I am not sure the foodies are genetically different from other people. I have a hunch that it has to do with many things but that eating a variety of foods while you are growing up is a good start, although not the only piece to the puzzle. My mom did not like to cook and we had a variation of one of three or four meals every night. I was not allowed in the kitchen because I was messy. My kids hardly ever have eaten the same thing twice. They all have helped and do help in the kitchen and are exposed to a variety of tastes and textures, as well as cultures through the food we eat. Kyrie is an expressive foodie. You can see it on her when she eats. She is a picky eater, not that she refuses to eat something but she won’t eat more than a few bites of anything that isn’t to her liking. Yesterday she had a hot fudge sundae. Apparently it hit the spot:

Is that not the picture of a true foodie? I just love that picture!

Anyway. So, if you want to be a little more experimental here are the basics I think you should have. Everyone is going to have different ideas, of course, so take what you like and add what you like! These are not in any particular order or priority.

1. Smoked Salt- This adds a layer of flavor that makes a difference in many foods. I have heard you can smoke it yourself but I haven’t done that yet.
2. Chipotle Granules- I get the Archer Farms ones at Target. These are not canned but are dried chipotle in a tiny dice. You find them in the spices section. Adds smoky spicy heat.
3. Several kinds of cinnamon- Head over to Penzey’s and choose a couple of the varietal cinnamons.
4. Wasabi- A Japanese horseradish, wasabi comes in paste and powdered form. I prefer the powdered and you can add it to so many things for an intense heat. It doesn’t burn your tongue so much, but like horseradish, it clears your sinuses. Wasabi Mayo is a fantastic dip for raw snap peas, and one of my new addictions.
5. Turbinado sugar- even if you aren’t interested in the health benefits, turbinado sugar is a nice, large crystal that adds texture when sprinkled on cookies. It melts down beautifully for creme brulees, and it is wonderful sprinkled over the crust of breads before baking.
6. Fleur de Sel- a flaked sea salt, Fleur de Sel adds unique flavor to all kinds of things, including caramels and truffles.
7. A good balsamic vinegar, preferably one in white and one dark. Don’t be afraid to pay a little more for this than you would normally…it is worth it.
8. Local honey, raw and in as many flavors as is available in your area.
9. Culinary lavender buds
10. Rose water
11. Lavender, Violet, Rose, and Elderberry Monin Syrups make wonderful flavorings and additions to Italian sodas, cakes, pies, custards, ice creams, and anything else…
12. Loose leaf Earl Grey Tea, another great flavoring ingredient
13. Pink, white, green, red, and black peppercorns…but not mixed
14. Five spice powder
15. Garam masala
16. Walnut oil
17. Smoked sesame oil
18. Jalapeno jelly
19. Bottled Key lime juice
20. Agave
21. Gluten (to help bread rise)
22. A variety of flours: rye, graham, whole wheat, teff, etc…
23. A variety of fresh peppers: anaheim, poblano, jalapeno,bonnet, serrano…
24. Artichokes, canned or fozen
25. Fontina cheese
26. Smoked Gouda, Edam cheeses
27. Whole milk buttermilk
28. Truffle infused oil
29. Kosher salt (should just be in everyone’s pantry)
30. Wheat berries for pilafs and such
31. Peanut oil- do not use anything else ever for frying! I use peanut oil for almost everything.
32. Several varieties of olives
33. Macadamia nuts
34. Pignoli (pine nuts)
35. Fresh rosemary
36. Fresh sage
37. Fresh lemongrass
38. Finishing salt
39. Heirloom tomatoes
40. Heirloom potatoes: rose, purple, etc
41. Orzo, and any other pasta that you haven’t tried. Try flavored pastas, whole grain pastas, etc.
42. Fresh fennel
43. The organic baby leaf salads: herbs, mixed greens, etc.
44. Seeds for sprouting. There are a ton of different kinds.
45. Ice Cream salt
46. Edible gold flake
47. Edible glitter/metallic sprinkles
48. Fondant
49. Vanilla pods
50. Cardamom

image:maryeaudet

Post from: Baking Delights

I don’t know if you have seen it but Food Network has come out with a magazine that has, as far as I am concerned, a lot of potential.

I have been a Bon Appetit fan for over 20 years, starting my first subscription in 1980 or 81.  I never really liked Gourmet, Cooking Light or any of the others,Bon Appetit was my go to cooking magazine always.

Well, other than the brief romance that I had with Vegetarian Times.  It was, sadly, doomed to failure when they were increasingly aligned with PETA and PETA was increasingly radical.

Anyway, the Food Network magazine is taunting me wickedly from my desk.  I bought it on a whim yesterday but have not had time to read it.  I am not feeling great today and the idea of taking ot my bed with pillows, tea, a foot massage from Matthew (the official Mom foot massage person) and this magazine is wonderfully appealing.

Anyway…I am planning chocolate lava cakes for dessert tonight, so that should show up here a little later…and I will let you know what I think of the magazine then.

Has anyone else seen it? What do you think?

Don’t forget about the NEW Baking Delights Flickr group.   I will have a button on the sidebar shortly..meanwhile give me your best shot!

Image:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

When Tess sent me the copy of Secret Suppers she also sent a fascinating book called Cooking with Les Dames D’Escoffier.

This is more of a cookbook/who’s who list than anything.  I really enjoyed it.  The book is broken into sections as any cookbook would be but then each section is broken down into recipes by certain Dames d’ Escoffier…Julia Child, Dorie Greenspan,  Joanne Weir, Marcella Hazan…the list goes on.

But it doesn’t stop there. There is a little triva about each of these amazing ladies to go along with the recipes.  I did not know, for example, that Dorie Greenspan was in a doctoral program for gerontology when she abandoned it in favor of becoming a food writer!

This is not a small book with twenty pages of recipes.  This is a serious work, a fantastic anthology if you will, of some of the best in the history of food.  320 pages!

Some of the recipes are:

• Winter Minestrone with Butternut Squash and Kale from Abby Mandel
• Phyllo Fontina Cheese Bites from Linda Hopkins
• Scandanavian Cardamom Braid from Beatrice Ojakangas
• Catalan Pasta with Garlic Sauce from Marilyn Tausend
• Burgundian Spiced Caramels from Jennifer McGlinn
• Gingered Sweet Potato Parsnip Puree from Lee Wooding

I have made a few of the recipes, and I have played with a few of the recipes.  The Anise & Vanilla carrots were based on the Anise carrots in the book.  The recipes are easy to follow and interesting but not so unusual that you would not actually make them.  This is real food, stuff the husband and kids will eat without making weird jokes and odd remarks..and fixing themselves peanut butter and jelly instead.

So, what do you think? Is this something you think you would want to add to your collection?

Feel free to ask questions about it and I will try to answer…

Image:MaryeAudet

Post from: Baking Delights

A few weeks ago Alex from Isle de France contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing a sample of one of their cheeses.  How fast can a person type, “YES!”?

Pretty stinkin’ fast…..

Anyway they allowed me to choose between Brie, Camembert, and Chevre.  I make my own chevre, and that was tempting to be able to compare the tastes between “real”  chevre, and what I make but..I have to say that one of my all time favorite cheeses is a really good Brie…and I am an unabashed Brie snob. ::Marye hands her head is pseudo-shame:::::::

So, the box comes by overnight.  The kids, HAVE I mentioned that my kids are vultures when it comes to boxes from food, book, and coffee companies? Theya re.  They were tearing into the box before I had gotten out of the computer chair in my office.

Mmmm…Double cream Brie.

Aroma was nice.   Very delicate, a little nutty.  I unwrapped it completely and looked at it.  The rind was uniform and beautiful.  Ahhh…My precious…

Glancing furtively around I closed it up and hid it in the back of the fridge, thinking that I would buy a couple of pears and Marc and I could have a bit of romance one evening.

About five minutes after  I put it in the back of the fridge I got it out.  That wasn’t a good enough spot…someone was surely going to find it.

As long as the Ile de France Brie was was out I decided I might as well have just a nibble…after all….a nibble wouldn’t hurt.  I would still have plenty for the romantic evening I had planned.  I carefully sequestered the cheese in yet another area of the fridge.

A little later I pulled out some eggs and the cheese came with them…Surely it was an ordained moment…I had another nibble.

Now that you know what happened to the cheese..let’s get on with the review…

Aroma: faintly nutty with a sharp note that was at the same time, delicate

Visual: Very uniform, white rind.  The cheese is a delicate ivory color with the occasional very tiny hole.  Firmly silky maturing to luxuriously runny.

Mouthfeel: Very buttery, almost juicy.  Incredible.

Taste-Delicate, with a nutty aftertaste followed by a lingering, pleasant astringency.

Would I buy it? You bet..and I would not share one bite!

O.k..that is not totally true.  I did share small crumbs with the family. Here was their reaction:

Chef Kyrie (5) It tastez like cream cheese but better

Nick(8):I like this. We should get more.

Sean (10):The rind is sort of waxy and buttery..are you sure it is mold?

Shiloh(12): It is soooo good.  MOLD? THIS is MOLD? Well..O.k..it is good mold.

Ethan:(14) You know, Mom, very few people are as cool as you.  Most adults would not waste this incredible stuff on kids.

Matt: (16)Yep.  Good. Is there more?

Marc (49). Oh. My. Gosh. MMMM!

So there you have it…It has totally passed the Audet team of critics and foodies and was a rousing success.

Here is a recipe I am copying from the website…I am going to make this soon because it sounds so perfect for fall…

Oh..and they have a recipe contest going..you could win 1000.00   I couldn’t win because there is no way the cheese will last long enough for me to make a recipe..but give it a shot.

Fig and Brie Appetizer Pizza (used with permission)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 whole wheat pita bread rounds (6 to 7 inches)
3/4 cup fig preserves
6 ounces Ile De France Le Brie Cheese, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
* Blend together olive oil, chopped rosemary and ground red pepper; brush over the top side of the pita breads and place on a baking sheet.
* Divide fig preserves evenly among the pitas, spreading almost to the edges; sprinkle with Brie and walnuts, dividing equally.
* Place in preheated oven and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and fig preserves are heated through.
* Remove from oven; cut each pita into 4 squares and serve while warm.
* Makes about 8 appetizer servings.
* May be garnished with additional fresh rosemary, if desired.

Images:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights