IDEAS IN FOOD

The power of Fluff

We recently had a an eclectic group of travel agents and a marketing man stay with us at the Lodge.  It was an interesting weekend for us because they were into food and wine and fun...all of our favorite things.  On Friday afternoon we did a short pasta lesson with the travel agent from CA and the maketing man.  Alex taught them the joys of hand made chestnut agnolotti which were later featured as a course in their tasting menu in the dining room later that evening.  Earlier, the two had spent some time in the kitchen with me simply talking about food as we made arrangements for their upcoming lesson.  We talked about recent food trends and about how things have changed since 9/11.  Although they both loved good food and fine dining the marketing man confessed to a secret weakness for fluffernutters (peanut butter and marshmallow creme sandwiches for those who don't know).  This sparked a lively discussion as the travel agent had her own very strong feelings about peanut butter and marshmallow creme with perhaps some chocolate thrown in for good measure.  I had never tasted Fluff or any of it's variations so I was fascinated by the very strength of their debate.  I quietly made arrangements to stock the pantry with Fluff, or in this case Jet Puffed Marshmallow Creme (the only thing available at my local markets) for midnight cravings or other emergencies.  At the end of dinner that evening I let it slip that there was peanut butter & marshmallow creme in the kitchen.  The pair of them lit up like Christmas trees but professed to be stuffed after their meal.  About an hour later, one of our servers walked into the kitchen to see a volcano of marshamllow creme pouring from the container, the flow being staunched with napkins and fingers as the pair of them giggled like children caught with their hands in the cookie jar.  The server, giggling herself retrieved napkins, peanut butter and a scharffen berger chocolate bar for their somewhat messy indulgence.  I think it was the highlight of their weekend!  We sent them off the next morning with bagged lunches of fluffernutters (chocolate chipps on hers) on white bread with the crusts cut off, fruit, cookies & sodas.  i felt like a co-conspirator in their return to childhood...and I must confess, that as I cut their crusts I indulged in my first taste of a fluffernutter just to see what all the fuss was about.

From the Store

Tamari Soy Sauce
Heinz Ketchup
Balsamic Vinegar
Unfiltered Honey
Yuzu Juice
Tabasco: original, habanero, chipoltle
Fleur de sel
Lampong Peppercorns
Olive oil--the varieties are many, worthy of their own discussion
Pickled Ginger
Ginger Marmelade
Maple Syrup
Crystal Hot Sauce
Key Lime Juice
Matouks Hot Sauce
Toasted Sesame oil
Lyles Golden Syrup
Cane Syrup
Rice vinegar

Alex&Aki

Thinking forward...two voices one mouthpiece

We spend enough time discussing food, wine, kitchens, ingredients, people and the like that our own ears have heard enough.  It is time to share our thoughts and learned lessons, and we learn a fair amount daily, with a greater audience. 

Our kitchens both home and professional are littered with post it notes and Cambridge notebooks with ideas, recipes, techniques, extrapolations and more ideas.  Does our abundance of culinary thought prove our worth or that the thoughts are worthy?  No.  That is for you to decide.

We are beginning today, to organize and categorize living and breathing culinary thought.  These thoughts once written become memories, hopefully memorable, and now becoming organized to be used by us and others as a tool for culinary exploration.

Sharing discoveries with ideas in food.

-So there are two of us writing this, obviously.  That was Alex, H. Alexander Talbot, my husband and co-chef.  I'm Aki Kamozawa, chef, wine geek, reader, writer, etc.  Alex is the cerebral one, he focuses on flavors, textures, techniques and food science in his pursuit of flavor.  I prefer the method of looking back to look forward.  Food history and food writing are my touchstones. I love taking old recipes and ideas and making them new again.  I tend to think in terms of the individual diners (the people, not the restaurants) and try to create experiences through food that will bring them home again, perhaps to a home that they've never experienced before.  It sounds a little bit far-fetched but I actually have a lot of fun with it.

Anyway, these chronicles will be ours, sometimes mine, sometimes his.  Occasionally as in this instance we will write something together but more often you will find his words or mine.  I may be mistaken but I think it will be relatively easy to tell the difference although we will be signing our personal notations.  Don't be afraid to play favorites or to change your mind from time to time, our styles are divergent but that's why they meld together so well.  Balance in all things, if we both like and/or agree on something it's a pretty good bet that we're on to something.  On the other hand, two opinions keep us from writing something off too soon or laboring endlessly over a dead elephant.  We welcome comment, criticisms, challenges, they make us think harder and  more creatively.  Welcome to our journeys in food and wine.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Aki & Alex