Sara Hohn – Food… Brooklyn & Beyond

I’m thrilled to announce the upcoming release of my dear friends’ fascinating book on the food history and ingredients of Brazil titled The Brazilian Table by Yara Castro Roberts and Richard Roberts.  They operate the Academy of Cooking and Other Pleasures in Paraty, Brazil, an incredible experience that will introduce you to Brazilian cuisine via Yara and Richard’s incredible hospitality.  I attended the school a couple years ago and apart from being an amazing trip to one of the most beautiful coastal areas on earth, I sampled some of the delicious recipes included in the book.  Yara and Richard’s enthusiasm for Brazilian food and culture is boundless and this book is in many ways a lifetime in the making.

Yara is the first Brazilian chef to write about its cuisine in English. She graduated from Boston University School of Culinary Arts and holds degrees from the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre.  She was also the host of the PBS Emmy-nominated Cook’s Tour television series.  More importantly, she is one of the best storytellers I know and is the source of endless culinary information and inspiration. Richard is, among many other things, a professional photographer and is responsible for the stunning photographs of Brazilian food, ingredients and landscape throughout The Brazilian Table.

Here’s an excerpt from the cover:

“Brazil—exotic, sensual, mysterious—mingles pleasure with high energy, and its cuisine is ndifferent. Recipes in The Brazilian Table adeptly blend native ingredients, such as manioc, cachaça, pequi, hearts of palm, and dendê palm oil, with traditional foods of Portugal, Africa, Japan, and the Middle East to create complex tastes that define this area of the world. The regions of Minas Gerais, Bahía, the Amazon, and the Cerrado are intimately explored from a food history and ingredient perspective, and a collection of recipes represents each area. A sample of the extraordinary cuisine includes Tucupi Duck Soup, Fish Paupiette with Crabmeat Brazilian-Style, Chicken Xim-Xim, Black Bean Tutu, Mango Galette, Giló Puff Pastry Tart, and Guava Paste Soufflé.”

It is currently available for pre-order. Visit The Brazilian Table at Amazononline casino.

Check out the website for the  book, www.thebraziliantable.com for updates on the book tour, reviews, culinary events and more.

I was doing some research on a number of special fruits and thought I’d share some of the information with  you.  These are the fruits you might back away from at the market because you’re not sure what to do with them.  But given the prominence of many of these fruits in everything from cocktails to pastries, we thought a refresher course might be in order.  Photos still to come!

Kumquats

The word kumquat comes from the Cantonese word meaning “golden orange” as this citrus fruit has a dark orange color.  Unlike an orange, however, the rind is tangy and edible.  In addition to being eaten on its own, the kumquat can be candied or made into jam.  While kumquat plants are often used in decoration, the fruit spoils within days, but they can be held longer in the refrigerator.  Interestingly, the kumquat is also bred with other citrus fruits such as lemons and limes, producing the limequat and the orangequat.

Litchis

Considered a good luck charm in China, the litchi comes from a huge evergreen tree and taste like a grape combined with a coconut.  Like the acai berry and other small fruits, litchis don’t travel well so they are most commonly found in cans. However, if you do see the nicely ripened bright-pink fruit fresh, simply peel their thin shells and their white flesh will make a refreshing dessert. And if you decide to cook them as part of a meat or fish dish, be gentle!

Persimmons

The quintessential winter fruit, the persimmon sometimes has the look of an orange tomato and the feel of an apple.  The two most common types of persimmons are fuya and hachiya.  The fuyu persimmons can be eaten like an apple while the hachiya persimmon is a softer fruit that should be consumed when very ripe and the center is almost liquid.  Persimmons can be preserved through canning or drying or made into a puree to accompany desserts. Persimmons are also the national fruit of Japan.

Pomegranates

Picked when fully ripe, the bright red pomegranate can be eaten fresh as-is, its pulp and seeds being tart and quite refreshing.  Pomegranate seeds are often used in Iranian and Middle Eastern cooking. The juice of the pomegranate is the source of the red cocktail syrup grenadine. The pomegranate juice market has also exploded in recent years, due to its high level of potassium, vitamin c and antioxidants. They can be left at room temperature for several days, or refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.  If you’re feeling adventurous, try poking a hole in the flesh of the pomegranate and sipping the juice from a straw.

Quince

Another delightful fruit native to Iran, the yellow, pear-like quince is best known for its use in jams and jellies.  You may have seen quince paste offered as part of a cheese plate, as it provides a sweet compliment to hard, nutty cheeses.  Quince has also been used since ancient times to make perfumes as well as wine, syrups and as an addition to meat and poultry dishes.  It’s not eaten raw, though it can be refrigerated for several weeks or its pulp frozen.  And quince is reportedly good for the gastrointestinal system.

I honestly didn’t plan for my next posting to be exactly one year since the last one.  However, it’s nice to be back and I’m looking forward to sharing with you more culinary finds from both Brooklyn and beyond.

I haven’t made a pie since placing second in an apple pie baking contest at Enid’s three years ago.  Though I continue to milk the prestige of that pie, I thought it was time to attempt another.  This weekend, in an unfamiliar kitchen and lacking the crutch of my dough-crusted Cooks Illustrated recipe, my friends and I cobbled together a knockout apple pie.   The eighth note garnishes, carefully placed to obscure any imperfections, clearly convey a lyrical quality.  

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I was about to mention a noteworthy pizzeria I visited in Rome, Italy, when I came across a posting on Slice NY featuring Morrissey standing coolly in front of the very same place! Montecarlo, located in the Piazza Navona area of Rome, was recommended to me by a trusted local and turns out some of the best pizza in the city. Always busy, Montecarlo is like a slice of Brooklyn with its bright lights, charmingly abrupt service and warm house red wine. And just like at home, I was clueless about the celebrities whose photos cover the walls. We started with some perfectly fried mozzerella balls. I loved my onion pizza (all 8 slices of it) with its major charring around the edges. My friend enjoyed the signature Montecarlo pizza with about eighty toppings including olives, mushrooms, sausage, peppers, onions, artichokes and a fried egg. I won’t try to guess what Morrissey may have ordered, but check out the SliceNY article for a thoughtful analysis of the intersection of Morrissey and pizza.

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High on my “To -Eat” list on a recent trip to Italy were rosette rolls, a light, airy roll native to Rome. Decorated with five lobes or “petals,” this simple yeast bread has been part of the region’s cusine for thousands of years. Almost hollow with a crispy crust and very little crumb, rosette rolls are often eaten for breakfast with honey but are great with any meal.

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I like to call it the “Crockpot of Tomorrow,” but Italians know it as the Bimby, billed as “more than 10 kitchen appliances in one compact unit.” At first glance, the Bimby resembles medical or spa equipment. However, it chops, stirs, steams, purees, kneads, crushes ice, cleans and knows what time it is. The perfect guest.

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Amid rumors of nepotism, bribery and unfit judges, Barryville, New York’s Annual Pumpkin Fest yielded one bright spot – my own third place finish in the sweet and savory pumpkin cookoff. This past Saturday, dozens of participants submitted fine autumnal dishes such as pumpkin poblano soup, pumpkin bread pudding and a savory pumpkin sausage pie, as well as gloppy Family Circle-esque offenses. The prizes: $100 cash, pumpkin-topped trophies, some ragtag purple ribbons and fifteen minutes of local recognition. My entry, an ice-cold pumpkin smoothie, likely had a competitive advantage thanks to the unseasonably warm weather. Nevertheless, we found some of the judges’ winning selections to be…let’s say… questionable. I’ll keep my post-game, obscenity-laden commentary confined to our car ride home. Suffice it to say, my culinarily standout group of friends and I will be back with a gourd-smashing vengeance next year.

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Imagine my delight when my friend mailed me the newly released cookbook titled, “Aaaah…Belizean Rum Recipes.” In it, some of the Cayo district’s best cooks and mixologists contributed recipes like the Sorrel Slammer, Sweet Ting Pastries’ Mocha Rum Cake, Kick Start French Toast and Pescado Caliente a spicy, fruity sauteed fish recipe including Belize’s 1 Barrel rum, and the national hot sauce, Marie Sharp’s. After mentioning to my cookbook connection that 1 Barrel rum may not be available in Brooklyn, I received a leaden package with three boozes branded “Tasting is Belizing.” With its Jack-Sparrow-meets-70s-AM-Gold motif, the package had me pining for a pina colada (more…)

While my recent “Mission to Merida” was not primarily for food research, I did take the opportunity to sample some local Yucatecan favorites, visit grocery stores, and try the pizza at Vito Corleone’s. (Is the old man slipping?) Here’s a slideshow after the link, with more culinary tales from Merida and other parts of Mexico coming soon.

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