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Nov 01, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
The MGM Production of Photo Shoots
I’m back from 10 glorious days in Switzerland and eight dramatic days of book photography so there is much to catch up on, but before I forget the details I must tell you about the final round of book photography. First, though, I started a loaf of bread, and now I know that I will be grounded and quickly regain my sense of order and routine. I must add that it was especially pleasing to scoop into the bag of flour that was “my” flour, i.e. “Better for Bread” flour with my picture on the bag. Also, I noticed that Elliott's freezer bread section was nearing empty.
The bread I chose to make is a whole wheat bread previously posted in the 50% version “for whole wheat wimps.” But as Elliott is a whole-wheat super wimp, the one I make for him is only 18.5% whole wheat. It's still very delicious and wheaty. Elliott is not only a “super taster,” he also has a great sensitivity to bitterness which he perceives in the whole wheat flour if it goes over this percentage.
As I was mixing the bread, I realized that one of the best feelings that results from the process is a that of self-sufficiency, and how valuable it is-- always, but especially now in troubled and financially uncertain times.
And now, for a brief description (it didn't turn out to be all that brief) of the incredibly intense eight final days of photography for the upcoming book.
Continue reading "Book Production Phase 12" »
Nov 03, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
But it's his partner Luca who "takes the bread"! Here's proof:
great success for the Basic Sourdough Bread at the Joint Astronomy
Centre in Hilo, HI.
I had Americans wondering why the bread tastes good even without
toppings and telling me that with that bread they could eat it every
day, and Europeans in tears of homesickness... thinking back to the
wonderful breads coming out of the bakeries across the continent.
Really, it was more successful than I could have ever expected. And
topped with fresh pesto, olive oil, and the oven-dried grape tomatoes...
Now everybody wants the recipe, for which I directed them to the
Bread Bible, just warning them that it's 6 pages long, not counting the
time needed to have a sourdough starter and the lack of sleep!
Aloha
Luca
Brravo Luca!!! And start giving everyone your leftover starter so they can make their own.
Nov 08, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Everyone who knows Shirley Corriher and her work adores her. Gracious, kind, endearing, loving, generous, lively, often hilariously funny, and passionately devoted to sharing her culinary scientific discoveries and expertise, first with CookWise (William Morrow) and now with BakeWise (Scribner). Shirley has solved culinary conundrums for people all over the world from Julia Child to Proctor and Gamble.
Shirley’s invaluable uniqueness, beyond what I already mentioned, is that she is a balanced bridge between the theoretical and the empirical, i.e. she knows and loves the theory and she also knows and loves great food and how to make it that way. Which is how we became best friends over 25 years ago!
While the food world at large seemed fairly indifferent to scientific theories, Shirley and I were squealing with delight over discoveries that could make cooking and especially baking better. An example: on a visit to Shirley in Atlanta, after a swim at the nearby Cherokee Country Club, Shirley, in her soft adorably southern-accented voice shared her latest discover: “Rose…!” she began in a hushed voice and with great excitement, as if about to impart the secret to immortality (and in a way it was if you consider one’s work to be the one way to achieve it!) “Ah read in a scientific journal” she went on to confide “just wah bleached flowah makes a betta cake.” (If you don’t already know by now and are interested to find out read our books or do a search on this blog!) And then we laughed uproariously when we considered the probability that we were the only two ladies sitting by the pool having a discussion of this nature as opposed to perhaps the best brand of nail polish.
Continue reading ""BakeWise" Has Landed!" »
Nov 09, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Our blog is 3 years old. The very first posting and announcement was on November 7, 2004. Care to hazard a guess as to how many replies I have made in there years? I started keeping track on December 10 2004: Ta da!!! 1900 on the dot. Of course this does not include posting. Just thought you'd enjoy knowing. I myself had no idea of the total number.
As to how many visitors we are no doubt around the 2 million mark. Isn't that wonderful! Thank you all for your terrific participation.
Love,
Rose
Nov 10, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Kate Coldrick of Devon has continued her invaluable work in heat treating unbleached flour to produce the best possible texture and flavor in cakes. As this will be such a great benefit to people all over the world I am posting in advance the section in my upcoming book devoted the the explanation of this special technique. For more details be sure to visit her blog.
from Roses Heavenly Cakes to be published Fall of 2009:
“Kate Flour”
This is special information created for home bakers who do not have access to bleached flour: Kate Coldrick
www.amerrierworld.wordpress.com, who lives in the United Kingdom, has done research and discovered that some flour companies in the UK produce a heat-treated flour available only to the food service industry. Determined to have access to this flour for the home baker, after extensive experiments she has come up with a technique using a microwave for treating commonly available flour so that it performs as successfully in cakes as bleached flour. Home bakers around the world are now able to make cakes from this and other American cookbooks without needed American bleached flour. We are all indebted to Kate for her persistence.
On the left is the cake made with "kate flour" and on the right the same cake made with cake flour from the US. Kate says in a blind test she could not tell the difference. This is a major accomplishment! (Incidentally Kate says the black nail polish is a remnant of Halloween--she has three young children!)
Following is an explanation of the process.
Continue reading "An Early Holiday Present" »
Nov 11, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
Those of you who are New Yorkers will have driven or walked by this sign many times that graces Katz's delicatessen and will know that it actually reads: "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army"! This sign has been in place since the 1940's!
Katz's is the place where that famous scene "I'll have whatever she's having" was filmed in "When Harry Met Sally," and it's home to my favorite pastrami, juicy if you please, which is a more tactful way of saying fatty.
My 94 1/2 year old father, who lives upstate, has been complaining ever more bitterly about missing the food he remembers. I send him cake occasionally, and home-made orange marmalade which he adores, but finally Katz's message sank in. I realized that a hard salami would last for months and be just the treat he has been longing for.
The salami, appropriately enough, arrived on his porch today, VA day. (Yes, my dad was a paratropper in WWII.) I wonder if Katz's will now change their sign?!
Nov 12, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
June is one of my oldest friends. I've written about her before and mentioned that she was arguably the most recognizable voice on WQXR before her early retirement when she moved to Sarasota.
This incredibly resaerched piece, however, is written by June on ethnic food for Sarasota Arts and Culture Magazine
INTRODUCTION
America is known as The Great Melting Pot. But that anthropological term has, in recent years, taken on a new meaning and now America is The Great CULINARY Melting Pot.
Walk down any street from New York City to San Francisco and you’ll find all sorts of hyphenated restaurants: Portuguese-Greek, Japanese-Korean, Asian-American, Cuban-Chinese, and that all ‘round favorite that melts in every pot, Fusion. And, Sarasota has certainly picked up the trend.
There’s another term for you: Trend.
Whatever happened to good old fashioned Tradition? Poor Tevya from Fiddler on the Roof would have a hard time finding a traditional Kosher restaurant outside of Brooklyn or Russia. I remember a simply beautiful, romantic restaurant on Manhattan’s upper west side that had pink walls, ivy and flowers, candles (tapers, not votives) and menus that bragged about 100% Kosher food that sounded like something from Le Cirque.
Of course, almost anything short of spare ribs and lobster could be prepared to meet the Kosher standards but, come on, admit it, it is unusual to find beautifully presented four and five course meals that stand up to both man’s and God’s gourmet ideals.
With myriad cultures that have settled on our shores and made inroads into our bread basket, it is a wonder this culinary melting pot had not happened a hundred years earlier. But it certainly happened now. And, we are the gratified recipients of this mélange of tastes and culinary creations. For many of us, this food continually connects our cultures to our heritage.
The question is, how did all these new recipes begin?
In the following pages, we’ll look at the way Tradition has created Traditions; how the old has melted into the new, transforming sacred recipes - - yes, even French recipes - - into delectable dishes even our some what appalled mother would applaud.
Continue reading "June LeBell's Wonderful Food Story" »
Nov 15, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
I was a poor eater as a child. The very word squash was so unappealing to me I would never have considered even trying it. But in my 20’s my great uncle Nat sent my mother a huge Hubbard squash from his farm in the Berkshires and she turned into a soup. My father was coming downtown to bring me something and she asked if I would like some of the soup. “No thanks” was my response and luckily she ignored it. When I hesitatingly tasted the soup I was astonished by the deep earthy sweetness and velvety texture of the soup.
A few weeks ago, when I told my neighbor Jason Menegus that Hubbard was my favorite squash, he promised to save me one from the Fall harvest. And when I went to pick it up I could hardly do so. My husband, who has been transporting it around from farm to car to kitchen assured me it was under 50 pounds but all I can say is that every time I lifted the pot of soup I made from it in and out of the oven to stir I groaned. It was worth it. I now have something like 24 dinner servings of it in my two freezers. And it is even more delicious than I remembered.
Continue reading "Rose's Soup Kitchen" »
Nov 18, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
We were riding back from Hope this weekend and I was catching up with my professional publications reading as usual when my eyes opened wider as, to my surprise and delight, I spied a beautiful ad for my pie plate! It appeared in the next publication I read as well.
I asked my friend Robert Laub, the owner of Harold Imports, if he could send me a copy of the ad to share with you. And I'm adding the link right away should you decide you really need it in time for your Thanksgiving pies!
Rose's Perfect Pie Plate with Recipe Booklet
on Amazon.
P.S. You'll be glad to know that this is not a deep dish pie plate--it's the standard 4 cup capacity required for most pies. It is, however, a good idea to make extra pie dough to take full advantage of the deeply scalloped edges. And, of course, it makes a lovely serving piece to bring to the table for vegetables or other savory dishes.
Nov 20, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Web Appearances
Dan Lepard, of the Guardian in London, has put together an impressive offering of baking tips from some of my favorite bakers around the world and others whom I'd love to get to know as well! The link to his site is at the very end of this posting.
Here's what he wrote to me:
"I thought I'd email with some good news, especially with all the bleakness in the world today. I've been thinking, what can I do that's helpful and doesn't cost everyone something? So from Thursday, 20th November, at Guardian Online I've put together an exclusive list of baking tips straight to you from the great bakers of the world:
US
Shirley O. Corriher
Jim Lahey
Rose Levy Beranbaum
Dorie Greenspan
Sarah Phillips
David Lebovitz
Matt Lewis
Jeffrey Hamelman
Peter Reinhart
UK
Yotam Ottolenghi
Gerhard Jenne
John Rolfe
Scotland
Robert Winters
Catherine Brown
Ireland
Rachel Allen
France
Eric Kayser
Pascale Weeks
Clotilde Dusoulier
Fanny Zanotti
Sandra Avital
Australia & New Zealand
Donna Hay
John Downes
Dean Brettschnieder
Canada
Elizabeth Baird
Cliff Leir
Marcy Goldman
Norway
Gunn Borrowman
Sweden
Johan Sörberg
Jan Hedh
Denmark
Camilla Plum
Continue reading "A Fantastic Holiday Gift from the UK" »
Nov 22, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Bread
One of my greatest bread challenges in bread baking was achieving the wonderful open-holed crumb of artisan bread such as it appears on Maggie Glezer’s magnificent bread book “Artisan Baking Across America.”
I tried everything until in desperation I decided to call Maggie herself. It was a ‘cold call’ as we had never met and I felt mighty shy about it, so when Maggie answered and said she’d call me right back I feared she was just being polite and didn’t have time to talk to me. Wrong! As wrong as I could paranoidically have been. The adorable Maggie called back in moments to tell me that she just had to tell her mother that I had called! I couldn’t stop giggling with relief and amusement.
Essentially Maggie explained the importance of hydration (high water content), keeping the dough very sticky, and maintaining the bubbles through gentle handling when shaping. I went on to make many of Maggie’s wonderful recipes from the book and did succeed in achieving those elusive holes.
Recently fellow blogger Beth Glixon reported making and enjoying the Ciabatta from Maggie’s book so I had to try it. When I cut into it I was astonished by the size and shape of the numerous holes which were coated with the slight shine indicative of well-fermented artisan bread. I ran right into the bedroom to show my husband. His hopeful response: “Oh! is that the no knead bread?” But these holes are even more magnificent and the crumb lacks that slight pastiness of the no knead bread.
Continue reading "The Holiest Bread Ever" »
Nov 25, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
This special event, moderated by Clark Wolf, one of the country’s top food and restaurant consultants, on November 20, 2008 at the Fales Library in the NYU Bobst Library, was billed as:
20 Years of Food Arts
(30 Years of Food & Wine)
((33 Years since I have been in the first NYU class to graduate in the Bobst Library)) this my personal addition only for this blog!
The panelists were:
Michael Batterberry, Founder of Food Arts and Food & Wine
Anne Bramson, Publisher of Artisan
Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize winning Food Writer
David Kamp, Editor and Author
and Liz Neumark, Caterer and Farmer
It was a full to capacity crowd of old friends and colleagues who could barely stop joyful greetings to allow the fascinating panelists to start their presentation.
Clark started with the shocking news that Gael Greene had just been fired. There were audible gasps as Gael is considered goddess of food writers and has been writing for New York Magazine as food critique for more years than I can remember. I have long adored her writing and, in fact, was honored by the most beautiful and eloquent quote on the back of The Cake Bible 20 years ago and she had never even met me—only my manuscript! Hearing this terrible news struck fear in all our hearts that an era had come to an end and gave credence to our perception that things may well never be the same.
I am listing a few of the most memorable tidbits from my notes—not from a recording device-- so they are not, for the most part, direct quotes.
Continue reading "How Food and Food Writing Have Changed in America" »
Nov 29, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
Since The Cake Bible was published 20 years ago, there have been so many books using the B word I’m expecting a whole section in the book stores devoted to food bibles.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose….” of course is true up to a point, but I don’t need to tell you what’s in the name “bible” and if you’re going to use it as part of the name of your book it had better be one. The Flavor Bible is.
If you look up the word bible in the Encarta Dictionary, after you get past the first few religious connotation definitions, you’ll find the one that best applies here as well: “essential book: a book that is considered an authority on a particular subject.”
Written by my esteemed friends and colleagues Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, The Flavor Bible not only fits this definition it offers something beyond bible that is rare and precious: true originality. There is not a single recipe in the book—this is not about learning how to roast a chicken---it’s about understanding taste, flavor synergy, ingredients—what they are and how they work with each other. Beautifully organized alphabetically by ingredient and also including ethnic cuisine, each ingredient is coded for weight, volume, technique, and tips (occasionally function as in sesame oil: “heating”).
Studded throughout the book are quotes, concepts, and tips from illustrious chefs, past and present, and other notables such as the response of U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic when asked in an interview “What advice would you give to people who are looking to be happy?” His answer: “For starters, learn how to cook.” And here’s a great tip from one of my favorite chefs, Michèl Richard (who is a perfect example of happiness, married many years with more children than I can remember). He uses miso broth instead of chicken for his onion soup. This is one of Andrew’s favorite tips as well. Karen intrigued me with Dominique and Cindy Duby’s clever idea to alternate slices of apples and eggplant in a tart because the absorbent eggplant soaks up the juices of the apples to keep the tart less soggy -- so much so that the eggplant tastes like apple! Karen said “We haven't tried it yet ourselves, but the logic made immediate sense.” Yes indeed it does and I can hardly wait to see for myself!
This book will soon have you thinking like a food professional. It will change your approach to how you look at food and ingredients. Here’s how it works: A food professional approaching something new first smells, then tastes, and then the sensory brain starts spinning trying to imagine what it would enhance! An example of one of my most startling food synergies: several years ago I had just perfected a passion ice cream and happened to notice that my windowsill rosemary was in bloom with exquisite little lavender flowers. Rosemary leaves are resinous and intensely overpowering for something as subtle though singular as passion fruit but the flowers had a flavor all their own—almost impossible to describe and somehow I immediately thought to garnish the icecream with them. Both visually and gustatorially they provided a whole new and heavenly dimension to the ice cream.
Read this book from cover to cover. It’s an education. Even if you never intend to cook a thing as long as you live it will indeed make you happier. It will make eating more enjoyable and you’ll never again have to feel uncomfortable in a restaurant wondering exactly what you’re ordering.
The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs
on Amazon.
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