May 28
Happy 1oth Anniversary, ‘wichcraft! Check out this video series to learn about their carefully-sourced ingredients. We’re proud to supply them with our heritage breed bacon, which they put to good use in many delicious sandwiches. In this short video, watch for Tom Colicchio and for Ariane’s bacon socks! And learn how we raise pigs to make the best bacon around.
Mmmm. Might be time for a BLT.
Hog on Hog from Listen Films on Vimeo.
Now that’s how you do it! Here’s an insanely cool video from our client Alobar restaurant in Long Island City, New York. Chef Ian Kapitan straps our suckling pig on for a joyride through NYC before turning it into one of his signature dishes: Porchetta di Testa. More than just rock ‘n’ roll and food porn, the video reinforces Chef Kapitan’s commitment to humane, sustainable meat and whole animal butchery. Well done!
Ariane Daguin and Julia Child had many things in common – height, boldness, creativity, humor and a healthy dose of irreverence. But the thing that bonded them was their passion for sharing the pleasures of French food with America. While Julia had TV audiences eating out of her hand, she took time to encourage Ariane in the early years of D’Artagnan to help the fledgling business grow.
August 15, 2012 would have been Julia’s 100th birthday and it’s a time to celebrate her life. Here, Ariane reflects on how much Julia meant to her, sharing memories of the culinary icon that inspired a generation, and who continues to do so.
D’Artagnan exists today in part thanks to Julia Child.
First, because she was the initiator of the good food crusade; in our world of gastronomy, there are definitely two Americas: the one before, and the one after Julia!
Certainly, she was the pioneer who elevated good food to a higher priority in this country. Without her, legions of dedicated artisanal suppliers like us, passionate chefs, and prolific writers would not be here today, arguing about the true meaning of organic, what constitutes local and seasonal boundaries, or the proper age of a Berkshire pig to achieve ideal belly fat.
Second, because not only did she help advance the “good food” cause in general, but she also helped me promote D’Artagnan’s mission, in the early days of the company.
I met Julia while her influence was at its height. She could not participate in a cooking seminar, enter a restaurant, or even cross the street without creating a mob scene. So I learned quickly that once we entered a public place, whether intimate or not, there would be no more one-on-one conversation.
At the time, 28 years ago (when D’Artagnan started), she was actively working to organize the gastronomes of the country, and constantly invited us to participate in her events and gatherings.
When we were together at those gatherings, she would take me under her wing, like a second mother this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
While giggling in French between us, she would make a point to introduce me to everybody in sight who was “somebody.”
I remember, in particular, one of the first conferences of the A.I.W.F. (American Institute of Wine and Food), that she helped create. We had, after she introduced us to each other, extremely animated discussions: one with Calvin Trillin on cooking spare ribs, and the other with Alice Waters, on which kind of thyme can grow where.
At every food show where she knew we were participating, she would come and get me at D’Artagnan’s booth. We would then walk the aisles together, creating an instant mob scene wherever we decided to stop and taste the goods.
The last time I saw Julia was in Boston, just before she left to retire for good in Santa Barbara, CA. She had invited me to do a talk about foie gras, in the afternoon, then brought me to a Les Dames D’Escoffier cocktail event where, as usual, all the guests flocked around her the minute we entered the room. That evening, for the first time, she had to ask for a chair and continued her greetings while seated.
The next day for lunch, she asked me to meet her at Biba, Lydia Shire’s restaurant which was then THE place to be in Boston. I arrived slightly late (visiting chef clients and getting lost in Boston in the morning). When I got there, Julia was already at the table, seated in front of a tall drink that appeared to be tomato juice. Going with what I assumed was the flow, I asked the waiter for a Bloody Mary. To which Julia added, in her unmistakable multi-tone voice: “Oh, what a good idea! Could you make mine one, too?” At which, Lydia arrived on the double, with a bottle of vodka in hand. Glasses were filled (constantly) and I remember nothing but that sentence that I try, very badly, to imitate once in a while.
It’s wonderful to see the world celebrating her life on the 100th anniversary of her birth this month. But I’m not surprised, because there is no other “food celebrity” that inspires more affection and devotion than Julia. Actually, she was the beginning of our modern concept of a food celebrity. Her personality was so huge and so generous that it came through the TV. Whether she was tossing a limp, American-style baguette over her shoulder in disgust or burning her eyebrows off making bananas flambé, Julia embodied the spirit of adventure in cooking. She was always learning, even as she taught. She made cooking entertaining, took it from drudgery to artistry—and beyond, to fun. And she did it in a very approachable way, making mistakes, dropping things on the floor, the way you do in real life. Suddenly, French food wasn’t so fancy; it was food you could make at home.
It seems to me that you can’t overestimate the importance of a cultural phenomenon like Julia. Without her, would we even have multiple TV channels dedicated to cooking shows? Or so many food blogs? I think that the cult of the kitchen started with Julia. She made people want to cook, talk about food and challenge themselves in the kitchen.
And even now, years after her death, her fame grows with biographical books and movies. This month, to celebrate the 100th anniversary, there are restaurants around the country offering special menus of her recipes. But most of all, there are people cooking her recipes at home. That’s her true legacy. She got people to embrace French cuisine in their kitchens, with her confident voice ringing in their ears and her inspired (and tested!) recipes as a guide. Her joie de vivre and passion for food were infectious. Sharing that on her TV show made French food accessible to Americans. It made her a star, and she even created a catchphrase–that sing-song trademark sign off, “bon appétit!” - Ariane
NBC Nightly News aired an interesting story this week about Flynn McGarry. While most 13 year old boys are pining over girls, worrying about pimples or playing hours of nintendo, young Flynn is donning an apron, mastering his brunoise and upping his sous vide game. Flynn is a 13 year old aspiring chef in Los Angeles whose passion for cooking is so great he actually turned his bedroom into a professional kitchen. We kid you not. Young Flynn also hosts a monthly underground dinner in his parent’s house and recently manned the stoves for a special pop-up at LA eatery, Playa. “Chef” McGarry served a seasonal 9-course meal to a sold out house. We’re curious to see what this budding toque does next. Check out the NBC video and Flynn’s website here.
The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) originated in the warm region of South America, and although a tropical bird, can adapt to cold weather conditions down to 10°F without ill effects. This recommended it to domestication in North America, and also made possible flocks of feral ducks in parks. Muscovy ducks are brown-black in color, with some pale wing coloration, but many of the domesticated ducks have been bred for white feathers.
The drake, or male, grows from 12 to 15 pounds though the hen, or female, is much smaller, weighing from 8 to 10 pounds. Both have what is called a caruncle – a fleshy, bulbous growth- on the head. This is a breed distinctive trait. They are also quiet ducks – the male makes a low hissing sound, not a full quack, and the females makes a short, weak quack called a pip, which sounds like a flute.
Muscovies are excellent fliers and like perching in trees, aided by sharp claws on their webbed feet. And they like to eat mosquitoes, spiders, slugs and bugs of all kinds, which makes them an ideal addition to a poultry barnyard.
Sometimes called Barbarie or Barbary duck, the Muscovy duck is thin-skinned, low in fat, and has deep red, mildly gamy meat which is sometimes compared to roast beef for its flavor, and veal for its tenderness. There’s also much more of it. The carcass of a Muscovy duck is heavier than most other domestic ducks, and has a larger breast that its Pekin counterpart, with up to 40% less fat than that breed. And while it may appear to cost more per pound than other ducks, Muscovy duck has a higher meat to bone ratio, which means you are getting more meat and less bone for the money!
And being so lean, the meat renders out less fat in cooking. Muscovy ducks have less fat and less calories per pound than turkey. All of this contributes to a flavorful and healthy eating experience. Europeans have been enjoying the Muscovy duck meat for a long time, and the popularity of this duck is growing in the United States.
D’Artagnan’s Muscovy ducks are raised without any growth hormones, steroids or antibiotics on a farm in California’s sunny, dry San Joaquin Valley by a producer that has been breeding ducks for more than 35 years. The ducks are fed a diet of corn, soy, wheat and alfalfa and are left to grow in open barns for up to ninety days, which means that they develop a meaty, full-flavored breast.
Recipe Suggestions:
Duck Civet
Double Duck Breast with Baked Figs and Duck Liver Toasts
Seared Muscovy Duck Breast with Marsala Orange Sauce with Red Currants
Smoked Muscovy Duck Breast, Tosaka Seaweed, Foie Gras Toast, Cherry Leaf Vinaigrette
The California ban on foie gras will be in place this July. Food lovers all over the country need to pay attention, because it’s the first state-wide ban on foie gras in our country. It sets a dangerous precedent, and it’s a wedge that animal rights activists will use in their campaign against these artisanal products and meat in general. Sure, it’s foie gras now – but what’s next?
Let’s keep the State off our plate! Show your support with our free badge for your blog or website. It’s easy. Just copy the code (in our sidebar, at right) to your blog or website. When visitors click on the image, it will open up the petition at Artisan Farmer’s Alliance, in a new browser window.
For WordPress blog users: In your dashboard, click on appearance>widgets. Drag a text box into your sidebar or footer. Copy and paste the code, hit save.
Learn more about foie gras production and keep up with the latest news at Artisan Farmers Alliance.
Umami (pronounced /oo-mäme/) is a relatively new term. It’s a Japanese loan-word referring the fifth taste, completing the revamped five-taste model alongside salty, sweet, sour and bitter. The mysterious word which as of late has been popping up frequently in food writing, blogs, restaurant menus, and cooking shows, describes a taste you are no doubt already familiar with. If you’ve eaten a well-ripened tomato, aged parmesan cheese, porcini mushrooms, cured ham, miso soup or even French fries dressed with ketchup, you’ve experienced umami.
Shiitake mushrooms - an excellent example of Umami
The sensation is difficult to characterize but some describe it as savory, meaty, mouth-watering and having depth or roundness. While many fail to recognize umami when they taste it, it plays no less of an important role in making food taste delicious.
So what is it exactly?
Salty, sweet, sour and bitter are fairly straightforward tastes but umami is slightly different. Umami is a distinct but difficult to describe, savory taste caused by the interaction of glutamates (amino acids), and ribonucleotides (naturally occurring compounds in food) reacting with receptors on the tongue, or taste buds. Some umami taste buds respond specifically to glutamate in the same way that “sweet” buds respond to sugar.
Cured hams, like Jambon de Bayonne, trigger umami receptors
Think about biting into a cheddar cheeseburger with ketchup, spaghetti with marinara sauce and a dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano or a salt-kissed slice of Jambon de Bayonne – the saliva-inducing, mouth-filling, deep, satiating taste – that is umami. In addition to being a unique standalone taste, umami seems to enhance foods it is combined with, intensifying other flavors as well.
History & controversy
Although the term is relatively new, the concept of umami is ancient. Examples of umami-rich foods can be traced back centuries. The taste appeared in early cured and fermented foods, such as the Roman condiment, garum, and fermented Asian sauces such as soy sauce, which is thought to have originated over 2,800 years ago.
Ancient Roman fermenting vats, used in the production of Garum
In the late 1800s, the “king of chefs and chef of kings”, Auguste Escoffier, discovered and noted the unique character of umami, when he developed his famous veal bone stock. The exquisite dishes he enriched with the stock had a new quality – one that was deep, rich and could not be described as salty, sweet, sour or bitter. Although he couldn’t fully articulate this new taste, causing French scientists to diminish his discovery, Escoffier knew he had stumbled onto something important. Well-heeled Parisians thought so too, flocking to the Ritz Hotel in droves to experience his dishes for themselves.
Auguste Escoffier & Kikunae Ikeda, Taste Pioneers
A short time after Escoffier’s discovery, the Japanese expression “umami” was coined. In 1908, Tokyo University Professor, Kikunae Ikeda, while studying the palatability of broth made from kombu seaweed noted that the taste could not be classified as salty, sweet, sour or bitter. He combined umai “delicious” and mi “taste” to describe the broths rich, deep, savory quality and wrote a scientific article outlining his find. But just as with Escoffier, scientists rejected Ikeda’s findings. The traditional four-taste model was so dominant, umami’s status as a fifth taste was considered controversial until nearly 100 years after it’s discovery when a new generation of scientists finally took a closer look. They discovered, just as Escoffier and Professor Ikeda had alleged that indeed there is a fifth taste. And it’s delicious.
