KitchenSavvy

Spin, Spin, Spin

Last week in the grocery store, I noticed a new breakfast cereal from a popular brand.  The new kid on the block, let's call it "Plus", claims to satisfy your hunger.  Presumably, this means you will eat less.   Good idea.  Some of the newest research, particularly on artificial sweeteners suggest that because your appetite isn't satisfied, you may eat more, or snack more between meals.

A look at "Plus" versus the regular cereal from the same company shows the price per 100 grams (It's a Canadian thing!) is $1.30/100 gr against $1.50 per 100 gr.  I'm liking this more!

But then I checked the serving size.  "Plus" is over 50 grams whereas the regular is less than 30 grams for the same size serving.  Since we judge portions by how full our dish is (see Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink) that means that whatever your helping size, you are eating nearly twice as much, by weight, in a helping of "Plus".  Cost per serving? 70¢ for "Plus" as opposed to only 44¢ for the regular.  So per helping, the cost is 60% more!

And that's not the only cost.  Side by side highlights of the nutrition label shows that "Plus" has 200 calories per serving but regular only has 110.  That's 82% more calories.  Now, I know there is every kind of diet advice out there, but the simplest rule is that if you are going to eat a calorie, you need to burn a calorie through activity to offset it.  Remember Dave's First Rule -- "Your lips are the gatekeepers of your hips", also known as "If you don’t eat it, you won’t wear it."  Keep in mind that an extra 80 calories means about an extra 15 minutes walking to even things out.

Also, "Plus" has about 50% more sodium per serving, and almost a whole tablespoon more sugar (glucose and fructose).  The regular stuff had no fat, whereas the new has about a gram per serving, one fifth of which is saturated.  Not much fat, but not necessary.   The extra sugar accounts for over half of the increase in calories.  The rest of the calories come from the added fat, about 10% of the increase, and from increased bran and other complex carbs.

So, in summary, they sell you more calories, and salt, a little bit of fat, a tablespoon of sugar plus a few more ingredients and a tablespoon of bran, for about 25¢ per serving more.

If you buy the old stuff, and add your own sugar and bran if you wish, you can control your sugar intake and save both calories and cash.

Sugar costs about 1½¢ per tablespoon at grocery prices.  A tablespoon of bran costs about 10¢.  That means that the cereal maker, who is buying at much lower than retail costs is making a huge markup while turning the tables and telling you that they are selling you sugar and fat for your own good.

Am I missing something, or is it just Spin?

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com



Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

One of These is not Like the Others

See if you can spot the difference:

• The waiter brings our drinks to the table.  In his haste to move around the table, a beer slides off of his tray and spills all over Pat's leather coat.  Later, serving the first course, as he is putting soup in front of one of our daughters, he is already turning away to go to the next table, spilling soup everywhere.  Towards the end of our evening we hear some colorful language from the coffee station.  In a moment of inattention, he has reached under the spigot of coffee while filling his carafe and burned his hand.  Badly.
• At an upscale bistro in Saskatoon, our waiter Mike breezes by on his way to a table nearer the front.  As he goes by, he  casts back over his shoulder, "Is everything OK?"  In response to Pat's question about whether he really wants to know, he calls back, "I'll take that as a 'Yes'," all the time still moving.  Turns out everything wasn't OK.
• Tony stops to to ask if the food is alright.  First he asks me, and waits for an answer.  Then he asks Pat, and again waits for an answer.  He smiles, turns to me and says, "If she is happy, you are happy and if you are happy, then I am happy."

So, what's the difference.  Simply being there, doing what you are doing at this moment, not the next!

Now I realize that being a waiter is tough.  Sometimes you get slammed.  Sometimes the kitchen lets you down, especially if they are in the weeds too.  But there is a simple lesson here.  Stay focused on the one thing you are doing right now.  If half your mind, and body, is on to the next customer, or the next order, or the next table, then accidents happen.  If you are so rushed that you can't stop for an answer, then you are also too rushed to have a satisfied customer.  Food gets ruined,  things get ruined, and sometimes injuries occur.  At the very least, you go home feeling exhausted and likely counting smaller tips than you deserve for all of the work you put in.

As my mom used to quip, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."  If you stay focused, then fewer things happen that take more time to fix.  And that includes losing customer loyalty, without which few restaurants can survive.

By the way, the first waiter later told us he had been at the job for twenty years.  If in one night at one table he did so much damage, I would hate to see the tally after that long a career.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

It's Good to be Back!

Have you ever had a time when the cooking muse left you? For the past several weeks, I have been in a slump, lacking inspiration to make interesting meals.  Food has been more what can I put on the table than what can I create.

Well, this past week, Pat and I had a short vacation to Montreal, Quebec City, and Vermont.  In each place, we had really exciting meals at wonderful restaurants.  In Old Montreal, we had lunch at a spot called Olive et Gourmando.  The daily soup that day was parsley root, with a mild parsley flavor and a subtle peppery finish.  It came with slices of artisan sourdough bread, toasted in the panini press and served with sweet butter.

In Quebec City, again is the old quarter, we had a great meal at La Crémaillère, a classic haute cuisine restaurant.  Supper started with the Crepe "Fantasie" du Moment,  a mushroom filled crepe with a light Mornay Sauce, followed by tomato soup with a taste of roasted red pepper.  After that, Pat had a chicken breast stuffed with Brie, and I had Veal Medallions.  As I mentioned in an earlier post on Spring Tastes, on occasion you can taste the terroir of locally grown foods.  The potatoes that came with the veal tasted of the earth in which they were grown.  We chose to skip dessert until later and walk off a few of the calories we had just eaten.

The following night in Quebec City we ate at Cafe Sirocco.   The Hazelnut Crusted  Migneron Cheese with Sautéed Vegetables and Balsamic Dressing was wonderful, as was the grilled lamb chop with rosemary, Greek salad and fried Yukon Gold potatoes.  Pat's "Crème brulée au parfum du jour" for dessert was pineapple and coconut, and tasted like a rich, warm Piña Colada.

The real treat, though was in Vermont, where we dined at Michael's on the Hill in Waterbury Center.  I was honestly not expecting one of the best food experiences I have ever had to be in a small town in Vermont.  Chef Michael Kloeti uses fine local ingredients to create outstanding dishes.  The Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Pear Confit, Wildflower Infused Honey & Spiced Walnuts was done to perfection.  To sear foie gras takes a deft touch, a hot pan, and nerves of steel.  It must be cooked quickly at high temperature to get a brown crust, rich in flavor, without burning or melting the liver.  The candied pear confit was a perfect counterpoint to cut the unctuous flavor and texture of the foie gras.

In discussing the menu with the waiter before ordering, he said that customers have told him that the Roasted Pasture Raised Beef Tenderloin with Gratin Potatoes & Demi Glace is the best beef they have tasted.  I ordered it with the Bucher Blue Cheese, and may just have to agree.  For sure, it was one of the finest pieces of filet I have ever had.

On the return trip, we stopped in Toronto, where Pat's sister took us to the Don Valley Brickworks Farmers Market.  While we were there we picked up a baguette from St. Johns Bakery to go with cheeses that we got at Toronto's Cheese Boutique for lunch.  I also brought home some fine saffron from Kashmir, and dried  Chanterelle mushrooms from Forbes Wild Foods.

Tonight, the saffron and chantrelles went into a risotto to be served with a variation of Swiss Pepper Steak made with pork tenderloin.  I don't know if it was the vacation, the inspiration of fine dining for the past week, having new ingredients on hand or some combination, but it sure felt great to be back in the kitchen with energy and the desire to create.  It's good to be back!

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Spring Tastes

Spring has come to Saskatoon^*!

The past winter has been harsh.  It started earlier than usual, lasted longer than usual and saw the worst winter storm in thirty years.  Finally spring has arrived, and with it the fresh bounty of a new year.

Three weeks ago, I was able to gather fresh chives from my garden.  It may not seem like much, but after months of produce shipped to local grocery stores, it is a real delight.

The following week, the Saskatoon Farmers Market had fresh fiddleheads.  Fiddleheads taste somewhat like asparagus and somewhat like artichokes.   They are delicious parboiled and served with butter or made into dishes like risotto.    Also, Pat made the first Rhubarb Crisp of the season, with fresh stalks from our yard.

I have planted this season's herb garden.  There is nothing nicer than being able to go outside and grab a handful of fresh herbs for the dish you're cooking.  This summer, we will have basil, rosemary, bay, marjoram, Greek oregano, regular and lemon thyme, mint, curly and Italian parsley, and sage.  I plan to try battering and deep frying the sage leaves, which is an Italian trick.

In a few weeks, there will be fresh morels and chanterelles from the the northern forests.  Time for mushroom purses made with fresh shallots and thyme with cream cheese, wrapped in phyllo.

And then creamy soft new potatoes, so fresh you can taste the earth they were grown in.  You hear about the terroir of great wines, but the prairie earth taste of a new potatoes in a Salade Nicoise, on the deck on a warm summer evening! Delightful!

Another week or two, and we will have fresh tomatoes.  Slice some of those, along with some bocconcini from the Bulk Cheese Warehouse, drizzle with a little olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar made in the traditional method by Venturi-Schulze Vineyards on Vancouver Island, garnish with a chiffonade of fresh basil from herb garden and you have the best Insalata Caprese this side of the Mediterranean.  As far as I know, Venturi-Schulze is the only North American producer of traditional balsamic.

Soon the fruit trees in our yard will bear fruit, and Saskatoon Berries will be ready to make into pies and crisps or just served on fresh ice cream.

Winter was long, but this year's rewards will taste twice as sweet because of it.

^*To learn more about Saskatoon, click here, or here, or here.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Selling the Sizzle -- A Mini-rant

Some things I just don't get.

A local restaurant serves their steaks on sizzle platters, those shallow cast iron frying pans set on a serving base.  The platter is heated  before service so that the steak arrives at your table crackling and hissing, in billow of smoke and steam.

So, what's wrong with that?

Well, I like my steak cooked medium rare.  By the time I'm half way through a modest sized steak, it has cooked through completely, and is now well done.  A perfectly good steak is ruined by the serving method.

The last time I ate there, I asked to have my entrée served on a regular plate, only to have the waiter tell me that if they served it that way, it would be cold by the time I finished.  For centuries restaurants have solved that problem through the simple practice of warming the plate.  A plate warmed briefly in the oven or in a special warming cabinet is enough to keep the food until it is consumed.

Most of us have heard before the cliche of companies "selling the sizzle and not the steak."  I guess I just never thought they would take it so literally.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Angst, Anger and Food

If you are like me, you probably enjoyed the recent Food TV program Top Chef.  In the final episode of Season 1, Lorraine Bracco of The Sopranos fame and owner of Bracco Wines, said that she didn't care about the drama behind the scenes, and that the back story really doesn't mean anything, that it is what she was served that counts.  OK, if what she was served was flawless in every way, I couldn't disagree.

My experience, however, in cooking and in dining out is quite the contrary.

I recall one memorable meal at a restaurant in Regina, Saskatchewan, where chef and waitress were, as they say, having at it tooth and nail, yelling at each other.  First, in terms of atmosphere, as a customer I was unsettled by the tension in the air.  The waitress was far too stressed to be the least bit nice at the tableside.

The food was equally unsettled.  Little attention had been paid to plating.  Instead the food was lumped onto the plate.  Flavors weren't balanced.  The food was over-cooked.  To me, it seemed that the chef was  too distracted by what was happening outside of cooking to pay attention to the immediate task.  The mood of the restaurant had invaded the food of the restaurant.  The two were unavoidably bound together by the staff.

If matters get too out of hand in a restaurant, staff will start to sabotage each other, in subtle or direct ways, completely undermining the  quality of the food and the restaurant itself.

When cooking, I find that if I am rushed, or upset, or fail to leave the office at the office, then the food I prepare suffers.  Without thinking, I throw in a little too much of one herb and it overpowers the dish; my timing is off and one dish burns while I am working on another; I'm not focused and knock over the oil, making a mess of the kitchen.

Preparing good food requires in-the-moment attention to details, with complete focus, without outside distractions and without having to worry about figurative or literal knives that may be aimed your way.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Sometimes, It's the Waiter

Have you considered giving easy and convenient Amazon Gift Certificates for the Holidays this year?

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Memorable Meals III

Sometimes, it is the waiter that makes a meal memorable.

My wife and I recently took her parents out to Carver's Steakhouse in Saskatoon to celebrate their 55th wedding anniversary.  What can I say?  It's a steakhouse.  You can count on getting a good piece of beef cooked any number of ways with some options for sides, salads and desserts.  For variety, there are some fish, lobster and other dishes.  Nothing too elaborate, but good tasty food.

I'll tell you what I can say.

This time, it was the waiter that made the meal.  Tony was a delight.  He was immediately warm and friendly, and willing to be with his customers rather than aloof.  Pat and I are always looking for waiters who are "willing to play," meaning that they build a relationship with the clients and don't take themselves, or the waiter/customer relationship, too seriously.  Tony was willing to play!

While making table-side Caesar Salad, one of those steakhouse staples, he told us that he never makes it at home for his wife.  He says she makes a better salad than he does.  Meanwhile, he still made sure there was enough garlic and Parmesan for our likes and asked if we preferred to have anchovies in the dressing.  When it came time to put the romaine into the bowl, he excused himself for a moment and came back with a bit more lettuce.  He didn't think what was set out would be enough.

He  adopted names for each of us during the course of the meal, at one point leaning over to "The Lady" (Pat) to tell her that "Mom's" side of vegetables would be out immediately.  For some reason, I was "Super."

Tony was there to take care of us when needed, and away when not.  At the end of the meal, none of us felt like dessert but moments after serving coffee Tony returned with a small dish of gelato with a caramelized sugar garnish and a candle.  After all, you can't celebrate 55 years without something for dessert!

Now, some of you may cynically say that Tony was playing to his audience to get a bigger tip, and that's all right with me.  I say that when we go out to eat, we want an experience, which includes being cared for and, at least to some extent, entertained.  Thank you, Tony, for helping to make my in-laws' anniversary a Memorable Meal.

And congratulations again, Ruth and Norm.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Chez Plumeau

Memorable Meals II

Picture this -

A warm, sunny spring day in Paris.

Lunch outdoors at a restaurant just off the Place du Tertre in Montmartre within blocks of Sacre Coeur.

A musician playing contrabass in the courtyard just outside.

My bride of 30 years sitting beside me.

Lunch was Brie Pané (breaded Brie) with a salad of mixed greens, serve with slices of fresh baguette.  The salad was dressed with a light vinaigrette that complemented the flavors of the cheese and the greens without trying to take center stage.  To accompany, a glass of white burgundy wine, suggested by the waitress.  A perfect match to the meal.

Have you ever experienced a moment where your entire world is perfectly balanced?  Where elegance, simplicity and joy are in such equal measure that it brings tears?  This was just such a moment.  Wouldn't you know for a dyed-in-the-wool foodie like me that there had to be a great meal involved.

The restaurant was:

Chez Plumeau
4 Place Du Calvaire
75018 Paris, France

The musician was Jean-Pierre Lignian.

The moment was ... Perfect!

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Heaven, I'm in Heaven!!!

If you are lucky, at least once in your life you have had one of those meals that is so outstanding that it stands as a landmark, showing what really great food can be.  This article is the first in a series recounting some of my most Memorable Meals.

Signatures Restaurant, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Signatures Restaurant has received a Five Diamond rating from the Canadian/American Automobile Association (CAA/AAA). A Five Diamond rating is the highest honour bestowed upon restaurants by the CAA/AAA, and signifies world-class excellence.   They have also received three stars (the highest possible ranking) from the prestigious Where to Eat in Canada, and have maintained this ranking as one of the top 22 restaurants across Canada.  Le Cordon Bleu has been the recipient of two Ottawa Epicurean Awards, for “Best Service” and “Best Wine List Matched to the Menu”.

When I visited Signatures in 2001, I believe it was the only restaurant associated with a Cordon Bleu cooking school in the world.  I was in Ottawa on business and went to Signatures alone.  The following comes from an email titled "Heaven, I'm in Heaven!!!" which I sent my wife immediately after that meal.

To start, I had an apéritif of champagne, strawberry brandy and Cointreau.  A delightfully refreshing start.  Then, before the menu came a small amuse-bouche [literally a "mouth pleaser"] of warm, savory Sabayon with Foie Gras and Sun Dried Truffle.   It was served in a small silver cup, little more than a thimble in size, but I will admit that this little taste did exactly what it was meant to do.  It piqued my interest in the menu and made me look forward to the meal ahead.  I recall deliberately making a decision to set aside budget and enjoy a once in a lifetime meal.

And that it was!

Next I had a Cold Lobster Souffle with Caviar and greens served with three different sauces - reduced balsamic, white cheese, and carrot.  The flavor changed with each sauce.  It was as if the chef was giving me a short course in the effect that sauces can have on a dish.  I kept moving back and forth, tasting with one sauce and then another, sometimes with none at all, enjoying how each sauce brought forward a different character.

Following this, I ordered Oxtail Boullion, which came with beef marrow and a small puff pastry containing duck confit.  I remember eating marrow as a kid, spooning it straight out of the roasted bone.  It was probably one of the smoothest and richest foods I had ever eaten.  This time, it was poached in the boullion.  The taste of the confit was a perfect match to the hearty flavor of the broth.

For the main course, I had Loin and Tenderloin of Lamb with Rosemary, Eggplant Compote and Parmesan Gnocchi.  Again, the balance of flavors was outstanding.  The depth of the eggplant offset the slightly gamy taste of lamb and the solid taste of rosemary.  The gnocchi completed a palate of rich, deep tastes.  Regrettably, I can't remember the name of the wine I had with this meal, but recall that it was a hearty French red that suited the dish.

Dessert was a Apple Tart Tatin with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream and a Thyme Caramel Sauce(!!!!) with coffee served in a French press.  What a surprise to find the subtle hint of thyme in a dessert.

As if that wasn't enough, they brought a plate of Petit Fours ... a small Fruit Tart, an Almond Cream on Pate Brisée and a Chocolate Cake Square

The service was great, the waiter friendly and the atmosphere Victorian.  The only downside was that the meal with tip cost $140 Canadian for just one person, but as I said at the outset, it was a once in a lifetime experience, one I am still reliving years later.

If you find yourself in Ottawa, make sure to visit

Signatures Restaurant
453 Laurier Avenue East
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6R4
Phone (613) 236-2499
Fax (613) 236-2460 or
Toll-free (888) 289-6302
signatures@cordonbleu.edu

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward

Vegetable Shopping

One way to save on grocery bills while serving top quality food is to be a conscious shopper, making sure that you are buying the best ingredients.  Not only will they taste better, they will handle more consistently and last longer in storage.  Here are some examples.

In the grocery store recently, I was picking over the green beans.  Another customer came over and also started to sort through the beans looking for good ones.  The bin had a mixture of nice, firm bright green beans, mixed in with some that were limp, likely from moisture loss.  Others were dark green with age.  You can also tell those because the seed inside is easily seen in the shape of the bean.  Some had brown or black spots, while others were broken.  Not that they were all bad.  Maybe about a third of the beans were discards.  While we shopped, a lady came over, grabbed a bag and stuffed in handful after handful of beans, without even looking at them.  She paid 33% more for the usable portion than the other shopper or myself.

I usually buy cauliflower from the open bin instead of getting a cello wrapped head.  While the stuff in the open bin may be a bit older, it is usually trimmed of any darkening on the head and has most of the scrap leaves and stalks trimmed from the base.  Last time, however, there was none in the open bin so I had to take a wrapped head.  When I got home, I trimmed and weighed the package.  The edible portion was 440 grams, just short of a pound, while the scrap was more than half of the total, making up 460 grams.  At $3.49 a head, that comes out to $3.60 a pound, or $7.92 per kilo, for the edible portion.   If I recall, the cauliflower in the open bin is about $6.00 per kilo.  At least, now I have a basis for comparison for the next time I go grocery shopping.

One of the new things in supermarket groceries, at least in my area, is tomatoes on the vine.  The idea is somehow that because they are on the vine, they are better.  I wouldn't disagree, but I never buy them as-is.  While making sure that the tomatoes I take have the produce sticker on them so that checkout knows what I am buying, I twist each tomato off of the vine.  Why? For two reasons.  First, I don't like to pay for the inedible stalk.  At least as importantly, if I take them as a bunch on the vine, I am frequently forced to take some that are over-ripe.  Under-ripe ones aren't as much of a problem, unless I plan to use them all immediately.  By picking the tomatoes individually, I save about 20% of the cost.

So, by checking carefully, I can save maybe 20 - 30% on the cost of produce, which translates to something like $8 - $12 per trip.

Oh, and to the nice lady who just stuffs handfuls of beans into a plastic bag, thank you.  By not picking through the produce you buy, you reduce the grocery store's wastage, which translates into lower prices for me.

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If you have food or cooking questions, send them to Questions@KitchenSavvy.com
Due to the volume of questions received, not all can be answered.
© Lost Hobbit Enterprises 2004 onward