In the Kitchen

What's New at Paulding & Company

November 2008

Brisk air, winter squash, air chilled chickens. Crisp apples and long-cooked greens. Rain and soup made from the last of the fresh dry farmed Early Girl tomatoes, or from winter squash or air cooled chickens or long cooked greens...things that keep us warm rather than cool us off. My team building menus have changed over from the “early autumn” set, to the new “early winter” ones, that will take us through the December parties. We’ve added a new event to our party and team building list, too--a holiday cookie making and decorating party, a short two-hour, budget-conscious blast of an event that will have a bonus--cookies to go, so you can gift your favorite people. If this sounds interesting, simply email Tracy@pauldingandco.com with a quote request.

We Won!

Did you know that Terry and Tracy Paulding, representing Paulding & Company, will soon have our names inscribed and immortalized on the Crabby Chef trophy? It will be on display at the kitchen until next year’s competition, and it is a very fine trophy. You can see pictures on my blog. We are the proud winners of the 8th annual competition, with our fabulous shell-on chili crab with artichokes and vegetables, chili crab stack with avocado and artichokes, and crab, artichoke, squash and tarragon soup, all completed in 20 minutes and presented to the judges along with dishes from 14 other caterers, restaurants, and culinary schools. (Can you guess what the secret ingredient in this fast-paced “iron chef” competition was this year?) We were allowed to bring only equipment and dry spices--and we had a great time in this charity event. Next year we need an even bigger cheering squad!

New!

Did you know that Tracy Paulding spent a year in Japan, a year dedicated to learning the tea ceremony, and all about Japanese food and culture? Now that she’s spending more of her time working for Paulding & Company, she’s putting together some very creative class offerings. The next is Ramen and Tampopo--where we’ll screen the movie and participants will get to learn how to make proper Dashi, and then put together a special bowl of Ramen, to slurp along with the characters in this classic foodie film. A tea sweet lesson is included, and Periscope Cellars is offering glasses of wine at a great price next door in case you want to mix metaphors a bit. The event is Sunday the 16th, 5-8:30 PM, and it’s priced really well--$40 per person or $75 per couple. Register now to insure a space!

I won’t spend too much time telling you about Rosetta’s great Italian classes, as the current batch are all sold out--but if you click through from our calendar on any of the classes, you can get on the waiting list.

Sharp Class! Once a quarter we offer a very special class. I can’t tell you how many people comment that their knives are dull at home, when they try the sharper ones during a class--this is your chance to learn how to sharpen your knives properly, so you’ll never again have to put up with knives that don’t do their job for you. Eric E. Weiss is a master sharpener, who makes the rounds of restaurant kitchens, and sharpens every knife the chefs own--and he’s a great teacher too. This quarter the class is December 8th, a Monday night. Sign up, learn a great new skill--and then put it to use making any of the great recipes in our “recipe of the month” archive.

What’s in the Market?

There are still strawberries, pluots, and a few plums. Peaches have had it, they may be there, but they have to be eaten hard, not allowed to soften or they turn to mush. Save yourself from bad memories by simply remembering the great peaches of summer instead of wasting money on them now. On the other hand, strawberries are still going, but the rain will have an effect and they may not be good for a while. Citrus is starting to come in, and my all-time favorite apple, the crispy, sweet-tart Pink Lady is everywhere. There are also Granny Smith and all the rest--but the Pink is the one I’d write a paean to, were I so inclined. Grand Lake has great Bartlett pears, Berkeley has equally great Warren’s. The last of the tomatoes will be splitting in the rain, so most likely, what you see will be stored from earlier, with a definite loss of flavor. There are still eggplants, zucchinis are slowing dramatically as they hate the cold. Pea sprouts have shown up--along with some edible pod sugar-snap peas. Root crops are improving, carrots especially, after a slow time. Persimmons can be divided into three groups these days--the crispy ones, flat and disk like, the high-domed custardy ones, and now, some hybrids of the two--that can be eaten crisp, but have a bit of the lushness of the soft guys minus their astringent component. Pomegranates are gorgeous right now. Look for heavy ones. Did you know you could juice them like oranges? Or tap the seeds out of halved fruits with the back of a wooden spoon?

New broccoli is in, vibrantly green and fresh, much different than the tired looking stuff we’ve been getting. And the greens are getting greener and better and sweeter the cooler the weather gets in the fields. Pumpkins, of course, are good--as are all the winter squash. Spaghetti squash is a lot of fun. It’s pretty bland, and it doesn’t get soft and creamy, but I’ve found that if you halve it, get all the seeds out, and roast it cut-side down, then scrape the strands out of the shell with a fork when it’s soft, you can actually use it like noodles. Try it with some spicy sauteed shrimp for instance.

The farmers markets are not nearly so crowded in the rain, of course--and some of the farmers don’t bother making long trip on bad roads so the offerings can be more sparse, but supporting those farmers who do make it by coming and buying ultra-fresh fruit and vegetables for your week makes perfect sense. You have a much easier time parking, and you get to try out that rain gear you’ve had stashed in the closet since last year. And you get to eat better too. Try this: buy a dozen pastured eggs raised by one of the small farmers at the market, and a dozen eggs from the grocery. Make yourself fried eggs, using one of each. Notice any differences?

Air Chilled Chickens

Speaking of differences, have you noticed that the stores are finally getting these great chickens in? This is thanks to Mary’s Chickens investing in the technology to process their free-range chickens in cold rooms, rather than using big swimming pools where the birds are dumped to chill. The result? Better chicken! Healthier, without the salmonella exchange that inevitably happens in a pool of water--and birds that are not waterlogged so they taste better and have a great, less flabby texture. A chicken absorbs up to 10% of it’s weight in water with normal processing. These chickens cook faster too, so be careful. Try this month’s simple roast chicken recipe--one of my “goto” favorites, with an air chilled chicken and see for yourself.