foodha for thought – menuism blog

When it comes to pairing food and wine, it may seem like a daunting task.  In reality, it’s not as difficult as you may think.  So what’s the first rule to remember when it comes to pairing wine with foods?  Simply, there are no rules.  In the end, it’s all about drinking the wines with the foods you enjoy; however, with some basic guidelines below, you may find the prospect of creating wine and food pairings to be an enjoyable task.

The weight and texture of the food should be matched to the weight & texture of the wine:  For example, a delicate fish like sole would pair wonderfully with a light-bodied white wine like pinot grigio.  On the other hand, a denser and richer fish like salmon is the perfect match for a richer, fuller-bodied white like chardonnay.

Pay attention to the the intensity of flavors in the food and wine and try to balance them together:  For example, a roast turkey, which is a mildly flavored food will be in synch with light-bodied white and red wines like sauvignon blanc and Beaujolais; however, when you take into consideration the complete Thanksgiving dinner which features stuffing, cranberry sauce, and other strongly flavored side dishes, an intensely flavored white like gewürztraminer or a rich, fruity red like syrah or zinfandel would be preferable.

Balance flavors: The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (the recently discovered fifth taste found in savory foods like mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce, and aged cheeses and meats). Salty and sour tasting foods will make wines taste milder (fruitier and less acidic), while sweet and savory foods will make wines taste stronger (drier and more astringent).

For example, a simple cut of beef tames the tannins and brings out the fruit of a young cabernet sauvignon, but chocolate will accentuate its tannins and diminish its fruit. Seasonings like salt, lemon and vinegar can make the wine taste milder while ingredients like sugar or unami can make the wine taste stronger.

Match flavors:  Flavors are combinations of tastes and aromas, and there are an infinite number of them. You can fine tune food and wine pairings by matching flavors in the food and the wine.  For example, a roast duck in a plum sauce pairs wonderfully with red wines, like barbera or syrah, with pronounced black plum flavors while grilled steak in a pepper sauce will go beautifully with a peppery zinfandel.

Counterpoint flavors: Sometimes, realizing that opposites can attract is the better choice to make. For example, pairing a spicy dish like Jamaican Jerk Chicken with a high alcohol red wine may seem logical, but, in fact, the heat in the dish will ignite the alcohol in the wine to produce an unpleasantly hot, harsh impression. A better choice is a low-alcohol, fruity wine like riesling or gewürztraminer, which will both frame and tame the spicy flavors of the dish.

So the next time you’re dining out, keep some of the above guidelines in mind and don’t be afraid of experimenting.  If a certain pairing doesn’t work, it’s a lesson learned, but if they do, than it’ll make the meal even more memorable because of your contributions.

By Abby C. Abanes
Menuism Community Manager

Before you can truly understand the “art” behind Artisanal Food Makers, let’s talk about what it means to be an Artisanal Food Maker.  First, it must be mentioned that artisanal foods come in many forms, from cheeses to jams to breads to ice creams to beverages and so much more.  You can find Artisanal food producers everywhere from the heart of the city to off the beaten path.

In a nutshell, an Artisanal Food Maker is a small, craft-oriented operation whose goal is to use the highest quality ingredients and techniques to create quality gourmet food products. These Artisan Food Makers care so much about what they produce that they are generally available on site, right at the dairy, bakery or small factory where their food is produced, from the beginning of the process to the very end.

Many of them also prefer to take advantage of local ingredients either through grown through their own means or by purchasing them directly from local farms.  Since the food produced takes more work and and are generally developed in smaller batches, they may cost more than their mass-produced counterpart, but the quality is sometimes unparalleled.

The “Art” in Artisan Food Makers really  has to do with their passion in regards to not cutting corners in their pursuit of a product that truly is hand-crafted as well their sheer love for what they consider more of a calling than just a mere job.  One such Artisan Food Maker is Bill Lewis of Bill’s Honey.  I had the opportunity to visit his home with some friends and literally, go “bee”-hind the scenes and it’s a story that I want to share with all of you.  When you’re done reading it, I hope that you’ll gain the same appreciation I did of the hard work it goes into the food we eat.

The education started as soon as we stepped onto the property of Bill’s Bee Ranch. The first thing we learned from Beekeeper, William “Bill” Lewis” was that almost all the honey that he sells at various farmer’s markets all over Los Angeles is homemade. Literally!

Bill’s Bee Ranch, located in the Angeles National Forest, is the home of Bill and his family and they share it with the hundreds of bees he keeps in crated hives. Bill takes working from home very seriously. Most of the honey produced from his bees come from the nectar of flowers, plants and trees that are growing in the general vicinity. Another thing to note is that no pesticides or fertilizers are applied in the bees’ gathering area, which makes for pure, raw and natural honey. Also onsite are the equipment he needs to extract and manufacture his artisanal honey products.

After that little intro, we were able to view a working hide from an enclosed glass stand. It was really interesting to be almost nose to nose, at least from behind the glass, to all the bee activity happening in front of our eyes. Bill soon gave us a demonstration on how he uses  a tool called a bee smoker and bellows to smoke the bees out of their hives.  Smoking the bees out of their home allows us access to the honey.  First, he smoked the bees out of the glass stand and then from a couple of his actual hives.

One thing that Bill emphasized that the way to interact with a bee is simply to not make any sudden movements. Move slowly or keep still until they leave you. Batting them away just freaks them out and that’s usually when you get stung. By the way, I mention this tidbit because for the next part of our tour, some of us really got up close and personal with the bees.

As mentioned, Bill smoked the bees out of a couple of his actual hives. The hives themselves are boxes with tray inserts hanging into the box. It is on the surface of these tray inserts that the bees construct their honeycomb, a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by the bees to store their honey, pollen and baby bees. While he did smoke the majority of the bees away, the tray insert Bill pulled out to show us was buzzing with activity.

Some of the group watched from afar, but most of us took Bill’s advice to heart and just quietly stood by to take a look. Along with the bees, we got a closer look at the honeycomb itself and when Bill scraped some of the capping off, we could see the honey below the surface. He even managed to cup a drone bee in his palm. No worries here. Drone bees don’t have stingers, just the worker bees.

Another thing that Bill pulled out of the hive was a pollen tray. Basically, along with the nectar from flowers and the plants, bees also collect pollen on their legs and other parts of their body and what isn’t used to pollinate is brought back to the hive. Just like honey, the pollen is consumed by the bees, with honey being the carbohydrate and the pollen being the protein. Apparently, this pollen is also considered really good for us and many refer to pollen as a “superfood.” In fact, you can even purchase it from Bill or other health food stores. To find out more about the benefits of pollen, click here. After visiting with the bees, it was now time for us to see how the honey is extracted.

Bill took us to a building in the back of his home, where a small group at a time was brought into his extractor and processing room. After a more aggressive smoking so that the majority of bees are out of the hive, the hives are brought into this room. Bill then proceeds to remove the tray inserts and uses a machine to scrape off as much of the wax as possible, with the wax going into a bucket. What the machine can’t scrape off, Bill will manually scrape off. Once the wax is scraped off, the tray inserts are placed into a machine and once the door shuts, the trays are flipped round and round.

The honey is forced out of the cells because of that repeated motion or specifically, a centrifugal force and then drains to the bottom of this machine. Eventually the honey comes out of a faucet into a bucket, which Bill takes it to another machine for filtering. As for the wax, it doesn’t go to waste. Bill’s wife uses it to make everything from soaps to candles. After seeing all the steps taken into producing honey for our consumption, we finally got to sample the fruits of their labor, both Bill’s and his bees.

Overall, it was an awesome outing. Bill really knew his stuff and was happy answer any questions and share any knowledge he had. Now when I put a little bit of honey in my tea or spread it on a scone, I’m just so much more appreciative of the work that went into having it in a jar on my pantry shelf.  It was so easy to see how much Bill loves what he does and the care he puts into his bees and his product really showed through. So if you happen to see Bill’s Honey at your local farmer’s market in the LA area, be sure to stop by and bring some home. You’ll definitely get quality product from a quality beekeeper and his company.

Some Bee Tidbits

The Nose Knows: Bees are attracted to lemon and/or citrus scents because their Queens emit a lemon like scent; however, they shy away from bananas because the alarm pheremone that gets released when there’s danger to the hive smells like bananas.

Deliciously Tasty: The honeycomb is edible because the wax is made from honey.

Storing Your Honey: Honey is a natural preservative because of its high sugar content. Too much water in honey will make it ferment. With the right yeast, fermented honey is “Mead” or honey wine. It’s best to store honey at room temperature in a sealed container. In an open container, honey will absorb moisture from the air because it’s a natural humectant. Cold temperatures will not affect honey; however, temperatures above 110F will start to destroy the honey’s live enzymes, darken its color and changes its flavor.

You can purchase Bill’s Honey at:

South Pasadena Farmers Market
Located on Meridian where it intersects Mission
Every Thursday 4-8pm; except Jan. & Feb. 4-7pm

Santa Monica Farmers Market
Located on Arizona St. where it intersects 3rd St.
Every Saturday 8:30a-1p

Montrose Farmers Market
Located on Honolulu St. at Oceanview Blvd.
Every Sunday 9-2p

Sierra Madre Farmers Market
Located at Mariposa Ave. & S. Baldwin Ave.
Wednesdays 3-7p

Northridge Farmers Market
Located at Northridge Mall off Tampa
every other Wednesday from April-Oct., 5-9p starting July 30

If you’d like to visit one of your local artisan food makers, there are a few ways to go about doing it.

• Do a google search and search for food factory tours and see if anything comes up.
• Do a google search for a certain type of food that interests you and if company websites come up, check them out to see if they offer tours.  Focus on the companies that seem to have smaller distributions, are local to you and generally, you’ll be able to tell from their “About Us” section whether or not they consider themselves to be boutique or artisanal food companies.  They may be more open to your inquiry.
• Check out products at your local Trader Joe’s or other type of gourmet food store.  These stores tend to carry products made from smaller, local companies.  You can usually get contact info off the packaging.
• Visit local farmer’s markets and ask some of the vendors if you could make arrangements with them to tour their production facilities.

Of course, some may or may not say yes and if they say yes, they may ask for some type of compensation . You’d also have to be flexible to work around their schedule, but in the end, seeing the business of how your food comes to your plate is definitely a fun and educational experience.

To see all the pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157607049254362/

By Abby C. Abanes
Menuism Community Manager

When it comes to ordering food at a Chinese restaurant, visions of mu shu pork and orange chicken may come to mind. While both are tasty options, there is actually more to Chinese cuisine than you can ever imagine.  Basically, there are four distinct regional styles of cooking.  Read below to get a short overview.

Eastern Region

The Eastern Region of China includes Shanghai, Fuzhou and the rest of the eastern provinces.  Known as Heaven on Earth and the Land of Fish and Rice, the Eastern region is all about their seafood specialties and their light, delicate and sweet flavors.

What the East is known for: Source of China’s Best Soy Sauces and Rice Wines.

Styles of Cooking: Red Cooking (Braising in Soy Sauce-Based Mixture), Stir-Frying, Steaming and Quick Simmering.

Common Seasonings: Soy Sauce, Rice Wine, Rice Vinegar, Sugar and Red Fermented Bean Sauce.

Representative Dishes: Soy Sauce Duck, Lion’s Head Meatballs, Xia Long Bao (Juicy Dumplings) and Rice Cakes.

Western Region

The Western Region of China is all about the spicy-hot dishes of the Sichuan, Hunan and Yunnan provinces.

What the West is known for: Fiery Dishes That Will Perk Up Your Tastebuds in a Big Way.

Styles of Cooking: Seasonings and Condiments Combine for Mouthfuls of Hot, Sour, Sweet and Salty All in One Bite.

Common Seasonings: Chiles (Fresh, Dried and in Pastes), Peppercorns, Ginger, Garlic, Water Chestnuts, Bamboo Shoots, Mushrooms and Nuts.

Representative Dishes: Kung Pao Chicken, Twice Cooked Pork, Szechuan Beef and Mapo Tofu

Northern Region

The Northern Region of China encompasses Beijing, Inner Mongolia and the rest of the northern provinces.  When it comes to the food, this eclectic cuisine embodies both the cultivated cooking of royal kitchens, Mongolian and Muslim dishes as well as the Shandong province, the birthplace of classic Chinese cuisine.

What the North is known for: Noodles, Steamed Breads and Pancakes Served Instead of Rice.

Styles of Cooking: Stir-Frying, Pan-Frying, Braising and Barbecuing.

Common Seasonings: Garlic, Chives, Leeks, Star Anise and Sweet Bean Sauces.

Representative Dishes: Peking/Beijing Roast Duck, Mongolian Hot Pot and Sesame Green Onion Pancakes

Southern Region

The Southern Region of China is probably the more well-known of all the Chinese cuisines since it focuses on food from Canton and Hong Kong, which is the majority of restaurants found in the US and other parts of the world. For the Southern Region, it’s all about cooking with the freshest quality ingredients using refined techniques with a limited amount of seasonings.

What the South is known for: Dim Sum.

Styles of Cooking: Steaming, Stir Frying, Shallow Frying, Double Boiling, Braising and Deep Frying.

Common Seasonings: Soy Sauce, Sugar, Salt, Vinegar, Rice Wine and Corn Starch.

Representative Dishes: Beef Chow Fun, Roasted Pig, Sweet and Sour Pork and Steamed Fish.

As you can see, the breadth of Chinese Cuisine is quite amazing. Most Chinese restaurants serve a mix of dishes from all four regions, which is why you’ll see Orange Chicken, Beef Chow Fun, Mongolian Hot Pot and Peking Duck listed all at one time.  Next time, double-check that menu.  If you see a prominent listing of dishes that represent one of the regions above, this is a great opportunity to try something different.  If you’re not sure, ask one of the waitstaff or the manager if their restaurant specifically focuses on cuisine from either the East, West, North or South.  If that’s the case, take it a couple of steps further.  Ask for recommendations and in doing so, you might see Chinese food in a whole new light and even have the meal of your life!

By Abby C. Abanes
Menuism Community Manager

So it’s Friday night and you’re with a group of friends, who knowing you are a foodie-know-it-all, asks you what the difference is between a Commis Chef and Chef de Cuisine. Eeek! No worries.

Let them know that you’d rather enjoy your dessert and coffee for now and that you’ll get back to them later. Then run on home and copy and paste the following in an email.

See, you really are a foodie-know-it-all. Just don’t tell them you got a little help from the Menuism blog!

The Scoop on a Restaurant’s Kitchen Hiearchy or Dang, unless you go to Culinary School, you better be prepared for hands as dry as the Sahara!

Chef de Cuisine – A Chef de Cuisine is the one with the culinary vision and point of view, who conceptualizes the dishes and whose personality is reflected through all aspects of their restaurant. The Chef de Cuisine is usually the one who represents the restaurant through all kinds of media, print or television. Sometimes, they may have time to cook a meal or two.

Executive Chef - Executive Chefs run the whole kitchen when the head honcho isn’t there and are often employed when a chef has more than one restaurant. Duties include hiring and firing the staff, determining costs, revamping the menu, taking care of all administrative tasks, interacting with the dining room managers, and generally overseeing the well-being of the restaurant. In smaller restaurants, the Chef de Cuisine sees to all this, and an executive chef would be redundant.

Sous Chef – The Sous Chef is always in the kitchen. Their day involves coming up with ideas for the daily specials, handling inventory, overseeing the staff and depending on the size of the kitchen, they may also serve as the Expediter. Basically, they do all the hands-on work. Sous Chef will either move on to open their own restaurants, becoming Chefs de Cuisine or prefer to say where they are, uninterested in the limelight of chef stardom.

Expediter – For larger kitchens, there may be need for an Expediter. Their function is to serve as the liaison between the customers in the dining room and the line cooks. They ensure that the food gets to the wait staff in a timely fashion, so that everyone sitting at a particular table is served at the same time. Coordination and timing are important aspects of this job

Pastry Chef - The pastry chef is like the Sous Chef, but reigns over the pastry section, which is usually tucked far away from the heat and bustle of the main kitchen (to protect delicate soufflés, fragile spun sugar, and temperamental chocolates).

Chef de Partie – The Chefs de Partie (or Line Cooks) are the people who actually cook your food. They’ll man different stations either based on cooking technique (saute, grill, etc.), or by type of food (fish, meat, etc.). When the expeditor puts in an order, the Chef de Partie jumps to prepare it. Most Chefs de Partie work up through the line (working every position), before being promoted to Sous Chef.

Chef de Garde Manger – The Chef de Garde Manger handles the cold station and plates all the dishes that do not require heating, such as salads, terrines, and sometimes desserts, if there is no assigned pastry person on the line.

Commis Chef – A Commis Chef is an apprentice in larger kitchens that works under a Chef de Partie in order to learn the station’s responsibilities and operation. Commis Chefs are recent culinary school graduates. Ideally, over time, a Commis will spend a certain period in each section of the Kitchen to learn the basics. Unaided, a Commis will also very often work on the Vegetable section of a kitchen.

Kitchen Assistant - Kitchen assistants assist with basic tasks, but have had no formal training in cooking. Tasks could include peeling potatoes or washing salad. Smaller kitchens more commonly have kitchen assistants who would be assigned a wide variety of tasks (such as washing up) in order to keep costs down

Esculerie – The escuelerie or dishwasher, (from 15th century French) is the keeper of dishes, having charge of dishes and keeping the kitchen clean.

One last tidbit of information. In more traditional restaurants, the height of the chef hat determines the importance the wearer; therefore, at first glance when entering a restaurant kitchen, the wearer of the tallest chef hat is either the Executive Chef or Chef de Cusine. To find out more about the history of the Chef’s Hat, click here!

By Abby C. Abanes
Menuism Community Manager

Picture Attribution Goes to Simon Grossi