National Date-Nut Bread Day is September 8th

Date-Nut Bread reminds me of that canned moist bread you could purchase at the grocery store, yes it is actually canned, like a can of baked beans while date-nut bread also reminds me of fruit cake. I will tell you this, date-nut bread is quite different from both. This is one of those quick breads which in this case, are slightly moist and oh so good for you!

Date Nut Bread

Yield: Makes 12 servings

See Cooking Videos

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cold butter

1 cup toasted chopped walnuts

1cup chopped dates

1-1/4cups milk

1egg

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions:

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 9X5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add walnuts and dates; stir until coated. Beat milk, egg and lemon peel in small bowl with fork. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Spread in prepared pan.

3.Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

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Other Important tidbits of history on this Date, September 8th

Feast of St. Adrian of Nicomedia, patron of butchers – click on link to go to wikipedia.com to learn about St. Adrian – oddly enough tomorrow is Steak Au Poivre Day.

1621 Prince Louis II de Condé, known as the Great Condé, was born. He was a French general who loved to hunt and had a passion for rice. Several dishes have been named for him, including Consommé Condé and Creme Condé.

1636 The Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony established Harvard College (New College), the first college in the Americas.

1930 Richard Drew invented Scotch tape.

1966 The first episode of the TV show ‘Star Trek’ airs. Chemically synthesized food on the Enterprise – we seem to be getting close to that now.

1978 ‘Grease’ by Frankie Valli is #1 on the charts

Soup Pots for the Masses – A Food Funny

I was curious to learn that one Avalon Cookware company makes 13,000, yes thirteen thousand soup pots per day – now I wondered how many families every day bought a new soup pot…since most soup pots last for several years at the very least…and Avalon is guaranteed to last over 35 years, making 13,000 new soup pots per day seemed rather ridiculous – as there are other cookware manufacturers out there that do the same thing. How many soup pots did we really need in any one given year?

Why even bother with all these statistics? OK, I admit, I had nothing else better to think of while watching Food Network’s show titled, ‘Unwrapped’ where they were highlighting this companies manufacturing process proudly announcing the amount of soup pots which can be produced in one given day. Again I quote the show, ‘13,000′ in one day are made.

My issues all started when they (the TV show) were explaining and showing how these special Avalon cookware soup pots were made and I was taken aback with the amount that can be made in any given day at this one factory and thought then how many families would it take and for how long for them to buy a years supply – It seemed rather excessive, especially when you learn the chemicals used to make said type of soup pots didn’t sound very healthy.

Worse, since Avalon is not alone in this market, since many TV Chefs are now touting their own product line of cookware, among many other companies – the thought of how many were made in total by all these companies made my mind spin…so I had to start somewhere and do some math.

I wondered how long it would take and how many households would be needed to buy up a years worth of manufactured Avalon soup pots. (OK, I already know I need a new day job) But let’s do some math shall we?

It has been a few years since I did algebra, and I would have do so some googling to find some stats, but this is what I came up with. You’re still reading this, so I know you are so fascinated by all this.

First of all, as of 2000 census (last reports I could find) the USA had more than 105 million households. One day’s worth of soup pots manufactured is 13,000. Now if this company worked normal days – since we have 365 days in a year (I didn’t have to look that up), we also must subtract some days: (weekend days – 104) and (holidays – 12) – so we should be left with a total of 249 working manufacturing days.

Taking 13,000 soup pots made in one day and multiply that number by the 249 production days provides us with 3,237,000 soup pots manufactured in one given year. With a total of 105 million households, that leads us with 1 soup pot for each 32 households, given they could afford said avalon soup pot and even now and then actually take the time to make soup or chili in said soup pot.

At this point, I really feel I should have paid more attention to statistics in college, since these numbers are troubling me with even further and more mind boggling questions. – Now what the heck was in my iced tea this morning, I will never know – there should not have been anything but tea and water. OK, so you need to know these other questions…keep your panties on and hold your horses…

You asked for them! – How long (years) do people usually use the same soup pot? How often do people actually go out and buy new cookware? How many people when choosing new cookware or even specifically buy new soup pots choose Avalon over their favorite TV Chef’s personal product line or a different manufacturer such as Le Creuset, to one they thoroughly enjoy.

My list of questions, frankly could easily go on – but I share this with you. More than half of my Revere Wear Copper Bottom pans are over 60 years old inherited from my mother, the remaining matching one’s I bought when I moved out at 21, and yes I am now 42 making these newer pots 21 years old along with the 60+ year old pans.

Do they still work? You bet. Are they still shiny bright copper? You bet, since I polish them after each use and are proudly hung up in the kitchen. Have I burnt plenty in them over the years? You bet – try removing hard candy cooked in a tall pot…but frankly Revere Copper Bottom cookware cleans quite easily will a little soaking.

I haven’t bought a soup pot except once when I was briefly married many years ago (well it was on registry) – And when I left him, I left the cooking pots and pans.

As I come to think of it, and only until now, this very moment, maybe they (said pots I got when I was first married) were the real reason I left – you see there were Avalon. lol. I had the entire set with glass lids, thinking it would be cool not to have to lift the lid to see the inside contents…May I quote some Dylan at this point? “Don’t let them know when you knew me when”

Oddly enough, when I first started writing this post this evening, I went to what I thought was Avalon’s main website: http://avalon-cookware.com/ and I copy and paste from their site to share this with you:
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“Welcome to Avalon Cookware

This site is now for sale. Charms cookware does not negotiate in good faith. They still use the Art of War negotiation tactics. Worse, they think these tactics are still relevant.

My advice to you is don’t waste your time and effort with people or company representatives that don’t know how to negotiate in good faith. There are many companies in China that will negotiate in good faith without finding the need to play games while trying to exercise their “superior” position.

We are actively looking for a stainless steel cookware manufacturer that is interested in selling products to the West.

We apologize for any inconvenience.  See TaylorDavis Consulting for more information”

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Wow, well, what can I tell you – Regardless of Avalon’s issues with either their website or the manafacturing of Avalong Soup Pots, I do believe the number of manafactured products in one given year outweighs the number of willing and able American Households who will buy up all 3,237,000 made in one year – I guess that’s why I found a photo for the Avalon products on Overstock.com….and what’s worse? They (Overstock.com) no longer carry the Avalon cookware products… ouch!

Some musings by little ‘ol me ~Chef Maven – Have a great soup day!

National Napoleon Food Day is September 7th

A classic napoleon served with caramel sauce

Napoleons are one of those desserts few at home would make since it seems to be a lot of work. But those layers of flaky crust with rich buttery whipped cream which assault your taste buds can get anyone interested in learning how to make these incredible desserts.

But before we get there, here is an excerpt from wikipedia.com on the incredible napoleon dessert in case you were wondering:

The Mille-feuille (French ‘thousand sheets’), Napoleon (U.S.), vanilla slice, cream slice or custard slice (Commonwealth countries) is a pastry made of several layers of puff pastry alternating with a sweet filling, typically pastry cream, but sometimes whipped cream, or jam. It is usually glazed with icing or fondant in alternating white and brown (chocolate) strips, and combed. The name is also written as “millefeuille” and “mille feuille”.

There are also savory mille-feuilles with cheese and spinach or other fillings.

Variant names and forms

In Italy, where the pastry is thought to have originated in Naples, it is called mille foglie and contains similar fillings. A savory Italian version consists of puff pastry filled with spinach, cheese or pesto, among other things.

In the Commonwealth (Quebec excepted), mille-feuille is known as ‘vanilla slice’ or ‘cream slice’, and usually has only a top and bottom pastry layer. The filling is often flavored with chocolate. In Australia, popular icings include vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, and passion fruit. In New Zealand, it is usually called a ‘custard square.’

A variation popular in England is the Bavarian Slice which has a layer of raspberry or strawberry jam and rippled icing, although there is no evidence that this is a traditional Bavarian dish.

In Australia, there are varying forms of this pastry. Balfours, claiming to be Australia’s largest bakery^[1], produce their own form of Napoleon Cake which is multi layered and contains icing, pastry, cream, jam and sponge cake. This differs from the more widely known vanilla slice which is composed of icing, pastry and custard.

In Sweden as well as in Finland the Napoleonbakelse (Napoleon pastry) is a mille-feuille filled with whipped cream, custard, and jam. The top of the pastry is glazed with icing and currant jelly.

The Netherlands and Belgium eat the tompoes or tompouce. Several variations exist in Belgium, but in the Netherlands, it is iconic and the market allows preciously little variation in form, size, ingredients and colour. See tompouce.

History

The origin of the mille-feuille is unknown. The Hungarian city of Szeged may have something to do with its origins. Carême (writing at the end of the 18th century) considered it of ‘ancient origin’. It was earlier called “gâteau de mille-feuilles” ‘cake of a thousand leaves’.

Origin of the name ‘Napoleon’

The name appears to come from napolitain, the French adjective for the Italian city of Naples, but altered by association with the name of Emperor Napoleon I of France. There is no evidence to connect the pastry to the emperor himself.

In France, a Napoléon is a kind of mille-feuille filled with almond paste.

Competitions

An annual competition for the best vanilla slice baker is the Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph held in Ouyen in western Victoria (Australia). Judging criteria include “when tasted, should reveal a custard with a creamy smooth texture and a balance of vanilla taste with a crisp, crunchy pastry topped with a smooth and shiny glaze/fondant”. ^[2]

Popular culture

• The time-travel card game Early American Chrononauts includes a tongue-in-cheek card called Napoleon’s Napoleon which players can symbolically acquire from the year 1815.

• On the cd label for the 1998 Sonic Youth album A Thousand Leaves the phrase “mille feuille” is crossed out and “a thousand leaves” is written under it.

• Milfeulle Sakuraba is a character in the anime Galaxy Angel. She is highly skilled in cooking, but especially enjoys making pastries and other desserts.

• In the Woody Allen film Love and Death, Napoleon berated his chefs for a pastry attempt at a Napoleon (they’d included raisins, among other things). Napoleon declared himself in competition with Wellington, who was “inventing” Beef Wellington.

• In the video game Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, the cake is the most expensive one when found in the hidden bakery of the City of Haze, at $1000 per single payment. It will reappear on sale once the player consumes it, but is also found again in another hidden bakery later on in 13th Street.

• In the video game For the Frog the Bell Tolls, The Princess Tiramisu lives in the Mille-Feuille kingdom.

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As I searched for appropriate photos (the one above came from bonappettite.com) I was shocked by the photos that did come up as samples of the real thing – I kid you not, most of these photos of desserts were not very appealing…but I assure you there are a variety of ways to make napoleon’s but I found a good recipe to create the perfect dessert for your next shingdig.

Now that you have learned a thing or two about Napoleon Pastries here’s your most basic recipe for making your very own flaky pasties for your eating pleasures…

Napoleon Dessert Recipe:
Courtesy of Baking.About.com

Prep Time: 1 hours, 00 minutes

Ingredients:

• 17-ounce package frozen pastry
• chocolate or vanilla pastry cream*
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, melted

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lighly flour bread board and rolling pin. Roll dough to 13 x 17 inch triangle, 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to cookie sheet. Prick dough with fork. Cover with another cookie sheet. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove top sheet and continue to bake for 5 more minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

Cut pastry into thirds, lengthwise. Mix powdered sugar and water. Stir until smooth. Turn over 1 pastry strip on rack. Pour sugar glaze over strip. Smooth with spatula. Quickly pour stripes of chocolate over glaze. Drag knife over top to make decorative design. Let stand until dry, about 30 minutes.

To assemble: Place one unglazed strip on serving platter. Spread half of pastry cream on top. Top with the other unglazed strip. Top with rest of pastry cream. Top that with glazed strip. Chill until firm, about and hour. (Don’t chill longer than 3 hours. It may get soggy.) For serving, cut with serrated knife.

Vanilla Pastry Cream Filling Recipe:

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 02 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Preparation:

Boil 2 cups of milk. Beat yolks with sugar and remaining milk. Whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch and flour until combined. Gradually whisk hot milk into egg mixture. Return to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce to low and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a shallow disk. Cover with plastic wrap. (Make sure wrap touches surface to prevent a skim from forming.) Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Makes approximately 2-3/4 cups.

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Also interesting on this September 7th – Some historical facts:

St. Gratus of Aosta, protector of vineyards
St. Regina, patron of shepherdesses

1840 Luther Crowell was born. He invented a machine to make square bottomed grocery bags.

1847 Henry David Thoreau left Walden Pond.

1912 David Packard was born. Founder with William Hewlett of the Hewlett Packard Company. Before they became famous for computers and printers etc., some of their early inventions were an automatic urinal flusher and a weight loss shock machine!

1971 The final episode of ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ TV show is aired.

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I won’t be making napoleons for today, but will be making my coconut oatmeal cookies for a church community function that is happening tomorrow, weather permitting.

Have a great September 7th. ~Chef Maven

National Coffee Ice Cream Day is September 6th

Photo courtesy of restaurantwindows.com

So on this date, the National Food Day for September 6th happens to be one of my favorite desserts to splurge on: coffee ice cream. Have you ever thought to learn how to make some yourself?

I do not recall the very first time I had coffee ice cream, but I remember even back then I enjoyed the taste of it – though I certainly was not a coffee drinker back then.

As I got older, my tastes would shift as to what was a favorite flavor – I am no longer a huge fan of vanilla, too plain for me, I prefer a rich dutch chocolate or a good coffee ice cream and simply adore to make my own sauces for toppings. In fact I even have somewhere in this blog a recipe for making your very own coffee caramel sauce, a recipe I created and which is truly amazing and decadent to serve up to guests who will easily be impressed. The recipe couldn’t be any easier to make.

Here is a standard recipe for making homemade coffee ice cream.

Homemade Coffee Ice Cream From Scratch Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6 egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons fresh coffee (finely ground)
• 8 oz (200g) soft brown sugar (light)
• 1 pint (500ml) milk
• 6 fl.oz (approx 185ml) very hot water

Tip: Make sure you use good quality, fresh coffee

Directions:

1. Take the finely ground coffee and pour the water onto it then let it stand for about 10 mins.
2. You then need to remove the coffee grounds so strain the mixture.
3. In a heatproof bowl mix together the sugar and egg yolks, then whisk until thick and pale.
4. Whisk in the milk and the coffee, then put the bowl over a saucepan of simmering (though not boiling) water or use a double boiler.
5. Cook until the mixture is thick (ie. until it forms a layer on the back of a wooden spoon) being sure to stir it all the time.
6. Take the saucepan off the heat and place the bowl to one side to cool.
7. If you want to prevent a skin forming on the mixture you can try covering the surface with a piece of damp, greaseproof paper.
8. When cool, transfer the complete mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Once your ice cream has thickened in your ice cream machine, then put ice cream into a bowl with lid into your freezer to completely freeze (might take at least four hours) until ready to serve.

Here is one ice cream machine that seems to be worth investing in after I read its many reviews – available at Amazon.com: Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Automatic Ice Cream Makers

You can also try different types of flavored coffee too. As for what sorts of coffee to use, I would personally use that coffee which I had just grinded which frankly in my book, makes the best coffee regardless of what type or flavor the coffee is. My particular favorite flavor is Hazelnut, but at your local large grocery store, should you have a coffee grinder Krups Fast Touch Coffee Grinders(I have seen them for $20 on amazon.com) there are many flavors available to you. Make up your own concoction and make your own coffee ice cream today!

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Other interesting tidbits that happened in history on this day September 6th:
Courtesy of foodreference.com

St. Magnus of Fussen’s Day, patron of crops.

1620 The Pilgrims set sail from England aboard the Mayflower.

1800 Catherine Esther Beecher was born. American educator and author of ‘Miss Beecher’s Domestic Receipt Book’, etc.

1892 John Froelich made the first gasoline powered tractor.

1899 Carnation began producing evaporated milk.

~Chef Maven