Cordon Bleu London Releases YouTube Tour

Many members of the Hospitality Industry are familiar with the Cordon Bleu in Paris but have not had time to tour the school's newly refurbished London center.

Happily you can now visually walk through the renovated British center thanks to a new YouTube video just released that not only highlights the center's outstanding new features but also reviews the history of the famed culinary school itself.  

But be warned in advanced, after viewing this informative clip, you'll want to visit in person - and why not: London is one of the world's great culinary cities. 

You will enjoy your trip and be inspirited by your visit.

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

The Best Bread in Paris!

One cannot think of Paris without also thinking of French bread or more correctly beautiful baguettes. Long and tapered, elegantly crisp on the outside yet cloud light on the inside, they reflect the wonderful duality that is the City of Lights itself.

So as you might expect, the quality of the city’s famed baguettes is a matter of no small importance to the citizen (and the government) of Paris.

This year Lyne Cohen-Solal, the Deputy Mayor in charge of Paris’ trade and crafts, headed a skilled jury that was composed of personalities from the Industry and catering sector, including past winners as well as every day citizens of the city.  

Once assembled, the judges initially accepted 202 rods or”wands” of bread as the Paris bakers refer to them.  Each was banded with a number to insure equally fair evaluation. Fifty-two were then quickly rejected as not meeting the entry requirements of size and weight.

To win the final grand prize, registered baguettes had to be between 55 and 65 cm (21.6-25.5 inches), weigh between 250 and 300 grams (8.8-10.5 ounces) and have a salt content level of 18 grams per kilo of flour. Now those are precise standards but, after all, this Paris and this is about bread!

In the end 151 sticks (another trade phrase that the city’s bakers use) were accepted for consideration. Now the fun began. For the next few afternoon hours, every one of those 151 rods was smelled, visually evaluated and finally tasted. And the Grand Prize winner was…

Ridha Khadher, the artisan baker of Au Paradis du Gourmand in the City’s 14^th arrondissement, a district that had never won the prestigious award before. Indeed, the award had previously been claimed for six years in a roll by esteemed bakers in the Montmartre section of the City.

But, as the unanimous final vote demonstrated, things (especially those of a culinary nature) are always subject to change.  Just consider this year’s winner, Ridha Khadher.

Unlike many previous winners, he was not born within the culinary heritage of France. Instead, he was born in Tunisia and came to Paris when 15 to seek a better life. But  he would be the first to tell any other insightful baking chef, success did not come overnight.

It took many jobs and many long hours over 24 years of work to prefect his winning recipe. His secret he says is not a change of ingredients because then what would be produced would not be a true baguette. Instead, the secret is hard work and insightful skill. What chef wouldn’t agree with that?

His award winning (more on that in a moment) bread require 24 hours of labor and attention to create, compared to the traditional five hours used by many other bakers. Many of those additional hours are involved in hand kneading and patiently waiting as the dough matures and ripens.

As a result, his bakery can only produce between 800 to 1,000 wands of bread a day but they are more than worth the wait.  Some of these much sought after loafs are now going to be delivered daily to the Élysée Palace as that is part of the winning prize along with € 4,000 (USD $5,230). Very Nice!

When asked if the money (and the fame) would encourage him to expand or modernize, the 42 year old master baker just smiled and said no. Life (and his bread) are fine just as they are - thank you.

Now that’s truly winning.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

History of the Pressure Cooker before the Boston Marathon Bombing

The tragic new from Boston now suggests that the bombs exploded at the Marathon finish line were constructed using pressure cookers.

These two gerrymandered “kitchen” bombs sadly killed three innocent bystanders and seriously injured many, many more.

Yet for centuries the pressure cooker has served humanity far more beneficially. In fact, it was from the beginning conceived as a tool to help, not hurt, people.

Denis Papin, a French physicist and mathematician, invented the first pressure cooker in 1679.  It was called a “digester” because its purpose was to extract nutrition from bones and so to improve the diet of the poor.

His invention successfully raised the boiling point of water and at this higher temperature, both softened inexpensive bones and greatly shortened cooking quick time (fuel was expensive and in short supply). Yet its high price made this early model too expensive for the very people it was designed to aid.

During the 18th and 19^th centuries, the people most interested in the digester were military cooks, men who needed a way to produce quicker and more nutritious meals for the weary soldiers waiting nearby.

Just consider the problems posed by Napoleon’s ambitions. His armies ranging from Spain to Russia. Simply forging off the land, as ancient armies had done, was no longery sufficient. Something new was needed and needed fast.

Nicolas Appert, a Parisian candy maker, found an answer, i.e. food in cork-sealed glass jars boiled in hot water, and won 12,000 francs for his insight.  By 1810 the Englishman, Peter Durance, moved the process from fragile glass containers to hardier metal cans. In 1813 the first commercial canning factory opened in England.  

Enter America.  After the chaos of the Napoleonic era, many creative entrepreneurs immigrated to the United States including one Thomas Kensett. He quickly established in New York America’s first factory, canning oysters, meats, fruits and vegetables there.

Once again, the use of the pressure cooker was clearly understood by many but at $76.85 ($2,040.37 in USD today!) far beyond the budget of most households. As a result, its use was largely commercial. By 1905 these large fifty and thirty gallon capacity cookers had move from commercial canneries to hotels and hospitals.

There had been a growing awareness during this period concerning food safety. In 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Pure Food and Drug Act, setting needed standards for and imposing safety regulations on the food industry.

By 1917 the US Department of Agriculture declared that pressure canning (using a pressure cooker) was the only safe method of canning low-acid foods without risking food poisoning. Their statement created an nearly instant market for a mass produce inexpensive pressure cooker. National Presto was the first company to produce a reasonably priced pressure cooker for home use.  Bravo and thank you!

Three other trends boosted the positive popularity of Pressure cookers: (1) Preserving food during the hard days of the Great Depression, (2) Making the most of rationed foods during World War II, and (3) Renewed focus on healthy eating during the 1960’s.

Today, many wonderful new models of pressure cookers are available to the home cook, including rangetop and counter models. Some of the most popular units include Tramontina 18/10 Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker and the Imusa 5-Quart Electric Pressure Cooker.  Both models are safe and a great kitchen tool.

Sadly, there will always be those who misuse knives and mail and anything else they can obtain to hurt and injury others –including the humble pressure cooker, a kitchen tool only designed with the hope of helping mankind.

To prove that point, many, many Boston restaurants are donating services and funds to aiding those injured and in need because of the Blasts – the same restaurants that use pressure cookers day in and day out as they serve food to all who come, no matter their faith, race or gender.

That generosity of spirit also includes Krystle Marie Campbell, age 29, a young restaurant manager who died as she stood waiting at the end of the Race to offer her friends water and a welcoming smile. The Industry grieves her loss.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Celebrate Easter All Year Long with French Cloche Bells

Not everyone celebrates Easter with chocolate Easter eggs. The French have a charming tradition that honors the Spring Holiday with both sweet chocolate and savory bread.

During the medieval period, the Church in Rome dictated that from Good Friday to Easter Sunday all village church bells in France would be silenced to honor the liturgy of Christ’s suffering.

And while this might seem a noble idea in the Vatican, it was one that caused great concern in France’s small rural towns.  

For you see, in a world without clocks and phones, the church bells regulated the activities of the everyday worker.  Their tolling marked the start of day before the sun rose and its end as the star came out. Without their rising, life was without order or focus.

To justify their silence, local priests created a legend that the bells, high in their church towers, actually flew through the air to Rome on the eve of Good Friday carrying all the sins of the villages with them.

Once in Rome, the reigning Pope would absolve the collective sins and send the bells flying back through the air, ready to ring loud and clear on Easter morning. 

Over time what was once thought of as fact transformed itself into a charming tradition, one now celebrated by the French through the exchange of chocolate bells on Easter morning.

These sweet bells, or “cloche” as they are called in French, are often molded and elaborately decorated. But that is not the only “cloche” honored in French cuisine.

Since medieval times, French bakers have used clay cloche or bell pans to bake their bread in. Their design insures a crisp crust and a cloud soft interior. In other words, a perfect French loaf.

Commercial made cloche pans are available and are excellent. You can also create a personal cloche from unglazed terra cotta pots.

Add a stainless steel ring hook to seal the planter drainage hole. Oil the base plate and preheat in the oven before adding your raised dough. (Be careful when transferring the dough not to touch the heated the lower plate).

Bake at the temperature and time stated in your recipe. The results will make you want to celebrate Easter all year long!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Tennis Master Andy Murray Scores with Scottish Hotel Purchase

Tennis ace Andy Murray has just bought the multi-million dollar luxury Cromlix House Hotel near his Scottish home, just north of Edinburgh. 

The US Open and Olympic champion plans to transform the grand Victorian manor house, where his brother Jamie married Colombian Alejandra Gutierrez in 2010, into a five-star destination.

Locates close to his home town of Dunblane in Stirlingshire, the refurbished hotel is scheduled to re-open next spring just ahead of the 2014 Ryder Golf Cup, which is being staged a short drive away at Gleneagles.

Murray said in a statement to the press: “By re-establishing Cromlix as a leading luxury hotel at the heart of the Dunblane community, we will be able to attract new visitors to the area, create a number of new jobs and focus on supporting other local businesses. I'm pleased to be able to give something back to the community I grew up in.”

The Cromlix House is set in 50 acres of breath-taking rolling woodlands and currently has 14 vintage bedroom suites, a beautiful wedding chapel, a baronial reception hall, two drawing rooms, a conservatory, a classic dining room, a well-stocked library and several meeting rooms.

The Eden Family, who have owned the estate for more than 30 years, is happy the property is passing to someone with a strong commitment to the local community. Future plans for the Hotel involve a Chez Roux restaurant.

Renowned Chef Albert Roux, owner of Le Gavroche in London, is one of a group of industry experts consulted by Inverlochy Castle Management International (ICMI), which will manage The Cromlix House on behalf of Murray.

ICMI’s managing director, Norbert Lieder, is confident that “'With Andy, we can create a very special hotel in his home community. While we aim to create a destination that attracts visitors from around the world, we are also determined to ensure it remains a venue of choice for local people”

Bravo, bravo, bravo!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013