Monday, April 13, 2009

A very Top Chef Passover

April 13

Regular readers of this blog will know Top Chef and other shows that have created legions of fans that seem more interested in celebrity than food. My cousins don’t care much what I think of the broader effects of the celebrity phenomenon on food in America, but they sure like Top Chef.
Cousin Nancy Brodovsky (née Lackner) can’t get enough of it, nor can young Yael Kornfeld.
We were all in Denver at the home of Yael’s uncle Richard (my first cousin, and Nancy’s but from opposite sides of the family tree) for Passover.
It’s the custom in many Jewish families to discuss the Haggadah, the book from which we read the Passover story, at length, interrupting whenever a question arises. For the entire Passover seder is intended to be a learning experience.
That’s definitely the custom in my family. In fact, we discuss everything, whether it’s during a seder or not, at length, interrupting whenever a question arises. For life is intended to be a learning experience (and because we all tend to have strong opinions and were never encouraged to keep them to ourselves).
So some of us also debated Top Chef.
I don’t watch the show, but I’m rather familiar with it because I’m in the food world, just like I don’t ski but, being from Colorado, I know how to say things like, “that was some sweet powder.”
I think the fact that I know who many of the chefs are on the show but have no idea what kind of food they cook illustrates my problem with it — that it stresses personality over food.
Ah, cousin Joe Levi said, but when eating in a restaurant the ambience is important, right?
Joe’s an architect, so he thinks about things like that.
And the presentation of the food, and the lighting and the music? Can’t the personality of the chef also be a factor in the enjoyment of the meal?
He has a point.
Yael is the third daughter of Tom Kornfeld and his wife Sarah. He is Richard’s older brother. Their oldest brother is artist Doug Kornfeld, who lives in Cambridge, Mass., and would have been at the seder, but he hurt his back. So Yael’s little brother, 10-year-old David, brought his laptop and set up a video link, allowing Doug and his wife Susan to enjoy the festivities.
Richard, who has hosted a family seder for years now, insisted that this was not intended as a new tradition.

What are you doing with Spanish food?

April 13

In my latest poll, I’d like to help out my boss, Pamela Parseghian, who's working on an article about Spanish cuisine and how it’s being interpreted in professional American kitchens.
So, if you’re a chef who's doing something interesting with Spanish food, e-mail her by Wednesday, April 15.
Whether you’re a chef or not, feel free to respond to this week’s poll about Spanish food.

Below are the results of last week’s poll. You might notice that there are 17 responses from just 16 people. That’s because I let peole vote more than once.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE END OF THE RECESSION WILL BE MARKED BY IN FOODSERVICE?

A totally different foodservice landscape: 3 (18%)

A return to the modest growth patterns of the recent past: 7 (43%)

Consumers trading up: 4 (25%)

A resurgence in menu innovation: 3 (18%)

Total Votes: 16

A new, proper blog entry is on its way soon. My apologies for my reticence of late.

Rhubarb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

One of my loves of home is going to the garden and finding sometime to eat . Yesterday I found Rhubarb and made a simple crumble but unfortunately I tried to cook it in the rayburn. Well it was a good idea but impossible for me to sort the temperature so I burnt it . Was still edible but not great.
Crumble recipe


Roast dinner

My first cooking at home was a roast on Easter Sunday


Parboil the potatoes and put in a hot roasting tin with melted goose fat this is the secret to great crispy roast potatoes .

Goose Fat is high in ‘heart healthy’ monounsaturated (55g compared to 19.8g in butter) and polyunsaturated fats (10.8g compared to 2.6g in butter).
Goose Fat is also rich in Oleic acid C18.1 (a specific type of monounsaturated fatty acid) which can lower blood cholesterol levels. Goose fat contains on average 58% oleic acid, C18.1, and is generally higher in comparison to other animal fats.

Info from here http://www.goosefat.co.uk/gfis_04.html








Fresh herbs from the garden


I cooked the roast beef for 1 hr 30 mins at 180 degrees Celsius . Covered in foil for the first hour and the meat was sitting on garlic and onions .