Move Over Shirley Temple, Today’s Kids Want Harry Potter’s Butterbeer

With the release of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2, the epic tale of young wizard and his friends comes to a close, at least for now. 

 But have no fear – the fun (and profits) will continue through creative theme park destinations, official interactive websites and a popular new drink, now replacing the tried and true but rather dated Shirley Temple mocktail. 

First seen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Butterbeer is the beverage enjoyed by Harry, Ron and Hermione at the student popular Three Broomsticks Tavern in Hogsmeade near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

When Universal Parks & Resorts created the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, they asked Vice President and Corporate Executive Chef Steven Jayson to create the beverage which had, to that point, only been described by J.K. Rowling in her beloved magical mystery series. 

Yet, even for a culinary magician such as Chef Jayson, there are always restrictions, the boundaries of reality (and copyright). And this time they were set by none other than J.K. Rowling herself.

Rowling (in agreement with Universal Studio) required that the chef’s future creation contain no butter or other dairy product. And though this might seem a contradiction, the decision was based on a concern for any children with a lactose intolerance. In addition, Butterbeer was to be made using only real sugar, not corn syrup.

Beginning in 2008, Chef Jayson and his culinary team spent four plus months creating Universal Orlando’s version of Butterbeer. It took over 15 tries before the chef and his team stepped back and smiled knowing they had achieved the exact feel and flavor described by Rowling.

The resulting beverage has a butterscotch flavor base with a foaming head.  And though the brew served within Orlando’s Three Broomsticks Tavern is a carefully guarded corporate secret, here is an absolutely nonofficial mockup of the final flavor:

Blend and heat together only very briefly ¼ cup butterscotch syrup and ¼ teaspoon butter. Cool slightly and add 1 cup cream soda or club soda. Stir carefully. Add a dash of salt and vinegar to taste. Top with a head of frothed whipped cream.  Can be enjoyed hot or cold as well as a flavor base for ice cream or icing.

Simply magical! Children love it as will adults, especially with a bit of rum added, but only if Dumbledore, Hogwarts’ Headmaster, approves!

May magic continue forever - especially in the kitchen! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

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Post Note: If you doubt the influence of the "Harry Potter Effect", just consider that the film brought in over $169 Million USA dollars during the first stateside weekend showings alone! (The previous top revenue holder, The Dark Knight, ranked in at a mere $150 million USA dollars).

And that's not counting what the DVD sets of the complete Harry Potter series will bring in as 25% of the audience are purchasers between the ages of 18 and 34! They must be happy at Hogwarts! That's going to buy a lot of Butterbeer for everyone!

Bastille Day and Les Miserables Musical Celebrate French Food and Freedom Perfectly

July 14^th is Bastille Day or la Fête Nationale in la belle France as the home of freedom stops and starts to celebrate “liberté, egalité and fraternité”.

Festivities include La Bal du 14 Juillet, a giant dance party traditionally held on the Place de la Bastille where the infamous stormed Bastille Prison once stood, the firehouse galas or ‘Bals des Pompiers’ and the grand (and seemingly endless) formal military parade down the stunning Champs-Elysées Avenue.

But dearest to the French (and all those who love all matters French) are the magnificent fireworks launched over the iconic Eiffel Tower. The 2011 display theme is “From Broadway to Paris”.

But in all fairness, perhaps that theme is backward because one of the greatest musicals ever written was France’s gift to Broadway (and the world): Les Miserables. And no other musical better presents the need for freedom that is the essence of Bastille Day (and the essential heart of the hospitality industry). 

Based on a book written by Victor Hugo, the novel Les Miserables follows the life of Jean Valjean, who is imprisoned for 19 years at hard labor for stealing only a loaf of bread for his sister’s starving son.

Though stealing food is a crime, the insensitive nature of society to hunger and the excessive sentence establishes the two major themes that run throughout the novel, the musical and French history – the parallel values of human justice and inclusive cuisine. 

Justice, understanding and compassion are granted or withheld by the various members of the world that Valjean passes through, including a kind country bishop who feeds and then lies to protect him to the hate-blinded and eternally unforgiving Inspector Javert. 

Equally threaded throughout this legendary story is role of cuisine in both a true and false understanding of hospitality.

From the stolen bread to the final wedding feast of Valjean’s beloved ward Cosetta, Hugo serves up one food metaphor after another in his novel, holding as it were, a mirror up to the true and false moral appetites of mankind.

Especially memorable is the false and totally disgraceful innkeeper Thenardier, who only seeks to exploit every guest, and the honorable Marius who mourns his murdered friends, who supported revolutionary change, among the empty chairs and tables of their favorite student cafe.

The final feast of meaning that both Hugo and the musical share is that freedom and hospitality are eternally intertwined because each requires a respect for every individual met and served.

What better and truer theme could there be for Bastille Day, France's Fête National, surrounded by many of the world's greatest hotels and restaurants, open to all and encouraging everyone everywhere to enjoy life, freedom and honor all others in the true and universal spirit of hospitality.  

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

After 136 Years L’Opera Restaurant Finally Opens in Paris

They say that all good things are worth waiting for.  And nothing makes that statement truer then the long awaited opening of L’Opera Restaurant at the Palais Garnier, home of the famed Paris National Opera Company.

Charles Garnier, architect of Napoleon III’s stunning new opera house, always intended that a restaurant be included in the completed cultural center, but construction difficulties, a series of unsuccessful and expensive foreign wars and finally the resulting collapse of the government precluded the restaurant ever being established.

Even more recent attempts in 1973 by Rolf Liebermann and in 1992 by Pierre Bergé failed to complete Garnier’s final dream – all due again to the huge costs involved.

Yet as all true opera lovers know, a great aria and fine food belong together as truly as, well, any romantic tenor and dreamy-eyed soprano do, at least according to Rossini and Donizetti.

Now, thanks to Jean-Phillipe and Pierre-Francois Blanc, the injustice of legendary music without memorable cuisine has been corrected.

Key to their success as the restaurant’s new owners, is their ability to bring together a team whose talents equal the legacy of Garnier’s grand house.

First among their choices was the very modern architect Odile Decq, who seemed at first an unusual designer for a restaurant set in a venerated historical building. To make matters worse, the Garnier Opera House is listed as an architectural treasure by France’s National Commission of Historical Monuments, which means absolutely no structural changes are allowed.

But have no fear. Odile Decq’s fame is not undeserved for she understands that the essence of design is an insightful understanding, not mere copycat dupliction.

Drawing on the elegant red crescent of the Opera House interior, she created a contemporary free-standing two level installation that honors both tradition and modernity. Yet art, either on the stage or in architecture, is not inexpensive. All in all, Jean-Phillipe and Pierre-Francois have invested over six million euros to get it right.

Second, but of equal importance, is the elite culinary team they have gathered together. Chef Christophe Aribert, formerly of Les Terrasses, Grenoble’s lovely 2 star Michelin restaurant, has taken charge of the menu.  

Working with Chef Aribert is the Executive Chef Yann Tanneau, previously of Mama Shelter, Sous-Chef Didier Quennouelle of Le Fouquet’s and finally the Pastry Chef Hervé Moreau, formerly of Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Rostang. 

What a team! What a setting! As the word “Opera” means “The Great Work”, truly no better name could be found for this new restaurant, a culinary jewel sure to soon set its lucky diners shouting “Bravo, Bravo, Bravo” throughout the streets of Paris and beyond! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Parisian Pastry House of Laduree Honors Monaco Royal Wedding with Special Sweets

This past weekend all of Monaco celebrated the wedding of their Prince Albert to the lovely Olympic swimmer, Charlene Wittstock of South America.

As the crowds cheered and the assembled 800 celebrity guests enjoyed glasses of Belle Epoque 2002 Perrier-Jouet Champagne, Laduree, Paris’ famous pastry house, has crafted a special sweet commemorative confection to honor their wedding day.

Beginning in 1862, Louis Ernest Laduree founded this remarkabke culinary dynasty that would convert the lowly backstreet bakeries of Paris into elegant cafes sparkling with crystal and catering to the elite and fashionable.

To achieve this transformation, Laduree engaged the services of Jules Cheret in 1871 to decorate his newly opened shop in the chic Madelaleine district of Paris.

No one could have been better suited for the task as he adapted images from the décor of the new opera house, cherubs and all, into his floating airy designs.  

Soon such cafes became a showcase of elegance and style of Paris. The world was changing and women of the upper class wanted to move more freely in society, but in a manner that was still “socially acceptable”.  

It was Laduree’s wife, Jeanne Souchard, the daughter of a well-known Rouen hotelier, who suggested the final touch that forever cemented the fame of Laduree as a must-visit site for all culinairians visiting Paris.

Why not, she suggested, blend the English tradition of tea with the great tradition of French pastries? Ladies could gather in the newly concieved “salon de thé” without fear of dishonor. All was light and polite there.

And then there were the pastries – ah heaven, what delights, especially the Parisian style macarons, first created by Pierre Desfontaines, a second cousin. It was he who first conceived of the idea taking two macaron shells and joining them with a delicious ganache filling.   

Crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, Laduree macarons take two days to craft correctly but they are well worth the wait. Once tasted, they are unforgettable.

Two contemporary gentlemen, Francis Holder and his son David Holder, never forgot their encounter with the delights of Laduree and in 1993 purchased the famous establishment.

Today Laduree sweet treats are available in London’s historic Harrods as well as in modern Tokyo.

Yet at each destination, the style and elegance, that is the hallmark of the firm, is subtly maintained.

Ah such sweets! What pleasures, what delights! What culinary art!

So as everyone cheers in Monaco, let us wish that every marriage be as sweet as Laduree's famed pastries and wedded joy as lasting as the memory of this Paris delight – long may Love and La Maison de Laduree reign supreme!

Post Note, August 25, 2011: This September issue of Town & Country Magazine contains a marvelous article about the history of the House of Laduree, that maker of memorable macarons - oh yes!

If you long to learn all about this legendary sweet so enjoyed by kings and queens, be sure to pick up this month's copy and turn to page 58. The insightful story by Alison Rose, entitled "Sweet Nothings", is a sweet delight in and of itself.  

And now there's a Laduree Shop in New York City. Just go to 864 Madison Avenue beginning August 27th - only be prepared to want to never leave. You can either purchase a charming box or relax and enjoy your sweets on elegant cushioned chairs that seem Paris perfect.  

Either way, you will never forget Laduree! New York City just got oh so much sweeter!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Quebec’s ITHQ Create Royal Menu for Kate and William's Canadian Cooking Class

Before Prince William and his lovely bride, now the Princess Kate, left eastern Canada for the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest, they visited Quebec’s prestigious culinary school - the ITHQ or Institut de Tourisme et d’Hotellerie to take a cooking class featuring some of Canada’s best ingredients and finest young chefs-in-training.

The Institut’s esteemed instructors, Chefs Pasquale Vari and Jean-Louis Themis, and 24 of their talented students worked together for many weeks to also prepare a menu customized to accommodate the lifestyle of a unique celebrity couple, just started married life together, without any servants.

Working side by side with this skilled staff, the Prince and Princess helped create this delightful menu crafted with a wealth of wonderful “Quebecois” ingredients: 

Canapes 

• Foie Gras on Brioche with Apple Cider Jelly
• Eastern Townships Goat Cheese with Baby Cucumbers and Elderberry Jam
• Brome Lake Duck Confit
• Mini Bagels with Cream Cheese and Smoked Atlantic Salmon

Entrée 

• Herb-Crusted Loin of Charlevoix Lamb with Cranberries and Seasonal Vegetables from Jean Talon Market
• A Couple Requested Escoffier-Inspired Souffle Featuring Isles de la Madeleine Lobster  

 Dessert 

• Iced Cheesecake Filled with a Maple Caramel Topped with Meringue, Served with Granite of Fresh Regional Starberries and Blueberries

Wines and Beverages

• L’Orpanilleur
• Les Pervenches
• Carone
• La Face Cachee de la Pomme

Delightful, no? Wish you could have joined in the tasting?

Well, have no fear – you can, if when visiting Quebec, you call the Institut de Tourisme et d’Hotellerie (514-282-5161) and request luncheon or dinner reservations at the Center’s demonstration restaurant.

The cost is more than reasonable, $55-$90 with wine pairings, depending on the seating time chosen. 

Any chef would agree that’s more than fair and you will, of course, also be supporting one of North America’s great culinary schools – all with an amazing glass of great Canadian wine in your hand.  Bon Appetit! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011