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FeedTuesday Tidbits for 12/6/11
In the spirit of the holidays, Tuesday Tidbits (the holiday edition) will feature two great foodie gifts throughout the month of December. We have some news as well, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
“Where would we be without salt?” -James Beard
First up is a salt pig any home cook or pro chef would love. Those of you who are still shake-shake-shaking salt into your pasta water need to pay attention. There is no better way to control the salt content of your food than to learn how to measure with your hand. This requires a little time and effort, but proper seasoning is the mark of an experienced and confident cook.
Recently, a chef told me that he had once replaced the type of salt he kept at his station, only to discover that he was readily over-salting every single dish because the concentration of the new salt was far greater than the salt he had been cooking with most of his career. So marry yourself to a salt (a specific brand of kosher or sea salt is recommended), and keep it near your stove in one of these beautiful Emile Henry salt pigs. Henry's salt dispensers are perfect in size and shape (you can fit your fist in the opening, so the salt is readily available in any quantity—pinch or pound—but the curve of the neck keeps miscellaneous splatters and dust from settling into your salt supply. Currently this item is for sale ($40) in several colors at Hertel’s brand new Blue Hill Kitchen & Home, a treasure trove of gifts for skilled home cooks. Need a fish poacher or a new Kitchen Aid mixer? How about a broad selection of utensils (Cuisipro and others), sauté pans (All-Clad and Calphalon) or vessels (Le Creuset and Montes Doggett) you’ll find them all here, among a sprinkling of cookbooks, decorative items, and other tchotchkes. If you haven't had the chance to stop over, make a day of it. Hertel is the new Elmwood, with additions like Spot Coffee, Room and baby Room, and several newish fashion boutiques among the stand-by vintage and antique dealers.
Delish Dish
Our second foodie gift recommendation is a package deal from Delish. Delish is the only business currently offering cooking classes in the City of Buffalo, and they are especially nice since owner Deb Clark relocated to her new roomy spot on Amherst Street, just down the street from Wegmans and across the street from Black Rock’s famous meat Mecca, Spar’s. If you missed all of the hoopla over the opening and the addition of Stumptown coffee to her repertoire, you can read about it using the links we've provided. But what I really want to tell you about are the cooking classes. During the holidays Delish has a Buy 4, Get 1 Free offer that makes it possible to give a single cooking class to several friends, several cooking classes to one friend, or better yet, a certificate to take yourself and four friends to the same class for a fun night out (something you'll really appreciate once the droll days of January and February arrive). Whether you consider yourself a good cook or a terrible cook doesn’t matter, anyone is sure to find a cooking class that appeals to him or her with offerings as diverse as January’s Exciting Foods of Thailand or February’s Classic Risotto, Polenta, and Gnocchi. Get your gift certificates before Christmas in order to take advantage of the 5-for-4 deal.
A Toast to Toast
Five Points Bakery is reinventing a mild-mannered breakfast staple—toast. And who better to do it than the folks who reinvented the way Buffalonians think about bread? Kevin and Melissa Gardner have added toast to the menu at their snug little West Side bakery, but not just any old toast. First slices of their protein-laden, hand-milled, handmade bread (in styles such as sourdough ciabatta, mutli-grain, whole wheat, cinnamon swirl, or apple cider bread) is toasted to perfection and spread with good, quality butter. But if you like your toast all dressed up, then the addition of apricot or strawberry jam, locally made chevre, cinnamon sugar, royal icing, or raw honey are added (for an additional cost). It’s been said that the key to success is to do one thing, and to do it well. Five Points has mastered the art of making bread from locally-raised wheat and grains, and well-prepared toast, while chuckle-worthy upon first glance (Wait, wait, wait. You mean you want me to go to a restaurant that specializes in … toast?) it seems like an obvious and tasty manifestation of the do one thing and do it well principle, no?
Food Ethics Course
Blogger Annie Levay-Krause is not only an adept home cook who seeks out organic ingredients whenever possible, she is also the founder of the Facebook group Food Ethics for Buffalo. Through this organization she presents various events that unite people to ponder and celebrate the very important aspects of food—culture, history, justice, and health. Her vision is strong (and fleshed out on her Facebook link above for those who are curious). In January Levay-Krause is offering an affordable program that seeks to educate others about these issues.
Complete with a discussion guide developed by the Northwest Earth Institute, the program will review issues like hunger, equity, the current food system, the effects of modern industrial eating habits on culture and the environment, and more. The class will take place once on month on a Saturday from 10-11:30 a.m. at Elmwood’s Unitarian Universalist Church. The total cost is less than $40. Fees are due by December 31st. Find more information here. (Dates are as follows: 1/21, 2/18, 3/24, 4/21, 5/19, 6/16.) This should be an excellent program for anyone who wishes to explore these very topical and important issues.
Gingerbread Giants
Last weekend Gilda’s Club of WNY presented their annual gingerbread competition, Gingerbread..Gifts..Glitz. The charitable event provides pros and amateurs with one of our region’s few culinary contests. We had hoped to feature a slideshow of images from the show, but technical issues undermined my efforts. Here, at the very least, is a list of the winners* and one random image (above), taken with my phone. The event, coupled with a holiday shopping opportunity that included local artisans, raised several thousand dollars for the charity over the course of the weekend.
2011 Amateur Division
- Janet Hastreiter and Ellen Gerhardt
- Erin Koslch
- Debra Vertoske
- Wendy Benner Burr
- Katie Zwara, Chellie Zwara, and Megan Brenner-Irish Rose
- Daniel Gianowski
2011 College Division
- Andrea Graser, NCCC
- Sara Herman, Alfred
- Brittney Bradley, Alfred
- Lauren Wojcik, ECC City
- Bailey Stewart, Alfred
- Jess Fahey, Alfred
2011 High School Division
- Sara Galante, Williamsville South
- Joe Forucci and Alicia Palame, N/O Boces
- Tiffany Tisack and Taylor, N/O Boces
- Brianna Bartholomew, Veronica Knittle, Jean Peebles, and Erica Banas, Lancaster
- Hanna Pellette and Alice Ireland, Potter Road Boces
- Krystal Greene and Katelyn Pikul, Potter Road, Boces
2011 Professional Division
- Megan Finamore, KenTon Boces
- Tina Fago and Lauren Sikora
- Lisa Marie Cook
- Anna Knecht
- Jamie Dota, Caitlin Labert, and Ryan Walser
*List of winners provided by Gilda's Club of WNY
