Aroma Cucina

P.S. on the Kahve House

Two things I've just learned: 'kahve' is Turkish for coffee. Which would explain the beautiful, hand made Turkish delight sweets that were displayed.
And the Khave House does music.

Royal Kahve House

Some places have a natural magnetism and power.  The early Popes acknowledged this when they were battling the scourge of paganism. They would tear down the pagan temples and build their own church on the same spot, hoping to capture the power.

The Royal Kahve Coffee House, on the corner of Royal and Touro in New Orleans is one of those magical places.  I see you rolling your eyes: a coffee shop and a pagan temple. Let me explain.
Last Wednesday morning, I was hosting a panel on food blogging at the IACP conference. Normally, I sit alone in front of a typewriter, but now I was going to sit on a dais and moderate a discussion with Steve from Rancho Gordo and Pim from Chez Pim. I was staying at a guesthouse in the Marigny district and let’s just say it was funky and leave it at that. I was nervous that morning, and off balance from battling with a shower faucet that I couldn’t turn off, blown fuses so I had to dress in the dark, only a hazy idea of how to bicycle my way to the conference and I was running late, which meant I was riding fast and missed the left turn on Frenchman St and rode right by the Kahve House.
I smelled espresso.  I was heading to the Hilton where I would be served industrial style, lukewarm American coffee so it was a no brainer to pull over, park my bike and treat myself to a real cappuccino and some damn good peach pie.  Wherever Jeff and I travel, one of the first things we do is scout out the morning coffee place; it’s critical to find a good place or else you are off balance for the whole day. I had found my Mecca. It’s nothing fancy, certainly not slick, but it radiates a very casual warm vibe, and soothes you with color.
Needless to say I went every morning, and I tortured my housemates with my enthusiasm, but I didn’t care.
Saturday was my last morning in New Orleans, and it was a glorious day, so I sat outside sharing the sidewalk with a guy I had seen on a few other mornings. He’s a street musician, and he sat at his table quietly playing on his harmonica.  As I got up to leave, he wanted to switch to my table as I had sat in his usual spot and we struck up a conversation about the street corner. He believes there is a mystical power to this three-way intersection and he told me stories about how all types of people wind up on this very corner.  So, I’m not the only one who feels this way about the Kahve House. There are at least two of us.
If I were to pick a patron goddess, it would be the goddess of serendipity. I owe her an altar.

I want to go back to New Orleans

                                                  Thank y’all for coming. Thank y’all for being here.
I heard this over and over in New Orleans.

I’m so glad I went that now I’m spending my time figuring out how and when I can get back there.
New Orleans is a banquet for the senses; wafts of music and the smells of good food mingle in front of open doorways. The magnolia trees were in blossom, it was crazy to see local Louisiana strawberries are already in season, po’boys are bursting with friend oysters, crawfish are boiling in their spicy bath.  The city may have had its heart ripped out, but its soul is alive and well.
There is raw, vibrant energy blowing in the wind. If you take the time to ask, people will tell you their stories, what it was like after Katrina, what it took to come back and what it’s taking to stay. We met a woman who is a marketing director for a hotel during the day, and driving a cab at night. She told us everyone is doing it, working 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet. Aunt Frieda works the crab boil pot at her nephew’s new restaurant. She offered to help, and he stuck her over a hot pot all day, but she’s happy to be there and to be helping her family.
I was excited to be going to New Orleans, but I didn’t expect to fall in love. I was nervous and uncertain. I wanted to see as much as I could:  the ruins and the restorations. It’s easy to stay in the Central Business District and think everything is ok, but on a Tuesday night, it’s like they gave a party and no one came. Less than half of the original residents have returned to New Orleans, school age kids are scarce, and the people that are there are paving the way for the new, New Orleans.
The IACP conference was great; I met the most amazing people and learned all sorts of different things. More about that later, but right now, the message is: put New Orleans in your travel plans.
If you like:
Strawberries
Oysters
Crawfish
Shrimp
Pickled green tomatoes
Fired green tomatoes
Pork belly
Crunchy strips of fried pig ear
Cracklins with molasses
Gentle breezes
Flowering trees
Squares, Parks, Statues, Fountains
Architecture
Palm trees
Music
Music
Music
Beignets
Sazerac cocktails
Quality moonshine
If you like any of these things, you’ll find them in abundance in New Orleans.

All roads lead to New Orleans

It’s that time of year again. The International Association of Culinary Professionals is hosting their annual conference and this year it’s in New Orleans. 

The all roads lead to New Orleans thing started last week at the Astor Center, with a benefit for the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. I met Liz Williams, the founder of SoFab, last year at IACP and she is a warm, wonderful person, committed to preserving southern food heritage.  SoFab opens this summer, and it’s another reason for people to start returning to New Orleans. That was the message chef Susan Spicer of Bayona restaurant brought to this event; the city was ready and waiting for tourists to come back. New Orleans still needs our help and support. The beautiful Charlotte Voisey, from Hendricks Gin, (warning, if you are at work and click the link…it’s a wacky and noisy website) was also on hand to mix up some cocktails for us. Now, there is debate on this, but some say the cocktail was invented in New Orleans. Obviously I’ll need to research this when I’m in New Orleans.

I head south tomorrow where I’m looking forward to (in no particular order):
staying in a house full of wacky women who love food,
eating,
drinking,
learning about caviar,
finding out how to be an environmentally responsible chef,
hosting a panel on food blogging
riding my bike around town
meeting new people and catching up with others.
Should be some fun, don’t you think?  Let the good times roll, or whatever it is that they say in New Orleans!

Tastiest Party Ever

After 3 years of planning, building, executing, and a soft opening, the Astor Center has been officially opened. And what an opening!  These people know how to throw a party. The Astor Center has the potential to be the culinary hub in this food and wine obsessed city.

The cocktails were superb.  Different cocktail lounges and their star mixologists took shifts at the bars creating signature cocktails “Please Don’t Tell”, a cocktail bar on St. Mark’s Place sent out killer Apple Daiquiris. There was a cilantro/pineapple margarita, a brave concoction with scotch, fizzes and sours and serious contemplation of ingredients.  My two personal favorites were “The French Pearl” from Pegu and the prettiest cocktail that I’ve ever seen, ” The Poisoned Rose”, concocted by Charlotte Voisey. The Poison Rose was finished with a floating red rose petal sprinkled with silver flakes, it was romantic and dramatic and sippingly delicious.
I’m wondering just how many glasses were used last night; it had to be a staggering number.

The nibbles that came in a steady flow from the kitchen were nothing short of fantastic.  Who can argue with absolutely pristine, fresh, cold oysters shucked by charming, handsome shuckers? Seamus Mullen of Boqueria and Suba fame was responsible for the sinful duck liver beignets, oxtail croquettes with squash aioli, perfect bites of grilled lamb, brandade on crunchy toasts, fried artichokes with tapenade and that’s just a few of the highlights.  There was even a meatball slider that was just about perfect. To finish off the evening, a staggering supply of Magnolia cupcakes made the rounds while these crazy violinists took the stage. This was a food and cocktail lover’s Mecca.

We wish Doug Duda and his incredible staff the very best of luck on this venture. They are doing everything just the way you want to see it done.  Bravi!

Wintermarket was a Success!

In case anyone was wondering, there IS demand and community support for a permanent, indoor food market in NYC that features local, sustainable products.
It was damn cold, rainy, sleety and windy, but that didn’t keep away the crowds who came to sample that porchetta, talk to the sweet nut forager man or sample cheeses. As I worked at the information table, it was rewarding and exciting to see the community response.  If at times it was a bit wacky. An elderly woman was hoping that the market could provide her with an affordable supply of almond milk, or the engaging man who suggested that the market should sell seashells. But, for most of that wind and rain swept day, the crowds were 4 and 5 deep, so can you imagine the turnout on a clear day?

Come on NYC; don’t let Philadelphia and the Reading Terminal Market have all the fun and glory.
For updates on how the project is coming along, or to join the project, click here.

(But getting back to that porchettta…it was a teeny little thing that would have had the Umbrians laughing their heads off! And it wasn’t even wrapped in the obligatory white paper napkin!)

Hydrocolloids at Home

If your idea of a good time is to get up early on a Saturday morning, take a train ride to Queens, and talk about the effects of methocel on mango juice, then I have just the place for you to go.
The duo behind the Ideas in Food blog are Chefs H. Alexander Talbot and Aki Kamozawa and they are at the forefront of molecular gastronomy, or contemporary cuisine or whatever you call the movement that is the avant-garde of the cooking world. They have returned from a summer gig in Montana, and are now offering classes in their home.

In a nutshell, what they are doing is experimenting, manipulating and creating new food textures using food grade chemicals. If your first reaction is YUCK, hang on for a minute. Alex’s intro into the class touched on this problem of perception.  Chemical manipulation has been done to many every day items that you eat…do you think sugar grows all nice and organically inside those little packets?  Alex’s take on some of these products is to treat them as you would any other ingredient, and to think of them as ingredients.  There are producers who are even working on organic grade agar or carrageenan, which is derived from red seaweed.

It was a brain stimulating class; we made eggnog knots, turning commercial eggnog into a simple, and elegant presentation. We made a very stable and airy foam out of mango juice, which was used as a filling for violet scented yoghurt skin with the assembled dish looking brain teasingly like an omelet. We made gel strips out of applesauce that tasted just like apple pie. My mind was bouncing around with all the possibilities.  I’m not numbers oriented, but on the train ride home, I was wondering about the effects of combining F50 with A15 methocel and should locust bean gum be added for flexibility. I can honestly say that I think it was the first time I’d ever considered this sort of food manipulation. And cooking, adding heat, is the most basic form of manipulation, so this is just a sort of evolution.

But, at days end, its still about flavor, texture, and satisfaction.  I think it is easy to get wrapped up in the possibilities, however you don’t want to lose sight of the ultimate goal:  dining pleasure.  So, I’m not so sure about a gel that mimics the flavor of apple pie without the decadence of a good crust to back it up; however I am sure about that celery root cube we sampled because it completely and totally rocked.  It’s a fantastic world to explore and to play around with, but you must watch out that you don’t lose track of that ultimate goal. 

Wintermarket

Oddly, sadly, NYC does not have a permanent indoor food market.  Seattle has the amazing Pike’s Place Market, and we only have the Chelsea Market, which is not in the same ballpark.   The New Amsterdam Public   group is trying to change that.
On Sunday, Dec. 16, from 11-4, there will be a one-day trail run at the old Fulton Fish Market space at the South Street Seaport. The space has been vacant for two years and it’s about time that something worthwhile goes in there….and no, Manhattan does not need another indoor shopping mall.
What this non-profit group is trying to do is to create a market where local (within 500 miles is considered local) purveyors and foragers can bring their goods for sale and create a stable food community. This includes wine makers, f a butcher, cheese and fishmongers etc.  I’m hoping Wild Edibles will be bringing some of those little red Maine shrimp, they are in season right now and soooo delicious.

Why bother when there are Greenmarkets scattered around the city? Because there are rules and restrictions about what sorts of foods can be sold at temporary, outdoor food stalls. Because the production and the demand for local products is greater than what the Greenmarket can provide. Because it gives the shopper a consistent source of product, and the farmer a consistent place to sell the product. And it’s a covered market, so weather isn’t becomes less of a factor.  I didn’t say it was heated, so dress warmly!

This should be fun: Mario Batali is scheduled to be there, handing out porchetta sandwiches. Now, this makes it an official festa, not Batali, it’s the porchetta that seals the deal. Ask any Umbrian. 

Here’s the basics:
Wintermarket
Sunday, December 16, 11-4 pm
The event is free, with a $5 suggested donation
Location: the water side of South Street, between Peck Slip and Beekman St.

And just in case I missed something, here’s the clicky links:
Wintermarket Website
New Amsterdam Press Release

Questions of Taste

What can you taste in a wine? Is taste and the perception of flavor purely subjective?  Are there actual physical components that trigger our taste buds?

This was the essence of the event that was held at the Astor Center last night. Philosopher Barry C. Smith has compiled a series of essays from fellow philosophers, wine makers, and wine critics that explore the mental and mechanical machinations of how we taste.  The book is called Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine, and he brought along two of his philosopher contributors with him last night: Ophelia Deroy and Roger Scruton.

The discussion was anchored by the tasting of 4 wines: 2 wines from the chardonnay grape, one made in Chablis, France, and the other in Santa Barbara, California and then a vertical tasting of the 2004 and 2002 St. Romain Rouge “Sous Roches” Burgundy.

The two chardonnays were both from 2006, Dom. Ste. Clair, JM Brocard and Au Bon Climat Chardonnay.   Walking us through the basics of tasting, sniff before swirling or agitating, then swirl and sniff, then taste, he made a strong point that for the average, non professional taster it is difficult to evaluate a single wine, but it becomes easier if you are comparing one wine to another.   So, we compared, and it was hard to imagine that these were the same grapes. The Chablis was lean, clear, crisp, some described it as isolated, while the Chardonnay was soft, round, plump, buttery, as sunny and open tasting as its inhabitants and climate.  Ophelia Deroy explained how the vanilla that we tasted in the California wine could physically come from the oak barrels or the grape stalks themselves that create a vanilla shaped molecule found in the wine. So, you really are tasting something vanilla like in that wine.  But, was the Chablis tasting like its creators: lean and cautious, while the Chardonnay was redolent of its carefree inhabitants? 

Next we tasted the two red Burgundies, and here the descriptions of what we were tasting became more ‘philosophical’: could we literally, actually taste the terriore?  The leaf mold that occurred during the heavy rains of 2004?
For me, the 2004 was too tannic to be enjoyable, my tongue felt all dry and tight, not at all pleasant. But then as we discussed the mechanics of tannins, it was suggested that served with a steak, which is protein, the wine would then taste delicious. Not having a steak in front of me, I reached for a bite of a protein-laden piece of parmigana. Un miracolo! The tannins were softened and the wine tasted and felt delicious.
Now, I’m thinking that the way wine tastings are conducted might be off track. If you accept that wine and food go together, and I do, why bother with wine without food; there are quicker and easier ways to get alcohol into your system.   Shouldn’t a wine be tasted and consumed over a meal and then evaluated? Or at the very least, shouldn’t some sort of protein be offered with those tannic wines? 

Which led to a discussion on the “cross modal” effects of tasting, or how our senses are not separate senses but are holistic, integrated. Our eyes set up the expectation for a wine, beginning with the label on the bottle or box, whether we are drinking from a lovely crystal glass or a paper cup, and even the color of the wine in the glass preps our other senses. The nose is a powerful component of tasting, and what the eye has seen, sets up the nose to smell, which prepares the taste buds to taste. Think about how a smell triggers your saliva glands, gets your mouth ready for chewing and tasting.
Heston Blumenthal, creator and chef of The Fat Duck in London, is doing some interesting experiments on how we perceive flavor.  An oyster is split in half, first one half is eaten, and then the sound of the ocean was played into half of the subject’s headsets, while the control group listened to music.  The ocean listening group consistently reported that the other half of the same oyster that they tasted was ‘saltier’. 

All of this is kind of scary when you think of the marketing implications of sight and sound on our taste perceptions. Or it’s kind of exhilarating when you contemplate how you can manipulate a diner’s experience. And of course I mean manipulate in a positive, flavor enhancing way, not in a McDonald’s has figured out the music that will make you buy more way.   Although I’m sure they are already working on that.

I’ve never thought about taste and flavor as having a philosophical bent, but now whole new paths to thinking about flavor have been opened. Thanks again to the people at the Astor Center for hosting this thought provoking evening.

Just Crust

After walking into yet another empty refrigerator at our little house in the country, I think I can come up with a list of what is essential for restocking, in 2 categories: stuff you need to buy and stuff you need to make.
The stuff you buy category: olive oil, coffee, salt, flour, mustard.  Most of the vinegars seem to have survived our absence; any of the fragile ones like Verjus I made sure to use up before I left town. 
The stuff you make category: stock. I’ve got veal demi-glace, chicken and fish stock all ready to go so I’m happy. Although you can certainly buy good quality stock or demi glace, there is something reassuring about making your own, and controlling what goes into it.

Once I had the basics under control, it was back to bread baking. I’ve only worked my way through  3 recipes from the Crust book, and they are all good but I need to keep making them over and over before I will feel as if I own the formula.
The ale crust bread is amazingly good. I achieved the shatter crust on my second try, and got decent holes in the crumb. The basic white French baguette recipe is excellent, and I fooled around making little twists with olives and cheese.  Now, these would be excellent in the restaurant’s bread basket. Which led Jeff and I to a discussion on how Italians eat bread. The Italians use bread as palate cleanser and in informal settings as a plate cleanser (the bread swiping technique is known as ‘scarpetta’).  The type of bread that I’ve been baking is bread that you eat for the pleasure of eating bread, so would Italians like all these rustic, crunchy breads….I think so!
Now, I need to work on my peel technique. A peel is a thin piece of wood that you place the bread on so that you can slide it into the oven and onto the baking stone. I can’t get the bread off in a clean slide, so all my breads are “C” shaped.  I can either use the C as my signature shape, or just keep working on my peel slide.  OK, I can see it now..on YouTube…the video of me perfecting my peel slide…..
Happy Monday!