Category: entertainment

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If I had only one Cookbook, it would be …

the best cookbook!

“The Epicurean” — as described in AbeBooks.com is:

“A complete treatise of analytical and practical studies on the culinary art, including table and wine service, how to prepare and cook dishes, an index for marketing, a great variety of bills of fare for breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, suppers, ambigus, buffets etc. and a selection of interesting bills of fare of Delmonico’s from 1862 to 1894. Making a Franco-American culinary encyclopedia. 1183pp + index and illustrated with 800 plates.”

There is so much offered in this unique and historical cookbook. Every aspect is covered from how to butcher sea turtles, to the proper table settings to wonderful desserts like ‘Chocolate Eclairs’ (I will post their recipe later as I intend to make it!). Chef Ranhofer’s cellar selections might be a little amusing too, back in the day when Absinthe was in vogue. (My Laura writes about Absinthe in a recent Blog )

Some of the older cookbooks — like the ‘Epicurean’ — wrote their recipes and planned their menus based on seasonal variability and scarcity of foodstuffs. Recipes were written for certain months with the expectation that some foods would be available and others would not. Although this may seem quaint, there is a certain charm in serving food that is expected for the season.

So, if you are looking for the perfect gift for the Chefs in your life…. you could do far worse than one of the most historically important cookbooks in American life.

Bon appetite!

Roger Freberg

Karla bought a cookbook each for her sisters.

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The Best Christmas Presents are the ones you remember

I think there are very few children that don’t love the Christmas as it approaches… especially the gifts and the exquisite food prepared once a year!

Certainly, I am one of the biggest kids around. I have never really been much for receiving presents… although that is always appreciated… I have enjoyed giving them and watching the smiles erupt from little happy faces!

When our children were young, I would ask them to make a list and then rank them in order as to which one they wanted most. Interestingly enough, more often than not the top presents were not the most expensive. I would start buying at the top and then stop when the ‘budget’ ran out…. they understood that ‘Santa’s” purse wasn’t limitless and it gave them a chance to make choices.

The biggest present that I enjoy the most… a phone call.

Roger Freberg

PS. My happiest memory… when they still thought I WAS Santa.

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One Year & $150,000 later a Chef?

I saw a most …surprising offer on Abebooks.com.

Anyone who has thought it might be fun to work with celebrity chefs and spend a year in New Orleans has got to read this:

“Description: Spend a year in New Orleans. Free room and board. Have access to over 5,000 cookbooks and learn the inside of world cuisines, have all of your culinary questions answered, learn how to open and run a successful restaurant, hotel, catering company, bakery culinary school and/or cookbook store. One on one instruction in whatever you want/need to learn from a half century of experience.Have one on one with local celebrity chefs. Learn menu and recipe writing, spice mixtures, the world of ethnic cooking, ingredients, knife skills, pastry, kitchen design. Applications now being accepted for 2007 screening. Only one apprentice chosen per year. Reservations and applications for future years considered, subject to availability. Full disclosure expected. Bookseller Inventory # 000059″

Sounds like a great deal of fun…. for those who have a spare $150k….

Roger Freberg

More on Philipe LaMancusa

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What REALLY is Mexican Lasagna?

LaHermosaLaurasMexicanLasagna

The short answer is… WHO KNOWS?

I think nearly everyone has tried something called “Mexican Lasagna” or at least heard of it. However, like some of the other dishes I have written about… Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Tetrazinni for example… often the name is the only thing that any of the recipes have in common. Sometimes the recipes become so blurred as in the case of the Stroganoff and the Tetrazinni that the only difference is that one has beef and the other has chicken… this is just wrong.

In any event, researching something called “Mexican Lasagna” was particularly challenging. This would indicate to me that the recipe is a ‘fusion.’ That is… it is a concept that came from two different cultural identities. The word ‘Lasagna’ — for example — can be traced back to the Roman and then back to the original Greek meaning ‘ cooking pot.’ This should sound familiar… we use the name ‘casserole’ to describe almost anything that is cooked in a dish.

So what is “Mexican Lasagna?”

The way most of us today think of Lasagna is as food served in layers. In the case of Italian Lasagna, we have basic layers of noodles and cheese. Many Mexican Lasagnas have layers of cheese slipped between deep fried corn tortilla strips… although this isn’t always the case. Adding to the confusion, there are several dishes that resemble ‘Mexican Lasagna’ under the names of ‘Chicken Mexicali’ or ‘Mexican Cheese Bake’ and the like.

On Saturday, we will be fixing “Mexican Lasagna” and in the true spirit of ‘fusion’ cooking… it will take the best — I believe– of all worlds!

Roger Freberg

the best wine for the occasion? I would suggest something hearty … but beer (Tres Equis if you can find it) is wonderful!

NOTE: to those who have emailed me… I will post our recipe late Saturday, thanks!

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Ted Turner’s “Ted-istan” is one Big Little Country!

If I could be KingOkay, our friend Ted I-wanna-own-the-world Turner just locked up 2,000,000 acres. Now, I don’t know about you… but I suspected he always wanted to own his own little country… and now he has it. For the easy conversion, his holdings translate into approximately 3125 square miles ( or a block roughly 55 miles by 55 miles)!

Ted-istan is about 60% the size of Puerto Rico or about 2.5 times the size of Rhode Island.

There are a whole bunch of countries that could fit into his living room.

Lets make a list: the Italian land locked country of San Marino is a mere 24 sq. miles, Andorra (between Spain and France) is 180 sq. miles with 180,000 people, and Liechtenstein is a paltry 62 sq. miles (but they produce beautiful stamps). The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is less than half the size of Ted-istan … The list goes on and on .
I wasn’t going to mention it… but what does he REALLY want with all that land and should we be concerned?

Roger Freberg

Like many Americans, I do admire someone who can build so much from so little… but most Americans do worry about so much power in any one person’s hands.