FOOD DECLARATION

Take a moment to read and endorse the FOOD DECLARATION to let policy makers know what kind of principles and actions you support, that we need a healthier agriculture system and to reform our current policies.

1. Forms the foundation of secure and prosperous societies, healthy communities, and healthy people.
2. Provides access to affordable, nutritious food to everyone.
3. Prevents the exploitation of farmers, workers, and natural resources; the domination of genomes and markets; and the cruel treatment of animals, by any nation, corporation or individual.
4. Upholds the dignity, safety, and quality of life for all who work to feed us.
5. Commits resources to teach children the skills and knowledge essential to food production, preparation, nutrition, and enjoyment.
6. Protects the finite resources of productive soils, fresh water, and biological diversity.
7. Strives to remove fossil fuel from every link in the food chain and replace it with renewable resources and energy.
8. Originates from a biological rather than an industrial framework.
9. Fosters diversity in all its relevant forms: diversity of domestic and wild species; diversity of foods, flavors and traditions; diversity of ownership.
10. Requires a national dialog concerning technologies used in production, and allows regions to adopt their own respective guidelines on such matters.
11. Enforces transparency so that citizens know how their food is produced, where it comes from, and what it contains.
12. Promotes economic structures and supports programs to nurture the development of just and sustainable regional farm and food networks.

FROZEN TREATS

Fig Ice cream and concord grape sorbet!!!

Xocolata in Barcelona

I feel like I posted this before but I forgot if I did and I can't find it in the old posts so... if so... here it is again!

On a visit to Barcelona two years ago I was taken to Granja M. Viader a dairy bar near Raval where Cacaolat was created (basically like yoohoo but better.) The specialty is simply the most decadent pudding like hot chocolate you've ever tasted. You can either get it with whipped cream or without (I got it with) and it's such a treat. You need about 4 cups of coffee to wash it down but it's worth it.

MOLLY MONTANA MOUNTAIN CAKE

Molly Schnick turned 30!! Hooray!

PAT A CHOUX FOR YOU

Hey everybody I am here today to take the mystery out of Pat a Choux. I was shocked in pastry class when I learned how easy it was. It's basically boiling flour in buttery water, then beating in eggs one at a time and you are done. The hard part is the piping but these lil guys taste so good that if a few of them look weird no one notices after the first bite. I did not have the tip I needed for classic puffs so these have a little ridge to them. I made savory gougere, by adding pepper salt and pecorino cheese to the pastry before piping and filled them with a roasted tomato and garlic reduction. The recipe below is for a regular pat a choux for cream puffs or eclairs.

Here is what you will need for a small batch (20-30 puffs)
1/2 pint water
3 oz. butter
1/4 tsp salt
5 oz flour
5 large eggs

Bring to a boil the water salt and butter, at the boil throw in the flour and stir. Stir constantly until it leaves the sides of pan and a film at the bottom. I usually take it off the heat as soon as that occurs. Transfer it to an electric mixer beat for like half a minute to cool it down. Add eggs one after the other until absorbed. Some say to add most of em at once then gradually add the rest. It needs to be glossy and hold it's shape for a moment when you draw a finger through it. the consistency in the pic with the paddle over the bowl, is perfect.
Pipe em out onto parchment. Bake for 12-14 minutes in a 425 degree oven.
If you want to make them into cream puffs, fill with pastry cream

Crema Catalana

I had the desire to make Crema Catalana (I'm not exactly a dessert girl) for a dinner party a few weeks ago. In addition to the recipe below I made some blackberry/raspberry syryp and added one fresh blackberry and two raspberries. I made an error after I had added the eggs and returned the creme to the heat and removed it before it was thick enough, so it never became the smooth delicious custard I had envisioned. When I realized it was not coming together properly, I consulted my personal dessert guru aka Lang, and we decided to freeze it. It actually "tasted" delicious, but I was a little sad. As always, cooking is science and experimentation!


Recipe:
6 egg yolks
1 liter of milk
6 oz. of sugar
1 lemon
1 vanilla cane

boil the milk in a pot with the lemon peel, vanilla bean (scraped inside and cane) and sugar.
once it starts to boil, take it off the heat and strain.
slowly add the egg yolks to the hot milk, stirring constantly.
return the milk to the heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, let it boil and THICKEN, once it's as thick as a soft custard, remove from the heat.
pour custard into ceramic pots and let it cool, approximately 3 hours.
as you prepare to serve, sprinkle sugar on top, heat cake slice and press on surface to crystalize sugar.