Feliz Cinco de Mayo: A Mexican Celebration in the US

 

 … often misunderstood in America

Cinco de Mayo or the 5^th of May is often misunderstood in America as Mexican Independence Day.  It is not.  Mexican Independence Day is a completely different event celebrated on September 16. The 5^th of May commemorates the ragtag Mexican Army’s victory over the French in 1862 at the battle of Puebla.  Although the Mexican people still had to endure three more years of French occupation under the Emperor Maximilian, who was neither French nor Mexican, but actually Austrian.  The whole affair ended rather badly for Maximilian in front of a Mexican firing squad.    

… Fiesta grande

Throughout Mexico the holiday has a limited recognition and is really only celebrated regularly in the state of Puebla itself. It’s only in the US that the event has become widespread and a reason for a fiesta grande.  Many Americans (whether of Mexican Heritage or not) seem to have enthusiastically taken to this particular event.

… The largest celebration

“Mile High” Denver, Co. claims to host the largest celebration of its kind with some 400,000 celebrants expected this year (May 7/8).  Regardless of who actually throws the biggest party, many other US cities with significant Latin populations also host enormous events.  L.A., San Diego, Reno, Phoenix, and most cities in Texas all boast great celebrations.

We all love a good party…  

Cinco de Mayo is a time to celebrate Mexican culture in all its vibrant aspects. Festive gatherings will include bright colors, delicious food and fabulous dance presentations. Great Mariachis, Salsa, Norteno bands and other Latin American inspired music will be the norm. It is also an occasion for virtually every Mexican Restaurant in the country to decorate with cerveza ad décor and push specials on both food and drinks, and why not?  We all love a good party and market opportunities are marketing opportunities.  Cerveza and Margaritas top the list of beverage favorites, but Mojitos, Daiquiris, Sangria, Pina Coladas or any other drink name ending in a vowel will also be popular.

… The logical destination

My favorite Cinco de Mayo story happened in San Antonio at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Mi Tierra.  Mi Tierra is a regular stop for both locals and tourists as it not only serves great comida but, stays open all night.  It is the logical destination for those that have been doing some serious imbibing, especially to enjoy a bowl of menudo.

Menudo is a hearty tripe soup and which has long been rumored to be a hangover cure.

… Very colorful “ladies”

A couple of friends and I had been partying in downtown San Antonio one Cinco de Mayo and around one or two AM it was decided that it was time for a trip to Mi Tierra (perhaps to try to prevent a hangover?).  Now, Mi Tierra is a spot where especially late at night, just about every level of society is represented.  My friends and I sat at a booth with the two across from me and with a table of very colorful “ladies” sitting behind me.

… She ducked, I didn’t

It was a festive occasion, people in a wonderful mood and tables full of bowls of menudo and other savory food.  Of course, the beer and tequila were freely flowing.  Just about the time the food arrived, another colorful “lady” passed by the table behind me.  As she passed, the person directly behind me made a most rude comment in Spanish.  Even with my limited Spanish, I understood that the comment referred negatively to the “lady’s” occupation, personal hygiene and even to her questionable parentage.  The passing “lady” wheeled around confronting the individual who had made the comment and then spouted her own stream of rather offensive opinions about the group at the table behind me.  The women who had been offended did not stop with the verbal attack and in fact grabbed the “lady’s” bowl of Menudo and tossed it at the woman’s face.  She ducked, I didn’t and I received the bowl on top of my head with the hot contents of the bowl running down my head, hair, and face, etc.

… A Latin fury that’s hard to describe without seeing it.

Before I could even react, the two protagonists ripped into each other with a Latin fury that’s hard to describe without seeing it. Officers of the law, who just happened to be on duty for just such an occasion grabbed and separated the screaming, scratching duo and escorted the entire party out of the restaurant. The manager of the restaurant appeared with clean towels and a complimentary beer with a shrug, a smile and a wink exclaiming, “So very sorry Senior, Cinco de Mayo, you know!”  Well no real harm was done and I had a Cinco de Mayo story that will last forever.      

… Bowls of flying Menudo!

 It is probably accurate to look at the American Cinco celebration sort of like what Americans have done with St. Patrick’s Day.  Not at all celebrated in Ireland like in the US, but like Americans so often do – we have made it our own.  You don’t have to be Irish or Mexican to have a good time.  I love Cinco de Mayo and I hope that you do too.  Just watch out for colorful “ladies” and bowls of flying Menudo! Check out our Cinco de Mayo menu and recipes. 

Buen Provecho Amigos!

  

EASTER DINNER....Not much time to spend cooking and a chef’s thoughts turn to a quick lamb recipe!

Traditionally Easter dinner at our house always seems to feature a big succulent baked ham.  Last year we stuck to tradition with a fine country ham carefully prepared for our gathering of friends and family.  In fact, take a look at our blog from last Easter for some pointers on preparing and serving this unique regional specialty. We always seem to particularly enjoy ham but the menu is never set in stone. 

Therefore, so much for the typical tradition and memories.  This year I’m hungry for lamb!  Perhaps a rack of lamb or a roast leg of lamb?  “Butterflied” leg of lamb cooks quickly, carves easily and is really not that hard to bone and prepare.  Come to think of it, most butchers will prepare a rack or butterfly a leg for you at no extra charge.  The honest truth is that this year there will only be two of us with no time to spare and we need a much more simplified dish.

Hey, I know just the thing!  Braised Lamb Chops with Braised Aromatic Vegetables and Olives - Easy to purchase, prepare and enjoy.  We will serve this with fresh steamed asparagus and our wonderfully quick and delicious Avanti Savoia Asparagus Risotto fromCascina Belvedere.  A nice piece of cheese and fresh strawberries provide the dessert and we’re there!

Happy Easter and Bon Appetit Y’all!

CHEF RENE VERDON 1924 – 2011

John F. Kennedy and Chef Rene Verdon

Affectionate Memories of le maiter cuisinier de France

The whole country took notice…

I was not quite 12 years old when the Kennedy family first moved into the White House, although I can remember very well the change in style and culture that the new administration reflected.  The whole country took notice of the glamorous First Lady and her exquisite taste in just about everything.

... the first professional White House Chef…

Particularly memorable was her extensive restoration of the White House, her fashions, her parties, the cultured entertainment AND the food.  Cuisine at the White House before the Kennedys was (by all accounts) a dismal affair.  That changed in the spring of 1961 when Mrs. Kennedy hired the first professional White House Chef, Frenchman Rene Verdon.  Chef Verdon also served as the Kennedy family’s personal chef.

… haute cuisine and Mrs. Kennedy’s flair…

It was the chef’s skills in preparing haute cuisine and Mrs. Kennedy’s flair for entertaining that helped to make French food fashionable and accessible to the American public.  Remember that it was also in 1961 that Julia Child published her first cookbook as well.  I think that it is fair to state that there would be no “foodie” culture as we see it today without the influence of these two towering personalities. 

French Cuisine was viewed as being almost unpatriotic.

American viticulture, the natural food movement, Nouvelle Cuisine by way of California, and an awakened interest in regional American products were all partially responsible as well, but I just don’t think it would have developed without the work of these two pioneers in French cooking.  It is difficult to remember that until the early 1960s, French cuisine was viewed as being almost unpatriotic.

Chef Verdon passed away February 2^nd at the age of 86.

As any reader of our blog or any student in our cooking classes at La Cucina at Avanti Savoia already knows, my appreciation and admiration of Julia is limitless, but this post is about the amazing chef that was Rene Verdon.  Chef Verdon passed away February 2^nd at the age of 86.  He was born in 1924 in Pouzauges, a village in the Verdee region of western France.  His family did own a bakery and pastry shop but the young Verdon aspired to be a chef and began his apprenticeship at the age of 13.  He went on to acquire numerous awards and eventually to attain the position of the most prestigious cook in the world, the White House Executive Chef.

… I wrote the famous chef a letter…

My small part of this story takes place about 30 years ago when I wrote the famous chef a letter advising him of a planned visit to his San Francisco restaurant, Le Trianon (now closed).  In the letter I expressed my hope to meet him in person and discuss his work.  A couple of months went by without any word, but I proceeded to the restaurant anyway, excited just to feast in the prestigious chef’s dinning room.  My hopes soared when I was personally greeted and seated by his wife Mme.Yvette Verdon, who was well admired in her own right as a former Director of Training in Fashion and Fragrance at the House of Chanel.

… a virtual museum of old school French cuisine.

It was even more exciting when Mme. Verdon asked me if I was the “young chef from Texas” and when I answered in the affirmative, she then informed me that “chef was very excited to have me in his restaurant and was looking forward to meeting with me.” Bliss… before I had even lifted my fork.  The furnishings of the restaurant (pink brocade and ivory walls), the haughty service, and the refined atmosphere and of course the food were in my words at the time “a virtual museum of old school French cuisine.”  In a time of Nouvelle Cuisine and California casual chic, I meant that with admiration and respect.

That first menu I remember in such vivid detail.

The first course consisted of a Mousseline of Salmon with Lobster Sauce and Pate of Pheasant with Truffle Sauce followed with cold Cream of Sorrel soup.  The main course was Veal Sweetbreads and Wild Mushrooms in Champagne Sauce.  A salad of Apples, Walnuts and Watercress in a Vinaigrette Dressing should have ended the menu in the French fashion, but Dessert…well, that’s part of the story.

… a white toqued face peering through the crack.

From time to time as the meal progressed, I noticed the kitchen door opened slightly and a white toqued face peering through the crack.  It was the man himself.  At last the Head Waiter wheeled a dessert cart up to the table and asked our pleasure.  At about the same time Chef Verdon exited the kitchen and approached the table asking very modestly if the meal had been to my satisfaction.  Although I knew well that I was in the presence of living history, Chef Verdon’s quiet and unassuming manner instantly set me at ease.

… a tour of their kitchen.

I stammered something about it being the best meal that I had ever eaten and asked his advice about a choice of dessert.  The chef turned to the Head Waiter and rather offhandedly instructed him to serve me some of everything, “on the house.”  I’m sure that I managed to have a few bites of each, although the joy of the desserts faded in comparisons with what came next.  The chef and Mme. Verdon joined me for coffee, a long chat and then (wonder of wonders) invited me on a tour of their kitchen. 

The running joke was my pathetic French.

Following the extensive tour and a bit of Cognac, Chef Verdon then said the words that certainly changed my career. He stated, “Joseph, when I see you come in the door I know I must be your teacher!” Would I be available to work with him in his kitchen in an informal apprenticeship?  In my shocked disbelief I answered that nothing could keep me from it and so it was.  Each day I would arrive at work the chef would escort me to different station performing different tasks and instruct his chefs to “teach Chef Joseph everything that you know.”  The running joke was my pathetic French.  The entire staff relished coaxing me into mumbling a phrase or two after which they would have to brace themselves against the stoves laughing hysterically.  I didn’t mind a bit, I was training in the kitchen of a culinary legend. 

… the chefs toasted my initiation.

On my very first day a very embarrassing event occurred.  I was asked to prepare sliced leeks on an old fashioned mandolin, a very sharp piece of equipment that had long before lost its protective guard.  Within the first few minutes I had managed to take off most of the skin off my knuckles.  I quickly wrapped a towel around my hand to try to hide the damage as my heart sank in humiliation.  The chef almost instantly appeared at my side, ripped off the towel and held my injured hand aloft.  Before I could even react he announced to the entire kitchen, “Joseph has cut himself.  He is now a part of our kitchen!”  To the cheers of my coworkers, out came a couple bottles of champagne and the chefs toasted my initiation.   

… a drink and a chat.

So many experiences stand out in my memory.  On numerous afternoons, Chef Verdon would invite me to the bar for a drink and a chat.  A drink for him was one “Kir”(French Aperitif of Chablis and Cassis) which he polished off in one or two gulps and a chat often meant him sharing reminisces with me about his time in the White House.  When he found that I had catered extensively with Mrs. Lyndon Johnson, her family and other former members of the Johnson administration he could not resist sharing the reasons for his leaving the White House in 1965.

… the subtleties of haute cuisine…

The relationship was simply not a good fit.  President Johnson’s tastes were primarily confined to the Ranch cuisine of Texas and the subtleties of haute cuisine were not of interest to him. Rene Verdon never uttered an unkind word about the former President and only expressed admiration for the gracious manner of Mrs. Johnson.  He did however relate a story illustrating the difficulties of the situation.

… his time in the White House kitchen was coming to an end.

At one of the new President’s first State Dinners, Chef Verdon prepared his version of Beef Wellington.  Beef Wellington is beef tenderloin with a layer of d’uxelles’ of mushrooms (containing diced goose livers) and baked in a wrapping of pastry.  Upon having his first bite, the President got a bit of the goose liver and decided that the unfamiliar taste and texture was a sign of spoilage.  Apparently he leapt out of his chair and announced to the rest of the room, “Don’t eat the meat… its gone bad.”  It was at this point that Chef Verdon realized that his time in the White House kitchen was coming to an end.

Au revoir et merci, Chef Rene Verdon

LAGNIAPPE, A little something extra for Mardi Gras!

Fat Tuesday (the day before Lent, Ash Wednesday) is upon us again!  This year the celebration of Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday, falls on Tuesday, March 8th. Although New Orleans does hold a unique place in the history of American Mardi Gras celebrations, it was actually first celebrated (and still is) in Mobile, Alabama in the year 1703.  This goes to show you that the inhabitants of the Gulf Coast are survivors!

Today, the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans is a truly unique experience due to the vast array of cultural influences. The French Quarter (Vieux Carre) alone represents layer upon layer of history and an unbelievable assortment of cultural expressions.  Two of the highest expressions of culture are her music (considered one of the birth places of American Jazz) along with Creole and Cajun cuisine.  

Creole cooking is most identified with French immigrants in New Orleans and their cooking techniques coupled with other cultural influences, local game, seafood and produce.   The word Cajun, a corruption of the word Acadian, refers to the descendants of French refugees relocated from Nova Scotia to the bayous of Louisiana in 1795. In many ways these two cooking styles overlap but are still distinctly different.

Personally, I am tied to New Orleans.  My memories go back over 40 years ago and include vivid experiences meeting the chefs and tasting their dishes.  In fact, I can even recall the décor inside their grand restaurants along with the exact table in which I sat! My first unforgettable experience was as a teenager with the dishes Coquilles St. Jacques and Pompano en Papillote at Antoine’s Restaurant.  During this time, I was also delighted to discover the late night or early morning pleasures of Café au lait with Beignets at the Café du Monde. And many, many years later, I was lucky enough to spend several days at the café learning how to make those infamous Beignets.  New Orleans will always remain a Mecca of culinary delights for me and to many others.  Visit our Avanti Savoia Menus for a collection of the recipes for this year’s Mardi Gras celebration.

In the spirit of the season we have decided to offer a short and simple glossary of Mardi Gras and New Orleans culinary terms.  LAISEZ LE BON TEMPS ROULER, Y’ALL!

ABSINTHE:  Used as a generic term for a popular New Orleans’ anise flavored liquor.  Although the original product was banned, many anise or licorice flavored liqueurs are available.
ANDOUILLE:  Spicy Cajun pork sausage.
ASH WEDNESDAY:  The first day of Lent and the day after Mardi Gras.
BEADS:  Strings of brightly colored beads thrown during parades.
BEIGNETS:  Square donuts with no hole, served with New Orleans’ Café au Lait.
BOUDIN:  Local sausage specialty of pork and rice in casing.
CAFÉ BRULOT:  Brandy laced coffee served flambéed.
CAFÉ AU LAIT:  Chicory coffee with hot milk.
CANAL STREET:  Widest thoroughfare in the world.
CHICORY ROOT:  Roasted root that gives New Orleans coffee its distinctive taste.
DOUBLOON:  Coins tossed during parades.
ETOUFFEE:  Cooking method in which shrimp or crawfish are “smothered” in a vegetable sauce in a covered container.
FILE:  Powdered Sassafras leaf used as a thickening.
GREEN ONIONS:  Called “shallots” in many New Orleans’ recipes.
GUMBO:  Hearty soup or stew thickened with a roux and may contain aromatic vegetables, poultry, seafood, ham or sausage and usually served with rice.
HOLY TRINTY:  A culinary term referring to celery, peppers and onions.
JAMBALAYA:  Creole dish of rice, broth, meats, seafood and vegetables cooked much like a Spanish Paella.
KING CAKE:  Coffee cake like pastry decorated in purple, green and gold.
KREWES:  Organizations that stage parades and balls.
MARDI GRAS COLORS:  Purple, green and gold.
MUFFULETTA:  Gigantic sandwich including meats, cheeses and olive salad.
PRALINE:  Traditional New Orleans candy patty featuring pecans.
ROUX:  Mixture of fat and flour used as a thickener and flavoring.
ZYDECO:  Lively dance music combining Cajun, African and American R&B influences.

Dedicated with beaucoup d’amour to Bill, Anne and Edith.

The Slow Food Lifestyle by Vito De Carolis

The "Slow Food” association was founded in 1986, and I immediately gave it my support, as it corresponds exactly to my own philosophy of life.  After all these years, I have now become a “Slow Life Member"; card number ITLIFE000325. The fact that I am also a Partner with Avanti Savoia Imports makes it natural for me to commit myself to assisting "SLOW FOOD USA" to grow and spread this way of life in the United States. For those unfamiliar with the philosophy of "Slow Food", here are the main points of this lifestyle:

• Conserve biodiversity

• Protect the environment

• Encourage and practice sustainable agriculture

• Protect small producers and their communities

• Enhance the gastronomic traditions around the world.

The main purpose of the association is to educate consumers to the meaning of real culinary quality.  In the process, it is hoped that consumers will learn to recognize, enjoy and celebrate the differences between the foods of various cultures. In studying the culture of food, the Slow Food objective is to save biodiversity and the food traditions of each country.  Consumers come to value natural products, thus ensuring a relationship between these products and the environment. Within the tradition of Slow Food, food is recognized as a source of pleasure and as such must be tasted calmly and shared with others. In contrast to the bustle of modern society, Slow Food encourages a slower paced lifestyle, a pace of life that allows you to freely indulge in the pleasures of the palate. Living "at slow speed" means preferring slow and sometimes elaborate food preparations.  The intention is to live in harmony with nature and with other people.

The objective is to recover food flavors and quality from an earlier time and a way of life now lost. Becoming a conscious consumer means, for Slow Food members, to be happier, at peace with oneself and others and to live in modern society without becoming “standardized”!

Certainly the concept of slow food, emphasizing the importance of the environment and natural foods is a healthier way of life. Eating well and consuming moderate amounts helps the body stay in shape. It is no coincidence that the association was literally conceived with the aim to oppose the fashion of "fast food”.

United States Slow Food Presidia

“The Presidia program is coordinated by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, which organizes and funds projects that defend our world’s heritage of agricultural biodiversity and gastronomic traditions.

Loosely translated into “garrison,” Slow Food Presidia (Presidium, singular) are local projects that work to improve the infrastructure of artisan food production. The goals of the Presidia are to guarantee a viable future for traditional foods by stabilizing production techniques, establishing stringent production standards, and promoting local consumption.”

“Sometimes, it takes just a little to save an artisan food; it's enough to bring together producers, help them coordinate marketing and promotion, and establish quality and authenticity standards for their product. Other times, when the production of an artisan food is closer to the brink, it takes more: building a slaughterhouse, an oven, or reconstructing crumbling farmhouse walls. Slow Food Presidia work in different ways, but the goals remain constant: to promote artisan products; to stabilize production techniques; to establish stringent production standards and, above all, to guarantee a viable future for traditional foods.”

“The Presidia sustain quality production at risk of extinction, protect unique regions and ecosystems, recover traditional processing methods and safeguard native breeds and local plant varieties.”

American Raw Milk Cheeses

Over the past 25 years, American cheese makers have developed extraordinary handcrafted raw milk cheeses that highlight the unique flavors of the land, soil and climate where they originate. Often invented or based loosely on existing cheeses, American raw milk cheeses are as unique as the cheese makers themselves and they reflect as much about the cheese maker’s persona as they do their terroir.

Wild rice - Anishinaabeg Manoomin

In the month of September, the indigenous North American Anishinaabeg people (also known as Ojibwa) begin the rice harvest. During each of the thirty days of Manoominike-Giizis (Wild Rice Moon) harvesters head out in canoes to harvest wild rice from the smooth surface of lakes with names like Blackbird, Big, Pigeon, and, naturally, Rice Lake.

Sebastopol Gravenstein Apple

The climate of Sonoma County, in California, is ideal for growing the Gravenstein apple which is ‘venerated’ by the inhabitants of Sebastopol, who name streets, festivals and schools after it and hold a parade every year to celebrate the flowering of the apple trees. The apple has a sweet and tart flavor and a greenish-yellow skin with red striations.

Cape May Oyster

The American East Coast Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) of the Delaware Bay was one of the most prized and highly sought after oysters in the world. Its succulent flavor, reminiscent of the salty sea, made it a favorite of seafood lovers all over the United States and trainloads of freshly harvested oysters made their way daily all across the country to cities like Kansas City and San Francisco. In nearby Philadelphia, the Delaware oyster had been a prized delicacy since Colonial times and ubiquitous sellers crowded the narrow, oyster shell-paved streets, offering raw oysters, oyster stew, and brined or fried oysters to passers by.

Makah Ozette Potato

In the 1980’s an unknown fingerling potato was recognized to be a staple in the diet of Pacific Coast Native Americans of the Makah Nation. The Makah occupy the region around Neah Bay, Washington, that is the most northwesterly point in the lower forty eight states. Tribal lore reported that this potato had been used by these people for about 200 years. The Makah had named this potato the Ozette after one of their five villages located around Neah Bay.

Navajo-Churro Sheep

The hardy Churro sheep breed—with its multi-colored double fleece—was brought by the Spaniards to Mexico by 1540, and reached overland to northern New Mexico by 1598. For over four hundred years, this multi-purpose breed has adapted to the arid conditions of the sagebrush steppe and pinyon-juniper pygmy woodlands of the mesas, buttes and desert canyons of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

 " Tell me what you eat and I'll tell you who you are" =  Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755 – 1826)

COOKING CLASSES, BURN’S NIGHT SUPPER AND THE SUPER BOWL

The holidays must be over…

By the middle of January the frenzy of the holidays is definitely receding.  I read somewhere that it is a time that many people experience the blues (and not in a good way).  The icy, snowy winter that much of the country is experiencing doesn’t help matters either.  Although an actual white Christmas day proved to be a perfect setting for a caviar and vodka tasting. 

Included were three samples of vodka: Tito’s (Texas), Stolichnaya (Russia) and my currant favorite Belvedere (Polish).  We served the usual accompaniments accented with whole wheat blinis and homemade crème fraiche.  American paddlefish caviar was an intriguing and savory standout.  If you love caviar… try this, we thought that it was excellent.  It is available from Continental Caviar located in of all places, Franklin, Tennessee.  This unique and sophisticated product has been produced by owner Jo Ann Defriese since 1986.       

Our method of coping with the winter blues involves cooking (of course) and sharing delicious food with family and friends.  After taking a month off, La Cucina at Avanti Savoia is in full swing with new classes and instructor chefs as well as repeats of some of our more popular classes.
For those of us with Scottish heritage or at least an appreciation of the culture, celebrating the 252nd birthday of poet Robert Burns (January 25th) is a great way to pump a little excitement into a dreary winter.  We have a wonderful past blog post on the topic.

As most sport fans can tell you, the Super Bowl is about to take place in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, February 6.  You can go with commercial chips, dips and delivery pizza OR you could visit our Recipe Section Menus on the Avanti Savoia website for really tasty and creative ideas.

A La Cucina cooking tip:  Are you ever bothered by the strong odors on your hands left by garlic, onions or seafood?  Here is the solution.  First, wash your hands with soap and cold water- not hot.  Hot water just “sets” the smell.  Next rub your hands on stainless steel… like the faucet under which you just washed your hands.  I love to demonstrate this technique in cooking classes, everyone is always so amazed.  I promise you that this really does work!

HOLIDAY MEMORIES

When the Season Tugs on Your Heartstrings

There is a difference between the kind of nostalgia that brings a quiet smile to your face and the slippery slope of teary sentimentality.  This is the time of the year when celebrating traditions can be really happy for some and rather dark and sad for others.

Recently, as my wife and I unpacked our fabulous stash of Christmas decorations, I was reminded just how real the emotions associated with the trappings of the season can be.  These items range from almost 70 year old handmade lace tablecloths created by my grandmother and my mother’s wedding crystal to little ornaments identified with family and friends. Of course, many of these folks are long since gone or at least all grown up which in some ways is the same thing.

I think that there is a definite line between particular memories that one keeps private in one’s heart (happy or sad) and certain stories and experiences that deserve to be shared again and again.  I believe my Christmas Pudding story is firmly in the category of deserving to be shared.

The characters and events depicted in Charles Dickens, “A Christmas Carol” are a familiar iconic image in our culture.  Almost everyone is familiar with the Mr. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, the Christmas ghosts and of course Mrs. Cratchit serving the Christmas pudding.  However, there are not many Americans that know what Christmas Plum Pudding really is and even fewer that have eaten one, much less made one.

This lack of appreciation was part of my motivation recently to offer a cooking class at La Cucina at Avanti Savoia entitled Classy Holiday Desserts.  The menu included A French Yule Log Cake or Buche de Noel and a traditional English Plum Pudding.  We prepared puddings from scratch for the class and then served two that were ready to be steamed, flambéed and served.

The response from all the attendees was enthusiastic and appreciative, but none more so than that of the author of one of our favorite food blogs, The Food Hound.  Read her latest post about our class and the connection to Charles Dickens himself. We heartily encourage you to follow this fun blog and we promise that you won’t be disappointed.  This lady really knows her stuff.

“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.”  Keep Smiling and Merry Christmas!
Cedric Charles Dickens, December 1987