2011-08-01T01:00:00+01:00 | Page 5 of 9

Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 16, 2011

Published by Jonell Galloway + Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Permalink 0

[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world’s sweetest smells…there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.-–M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

Mary Francis Kenney Fisher (July 3, 1908 – June 22, 1992). a Californian by birth, was a prolific and well-respected author of 20 books, many of which dealt with the preparation, history and culture of food. She spent the first three years of her marriage in France, where she learned how to live and eat economically and was introduced to various wines, pastries and cheeses. This was to determine the path of her life.

Happy 99th Birthday, Julia Child!

Published by Jonell Galloway + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

by Julia Child

Julia Child would have turned 99 today.

Julia Child brought French food to post-war America. When her husband Paul was posted to Paris, she studied at L’Ecole du Cordon Bleu, and went on to form her own cooking school with fellow students Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Louisette Bertholle. The threesome went on to write the 2-volume classic Coq au Vin , which covered all the basic techniques and dishes of classic French cuisine.

Vichyssoise

And indeed she proved to be right. It is only now, 60 years later, that cooking has established itself as gastronomy, and only when referring to a few great American chefs.

This is Foodista’s list of their favorite Julia recipes.

Coq au Vin

Rooster cooked in red wine is a classic Burgundian dish made with red wine, mushrooms, onions, bacon and herbs.

Duck a l’Orange

Vichyssoise is actually the base of almost all French soups. This simple base — made of potatoes, leeks, and salt — is elaborated on in countless ways to make an endless variety of soup. When served cold in summer and cream is added, it is referred to as Vichyssoise.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Ratatouille brings all the flavors of the Southern sun together: red ripe tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, onions and Provençal herbs. Today there are many other versions, many of them even in the oven, but this is the classic recipe.

Upside-Down Martini

The problem with duck is always the same: the fat spews all over the place and it is difficult to digest. The acid of the orange in this classic French dish helps digest the fat, and makes it tasty too. This is a favorite Julia Child recipe.

Custard Apple Tart

Boeuf Bourguignon is a fancy version of our classic beef stew. What makes it different is that it is cooked in red wine, and pearl onions and mushroom caps are added to it.

Plum Clafoutis

Not surprising that Julia loved Martinis. She added vermouth to just about any sauce she could work it in to.

Sabayon

Not all French pies are made with custard, but you often find this version in Normandy, the land of cream and butter. It can be served either cold or warm.

Lessons from Julia Child

Clafoutis can be made with many different fruits, but plus and cherries are all-time French favorites. This tart has a custard-like consistency, but also contains ground almonds, giving it a salty edge.

Sabayon is a a cousin of the light, egg-based Italian dessert zabaglione. It is light and custard-like, and a standard in French as well as British cuisine.

French Food Quote: Daily Food Quote, August 15, 2011

Published by Jonell Galloway + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

Nouvelle cuisine was so specifically French that it was, and still is, misunderstood in the rest of the world. You have to be dominated by Escoffier before rejecting him becomes meaningful.–Mark Kurlansky, Choice Cuts (2002)

Mark Kurlansky’s Choice Cuts features more than 200 essays on what great thinkers, writers, musicians and sometimes even foodies thought about food in all its forms throughout time. It is essential to any cookbook collection and serves as an amusing read at any time of the day.

Food Play: How to make Homemade Butter

Published by sandeea + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

por SandeeA

Versión origínale en español

Kids in the Kitchen

Nowadays we’ve forgotten where food actually comes from. Some people find it difficult to believe olives were “born” with pits, because they’ve only eaten the pitted ones out of cans, and others have never known fresh milk or milk straight from the cow; they’ve only had milk from a U.H.T. Tetra Brik carton.

So what about pulling some magic in the kitchen and showing your kids how cream becomes butter? You will get a delicious homemade butter, full of flavour, with 65% fat, as compared to commercial butters, which commonly have up to 80% fat and zero flavour to boot.

So switch on the music on, and let’s shake it! Who said you cannot play with food?

Recipe

Homemade Butter

Click here for recipe converter

Preparation time: 4-5 min
Cooking time: 0 min
Total: 4-5 min
Yield: 40 gr butter (2 portions)

Difficulty: My 3-year-old son can do it

Ingredients

100 ml heavy cream, very cold (minimum 35% fat)

A small jar with lid

Preparation

1. Put cream in the jar and close lid.

Mantequilla casera 2

2. Turn the music on.

3. Shake it, shake it. About two minutes later, you will notice that the cream is starting to thicken. Take a rest.

Mantequilla casera 2

4. Keep shaking shaking (it will take a couple more minutes). Suddenly, the cream will start to divide into a solid part (butter) and a liquid part (buttermilk) You did it! Press butter and knead it a litte bit to eliminate exceeding buttermilk, and clean it under clean water. You can keep both buttermilk and butter in the refrigerator for a few days.

Note 1: You can do the same thing using a food processor, but it won’t be as much fun! Click here to watch a video showing how to make homemade butter using a food processor.

Note 2: The bottle shown in the pics is not the ideal recipient for making butter…when butter becomes solid, it is really hard to get the butter out of it.

Note 3: The time indicated on the recipe is for an adult. Kids have less strengh and cannot mantain constant movement, so it will take them longer to actually get butter.

As seen at Cultured Butter

Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 15, 2011

Published by Jonell Galloway + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

by Simón de Swaan

Green beans, or string beans as they are usually called, must be done [boiled] till very tender — it takes nearly an hour and a half.—Sarah Josepha Hale, The Good Housekeeper (1839)

Sarah Josepha Hale was an American writer and editor who wrote the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” She is also known for campaigning for the creation of the Thanksgiving holiday, and Hale served as editor of Ladies’ Magazine from 1827-1836 and Godey’s Lady’s Book from 1837-1877.

Click here to listen to “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Food Play: cómo hacer mantequilla en casa

Published by sandeea + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

por SandeeA
Click here to read English version

Hoy en día hemos olvidado el proceso de elaboración de los alimentos. Aunque no lo creáis, las aceitunas nacen con hueso y sin lata, y la leche no sale del tetrabrik. ¿Qué tal si nos divertimos haciendo magia en la cocina, y les enseñamos a nuestros hijos el proceso de convertir nata en mantequilla? Vamos a conseguir una mantequilla casera deliciosa, con un sabor increíble, y con un contenido de materia grasa en torno al 65%, a diferencia de las mantequillas comerciales que tienen al menos un 80%… y ningún sabor. Así que poned vuestra música favorita y a tocar las maracas! No sé quién dijo que con la comida no se juega…

Receta de mantequilla casera

Tiempo de preparación: 4-5 min
Tiempo de cocción: 0 min
Total: 4-5 min
Cantidad: 40 gr de mantequilla (2 raciones, aproximadamente)

Dificultad: mi hijo de 3 años sabe hacerla

Ingredientes

100 ml de nata para montar, muy fría (mínimo 35 % MG, mejor si tiene 35,1% MG como Pascual por ejemplo)

un bote pequeño y que cierre herméticamente, por ejemplo un frasco de mermelada de 250 ml de capacidad

Preparación:

1. Introducimos 100 ml de nata en el bote y cerramos bien
Mantequilla casera 1

2. Ponemos la música.

Mantequilla casera 2

3. Agitamos de arriba a abajo. Puedes descansar un poco (pero acuérdate de apuntarte a un gimnasio) Notaremos como cada vez la mezcla se hace más ligera, llegará un momento en que parecerá que no se mueve nada dentro del bote. Hemos montado la nata (lleva unos 2 minutos)

4. Seguimos agitando el bote enérgicamente. De repente la nata se dividirá en una parte líquida y otra sólida. (tardará otros dos minutos). Ya tenemos la mantequilla por un lado, y el suero de leche (suero de mantequilla o buttermilk) por otro. Pasamos la mantequilla por agua fría, apretándola bien y amasándola para eliminar el exceso de suero, y ya está lista para consumir. El suero lo podemos usar en numerosas recetas de panes y repostería.

Mantequilla casera 3

Nota 1: Se puede hacer el mismo proceso mucho más rápido con una batidora de varillas para fabricar una cantidad mayor de mantequilla. Eso sí, será mucho menos divertido! Aquí tenéis un vídeo donde se muestra cómo hacerlo Cómo hacer mantequilla casera

Nota 2: La botella que se ve en las imágenes no es el recipiente más adecuado para fabricar la mantequilla, dado que cuando se solidifica resulta bastante complicado sacar la mantequilla. Mejor un envase de boca ancha como un bote de mermelada pequeño, tal y como comentaba anteriormente.

Nota 3: Los tiempos indicados en la receta son para un adulto. Si la elaboran niños, que tienen menos fuerza y son menos constantes en sus movimientos, les llevará más tiempo.

Visto en Ohdeedoh

Food Art: Puff Pastry Salad, food photography by SandeeA

Published by Jonell Galloway + Monday, August 15, 2011 Permalink 0

These photos are by SandeeA, author of the column Food Play, and who runs a site called . SandeeA is never lacking ideas when it comes to playful, fun recipes. Click here to find the recipe for this salad in a puff pastry. It would be a great recipe to get your kids in the kitchen!

Food Art: Kheer, or Saffron Rice Pudding, by Meeta Khurana Wolff

Published by Jonell Galloway + Saturday, August 13, 2011 Permalink 0

See more food photo compositions at Meeta K. Wolff or in our Food Art category.

Simon Says: Daily Food Quote, August 11, 2011

Published by Jonell Galloway + Thursday, August 11, 2011 Permalink 0

Cover of "The Importance of Being Earnest...

Cover via Amazon

by Simón de Swaan

You can’t possibly ask me to go without having some dinner. It’s absurd. I never go without my dinner. No one ever does, except vegetarians and people like that.–Oscar Wilde

Quote by Oscar Wilde, in “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895).

The “ Importance of Being Earnest”, said to be “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play’s major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways.

The official Oscar Wilde website can be viewed here.

Rencontre avec des boulangers remarquables : Le boulanger de Kaboul

Published by Jonell Galloway + Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Permalink 0

de Jean-Philippe de Tonnac

Click here to read this article in English

Dan de Mirmont, le boulanger de Kaboul

Comment découvre-t-on la cuisine et la panification à la française en Birmanie et décide-t-on de les faire connaître aujourd’hui aux gens de Kaboul ? C’est l’étonnant parcours de Dan de Mirmont qui réouvre son Bistro Bakery en octobre.

: Ali, à droite, responsable de la
boulangerie-pâtisserie, et Zobaid,
à gauche, son assistant.
Dan de Mirmont, au centre.

Comment choisit-on de venir faire du pain à Kaboul ?

On n’y arrive pas en ligne droite. Il y a des détours. Si vous voulez un commencement, je vous propose la Birmanie.

Ça ne nous éloigne pas un peu ?

Vous verrez que non. Quatorze années d’un long flirt avec l’Union du Myanmar. Un grand bémol, les plaisirs de la table y sont comptés. Chose qui nous désole J., mon amie chinoise singapourienne, et moi. Bien qu’entourée de pays tels que l’Inde, la Chine, la Thaïlande, connus pour leurs cuisines, la table birmane offre peu d’émotions positives. Des vacances dans une petite maison au-dessus de Saint-Tropez et les merveilleux restaurants de l’arrière-pays nous apportent la conviction qu’il faut agir. Nous rentrons en Birmanie avec une soixantaine de kilos de livres de cuisine. Ni elle ni moi n’avons jamais mis les pieds dans une cuisine. Une sainte horreur des odeurs de graillons et des mains sales. Nous faisions jusqu’alors commerce de nos créations dans une très jolie galerie dans le centre de Yangon. Sans faire attention à ce que nous mangions.

Le début des apprentis cuisiniers est laborieux et difficilement supportable pour les amis, invités à goûter. Les cobayes s’y font lentement, vantent nos progrès et nous demandent progressivement de nourrir leurs soirées.

Continue Reading…