Zagat launches food truck tracking site

Today, Zagat announced a free website that is aimed at the food truck fan base around New York - FoodTrucks.Zagat.com. Functional on mobile browsers (but not available as a smartphone app), the site allows users to track their favorite food trucks throughout the city and presumably take a more strategic approach to tracking down their favorite waffles for lunch.

Per the press release the company issued, the site plots real-time locations of New York's food trucks on a map. Trucks will be able to update their locations using specialized Tweets. Still in beta, users can search for food trucks by location, cuisine by Zagat food rating. Once a user has chosen a food truck, the site will indicate its location, social media links, as well as its Zagat ratings and reviews.

With my iPhone addiction currently being managed, I might have to let this site slip through to my list of cool mobile sites to visit. That being said, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a mobile app and an optimized experience specifically for my phone.

Kings of Pastry showing at New York's Film Forum

For those of you that enjoy the extremely niche food film genre, you must make a point to check out the Kings of Pastry, showing at Film Forum.

The folks at Film Forum describe the film as:

From the makers of the documentary classics DONT LOOK BACK and THE WAR ROOM. Pennebaker and Hegedus are simply the best — so when they turn their sights on the competition for the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF), France’s Nobel Prize for pastry, you’re in for a treat. Sixteen chefs whip up the most gorgeous, delectable, gravity-defying concoctions, and there is edge-of-the seat drama as they deliver their fantastical, spun-sugar desserts to the display table. The inevitable disasters prove both poignant and hilarious. When the film played in the U.K., critics dubbed it “the culinary HURT LOCKER”; “gastro-porn of the highest quality…as thrilling as any Olympic final”; and “quite possibly one of the most delicious films ever committed to celluloid.”

Additionally, filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, along with film subject Jacquy Pfeiffer and award-winning pastry and found/owner of Jaques Torres Chocolate chef Jacques Torres, will be on hand Wednesday, September 15, for the 6:30 and 8:20 shows for a Q&A session following the film

Pennebaker and Hegedus will also be on hand on Thursday, September 16, for the 6:30 and 8:20 shows.

For those of you that need a little more convincing to see the film, you can view the trailer here.

Kings of Pastry

Wednesday, September 15 – Tuesday, September 28
Two Weeks
Showtimes: 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10
Click here to purchase tickets. 10

I love New York City, but this is ridiculous...

 (Image courtesy of The Pitch)

I learned this week that  in New York, whole bagels are not taxed, but sliced ones are. My immediate response was befuddlement. I think my eyebrows raised as well, and I'm sure my mouth was slightly agape. This tends to be my physical reaction to news such as this.


The Wall Street Journal ( you can see the full article here) brought this to my attention. They report:

State tax officials, under orders from cash-strapped Albany to ramp up their audit and compliance efforts, have begun to enforce one of the more obscure distinctions within the state's sales tax law.

In New York, the sale of whole bagels isn't subject to sales tax. But the tax does apply to "sliced or prepared bagels (with cream cheese or other toppings)," according to the state Department of Taxation and Finance. And if the bagel is eaten in the store, even if it's never been touched by a knife, it's also taxed.

Let me point out something before I go on - I'm actually a fan of ordering a bagel and requesting that it not be toasted or sliced. I do this because I absolutely loathe the gargantuan amounts of cream cheese that is inevitably spread on said bagel. It's almost as if I ordered a carton of cream cheese with a side of bagel. Am I wrong?

However, my inability to understand ridiculous laws such as taxing bagels simply because they are "sliced or prepared" has prompted me to write this post. This is right up there with the Oklahoma law that states whaling is illegal. Whaling in Oklahoma? Okay?

Oklahoma does have one weird law I can get behind:  Oklahoma will not tolerate anyone taking a bite out of another's hamburger.

Save the food trucks!

Normally when I receive an e-mail from Ben Van Leeuwen, founder and president of Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream here in Brooklyn, I learn about an awesome new flavor, a store opening or generally some other sort of favorable news. They sell ice cream (and delicious baked goods + coffee), so what else would one expect?

Well, today's e-mail from Ben had a much different tone. Apparently, City Council members Jessica Lappin and Karen Koslowitz are introducting a law which would allow the Department of Health authority to suspend any vending permits issued to a truck with two parking tickets (feeding the meter or idling) and to revoke the permit of a truck that receives three tickets in a 12-month period. (The Wall Street Journal wrote about it too.)

Whoa. Whoa. What?

Oh, I'll tell you what - Lappin and Koslowtiz are threatening to put our favorite New York City food trucks out of service.  And I'm only going to say this once: You do NOT, I repeeat do NOT, take away my Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, Treats Truck , or Cupcake Stop. Oh no you don't!

Van Leeuwen has provided some ways that we can stand up and support our favorite local food trucks, so keep reading to see how we can save the folks and businesses that make our city so great - see Ben's entire e-mail below:

We need your help.

City Council members Jessica Lappin and Karen Koslowitz are introducing a law which would allow the Department of Health authority to suspend any vending permits issued to a truck with two parking tickets (feeding the meter or idling) and to revoke the permit of a truck that receives three tickets in a 12 month period.

While we do not condone breaking any laws, we feel that losing the ability to operate one’s business due to parking tickets is a punishment disproportionate to the violation. Furthermore, if other commercial vehicles were to be subject to this same law would that mean that UPS and Fedex would be prevented from operating in New York City because of two or three parking tickets?

We understand the Council member’s concerns about making spots fairly available for every vehicle but mobile food trucks are just a small portion of commercial vehicles that park in New York City. For the most part we make an attempt park in commercial zones whenever possible.

There are many potential solutions to this problem such as raising ticket prices, setting aside dedicated locations for mobile businesses and we would love to hear from you and for your voice to be heard by the appropriate Committee Members. Here is how you can help keep truckin alive in New York City by emailing twittering and joining a facebook page:

1. Come to the hearing: Wednesday June 16 @10am, Committee on Consumer Affairs, 250 Broadway (Hearing Room - 16th Floor)

2. Join the Facebook Page that Supports Truckers

3. Twitter your thoughts to Jessica Lapin (@jesslapin) or to Karen Koslowitz (@KK4NYC)

4. Email them your thoughts or you can cut and paste a draft that we have made for you to alter and personalize below:

Jessica Lapin lappin@council.nyc.gov
Karen Koslowitz koslowitz@council.nyc.gov

DRAFT LETTER

Dear Council Members Koslowitz and Lappin:

 

I am writing in support of the mobile food truck vendors in my neighborhood. These trucks not only offer a wonderful array of foods and beverages, they are a vital part of the lively street culture that helps define New York City. I love eating at the [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE TRUCKS AND LOCATION]

Your bill, which seeks to revoke mobile food permits based upon two to three violations of parking regulations within a period of one year, seems usurious and biased against a small segment of commercial vehicles that operate and park in New York City.

 

Of course these trucks need to follow City law like the rest of us, including paying the appropriate fines for any infractions they incur. But this bill is unfairly targeting truck food vendors. If residential car owners receive a few parking tickets in a year, their driving privileges are not revoked. If storefronts fail to shovel snow or sweep a few times a year, they’re not put out of business. Why should this bill apply to truck food vendors and not, say, Fedex whose trucks liberally use the city streets for deliveries? After two or three infractions, should FedEx be prevented from operating in New York City?

 

As a lover of all the unique things that make New York the city everyone loves to live in and visit, I ask you to please see my point of view: These food trucks are a real asset to our NYC – a treasure that must be preserved. And I ask you to also consider the livelihoods of the mobile food vendors. These people stand a good chance of losing their businesses based upon the all-too-easy- to-imagine scenario wherein they receive two violations in a given 12-month period. Our national goal is preserve and create jobs right now, not to eliminate them! And as members of our city council, I certainly hope that would be yours, as well.

 

I respectfully request that you discontinue any action on, or support of, this proposed legislation.

 

Sincerely,
[INSERT YOUR NAME]

Internet Week is for food nerds too

New York City's Internet Week (fingers crossed for a new foursquare badge!) is just a week away, and thankfully for us food nerds, we have an event aimed at our demographic.

Produced by Babette of Bakespace and Nichelle of Cupcakes Take the Cake have put together TECHMunch, an 8-hour intensive food blogging workshop on June 10th at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City.


Here are the full details (straight from the TECHMunch Facebook page):

If you're a food blogger, this intensive one day event will bring you up-to-speed on all the latest tools and tactics for building buzz, improving SEO, growing your audience and making money from your hard work.

The workshop will be followed by a networking mixer with giveaway prizes including KitchenAid appliances, cookbooks and each attendee will receive a nifty gift bag.

Buy Tickets Here: http://techmunchnyc.eventbrite.com/

Schedule:
Doors open at 9am
Panels begin at 9:35am
(light breakfast, lunch, snacks and appetizers/cocktails will be served)
Mixer begins at 3:45pm
(drinks, prizes and great company!)

Panel Topics:
How to Leverage Traditional Media
Building your Brand - From Blog to Cookbook and Beyond
Monetizing Your Blog, Insights in Online Advertising and Working with Brands
A Conversation on FTC Blogger Policy
Building and Implementing Your PR Plan
Gaining Mometum and Building Community
Food Trends
Selecting Good Content & Curating Flavors
Tips on Blogging More Effectively
The Main Ingredient: Recipe Writing 101
Practical SEO Tips to Build Your Blog Traffic
Bringing Your Passion Offline: Food Events
Storytelling: Connecting the Who with the What

See a full lineup of speakers at http://techmunchnyc.eventbrite.com/

Did I mention that I'm going to be on a Japanese game show?

Did I mention I'm going to be on a Japanese game show called Clash of the Foodies? Well I am...

Fingers crossed my future career as a Japanese game show contestant isn't like Chris Farley's experience...




CLASH OF THE FOODIES!
Live Game Show
4:30-5:20 pm

Colorful teams of showbiz stars, wrestlers and food experts across the city, featuring cabaret superstars Kenny Mellman (aka Herb of Kiki & Herb), Bridget Everett, and Neal Medlyn of Our Hit Parade, pro wrestler extraordinaire Queen of Squeeze Amazon Annie & Her Lobos Locas and daring bloggers squad The Taste Buds will gather to compete in a live game show that will challenge all five senses. It'll take stamina, lightning-fast reflexes and a connoisseur’s palate to emerge victorious!  Hosted by culture clash comedian, Kenji America. Tickets are released at 12:30 PM.

Counter Space, a new kitchen design exhibit, invites us to dinner on September 15, 2010

Example of the "Frankfurt Kitchen" design.

One of my goals this summer is to make my first trip to Washington, D.C. to see Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian. However, if I don't end up making the trip, I'll have a nice substitute as of September 15, 2010, when the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in New York opens the exhibit Counter Space: Design and the Modern Kitchen. Here is how the folks at MoMA are describing the new exhibit:

Counter Space explores the twentieth-century transformation of the kitchen and highlights MoMA’s recent acquisition of an unusually complete example of the iconic “Frankfurt Kitchen,” designed in 1926–27 by the architect Grete Schütte-Lihotzky. In the aftermath of World War I, thousands of these kitchens were manufactured for public-housing estates being built around the city of Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany. Schütte-Lihotzky’s compact and ergonomic design, with its integrated approach to storage, appliances, and work surfaces, reflected a commitment to transforming the lives of ordinary people on an ambitious scale. Previously hidden from view in a basement or annex, the kitchen became a bridgehead of modern thinking in the domestic sphere—a testing ground for new materials, technologies, and power sources, and a spring board for the rational reorganization of space and domestic labor within the home. Since the innovations of Schütte-Lihotzky and her contemporaries in the 1920s, kitchens have continued to articulate, and at times actively challenge, our relationship to the food we eat, popular attitudes toward the domestic role of women, family life, consumerism, and even political ideology in the case of the celebrated 1959 “Kitchen Debate” that took place between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.

Featured alongside the Frankfurt Kitchen is a 1969 mobile fold-out unit manufactured by the Italian company Snaidero. These two complete kitchens are complemented by a wide variety of design objects, architectural plans, posters, archival photographs, and selected artworks, all drawn from MoMA’s collection. Prominence is given to the contribution of women throughout the exhibition, not only as the primary consumers and users of the domestic kitchen, but also as reformers, architects, designers, and as artists who have critically addressed kitchen culture and myths.

This exhibition is organized by Juliet Kinchin, Curator, and Aidan O’Connor, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design.

For more reading on the "Frankfurt Kitchen" design, check out this 2006 article from The New York Times that touches on the subject: Kitchen Aide by Caroline Roux.

Molly Wizenberg a.k.a. Orangette is coming back to New York!

Around this time last year, I was fortunate enough to see Molly Wizenberg, the blogger behind the fantastic site Orangette, a Bon Appetit columnist, and the author of A Homemade Life, at one of her New York City readings.

Well, I'm happy to report that Ms. Wizenberg will be back in my fair city promoting her book once more and giving was is sure to be a delightful reading. Whether you were at her readings in 2009 or missed out, I suggest you spin by Posman Books in Chelsea Market at 7 p.m. on April 6th.


What: Molly Wizenberg Book Signing/Reading
When: Tuesday, April 6th, 7:00 pm
Where: Posman Books at Chelsea Market, 75 9th Avenue, New York NY 10011
Free event, open to the public

French Revolution: Move Over Cupcakes and Make Way for Macarons

 

This post originally appeared on Behind the Burner on March 5. However, I thought I'd share it on my personal blog too AND call out that the photo was taken by my BRILLIANT friend Brian Witte.

If the cupcake has dominated the dessert scene in recent history, it's about to face what pastry lovers might call the next French Revolution: the French macaron is positioned to be the new IT dessert. Unlike the cupcake that proved to be a viable business venture only in the last 10 years, the French macaron has being pulling its weight as a delicious morsel since its first incarnation during the Renaissance.

Although food historians debate just how French the French macaron is—some contest that the macaron debuted in Venice and was brought to France, along with her pastry chefs, by Catherine de Medici in 1533—there has never been an argument about the popularity of this traditionally tea time snack and/or dessert.

But is 2010 the year for the macaron? Are we going to see a food truck dedicated solely to the treat? Will CupcakeCamp be replaced by MacaronCamp? It remains to be seen, but much to the chagrin of macaron purists, versions are popping up everywhere, from Whole Foods to McDonald's. Tip: For those whose palates have never tasted the deliciousness of this meringue-based "sandwich cookie," New York City has long been a haven for impressive macaron menus.

Madeleine's Patisserie in Chelsea serves up over 15 different flavors of fresh macarons daily. Flavors include Champagne, cassis and pistachio amongst others. Brooklyn's Almondine is famous throughout the borough for their macaron selection where pastry chef Hervé Poussot is known for his intense flavoring.

For those that are already die-hard fans, Macaron Café sells boxes holding as many as 20 macarons and have named them the Queen Catherine de Medicis Box, in honor of the patron saint of macaron creation. For New Yorkers working in Midtown, or for those not afraid to visit tourist trap areas, La Maison du Chocolat and Bouchon Bakery are conveniently located in Rockefeller Center and Columbus Circle.

Notable macaron shops in New York:

Madeleine's Patisserie
132 W 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
212.243.2757

Almondine
85 Water Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.797.5026

Macaron Café
161 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
212.564.3525

La Maison du Chocolat
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
212.265.9404

Bouchon Bakery
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019
212.823.9364

Photo credit: Brian Witte

Hot Chocolate Withdrawls

Today is the first time in the last 28 days that I haven't had a sip of hot chocolate. It actually feels pretty good, at least my wallet thinks so.

If you haven't been following, be sure to check out my tumblr.com site - Hot Chocolate MAP - which follows my journey throug the 28-day hot chocolate festival at New York's City Bakery. You can read all about the various flavors I sampled during the month of February, as well as view photos from the City Bakery and my list of the top 5 flavors. I've included the video here too.

Even though the festival has come to a close for 2010, the City Bakery always has their original hot chocolate recipe on the menu. I suggest you stop by and give it a shot before we welcome warmer temperatures here in New York City.

City Bakery Hot Chocolate reviews have moved to new tumblr.com site

While sipping away on my daily dose of hot chocolate this afternoon at the City Bakery, I decided that tumblr.com makes more sense for my short hot chocolate tasting reviews.

The site is pretty, pretty awesome and I think you'll agree that it's a better fit. Enjoy!

http://hotchocolatemap.tumblr.com

City Bakery announces Hot Chocolate Festival flavors!

Here I am enjoying a cup of last year's offerings at City Bakery's annual Hot Chocolate Festival

Even though it's been around for ages, I only discovered City Bakery last year, and holy bananas - this place is amazing. Their hot chocolate is a famous New York treat and I'm excited that January is winding down as this signals that City Bakery's annual Hot Chocolate Festival is about to kick off.

During the entire month of February, City Bakery features a different flavor of hot chocolate every day (see the full calendar here). Lemon Hot Chocolate? Yes please! Hi Ho Pistachio Hot Chocolate? You better believe it! Beer + Brown Sugar Hot Chocolate? Why am I not already drinking this?!

Last year, I only tried two flavors (Bourbon Hot Chocolate and Banana Hot Chocolate). This year, I'm going all out - I'll be visiting City Bakery every single day of February and tasting the goods. You'll be able to track my progress and read my reviews right here at Puff and Choux.

If New Yorkers (or people visiting NYC during the month of February) want to hang out and chat over hot chocolate, get in touch. Hot chocolate is always more fun with good company. Also, after eating City Bakery's bad ass chocolate chip cookies and drinking a cup of hot chocolate for an entire month, I might need someone to roll me out into the street and to the L train towards the end of February.

A little bon appetit for you, a big Bon Appetit for me

As mentioned before, food blogging is a hobby for me as in I don't really make any money from it. The gratification that I've finally found an outlet that lets me express myself as well as create physical things (cakes, anyone?)is enough. But it's pretty kick ass when you get a little recognition.

For me, this recognition came in the form of an invitation to an exclusive Bon Appetit blogger party. Only 25 bloggers were invited, so I've been feeling pretty good since I stopped hyperventilating from excitement upon receiving the invite.

I was asked to bring a baked good to the party as part of the contest element of the event. Trained chefs and Editor-in-Chief Barbara Fairchild publicly eating (and possibly publicly ridiculing) said dessert were on the agenda for the evening, and I was determined to make something that wouldn't end up with me crying in the bathroom after the judges barfed on the table. My baked good of choice? A spiced pear cake topped with cream cheese frosting.

Let me be honest. Baking a cake with the intention of feeding it to people that are the creme de la creme of the food world is scary. And when I say scary, I mean the type of scary that keeps you up the entire night before worrying that everyone will think you're a hack and all the judges will come down with food poison from a cake you prepared. However, I charged through the fear and found myself on the fourth floor of the Conde Nast building last night, rubbing elbows with Bon Appetit staffers and fellow food bloggers.

The event was a great success and considering that most of my cake was eaten by the end of the night, I feel pretty good. I walked out of that party with some new friends, a bit of a validation that I'm a pretty good food blogger, and a ton of free schwag (thanks Bon Appetit!)

As a result of the warm fuzzies I'm currently experiencing, I want to share my cake recipe with you in hopes that you'll use it for some sort of seasonal awesomeness.

Also, sorry for the lack of photos. There were a ton of photogs at the event last night, so I'm hoping to find some of the photos online and share them here. Stay tuned!

Spiced Pear Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Bon Appetit’s Fuji Apple Spice Cake Recipe (October 2009)

Ingredients

Cake
3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rum
1 1/2 cups pureed canned Bartlett pears
2 medium Bartlett pears (peeled, halved, cored, cut into cubes)
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans


Frosting
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 cups powdered sugar
Coarsely chopped pecans


Preparation

Cake
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Whisk flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder, teaspoon salt, ground allspice, nutmeg, and baking soda in medium bowl. Using electric mixer (countertop or hand-held), beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and rum if desired. Add flour mixture to egg mixture in 3 additions alternately with pureed pears in 2 additions, beating until blended after each addition. Stir in cubed pears and pecans. Divide batter between cake pans evenly.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of each comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer cakes to racks and cool in pans 15 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Invert cakes onto racks. Place another rack atop 1 cake and invert again so that cake is rounded side up. Repeat with second cake. Cool completely.


Frosting
Using electric mixer (countertop or hand-held), beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract and pinch of salt. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until frosting is creamy.

Drop half of frosting (about 1 1/2 cups) by spoonfuls atop cake. Spread frosting evenly to edges of cake. Top with second cake, trimmed side down. Drop remaining frosting by spoonfuls onto top of cake, leaving sides of cake plain. Spread frosting to top edges of cake. Sprinkle with pecans. Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour to allow frosting to set slightly.

Milk delivery coming to Manhattan

The Village Voice is reporting that home milk delivery is coming to New York, as long as you live on the island of Manhattan:

Matt Marone and Frank Acosta will deliver a five dollar quart of organic milk in a glass bottle to your door, as long as your door is in Manhattan ($5 delivery charge, $15 minimum order). Acosta and Marone say the steep price Manhattan Milk charges is justified because they contract with Amish farmers for organic, rBST-free milk from free-range cows. They also deliver brand-name organic juice, dairy and eggs at a slightly less steep markup.

Marone, who also owns a milk delivery company in Westchester, plans to expand milkman service to Brooklyn next. Staten Island, go figure, is already getting it from someone else.

I'll be more excited once the milk man hits Brooklyn, but I am thrilled to see that a tradition like this is becoming popular once again. Finally, I won't have to go farther than my front stoop for my all-time favorite cookie accessory.

The Brooklyn Kitchen to host Halloween cupcake decorating class on 10/29

For any Brooklynites out there tired of the standard Halloween cupcake topped with a generic candy corn, you're in luck. The Brooklyn Kitchen is hosting a special Halloween cupcake decorating class on Thursday, October 29.

Taught by expert cake maker Katie Robinson, who has worked at some of the top bakeries in New York and has been featured on two Food Network Cake Challenges, class attendees will be treated to an interactive decorating class filled with tips on how to make cupcakes that are sure to please any trick or treater.

The best part is that every participant walks away with their creations!

The cost of the class is $50, which includes all materials.

To sign up for the class, visit the Brooklyn Kitchen site here.

What: The Brooklyn Kitchen's Halloween Cupcake Decorating Class

When: Thursday, October 29th, @ 6:30

Where: The Brooklyn Kitchen, 616 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Cost: $50

RSVP: To register, please visit the Brooklyn Kitchen's class page.

For more information, please visit TheBrooklynKitchen.com or by calling 718.389.2982.

Food journalism event at the New School in NYC on June 11th

Joe Zeimer over at Triple Point PR pointed me in the direction of an awesome food event taking place this week at the New School here in New York City. Check out the details below - I'll be there so be sure to say hello:

WHAT: Craig Claiborne and the Rise of Food Journalism

WHEN: Jun 11, 2009, 6:00PM to 7:30PM

WHERE: The New School, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY USA

COST: $5

DETAILS: Called the nation’s preeminent food journalist, Mississippi-born Craig Claiborne trained in Switzerland as a chef on the GI bill after World War II. On his return to the United States, he began writing articles for Gourmet and became an editor at the magazine. His career skyrocketed when The New York Times hired him as its first food columnist in 1957. Claiborne's columns, reviews and cookbooks introduced Americans to a wide range of international and ethnic food. Other newspapers followed The New York Times’s lead, and soon a cadre of authoritative newspaper food writers helped attune millions of Americans to the finer points of good food and cooking. Our panel explores Claiborne's life, work, and his seminal influence on food journalism in America. With Molly O’Neill, former New York Times columnist, and author of the New York Cookbook; Betty Fussell, author of The Story of Corn and Raising Steaks: The Life and Times of American Beef; Anne Mendelson, author of Stand Facing the Stove and Milk: the Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, and a contributing editor to Gourmet; David Leite, publisher/editor-in-chief, Leite's Culinaria, and author of The New Portuguese Table; John T. Edge, Director, Southern Foodways Alliance, University of Mississippi, contributing editor, Gourmet, author of Southern Belly. The panel will be moderated by Andrew F. Smith, editor of the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, and Food Studies professor. Sponsored by the Food Studies Program at The New School.

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION: In person purchases can be made at The New School Box Office at 66 West 12th Street, main floor, Monday-Friday 1:00-7:00 p.m. The box office opens the first day of classes and closes after the last paid event of each semester. Reservations and inquiries can be made by emailing boxoffice@newschool.edu or calling 212.229.5488.

For events scheduled during the summer term, the box office will open one hour before each event. During this period only, reservations can be made using the above contact information.

Gastronomica's Marshmallow Fluff Extravaganza

Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend the Marshmallow Fluff forum at the Astor Center. The evening was part of an ongoing series organized by Gastronomica, the wonderful quarterly food journal.

The event itself brought focus to article in the Spring issue of Gastronomica by Katie Liesener which chronicled the evolution of this "food" product in New England and the rather torrid love affair it has experienced in America.

Here are some interesting facts about Marshmallow Fluff that I learned:

~ Marshmallow Fluff was invented in 1917.

~ To this day, Marshmallow Fluff is made in a small factory by the Durkee-Mower Company in Lynn, Massachusetts.

~ New England and upstate New York count for over half of all Marshmallow Fluff sales.


Although I'm not a New England native, I grew up eating the Kraft Foods version of Marshmallow Fluff. For my regular readers, you'll recognize it as the key ingredient in my grandmother's fudge recipe. We also used Fluff to make Rice Krispy treats. To be honest, I don't remember a period of my life when I didn't know what Fluff was. Perhaps my early adoption of the product meant I was destined to move East to the land of Fluff and coastal cities.

Over the course of the panel discussion, the Astor Center provided each attendee with a platter of Fluff delicacies, which included a Rice Krispy treat made with brown butter, a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich (Fluffernutter, for you not in the know), a peanut butter, Fluff, and bacon sandwich, and an unusual combination of a saltine topped with tuna, hot sauce, and of course, Marshmallow Fluff. Although the tuna concoction sounds a bit weird, you couldn't actually taste the Fluff through the overpowering tuna and hot sauce, so it really just tasted as expected. The peanut butter, Fluff and bacon sandwich was probably my favorite - you simply can't go wrong with sweet and savory. It's the world's best combination, in my opinion.


However, the real stand out of the evening was a cocktail designed especially for the event. A take on the classic Aviation, the Astor Center mixologist pre-mixed the maraschino liqueur with Marshmallow Fluff in a blender, and then proceeded with the classic recipe. As someone adventurous when it comes to taste (you should have seen me the first time I was offered haggis - I couldn't wait to try it!), I immediately ordered this special drink. And may I say, it might be my new favorite novelty cocktail. Although the drink itself looked like cloudy water, the taste was incredible, perfect for sipping while I enjoyed the fact that I live in a city that hosts entire evenings dedicated to Marshmallow Fluff.


If you're interested, here is the recipe and "how to" to create the Marshmallow Fluff cocktail at home:

Ingredients (Per each cocktail):
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo, blended with Marshmallow Fluff
1/4 ounce Crème de Violette
Lemon twist, for garnish.

First, blend a healthy amount of maraschino liqueur with Marshmallow Fluff. The final product should be like a normal liquid - not sticky or gummy (Remember: you have to put this in a cocktail shaker at some point!). Combine the gin, lemon juice and maraschino/Fluff mixture in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Drizzle the Crème de Violette into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Yield: one cocktail.

Exciting upcoming dessert events at the Astor Center

The month of May is full of exciting dessert related events in New York City, and the Astor Center is proving to be the hostess with the mostess.

First up, on May 21st the Astor Center, along with Citysearch and iSi North America, will present "Sugar & Whips," in what is being described as an "evening of pure decadence." Six renowned New York City pastry chefs will be serving up desserts, cocktails and even a coffee concoction or two for your pleasure and celebrating the finer (in my opinion, the finest) things in life: Dessert! Pastry chefs in attendance will include Dominique Ansel of Daniel, Heather Bertinetti of Convivio and Alto, Johnny Iuzzini of Jean Georges, Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin, Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern, and Robert Truit of Corton. Also, the French Culinary Institute's master mixologist, David Arnold, will be showcasing his incredible skills throughout the evening.

I saw Michael Laiskonis last month when he was part of a food blogging panel at the New York Institute of Technology, so I'm excited to see him again, but this time, more in his element i.e. making desserts instead of chatting about technology and blogs.

"Sugar and Whips" takes place, as mentioned, on Thursday, May 21st, in the Astor Center Gallery from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost is $25. You can purchase tickets by visiting here.

Next up is "Marshmallow Fluff: A Gastronomica Forum," featuring Cathy Kaufman, Darra Goldstein, Katie Liesener, and Mimi Graney, on May 26th.

I for one am stoked for this particular panel, because as you may recall, Marshmallow Fluff is the key ingredient in one of my all-time favorite recipes - my grandmother's fudge. You can see the recipe by clicking here.


According to the event description, this event will cover everything you wanted to know about Fluff Marshmallow Crème - the origins of this illicit "food" product, what exactly makes Fluff, the controversy behind this delicious sweet treat and how at the end of the day, you either love it or hate and how even the government chimed in on this most random of ingredients.

A fluff cocktail will be served, as well as fluffernutter sandwiches and other fluff-inspired snacks.

"Marshmallow Fluff" will take place on Tuesday, May 26th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Astor Center Gallery. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by clicking here.

The Brooklyn Kitchen Cupcake Cook Off TONIGHT!

For those of you in the New York area, I'll be judging the Brooklyn Kitchen's 3rd Annual Cupcake Cook Off Tonight in Williamsburg. The fun will be taking place at Union Pool, which is just off the Lorimer stop on the L train. Feel free to swing by between 7 and 9 p.m. to say hello!


Event Details
What: The Brooklyn Kitchen's 3rd Annual Cupcake Cook Off
Where: Union Pool, 484 Union Ave., Brooklyn, NY (Off of the Lorimer L stop)
When: Monday, May 11th from 7 to 9 p.m.

Fashionable cupcakes never go out of style

The lovely ladies over at Cupcakes Take the Cake have a great post about fashion designer Rebecca Taylor's chic take on cupcakes. She's designing two flavors for Billy's Bakery, just in time for their Tribeca store opening AND Mother's Day.

According to the blog post:

"Just in time for Mother’s Day, designer Rebecca Taylor has created two cupcake designs inspired by her spring 2009 collection. Vanilla Twinkle consists of Billy’s yellow daisy cupcake topped with blue vanilla buttercream and a sprinkle of white crystal sugar and silver dots. Mocha Meow is created from Billy’s chocolate cupcake and special Mocha-flavored buttercream with dark and light chocolate sprinkles. The Rebecca Taylor Mother’s Day cupcakes will be available beginning May 1st."

It remains to be seen if Ms. Taylor's models have indulged in the sweet concoctions or if they have chosen to stick with their preferred powdered treat of choice...