Techno-Gastronomy in the Big Apple

Imagine lots of food for thought by inspired thinkers who inspire others to probe both the virtual and the tangible corners of the edible realm. This is the food + technology conference taking place in New York City on April 3 through April 5th, and I can't wait to go. More auspiciously called The 2014 Roger Smith Conference on Food/ From Flint Knives to Cloned Meat, the line-up includes more than 100 presenters, 31 panels, workshops and receptions but, most importantly, the event promises an extensive three-day flirtation with culinary luminaries and like-minded scholars - more than 250 of them. From Modernist Cuisine to The Brave New World of 3-D Printing, there is something here to satisfy anyone's taste for knowledge and thirst for the unknown.

Last year, the conference, held at the Roger Smith Hotel, was devoted to the erudition of cookbooks and featured a tantalizing array of speakers - from Mollie Katzen to Amanda Hesser. This year, Andrew Smith, the conference founder and driving force (along with organizers Roger Horowitz, Cathy Kaufman, and Anne Mendelson), imbues today's food vortex with "ambiguity." The sympathetic tag to the event's flinty name is, after all, "Our ambiguous love, hate, and fear of food technologies." I'm there.

The conference's leaders describe food technology as "any imaginable means of using and manipulating food, from cracking nuts with a rock to molecular gastronomy. The very act of deciding what is or isn't food is intrinsically bound with up technology." Wylie Dufresne, a leader of the movement to integrate science with food preparation and presentation will be there. So, too, will be experts in milling, flour and bread baking techniques, sensory profiling, wine and terroir, and biotechnology. Other compelling subjects include "The Eight Minute Egg" and "The Technology of Cake." A lecture on coffee would go nicely right here.

And there are workshops in social media for food writers, on the history of chocolate, and the truth about olive oil, led by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, the author of The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook.

Andrew Smith, a prolific writer and assistant professor of food studies at The New School, is particularly excited this year to have panelists coming from all over the United States and from six countries to participate. His latest book is New York City: A Food Encyclopedia (AltaMira, 2014); and his 3-volume Food and Drink in American History: A "Full Course" Encyclopedia was released by ABC-CLIO in November 2013. This is a man who can clearly handle a lot of information and knows a heck of a lot about New York City. If you already live in New York, this conference is a must. If you live out of town, it is an excellent reason to visit. For more information, to register, or book a room at the Roger Smith Hotel, go to foodconferences@gmail.com or http://thefoodconference.com/workshops.php.

And why does this conference matter? We are a nation obsessed with food and technology. The flow of one has always influenced the outcome of the other. Now we need to find out how they go together on one plate.

Cookbook Nirvana

Nirvana – a place of bliss – is my word for a cookbook conference taking place in New York City next month.  If you are a lover of cookbooks, like I am -- a writer, or simply an avid user -- this may be just the weekend for you.   The conference promises a tantalizing array of panels (from “Give Us This Bread: Christianity in Cookbooks;”  “In the Night Kitchen: Why Write Cookbooks for Kids;” Trendspotting in the Food Space;” to “Publishers and Food Bloggers -- Creating a Productive Partnership”); distinguished guests (Amanda Hesser, Arthur Schwartz, Molly O’Neill, Mollie Katzen), and illuminating workshops (from “The Wild World of Self Publishing” to “The Way to Look: How To Do Research with Cookbooks”), all under one roof at the Roger Smith Hotel on Lexington Avenue.   And if that is not enough to whet one’s appetite, I’m told that the food served at last year’s conference, thanks to chef Daniel Mowles, was very good indeed. But cookbook aficionados do not live by food alone and judging by the erudition of this year’s panelists, the real sustenance is about ideas, culinary history, process, and politics.

According to the conference organizers the event is an “eclectic gathering of those who publish, write, edit, agent, research, or simply buy and use cookbooks.”  In other words, there is something for everyone -- even collectors, who might enjoy a panel entitled “Cookbooks as Works of Art.”

Andrew Smith, the conference founder, charmingly takes “credit (or blame),” for launching the idea last year.  He teaches food history and professional food writing at the New School for Social Research in New York, and is the author and/or editor of 23 books.  His latest works include American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food, and Drinking History: 15 Turning Points in the Making of American Beverages.   And while he has never published an actual cookbook, Professor Smith uses them constantly in his own research and wanted to explore the vicissitudes of the field.  Because “cookbook publishing is changing so rapidly – self-publishing, printing on demand, blogging, online cookbooks, websites filled with recipes, and culinary apps,” Mr. Smith said that he didn’t understand what was underway – or where the genre was headed.  After talking with many cookbook writers and publishers, he concluded that no one else did either, “although many had insights and opinions.”   After last year’s triumphant conference, Mr. Smith felt his teaching and research methods had improved simply by attending the event and feeding off the vast culinary brain trust that had gathered.

To find out more about the conference, go to www.cookbookconf.com and save a place for yourself!  You’ll find me in the “Night Kitchen” – talking about the challenges of researching, writing and publishing books for children with moderator Laura Shapiro – one of the finest minds in the culinary world.

Why does this conference matter?  After all, we seem to have shifted from a cooking society to an eating society, so is there any real point to the annual tsunami of cookbooks being published?  My answer is without a doubt.  We are a nation obsessed with food, but the rules of the game are changing.

Two Radically Simple Recipes from JERUSALEM: A Cookbook

There isn't a recipe in Jerusalem, the new cookbook from London (by way of Jerusalem) writers Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi that doesn't intrigue me. Each speaks volumes about the flavors, tastes and foodways of this ancient city.  Some recipes are demanding and worthy of an afternoon of cooking, others are radically simple in the parlance I speak:  boasting an ineffable balance of ease, number of ingredients and time required.  Here are two of my favorites:

Swiss chard fritters with feta According to Yotam and Sami, "The intense green color of these fritters, originally Turkish, is paralleled by a wonderfully concentrated "green flavor" of chard and herbs.  They are a truly marvelous way to start a meal.  Spinach makes a good substitute for the chard; increase the quantity by 50% and just wilt it in a pan instead of boiling it.

14 ounces Swiss chard leaves, white stalks removed 1 ounce flat-leaf parsley 2/3 ounce cilantro 2/3 ounce dill 1-1/2 teaspoons grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cloves garlic, crushed 2 large free-range eggs 3 ounces feta cheese, in small pieces 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, add the chard and simmer for 5 minutes.  Drain the leaves and squeeze until completely dry.  Place in a food processor with the herbs, nutmeg, sugar, flour, garlic, eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.  Blitz until smooth and then fold in the feta by hand.  Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium frying pan. Place over medium-high heat and spoon in a heaping tablespoon of the mixture. Press down to get make each fritter about 2-3/4 inches in diameter and 3/8 inch thick.  You should be able to fit about 3 fritters at a time.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes in total, turning once, until they have taken on some color.  Transfer to paper towels, then keep each batch warm while you cook the remaining mixture, adding oil as needed.  Serve at once with the lemon wedges.  Serves 4 as a starter

Butternut squash & tahini spread According to Yotam and Sami, "This dip seems to be fantastically popular with anyone who tries it. There is something about the magical combination of tahini and pumpkin or squash that we always tend to come back to.  Serve as a starter with bread or as part of a meze selection.  Date syrup can be found in health food stores and Middle Eastern markets.

1 very large butternut squash (almost 2-1/2 pounds) and cut into large chunks (7 cups) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 5 tablespoons light tahini paste 2 small cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon mixed black and white sesame seeds 1-1/2 teaspoons date syrup 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spread the squash out in a medium roasting pan.  Pour over the olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together well and cover pan tightly with foil.  Roast for 70 minutes, stirring once during cooking.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Transfer the squash to a food processor, along with the tahini, yogurt and garlic.  Roughly pulse until combined into a rough paste, without the spread becoming smooth.  This can be done by hand using a fork or potato masher.  Spread the paste in a wavy pattern on a large flat plate.  Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, drizzle over the syrup and sprinkle with cilantro.  Serves 6 to 8

Come meet Yotam and Sami at Congregation Beth Elohim on Wednesday, October 24th.  I will be the host for the evening -- the interview begins at 7:30 p.m.  You can register here. Autographed books will be for sale.

For Illuminated Foodies and Cookbook Lovers: Come Join Me at "Brooklyn by the Book"

on Wednesday evening, October 24, 2012. I'm delighted to be part of a sparkling initiative created by two Brooklyn institutions -- Congregation Beth Elohim and Community Bookstore -- as they launch a new literary forum.  At "Brooklyn by the Book's" first food event, I will have the pleasure of interviewing the celebrated authors of JERUSALEM: A Cookbook and engage in a lively conversation about their gastronomic journey and culinary inspirations.  Hope to see you next week in Park Slope.  Share with all your Brooklyn friends! More information below (click to enlarge).

A "Babette's Feast" Dinner

For my daughter's school charity auction I agreed to host a dinner at my home -- where I was chief cook and bottle washer (well, actually, the only cook) and my husband was sommelier, digging out gems from his cellar such as an 1982 Chateau Margaux and several bottles of 1978 (!) Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon from California. The latter far exceeded the former but drinking the former (valued somewhere between $900 and $1900) was interesting, to say the least. It actually improved in the glass overnight -- and we sipped it for breakfast as we continued washing more than 100 plates, every pot in my house, and more than 75 wine glasses. One of my favorite movies is Babette's Feast. I suggest you rent it. You will then understand the title of today's blog. The menu for my 7-course seated dinner is as follows and it includes the hors d'oeuvres and wines also served. Many thanks to Susan Goldberg-Liu and her husband for bidding for the dinner, and to beloved Arthur Schwartz for being our "celebrity" for the evening and for signing his wonderful book The Southern Italian Table to all. Many thanks, too, to Omar Honeyman, waiter and bartender extraordinaire -- a legend on New York's catering circuit.

“COCKTAILS and LITTLE MEALS with ARTHUR SCHWARTZ”

Susan Goldberg-Liu and Simon Liu and friends FOR BERKELEY CARROLL

Hosts: Michael Whiteman and Rozanne Gold

May 24, 2012

Homemade hummus with za’atar and lavash crisps Cracked olives with wild fennel & “fish-sauce” pecans Tiny crostini of red pepper tapenade, goat cheese & fresh thyme Smoked salmon pizzette with lemon & basil

 Fresh corn fritters with cumin seed, wild arugula and lime Venezualan “guasacaca” sauce

   Ginger-Pear Lime Martinis Vinas de Balbo (chardonary-ugni blanc) in magnum, Argentina

M   E   N   U

Chilled Beet Soup with crème fraiche, smoked bacon & lemon zest Michael’s homemade whole grain-rye bread Mia Prosecco, Italy

Sauteed shrimp with shallots and tarragon, roasted garlic flan Pasanella & figlio Bianco, Maremma 2010

Crisped duck magret, roasted grapes & sauteed ramps with potato-cauliflower puree & grape demi-glace Chateau Margaux, France 1982

Falling-off-the-bone pork, vinegar, kale, wild mushrooms and buttery grits Keenan Cabernet Sauvignon, California 1978

Bitter chocolate mousse cake, lemon buttermilk sorbet, venetian wine cake Cockburn’s Quinta do Tua, 1987, Vintage Porto

CHEF:  ROZANNE GOLD

Great Women Chefs Cook for a Cause

Last night at a super-fashionable gala at New York's Pier 60 gathered dozens of the country's best female chefs doing what they do best:  being supportive, generous as all get out, and cooking to their hearts content. The event was a fundraiser for SHARE -- an organization which offers free help to women facing breast and ovarian cancer.  Their mission during these last 35 years has been to give these women an opportunity to experience a "second helping of life" -- hence the 8th annual A Second Helping of Life tasting event. I was there as a celebrity "sous chef" helping out at the table of D'Artagnan -- the company that put foie gras in the mouths of every gourmand. Ariane Daguin's featured dish was a "filet mignon of duck" (the "tender" from under the duck breast), topped with a mousse of foie gras with black truffles, and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.  That was my job -- to drizzle 400 small plates of this delectable offering. It was a fabulous event with more than 20 guest chefs and lots of famous actresses, editors, cookbook authors, and TV personalities as celebrity sous chefs. What a blast it was to hang out with all these women who have made such a difference in the food world and have extended that world into such beneficent charitable work. In addition to sampling some of the most delicious bites I've had under one roof, I sampled the humility of these women who have made it big-time and just want to give back. Many of these women are also members of the organization "Les Dames d'Escoffier" whose efforts have helped women break through the glass ceiling in an industry that once exclusively belonged to men.

I was thrilled to see Gabrielle Hamilton (of Blood, Bones & Butter fame), Alex Guarnaschelli, Anne Burrell, April Bloomfield, Anita Lo, Dorie Greenspan, Sarabeth Levine, and Rosa Ross (from Scrimshaw on Long Island), to name just a few. It was lovely to re-connect with Donna Hanover (Rudy Giuliani's first wife) who became a foodie herself as co-host with David Rosengarten of Food News & Views -- one of the Food Networks first shows (and I was their first guest!).  And what fun it was to sample Rebecca Charles' Lobster Roll (from Pearl Oyster Bar), scarf down Sara Jenkins' Porchetta "slider" (from Porchetta and Porsena), sip an amazing corn soup with smoked ham hocks and corn relish (The Spotted Pig and The Breslin), Alison Awerbuch's remarkable bbq shortrib & late summer tomato shepherd's "pie in a jar" with a brown butter cornbread crumble crust (Alison is the executive chef of Abigail Kirsch catering), Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez's "Shahi Chicken with Basmati Rice," Babbo's Gina DePalma's "Sweet Olive Oil and Rosemary Cakes with Lemon Icing," and eat too many of Nancy Olson's Salted Chocolate and Peanut Butter macaroons (Gramercy Tavern.)

I hope their goal of $400,000 was reached last night. Every bite was worth it. And kudos to Melanie Young who "imagined" this event eight years ago and then made it happen in such a glorious and meaningful way. Toques off to you.