Lock onto French Wedding Trends Old and New

While weddings used to be a seasonal event, now they are joyfully celebrated year round. Spring bridal traditions often seem out of place at a golden autumn vineyard wedding. But have no fear – there are two elegant French wedding traditions, one classic and one more contemporary, that can easily bridge the gap from June to October.

Nothing but nothing says “wedding” like a towering wedding cake, embossed with frills and flowers all crafted in sweet sugar frosting. When made by professionals, the effect is light and bright – perfect for a spring or summer wedding.

But come a fall or winter wedding, the traditional tiered wedding cake can seem slightly out of place – far too delicate a taste or image to serve when cold winds blow. 

For these seasons of falling leaves or drifting snow, the traditional French wedding cake, the croquembouche, is a rediscovered perfect choice.

French chefs create this stunning cake by stacking caramelized cream puffs into a pyramid that is as visually beautiful as it is tasty. 

Made popular by the famed French Chef Antonin Careme (1783-1833), these towering wedding cakes with their stunning appearance were an inpressive treat for the waiting guests. Then as France’s empire and culinary influence increased, elaborate decorations, such as flowers crafted from royal icing and spun sugar drapes, were added.

Today’s creative French chefs often offer their clients croquembouche crafted from chocolate truffles or macaroons in addition to the classic rounded cream puffs. As a result, croquembouche are also suitable for birthdays, anniversaries and other special celebrations throughout the year.

A newer romantic French tradition centers around "Love Locks." After finding one’s true Love, the fortunate couple writes their names on a lock, attached it firmly to the famed Pont de l’Archeveche bridge and then toss the lock key into the river with the promise to Love each other forever.

Now, though the imagery is touching, you can easily imagine that the administrative staff of Paris is less than charmed at having to remove hundreds and hundreds of love locks from the city’s bridge railings (any more than a hotel would be).

So why not  convert the concept into a champagne cocktail (what could be more French or romantic) called perhaps the “Love Lock” that the wedding couple can share together at their reception, with possibly an actual key given them by the well-wishing hotel staff to toss or treasure after their wedding dinner reception?  

In either case, as Humphrey Bogart said to Ingrid Bergman in the movie Casa Blanca, “we’ll always have Paris.”

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

The French Connection and Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Tomatoes

Although the Aztecs and Incas of the Americas had cultivated tomatoes since 700 C.E., their acceptance in Europe took centuries longer.

First discovered by the Spanish Conquistador Hernan Cortez in 1521 as he smashed the Aztec capitol of Tenochtitlan (later renamed Mexico City) into submission, it took another century for the tomato to appear in coastal Spain.

At first this culinary treasure from the New World was rejected by Europe’s chefs as it was erroneously associated with the dreaded mandrake and nightshade plants. Both plants were considered favorites of witches and poisoners. Ouch!

But sometimes beauty wins out as it did in this case.  A bright red, orange and green, tomatoes became a sought after accent for the centerpieces of the French aristocrats. But only for décor, not as part of la cuisine noble.

But there are always those, both rich and poor, who make their own decisions whether political or culinary. In the southern French region of Provence, country chefs and cooks slowly discovered from the Spanish and Italians how exquisite the tomato actually tasted. And no one died!

Searching for a sauce name, these regional chefs remembered that the tomato seeds had arrived from the Americas via boat so it seemed appropriate to title the new creation a “mainara sauce” from the Italian language meaning “of the sea”. 

Meanwhile in Paris there was an amazing man, a true gentleman of the Enlightment Era – the American Thomas Jefferson. 

A true renaissance man whose interested seemed to have no bounds, he was fascinated by all matters culinary and agricultural.

We know that on returning to his newly born nation, he grew tomatoes at his much loved Monticello estate. His beloved daughter, Martha Jefferson Randolph, included many tomato recipes in her personal cookbook, including the soup recipe listed below. Sadly at the same time, disorder and terror gripped France as a violent class war tore through the nation.

As blood began run in the streets of Paris until it was a torrent, the new ruling class now wore red "Phrygian" liberty caps as a symbol of their loyalty to change, violent or otherwise.

France’s skilled professional chefs, who once worked largely for the nobility, were at this time seeking not only new employment, but also how to keep their heads while others were losing their's.  What better way to appear patriotic then to echo the revolution’s favorite red color in cuisine?

And what was redder than a fresh red tomato! Soon the tomato was the darling of Paris chefs – saving many a sauce and an equal number of talented chefs! And the rest, as they say, is culinary history. Bon appetit!

Jefferson’s Truly Revolutionary French Tomato Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
28 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes
28 ounces fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
8 cloves roasted garlic 

2 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons sugar 

4 tablespoons plain yogurt

Sauté onion and celery in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When onion is translucent, add the tomatoes, broth, oregano, basil, and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.

Transfer half of the soup to the blender, add the roasted garlic, and purée until fairly smooth. If you'd like a chunky soup, add the blended half back to the pot. For a smoother soup, blend the rest of the soup and return it to the pot. Add the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste the soup, and if too acidic, add sugar. Serve with a tablespoon of yogurt stirred into each bowl.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Move Over Shirley Temple, Today’s Kids Want Harry Potter’s Butterbeer

With the release of Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows Part 2, the epic tale of young wizard and his friends comes to a close, at least for now. 

 But have no fear – the fun (and profits) will continue through creative theme park destinations, official interactive websites and a popular new drink, now replacing the tried and true but rather dated Shirley Temple mocktail. 

First seen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Butterbeer is the beverage enjoyed by Harry, Ron and Hermione at the student popular Three Broomsticks Tavern in Hogsmeade near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

When Universal Parks & Resorts created the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, they asked Vice President and Corporate Executive Chef Steven Jayson to create the beverage which had, to that point, only been described by J.K. Rowling in her beloved magical mystery series. 

Yet, even for a culinary magician such as Chef Jayson, there are always restrictions, the boundaries of reality (and copyright). And this time they were set by none other than J.K. Rowling herself.

Rowling (in agreement with Universal Studio) required that the chef’s future creation contain no butter or other dairy product. And though this might seem a contradiction, the decision was based on a concern for any children with a lactose intolerance. In addition, Butterbeer was to be made using only real sugar, not corn syrup.

Beginning in 2008, Chef Jayson and his culinary team spent four plus months creating Universal Orlando’s version of Butterbeer. It took over 15 tries before the chef and his team stepped back and smiled knowing they had achieved the exact feel and flavor described by Rowling.

The resulting beverage has a butterscotch flavor base with a foaming head.  And though the brew served within Orlando’s Three Broomsticks Tavern is a carefully guarded corporate secret, here is an absolutely nonofficial mockup of the final flavor:

Blend and heat together only very briefly ¼ cup butterscotch syrup and ¼ teaspoon butter. Cool slightly and add 1 cup cream soda or club soda. Stir carefully. Add a dash of salt and vinegar to taste. Top with a head of frothed whipped cream.  Can be enjoyed hot or cold as well as a flavor base for ice cream or icing.

Simply magical! Children love it as will adults, especially with a bit of rum added, but only if Dumbledore, Hogwarts’ Headmaster, approves!

May magic continue forever - especially in the kitchen! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

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Post Note: If you doubt the influence of the "Harry Potter Effect", just consider that the film brought in over $169 Million USA dollars during the first stateside weekend showings alone! (The previous top revenue holder, The Dark Knight, ranked in at a mere $150 million USA dollars).

And that's not counting what the DVD sets of the complete Harry Potter series will bring in as 25% of the audience are purchasers between the ages of 18 and 34! They must be happy at Hogwarts! That's going to buy a lot of Butterbeer for everyone!

KINGS OF PASTRY Is a Must See Great New Culinary Film

The acclaimed filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D A Pennebaker have created a stunning new documentary, Kings of Pastry, that follows Jacquy Pfeiffer and 15 other very talented chefs through the rigorous three day pastry competition at the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF).

Granted permission to film only one day before the famed competition began, the MOF directors demanded that the filmmakers follow very strict guidelines: no camera booms, radio mics, lights or other equipment could be used.

In addition, each day’s filming was conditional. Yet after the first day, the chefs amass approved their return because they recognized that, like themselves, these filmmakers were masters of their media.

For three days Hegedus and Pennebaker filmed the intensity and stunning talents of the competing chefs. But their camera recorded far more then spun sugar and curving chocolate. It captures the strength and courage that great creativity requires.

This remarkable film, which anyone who loves food should see, is a treasury of truth about the meaning of vocation, so passionate it becomes, dispute stress and effort, joy and truth itself… a truth that the filmmakers described as “like ice, like fire.”

Every scene seen in Kings of Pastry is genuine, full of those real moments of icy concentration and burning conmittment that those, who have also labored for love of expression, know are so seldom seen beyond the kitchen.

You will cry and you will cheer the final ribboned collar awarded and understand why, as only one who loved the profession can, the justice of the Judges' decision. 

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!!!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011

Thoughtful Change Defines Rapoport’s First Bon Appetit Cover

The May copy of Bon Appetit is a must-see/must-read issue for all those who follow trend development in the culinary industry. The magazine’s new editor-in-chief, Adam Rapoport, chose a simple bowl of pasta al pomodoro garnished with grated parmesan as the front cover image.  

It’s a classic dish but not a cutting edge selection such as one might expect from, say, Ferran. But be assured that Rapoport knows what he’s doing and why. After all, he worked at GQ (Gentlemen’s Quarterly) before being selected by Condé Nast, the parent owners of the Bon Appetit publication. And no one can say that the prestigious GQ isn’t hip to all that’s hot.

Rapoport recently explained over breakfast in mid-Manhattan that startlingly fast change has never been his goal. With over 1.5 million readers, the magazine’s new directing editor's principal objective is to maintain and then to expand subscriptions through an in depth understanding of contemporary trends and interests.

An experienced hand at developmental design, Rapoport quickly repeated lessons learned at GQ that one’s supportive staff can make or break even the most gifted as no one truly creates successfully in isolation.  Soon such talented and experienced individuals as Christine Muhlke, formerly from The New York Times Magazine, were working beside him.

The first (and probably most pressing) problem facing Rapoport and his staff is how to stand out among the many spin-off magazines from the crowded field of T.V.'s celebrity chef shows. That other leading food magazine, Food & Wine, has very successfully co-branded with the Bravo Chanel “Top Chef” programing. And no one can miss Rachael Ray’s or Martha Stewart ‘s magazines at the grocery check-out stands, complete with nearly endless tie-ins to their daily television broadcasts.

So what’s Rapoport to do? In short, keep the best and then add the rest. For Bon Appetit, Rapoport believes that the positive starting point is the magazine's library of outstanding recipes, all tested and copyrighted. Add solid culinary technique, all captured in stunning photography that both defines and excites.

But Rapoport wants more. He wants snap and pop while always bringing the reader into the experience.  Story titles will become more intriguing with such lead lines as “How to Drink Like an Italian,” and “The Real Baconator.” Writers (and photographers) will abandon the standard studio stillife shoot and move out onto location, bringing back not just the story but also the authentic “feeling” of cuisine and culture.

Will there be celebrities? Yes, but one’s that are truly interested in cuisine, not just those using all matters food and wine to promote their image (and their bank account). The New York Post is currently reporting that the next issue will feature Gwyneth Paltrow. One can only hope-hope-hope they are right.

Go for it Rapoport!  We’re all rooting for you. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2011