James Beard: The Quintessential American Epicure

If you're of the gormandizing ilk there's an event at the New School that should be on your radar. It costs less than a movie and is guaranteed to enlighten your mind as well as your palate.

James Beard: The Quintessential American Epicure
Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:00 p.m.

James Beard, called “the quintessential American cook” by Julia Child, laid the groundwork for the gastronomical revolution that surged in the second half of the 20th century. Beard trained as an actor but found his life’s work in food: he was the author of 27 cookbooks, founded his own cooking school, and made history in 1946 by hosting the first cooking show on television. Anointed the “dean of American cookery” by the New York Times, Beard is now associated with the best in American restaurants and cooking. His most important legacy is his celebration of American food and food traditions. Speakers: Mitchell Davis, vice president of the James Beard Foundation; writers Betty Fussell, Barbara Kafka, and Judith Jones; and Dana Polan, professor of Cinema Studies at New York University. The moderator is Andrew F. Smith, editor of the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink and member of the New School faculty. Location: Wollman Hall, Eugene Lang Building, 65 West 11th Street, 5th floor (enter at 66 West 12th Street).

Admission: $5; free to all students and New School faculty, staff and alumni with ID. Reservations and inquiries can be made by email boxoffice@newschool.edu or calling 212-229-5488.

Notes:

Special thanks to Andy Smith, for passing the event information along. Mr. Smith is author of Hamburger: A Global History. The book is distributed by the University of Chicago Press and is part of Reaktion Books' "edible" series (which includes books on the history of pancakes and pizza as well).

Strange Fruit: The Flavor and Fragrance of Feijoa

The flavor and fragrance of feijoa defies categorization. On sight, the fruit resembles a cross between an elongated lime and a kiwi. The nose expects to smell something green, but the immediate impression of a feijoa is a tropical mélange that evokes guava, strawberry, pineapple and violet notes. There is something about the green element in feijoa that is at once familiar, yet seemingly incongruous and medicinal. The culprit is methyl benzoate, an ester that is evocative of eucalyptus with wintergreen and berry facets. If you have a keen sense of smell, try sniffing beneath the chocolate, caramel and vanillic elements in the Thierry Mugler classic Angel; you will detect a methyl benzoate effect.

Some perfume lovers aren’t partial to olfactive and gustative combinations in perfumery, and find such contrasting fusions to be rough-hewn. These fusions exist in nature and their successful application in perfumery requires a deft hand. The appeal of gourmand contrasts depends on whether the contrasts create more compatibility than confusion. Champaca Absolute, a new addition to the Tom Ford Private Blend Collection, is an example of a balanced gourmand scent. The fragrance riffs on the mouthwatering fruitiness inherent in champaca (a tropical flower) by utilizing harmonious contrasts of bergamot, cognac, tokaji wine, vanilla bean, amber and marron glacé. A touch of violet lends a powdery quality that sugar dusts the lush floral elements in Champaca Absolute. What keeps this fragrance from becoming a hackneyed fruity floral is a green element that is present on skin throughout the drydown.

Eating a feijoa is a wonderful way to understand the nature of harmonious contrasts via taste and smell. When sliced, the yielding and juicy flesh reveals a jelly-like pulp that is divided into quadrants. The flesh closest to the rind is sweet, creamy and slightly gritty. Feijoas have an ambrosial flavor and taste exactly like they smell. Finding them can be a bit of a challenge as they are native to southern Brazil, northern Argentina, western Paraguay and Uruguay. Feijoas are commercially grown in New Zealand and California, so you may be able to find them at gourmet markets. The fruit can also be ordered from Melissa’s Produce. The cost is $24.95 for ten, plus shipping. For more information call (800) 588-0151.

Notes:

The image of feijoas comes from Daley's Fruit Tree Blog.

Tom Ford Champaca Absolute is priced at $180 for 50ml and $450 for 250ml. It is available at select Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue stores nationwide.

The Scent of Change: Inauguration Day 2009

We’re feeling it in New York and the nation is feeling it too. The scent of change is in the air.

Today is January 19, 2009. Martin Luther King’s Day marks the day before Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44^th President of the United States of America. My spell checker wants to call Obama “Osama”—it has been officially re-programmed to know better.

Tomorrow is January 20, 2009. Barack Hussein Obama's inauguration will commemorate the 200^th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. He will be the first African American President this country has ever had.

It’s a cold winter night. The twinkling snowfall is enchanting and pure. You can bottle a lot of things, but there is no way you can contain the hope and excitement that is running through millions of people tonight. Change is in the air. You can smell it hanging on every brilliant snowflake…

Penzeys Spices Tuscan Sunset: The Melding of Taste and Sight

Perfumers and spice blenders are highly skilled in the art of combining individual ingredients and cultivating new aromatic effects. Naming a new creation is extremely important as the result must reflect the defining qualities that stir the senses. A name brings a creation to life, providing a reference point and destination. When we have a name for something, we know how to relate to it and share its story. Penzeys Spices Tuscan Sunset is an unforgettable example of the masterful art of spice blending and aromatic appellation.

Tuscany is known for its rich agriculture and a landscape dominated by rolling hills. Its simple and mesmerizing beauty is reflected in the pages of Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun, which was made into a movie starring Diane Lane in 2003. Cereal grains, olives and grapes are popular regional crops that support a culture where artisan foods flourish. There is something about the Tuscan landscape that plants itself in the soul of anyone whose feet touches its soil. Tuscany has a magical character and Penzeys has found a way to cultivate its essence in a spice mixture that includes: basil, oregano, red bell pepper, garlic, thyme, fennel, black pepper and anise. The result is an aromatic blend that is verdant, uplifting and bright.

Penzeys' packaging is simple; demure black-capped glass jars affixed with pastel yellow labels. There are no fancy pictures on the labels and the spices are permitted to speak for themselves through the glass. If you’re familiar with the ingredients in the mixture, flavors will begin to form in your culinary imagination as the taste of the blend is anticipated. A palette of colors emerges in the mind in synesthetic response to the colors of the spice mixture. "Harvest Time", a painting of the Tuscan countryside by Kendra Schwabel, echoes a culinary vernacular that is immediately evident in the artist's choice of colors and the way her brushstrokes portray shadow and light. The painting expresses the flavors in Penzeys Tuscan Sunset better than any subjective explanation of ingredients possibly can and inspires admiration for Schwabel's talent.

Tuscan Sunset is recommended as a seasoning for vegetables, chicken, pork or fish. Glass Petal Smoke has discovered another application that is simple and delicious; warm bread drizzled with olive oil, Tuscan Sunset and a layer of fresh ricotta. Buon appetito!

Notes:

Penzeys Tuscan Sunset is available in a variety of sizes and can be purchased on their website. To view their catalog, click here. If you are in New York City you can visit Penzeys at the Grand Central Market on 42nd Street.

Looking to increase your knowledge when it comes to herbs and spices? Aliza Green's Field Guide to Herbs & Spices packs an incredible amount of information in a pocket-sized book. If you can't find what you're looking for in the book, the author encourages you to visit her website and let her know.

Kendra Schwabel’s paintings may be purchased via her website. The image of “Harvest Time” is protected by copyright. Rights remain with Kendra Schwabel Designs.