As you might know, it’s national berry month, and as I try to eat in season as much as possible (or at least grab the goods while they’re in season), this can mean berry doldrums for the rest of the year. However, more and more tips are becoming available for preserving fresh fruits and vegetables, and I received a tip on freezing strawberries this morning from Janie Hibler, author of The Berry Bible.

I’m liking this idea, as I can envision myself savoring strawberries with vanilla sugar over a nice shortcake come October or November. Can’t you?

Here are Janie’s tips:

- Rinse strawberries and pour them onto a baking sheet lined with a paper towel.  Pat dry with another paper towel.
- Put baking sheet in freezer until strawberries are completely frozen (about 2 hours depending on freezer temperature)
- Transfer strawberries to self-sealing plastic freezer bags and place back into freezer.

It really doesn’t get much easier. Hibler insists on freezing the strawberries in exact portions, such as pints and quarts, because strawberries become condensed when thawed (rendering them impossible to measure with accuracy).  She also recommends consuming frozen berries within a year for maximum freshness. “After that, ice crystals will start breaking down the berries’ flesh, and eventually they will lose their flavor,” adds Hibler.

You can see more ideas like this in The Berry Bible.

For berry information and recipes, you can peruse our test kitchen dossier, Berries: Naked Deliciousness.

It’s that glorious time of year when farm stands are beginning to overflow with the season’s finest. Given my tactile nature, I always find myself drawn to the piles of gently fuzzed peaches, seemingly awaiting my greedy touch. My favorites are the elbow-drippers — once you’ve tasted such decadence, it’s practically impossible to eat any other kind of peach.

And though peaches are wonderful on their own, there is something to be said for the allure of caramelization. I’ve grown quite fond of grilled fruits in the past couple of years, and this recipe has become a favorite: Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Sugar

Simple and lustful, this recipe is ideal for using up that last bit of heat from the grill. You can substitute regular milk (or cream) for the coconut milk if you like. The peaches are a perfect foil for quality vanilla ice cream (look for the specks of vanilla!), and capture what is, for me, the essence of summer.

Posted via web from foodphilosophy’s posterous

With all that’s happening around us, I find that my decadent and frugal sides are like rival angels on my shoulders. The stress of keeping so many balls in the air to keep things moving forward — seemingly without a minute to breathe — leaves me utterly worn out, and there are times when I simply want to indulge myself. Of course, I also want to do this without making my wallet cry.

If you’ve read or heard me wax poetic on basil leaves, you know that I can find indulgence in seemingly ordinary places and things, so I’ve decided to share my favorite everyday ones with you. Let’s face it: We could all use a little pick-me-up. Some indulgences will be food, some non-food, but all will relate to engaging the senses without adding the stress of a big expense.

I hope you’ll share yours, too, because I might run out of ideas and will need to pilfer. Oh, stop, I’ll give you credit for it.

As you might imagine, for me, self-indulgence begins with scents, and I like nothing more than smelling deliciously edible. I’ve given up on synthetic-smelling perfumes and instead turned to essential oils to soothe my soul. It’s no secret that aromatherapy can have a profound effect on one’s state of being, and I can think of no better atomizer than the neck. Hair also smells gorgeous with a little drop combed through the ends. Yum.

I discovered the joy of citrus oils after a massage in Los Angeles (back when massages were actually part of my decadent life), so I knew the scent of oranges would send me to my happy place. I found a combination that took it to a whole new level, however.

So if you’re wondering what I smell like, here’s your chance to be a voyeur (sniffeur?). For the past few months I’ve slathered myself with Vanilla Orange Oil from Sun’s Eye. I love that there are tiny slivers of orange peel soaking right in the oil, so you get the full power of both scents. The only drawback is that it needs to be reapplied several times a day, but at $6.75 a bottle, how could I possibly complain about that?

I have other scents that I use for other moods and occasions, but I’ll share those as we go. Did I mention that vanilla is reputed to have an aphrodisiacal effect on the senses? Try it and let me know what happens.

NOTE: You can subscribe to the special feed I’ve created for my Everyday Indulgences, which will include blog posts, audio, some video, and photos. (Note that it says “Everyday” and not “every day.” Have mercy.)

Posted via web from foodphilosophy’s posterous

 Flavors of Chile: Download

Chef Mark and Jennifer attend a luncheon at Chef Aaron Sanchez’s Centrico Restaurant made with products from Chile: Merken spice, carica, myrtle berries, avocado oil, pisco, and more.

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Our Gilded Fork: Entertaining at Home cookbook is almost ready to ship, but the bun is still cooking and needs a little more time to brown.

As we hope you’ve noticed, we take a great deal of care in creating our work (understatement). We didn’t want to publish the book with any errors (the horror!), so we sent back the proof for another round of corrections. Once we approve the final version, our first big order will be placed, so we expect to have books in inventory and ready to ship in early July. We are currently doing an elaborate ritual dance to keep the printing gremlins away.

If you have already ordered a book, you received a love letter from us today, and we thank you so much for being first in line. We’re sorry we can’t kiss you in person, because we love that sort of thing.

Now, for you squillions and trillions of people who will be ordering books between now and July 31st, we’d like to extend some of that love. If you purchase our cookbook before July 31st, we’ll send a free download link to the full-color digital version of the book as soon as it’s available. That way you can print out those pages and get them all messy instead of your pretty book. You can also see the recipe photos in their full glory.

In addition, we’ve created a Friends & Family discount for you “early adopters,” so after purchase you’ll receive a special code to forward to your favorite fellow food fanatics. Say that five times fast. To learn more about the book, see our full list of annoucements, including a video of the unveiling of our galley copy. Or, you can just:

Buy the book!

It’s been months in the planning, and literally years in the creating — and we’ve finally received the galley proof of our Gilded Fork Cookbook! Here’s the moment of unboxing, the first moment we’re holding the book in our eager little hands!

Now, we’ve looked it over, and found a few teeny tiny things we’d like to fix, so in order to get you all a better product, we’re going to go through one more round of small edits and fixes before we approve it for printing, so it’ll be another week for those of you who’ve already pre-ordered the book, but the wait will be worth it!

If you haven’t yet pre-ordered, now’s your chance! If you pre-order now, your book will be shipped in the first batch we order, so you’ll have it before the end of June!

To highlight the international flavors of its member countries, the United Nations often hosts food festivals in the Delegates Dining Room, inviting its staff and visitors to take a mini global food tour during lunch. This week, to celebrate its presidency of the European Union, the Czech Republic hosted its first food festival at the UN, and invited us into the kitchen for a luncheon at the chef’s table with some of its most prominent young chefs.

The team of was headed by chef Jan Horký of the restaurant Golden Prague in the Hotel InterContinental Prague, along with fellow chefs Martin Svatek, chef of the Hotel Dvořák in the town of Tabor, Adéla Pitrová, chef in the SAS Radisson Alcron hotel in Prague, and Lukáš Skála, chef in the Hotel InterContinental Prague.

When one thinks of Czech cuisine, one often envisions comfort foods rich in flour and butter — the kind of food that keeps out winter’s chill. However, Czech chefs have fully embraced the philosophy of local, sustainable ingredients, and wanted to show us that such heavy-food notions were somewhat off the mark. Certainly, such traditional foods will always remain on the menu, so to speak, but for this luncheon we were treated to a modern interpretation of ingredients like cabbage, pork and dumplings. And fried dough — let us not forget the fried dough.

We started the meal with a sip of Becherovka, a famous herb liqueur from the historic spa town of Karlsbad. Becherovka can be enjoyed either as an aperitif or a digestif, and frankly, I’d be happy to sip it for both. Smooth and herbaceous, this has become a new favorite of mine, so I’m hording the little sample bottles we received in our goodie bags. I was told it could also be mixed with tonic water for a popular Czech cocktail, so I’m happy to experiment with that and get back to you. Hey, I’m all about the research.

When I read the description for our first course, “Smoked duck breast terrine with nut puree and baked chou pastry with honey,” I expected to need a serious nap after lunch, as my thoughts leaned toward a heavy, country-style terrine. Imagine my surprise. The duck was sliced thin as paper and accented by the delicate honey flavor in the pastry. Light and delicate, this course immediately set the tone for the rest of the meal, which alternated lighter and heavier dishes for contrast.

A green asparagus risotto with parmesan cream followed the terrine (my notes refer to it as “gorgeously creamy”), capturing the flavors of spring with delicate slivers of the asparagus.

The pork belly for the main course was served with a garlic confit — heavenly sweet, I might add — and a dumpling that brought back memories of my first love’s family, who would often make these dumplings with pork roast. Mmm. I loved that all of the flavors we sampled were reminiscent of expected comforts, but did not leave us with heavy stomachs.

Our luncheon was capped with a dessert partially composed of fried dough. And fried dough can never, ever be bad. This happy little doughnut was served along with an apple sabayon, apple jelly and chocolate ice cream. Sounds heavy, doesn’t it? Think again.

This entire meal changed my perspective on the composition of seemingly heavy ingredients, as I’m now thinking of them in a new way. Pork, cabbage and dumplings, per the photo above, can be elevated to a level that is quite unexpected. Many thanks to the chefs and Czech Tourism for enlightening us.

We shot a quick video during the event so you can step into the kitchen with us, and you can see more photos on my Facebook profile.

Czech Tourism: www.czechtourism.com

 Video: Chef Eric Lee: Download

A production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I am off on another exciting food and wine adventure, this time for my first visit to Spain! Interestingly, I’m visiting what some might consider to be the most atypical region of the country, Galicia, to explore the wines of Rias Baixas.

When one thinks of Spain, one immediately thinks of red wine and paella; however, Rias Baixas is most well-known for its signature grape, Albariño (al-ba-REEN-yo). A protected varietal, Albariño is the only DO (Denomination of Origin) white wine in Spain, and wines labeled as such must be made with 100% Albariño grapes. Known for flavor profiles of honeysuckle, citrus, pear, melon, and even bright green apple, these wines have grown on me over the years, and I now find them to be a refreshing summer favorite.

Galicia is situated on the Atlantic coast of Spain, just above Portugal. The region was settled by Celts in the 11th Century BC, so it is not unusual to hear bagpipes in a ceremony or two, as one can see a very strong Irish influence in the local culture. (Last year at NYC’s Rias Baixas celebration, the wines were, in fact, piped into the room.) The cathedral at Santiago del Compostela in Galicia’s capital is well-known to Catholics, as it is the final destination of a pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago, which begins in Germany and winds its way through Italy and France, ending in Compostela. I do hope said pilgrims take the time to savor a glass or two at the end of such a long journey.

Given the region’s coastal location, Albariño wines are perfectly paired with seafood, so I’m looking forward to exploring the freshest of the ocean’s offerings, particularly given the time of year. We’ll be visiting a number of sub-zones, including Val do Salnés, O Rosal and Condado do Tea, with visits to the vineyards and fish markets, so this trip should provide much fodder for summer cooking creativity. Best of all, we’ll be staying in paradors, which are castles and other ancient buildings that have been converted to hotels. The first, Parador Hostal Reyes Católicos, is considered to be the world’s oldest hotel, and the second, Parador de Pontevedra – Casa del Baron, is the former residence of the Counts of Maceda. (This is my kind of traveling, ladies and gentlemen.)

Along with our hosts from Wines from Spain and Wines of Rias Baixas, two of my travel mates for this journey include wine expert (and sassy gent) Anthony Giglio and Amy Zavatto, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Bartending. Based on brief meetings I’ve had with both in the past couple of weeks, I’m counting on them to keep me entertained throughout the trip. Otherwise I can refrain from spitting and keep myself entertained. What inspires me is that Anthony is known for being one of the funniest, most approachable wine experts out there, so all hail those who see wine as a fun source of exploration.

I will do my best to send updates from the road, including photos, tweets and quick videos when possible, but I never know how good internet access will be when I’m abroad. If I can manage to conjure up access, you can find updates here on Food Philosophy, where I’ve also added a Twitter widget to the sidebar, as well as on my Facebook page.

Wines of Rias Baixas: http://www.riasbaixaswines.com
Wines from Spain: http://www.winesfromspain.com

Chef Mark and I recently attended a luncheon in NY to preview some of the Albarino wines, so here’s a quick little video including an informative conversation I had with Paul Grieco, co-owner of Hearth Restaurant:

Kitchen Elves are wonderful, but they tend to burn things.

Yes, they are very handy for washing dishes, peeling potatoes, etc., but they are costing us a fortune in melted spatulas, burned pots, and scorched aprons. They also can’t type to save their lives, so we’re looking for some human help:

Editorial Assistants

Will assist with the management of our editorial calendar (scheduling & some editing), as well as communication with media, food and wine professionals. Some light office duties may also be included.

Our editorial internships require a typo-sensitive eye (we are mental about typos) and an excellent grasp of the English language. We have pretty strict editing standards, so the more conscientious you are (nice word for anal-retentive) the better.

You will also be communicating with food and wine pros of all calibers, so we are looking for someone who is polished and professional. Pleasant also helps, as does knowledge of WordPress and general HTML code.

Please send a resume and cover letter to editor AT culinarymedianetwork.com.

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Video Editing Assistants

Will assist with production and distribution of our numerous food, wine and travel videos. Knowledge of FinalCut Pro and familiarity with online video outlets essential.

Please send a resume and cover letter to chefmark AT culinarymedianetwork.com.

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Our internships are unpaid at this time, but if you are eager to work with a passionate group of gourmands who are blazing a new trail in the world of cuisine, and where you won’t have to get coffee for anyone (or spend the day in front of the copier), this could very well be the place for you.

As we are a virtual company, you can be located just about anywhere. Having said that, we would prefer someone based in NYC for hands-on help one or two days a week at “HQ.”

Note: We are also seeking cookbook and food book reviewers. If you read either with the kind of passion normally reserved for seedy romance novels, please send your credentials and a writing sample to editor AT culinarymedianetwork DOT com.

We are looking for dedicated, professional, energetic people for whom the pursuit of excellence is standard operating procedure. A sense of humor bordering on salacious is also required.