Pie Times

It’s the day before Thanksgiving, and pie is on the mind. Tomorrow a pumpkin or pecan pastry will grace almost every house in the country. But that’s not the only reason we’re thinking of pie.

This month, pie is also at the center of the national culinary conversation. Trendologists, like Andrew Freeman, have declared pie the big thing for 2011, and last week, the New York Times officially stated that the cupcake’s time was up, and pie is in line to be our nation’s next sweet obsession.

Indeed, pie shops have begun to spring up in across the country. The culinary capitols of San Francisco and New York have the largest concentration of stores. In those cities, bakers are turning out classic pies, as well as innovative plays on familiar flavors, like apple green-chile pie with a cheddar crust.

Locally, pies are just beginning to make an appearance. Last Wednesday, chef Frank Bonanno (Mizuna, Luca ‘d Italia) opened Wednesday’s Pie, a once-a-week pie shop in Larimer Square that serves up pumpkin, banana cream, and caramel apple pies. Around the corner from Wednesday’s Pie, Euclid Hall dishes up fried pies. Try the chocolate, cheesecake, or peach preserves. And across town in Highland, the bakery Cake makes the classics: pumpkin, pumpkin praline, apple, pecan, and more.

All these options should offer plenty of choices for Turkey Day and the year to come.

--Kazia Jankowski

Photo courtesy of the New York Times

Kazia Jankowski
Associate Culinary Director

Responsibility

The movement to reduce childhood obesity gained momentum in the last year with Michelle Obama, Jamie Oliver, and Bill Clinton joining forces with the “George Washington of the movement” Alice Waters. And now San Francisco has taken one more step in fighting childhood obesity. Last week they became the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat (600 calories and less than 35% of the calories coming from fat to be exact). The ordinance will also require restaurants to provide fruits and vegetables with all meals for children that come with toys. Although the ordinance isn’t scheduled to take effect until December 2011, its acceptance has created quite the buzz online and on television, with supporters arguing that it will reduce childhood obesity, and opponents, including the McDonald's spokeswoman, seeing it as “San Francisco wacked out”.

What do YOU think? Do you think government should make laws like this? Do you think this type of effort will help reduce childhood obesity? Comment with your thoughts!

-Bryce Clark

Sources:
Alice Waters Push for Local, Organic Setting National Agenda
San Francisco Bans Happy Meals

photo courtesy www.csmonitor.com

Bryce Clark
Culinary Assistant

Ready, Set, Eat... First Bite Boulder is Almost Here

Get your appetites ready for some serious eating. The fifth annual First Bite Boulder starts Friday, November 12th, and runs through November 20th. More than forty of Boulder’s top restaurants (and even some from Longmont, Lafayette, and Louisville) are offering a special three course $26 prix fixe dinner menu for nine days. See our Culinary Shifts in action with First Bite Boulder menu items like Isabelle Farm Pumpkin Cannelloni at Café Aion or Munson Farm Squash Soup at Arugula Bar e Ristorante for a taste of Community Connected. Or try the Housemade Bread Pudding at The West End Tavern to experience Simple Refuge. The questions is, how many restaurants can you fit into nine short days? Search through the prix fixe menus and make reservations at http://www.firstbiteboulder.com/.

--Bryce Clark

photo courtesy www.firstbiteboulder.com

Bryce Clark
Culinary Assistant

Pop Pop - Making Caramel Corn for Halloween

Halloween often means too much sugar and enough orange and black to last a lifetime, but it can also mean deliciously simple caramel corn. This Pepita Honey Caramel Corn is sticky and sweet, with a nice hint of smokiness from the mezcal. It’s perfect for your grown-up Halloween parties, or just a treat while curled up watching movies.

Pepita Honey Caramel Corn
adapted from gourmet.com

Makes about 12 cups
Active Time:20 min
Start to Finish:1 hr

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup popcorn kernels
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pepitas
• ½ tablespoon mezcal

Special equipment: a candy thermometer

• Heat oil with 3 kernels in a 3-quart heavy saucepan, covered, over moderate heat until 1 or 2 kernels pop. Remove lid and quickly add remaining kernels, then cook, covered, shaking pan frequently, until kernels stop popping, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.
• Line bottom of a large shallow baking pan with foil. Lightly oil foil. Melt butter in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat. Add brown sugar and honey and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring, then boil, without stirring, until syrup registers 300ºF on thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
• Using a wooden spoon or a heatproof spatula, stir salt, mezcal and baking soda into syrup, then quickly stir in pepitas and popcorn to coat. Immediately spread mixture in baking pan as thinly and evenly as possible. Cool completely, then break into bite-size pieces.

-Bryce Clark

picture courtesy 101 cookbooks

Bryce Clark
Culinary Assistant

Mexican Street Food in Boulder

For a western town, Boulder has had a surprisingly limited selection of Mexican restaurants. Sure, there’s Agave and Efrain’s. But where can you grab the Mexican street food (tortas, tacos, and tamarind soda) that have captivated the rest of the nation? Up until a couple of months ago, we shrugged in response.

But now, thanks to the opening of two new restaurants, you have a choice of two tasty options: Pica’s Mexican Taqueria or Restaurante 100% Mexicano.

Pica’s dishes up a variety of street food flavors—and Restaurante 100% Mexicano the authenticity. In Pica’s bright, causal, Baja-style dining, try warm corn tortilla tacos of carne asada or fish (pictured here) with a Jarritos taramind soda. Or try chilaquiles, fried corn tortillas smothered in red sauce.

At Restaurante 100% Mexicano, order a cantelope agua fresco, red chile and pork tamales, and a slice of creamy tres leches cake.

--Kazia Jankowski

Photo courtesy of Pica's Mexican Taqueria

Kazia Jankowski
Associate Culinary Director