Will the Dishes of Downton Abbey Soon Include Those of Liverpool?

Viewers worldwide gasped when the plot of Downton Abbey took a tragic turn and the kind Lady Sybil suddenly died in childbirth. Left behind is her Irish husband, Tom Branson, the former chauffeur to Sybil's father, Robert, the Earl of Grantham and a small baby girl.

To say the least, Branson's character is that of man caught in the contradictions of the changing age. He longs to be free of the constraints imposed by British policies yet he is, by his very struggle against it, part of that tradition - so much so he secretly loves and marries the young Sybil, whose own family represents the very heritage he rebells against.   

On her death, he is lost, adrift in an elite family foreign in its tradition to all he knows and values. He is Catholic; they are members of the Church of England. He has worked his whole life; their wealth has protected them from the daily grind of labor. He has been their servant; they expect to be served.

The only bridge between these two vastly different worlds is one small baby.

Yet Tom, supported by the younger members of the Crawley family, desires to leave the Abbey and rebuild his life as an auto mechanic in Liverpool with his daughter by his side. Time (and future episodes) will reveal if he is successful.

But if he does go to Liverpool, he will find a world stunningly different from the green meadows and quiet forests of Downton. It was (and is) an industrial port city full of sound and motion, commerce and change. 

Even the regional dishes enjoyed there tell of a practical people grounded in a hardened reality so different from the genteel estate atmosphere of Downton.

Perhaps the most outstanding example of this is scouse, a hardy stew. Made from either lamb or beef, it was first brought to Liverpool's tavern by sailors fond of their ship's food. 

The stew became so popular its name has come to proudly represent all those born in Liverpool down to today. At football (soccer) and rugby matches, t-shirts are worn in abundance declaring "Scouse & Proud" while others wave signs that read "Keep Calm, Life Is Never Perfect but Being Scouse Is Close Enough".

One can only wonder if little Sybil, who was named after her deceased mother, will develop such a strong personality if she does go to Liverpool to live with her father? Should make a great story turn, no?  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Ram Truck Super Bowl Ad Reminds Viewer to Remember the Farmer

The U.S. Super Bowl Football Game is over. And with many twists and turns (including a major lighting failure), the Baltimore Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34 to 31. It was a great game.

There will be editorials about the quality of the halftime show and about what caused the power outage. But there can be no doubt that millions of viewers were touched by the single thoughtful ad that appeared during Game's programing: the Dodge Ram Truck ad, praising the role of the farmer. 

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Why the San Francisco 49ers Favorite Super Bowl Food Should Be Bourdin Sourdough Bread

There are certain culinary classics that have stood the test of time secure in a city that appreciates fine food. San Francisco is one such city and the legendary food they cherish is their very own and very unique sourdough bread.

This flavorful bread began in 1849 (the same 'golden' year the 49ers Football Team is named after) when Isidore Boudin, a hopeful immigrant arrived in San Francisco from Burgundy. He was drawn to California from his native France by the recent discovery of massive deposits of gold in the region's streams and mountains.

But Boudin had no desire to dig in the dirt. As a skilled baker, he intended to make his fortune baking bread for the hungry miners, yet he started with little beyond but his own knowledge of classic French baking techniques and a precious bag of flour.

Very quickly he noticed a unique tangy taste had developing in his bread. As a professional, he was able to dentify its source and knew that he had found his treasure - a natural occurring yeast. And not just an common yeast, but one unique to San Francisco. 

Scientists would later honor its rarity by naming this terrior bacterium "Lactobacillius Sanfrancisensis". Once incorporated within flour, it naturally causes the dough to raise. By always preserving a small starter portion of the dough, the bacterium will continually act as a levying ageny for future loaves. 

Boudin worked hard and soon his horse-drawn delivery wagons were delivering his signature loaves to elite Nob Hill homes and elegant downtown hotels. Sadly his long days (and perhaps one or two too many pastries) caught up with him and he died in 1887.

But he had not labored alone. His wife, Louise, and his beloved daughter, Lucie, knew the bakery as well as he and on his death continued producing the bread he loved. Year by year the bakery's client list (and its bank account) grew.

Then in 1906, disaster struck as a massive earthquake shattered San Francisco's calm. And although the earthquake was very bad, the resulting fire was worst. Soon huge sections of the City were on fire - including area where the Boudin Bakery was located.

Louise had lost her husband; she had no intension of loosing her bakery as well. Dodging falling bricks and flaming timbers she worked her way to the remains of her baking kitchen and found the original dough starter begun by her husband.

She scooped it into a bucket and carried it out to safety. Referred to thereafter as the "mother dough", it continued to raise dough (pardon the pun there) for the Boudin family at their rebuilt bakery from 1910 to the late 1930's.

Yet by the end of the 1930's the Great Depression had taken its toll. San Francisco's grand families no longer entertained lavishly and many of the major hotels had closed their namesake restaurants. Even the demand for a truly great bread had dropped dramatically as families and corporates watched every penny.

Enter Steve Giraudo, Boudin's Master Baker. An Italian by birth, he was as devoted to fine bread as Louise and Isidore Boudin had been. He bought both the bakery and the mother dough starter. Once again San Francisco had her beloved bread (and so did the many sailors and soliders passing through San Francisco during World War II).

This increased exposure broadened the fame of Boudin Sourdough French Bread so that in 1975, Steven's son, Lou Giraudo, opened their first public demonstration bakery and cafe on Fisherman's Wharf to the delight of thousands of visiting tourists. Today there are eight additional cafe locations in the San Francisco area and seven more throughout the State. 

Not bad for a firm that was started by a Frenchman with a bag of flour. So you can see why the 49ers Football Team should (and do) love this bread. Like them, it has survived hard times and 'risen' to the acclaim of all. And now they are on their way to New Orleans, a city with such a strong French heritage Boudin himself would have loved it. 

Maybe the fact that New Orleans's Super Dome looks a bit like a rounded load of sourdough bread will bring them great good luck! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Celebrate Both the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras with Three Great New Orleans Cocktails

It's rare that one American city is called upon to play host to two major events almost simultaneously. Yet that is what is happening in la belle New Orleans this week where happy Mardi Gras party goers will mix with hopeful Super Bowl ticket holders.

But have no fear - New Orleans is more than up to the task at hand. Her fine hotels, outstanding restaurants, famous streets and multicultural cuisine can easily welcome them all, especially when the many visitors have a chance to taste one of the City's famous cocktails. 

THE SAZERAC COCKTAIL - This honored cocktail is the very first recorded American cocktail to be created and is credited to Antoine Amadie Peychaud, a Creole apothecary before the dark days of the Civil War.

He crafted the cocktail from a mixture of cognac or rye whiskey, absinthe or Herbsaint and Peychaud's Bitters. 

According to culinary legend he served his new drink in the large end of an egg cup which was called a coquetier in French. The americanization of word conversed the French word into the word "cocktail" and so gave a name to a whole catagory of over 125,000 drinks! 

THE HURRICANE COCKTAIL - Was there ever a cocktail with such a perfect name? This drink can steady the nerves of anyone facing a frightening future whether from high waters or the horrors of war. For you see, this cocktail was created by Pat O'Brien during the early days of World War II.

Faced with both an excess of lower grade rum forced on him by distributors and also many nervous service men, he blended his unwanted rum, fruit juice and grenadine together and happily served his creation in an available bowed glass that mimiced the shape of a Victorian wind-resisent oil lamp. 

The name of the lamp transferred to the cocktail and is now the official drink of New Orleans' French Quarter. Today it often served in a plastic cup since the City premits enjoying a cocktail in public but only in a non-breakable despoitable plastic container. Safety first please!

BRANDY MILK PUNCH - Don't be fooled. This is not exactly your mother's good-night glass of milk. Instead, it is a favorite for one of New Orleans' grand tradition: Sunday Brunch. After church, friends and family could (and still do) meet at one of the City's classic restaurants such as Cafe Adelaide or Brennan's to discuss the week's events.

Brimming cups of brandy, milk, cream and nutmeg mixed together were and still are perfect to calm a troubled stomach from the night before or ideal to match the rich foods in the Sunday feast before them. Ah, New Orleans, she always has an answer for every question. 

What a grand city!  

Cheer the Super Bowl Ravens on with a Slice of Smith Island Seven Layer Cake

Millions will be watching America's Super Bowl Football Game but a lucky few will be cheering Baltimore's Ravens on while savoring a slice of Smith Island Cake.

And what, you are asking, is a Smith Island Cake? Only one of the culinary world's sweetest secret, unless you're from Maryland where the cake is honored as the State's official dessert. 

To find the makers of this amazing cake crafted from seven plus wafer thin layers, all individually baked, you have to travel (and only by ferry) to a tiny island, of the same name as the cake, located in cold waters of Chesapeake Bay.

Only 400 people live on the 8 x 4 mile island yet since the early 1600's those who have lived here have proudly called it home. And well they should have since the Island was famous throughout the world for the high quality blue crab, oysters and fish harvested by the Island's watermen as they were called. 

Yet it was not to last. As the East Coast of the United Stated developed industrially, toxic wastes were dumped into the Bay. Year by year the catch declined until it was too small to support a livelihood. The resulting hard times forced many to leave the Island.

But there were some who simply would not leave their island home. They fought the fear that poverty often brings with the resources at hand - baking pans and treasured recipes, both used in new and creative ways to break boredom and embrace a brighter future.

Instead of baking traditional two or three layer cakes, they baked paper thin layers of cake by spreading only a small amount of batter in each pan. Once cooked, they iced each layer and stacked them up to see how high they could go. 

The effect these brave kitchen cooks created was stunning. Today it is part of culinary history AND a major tourism attraction for the Island as hundreds come to savor both the present day beauty of the Island and its legendary tall cakes.

Perhaps the tenacity of those hardy early Island cooks will be with the Ravens as they take the field and fight to devour, layer by layer, the defenses of San Francisco's famed 49er's. 

Post Note, January 30, 2013: The culinary wonders of Maryland aren't just limited to Smith Island's fantastic cake. Here are some of our other favorites, all perfect for Super Bowl viewing parties:

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013 

POST NOTE, January 30, 2013: Baltimore's culinary heritage includes many wonderful dishes in addition to the pride of Smith Island. Check out these food treasures: 

Berger Cookies - The official cookie of Baltimore, first created in 1835 by an immigrant German baker, this rich regional treat is a vanilla cookie topped with a thick layer of rich dark chocolate fudge. Its appearance is simple; its flavor is unforgettable. A cookie must for your culinary bucket list.

UTZ Crab Chips - High quality potato chips flavored with Chesapeake Bay crab seasonings since 1921 by this family owned company. The resulting taste is a regional treasure. An legandary game snack! 

National Bohemian Beer - Known in Balimore as the "Natty Boh" this brew is a premium German style beer similar to a Pilsner, known as the world's golden beer. Proudly brewed since 1885, it is the official beer of Baltimore and was the first American beer sold in canned six-packs. Many thanks!  

Pit Beef Barbecue - Baltimore's take on barbecue is crisp and crusty on the outside and rare and juicy on the inside. Often served piled high on a toasted bun.

Lake Trout Fish Sandwiches - The very popular everyday lunch sandwich of Baltimore. Made from Atlantic Whiting fillets, not trout, it comes garnished with ketchup and a horseradish sauce.

Chicken Boxes - Another lunch favorite of BMore. These carry-out boxes contain 4-6 chicken wings and either western, curly or regular fries. Sold in fried chicken shops and Chinese takeout restaurants (rice substituted for potatoes there). Often enjoyed with a "Half and Half", a combination of equal portions of iced tea and lemonade.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013