The Perfect Bite

Bayfield or Bust

Forty members of the Yates Family headed to Lake Superior for our third family reunion.  We’ve met three times in the past six years, each in a different part of the US.  Everyone does his best to carry on the most treasured family traditions of cooking and eating for the seven day party.  This year, Marty made limey guacamole nightly. Vanilla ice cream was churned by the kids two days in a row. Dan baked bread in cast-iron pots [pictured left,] not to mention curry for forty.  Great preparations were made for the generation dinners, each age group collaborating and preparing a meal for the rest of the gang. And I had the honor of making Pop-pop’s 89th birthday dessert- strawberry shortcake. Our property was surrounded by some of Wisconsin’s best pick your own strawberry and cherry farms, so we added the fresh fruit to every breakfast and dessert.

An unexpected treat at this “Bayfield or Bust” reunion was watching a traditional Whitefish boil be prepared by two local chefs, right on our piece of lakeshore. The entire process took 45 minutes.  Redskin potatoes went in the pot first.  Twenty-five minutes later quartered white onions were added.  The whitefish went in for the last seven minutes.  Everything was cooked in a 25 gallon pot sitting above our campfire.  But lifting the holed pot out too quickly will put out a fire, as we witnessed.  The finished plate was served covered in drawn butter and paired with coleslaw and strawberry shortcake. 
-CY

Sign Here For REAL Food

Pictured left, the gorgeous greenhouse at the Stone Barns Center in Pocantico Hills, NY.  At 20,000 square feet, the awesome year-round experiment has a "smart" roof that closes automatically when it rains and opens automatically when the indoor temperature climbs to 65 degrees. 

Originally drafted in 1930 to subsidize Depression-era farms, the Farm Bill is supposed to support America’s farmers and ranchers.  It now aids less than one third of the industry, and though there are good allocations for nutrition programs, most of the money is channeled toward the big five:  soybeans, corn, rice, wheat, and cotton.  These mass-produced crops show up in high-calorie junk like soda, chips, fast food, and candy…leaving farmers of real food - like fruits and vegetables - plum out of luck.  Organics get shafted altogether.

Author Michael Pollan of Omnivore’s Dilema calls us Americans “walking corn,” and he’s not refering the sweet, crisp ears I grew up on in York, PA.  Try to avoid high-fructose corn syrup for one day, and you’ll understand why.  Our markets are supersaturated with the stuff, contributing to the U.S. being the most obese country in the world.  And it’s all driven by government subsidies – the same government that has instilled in its people such intense food fears that pasteurization seems justifiable.  Never mind that countries much older than ours prevent food-borne illness by clean, ethical farm practices.  And never mind that pasteurization singes the flavor out of everything we eat.  Our children are "safer" for it.  Plus, we can always make up for taste by pumping cheap, government funded corn syrup into it. 

The good news is, things could be looking up as the Farm Bill surfaces for its five-year renewal this year.  Incentives for growing organically, low-income farmers, farmers’ market participation, and environmental upgrades are all on the table.  The main obstacle is that new spending must come from cutting funds for existing programs or from new funds altogether.  If you’re a city girl like I am, the farm community may not be on your radar.  But if you care about safe, nutritious, real food, there’s an easy way to get involved.  Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit group lobbying on our behalf for fair organic funding distributions.  More than 17,000 concerned citizens have signed their Grow Organics petition, and the goal is to reach 30,000 by this Sunday, July 15.  Link to the petition for your e-signature to go to Congress. 

For more information on the issues surrounding the Farm Bill, check out this great New York Times article.  -sy

Superior Whitefish

On the deck of the Pickled Herring, overlooking Lake Superior and the city dock of Bayfield, WI, I took a chance.  My waitress had never tried Grandpa Jack’s Whitefish Livers, but she assured me that no one had ever returned an order to the kitchen.  The fish livers, pictured left, came heavily greased, mixed with sautéed peppers, onions and garlic, doused in lemon juice.  They were fairly mild and oily and had the texture of chicken liver.  I’ll confess, I wasn’t in love.  But I’m sure some might think it superior.
-CY

Better Not Blink

Visit any farmers’ market these days, and you can’t help but notice that produce is fluttering in and out rapidly.  Just when I get sad about the waning sugar snap pea window, it’s time to stain my hands in a strawberry patch and gather pickling recipes for the garlic scape harvest.  Better not blink.  Out at Siena Farms in Sudbury, the fields are looking GREEN, lined with neat rows of salad and veggies.  Farmer Chris grows the most clever varieties, like prized sylvetta arugula – a smaller, more defined, spicier leaf than the common arugula you see in the store.  And then there’s my favorite:  wrinkle crinkle cress.  Frilly and curled around the edges, the peppery intensity will “punch you in the face,” as Farmer T puts it.  Siena Farms bags both of these greens in the most flavorful mesclun mix you’ll ever eat, and you can buy it same day as harvested, at farmers’ markets in Central Square and Dewey Square.   -sy 

In Season: Rhubarb

At my neighborhood farmers’ market in Davis Square, I try to buy something new and unfamiliar with every visit.  The latest discovery is rhubarb, and I’m absolutely starry eyed over the stuff.  Though I remember my mom baking the Christmas-colored stalk into her famous pies, I have never gone near it myself. 

Well, the past couple of weeks have made up for lost time.  Last Friday I roasted a big bunch to puree and serve on the side of a spiral-cut ham that Christy baked for a garden party.  The sharp, tart flavor of the stalk evens out beautifully with sugar and citrus.  It made a nice addition to our ham sandwich condiment bar, rounded out by our own pickled onions, whole grain mustard, Duke's mayonnaise and pickled hot peppers.  The whole spread was a farewell to Jason, who is headed to New Haven to open Caseus.  We'll surely profile him in the future, because this kid is about to rock the artisinal cheese scene.  The evening was a great success, culminating in coconut cupcakes [pictured right] with a fluffy, marshmallowy icing.  

Perhaps my best rhubarb experiment was ice cream.  Creamy and pink, the sweet-tart dessert is just what I crave on a warm summer day.  Below is my recipe, but if you just want rhubarb compote, use the first half only.  Serve it whole, fork-mashed or pureed until smooth.  Vary the citrus with lime, lemon, grapefruit and zest, and try stirring it into everything from yogurt to oatmeal.  If using as a savory side to a nice oily fish, Christy suggests adding fresh sorrel, an acidic herb.  -sy

 

RHUBARB ICE CREAM

1 pound rhubarb (about 10 stalks) – leafy tops removed, rinsed

3 T fresh squeezed orange juice

2 egg yolks

2/3 C plus 1/2 C sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 cup cream

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 390 °F.

Remove the leafy tops from the rhubarb, then rinse stalks; cut in half lengthwise, then into two-inch pieces.

Toss with ½ C sugar and orange juice in a rimmed dish.  Cover with aluminum foil.

Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, until stalks completely collapse and a are completely soft.

Cool slightly, then puree in a food processor or blender.

Combine the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a mixer and whisk together.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan and bring to the simmer, then pour directly into the egg yolk mixture.

Whisk immediately to prevent the eggs from scrambling.

Return egg/milk mixture to the saucepan and, whisking constantly, heat until 160 °F, or until it coats the back of a spoon.

Remove the custard from the heat, poor through a strainer, and cool slightly.

Stir in the cream and rhubarb compote.

Freeze in an ice cream machine, per instructions. 

 

A Bouquet With Bite

Ask any girl her favorite flower, and you’ll get a glimpse of her true nature.  Tulips for the sweet and innocent.  Sunflowers for the bold, gregarious type.  Roses for the hopelessly romantic.  And orchids for the goddess. 

My current bud of choice is an edible variety – the mark of a woman who loves to eat.  It’s not the dainty nasturtium, so popular on salad greens and tea sandwiches.  Nor is it the voluptuous squash blossom, though this extraordinary burst of orange is something of a miracle.  New flowers bloom every single day!  Only the male blossom can be harvested without killing the actual squash.  Because they parish within hours of harvesting, squash blossoms are rarely seen on restaurant menus.  So order up if you spot them in some sautéed, stuffed, or batter fried special.   

No, my recently discovered favorite is the chive flower, pictured above.  A puff of lavender petals spikes off a grassy, hollow stem.  Though they look like a single serving of cotton candy, don't expect sugary lollipop flavor.  Chive blossoms taste a bit more biting than the chives, themselves, yet still more mild than scallions.  Bound in a tight bouquet, they make a lovely gift. An everyday beauty.  Best of all, you can admire them by the sink and snip the stems as needed over asparagus, soups and stir-fries.  The buds are edible, as well, and make a unique addition to any salad.  Just don't go popping them like hors d'oeuvres if your date shows up with a bunch.  They are, after all, in the onion family.  -sy 

Welcome to the White House

Jackie Bouvier Kennedy wasted no time creating the glamour era at the White House.  During JFK’s three year presidency, America’s celebrated and idolized First Lady transformed the White House into “an emblem of The American Republic”, showing off the historic furniture and using Truman’s or Lincoln’s china instead of commissioning her own.

Jackie even let her husband have a hand in running the White House. She would draft guest lists for his review and notes.  She wrote memos to her staff on how she envisioned a party, from the color of the tablecloths to the menu. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston displays, in the Jacqueline Kennedy Entertains:  The Art of the White House Dinner exhibit, such notes, dresses worn by Jackie, china patterns and gads of hand-written thank you notes to and from the Kennedy’s.  Most guests gushed about “the best night of my life”. 

Jackie made formal entertaining fun.  She was quick to remove U-shaped tables from all parties and replaced them with round, intimate tables seating eight to ten guests.  Her flower arrangements were said to be natural and informal, like that of a French housewife.  Jackie was instrumental in bringing the arts to the center of America’s attention.  For all of her parties she invited world-class musicians, cellist Pablo Casals among others, to perform.  Jackie and John were even known, on occasion, to answer the front door for guests.  And they were the first to bring fireworks to the White House. 

Perhaps the most fabulous party Jackie threw was at Mount Vernon.  Guests sipped mint juleps and champagne on the lawn, and then floated down the Potomac river in the Presidential yachts.  One sassy broad wrote a thank you card to Jackie that read, “…It sure beat hot dogs on the lawn in Hyde Park!”   I’m sure it did. 

How green is your salad?

When thinking about eating "green," organic and local foods are popular hot buttons.  But given that one in ten US economy dollars is spent on restaurants, the conversation needs to go way beyond the plate...far into the kitchen and out with the trash.   Concepts like low-flow spray valves, non-bleached paper products and composting are getting just as much attention as menu planning, from chefs looking to make the environmentally friendly conversion.  So, in honor of Earth Day this April 22, I'm directing you, dear reader, to walk your carbon footprint over to WBUR's visionary site:  Dining Green.  This virtual model of a sustainable restaurant speaks to all the above ideas.  Take the interactive tour of the kitchen and dining room and check out videos on real restaurants that are really getting "green certified." 

If you're lucky enough to be in California on May 17 and 18, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is hosting Cooking for Solutions.  Two days of events will feature celebrity chefs who champion sustainable cuisine to "create gourmet dishes, host food and wine adventures, and present cooking demonstrations that feature sustainable seafood and organic ingredients."  There's even a big, fancy gourmet gala to benefit the aquarium's Seafood Watch site for informed consumer choices.  I'll bet you can even glimpse the new baby wolf-eels in the 28-foot-tall Kelp Forest while you're at it.   

For more ideas on putting your Earth Day roots into lifestyle action, link to Sustainable Table.   -sy 

Putting Food On The Academic Table

Attending Radcliffe’s conference last week on food and gender issues was a privilege on several levels.  Ten years ago, a scholarly debate about food would have been laughed off the podium.  Today, though, gastronomy is recognized as a prism through which we can see and study anything:  history, geography, psychology, politics, literature.  So it seemed something of a triumph to witness panels of esteemed professors from our country’s finest universities presenting on everything from sugarcane and political power, to anorexia and obesity, to the culture of curry. 

While academic debate is important, the question that kept resurfacing for me was whether we could entertain light anecdotes from editors at Gourmet magazine in the same room as World Bank policies on combating famine.   The former seemed gluttonous in the face of the latter, and these opposing sides of food have been battling for voice in my own life.

I do enjoy the pleasures of food, which the least observant reader will draw from this blog.  But does this indulgence conflict with efforts for food justice?  Harvard’s Amartya Sen said it best when he spotted celebrated chef Jody Adams in the audience and reminded us that everyone, irrelevant of class, enjoys good food.  The Nobel Prize winning economist underscored that the problem is not in relishing a meal while poverty and hunger subsist; the problem is good food access for all.

Beyond the insightful conversation and celebrity sightings (Ruth Reichl, Sidney Mintz, Molly O'Neil,) I came away from the conference thinking about what else, but dinner...and beyond. I am especially excited about the urban agriculture movement, and rooftop gardens in particular.  Click here to see a Chicago construction that will supply produce to a neighborhood co-op.  I see these kinds of projects as key to increasing availability of nutrient-rich, affordable food.  I see it as our city's future.  It's all part of the conversation as we put food on the academic table.  -sy 

V for Vacherin

The term vacherin refers to a type of full fat cows milk cheese made in that part of the world where France and Switzerland compete for the ultimate mountain cheeses.  Comte vs. Gruyere?  Vacherin Mont d’Or vs. Vacherin Fribourgeois?  When ripe, the cheese is creamy and spoonable.  It is wrapped in a strip of spruce and set in a round bôite. While the pâte is contained in the wooden box, the smell definitely is not. 

I was delighted to discover a dessert in the vacherin family.  The pastry, called vacherin, refers to a meringue made with fruit and filled with ice cream.  At Gesine's in Montpelier, VT, I found a scrumptious pistachio vacherin where green meringue sandwiched blackberry buttercream.  This take on a French classic was sweet for sure and smelled quite favorable when compared to my favorite cheese. 


It turns out that the dessert vacherin is modeled after the cheese.  The round shape is all they have in common, but they both are worthy of praise.  I am planning on having two vacherin courses at my next dinner party.
-CY