Category Archives: Food

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Bacon

Food, , ,

My goal was to bring out the nutty and buttery taste of squash and to avoid making it any sweeter than it already is.  This soup was nice in front of a garlicky roasted chicken.RBN-Squash-soup
3 or 4 pounds of butternut squash
1/2 pound of sliced bacon, only mildly smokey
1 quart of chicken stock
butter
salt and pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Cut the squash lengthwise in half or into 3 pieces if extra large. Scoop out seed and pulp. (optional: separate the seeds from the pulp, salt them and roast in a single layer until browning starts, about 12 minutes)
  2. Cover the cut side of squash slices with bacon (use more slices than the picture shows), put a dollop of butter in the seed cavities and place on cookie sheet or pizza pan. Roast for 40 to 60 minutes, until you see the start of color change on the surface of the squash. Squash should be tender and easily scooped. RBN-oven
  3. Remove bacon slices and set aside for garnish. Scoop the insides of the squash out to a 4-quart stock pan and add half the chicken stock. Discard skins to your compost pile. Puree with an immersion blender. Over low heat, stir in more of the stock until you like the consistency of the soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Ladle into bowls. Top with bacon and serve with the roasted seeds on the side.

My squash was huge so I cut in lengthwise in thirds, about 1 to 1-1/2″ thick each. The middle section did really and absorbed some of the bacon fat from both cut sides. I really liked the toasted seeds but they were a bit small and chewy to add directly to the soup (as a topping), better to know where they are when you are eating than to choke on one.

I would like to try grinding the toasted seeds to a nut-butter and adding that to the soup because the flavor of the toasted seeds really extends and enhances the roasty, nutty flavor that this soup has.  I might also try chicken stock that has more roasted garlic in it.

From Kitchen to Farm and Back

Food, Hudson NY, , , , , , ,

“I came back to farming as part of a larger journey in food,” says Kurt Henricks, Director of Strategic Development for Columbia County NY’s Stewardship Farms. “I like to focus on brix, soil, plant breeding and other things that affect taste.”

“I grew up on my mother’s Midwestern, French and German cooking, my neighbors’ Italian-American cooking and then was Lead Line Cook at two of the busiest restaurants in the area before going to UCLA,” he recalls. “Eventually my love of food led me to farming and cuisine develoKurt Henricks, new yorkpment in Upstate New York.”

Kurt traces his family back to Renssellaerswyck. Documents of the Dutch West India Company in the Netherlands show an ancestor who came to our area on the Kalmar Nyckel in 1638 at age 17 to make wooden shoes. He was paid 40 guilders a year.  380 years later, farming in Columbia County was a homecoming of sorts for Henricks. “These days the footwear is much more comfortable.”

At his farm plot in Stuyvesant, NY, Henricks uses data loggers to measure weather and growth data. A background doing multivariate analysis, direct marketing, test design and brand development at Madison Avenue stalwart McCann Erickson led to developing software for MicroSoft and then to the launch of his own brands – one in nutrition software and the successful, eco-friendly LED maker Kick Lighting. Now he tests endless combinations of bean varieties, soils, composts and techniques to produce the best premium snow peas, haricot vert, and edamame. Using his chef skills and a volunteer team of super tasters, Kurt perfects regional and seasonal delights like Roasted Waltham Butternut Squash soup.

As 2016 roars to its end, Henricks is developing cuisine for a landmarked boutique hotel and preparing to launch a weekly, ready to eat food delivery business for small cities like Hudson and Athens which have no grocery stores.

“We are living in the golden age of food. I couldn’t be more excited to be able to pursue great cooking, farming and technology in a community of quality-focused entrepreneurs like Zak Pelaccio and Rachael Mamane. And to do so on the soil that Henry Hudson called “the finest for cultivation that ever I in my life set foot upon”…I’m living the dream.”

Lüchow’s — A Love Story

Food, NYC, , ,

I recently acquired an original copy of the 1952 edition of Lüchow’s cookbook. What I was expecting was the time honored recipes from America’s most famous German restaurant for their sauerbratten, lentil soup, venison stews, potato pancakes and roulade. What I got was something even better.

The 64-year-old book, which was obviously lovingly cared for, has only a  few notations in the margins of some of the recipes.   The recipe for “Broiled Deviled Short Ribs” has a brown dot near the top of the page which may be the archaeological evidence of “English mustard, olive oil, bread crumbs and mustard sauce” or it may simply be a little grease from what was no doubt a delicious batch of short ribs. The oven temp of 325F is crossed out and “350” is penciled in the margin. Next to where the book says “Broil under moderate heat until browned” is written, this time in pen: “very short time.”  When you open to this page the binding becomes slightly exposed suggesting that this was a common page for the prior owner to have the book opened to and laying flat on the kitchen counter.Luchow's Cookbook 1952 edition cover

The physical book embodies the love of one who owned it but it is the first Chapter that moved me as much as any cookbook has ever moved me. It is a story of love with all the irrationality and obsession that characterizes enduring love.  An epic story of one man’s journey to his destiny, spanning generations in the ever-changing, multilayered island of Manhattan. Of a massive and mythical restaurant that calls to him like a siren song, drawing him into its history and his future.

The story begins with millionaire piano magnate Joseph Steinway putting up the money to buy out the young August Lüchow’s employer and rename the restaurant “Lüchow’s“.   At a time when 14th Street was full of German “bier gartens” and Italian wine restaurants, Lüchow’s immediately became the flagship as Steinway brought the era’s best pianists and musicians for lavish meals. Live music in the restaurant soon followed with an 8-piece orchestra imported from the old country to serenade a sea of well-heeled diners.  ASCAP was founded inside of the restaurant’s walls and the song “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” was so feverishly inspired by the muses, food and copiously flowing beer, that is was penned directly on the tablecloth of Eddie Cantor’s table.

The story goes on. Lüchow’s not only survived Prohibition but emerged from it in 1933 with honor.  Lüchow’s cancelled 4 straight years of New Year’s Eve parties because Herr Lüchow refused to sully his beloved emporium with the illicit liquor that patrons had to smuggle in in hip flasks. Lüchow’s record during Prohibition was so impeccable that when Prohibition finally ended and the world’s finest lager and pilsners flowed again on 14th Street, New York City honored August Lüchow with Liquor License Number 1.

While his restaurant survived Prohibition, August Lüchow did not and in 1923 ownership passed to Victor Eckstein, his nephew in-law. Victor presided over a grand chapter in Lüchow’s history, when the restaurant was a parade of the biggest and best known figures of the 20th Century — John Barrymore, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Walter P Chrysler, Antonin Dvorak, Lillian Gish, Marlene Deitrich,  Florenz Zeigfeld, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein.

Meanwhile in Europe, Jan Mitchell spent his youth in grand dining halls watching the preparations for grand hunting feast. Mitchell believed he was “headed for the country squire’s life” until his first visit to the United States in 1932. He recalls that entering Lüchow’s was a turning point. The atmosphere, food and tradition’s engendered an insatiable lust that would only be cured by owning Lüchow’s.

He was of no relation to Eckstein or anyone else well connected to the property but he embarked on a 13 year quest that included attending hotel management schooling in Zurich and the purchase of long-standing restaurant in Washington D.C.  in 1940 (an apt  time to leave Europe). During WWII, Mitchell made many trip to New York, each time trying to convince Eckstein to sell it to him. He promised to keep the traditions and atmosphere consistent but was rebuffed many times. By 1945, Eckstein was finally convinced and a restaurant that had played host to thousands of marriage proposals agreed to a marriage of its own — Eckstein sold to Jan Mitchell.

Mitchell’s enduring memory of his ownership is embodied in his recalling an early Christmas there. A pine tree towered 25-feet tall in the high ceiling cafe’ area, adorned with 2500 “electric candles” that were not lit until Christmas Eve in keeping with the German tradition. An orchestra from Bavaria played “Silent Night” as diners sang together and as the evening came to its end, the aging friends of August Lüchow shook the hand of its newest owner and told him, some with tears on their cheeks: “If August Lüchow came in tonight he would feel right at home — Nothing has changed.”

 

 

 

8 Tips for Photographing Food

Food, , ,

Paintings of fruit and other foods were a way for the Old Masters to show off their skill. Human vision is most discerning when appraising the edibility of potential foods. For example, we can see more shades of green than any other color and that probably helped with foraging. In artwork, food either looks right or it looks disgusting, which literally means ‘not good to eat.’

Here are 8 simple ways to make your food pictures better:

1 – Photograph the food in natural light. Shade or diffused sunlight is the best. The full spectrum of color that is in sunlight brings out all the best colors in food.   Avoid, if possible, fluorescent light which tends to make food look washed out and bland.  Look out for hard shadows which you would get in direct sunlight — better to move to the shade or have a friend hold a menu up to block the direct sunlight.

 

2 – Photograph the plate BEFORE you take any bites of food. Ideally, the picture should look “ready to eat” rather than half-eaten.  A fork or spoon in the picture is suggestive of food that is ready to be eaten right now and encourages the viewer to take that mental bite.

3 – Shoot straight down on the plate unless the food is stacked, in which case shoot at the angle you would have if the plate was placed in front of you, about 45-degrees or so.  The straight down shot avoids having things in the picture that are distracting and is more natural angle for close shots.

4 – Shoot close or crop tightly. Most of us are seeing pictures on fairly small screens like phones or tablets. If you can’t see the detail on the food then the picture is going to have much less impact.

5 – If you are the one cooking, get some color on your food, preferably golden brown.  A little butter and hot skillet can transform ordinary foods into mouth-watering show stoppers.  Think of tuna salad on white bread versus that same tuna salad on toasted sourdough or on grilled (skillet) bread. The color sets our expectations higher.

6 – Look out for greasy or reflective spots on the plates. In close pictures everything will show so take a careful look for the odd crumb or hair that spoils an otherwise great pic.  Wipe the rim of the plate with a paper napkin, not your finger.

7 – Avoid plates and flatware that have a lot of pattern or more than 2 colors as they will distract from the food. The plate and flatware should be secondary to the food so unless the food is white, a white plate works fine for most foods. If you have white food (rice, bread, eggs, milk, etc) then an off-white plate or perhaps a very dark plate will help the food stand out.

8 – Having garnish or sauce in the frame expands our mental playground. That little ramekin of ketchup gives us one more thing to taste with our eyes. One of the toughest things to photograph is any food that is served in a bowl — stir fry, soup or pasta — because it lacks definition.  Something like a grain bowl generally needs to have a fan of avocado slices or bean sprouts on top; something that shows us that there are a lot of good tastes in bowl by isolating one or two of them.

To your eyes I say “Bon Appetit!”

Bourbon Bacon Jam

Food

I used Maker’s Mark 46 which is aged in seared french oak casks so it has a smokey note. I skipped coffee which is popular in these more complex bacon jams. Results were very good and this jam was great on grilled burgers or just on french bread crustini that was fried in a little olive oil.

bacon jam in 4oz ball jar
Makers 46 bourbon jam

1 lb bacon, prefer applewood smoked
1 medium white onion, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
3 oz Maker’s Mark 46 Aged Bourbon
3 cloves of garlic roasted in olive oil for 45 mins at 375F
2 Tb brown sugar
salt
2 tsp honey
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Cook the bacon fairly crisp in an oven and pour off most of the grease. Carmelize the onions in about 2 Tb of the bacon fat for 10 mins then add bacon, garlic and other ingredients.  If you are cooking on flames, remove the pan from the burner when adding the bourbon as it may ignite otherwise.  Simmer on medium low heat to allow most alcohol to evaporate then reduce heat to low heat for another 10 minutes.

Cool slightly and process in a food processor to the preferred texture (for me, about 12 quick pulses removing the lid twice to push down any onion or larger pieces of bacon which may stick the side walls of the processor).  Taste and adjust seasoning. Acids like the balsamic really help the other flavors pop. One more pulse and you’re done.

Serve on burgers, pork, steak, eggs or just on breads.

 

Kale Chips

Food, , ,

Three summers ago I was developing recipes for farm to table convenience foods — local non-GMO popcorn, pasta, potato chips, red pepper hummus, etc.   When I got to kale chips I found all kinds of recipes and I tried 4 of them. The best one used as little olive oil as possible and a low oven temperature.

I created my version of that recipe by adding grated parmesan and then I tested it with 4 different varieties of kale.  The winner was a variety called Nash — a pale dark green kale with a relentlessly curly edge. The taste of the kale by itself was very mild with no hint of cabbage and a hint of sweetness.  Ask your farmer’s market farmers what variety they grow and if you can’t find Nash I would look for a variety that has relatively thin and smooth leaves without thick ribs.

Kurt’s Parmesan Garlic Kale Chips

Infuse extra virgin olive oil (I use “California Olive Ranch” which is available in most supermarkets) with garlic by placing 3 or 4 smashed cloves in a small sauce pan with 2 oz of olive oil over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. 

Pre heat oven to 290F and get a sheet pan or pizza pan ready to use.

Wash and dry your kale leaves.  I shake the water off and then pat them with a lint free towel or paper towels to remove as much water as possible from their surface.  Tear the leaves into chip sized pieces. You can leave the stems in unless they are large and woody.

Using your fingers coat each piece with olive oil being sure to get it up into the edges. Don’t drench the pieces. A thin coating works best, about 1 tsp of olive oil per sheet.

Pile the pieces into the middle of a sheet pan or pizza pan and grate parmesan on to them. Salt the pile before spreading the pieces out into one layer.

Bake at 290F for 10 minutes and then pull out the sheet and check them for doneness.  You want to try to catch them just as they go stiff and before the edges get brittle.  I like mine just a little chewy so it helps to get them before too much water is cooked out.

Flip the pieces if you want to and put them back in for another 2 minutes or until they have reached your target crispiness.  They will crisp a little after they come out and cool so pull them when they are just under your preferred texture.

Test one and add more salt, if needed, while they are still hot.  Likewise you can add more parmesan right after they come out and it will stick.

Enjoy.

Marissa Ryan Pop Up at Food Studio Hudson

Food, Hudson NY, NYC, , ,

I met Marissa 4 years ago during our work on the Hudson Co-op.  I knew she was a beautiful and accomplished chef but had never experienced her cuisine so I jumped at tonight’s chance to finally do so.

We entered to find Food Studio nearly full by 630PM. Our serverfood studio pop up led us past the Mayor and friends at the first table enjoying Marissa’s combo of fresh made pasta and local squash. She then found us seats at the long, chest-high table in the middle of the narrow space and we sat between other groups of diners. Marissa worked calmly yet busily next to the pool of light from Food Studio hood.

Ryan’s thoughtfully selected and lovingly presented cuisine was the star of the night leading off with the opening act of her Bone Brodo: 4 fresh pasta dumplings perfectly executed with a complex semi soft cheese filling and bathing in an equally complex and deep broth with highlights of green pea shoots and pork. An East meets West Marco Polo-esque triumph. Highly recommended. For me the best dish of a night of strong contenders.  Something magical effused from the pork and pea shoot combo, especially when the extra salt near the bottom of the broth bowl kicked in.  (Wine pair: A white Bordeaux, Gewürztraminer or dry Riesling just below room temp)

Tender and succulent Icelandic cod arrived beside a wedge of braised cabbage that combined savory with the pop of refreshing citrus. An enigmatic red chili sauce, that wanders between sweet and spicy as the background suits it, tied the plates elements together in an inspired dance. Dressed mustard greens added color while a wafer of crisped barley added crunch and the comforting echoes of golden grain.  (Pale ale, malolactic Chardonnay or a Gavi).

Her Osso Bucco was exceptionally satisfying. With the punch of fresh thyme and parsley over the densely flavored succulently braised beef shank on a soft bed of earthy polenta.  A straight-over-the-centerfield-wall homerun!  A familiar yet uniquely executed reminder of why Osso bucco is such a satiating and memorable dish. The marrow was richly flavored and cried out to be smeared across crustini. (Nebbiolo, Barolo or a Left Bank Bordeaux)

Carmelized Brussel sprouts, pancetta and balsamic was a nice side dish which built on the savory combo of the main dishes. Halved sprouts were masterfully browned and seem to take on the perfect combo of rich pancetta and acid.

Bravo!

My Favorite Chef in Hudson 86’d

Food

A challenging year that has brought the death of my father, my best friend, the founder of Stewardship Farms, Prince and David Bowie, began with one of Hudson’s best chefs, and my personal favorite, checking out.

Dan was a self-driven perfectionist and it showed on every plate. His kitchen had a digital clock in it of a size one might expect in Times Square, large red numbers counting away the minutes as the orders rolled in. He always sent out a surprising Amuse Buche, often on a little white ceramic spoon. The server would put them in  front of me anDABA Dan Nilssond then rattle off 4 or 5 tantalizing ingredients that filled my mind with anticipation and curiosity.

DA|BA started in Hudson before the influx of restaurateurs. In a town with no grocery stores and limited options for dining out, especially under $15, Danny was a God-send. His menu was two menus really — fantastic higher end seafood dishes inspired by his Scandanavian roots and a bar menu with 5 or 6 great options under $10. They had Brooklyn Lager on tap at $4 and the most perfectly cooked burger served up on thick cuts of bread was $8.  A perfectly satisfying BLT and a tempeh sandwich rounded out the every day offerings but Dan was better known for his more ambitious stalwarts like his amazingly rich and deep Chantrelle soup.

“DABA Dan,” as he was known here,  was very accepting of all us in Hudson despite, or perhaps because of, our eccentricities. As someone who has worked in a dozen restaurants, I was a bit jealous of Dan who had great reviews, great food and had managed to overcome one of the biggest challenges of this very time-demanding business — his family lived in the space directly above his restaurant and he could go upstairs during service to tuck his young children into bed every night.

I was walking Julia one morning in February when I saw his wife and children getting out of a van in front of the darkened restaurant. They all looked so numb and so weary. Hours later I heard the news that Dan Nilsson had committed suicide on a friend’s farm.  I was destroyed and within hours was thinking of leaving Hudson for a new home. It was as if a cloud had descended here and the streets and shops suddenly felt more empty and lifeless than ever before.  It was unfathomable to me how a young man with so much talent and so much love from this community could simply be gone forever. In order to avoid scaring my sweet dogs, I went out to my car and had a good cry.

I hadn’t cooked my own burger in about 4 years but did so after Danny died. Some grilled onions and dry mustard completed the satisfying trio. I have longed since that February day for a menu that serves two price points, two distinctly different appetites and I dedicate my first real restaurant menu to Dan.  Life is too short not to enjoy at least one great meal every day but we’ll all have to do it without DA|BA Dan who is 86’d.

God bless you Daniel Nilsson.  As I told you more than once, you were “rock solid consistently great!”

 

 

 

Launching Edward Scissorhands

Food

Working for a legacy feature film company on a studio lot is probably as close as I will come in this lifetime to attending Hogwarts. A time warp of art, magic and ideas, the Fox Lot in Century City was originally Movietone City. unto itself, with streets and avenues, a post office and a hospital. It has the time worn charm of the glory days of studio film and Los Angeles. In October of 1990 I got a job working on the Academy Awards campaign for 20th Century Fox Features. I had worked on the Fox lot in Century City before but not like this.

Each stage and each building holds a unique history as host to dozens of successive productions. Stage 9 was built in 1928 and since then has been home to  “Sherlock Holmes” (1939), to Otto Preminger for “Laura” (1944) and again for “River of No Return” (1954), “No Business Like Show Business” (1954), “The Fly” (1958). Then to television series including “Peyton Place” (1964-1969), “Batman!”(1966), “The Ghost and Mrs Muir” (1968-1970),  and then eleven years as home to “M*A*S*H” (1972-1983) including the “exterior” shots which were done there indoors instead of on the Fox Ranch. Then it was home to “Hooperman” (1987-1989) before hosting “NYPD Blue” from 1993 through 2005.  And that is ONE stage — they are all like that.  “Edward Scissorhands” was shot on Stages 14, 15 and 16 (see map section below) with some exteriors in Florida.

I was reporting to Booker McClay in Building 89.  Booker was a semi-retired veteran from the glory days of the studios and feature film. Booker was a fountain of knowledge about both the studio and life and a great guy to work with. He seemed to be very well connected to the old guard on the Lot and he got me a parking place right by Stage 11 so things were already much better than my prior gigs there when I had to park on Motor Ave and walk about 15 minutes to the Lot.  Booker, I soon found out, could get almost anything he wanted.

Fox-Lot-Map-1991-Bldg89-Pub

Booker took me aside early in the gig and told me ‘I am slowing down a bit and I have had a stroke but I would appreciate it if you don’t make me feel like an old man.’  I asked if I had said or done something that did that. ‘No, but don’t start.’

Continue reading Launching Edward Scissorhands →

5 Ways to Screw Up Your New Business

Food

It’s a great idea for a business. At least that’s what your friends say. Hurry do it before someone else does. What could go wrong?  I consult with new businesses and many of them know exactly how to screw it up…

  1. Being the First Business of Its Type

Many people think being the first to open or start a new kind of business is worth something. Some think they can copyright or trademark their new business idea and stop others from copying it. There are a couple problems with that thinking.

Being first isn’t worth anything, in fact it is the most expensive position to take. If you are the first you have recruit and educate customers to this new way of doing business. You have to explain the concept and convince people that it is worth changing the way they have always done something.  That is not only hard but expensive because you need to get people’s attention long enough to make your pitch.

Plenty of first movers have run out of money, made mistakes that competitors can learn from and paved the way for those who come later.

If you are looking at your business idea and thinking “No one has ever done this before” be sure to ask yourself why not?

2. Not Knowing Your Customer

It is tempting to think that people who like X will like this business but if you aren’t one of those people then you are at a big disadvantage.  A good new business fills a need. You should understand that need as well as possible. If the need is/was so big then how come no one fill it before?

Better to stick with businesses that you DO understand the need for and have been a customer of.  Imagine for example starting a cat sitting business when you have never used  cat sitter or worse, have never owned a cat.

3. Opening a Restaurant

Don’t do it. Just don’t.  It may sound good and your friends have always said ‘You’re a great cook…you should open a restaurant’ but if you have never worked in a restaurant you have no idea what you are getting into. And if you have worked in a restaurant and are still thinking about opening one consider other options.

You raised or have or inherited $200,000 so you want to open a restaurant…. why? You hate money?  You want to die broke? You don’t like having free time, normal blood pressure or a credit score above 400?

If you can’t resist the siren song, at least start with something survivable — a catering business or a pop-up.  Give yourself time to come to your senses, hopefully before your money runs out.

4. Not Researching the Competition

Had a client tell me they didn’t do a feasibility study because “feasibility studies tell you all the reasons NOT to just do it.”   Um, yes. You’re going to find out those reasons sooner or later.  Sooner is MUCH cheaper.

Go look at the competition and learn as much as you can. How many employees do they have? How many customers? When are they busy? When slow? Who is their supplier(s) (look in their trash)? How much rent do they pay?  How deep are their pockets and what are they likely to do if you start to see some success?

Learn from their mistakes and their successes.

5. Starting with Angel Money

Maybe this is not a complete mistake but it easily leads to mistakes including mistakes in the overall design of the business model. Many people think about how much it will cost to start a business but not how much they will need to keep it running.  There is a mental hole in the big picture of their business and it sneaks out in statements like “I want to open a business that does ___X___”  rather than “I want to run a business…”

This problem is worse with non-profits.  Some people believe that non-profits don’t need to make money or that they don’t need to have the same business accounting and structures that for-profit business do.  These people are wrong.

When you get grants to start a non-profit your customer is the grantor entity, not the people coming in the door.  The grantor wants prestige and credit for doing something good in the community but that is sometimes at odds with what the community allegedly being served actually wants.  Then you have two masters to serve… good luck.