iSante Magazine Food Section

Courting the Wild Crustacean By Marian Betancourt

Americans eat more than a billion pounds of shrimp a year, or about four pounds each, which is nearly double what they consumed 20 years ago. It's now America's favorite seafood, surpassing the long-reigning king of the can, tuna.

iSanté Exclusive: Sourcing Spain By Emily Gold

Every two years, Alimentaria, International Food and Beverage Exhibition transforms Barcelona, Spain, into a world food capital teeming with restaurateurs, chefs, and buyers searching out the top producers of the county’s food, wine, and equipment. This year the event featured nearly 5,000 exhibitors (70 percent of who were Spanish), who brought with them a range of products from beers to confectionaries. The Intervin (wine and spirits) and Intercarn (meat and meat products) sectors of Alimentaria Barcelona 2008 occupied the largest amount of space, a dissection of territory fitting for the country that boasts the world’s largest cultivation of grape acreage, and is the number-two global consumer of meat. In addition to the much-lauded Riojas, many excellent, value-driven wines were featured within the Intervin sector, including Monastrell from Murcia and Albariño from Galicia. Jamón was the star of the Intercarn] sector, with pigs’ legs densely lining the aisles. Renewed interest in the deep maroon, heavily marbled Iberian hams evidenced the recent relaxation of trade restrictions on the export of cured meats. The wines, meats, cheeses, and olive oils presented at this year’s Alimentaria Barcelona were representative of a culture rooted in the past yet evolving toward the future. Beyond being a bacchanalian festival of the senses, the event presented the Spanish palate in context of the country’s history and tradition. If your mouth is watering, mark your calendar for Alimentaria Barcelona 2010!

Using a Standardized Recipe

A standardized recipe is one that will produce a known quality, quantity, and consistency of food items every time. A standard recipe card should contain a detailed recipe; a color photo of the presentation; preparation time; pickup station in the kitchen; required cutlery; possible allergy or dietary notes; a glossary of terms; and a financial breakdown of ingredient costs, menu price, and food-cost percentage.

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Roasted Pepper Tart

Yield: 12 servings All-purpose flour: 1-1/2 cups Salt: 1/8 tsp Butter, cold: 1/2 cup Water: 3 Tbsp Red peppers, havled and seeded: 3 medium Bell peppers, halved and seeded: 2 medium Olive oil: 1/3 cup Fresh oregano, minced: 4-1/2 tsp Monterey Jack cheese, shredded: 2 cups Ripe olives: 2-1/4 oz 1. In large bowl, combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with fork until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. 2. Broil pepper 4 inches from heat until skins are blistered and blackened. Immediately place peppers in bowl, cover, and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Peel off and discard charred skin. Coarsley chop peppers; place in bowl, add oil and oregano, then toss to coat. Set aside. 3. Roll dough to fit 12-inch pizza pan. Transfer dough to pan and pric thoroughly with fork. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. 4. Sprinkle one cup cheese over crust. Sprinkle with pepper mixture and remaining cheese. Arrange olives around edge. Bake at 350 F for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Hazelnut Eclairs

Courtesy of Albert Uster Imports Yield: 50 eclairs Choux Pastry Water: 1 qt Butter: 14 oz Salt: 1/4 oz All-purpose flour: 1 lb 8 oz Eggs: 20 Hazelnut Vanilla Cream Filling Zurimix Pastry Cream: 8 oz Whole milk: 1 qt Confiseur d'Or Dark Hazelnut Praline Paste, small: 4 oz Heavy cream: 14 oz 1. To make Choux Pastry: Bring water, butter, and salt to a boil. Add sieved flour, stirring constantly. Continue to roast dough until it comes cleanly away from the sides of the pan, then cool. Beat eggs and gradually add to mix; continue beating until paste is smooth and shiny. 2. To make Hazelnut Vanilla Cream Filling: Combine pastry cream powder and milk, mix at high speed 3 to 4 minutes. Blend the praline paste into the cream, then fold in whipped cream. 3. To make Hazelnut Eclairs: Pipe the Choux Dough into desired shapes and sprinkle with sliced hazelnuts then bake.

Celebrating Women, Giving Back

On May 4 six top female chefs from the Chicago area will prepare the Twelfth Annual Girl Food Dinner at West Town Tavern. Event-founders Chef Susan Goss and Drew Goss, the restaurant's owners, will donate all proceeds from the evening to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Chefs participating in the dinner with Chef Goss include: Chef Christine McCabe, Blue Plate; Chef Jill Barron, Mana Food Bar; Chef Karen Armijo, Gary Comer Youth Center; Chef Leah Caplan, The Washington Hotel; and Chef Nadia Tilkian, Maijean Restaurant. The evening's wines will be selected and presented by Mindy Trafman of cru wine bar and café and Chef Caplan has created a signature cocktail featuring her own Death's Door Gin. The six participating chefs have created special dishes just for The Girl Food Dinner and the menu includes: Trio of Appetizers Smoked Whitefish with Herbed Crêpe Tongue and Pickled Ramp Canapé Spring Asparagus Salad Cocktail Death's Door Gin Cocktail with Cucumber, Lime, and Soda Entree Grilled Leek and Goat Cheese Tartlet with Roasted Pepper Coulis and Sweet Pea Tendril Salad Louisiana Crawfish Cake with Green Garlic- Vegetable Brunoise, Julienne Asparagus, and Orange-Chili Vinaigrette Citrus-Crusted Alaskan Halibut with Fennel Salad and Fennel Broth Braised Wagyu Beef Shortrib with Herb Salad and Rhubarb Butter Dessert Cherry Olive Oil Upside Down Cake Honey-Hazelnut Semi-Freddo

Cyrano's Bistrot Crepe & Beer Festival

Cyrano's Bistrot, in Chicago, turned to the Brittany Region for a celebration of April in Paris. The establishment's First Annual Crepe & Beer Festival (April 22 through 26), saw Chef Didier present several savory and sweet crepe dishes: Smoked Salmon, Crème Fraiche, and Spring Onion Frites Grilled Pear, Walnuts, and Roquefort Cheese Traditional Coq au Vin and Grilled Asparagus Provencal Ratatouille, Olives, Eggplant, and Goat Cheese Toasted Two Chocolate Sauces and Pralines Cyrano's also featured 20 Beers from around the world, including organics from small houses, offered by the bottle, by the glass, and in a series of flights.

2008 US Barista Championship Winners

After hours of fierce competition at the 2008 United States Barista Championship (USBC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kyle Glanville of Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea in Los Angeles (pictured, left, with USBC Chair Tracy Allen) took home top honors. The Specialty Coffee Association of America’s contest took place at the organization’s Twentieth Annual Conference & Exhibition, May 5. The United States Barista Championship, hosted by Krups, is the industry’s most-watched contest for coffeehouse professionals. In the final round challengers used three-group La Marzocco espresso machines to prepare and serve three orders - an espresso, a cappuccino, and an original coffee drink - all within 15 minutes. Contenders are expected to deliver a polished commentary that explains their technique and justifies their selections as they work. Seven certified judges granted points for station cleanliness, taste, beverage presentation, technical skills, and total impression. As champion, Glanville received a trophy, $1,000 in cash, and an all-expense-paid trip to the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe’s 2008 World Barista Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark, June 19 to 22. Pete Licata of PT’s Coffee Roasting Company, in Overland Park, Kansas, took second honors, and last year’s champion Heather Perry of Coffee Klatch, in San Dimas, California, won third.

“Top Chef” Finalist Lands Weekly Television Cooking Segment

Executive chef of San Diego's The Oceanaire Seafood Room and Bravo “Top Chef” finalist Brian Malarkey has joined television show "San Diego Living" for a weekly cooking segment. Each Friday at 9 a.m., Chef Malarkey will prepare his award-winning culinary creations for the audience, showing them how to prepare dishes in their kitchens.

Four Chefs Winners in California Date Chef Competition

Four top Coachella Valley chefs came away winners in the California Date Chef Competition, held at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, California, on April 27. The First Place Appetizer trophy went to Alain Redelsperger, executive chef at The Vintage Club, for his Duet of Foie Gras and Date Chutney; Leanne Kamekona, executive chef at Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa won the First Place Entrée trophy for her New Mexico Red Chile & Date Crusted Brandt Filet Mignon; the First Place Dessert trophy went to Joel Rettzo, pastry chef at Spotlight 29 Casino, for his Trio of Dates: Date Shake, Apple Tart, Date Truffle Log; and the Best of Show winner was Roy Luna, executive chef at Azul Restaurant & Bar at The Trilogy in La Quinta, California, for his Date and Moroccan Spiced Pork Lollipop.

Tea Consumption on the Rise

According to research firm Packaged Facts (PF), the market for teas, which was valued at $4.6 billion (retail) in 2004, grew to $7.4 billion last year, and is expected to rise to nearly $15 billion by 2012. PF publisher, Tatjana Meerman, said, "The potential is enormous, as tea barely compares in market size to beverage categories such as carbonated soft drinks, coffee, and water." As a result of the recent findings, consumers will see much heavier marketing of teas, which should drive tea consumption. Coca-Cola North America's Penny McIntyre, senior vice president-general manager of coffee and tea, said the division will spend "well over double in media vs. [the] recent past." Source: Advertising Age

The Death of Molecular Cuisine?

Fat Duck restaurant's Chef Heston Blumenthal, creator of snail porridge and the man credited with starting the molecular gastronomy trend, has declared the trend "dead." Blumenthal is not calling for an end to the practices of those who cook molecular cuisine, however. He is instead asking that the movement be called by another name -- and he's not alone. Several international food writers like William Sitwell and Benedict Beauge have also called attention to the definition of the term molecular gastronomy, saying that some chefs are throwing the name around without truely ascribing to the true practices. Both Sitwell and Beauge made spoke out for a change in the current way of thinking during this year's Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. "It's fine when it is used to inject some fun into dining," Sitwell asserted. "But the problem is that too many people jump on the bandwagon. People are getting fed up with poor imitations." "It's not about putting the most inappropriate ingredients together in a dish to impress someone that you're radical," asserted Chef Robin Wickins of Fitzroy's in Australia. "That sort of cooking is disgusting and has made it harder for other people simply trying to create top quality food using modern technology and techniques." Source: The Age

Chicago Ban on Foie Gras Repealed

On May 14, the Chicago City Council voted 37 to 6 to repeal its two-year-old ban on the controversial foie gras. The decision brought cheers from city chefs, and jeers from animal rights activists. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who led the May 14 vote, called the ban the "silliest" ordinance the City Council has ever passed. Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (better known as PETA), released a statement claiming that the council's first, "compassionate decision was reversed in a secretive, rushed bow to special interests that benefit from the cruel treatment of animals." The ban's original sponsor, Alderman Joe Moore, also commented on the reversal, saying, "They used a little parliamentary procedure avoiding and public hearing and debate on the measure. I don't think that's very healthy." Chef Didier Durand of Cyrano's Bistrot, however, enthused, "All of us are so excited. People miss it. They used to go to the suburbs to get foie gras and stopped going to specifically French restaurants." Durand, one of several Chicago restaurateurs who formed the Chicago Chefs for Choice, an organization whose sole purpose was to overturn the city's ban, concluded, "You might disagree with serving foie gras, but you don't ban and forbid everybody to have foie gras." Source: southtownstar.com

Prices of Pork and Chicken Expected to Rise

Food-industry analysts are predicting that overall food inflation could as much as double this year thanks to the rising costs of fuel, corn, and soybeans. And that increase will cause the price of chicken and pork to skyrocket. In 2007, food inflation rose from 2.4 percent (in 2006) to four percent. And while beef prices reflected that jump, pork and chicken prices remained fairly stable. That trend can no longer continue, however, as pork and chicken producers continue to lose money. To make up the difference, they are beginning to decrease the number of animals slaughtered, creating a rise in prices through the simple process of supply and demand. Privately-held chicken producer Fieldale Farms Corp. is cutting its production by five percent starting in a few weeks. The company's senior vice president, Tom Hinsley, said he expects higher chicken prices by mid-summer. "They will have to rise, big time, otherwise there will be no chicken," he concluded. "American consumers are only jut beginning to feel the impact of sharply higher food prices," commented Clint Rivers, chief executive at Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the nation's largest chicken producers. Rivers said his company plans to reduce weekly chicken processing by five percent in the second half of the year. Tyson Foods Inc. also warned of an increase in pork and chicken prices, forecasting that its expenses will rise by $1 billion this year. Analysts are not predicting any further increase in the already high beef prices. Jim Hilker, agricultural economist at Michigan State University, said that while he's "not sure beef prices will go up a lot," he is certain "they won't come back down." Source:Washington Post

Blackberry Farm's 2008 Food & Wine Calendar and Event Menus

Chefs from around the country have been venturing out of their own kitchens to the town of Walland, Tennessee (about one hour outside of Knoxville). Here, they excitedly take up the rold of guest chef at Blackberry Farm, a Relais & Chateaux property that offers them the opportunity to mingle with guests and teach some of their tips and tricks in the kitchen. View the calendar of events >>

Chocolates and Confections: Formula, Theory, and Technique for the Artisan Confectioner

International Association of Culinary Professionals 2008 Cookbook Awards Winner Written by master confectioner Peter Greweling of The Culinary Institute of America, this 400-page hardcover is a comprehensive guide to the ingredients, theory, techniques, and formulas needed to create every kind of chocolate and confection. Illustrated throughout with nearly 200 full-color photographs and illustrations, Chocolates & Confections offers accessible explanations of theory as well as illustrated step-by-step guidance on technique, from tempering chocolate to candying fruit. It also includes charts that pinpoint common candy-making pitfalls and how to avoid them, guides to the best quality chocolate and other all-natural confectionery ingredients, as well as information on packaging and storage.

Fish Forever: The Definitive Guide to Understanding, Selecting, and Preparing Healthy, Delicious, and Environmentally Sustainable Seafood

International Association of Culinary Professionals 2008 Cookbook Awards Winner Book Description: Few people know more about fish than Paul Johnson, whose Monterey Fish Market in San Francisco supplies seafood to some of the nation's most celebrated chefs, from Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Michael Mina to Todd English, Daniel Boulud, and Alain Ducasse. . . . Written for people who love seafood but worry about the overfishing of certain species as well as mercury and other contaminants, Fish Forever pinpoints today's least-endangered, least-contaminated, best-tasting fish and shellfish species. Johnson provides in-depth guidance on 70 different fish along with 96 stylish international recipes that highlight the outstanding culinary qualities of each. . . . Complete with over 60 beautiful color photographs, how-to tips, and fascinating sidebars, Fish Forever is a must-have kitchen resource for seafood lovers everywhere.

The Kitchen Table: Brennan's of Houston

Beating out 2,689 other contenders in this year's Eleventh Annual Independent Publisher Book Awards, Executive Chef Randy Evans, of Brennan's of Houston, recently took home the gold medal for his new cookbook, The Kitchen Table. The mouthwatering hardcover, filled with images, stories, and recipes collected from nearly 40 years' worth of menus, is divided into nine chapters beginning with lagniappe (a small taste given gratuitously, thus an amuse), moving through soups, salads, charcuterie, seafood, and meats, then finishing off with desserts and special house cocktails. For those in the industry, it defines the value of offering a "chef's table" experience for guests and provides the inspiration to do so.

The Food Encylopedia

Chefs who shop the world for ingredients, ideas, and inspiration will find the new Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland, Carol Sherman, and other contributors(published by Robert Rose) an astute companion. With more than 8,000 entries on foods, beverages, tools, techniques, and notable people of the food world, this 700-page reference guide is the most comprehensive available. The hardcover describes a multitude of terms such as murmura, rhea, lussekatter, and many more culinary exotica. In addition, readers can cull the world of food personalities, including profiles on the real Chef Boyardee, Roy Plunkett, Eisai, and others. Easy cross-referencing, large type, color illustrations, and a listing of multiple names and spellings all add to the guide's smart usefulness.

Truffles

Focusing on the subterranean fungus known as the truffle, the award-winning author, Elizabeth Luard, digs deeply into the mystique and history of this "nugget of vegetable matter . . . that looks like a lump of roughly cracked earth" yet somehow has become the world's most beloved, highest-priced culinary jewel. Truffles is Laurd's 176-page answer to the question of how and why the homely truffle arouses such passionate admirers, sending them "scrabbling in the earth or emptying the purse---whatever it takes to hold it in the hand, to smell, to taste, to savour."

The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution

This 416-page hardcover from Chez Panisse Founder Alice Waters includes recipes chosen to enhance and showcase great ingredients. Waters' philosophy on everything from stocking your kitchen to mastering fundamentals and preparing delicious, seasonal inspired meals all year long are included.

Amazing Dairy-Free Desserts

This 216-page paperback includes a comprehensive collection of original dairy-free desserts as well as information about dairy-allergic, lactose intolerant, kosher, and other individuals who want to restrict diary. Recipes include ice cream, pound cake, brownies, and more.