*the above picture is of a recent cartoon print by Hugh Macleod, of gapingvoid which now hangs in our kitchen. Appropriate to say the least.
We wrote about The Creative Habit: Learn It And Use It For Life by Twyla Tharp back in August of 2005. We can honestly say that this is a book that has stood the test of time. It's one that we revisit occasionally when we need a little bit of inspiration because it helps remind us that creativity is something that we need to work at every day. This website is all about creativity in the kitchen and we think it's a skill that needs to be used in every part of our daily lives. It's easy to fall into a rut and do things the same old way. The harder choice is to push yourself to think of a different aproach, to find a path and try something new. This is post #3000 here at Ideas in Food and so instead of a cookbook we are giving away some creativity in the form of Twyla's book.
We will be giving away one copy of the book to three different readers this week. Please leave a comment below telling us why creativity is important to you. One entry per person please. Winners will be picked randomly on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 9am EST. This giveaway is now closed. WInners will be notified via email. Thanks for commenting.
We are hard at work on the next manuscript. I don't want to say that it's kicking our butts but... Anyway, earlier this week we did an interview over at the Say Daily. Unsurprisingly it's a little bit opinionated, a little bit informative and hopefully a little bit entertaining as well.
Today was a cookie day. We started the day eating amazingly crisp yeasted sugar cookies that are going to be in the next book, paired with coffee for breakfast. Then we pulled out another yeasted dough to develop as we set out to shop for Amaya's cookies, macarons from The Painted Truffle at the Stockton Market. They are Amaya's favorite cookies in the whole world and every couple of weeks we trek up to the market to see what's new and get her some. I would like to say that we love them too but she is very posessive of her macarons and I have yet to even get a bite of one. I suppose I could buy my own but I think it works better if we're not fighting over them. Sometimes it's good for her to have her own special thing.
Despite the fact that it's a bit of a trip, about a thirty minute drive if traffic is good, it's no hardship to go up to the market. Some of our favorite food vendors reside in the building. Milk House Farm and Gravity Hill Farm both have ridiculously beautful produce. Matthew's charcuterie at Porcsalt is darned tasty and the pork chops from Purely Farm are delicious. Bobolink Dairy has an outpost there and we usually grab lunch from Mighty Quinn BBQ (the brisket and Texas chili are worth sitting down for) and Bret Cavanaugh's woodwork is some of the most beautiful stuff we've ever seen, and in this business we've seen a lot.
The beauty of working with yeast is that you can get the doughs ready in the morning and leave them to ferment during the day. By the time we got home it was time to start baking more cookies. These are also for the next book. They are made with coconut and Meyer lemon marmalade. If this seems like a tease, it is, but we promise you, these cookies are worth waiting for. They were a sweet ending to a very good day. Now if the Giants win this game it will be almost perfect. (Alex may think otherwise)
We look at life from an interesting angle. Once professional chefs now we are culinary consultants, cookbook writers and primarily home cooks. It's almost impossible to think of yourself as a chef once you've left the kitchen for any period of time. Even though you can walk into a kitchen and pick up where you left off, it still feels slightly strange, like a favorite pair of jeans that no longer fits exactly the way they used to. You still love them but they're not the first pair you reach for anymore. People often ask us if we miss the restaurant business and the answer is always a resounding yes...and no. There are things we miss and things we don't and though we periodically toy with the idea of returning it would only be on our terms in a very specific type of situation. For now we are quite pleased with the niche we have carved out of the world, no longer professional chefs, yet not exactly home cooks either, and still in the kitchen more often than not. As long as we're cooking in some form we're still doing what we are passionate about and that's a good place to be.
One of the things we've realized is that for professional cooks technique is what matters. They can read a recipe, pick out the technique and extrapolate it into whatever they want it to be. For home cooks the recipe matters more. It has to be something that appeals to them, that they would want to cook and eat. That's the big difference between the home cook and the professional, at the end of the day the home cook is going to sit down with everyone else and enjoy their meal. This makes recipe appeal much more important. Most home cooks are not afraid to make changes and substitutions but they see a recipe first and any substitutions come to mind later. The professional sees a recipe title and immediately knows exactly how they would cook it or change it, usually before they even get to the ingredient list.
Our middle ground is figuring how and why to make changes to ingredients and techniques and then explaining it to everyone else. You may instinctively know why you are tapping your cake pans on the counter or starting your bacon in a cold oven but if you can't explain how it works, it makes it hard to build upon your knowledge. Our job is connecting the dots so that you can see the whole picture and use it to your advantage. We like to tinker in the kitchen and we operate under the belief that most everybody else does too. Cooking at its best is an act of nourishment, skill and creative expression. We're all about giving our readers the skill to do it to the best of their abilities.
Recently someone asked us what we thought was the next big food destination. We were slightly stumped. It seems that most places have been well-explored and in some ways food is becoming more homogeneous. As cultures expand and restaurants proliferate, they go through a stage of exploring other styles of cooking. Restaurants specializing in classic French techniques, modern cooking techniques, food from around the world abound and then ever so slowly the tide begins to turn. Chefs and cooks reach a level of expertise that allows them to embrace their homeland. They begin to refocus on what they have at hand, the ingredients, the history, the local specialties, and their own memories of food come together to create a renaissance of sorts. That type of revival is happening here in the United States right now and that's why we think this is the place to eat this year.
In the 70's it was a common practice for Americans to travel to France on gastronomic pilgrimages. WIth their Michelin guidebooks and a few key reservations they would drive across the country enjoying great meals. I believe that we've hit a point where people can, with a little judicious research, crisscross this country and eat great food everywhere they go. The level of cooking has increased to the point where you can find passionate chefs creating great food in almost every small city or large town and even in a few out of the way areas where you'd never normally think to look. From Charleston to Austin, Baltimore to Providence, and Pittsburgh to Seattle, you can find a great gastronomic experience. The best part of it is that because we have such a large country with so many regional variations, if you look carefully you can find old favorites and classic ingredients slowly coming back into the spotlight. Of course as diners we have to do our part. When we find great places we have to support them. We have to actually eat there every so often and tell all our friends about it. Passion and good press will only take a chef so far, it takes actual customers to keep the doors open.
In 1979 Raymond Sokolov publishedFading Feasts, A Compendium of DIsappearing American Regional Foods. When I first read it there were many things I had never heard of or tasted and now many of them are newly popular once more. It's a great book full of great stories, recipes and information. Sokolov covers a wide range of ingredients and regional dishes including persimmons, gooseberries, abalone, sea urchin, Pacific salmon, Country ham, key limes, Minnesota wild rice, moonshine, chili con carne and morels. It's gratifying to see that all of them are still around and many are thriving. We have an important food history in this country and its wonderful to see chefs like David Kinch,Sean Brock,Tony Maws and Spike Gjerde leading the charge to embrace it and share their knowledge. There is an incredible bounty of chefs and ingredients available to tantalize any palate and it's time to give them their due. It's no longer just about New York and California, it's all of us, working together to create an environment that fosters great food in restaurants and in home kitchens.
Family restaurants are on the rise and instead of or in addition to making biscuits and gravy, meatloaf and fried chicken, these places are turning out handmade pastas and salumi, making cheeses and pickles, growing gardens in back lots and on rooftops, and simply taking their food to the next level. FIne dining has become incredibly fine and focused ever more on pristine ingredients and graceful flavors, modern cooking techiques and high tech equipment have made new things possible in the kitchen and smart chefs know that some things can be improved upon and others are perfect just the way they are. Home cooks are also breaking barriers, using weights and measures, making their own sourdough starters and strudel dough, curing sausages and smoking bacon in their backyards. Admittedly none of this is new to the American cook but it is wonderful to see the enthusiasm and passion that blossoms over social media and through books, blogs, television and magazines. Home cooking is a relatively affordable activity that allows us to indulge our differents needs to make something tangible with out hands, be creative, socialize and actually feed ourselves something delicious.
Professionally there has never been a better time to be an American chef. FIfteen years ago the majority of famous American chefs were originally from France or other parts of Europe. Now it's anybody's game. Most of the best known American chefs are home grown and with the advent of food television and media it's easier than ever to get your name out there. It's also easier than ever to get your hands on quality ingredients and to find your audience. The local restaurant has come a long way from SIzzler and Perkins. Yes, those places still exist and do a booming business, but places like Niche in St. Louis and Bluestem in Kansas City are thriving right alongside them. While doomsayers say that chains will take over the world, our industry is so much more than that. Given a choice people will choose great food at an affordable price point over mediocrity almost every time. In addition to that there is access to other chefs and information that was never possible before. There is enough room for everyone to be successful and that realization has enabled us to develop a great culinary community that is more focused on camaraderie than competition. How can you not love that?
It's Saturday, which to us is the perfect day to watch a video. This inspirational speech, via TED and through YouTube, was Steve Jobs' commencement speech for Stanford in 2005. It's still relevant, entertaining and definitely worth watching. Enjoy.
Years Past:
(Oddly there are 2 videos in this list, Strange because in spite of posting 2 videos in the last few weeks, it is not a common practice for us at all.)
These days we are all in constant motion, juggling work, family, friends and various other time commitments. What we forget to take care of on a daily basis is ourselves. Thankfully we have the privilege of having someone in our lives who takes an interest in our food and our bodies. While we strive to be great with food, Reiko (Aki's mom) strives to make people's bodies feel better. Massage therapy is something I never thought of as a young cook. Yet as the years go by we often forget to think about recharging our batteries and taking care of our bodies.
We're talking about this because Aki's mom, Reiko Kamozawa, a licensed massage therapist, has a new space in New York CIty. She has been studying how the human body works and practicing massage therapy for over thirty years. That's a lot of experience in ten fingers. For years she worked at high end hotels like the Four Seasons and the Essex House in NYC. It was difficult for people who weren't hotel guests to find her. Now she has a massage room at Love Your Transformation, 247 Fifth Avenue, between 34th & 35th streets, from 8am-8pm daily. A one hour session is $150 and an hour and a half session is $225. She specializes in acupressure and body alignment and is also familiar with a wide variety of different techniques. Reiko will also make house calls in Manhattan. If you are interested in finding out what a difference massage therapy can make in your life email her at infinitereiko(at)mac(dot)com to schedule a session or 3. It's been our experience that when our bodies feel good, our creativity and overall ability to focus and get things done kicks into overdrive. The mind-body-spirit connection is more potent than we realize. We only get one body and it's important to take care of it. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity.
We've been talking about composting for years. Ever since we lived in Maine and were lucky enough to work at a restaurant with both a garden and a gardener to take care of it. We composted in that kitchen and were delighted to see the kitchen scraps go to good use. We were also slightly horrified to see the sheer quantity of scraps we generated but that's the nature of the beast. Now we know ourselves well enough to know that the reason composting worked there was because it was easy. We threw the scraps in a white trash can and Mary collected them every day and added them to her compost heap. Partway through the season she had her husband build a second, three tiered composter in order to keep up with us.
When we moved to Colorado the threat of bears, coyotes and other predators meant that we weren't allowed to even contemplate a composter behind the hotel. When we moved back to NYC, close neighbors and the possibility of attracting rodents were enough to deter us. Now that we've got our own home with a fenced-in yard we began talking compost again. We were practical enough to realize that it would still have to be easy and after much research and angst we decided on a Nature Mill electric composter. It got good reviews online and looked relatively simple to operate and maintain. One of the things that attracted me was the idea that they had good customer service. So I put my money where my mouth was and made the investment. (Composters ain't cheap.)
Once the composter arrived Alex took over. I suppose it falls in the range of gadgets and toys. He was thrilled to be composting again and enthused about the cleanliness and ease of this particular invention. Things were moving along nicely and I happily wrote a blog post extolling the virtues of the Nature Mill. Then before I had time to edit and post it, disaster struck in the form of an entire console of blinking lights. We checked the manual, which detailed what to do for individual flashing lights but did not seem to cover our seemingly dire stuation. Alex reset the machine. Nothing changed. And then the work day began and he had to walk away. Later on he tried to call the company, using the phone number we found on the website to no avail, no one ever answered the phone.
By the next morning the machine was flashing and leaking all over the floor. He moved it outside and plugged it in on the patio (theoretically this is an indoor/outdoor machine) under an overhang. After combing through the website we found more information telling us that if all the lights were flashing we needed to unplug the machine for 48 hours and then plug it back in. Theoretically all of the scraps in the machine would be fine for such a short period in a non-temperature controlled environment. 48 hours later we plugged it back in and once again all of the lights started flashing. Now Alex was seriously frustrated. He finally got an email the next morning explaining that they had no idea what was wrong but we could send the machine back (at their expense) and if they couldn't figure it out and fix it they would send a new one. This sounds like a good thing but we had two issues. One, being averse to clutter and operating on the assumption we wouldn't need it for anything Alex had thrown away the original box. We were going to have to go out and buy a box to ship it in. And two, the machine would have to be emptied and cleaned before shipping, a singularly unappealing task because the fermenting food scraps and hot, damp weather had combined to produce a stinky, disgusting mess.
That's where we are now. The idea of chucking the whole machine in the trash is frankly appealing but more wasteful than either of us is comfortable with. So one of us will have to don rubber gloves (Alex) and do the deed. We're hoping the machine can be fixed or replaced but truthfully, our zeal for composting has suffered a major setback. I suppose it just goes to show that if something seems to good to be true maybe it is.
*We actually wrote this post a while ago. The machine has since been cleaned and was shipped back to the company over a week ago. Although UPS confirmed that it was delivered, we have yet to hear anything about whether it's fixable, going to be replaced or refunded.
**And now they're saying four weeks is the normal time period for repairs, never mind that we only had it working for about a week. We'll see what happens next.
This is an incredible opportunity to get a hands on class on pig fabrication. I realize we are late sharing this information, but I believe there are a few slots still open. If you can pull the strings to make it happen this is a huge opportunity to learn.
Gascon Cochon and Charcuterie
A Two Day Workshop presented by Dominique Chapolard and Kate Hill Hosted by Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Monday, March 21 2 pm to 9 pm Tuesday, March 22 9 am to 4 pm
Woodberry Kitchen will provide freshly slaughtered locally sourced whole pig(s) of around 400 lb each, along with work area, cutting boards, and all other ingredients. The class will also have two #22 grinders, and one manual sausage stuffer at it’s disposal. Attendees will be instructed in whole animal seam butchery and the fabrication of traditional Gascon charcuterie.
Day One will commence with Dominique breaking down a whole pig using seam butchery techniques to create market cuts and charcuterie.
Day Two will begin with attendees breaking down 2 pigs with Dominque’s guidance, followed by more charcuterie.
A light meal will be served midway through each session. Dominique and Kate will provide hands on demonstration/instruction each day, along with all recipes.
Cost: $695 per person for both days, including lunch/dinner, recipes, and boning knife.
Call Woodberry Kitchen to Make a Reservation 410 464 8000
Turns out we scheduled a visit to Miami at the same time that Food and Wine is conducting their South Beach Experience. So if you are in the are and are game for something off the beaten path we would sure like to cook dinner for you on February 26, 2011. The way to purchase a seat is to follow the white rabbit.
And on Sunday we are also cooking something up, but that information will come later.
Food for Thinkers is a week-long, distributed, online conversation looking at food-writing from as wide and unusual a variety of perspectives as possible. Between January 18 and January 23, 2011, more than thirty food and non-food writers will respond to a question posed by GOOD's newly-launched Food hub: What does—or could, or even should—it mean to write about food today?
Picture of wallpaper in the bathrooms at Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, MD
I've always been drawn to food. I suppose that might seem obvious because I've built my career around a culinary hub. Looking back I realize that it was more than the pursuit of a good meal that drove me, more often than not it was reading about a good meal that would make my imagination take flight. I read cookbooks for the essays rather than the recipes. If the story struck a deep chord and the recipe seemed accessible I would take the next step and attempt some facsimilation of the dish. But most of my pleasure came from my imagination. I may not have always wanted to consume the meals that were described; but I loved being transported to another place by the description.
The many instances where I would be carried away by someone's food writing would lead me to pursue other essays or novels by the same author. Unfortunately, many times they would leave me cold. It was disappointing and it took me a long time to understand that people write differently about food. It is inevitably more personal than almost any other type of writing. You cannot separate the writer from the subject at hand, there is no real way to write objectively about the things we eat and drink, and that is what makes food writing so special. Food is a universal language. Whether or not the writer acknowledges what is happening, any story about eating and drinking and cooking is a glimpse into the writer's psyche. That is what has always fascinated me, that brief window into someone else's world that is translated into terms that I can relate to. Sky diving or playing tennis may be beyond my capacity to empathize with, but culinary experiences are always accessible.
Because of this realization I am almost never satisfied with my own writing. I went from being someone who confidently submitted the first draft of every essay and paper to someone who ponders the meaning behind each syllable and then teetering back towards writing quickly in order to capture an experience and then editing to be sure that the meaning is correct. I've learned to appreciate writers who can create prose that flows like water across the page and those who can paint vivid pictures with a few choice words. The very best writing always evokes emotion and those who write about food have an endless supply of material. This sometimes makes it difficult to separate the good from the great but when something you've read stays with you, for hours or days or years, then you know you've found a great writer, even if it's the only thing they've ever written.
For us the key to writing about food is transparency, being as honest about our experiences as we can. If we can't share fully then we try not to write about an experience at all. I would hope that this is part of what keeps our readers coming back. What I love about the internet is that it has made an abundance of food writing readily available. It may not all be good but most of it is true and heartfelt and inspiring. A Google search beats combing through bookstores for memoirs and novels with food-centric themes to find interesting writers. There's a world of inspiration at our fingertips and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to sift through it.
Where does the time go? Another decade almost gone and there's a world of possilities to look forward to. Our resolution is to believe. Believe in ourselves and what we're doing because anything is possible. Believe in the people around us so that they can do it too. Opportunites and inspirations are everywhere around us, we just have to be willing to reach out for them. We wish all of you a happy and healthy new year full of laughter, creativity and success.
Since our Harvard lecture was not filmed, we wanted to share our handout so you can get a sense of what we talked about. The class was on science, technology and creativity and we used pasta as the vehicle for our discussion. We brought the new pasta extruder to demonstrate how an understanding of science combined with technology can open doors to creativity by allowing us to accomplish things that wouldn't be possible without them. Below is a short video the pasta machine extruding and cutting chestnut noodles.
5 Factors Shaping Creativity in the Kitchen
1. Inspiration: observing and absorbing the world around you, asking questions, maintaining a sense of wonder.
- Finding answers is easy, finding the right questions is the true challenge.
-Mistakes are just steps along the path to success.
-Understanding history allows us to change the future.
-Finding the hidden links between ideas allows us to build a chain of development.
-Recording ideas allows us to have access to earlier inspirations and use them in the future.
-Exercise your brain by exploring new interests and ideas to keep your mind flexible.
-Allow for the cross-pollination of ideas, we get new perspectives and inspirations when we share ideas with others.
-Cyclical pleasures, enjoy the different seasons of any ingredient/idea and celebrate each new ending and beginning.
-Find balance between science and nature, if you can make them work together you can do anything.
-Juxtapose flavors, temperatures, textures, aromas so that each dish is a constantly changing experience that engages the diner and keeps them involved and excited in a meal.
-Match disparate ingredients. Don’t be afraid of trying unconventional pairings. You never know what will happen or how good something can be until you try it.
-Understand and identify relationships. Potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are all part of the same family and go well together.
2. Flexibility: the ability to change perspectives on a dime. Looking at ideas backwards, forwards and upside-down. Separation of ego and invention: understanding that you will not necessarily invent the big idea but having the ability to identify it and extrapolate it will be more important than being the person who creates it.
-Sharing ideas leads to new perspectives, which in turn leads to more ideas to be embraced and shared anew.
-Build a repertoire of techniques and ideas. Have confidence in your creations and own them. Just because they may have sprung from someone else’s inspiration doesn’t detract from your own evolution.
-Organize your ideas because it will make it easier to access them and utilize your creativity.
-Choose your goal. Decide what you want to work on or work with and explore it to the best of your ability.
-Water is always available. It can be used to dilute flavor to make it approachable, like a splash in your glass of scotch or it can be used to change textures, like rehydrating freeze dried fruit. It’s also important to know when not to use water because you want to add flavor instead of subtract.
-Know when to close the door. Sometimes you’re just wasting time. If a dish isn’t working, know when to walk away and try something completely different.
-Realize that most mysteries are lack of knowledge.
-Use your subconscious. Pay attention to random thoughts and dreams.
3. Motivation: the desire to create must be stronger than fear of failure. Throwing spaghetti on the wall knowing that you can always clean up the mess later.
-Creativity is an attitude. View life as an explorer looking for opportunities and relationships, pay attention to small details and occasionally step back to see the big picture.
-Every finish line is also a starting point.
-Know your own taste and establish a clear voice.
-Allow the ingredients to inspire you.
-Pay attention to sensory experiences. Taste and memory are intertwined and certain textures and flavors resonate with certain populations. Utilize sensations to increase flavor and improve the dining experience.
-Enjoy the moment. Food peaks quickly and then deteriorates.
-Spontaneity is facilitated by constant rehearsal of skill sets. Ability allows for creativity.
-Every “overnight” success is the result of hard work.
-Structure allows for creativity. Having too many options can be paralyzing. Embrace parameters because they can actually allow for more creativity.
4. Adaptation: the ability to learn from your mistakes, successes and all of the bumps in the road on the way.
-Focus your energy. It’s easy to be distracted by ideas and lose your way. Jot down new ideas but always keep the end goal in mind.
-Establish your own set of rules to work by but don’t be afraid to change them if the situation calls for flexibility.
-Many times the smallest detail can affect the overall outcome. Calibration can make a big difference.
-Realize that there is always a right and wrong in cooking that it is determined by your standards. You choose what is right for you.
-Keep your audience in mind when composing a dish. Nobody cooks in a vacuum.
-Science can be art and vice versa. It all depends on your perspective.
-Realize that the description can be as important as the execution.
-Draw on past experiences and extrapolate.
-Don’t just balance flavors on your tongue, use you nose and balance your aromas.
-Take advantage of your resources and use them whenever you can. They will only make you better.
5. Refinement (Editing): Knowing when to say when. Utilizing critical examination to determine when a preparation is at its peak, when a dish is done, when a technique works perfectly and when you need to do more. Being able to trim the fat and sharpen the edged to reveal the hidden treasure its best advantage.
-Have a clear goal. Focus on delicious and always keep it in the back of your mind.
-Have a sense of urgency to move you forward. Use your energy wisely and don’t spin your wheels if you can avoid it.
-Are your components working together or struggling against one another? Everything on a plate should taste good, eaten alone or together.
-Explore all your options and then narrow them down. Too much is too much.
-Subtlety is underappreciated. Big bold flavors are wonderful but so is finesse.
-Start with the best raw materials available and do your best not to screw them up.
-When using a filter remember that it produces two sets of ingredients that you can use.
-Trim the fat and remove any extraneous details that simply add noise to the plate.
Amazing what happens when you forget about your weed patch for a while. These beauties allow us to pin point where we put the aromatic force of verbena in a particular dish.
Aki took the Japanese eggplants from our garden, sliced them and gave them a brief brine. Afterwards, she sauteed them in some olive oil and then poured a miso-basil marinade over them. They were delicious and I wanted to contribute. Since we keep guanciale from Boccalone frozen in the freezer for just such an occasion, I shaved a healthy pile on top of the warm eggplant. While this may not have been Aki's vision it was an amazing combination.
Today marks the anniversary of our leap into home ownership. Being down here in PA has been pretty special. The people, the home, the experiences are truly remarkable. To celebrate, some drink champagne, we eat cookies. These are some of my favorite, toffee-chocolate chips. Grab a glass of milk and enjoy vicariously. Great ideas are simmering and new thoughts brewing. Thankfully we have the opportunity to share them.
The t-shirt "Dude Where's My Gram Scale?" has had a rebirth. The original idea for the shirt was inspired by an embarrassing conversation with our friend Wylie many years ago and our subsequent search and obsession with the gram scale. To shorten the story, we were cooking in pinches not grams, an approach which does not yield consistent results nor repeatable results. Wylie, every so eloquently, encouraged the purchase of the gram scale. From that day forward we constantly ask about the location of said scale.
With the story now told, our friends over at Stove Monkeys have printed the shirt which is now available and shipping. Don't get caught in the awkward predicament I was in. Locate your scale and weigh your pinch.
How do you show people that you love them? Alex does it by walking tirelessly up and down beside the pool where we are on vacation while Amaya sleeps peacefully on his shoulder. We're not much for Valentine's Day in terms of gifts and spending lots of money. Instead we simply take a breath and a moment to appreciate the ones we love. Less marketing and more communion makes Valentine's Day a holiday worth marking on the calendar.
In the digital world, everything changes, evolves, and transforms. We have been taking pictures of food for over five years now and have only occasionally taken the time to print them out and experience them on a wall. There is something evocative about the transformation from computer screen to reality. The idea of bringing tangible versions of our work to the table has been on our minds. Recent requests have spurred us to take things to the next level.
There is often the question, what should we put on our walls? What is artwork, what captures a feeling and inspires thought? We have created a gallery of our favorite images that will found inside the egg. We've received our copies of each print to check out the quality and clarity and they will be available for perusal and for purchase in about a week.
If you are in the Philadelphia area and are interested in obtaining one of the pre-release copies of these photographs e-mail us.
The best bakeries are happy places. How could they not be, people come to them when they are in celebratory moods, to order cakes or share some brownies and coffee. Even those who come in sad are there because they believe on some level the sugar will brighten their mood. How they feel afterwards depends on how much sugar they actually ingest. Alex had a craving for cupcakes and a little research sent us to Plainsboro, NJ to a bakery in a small retail strip. Upon entering the pink decor and happy staff were instantly welcoming.
The store itself was clean and homey and the baked goods arranged in the glass case were tempting. So much so that Alex returned to car with a dozen cupcakes and a cinnamon roll for the two of us and Amaya. Fortunately she had woken from her slumber so we took the warm cinnamon roll and his coffee back inside and added a lemon peel + ginger Mash soda and eventually a brownie. We ate and drank and Amaya happily wandered throughout and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. When we got home we discovered that the strawberry cupcakes were made with strawberry cake and frosting, which made us wonder why more places don't flavor their cakes, and their frosting was not as heavy as it looked, which was a good thing. The butter cream had the flavor of real butter and the chocolate frosted white cupcake was pretty darned edible. They were hands down the best cupcakes we've eaten in quite a while. The strawberry ones actually have us thinking about the perfect banana cupcake. Would the frosting be chocolate, caramel or peanut butter? In the meantime we've found a new bakery relatively close to our favorite Whole Foods and that is a very good thing.
The rain is sheeting down as we get ready to set sail. We're gearing up for another fun cruise with plenty of play time in the kitchen. It'll all be sunny tomorrow after a good night's sleep. Bon voyage.
June third, we had something to do. Our calendar has been a bit of a mess and we are juggling a number of projects. Juggling is good as long as nothing hits the floor. Our day started early, water leak and all. Something important loomed, Amaya's sixth month birthday, no that would be the sixth. We carried on with the day and finally simultaneously asked each other about what the heck was important today. Then it hit, it's our ninth wedding anniversary and we both plum forgot it. To be honest, I do not remember many of our anniversaries. I remember days and events by what we did together, what we experienced, how we laughed and cried, screamed and smiled. Days are days. Experiences are what defines them. So now, when we look back and even look forward we can always tell the story of the anniversary we both forgot and how it will be with us forever. It's funny because it's true.
I am not sure if the history of this tradition dates back to the origins of beer, donuts or the NFL draft. What I do know for sure is the NFL season starts fresh today and there is nothing better than chasing toothpaste mouth with a fresh donut and a cold beer. It has been many years since I have partaken in this ritualistic past time and more importantly longer since I have shared the secrets of draft day. As the baseball season seems to drone on and on, yes I know it just started, draft day is the glimmer of light in the otherwise painful professional sports spring season. The one recent caveat with draft day donuts is that now the draft does not start until four in the afternoon. Somehow the NFL did not check with those that wish to consume vast quantities of beer and donuts earlier in the day using tradition as a loose excuse for sugar and hops gluttony. If you get a moment, grab a donut and a beer and celebrate, the draft is only 72 hours of televised nothingness where we can begin to get our hopes up for the upcoming season with dreams of undefeated teams, 2000 yard running backs and touchdowns galore.
I am still brimming with inspiration and putting words to smiles is not always an easy task. Here is a sneak peek at a neighborhood, actually our new neighborhood, farm, which we were able to get a better look at today. What lies beneath the tunnels only scrapes the surface of the greatness this farm has in store. It turns out we cooked for these artisan farmers a few years back when we were on Martha's Vineyard. Where were we? Well the question is more like where are we? We've relocated to Bucks County, PA, just outside of Philly. This photo was taken today on a tour of Blue Moon Acres with Kathy, Jim, Ashley, and Shola. It was a great reintroduction to possibilities and passion.
Sometimes life just gets in the way of cooking. Our daily posts have stuttered a bit lately and for that we apologize. Life has take a few twists and turns that have kept us mostly out of the kitchen several days a week. We could write volumes about real estate, house hunting in another state, negotiations (three different bids and still no house, it's a buyers market in my dreams), and raising a baby but that's just not what this particular website is all about. So please bear with us as we push through some challenges in our personal lives, we'll keep up here to the best of our abilities. In the meantime, check out our twitter feed labeled as Off the Cuff Ideas in the side bar. Here we are able to present our musings in their rawest of states.
Sometimes distractions pull focus, taking us away from tasks and projects. Sometimes a distraction allows us to see what our blinders had previously blocked from view. If you become distracted take a closer look at why. It may be a new opportunity wrapped up and ready to be opened.
Clearly we're operating with a few distractions at the moment. One of which is cooking dinner for a group of people that has just been cut in half, less than an hour before the meal is to be served. This is not a catered affair, simply a choice meal with friends and family. Still, there is an abundance of prime ribeye at the ready, soon to be the basis for tomorrow's inspirations. Some might see this as a minor catastrophe, others as a benevolent twist of fate. Only time will tell what will happen next.
We eat words, we consume them, very often we disregard how they taste. Words and random thoughts can create a mental obesity. We are constantly bombarded by an excess of superfluous information for the brain. Sure they may be sweet and creamy, salty, heavy, warm, and enjoyable. Fast food for the brain. What happened to slowly cooking and eating a meal, starting with a single pristine ingredient and slowly building the rest around it? How can we streamline the diet for our brains? Limit the internet. A day without computers. A mental vacation that feels impossible to take. What can we do with a day without that constant stream of information, that mental crutch? I believe it is important to write longhand occasionally. Forget email, forget twitter. Why do we use these things? I am not quite sure. I do not even know if I would be able to stick to my own plan. Simply imagine it, a day of conversations and books, a day without static and unnecessary distractions. Maybe that will be a day that I renew my acquaintance with myself.
How do we get the flavor of seared foie gras into a terrine? We did not begin with this question although in retrospect it would make a good story about how we developed a dish. I keep trying to pin point creative moments. I want to calculate how to harness idea generation and creativity from inspiration to execution. I have just finished the twelve week program detailed in The Artist's Way. It was more difficult than I imagined and I did some things well and others not so much. I am not that into collages, they make me feel like a little kid, idling along and just passing time away.
It turns out that sometimes the mind needs to simply let time flow by. That is when ideas grow. Just because you cannot watch the growth of a seedling does not mean that it isn't happening. Creativity, ideas, improvisation, crafts, and skills need to be practiced, rehearsed, nurtured, and released. While I have achieved great success in the first twelve weeks I now realize there is much more to be done. It is exciting to be part of an evolution, particularly our own.
Sometimes not finishing a dish is the ultimate compliment. While a dish, an idea, and a creation are intended to be fully consumed, the recipient may not have the capacity for full consumption. Alternatively a dish can be so good that just a few bites are needed to satiate the palate and create a feeling of contentment in the diner. In these cases, the recipient has two chooices, to consume more than is satisfying or to leave food on the plate. Often over-consumption can lead to discomfort and actually take away from the initial pleasure derived from the first few bites. The small adjustment of leaving a few bites on the plate can make all the difference. The memory of the moment can be elevated from one of slightly painful excess to the pleasure of finding a truly indulgent experience with no negative repercussions. As a chef, I have often checked plates as they came back to the kitchen to make sure that the guest finished everything on the dish. And when they did not I usually started an inquisition with the wait staff. Yet personal experience has taught me that a clean plate does not necessarily equal a happy consumer. We all have different palates and different appetites. It is almost impossible to tailor portion sizes perfectly to each diner. As a chef it is more important to know how much the experience was enjoyed, rather than how much food is left on the plate. No one wants to end a meal feeling as though their stomachs are stretched to their outer limits, instead our goal is pleasureable satiation. It's a fine distinction and an important one. As always the key to good food is in the details, part of the trick is understanding which ones are the most important.
Grant Achatz is bringing Alinea to NYC for an evening. This Thursday, November 6, 2008 is Alinea at Astor Center and guests will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with Grant, sip Laurent-Perrier Champagne, experience several tantalizing tastes from the book and the restaurant, and go home with a cook's ultimate party favor, a signed copy of Alinea. Rumor has it there are still a few tickets available, so if you have the evening open and the available ducats, you should definitely check it out.
And last but not least, there is a video of me, not realizing that I was being filmed, playing with liquid nitrogen as I prepared powdered Delice de Bourgogne for the dinner we prepared last Saturday.
Mentally, that is. I only wish that I was out there for real. Alex is
cooking a dinner tonight and current circumstances have limited me to
prep. If I have to miss the party, at least I could be at the beach. Sigh. Hope they're having fun without me...
PS: This is my first iphone post and I can't quite figure out the settings. If it looks a little weird I apologize,
clearly figuring out the typepad app is a work in progress.
Rumor has it that the next new episode of Food Detectives, which was scheduled to air tomorrow, will feature a segment on cooking with liquid nitrogen. Although looking at the website tonight it may have been moved to October 2 at 8:30pm. Admittedly it's late & I'm exhausted so I may be reading things wrong. Anyway we taped a segment with Ted on liquid nitrogen featuring four different applications. Don't know what will actually make it through edits onto the show, but it should be fun to find out...whenever it actually ends up on the air.
Thanks again to everyone who came to my panel discussion this afternoon and our class this evening. It was a pleasure meeting all of you and we hope you enjoyed the experience as much as we did.
We've landed in New Orleans and all is well. We were able to check into our hotel room early, which was a
blessing. It is very conveniently located in the French Quarter and we have already consumed a few good meals. There's just something about the South. The atmosphere is laid back, the people are friendly, and the food is good. What more could we ask for?
Actually we're having a bit trouble sourcing ingredients for our class on Monday. It's a minor blip and I'm sure we'll work things out one way or another, The class may have to evolve according to circumstances. On the bright side we've had quite few "aha" moments since we've arrived, thoughts that will definitely translate into new dishes for our kitchen. For example, one of the items at dinner tonight was barbecued ribs with pickled watermelon rind. The pickles were unusual in that they were very tender and deeply spiced, actually reminiscent of apple pie filling, so much so that the couple next to us who recommended the dish actually thought they were apples at first. It was our first fall pickle experience, a day early, and it's making us look at pickles from an entirely different angle. We're ready to move away from light, crunchy summer pickles into something a little deeper and richer for the cooler months. Who says pickles have to be crisp and light? Our next pickle will definitely be something a little bit more.
A chef and his wife were in town for the Congress and we were chatting with him about where he ate yesterday. Lunch was Jean Georges and dinner was Chipotle. When we asked him how he ended up at Chipotle he reminded us that his wife is pregnant. Apparently they were walking down the street when she turned to him and informed him that if she didn't eat in the next ten minutes they would be having a huge fight. Chipotle was nearby and she had dinner in under ten minutes.
Apparently some pregnancy symptoms are universal. Alex pretty much has this same window between the time I tell him I'm hungry and a major meltdown. Let me tell you, the meltdown only has to happen once before the daddy to be learns to take your hunger pangs seriously.
This evening I had the opportunity to see the construction of a huge event, Star Chefs 2008. I was there for a walk through, more designed for those presenting rather than speaking, though it was well worth the trip. I had forgotten how much work takes place behind the scenes to put on such an event. Tonight I caught a glimpse. I caught up briefly with a few friends, though I spent more time observing with an awestruck expression. I had the opportunity to meet a few chefs whom we have admired for years. It was an incredible feeling to actually be able to say hello to them and to share my enthusiasm for their inspiring work.
I was able to pick up an advance copy of the Star Chefs program, really a softcover book, which delves into the minds of those involved in this culinary collaboration. The fact that just a few hours later our copy is already taking on the patina of a well worn book speaks of the talent involved and the quality of the material.
It is amazing what ideas can do to spark new thoughts. I cannot
wait for tomorrow. We're looking forward to an educational and exciting few days being inspired by some of the best chefs in the world.
is one of our favorite months. The weather is usually beautiful, sunny, not too hot with the beginnings of foliage transforming the landscape. This coming weekend is the Star Chefs International Chefs Congress and we are lucky enough to be attending and participating in a panel discussing chefs who blog with Andrea Strong, Michael Laiskonis, and Traci Des Jardins. The congress is a great opportunity to learn new things, connect with old friends, and hopefully make some new ones. Please come up and say hello if you're going to be there. We always enjoy meeting readers, after all, you're the reason why we continue to do this.
The weekend after that we are traveling down to New Orleans. The trip is a mixture of business and
pleasure. I will be on another panel, this time for the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs National Conference. The topic for that one is Cutting Edge Cuisine, Is it a Boy's Club and I will be joining the discussion with Susan Spicer and Elizabeth Faulkner. There don't seem to be that many women involved in the panel's description of cutting edge cuisine (i.e. molecular gastronomy) so it should be an interesting discussion. It's rare these days to find a type of cuisine that actually seems to be somewhat split along gender lines. We'll be talking about whether or not that's really the case and why that might be happening.
While we're in New Orleans Alex and I are taking a day or two to relax and explore, a minivacation of sorts before I won't be able to travel far and the newest addition to the family arrives. So, if you have any suggestions for great places to eat (more local and less break the bank type joints) or interesting things to do, we'd love to hear them. We're capping off the trip with an evening class at Savvy Gourmet, on Monday, September 22, 2008 at 7pm. That evening we'll be working with liquid nitrogen, caramelized white chocolate, and a few other fun dishes from Ideas in Food.
Tomorrow morning we're heading out to Rhode Island. It's a yearly
pilgrimage, at least it is when we're
actually on the East Coast and
able to go. It means seeing friends and family that we don't get to
see very often and it means fresh seafood, salt air, and the sound of
the ocean from morning till night. What more could anyone ask for?
Well, I would love to bring the dog and the cats but fortunately my mom is babysitting the beasties for us while we're gone. We'll miss all of them while we're away. It's a luxury to know that Mom will be holding down the fort. We'll be posting from the road and we're actually bringing some work on
vacation with us. Not that we're complaining, almost anything is easier
at a beach house. Now if we could only figure out how to live in one
year round we'd be all set.
It seems our time in Japan was too short. Memories exist where dreams once formed. It is now up to us
to harness these memories and draw on their influence on us as we continue to grow and develop. I am looking forward to seeing how these recent experiences will affect our cooking and approach to ingredients.
I was quite surprised by my affinity for the simple. The ingredients we saw were incredible. They were pristine and unadulterated. The purity and pleasure we experienced in walking through the markets in Osaka and Tokyo is captured in our pictures. We did not end up buying much because we did not have a kitchen to work from so instead we mentally cataloged, sorted, compiled and cooked.
I came to Japan with high expectations. I believed it would provide a stimulus to my mind and change the
way I looked at food. I was looking for an epiphany point. What I did not expect and now realize is that the stimulus is already inside us.
We're off to Osaka this morning. We've got a few posts scheduled so you'll hardly know that
we're gone. Comments will be slower to appear than usual because our Internet will be sporadic at best until we arrive at our hotel. A big thank you to everyone who sent their thoughts on Japan with suggestions and advice. Your help was invaluable. It'll be a jam packed couple of days before we meet the ship and we can't wait to see what kind of goodies we discover! As always we'll we posting regularly from the ship.
It was great to see an article on chef blogs by one of our favorite food writers in the LA Times today. And we pleasantly surprised to see that we were mentioned. A friend of ours sent us a picture of the article. And yes, that is our website in the background on his computer screen. (Thanks Mark!)
What is exciting about this article is that more and more chefs are starting blogs and sticking with them. We can honestly say that Ideas in Food has been instrumental in our own culinary development, refinement, creativity and quest for tasty. It's been a great experience for us and our readers have been a fountain of new ideas. We look forward to more chefs finding their voices and creating new inspirations for us all.
I wish. How often do those words roll across your tongue or at least pass through your mental lips? The difference between "I wish" and "I did" is not that big, yet crossing that line sometimes seems impossible. The risk factor involved in turning wishes into reality can become a huge mental obstacle. It is amazing and inspiring to look at the success stories around us while we ponder the "hows" and "whys" of what we're going to do next.
They say that easiest way to complete a large task is to break it up into manageable pieces:
What is the first step we need to take right now?
Where are we going to improve?
What do we need to let go of?
Who are we going to enlist to help us champion our dreams?
What are the next five steps?
If the creek isn't rising, today is as good a time as any to begin.
From our family to yours! Whatever your reasons to celebrate, do it with gusto and enjoy the moment. We are t
hankful for so many things this year and we wish you all of the luck, happiness, health, and good cheer that the world has to offer. Happy Holidays everyone!
...and by the way, Santa brought us a video camera this year which means there will be interesting things ahead for Ideas in Food. That is, once we figure out how to use it!
The nominations for the 2007 Food Blog Awards are now up and there are just three days to cast your vote in any and all categories. What is truly exciting about these awards is that each year we are exposed to a great number of new bloggers that we may not have found on our own.
We are nominated for the awards for both Best Food Blog-Chef and Best Food Blog-Group and we would truly appreciate your votes. Although we certainly will not try to sway your opinions in any of the other categories, we do encourage everyone to vote for each award. And as you cast your ballots for your favorite blogs, we hope that you will take a moment to visit the websites of the other nominees, you are certain to discover many hidden gems. We certainly did. There are some very passionate people out there, sharing their love of food with the world. Thank you to everyone who threw our names in the hat. It is our honor and pleasure to be recognized for this site. Thank you all for stopping by.
We missed the boat, but you don't have to. Menu For Hope 4 is now live. There are incredible prizes being offered. While this year we did not donate a prize, we will definitely be buying some raffle tickets with hopes of winning one for ourselves. So come on, check out the list of amazing donations that our fellow food bloggers have put together. People who love food and wine tend to be a generous bunch and this year is no exception.
And for those that want to see beyond the prize, as we all should, here is the information on where your money will be going. It's a reminder that somehow there's still not enough food in the world because every day there are still people going hungry.
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