Gift Certificates

You can’t go wrong with gift certificates from kitchen stores.  Here are a few of my favorite places:

• Spoon and Whisk. Located in J&S Watkins Plaza on Route 9 in Clifton Park, Spoon & Whisk has everything a cook could possibly need (or want) – from inexpensive gadgets (under $10) to handcrafted hardwood workcenters ($800+).  You’ll have to go to the store to purchase the gift cards, though – I didn’t see them on the website.
• Different Drummer’s Kitchen.  Four area locations (Albany, Latham, Lenox, MA  and Northampton MA).  Another great kitchen store with an incredible collection of high-end gourmet wares.  Gift cards available on their website.
• Williams-Sonoma. I’ve always been a fan of W-S, and there are stores everywhere – this is a great gift if your foodie lives far away.

Cookbooks

There’s not a foodie alive who wouldn’t love a cookbook to add to their collection!  Here are some new ones, some old ones, and some of my personal faves:

• The Joy of Cooking.  Everyone who cooks (not just foodies) needs a copy of this book in their kitchen.  I learned to cook by using my mother’s worn copy, and now that I have my own (thanks, Mom), I use it just about every day.  It’s my go-to reference guide for everything: how to cook new or unusual veggies, basic recipes for ethnic foods, how to cut up a chicken, etc.  It’s really my kitchen bible, and I keep it on my counter at all times.  And it’s got food stains all over it.
• Good Eats, by Alton Brown. (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $37.50.) Tips and recipes from the early days of the Food Network show.  Plus it has photos of AB.  What more do you need?
  

  Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

• Ad Hoc at Home, by Thomas Keller (list price $50).  The legendary founder of the French Laundry (in Napa Valley) and Per Se (in NYC) has released a new cookbook (based upon the menu at his Yountville, CA casual-dining location) that promises to be completely accessible to the home cook, with lots of photos, graphics, and tips.  Thomas Keller is a brand unto himself, and this book comes highly recommended to me by Chef Mark.  After a quick check of Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, I see that Ad Hoc at Home is currently out of stock, and won’t be available until February 2010.  Maybe available in stores??
• Gourmet Today: More than 1000 All-New Recipes for the Contemporary Kitchen, Ruth Reichl, Editor (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $40.00).  The now-defunct magazine just released this compendium, an essential for all Gourmet lovers.
• Barefoot Contessa at Home: Everyday Recipes You’ll Make Over and Over Again, by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $35.00).  All of the Barefoot Contessa books are great, but this one is my favorite.  I really love how Ina Garten relies on simple, delicious ingredients to create easy and incredible dishes.  Bob and I cannot get enough of her Honey White Bread.  You can even buy a signed copy of any of her cookbooks by visiting the Barefoot Contessa website.
• Fix-It And Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes, by Phyllis Pellman Good (Good Books, $29.95).  This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I have not been disappointed!  This book is perfect for the busy cook in your life, who is looking for a way to make great meals when time is crunched.  Pair this book with a crockpot, and you have a can’t-miss gift!
• Cooking Light magazine. It’s not a cookbook, but it’s a year’s worth of amazing recipes, health and wellness articles, and travel tips.  I’ve been a subscriber to CL since 1995, and I cannot recommend it enough!  A one-year subscription costs $15, but right now CL is running a 2-for-1 gift subscription offer (details here).

Not Cookbooks, but Great Books about Food

I have read and enjoyed all of these, and I’d be willing to bet your foodie will enjoy them too.

• The Making of a Chef, The Soul of a Chef, The Reach of a Chef – all by Michael Ruhlman.  These books take you deep inside the world of professional chefs, from the education offered at the Culinary Institute of America, to the underbelly of restaurant kitchens, to professional cooking in the era of celebrity chefs.
• My Life in France, by Julia Child.  The book by the woman who forever changed home cooking.
• Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell.  The story of the woman who took it upon herself to make every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Oh, and she blogged about it too.  Plus it became a movie.  Perhaps you’ve heard of it?
• Anything by Anthony Bourdain.
  

  The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

• The Botany of Desire, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, In Defense of Food – all by Michael Pollan.  This man is a god in the sustainable food movement.   You must read his books.
• How to Pick a Peach, by Russ Parsons, food editor for the LA Times.  Equal parts cookbook, agricultural history, chemistry lesson and produce buying guide, this densely packed book is a food-lover’s delight.

Food Podcasts

Planning to get your foodie an iPod?  Then pre-load it with the some great food podcasts, to get them started!  The iPod will cost you a few bucks, but these podcasts are absolutely free, and subscriptions are truly the gift that keeps on giving.

• Good Food from KCRW in Los Angeles – my hands-down favorite food podcast.  Evan Kleiman ROCKS.
• The Splendid Table from American Public Media
• NPR: Food Podcast - A weekly collection of food stories from all over NPR
• Bon Appetit Podcast - A neat little how-to video podcast from one of the industry leaders
• Epicurious Food and Drink - All sorts of tips and tricks from the magazine
• The Culinary Institute of America – short videos from the nation’s most prestigious culinary institution
• The Main Ingredient
• Eric Ripert | AVEC ERIC a podcast from one of the greatest chefs cooking today.
• Wine for Newbies 2.0 - a complete wine course for the beginner.
• Coming Soon – the Wendalicious Podcast!

This post is quickly becoming unwieldy, so I’ll continue my Foodie Christmas suggestions in the next post…including gadgets and other unique gifts for the foodie.  I also would love to hear your suggestions for awesome foodie gifts.  My husband probably hasn’t done his shopping yet.

Bobby Flay's new book

I’m not a fan of Bobby Flay, but I know a lot of folks are.   This one’s for you.

NYRA announced today that celebrity chef and horse owner Bobby Flay will be signing copies of his recent book “Burgers, Fries and Shakes” at the Saratoga Race Course’s NYRA Store from noon-2 p.m. on Sunday, August 9.

A limited number of books will be available for purchase at the NYRA Store, or guests may bring their own copies of Flay’s other cookbooks for signature. Only one book will be signed per customer and no other items will be signed.

Why here?  Flay, who first came to the races at Belmont Park as a boy in the company of his grandfather, has long been a fan of the sport, and has owned and raced horses in New York State for several years.  As a matter of fact, Flay loves the sport so much that during Sunday’s Finney Stakes he’ll be calling the race himself.  Move over Jim Tom Durkin? (sorry – Jim Durkin was a friend of my uncle’s.  Thanks to one of my loyal readers for pointing that out!!)

Personally, I don’t get the Bobby Flay thing (he seems awful arrogant to me), but his fans are indeed legion.  Flay did a “Fried Chicken” episode of ”Throwdown” at the flat track a couple years back, competing against Jasper Alexander, owner/chef at Hattie’s in Saratoga Springs.  Flay lost – because Hattie’s fried chicken is INCREDIBLE.  And – my neighbor Chef Mark was in that episode, too (he’s a friend of Jasper’s ).  

Would you call that three degrees of Bobby Flay?

If you’ve ever been to Ambition Café on Jay Street in Downtown Schenectady, then you’ve likely noticed the sandwich on the menu called the “Crabby Marc” (and if you haven’t been there, you’re missing a great funky little place).  The Crabby Marc is named for Ambition’s owner, Marc Renson.  Upon meeting Marc, you instantly know that the sandwich name is a complete misnomer – there is absolutely nothing crabby about this guy.  Marc is charming, funny, and an absolute ball of energy.  He’s normally cheerful, but today his exuberance is absolutely bubbling over: he’s about to release his first book, Is the Coffee Fresh?, a look at what, in Marc’s words, has been his “magical journey” through the restaurant business.

First, a little back story on Ambition, the restaurant which serves as the focal point (and truly, the central character) of Is the Coffee Fresh? Marc and his partner Greg Salomon opened Ambition in 1999, after spending years looking for a place to set up shop.  They nearly bought what is now the Red Barn in Ghent, but their search for the perfect location brought them to Schenectady.   They happily settled in Downtown, a community which Marc and Greg love and passionately support.  But why a restaurant?   Because it was meant to be, Marc declares.  He’s always loved the business, and at age sixteen, while working at a restaurant, he realized that owning a restaurant was his life’s calling.   He cites a “series of divine coincidences” that brought him to downtown Schenectady, to Ambition, and ultimately to publishing his debut book.   Indeed, the subtitle of the book is Drama, Dysfunction, and a Magical Dose of Divine Intervention.

Marc also credits some of his success to the people whose life stories have motivated him in his journey – among them Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Dolly Parton.  In fact, the opening lines from Parton’s 1980 hit “9 to 5” was the inspiration for the restaurant’s very name:

Tumble outta bed

And stumble to the kitchen

Pour myself a cup of ambition…

Lauper (along with comedienne Rosie O’Donnell) will be appearing at Proctors in Schenectady on August 11, and Ambition is one of the show’s major sponsors – Marc’s small way of saying thanks to one of the women whose success has inspired his own.

So, why did Marc write this book, when food memoirs seem to be a dime a dozen these days?  Well, because it’s actually not a food memoir.  “I didn’t write about what happens in the kitchen, because it’s been overdone.  This is not Kitchen Confidential,” Marc assures me, referring to culinary bad-boy Anthony Bourdain’s stomach-churning restaurant exposé.  “I’m taking the reader to the front of the house, and sharing with them the blood, sweat, and tears that go into running a restaurant.  Those stories just weren’t out there.”

Not only does Marc’s book reveal the hard times – like the story of “the a**hole who stole forty thousand dollars from me” – it also dishes out an ample helping of laughter.  Marc is proud of the fact that his book is full of the positive (and downright hilarious) experiences, and doesn’t dwell on the anger and negativity that seem so prevalent in other restaurant books.  “Who doesn’t get mad at work?  I didn’t want to write about the anger.  It’s been done.  This book is really about the crazy people in Downtown Schenectady,” he laughs.

I ask him to tell me his favorite story from the Ambition files.  He recalls a few, before getting to his absolute favorite.  There are the requisite tales of people having sex in Ambition’s restrooms – which has happened on several occasions, Marc tells me, matter-of-factly.  Then there are the many celebrities that Ambition has hosted over the years, due to its serendipitous proximity to Proctors: Tommy Tune, Barbara Eden, Norah Jones, Dennis DeYoung, and the Godfather of Soul himself, James Brown, for whom Marc humbly recalls making a cheeseburger.  But the story that Marc labels as his favorite has ended up being my favorite one from the book as well.  Not to give away too much, but suffice it to say it involves a bachelor party, an absentminded stripper, and a wayward pair of underpants.  You’ll just have to read the book to get the full story.

When asked how long it took him to write Is the Coffee Fresh?, Marc pauses for a few seconds before answering.  “It’s not really finished,” he finally replies. “I still want to add more.  But I actually stopped writing it two years ago.”  Since then, it’s gone through a rigorous editing process, including being scrutinized by Michael Garrett, horror legend Stephen King’s first editor.  Marc readily admits that the experience of publishing his first book, into which he’s poured his very soul, has been a bit difficult to describe.  “Sometimes I can’t believe what’s going on.  I’m so outside of my mind, but so humble at the same time.”

The self-published Is the Coffee Fresh? is scheduled to be delivered into Marc’s hands on June 30, which also happens to be his 39^th birthday.  “What a freakin’ birthday present!” he shouts.  “I’m so excited I’m getting nauseous.”

The book will be available to the public beginning on Friday, July 17.  Ambition will host a book-signing party from 6-8pm that night, as part of Schenectady County’s SummerNight event in downtown Schenectady.  Everyone is invited to attend, and anyone who purchases a book will be treated to complimentary chocolate-covered strawberries and sparkling wine (21 and over, of course).

Now that he’s on his way to becoming the literary toast of the foodie world, will Marc be leaving the restaurant business for a career in books?  “I’m still here,” he says.  “I’m not burned out just yet.  I’m hoping people will read the book, and drop by Ambition to say hello.”  And if you do drop by, make sure you enjoy a sandwich from his exciting and eclectic menu.  Perhaps the Crabby Marc?

Ambition Café’s website: www.ambitioncafe.com

• The Halfmoon Diner is one of Halfmoon’s best-kept secrets – they make a terrific bowl of chili, and the best coconut cream pie I’ve ever had. The service is great, the prices are terrific, and you can get in and out of there in 35 minutes on a Saturday night. We go there pretty regularly (so often that Bob doesn’t even need to order – they already know what he’s having), and have never had a bad experience.
• I’ve been looking for some good slow-cooker recipes, since I have 3 crockpots and not very much time. I found a really good cookbook by Sandra Lee called “Semi Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes”. Her premise is to use 70% store-bought ingredients and 30% fresh ingredients. That’s fine, but I’m trying to stay away from processed foods (with mixed success)…so, I’m using about 90% fresh ingredients, and adapting her recipes to fit my tastes. Thursday night I made Coq Au Vin from her book, and it was quite good! I’ve got a crockpot of Pot Roast with Mushroom Gravy sitting in the fridge waiting to be cooked tomorrow. Recipes to come when I have some time to type.
• I used up some leftover pot roast & veggies from last week (frozen), by making it into beef pot pie: defrost the roast, veggies & gravy, chop up the beef, put everything in a pie plate, microwave until hot (this is very important), top with fresh-made dumplings, bake at 350 until dumplings are cooked. Yum!
• My lunch this week was “Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps” – chopped leftover roasted chicken, snow peas, scallions, shredded carrots; mixed with soy-ginger dressing (1/2 cup mayo, 1T soy sauce, 1 tsp grated ginger). Place on lettuce leaves, top with mandarin oranges and sliced almonds, roll up and enjoy!
• I must admit it publicly – I was so ravenous after my event yesterday, that I stopped at Wendy’s and got a single with cheese. Bad, bad Wendy. But it tasted so damn good…
• Bought Breyer’s Slow-Churned No-Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream. Meh. The vanilla tastes way too artificial. It is very creamy, though. It’s not nearly as good as Stewart’s Light Vanilla, which is absolutely heavenly. Their coffee is great, too. Stewart’s pretty much rocks. It’s an oasis in the desert.

• International Delight makes a delicious (dare I say, Wendalicious?) coffee creamer called Marshmallow Mocha. It’s a Limited Edition, so I’d better stock up. I normally don’t like sweetener in my coffee, but this stuff is great. Absolutely chock-full of noxious-sounding chemicals, but I only put a little bit in the coffee, and we’re all going to die sometime…
• Long John Silver’s fried fish is awesome. I know, it’s absolutely horrible for you, but once in a while (see note above)…and their hushpuppies are pretty good, too. And at 29 cents for two of them, a bargain to boot.
• Just finished reading Michael Pollan’s latest book, In Defense of Food. His basic rules for eating: “Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants. ” Sage advice. He would be so ashamed of my two previous observations, but would be proud of my shopping trip today – I bought only REAL food, no “edible food-like substances”. Most of my money was spent in the produce section.
• Roast cubed butternut squash with olive oil, brown sugar, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and allspice. Yum!
• Amy’s Kitchen makes a kick-ass Mushroom and Olive Pizza. I’m going to try their Mediterranean Pizza with Cornmeal Crust next.
• Starbuck’s makes a really good “Skinny Caramel Latte”. Skim milk, sugar free caramel syrup…it also comes in cinnamon dolce (meh), hazelnut, and vanilla. Caramel is the best one, according to my taste buds.
• The Food Network looks AMAZING in high-definition.
• Alton Brown is hot.
• Alton Brown looks amazing in high-definition.