SanLuisObispo.com: Food

A fast chicken dish with an Asian accent

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Honey, ginger and soy sauce lend a sweet-savory flavor to today's quick-cooked chicken. A coating of sesame seeds brightens the dish and adds crunch.

Toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil have a rich flavor. Instead of toasting the seeds, I buy a jar of them already toasted in the sushi section of the supermarket. Toasted sesame oil, found in the Asian section, is good to keep it on hand for flavoring vegetables and salads.

This meal contains 571 calories per serving with 32 percent of calories from fat.

The Chef's Table: Prime rib vs. rib-eye

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Question: Is prime rib the same thing as a rib-eye steak? If so (or if not), would I prepare them the same way? Your expertise is greatly appreciated - Thomas C.

Answer: Thomas, you have brought up an issue that most people do not have a clear understanding of and it is the subject of much debate. Wars have been waged over less. I'm not talking about the difference between prime rib vs. rib-eyes - I'm talking about my expertise.

That being said, and since I have your vote of confidence, let's get down to the bare bones here. The simple answer to your question is - sort of ... OK, like most things, there is no simple answer, but I've got a lot of information that might help sort things out.

Cook's corner: Cranberry bread starts with a lemon cake mix

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Question: I've misplaced a recipe I believe I cut from a cake mix box for a cranberry bread that was really good and easy to make. I always made it whenever fresh cranberries hit the grocery. Do you have anything like this? Please don't tell me how to make it from scratch. I don't have the time or inclination.

Answer: Lots of readers enjoy doctoring cake mixes. In fact, the most-requested recipe in the 25-plus years I've been writing Cook's Corner is Better Than Sex Cake, which starts with a chocolate cake mix. Here's a cranberry bread recipe from Duncan Hines. If fresh cranberries aren't available, use frozen. If you substitute dried cranberries, skip the added sugar. (And if you want Better Than Sex Cake, you'll find it MiamiHerald.com/Food; click Recipes.)

LEMON CRANBERRY LOAVES

A whole new twist on whole grain pasta

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

At last, encouraging financial news: Getting those FDA-recommended 48 grams of healthful whole grains daily can be cheap. Supermarket brands Barilla, Ronzoni and Mueuller's make whole-grain rotini that passes the test for taste, texture and nutrition, and they're well-priced, too.

Barilla Whole Grain Rotini ($1.55, 13.25 ounces), made with whole wheat and oat fiber, offers 28 grams of whole grains per serving. Unlike the first wave of whole grain pastas, which skewed either toward gravelly or gluey, Barilla cooks up delightfully al dente with a flavor that"s slightly nutty but subtle, making it game for any sauce. Each serving contains 200 calories, 7 protein grams and 6 fiber grams - triple the fiber in regular semolina pasta.

Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Rotini ($1.79, 13.25 ounces) gives you more whole grains per serving (34 grams), plus 360 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids, thanks to the addition of flaxseed meal. It also has a more in-your-face wheat flavor and a coarser texture. It works best tossed with lots of vegetables and a bolder sauce like a zesty arabiata. It equals Barilla in fiber and protein content with 20 fewer calories per serving (180).

Heritage pork: Not so lean cuisine

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Nate Appleman stands in the abattoir at Paradise Locker Meats in Trimble, Mo., just inches away from the hanging carcass of a 300-pound Berkshire hog.

Abattoir is an elegant French word for slaughterhouse. But the rising star chef does not so much as flinch, even though moments earlier he had witnessed the hog's last breath. Even though the day before he had watched spotted piglets romping through pastures at Newman Farm in the Ozarks.

Most days the 29-year-old chef is at his popular San Francisco restaurants or working on his third restaurant, Urbino, due to open in January 2009 in an up-and-coming neighborhood known as Dogpatch. At 6,000 square feet, Urbino is large enough to include a commissary where Appleman will hand-cut his own meat from whole animals.

Can a home cook make it in a restaurant kitchen? Our reporter finds out

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Home cooks like me fantasize about working in a restaurant kitchen. The gadgets, the walk-in fridge, the double-time chopping, the pressure-cooker atmosphere - what a rush.

I wouldn't last long on "Top Chef" - those chef-testants can perfectly roast a quail; I still overcook the occasional chicken breast - but I'd sure love to put on chef's whites and give it a shot.

One great thing about being a reporter is trying new adventures in the name of research, so I e-mailed Azul chef Clay Conley to ask if I could volunteer for a week in his kitchen at the Mandarin Oriental in Miami.

Kathy's Chicken Florentine

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Visitors to the Food Network Web site can't seem to get enough of Paula Deen's Chicken Florentine.

It's one of the most popular recipes there, but even though that meal contains a generous amount of spinach, it's far from healthy.

Just one serving of Deen's casserole packs in 660 calories and 50 grams of fat. If you ate a Chicken Club sandwich from Wendy's instead, you'd save 120 calories and 25 fat grams.

Taco-flavored pasta appeals to teen palates

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:32 PDT

Throughout the fast-food industry, "bowl-based meals" are all the rage.

When Taco Bell began its bowl blitz in 2002, the company's executives launched a $20 million ad campaign based on extensive consumer research, according to Restaurant Business. Company executives revealed consumer research showed 84 percent of consumers prefer to eat with utensils rather than their hands, and 93 percent eat out of bowls at least once a week.

Playing on this trend, The Kansas City Star's Taco Pasta Bowls combine two ethnic-inspired flavors that teens enjoy: Italian and Mexican. But, of course, the end result is an all-American dish.

Despite costs, healthy school lunches on the menu

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:42 PDT

The buffet offers a variety of pizzas, with whole wheat crust, organic toppings and hormone-free cheese. The salad bar includes some greens and vegetables grown without pesticides in a nearby garden.

And the chef even takes special requests from vegetarians, those wanting gluten-free food or even an extra slice of free-range meat.

This isn't a restaurant in one of Kansas City's trendy neighborhoods, but a cramped room in the basement of the Kansas City Academy, a private school for 6th-12th graders in the city's Waldo district.

Redevelopment freezes out original Carvel store

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:42 PDT

The original Carvel shop prepared to serve its last cones Sunday, more than seven decades after becoming the birthplace of an ice cream empire.

Customers flocked to the 1950s-style store in Hartsdale, about 25 miles north of Manhattan, snapping photos and lamenting the coming shutdown, owner Abdol Faghihi said. The shop, which the owner said had struggled with rising taxes and other expenses, was closing to make way for a new restaurant.

"I'm extremely saddened," said Faghihi, who bought the franchise more than 20 years ago. "For everyone who comes in, it was special."

Winemaker Constellation Brands loses $23M

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:02 PDT

Constellation Brands Inc. said Thursday it lost nearly $23 million in its fiscal second quarter as strong sales of vodka and high-end wines were more than offset by charges to shrink its operations in Australia. Its shares fell nearly 9 percent.

Constellation became the world's biggest wine business by volume when it acquired Australian vintner BRL Hardy Ltd. in 2003. Its 300-plus brands run from jug wines to coveted California reds, including the Clos du Bois, Geyser Peak and Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi labels. It also imports Corona and St. Pauli Girl beer and owns liquors such as Fleischmann's vodka and Black Velvet Canadian whiskey.

The company lost $22.7 million, or 11 cents per Class A share, in the quarter ended Aug. 31. That compared with a profit of $72 million, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier.

California will require chain restaurants to post calorie content

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:33 PDT

Battling the bulge, California became the first state Tuesday to require chain restaurants to post calorie content of menu items.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation that will affect about 17,000 facilities once it is fully implemented in 2011.

The measure, Senate Bill 1420, is designed to spark diners to ponder their girth before choosing between a Jumbo Jack and a Burrito Supreme.

Country-of-origin labeling begins this week

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:42 PDT

Finally, after six years of waiting, country-of-origin labeling has arrived.

Starting this week, retailers are required to tell shoppers if their fresh fruits and vegetables, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, goat, fish, shellfish and certain types of nuts come from a different country.

What does this mean for consumers? Look more closely at food packaging for words such as "Product of the USA," "Produce of the USA," "Grown in Mexico," or "China." The words will appear on placards, signs, labels, stickers, twist-ties and other displays, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Calif. vintners push to open wine tasting rooms

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 07:06 PDT

Don Cohorst has acres of vineyards, a stash of small-batch vintages and a barn he wants to turn into a cozy tasting room for vino-sipping visitors.

He's convinced he can ply those wine lovers with samples of his Syrah and Muscat Canelli and sell them single bottles for as much as $20 - more than twice the price he now gets from several small retailers.

But his plan and those of many other winemakers in California have been scuttled by a growing backlash among residents who don't want tipsy tourists weaving through their quiet communities, possibly putting locals at risk while increasing traffic congestion and noise.

Burger King switches to trans fat free oil

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 06:01 PDT

Burger King Corp. said Thursday it is now cooking with trans fat free cooking oils at all of its restaurants nationwide.

The No. 2 hamburger chain also said all of its menu ingredients, including its baked goods, will contain zero grams of trans fat by Nov. 1.

Trans fats are partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. They can raise bad cholesterol and lower healthy cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease, according to doctors. Trans fats are used to increase the shelf life of foods and preserve flavor.

Restaurants take credit hit, but leases improve

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:39 PDT

While the credit crunch is making it hard for some restaurant companies to get loans to build new locations and renovate old ones, other chains are using the slowdown to secure better terms from landlords struggling to find viable tenants.

"Landlords are being fairly aggressive now," said David Litchman, chief executive of Pockets, a sandwich and salad chain based in Chicago. "Now we're getting many, many more deals come across the table."

As gas prices have jumped to record levels and confidence in the economy has tanked among consumers, spending has slowed down and led to lower sales and profits at restaurants and retailers. That's led to some pain for landlords, because companies have less money to expand.