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Jan 03, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Announcements
I’ve never liked or should I say accepted rules--at least not without questioning or testing them. But for the new year I’d like to offer up two for consideration and that’s the operative word—consideration!
Restaurant Reservations: How would you like it if you made a dinner party and cooked your heart out for your guests and a few didn’t show up without even letting you know before hand. That’s the way it is for restaurants, especially small ones that have even more trouble surviving, especially in this economy. Some restaurateurs are forced to take credit cards along with reservations.
Also, keep in mind that in order to survive financially, small restaurants need to turn the tables, i.e. you really can’t occupy your table for the entire evening unless, perhaps, you are willing to pay for two seatings.
Group E-mails: If you like or need to send the same message to several people, be sure to blind copy. This is not to keep anonymity of e-mail addresses as much as to prevent hackers—vampires of the internet (who adore group e-mails) from sending everyone in your address book endless spam. All you need to do is put the names in your group list in ( ) and they will be safe. Some people think of this as e-mail etiquette. Surprisingly, though, I’ve lost one very old friend and another previously friendly though evidently self-centered colleague after making this request. Each promised never to e-mail me again at all! And I had informed them in good faith assuming they didn’t realize the consequences of what they had done and would be glad to know how it works.
My husband Elliott has a saying that is a near mantra—it goes something like this: Do what you want as long as it doesn’t hurt others. Of course this is subject to interpretation and requires much turning of the tables but could well account for why our marriage has endured for 33 years as of this July 2009.
Happy and Considerate New Year!
Jan 10, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Travel Adventures
When I was about to embark on my first trip to Europe at 16, my mother, who had never traveled abroad, suggested that I visit her first cousin Will Horwitt who was a sculptor and widely traveled. I still remember the embarrassing moment when he asked me what was the focus of my travel. Seeing my panic frozen face he made some suggestions: art? architecture? ruins (definitely not)? he might have mentioned people, but when he got to food I knew that was it and wasn’t about to admit it. It turns out that food is one of the wonderful windows on culture and civilization. My great aunt Polly later taught me the Brillat-Savarin quote “tell me what you eat and I’ll tell you what you are.” But in those days food had less dignity in our country, in fact, I thought I would have to live in Europe to follow my bliss! Inevitably, my interest in food opened my eyes to many other things of culture, and beauty and this posting will start with those, but if it’s food you are after I can assure you that when it comes to me and my first love, it’s always there waiting—this time toward the end of this posting!
Reluctant though I was to leave the beautiful Ticino, where I was able to enjoy using my smattering of Italian, I was richly rewarded by our stay in St. Gallen and Schaffhausen that will be in the following posting. St. Gallen has some of the most amazing architecture and fascinating sacred history in all of Switzerland. A synagogue dating back to 1881 is the oldest in the Lake Constance area. The gorgeous 1755 baroque style cathedral has two old organs and a huge newer organ that was added in 1970 so there are over 200 pipes and when all are played for special concerts the effect is awe inspiring. (In June 7pm every Sat. organists from all over the world offer free concerts.) When I stepped into the cathedral the organist was playing and it was magical—like entering heaven--I didn’t want to leave for the rest of the tour of the city! Make sure to put this town on your itinerary when you visit Switzerland. It is a less know wonder though 10-25-08 marked 25 years since it was designated a Unesco World Site. And when you visit the cathedral, be sure to check out the confessionals. They are carved in walnut and each is unique.
Continue reading "Switzerland Part Three--St. Gallen" »
Jan 15, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
It will be a few weeks until I get to post photos from my recent press trip to Naples, Italy so I can't resist sharing these terrific ones from my new friend Judy Witts Francini of Divina Cucina. Judy is a baker and cherf originally from San Francisco, where she had the good fortune to work with my dear friend and colleague the baker Jim Dodge who was then at the Stanford Court and now works with the Getty Museum. She also had the good fortune to marry an adorable Tuscan and has been living in Italy for over 10 years.
Here's the link to her posting: http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/2008/12/tengo-cuore-napolitano-my-heart-is-from.html
Jan 17, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Travel Adventures
We arrived in Appenzell to the clanging of bells—the cows were coming down from the mountain. This spectacular and strangely stirring event only happens once a year, the first Tuesday of October and all the farmers of the region join in this procession.
Children, dressed in traditional costumes, join the procession carrying switches to keep the cows in line. At what I thought was the end of the procession along came the bull. Then came the goats and then still more cows.
There was a wonderful milky smell and occasionally moos! A small black and white dog leapt among the cows biting at their heels to help keep them in line.
Children are allowed to smoke cigars on this one day of the year which is said to cure them forever of the desire to smoke!
After the procession we went for a guided tour around the lovely town.
Continue reading "Switzerland Part Four--Not til The Cows Come Home" »
Jan 21, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in New Products
A few months ago, there was a posting on the blog alerting everyone to the possibility of a proof box designed for home use. I checked out the website and it sounds like the perfect thing, not just for creating the ideal temperature(s) to raise bread, but even for melting chocolate!
I've been in touch with the manufacturer, Michael Taylor, and he asked me to ask all of you to give a response on his survey regarding your interest in this product. We need to encourage him to produce it as it's both expensive and time-consuming to launch a new item. Here's his website:
http://www.berkshirebread.com
Jan 22, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Savory Cooking
That oatmeal doesn’t have to be mushy? And that the rice cooker is perfect for making stone cut oatmeal?!
I adore the nubbly-creamy texture, flavor, and warm comfort of stone cut oatmeal but it takes about 40 minutes to cook and I don’t want to have to remember to stir in occasionally to keep it from scorching. If you have an electric rice cooker with a porridge setting, all you have to do is combine the water, oats, salt, and I like to add a little brown sugar, turn it on (mine plays Mary Had a Little Lamb to let me know the cooking has started!) and wait til you hear the finished signal.
These cold days, I also like to add a little milk to a bowl and set it in my oven with the pilot light—if you have an electric oven and a very low setting that works too. That way milk cold from the frig doesn’t cool off the hot cereal. Alternatively you can heat the milk before adding it. For an extra treat I sometimes add a small mellow dollop of crème fraîche but that really is a perfect example of Rose gilding the lily!
Here’s my recipe for oatlmeal for one:
Stir together the following:
2/3 cup cold water
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup stone cut oatmeal such as McCann’s Irish Oatmeal
Optional: light brown Muscovado sugar
Jan 24, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
First Pass Page Proofs
I had thought, when Woody left in August after a thorough proofing of the galleys, that they were in near perfect shape! There were so many colored post-its marking the pages with corrections it looked like the “united colors of Benetton,” and I realized belatedly that I would have been better off attaching them to the pages without changes as they were far fewer.
In case you missed this photo on the January greeting, here it is now. By the way, to avoid missing any postings be sure to subscribe to the newsletter--it's in the upper right hand corner of the main blog page.
Ava, our wise production manager, warned me that is never so—that with each new set of eyes more ‘mistakes’ are found. And along came the first set of page proofs. What a pleasure it was to input all the corrections from the galleys onto the final design with all the color photos in place. Of course, in the final production, the photos will be more beautiful still but I have to report that I am extraordinarily happy with the way they look even in proofs-- they seem to jump off the page. In fact, yesterday, I tried brushing away some chocolate crumbs from the pages and to my amusement and delight discovered they were not on the page but in the photo!
And then came the return of the 3 sets of page proofs from the 3 proofers. Why is it I’ve never had to work so hard on any of my previous books? Could it be because this is the first large four color production? Could be but it’s probably more because I had two gifted and devoted volunteer proof-readers in addition to a fastidious professional proof reader employed by the publisher. Matthew Boyer, whose many helpful comments appear on the blog, sent me his findings in batches on spread sheets via e-mail, giving me the chance to get a much needed head start. Anthony Wright, cake decorator and baker par excellence and former assistant to former student Jan Kish, hand delivered his proofs the day of my return from Hope, and Rochelle Palermo, Wiley’s official proof reader sent in her set to Ava to review which was then forwarded to me with more comments from her.
Continue reading "Book Production Phase 13" »
Jan 29, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Special Stories
Dave, Mark, Luca, and Hector
Many of us have been thinking and wishing that we could all get together somewhere wonderful in the world and Hector has started the ball rolling with this mini convention of four. Wish I could have been there.
It all began when Marc Cohen, about whom I have written in regard to generously teaching me how to use Dragon voice activation on the computer, e-mailed me telling me that he and his partner David (who had made their wedding cake from my book!) were planning a trip to Hawaii and wondered if they could contact Hector and Luca. Never having met any of the four in person but feeling as though I knew them well from our e-mails etc. I was sure they would all really hit it off. So I asked Hector for permission to give his contact info and the rest is history!
I guess it will come as no surprise that Hector made a spectacular dessert:
Luca turned himself inside out making a fabulous dinner, and having become quite a bread baker, made this magnificent bread as well.
Continue reading "A Mini Blogger’s Convention in Hawaii" »
Jan 31, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose
in Travel Adventures
I wish I had had the foresight to take a picture of Heinz Morgenegg who, together with his wife Doris , runs an amazing organic farm in Hemishofen near the exquisitely beautiful town of Stein am Rhein. But I was too much living in the moment to take many pictures at all. His intensely vibrant eyes reminded me of that poem “tiger tiger burning bright, in the forest of the night.” The intense passion, we immediately discovered, is directed toward the sustaining of his organic farm, which he explained is becoming more and more of a challenge with the encroaching mega markets, even in Switzerland.
Continue reading "Switzerland Part Five--Cow Trekking and the Apple Orchard" »
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