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------------------THE FOOD REFERENCE NEWSLETTER-----------------
April 28, 2005 Vol 6 #11 ISSN 1535-5659
Food Reference Website - http://www.foodreference.com
-------------------------IN THIS ISSUE--------------------------
-> Website News
-> Weekly Cookbook Drawing
-> New Cookbook Reviews
-> 'Food for Thought' by Mark Vogel
-> Quotes and Trivia
-> Website of the Week
-> Food Trivia Quiz
-> Readers questions
-> Ancient & Classic Recipes
-> Did you know?
-> Who's Who in the Culinary Arts
-> Requested Recipes
-> Cooking Tips
-> Culinary Calendar - selected events
-> How To Subscribe to this Newsletter
-> How to Stop receiving this Newsletter
-> General information and Copyright
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--------------------------WEBSITE NEWS--------------------------
Sorry about the unexpected 3 week hiatus for the newsletter. A minor back injury, followed by a WindowsXP automatic update that crippled my internet access for a few days, followed by numerous small incidents, conspired to prevent my being able to send out the newsletter - so I finally decided to just take a short break - but now I am back in full swing again.
I have been busy on the website for the last 3 weeks:
NEW ADDITIONS TO THE WEBSITE
over 500 NEW RECIPES http://www.foodreference.com/html/recipes.html
NEW culinary schools and several new classifications:
Culinary Schools, Hotel/Restaurant Management, Travel/Tourism
http://www.foodreference.com/html/Cooking-Schools.html
http://www.foodreference.com/html/hotel-rest-management.html
http://www.foodreference.com/html/travel-tourism.html
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------------------WEEKLY FREE COOKBOOK DRAWING------------------
The Free Cookbook Drawing Will resume with the next issue with a special Cookbook and Matfer Mandoline drawing!
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------------------------COOKBOOK REVIEWS------------------------
12 Best Foods Cookbook: Over 200 Delicious Recipes Featuring the 12 Healthiest Foods by Dana Jacobi
http://www.foodreference.com/html/12-best-foods-cb.html
Jewish Food: The World at Table by Matthew Goodman
http://www.foodreference.com/html/jewish-food.html
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----------------'FOOD FOR THOUGHT' BY MARK VOGEL----------------
The Double-Edged Sword
I finally got fed up with the mouse droppings in my kitchen. Time had proved that the little varmint was not a transient visitor. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Mickey’s day of reckoning had come. Employing a humane mousetrap baited.......
http://www.foodreference.com/html/markvogelweeklycolumn.html
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-----------------------------QUOTE------------------------------
"Be careful not to be the first to put your hands in the dish. What you cannot hold in your hands you must put on your plate. Also it is a great breach of etiquette when your fingers are dirty and greasy, to bring them to your mouth in order to lick them, or to clean them on your jacket. It would be more decent to use the tablecloth."
Desiderius Erasmus, Dutch priest and scholar (1466?-1536). In his 'Treatise on manners' published in 1530
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-----------------------------TRIVIA-----------------------------
So called seeds derived from plants in the carrot family are not actually seeds at all, but rather complete fruits that are dried. These include anise, caraway, coriander, dill and fennel.
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----------------THIS WEEK'S WEBSITE OF THE WEEK-----------------
The USDA website has a very good history of corn's migration from Mexico's Aztec civilization to the rest of the world. A description and link to the long article may be found here:
http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-corn-history.html
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------------------------FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ------------------------
1) The name of this hard cow's milk cheese dates back to about 1840. It originated in North Yorkshire, and at that time had blue veining. Due to changes in production techniques, the blue veining was eliminated, and it is very hard to find the blue veined version today. Name this cheese.
2) These trees are members of the cypress family, and are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. An essential oil is obtained from the wood, and is used in perfumes and medicines. The fruit have a fragrant, spicy aroma but are too bitter to be eaten fresh. The dried fruit are used in cooking, soft drinks, and the manufacture of wine and spirits. Tea made from the dried fruit is an old folk hangover cure.
Galls produced on the trees by a fungal infection are commonly known as cedar apples. Name this tree and its fruit.
3) What transparent, pure form of gelatin was obtained from certain aquatic vertebrates, and was used to clarify wine, in jellies and as an adhesive.
4) This bushy, aromatic plant is native to southern Europe and Asia, and has a pungent, spicy-minty taste. Both the leaves and flowers can be used in salads, soups, fruit salads and teas. It is also used in the production of cordials and liqueurs such as Chartreuse. It is widely grown as an ornamental garden plant, and attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. The name is mentioned in the Bible, (1 Kings 4:33, Psalms 51:7 and John 19:29) but it is most likely a different plant then the one we now know by this name.
Name this plant.
5) What is the name for wines made from white grapes or red grapes with the skins removed?
6) What flavoring is made with butter, brown sugar and sometimes also with corn syrup and water.
7) This plant is native to Central Asia, and is used to make flour, and beer, but most of it is used for livestock and poultry feed. It is most popular in Russia, but nowhere is it a major crop. Honey from this plant's blossoms is dark and highly flavored. It is not a cereal grain, but is actually an herb related to rhubarb. Name this plant.
8) This food is a modest source of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and iron, with a long shelf life. It is also contains modified food starch, whey, mono- and diglycerides, lecithin, calcium casein ate, sodium stearyl lactylate, cellulose gum and polysorbate 60. It has a guaranteed shelf life of 14 days, but some estimates it can be kept for up to 12 years. Can you name this food?
9) These were created in 1886 in his candy store by Leo Hirschfield. Initially he would make them for his daughter, but he soon began to make them for sale to other children in the neighborhood. He named the candy for his daughter. 20 to 30 million of these are made each day, still under the same name and with the same formula as the original. The company that makes them also makes 50% of the lollipops in the U.S. Name this candy.
10) This is an ancient dish mentioned in Greek and Roman literature, but the modern version from Spain contains 2 ingredients from the New World which did not arrive in Spain until the 16th century. It's classified as a salad in Andalusian cookbooks, but Americans call it a soup. What is this confusing dish, AND what are the 2 New World ingredients?
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---------------CULINARY SCHOOLS, TOURS AND CRUISES--------------
Culinary Schools & Cooking Classes and Food & Wine Tours
http://www.foodreference.com/html/Cooking-Schools.html
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-------------------ANSWERS TO FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ------------------
1) Wensleydale. There is a delicious version of White Wensleydale available with cranberries.
2) Juniper and Juniper Berries.
3) Isinglass, obtained from the swim bladder of sturgeon and certain other fish.
4) Hyssop.
5) White Wine.
6) Butterscotch. The presumption is that it gets its name because it was originally manufactured in Scotland, but no one is sure.
7) Buckwheat.
8) Hostess Twinkies.
9) Tootsie Rolls.
10) Gazpacho, tomatoes and green peppers.
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------------------------READERS QUESTIONS-----------------------
QUESTION: How to make my own wine vinegar? We get plenty of leftovers here, but letting the stuff sit out in the air till it sours strikes me as dubious. I seek a more systematic approach. Thanks, bill
ANSWER: Letting wine 'sour' gives you sour wine, not vinegar. You need 'mother of vinegar' - buy some unpasteurized vinegar (usually available in many organic or gourmet vinegars)
Mother of Vinegar is the stringy, slimy substance composed of yeast cells and various bacteria that forms on the surface of fermenting liquids, turning it into vinegar. It is removed once the process is completed. After opening a bottle of vinegar, you may notice mother beginning to form. It is not harmful or spoiled. Filter it out and use it to make your own vinegar from wine or cider.
The problem is that there are so many yeasts and bacteria present in the air that the chances of the 'right' ones colonizing the wine first are not great. There are just many more undesirable microorganisms around that will cause the wine to sour and go bad.
The same goes for sourdough bread, blue cheese etc. That is why certain areas, time periods, times of year, etc. become well known for producing superior products because they have ideal conditions for the growth of certain specific desirable microorganisms.
(San Francisco, caves in France and Italy, etc.)
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QUESTION: Dear James,
I need a bit of esoteric information, please. I have just moved from the USA to Holland, and I have no idea the local equivalent or names for, Corn syrup and creme of Tartare for candy making. Can you help or point me in another direction?
Thanks a lot! Mariah
ANSWER: Corn Syrup
Corn is largely an American crop, so corn syrup won't be readily available in Europe.
Look for 'liquid glucose' (which is probably processed from grapes or honey) Dutch - glucosestroop
or the British products 'Golden Syrup' or 'treacle'.
Cream of Tartar
Tartaric acid is a brownish-red acid powder (potassium bitartrate) that is precipitated onto the walls of casks used to age wine. When refined into a white acid powder, ‘cream of tartar’, it is used in baking.
Look for cream of tartar (tartaric acid) in health food stores or pharmacy
A food lexicon I have gives the following translations:
Dutch - cremor tartari (gezuiverde wijnsteen)
Danish - vinsten-pulver, cremor tartari (renset vinsten)
German - cremor tartari, wienstein
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-----------------------------TRIVIA-----------------------------
Some of the edible varieties of flowers include herb flowers, cloves, capers, roses, safflower, violets, chrysanthemum, nasturtium, marigold, jasmine, hibiscus, elderflower, hyssop, ratafia; orange, peach, plum and squash blossoms; red poppy, honeysuckle, mimosa, lemon flowers, garlic flowers, forget-me-nots, primula, lotus blossoms, primrose, pansies, pinks, daisys, rocquette flowers, fuchsias, carnations, chive flowers, hollyhock, gladiolus, tulips, yucca, mustard flowers, bean blossoms, and dandelions.
Use caution however, as there are also many flowers which are poisonous. If you are not sure, do not try it! Don't eat flowers from a florist, many have been sprayed with pesticides.
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--------------------ANCIENT & CLASSIC RECIPES-------------------
BANANA FRITTERS
The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer (Boston, 1896)
1 cup bread flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 bananas
Mix and sift dry ingredients.
Beat egg until light, add milk, and combine mixtures; then add lemon juice and banana fruit forced through a sieve.
Drop by spoonfuls and fry in deep fat.
Drain on brown paper. Serve with a lemon sauce.
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------------------------------QUOTE-----------------------------
"'Bee vomit,' my brother said once, 'that's all honey is,' so that I could not put my tongue to its jellied flame without tasting regurgitated blossoms."
Rita Dove, 'In the Old Neighborhood'
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--------------------------DID YOU KNOW?-------------------------
Some varieties of Grouper can reach up to 750 pounds, but most market fish are about 5 to 20 pounds. Grouper are predatory fish and, especially larger fish, are on the top of the list of fish likely to cause ciguatera poisoning* - so stick with fish in the 5 pound range. Grouper are highly valued as a food fish, with firm, lean flesh that is suitable for almost any type of cooking.
http://www.foodreference.com/html/artciguatera.html
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-----------------WHO'S WHO IN THE CULINARY ARTS-----------------
Howard Deering Johnson (1896? - 1972)
Howard Deering Johnson was an American businessman who started in the drug store business in Wollaston, Massachusetts in 1924. He sold home made ice cream in his store, expanded to sell the ice cream on local beaches, and then roadside restaurants. (The ice cream had double the normal butterfat content, what we would today call a super premium iced cream). He franchised 'Howard Johnson' restaurants, first on highways in Massachusetts, and gradually expanding nationwide. His main contribution to the fast food industry was the idea of a central commissary system of preparing food to insure uniform quality and low cost. Howard Johnson's was at one time the largest commercial food supplier in the United States.
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http://dan.xtend-life.com/default.asp?id=420798
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-----------------------------QUOTE------------------------------
"Breakfast cereals that come in the same colors as polyester leisure suits make oversleeping a virtue."
Fran Lebowitz, journalist
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------------------RECIPE REQUESTS FROM READERS------------------
PORK TENDERLOIN STUFFED WITH APPLES
Makes 4 servings.
1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
2 T butter or olive oil
2 medium baking apples, cored and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, cubed
1 C fresh bread crumbs, made by processing 2 large slices of stale bread
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp savory
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp - 1 Tb vegetable or olive oil
For glaze:
4 T honey
1 T brown sugar
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T brown mustard
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Split the tenderloin almost in half lengthwise. Place it between two sheets of waxed paper; pound it to about ˝-inch thick.
Heat the butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and onion and sauté until lightly brown and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs, marjoram and savory, and toss with the apple-onion mixture until moistened through. Remove from heat.
Pepper and salt the inside of the tenderloin and spread the apple stuffing over the surface. Roll the tenderloin lengthwise and tie with kitchen string. Reheat the skillet over medium heat. Add oil and brown the pork on all sides. Place in a baking dish.
To make the glaze, combine the honey, sugar, vinegar and mustard. Pour the glaze over the tenderloin and bake for 45 minutes, basting with the glaze 3-4 times. Remove from the oven; let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
Email your recipe requests, food info or history
questions to me at james@foodreference.com
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--------------------FOOD ART AND FOOD POSTERS-------------------
The finest selection of food and beverage related posters and art work to be found anywhere. There are thousands of posters - food art, restaurant art, kitchen art, culinary art - food posters, culinary posters, food identification posters, fine art, etc, all suitable for your home, kitchen, restaurant or office.
http://www.culinaryposters.com/
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--------------------------COOKING TIPS--------------------------
Unbaked yeast dough can be frozen. It is best to freeze it before the final rising period. Let it rise the first time, punch it down and shape into the desired shape and then freeze. Thaw it at room temperature for 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
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------------CULINARY CALENDAR - A FEW SELECTED EVENTS-----------
FRIDAY, APRIL 29
1988 McDonald's announced it will be opening 20 Moscow restaurants. They will serve Bolshoi Mak instead of Big Macs.
SATURDAY, APRIL 30
1904 The Louisiana Purchase Exposition opened in St. Louis (St. Louis World's Fair). It was at the Fair that the ice cream cone was supposed to have been invented. The hot dog and iced tea were also popularized for the first time at the Fair.
SUNDAY, MAY 1
1927 Imperial Airways became the first British airline to serve hot meals.
MONDAY, MAY 2
1934 Sergey Vasilyevich Lebedev died. A Russian chemist who developed a method for large scale production of synthetic rubber. Production of polybutadiene was begun in 1932 using potatoes and limestone as raw materials.
TUESDAY, MAY 3
1947 Sylvester tried to have Tweety Bird for lunch for the first time in a Warner Brothers cartoon.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
1494 Columbus landed at Jamaica and met the Arawak Indians. The Arawak used Jamaican pimento (allspice) to season and smoke meat (usually pigs), the foundation upon which Jamaican Jerk developed.
THURSDAY, MAY 5
1936 A patent was granted for the first bottle with a screw cap to Edward Ravenscroft of Glencoe, Illinois.
For a complete listing of each day's events, go here:
http://www.foodreference.com/html/HistoricEvents.html
-----------------------------SPONSOR----------------------------
---------------FREE TRIAL ISSUE OF SAVEUR MAGAZINE--------------
Food Reference subscribers can get a FREE trial issue to Saveur magazine - the award winning magazine that celebrates the people, places and rituals that establish culinary traditions.
https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/document?ikey=089CFHPP1
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-----------------------------TRIVIA-----------------------------
Some varieties of chervil also have edible roots which are like small turnips. Turnip-rooted chervil was enjoyed by the early Greeks and Romans, and in England during the 14th to 17th centuries.
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-----------------------------QUOTE------------------------------
"Cannibal: a gastronome of the old school."
Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) 'The Devil's Dictionary' (1911)
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Food Reference Newsletter ISSN 1535-5659
James T Ehler (Publisher & Editor)
3920 S Roosevelt Blvd
Suite 209 South
Key West, Florida 33040
E-mail: james@foodreference.com Phone: (305) 296-2614
Food Reference WebSite: http://www.foodreference.com
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© Copyright 1990-2005 James T Ehler. All rights reserved. You may copy and use portions of this newsletter for noncommercial, personal use only. You may forward a copy to someone else as long as the Copyright notice is included. Any other use of the materials in this newsletter without prior written permission is prohibited.
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