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Popcorn

Here’s a bit of trivia for you. What snack food has a 5000 year history and accounts for over $2 billion in sales annually? It’s popcorn, a snack food that appeals to all ages. Historical references tell of documented discoveries of popping corn found in ancient caves in New Mexico. The American debut of this popular finger food is credited to the Wampanoag Indians who treated the Pilgrims to some popped corn on the very first Thanksgiving. Legend goes on to claim that the Pilgrims served the popped corn the next day with cream and sugar and voila, the first puffed cereal was born.

Popped corn has gone through several transitions since then, most notably, in the 20th century. The creation of movie theatres fueled the craze for popped corn, not to mention the addition of melted butter, which served to bolster the popularity of the snack food. By the 1950’s, television brought popped corn into the home in a big way. Then, the 60’s and 70’s saw the rise of the microwave oven, and popping corn almost immediately became one of the main uses for the magic cooking box on almost all kitchen counters. To this day, popcorn has remained one of the most popular American snack foods and each of us eats about 60 quarts of the stuff a year.

Through all the transitions of actual cooking methods for good popcorn, I find the stovetop method to be my favorite. And, my current favorite apparatus for making a big bowl of corn is The Whirley.Pop. My son gave us a Whirley.Pop for Christmas last year, and the thing is a blessing. Constructed of aluminum with a simple crank that circulates the kernels in the pot, it’s fool proof and has consistently offered the most complete pop ratio of anything I’ve ever used to make the puffy white snackable. Check out their web site at www.popcornpopper.com for the basics for home as well as a full line of gift ideas for the popcorn lover in your world. This year the company is offering a red Whirly.Pop.

Oh, one more thing. I love real, melted butter on my popcorn. And, instead of salt, I sprinkle ours with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, which seems to bolster the flavors and make this addictive munchy even more desirable. Whip up a batch, settle in and enjoy a simple treat that’s sure to satisfy.

Posted by Floyd at 10:10 AM

Citrus Juicer

The spark and intensity of fresh citrus juice can add great flavor dimension to lots of dishes.

It naturally follows that an essential tool for every kitchen is a wooden citrus juicer. Sometimes referred to as a reamer, these simple wooden items are easy to use, easy to clean and inexpensive to buy. At home, just cut and orange, lemon or lime in half and flick out the seeds with the tip of a paring knife. Grasp a half in your left hand, assuming you’re right handed, and then push the juicer into the center of the citrus, twist it and the juices will run into a bowl.

Squeezing the citrus while you twist the juicer increases liquid output.

It’s very easy to clean. A simple hot water rinse will do it. Don’t put them in a dishwasher.

Wooden citrus juicers are readily available in kitchen stores. I found mine at a target.

Prices range from $2.00-$3.00, and it’s worth every last cent.

Posted by Floyd at 05:36 PM

The Rochester Public Market a Year Round Event

When you think about it, one of the world’s oldest professions is probably farming and the eventual sale of the produce.

Public markets, sometimes referred to as Farmers Markets, continue that profession in today’s modern world. It’s a bazaar, a place of commerce.

But, most importantly, a public market is a place to gather, to communicate and to share in a common goal, to find food for dinner.

The Rochester Public Market is a secret gem.

Three mornings a week, every week of the year, produce growers and retailers offer their goods, in an open-air, covered marketplace.

Understand that in the winter months, selection is reduced to cold storage produce like apples, pears, potatoes, onions, beets and the likes from cellars and various other items from the gardens of the world.

Best of all, prices at the Public Market are fully half to two thirds less than grocery stores.

Selection is always best for the early birds.

On Tuesday, 8 o’clock is a fine time to shop. But be aware that pickings are slim.

Thursday, earlier is better, say 7-ish.

Saturday is busy, very busy, year round.

Vendors are ready to do business around 6 A.M., and by 9 A.M., selection and quality dwindles as the crowds thicken.

The rules are simple, get there early and bring cash, small bills. And, don’t try hard to dicker down prices. These people work hard for their money.

Posted by Floyd at 05:27 PM

Good Food

There are lots of people out there who qualify as arm chair gourmets.

Simply put, they buy food magazines and read them for the sheer pleasures of the words and the photographs. The possibility of a kitchen application in their own home is a distant possibility. If that scenario fits you or a friend, then make way to a magazine rack in a good book store and search out “Good Food.”

This popular publication from Great Britain is published by the BBC, and it’s just plain fun to read. It’s filled with delectable food art, tons of recipes and a generous portion of tidbits to tease the appetite in all of us.

Generally speaking, the content is from the food stars of the BBC, and the accompanying articles give insight into their world of work and play.

"Good Food" also has a “Reader Taste Team”, composed of random readers who have sampled some of the magazines food formulas. It follows that the team offers their opinions, a reality check for readers.

Mostly, "Good Food" is a nice journey to another kitchen, a foreign kitchen, complete with stove and refrigerator ads, food advertisements and even B&B destinations.

It’s fun, it’s different and it all about food. "Good Food" will tip the till at around $7.00, a very affordable vacation for any armchair gourmet.

Posted by Floyd at 12:42 PM

Brasserie 8 ½

New York City is my baby, a complete collection of architecture, art, style, history and humanity. And food, never forget the food. On your next venture to the best city on the planet, I’d like to offer a suggestion for dinner, Brasserie 8 ½ at 9 West 57th. Street, Midtown. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the fabulous boutiques of Fifth Avenue, 8 ½ is swanky, period. You enter at street level, you’re greeted and you then saunter down a curving staircase, seduced on the way by orange, rich, sensual and inviting as you descend into this subterranean temple of gastronomy.

The cocktail lounge beckons first, where smart revelers will sip a Fellini Bellini, a very tasty champagne concoction. Step down into the dining room and let it’s glass and mirrors sparkle in contrast to the cozy booths and tables. Professional, smart staff will see to your needs without fanfare and fuss. It’s just good service is all.

We let the chef, a culinary alchemist one Julian Alonzo, create a palate journey via a tasting menu. We held on tight; this was going to be serious stuff.

Intelligent designs in glass and porcelain transported and highlighted sensuous flavors and textures from the sessions beginning to the end.

Both my wife and I swooned over an amuse bouche of New England Clam Chowder, its flavors shouting freshness as we tipped the soothing and creamy soup into our mouths.

A raw seafood appetizer quartet, food jewels of composition, was perfect.

As was the quail and foie gras, rabbit confit with homemade angel hair pasta and fussy tomatoes, it all managed to satisfy a need for culinary exploration.

Although the Chef would have continued to send out dish after dish, we begged for an end, and selected a simple (we thought) dessert of assorted cookies.

The exuberant presentation was a large white Chinese take out container, resplendent with wire handle, stuffed with pastel tissue papers. Poking out were thin sticks of various familiar cookie flavors, among them ginger snap and chocolate chip. Other tiny savories dotted the plate’s surface along with a multi-chocolate lollipop, which I selfishly devoured with my wife’s permission. O.K., so we’re out-of-towners in the big city.

But, we love to dine and explore with our palates.

At Brasserie 8 ½, we took a journey and we loved it.

Posted by Floyd at 01:48 PM

GOOD FOOD - IT’S THREE TIMES A DAY AND IT’S LEGAL