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I found this recipe for roasted pears on the popular blog La Tartine Gourmande. I fell in love with roasted pears while living in France, but it took this French blogger to give the dessert some flair and really make it amazing. Just look at those pears. The photo is great, and the pears taste even better.
I especially like how the lemon grass, ginger, and vanilla bean seeds give the dish an exotic touch. Then the ground pistachios add a delicate crunchy texture. It was tart, yet smooth, and was almost like a tropical custard.
If I ever wanted to impress anyone with a dessert — and I mean anyone — I would probably make this dish. It is really tasty and I recommend it highly.
This ‘Patrician’ champagne goblet from Lobmeyr is quite possibly one of the most elegant glasses I have ever seen. It was designed in 1917 by Josef Hoffmann for Lobmeyr and has an elegance that makes it stand out. This glass is often used in cooking magazines to display drinks, just as Food & Wine did in the February 2010 issue. See the picture to the right by David Lauridsen.
Lobmeyr is a historical fine glass maker from Austria and their glass does not come cheap. A set of six of these goblets will run you close to $800 and per stem they will cost $148. They are mouth blown in a wooden mold and made from fine muslin glass.
You can purchase these and other Lobmeyr glasses from Unica Home and Kneen & Co.
For a few years I used the Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill (left), but about five months ago I started using the Oliver Hemming Spice Mill (right). Now that I own both of these grinders, I thought I would have a pepper grinding duel to compare the two products.
I have previously written about the Oliver Hemming and the Unicorn, and both are very good pepper grinders, but there are some differences that set them apart. So after a lot of pepper grinding, here are how the two grinders compare.
Styling
The Oliver Hemming has better styling in my opinion and comes in a range of colors. The body of the Hemming is also made out of acrylic and has a smooth, solid feel to it. But what sets it apart is the unique use of a traditional mortar perched on top of the grinder. There is a reason why the Oliver Hemming spice mill won a Red Dot Design Award.
The Unicorn is less stylish and more utilitarian, and one of the most common points raised about the Unicorn is that it doesn’t look that great. I do agree that it is nothing special, but I also don’t think it is that bad. I just wish they would start making the Unicorn in different colors. I think that would greatly reduce the ‘ugly’ stigma associated with it. Also, the ABS plastic feels a lot cheaper than the Hemming material.
Loading and Storage Capacity
The Hemming’s storage capacity is good compared to other grinders and holds about 3/8 cup but nothing like the Unicorn. The best part of the Hemming, though, is how easy it is to load. The mortar on top acts like a funnel, so loading is extremely easy.
The Unicorn holds almost one cup of peppercorns when filled up to the loading hole, which is an amazing amount. The hole is also large for easy filling, but I must admit that I find the loading of peppercorns awkward on the side of the grinder.
Storage, in my opinion, is a wash between these two products. The ease of loading with the Hemming adequately compensates for its smaller storage, but the Unicorn definitely will need less filling.
Grinding
The Hemming’s grind is very good and the turning is smooth. A nice shower of pepper comes out, and there is also an adjustment knob on the bottom to regulate the grind from fine to coarse. A nice feature of the Hemming is that the grinding mechanism is made out of ceramic and not steel, so you can use it for grinding salt as well as other dry spices that are under the size of a coffee bean.
The Unicorn is a pepper-grinding monster, and it has a very satisfying grind-and-crunch feel. It grinds fast and the shower of corns is fast and plentiful. The grinding mechanism is steel, so though it can be used for pepper, salt will corrode the metal. Unicorn has different products for grinding salt if you are looking for that option. There is also a knob at the bottom for adjusting the grind just as the Hemming has.
For comparison, at a medium-coarse grind the Unicorn produced about 1 3/8 tsp of pepper after 20 turns versus just under 1 1/8 tsp with the Hemming. At finer grinds, the Hemming performed almost as well as the Unicorn, and the Hemming actually allowed for a finer grind at the most extreme setting than the Unicorn. There is no question though that at medium to coarse grinds, the Unicorn is much faster.
Other Considerations
The Unicorn was messier than the Hemming and a fair amount of pepper would leak out of the Unicorn while resting on the counter, especially at coarser grind settings. You will probably notice a lot of peppercorn droppings where you store the Unicorn if you purchase this grinder.
Also of note, the loading hole on the Unicorn can come open accidentally because it is located just under the turning mechanism and regular grinding sometimes opens it. If this happens and the grinder tips over, you may spill peppercorns. This only happened a couple of times to me, but it did happen. The new Unicorn, however, has a tighter fitting ring over the loading hole, so hopefully it will stay closed and be less of a problem. This problem was also noted in Amazon reviews.
Conclusion
All in all they are both very good pepper grinders. If you are looking for grinding speed during hectic cooking sessions, then the Unicorn is probably the best choice. If you can sacrifice a bit of speed and want something that looks better, the Oliver Hemming is an excellent choice.
If you want to purchase the Oliver Hemming Spice Mill, Dream Icons has it for sale for $45, but shipping is $20 from the UK. The Unicorn Magnum Plus Pepper Mill is available from Cooking.com for $45 with $10 shipping. I purchased my Oliver Hemming off of eBay for around $20.
This High & Dry dishrack by Black+Blum has a great design, sleek look, and comes in lime, sage and white.
I hand wash my dishes, so I am usually skeptical about design dishracks, but this one intrigues me. I like how the rack folds down to reduce its profile for storage, which is definitely a nice feature. Check out the company’s website to see how it packs up.
With that said, I wonder how sturdy the prongs are when extended, and it also seems as if the rack is better suited for plates and glasses and less for bowls and odd-shaped dishes. This is a common problem with many designer dishracks.
For small amounts of dishes, however, this looks like a good option. It also has a small/removable utensil holder, and there is a spout for draining that you can open whenever you want. This means you can put the dishrack anywhere in your kitchen and drain it later — a nice feature if your kitchen is not set up for drying dishes right next to the sink.
You can purchase the dishrack for $59 at Emmo Home.
This kitchen system would be perfect for a compact kitchen in an urban area. It is produced by bulthaup and consists of two tool cabinets, a workbench, and a water point. You can see the workbench and one of the storage cabinets to the right.
I admire how compact the b2 system is, and it then folds up when not in use. You can go to the bulthaup website to see it in frame-by-frame action.
I can only imagine how much it costs, but with a small kitchen space, a system like this would be invaluable.
This table manners set comes from Japan, and it won’t necessarily work for other cultures that don’t have that range of utensils, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good idea.
The set has icons to identify which item is used for what, and it will create some sort of visual model for setting the table when the little ones grow up. Plus kids will love it.
The item is available on Funfam if you can figure out how to buy it.
I ran into this concept on ghigos.com. It is a brilliant way to create a do-it-yourself foodie chess set.
I think I am going to start searching for the pieces to make this reality.
After receiving a very nice custom Japanese knife for Christmas, I have decided to finally pull the trigger on learning how to sharpen knives (the correct way). Sharpening European-style knives such as Wusthof, Henckels, and Sabatier is different than sharpening Japanese knives (including Global and MAC knives). The steel on Japanese-style knives is harder and the angle is smaller (usually 10-15 degrees), while European-style knives have softer steel and the angle is more obtuse (usually 20 degrees). Additionally, Japanese knives are often bevelled on one side of the blade, such as those pictured to the right.
If you have a Japanese knife then you need to be concerned about maintenance a bit more. Some Japanese-style knives are a bit easier to manage such as Global, Shun and MAC as their blades are often stainless steel and corrosion resistant. Other Japanese knives, however, are made from carbon steel and are more susceptible to corrosion (rusting, staining, and pitting of the blade). They are really good knives, but they just demand more care. But don’t let that scare you off; once you have a great knife and experience real sharpness, maintenance is an acceptable cost. But what ever you do, don’t ever put a Japanese-style knife through one of those electric sharpeners (please don’t do this), and also be careful if you take them to your butcher or kitchen store to be sharpened as they may sharpen it at the wrong angle.
So which is better: European or Japanese knives? Well, I am not going to enter that debate. European knives are durable and easier to take care of. The advantage of Japanese knives is that the harder steel keeps its edge better and allows for a slimmer angle for cutting. Think of the difference between slicing a vegetable and splitting a vegetable. Japanese knives slice very, very well. The downside is that as metal gets harder it becomes more brittle and chipping of the blade can be a problem. You should be more careful to take good care of them. That is one reason Global, Shun and MAC knives are so popular. They strike a nice balance with hardness, sharpness, and corrosion resistance, and they incorporate European-style design into some of their knives. They have a more familiar feel to them.
So that is a very brief discussion on some of the differences between Japanese and European-style blades. So how should you sharpen your Japanese knives if you have them (or want them)?
First of all, you can always have someone else sharpen them. A high-end kitchen store that sells Japanese knives should be able to handle the sharpening, but you should still be careful and ask questions. Even good stores like Sur La Table will probably not handle your Japanese knives properly. If you live near a big city, I would recommend searching the Chowhound Boards for knife sharpeners in your area. Look for places that cater to professional cooks, but make sure to ask specifically if they sharpen Japanese-style knives and try to request the most experienced sharpener on staff.
You can also send your knives through the mail to be sharpened. Japanese Knife Sharpening, Epicurean Edge, and Korin all offer good mail-order sharpening services and are highly regarded.
If you want to start sharpening on your own, it will take more effort. You will have to buy some tools, learn some technique, and practice a bit. I would first read Chad Ward’s book: An Edge in the Kitchen
There are three highly regarded videos about knife sharpening that any person wanting to learn should consider. The first one is by Dave Martell. He is the same person behind the Japanese Knife Sharpening website noted above and is probably the closest thing to a knife sharpening legend there is in the US. The other two videos are from Korin and Murray Carter.
Lastly, if you get this far and you want to buy your own sharpening gear, then visit Knifeforums.com. Check out the ‘In The Kitchen’ board that is down a ways on the main forum page. There is also a search tab at the top that you can use to search for specific information. With this site, you will have access to a group of knife lovers that is unsurpassed, and the knowledge they harbor is truly amazing. You can glean a ton of information just by searching the topics and reading the threads, but if you register as a user, you can also post questions and you will usually get friendly, helpful feedback and guidance. Just do some research first, be thoughtful with your questions, and be warned that they tend to be sharpening purists. The users may guide you more towards free-hand sharpening with waterstones. Not that that is a bad thing; I am doing it. Good luck.
Every now and then living in the Midwest annoys me, and it isn’t because of all the snow that we have been getting. (Though that freezing rain did take a long time to scrape off the driveway.)
No, it is because of the assumption that no one knows anything about wine. Of course, there is good basis for this belief because — in fact — few people do know a lot about wine up here in central Minnesota. Statistically, we are insignificant so it is only rational that we often get ignored.
Then I read a short article in Food & Wine from the January issue that made me rethink wine education. Maybe the problem is that so many wine lovers and sales people are just incapable of educating and inspiring non-wine lovers. The F&W article takes you through a series of four diagnostic questions to find out your wine preference. All of the questions are rather silly. They are essentially, a polished-up form of the same hackneyed wine store logic where a salesperson simply tries to find out if you like white or red or dry or sweet.
Just consider these questions:
(1) Which do you drink? Whole milk or skim milk?
Seriously? This is an absurd question. Do people really really have strong milk preferences outside of calorie and fat considerations? I’ve drunk 2% my whole life and that generally has nothing to do with my taste preferences but that fact I was brought up on it.
Anyhow, F&W maintains that if you like whole milk you will tend to go for rich, full-bodied Chardonnay or similar style wines. And if you like skim? Well then, you might like lighter-style wines such as Chablis.
Next question.
(2) Which juice do you prefer? Grapefruit or orange?
Ok, I know where they are going with this as some people don’t like tart wines, but is your juice preference the best way to flesh this out? I don’t think I have ever met a person claiming to love grapefruit juice.
The article maintains that if you prefer grapefruit then you like wines such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, and orange juice lovers will prefer Chardonnay or Viognier.
I wish it were that simple, but it isn’t. I don’t like grapefruit juice, but I do really like Sauvignon Blanc and dry Riesling. Chardonnay tends to be one of my least favorite wines these days, but I like orange juice.
Third question.
(3) Which would you rather have on a steak? Cracked black pepper or béarnaise sauce?
If you like black pepper, F&W says you will like Syrah and other Rhone varieties, and if you prefer béarnaise sauce you might like a smooth California Merlot.
This question defies all logic. If you need help figuring out your wine preference through these questions, then most likely you won’t know what ‘other Rhone varieties’ are or what béarnaise sauce is. There is also a good chance that if you know your French sauces such as béarnaise and have a strong preference over cracked pepper, then you also won’t need this wine preference tutorial.
Last question.
(4) Which sounds more appealing? Black truffles or blackberries?
The wisdom here goes that if you like funky, earthy flavors such as truffles (not the candy) then you will prefer Pinot Noir, and if you like blackberries you tend to like Australian Shiraz and California Zinfandel.
At least the other questions had some common thread: milk, citrus, and pepper but this one has no common thread. It’s almost as if I asked you: Which do you want to eat? A steak with a nice sauce made of forest mushrooms or a freshly picked sun-ripened strawberry? It is extremely possible that you like both, eat both, and prefer them at different times during the year.
I could go on an on taking shots at these simple and misleading questions and how they really don’t help you figure out your taste, but this brings me back to the idea of wine in the Midwest. I guess it really isn’t about the Midwest per se, but a challenge of wine lovers trying to interact with and inform those who don’t drink wine so frequently.
The Food & Wine article is just a case in point. The person who wrote that short tutorial probably knows wine quite well, but advising wine in that way once again boils down to simple formulas. In the end it really isn’t that different than if you ask about Cabernet versus Merlot, dry over sweet, or white versus red.
I like almost all wines at least some of the time. I don’t usually prefer sweet wines, but I have had some great Vin Santo, Sauternes, and Tokay. Fruit-bomb Australian wines are not my go-to style these days, but I loved them when I first started drinking wine and will still drink them if I am serving something that a fruity red would compliment.
But most of all, regardless of what wines I am presently ‘into’, I will almost always try an interesting or surprising wine just for the fun of it. Sometimes I buy a wine and cook a meal around it, and I often break wine-food pairing rules. I still love crisp whites and roses well into the dark winter months, and I even like chilling my reds in the summer. Sorry.
In the end I just want a salesperson to inspire me — at least somewhat. I want to enter a wine store and just once have a that person say: “Hey you — yeah you, Come here. Do you want to try something fabulous? This wine is just amazing.” Then the person educates you on how it is unique and tastes so great, and you go home inspired to cook a great meal or even entertain some friends and family.
The best thing is that inspiration works for all types of wine drinkers, as we all just want something fabulous. That bottle of wine should be fun and inspiring; a guest at the table. Wine lovers try a great variety of wine looking for something new; it is not about narrowing tastes and preferences.
So the next time you are in a wine store ask for them to suggest a grape you have never tried. Ask for something interesting or a wine that person found surprising. Just, please oh please don’t ever choose your wine based upon if you like whole or skim milk.
In the January Saveur issue they give some recommendations on which yeast to use when faced with the choice of fresh yeast, active dry, and rapid rise (instant). The short article advises to stay away from old-fashioned fresh yeast as it is extremely perishable and you may end up buying a block that is already dead. Active dry and instant yeast are much more reliable and can be found in most supermarkets.
The difference between active dry and rapid rise yeast is how they are prepared. Active dry goes through a harsh drying process that removes 90 percent of the moisture and kills up to 70 percent of the yeast organisms. It also produces a hard coating around the granules, which is one of the reasons you need to proof dry active yeast. In the proofing process you are dissolving the hard coating in warm water with some sugar to get the yeast moving again, but most importantly you want to see if it is still alive. No life means your bread won’t rise.
Instant rise yeast goes through a much gentler process. Fewer yeast cells are killed, but this also means that it is more potent, so many bakers will recommend using less of it. Saveur recommends using 3/4 teaspoon to one teaspoon dry active yeast, but King Arthur Flour simply recommends ignoring it and using as much as the recipe calls for regardless of type. Rapid rise yeast also does not need to be proofed in water, so it can be added directly to other ingredients.
When storing yeast, it is best to keep it in an airtight container in the freezer. It can also be stored at room temperature in a cool dark place if sealed properly, but the freezer is still a safe bet. Just make sure the yeast is not exposed to high temperatures as this will cause the organisms to become inactive, and always check the expiration date on the package.
One note of interest is that the process of making active dry yeast was developed before World War II so that troops could have fresh bread. Fresh yeast simply couldn’t make the long trips and weather the conditions under which soldiers existed. If you want to know more about all things yeast and how it works to make wonderful bread, you can go to King Arthur Flour for a more extensive article.
