snack

snackstuff: artful cookies

I recently came across these Keith Haring cookies, made by Nuit Blanche Paris. They also have products for Robert Mapplethorpe, Tom Sachs, and The Guggenheim NY. Later this fall, they'll launch an Andy Warhol Confectionery Line. Leave it to the French to come up with a concept that combines sweets and contemporary art. Though it is an interesting exercise in branding. If an artist can brand a cookie, well that certainly opens up the possibilities to what a chef could brand beyond the culinary, like a luxury watch for example. That is much more interesting than pots and pans. Chef as lifestyle brand - it can't be too far away.

snackstuff: when chocolate pigs fly

What's this? Why a flying chocolate pig filled with bacon of course. The latest addition to the Vosges swiney sweet line. Just in time to rally a new Easter mascot.Piggy for your basket anyone?

snackstuff: robu-baby going, going, gone

Interesting thing about the blog is that every single word and picture lives on forever in cyberspace. Sometimes you forget about a post until someone Googles something and you start getting traffic on an old post, say from last September. Seems a Beanie Baby collectors site over in the UK stumbled upon the post on the Chef Robuchon Beanie Baby. To satiate the collectors' hunger for details (yes I've been getting emails), I've scanned the tags, which are apparently a big deal in determining authenticity. As to the provenance: Ty Warner owns the Four Seasons hotel in New York City, where Chef Joël Robuchon opened his L'Atelier restaurant in August last year. As far as I know, only 200 were made to use as invitations to the opening. In my original post, I wondered how much Robu-baby would fetch on eBay? About $1,025.00, which is the current bid on eBay now. Seems a German collector has put one on the block. Bidding ends on May 31st. Crazy time. But I'm sure le chef will find this story trés amusante. N'est-ce pas?

UPDATE: Sold for $3550.

Photos after the jump.

snackstuff: japanese pen shells

I was at a press luncheon last Monday at Le Bernardin. At one point, Maguy LeCoze stopped in to say bonjour et comment ça va? I explained I was a bit fatigued as I was in-between chefs night out and the Beard awards. She said Champagne is always good for a hangover, nodding towards my glass of bubbly on the table. She's such a smart and soignée lady. Indeed, the wine brightened everything up. But I digress…

Chef Douglas Keane of Cyrus was host and cook that day. I've not been to his place in Healdsburg, CA, so it was a nice opportunity to try his (from the website) "contemporary luxury cuisine, which has a strong classic French foundation, layered with contemporary global accents and an emphasis on seasonality" firsthand. Plus, who says no to lunch at Le Bernardin?

A stand out among the passed canapés was a sort of surf-n-turf: crispy bone marrow with California caviar. Salty, crunchy, hot, and fatty. Quite addictive. Of note on the menu was the pen shell with spring corn and pickled ramps. (It seems this is the year of the pickle, with a subcategory of ramps.) What arrived on the plate looked like a seared scallop, but the texture was tougher and more sinewy like a conch or abalone. It caused a refined ruckus at the table.

Pen shells are a type of clam native to Japan and Korea that are available both wild and farm-raised. At the sushi bar they're called Tairagi. A bit of online time revealed they are known around the Mediterranean as la grande nacre (meaning mother of pearl or pearly) and gran nacra. Keane discovered them on a recommendation from his fish purveyor. Many of the chefs reading this might wonder if it was IMP, the super sushi vendor out of San Francisco? Indeed it was. But they also ship to points east including Gotham. I would not be surprised if pen shells start cropping up on menus here. (I've heard that Masato Shimizu had them on his menu at Jewel Bako in 2005 and likely has them at his current home, 15 East.)

snackstuff: robu-baby

Pop quiz: What do you get when you cross multi-billionaire Ty Warner with super chef Joël Robuchon?

Answer after the jump.

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snackstuff: daniel does it all

Many chefs have etched their names on the sides of frying pans and put their faces and names on the box. Their signature collections are usually variations on existing product lines from cookware companies, perhaps in a special chef color.

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Daniel Boulud, however, actually invented a pan, or more accurately a system of pans called the Faitout (a clever jeux des mots of faire tout). Parts one and two: a 12-quart pot with a lid that doubles as a braising-style pan. Both are made of stainless steel with an aluminum core and cook on the stove or in the oven. Part three: mesh basket with handle (ideal for frites). Part four: a colander/steamer insert. Part five: a perforated disk with vertical handle to use for /steaming/frying/poaching/whatever. It retails for about $360, but has been spotted on sale for $250. It’s a part of his DBK (Daniel Boulud Kitchen) collection that debuted last December -- but as they say in TVland during summer reruns, if you haven’t seen it, then it’s new to you. 

snackstuff: fancy food show leftovers

I went to the fancy food show on Monday. But you probably already read that. As per usual, I found many more things I like than had room for on the page.

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To make a few gross generalizations…

I walk through the Spain area, hoping to find Ferran Adria Lays potato chips or some cool line of fruit-flavored mono-glyceride gels. Nope. Despite the fact that Spain is the world’s capital of innovative cuisine, their food exports are pretty traditional.

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Little countries with emerging export markets, like I saw Bulgaria and Ecuador, all seem to have the same things, a basic line of offerings. Olive oil, cheese, vacuum packed/frozen/conserve fruits and vegetables, fruit juices and perhaps the local version of American breakfast cereals.

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Here’s a quick list of some new, some scary, some you-may-have-already-seen-but-are-great-nonetheless items that caught my eye at the Javits:

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snackstuff: e-z smoke

Summer grilling is a particular challenge for urbanites who, like myself, have minuscule kitchens and zero outdoor space. I discovered the joys of smoke-free smokin’ with Big Acres Savu bags last year.  The update: new hickory wood bags now available. Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.

snackstuff: gastro-shop

Few precious shopping days are left until the holidays and if you haven’t checked off everyone on your list, I’d guess your panic is mounting. Here’s another holiday leftover from the Corner Table*. A little re-heating and it reads as tasty as it did last year. And – you can probably pull this gift together while running through the aisle of a well-stocked grocery store. Or click to The Food Section where Josh has compiled the ne plus ultra gift list.

The Ultimate Cassoulet Kit
My father loves cooking, so much so that each year, he picks a dish and spends the next 12 months perfecting it. (What can I say? The Leuzzis are an obsessive bunch.) Anyway, one Christmas, I hit upon the perfect gift idea for him, and I thought I'd share it with Epicurious readers, as chances are you have a food-mad relative or two.

The Christmas in question, my father had chosen cassoulet as the dish he'd spend the next year perfecting, so I decided to make him the ultimate cassoulet kit. I assembled ingredients (duck confit and sausage, demi-glace, etc.) and a set of white French porcelain (a large covered casserole and eight individual dishes), and went looking for a cassoulet cookbook. It turned out there wasn't one in print (aspiring authors, take note), so I made my own. I typed up as many recipes as I could find, called around to a few French chefs for their secrets (all attributed, of course), and had them all bound at Kinko's. When my father opened the present, he was a little perplexed to pull a duck leg out of an insulated box, but after some explanation, he was thrilled with the gift. I replicated the routine the following year for risotto.

*The Corner Table’s been vacated, but the articles live forever on my archiveblog snackfile, along with other media tidbits by yours truly. It is a work in progress, as lately I’ve taken time off archiving to shop!

snackstuff: superstar lunchbox

Do you remember when you were a kid, how important it was to pick the right lunchbox for school? Whether it was a TV show, cartoon hero or toy, it was an

extension of your personality. If you had to choose a box to port your mid-day meal today, what would it be? Who’s you idol now? Bill Clinton? Sara Jessica Parker? Bono? Iron Chef Morimoto?

Last Thursday at NYC’s Wooster Project Gallery, The Edge paid $13,000 for a lunchbox designed and signed by Mr. President himself. Bono lost a bidding war to Chris Martin who paid $20,000 for the Michael Stipe box. The star-studded party auction was the kick-off for The Lunch Box Auction, happening now on EBay. Star boxes on the virtual block include Maggie Gyllenhall, Jeff Bridges, Crash (John Matos) and Helena Christensen. Monies raised go to The Lunch Box Fundand The Food Bank For New York City to help feed hungry kids in NYC and South Africa. Bidding ends October 24^th.

Lunch boxes designed by (from top to bottom) Bill Clinton, Mike Meyers, Marie-Louise Parker and Justin Theroux, and David Bowie and Iman.