Food Matters: Discovering Elizabeth David

by jbfauthor on September 21, 2009

Matt McAllester’s happy childhood was cut short by his mother’s mental illness. Upon her death McAllester is able to explore his mother’s history and, through her collection of cookbooks, discover the woman he thought he had lost forever. In his memoir Bittersweet, this Pulitzer Prize winner and former foreign correspondent lets readers into the painful, yet delicious process of cooking his way through his mother’s copies of Elizabeth David and other books. The following excerpt finds McAllester sorting through his mother’s books with his sister. Finally, months after the process of dividing up the spoils of death had begun, we sat on the floor going through the last of it. Family diamonds and pearl pins were laid out messily in a tan jewel cas

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On the Menu: George Mavrothalassitis's Vibrant Hawaiian Menu

by jbfauthor on September 21, 2009

Tonight we're thrilled to host our good friend, JBF Award-winner George Mavrothalassitis, along with Kevin Chong and pastry chef Leigh Ann Seto. In 1998 Mavrothalassitis opened Chef Mavro in Honolulu and wasted no time making a name for himself in Hawaii and among America's best chefs. Today you can still find him in that kitchen, surrounded by Hawaii's lush offerings of indigenous ingredients and artisanal products, or teaching a master class for the island's budding chefs. Featuring myriad ingredients from Hawaii's Oahu region, Mavrothalassitis's Beard House menu reads like an homage to the cuisine of the 50th state. Check it out below: Hors d’Oeuvr

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News Feed: September 18

by jbfauthor on September 18, 2009

Michelle Obama visits a new farmers' market by the White House [NYT] The top ten food feuds [CHOW] An interview with Joan Nathan, author of Jewish Cooking in America [Hungry Beast] A look at the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery [Atlantic]

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The Bookshelf: Betty Fussell Wants You to Eat Your Steak Rare

by jbfauthor on September 17, 2009

The unflappable Betty Fussell graced us with her presence yesterday at Beard on Books for a rousing discussion of her book Raising Steaks and all things beef. After discussing the history of the beef industry, from small-scale butcher shops to industrialized slaughterhouses to the grass-fed future, Betty moved on to how Americans eat and think about beef. What has been the effect of industrializing the beef industry? A dulled and “timid” American palate, Betty claims. She believes we need to be re-tasting all kinds of beef from Wagyu to grass-fed, declaring that it’s time to “train ourselves to not just eat rib-eyes.” Where should we be doing this training? These days, restaurants and chefs have the best access to the choicest cuts and kinds of meat, because they can demand it. And they also can produce the best tasting meat because they have the heat sources to cook it properly. Betty implores us to order our steaks and other red meats “Rare! Rare! Nev

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