International Association of Culinary Professionals Culinary & Book Expo 2012

Palm Sunday was the last day of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Conference in New York City. With the last day of festivities came the culinary and book expo smack dab in SoHo. The culinary expo served as a smorgasbord of local, national, and international exhibitors of food & beverages and equipment for food professionals. KitchenAid and Cuisinart, big names in the food tools field, were there as well as Vitamix--unveiling their newest blender. The high power emulsion of the Vitamix 5200 blender created some wonderful chocolate fondue using chocolate from fellow exhibitor Guittard brand chocolate. Overall the texture was so smooth that you just wanted to slurp the sample and not be held down by a pretzel only providing bits of deliciousness. Another big name in the baking field, King Arthur Flour, was present promoting their latest catalog filled with not only ingredients for baking but equipment as well including pans, racks, and great tools for slicing and dicing. I gushed to representatives that I've been using my mini doughnut pan pretty steadily since purchasing it from their site.

The culinary expo was a carb and cheese fest, and I am not complaining about that at all. Light flavored cheeses such as goat cheese were paired with full-flavored ones like blue, soft cheeses like brie were paired with harder ones like Parmesan to show off the range of tastes and textures when it comes to the cheeses that can enhance a recipe. One of my favorite uses of cheese, and a nice way to spice up an old favorite English muffin, was the goat cheese, marmalade, and walnut which pairing on a whole wheat Bays English muffin, kept warm under a heating lamp. It was the perfect kind of treat to make you feel like you wanted to curl up on the couch and watch TV with some nice warm Runa "tea" on a rainy and chilly day. Any food dish that evokes cozy fantasies is a good one.

The Savory 

Kikkoman had a booth showcasing their variety of panko bread crumbs as well as their newer sauces both spicy and mild. The salmon burger with slaw made with Kikkoman panko bread crumbs and spicy chili sauce was a hearty & filling item that hit the umami spot. Soft bun, warm meat, tangy slaw, amazing.

I spoke to Kikkoman representatives and let them know I often use their brand of plain panko as a topping for baked mac and cheese as well as breading for chicken. Once you start using panko you cannot go back to regular bread crumbs. It's very light and crunchy without being grainy. One of the Kikkoman reps suggested I also use it for french toast. Having just made french toast with cornflakes I can only imagine the added crunch factor with panko. Yet another item to add on my To Do list.

Canadian Lentils served a phenomenal lentil and cheese quesadilla while also offering a sample recipe book for more uses for lentils including appetizers, soups, main courses and desserts.

Soon after trying the quesadilla I stopped by The Regal Vegan's booth to taste the toasted walnut lentil pâté that had a great savory kind of meaty taste to it without the meat of course. The texture was of a creamy spread and it was a huge favorite among attendees. After a minutes consideration I purchased some on the spot. Ella Nomcova, executive chef and founder for The Regal Vegan line, created the pâté after huge demand grew from customers that wanted to take it home rather than only try it at the restaurant she worked at. It's vegan friendly and tastes good fitting The Regal Vegan's philosophy of love, respect, and other nutrients as food honors the person eating it.

At the book expo where cookbook authors were set up to talk about books ranging from gluten-free to sensual cooking aphrodisiacs to all kinds of desserts to BBQ cooking to international fare. The tabbouleh with roasted walnuts was available from the book One Tribe Gourmet by Sara Hafiz. This tabbouleh was not as oily as ones I have tried in the past. It was more herb than olive oil and had a pungent taste due to the greens of mint and flat leaf parsley, while also introducing me to the cereal grain of bulgur.

Top Chef season 1 finalist Dave Martin was with the Nueske's booth where he made chicken jerky and also a chicken mesclun green salad with shaved parmesan and a light vinaigrette. This was a great, lighter contrast to much of the items available because carbs  (read: baguettes) were there aplenty as was cheese in the steady pairing of the two. Again, not complaining as all were delicious.

I also couldn't get enough of the lamb jerky provided by American Lamb. I know people may be on the fence about lamb and also veal but I have to say the jerky I tried was not too salty but also had a good range of spices and smoky flavor in it. If you've had real jerky you know that it's not as nicely packaged, nor should it be, as a Slim Jim. It has a rough exterior but a chewiness to it. It's hearty and filling and cured and dry so that it keeps well with age. In the case of jerky aging it is a good thing. Where USA Lamb's jerky was more in line with what I've seen Chef Martin's was done as an after thought so as not to waste Nueske's left over chicken but was a good taste as well and not as dry.

The Sweet 

The Rescue Baker Lisa Camerlengo presented her campfire cookies (a s'more cookie essentially with marshmallows and chocolate chips) as well as flourless chocolate cake (a dense dark chocolate delight), and her lemon bundt cake (a great citrusy treat within a moist cake).

Artopolis Bakery Patisserie specializes in Greek desserts and offered many items including baklava and melomakarona. I tried the melomakarona another dense but moist cookie with cinnamon, brandy, and honey included that reminded me of gulab jamun in texture and taste.

Artopolis Patisserie - A Citysearch find!

One of my favorite sandwiches which I'm unsure fits into the sweet or savory category is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich offered by Peanut Butter & Company made with their Smooth Operator peanut butter. Their store is also located in downtown Manhattan and their biggest seller is the Elvis inspired peanut butter and banana sandwich. PB & Co's peanut butter is as natural as it gets with a handful of ingredients, all of which you can recognize and pronounce. Good stuff.

I loved, loved, loved Wisconsin Cheese's dessert panini "The Mackenzie" made with pound cake, rosemary butter, fig spread, and Wisconsin brie. This was a super warm item where everything melded together and the fig and pound cake had a nice sweetness that melted in your mouth and the brie, being light in flavor and texture, worked well with it overall. I'm not a fan of figs, but it really enhanced this item and I couldn't get enough of it, especially being so toasty right off the grill!

I also enjoyed samples of the chocolate cake available in the book expo by the author of Sweet Home Rebecca Miller French. It was the last thing I tasted before leaving the expo and it definitely stuck with me.

The Information

It was great to speak with many of the exhibitors about more of the variety of uses for their goods and how much they encourage those to alternate their way of cooking within the food industry but also extending this to how people cook and bake in our everyday lives. Speaking with Chimere of Clean Plate Company we considered how great it would be for people of various backgrounds and communities to visit the culinary expo to not only taste new things but see and learn how different flavors can create something very powerful in a dish. There's a big hesitation once we get older to divert from what we grew up with. Chimere and I agree that it starts with children, from there we all grow into our own tastes. I know I experimented more with foods in college than I ever did when I was younger.

In discussing the best types of pears to use for baking at the USA Pears station I was informed that the samples they had of anjou and red anjou as well as bosc would be great for pies, particularly bosc if you wanted to retain a firmer texture within a baked item. Judging the ripeness of a pear includes touching the neck and feeling for firmness or not. If it's firm then that extends to the body of the pear as well. Pears are great for their crispness and get ripe once they are removed from the tree. They're in the apple family and also have a similar texture to the apple when baked, softening with the sweetness intensifying when cooked.

Canola Oil is one of the better oils being discovered by professional chefs. It has less of the solid saturated fats and more of the omega-3 fatty acids than even olive oil. It's being touted as one of the more versatile oils out there with a neutral taste. Canola Info is pushing it more for other uses as well as baking (in lieu of vegetable oil used in many cakes and cake mixes). I'll dig deeper into Canola and see how it may enhance the health factor, particularly for vinaigrettes.

I was happy to meet Luane Kohnke author of Gluten-Free Cookies which was the book I based all my cooking for last August when I did only gluten-free baking. I admire the fact that Luane has a full-time job at an ad agency and that she developed these recipes out of a pure love of baking and wanting to provide more options for those with celiac disease or who were just interested in using other ingredients and seeing how they work together. The mixture of flours she uses work really well together to create a great taste without taking anything away from the cookie itself just because it's gluten free.

Lentils are not beans technically, they are pulses but considered in the legumes family. Canada Lentils spreads the word about their various uses and how filling they can be. The goal of The Big Book of Lentils is to show that lentils work in desserts as well adding more fiber and protein to goods overall. It doesn't serve as a replacement for anything within the dessert frame but adds that healthier ingredient to enhance the nutritional content.

Runa, which isn't really a tea, is a leaf brewed like tea. Runa had their warm and cold bottled teas available and the traditional guayusa is divine! It's not reminiscent of a tea you may have tasted like earl grey, which many teas are based on, or english breakfast but holds its own with a subtle but lightly sweetened taste in the cold form. It does not have caffeine in it so don't expect an extra jolt to the senses to keep you up, but the all natural taste is said to aid digestion and boost metabolism being a welcome addition to the bevy of teas (or tea like) beverages on the market. And Runa is now available at Whole Foods. Chambre du Sucre also had a lovely tasting hibiscus raspberry tea that was a divine thing to taste after having many cheeses and sweets throughout the day.

As is always my wish when it comes to conferences it would've been great to have more time to explore what each booth had to offer. Compared to conferences like Book Expo of America this was not as hard to get through in terms of seeing everything and getting as much information as possible as it was on one floor. Yet, three hours wasn't enough, hard to believe. Seeing and tasting different olive oils infused with great flavors like BBQ bacon and curry and discovering more about endives (their variety and tastes in recipes) and tasting walnut foccacia I have to say I came out of the culinary & book expo much wiser and more excited to try other recipes to expand my own cooking and baking habits. Here's hoping IACP returns to NYC next year. New York City seems the prime place to connect culinary enthusiasts and professionals alike.

4th Writers' Platform-Building Campaign: Seven Meme

Well, I've been bad with the Write Campaign but wanted to try and play catch up! Traci was nice enough to tag me in the 7 Meme that other Campaigners have been doing and it's been fun to see the results! The Rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP 2. Go to line 7 3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating 4. Tag 7 authors 5. Let them know

Selection:

I decided to choose a portion from my YA Sci-fi novel (first book in a trilogy) that I've been working on since last summer.

The Facility 

“I’ll be right back. Let’s try lifting next okay?” he offered. He gave her a brief smile where his dimples showed.

“Great,” she said to herself with as much sarcasm as she could muster. In a minute she’d be huffing with every rep. Her arms would burn and that would be just what L.A. wanted. “Feel the burn,” he often said. After hearing it a dozen times a day she was ready to spike him. But she feigned a smile when he winked at her saw her struggle as her arms were ready to go limp but she pushed through it.

Getting her bearings Celia got on her knees then her feet as she watched the girls flirt with him.

(Admittedly not the most titillating part of the book, but hey some tension is there!) :-)

Tagged:

And here are the others I've tagged from one of my groups (sorry if you've already been tagged in me being all delayed and what not):

Prerna Pickett

Alison Miller

Melissa Dean

Jaye Viner

KS Collier

Michael Haynes

Cortney Pearson

Hope everyone is thriving during the Write Campaign and in their own writing as well!

Second (Write) Campaigner Challenge

Well, I just blew the first challenge but I am up for the second dog-gone-it! Rachael Harrie's Fourth Platform Campaign boasts some challenges and the latest one is to write a flash fiction/short story or poem based around an image prompt. You can read and vote for entrants at Rachael's blog here.

Here's the image I chose...

...and here's the flash fiction piece I produced in 200 words entitled (for the moment) "Boom."

Let me tell you a story...

Once upon a time a boom created the world. Beasts roamed and acted on instinct, something everyone has, no matter what you’ve heard. Time passed, a crash, and man arrived living alongside the beasts. It was chaotic but not so much that One looking down would be concerned. Civilization was coming into itself.

Fast forward as man walks erect, animals conceal themselves, and the world becomes stone. Serenity breaks. Differences are found, not embraced. Beliefs are not in line, skin pallor is too dark, and what was once so beautiful about them was now what held man against one another.

And so the land cracked and nations developed, wars began, machinery made the sky as dark as the newly cemented ground. Man oppressed man (and woman) to retain “purity” all in the name of a holy being who watched and waited hoping for things to right itself without taking a hand.

It seemed better, but it wasn’t, not really. Creation begot humanity. It begot nature. It begot what was once good about the world.

Once upon a time a boom created the world and a boom would destroy it so life could begin anew.

Clinton Street Baking Co's Pancake 'Topping' Month 2012

Today marks the last day of Pancake Month at Clinton Street Baking Company in New York City's Lower East Side (LES). Today also marks the Leap Day, which comes every four years. (Happy official birthday to all the Leap Year babies!) To provide a bit of background I'm pretty sure Clinton Street has Pancake Month all month long in honor of the holiday in England called Shrove Tuesday that takes place the day before Lent. And on this day, pancakes are consumed! Well, the European version of the pancake which is what we Americans know as le crepe (equally tasty). I went to Hereford, England a few years ago to research a novel and happened to be there on Shrove Tuesday and got to partake in the holiday of consumption. Good times.

I'm a huge fan of Clinton Street Baking Co. They've been on my last two annual baking reviews and I did a mini-post alerting people as to the awesomeness of Pancake Month last February. And I ended up going to Clinton Street Baking Co. not one, not two, but three times this month. (No, this was not planned.)

I went on the first day of Pancake Month with my friend Anna and her boyfriend. We partook in the crunchy banana and cinnamon chocolate sauce pancake. When the pancakes arrived, literally a mound of pancakes with another mound of toppings (deep fried battered banana pieces with chocolate swirls), I was excited to delve in. But when I did, while fluffy and tasty and all, I noticed there was no banana in the pancake. Eating the fried banana pieces as a side was quite filling in itself and in all honesty I am not one who'd be able, as hard as I try, to finish a whole stack of pancakes from Clinton Street. I wouldn't even dare you to do it, they're so filling.

I slathered a bunch of maple butter on my pancakes, ate half, took the rest home, got some complimentary scones, and was satisfied but hoped that the next time I came I'd get to indulge in more flavor in the pancake.

Skip ahead to a week later when the pancake du jour was the almond frangipane with fresh raspberries, sliced almonds, and chocolate sauce. I am not a fan of almond flavoring too much, so I decided not to purchase the pancakes. Instead I went with the staple of buttermilk chicken and waffles. Amazing. I did cop a taste of my friends' though and was disappointed again that most of the flavor was in the toppings and not within the pancake itself. Though there seemed to be the hint of an almond flavor in the middle, but if so it was faint. My friends liked their pancakes well enough so there ya go.

The following week. My friend Bonnie really wanted to try the pumpkin pancakes this year and being that we are two peas in a pod when it comes to that how could I say no? I was excited because even though the pancakes may not have been what I expected the service is often very good at Clinton Street Baking Co.

Our waitress seemed somewhat frustrated that evening and perhaps it was because of the fact that the pancakes were sub par. Even the woman next to Bonnie and me did not seem satisfied with her pancakes, eating only a portion and choosing not to take the remains home. She said she was disappointed about the flavor having thought that there would be pumpkin inside the pancake. The waitress asked the cooks if there was pumpkin inside and returned to say that it was in a slight dose within the pancake. What that means I have no idea, but I should've taken that for what it was instead of ordering my own plate.

Again, there was no specific flavor inside the pancake. Cold pumpkin chunks were on top of the stack with some streusel accompanied by some splotches on the plate that tasted like peanut butter (we were told this was pumpkin seeds ground up into a paste.) This was a major concern as Bonnie is allergic to peanuts. So anything that even tasted like peanuts should've had a huge warning informing customers that it was in fact pumpkin seed. I was not a fan of the pancake and so sent it back in favor of their other staple the blueberry pancake that actually had blueberries incorporated into the pancake.

From that point on our waitress basically ignored us for the rest of the night. Bonnie had to flag her down for our bill. My tea had been forgotten, my utensils taken when I asked for a new order, and an attitude given when I asked for new utensils. Tsk tsk. I've been to Clinton Street Baking Co. on super busy days, slightly busy days, and light days and received friendly service each and every time. What gives? I've given steady patronage to this location since I found out about it almost two years ago. I've taken long lunches from Tribeca just to get the food and bought pancakes for a friend as a present! But that ill-fated pumpkin pancake day was just not good. I did complain on their Facebook page, no response of course.

So let me explain why I'm somewhat up-in-arms about this. The year prior Bonnie and I had had the pumpkin streusel pancake and there was pumpkin in that bad boy. The pancake was orange in color and the praline streusel was a great compliment and there were pumpkin seeds inside the pancake as well. Delish! But this year, that was no more. Clinton Street Baking Co. went on to post pics of their daily pancake offerings on their Facebook page and you can see that it's all topping heavy. There seems to be no specificity to the pancake itself. It looks like they use a core pancake recipe, perhaps adding light touches here and there but nothing more than that for flavoring of each pancake and again if it's in there it is subtle. I'm not saying it's not good per se, but it's not what I expected having had a much more pleasant and flavorful experience the year before during Pancake Month.

I do have qualms when something is advertised as banana and instead just has banana toppings. IHOP (International House of Pancakes) has also done this as well as many other eating establishments, I'm sure. Apple pancakes do not necessarily have apple inside but on top. To me that is not an apple pancake, that is a pancake with apple topping. Let's call a duck a duck shall we?

So my request to Clinton Street Baking Co. is that next year go back to new fillings and such for the pancake. If it's a chocolate chunk pancake make sure the chunks are melting within the fluffy, chewy pancake and melts in my mouth with a merge of flavors. Not me having to scoop the topping onto my pancake and make sure to get it all in one gulp. Or, if this may not be the way to go call Pancake Month, wait for it, Pancake Topping Month. I'm game and I'll know what I'm getting.

Again, I am a fan of Clinton Street. This is no way sways the fact that they do have very good food--particularly their scones, biscuits, and waffles--and often times friendly staff. Every place has a bad day, with off service, and perhaps less than spectacular food from what consumers may have experienced. But that doesn't change the fact that it is a staple in LES and a welcome one. I look forward to returning and delving into something else on the menu.

Interview with Allison Kave of First Prize Pies (Keeping baking in the family, yet sharing the secrets of good, fun pie-making.)

I first learned about First Prize Pies when watching PBS's Food Curated one lazy Sunday. Not only was I happy to hear about another NYC bakery but seeing a friendly face talk animatedly and lovingly about her passion for pie made me excited to try her creations. Then I had the pleasure of meeting founder Allison Kave at Jackie's Pie Party Live last October.

Allison was super-friendly and very generous in her pie knowledge when I asked her about crust techniques (me being super insecure about my own attempts). And I got a first taste of my new obsession in one of her trademark pies. I went on to purchase several pies from Allison's shop. And I'm telling you now I intend on trying many more.

Allison was kind enough to answer some questions and provide great pictures! I am super-excited about her revelation of creating a cookbook. It's on my mental 'must have' list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First Prize Pies is a relatively new company. And I see that food runs in your family. Did you find it difficult to start up First Prize Pies? Or did you find it easier to start a new business with culinary arts running in the family coupled with how much the Internet and social media have become?

Running a small business is always a difficult proposition, but having my mother and brother to consult with for advice was definitely an enormous help. I bake out of my mom's shop, Roni-Sue's Chocolates, and that also saved me a lot in terms of the start-up costs of renting a kitchen. My first big piece of press was an article in DailyCandy, and that definitely launched me into a new level in terms of sales and recognition—I can't overstate the impact that the web and social media have had on my business.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s great that you offer in-home instruction on pie making. After having a pie themed party some of my friends actually made pie for the first time, which was great. But many seemed intimidated by pie making in general let alone baking. Did you find that when you made pies initially there was a learning curve or did you really delve into it?

I've been baking since I was a kid, so my learning curve was really gradual. It was something I always enjoyed doing, and starting as a young novice, I didn't feel much intimidation because I wasn't expecting much of myself! I just embraced it for the experience and the pride I felt in my results. As the years went on, I got more serious and took baking classes and pushed my technique. Pie baking has always been an outlet for my creativity, and a meditative practice as well. I try to encourage my students to let go of their inhibitions and insecurities about achieving the perfect crust, so they can focus on actually enjoying the experience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What do you think is the most important part of a pie? Is it the crust, the filling, or how both work together? Have there been pies that you have created, or tasted, that didn’t work because filling and crust weren’t gelling together?

Pies are all about the relationship between the crust, filling, and topping (if you're using one). I don't think any one element is more important than the other, and I'm very passionate about finding the most complementary flavors and textures possible. With cream and custard pies, sometimes a cookie crumb or graham cracker crust is best, other times a pate brisée  is better. It's all about tasting and testing to achieve that perfect harmony.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of elements of a pie, I notice you sell your pie dough online. Not to ask any hard-fast secrets but do you have a preference in regards to lard, butter, Crisco, or a mixture in making pie crusts? There seems to be a key balance in capturing the right texture and taste, especially for old-school fruit pies.

My standard, go-to pie dough (the one I sell, and the one I teach) is a pretty classic pate brisée, made with high-quality, high butterfat European-style butter. I used to use a combination of butter and leaf lard (the very fine, lighter lard from around the kidneys of a pig), but once I started making a larger volume of pies I simplified things to work for a larger group of consumers. All-butter crusts require slightly more care to achieve that perfectly flaky, light texture, but it is definitely possible and I think my pies prove that! It's all about keeping things cold, using quality ingredients, and having a very gentle hand when making the dough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One of my favorite pies of yours is Jay’s Apple Cider Cream Pie, as well as the S’mores Pie. You created the Samoa pie based on the popular Girl Scout Cookie. Now that spring is rolling around, or has kind of arrived, what will you be working on with the new crop of items in-season? Do you tend to create new pies by season or try to offer a good amount year-round?

Sadly, spring has definitely not arrived yet! It feels like it has as we're in February and not even wearing hats, but it will be awhile before I have a new crop of good local fruits to work with. The first ingredient of spring is always rhubarb, which is one of my favorite flavors in the world. As it takes awhile for strawberries to come into season to hang out with the rhubarb, I always roll out my Rhubarb Frangipane as the first springtime flavor. The warmth of the toasted almonds, sweetness of vanilla, and bite of orange zest really enhance the rhubarb's natural tartness. I get soooo excited when I first see those pink stalks show up at the market! As for seasonality, I have some flavors that I offer year-round, but many that are season-specific and only available for a short window of time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you think you’ll have a storefront for First Prize Pies in the near future or do you prefer to have it available online with the delivery/pick up option?

I like the flexibility of things as they are now, but I would love to have my own shop one day. It's all a matter of finding the right space, and the financial backing to make it happen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beyond Twitter, Facebook, and your website are there other social networking sites (like Tumblr or Food Blogger Network) where people can get more information or connect with First Prize Pies and where you may appear in regards to markets, food festivals, and such?

Twitter, Facebook, and firstprizepies.com are the best places to find out what I'm up to right now. I'm in the process of building a blog that will be available through my website, which I'm really excited about. I'm currently working on my first cookbook, and I plan to use the blog to track my progress, get my friends and customers involved in the recipe-testing process, and host some short instructional videos for home bakers. I can't wait!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks so much, Allison for agreeing to an interview, sharing your knowledge of pies, and providing great web-ready pics! I'll be preparing my credit card for the rhubarb frangipane as well as the First Prize Pies blog.