As a lead-in to the 4th of July, the Daily Meal has posted “The Great American Fried Chicken Road Map” with coast-to-coast selections ranging from Seattle down to Miami and Los Angeles up to Boston.
http://www.thedailymeal.com/great-american-fried-chicken-roadmap-2013
Tom Philpott at Mother Jones critiques David H. Freeman’s recent Atlantic cover story “How Junk Food Can End Obesity.” Read them both and then decide for yourself:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-junk-food-can-end-obesity/309396/?single_page=true
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/06/fat-chance-why-atlantics-defense-junk-food-fails
Marion Nestle celebrates receiving her advance copy of her new book Eat, Drink, Vote: an Illustrated Guide to Food Politics, slated for release September 3rd.
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2013/06/eat-drink-vote-my-single-advance-copy/
With temperatures ranging from the low 80s into the 100s across the nation this past week, Saveur is your savior with their list of high rated, reader reviewed cold soups:
http://www.saveur.com/article/-/Cool-Soups
If anyone else panicked earlier this week after reading Buzzfeed’s article “8 Food’s We Eat In the U.S. That Are Banned In Other Countries,“ take a deep breath. NPR sent in investigators, and here is what they had to say:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleyperez/8-foods-we-eat-in-the-us-that-are-banned-in-other-countries
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/06/24/195204951/our-beef-with-buzzfeeds-viral-article-on-8-dangerous-foods
10 towns in Maine revolt; declaring independence from state and federal regulations on locally produced food, also from NPR:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/28/186955163/farm-free-or-die-maine-towns-rebel-against-food-rules
Would you dare to eat guinea pig? Is Peru the next culinary trend, or is it just “having a moment” as CNN says? Read on to go deeper than rotisserie chicken and ceviche, with a video featuring the country’s leading chef, Gaston Acurio:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/06/26/gaston-acurio-perus-culinary-god/
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/03/27/peruvian-food/
Nathanael Johnson, author of All Natural and Grist’s new food writer, comes out from behind the curtain to introduce himself with his manifesto for clean eating and clear thinking:
http://grist.org/food/beyond-gut-instinct-a-manifesto-for-clean-eating-and-clear-thinking/
by Adriana Lucci
Known for the Oscars of the food industry and elaborate evening soirées, I was surprised to be laughing with strangers in a casual setting within five minutes of entering “A Moveable Feast” sponsored by the James Beard Foundation Greens a few days ago.
Greens does not require a membership with the James Beard Foundation. Rather, it is a division of the larger organization that is focused on gathering people between the ages of 21 and 40 who share an interest in food and drink together to experience, learn, and have fun. Instead of a formal sit down dinner like at the James Beard House, which usually sets you back $130 a head, Greens events appeal to a different demographic, have more accessible price points, and provide a more casual atmosphere than the JBF House.
“A Moveable Feast” garnered about 150 people, who chatted and mingled over snacks and drinks (all inclusive with the ticket) from some of the city’s newer, up and coming restaurants. The event featured seven chefs housed in seven apartments on the third floor of Stonehenge’s new luxury apartment building at 101 West 15th Street. Guests trickled in nonchalantly from 6:30 onward, and enjoyed an casual atmosphere where it was easy to chat up strangers—chefs and guests alike—dressed in a range of attire from shorts and flip flops (a spenser staff favorite) to jeans, button downs, and jackets.
Instead of sipping lobster consommé a la James Beard Gala, I happily munched on fried pickles with dill mayo from chefs at The Beagle in Alphabet City—who brought their genius lead bartender, Tom Richter, to shake Manhattans and stir Gin & Tonics made with Tom’s own handcrafted quinine syrups. Another room focused on Arthur Avenue, a.k.a. “The Real Little Italy,” with offerings of cheeses, olives, and marinara-laden fried eggplant roll-ups generously stuffed with ricotta cheese from Teitel Brothers Grocery and Gerbasi Ristorante.
Other highlights included smoked tri-tip from Pittmaster Matt Fisher of Fletcher’s Barbecue; Austrian fleischlabrl—essentially a meatball served over potato purée with Fried Onions & Peppercorn Sauce from Chef Swainson Brown of Café Katja’s (in photo above); along with graham cracker cookies with peanut butter cream and a sheet of chocolate, or vanilla cream with cocoa nibs and candied orange peel from Uri Scheft of Breads Bakery.
Though it was full of professional folks, “A Moveable Feast” lacked the pretension that often weighs down other events in Manhattan. When it comes right down to it, JBF Greens seems more about having fun than making connections, which is a nice change of pace - especially if you want to head out for a summer night in Manhattan wearing flip flops.
JBF Greens throws about twelve events every year, from apartment hopping with food and drinks to chef demonstrations and cooking classes, which usually cap at 20 people. If you’re interested in upcoming happenings—including a summer themed bartending event in July and a rooftop tasting and cocktail party in September—all you have to do is sign up for e-vites on their website, which will alert you to each event about three to four weeks in advance. Go Green, and eat, drink, and enjoy stress-free in NYC.
Photo courtesy of the James Beard Foundation
By Margot Tuchler
There is perhaps no summer event that epitomizes British tradition better than Wimbledon. Less often appreciated, it would seem, is British cuisine, which until recently found itself overshadowed by the rich food cultures of its European neighbors.
This is not the case, however, for Nick Spencer, who grew up near Yorkshire before relocating to the States in 2007. Two years later, he and his wife Connie (a Yank) both endeavored to start their own businesses. While she developed a law practice, he sought to fill a void he had discovered in Chicago’s crowded sausage scene: traditional British bangers. Spencer began selling bangers and puddings and British-style back bacon, and soon customers were asking for other British items. Eventually, demand was great enough to compel Spencer to open his shop: Spencer’s Jolly Posh, which aims to represent the best of British and Irish food—including British staples that are missed in the U.S. (Lucozade, HP sauce, etc.), and specialty items imported from the U.K. and Ireland.
For those of us who can’t enjoy the grass courts of Wimbledon firsthand, here are a few highlights from Spencer’s store that will get you in the mood to turn on the telly and watch a match or two.
Jolly Posh Pork Bangers, Black Pudding and Back Bacon: The crown jewels (ahem) of Spencer’s store is the selection of handmade meats being offered. The owner is proud of his freezer case, and rightfully so: it’s packed with a variety of bangers, puddings and bacon, all Spencer’s own original recipes. These sausages are so good they’re even offered for sale at some of the country’s top gourmet stores like Chicago’s Fox & Obel and Ann Arbor’s Zingerman’s Deli. (Zingerman’s even named Spencer’s back bacon one of its top foods of 2010.) The good news for you Anglophiles in other parts of the country is that Jolly Posh ships their meat products anywhere in the US.
The New York Times reports that the USDA has approved a non-G.M.O. label for meat and liquid egg products. The label will attest that meat certified by the Non-GMO Project came from animals that never ate feed containing genetically engineered ingredients like corn, soy and alfalfa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/21/business/us-approves-a-label-for-meat-from-animals-fed-a-diet-free-of-gene-modified-products.html
Barbeque is all about competition—between methods, pitmasters, or regional rubs and mops—and while most BBQ experts favor wood smoke in the fuel debate, Texas Monthly roots for the underdog in their article “In Defense of Gassers.”
http://www.texasmonthly.com/story/defense-gassers
Take a food history lesson from NPR and listen to their 7-minute broadcast: “Gourmands Through the Ages: ‘A History of Food in 100 Recipes’”
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/06/20/193583621/gourmands-through-the-ages-a-history-of-food-in-100-recipes
Adam Platt all but slams Jean-Georges latest NYC project, ABC Cocina—a Nuevo Latino hotspot capitalizing on the taco craze, calling the $6 (each) tacos overwrought and underwhelming. Perhaps future taco cravings should be fixed with a 40+ minute ride to Jackson Heights.
http://www.grubstreet.com/2013/06/platt-on-abc-cocina.html
Take a minute—or five, depending on your bandwith—to download the deliciously stylish vegan/DIY food mag Chickpea’s summer issue for free (usually $4 for the digital version) here.
http://sewindie.fetchapp.com/get/gmobae
Tom Philpot at Mother Jones asks: “Did a Slave Process the Shrimp in Your Scampi?”
http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/06/did-slave-process-shrimp-your-scampi
And just to be sure that we don’t take ourselves too seriously: The Daily Meal gives us their picks for top viral food stories from the first half of 2013
http://www.thedailymeal.com/top-viral-food-stories-you-may-have-missed-slideshow
by Joel LeVangia
A good documentary chooses an interesting subject, explicates it in an accessible way, and subjects the informative material to a time pressure or human element for dramatic effect. Somm does this. In fact, it does several things very well, and any defects (like say, the repetitive and sophomoric destruction of filled wine glasses) are easily overlooked.
The interesting subject at issue is the world of wine and the wine geeks who love it. Now, wine geekery has the ability to be intensely annoying. We’ve all been to Napa and heard the following breathlessly intoned “It’s like a foggy London night with hints of raspberry and woodsmoke,” or “Try to imagine yourself in a Venetian gondola with unctuous gobbets of lamb fat drizzling onto a fire.” And if we haven’t, we can certainly go there and some pretentious 23-year-old will be passing this off on middle aged tourists in acid-wash jeans, sweatshirts, and sneakers, who are just trying to get drunk. Those people deserve each other.
Somm, directed by Jason Wise, has a little bit of both that 23-year-old and that sneakered philistine in it, but at its best, it bridges the incomprehensible gap between “medium, medium plus body, floral bouquet, slight oak, and melon rind,” and “I think we’re supposed to have white with fish.” There is a basis for both of the preceding statements, and Somm hints at the reason for the divide as it describes the incredibly rigorous and voluminous study that must be undertaken to earn the title of Master Sommelier.
There is a great moment in the film when an advanced sommelier named Margaux Pierog says, “Start licking rocks, you’ve never done that? Just understand what that is,” at one point laughing at herself for how ridiculous it sounds. That statement however, is what separates the wheat from the chaff, the metaphor-spouters in tasting rooms from those analytical freaks who really want to grind down into the wine grid and be able to express verbally what is going on chemically in a given vintage.
It is those people, who have taken on the impossible task of translating an arbitrary set of molecular sequences and signifying them with another arbitrary set of metaphorical phrases (at one point in the film, “cat pee” is revealed to be euphemized as “black currant”) who provide the drama as they study for their medical boards/bar exam/NFL combine. Who, if anyone, is going to pass the exam? I found the answers surprising and my concern for the fate of the subjects grew as the story unfolded.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who is bothered by the fact that they don’t know very much about wine. People who know vaguely which color goes with which class of food will be pleased to see how much work is done by the restaurant employees (none of them master sommeliers) who are tasked with helping them make their wine selection. Wine can be a lot of fun as long as you don’t decide it’s all a lot of b.s., and Somm does a good job of demonstrating how it isn’t.
Somm opens nationwide in select theaters this weekend. It is also available on iTunes.
(Photo: DLynn Proctor, Eric Railsback, Dustin Wilson, Brian McClintic and Ian Cauble in SOMM by Forgotten Man Films / Samuel Goldwyn Films)
After we linked to last week’s tips from Food52, it’s only fair to give our readers another angle on grilling steak. The Food Lab at Serious Eats fiercely tests “7 Old Wives’ Tales About Cooking Steak That Need To Go Away”
http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/the-food-lab-7-old-wives-tales-about-cooking-steak.html
Quick read: Chef and restaurateur Barbara Lynch, the brain and brawn behind some of Boston’s highest rated restaurants—including No. 9 Park, B&G Oysters, Sportello, The Butcher Shop, and Drink—is writing a memoir about how she moved up the ladder from a girl in working class Southie to a two-time James Beard Award-winner; via Eater
http://boston.eater.com/archives/2013/06/12/barbara-lynch-is-writing-a-memoir.php
GQ puts forth what they are calling “The 3 Best Sparkling Wines for Summer” and there is a special prize for anybody who can pronounce Txakolina (not really) — bonus: they’re all priced under $22.
http://www.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2013/06/the-3-best-sparkling-wines-for-summer.html?mbid=nl_weekly4a
Are you serious about self-documenting your dinners? The Kitchn gives protips for taking better photos of your dinner that are helpful to professionals and enthusiasts alike.
http://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-taking-better-food-photos-when-you-travel-guest-post-from-dylan-jeni-190758
Anthony Bourdain blogs about his long-dreamed of journey to travel up the Congo River for his TV series “Parts Unknown”—complete with requisite Heart of Darkness references.
http://anthonybourdain.tumblr.com/post/52241870489/whispering-come-find-out
What is “grain salad” and can Mark Bittman convince you to toss one of your own? If his writing doesn’t, the accompanying graphic might.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/06/12/magazine/bittman-grain-salad.html
No surprise here: Big Ag well, wins big, and you as an American taxpayer are the victim according to Barry Estabrook’s coverage of the farm bill passed by the Senate this week.
http://politicsoftheplate.com/?p=1415
A sign of relief: Eat real food and you don’t have to worry about your salt intake writes Marion Nestle for her blog Food Politics
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2013/06/the-endless-debates-about-salt-dont-worry-eat-real-food/
At least this solves the “Which came first?” debate, in part: chickenless eggs thanks to Hampton Creek Foods and funding by Bill Gates. Via NPR (Photo by Meredith Paige)
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/06/13/191029875/why-bill-gates-is-investing-in-chicken-less-eggs
A new study demonstrates the harmful affects to animals raised on GMO feed, and debates about GMOs get even more complicated. Via Civil Eats
http://civileats.com/2013/06/12/damning-new-study-demonstrates-harm-to-animals-raised-on-gmo-feed/
People “want food with integrity, that’s honest, that’s real,” Daniel Hershberger told a Wisconsin courtroom recently, reports Modern Farmer. Daniel was testifying on behalf of his son, Vernon Hershberger, who was being prosecuted by the State of Wisconsin for three misdemeanor counts of licensure violation, and one misdemeanor count of violating a holding order, all for “selling” raw milk at his family farm.
Daniel had been called to testify about the motivation behind his son’s 2003 decision to switch from selling milk to large commercial bottlers to operating a private membership-supported food club that offered raw milk from his dairy.
From 2003 to 2010, the club grew from a handful of people to more than 100 families who could obtain raw milk and other farm fresh products in exchange for helping out by sweeping floors, raking manure, milking cows, cleaning udders, and washing jars, among other tasks.
Vernon’s operation was called into question by the Wisconsin Dept. of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP), which raided the farm—complete with armed sheriffs—in June of 2010. The DATCP sealed Hershberger’s coolers, freezers, and food shelves and issued a holding order barring Hershberger from touching any of the food in his club pantry. Modern Farmer also reports that DATCP agents even “threw a vial of blue dye into a milk tank full with more than 2,000 pounds of raw milk” making the milk unsuitable for sale.
The defense was simple. In addition to receiving the testimony from his father, Vernon argued that he wasn’t selling milk. He insisted that he didn’t needed a state license since the families that were part of his farm club were partners in the operation, leasing animals in exchange for the milk they produced.
It took the jury only a few hours to acquit him of all three licensing charges, finding him guilty of the one count of violating a holding order (which Vernon admitted doing at trial). Given that the holding order was only issued because the state believed Vernon was illegally engaging in the sale of raw milk without a license, Modern Farmer reports that Vernon is not expected to receive any jail time.
Pasteurization regulations are strictly enforced by government organizations like the DATCP, which consider raw milk a threat to public health. According to the Daily Beast, the Centers for Disease Control cites raw milk as the cause of 148 outbreaks of illness - from harmful bacteria like salmonella and E. Coli - from 1998 through 2011.
Under current law, large dairy organizations like Hood and Land O’ Lakes, which mix and bottle milk from many different farms are regulated in the same way as single family farms that sell only what they produce. Raw milk advocates believe that it is illogical to regulate small farms and large corporations in the same way and many small farmers want the right to independently produce and sell raw milk at their and their consumers’ own risk.
To that point, Elizabeth Rich of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, a raw milk advocacy group, tells the Daily Beast, “The Constitution didn’t include food freedom or the right to produce and consume food of our choice because they didn’t think they had to.”
Can you buy raw milk where you live? A state-by-state map of raw milk sale laws can be found here.
The New York Times writes that Élysée Palace (above), the official residence of the French President, has auctioned off 1,200 bottles of its finest wines in an effort of austerity that will renew the cellar with “more modest” vintages and return surplus revenues to the state budget.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/world/europe/austerity-reaches-frances-presidential-wine-cellar.html
NPR reports that a farmer in Oregon has found some genetically engineered wheat growing on his land. It’s an unwelcome surprise, because this type of wheat has never been approved for commercial planting.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/05/30/187103955/gmo-wheat-found-in-oregon-field-howd-it-get-there
This is one of those useful tricks you only learn in culinary school or professional kitchens: How to Peel Garlic Faster, via The Daily Meal.
http://www.thedailymeal.com/how-peel-garlic-faster
Since the “Eat More Kale” campaign started out of Vermont, more people have been turning to the hearty leaves for B Vitamins, Folate, and Magnesium. To keep it fresh, Food 52 has come up with 5 quick and easy dinners featuring Vermont’s favorite green.
http://food52.com/blog/6661-a-few-bunches-of-kale-5-dinners
Using leftovers is a cost-efficient way to enhance the flavor of your dinner. Unless it’s weeks old and oxidized beyond all hope, Bon Appetit has “10 Unexpected Ways to Use Leftover Wine.”
http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2013/01/how-to-use-leftover-wine.html
Saveur just posted a recipe for Escabeche de Cebolla (Yucatecan Pickled Red Onions) that is often served with fresh seafood on the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. Protip: Use this recipe, but leave out the cumin and oregano and replace red wine vinegar with balsamic for a beautiful accompaniment to pâté and strong blue cheeses.
http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Escabeche-De-Cebolla–Yucatecan-Pickled-Red-Onions
Upcoming event: The Cheesemonger Invitational is kicking off it’s fourth annual cheese tasting competition + cheese-focused seminars on Saturday June 29th. Tickets are $60 to $100, for details check out:
http://www.cheesemongerinvitational.com/
Photo of Elysée Palace by Eric Pouhier