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Michèle Gentille Takes Us to the End of the World

YumSugar — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:20:11 -0700

I enjoy living here in sunny Northern California, where we're spoiled by the fresh produce. I couldn't really imagine living anywhere else, especially a place as cold as the South Pole, where there's no naturally grown produce of any kind. And yet, that little fact doesn't stop the chefs down at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

Recently chef Michèle Gentille wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal, in which she recounted her Summer as a sous-chef at the South Pole station. She mentioned that they turned mostly frozen and canned products into delicious, nourishing food. Local produce was out of the question as the nearest farm was 3,000 miles away.

In October - when their Summer starts - fresh vegetables arrive from New Zealand on a weather-permitting weekly basis. They also have a greenhouse that produces enough for salad two or three times a week. Using these ingredients, along with other frozen goods, all 10 chefs aimed to cook a menu from Laurent Tourondel's New American Bistro Cooking.

To read an excerpt from her adventure, read more.

Every recipe required some substitutions. For the salad of marinated mushrooms with tomatoes and cilantro, we had no fresh mushrooms, so Dan Von Bank, who handles materials for the galley, used a mixture of dried porcinis and shiitakes and canned buttons as well as dried herbs and preground coriander.

Mr. Tourondel expressed his approval. "Dried mushrooms are very good," he said, although he noted that ground coriander is very different from fresh cilantro - "but if you have to, make do!" he added. Mr. Von Bank had to cook the mixture much longer than indicated in the recipe, partly because the mushrooms were dried, but also because at this altitude acids such as wine and tomatoes don't mellow easily. But the dish proved a success, and our diners relished it.

The whole ordeal is fascinating, I can only imagine trying to cook those dishes in these climates. And yet, someday I hope to visit the South Pole station and try it for myself!

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Bocuse d'Or Announces Superstar Judge Lineup

YumSugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:00:59 -0700

The panel of judges for next month's Bocuse d'Or - the Olympics of the culinary world - were announced last Friday. Many of the judges, such as Laurent Tourondel and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, hail from New York, which makes me wonder if the giants of the gastronomic world really do believe that New York is the center of the culinary universe.

As if the list of uber-chef judges isn't intimidating enough, Paul Bocuse, the French founder of the competition will be on hand to observe and officiate.

The semifinals, which take place on September 26 and 27 in Orlando, determine which two of the contenders will represent the US in the Bocuse d'Or finals. To see the complete list of judges, read more.

Michel Bouit, former Bocuse d'Or director, Chicago, IL
Hartmut Handke, former Bocuse d'Or contestant, Columbus, OH
Daniel Humm, chef, Eleven Madison Park, New York, NY
Traci des Jardins, chef, Jardinière, San Francisco, CA
Gavin Kaysen, former Bocuse d'Or competitor, New York, NY
David Myers, chef, Sona, Los Angeles, CA
Patrick O’Connell, chef, Inn at Little Washington, Washington, VA
Georges Perrier, chef, Le Bec-Fin, Philadelphia, PA
Alain Sailhac, chef, French Culinary Institute, New York, NY
Andre Soltner, French Culinary Institute, New York, NY
Laurent Tourondel, chef, BLT Restaurants, New York, NY
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef, Jean-Georges, New York, NY

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Around the World in One Thanksgiving

YumSugar — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:01:38 -0800

Growing up in a multiracial house, Thanksgiving was a smorgasbord of flavors. We had classic stuffing along with piles of rice and stir-fried vegetables. Although Thanksgiving does often mean a great, big Turkey with all the fixings, for some it means a marriage of those classics with their heritage.

Recently, New York Magazine asked several of New York's top ethnic chefs to create globalized yet traditional Thanksgiving menus. Each chef took the classics - turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green beans or Brussels sprouts, and pumpkin pie - and reinvented them to suit their culinary culture. The result was five delicious sounding menus: Mexican (Aarón Sánchez), French (Laurent Tourondel), Italian (Fabio Trabocchi), Chinese (Joe Ng), and African (Marcus Samuelsson). If you're looking for a way to spice up your Thanksgiving, you could try one of these menus, or mix and match to create your own.

I'm personally hoping to try something off of each one, but am probably going to have to start with the Lemongrass Turkey Rolls, the Pumpkin Mash, or the Potato-Gnocchi Gratin. How about you, where would you begin? Which menu sounds the best to you?

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David Chang is Bon Appetit's Chef of the Year

YumSugar — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:03:18 -0700

In the upcoming issue of Bon Appetit magazine - available on newstands September 11, 2007 - the results for the 10th Annual Bon Appetit Awards will be revealed. However, if you can't wait that long I've got the results right here. The awards are given to chefs, writers, and artisans who have changed the way America eats. The main honor, Chef of the Year, is being presented to David Chang of Momofuku in New York. He has "energized a new generation of diners" and "strips away all the nonsense of fine dining." If you recall, 30-year-old Chang was also the winner of the 2007 James Beard Award Rising Star Chef. I've never been to his restaurants, but I know that next time I head out to New York I'll definitely get in line!

To see who the other Bon Appetit Award winners are, read more

10th Annual Bon Appetit Awards 2007

Chef of the Year - David Chang
Food Artisans - Herb and Kathy Eckhouse
Pastry Chef - Kamel Geuchida of Joel Rubochon at the MGM Grand
Wine and Spirits Professional - Audry Saunders of Pegu Club
Designer - Kelly Wearstler
Cooking Teacher - Molly Stevens
Chef of Merit: Setting the Standard - Dan Barber of Blue Hill
Humanitarian - Father Gregory J. Boyle of Homeboy Industries
Tastemaker - Target Stores
Restauranteur - Laurent Tourondel
Food Writer - Barbara Kingsolver author of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral
Lifetime Achievement - Ari Weinzweig and Paul Saginaw of Zingerman's Delicatessen

Source: PR Newswire
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