Selected Excerpts from my Blog/Recipe page with more than 40 Posts!
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Pistachio Opera cake my alternate version of the classic French Gateau
Gateau Opera or Opera cake in English is a very popular dessert with an interesting history. The traditional version is normally made with three layers of thin almond sponge cake (Jaconde) layered with alternate fillings of rich chocolate ganache and creamy coffee flavored butter cream. The origin of the cake is disputed; I prefer the version of its story as the one where famed French Pastry Chef Gaston Lenôtre created it in 1955 for the opening of the Paris Opera house. When I was a young chef in training his book was one of the first ones that I purchased and his school Ecole Lenôtre is still in operation today in Paris. Here is a link to their website- Formations Lenôtre de pâtisserie, cuisine, boulangerie | Lenôtre
Seacuterie, the art of cold seafood preservation and presentation
Seacuterie is a relatively new term for the ancient way of preserving seafood for later use. Extravagant displays can be achieved when the seafood is presented and served in an artistic fashion. Seacuterie encompasses the techniques of curing, smoking and cooking seafood which are techniques used in Garde Manger the subcategory of culinary arts which means the art of cold food preparation and presentation. Garde Manger is a subject that contains a huge number of techniques, recipes and methods, one of which is Charcuterie which traditionally focuses on cold food prepared from pork like ham, salamis, pates, etc.
The Powerful Pantry
Building a pantry supply of selected ingredients that are used for the cuisine of specific regions of the world will allow you to create dishes that are popular in these global styles of cooking. Asian, Latin and lesser-known European styles of cooking are becoming increasingly more popular throughout the US. Furthermore, the spread of ethnic world cuisine restaurants is reaching broader audiences not just in major metropolitan areas but in secondary markets as well. Having on hand specific spices, sauces and ingredients that are used to create many of the mainstream global dishes found in the Latin, Asian and European areas of the world will enable you to create exotic meals at home versus dining out. When the proper ingredients are used along with the techniques of preparation found in these regions your cooking repertoire will surely increase to the delight of your family and friends.
In this post I will concentrate on three major regions of the world. Listed below are the continent's where these countries are located that use these pantry items. Certainly, there are many more countries in these regions than those that I have listed, however these are just some of more well-known ones that use these staple items.
- Asia- China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea
- Latin America- Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, and the Caribbean
- European- Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and Greece
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