ROOTED FOOD!
The ability to progress through unchanging values has seen the renaissance of New Orleans, or at least of what I can see since having been home. An undercurrent of social betterment and cultural pleasure floats through the air of the French Quarter everyday now it seems, except when its cold. A palm tree has the ability to sustain winds and never get blown over. Its key to success is the root system. Below the surface of the beautiful tree, is a root system. A root system that keeps the tree anchored for its survival, if the tree where to become removed from its roots, it would die from lack of nourishment. So while the trunk may sway with the wind, it will not die unless it leaves its roots.
My gastronomic passion and ambition are well rooted. New Orleans to New York has taught me, at the end of the day, regardless of where you are from and what you do...do it well and take pride in your actions and people will respond. The response is not positive all the time, but when you put it out there, one must accept the opinions of others, even when they are wrong, and move on. Funny Story. The other day, it was my mistake of buying self-rising flour which led to the chicken dumplings on the menu. The pierogies were shot, the gnocchi was a disaster, but the dumplings were amazing! Mistakes lead to discoveries.
Cook well, Eat well, Speak well, and the rest will fall into place.
ROOTED FOOD!
Dan Barber: A surprising parable of foie gras
DAN BARBER...Executive Chef and Co-Owner
In May of 2000, Dan opened Blue Hill restaurant with family members David and Laureen Barber.
Since then, his writings on food and agricultural policy have appeared in the New York Times, along with articles in Gourmet, The Nation, Saveur and Food & Wine Magazine. Dan’s efforts to create a consciousness around our everyday food choices have led him to the World Economic Forum’s 2010 annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland as well as to TED2010, where he looked toward a new ecological approach to cuisine.
Appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, Dan continues the work that he began as a member of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture's board of directors: to blur the line between the dining experience and the educational, bringing the principles of good farming directly to the table.
As chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Dan has received the James Beard awards for Best Chef: New York City (2006) and for Outstanding Chef (2009). In 2009 he was named one of the world's most influential people in Time’s annual "Time 100".
PRAVDA! Pierogie Recipe
It is the unlikely story of a guy from New Orleans, trained in French Cuisine, making Pierogies at a Russian Absinthe bar in the French Quarter. But like life, there is no formula, just make it happen. So here is the recipe that I have been using at PRAVDA! If you have any questions, shoot me an email and will get to the answer for the both of us.
PRAVDA! Pierogie Recipe
- 4.5C All Purpose Flour
- 2C Sour Cream
- 2T Melted Butter
- 1T Oil
- 2Each Eggs
- 1Each Egg Yolk
- Salt
Combine sour cream, butter, oil, and eggs in a bowl; whisk until mixture is smooth and lump-free; salt the flour; make a well in the center of the flour; pour sour cream mixture into center; incorporate into dough; let rest 15 minutes at room temperature; pinch off and roll out into desired size. Place them into some berrling water until they float...done. Pierogie!
If this is too much, the recipe conversion factor can be used to scale it up or down. For instance, if you only have three cups of flour, divide three by four point five, then multiply the other quantities by that number to yield your new recipe amounts. If you get stumped, convert all the measurements into the same category, i.e., 1C = 8oz; 1T = 0.5oz; 1 Large Egg = 2oz, etc. Just use the intraweb and find the needed conversion.
Once you conquer the dough, it becomes a blank canvas for flavors and imagination. At the top is a quote from my Gastronomic Hero, Fernand Point, he shaped the way we eat.
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