Serge the Concierge

Eat Your Broccoli, Message from Paris Cookbook Fair 2012 Poster?

Was poster for 2012 Edition of Paris Cookbook Fair (March 7-11) inspired by May 2010 event when Champs Elysees Became a Garden for 2 days...

...Or are they just telling us to Eat our Broccoli?

Welcome to the garden of earthy delights

Public Displays of Art, Outdoor Project 2012, 18 Artists, Lisbon, Opens February 28ry

Imagine if Time Square billboards in New York were switched from marketing messages to creative displays.

In Lisbon, art takes over spaces usually reserved to advertising with Outdoor 2012 a project of P28. 

Luisa Santos, the guest curator of the project, describes the endeavour in C-Heads magazine as "contemporary art as a Trojan horse in a mass society."

Artists: Adriana Varejão [BR], Bedwyr Williams [UK], Chitra Ganesh [US], Erwin Wurm [AU], Gabriela Albergaria [PT], Jesper Just [DK], Jorge Molder [PT], Leonid Tishkov [RU], Luisa Cunha [PT], Marcel van Eeden [NL], Mário Feliciano [PT], Miguel Palma [PT], Paulo Mendes [PT], Pedro Cabral Santo [PT], Pedro Cabrita Reis [PT], R2 Design [PT], Susana Anágua [PT], Susanne Themlitz [PT]

Grand opening is on February 28, 2012 at 6:00 PM.

Hot Oysters On The Radio, Musically Yours Recipe from Art of Living According to Joe Beef

Frederic Morin and David McMillan, co-owners and chefs of Joe Beef, a Montreal restaurant with a creative spririt and a sense of fun, could not box themselves into the 'recipes' only convention for their first book, The Art of Living According to Joe Beef (Ten Speed Press, Fall 2011) written in collaboration with Meredith Erickson.

They share their take on catering, square plates, horseradish and fancy knives in A Few Theories.

Number 5 covers Hangovers: "Whenever someone in our business comes to work saying he or she is in "top shape", he or she is extremely hung over..."

On Fancy knives in Number 6 they recommend Dexter-Russell (carbon-steel blades, beech handles) as one of their favorites and describe them as "cheap, dependable and still made in America."

Chapter 7 'A Word on Booze' offers David McMillan completely subjective opinion on wine and cocktails and claims "I love red Burgundy wine so much I want to pour it into my eyes."

The book closes with 'Montreal in two days' followed by the Joe Beef Address Book.

As for the recipes, who but Joe Beef would have thought of serving food on a radio. Their way of poking fun at food fads.

Hot Oysters on the Radio

Serves 4

12 big, meaty oysters
Coarse salt for partially filling pan
4 slices bacon, finely diced
¼ cup (120 g) peeled and finely diced small potatoes
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 egg yolks
1⁄3 cup (80 ml) whipping cream (35 percent butterfat)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
¼ cup (30 g) finely grated aged Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
¼ cup (30 g) dried bread crumbs
¼ cup (55 g) unsalted butter, cut into 12 equal pieces

 

 

1. Shuck the oysters, pouring the liquor into a cup and keeping the oysters on their bottom shells. Set the oysters and liquor aside. A good trick for cooking the oysters is to fill a big cast-iron frying pan about half full with coarse salt,put it in the oven, and preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C), then heat the pan for an extra 15 minutes. This will help to accelerate the cooking process.

2. Place the potatoes and salted water to cover in a small pot over medium-high heat. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened. Drain the potatoes, let cool, and pat dry. Meanwhile, in another frying pan, crisp the bacon over medium-high heat until light brown. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat.

3. In a bowl, rapidly whisk together the egg yolks, the cream, and whatever oyster liquor you were able to gather. Add the chives, Cheddar, a pinch each of salt and pepper, and the bacon-potato mixture and whisk to mix. Divide evenly among the oysters, spooning it on top. Dust the tops with the bread crumbs, then finish with a piece of butter.

4. Pull the cast-iron pan out of the oven and carefully nest the oysters in the hot salt. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 4 to 7 minutes, or until the tops start to turn golden. Serve immediately.

(“Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Fredéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.” Photo credit: Jennifer May © 2011)

In the Mood for Love, Toast Valentine's Day with Sweet and Sour Shochu Based Koishisou

In the mood for love, toast Valentine's day with Koishisou, a sweet and sour Shochu based liqueur.

I had my first taste of it while doing the rounds of Shochu producers at Experience Shochu in New York, last night.

This Shochu liqueur by Sengetsu Shozu of Hitoyoshi-City starts with an authentic Shochu base. It gets its red color from natural pigment extract from Japanese red basil (Shiso).

Koishisou means 'I'm in the mood for love' and producer suggests that its delicate red color reminds you of a girl slightly flushed in a sign of love.

No artificial colors, aromas or preservative agents are used.

Toast to Geography, On 46 Parallel with Il Colle Cuvee 46 Parallel Prosecco Brut

Geography obviously has its place in wine history and also each wine region distinct flavors.

At Italian Wine Masters 2012 tasting in New York (February 7), Il Colle, a producer from San Pietro di Feletto (Treviso), stated their geographic location with their Cuvee 46 Parallel Prosecco Superiore Docg Spumante Brut (Vintage 2010).

"The parallel circle 46° winds all around the Earth until it cross over the sunny hills of Conegliano - Valdobbiadene and it pauses among the vineyards captured by colours and perfumes unknown."

 

 

Their representative, Elisa Lucchese (pictured above), suggests it as the perfect aperitif, scents of pears and apples.

Each bottle is numbered. 10,000 were made.

Kibo celebrates Food and Spirit of People of Tohoku One Year After the Earthquake

After first shock and aftershocks of the earthquake that hit the Tohoku region in March 2011 subsided, Elizabeth Andoh decided to pay tribute to food, traditions and spirit of the people of Tohoku.

The result of her work is and e-book titled Kibo 'Brimming with Hope' to be published by Ten Speed Press on February 28, 2012.

In an interview on NPR's All Things Considered (February 9, 2012) she also said that she wanted to document recipes of the region as in moments of chaos, some ancient recipes and tradition tend to fall into oblivion.

The Tohoku region is known as an important Sake and Miso producer.

With that in mind, alongside recipes, Elizabeth Andoh included Sake pairing suggestions.

A share of the profits from Kibo will go to a fund helping people from Tohoku recover.

In case you missed it, you may want to read the Kansha Kitchen Conversation i had with Elizabeth Andoh in October 2010.

Food and the human spirit headline Tokyo Thursdays # 222

Previously: Umeshu and Shoshu Liqueur Filled Chocolates for a Japanese Valentine's Day

Brunello, Chianti Classico, Nobile and Prosecco Superiore 2012 U.S Tour Opens February 7 in NY

I will not be in Italy for Preview of Vino Nobile beginning on February, 18 at the Fortress of Montepulciano. 

I will make up for it in a small way by attending the Italian Wine Masters tasting in New York on February 7 which opens their 2012 U.S Tour.

20 wineries who belong to Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano will be amongst the 100 or so producers at the event.

The other 3 members of this quartet of top Italian wine producing regions present are Brunello, Chianti Classico and Prosecco Superiore (for the bubbly).

One of the producers I will meet is Terre di Melazzano which besides making Chianti Classico wines invites visitors to stay for Farmhouse Vacation.

If you are interested in wine technical poetry check Winemaking Glossary shared by Consorzio.

The music of words like 'Acescenza' which stands for Volatility (When a wine assumes an altered, vinegary, acidic odour and flavour to excessive acetic acid) don't make you think of anything offensive.

(* Photo above from Terre di Melazzano website)

Mezzelune Dolci, Candied Fruit Filled Half Moon Pasta, Recipe from Pasta Italiana

In his introduction to Pasta Italiana (Kyle Books USA, January 2012), Gino D' Acampo writes that he cannot remember, growing up in Italy, having a meal where pasta didn't feature.

Some savory, some sweet as my first recipe pick from his book.

Mezzelune dolci, Half-moon-shape sweet pasta filled with candied fruit

This is a classic Neapolitan dessert that is usually eaten around Easter time. I remember like it was yesterday my grandmother filling the pasta with candied fruits and ricotta cheese and me trying to help her as much as I could, because I knew I’d get an extra serving at the end. You can use good-quality chocolate chips instead of candied fruit.

Serves 6 to 8

For the sweet pasta

3 whole eggs and 2 extra yolks, plus 2 eggs, beaten, for brushing
21/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
4 tablespoons butter, softened
4 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
1 quart vegetable oil, for deep-frying
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

For the filling

3 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 cup ricotta cheese
finely chopped zest of 1 orange
10 almonds, finely chopped
11/2 ounces candied fruit, finely chopped

1 Beat two of the whole eggs in a bowl and set aside.

2 To make the sweet pasta dough, in a food processor, place the remaining one egg and two egg yolks, add the flour, butter, and Amaretto, and process until mixed. Turn out the mixture onto a well-floured counter and knead for 2 minutes until you have a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3 To prepare the filling, in a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients together with a fork. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

4 Flatten the prepared pasta dough with your fingers so that it can fit through the rollers of the pasta machine. Flour the pasta lightly on both sides and start to roll it from the widest setting to the thinnest. Make sure you keep the pasta dusted with flour at all times. Lay the pasta sheets on a well-floured counter. Cut into circles using an 3 1/4-inch cutter—you should get 28 to 30 circles.

5 Place about a teaspoonful of the filling in the center of each circle, sharing it out equally. Brush the edges of the circles with beaten egg and fold over to make half-moon shapes. Press down to seal with your fingertips. Using a fork, press the edges again to secure the filling.

6 In a large saucepan, heat the oil until hot and smoking. Carefully drop in the sweet-filled pasta and deep-fry for about 15 seconds until golden all over. (Be very careful and work in batches—no more than five at a time.)

7 Once cooked, remove the mezzelune using a slotted spoon and place on some paper towels to soak up any excess oil.

8 To serve, place all the mezzelune on a large serving dish and dust with plenty of confectioners’ sugar. Serve warm with a little glass of Amaretto or Vin Santo.

Rather than use exclusively images of food, Pasta Italiana serves Italian flavors with photos of places and people. The girl on bicycle reminded me of a lunch I had years ago at the terrace of an Italian restaurant not far from French border. A church was nearby and a girl on a bicycle passed by and then came back. Each time she signed herself while going past church.

(* Recipe from Pasta Italiana by Gino D'Acampo, published by Kyle Books in January 2012, photography by Kate Whitaker, all rights reserved)

Creative Chefs Pick Color, Texture, Size, Flavor of their Veggies thanks to Ugglarps Gront Farm

Fortunately (unfortunately), since last September, I have more stories on the cutting board than time to write them, a number of them related to my visit to Copenhagen for Nordic Feed Food Conference.

One of the presentations we had at Carlsberg brewery for Saturday program was by Mikael Jidenholm who runs a farm in Sweden thanks to whom chefs around Europe and beyond can pick color, texture, size, flavor of their vegetables like a painter chooses colors on his palette.

Mikael Jidenholm talked to us both about local Swedish vegetables and herbs and also his own creations. Mikael  is the owner of Ugglarps Grönt farm in Halland (southern Sweden).

If my memory and my notes do not fail me, they offer no less than 29 different types of carrots (including one below).

They keep an updated online catalogue (with images) of what the farm has to offer at a certain point in time.

A small part of what they sell is foraged.

Of course not everyone of us can afford to order from Ugglarps Gront farm.

Should you put a price tag on creativity?

(* Ugglarps Gront website is in Swedish)

Umeshu and Shoshu Liqueur Filled Chocolates for a Japanese Valentine's Day

Showing your love with sweets is common practice on Valentine's day.

After mentioning that February 2012 is Shochu Month is New York, I discovered thanks to Robbie Swinnerton of Tokyo Food File that Shochu and Umeshu Liqueur Filled Chocolates are one of the options Japan offers.

I would be curious to know what other liqueur filled chocolate bonbons are popular around the world for Valentine's Day.

Liqueur heart, Valentine's Day in Japan for Tokyo Thursdays # 221

Previously:  February is Shochu Month in New York, Low Calorie, Healthy Spirit in Japan, Really?

(* Photo courtesy of Tokyo Food File, all rights reserved)