Are you my mother?

// May 4th, 2009 // No Comments » // Food Geek, Random Ramble

Dear Diary (just kidding),  I’m back.  I am sorry I have been M.I.A. but school, work, and life have made me nutty beyond belief.  I am back now and back for good at that!

A couple weeks ago I was facebooking and someone sent me one of those blasted “20 questions” things about everything and anything.  You know the ones, “what’s your favorite color?”, “What New Kids On The Block singer would you sleep with first?”  Well, I got to thinking about my very own foodie-based 20 questions.  One question came to mind, and I have been thinking about it since then:  “If you could have any famous culinarian for a  mother, who would it be and why?” So in honor of that idea, and the fact that Mothers Day is this weekend, I bring you the following.

I know this sounds silly and stupid, but I think about things like this.  I love my mom and all, and would not trade her in for anything, but if I were to have a famous culinarian as a mother, who would it be?  It has been hard to narrow down the list, but I am happy to say that I have four mothers.

I know that seems like a lot of mothers to answer to, but I can’t just have one; it would be impossible.  I chose my “foodie moms” based on many different traits but they all have one thing in common – complete and utter culinary greatness!

From the list of hundreds (OK, maybe 10) I have narrowed it down to the following four in no particular order:

1. Dorie Greenspan (baker and all around culinary genius)
2. Lynne Rossetto Kasper (host of PRI’s The Splendid Table and foodie icon)
3. Ruth Reichl (editor-in-chief at Gourmet , food writer, and author of Culinary Memoirs)
4. Julia Child (the late great American food icon)

I chose these four amazing women because they have been a part of my everyday life for quite some time, and I also look up to these women because of the great things they do for the food world and America in general.

Dorie Greenspan is one of those authors and culinarians that I LOVE to read.  Her writing is easy to enjoy, well thought out, and she has a style of cooking and baking that is second to none.  It’s hard to believe that this successful author and baker started her career by burning down her parents’ kitchen at the age of  13.  Her newest book  Baking: From My Home to Yours is, in my opinion, the only book a baker needs.  Her recipes are amazingly written and easy to follow, and I have not made a bad thing out of that book.  Cooking from a Dorie book is like cooking from a family recipe box – comforting, enjoyable, and satisfying.  In 2004, Dorie was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food and Beverage by the Beard Foundation and has won FIVE (count ‘em…five) Beard awards for her books.  However, the reason I chose her to be my “mother” is her pure unadulterated passion and love for her craft.  She’s also cute as a button to boot!

Lynne Rosetto Kasper, ahhh where do I begin?  I love the woman; that is the easiest way of saying it.  She and I geek out to food in the exact same way.  You know she is in love with her career and subject choice just by hearing it in her voice.  Her passion for cooking and food goes beyond recipes and new culinary techniques.  She has a love for slow food and traditional culinary principles that I admire.  Lynne’s weekly public radio program, The Splendid Table, is something I look forward to and wait to download on iTunes every Saturday.  When I listen to Lynne’s show, I am in most cases entering my “culinary happy space” and just enjoying each interview, thought, or recipe she has to offer.  Her voice is a comforting and warm tone that I relax to from week to week.  In my dreams I would love to be locked in a kitchen with Lynne for weeks on end with amazing products and just cook, eat, and talk and solve a few world’s problems in the process.  Just a little side note… I do a really kick-ass impression of Lynne.  You know what they say about impersonation.

Ruth Reichl is an American icon.  Ruth is who I want to be when I grow up.  I do realize that at 27 I am pretty grown up, but this woman holds a place near and dear to my heart.  The best way I think I could describe my take on Ms. Reichl is to call her an ingenious culinary free spirit.  She seems to march to the beat of her own copper pot and makes a lasting impression while doing so. You name it, Ruthie’s done it – chef, critic, writer, editor, restaurant owner.  She can do it all, and boy has she ever.  Her love of food comes through in everything she does.  When I first read Tender at the Bone, it was then that I truly realized food can be written about as a memory and it honestly can have a life changing affect on us.  I love Gourmet and have loved it ever since I was a kid.  I grew up with it.  It was one of the first magazines I can remember thinking “oh, this is the life for me.”  Although I think it was Ruth’s love for food and lack of fear that made me fall in love with her, her free-spirited culinary views on life have made me continue to read her.

Julia Child.  I really don’t know what to say about Julia.  She is the first TV chef I can remember seeing on TV. I would sit in front of the TV at home and be drawn in to her almost magical cooking style and be transported to a place like no other.  I still hear her saying “with your impeccably clean fingers” in the back of my mind.  I only wish I had been born earlier in life so I could have gotten more of a taste of her.  I am fascinated by Julia Child and very jealous that Dorie Greenspan got to co-write a cookbook with her.  I am sure Dorie could talk about Julia in great detail, but Julia was not scared of butter, or cream, or life… and THAT deserves a spot on my list for sure.  Mastering the Art of French Cooking was the first cookbook I purchased when I started to collect culinary books.  I still pull it out from time to time and put my twist on a Julia classic.

I have to say my own mother is my number one and has helped me embrace the foodie that I am today.  Without her I would not have cooked as much as I do.  I however also want to thank my pretend mothers for doing what they do and following the career paths that they have.  Without them I would be bored shitless.  So thanks Linda (my mom), Dorie, Ruth, Lynne, and Julia for making me not only obsess about food but also think about it in totally different ways. please see the following video.  this is how i will always remember Julia.

The French Chef Julia Child’s Chicken

Happy Early Mothers Day!!!

Food Geek: Dives, Glorious Dives….

// April 10th, 2009 // No Comments » // Dining Out, Food Geek

So I may be a food snob, geek, elitist, or whatever you want to call me; but the genre of the All-American Dive is quite possibly my favorite food genre out there.  I get giddy at the thought of a local greasy spoon or neighborhood dive serving up the same culinary landmarks for generations.  I am lucky (my cholesterol levels are not so much)  that I have such a place less than a mile from my loft.  Mario’s Fishbowl, here in Morgantown, WV, is a local gold mine of culinary goodness and the peak of beer perfection in my mind.

The “fishbowl” in the establishment’s name comes from the steins that the beer is served in which look more like  a household pet containment device than beverage service container.  Ice cold, larger than life, it’s more than just “a beer”- it’s a magical beer slushy.  The beer containment devices are kept in a freezer, and when the hoppy goodness hits the frozen surface it interacts and creates what might be the most amazing drink known to man.  And the food, dear lord the food….

Wings= AMAZING

Mario’s Fishbowl has what I would VERY easily call the world’s best wings.  I know I might be setting some people on fire with that statement, but it’s no secret that outside of Buffalo, NY, Morgantown has some of the best wings around.  They have carved out a niche market in these parts, and Mario’s (in my opinion) is the peak of perfection. the wings are an amazing mix of juicy meat and crispy flesh surrounded with a very nice orange glow of buffalo sauce.  You can’t have Mario’s without having a side or three of their famous bleu cheese dressing.  The dressing is house made like everything else (to the best of my knowledge) that Mario’s serves.  I was so distracted by eating my wings that I forgot to take a formal photo of the homemade potato chips.  ”Fishbowl Chips,” as they are called, are the ultimate addition to the Dive meal.  Perfectly fried to a crispy crunch, they are well suited for the bottom-of-the-plate buffalo sauce and extra bleu cheese. In typical Dive fashion, Mario’s is usually filled with regulars seated at the mix and match tables, window booths, and old fashioned lunch counter.

The walls of the establishment are lined with notes and memories of fishbowl lovers and regulars alike.  You are likely to see comments of all parental ratings and sobriety tests.  Most write their messages on the backs of the long side of cigarette cartons, the kind of kitsch and ephemera that makes me giggle with glee.  The menu not only features the kick ass wings, but also a pleasant mix of Dive/Bar food that pleases with not only flavor, but also price.  Needless to say the fishbowl is one-of-a-kind and not to be missed by any foodie or breathing human.  Happy wing eating kids.

The end of another memorable fishbowl experience......

Breakfast for Dinner Recipes: Baked Eggs with Cheddar Potatoes

// March 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Recipes: Breakfast, State of the Plate

Baked Eggs with Cheddar Potatoes

adapted from food network kitchens

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, diced (russets work as well )
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 large cloves garlic, minced (in the summer i use double the amount of green garlic from the farmers market)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 large eggs (farm fresh if possible)
1 cup extra-sharp farmhouse cheddar, shredded (about 4 ounces)

Hot Thai Chili Paste to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large, well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally until tender and brown, about 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper, and remove from the heat.

Push the potatoes aside to make 4 evenly spaced shallow nests and break 2 eggs into each. Bake until the egg whites are cooked and the yolks are still runny, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and continue baking until it just melts, about 1 minute more. Serve immediately.

Breakfast for Dinner Recipes: Strawberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

// March 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // Recipes: Breakfast, State of the Plate

Strawberry-Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Adapted from www.seriouseats.com

- makes about 20 servings, depending on molds and tins used-

Ingredients

Cake Layer:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (112g)
2/3 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of one lemon and one orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large yolks

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 10 mini (2”X4”) loaf pans or one 13”X9” baking pan and line the bottoms with parchment (you may also use cupcake pans, lining 24 standard size molds with standard paper cupcake liners).

2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and zests until light and fluffy.

2. Add vanilla, followed by eggs – one at a time – beating well to incorporate between each addition.

3. Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder to evenly distribute. Add one third of this dry mixture to the butter-egg mixture and mix to incorporate.

4. Add one yolk, and mix to incorporate. Add half of remaining dry mixture, followed by remaining yolk, finishing with remaining dry mixture, mixing well after each addition.

Cream Cheese Layer:
10 ounces cream cheese
Finely grated zest of one lemon
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, well beaten, but not aerated

Procedure

1. Place cream cheese and lemon zest in a heat-proof mixing bowl set over simmering water. Stir every so often, until cheese becomes warm, smooth and liquid.

2. Remove mixing bowl from heat. Add sugar and vanilla extract well. (Do not whip or whisk, as incorporating air will make the cream cheese layer pasty and dry).

3. Add beaten egg and mix to incorporate.

Crumb Layer:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (112g)
1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
½ cup whole wheat flour (60g)
½ cup brown sugar (105g)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Procedure

1. Combine all ingredients and mix with your hands or a mixer until ingredients are evenly distributed and mixture falls in chunky crumbs.

Assembly:
1 recipe cake layer
2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, diced
1 recipe cream cheese layer
1 recipe crumb layer

Procedure

1. Divide cake layer batter evenly among prepared pans.

2. Divide strawberries evenly among pans, spreading the berry pieces evenly over the surface of the cake batter and patting down gently.

3. Diving cream cheese layer batter evenly among pans (there should be enough to just cover the berries in each pan).

4. Sprinkle a healthy handful of crumbs over the cream cheese layer in each pan. Do not push down.

5. Bake coffee cakes for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the center cakes comes out clean (it may appear a bit damp, but should not have any batter clinging to it). Allow cakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pans. Carefully loosen each cake with a paring knife and gently turn cakes out. Cool completely, crumb-side up on wire racks. Cakes keep about 3 days (though crumb topping will become less crunchy/crumbly after storage).

State of the Plate: Breakfast for Dinner

// March 31st, 2009 // No Comments » // State of the Plate

Nothing Says lovin' Like Frittat From the Oven...

The Most Important meal of the day?

Joel Brown

(Article Taken from my “State of the Plate” column in the  03.31.09 edition of the DA.)

Growing up, when I was told that breakfast was the most important meal of the day, I can remember thinking that my mom was out of her mind and full of Honey Nut Cheerios.  How could cereal and toast be the most important part of the day?  Needless to say I still think that the whole “most important meal of the day” stuff is bull, but I have grown to calling breakfast one of my FAVORITE meals of the day. Hence, I bring up the subject of breakfast for dinner.

Breakfast for dinner is my favorite meal made at the PERFECT time of the day- the time when you can truly sit down and enjoy it slowly and in the company of the ones you love to hate and hate to love.   All kidding aside, I think that dinnertime is the perfect time for breakfast.  We used to once in a while get breakfast for dinner as a kid, but it was typically a non-verbal communication from my mom that something was wrong.  Someone had either had a REALLY bad day at the office, someone might have died, or one of the parents was just pissed at the world for some reason, and pancakes were easier than meatloaf and to this day I have never had hamburger helper, so that was not EVEN an option. My mother would probably disagree with me (sorry mommy) and she might be right, but I just remember it that way.  I also hold a grudge against you mom for not letting us eat dinner leftover for breakfast (pizza is a perfectly good morning meal, thank you very much).   Sorry, I did not mean to go off on a Jerry Springer-esque tangent on my mother.  I am not really angry with her; I just think it’s funny.

I have, however, taken a completely different opinion about breakfast food consumption times and tend to make it more after 6:00 p.m. than not. Imagine dragging your ass home from school/work at 8:30 p.m. and being able to make a banana nut waffle (and not those damn Eggo cardboard waffles) with sweet and savory bacon in less than 10 minutes. Not to sound like an infomercial, but it’s possible!  I love to make homemade waffles (base recipe on my blog www.joelhblog.com) and package them in a Ziploc bag in pairs and then microwave them for about 45 seconds or so.   For the bacon I lay out about 6 strips (2 portions) of the porky goodness on a small cookie sheet, sprinkle it with a mix of ½ tablespoon of kosher salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar and ½ tablespoons of freshly cracked black pepper and chuck it into the oven until crisp.  Voila, Dinner! Er… I mean, Breakfast DONE!  Breakfast foods are just naturally a very versatile genre of cuisine and the perfect canvas of improvisation for the newbie cook.

Frittatas are another easy and kick-ass fast dish. For ease of preparation you may want to pick up a small cast iron skillet, but this is not a must have.  When you come home, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, pop the skillet on the stove under a medium-high flame, add a dash of oil or fat (olive oil, peanut oil, butter, duck fat, etc.) to the vessel crank, it to High, and wait about two minutes.  While that is heating break 3 eggs into a bowl and whisk them with about ½ teaspoon of salt until fluffy.  Rummage through your cheese drawer and leftovers for something that you would like to throw in (my all time favorite is left over Indian Onion Chutney and Chicken Tikka skewers).  Add the eggs to the skillet and scramble them a little.  While the eggs are still wet, pop in your additives and whatnot, and throw that into your preheated oven for about 15 minutes (or until the egg is set).  Dinner’s Done!  For more recipes and break-dinner ideas visit my blog (www.joelhblog.com).  Happy eating kids!

State of the Plate: The Peepshow

// March 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // State of the Plate

Taken From my March 26, 2009 “State of the Plate” article.

Sweet, supple, melt-in-your mouth, palm-sized goodness that provides near guiltless pleasure: God love Peeps. I have not always been a fan of the timeless marshmallow concoction, but in recent years, I have become a frequent peeper. I have been doing a good deal of peeping.

for the sake of peeping and quite frankly need to stop using the word “peeping.”OK. Better now. Marshmallow Peeps have been a staple in the Easter baskets of the Brown family for a number of years (at least 20), and upon closer examination, Peeps have been feeding the Easter baskets of America for more than 50 years.Peeps were first created by the Rodda Candy Company of Lancaster, Pa., (shout out to my Amish peeps) which made the pint-sized chicks one by one by squeezing homemade marshmallow through a pastry bag into the now-famous peep shape.The Rodda Company was purchased in 1953 by the Just Born candy company of Bethlehem, Pa., and by 1954, automated the peep manufacturing process and created a one-of-a-kind “Peep extruder”, which at that time was state-of-the-art. I have found out that there are two schools of Peep people. The people who love Peeps to pieces, and the people who hate Peeps like herpes. I am of the school of loving them to pieces. There is something about eating a Peep that is unlike any other confection experience.

The mix of wildly fun colors, and now flavors (try the chocolate mousse bunnies. Yum.) with the spongy, mallow-mouth feel, is a force to be reckoned with. They are the quintessential Easter treat. Within Peep-lovers, there are many ways to de-feather a peep. Some love them right out of their chick-crate, while others like to let them sit and get stale. Editor-in-Chief and red-headed peep-lover Shelly Davidov sometimes takes the Ozzy Osbourne approach to eating a Peep. She bites the head off the little bugger, spits it back out and then enjoys the remaining mallow-carcass. And why she is so violent and 1980s with her peeps?  “It’s because I see them and think ‘Wooooo. Cute, yummy Peep, then bite off the head and realize yuck,’” she said.To each her own, Shelly, to each her own.

I personally like to let them go a little stale, lick them like a baby kitten until my tongue feels as though it has been licking 300 grit sandpaper for an hour or so and then stuff a Peep into each cheek cavity and sit around looking like I belong in “a special room” at a “special place” where I wouldn’t be allowed to play with sharp objects.There also seems to be a large amount of “Peeple” who like to microwave their Peeps until they turn into a molten mess or blow up, whichever comes first. I even have a friend who loves to eat them frozen. Would that be considered a “Peep-sicle?” However twisted or exotic you choose to eat your peeps is up to you, but God knows there are a hell of a lot of ways to get them in your belly and, after all, there is no wrong way to eat a Peep. The world of Peep consumption has gone far beyond just eating them. There are people out there doing things with Peeps that you would not believe. There is even talk of Peeps being part of a plan to get us out of the current economic slump. Just kidding. Honestly though, everything from Peep art renditions of the Virgin Mary to Peep clothing and recipes are out there for your Peeping pleasure. Be sure to check out Peeps artist David Ottogalli’s work at http://www.peepsshow.com. There are even sugar-free Peeps out there for us who suffer from the diabetes mellitus. I have tried the sugar-free Peeps, and while tasty and quite chewy, they have, well, how should I say this? They have a side effect that rhymes with “mart.” I wonder what Wilford Brimley would have to say about that?

Happy Peeping kiddos!

Read the online version here