:
• Chocolate chips
• Dried fruit (plumped in alcohol)
• Fresh seasonal fruit
• Nuts
• Spices and extracts

Here is the basic bread pudding recipe:
1. 3 eggs
2. 2 egg yolks
3. 2 cups of milk
4. 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
5. 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
6. 1/4 teaspoon salt
7. 2 Baker Street Bread Company Croissants
Note: Croissants should be left out and unwrapped for at least a day before making the bread pudding.
Yield: 4 individual ramekins


Procedure:
1. Slice the croissants into cubes with a serrated knife
2. Whisk together the eggs and yolks
3. Whisk the sugar, vanilla, and salt into the eggs
4. Whisk milk into egg mixture.
5. Place croissant cubes into a container and pour custard over croissants.
6. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to one day.
7. Preheat oven to 300°F.
8. If using any add-ins mix them into bread mixture now.
9. Lightly grease 4 individual ramekins and spoon bread mixture in.
10. Bake in a waterbath for 50 minutes to one hour.
11. Remove from oven and pour water out of waterbath.
12. Pudding can be served warm or chilled.
Note: A waterbath is a square pan filled with hot water. The water should reach about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place the ramekins in the pan then place the pan in the oven and then pour the water in the pan.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with whipped cream, caramel sauce, fresh fruit, chocolate sauce, or creme anglais.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Buffets

I am often accused of being a food snob by my wife which is of course nonsense. Last night my distaste for buffets brought the scorn and abuse from my loving wife. Now I need to set the record straight. I don't dislike all buffets I just hate bad buffets. I love a good brunch and what is brunch but a really nice buffet? Well at least most of the time. The best part of brunch of course is that it is socially acceptable to drink before noon at brunch. God brunch is great. So are weddings that start before noon because once again you can have a drink before lunch time. So perhaps it isn't brunch that I like but drinking before noon? I'm going to have to think about that one...

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Attack of the Creamie Stand

My wife returned home tonight to inform me that the creamie stand down the road has opened for the season. It's March 3rd and it is still around freezing some days in Pennsylvania. And to think in spring in Vermont I couldn't find an open stand...I still love Vermont though.

Food Memories

One of the wonderful aspects of food is the memories that it can help create. Baking with a parent. The smell of a grandparents pie. Picking fruit with your family. If you are Italian I'm sure drinking wine is involved in most of your food memories. I know a favorite food memory of mine was sharing a magnum of wine and making gnocchi with some great friends.

I am bringing this topic up though because I was thinking of a great story that I just have to share. I was living in Vermont attending culinary school and it was a Friday night, early evening really more like 5 pm, and 2 friends and I felt like getting some soft serve ice cream. Doesn't sound too hard right? It was late spring, almost summer really, in New England. There would definitely be some cremie stands open.

So we set out and headed to a local spot that we knew was open and had soft serve. Well we arrived and found out it was actually a drive-in and there were no spots left to park. Next. Found another stand down the road but it hadn't opened yet for the season. Next. Drove around for about 15 minutes and found another stand that HAD CLOSED FOR THE DAY ALREADY. It was about 6 pm now and they were CLOSED! What the hell we are thinking.

Now I should mention that we were around Montpelier Vermont and none of us really had any knowledge of the area. We figured we would have no issues. So moving on we now really didn't know where we were (smartphones and gps units were not prevalent) so we picked a direction and drove. We found some signs after a while for another stand so we of course followed them to find that that stand was closed!!! Really Vermont really?

At this point one of my friends remembered seeing some signs in a nearby town for a stand so we of course headed off. Found the sign for the stand. Sign said the stand was around back of the building so we went around back to find nothing. Nothing at all.

We were desperate at this point. We figured we would give it one more go and then just head home and buy some Ben & Jerry's (by the way the grocery stores in Vermont have the WORST selection of Ben & Jerry's ice cream). So we headed off from the phantom stand and within 15 or 20 minutes found another stand at a local farm. Few cars in the parking lot so we pulled in only to find out after walking up to the door that the stand was closed. It is now about 7 pm and the ice cream stand is closed. Did I mention it is a Friday? My one buddy out of frustration bangs on the door and as we are walking away the owner opens the door, listens to our rambling story, and gives us ice cream. I would like to put an official thank you down in writing to that fellow. I would plug his farm but damned if I can remember the name. Nice building though. Proper Vermont.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Mediocrity of Dry Mixes

As we all know consistency is what people really want when it comes to food. You can churn out consistent mediocre product and people will bang down your door for it. Dry mixes for making cakes, cookies, breads, pancakes, and slews of other baked goods are one of the huge contributors to the mediocre product that is suffocating the food marketplace.

I think the issue is really rather obvious. As a society we have more dispensable income (well that is until our greed caused this great recession) and we also have developed a sweet tooth that cannot be satisfied. We want cheap readily available baked goods and god forbid we take some time out of our busy day to bake something homemade. Of course the problem is many people never grew up with homemade baked goods and they actual prefer the taste of the mixes. Now if you like mixes there is nothing wrong with you (well maybe there is but I haven't seen the test results yet) so please don't inundate me with nasty comments. Trying to answer all those comments would really keep me from going on these fun rants!

Anyway here is the point (isn't it fun when these things have points?). We all know eating too many sweets is not healthy. So instead of using dry mixes at home take a little time out grab your family and make something delicious for them. By doing this you can make tastier baked goods (you can even make them healthier) from scratch and have some quality family time.

Break the chains of mediocrity, eat fewer sweets (odd for someone in the baking and pastry world to say eh?), get in the kitchen, and get cooking!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Artisan Donuts Make a Comeback

Donuts are one food that really is never natural. The ingredients that go into making most donuts are just scary so it is nice to see artisan donuts making a comeback.

Most donuts, whether cake or yeast raised, start out as a dry mix with more ingredients than you can shake a stick at and you will be lucky if you can pronounce half of them. It is just nice to see that there are people willing to take a product that almost always comes from a mix and doing it from scratch.

Kudos to the folks mentioned in this article as well as all the other small donut makers out there who are taking back the donut.

Processed Food Vs. All Natural

A few days ago Mark Bittman wrote a wonderful article in the New York Times about McDonald's new breakfast offering: oatmeal. The column makes some great points and I suggest anyone with an interesting in what is in the food they are eating reads it.

The article really resonated with me because I have asked similar questions of companies that I feel add too many ingredients that are not really necessary to their food. Being from a baking and pastry background I often question the bread you find in every quick service and casual dining restaurant.

For people who are not familiar with mass produced bread their are a few reasons that everyone uses unnecessary ingredients, e.g. dough conditioners, and that is automation. The bread being pumped out for your enjoyment at your local fast food joint or chain family hang out is being done so by machines and the machines cannot handle any changes in the dough from mix to mix. The dough has to be the same every day it has to be consistent.

The finished product also has to have a longer shelf life than an artisan loaf of bread because it gets shipped from a centralized bakery, if you can call them that, to all corners of a region so the bread has to stand up to travel. This of course is a pretty big problem because food is not really meant to travel well. Every tried traveling with a nice ripe summer tomato? It doesn't go so well does it?

The desire for cheap fast food that offers a lot of calories has really screwed up what we eat. So the next time you are out remember that even though the food may look all natural and healthy it may not be.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Examiner

For those who know me you are aware I was a writer for Examiner.com. I am technically still a writer for them but I no longer publish articles on the site. If you are ever interested though you can check out the archives of my writing here.

I stopped writing for this site because I was not allowed to write in the first person because doing so was said to not be professional and did not give the writing the proper air of expertise. I say that is rubbish and can be extremely confining and stifling.

How am I to review a restaurant if I can't easily describe the dishes that I had? Rubbish I say.

The breaking point though was that they brought on another writer to be the Philadelphia Dessert Examiner even though I would publish 5 or so articles a week and my page views were always well above average. Funny thing is that person published one article then stopped writing so now the site has nobody writing about desserts in Philadelphia.

So that is the answer to the question that so many of you (those intelligent readers will understand that this means none of you) have asked. I am restarting a blog because I do miss writing but I need to write in my own wacky and slightly insane style.

I do recommend though that you check out all of my old articles on examiner.com because there are some great articles there even if you don't like in the Philadelphia area.

Enjoy.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Making Awesome Pizza at Home

Now this I know if a moment that you have all been waiting for. Some of you have had the pleasure of seeing this video but most of you have not. This is a loving rip-off of Good Eats by my friend Blair and I from a few years ago.

We directed, starred, produced, and wrote (and by wrote I mean showed up in the kitchen with an idea and 2 cameras, and then started filming whatever we did) for a school project.

The production values are poor, the acting is awful, but the information is amazing and very helpful.

Follow the below link to what really might be a life changing video experience for you.

Enjoy!

How to Make Awesome Pizza Without Ever Leaving Your Home (unless of course you have to buy groceries).

Chefs Obsession with Pictures

First off happy weekend. Secondly here are some blurry photos of molded chocolates my wife and I made this past weekend. Enjoy trying to decipher what you are looking at in these extremely high quality photos.

Posting photos brings me to a point that has always bothered me; why are chefs and foodies obsessed with pictures of food? Food is not art. I'm sorry but it isn't. Food can entice you with visual appeal and it is true some people will choose to eat or not eat food because of the way it looks but food is not art so stop treating it like it is.

Food is fleeting. You make it, eat it, and it is gone. The end. I understand that most restaurants thrive on consistency. Every plate needs to look the same every time. This works if you are a quick service or casual dining but when it comes to fine dining consistency should mean amazing food every time. In the arena of fine dining I hate seeing the same menu on multiple trips to a restaurant. What does this have to do with pictures you ask? Many restaurants take snapshots of dishes to create consistency.

Now onto the diners. Stop taking pictures of your food. Just eat it OK! Get off your high horse and stop acting like you are so damn special. Enjoy the food in the moment because you are wasting it by taking that picture.

Until recently I never photographed anything I made because I despise having to make the same thing twice. Where is the fun in that? When people see photos they often time want exactly what they see and homey don't play that!

Now onto the below photos. They are all the same yet different. The shells are all milk chocolate and filled with a very soft brandy ganache and a small bite of cinnamon marshmallow.

As always if you want recipes or tips to make these or anything else at home just ask!

Enjoy.



Thursday, February 24, 2011

Artisan Bread

So who wants to read an idealistic piece all about artisan bread? You do? GREAT because I have one from two years that I have decided to dust off and share with you,

Enjoy




Artisan Bread

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines an artisan as “a worker who practices a trade or handicraft” and as “one that produces something (as cheese or wine) in limited quantities often using traditional methods.” When I look at those definitions I wonder why the first definition is necessary, to me the idea that an artisan practices a trade or handcraft is intrinsic to the definition because of the phrase “…using traditional methods”. I also find it interesting the dictionary defines the term artisan as it applies to an individual and not as it would apply to a product. Frequently we hear about artisan bread but the dictionary offers no clarification and there is no authority regulating the use of the word artisan as it relates to food products. It could of course be argued an artisan product is one, which is created by an artisan, but due to the ever-extending reach of technology individuals using traditional methods are few and far between. I would argue that an artisan food product is one in that requires skilled labor to produce and is used with a minimal reliance on technology and is carried out in an “Old World manner”.

The article I read outlined how many chain foodservice establishments are switching to artisan style breads. It explains the uses these establishments are finding for artisan bread and where much of this bread originates.

This article is obvious relevant to bakers and chefs alike, the type of bread a restaurant uses can have an impact on many facets of the business. If bread is baked on-premise a full-time baker is required. Artisan breads can also be purchased from artisan bakeries, or purchased frozen and finished on-site by anyone with the ability to put the bread in an oven. Artisan bread is generally more expensive so food costs rise but it can also be sold for more and many times the artisan bread has a higher contribution margin than bread of the non-artisanal variety.

While I am always pleased to see consumers becoming interested in artisan bread and the market for it growing I think we must be careful and know if our artisan bread is truly artisan. Many of the restaurants in the article spoke about purchasing par-baked breads, which arrive frozen, and simply finishing them on-premise. Most par-baked products are produced in commercial bakeries and this means more often than not they are not handmade. These breads use the same recipes as true artisan breads but they are machine shaped, there are no true artisans involved in the process. This type of bread still falls into the category of artisan bread but to me it is not artisan bread. The bread resembles artisan bread in almost every way save its’ soul. I would also argue that to a very knowledgeable consumer these par-baked products can be spotted for what they are due to small differences between bread created from start to finish in an artisan bakery and bread par-baked and finished in a restaurant.

My fear is that one day everyone will eat artisan bread, artisan bread that no true artisan had a hand in. I wish restaurants would purchase bread daily from local artisan bakeries. I wish restaurants would understand there is nothing wrong with purchasing high quality artisan bread; in fact it is a great way to support the local economy. To use par-baked bread solely for the right to say you “baked” the bread in-house is wrong, you are cheating the consumer out of a better dining experience. My hope is consumers will realize this and begin to demand their restaurants offer true, high quality artisan bread from local bakers.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I'm Back!!!

Hello and good day everyone! It has been almost a year since this space has been used and it is feeling just a bit neglected. As all of you loyal readers will notice there are only two old posts left (both pertaining to food) because (wait for it.......) I am changing the focus of this blog to FOOD! The name won't be changing because I a) am not really sure how to go about doing so and b) believe everything I say is most certainly for the greater good (what you disagree?).

So you have been warned :) I'm back and better than ever so beware and be on the lookout for thoughts, recipes, and generally nonsense and tom foolery.