How to Save Downton Abbey Hollandaise Sauce Then AND Now

The culinary accurateness of the Downton Abbey Series should delight all professionals in the hospitality industry.

From soufflés to silver service, it is more than obvious that great research has gone into every aspect of the script where food is concerned.

But Downton's writers go even further. They show what can go amiss in the kitchen as well as what works. For example, sauces. Sauces are the wonder of cuisine. There are five major ones, entitled "the Mother Sauces", each with seemingly endless variations on their major taste themes. 

One such sauce is Hollandaise, an emulsified sauce in which egg yolks not only serve as the emulsifier, but also as a thickening agent. The final viscosity or thickness of the sauce is determined by how much fat is emulsified in and to what degree the egg yolks are cooked. 

The more the egg yolks are cooked, the thicker the hollandaise will be. However, the more the egg yolks are cooked, the more chance that the final result will be scrambled eggs, not a glorious hollandaise sauce. It's a delicate balance.

And that's just what happened to Ivy, the perky new kitchen maid, in the Dowwnton Abbey kitchen right before a grand meal. Even Daisy, the more experienced assistant cook, panicked when she saw the curdled sauce.

It's Alfred, the very new and very tall footman, who comes to the rescue. Prior to serving at Downton, he had worked as a hotel waiter, where he had caught glimpses of how master chefs save a separated or "broken" sauce.

He quickly strained out the curdle portion of the sauce and whisked one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water to the remaining sauce, still keeping it warm during the process. His fast reaction would please any chef and mark this young man as someone to promote. (Is Mrs. Patmore, Downton's cook, observing his flare, leading possibly to future plot developments?) 

A hundred years ago, chefs used double copper pots to make hollandaise sauce. Ouch - that's expensive and a royal pain to keep clean and polished. Today's chef has the advantage of improved cookware, such as Rose Bake and Oven Ware. 

Developed by Rose Levy Beranbau, author of the James Beard's acclaimed The Cake Bible and known as someone with a very sharp eye for technique to a diva level, her Rose Caramel Pot with double pouring spouts is a marvel for sauces sweet or savory.

Additionally, for those sauces requiring the use of a lift KitchenAid Mixer, no busy chef who cares about easy and elegance should be without the Rose BeaterBlade.

Its patented "Wind" design scraps the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with every turn. When detached, it even doubles as a spatula.  

Alfred saved the day in Downton's Edwardian kitchen with his knowledge of the new and useful. If he lived today, he's surely reach for Rose's outstanding cookware and save the day once again. Tools and technique have always matter and they always will.

 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

Downton Abbey Cocktails

This Sunday on January 6th, the third season of BBC's big hit series, Downton Abbey, will launch to the delight of million of viewers worldwide.

And while the dueling grand dames, played by Maggie Smith as the Downton Dowager and Shirley MacLaine as the progressive American mother-in-law, will be dueling for the best one liner putdowns, it is actually the three Downton daughters who anchor the plot's movement through good and bad times.

The series' resulting popularity has generated an interest in all things English, including food and drink, which has prompted an interesting Internet question: What cocktail best suit each of the Earl's elegant daughters?

Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery, has in past airings been the series' main heroine. As the eldest child of Lord and Lady Crawley BUT sadly only a girl, she cannot inherit the estate. Viewers have watched her make two romantic mistakes only to end up in the arms of Matthew, who WILL inherit the name and lands of Downton Abbey - maybe. 

After a long wait for a proposal in the softly falling snow of December, Abbey devotees are hoping for a wedding (finally)and NO MORE problems for the fair and long suffering Mary. The perfect Lady Mary cocktail would seem to be a classic (and well earned) Champagne Cocktail.

The next Downton daughter is the very proper Lady Edith, played by Laura Carmichael, who is waiting and hoping, and hoping, and hoping for her prince charming to appear, even if he is older than she and handicapped from an arm injury obtained on the horrific battlefields of World War I.

Her frustration often brings out a mean streak in her that may well mellow as the story line develops and she finds either meaning or love in life beyond just title and rank. Currently many bar masters are serving the Lillet Cocktail as the drink that matches Lady Edith's reserved English personality the best.

Finally there is Lady Sybil, played by Jessica Brown Findlay, the rebellious daughter of Downton, who reads feminist tracks, argues for women's sufferage, dares to wear the latest Paris pants fashion and, shock of shock, falls in love with the family's free thinking Irish chauffeur, Tom Branson, AND marries him. Oh no, below the salt! But what nerve!

In a strength of will worthy of any early era feminist, she stands up to her family and moves to Ireland with her new husband, leaving the wealth and grandeur of Downton for conviction and true love. It seems only a hardy Irish coffee would be perfect for this beloved but definitely brave black sheep of the family.

So choose your favorite lady of the Abbey to cheer on to fame and happiness and THEN raise your glass to BBC for another great series that's sure to set many new culinary trends as well as delight viewers everywhere . Many thanks and England forever!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

The Very Best Cookbooks of 2012

As the year ends, it’s time to bring the best of 2012 forward into 2013.  And that, of course, includes cookbooks.

So here are the outstanding 2012 cookbooks that chefs worldwide have reviewed and declared a must addition to any culinary library.

FEVIKEN

Chef Magnus Nilsson serves a mere 12 covers in a tiny restaurant located on an expansive northern Swedish estate yet he is esteemed by chefs worldwide.

In large, this is due to his promotion of New Nordic Cuisine, which is stunning simple but never simplistic.

The cuisine presented focuses on seasonal ingredients as well as embraces the use of preserved vegetables and aged beef during the cold winter months.

Chef Magnus generously shares his insightful philosophy of food and life, which may well guide future culinary trends worldwide. Well done! 

JERUSALEM

Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi have also created an outstanding cookbook.

The book’s striking photographs capture the bold colors and contrasts of each Mid-Eastern dish. But do not think the dishes listed can only be created if exotic ingredients are available.

In fact, the famed restaurant of the same name, where each dish is served, is located in London.

Perhaps even more inspiring is the fact that the owners are both Israeli and Palestinian and work peacefully together.

Fantastic! Let us hope their cooperation and mutual creativity is a sign of things to come.

HUBERT KELLER’S SOUVENIRS

Memoirs written by chefs can sometimes be a disappointment, as they often relate generalized culinary experiences, rather than perceptive insights into the heart of the Industry.

Such is NOT the case with Chef Hubert Keller’s new book, Souvenirs: Stories and Recipes from My Life. His book contains an amazing 330 pages that provide an intimate glimpse of his extraordinary culinary life, that began when he was age 16 in Alsace, France at his father’s pastry shop, as well as 120 personal recipes with 300 supportive photographs.

Truly worth having, this book makes you want dine at his world renowned Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and then meet Chef Keller, who has set a new standard for culinary journal cookbooks. Congratulations!

THE FOOD OF SPAIN

Claudia Roden is far more that a mere recipe writer. Historian and critic Simon Schama has proclaimed her "No more a simple cookbook writer than Marcel Proust was a biscuit baker." 

High praise that.

In The Food of Spain, she interweaves hundreds of recipes from across Spain with parallel folk tales, proverbs, stories, poetry, and local history to provide a guide to not only delicious food but also to the diverse population and merging cultures that produced it.

Considered by many as the first new classic on Spanish cuisine to be written in the last 50 years, this is one book to be sure to purchase and then enjoy, and enjoy, and enjoy! A true culinary classic..

ASTRANCE: A COOK’S BOOK

Chef Pascal Barbot’s title says it all but presented in his own unique style via “narrative recipes”. In 50 recipes, he describes how and where he found the inspiration for his recipes, how he finds his products, how he uses, prepares and cooks them at his famed 25 seat restaurant, L’Astrance, in Paris.

Additionally, the "narrative recipes" are completed by texts by Chihiro Masui, who gives her tasting impressions as an introduction for the dishes presented in the book. Chef Barbot also reveals the secrets of his basic recipes in a 64-page separate booklet (including sauces, condiments, pastries!) in the deluxe version of the cookbook. 

His eager guests come from around the world, often reserving their tables many months in advance, to experience dining at L’Astrance, where ten original dishes are served each and every night.

This stunning book provides a glimpse of that world so creative that book dealers can’t keep the book in stock. Order your copy NOW! An astounding text.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

It's The Life of Pi after Thanksgiving Pie

What does one do after a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner? Well, everyone on staff at Your Culinary World is going to see the just released movie hailed as the new Avatar - The Life of Pi.

Directed in 3D (and digital) by Ang Lee, who also created the visually stunning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and thought provoking Brokeback Mountain, The Life of Pi has been hailed by early reviewers as a masterpiece.

Based on an award winning book by Yann Martel, the story superficially tells the tale a boy shipwrecked in a small rowboat with a tiger. But the story is about much much more than that. It is also a story about fear, division, courage and the power to understand the heart of Life itself - themes the author often seeks to write about.

Make time this holiday to see a movie you will long remember -it's one great present you can give yourself and your staff. No gift wrapping required!

Post Note, November 30, 2012: If by now you have seen The Life of Pi (which we hope you have as the film is truly amazing), why not celebrate a great movie with a piece of Tiger Cake in honor of Richard Parker himself.

(Just adjust the colors and you can also make a Zebra Cake - if you've seen the film...poor zebra).

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012