WhiteHouse - Articles and Posts from Slashfood

Posts with tag WhiteHouse

Pardoned Turkeys Won't Experience Magic of Disney?

Posted Nov 19th 2009 5:30PM by Jennifer Lawinski
Filed under: Poultry, Thanksgiving, Food News, Food Politics

Living the good life? Photo: AFP, Getty Images

While last year's national turkeys pardoned on Thanksgiving by President Bush found homes in Disneyland, this year a farm animal rescue group is petitioning President Obama to send the turkeys to them instead.

Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y., started an online petition, asking the president to let the national turkeys find homes in their turkey shelter instead of in the Magic Kingdom, Mother Nature Network reports.

"Historically these turkeys have been actually sent to farms where they're supposed to live out their lives, but they don't live very long lives," Farm Sanctuary president and co-founder Gene Baur told Slashfood.

"At Disneyland they don't' know how to properly care for them, and they feed them in such a way that they become overweight, which is what typically happens to these birds," he said. "We're hoping the president will send them to Farm Sanctuary where they will get the best care possible."

Continue reading Pardoned Turkeys Won't Experience Magic of Disney?

Vinegar, Vegan Fare and Vermouth Molasses Marinade - The Miami Herald in 60 Seconds

Posted Oct 27th 2009 12:00PM by Alexa Weibel
Filed under: In Sixty Seconds, Food News

Malaysian green mango salad. Photo: Valisa, Flickr.

Hot Southern Florida weather pairs well with fresh vegetarian and Asian fare: Malaysian restaurant Parc 28 in Weston offers "boldly spiced fare" in a cuisine that takes inspiration from Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, Thai and European influences; "fresh and vibrant" vegan cuisine is offered at Miami's Om Garden; Lauderdale-by-the-Sea offers "light, fragrant, healthful" Vietnamese food at Basilic.
Culinary historian Maricel E. Presilla discusses the honor of cooking a feast for Fiesta Latina at the White House and her attempts to "convey that the allure of Latin food is as irresistible as the rhythms that pulled President Obama out of his chair to dance" that night.
The "Desperation Dinners" feature raves about infused vinegar and its ability to "excite the palate" and elevate otherwise simple dishes.
Once incorrectly reputed to have a correlation with breast cancer, the grapefruit has been expunged -- and is even suggested as the perfect pink fruit for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Cabernets are the quintessential U.S. wine: "big and brash, supremely self-confident, a little loud, even rude at times."
Recipes: Maricel Presilla's Milk Chocolate-Coffee "Cortadito" Brulées, Pink Grapefruit and Fennel Salad, a complex Vermouth Molasses Marinade, Corn Tortilla and Mixed-Bean Lasagna.
Calendar highlights include a silent auction for painted pumpkins, $35 prix-fixe meals for Dine Out Lauderdale, Rosa Mexicano's Chocolate festival and a "Top Chef" Talent Hunt.

Presidential Food Trivia

Posted Sep 1st 2009 11:50AM by Slashfood Editor
Filed under: Quizzes

What does Sarah Palin eat after a day of snowmachining? Learn the answer to that and many other fun facts about US presidents' favorite foods.

Presidential Food Trivia Quiz

An August 29th US News and World Report article cited which of these hearty dishes as Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's favorite meal?

Moose pot pie
Elk burgers
Caribou stew
Moose stew

Which US president claimed to be able to assess colleagues' character traits from the way they selected jelly beans from the jar on his desk?

Lyndon Johnson
Bill Clinton
Dwight Eisenhower
Ronald Reagan

Mary Todd Lincoln, concerned about her husband's health and gaunt frame, found that he'd eat multiple helpings of which dish, a childhood favorite?

Venison stew
Turkey and stuffing
Fricaseed chicken
Apple pandowdy

A longstanding Washington D.C. rule makes it illegal for residents of the White House to run a barbecue smoker.

True
False

During which president's term was the White House Easter Egg Roll established?

James K. Polk
Calvin Coolidge
Rutherford B. Hayes
John F. Kennedy

Which president was the first to establish a French chef in the White House kitchen?

John Adams
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin Pierce
Banjamin Harrison

Which vegetable was banned from meals on Air Force One and at the White House during George H. W. Bush's presidency?

Broccoli
Lima Beans
Okra
Brussels sprouts

George W. Bush's tenure as president nearly came to an untimely end due to his choking on what snack food?

Potato chip
Dorito
Pretzel
Peanut

Millard Filmore caused an uproar in the White House's kitchen when he became the first president to install which now common appliance?

Refrigerator
Cooking stove
Dishwasher
Toaster

William Howard Taft loved which dish so much, he brought a chef to the White House for the sole purpose of its preparation?

Brains and eggs
Steak and kidney pie
Turtle soup
Spaghetti and meatballs

James Garfield was a particular fan of what down-home soup ingredient?

Alligator
Tripe
Squirrel
Blood sausage

Which president picked prune whip as his most favored dessert?

Lyndon Johnson
Woodrow Wilson
Dwight Eisenhower
Franklin Roosevelt

Which president and son of a Vermont cheese maker kept a private stash of Swiss cheese to make sandwiches for himself and his Secret Service detail?

Calvin Coolidge
James K. Polk
Grover Cleveland
Herbert Hoover

Cheshire, Massachusetts pooled the milk of every cow in town to present a mammoth wheel of cheese to which president?

John Quincy Adams
James Madison
Thomas Jefferson
Zachary Taylor

The Cheshire Mammoth Cheese was not the last giant hunk of fromage to make its way to the White House. Which president was gifted with a 1,400 pound cheddar by an Oswego, NY farmer?

Andrew Johnson
Andrew Jackson
James Buchanan
John Tyler

Prior to his heart surgery, Bill Clinton was known to favor which fast food staple?

Whopper with Cheese
Big Mac
KFC Extra Crispy Chicken
In-N-Out Burger

Continuing the long tradition of gentleman farmers in the Oval Office, what was Jimmy Carter's cash crop?

Corn
Cotton
Tobacco
Peanuts

Not much is known about George Washington's first state dinner, but which of these dishes was reported to have made it onto the menu?

Head cheese
Boiled leg of mutton
Oyster stew
Cornish game hen

Which president claimed tuna-noodle casserole, meat loaf and Ozark pudding as his most favored comfort foods?

Woodrow Wilson
Herbert Hoover
Harry S. Truman
Lyndon Johnson

Which of these dishes has First Lady Laura Bush claimed to be her family's favorite?

Fried chicken
Chili con carne
Enchiladas
Tacos

Richard Nixon's go-to comfort food was an odd combination of which two ingredients?

Ketchup and cottage cheese
Marshmallow fluff and grape jelly
Mashed potatoes and maple syrup
Cold cereal and orange juice

Best Bites of YumSugar

Posted Apr 23rd 2009 1:00PM by Alex Van Buren
Filed under: Farming, Newspapers, On the Blogs, Celebrities, Food News, YumSugar

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

Memo to the First Lady: That's the nicest-looking gardening outfit we've ever seen! Take this quiz and find out how well you know what the Obamas are planting this year.

A pretty dang delicious-looking milk chocolate and peanut butter cookie recipe.

Edamame in linguine? They make it look tasty over at YumSugar.

A writer is entranced by the simple charms of homemade tortillas. Have you tried it? Take their poll.

McDonald's joins the upscale burger trend with one-third pound Angus patties, coming this August.

Hot question on the table: Who's going to be the new White House chef?

Posted Nov 10th 2008 5:01PM by Bruce Watson
Filed under: America, Celebrities, Food News

Endless Simmer just put up a speculative piece about the next White House Executive Chef. Before going off the deep end with their suggestions that the Obamas try out Rachel Ray, Cindy McCain, and butter sculptor Duffy Lion, the site laid out three front runners for the job: Art Smith, Tony Mantuano, and Criseta Comerford. Smith and Mantuano are both noted chefs with prominent restaurants; Smith runs "Art and Soul," while Mantuano owns the Obamas' favorite Chicago eatery, Spiaggia. The third choice, Criseta Comerford, is the current White House Executive Chef.

After reading Endless Simmer's piece, I took a peek through The White House Family Cookbook. Written by Henry Haller, Executive Chef at the White House for over 25 years, the book showcases the wide variety of foods that Presidential families have eaten over the years. Based on Haller, I tend to disagree with Endless Simmer's first two suggestions for a few basic reasons. First off, while being the big Kahuna in the White House kitchen is a great honor, it isn't exactly necessarily a great career move. In fact, most people don't really know anything about the White House Executive Chef until he or she releases a cookbook, usually after leaving the job. With this in mind, it seems unlikely that an established chef would walk away from a prominent restaurant to toil in relative obscurity.

The second problem with Smith and Mantuano is that the skills required of a White House chef are significantly different than those required of a restaraunteur. To achieve fame in the restaurant profession, a chef needs to develop a personal style that is distinctive and unique. A White House chef, on the other hand, needs to be able to prepare a wide variety of foods to absolute perfection. While this gives a lot of room to try new things, it doesn't allow a lot of room for personal expression. A creme brulee has to follow the classical definition of the dish, and a pancake has to be a perfect, if bland, pancake. For established chefs, the inability to put a personal spin on every dish would be painful at best.

After three years of working in the White House, Comerford probably has a great deal of experience with mastering the preferred styles and tastes of numerous White House visitors. Beyond that, she already knows her way around the kitchen and has a place in the city. My money is definitely on her!

Congrats to Obama, from Kendall-Jackson vineyards

Posted Nov 8th 2008 2:02PM by Gretchen Roberts
Filed under: Wine, America, Celebrations, Celebrities

In a recent (pre-election) People magazine profile on the Obamas, the writer mentioned that a bottle of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay was on the future First Family's Chicago kitchen counter. Kendall-Jackson decided to send the president-elect a few cases of KJ Chardonnay, America's #1 selling chardonnay for 18 years running, for his new wine cellar on Pennsylvania Ave.

Jess Jackson, KJ's founder, says the Chardonnay was a favorite at the Reagan White House. He hopes the wine will bridge the political divide and become a favorite in a Democratic White House as well. (In the past, Presidents have favored American wines at State dinners. Of course, Serious Eats says that Barack Obama reportedly prefers beer to wine, but let's hope he still serves wine with dinner instead of Budweiser.)

Kendall-Jackson says the wine was sent as a congratulatory gift, but one can't help but think it might be a gift of condolence as well, with the shape and size of the economic and social problems that face our next President. When Obama is done celebrating his election, he should have several bottles left to drown his sorrows in once he faces the real work ahead of him.

A meal fit for a Queen?

Posted May 9th 2007 10:52AM by Joanne Lutynec
Filed under: Wine, Dinner, America

This past Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the White House. So what do you serve British royals for a white tie dinner? Following is the menu and wine selections that they chose, from the Office of the First Lady:

Spring Pea Soup with Fernleaf Lavender
Chive Pizzelle with American Caviar

Newton Chardonnay "Unfiltered" 2004

Dover Sole Almondine
Roasted Artichokes, Pequillo Peppers and Olives

Saddle of Spring Lamb
Chanterelle Sauce
Fricassee of Baby Vegetables

Peter Michael "Les Pavots" 2003

Arugula, Savannah Mustard and Mint Romaine
Champagne Dressing and Trio of Farmhouse Cheeses

"Rose Blossoms"

Schramsberg Brut Rosé 2004

White House food no-no's

Posted Jan 24th 2006 11:34PM by Nicole Weston
Filed under: East Coast, Newspapers, Did you know?, America

white house If you're ever lucky enough to be invited to a black-tie, four-course dinner at the White House, there are at least a few foods that are guaranteed not to make the menu. Flambés are banned, after a woman leaning over her dessert caused her fox-fur scarf to catch fire in 2001. Foods that smell very strongly and might be offensive to some guests, like pungent fish or garlic-heavy dishes, are kept at a distance. Gravies and sauces are kept to a minimum as well to decrease the likelihood of drips ruining formal attire.

The White House kitchen staff accommodates guests with food preferences and food allergies, altering menus that they plan with the first lady in accordance with the requests of guests, as specified on their RSVP cards. They report that only 1-2% of attendees will make such a request, and often these are due to allergies. The menus are planned with the religious or dietary preferences of most of the attending guests in mind, though. Some former chefs report that they tried to tailor the menu so that people with specific dietary requirements were not singled out, instead serving everyone the same dessert, perhaps flourless chocolate cakes to accommodate gluten intolerant diners.

While the White House is not a restaurant where people can order as they please, it is interesting to note the lengths to which they go to best serve the presidential diners. In some cases, it might be more sensible for guests not to wear anything that might dangle into their food, like fox-fur scarves, for example, but it is much easier for the chefs to avoid certain foods than to police the attire of guests.

The first female White House chef

Posted Aug 16th 2005 2:56AM by Deidre Woollard
Filed under: East Coast, Business

The new executive chef for the White House will be Cristeta Comerford, the first female to hold the position. The previous chef, Walter Scheib, left six months ago amid rumors of a personality clash with Laura Bush. Comerford had been an assistant chef at the White House since 1995. It has been said that Laura Bush was looking for a lighter, more American cooking style. At a recent dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Comerford served chilled asparagus soup and lemon creme, pan-roasted halibut, ginger-carrot butter, basmati rice with pistachio nuts and currants and herbed summer vegetables, and salad of Bibb lettuces and citrus vinaigrette. Comerford was born in the Phillipines and has her bachelors degree in food technology from the University of the Philippines. While this announcement may not make a huge difference to most of us who will never get to eat at the White House, it's still nice to finally have a woman in the top slot.

[via Superchefblog]

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Slashfood Editor	79	0
2	Alexa Weibel	47	2
3	Sarah LeTrent	33	0
4	Hanna Raskin	27	0
5	Emily Farris	17	0
6	Sara Bonisteel	16	0
7	Jennifer Lawinski	15	0
8	Michael Thomas Hastings	9	0
9	Jennifer Iserloh	8	0
10	David Koeppel	7	0
11	Jose Ralat Maldonado	6	1
12	Mike Pomranz	5	1
13	Monika Bartyzel	5	0
14	Joshua M. Bernstein	5	2
15	Lisa Schweitzer	4	0
16	Erin Meister	4	0
17	Max Shrem	4	0
18	John Devore	4	0
19	LeNell Smothers	4	0
20	Sarah Christine	3	0

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