Hollywood, Brownies and the Oscars

Soon the bright spotlights of Hollywood will shine high in the sky and the red carpet will be rolled out below. Cinematic star after star will walk that carpet and then take their seat, hoping that the T.V. cameras will focus on them as the announcer calls their name to come and claim a coveted Oscar.

Yet there are stars who have not sought the limelight or the Award. Some actors, such as Marlon Brando, have even chosen not to attend the Academy Ceremonies to avoid having to accept their award in person.

Another such ceremony-shy celebrity was Katharine (or Kate) Hepburn.  Born into a socially aware New England family, she was not an actress who needed to be discovered, hopefully drinking sodas at Schwab's Drug Store lunch counter.

For you see, her mother, also named Katharine, was a strong willed feminist and a national known suffragist. Along with Margaret Sanger, she co-founded the organization that would become Planned Parenthood.

Her efforts were matched by her husband, Thomas Hepburn, who as a doctor also fought for the right of women to obtain safe and complete health care.

This was not, as you might guess, a household that produced passive Victorian daughters (or actresses). At every meal the six Hepburn children were encouraged by their parents to speak freely and debate any topic of interest. And while current events and individual sporting activities were often the subjects of dinner discussions, there was one topic and dessert that was enjoyed by all – brownies.

But not just any brownies - the brownies of Bertha Palmer, owner of Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel and female extra ordinary.

Like the senior Katharine, Bertha was an early advocate of women’s rights – both in the doctor’s office and at the ballot box. Her active support was vital to the success of the Women’s Building at the Columbian Exposition, right down the boxed lunches served there. 

Palmer knew, as many of the early American feminists did, that mutual conversation and supportive fellowship was critical to the success of a national suffrage movement. If the women gathered at the Fair’s Pavilion could be prompted to linger over luncheon, common ground through conversation could be found.

But how? What better than a great new dessert – one too good to put down (but not too messy to enjoy). And that was the task that Bertha Palmer set for her skilled pastry chefs at the Palmer House.

Their resulting creation was the brownie (see recipe below).  It was that same brownie that Kate’s mother served proudly to her progressive family, along with the story of its origin and purpose. These were the same brownies that Kate would later make for Hollywood friends as she passionately explained why talent and truth matters so much more than mere money or annual awards.

Let’s hope the Academy remembers this culinary lesson wrapped in sweet chocolate as they honor those who stand in the bright lights of fame brownies,  on rich red carpets beneath California's starry skies.

PALMER HOUSE BROWNIES (With Many Thanks to Feminism and Hollywood)

INGREDIENTS

• 1lb 2 oz Semisweet Chocolate
• 1 lb Butter
• 1lb 8oz Granulated Sugar
• 8 oz Cake Flour (King Arthur)
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 4 Whole Eggs
• 1 lb Crushed Walnuts
• 1 cup Water
• 1 cup Apricot Preserves
• 1 tsp Unflavored Gelatin

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate with butter.
3. Mix sugar, flour and baking powder in separate mixing bowl,
4. Add chocolate butter mixture and mix for 4-5 minutes.
5. Add eggs.
6. Pour onto 9-inch by 12-inch baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle walnuts on top of batter and press down slightly into mixture.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until batter has risen ¼ inch and the edges are crisp.
9. Remove and cool for 30 minutes.
10. In a saucepan, heat and bring to a boil for 2 minutes the water, apricot preserves and gelatin.
11. Brush apricot glaze over cooled brownies with pastry brush.

Enjoy!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Oscar Movies Made in Hotels

Lights, Cameras – HOTELS!

Sunday is Oscars Night and that means nearly endless movie clips, past and present, will be shown. Captured in many of those clips will be some of the world’s greatest hotels. Here are just a few of the locations that helped to make these fine films Oscar winners:  

PARK HYATT TOKYO - Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola won the Oscar for Best Writing of an Original Screenplay in 2003 in this her second film. Talk about talent! Also much talked about was the bar's stunning view from the 52nd floor high above Japan's capital.

Featured Cuisine

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LA MAMOUNIA MARRAKECH - The Man Who Knew Too Much

Alfred Hitchcock starred Doris Day and James Stewart as an American couple caught up in mystery and intrigue in 1956 in Morocco. The film was awarded an Oscar for Best Song when Doris sang Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) in one of the Hotel's elegant suites. Later the song became her happy-go-lucky musical T.V. theme.

Featured Cuisine

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FONTAINEBLEAU MIAMI BEACH - Goldfinger

Who can forget a young Sean Connery as a handsome and very buff James Bond sunning by the pool. And where was that stunning pool located? Why, at the Fontainebleau, of course, where no special effects were (and are) ever needed. Despite that fact, the film did go on to win the 1965 Oscar for Special Effects.

Featured Cuisine

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GRAMERCY PARK HOTEL - Almost Famous

When William Miller (played by Patrick Fugit) goes on assignment after rock-and-roll's famous for the Rolling Stone Magazine, he encounters not only the rich, the talent and the strange, he also discovers the bohemian hotel that was the New York City home to stars (and near stars) of 1970s. Kate Hudson won her 2001 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in this near documentary film.

Featured Cuisine

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BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL - California Suite

Maggie Smith (who we have all come to love yet again as the reserved Lady Violet in BBC's Downton Abbey series) won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actress in this 1978 film as an over-the-hill actress who simply had to see-and-be-seen at this famed Hollywood Hotel.

Featured Cuisine

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HOTEL DEL CORONADO - Some Like It Hot

Located on a stunning California beach, this 1959 film is a visual delight as well as a hallmark comedy about romance American style. Equally stunning are Orry-Kelly's costumes for which he won an Oscar. One can only wonder, however, had Marilyn Monroe not been wearing them to, umm, 'their best advantage', would the designer have won his award quite so easily.

Featured Cuisine

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Where Will the Pope Live and His Guests Go to Dine After Resignation?

The world was shocked and very surprised when Pope Benedict XVI announced yesterday he is “retiring” from his duties as head of the Roman Catholic Church and leaving the Vatican. No pope has taken such an action in nearly 700 years – and then only in times of great conflict.

Among the many, many questions that such a decision rises is where will a living Pope reside (not to mention what will his title be). Currently Benedict is planning to retire on February 28^th of this year to Castel Gandolfo, the grand historical papal summer palace, located in a small town of Castello about 15 miles southeast of Rome while he waits for his permanent Vatican apartments to be made ready.

Castello is a small town of just over 8,000 citizens perched above Lake Albano and is considered by many world travelers one of the most beautiful small cities in Italy. 

As you might guess, many of the small town’s residents serve in and/or work at the papal establishment that commands the heights above the lake. The religious property include 2 palaces (Papal and Barberini), apartment housing for 21 inhouse servants, an electrical plant, star observatory (Galileo would be happy), professional offices, farm buildings and animal stables.

Also contained in the complex are buildings in the Villa Cybo, set aside for the religious community of the Maestre Pie Filippini and their school, and two cloistered convents, housing the Poor Clare and Basilian Nuns.

So the Pope, as you can see, will not be exactly alone. As a world leader, many people, despite his stated desire to maintain a private life of quiet prayer, will want to seek his counsel and advice.

After meeting with the Pope, his many future visitors will not be left without aid and comfort for in Castello there is a remarkable restaurant that has been offering hospitality since 1882: The Ristorante Pagnanelli. 

This legendary restaurant is located next door to the Pope’s own villa and is now run by the fourth generation of the Giovanni Pagnanelli Family. Today Aurelio Mariani and his wife Jane along with their four sons continue a tradition that includes both heritage and innovation.  

 

And if, success is declared by how the rich and famous come quietly to dine on the remarkable cuisine here, than Pagnanelli can be very proud indeed of their guest list.

Besides the many heads of state and princes of the church that have confidentially booked a balcony table overlooking the Lake, such thoughtful artists as Daniel Day Lewis and Robert De Niro have greatly enjoyed dining here.

The view and the proximity to the Papal Estates certainly are attractions. But what may additionally draw guests to the Pagnanelli dining room is their culinary philosophy, which rests on two cardinal points.

First, every ingredient must be outstanding and purchased whenever possible from local farmers and producers, not to mention those sourced from the family’s own farms. Pagnanelli also changes their menu monthly to flow and connect with the seasons. 

Second, while honoring Italian culinary history, they are not afraid to seek innovation combinations, such as Ostriche Fin de Clair e Ostriche Noblesse and La Nassa dei Crostacei con Aragosta, Astice, Scampi e Mazzancolle. (Diners' Alert: the menu is only available in Italian). 

In short, this remarkable restaurant have endured, high on a mountain top, for over 100 years by never fearing the new while also respecting past traditions.

Perhaps this wise blend of both the tested and the innovative is a wise theme for the College of Cardinals in nearby Rome to consider as they seek to pick a new pope for the 21^st Century.

It’s a philosophy that any wise chef knows will enable his restaurant to grow and to be part of modern life. This same philosophy of the old and the new could also guide and strengthen the contemporary church. Let us hope the Cardinals come to understand the feast that both life and spirituality can and should offer to all.

Post Note, February 13, 2013:

Vatican spokesman have revealed to the world’s waiting press that the final residence of Rome’s retiring Pope will be the Convent of Mater Ecclesiae – minus the good Sisters of the Community of the Visitation. The 20 year old four story building and gardens are central located right behind St Peter’s grand Basilica.

It will contain a complete home residence as well as contemporary chapel, kitchen gardens and a roof terrace overlooking Rome itself. Benedict, once dubbed the "Prada Pope" for his fondness for fine red designer loafers and haute-couture crafted vestments, directed that customized renovation on the Convent begin in November of last year.

While it is unknown what activities the Pope is planning to address in his retirement, it is well known he likes to stroll in sunny gardens. At Mater Ecclesiae he will have a chance to see the eggplant, zucchini and other vegetables planted by the Sister in the Convent's vegetable garden prior to their gracious departure. 

Nearby are also Spanish orange and lemon trees, whose fruit has been used in making the Vatican's legendary maria marmalade. One can only wonder if this Pope, who left before death's deadline, will ponder the complex nature of his legacy as he breakfasts on tea and toast high in his secluded garden world.  

Post Note, February 14, 2013:

Of interest to Vatican watchers was the information released today that the charming Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, the Pope's devoted private secretary, will remain his holiness' aide, residing with him at the renovated Convent of Mater Ecclesiae on the Vatican grounds. 

Eyebrows were, however, raised when it was also announced that Monsignor Gaenswein will also serve as Perfect of the new pope's household.

This position has long been regarded as that of gatekeeper as the Perfect maintains the pope's calendar and so controls who has access to the papal throne.

One can only wonder if the new pope will also be a fan of 'marmalade' or if he is allowed to prefer a different 'jam'.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

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

Anna Karenina and Vodka Equal Great Chemistry

We can thank the Russians for great literature, and of course, for vodka. And this fall we will get both.

Kicking off the winter season is a new movie that creatively re-envisions Leo Tolstoy's great heroine, Anna Karenina.

Directed by Joe Wright and starring the breathtakingly beautiful actress Keira Knightley, it is staged on a stylized inclusive theater set, designed to reflect the closed world of values that sought to control the last days of czarist Russia.

The film’s elegant style is sure to affect culinary trends this fall including vodka cocktails, caviar service and all things grandly Russian. 

Yet few in the culinary world would connect the creation of science’s esteemed Periodic Table of Elements (something every chef interested in molecular experimentation should have) with the creation of Russian vodka.

Yet Dmitri Mendeleev, who labored long and hard to develop the Table, also used his amazing skills to define the precise formula to produce the perfectly balanced vodka – 40% alcohol by volume.

For that we should thank him most hardily. Thank you, thank you!

And yet, there is not a single vodka cocktail that honors him (or Tolstoy) by name.

Perhaps that omission will be correct this winter as the message of the new Anna Karenina movie reminds us all that the vital right to decide our own life’s course is a freedom to be treasured - and protected. 

To that we at Your Culinary World gladly raise our glasses!  We hope you do as well.

Post Note, November 30, 2012: In a creative marketing move that must be a reflection of current trends, the new Anna Karenina movie props are for sale on the Internet, including tables, chairs and mother-of-pearl cutlery. Amazing times these! Beautiful bargains! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012