Edible by Edible

edible

Issue I / Volume I

january 2011

new year, new beginnings

horace mannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new food publication, edible!

science + cooking

fun recipe: cake pops! recipe inside

new science course at harvard university

something to try try our winter-friendly recipes

sweet tooth?

satisfying treats from around the globe

go green!

shop at farmersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; markets this winter

edible

Edible is a magazine about all things food including food in the home, the scientiﬁc aspects of our food, how food affects culture, and the more commercial end of food including restaurant reviews, chef interviews, and where chefs shop. In this issue we’ve collected a varying number of Holiday foods for our recipes spread as well as a special feature article about Farmers’ Markets. We also studied the effect of food on culture and vice versa as we examine the foods of Europe. In our science section we cover a course at Harvard that teaches students about the chemistry behind cooking. We hope you enjoy this issue and look forward to our next one in the spring. Thank You! Editors, Rachel Buissereth Ben Kremnitzer Noah Margulis Molly Wharton

!"#$ editors-in-chief: Rachel Buissereth Ben Kremnitzer Noah Margulis Molly Wharton layout editor: Nailah Hines consultant: Aramael PeñaAlcántara layout assistants: Pheobe Gennardo staff writers: Benjamin Davidoff Andrea Ditkoff Mayanka Dutta Mia Farinelli Rachel Ha Haley Marber Isaiah Newman Catherine Powell Julia Pretsfelder Olivia Silberman Melanie Totenberg Akiko Uemura faculty advisors: Adam Casdin Angelina Goater

8 10 11 12 24 25 26 27 30

features

a timeless winter tablescape the many uses of cake mix winter tastes from around the world ferran adria: preheating spain’s over food’s role in evolution the raw foodist diet a piece of greece max brenner: a chocolate emperor the new york times: recipes for a new century bar pitti to lick or not to lick? a winter wonderland continued

14 Winter Treats By Noah Margulis, Mia Farinelli, and Savannah Smith This winter, enjoy our staff written recipes sure to please. 28 Science Made Fun By Molly Wharton Learn about the new Harvard Course, Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science

funnfud.blogspot.com

We are extremely proud to present you the premiere issue of Edible, Horace Mann’s new food publication. We came together by chance at the end of last year; all having the same idea to create a food publication. Now we’ve joined forces to put together an in depth look at food, from the way table is set to the back of the kitchen of a famous Spanish chef; along the way visiting countries to get a look at their food in culture.

4 5 6

fkoff.com

dear reader,

table of contents

20 Global Taste By Mia Farinelli Travel around the world as we explore the different desserts of Europe

22 Responsible Shopping By Catherine Engelman Shop responsibly this year at some of New York City’s farmers’ markets

edible

8 10 11 12 24 25 26 27 30

features

funnfud.blogspot.com

4 5 6

fkoff.com

dear reader,

table of contents

20 Global Taste By Mia Farinelli Travel around the world as we explore the different desserts of Europe

22 Responsible Shopping By Catherine Engelman Shop responsibly this year at some of New York City’s farmers’ markets

&'()

a timeless winter tablescape Haley Marber (10’) creates a cozy tablescape in tones of yellow and red.

&'()

the many uses of cake mix Andrea Ditkoff (10) explores the many ways to use cake mix.

ixes: a quick and easy way to save time, or a cheap copout? In the baking world, using cake mix has always been a controversial topic—they were introduced in the twenties, but only became popular in the 1940s and 1950s. A rivalry formed as busy bakers touted the ease with which they turned out yummy cakes, and their more traditional peers perfected their fromscratch recipes. But using cake mix doesn’t have to mean being boring, and it certainly doesn’t need to show a lack of creativity. Using a cake mix as a starting point, bakers have been improvising and improving since the beginning. Check out some of these fun twists on the old cake classics!

~ Candles add a nice glow to the table, but real candles can be hard to deal with. Using electric votive candles will create the same warming effect without an open ﬂame. You can put them anywhere without the fear that they will tip over and set everything on ﬁre. ~ Stringing Christmas tree lights throughout the table strategically can enhance the centerpiece and the place settings, especially in a dim room. ~ Get your shopping done at Crate and Barrel which carries many accessories for tablescaping. 4

su amy

~The key to making a winter tablescape is shine, so use a lot of different reﬂective surfaces that reﬂect light in different ways.

m s.co bite y t s esta

!"#$%

Let’s start with the basics. Every box of cake mix you buy should come with a recipe on the back, which is guaranteed to turn out perfect. If all you’re looking for is a standard cake, there’s no need to read further. To improve on this very basic cake, try mixing chocolate chips, nuts, or even cocoa powder with the batter, or adding a little vanilla extract to taste. Another way to work with the basic cake is to have fun with the frosting. There are thousands of easy frosting recipes available—everything from glazes to thick buttercream. Many companies also sell prepackaged frostings. Try melting a can of premade frosting (following the given instructions on the can) and dip the tops of cupcakes in for a shiny coat, or drizzling it over the top of the cake. Finally, try putting the cake together in an interesting way. Instructions on the cake mix box can be found for making layered cakes and delicious cupcakes. Put ﬁlling, like jam, between layers for a new variation. Below is a recipe for yummy cake pops from Duncan Hines, a popular brand of cake mixes.

*+,)-#'#$ Ingredients: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Confetti Cupcake Mix (or try another ﬂavor) 1 1/4 cups water 3 large eggs 1 tbsp. veg. oil 1 can Duncan Hines vanilla frosting Instructions: 1. Make cake per instructions on Duncan Hines cake mix box. 2. Crumble cake after cooling and mix in one can of Duncan Hines frosting. 3. Roll mixture into small two-inch cupcake balls and insert cookie stick into cupcake ball. (Use melted chocolate to make stick adhere) 4. Cover cupcake ball completely with your choice of additional melted chocolate. 5. Add bright and colorful sprinkles and you have a delish treat! 6. Wrap in clear plastic bag with stylish ribbon for extra cuteness!

&'()

a timeless winter tablescape Haley Marber (10’) creates a cozy tablescape in tones of yellow and red.

&'()

the many uses of cake mix Andrea Ditkoff (10) explores the many ways to use cake mix.

su amy

~The key to making a winter tablescape is shine, so use a lot of different reﬂective surfaces that reﬂect light in different ways.

m s.co bite y t s esta

!"#$%

winter tastes from

!"#$%&$#'&#

Ben Davidoff (10), Catherine Powell (10) and Akiko Uemura (10)

Ben Davidoff (10)

write about different winter meals from around the world.

!"#"$

from where, these cakes will never fail to put a smile.

op! goes the Chan Merry from cheerful homes. The pleasant scent of roast chickens tempts people and many different kinds of cakes, white, brown and even light pink, decorate the showcase of bakeries while drawing in passersbys.

As mentioned before, the most typical are snow white with strawberries either around the cake or clustered at the center, with marzipan or meringue Santas smiling up. Yet that’s not the only one; Bûche de Noël, strawberry jellies and ice cream cakes are other decorative delight.

‘At last, it’s Christmas!’ Awaiting lavish white Christmas cakes from hotels, whole and topped with several ruby strawberries, glittering in the candle light, coated with buttery, whipped cream, families gather around the table. Behold the roast chickens, cooked crisp and warm! These chickens dress up crispy outside, with soy sauce, rice cooking wine and a hint of honey sweetness, juicy and tender in the inside. And they get to wear little silvery shoes. The sweet and sparkling Chan Merrys, are uniquely Japanese soda pops much similar to a ramune. Typically they add a sparkle your party with wine colors, rosé, red and white, and are wrapped in decorative papers. But not to worry about your age; these are of course non alcohol, so everyone’s welcome to share the toast! And Japanese children rejoice when their, and, possibly, your favorite characters join the party upon wrapping papers. Hello Kitty, Pokemon and even Disney characters write their names upon our Guest List.

Akiko Uemura (10)

Romania

R www.adekun.com

thewanderingeater.com

In Scandinavia, the region encompassing Norway, Sweden, and Finland, food plays an integral role in every day life. The area is wrought with nearly year round cold due to the short, cold summers, and the food eaten in Scandinavia is comprised of food that grows well in the cold climate Some examples of these foods, such as berries, mushrooms, root vegetables, and grains. In addition, hunting and fishing, both popular traditions, provides game foods such as bear, reindeer, salmon, and moose. These traditional Scandinavian foods are commonly eaten during the holiday season. Christmas is a highly popular holiday in Scandinavia; about 80% of the population is Christian, and many more celebrate the holiday. The most popular Christmas meal is “Smörgåsbord,” a sort of buffet. The meal includes different fishes such as herring and salmon, various meats like meatballs and hams, and casseroles made with vegetables like cabbage and potato. Beverages, cheeses, and breads are also served, as well as rice pudding. In addition, each household serves regional specialties. The meal is broken into three courses, the first are fishes, the second cold dishes, and the third hot dishes and meats. Dessert is also served depending on the household; these desserts include cookies, baked weeks in advance. Another very popular holiday tradition, especially in Finland, is “Riisipuuro” which liter6

ally means rice porridge. During Christmas, rice pudding is served with one almond hidden inside the meal. Whoever gets the almond in their serving of rice pudding receives a small prize, such as money, candies, or chocolates. In some other households, biting into the almond gives the winner a year of good luck. This tradition serves as an exciting precursor to the opening of Santa Claus’s gifts. There are also many popular beverages drank during Christmas time. “Julmust,” a soft drink exclusively sold during holiday season and “Glögg” an alcoholic drink similar to eggnog. The ingredients include red wine, sugar, and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and bitter orange. It can also be made with a stronger alcohol like vodka or it can be made without alcohol. Other popular drinks are more recognizable to Americans, examples are Coffee and hot chocolate. Holiday food in Scandinavia brings out the traditions of an ancient culture that can trace its roots back to the hunters, gatherers and farmers of many generations ago. The traditional necessity of being able to hunt, gather, or farm to provide food, led to the popularization of the many foods listed above. Tradition is a vital part of Scandinavian culture, a prime example of which is food.

around the world

Home-baked or ordered from a fancy Hotel/ restaurant, or from your nearby convenience store, Christmas cakes are the most important part of Japanese Christmas celebration. This cannot be compromised for sure! No matter

omania is at the meeting point of three different regions; Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans. Culturally, it is not included in any speciﬁc region, but more of a mix between the three. Romania is considered a secular state without a national religion, but the dominant religious body is the Romanian Orthodox Church, so the winter holidays are very celebrated. In terms of food, one of the most popular dishes is Sarmale. It is a very traditional winter dish, with cabbage leaves rolled up and inside of it are minced meat, rice, and vegetables/roots. It used to be a lower class type of food, where it was very ﬁlling and had all nutrients wrapped up in one meal. Another very traditional winter meal, is a Borscht soup. It’s a dark red soup made from beets and either pork or beef, yet again it came from the lower classes. It was a very cheap meal to make and it can last for about a week. www.mamaliga.com

Cult ure

Catherine Powell (10) 7

winter tastes from

!"#$%&$#'&#

Ben Davidoff (10), Catherine Powell (10) and Akiko Uemura (10)

Ben Davidoff (10)

write about different winter meals from around the world.

!"#"$

from where, these cakes will never fail to put a smile.

Akiko Uemura (10)

Romania

R www.adekun.com

thewanderingeater.com

around the world

Cult ure

Catherine Powell (10) 7

Science + Cooking

ferran adria: preheating spain's oven Matthew Russo (10) writes about Ferran Adria, a controversial chef in Spain

ivil war has broken out again in Spain, and what’s more terrifying? This time it’s knives only! Perhaps the most famous chef in the world Ferran Adriá has brewed quite the kerfuﬄe, which is commanding the attention of all modern culinary experts.

“Adrià’s dishes are designed to impress rather than satisfy and used chemicals that actually put diners’ health at risk.” knows what. So to say that Ferran Adriá’s food has “a neutral impact on health” is like saying that eating carrots will make your skin turn orange, it will happen, but only if that’s all you eat. Despite criticism, on the whole, Adriá has gained the respect of the cooking world. His work is leading the way in molecular gastronomy, or the study of the physical and chemical changes that occur in cooking food. He despises the term molecular gastronomy, however, and he has coined the term “deconstructivist”. Call it whatever you want, this guy’s got more buzz around him than a box of honey nut cheerios, and he’s got ﬁred up enough debate to keep Spain boiling for the next Check ﬁfty years. out his cookbook, A Day at el Bulli!

Toasted Spaghetti with Clams Recipe by Ferran Adrià

Total time: 25 minutes Servings: 4 INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3/4 pound spaghetti, broken into 2-inch lengths 2 garlic cloves, minced Crushed red pepper 3 cups bottled clam broth 1 cup water 3 dozen littleneck clams, rinsed 1/4 cup minced ﬂat-leaf parsley DIRECTIONS In a large deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the spaghetti and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and a large pinch of crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the clam broth and water and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and cook over moderate heat until the pasta is barely al dente, about 8 minutes. Nestle the clams into the pasta, cover and cook until the pasta is al dente and the clams open, about 7 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water if the pasta is too dry. Stir in the parsley and serve.

www.blogcdn.com

The main argument is a

luxist.com

If you’re unfamiliar with Ferran Adriá, he is to cooking what Usain Bolt is to running, what that ambidextrous pitcher is to baseball, and what Mars is to Earth: he’s out of this world. By using science to break down foods into their basic ﬂavors, Ferran Adriá is able to concoct some of the strangest and most delectable dishes in the world. To give you an idea of what I mean by “strange,” try eating frozen whisky sour candy, or white garlic almond sorbet, maybe an order of tobaccoﬂavored blackberry crushed ice, and what’s a dinner without Kellogg’s paella (rice krispies, shrimp heads, and vanilla mashed potatoes). So what’s not to love about a Spanish mad scientist who took up cooking as a hobby? What has caused Spain’s chefs to divide into two camps, one supporting Ferran, and the other loyal to a more classical style of cooking?

general Parent’s Association favorite: health. Vanilla mashed potatoes and tobacco-flavored blackberry crushed ice are not organic foods. For most of his dishes, Ferran includes some form of an additive, gelling agent, colorant, or emulsifier, which raises a lot of red flags. In recent history, Santi Santamaria, a Michelin 3-star chef who runs a restaurant near Ferran, claimed, “Adrià’s dishes are designed to impress rather than satisfy and used chemicals that actually put diners’ health at risk”. Santi Santamaria is one of many traditionalist chefs who find Adriá’s work to be pretentious, tasteless, and unhealthy; however his opinion hasn’t been taken too seriously as many chefs accuse him of being jealous. Regardless, Santamaria is not alone. Jorg Zipprick, a German food critic, also slandered Ferran recently, claiming, “These colorants, gelling agents, emulsifiers, acidifiers and taste enhancers that Adrià has introduced massively into his dishes to obtain extraordinary textures, tastes and sensations do not have a neutral impact on health.”

Zipprick and Santamaria are right, but only to a point. They’re right in saying that processed foods have some health concerns, but then again most foods that we eat are processed. In some way, shape, or form, almost none of what we eat is 100% organic. Take milk for instance. In my humble opinion, the only way to be completely sure the milk you drink is all-natural is to milk the cow yourself. Why? Because between the utter and your mouth, most cartons of milk are pasteurized, have fat added or reduced, and are pumped with god

Science + Cooking

ferran adria: preheating spain's oven Matthew Russo (10) writes about Ferran Adria, a controversial chef in Spain

Toasted Spaghetti with Clams Recipe by Ferran Adrià

www.blogcdn.com

The main argument is a

luxist.com

Science + Cooking

food’s role in evolution

hen you think of cooking, you might think of it as a hobby, a career, or an obligation, but a fuel for evolution? That’s probably not the first thing that comes to your head, but that is exactly what Richard Wrangham has proposed. Wrangham is an anthropological primatologist, someone who studies primates, and is the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University. He believes that cooking is what commenced the evolution from ape to human. Wrangham first started his career as a primatologist working as a researcher at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania for Jane Goodall’s study of the Common Chimpanzee. Though chimpanzees are omnivores, they typically eat fruit (fruit actually make up 60% of their diet), nuts, seeds, leaves, and tubers, and while working with the chimpanzees, he tasted the food that typically makes up their diet. After trying these fibrous fruits and tubers, Wrangham concluded that no human could live off of a chimp’s diet or any entirely raw diet, not just because of the unappetizing taste, but because a human’s teeth, jaws, mouth, and digestive tract are so much smaller and weaker than of a chimp. We would not be able to eat, chew, and digest the food to sustain enough energy for our larger bodies and our high-calorie lifestyle. However, Wrangham thought if these foods were cooked, they would be easier, take less time, and take less energy to eat and digest. For example, chimpanzees usually spend about six hours every day just chewing their food to consume an adequate number of calories while, humans, because our food is easier to chew, can do the same in less than an hour every day. Cooking

news.harvard.edu

Rachel Ha (10) discusses how food affects the evolution of humans

probably means that H. erectus traveled further and more than its ancestors, and therefore used more energy. Wrangham attributes all of these differences to the advent of softer food with higher calorie density: cooking. The increase in brain size is an interesting aspect of Wrangham’s theory. Our ﬁrst hominid ancestors had small foreheads with low, dominant eyebrows, but as hominids evolved, their foreheads grew more substantial. Wrangham says that the hominids’ brains grew larger as they were provided with more calories because fewer calories were being wasted just chewing the food. He also believes that the time saved by cooking could have been used for other activities, like further perfecting of lithic technology, meaning producing tools from stone, and could have altered social interactions, pushing the population forward culturally as they evolved physically. Wrangham’s theory has a lot of very

thoughtful, interesting ideas, but many are very skeptical of his theory because there is little evidence of fire around the time when H. erectus evolved. Ralph Rowlett, an anthropologist from the University of Missouri, found evidence of fire from about 1.6 million years ago, and evidence rallies on Wrangham’s behalf, but the majority of researchers do not think fire could have been controlled readily by the hominids of that time, and the little evidence of fire found is not enough to convince them. Wrangham continues to try and find evidence to prove his theory, but in the meantime, his unique ideas have provided a new perspective for everyone to consider how exactly the things we do affect our population because we shouldn’t forget that we are still evolving. If cooking brought us from Homo habilis to Homo erectus, what will trigger the evolution of Homo sapiens?

the raw foodist diet

Molly Wharton (10) debates a new Hollywood trend, the raw foodist diet. would have been such a convenience to the chimps and our chimp-like ancestors, and with the presence of cooking, natural selection would have caused the shrinking of our ancestors’ digestive tracts. All the energy that would have gone into digesting the food could be used for other things, and Wrangham argues that this could have triggered the evolution of our ancestors. We humans have larger brains, larger bodies, smaller guts, smaller teeth, and weaker jaws than our ancestors, and these traits are all first introduced in Homo erectus who first appeared 1.6 to 1.9 million years ago. H. erectus’ direct predecessor was Homo habilis, and when comparing the two, H. erectus lacked the flared ribs (flared ribs would suggest a large gut, but H. erectus had flat ribs, which suggests that H. erectus had a smaller gut and digestive tract than H. habilis), large mouth, and teeth that H. habilis had. H. erectus also had a brain that was 50% larger than H. Habilis, H. erectus had the largest reduction in tooth size in all of hominid evolution, and it also stood upright, which

Can you ever live without hamburgers, fries, ice cream, pizza, rice, bread, chicken fingers, cookies, scrambled eggs… anything else that’s been cooked or processed? It’s hard to imagine, right? Well, celebrities Jason Mraz, Sting, Demi Moore, Alicia Silverstone, Cher, and Steve Jobs all do, as well as many others in our country and world. Raw foodism is the lifestyle in which uncooked, unprocessed, and for the most part organic foods make up a large percentage of one’s diet, typically in order to reap greater health benefits than a regular diet. But how truly beneficial is this lifestyle? Is it worth giving up foods that we all love? In terms of cooking food, there are definite downsides. Cooking causes helpful enzymes and bacteria to be destroyed, and reduces anti-infective factors, the amount of antioxidants, and mineral and vitamin, especially vitamin B12, levels. Often frying, roasting, or heating substances can make the food’s proteins more difficult to digest. Trans fats and harmful toxins can also result when foods are cooked. Processed foods also contain some unhealthy properties. They contain excitotoxins, such as flavor enhances, which can damage nerve cells. Conventional, rather than organic, produce are grown with pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, and other harmful chemical, and so raw foodists argue that a diet made up of mostly organic foods is much more beneficial. However, raw foods also pose a danger: food poisoning. Buckwheat greens, kidney beans, alfalfa sprouts, and cassava are all toxic when raw. Raw eggs have the possibility of salmonella, and raw meat sometimes contains potentially harmful bacteria, parasites, or viruses, which can result in a serious foodborne illness. This limited diet also results in deficiencies in nutrients such as vitamin B12, calcium, protein, and Vitamin D. Overall, the raw food diet should probably only be done over a short period of time, or only make up about 80% of the diet. It is definitely a great way to lose weight, but a continued reduced calorie intake would make an already healthy person underweight. 11

Science + Cooking

food’s role in evolution

news.harvard.edu

Rachel Ha (10) discusses how food affects the evolution of humans

the raw foodist diet

LOCAL

well worth it, for I was rewarded with a sublime blend of ﬂavors that was both satisfying and tantalizing.

a piece of greece

“Meals are a labor of love, and the Greeks know this better than anyone.”

Mayanka Dutta (9) goes to rural Greece in Uptown Manhattan

Symposium Restaurant 544 West 113 Street New York, NY 10025-8000 (212) 865-1011 Open Daily 12 PM - 11 PM Free Delivery For Private Parties Call Or Inquire Within Zagat Rated 12

The owner, who also doubled as our waiter, brought out a basket of burning hot pita bread, and the scintillating scent of the thick triangles wafted into my nose, causing my stomach to emit a positively fearsome growl. He promised to be back with our orders soon, but I would have been content with the soft, browned bread keeping me company for hours if needed. This, however, was unnecessary, for only a few minutes passed before our dishes were brought out to us, and the real delights began. At ﬁrst I was perplexed

Although I was ﬁlled by my meal, I never reached a point of discomfort, for the food seemed to have an effortless balance between being satiating and light: something that I found to be a trend in the Greek food I sampled and learned about. No matter whether you are trying a traditional creamy

It is clear from this thorough and patient precision that food is a major part of the Greek culture. Meals are a labor of love, and the Greeks know this better than anyone. Who you sit down to eat with is just as important as the food itself. Hard work and attention to detail is put into the dishes for the appreciation of those who

by the mass of food in front of me, trying to discern the location of my chicken under the plethora of salad. After several minutes of poking around, I discovered that the thin strips of extra bread on top of a thick piece of pita were not, in fact, more carbs for me to consume, but instead was the chicken I had been searching for. The slab of pita housed an unimaginable amount of food, consisting of the juicy, rectangular sheets of chicken, crisp greens, a soft, savory potato, and a feta cheese and sour cream spread. The multitude of ingredients may have been a challenge to cram into my mouth, but the effort was

commons.wikimedia.org

Despite the under-

whelming décor, however, I peruse the menu with interest, surveying all the unpronounceable names and their clarifying descriptions. I marvel at the sheer number of dishes available; what’s even more impressive is that most, if not all, of the options seem appetizing, a great anomaly for someone as particular when it comes to food as I. I ﬁnally decide on a chicken gyro with feta cheese spread, potato, and salad, a new appreciation for this cuisine and its broad appeal resounding within me.

!"##$%&'(')

symposiumnyc.com

walk down the few steps leading into Symposium with an empty stomach and a critical eye. The small restaurant is located on 113th street between Broadway and Amsterdam, tucked away in the middle of the block, distinguished from the surrounding townhouses solely by its bright blue awning. As I pull the door open and proceed inside with my friend, I am struck by the emptiness of the charming place. There is only one occupied booth, and the owner informs us that we can have our pick of the remaining tables. We settle down, and I observe the slightly haphazard ceiling, covered in different colored tiles on which crudely drawn cartoons are depicted. Some are passable as Greek-looking, with scenes of different animals and native plants, while others yield only confusion as to how their contents make any sense out of the context of a preschooler’s drawing notebook.

every platter, whether it is a simple side dish of clean, white cubes of feta cheese or a bowl of spaghetti with meatballs toppled high. It is as if every ounce of your plate of stuffed grape leaves has been tended to with gentle care, and your olive oil is comprised only of the plumpest, healthiest olives to be found.

yogurt or a thin, flaky baklava, you will always find your stomach filled just enough, but never too much. The Greek also pride themselves on the freshness of their ingredients, again found in all their dishes. Another observation you will make as you experiment with the plethora of food we categorize as Greek is the attention to detail in

come to consume them. The result is that you feel as if it is not your waiter who is setting your plate in front of you, but instead your caring, expectant grandmother, who implores you to polish off three helpings of a platter she has concocted just for you. In the Greek food that you eat, there is a personal touch that is palpable, adding al-

Ingredients 1 large Cucumber, chopped 2 Roma (plum) Tomatoes, chopped 1 (5 ounces) jar pitted Kalamata Olives 1 (4 ounces) package Feta Cheese, crumbled 1 Red Onion, halved and thinly sliced 1/2 (10 ounces) package Romaine Lettuce Leaves 1/2 (10 ounces) package Baby Greens Vinaigrette Dressing: 6 tablespoons Olive Oil 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano 1 teaspoon Dried Basil 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard 1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice 1 1/2 cups Red Wine Vinegar Preparation: Add chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, sliced red onion, romaine lettuce, and baby greens to large serving bowl. Vinaigrette Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. http://www.greeksaladrecipe.net/

most as much to the food as any ingredient might. It is this comforting, almost nostalgic edge that we fail to hold onto with our on-the-go breakfast bars and take-out TV dinners. It is the painstaking love that makes Greek food so unique; in combination with its fresh, light ingredients and great variation, this is what makes Greek cuisine truly stand out. 13

(

LOCAL

well worth it, for I was rewarded with a sublime blend of ﬂavors that was both satisfying and tantalizing.

a piece of greece

“Meals are a labor of love, and the Greeks know this better than anyone.”

Mayanka Dutta (9) goes to rural Greece in Uptown Manhattan

Symposium Restaurant 544 West 113 Street New York, NY 10025-8000 (212) 865-1011 Open Daily 12 PM - 11 PM Free Delivery For Private Parties Call Or Inquire Within Zagat Rated 12

commons.wikimedia.org

Despite the under-

!"##$%&'(')

symposiumnyc.com

! "#$%&' "($)&' *!$)

classic eggnog

SPOTLIGHT

Makes 1 gallon

INGREDIENTS 12 eggs, separated 1 cup of sugar 1 cup of heavy cream 3 cups of whole-milk 3 cups of half and half 1 1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg 1.In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar on low speed, with electric mixer until blended. 2.Turn mixer to high and beat till thick and pale colored - about 10 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes. 3.Separately, whip egg whites and cream to ďŹ rm peaks. Pour chilled egg yolk mixture into a large punch bowl, add milk, half and half, and nutmeg. Gently fold in egg whites and cream - till just blended. 4. Sprinkle with a bit more nutmeg and serve.

S P O T L I G H T

sarahmeyerwalsh.wordpress.com

Try these different classic recipes selected by our staff writers, Savannah Smith (10), Noah Margulis (10), and Mia Farinelli (10). 14

! "#$%&' "($)&' *!$)

classic eggnog

SPOTLIGHT

Makes 1 gallon

S P O T L I G H T

sarahmeyerwalsh.wordpress.com

Try these different classic recipes selected by our staff writers, Savannah Smith (10), Noah Margulis (10), and Mia Farinelli (10). 14

jelly doughnuts

Makes about 16 INGREDIENTS 1 cup whole milk 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons) 2 tablespoons warm water 3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups all-purpose ﬂour plus additional for dusting About 10 cups vegetable oil 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/2 cup raspberry, strawberry, or apricot jam Confectioners sugar for dusting 1. Bring milk to a simmer in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in granulated sugar and salt. Cool milk to lukewarm (about 90°F). While milk is cooling, dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl, stirring until creamy, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn’t foam, discard and start over with fresh yeast.)

S P O T L I G H T

suziethefoodie.blogspot.com

2. Pour milk mixture into a large bowl and stir in 2 1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons oil, eggs, and yeast mixture with a wooden spoon to make a very soft dough. Spread 1 cup flour on work surface and put dough on top, scraping it from bowl with a rubber spatula. Knead dough, incorporating all of flour from work surface and adding just enough additional flour (if necessary) to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer dough to another large bowl and sprinkle lightly with additional flour, then cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Goes great with: Hot Chocolate Tea Milk Coffee

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS 8 cups of popped corn 1/2 cup light corn syrup. 1/2 cup water. 1 top white vinegar 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 c. brown sugar 3/4 c. white sugar 3/4 c. butter 1. Put popped corn in a large bowl. Combine all the remaining ingredients, except butter, in a saucepan. 2. Heat to boiling over med high heat, stirring often. Cook, stirring constantly, to 260 degree on candy thermometer. 3. Remove from heat, stir in butter until melted - slowly pour over popcorn, stirring to coat. Cool slightly. 4. Butter hands, shape into 3” balls and place on waxed paper.

popcorn balls

sspenguin.tumblr.com

Recipes for Proﬁteroles and Jelly Donuts continues on page 30

jelly doughnuts

S P O T L I G H T

suziethefoodie.blogspot.com

Goes great with: Hot Chocolate Tea Milk Coffee

Makes 8

popcorn balls

sspenguin.tumblr.com

Recipes for Proﬁteroles and Jelly Donuts continues on page 30

chocolate peppermint profiteroles

foodnetwork.com

FOR THE PEPPERMINT CREAM 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup granulated sugar Salt 2 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract 1 cup heavy cream

Makes about 20

Makes One INGREDIENTS 2 lb. wheel of Brie Cheese with skinintact 17 1/4 oz. package of frozen puff pastry 1 egg with 1 tsp. of water 1. Thaw pastry till manageable. Put one sheet into a 10” circle. Place it on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Roll out second sheet of pastry till large enough to cut an 11” circle. Brush water around edge of lower circle. Place larger circle over Brie; press edges of circles together. Using sharp knife, scallop around edge. (Roll out pastry scraps to 1/8” thick and refrigerate.) 2. To make a chimney for steam to escape: wrap a 1” x 1 1/2 strip of aluminum foil around a pencil. Cut a 1/4” hole into center of top, but don’t cut the cheese - insert the chimney. 3. From rolled out pastry scraps, cut out little hollyleaves and berries, or Christmas trees, or hearts, or whatever you like - brush one side with water and arrange on top of wheel. Refrigerate till 45 minutes before serving. Place in freezer for 20 minutes. 4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees - brush pastry with egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes till puffy and golden brown. Serve with hot French bread, crackers, and red and seedless grapes.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the profiteroles: Sift together flour, cocoa, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring milk, butter, and granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in flour mixture using a wooden spoon. Return saucepan to medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until dough forms and flour lumps dissolve, about 2 1/2 minutes.

2. Transfer dough to the bowl of a mixer, and beat on medium speed until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes. Beat in 2 eggs, 1 at a time. Test dough by touching it with your ﬁnger and lifting to form a FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE string. If string does not form, the 11/4 cups heavy cream batter needs more egg. Lightly beat 3 tablespoons unsalted butter remaining egg, and add to dough, 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon at a time, testing after 1/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process each addition. Beat until batter is smooth and glossy, about 2 mincocoa powder utes more. Salt

Recipes for Proﬁteroles and Jelly Donuts continues on page 30

sigonas.wordpress.com

FOR THE PROFITEROLES 1/2 cup all-purpose ﬂour 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutchprocess cocoa powder Salt 1/2 cup whole milk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 or 3 large eggs

S P O T L I G H T

brie in puff pastry

S P O T L I G H T

chocolate peppermint profiteroles

foodnetwork.com

FOR THE PEPPERMINT CREAM 2 cups whole milk 1/2 cup granulated sugar Salt 2 large egg yolks 3 tablespoons cornstarch 3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract 1 cup heavy cream

Makes about 20

Recipes for Proﬁteroles and Jelly Donuts continues on page 30

sigonas.wordpress.com

S P O T L I G H T

brie in puff pastry

S P O T L I G H T

Cannoli, a fatteningly sweet treat, are made from tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough loaded with a sweet, creamy filling usually made up of ricotta cheese. Panforte, literally meaning “strong bread,” is a dense cake made up of nuts and fruits, moist and chewy. Most Italian cookies, such as biscotti, tend to be crumbly and only slightly sweet, baked twice to remove as much moisture as possible. Madelleines, a traditional French sponge cake, seem to be the opposite of biscotti. They are butter and lemon flavored and have a distinct shell shape pattern imprinted onto it. Crêpes, another French delicacy, are thin pancakes that can either contain vegetables and meats, or fruits, spreads like Nutella and sugar. Soufflé and mousse are light and creamy desserts found in France, along with Crème Brulee and Crème Caramel. These dishes consist of a rich vanilla custard base topped with a layer of hard or soft caramel, respectively. Crème Caramel is also popular in Spain, but it is referred to as Flan. Another famous sweet snack in Spain is the churro, long strips of cooked dough topped with sugar or honey. Two types of cookies, Mantecados and Polvorones, are also typical Spanish treats. Mantecados are rich, crumbly cookies usually served around Christmas time. Polvorones are almond cookies dusted with confectioners’ sugar, crumbly and sweet. Sugar and sweet treats are enjoyed in many different ways, each country with its own unique recipes and desserts. Even in Europe there is a great variety of sweet tooth

Mia Farinelli (10) takes a look into the sweet tooth of Europe

rusticocooking.com

popular all over the world. Marzipan also has a long history in Germany, and is also an ingredient in a chocolate-coated sweet called Mozartkugel, named after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in the same town that this confectionery was invented. Germany is also known for its famous Lebkuchen, a richly spiced gingerbread that is sometimes coated in chocolate. Gingerbread is also popular in Poland. It goes by the name Piernik, and is usually sold in cake slices or as a package of small cookies. Paczki, another typical Polish sweet snack, are round spongy yeast cakes stuffed with various ﬁllings such as preserves or budyn (pudding). Faworki aka chrust is a Polish delicacy made from a sweet crisp cake in the shape of a bow and dusted with powdered sugar. Moving to western Europe, Italy has several unique desserts, some very well known in America, a particular example being Tiramisu.

funnfud.blogspot.com

original-mozartkugel.com

hroughout history, people have always craved sugar in various forms. Honey was one of the first sweet tooth satisfiers, and the first candy confections were fruits and nuts rolled in honey, a method used to preserve these valuable resources. Sugar was so rare in Europe that it originally was a luxury fit for only the wealthy and elite. The discovery of sugar plantations in the New World, along with the rediscovery of cocoa, created a sugar craze that would last through several generations until present day. Europe has a diverse range of sweet confectionaries, some that have even reached American shores. Gummy bears were invented by Hans Riegel, the German owner of the Haribo company, and have become

satisﬁers, many of which can be enjoyed in the United States.

Madeleine Recipe Ingredients 8 oz butter softened 8 oz sugar 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp lemon zest (or any kind or zest or flavorings) 4 large eggs 1 egg yolk 12 oz all purpose flour a pinch of salt 2 1/4 tsp baking powder Directions 1) Cream butter, sugar, zest and salt. 2) Sift baking powder and flour together. 3) Alternate adding the dry ingredients and then eggs, a little bit at a time to incorporate; ending with the dry. 4) Stir until well combined. 5) Pipe batter into Madeleine pan with #5 tip, and fill about 3/4 full. Start at the base, go up, and come back. Bake 375º for 8 to 10 minutes. They will puff up a bit and be brown on the backside. Remove from pans immediately by tapping the mold onto a mat, and they will fall out. Serve plain, with 10 X sugar, a lemon glaze or with tempered chocolate. Be sure to let the edges show. Serve fresh out of the oven in a warm container.

traditionalcelticcuisine.wordpress.com

sweet tooth for europe Cult ure

Mia Farinelli (10) takes a look into the sweet tooth of Europe

rusticocooking.com

funnfud.blogspot.com

original-mozartkugel.com

satisﬁers, many of which can be enjoyed in the United States.

traditionalcelticcuisine.wordpress.com

sweet tooth for europe Cult ure

it’s not easy being green Catherine Engelmann (9) writes about buying local produce in New York City

grit.com

chathampublichealth.com

hen looking over the menu at your favorite restaurant, you probably check the main ingredients of the dish, paying extra attention to those that interest you, whether they be ingredients that your are familiar with, or those that are exotic and excite curiosity. In the food industry today, more and more people are concerned with the origins of their food. Until a few decades ago, frozen vegetables and processed meat were the norm. In recent years however, the demand for farm-fresh produce has skyrocketed for professional chefs and amateurs alike. I interviewed Franca Tantillo of Berried Treasures Farm to hear a farmer’s perspective on this phenomenon. Ms. Tantillo was a regular farmers’ market participant when the chefs

who first advocated green market shopping were becoming popular such as Danny Meyer, , Wayne Nish, David Bouley, and the chefs of Le Cirque. When asked about the differences between chef shoppers and neighborhood shoppers, she replied they were similar in many ways, the main differences being volume and budget. Ms. Tantillo said she would often grow special produce at a chef’s request. She also noted that chefs would tailor their menu toward what products appeared freshest at her and the other farmstands. To get a chef’s perspective on the “Farm to Table” movement, I hunted down Bill Telepan (who was one of the first restaurant owners to use mainly farm-fresh ingredients) of Telepan restaurant on the Upper West Side. I was surprised to find that the reasoning behind his fresh ingredient doctrine was the simple fact that “local ingredients taste better.” His inspiration to experiment with farmfresh ingredients was the renowned French chef, Alain Chapel, with whom Telpan trained at Chapel’s restaurant in Mionnay (near Lyon). Chapel changed the menu monthly and used “the best strawberries I had ever tasted,” according to Mr. Telepan. He thought, at the time, “When I become a chef, that’s how I want to be.” When asked how the market for local products has evolved, Telepan re-

sponded that chefs have started incorporating more and more local ingredients into their menus, and farmers have listened by producing more interesting ingredients. Telepan has been very involved in bringing fresher and healthier ingredients to school lunch programs through the Wellness in the Schools program in NYC. Telepan has even worked with Michelle Obama, on the “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative, which pairs local chefs with schools to improve their menus. When asked what he enjoys most about the program, he replied that he likes “giving kids a healthy choice,” and “talking to them about food.” You may be wondering what exactly “buying locally” entails. In Bill Telepan’s case, it means getting produce delivered from nearby farms right after being picked. When asked what his favorite ingredients of the fall season were, he said that pumpkin was always a component of his fall menu as was cauliflower, especially with all of the different colors and varieties available. I asked if the items on his menu were inspired by the ingredients or vice versa. Mr. Telepan said he generally knows what’s available during each time of year and often centers a dish around a vegetable, rather than a cut of meat, or a fillet of fish. For a listing of the 50 or so greenmarkets in the five boroughs, go to About.com under “Greenmarket” and you can get the locations and other information. Bill Telepan regularly shops at the Union Square, 66th street, 77th street, and 97th street markets, so look out for him on your next trip!

Map of New York City Farmer’s Markets

fkoff.com

LOCAL

visit these farmer’s markets!

Union Square: E 17th ST & Broadway Bowling Green: Broadway & Battery Place 77th Street: Columbus- W 77 & 80 ST New York Botanical Garden: Kazimiroff Blvd- Bedford Pk & Mosholu Blv, Inside NYBG Mosholu Gate Columbia University: W 114 & 115 ST **NOTE: NOT ALL OF THESE FARMER’S MARKETS ARE OPEN YEAR ROUND, SO IT IS IMPORTANT TO DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU GO.

it’s not easy being green Catherine Engelmann (9) writes about buying local produce in New York City

grit.com

chathampublichealth.com

Map of New York City Farmer’s Markets

fkoff.com

LOCAL

visit these farmer’s markets!

!"#$

max brenner: a chocolate emperor Melanie Totenberg (9) explores Max Brenner’s mouthwatering cookbook

The minute I walked in to Max Brenner, on Broadway between 13th and 14th street (Union Square), I knew I had stepped into a chocolate wonderland. I was in a land where chocolate ﬂows as freely as water, literally. The restaurant features a candy bar left hand side as you come in and a shop for buying chocolate confections on the right. There are three large vats with clear plastic on top so you can see the chocolate (white, dark, milk chocolate) swirling around. The vats have pipes connected to them that run along the ceiling and end at the chocolate bar. The bar is for those who want their food to go and sells things like Max Brenner’s famous chocolate pizza, crepes, waﬄes, and more. Normally there are lines of people waiting to get a table, but my friend and I were lucky enough to get a table right away. Although the Max Brenner restaurant is more widely known for their desserts, they have a delicious menu for a whole meal including Black Sesame Salmon, Greek Style Cucumber Salad, and The Spicy Slammin’ Chicken Burger. For drinks we both ordered the Chocolate Chai a great option for those who like Chai teas or lattes. There are plenty of other drink options to choose from: milkshakes, variations on hot cocoa, smoothies, tea, coffee, and much more. Next we moved on to the dessert menu, and after much contemplation and oohing and ahhing we decided what to order. The menu is an extensive collection of chocolate confections, some com-

mon and others unexpected, yet brilliant. There are crepes, waffles, cakes, ice cream sundaes, s’mores, chocolate pizza, fondue, and the list goes on. However we decided on a half order of the Chocolate Chunks Pizza and the “Banana Split Waffles. They were chewy, doughy, and thick. The waffles were beautifully presented on a large white plate that featured a small vial of milk truffle sauce, two miniature waffles loaded with bananas and caramelized Rice Krispies, and an artful smear of caramel sauce. The waffles with the combination of the caramelized Rice Krispies was unexpected delight and definitely worth repeating. Though my suggestion for all you chocoholics is to go with a different dessert every single time, because there are just so many amazing things to order. Max Brenner gets an A+ in my book, figuratively speaking of course. Now onto the book, the cookbook to be exact, Max Brenner’s cookbook, Chocolate: A Love Story is illustrated with funky pop art relating to its recipes. All of its recipes include chocolate as expected Most of the recipes sounded very good, such as the recipe for Black Forest cake and the French Toast Sandwiches. The recipes ranged from easy to more challenging. The recipe names seem like they could be titles of novels and making reading the cookbook highly entertaining. Don’t expect any glossy pictures of flawlessly crafted food, this cookbook has few, however it is a great addition for those who love chocolate and baking. If you are craving these desserts but are not in the mood to cook, The Max Brenner Restaurant makes all of the desserts featured in the book. A modern-day Willy Wonka, Max Brenner has created a chocolate empire that I highly suggest you indulge in either by going to the restaurant or by cooking at home.

the new york times: recipes for a new century Isaiah Newman (9) reviews the valuable New York Times’ Cookbook The Essential New York Times Cookbook: Classic Recipes for a New Century by Amanda Hesser is certainly large. With around 1400 recipes, plus the preface and the index, it’s about the size of a Merriam-Webster dictionary. This may sound a little daunting; but in actuality, it’s one of the best things about the cookbook. There are so many recipes to choose from that no matter what type of cuisine you happen to prefer, there are delights and wonderful dishes in store. There are even recipes that were written in the 1850s! The cookbook also organizes the recipes by seasonality, which is a nice convenience. Another nice aspect of the cookbook is that it provides the names and page numbers of other recipes in the cookbook that go well with a given recipe. The pairings are surprisingly accurate, and provide for some tasty, well-organized meals. With countless appetizers, entrees, and desserts to choose from, it’s easy to use the cookbook to plan a meal for almost any occasion. However, the cookbook doesn’t give any sort of time estimate for each dish, and so it’s hard to know when dinner will be on the table. The recipes themselves, for the most part, come off without a hitch. Each instruction is carefully detailed and explained. They combine into a coherent, easy to follow recipe every time. Some of them are quite long, but the ones that I’ve made thus far are all worth the effort. The recipes taste pretty good, and the proportions are right on the money. The cookbook is also a valuable tool for any chef, regardless of skill level. It has plenty of simple yet ﬂavorful recipes for those who have only just learned how to cook spaghetti, as well as for those who have been making their own spaghetti

for years. You can work your way up from a simple hors d’oeuvre to an incredibly detailed and arduous gnocchi recipe. My favorite part of the cookbook, however, is not the recipes themselves, but the information and possible pairs that accompany each recipe. There are also, however, little stories and notes that accompany each recipe, that make them that much more worthwhile. For example, According to the text that preceded a cheesecake recipe, this cheesecake was, literally, the first cheesecake recipe ever to use cream cheese. The recipe had somehow migrated from New York, to Las Vegas, and into this cookbook, without it ever being told to anyone who wasn’t a pastry chef in the kitchen in which it was prepared. The story fascinated me, and made the cheesecake that much more enjoyable when I made it, and when I ate it. Along with these little culinary vignettes, each recipe is followed by a little note, suggesting to perhaps add some more salt, or less pepper. My favorite recipe is definitely the Curried Sweet Potato Soup. The soup is flavorful but not too strong, and has a perfect texture. When topped with some goat cheese, or any other cheese, it becomes a delicacy, and one that was relatively easy to make. In this cookbook, it’s clear that Amanda Hesser knew what she was doing. In the preface, she mentions that it took her six years to write. That is quite a long time indeed, but after buying this cookbook, I could easily tell that it was worth the effort. Anyone who has any interest in cooking, and has the resources to do so, should buy it; it is a valuable tool that I know I will continue to use for years to come.

)

&'()

max brenner: a chocolate emperor Melanie Totenberg (9) explores Max Brenner’s mouthwatering cookbook

LOCAL

Melanie Totenberg (9) visits the popular restaurant, Bar Pitti

rom the name you would probably guess that this place is a bar and maybe a sad one at that, but in actuality Bar Pitti is not a bar but a restaurant. If you’re coming for atmosphere, then this restaurant is not the place for you, however, if you’re looking for great Italian food, you’ve come to the right place. Bar Pitti is located in the West Village and was completely packed with hipsters as the night drew on, so I would recommend going at around 6-7 to avoid a long wait. The regular menu features things like pastas, paninis (hot pressed sandwiches), appetizers, none of it particularly inspiring. My advice, don’t bother with the regular menu, the appetizer specials chalked up on blackboards are

elaneymedia.com

the real attraction. The specials consist of fresh seafood, pastas, and vegetable dishes. I can’t even remember all of specials but there were plenty, and I found myself reeling from all the selections. Everything sounded delicious. I started off with a caprese salad from the regular menu. Caprese is a salad of tomato, mozzarella, and basil. I highly recommend it. At Bar Pitti they serve it with two different kinds 26

of mozzarella, one kind is homemade. the other a Buffalo mozzarella which is creamier and richer, I opted for this one. The tomatoes in the salad were sweet crisp grape tomatoes, the basil chopped and artfully sprinkled across, while the mozzarella was cut into small quarters with olive oil drizzled over it. The melding of flavors was perfect and a great way to start the meal. Next I sampled the melanza parmigiana or eggplant Parmesan. The eggplant was thinly coated in an eggy batter making it very light and enjoyable. The tomato sauce had nice chunks of tomato in it and was not overly seasoned, so the tomato really tasted like tomato Bar Pitti only better. 268 Sixth Ave. (nr. Bleecker St. The mozzarella New York, NY 10014 was creamy 212-982-3300 and fresh. Next Daily, noon-midnight I had spinach Cash Only sautéed in gar- Reservations not accepted lic and olive oil, very good for those who like spinach. I tried a pasta dish of lobster and tagliatelle in a spicy tomato sauce. Very good, but it was not the highlight of my meal. The lobster was sweet and tender, the sauce was zesty, and the pasta was not overcooked. I also sampled the papaderelle in a duck ragout. The noodles were fantastic, long thick strands of eggy noodle cooked to perfection. The duck ragout was studded with rich shredded duck in a creamy tomato sauce. We finished the meal with panna cotta, an Italian version of custard made without eggs. The panna cotta was smooth, rich, had a slight undertone of vanilla, and was, in one word, fantastic. It was covered in a chocolate sauce, but I preferred it wit hout, as chocolate sauce masks the flavor of the panna cotta. Overall, the food was fresh, simple, and rustic. The prices quite fair. The scene is casual and a perfect restaurant for no fuss family nights out or a night out with friends. I highly recommend Bar Pitti and will definitely be back again.

to lick or not to lick?

Olivia Silberman (10) talks about the dangers of salmonella

and to make sure they do not happen again in the future. There are four steps in food preparation: production, processing, distribution, and preparation, and food can become infected at any of these steps.

lilsugar.com

bar pitti

Science + Cooking

ou and your friend are hungry, but you have to wait another seven minutes before those chocolate chip cookies are ready! You can’t wait, so what do you do? Resort to eating the dough. After all, it requires no cooking time, and it is just as tasty, if not tastier. However, you probably do not consider the consequences. Eating cookie dough puts you at risk of contracting a foodborne illness, which is caused by infected food. Millions of Americans catch foodborne diseases each year. There are four main causes of food poisoning: bacteria and viruses, which are the most common, parasites, and allergens. Parasites live off of other organisms and can be spread through soil, water, and personal contact. Although it’s unlikely, food poisoning can come from natural toxins, such as mushrooms and pufferﬁsh, or chemical toxins, such as pesticides. A foodborne outbreak occurs when at least two people get the same sickness from the same infected food or drink. Public health oﬃcials must get involved in these outbreaks in order to control them, so they do not spread

There are also four different agencies that deal with different food illness outbreaks. Local agencies respond to outbreaks that occur in just one city or country. State agencies respond to outbreaks that spread throughout numerous cities or countries. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) respond to widespread outbreaks involving many people and or a very serious or rare illness. Lastly, federal regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), investigate the source and reason behind the illness, how to control it, and how to prevent it from happening again in the future. Currently, there is an investigation going on by the CDC and the FDA to determine the sources of contamination in packages of Bravo Farms Dutch Style Gouda Cheese where so far 37 people have been infected by a strain of E. coli O157:H7. Cookie dough, although very yummy, may contain raw eggs. 1 in every 30,000 eggs contains salmonella, a bacterial foodborne illness as mentioned before. Although this number seems small and worth the risk, salmonella affects 142,000 Americans a year and kills 30. When heated, such as when baking cookies, the bacteria are killed making the cookies no longer dangerous. So next time you’re reaching for just a little spoonful of cookie dough, remember the risks involved and try and hold off till the delicious cookies come steaming and warm from the ovens. 27

LOCAL

Melanie Totenberg (9) visits the popular restaurant, Bar Pitti

elaneymedia.com

to lick or not to lick?

Olivia Silberman (10) talks about the dangers of salmonella

lilsugar.com

bar pitti

Science + Cooking

haute cuisine at harvard Molly Wharton (10) talks about an exciting new course at Harvard University

magine a room full of people making fruit jellies, baking molten chocolate cakes, and mixing up some aioli. We’re in a kitchen, perhaps of a restaurant, and these people are chefs creating a meal, right? Wrong. This is a lab at Harvard University, and the people are students, studying the viscosity and elasticity of the jellies, how heat diffuses in the chocolate cake, and how emulsions are occurring in the aioli. Why? Well, to discover the physics and chemistry that make up the cooking that we do everyday, without ever considering how it works. This is the lab that is required once a week for Harvard’s undergraduate course,

“Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science.” Taught by David Weitz, a physics professor, and Michael Brenner, a professor of applied mathematics, the new course was a huge attraction for students, with nearly 700 students signing up (300 students got in by lottery.) Each week, in addition to a lab, there are two lectures. One of the lectures is done by the professors who discuss different aspects of chemistry involved in cooking. The other lecture, a guest chef comes and talks about his creations and how they are related to science. Most of these chefs are from Catalonia in Spain, the center of

Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer 28

molecular gastronomy, which is the modern approach to coking that uses knowledge about the physical or chemical properties of food in order to come up with previously unheard of combinations and creations. The ﬁrst guest chef was Ferran Adriá, who is considered one of the best chefs in the world as well as one of the founders of molecular gastronomy. His restaurant in Spain, El Buille, is considered by many to be the best in the world. In his lecture, he discussed and demonstrated many of his innovative cooking techniques, including spheriﬁcation, a process that uses alginate to allow liquids to be shaped into spheres.

An example is Adriá’s ravioli that is just the inside part of ravioli as we know it, without the pasta shell, while still retaining its shape. A more local chef who came to give a lecture was Wylie Dufresne, whose restaurant WD-50 is located on the lower east side. One of his most famous techniques uses a special protein called “transgluteaminase” to bind proteins together and create wild dishes. Using this technique, Dufresne invented shrimp noodles made almost entirely of shrimp- pasta without starch. This class is not all fun and games, however, as like any other class there are homework and tests. The homework for the class includes both readings from Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking as well as challenging quantitative problem sets, and for exams the students must explain the different aspects of a given recipe. Possible topics could be why ingredients are heated to a certain temperature or mixed in a certain order, or how the bonds within the various ingredients differ. The ﬁnal assignment of the course involves a creative element- to make something that relates science with cooking. Some projects

that students are working on include spherifying different substance such as chocolate, and making noodles entirely out of parmesan cheese. At the end of the course the projects will be graded by a panel of judges of both professors and chefs, and the winner will be invited to visit Adriá’s cooking institute. So how successful has this unique, unprecedented class been? Sophie Wharton, a senior at Harvard who, by taking this course, is fulfilling her physical science requirement, says that the course is “complicated and disorganized” but that this is “inevitable given that it’s the first time it’s being taught” and that it is “one of the most interesting in real life courses available.” Although she finds that learning about what

washingtontimes.com

goes on about the process of cooking, Wharton comments that “it’s not exactly practical cooking that will be useful after we graduate- we’ve been making gelatin and foams, not mac’n’cheese!” The class deﬁnitely takes on a very innovative approach to science and provides the students with amazing opportunities to see the best avant-garde chefs of our time. And, as Wharton remarks, “Luckily the class is after lunch so I’m not too distracted by how delicious everything looks!” 29

Science + Cooking

haute cuisine at harvard Molly Wharton (10) talks about an exciting new course at Harvard University

Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer 28

washingtontimes.com

a winter wonderland: continued recipes Chocolate Peppermint Profiteroles (con’t) Jelly Doughnuts (con’t) 3. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick. Cutout rounds with 2-inch cutter. Stretch 1 round to 2 1/2 inches and put 1 teaspoon jam in center, then stretch another round to 2 1/2 inches and use it to cover jam, pinching edges of rounds firmly together. (Pinching will stretch doughnuts to about 3 inches in diameter.) Make more jelly doughnuts in same manner. 4. Cut through filled doughnuts with floured 21/2inch cutter, rotating cutter several times to help seal edges. Transfer rounds to a floured kitchen towel, then reroll scraps (only once) and make more jelly doughnuts in same manner. (If dough shrinks after rerolling, let stand 10 minutes.) Cover doughnuts with another kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place 30 minutes. 5. While doughnuts rise, heat 3 inches oil (about 10 cups) in a deep 4-quart pot until it registers 375°F on thermometer. Fry doughnuts 2 at a time, turning occasionally, until puffed and golden brown, about 2 minutes per batch. (Doughnuts will bob in oil; hold them half submerged with a slotted spoon to brown evenly.) Transfer as cooked to paper towels to drain. Serve warm, dusted with confectioners sugar.

3. Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, pipe about twenty 1 incapar1/2-inch rounds of batter onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake until puffed and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. 4. Meanwhile, make the peppermint cream: Bring milk, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. While milk is heating, whisk together yolks and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in cornstarch, 1 tablespoon at a time, until combined. Once milk starts to boil, slowly pour it into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return entire mixture to saucepan; whisk. Cook over medium-high heat until thick, about 1 1/2 minutes. Immediately remove from heat, and strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in peppermint. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface of cream, and refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour. 5. Whisk peppermint cream until smooth. Whisk heavy cream in a medium bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. Working in 2 batches, fold whipped cream into peppermint cream. 6. Make the chocolate sauce: Heat heavy cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add sugars, whisking until dissolved. Whisk in cocoa and a pinch of salt. Strain chocolate sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl. Let stand until ready to use. 7. Assemble the profiteroles: Slice profiteroles in half horizontally. Sandwich about 1 tablespoon peppermint cream between each. Pour warm chocolate sauce over profiteroles just before serving. 8. Peppermint cream can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Chocolate sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. (Add up to 1/4 cup heavy cream if too thick.)

if you want to write for

email:

Rachel Buissereth, Ben Kremnitzer, Noah Margulis, or Molly Wharton! 30

if you want to write for

email:

Rachel Buissereth, Ben Kremnitzer, Noah Margulis, or Molly Wharton! 30

edible january 2011

new year, new beginnings

horace mann’s new food publication, edible!

ferran adria

spain’s controversial chef

america’s chocolatier explore max brenner’s cookbook

greece fever

new favorite greek restaurant

like a pro set your table this winter