American chefs boost fine dining in France

PARIS (AP) ― Paris, once regarded as the gastronomical center of the world, is looking to a cadre of young chefs from a country derided for its love of processed cheese ― gasp, the United States ― to help raise the bar.French chefs have been opening fine restaurants stateside for years, but up until about a decade ago, the opposite would have been almost unthinkable. Now, bright young things from New York, Chicago and Seattle are behind some of the City of Light’s most-hyped, hardest-to-get-into

Dec. 30, 2011

Mu-malgeunjangguk (Clear white radish soup)

Mu-malgeunjangguk is a soup made with sliced squares of Korean radish boiled in water. It is seasoned with soy sauce and salt. Mu-malgeunjangguk is a basic everyday soup that is easily digested and thus good for children and the elderly. According to Oriental medicine, Korean radishes quench thirst, stop coughing and help digestion. Ingredients ● 300g beef (brisket, shank), 8 cups water● fragrant seasoning: 20g green onion, 10g garlic● seasoning sauce: 1/2 tsp clear soy sauce, 1.1g (1/4 tsp) min

Dec. 30, 2011

Slow-cooker saves the day

Slow-cookers are the answer to hectic holiday schedules.Slow-cookers, the ultimate set-and-forget timesaving appliance, also can be used to keep foods warm ― convenient for potlucks and office parties.The Rival Co. introduced the slow-cooker ― Crock-Pot is a registered trademark ― in 1971. Slow-cooker recipes have come a long way since.Of course, there’s nothing wrong with dumping in some meat or chicken, adding condensed soup and maybe some vegetables ― it is comfort food. It’s just doesn’t alw

Dec. 30, 2011

From instant to insanely expensive: Consumers demand good brew

Coffee aficionado Choi Seong-il still remembers when instant coffee usually was all one could get for a java fix.“People just did not know how to enjoy a good coffee,” he says while preparing an espresso in a coffee shop in southern Seoul.That was 25 years ago. The delicious dark brew has come a long way since then.According to World Resource Institute statistics, the per capita coffee consumption in Korea has grown four fold in 25 years since the early 1980s to around two kilograms a year. The

Dec. 26, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2009 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey ‘Clos des Myglands, Premier Cru’

It’s not often that you find a premier cru Burgundy of this quality at this price. I still can’t quite believe it. Beautifully balanced, with a silken texture and subtly ripe flavors of plum and cherries, the 2009 Faiveley Mercurey “Clos des Myglands” would make any Burgundy lover very happy.Erwan Faiveley, the seventh generation of his family to run Domaine Faiveley, hit it out of the park with this one. Drink it with a roast chicken, skirt steak or veal schnitzel. It actually would go with alm

Dec. 23, 2011

Gyeojachae (assorted cold plate with mustard sauce)

Gyeojachae is a fresh salad dish made of vegetables, the Korean pear, chestnuts and sliced pressed meat in a mustard dressing. Gyeojachae stimulates the appetite with its hot, sweet and sour taste. It is usually served as an appetizer. It should be assembled just before serving to keep its taste fresh and prevent it from becoming watery.Ingredients ● 200g beef (brisket), 3 cups water ● fragrant seasoning : 20g green onion, 10 g garlic● 1/2 cucumber, 1/3 carrot, 90g cabbage ● medium 1/4 pear, 1/2

Dec. 23, 2011

It takes money and moxie to operate a food truck

PHILADELPHIA ― A rainy, windy forecast is a day to sleep in for many food truck owners. But the weather didn’t deter Jonah Fliegelman, Nathan Winkler-Rhoades, and Eric Hilkowitz, the owners of Pitruco, a 2-month-old, Ferrari-red pizza truck, from serving lunch recently at 33rd and Arch Streets, one of their regular spots. (Eric gets there at 8:30 a.m. to snag the space.)Jonah called out to a customer, “Would you like an umbrella? We have some you can borrow.” He turned back to manning the truck’

Dec. 23, 2011

Haemul-kalguksu (Hand-style noodle soup with seafood)

Haemul-kalguksu is a soup made with hand-style noodles and seafood. “Kalguksu” refers to noodles that are kneaded by hand then shredded with a knife. The broth for kalguksu varies according to the ingredients. Anchovy broth, chicken broth and beef broth are commonly used. Ingredients ● 2 cups wheat flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 egg, 1/4 cups water ● 2 tbsp wheat flour (additional flour) ● hand rolled noodles soup: 11 cups water, 50g radish, 30g anchovies, 10g dried shrimp, 20g kelps, 1/2 tsp clear soy sa

Dec. 16, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2009 Meroi Sauvignon ‘Colli Orientali del Friuli’

The Colli Orientali (eastern hills) of Friuli look right down into Slovenia. The vineyards there are some of the most prized in the region. You can see why when you taste this Sauvignon Blanc from producer Paolo Meroi, who cultivates his 34-acre vineyard organically. It’s rich, racy and pure. The 2009 has a bracing minerality, bright citrus flavors and a touch of lemon grass.Splurge on a bottle to drink with lobster or Dungeness crab. It’s a great match with smoked salmon or trout too, or gravla

Dec. 16, 2011

‘Top Chef’ champ Michael Voltaggio’s Ink features cutting-edge cuisine

LOS ANGELES ― The women ― in twos and threes and sixes _ are on a mission. Spot Michael Voltaggio, the famously tattooed winner of Season 6 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” They linger at the door, waiting, hoping for a seat or a table.Sigh of relief. There he is, in the open kitchen of his new ― and long delayed ― restaurant Ink. No other restaurant in recent memory has set the blogosphere roiling in anticipation as much as this one. Voltaggio has some 126,000 followers on Twitter as of this writing and,

Dec. 16, 2011

Farmers out to bring back U.S. olive oil

SAVANNAH, Georgia (AP) ― Jason Shaw says his first fall harvest yielded fruit for no more than 500 bottles, just enough to sell at select tastings and to share with restaurant chefs in hopes of priming their palates for more.Friends suggested Shaw sell his limited batch for $100 a bottle, like a fine wine. After all, it’s been more than a century since anyone could buy olive oil from Georgia. It’s a farm commodity that sounds downright foreign in a state known for peaches and peanuts, and that s

Dec. 12, 2011

Social entrepreneur uses beer to feed the needy

MINNEAPOLIS ― When Jacquie Berglund sees a problem, she pours beer on it. Berglund sells her beer brand, Finnegans, to bars and liquor stores throughout Minnesota, with 100 percent of the profits going to food shelves located in the sellers’ towns or neighborhoods. The extra foam on top: Some of the money is used to buy fresh produce ― the healthy, more expensive stuff most food shelves don’t get enough of ― from local farmers.“Talk about a win-win-win-win!” Berglund says, beaming as brightly as

Dec. 12, 2011

Living on healthy, low-cal lunch boxes

Meal boxes delivered to your door another diet trend for healthy eatersSeoul arguably is the best place for anyone who either can’t or won’t cook. Almost any food of any kind can be delivered right to your door, from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next day. Fried chicken and cans of beer are the classic late-night snack to order in, while Chinese ― “jajangmyeon” (black soybean noodles) and “tangsuyuk” (sweet and sour pork) ― has always been popular among other delivery foods in Korea. Yet it’s also hard t

Dec. 9, 2011

Soegogi jangjorim (Beef chunks braised in soy sauce)

Soegogi jangjorim is a dish of beef (rib eye round, shank or top round) braised in soy sauce. The beef is usually ripped or cut into thin slices. This is a fairly salty dish, so it is storable and suitable as a basic side dish. Ingredients ● 200g beef (top round), 3 cups water● fragrant seasoning, 10g green onion, 20 g garlic● 5 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar ● 30g garlic, 50g ground cherry pepper 1. Clean beef. 2. Cut the beef into 5-cm wide, 6-cm long and 5-cm thick chunks. 3. Trim and wash

Dec. 9, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2010 Evening Land Pinot Noir

It’s easy to detect the hand of consulting winemaker Dominique Lafon in this lush Pinot from Evening Land vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The 2010’s ripe fruit, silken texture and underlying minerality channel a Burgundian elegance. Evening Land’s Pinot is a terrific food wine ― perfect with the holiday turkey or roast beef, with comforting stews and braised dishes.A wonderful buy for the quality.● Region: Willamette Valley, Ore.● Price: About $25● Style: Soft and lush● What it goes with

Dec. 9, 2011

Tea houses take cue from Oriental medicine

Traditional Korean medicine used in fragrant, health-conscious brewsMany acquainted with traditional Korean medicine tend to associate it with herbal remedies, brewed over long periods of time into generally bitter preparations.Children prescribed those concoctions often resort to all manner of tactics to mask that overpowering taste, using bottles of soda to chase them down, sugar by the spoonful or simply pinching their noses and gulping it down as quickly as possible. Only upon reaching adult

Dec. 9, 2011

Wine of the Week: 2009 Domaine de la Janasse Cotes-du-Rhone Villages ‘Terre d’Argile’

I’m loving this Cotes-du-Rhone Villages from a vineyard next door to the domaine’s Chateauneuf-du Pape vines in Courthezon. No simple red, Domaine de la Janasse’s cuvee “Terre d’Argile” is a blend of 55 percent Grenache with lesser amounts of Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvedre. The scents of dark berries, earth and something wild and smoky are all right there. The color is intense, the flavors rich and deep. A beautiful bottle for wood-grilled or roasted meats, a burger or a pastrami sandwi

Dec. 2, 2011