Understanding food

Nice column in the Oregonian about the gradual dumbing down of cookbooks. Here is an excerpt:

Bonnie Slotnick, a woman who owns a rare cookbook shop in Greenwich Village, was quoted in an article about the uptick in culinary cluelessness, saying:

"Thirty years ago, a recipe would say, 'Add two eggs.' In the '80s, that was changed to 'beat two eggs until lightly mixed.' By the '90s, you had to write 'in a small bowl, using a fork, beat two eggs.' We joke that the next step will be: 'Using your right hand, pick up a fork and. ...'"

The solution in the course is to bring Home Ec classes back to the schools. I think there is something to this. I certainly well educated by most standards but I can be flummoxed by some recipes. I just lack the education. The clear, educational cookbooks of Mark Bittman and those from the people at Cooks Illustrated, but I lack a certain foundation.

Thanks to the kindness of Neill, I now have a book I will be reading for a long, long time, Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking. This book explains the history of food as well as the science. You see, for example, where cheese comes from, how it is made and how it develops. This helps you understand how to better use it as well as how it might react when you cook it. This isn't the kind of book you sit down and read, instead you turn to it time and time again as you build your understanding of how to use food and to cook. There are a few books you keep for your lifetime, not for nostalgia or for their looks, but because you can use them, this is one.

Burger book

Despite quite liking them, I haven't given much thought to the making of hamburgers. I tend to throw in a few odds and ends and then cook them. This is probably why my hamburgers are crappy. With a non-beef eating spouse I don't get to make them that much anyway. Still, I would like to make one that I would want to eat. John T Edge has quite a few ideas on how I might do that in his Hamburger & Fries: An American Story.

While there are quite a few recipes here (one of which calls for beef tallow!,) the book is mostly about the great diversity in hamburgers found throughout the United States. There are the unfortunately named (and apparently none too tasty) slug burgers of the south, which use crackers, flour or other filler. There is the Jucy Lucy (sic) of Minneapolis*, so named because the man who first asked for one apparently said "That is a Juicy Lucy!" Then there are the loose meat sandwiches of the Mid-West. I meant to try these on my last trip across country but failed to stop at an appropriate restaurant. Now I can just make my own.

Edge loves food, but he also focuses on the people making the food. He is interested in how these different burger traditions arose and that is often the best part of his many stories. I like also that he is honest about the burgers he tried. He flat out disliked the slug burger and he thought the Jucy Lucy was interesting, but not as special as advertised. He still provides recipes for both, as your taste may differ.

Edge writes for the Oxford American and has a number of other books, including ones on Apple Pie, Donuts and Fried Chicken. I will be reading more of them. I will also be looking for burger spots on the Portland Hamburger blog. Next stop, Jim Dandy.

*Apparently there are some Jucy Lucy haters out there, have a look at this Wikipedia controversy page.

Now it's lend me ten pounds and I'll buy you a drink

No doubt due to the vaguely illicit nature, there are far more good books about eating than there are about drinking. So I was quite happy to stumble upon Kingsley Amis's Everyday Drinking at the library. It's not everyday that we get musings on drinking by major literary figures. It reads like a serious, if still funny, version of Modern Drunkard. This is the sort of book you flip through and immediately fall upon a gem, like his description of the metaphysical hangover, which I quote below:

When that ineffable compound of depression, sadness (the two are not the same), anxiety, self-hatred, sense of failure and fear for the future begins to steal over you, start telling yourself that what you have is a hangover. You are not sickening for anything, you have not suffered a minor brain lesion, you are not all that bad at your job, your family and friends are not leagued in a conspiracy of barely maintained silence about what a shit you are, you have not come to see life as it really is, and there is no use crying over spilled milk.

It's about 200 pages of that. It's not all, or mostly drunkenness though, it is about the enjoyment of drinking, a pleasure many are loath to fully embrace. It (and I should mention this volume is a compilation of three prior volumes) is written as a guide for the uninformed. Amis advises us to favor quantity over quality arguing that people prefer two decent drinks to one exemplary one (a point with which I completely concur.) He also notes that the wine trade has erected a vocabulary and set of rules that make people nervous about what they are drinking. He argues, you should find things you can afford and that you like and to drink those.

I probably need to buy a copy of this one, it is just too much fun to pick it up and read a page at random.

Since I started it with the Pogues, I should probably end with them as well.

Grow large with food

The Onion has done the nation a valuable service by pitching a satirical product the fast food industry is probably contemplating. It's may be too late for the adults but we need to get Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman in front of more impressionable youth.

How our food became bad

Fans of Fast Food Nation and the Omnivore's Dilemma will want to watch Mark Bittman at the Entertainment Gathering. Those who haven't read those books should watch the video and then go get the books. He provides a discussion of how our food became so bad for us.

I have Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, which will open your eyes to the range of vegetarian choices. It will also tell you how to properly cook a number of vegetable you have probably turned into a bland mush

Everyday's the fourteenth

Candy Addict blogs a questionable Valentine's gift, the chocolate pastie. It really won't do to give a gift meant to be consumed by the gift giver rather than the recipient. If you feel the need for something risque, why not give Lust by Ellen Forney. The book is a series of cartoons illustrating the often bizarre request from personal ads (note: not at all work safe) in Seattle's The Stranger. If you just want to spend a few bucks, there is always the cock-n-balls donut from Voodoo Doughnut.

The good times are killing us

Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma was my favorite read of 2007, so I had to get his new book, In Defense of Food. The new book starts where the old one stops. The first book talks about the origin of American food and the new book argues that Americans should eat food. That strange argument is a set-up for a larger discussion about the idea that Americans actually don't eat food, but instead eat nutrients.

The focus on nutrients is problematic for a number of reasons. The most important is that the understanding of the health benefits and detriments of various nutrients is misunderstood. What's more, the benefit comes from the combination of multiple nutrients (in a food) and not from an individual nutrient. Because these nutrients cannot be understood by the non-specialist, Americans come to rely on experts, who unfortunately don't seem to have a firm grasp on the subject. The example of margarine, once supposed to be better for us and now understood to be bad is just one example. The worst effect of the focus on nutrients over food is the switch is the crowding out of healthy delicious whole foods, by processed foods which principally benefit shareholders in food companies.

Going further Pollan argues that the Western diet, which includes an overabundance of processed foods and a paucity of whole foods, encourages unhealthy eating in the form of snacking and the disregard for the culture of food which comes from cooking and eating meals together. He argues that our great wealth (and the pursuit of it) has led us into food choices of a dubious quality) He is aware that changing this is a tall order, but he does provide some basic advice about how to realign your relationship with food.

This a much shorter book than Omnivore's Dilemma and because of that it lacks much of the detail that made that book so great. That qualm aside, this is the sort of book that is incredibly motivating. People want to enjoy food and Pollan helps you see how this can be done.

You can read the intro to the book here.

From beanies and weenies to chevre

David Kamp's The United States of Arugula is the cheery, optimistic companion to the reflective, worried Omnivore's Dilemma. Michael Pollan's book focuses on the American food supply today, while Kamp explores how the US went from a country that made Dr Pepper-based olive jello molds, to one with dozens of pastas and cheeses in a non-specialty store.

Kamp identifies the beginnings of taste in American cuisine with the rise of the Big Three, James Beard, Julia Child and Craig Claiborne. Claiborne created the serious food section and restaurant reviews at the New York Times, and may be less known that the others. These people built the world of food writing, which hadn't existed before in the United States.

The next sections deal with the rise of specifically American high end restaurants. Much of this section is devoted to the story of Chez Pannise, which emerged as a post-hippie idea that local ingredients were best. While the writers and the high end restaurants certainly motivated the elites, the related rise of the celebrity chef spread the foodie culture to a broader slice of society.

This is an upbeat book that views American cuisine and food culture at a high point and climbing. He points to the introduction of more options at fast food restaurants as a sign that tastes are changing at all levels of society. While Kamp may be a bit too optimistic, this is a fun read with amusing gossip and great stories about the world of food.

I'm a pie making star, I'm popular

On the face of it Buttermilk pie doesn't sound terribly tasty, but in his book Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie, Ken Haedrich proclaimed the buttermilk pie delicious and since it required simple ingredients (brown and white sugar, eggs, flour, buttermilk, butter and vanilla), I decided to try it. It's a interesting pie, a rich, not terribly sweet flavor which my daughter thought was like ice cream. In consistency it falls between a dense chess pie and a loose custard pie. This NPR story has a recipe similar to the one I used, although it used the less sweet option.

Haedrich's book is an excellent choice for those wanting easy to make, but tasty pies. In cooking, baking has traditionally been my Achilles Heel. I once made a cookie called the Christmas Jewels from the generally good, but occasionally overly retro Betty Crocker Cooky Book. The Christmas part came from the red and green candied fruit of the sort normally found in fruit cake. We put a plate out at a holiday party and found that only one cookie had been taken and whoever tried it took a bite and put it back. If I can make these pies, anyone can.

Kettle

Kettle Chips has another People's Choice chip contest and this one is called Fire and Spice. Everyone go and vote for Mango Chili. Also get out into the stores and try all the flavors up for the vote. Prior Peoples' Choice got us the lovely Thai Spice, so vote responsibly.

Ice cream news

It looks like Cool Moon ice cream won't open until October. It looks like it is worth waiting. Even sooner, we should see the fabled Roses's return to the North East. The old location was at 45th and Fremont, where you will now find Fife. I never went, but is much loved by long term residents.

For Richmonders, take a look at this list of ice cream and gelato purveyors in the capital of the Old Dominion. Sadly, I have not visited any of these.

Food, glorious food

Is food writing art? Yes and that is an official yes, because the Library of America says so. The LOA recently published a 750 page+ anthology of American food writing. Among the many authors you will find Thomas Jefferson, who here gives the first American recipe for ice cream. The website provides another sample, by Sheila Hibben, the first restaurant writer for the New Yorker.

If you have $4,000 dollars burning a hole in your pocket, you could pick up the Food writing and every other LOA title from Amazon.

Icky ice cream

(Via marginal revolution) Have a gander at this list of 100 frightening ice cream flavors from Who Sucks. They are pretty odd. How about Ox Tongue ice cream? From the same website, this is amusing.

And this is interesting, color photos from World War 1. If time-wasting is on your list of things to do, you need to hit this site.

Sugar delights

I have been away from Ken Haedrich's Pie book for far too long. I have been meaning to make the Indiana Sugar Cream Pie, but I am the only one in the house that wants to try it. My wife fears that it will be like the horrid Shoe Fly Pie I made.

I had a pile of blueberries on hand so I made the Blueberry Lime Pie instead. Its simple, a pound of berries, a bit of limeade concentrate (melted) some sugar, some tapioca and some lime zest. It tastes like you think it would, a tart blueberry pie. Quite nice and would have been ever better with a bit of vanilla ice cream.

Beaumont Market carries Mexican Coke, the one made with sugar cane rather than HFCS. I guess I am too used to diet cola, as I thought this was like eating sugar right from the bag. It was certainly cleaner and in a sense thinner than the American version. I didn't feel the urge to immediately brush my teeth, as the I did when I drank HFCS soda. But it was still far too sweet for me to drink. Pity.

See's is now offering a dark chocolate (62% cocoa) bar. It was good and at $2 for a largish bar, a good deal as well. I'm happy to see that See's continues to develop the dark side of things.

We all scream

Joanna has an article in Willamette Week about PDX ice cream. She notes that there is no in-house made ice cream in Portland. Compare this to ice cream mecca Boston with Toscaninis, Herrell's, JP Licks, Christina's and many more. The only place in metro Portland that serves homemade ice cream is in Vancouver, WA. Lame.

There is hope, as Joanna reports, in the form of Cool Moon Ice Cream. This new spot will open in Fall 07 across from kid-mecca Jameson Park, which already has the kid friendly Sip N Kranz. The owner is going high concept and I have to say this report makes me eager to try the place.

A little something sweet

I've heard tell of the Elvis Reese's peanut butter cup, but today was the first time I had seen it. So I bought two. The kids needed some of course. Most of the Reese's experiments, including the cookie and the caramel versions, have been lost on me, but this time Reese's pulled it off. You may recall that Elvis enjoyed his peanut butter sandwiches stuffed with bananas and then fried in butter. The Elvis component is a thin layer of banana creme underneath the peanut butter. This one could have gone straight to horribly sweet, but it manages to balance the flavors well enough. Now, keep in mind, I think that Laffy Taffy Banana is a tasty treat, so you may want to approach this candy cautiously. I do wish Reese's had gone balls out and added a little bacon, as Elvis did when he was filling particularly Dionysian.

If candy isn't your bag, check the Last Town Chorus cover of Modern Love on this page.

Delicious goodness

I've had great luck with the victuals of late. Today, I visted Elephant's Deli as my parents are great fans. I was sent to find a tasty beverage for my dad. Thinking the best I could manage would be a micro cola, I was shocked to see Elephant's is now offering milk shakes based on Ruby Jewels Ice Cream. Yes, the makers of the world's best ice cream sandwiches offer milkshakes. It's a delight, so get over to NW PDX. Or come to Portland at the very least.

Having enjoyed the day, I thought we needed to savor some tasty beer. My normal stop is the Beaumont Market, and I was surprised to see the Dog Fish Head Red & White. It has a nice fruitiness to it, which makes sense as it contains Pinot Noir juice and orange. Its not overly sweet, but I can see people feeling that way. At 10% ABV, it has the standard Dog Fish high test masquerading as light beer effect. Beware, but enjoy it.

On the same visit to Beaumont, a representative from Chimes Gourmet was promoting their ginger chews. I doubted that a peppermint ginger chew or a peanut butter ginger would be tasty. I wasn't too keen on the peanut butter, but the cool mint played nicely against the spice of the ginger.

Amazingly the taste delights continued. Last night I tried the Lemon Shaker Pie with Meyer Lemons. The basic pie recipe calls for sliced lemons macerated in sugar. The bitterness of the lemon rind can be a turn off, but the sweet rind Meyer Lemon makes for a knock out pie. If I didn't have a Perry's Chocolate Chip pie waiting for tomorrow night, I would have wrecked that lemon pie. I really need a bike ride.

But if I only drink diet coke, why should I care?

Those who crave old school sugar soda may soon have their urge in the icebox. Mexican Coca-cola has been spotted in California Costcos. You see, in Mexico, as in other lands, Coke is still made by cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup. Michael Pollan argues that HFCS is one of the greatest evils of the day. This may be true, but it is also supposed to taste better, so it really is a win/win.

If you get your sugar in more solid form, and are spending any time in NYC, look out for the new gelato place described in this NYT piece. Its owned by successful gelato purveyors from Turin, and I must say they look like a jolly pair. I am keeping my gelato radar tuned to Vivoli, finest gelato ANYWHERE. Sadly, as the website says, you may only taste Vivoli in Firenze.

In further bad for you food news, I think my chocolate loyalties are shifting from Valrhona to Endangered Species. Not because I am a hippie or anything, but the bars with fruit pieces or essence are really quite amazing.

Sunday night

Joanna sums up the trouble with Hershey jumping on the dark chocolate bandwagon: It reminds me of the popular kid in high school who jacks off all semester and then shamelessly assumes half the credit for the “group” project done by his studious and diligent lab partner. Not cool, Hershey’s. Totally not cool.

One of the best things about Lost is talking about Lost. To add to your fodder, I recommend you check out the following sites. James Poniewozick at the Time TV blog (Tuned In), has excellent commentary the day after a new episode. The TMZ site has amusing minute by minute reviews of each episode as well as lots of hate for Charlie and love for Locke and Ben. The best I have seen can be found on the Houston Chronicle TV blog called Tubular. The analysis is incredible. I recommend you read all three post-show to amaze your friends.

This short bit hints at a potential decline of the super-reviewers at Amazon. Don't trust them. Trust me instead.

Check out this walking tour of independent bookstores in NYC, with the (unironically?) named Unoppressive, Non-Imperialist Bookstore.

I never thought you'd buy ice cream, since gelato is so passe

Living in the hinterlands, as I do, I look longingly to the trend setting metropoli for the oncoming food trends. Apparently, the new cool treat is froyo. Sounds ridiculous, but Pinkberry is all the buzz. Read here for more. I guess I will stay old school with Stacatto and Mio Gelatos.

In a similar vein check out the spat between the Rocco's Restaurant guy and a NYT restaurant reviewer. Be sure to read the review and the response. I don't find waygu all that exciting to begin with, but I'm pretty sure I don't want to eat under 2,000 Swords of Damocles.

Ben and Jerry's has released the new 2007 pints. Looks pretty good actually with Creme Brulee and Cinnamon Bun as stand outs for me.

This dude has the craziest blog banner I have ever seen. Actually the craziest banner I have ever seen. Also the worst name ever. The images....oh the images that are conjured.

Update: In the comments, Kevin has informed me that the disturbing blog title is a reference to his even more disturbing book title. Actually it looks pretty funny in a My Tank is Fight! kind of way.