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 

Enjoy the Obama Inauguration with a Buffet of Favorite Presidential Desserts

Monday on the 200^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Barack Obama will be inaugurated for his second four year term as President of the United States. And while the seriousness of the occasion should not be overlooked, there will be seemingly endless parties both in the Capital and throughout the U.S. celebrating democratic government by popular vote. 

And what better way could there be to celebrate the continuation of America’s freedom than to serve a viewing buffet of desserts enjoyed by the many and varied men who have lived in the White House?

George Washington – The first president of the United States was a practical man who enjoyed both dining with others and an English culinary heritage as many Americans did at that time. Yet he appreciated the bounty of the harvest that America could offer and saw that it appeared often in its many forms on the table at his Mount Vernon estate. And that included, yes, fresh apple pies. As a result, apple pie became identified with Washington and patriotism. Even today we use the phrase, “As American as apple Pie”. (And no, Washington did NOT chop down a cherry tree as a child – that is only a myth created decades after his death).

James Madison – While President Madison was busy dealing with foreign powers and national boundaries, his amazing wife Dolly was equally busy smoothing the political waters of Washington and establishing the unique role of the First Lady. Raised a demure Quaker, she became a skilled hostess of tea and charm. And like many a famous hostess, she used food to ease her diverse guests into conversation and an understanding of each other. Perhaps her most lasting culinary contribution is the Dolly Madison Layer Cake, which lifted the dense colonial cakes of English heritage by adding whipped egg whites. This technique is still used today. Thank you Dolly. (And thank you as well for saving George Washington’s great portrait when the British burned the White House in 1814).

Andrew Jackson – Jackson is considered by many historians as the first president not estate-born or lawyer-trained. Trained as a solider, he was used to command and compliance.

He was from the new frontier beyond the original east coast colonies. He was strong, direct and sometimes rude, fully American with a distrust of all ways European, especially the English whom he hated. He believed in a strong sense of personal destiny for himself and for his beloved nation. 

He ate plain and defended, when he could, the right of women to choose their own life path. His favorite dish was rice pudding.

Zachery Taylor – Born in Virginia and later stationed in New Orleans as a young solider, his southern roots were deep and included both owning a large number of slaves and a love of Creole cooking.

One of his favorite dishes was, that special pastry of New Orleans, the Calas, fired early each morning by black street vendors as a treat for many a southern gentleman to enjoy with dark coffee before returning home after a long night of cards and roulette to a weary waiting wife.

Yet no matter how angry his spouse might be, it could not possibly equal the conflict and anger regarding both the question of slavery and how to adjust the imbalance of power between the States that was then tearing the nation apart. No one doubted that dark days were ahead as young men drilled on southern greens and U.S. Congressmen came to blows on the floor of the Senate.

Abraham Lincoln – When Lincoln was elected, many consider it would result in the collapse of the nation and the end of style and elegance in Washington DC. True to their threat, South Carolina left the Union, followed by other southern states until finally, Virginia, that birthplace of presidents, left as well.

The result was civil war – the worst of wars as a nation devours itself in hate and anger. Things at the White House were equally confused. The President’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, was a southern who supposed the North. In a time of death and trauma, she sought to entertain in a grand manner to support her husband and to demonstrate her loyalty to the Union. Her balls and levees did neither. She was seen as insensitive to the suffering of the nation. Lincoln himself was a brilliant man of far simpler tastes. He cared little for food causing his doctors to be concerned over his long hours and ignored meals. Yet he remember enjoying a rare gingerbread man his mother baked for him, only to decide to give to another child who had never tasted the sweet treat. His tragic assassination stopped the heart of the Nation.

Theodore Roosevelt – While at first glance Roosevelt would seem just another member of the East Coast elite, he was actually so much more than just another rich boy made good as president. Weak as a child, he forced himself to exercise and became an athlete.

When his beloved first wife and adored mother died on the same day, he left the East Coast, bought a ranch and became a cowboy (in Brooks Brothers designed chaps). He returned East, was elected New York City Police Commissioner, fought crime and married a childhood girlfriend he had once rejected. Later as president he established the National Park System and won the Nobel Peace Prize. He hunted and forced diplomats to jog with him if they wished to discuss international relationships. Yet he love cookies. Indeed, they were an addiction his wife rationed for him less his weight in later life balloon to that of  a Diamond Jim Brady. His favorite cookie was a sand tart, especially in large quality if his wife wasn’t looking.

Woodrow Wilson - There are times when a President, for the benefit of the nation, must move with the times and adjust to the tides of change.

Woodrow Wilson was one such President, often caught in the swirling currents of the changing 21st century. Once a supporter of strict states’ rights, he would later exhaust himself auguring for the League of Nations (the forerunner of the United Nations). Initially an isolationist, he would lead America into her first truly international war. Like Lincoln, the office weighed heavy on his shoulders and often he simply did not eat. When he did, a dessert that recalled his earlier easier days as President of Princeton University was his favorite treat – Georgia Kiss Bread Pudding.  Then his devoted wife, Edith Bolling Galt who was rumored to be running the government while he removed from a major stroke late in his presidency, could breathe easy. He finally ate something!

Franklin Roosevelt – Every once in a while there is an individual who becomes president who seems ideally suited to the job. Franklin Roosevelt was one such person.

In fact, he model his life on that of his outgoing uncle, President Theodore Roosevelt (to the horror of his mother who told Franklin repeatedly that politics was not a proper profession for a wealthy man educated at Harvard). Like his beloved Uncle Teddy, he loved sports, only to be struck by polio and left unable to stand without braces in the prime of his life. Still he led America out of the Great Depression and through World War II in both Europe and Asia. Yet like, Lincoln and Wilson, he was a light eater. He did enjoyed an Angel Food Cake as a regular birthday cake (and was so secure and confident he even served everyday hot dogs to the visiting King and Queen of England).

Later Presidents - In the decades that followed other men, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Senior and Junior, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton would sit in the Oval Office, snacking on everything from chocolate chip cookies (Nixon) to jelly beans (Reagan), peanuts (Carter) to doughnuts (Clinton). The man taking the oath of office on Monday is known by staffers to enjoy chocolate covered caramels dusted with smoked salt, made right here in fair Seattle by Fran’s Chocolates.  

How presidential tastes have changed through the years yet the hopes of the Nation are the same as when Washington dined with honored friends by candle light – to live in peace with a bright and inclusive future spread out before us like a mighty feast of understanding, respect and mutual courage. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013 

Shooter's Sandwiches are the Perfect Food for Downton Abbey Viewing Parties

Cuisine in BBC’s very popular series, Downton Abbey, is divided into two distinct groups – elegant fare for those upstairs and far more traditional dishes for those below.  

Upstairs dishes were often prepared with a French flair at included pates, ices, elaborate gelatins and carved garnishes. Downstairs  dishes were simpler, more filling – in short, fuel for the then standard 18 hour work day.

There was, however,  one dish that combined both of these diverse worlds - a little known gem of English cuisine: The Shooter’s Sandwich.  Whether you were a Lord or Lady, gamekeeper or loader, this was fare enjoyed by all no matter the size or grandeur of one’s kitchen.

The creation of a Shooter’s sandwich is easy but the end result is impressive. To create the sandwich you will need a hardy, firm textured round loaf of bread, cooked meat and fresh cheese of choice, mushrooms, onions, mustard and a heavy weight as well as paper and string (more about that later).

Begin by carefully slicing the top of the load off to create a ‘cap’. Be sure to safe the top as you will need it later. Next hollow out the loaf, removing the interior bread without cutting through to the outer crust.

Once this has been done, tightly pack the interior of the loaf with layers of your selected meats, cheeses, vegetables and mustard (or other spread if so desired). Please note the word “tightly” here as you truly want to pack the loaf as full as possible.

Replace the top and place the loaf on a sheet of paper that (1) will not damage the food and (2) is large enough to wrap around the sandwich at least twice. Wrap the sandwich up and tie securely with string. 

Now comes the fun part.  In Edwardian days the wrapped sandwich was put into a food press and compacted down to form a firm sandwich that was easy to transport and that never fell apart.  For a shooting party, it was near perfect and everyone from Lord to Loaders enjoyed them.

Today, you can easily create the same effect with a few heavy bricks. The result, when cut into wedges, is very definitely English! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013 

Tokyo's Bluefin Tuna Sells for a Amazing 1.7 Million Dollars

Sushi Zsnmai, a popular restaurant chain in Japan, just paid 1.7 million dollars, yes that's 1.7 million dollars, for the first of the season 222-kilogram (489-pound) tuna to arrive at the city's famed Tsukiji Market. That works out to be roughly 3,600 USD per pound. Wow! That's a a lot of money for a single fish. 

And while no individual fish offers an enhanced fillet worthy of such an unbelievable high price, the prestige of owning the first-of-the-first is highly sought after by competing Japanese sushi restaurants.

As one might expect, the winning bid broke all previous records and has prompted many in the fishing industry to look forward to higher profits. Chefs, meanwhile, are dreading a possible increase in seafood costs due to overfishing.

May the seas be kind to us and we to the sea.

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