Posts filed under 'Flavorista Icon'
My friend Jane died suddenly last week. A breast cancer survivor, or rather a "teacher warrior" as she referred to herself while battling breast cancer, she actually died of leukemia.
We met at college and were linked together by a strong cast of women who are still very much a part of my life: Greta, Laurel, Phoebe, and Kerry. We weave in and out each others lives, and now with one less we are all very sad.
She had a wonderful spirit and zest for life. As a kindergarten teacher in San Francisco, where she chose to live out her years after college, she spent her free time exploring the outdoor world. After her breast cancer treatment, she climbed Half Dome in Yosemite and even traveled to Patagonia. Last summer, she was going to come to Colorado for a white water raftng trip.
Jane introduced me to Amish Friendship Bread, how to make play dough and countless crafts. She was a very good baker. Jane had the patience for baking and paid attention to the details, qualities a good baker posseses. I posted the Amish Freindship bread back in November as a holiday gift idea. I am going to be starting a new batch of starter to bring to her memorial in San Francisco.
I asked some of our friends to share some food memories of Jane. Greta remembers driving through the south with Jane trying to find good food on a trip across country. In Louisiana, she was determined to have the best bar-b-que. She begged her friends to leave her at a "dive" since everyone else thought she was crazy to want to eat there. When they returned Jane was not only satisfied with her find, but she had befriended everyone in the place, young and old alike.
Pam shares this recipe:
"Jane made this for me when I visited her in San Fran in the early 1990’s. It has become one of my favorite meals, and I made it for my family on Friday night in honor of Jane, when I knew Greta and Kerry were at Jane’s funeral. For a few years I called her every time I made it, but then sadly I got out of that habit, and now wish that I had kept it up. "
Jane Bresnick’s Fettuccine and Chard
(AKA…Pasta and Greens, adatped from Field of Greens by Annie Somerville)
FIRST - Prep:
1/3 C brown butter (unsalted - cooked in iron skillet 8-10 mins till amber, strain in coffee filter. (I have started using ½ this amount and it’s still great!)
½ C. walnuts toasted in dry iron skillet
1/4 C. currants, plumped in boiling H2O with sultanas below
1/4 C. sultanas (golden raisins)
Parmesan cheese freshly grated
½ lb fresh fettuccine
To START - sauté in olive for 5 mins – til’ soft:
½ medium red onion thinly sliced (~ 1 cup)
salt and pepper
ADD to above and sauté til’ tender on low heat
2 chopped garlic cloves
1 bunch swiss chard, 8 cups packed leaves chopped
THEN:
add the brown butter, sultanas and currants
TOSS:
over pasta and stir it all together
sprinkle with toasted walnuts and Parmesan on top.
April 7th, 2009
The International Association of Culinary Professionals has a conference every year and lucky me this year it’s in Denver! This conference is where cookbook authors, chefs, cooking school professionals, food magazine professionals, and other foodies converge to discuss topics concerning the state of our industry. Here’s a list of who I am hoping to hob nob with over 3 days of foodie fun:
Anne Mendelson author of Milk Through the Ages 
Molly O’Neill - American Culinary Traditions - and has been nominated for an award in journalism.
Kathleen Flinn - The Sharper your Knife the Less you Cry - I just finished this wonderful book that Kimberly highly recommended.
Betty Fussell - author of newly published Raising Steaks among other amazing books over the years.
Jennifer McLagan - Author of Fat - I have to know what inspired such a superb topic.
Joanne Chen - Author of The Taste of Sweet - soon to be reviewed by me but I’ll tell you now it’s fascinating!
Martha Holmberg - author of Puff - a fabulous book of recipes using puff pastry from the food editor of the Oregonian and past editor of Taunton’s Fine Cooking.
Stay tuned for great posts from the event!
April 1st, 2009
Recently I noticed that we haven’t featured many men as flavorista icons. Certainly, we are not sexist. I stumbledupon Jamie’s website and the light bulb went off. With over 12 cookbooks to his name, a magazine in two countries and several TV shows, his career speaks for itself. I give him incredible credit for the work he has done to build awareness about how food gets onto one’s plate.
Jamie Oliver is the British equivalent of Chef Ann Cooper, trying to improve the school lunch program in Britain. Not without controversy, Oliver is one to incite strong reactions. Vegetarians were outraged when he slaughtered a live lamb on one of his shows and not all parents are thrilled with the fact that their children are given fresh fruits and vegetables at their schools. He has even managed to criticize some of his sponors. He certainly stays strong to his principles and there is nothing wrong with that.
PS from Kimberly: OK, I am going to be a little sexist. He is certainly not hard on the eyes and the accent; it makes him even cuter. Jamie Oliver often appears on Martha Stewart and every time he does I think to myself, I want to try that recipe. While I do not own any of his books, I have borrowed more than a few from the library and all I have to say is that his food is solid.
March 30th, 2009
Donna Hay is one of my flavorista icons simply because her magazine and her cookbooks make you want to cook - immediately! From Austrailia, she has been instrumental in leading the culinary trail there. She started her career in publishing at Marie Claire magazine. Now with 17 books under her belt (3.3 million books sold worldwide) and her magazine (look for it at Barnes and Noble or Borders), she has made a profound impact on many flavoristas.
Her "Patty Cakes" were lovely. Makes you wonder if these are what were in the childhood rhyme "Patty Cake, Patty Cake, Bakers’ Man," as indeed they were fast to make. Warm from the oven they are simply delicious. You could serve them with whipped cream, lemon curd or chocolate ganache.
Patty Cakes (aka cupcakes), adapted from The New Cook
Makes 1 dozen
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
5 ounces butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup super fine sugar
3 eggs lightly beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Place the eggs in a bowl and beat lightly. Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the melted butter, buttermilk and vanilla. Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until well blended. Let mix for a few minutes. Place cupcake liners into a muffin tin. Fill 3/4 the way full and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
March 11th, 2009
Admittedly, I have too many cookbooks, but in my defense I do use them all. My cookbooks allow me to journey the world through food. Paula Wolfert is one of my most revered cookbook authors. She is an amazing researcher and loves the food that I also enjoy cooking. Mediterranean Grains & Greens has a plethora of healthy, delicious recipes.
This recipe is adapted from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen. I know I am probably offending Italian cooks all the world over by using milk and broth in my polenta, but I find it so bland that I much prefer it this way. This is a great accompaniment to Reconstructed Ratatouille. Remember, cornmeal is the grain, polenta the dish. This recipe is easily doubled.
For Soft Polenta to serve 6
2 ½ cups milk
2 ½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup coarse grind cornmeal (labeled for Polenta)
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease a 12 inch cazuela or oven-proof casserole dish with butter.
2. Add all ingredients to the casserole and stir with a fork to blend. Bake uncovered for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and stir and season to taste with more salt and pepper. For a firmer polenta, cook an additional 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
March 2nd, 2009
Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a special event at The Kitchen restaurant in Boulder (a place deserving of its own blog post, but I’ll save that for another day) to try some amazing food from Rajastan, India. Peggy Markel has been leading culinary tours with Asia Transpacific Journeys since 1991 to Italy, Elba, Silcily, Morrocco and Thailand. This Fall, she adds Rajastan. Her reconnaissance trip to India is featured in the February issue of Food & Wine magazine. The recipes for the meal we had last night are featured in the article as well.
The food was fantastic and of particular interest were the cilantro-corn fritters (even made with out of season corn these had an amazing fresh corn taste), spinach simmered in yogurt, 3 lentil dahl, and spiced millet stew with onions (which was close to my favorite dish, as it had a polenta-like consistency, but oh so much more interesting). The meal was closed with an amazing yogurt panna cotta, perfectly scented with honey, created by the chefs of The Kitchen for this special event. This was one of the more inspired Indian meals I’ve had in a long time.
My dream is to one day take a trip with Peggy. She is passionate about travel and educating foodies as to the wonders of culinary traditions. She brings you into the kitchens of people wherever you go to learn the soul of the region’s cooking.
It’s lucky for me that she lives in Boulder and I have the opportunity to travel vicariously through events like last night. Peggy’s contribution to the world of food through her zest for travel and connecting with people and their culture are numerous and should be a part of any aspiring flavorista’s quest.
February 11th, 2009
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