El Somni Is Truly a Culinary Opera Dream Come True

For over a year now the famed Roca Brothers of Spain have been crafting a unique culinary presentation, El Somni, a culinary opera.

Their truly amazing creation is a stunning collaboration of cuisine, form, music and wonder – worthy of the esteemed name, ‘Opera’.

The universality of this 'great work' (for that is what the word ‘opera’ actually means), is reflected in the diversity of the first 12 individuals invited to experience the work.

The premiere guest list included an HIV researcher, a fellow chef, an anthropologist, an actress, a theoretical physicist, a poet, an artist, a film director, a research biologist, a conductor, a food writer and a robotics researcher.

The composition of the work is divided into 12 concepts or courses that wrap the viewing diner in The Dream that is the experience’s title translated.

The courses pay homage to the great French chef François Vatel, who killed himself in 1671 when his concept for a vital banquet that was to be served to the French King Louis XIV was destroyed by the late delivery of fresh fish from the coast.

Such was the temperament of a dedicated artist when art was an expected part of the 'noble' life.

EL SOMNI MENU

•  Prelude: Water Nymph (Vegetable soup at low temperature, sprouts, flowers and light)
• The Dream Begins (Moon)
• Space (Foams frost Indian figue) 
• Ophiucus (Electric eel)
• Under the Sea (Shrimps, plankton, and anemones, sea urchins, cockles, seawater, crustaceans)
• Garden of the Hesperides (Anarkia)
• The Courtship (Ying yang Palo Cortado oysters with garlic and white all black)
• The Carnality (Pueblano pigeon breast with mole, grilled strawberries and roses)
• Apple/Brittle (Golden apple)
• War (Royal hare roial with blood orange and beet)
• Mercy/Death (Parmentier potatoes with purple bone marrow,caviar, purple flowers and incense smoke)
• Glory (Dessert mass mother, mother dough ice cream)
• Awakening (Sweet spring)

Yet the wonder of the evening does not rest solely on the event's innovation cuisine. Expanding on the talents developed in the three brothers’ world famous restaurant, El Celler de Can Roca, these three creative chefs also collaborated with a diverse group of visual artists, including Franc Aleu, Daniel Molina, Pere Grife, and Peret, to create an experience that defies the limits of culinary classification.

After its initial premiere in Barcelona, this unique work will be hosted at 12 different locations around the world, followed by a documentary book, exhibit and finally a film by Mediapro.

If possible, do all you can to attend.  Like listening to great opera performed well for the first time, afterwards you will never view the world in quite that same way as before. And that is, truly, the definition of great art. 

 Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Magical Food

Authors from Joanne Harris to Laura Esquivel have described food as part of a magical process that the world engages in each and every day yet often overlooks..

At one of the recent TED lectures focusing on creativity, Chefs Homaro Cantu and Ben Roche demonstrated just how far that magic can go in the hands of some of the world's most insightful and daring chefs.

It's almost alchemy! 

Absolutely Amazing!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013

Amish Rocket Science Ice Cream Is a Truly Great American Dessert

Sometimes when you combine tradition with innovation, the result can remind us all about the true nature of insightful creativity.

One such example is the Rocket Science Ice Cream Company located in rural Nappanee, Indiana.

Situated in the heart of Amish country, the store’s welcoming male and female staff wears long beards and longer dresses.

And why not? They are Amish, members of a devoted religious community that emigrated from Switzerland to the United States during the early 1700’s seeking religious freedom.

Known for their purposeful life choices, the Amish choose to step back from many of the tools that set the pace of modern life, such as cars, phones, faxes, fashion – even electricity. They feel such intrusions come at the cost of community, family life and personal peace.

As a result, many Amish men and women work (and own) businesses that focus on adding sincere value to life be it in the form of well-made furniture or quality food products.

Rocket Science Ice Cream follows in this latter tradition BUT with a twist. Their ice cream is made from the finest fresh ingredients BUT frozen right before the purchaser’s eye using liquid nitrogen, set to 320 degrees below zero.

Least you think this constitutes a revolt against Amish principles, nitrogen is a natural ingredient and is purchased in tanks by the Amish – no electricity required.

The result is outstanding, the products used are local and so is the employment. And there are NO PLANS to franchise or build a Dairy-Queen sized empire. That’s not the Amish way.

If at this point, you are curious to learn more about the unique and value-driven business practices of the Amish, consider reading - Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive. 

And thrive they do. While many Amish farmers and business owners arrive to work by a horse-drawn buggy or on bike, their businesses rarely fail!

Surprised? Don’t be. The Amish deeply believe in staying small enough to maintain quality, keeping a low overhead, treating both employees and customers with kindness and practicing ethical frugality.

What chef wouldn’t agree with that – especially when the ice cream produced is, pardon the pun, simply out of this world! 

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

Downton Abbey's Charlotte Russe Offers a Lesson in Compassion

While watching the fifth episode of Downton Abbey, Season 3, many of the show’s observant viewers noted that when the American Isobel Crawley hosted a thoughtful luncheon after the death of Lady Sybil, Ethel Parks, the disgraced housemaid, served a final course entitled a “Charlotte Russe”.

No dessert could have been more appropriate, especially after Lord Robert Crawley burst in, shocked that his family was being served by the former prostitute.  Christian charity was one thing, but in his eyes, the family’s reputation was quite another matter.

Yet, perhaps his mother, Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, knew quite a bit more about both life and culinary history when she remarked dryly on seeing the Charlotte Russe, “It seems a pity to miss such a good pudding.”

For you see, the Charlotte Russe is one of those grand dishes that comes with an equally grand pedigree. Its creator was the legendary French Chef Marie Antonie Careme, who history remembers as “the King of Chefs, and the Chef of Kings”.

High praise that, and yet, it is totally true. He not only cooked for the leading powers of his day (Talleyrand, Napoleon, George IV and the Czar of Russia), he defined the toque as the classic chef’s hat, clarified the four “Mother Sauces” and established “service a la russe” as the accepted form of table service in polite society.

It was while he was working for the shy Czar Alexander I of Russia that he created the Charlotte Russe. “Russe”, of course, refers to Russia. (Can you say, “Make your employer feel important by naming something after his country”?)

But who is Charlotte? Charlotte was the sister-in-law of the Czar and was married to George III of England. (Yes, ‘that’ George of ‘Lost the American Colonies’ fame). After the fall of Napoleon, for whom he had worked earlier, Careme had been employed by King George’s son, the Prince of Wales (and future George IV).

While serving the English Prince, he had observed and had come to admire the quiet nobility of this former princess from the tiny German state of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who managed both a mentally unstable royal husband and a family of 15 overly ambitious children(!) 

At the same time she also mentored the careers of Bach and Mozart and supported scientific discovery in the field of botany. The world famous Royal Kew Gardens exist today because of her keen support and insightful interest.

But her contributions do not stop there. Truly a woman ahead of her times, she founded orphanages and hospitals for expectant mothers. She supported education for women, especially for women “to whom life had not been kind”.

So you can see why Careme named a dish after this remarkable Queen, for he had seen enough of life himself to understand its many hardships and the need for rulers to address them.

Whether it was intentional or not, Julian Fellowes, the author of Downton Abbey, could not have picked a better dessert for the 'fallen’ housemaid, Ethel Parks, to serve. She was exactly the kind of women Queen Charlotte had sought to lift up and support. Even the other Downton ladies joined Isobel in her defense. Or as the grand Lady Violet note, neither a pudding (nor a life) are, should be foolishly wasted.

We can be thankful then that the esteemed Careme, in the cold snows of Russia, showed more awareness and compassion to the twists and turns of life by naming a dessert after this courageous Queen than did Lord Robert with his hot tempered moral lecture at the luncheon table.

Equally, the twist and turns of culinary history should often serve to remind us all within the Industry how even the simplest of actions, a kind word – a thoughtful gesture, can enrich lives beyond our knowing. And that, perhaps, is something to always remember, whether we serve upstairs or down.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2013