We realize we may seem a little holiday-fixated around here. But one Easter has yet to come: Orthodox Easter, which falls on this coming Sunday, April 19. The use of two calendars often results in different timing in Western Easter's and Orthodox Easter's arrivals, which makes the day truly a movable feast.
Why is this worth a certain amount of hoopla? Well, look at the hunger pang-inducing bread shown above. One of the centerpieces of the Greek Orthodox Easter table, tsoureki paschalino (tsoo-REH-kee pahs-khah-lee-NO), or Greek Easter bread, is typically baked on Holy Thursday and traditionally shaped in a braid around an Easter egg. (The deep red dye symbolizes the crucifixion.) Tsoureki, a light yeast bread sometimes sweetened with a light touch of orange or almonds, has an airy, eggy texture similar to challah. A similar bread known as pinza is a mainstay on Italian Easter tables.
Within the Greek Orthodox church, Easter is considered by many to be the holiest day of the year. For many celebrants the period of Lent is one of self-discipline and self-purification during which one might refrain from treats or certain animal products. Additionally, on some days (traditionally Wednesdays and Fridays during the first weeks of Lent and every day during Holy Week) both wine and olive oil are also forbidden. The first post-Lenten meal is served after midnight Mass on Holy Saturday, where the traditional meal consists of mayeritsa (a soup made from the internal organs of the Easter lamb) and the deep maroon-dyed eggs that are part of the tsoureki.
Tsoureki is available in Greek bakeries; try this one, which ships its tsoureki.
She may or may not be a household name in your household or even in your parents', but she likely was in your grandmother's. As The Fannie Farmer Cookbook turns 112 years young, it is the perfect opportunity to visit, re-visit or learn about this important name in the domestic arts.
American cooking would not be the same without Fannie Farmer. So who was she and how did she have this much impact? Fannie Merritt Farmer was born in 1857 in Medford, MA. After a childhood that included a paralyzing stroke, Farmer enrolled in the famous Boston Cooking School at the age of 30. The Boston Cooking School was known for teaching the science of cooking as well as its art, and it was here that Farmer's influence on the domestic sciences began. Farmer, considered one of the school's star alumna, became its principal in 1891, and in 1896 published The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book (which was, to be fair, a revision of the earlier Mrs. Lincoln's Boston Cook Book).
The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book was groundbreaking; in addition to almost 2,000 recipes, it contained direction on housekeeping, canning and preserving, nutrition and the science of cooking. It also contained exact measures, a convention that we take for granted but which was revolutionary at a time when recipes (or receipts, as they were often known) contained such direction as "about twenty-five drops of liquid," "a common-size tumbler" or (my favorite) "two jills." Curiously (except, perhaps, to writers), the publisher was not optimistic about the book's success and ordered a short run.
Writing in Slate, Jewish food maven Joan Nathan ponders the bagel, that thick steering wheel of boiled dough that's such a cultural touchstone for American Jews. Now, a new book, The Bagel: A Cultural History delves into the subject, sussing out the bagel's ancient roots and exposing amusing details of the bagel's role in 20th century life.
Apparently, breads with holes have been around for centuries. Italians had hard crackers called taralli, Romans had something called buccellatum and the Chinese something called girde. Egyptians, Nathan adds, had their own - you can see the doughnut-shaped rolls in hieroglyphic displays at the Louvre. Polish Jews may have invented the modern bagel, when the Polish king first allowed Jews to begin commercial baking (they had previously been banned) and a baker made a round bread in his honor. Bagels found their way to the Lower East Side by the 19th century, and they burst into the non-Jewish American consciousness in the 1950s, when Lender's frozen bagels were invented. Today you can get them in Dunkin' Donuts stores from Albuquerque to Bangor.
Has anything we eat or drink infiltrated our cultural vernacular as thoroughly as coffee? Maybe coffee can't help itself: just as caffeine enters our bloodstream, perhaps so must coffee itself work its way through our culture. Whatever your position in the dialogue over chain coffee houses versus the local coffee place, here is a cup of hot coffee culture to start your day.
Read about it. If you watch AMC's Mad Men, you just learned that a cup of joe is called that after Joe Martinson, a New York City street coffee vendor who went on to found one of the lynchpin coffee businesses of the early twentieth century. Like most urban legends, there is no definitive proof that we actually got the saying from Joe Martinson, but it's a great story, as is the story of coffee itself. Mark Pendergrast 's Uncommon Grounds: the History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World takes you through the global coffee scene, from the inception of coffee trading through American mass marketing. If you'd rather enjoy a good novel with your latte, then try David Liss' The Coffee Trader or Cleo Coyle's coffeehouse mystery series.
I am fascinated by Mimolette. This bright orange French cheese is the size of a bowling ball. Its appearance is breathtaking. It looks like a giant cantaloupe. After I first tried Mimolette, I was struck by its firm texture and sweet caramel-like taste. In addition, I was intrigued by its remarkable similarities with many of the aged Dutch cheeses I've tried in the past. And so, after looking into its history, I was not surprised that it was first produced to model a Dutch cheese, called Edam.
The history of Mimolette -
During the 17th century, Louis XIV-the Sun King-had both a cultural and economic plan for France. The goal was to decrease all imports and increase all exports. The theory was that it would benefit French economy, because other countries would be purchasing French products. Culturally, Louis XIV wanted France to produce the best of everything, from clothing to food. France was to become the European trend setter. How did these laws initiate and encourage the production of Mimolette?
Regions of France along the borders were culturally affected by the king's agenda. For example, in northeastern France, Flanders, people ate Dutch food. Their diet consisted of foods imported from Holland. In the northern French city of Lille, Edam was probably the most common cheese, the most popular at the time.
However, in response to Louis XIV's laws forbidding the importation of Edam, French people in and around Lille created their own Edam-like cheese – Mimolette. So what's the difference? The cheese is produced same way as Edam with the addition of annatto, a natural food coloring agent. Although they both have a spherical shape and same texture, Mimolette has a natural rind (no wax) and an intense orange color due to the annatto.
I've seen fewer and fewer chefs wearing the traditional chef's hat (toque blanche). I still had to wonder why anyone started wearing it at all. I found the answer on Chef Talk. During the 16th century, "artisans of all types (including chefs) were often imprisoned, or even executed, because of their freethinking. To alleviate persecution, some chefs sought refuge in the Orthodox Church and hid amongst the priests of the monasteries. There they wore the same clothes as the priests-including their tall hats and long robes." At that time, however, the chefs' clothes were gray.
In the mid 1800's, the uniforms were redesigned by chef Marie-Antoine Carême. He made them white to represent the cleanliness of the kitchen. He also came up with the idea that hat height would represent status in the kitchen. His was said to be 18 inches tall. Chef Talk also explains that "the folded pleats of a toque, which later became an established characteristic of the chef's hat, were first said to have been added to indicate the more than 100 ways in which a chef can cook an egg."
The most exciting thing about artisanal cheeses is their complex, multi-layered flavors. However, for many people, they seem unapproachable. The best way to savor these cheeses is to breakdown the experience from the first encounter (touch and smell) to the last encounter (after-taste).
It seems the potato / potahto pronunciation debate is no longer the biggest debacle in the potato world. According to USA Today, Chilean Agriculture Minister Marigen Hornkohl stated that 99% of the world's potatoes derive from spuds native to Chile.
The head of Peru's National Institute for Agricultural Innovation, Juan Risi, retorted by calling Chile's potatoes mere "grandchildren" of Peru's tubers. Ouch!
Risa said that, "Peruvian potatoes that originated near lake Titicaca are the true potatoes, and their children spread throughout the Andes." Peru is said to have around 3000 varieties of potatoes. I can't even really fathom that. It would take trying a different type of potato every day for over eight years to try them all.
I'm not sure I care where the potato originated, but I'm glad that it made its way to my mouth!
As you fire up the grill this Memorial Day, you may want to take a moment to pay homage to the people who first brought you the hamburger. There is a lengthy and fascinating article on the history of the hamburger on What's Cooking America. While there is some debate about who created the first hamburger, Louis' Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut has a strong claim to the title.
According to What's Cooking, "Louis ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. A frugal business man, he didn't like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush. It is said that he ground up some scraps of beef and served it as a sandwich, the sandwich was sold between pieces of toasted bread, to a customer who was in a hurry and wanted to eat on the run."
You can still get hamburgers today at Louis' Lunch. However, don't expect to get any ketchup. The Louis' Lunch website states that their hamburgers "have changed little from their historic prototype [and] are still the specialty of the house. Each one is made from beef ground fresh each day, broiled vertically in the original cast iron grill and served between two slices of toast. Cheese, tomato and onion are the only acceptable garnish -- no true connoisseur would consider corrupting the classic taste with mustard or ketchup."
That's right, hands on! You will get a chance to sling back the shaker in the kitchen at the Astor Center, as you learn from Dr. Dave how to make drinks from the best recipes of the Golden Age of Cocktails (1820-1920.) Folks, this is a once in a lifetime chance to learn from the best, to stand side by side with the expert on cocktails and their history, and have him teach you to make drinks that haven't seen the light of day in over a century. Two hours of shaking, stirring, muddling, mixing, and of course tasting the results. Please make sure you have a designated driver or taxi for afterwards. I predict it's going to get drunk out.
I can't think of anything better to do on a Sunday afternoon in late March. Can You? As a special bonus from Slashfood and the Astor Center, we offer you a special 15% discount. Just use code SF033008 when you sign up for the course online. See you there.
According to many, Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City was the first real restaurant in the United States, opening in 1827 (it's also believed to be the first to use a separate wine list). A lot of great food was invented there, including Delmonico Steak, Eggs Benedict, and Chicken a la King, but today let's talk about Delmonico Potatoes. After the jump is a recipe from about.com, or you could try this one from Emeril Lagasse.
Is it cold where you are right now? I mean cold enough to get a nice cup of hot chocolate and get all cozy on the couch? Yeah, it isn't here either. Though it's finally gotten cool after a couple of weeks of 73 degree days (that's just not right in the middle/end of October). I'm starting to get into that fall/hot chocolate mindset, and found this page at WhatsCookingAmerica.net that explains the history of hot chocolate. It makes for interesting reading, and includes several hot chocolate recipes, like the one after the jump for Angelina's Hot Chocolate, from the Angelina Cafe in Paris.
There's no way I can let this day slide, since I'm from Boston. The Boston Cream Pie actually was invented in Boston, at the Parker House Hotel, which is also where they invented the Parker House Roll. But that would be another post.
It was invented by a chef named Sanzian, and is the official dessert of Massachusetts. It's called a pie but it's actually a cake. That link has a basic recipe for Boston Cream Cakes from 1879, but here's a more complex version. Here's another recipe from Yankee magazine.
It was fifty years ago that BBC first broadcast the famous "Spaghetti Harvest" episode on their television news show Panorama. In Ticino in southern Swistzerland near Italy, the British Broadcasting Company show Panorama covered the bumper Swiss spaghetti crop of 1957.
While scenes of harvesters working in the spaghetti orchards played on the screen, the show's anchor, Richard Dimbleby, discussed how a mild winter and less infestations of the "spaghetti weevil" allowed farmers to harvest a huge crop from the Spaghetti Bushes.
Dimbleby reported, "The spaghetti harvest here in Switzerland is not, of course, carried out on anything like the tremendous scale of the Italian industry, many of you, I'm sure, will have seen pictures of the vast spaghetti plantations in the Po Valley. For the Swiss, however, it tends to be more of a family affair."
With the holidays upon us I want to focus on some libations that can be used to celebrate, to give as gifts, or just something to quietly enjoy as a way to de-stress in the evening. Liqueurs are great for sitting and sipping, wallowing in unique tastes and aromas, as we try to enjoy this sometimes frantic time of year.
Liqueurs and Cordials are concoctions have been around for hundreds, no, thousands of years with a long and extensive history. Originally they were created as medicines made from herbs, and to lessen the harsh taste they were sweetened with dates, figs, or honey. Then liqueurs started to evolve away from medicines and became ways to have fruit and other treats in liquid form. When cane sugar was introduced and became commercially inexpensive enough to use, it became the predominant sweetener, although many fine liqueurs still use honey and other ingredients for sweetening and character. The minimum amount of sugar or sweetener for a spirit to be called a liqueur is 20%, with some reaching 35% sugar, and most ranging somewhere in between.
Liqueurs are made all over the world, in many styles, from vastly differing ingredients, and in many levels of quality. Today there are hundreds of so-called liqueurs, sometimes called schnapps in the US. Many are inexpensive and sometimes artificially flavored stuff that are either pounded back as shots, or combined with other ingredients in a mixed drink. Some are the sickly neon gunk you find either under the bar where you can't see them being used in your drink; or hidden on the bottom shelves of liquor stores and bars, covered in dust. Real Schnapps are not sweet, have a high alcohol level, and are more like a flavored eau de vie; which is an unsweetened, fruit brandy. My focus here is on the fine quality liqueurs that can be sipped and enjoyed on their own merits.
She may or may not be a household name in your household or even in your parents', but she likely was in your grandmother's. As 
Writing in Slate, Jewish food maven 
I am fascinated by Mimolette. This bright orange French cheese is the size of a bowling ball. Its appearance is breathtaking. It looks like a giant cantaloupe. After I first tried Mimolette, I was struck by its firm texture and sweet caramel-like taste. In addition, I was intrigued by its remarkable similarities with many of the aged Dutch cheeses I've tried in the past. And so, after looking into its history, I was not surprised that it was first produced to model a Dutch cheese, called Edam. 
It seems the potato / potahto pronunciation debate is no longer the biggest debacle in the potato world. According to 
According to many, 
Is it cold where you are right now? I mean cold enough to get a nice cup of hot chocolate and get all cozy on the couch? Yeah, it isn't here either. Though it's finally gotten cool after a couple of weeks of 73 degree days (that's just not right in the middle/end of October). I'm starting to get into that fall/hot chocolate mindset, and found this page at 
There's no way I can let this day slide, since I'm from Boston. The Boston Cream Pie actually was invented in Boston, at the Parker House Hotel, which is also where they invented the Parker House Roll. But that would be another post.
It was fifty years ago that BBC first broadcast the famous 
With the holidays upon us I want to focus on some libations that can be used to celebrate, to give as gifts, or just something to quietly enjoy as a way to de-stress in the evening. Liqueurs are great for sitting and sipping, wallowing in unique tastes and aromas, as we try to enjoy this sometimes frantic time of year.
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