+++SCOFF! - The free email newsletter on good food and drink. - ISSUE ELEVEN, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006. For a printable colour version of this newsletter (in a ‘pdf’ file), see: http://www.gastronomail.com/archive.htm . Please forward to all your friends and colleagues so they can register to receive their own copy by visiting our web site: http://www.gastronomail.com . We never pass on email addresses. Further information at the end of this issue. ++Issue Eleven Contents: 01: An A-Z of Scoff: the alphabet of food wisdom - ‘K’ is for ‘Kitchen design’: A greener cooking space. 02: Reader offer - Win Roussillon wine – a free crate for your promotional ideas. 03: Growing problem that’s hard to swallow. - Review: Farmed Animal Watch, Reviewed by Hattie Ellis. 04: Recipe: Classic chocolate mousse - by Jack Bancroft. 05: The drink spot: Matching food with wine. - Open to suggestion, by Fiona Beckett. 06: Titbits and crumbs: Food labelling conference; Big Barn - interactive map of local food producers; Peter Grogan - wine writer. 07: The food spot: Healthy eating can be child’s play. A new children’s TV series reveals the secrets of getting your kids interested in what goes on in the kitchen, leading them towards a healthier diet. Planet Cook creator Nigel Stone reports. 08: How to: Make a friend of your freezer, Part 2 - More tips on cold storage for desserts, bread and other foods, by Rosemary Perkins. [Contents ends]. +01: An A-Z of Scoff: the alphabet of food wisdom - ‘K’ is for ‘Kitchen design’. Most people who love food either have a fabulous, spacious kitchen stuffed with appliances and gadgets, or dream of having such a kitchen. But if you are planning work on your kitchen, what are the ethical and environmental issues to consider? The wood you use for cupboards, worktops or flooring should be taken from sustainable sources approved by bodies such as the Forest Stewardship Council, which has an online green product locator at: www.fsc-uk.info/products.asp . Or you could ask your builder to source wood from your local recycling project: www.communitywoodrecycling.org.uk . For suppliers of other recycled and sustainable building and household materials in the UK, see the links section of the superb Lottery-funded website ‘Waste Online’, at: www.wasteonline.org.uk/ . There are links here for online resources such as architectural salvage companies including the excellent online directory ‘Salvo’ at: www.salvo.co.uk . You can search this directory for keywords such as ‘kitchen’, or just search for suppliers in your vicinity. Architectural salvage can be great for sourcing beautiful kitchen features such as brass rails or slate or marble worktops, and are far cheaper than buying new. You might consider including an extra large space for your waste or bin cupboard so you can have more than one dustbin for different kinds of waste such as compostable and recyclable wastes. And you could use environmentally friendly paint: look for ‘green design’ in the links section of the Friends of the Earth website: www.foe.co.uk . If you make a few concessions here and there, you’ll feel so much more virtuous in your lovely new kitchen! +02: Reader Offer: Win Roussillon wine. Hugging the balmy shores of the Mediterranean and nestling under the Canigou mountain’s snowy peaks, the Roussillon region of south-west France has the perfect conditions for wine production. The sunniest climate in France, frequent winds and diverse soils produce elegant and complex wines from 13 appellations. One of the best-kept secrets of this region are its sweet fortified wines, Vins Doux Naturels, made by adding pure grape spirit to partially fermented grape juice. Styles range from pale lemon Muscat de Rivesaltes through tawny Banyuls to the densest, darkest Maury. For more info and stockist details, call the CIVR bureau, the body representing the region in the UK, on 020 7432 9432. And this month the CIVR is offering a mixed case of Roussillon wines from H & H Bancroft (020 7232 5440) to the person who can come up with the best idea for how we can promote Scoff! to new readers. Ideas please to: dan@gastronomail.com +03: Growing Problem That’s Hard to Swallow - Farmed Animal Watch - Reviewed by Hattie Ellis. Globally, more than 50 billion animals are raised each year for meat. The vast majority of these in more affluent countries are ‘grown’ in intensive factory farms that are driven by the demand for cheap meat. If you consider this just a matter that can be ignored, or opted out of by eating only ‘good’ meat, think again. Heard of bird flu? Meat production is a globalised industry and its machinations affect everyone. The Livestock Revolution, echoing the Green Revolution which has already taken place for intensified crop production, is growing apace. China’s meat consumption, for example, is set to rise by 50 per cent in the next 15 years. Around 33 per cent of the world’s crops already go into animal feed, even though 800 million people go hungry. This is a big story, and it is getting bigger. One of the best resources to keep up with this vital issue is a free weekly newsletter that comes out of the United States. You can sign up for the Farmed Animal Network’s ‘Farmed Animal Watch’ (FAW) at their website: www.farmedanimal.net . FAW succinctly gathers together farmed animal news from the general media, trade press, campaign groups and academic journals. There is a great deal about the US situation, but British and other European and worldwide trends are well covered. The website’s extensive archive is being updated, should you be interested in the welfare issues of milk production, or the way American pork companies are now turning Poland into ‘the Iowa of Europe’ (Iowa being a major pork-producing state). In the US, they are moving towards factories with the capacity for 10 million pigs. Because the World Trade Organization refuses to see animal welfare as an issue for trade barriers, such production will make its way onto our plates. Once your eyes are open to the big picture, you become aware of how the movement to eat-less-but-better-meat is one that affects us as individuals and as global citizens. FAW won’t necessarily put you off eating meat, but it will make you realise how much eating better meat matters. +04: Recipe: Classic Chocolate Mousse - by Jack Bancroft. Spoil your loved one with this classic recipe on Valentine’s Day – that’s right, it’s closer than you think. Our wine recommendation to accompany this would be a Banyuls, Maury or Rivesaltes – all wonderful wines of the Roussillon region of south-west France from where this issue’s wine offer is sourced (see the offer section at the top of this month’s issue for details of how you can win a case). Ingredients (serves 6) - 325g dark chocolate (such as Valrhona pure caraibe, or best quality you can afford) - 30g butter - 6 egg yolks - 1 shot espresso - 7 egg whites - 100g sugar Melt the chocolate and butter together. Make a sabajone with the egg yolks and espresso by placing it in a bowl or bain marie over a simmering water bath and whisking until light and frothy. While still warm, mix the sabayon with the chocolate and butter to form a ganache. Whisk the egg whites, slowly adding the sugar until soft peaks form. Fold the meringue under the ganache and transfer the mousse into serving dishes. Present triumphantly to your adoring beloved (or five of them, if you follow the quantities in the recipe!) +05: The Drink Spot: Open to suggestion - by Fiona Beckett. The concept of matching food with wine comes in for a fair bit of flak. Winemakers don’t like it because they like to give the impression their wines go with everything; and wine writers say it creates another unnecessary barrier to enjoying wine. Maybe the problem is the term ‘matching’. It creates the impression of that there are immutable rules that can’t be broken instead of enjoyable combinations which enhance the whole eating experience. Wine suggestion might be a better term. I’ve found this type of wine goes pretty well with this type of food. Why don’t you try it too? The easiest way to explain it is to compare it with cooking. Experienced cooks instinctively know what goes with what, but less experienced ones appreciate a steer. There are some celestial partnerships – eggs and bacon, strawberries and cream – that have their equivalent in the wine world: chablis and oysters, roast lamb and cabernet sauvignon, goat’s cheese and sauvignon blanc. But with most dishes – and wines – there are a range of possible alternatives. What has made life still more complicated is the multiplicity of cooking styles and wines that the modern drinker has to contend with. Here are a few suggestions as to how to approach the task: - The way a dish is cooked is more important than the basic ingredient. Chicken, for example, could be served roasted, in a salad or as a Thai- style curry. So focus on the intensity of the flavours. Dishes served raw, lightly cooked or steamed suit lighter, fresher wines than those which are roast, grilled or braised for which a richer, more full-bodied wine is appropriate. That’s more useful than the old ‘white with fish, red with meat’ rule. - Food and wine from the same country or region generally work well together. Sounds obvious, especially in the case of France and Italy, but it also applies to countries like Australia where the vibrant, fruity flavours of the wines admirably suit the clean, fresh Asian-influenced flavours of modern Australian food. - If you’re serving a particularly impressive wine keep the food simple, particularly if it’s an older vintage. - Bear in mind the occasion and time of year. Wine is as seasonal as food. Rosé tastes great in the summer but not so good in mid-January. Big alcoholic reds are less welcome on a hot August evening – or when you’ve got to work the next day. - Tailor your wine to your guests. If you’re entertaining elderly relatives chances are they won’t appreciate that 14.5% shiraz. But younger drinkers, used to more powerful, fruit-driven wines, may well find your much-prized older burgundies too acidic and thin. - If you’re all ordering different food in a restaurant, flexible wines that work well with a range of dishes include Albarino, Pinot Grigio and other dry Italian whites and light reds such as pinot noir and Loire reds such as Chinon and Bourgueil. If you’re at home you’d be amazed how many dishes sparkling wine, especially champagne, accompanies nicely (though I can’t say I’m a fan of the Jeffrey Archer combo of shepherd’s pie and Krug). - Be adventurous. Order wines you haven’t tried by the glass, ask the sommelier, take every opportunity to try different combinations of food and wine. It’s absolutely the best way find out what works for you. NOTE: Fiona Beckett is the author of 12 books on food and wine and a contributor to a wide range of national newspapers and magazines. She has her own website at: www.foodandwinematching.co.uk +06: Titbits and Crumbs. - Food Labelling Conference. An event on the future of food labelling policy to be held in Rotterdam at the end of February, organised jointly by the Netherlands and UK food agencies: www.food.gov.uk/foodlabelling/rotterdam/ - BigBarn. An excellent interactive site where you enter your postcode and click a button to find local food producers including organic farms and pick- your-own outlets. The results are displayed on a detailed map of your area: www.bigbarn.co.uk/ - Peter Grogan – Wine Writer. The web site of this distinguished contributor to Scoff! where you can sign up to WineLine, Peter’s own email newsletter: www.petergrogan.com NOTE: Scoff! is giving away books on food and wine to readers who send in their favourite link, if published. Email to: dan@gastronomail.com. +07: The food spot: Healthy eating can be child’s play - by Nigel Stone. We are what we eat – but how do we inspire our kids to understand this complex issue, and learn about the benefits of having a more balanced and healthy diet in a fun and entertaining way? In today’s climate of convenience, junk food, preservatives and additives, the increase in obesity and ill health particularly amongst children is quite alarming, as is the fact that crucial culinary understanding and skills are also being lost with only a miserable 13 minutes now being spent on preparing an average meal. A recent survey showed that less than 50 per cent of kids can boil an egg – and yet 90 per cent of them use the internet and 76 per cent send text messages! As a producer of children’s TV shows I wanted to create a programme that could inspire my young son to want to get into the kitchen and learn that cooking with real food using fresh, seasonal and wholesome ingredients is actually great fun. And so Planet Cook was born, a live action cooking adventure show for children set on a tropical island. Captain Cook, played by chef Kevin Woodford, guides three Cook Cadets as they create and invent fun food against the clock. Captain Cook provides the culinary skills but relies on Bouma, a magical yeti played by children’s TV presenter Dave Benson-Phillips, to add a sprinkling of his own unique magic. And the comedienne Ruby Wax is the voice of the supercomputer Roxy which provides ‘Info-Bite’ film clips forming the creative theme of each episode. A whole variety of topics about the natural world are featured in these clips from volcanoes to leaf-eating dinosaurs, providing the inspiration to create fun dishes like Erupting Volcano Surprise and Dinosaur Calzone. If a parent tells a child they need to eat something because it is healthy, more often than not they will turn their nose up at it. But if the child has actually helped to cook the meal – let’s say the Calzone recipe, which is a pizza dough with spinach and broccoli disguised to look like a dinosaur – it is wolfed down. It took us nearly two years of nutritional research and development to put together Planet Cook. Each episode of the show directs the children to our website where they can print off the featured recipe and create the dish in their own time. So while Jamie Oliver has brought much-needed attention to the issue of kids needing to eat more healthily at school, I feel that it’s important to start getting kids to think about food from a much younger age – and that means at home. Food is a huge part of all of our daily lives, and both parents and children need to understand that cooking can be creative and fun. NOTE: Nigel Stone is chief executive officer of Platinum Films and creator of the hit kids’ TV show, Planet Cook. For more information see: www.planetcook.com 08: How to: Make a friend of your freezer, Part 2 - by Rosemary Perkins. The two most important tips I can give for freezing are wrap it well and label it properly with contents and date. 1: Desserts. In preparation for many large desserts, I freeze cooked meringues, small or shaped in layers, and also home-made sponge fingers, a great ingredient in many desserts, and very much better than bought boudoir biscuits. Desserts such as rum babas, or melting chocolate souffles can be prepared ready to finish with very little work to do ‘on the day’. 2: Bread. I freeze lightly baked home-made bread and breakfast rolls. These should be well wrapped, and not kept for too long as the crust is likely to fall off, but are a nice standby when you have guests to stay. It is so lovely to wake up to the smell of freshly baked bread, or indulge in cinnamon sticky buns, without the cook having to get up at 4 am to start baking! 3: Meat and fish by mail. I like to buy good meat from a Scottish supplier, who will rapid-freeze it and ship it very well packed and frozen solid. I buy beef, lamb and very good fish, such as wild sea bass fillets and beautiful scallops this way, and have never felt they suffered from freezing. 4: Duck. I like to cook duck confit, and what I usually do before cooking ducks is to cut off the legs and roast the rest of the duck, strain off the fat all the time the duck is roasting, so that it does not burn, then freeze legs and fat separately until I have a nice collection of both to prepare a confit. I also freeze small quantities of rendered chicken fat and beef dripping. Freezing the fat keeps it fresh, not always the case if you keep it in the fridge. 5: Leftovers. I often make dishes in large quantities, use some of it straight away and then divide the remained into single or double portions to freeze for defrosting and thorough reheating later on. This is particular good when you or your partner are home alone one evening. Lasagne, shepherd’s pie and fish pie are particularly good for this purpose. ++End Notes: +HOW TO RECEIVE YOUR REGULAR ‘SCOFF!’ To subscribe to this free monthly bulletin, Send a blank email to scoff-subscribe@gastronomail.com Please encourage your friends and colleagues to subscribe! To unsubscribe at any time, email: scoff-unsubscribe@gastronomail.com For further information on subscription see: http://www.gastronomail.com . +ACCESSIBILITY NOTE: This newsletter conforms to the accessible Text Email Newsletter (TEN) Standard, which makes email publications easier to access for people with impaired vision using text-to-speech devices. For details see: http://www.headstar.com/ten . +COPYRIGHT 2006 Gastronomail Ltd. If you would like to reproduce stories from this newsletter, we generally allow this as long as a full credit is included, with our web address and a description of our newsletter. For permission please email jo@gastronomail.com . +PERSONNEL: Food Editor - Dan Jellinek dan@gastronomail.com Drinks editor – Johnny Ray johnny@gastronomail.com Consultant Editor – Hattie Ellis hattie@gastronomail.com Marketing Director – Jo Weatherall jo@gastronomail.com [Issue ends.]