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January 19, 2007
According to reliable sources (my friend Kim, who works nearby), the new branch of Flour is open for business. Fort Point Channel denizens can now get Joanne Chang's amazing pastries and sandwiches without having to make a trip to the South End.
The new branch's address is 12 Farnsworth St. Maybe one day they'll open an outpost near the Globe...
Posted by Devra First at 05:42 PM
January 19, 2007
Marco Pierre White, the celebrated English and author, has a new volume out with jacket blurbs from Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali.
Bourdain says he was "the guy all of us wanted to be." Writes Batali: "Marco is a gift to humanity, with more passion per pound than anyone else I have ever met. His story is genius."
White, says his publicist in the accompanying book literature, is the "original master" of today's rock 'n' roll bad boys. He has many London restaurants -- Belvedere, Criterion, Drones, Mirabelle, Quo Vadis, and the Frankies pizza chain among them -- and was the youngest chef ever to win three Michelin stars.
The subtitle of the new book, "Sex, Pain, Madness and the Making of a Great Chef" is both off-putting and intriguiging. Stay posted. I'll read the bound galleys and let you know by May, the pub date.
Posted by Sheryl Julian at 04:33 PM
January 18, 2007
I feel a new obsession coming on. What is it? Apricot jam. Why am I obsessed? Because I can't have it.
I'm not just talking Polaner All Fruit or Smucker's here. I'm talking about this. I read the item about this spread made from the scarce Blenheim apricot in a recent issue of Food & Wine, and because it is so hard to come by, I am now desperately coveting one of the only 100 jars the makers sell each year.
You can sign up to buy some next summer by going to their website and e-mailing them. Why do I tell you this? Because I'm already ahead of you on the list.
Posted by Devra First at 06:27 PM
January 18, 2007
Well, maybe not forever, but at least until 2010. That's the length of the new contract CBS just announced with Rachael Ray for her TV show. Along with her multiple cookbooks, her magazine "EveryDay with Rachael Ray," articles about her in every other publication, and zillions of interviews with her, Ray's face is so ubiquitous that she rivals Martha in her best years.
Will we (or rather her mostly young audience) tire of her by 2010? Will we take her advice on everything from which potato chips are yum-o to how to bounce back after a divorce? Will that smile fade, or the airbrushed photographs of that appealingly round face make her look even more like a TV anchor?
She was more interesting when she looked a little frantic, a little ordinary, even a little plump. Now she's gone Hollywood, or Martha-wood, maybe.
Well, one thing's for sure: we'll have plenty of time to think about it. Rachael Ray has grabbed the brass ring, and she's holding on for dear life.
Posted by Alison Arnett at 04:57 PM
January 16, 2007
What is it about Americans and their obsession with liquids? Or maybe it's just the marketers' obsession. Walk down a city block and count the number of people clutching water bottles. Or drinking coffee. Or juice of some sort. Or performance liquids, as though they were constantly running a marathon.
And yet the beverage industry continues the drumbeat of "more hydration" as though parched unfortunates were crawling daily through a desert-like urban landscape. (This is particularly ironic considering the woman who recently died from drinking too much water during an idiotic contest).
Now Luna, makers of nutrition bars (another oddity of American life) has a powdered product, Luna Elixir, to add to water. Since this "70 percent organic" (pray tell what the other 30 percent is?) is essentially Kool-Aid sweetened with evaporated cane juice (sounds like sugar), how this is preferable to plain water -- from the tap -- escapes me.
Posted by Alison Arnett at 05:44 PM
January 16, 2007
My sister was visiting from California last week and when I planned dinner on Saturday night, I had a blanquette in mind. Blanquette, for those who never dreamed of living in 19th century France, is a veal stew that stays white. In French, the word for veal is veau (and so you'll understand the little headline at the top, the word for fake is faux).
Since veal is so hard to find, I decided to get a boneless turkey breast and cut it into pieces that looked like veal for stew. That worked very well. I put lots of onions and the turkey in a pot to cook in butter. I didn't want them to brown because I wanted to maintain the blanquette part of the dish.
Well, here it is:
Not the least bit white! The onions started browning at the edges and then I stopped trying so hard as meat finished simmering in stock. But the dish was truly wonderful (recipe in an upcoming magazine). The side course is something I call "sweet potato slippers" -- halved potatoes broiled until they caramelize, then baked:
The veg was steamed broccoli florets. Then flourless chocolate cake for dessert. My mother joined us and we had a fine night.
Posted by Sheryl Julian at 05:16 PM
January 15, 2007
Tiny Toms have arrived at Wilson Farms in Lexington. They're the best winter tomato you can find; they actually taste like a summer fruit.
Tinies are larger than cherry tomatoes. Each one is about the size of a golf ball. I like to cut them into slender wedges and let them sit in a bowl with a little olive oil, white wine vinegar, and salt for half an hour. Then I pour the bowl and its juices over red leaf lettuce.
You can also tip the tomato mixture into cooked penne and add lots of fresh parsley. It makes a dreary day a little less dreary.
Posted by Sheryl Julian at 05:26 PM
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