My morning routine has become more complex now that I try to blog every day, it means I spend a lot of time looking at various sites to see what food news there is out there that strikes my fancy and think is worth sharing. My first stop is JoeMyGod which is a gay political blog that I got hooked on during the election. Every now and again he will post something about food, usually about bacon or some other over the top crazy food thing. Today, however, he posted a story about celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey who called an Australia Journalist a lesbian then showed a picture of a woman with the features of a pig and then made a botox joke.
Now let me be clear, this happened during a food demonstration. A food demonstration. Which brings me to my new regular, if inconsistent, feature - the Rush Limbaugh Awards - given to anyone who acts or speaks in an irrational, offensive, inflammatory, nasty and otherwise just mean spirited way, today's winner folks is Gordon Ramsey for being an ill tempered, homophobic, misogynist and generally mean spirited guy. You may remember that I called Anthony Bourdain the Rush Limbaugh of food for saying that he felt Alice Waters was a little bit too Khmer Rouge for him, well ladies and gentleman the torch has been passed.
This brings me to another topic that is disturbing and pertains to TV food shows in general. I'm not sure where I read this, I read so many books on food and recipes at some point everything becomes a blur, but someone I was reading recently made the statement that more people watch food shows now than ever before in the history of TV and the corollary to that is that fewer people cook now than every before. Cooking has become a spectator sport, and apparently testosterone fueled tirades are entertaining!
If Charlton Heston were alive today I'm sure he'd have a wildly successful cooking show, it could be funny really he could start each show by going out and shooting what ever it was he was going to cook.
Funny and kind of unfortunate I think. In time of yore when Julia and the Galloping Gourmet ruled the airwaves, their shows were meant to inspire people to turn off their TVs and actually to cook. Or is that just me projecting?
I wonder if that is possible now? Or if we have been so sucked into the vortex of agribusiness as usual or made into fast food take out zombies that this most essential of all things: feeding ourselves, has become too much bother? This is a favorite theme of mine so I won't go on any more, you get the point.
My own self involved interest in it has in part to do with my ongoing fantasy of wanting to have a TV cooking, food, environmentally inclined show myself. How can I want to do something that so goes against what I believe? Of course it's all fantasy at this point, but I wonder if it is actually possible to make TV that inspires action not inaction? Is it possible to be entertaining with out being outrageous? Do you have to sink to the level of Khmer Rouge Lesbian Pigs to stay relevant? I don't think so and I certainly hope not, but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Ryan Howard Visits the White House Garden
good for them, the chemical industry is not happy you can bet on that!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Roberta's more than just pizza
Every Monday morning I look forward to reading Saxelby Cheese newsletter. This morning I was surprised to find out that those Evergreen shipping containers in the parking lot next to Roberta's pizza, the ones I point out in my video they are planting on? Well low and behold was I ever surprised this morning to find out that inside those containers is a radio station. The Heritage Radio Network and Anne Saxelby now hosts her own cheese show on Sundays at 3:30 called "Cutting the Curd" um, Anne do you think you could be any cheesier?
From the Saxelby newsletter:
The Heritage Radio Network was started by one Patrick Martins, one of the founders of Heritage Foods USA. Through the business, Patrick and his cohorts aim to save heritage breeds of livestock, mostly turkeys and pigs, by hooking up farmers in the midwest with savvy chefs and restaurateurs who have an eye for quality meats. Just last year, the spirit moved him to take his 'slow' business show on the road. Patrick convinced the owners of Roberta's that they needed to have a radio station in the back yard (really, what respectable pizzeria doesn't?) and in the spirit of wily culinary cowboys, they agreed. Two shipping containers and many a good conversation later, Heritage Radio is thriving. Programming is great and growing all the time, and features chefs, artists, master composters, authors, and now dairy gurus too!
This is indeed good news since my friend Craig found a 1960's model 21 KLH radio on the street in someone's garbage and gave it to me (he cleaned it up, but otherwise it was in perfecting working condition). Now I can sit by my radio on Sunday afternoon anxiously anticipating the meliflious tones of Anne Saxelby chating with guests about cheese. You go girl!
Burma VJ part two
My friend Debbie and I saw this last week at Film Forum, I posted the trailer here a while back and made mention of it in passing in my no bake strawberry rhubarb post, but felt the need to mention it one more time before Friday when it closes.
Even if you aren't so interested in the politics of Burma and it's history, it's just so fascinating to watch a movie made up of footage taken on cheap video cams stuck in someones arm pit so that the authorities won't see them doing it.
It's a tremendous testament to the resourcefulness of the Burmese people that after all these years of living in one of the most evil and repressive regimes on the planet, a people who have uniformly rejected the idea of an armed resistance, that they choose to fight this battle with the truth, as videoed by a band of brave freedom fighters.
Take lots of recycled tissues and a friend, don't miss this important and gripping documentary.
Even if you aren't so interested in the politics of Burma and it's history, it's just so fascinating to watch a movie made up of footage taken on cheap video cams stuck in someones arm pit so that the authorities won't see them doing it.
It's a tremendous testament to the resourcefulness of the Burmese people that after all these years of living in one of the most evil and repressive regimes on the planet, a people who have uniformly rejected the idea of an armed resistance, that they choose to fight this battle with the truth, as videoed by a band of brave freedom fighters.
Take lots of recycled tissues and a friend, don't miss this important and gripping documentary.
Douchebag Pie: Cannes Lions Competition 2009
I love the idea of an African tribesman going around and chiding people about their wasteful water usage.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Baked Ricotta
Yesterday I was talking to Anne at Saxelby Cheese while picking up some sheep milk ricotta. Sometimes I don't have the money to spend on a big cheese course for a dinner party, tonight we have 4 people coming over and I thought instead I'd make a baked ricotta.
This is my adaptation of a recipe I got from The River Cafe cookbook. They call for bufala milk ricotta which until recently has been very hard to get here, the only place I could ever find it was at Boun Italia and then it's in a plastic container flown in from Italy. Luckily now there are the wonderful Bufala di Vermont people at the market, unluckily I missed them this week, which is to say I didn't see them when I did my market shop so I went to Anne and got sheep milk ricotta, which is $15.99 a pound, I got a little less then a pound and spent $13.91, a cheese course would have cost me at least $30.
It's important to note here not all ricotta works for this recipe, the really processed store bought ones are too creamy, creamy is great for a lasagna filling, for this you want a drier ricotta that holds it's shape, creamy just flattens into a puddle in this instance or sheep milk or bufala are the way to go.
Once home I started some bread so we can have it with home made fresh baked bread (or you can make crackers they work just as well and are super easy) and because it's in the fridge I can pull out the smoked blue fish pate, rhubarb pickles, and pickled ramps and hell that's almost a meal!
Preheat the oven at 425 degrees.
In a nice baking dish, I use a Spanish Clay Dish, generously oil the bottom of the dish with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Mound the ricotta in the center. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of dried oregano (wild if you can find it) and 2 crushed dried arbol red peppers all over the outside of the ricotta ball, grind generously with black pepper, sprinkle with salt and drizzle generously with olive oil.
Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano and 2 finely minced fresh hot peppers (Jalapeno would be a good place to start, seeded) place in a small bowl of approximately 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
Take the dish out of the oven drizzle with the fresh herb and pepper mixture (I leave some for people to add their own, some people are pepper hot phobic). Place promptly on a table with bread, crackers, etc and enjoy!
Remove from oven and sprinkle with , roughly torn or chopped and optionally,
This is my adaptation of a recipe I got from The River Cafe cookbook. They call for bufala milk ricotta which until recently has been very hard to get here, the only place I could ever find it was at Boun Italia and then it's in a plastic container flown in from Italy. Luckily now there are the wonderful Bufala di Vermont people at the market, unluckily I missed them this week, which is to say I didn't see them when I did my market shop so I went to Anne and got sheep milk ricotta, which is $15.99 a pound, I got a little less then a pound and spent $13.91, a cheese course would have cost me at least $30.
It's important to note here not all ricotta works for this recipe, the really processed store bought ones are too creamy, creamy is great for a lasagna filling, for this you want a drier ricotta that holds it's shape, creamy just flattens into a puddle in this instance or sheep milk or bufala are the way to go.
Once home I started some bread so we can have it with home made fresh baked bread (or you can make crackers they work just as well and are super easy) and because it's in the fridge I can pull out the smoked blue fish pate, rhubarb pickles, and pickled ramps and hell that's almost a meal!
Baked Ricotta
Preheat the oven at 425 degrees.
In a nice baking dish, I use a Spanish Clay Dish, generously oil the bottom of the dish with about 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Mound the ricotta in the center. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of dried oregano (wild if you can find it) and 2 crushed dried arbol red peppers all over the outside of the ricotta ball, grind generously with black pepper, sprinkle with salt and drizzle generously with olive oil.
Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop 2 tablespoons of fresh oregano and 2 finely minced fresh hot peppers (Jalapeno would be a good place to start, seeded) place in a small bowl of approximately 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
Take the dish out of the oven drizzle with the fresh herb and pepper mixture (I leave some for people to add their own, some people are pepper hot phobic). Place promptly on a table with bread, crackers, etc and enjoy!
Remove from oven and sprinkle with , roughly torn or chopped and optionally,
Friday, June 5, 2009
Every Step Counts To Save the Amazon
Jeez between the cocaine and the cattle farms it's amazing there is any Amazon left!
Michelangelo's David Returns to Italy after 2 Years in America
Silly joke my friend Nila sent me, made me smile, so I'm sharing.
Sponsored by:
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Maple Cake
Recently I rediscovered this burnt sugar/caramel cake recipe that I used to make twenty years ago. It's very festive and filled with tons of sugar. People love it. For some reason I was thinking how it might taste if I changed the burnt sugar with maple syrup. After doing some research I discovered everyone seems to think that maple needs to be paired with walnuts. I just wanted to make a simple larder cake, you know something you could whip up with ingredients that are usually in the fridge? Understanding that Maple Syrup is always in my fridge because of where I live, I guess if you live in LA that may not be the case.After a few attempts I came up with this simple maple infused cake and many serving options.
Maple Cake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut out a piece of parchment that will fit in the bottom of a buttered 9" round cake tin, place parchment in, butter parchment and dust the inside of the pan with flour.
In a bowl mix 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In another bow combine 6 tablespoons of grade B maple syrup with 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Using an electric mixture cream together 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup organic cane sugar until well incorporated.
Add 2 room temperature large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrapping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed (it's always a good idea to crack the eggs into a bowl first so you don't end up getting egg shells in your batter).
Starting with the dry ingredients, alternately add to the butter mixture, on low speed, with the wet ingredients. Starting and ending with the dry, beating until the batter well combined and light and fluffy.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and invert onto desired serving plate.
How you choice to proceed from here depends on your preference.
You could make a glaze with 3 ounces of room temperature cream cheese, beaten with an electric mixture adding maple syrup until it reaches the desired thickness and drizzle it over the cake.
You could make unsweetened whipped cream and serve the cake with a bowl of whipped cream and a creamer filled with maple syrup. Try adding a few tablespoons of crème fraîche or sour cream to the whipped cream - I love the sweet sour contrast.
Or be more prosaic and just serve maple syrup sweetened whipped cream.
Or make a maple butter cream or cream cheese icing. If you do this I suggest cooling the cake in the fridge over night and then cutting it in half with a sharp serrated knife, then filling the middle of the cake with icing along with the top and sides.
This is a nice alternative to a birthday or other celebratory cake.
Cut out a piece of parchment that will fit in the bottom of a buttered 9" round cake tin, place parchment in, butter parchment and dust the inside of the pan with flour.
In a bowl mix 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
In another bow combine 6 tablespoons of grade B maple syrup with 1/4 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
Using an electric mixture cream together 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter and 1/2 cup organic cane sugar until well incorporated.
Add 2 room temperature large eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrapping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if needed (it's always a good idea to crack the eggs into a bowl first so you don't end up getting egg shells in your batter).
Starting with the dry ingredients, alternately add to the butter mixture, on low speed, with the wet ingredients. Starting and ending with the dry, beating until the batter well combined and light and fluffy.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and invert onto desired serving plate.
How you choice to proceed from here depends on your preference.
You could make a glaze with 3 ounces of room temperature cream cheese, beaten with an electric mixture adding maple syrup until it reaches the desired thickness and drizzle it over the cake.
You could make unsweetened whipped cream and serve the cake with a bowl of whipped cream and a creamer filled with maple syrup. Try adding a few tablespoons of crème fraîche or sour cream to the whipped cream - I love the sweet sour contrast.
Or be more prosaic and just serve maple syrup sweetened whipped cream.
Or make a maple butter cream or cream cheese icing. If you do this I suggest cooling the cake in the fridge over night and then cutting it in half with a sharp serrated knife, then filling the middle of the cake with icing along with the top and sides.
This is a nice alternative to a birthday or other celebratory cake.
Maple Cream Cheese Icing
Using an electric mixer beat 3 ounces room temperature cream cheese with 2 tablespoons of room temperature butter. Add 4 tablespoons maple syrup and mix until fully incorporated. On low speed add 3 cups organic icing sugar and an optional teaspoon or so of bourbon (or 1 teaspoon of vanilla) if it's too thick you can thin it with a little cream.
Totally decadent.
Report back and let me know what you come up with.
Totally decadent.
Report back and let me know what you come up with.
Oh and this cake a few days old would make a great base for a decadent trifle, maple infused pastry creme, toasted walnuts, dulce de luche, whipped cream, brandied raisins.
And it is also great served covered in stewed strawberrys and rhubarb.
And it is also great served covered in stewed strawberrys and rhubarb.
Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
I just made this for a dinner party and it went over well so I wanted to share.
Clean, stem and half a quart of strawberries, place in a bowl with a few tablespoons of maple syrup and let macerate for an few hours, covered in the fridge.
It's best if you use a local home made or organic cream cheese as they have less stabalizers in them and will break down easier.
Place 5 ounces of room temperature cream cream (it's really important it's room temp otherwise it remains annoyingly lumpy) in a bowl and using a beater or KitchenAid with the whisk attachment beat the cream cheese gradually adding 5 tablespoons of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. The mixture shuold be smooth and very spreadable.
Top the cake with the glaze.
Spoon the maple syrup soaked strawberries ove reach slice.
Yummy!
Clean, stem and half a quart of strawberries, place in a bowl with a few tablespoons of maple syrup and let macerate for an few hours, covered in the fridge.
It's best if you use a local home made or organic cream cheese as they have less stabalizers in them and will break down easier.
Place 5 ounces of room temperature cream cream (it's really important it's room temp otherwise it remains annoyingly lumpy) in a bowl and using a beater or KitchenAid with the whisk attachment beat the cream cheese gradually adding 5 tablespoons of maple syrup and a pinch of salt. The mixture shuold be smooth and very spreadable.
Top the cake with the glaze.
Spoon the maple syrup soaked strawberries ove reach slice.
Yummy!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Toronto Food Policy Council
So as a proud Canadian who lived in Toronto for 8 years I was really happy to stumble across this link .
The Toronto Food Council was founded in 1991! How progressive, they do lots of wonderful things and I love that as a disclaimer they say all their publications are a work in progress to "encourage future policy discussion". Very cool.
My favorite is under the heading Food and Hunger action:
Developed a feasibility study of not-for-profit healthy food delivery system for Toronto's low-income citizens. Operational control of the "Field To Table" program was assumed by FoodShare in 1992. It provides affordable, nourishing, regionally-sourced food to 15,000 people each month.
I find this particularly satisfying as so many critics on the right and in the media keep wanting to portray people like Alice Waters as elitist. Yet here we have a concrete example of what good food policy and ideas, ideas Ms. Waters has been espousing for many years, can do to bring healthy, locally grown food to the tables of poor people. I wonder if Anthony Bourdain would find this to be too Khmer Rouge-ish for him?
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