Leading Chocolatiers Remember Men this Valentine’s Day

Come February 14^th the world takes a pause and celebrates the wonder of Love.  Yet sadly often men are the givers of gifts and not an equal receiver.  Hardly the way to start (or keep) a relationship balanced and healthy.

But there are some creative masters of chocolate that are addressing the need for better gifts for men this holiday season.  Their designs are original and sure to make the man in your life remember this Valentine’s as a very special one.

The Swiss Do It Best

Modern chocolate, as we know it, started in Switzerland.  But when a lot of men think of that mountain nation, they don’t necessarily think chocolate.  Instead, they think climbing and, of course, the famed Swiss Army Knife.

This legendary tool is a man’s perfect collection of must-haves right in his pocket.  So why not combine Switzerland’s two legendary exports and create the chocolate Swiss Army knife.  It’s great chocolate and looks remarkably just like the real thing. Just remind the man in your life to eat it, not add it to his camping gear.

Don’t Forget the Beer!

Michael Recchiuti of Recchiuti Confections has created another perfect gift if the man in your life enjoys a good beer at the end of the day. Chef Reechiuti, who is one of the most innovative chocolatiers around, has crafted an exquisite set of hand made chocolates blended to be savored with beer. 

Yes, with beer.  Whether your guy’s favorite beer is an I.P.A., dark draft or bitter ale, there’s a chocolate in the set that will match it perfectly. Velvet chocolates and an artisan beer – now that’s the way to win a man’s heart (and keep it).

Let’s Do Sushi Tonight

If the man in your life likes all things sushi, then Romanicos Chocolate in Miami, Florida have a never to be forgotten gift for him – a bento box filled with look alike chocolate sushi.

Each piece mimics the appearance of a classic sushi piece but is actually crafted from the finest chocolate and jewel tone tropical fruits. Each piece is unique and a true culinary treasure. Just opening the box is a stunning delight.  And they taste great, too.

So make this holiday romantic for you both by picking a gift for him that says “I Love you as much as you Love me.” Happy Valentine’s! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011 

Rene Verdon French Chef of the Kennedy White House Era Passes

Once there was a place called Camelot…..

Do you remember the grace and pride we all once felt when Washington sparkled with style?  It was a grand time, full of hope and youth.

This past week Chef Rene Verdon, who with the admired Jacqueline Kennedy crafted that re-birth of elegance, passed away at 86 in his San Francisco home.  Prior to his (and Jackie’s) arrival in White House kitchen, a vague array of chefs and caterers had created years of less than impressive presidential cuisine.  

But when the elegant Jacqueline Kennedy swept into the White House, all that changed. Beginning in 1961 (was it really that long along?), Chef Verdon instituted classic French discipline and techniques into the kitchen. And the results showed.  

State dinners were no longer dull gray diplomatic gatherings but became glittering social events with fine wines matched to gourmet selections.  Indeed in the years prior to the Kennedy era, White House dinners were so bad that foreign diplomats traditionally ate before coming to presidential dinners. 

And though some Americans were concerned about the “foreign influence”, Chef Verdon proudly stated that he was merely continuing the tradition of enjoying the best just as President Jefferson had done 200 plus years before.

Chef Verdon’s influence spread far and wide, creating a wave of interest and appreciation for the amazing but nearly forgotten world of French cuisine in America.  His success at the White House made it easier for diners to ‘think French’ when they made a reservation.  

Americans even began to visit France more frequently to see first hand the wonders of French cuisine.  And, of course, there was Julia Child making it all seem so easy and so much fun.

Sadly, for many of us, the ease and wonder of those days ended with the crack of a rifle bullet shattering the nation’s heart one dark day in Dallas. 

Jackie, dressed in a widow’s black dress, left the White House, but Chef Verdon stayed to help the nation continue.  But one president is not like another one.

 Chef Vernon found he could not accept the more casual culinary standards of the Johnsons and so he left, preferring the supportive atmosphere of San Francisco where he mentored generation after generation of American chefs in all things French.

And now he, too, has left us.  One can only imagine that Jackie and Jack will greet him on arrival in heaven with a deep smile and warm hug and tell him, “Well done, good friend – great chef.”

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011 

Meet the Four Men Who Invented Chocolate

There is no other sweet that equals chocolate in global popularity.  From the world’s leading five star restaurants to the corner grocery store, chocolate is everywhere.  

But such was not always the case.  There was a time, not all that long ago as history goes, that chocolate was available only to the elite of ancient Mexico and laterthe nobles of imperial Spain, but only as a drink.

That’s right – no candy bars, bonbons, truffles or chocolate curls.  Despite chocolate’s first appearance in Europe in 1528, it would be several centuries until Francois-Louis Cailler encountered pressed chocolate at a local food fair near Turin, Italy.

Knowing a good, no, great thing when he saw it, Cailler remained in Turin for four years learning everything he could about Italian chocolate techniques. Finally it was time for him to return to Switzerland and there he made culinary history.

By 1819 Cailler had opened his first factory in Corsier near Vevey.  He produced a velvet smooth bar of dark chocolate that the world had been waiting for.  Needless to say, it became an overnight sensation.

The resulting increase in sales (who could resist the silky texture?) caused the price of the individual bars to drop low enough that now anyone could savor this former ‘nobles-only’ treat.

Working beside Cailler was a young man named Daniel Peter.  Not only did he become Cailler’s right hand man, he also became his son-in-law.    

No one living in Switzerland, then or now, can miss the many grazing herds of cattle dotting the emerald green mountain slopes.  And that’s a problem as well as a benefit.  You see, Switzerland was producing more milk than she could consume, great though the quality was.

Too fragile to export, some of the milk had been historically converted into cheese. But there was still a lot of surplus milk. Why not, Daniel reasoned, blend some of the milk into the new bars, creating a milder form of chocolate?

And after a great deal of experimentation, that’s just what Daniel Peter did – he invented milk chocolate by 1857.  But there was a problem.

When he sought to remove the water from the milk in order to blend the resulting dry powder into his new chocolate mixture, mildew would occur on the bar’s surface.  Not a good thing, to say the least.

Daniel asked Henri Nestle, who at this time was canning milk for children, to help him solve this problem.  Nestle’s firm was already famous for its progressive insight into new food safety procedures.

Even so, it took seven years of painfully slow research to develop the process, but by 1875 milk chocolate was a reality.  It was such a success that in 1879 the two men formed the Nestle Chocolate Company.

But least you think that all chocolate matters are solely Swiss, there is one more individual to meet – John Cadbury, the thoughtful English Quaker chocolatier. 

Cadbury started life as a merchant but one with a conscience.  As a member of the Society of Friends, he did not want to sell alcohol because he saw the sad damage it inflected on families.  But chocolate made people feel good and so he focused on that, eventually forming a company that provided chocolate to the world.

And they provided it often in a heart-shaped box.  That’s right, a Cadbury (Richard Cadbury, John's son,  to be exact) created the design for that red ruffly box that you’re seeing everywhere right about now.  Originally it was crafted as an eye-catcher and it still is with over 36 million such boxes sold annually in the U.S. alone.

So “take heart” (literally) and say a thanks to Francois-Louis Cailler, Daniel Peter, Henri Nestle and John Cadbury. Without them, we’d all have to be in the jungle or be a member of the formal Spanish court, hoping we were “chocolate-worthy”.

Thank goodness all we have to do today is to simply say, “Chocolate please!”

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011 

Leading French Chefs Form The College Culinaire de France to Promote French Cuisine

Shock waves went through the French culinary establishment last week when France failed for the first time ever to win medals at the esteemed Bocuse d’Or Competition in Lyon. Instead chefs from the Scandinavian countries dominated the podium, led by Chef Rasmus Kofoed of Denmark.

Added to the fact that Tokyo can now claim more Michelin acclaimed restaurants than Paris - well, the leading chefs of France decided that they have to take matters into their own hands.

Gathering at the elite 58 Tour Eiffel Restaurant, 15 of France’s greatest chefs have joined together to form the nation’s first official lobbying association directed by chefs: The College Culinaire de France.

The legendary French chefs Alain Ducasse and Joel Robuchon pointed out during their presentation that French culinary efforts generate over 50 billion euros (or 68 billion dollars) annually to the French economy as well as creating over half a million jobs for the nation. 

Yet, unlike the Swedish, Norwegian and Danish winning teams, the international efforts of the French chefs to promote their national cuisine has never been supported by any significant governmental effort. In short, France’s famed cuisine has been taken for granted and left to the nation's individual chefs to promote on their own.  

All the chefs present felt that such singular chef efforts lacked the greater effect of a more focused campaign aided by a larger ministerial presence and increased financial backing.

With such additional support, The College Culinaire de France plans to train a new generation of French “master chefs.” Culinary leaders such as Chef Guy Savoy want to honor the classic cuisine of France while also making a place on the menu for a lighter and more modern touch in tune with the contemporary tastes.

This combination of the best and the new will provide an amazing showcase for the thousands of outstanding food products created in France and lead to increased exportation (and national income).

The College Culinaire de France also plans to establish a museum of gastronomy in Paris. Such a museum could be both a major tourist attraction and also an interactive marketing tool.  There visitors could experience the heritage of France’s great chefs as well as savor the fantastic flavors of the future.

Hurray for the great chefs of France! With your help, the world will be a better (and more tasteful) place!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011 

Downton Abbey Reflects Our Own Changing Times

Culinary fans of historic tales have been fascinated by BBC’s new series entitled Downton Abbey.  Set in 1912 just two years before the European start of World War I, King George V in on the throne and the tides of social change are lapping at the shores of England. With the clouds of war gathering on the Continent, more then just a new century has begun. And everyone will be effected whether they like it or not.

The fictitious Crawley Family owns (at least for awhile) the ancestral Downton Abbey nestled in the beautiful rolling green English countryside. But try as they might to avoid them, the waves of change are steadily breaking on the steps of their once peaceful country home.  New and strange inventions such as electric lights, motorcars and ringing telephones are all making their jarring presence felt in the grand house.

But the changes that move Julian Fellowes’ outstanding script forward aren’t just about wires and wheels.  Society itself is changing much to the displeasure of the elder Dowager Countess of Grantham, brilliantly played by Maggie Smith.      

No one seems to know their place. A lowly housemaid wants to be a modern secretary while one of the pampered Crawley daughters longs to be a feminist, attend suffrage rallies and wear Poiret’s new harem pants to dinner.  Shocking, simply shocking! How will one get a husband (and provider) with such unladylike behavior!

From the county flower show to a love affair with a foreigner, nothing is as it was when good Queen Victoria sat firmly on a more moral throne.  As a result, the thoughtful Lord Grantham struggles with the fading value of traditions while Mathew Crawley, a distant younger cousin set to inherit the entire estate, struggles with an undiscovered sense of self and purpose. 

In short, Downton Abbey is the story of a society on the edge of all that’s modern.  But this isn’t the first series presented by BBC that explores this still contemporary issue of racing rapid change.

In 1977 the equally amazing story of Rose Lewis was presented by BBC in The Duchess of Duke Street series.  This story is about a real life individual who rode the same rising waves of change that are now being portrayed in the popular Downton Abbey programs.

Known to her contemporaries as the “Queen of Cooks” she trained under the great "King of Chefs" Auguste Escoffier and went on to own and direct the legendary Cavendish Hotel in London.  Independent and with a sense of humor that broke through Edwardian class barriers, she cooked for Kings and Emperors, all the while keeping their secrets and winning their respect. 

She loved and deeply understood people.  She believed that life should always be a feast no matter the circumstance.  When a heavy bomb fell on the Cavendish Hotel during World War II, an aged Rose emerged from the ruins to the amazement of everyone, dusted the broken glass from her hair, and shook her fist at the departed Nazi bombers.  Then she served champagne to all those crowded into the now rubble filled street! Now that's style! 

If you are enjoying Downton Abbey, be sure to check out The Duchess of Duke Street programs.  You’ll adore Rose’s fighting spirit, fine cooking and courage as she and the cast of real characters around her learned how to be modern in a faster world while still maintaining their love of life. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011