Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1993 TAG: 9304070194
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
MASTER COOKS SHARE SOME OF THEIR EXPERTISE
For serious foodies, it was a gathering arranged in heaven. The American Institute of Wine and Food and the International Association of Culinary Professionals, two prestigious organizations representing the intersection of food professionals and the dedicated public, met for the first time in a historic joint conference at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.Almost 100 members from 22 states attended the session from March 26-28.
Education was the theme for the weekend conference. Scholars-in-residence, Julia Child and Anne Willan explained and demonstrated the techniques of healthful home cooking during a master class conducted in tandem.
Six Southern chefs redefined our regional cuisine using traditional, indigenous ingredients in a modern style, and William Friday, former president of UNC, advocated college-level courses in food history, anthropology and culture.
Using three chickens, including a Wilson Fields La Belle Rouge free range Kentucky bird plus two plump supermarket varieties, Child roasted two at different extremes of temperature and cooked the other en cocotte, in a covered casserole. Each of the cooked birds was evaluated on appearance, flavor and tenderness. Broccoli sauced cauliflower and cinnamon toast flan completed Child's portion of the menu.
During the same time frame, Willan explained the techniques involved for the preparation of a hearty oxtail and barley soup, gratin Dauphinoise and an unusually light yet robustly flavored, fresh fruit mincemeat-seasoned pie with whiskey hard sauce.
During class, both women exchanged one-liners - "Just wing it and don't apologize" - besides expressing concerns about families who don't eat meals together. Child believes that schools should be discouraged from having extra-curricular activities that interfere with family dinner.
Friday moderated a panel discussion that dissected the possibilities and the impact of introducing food and related culture courses into the college curriculum. Before the group grappled with the subject, Friday announced that UNC was already setting the pace with the establishment of the Julia Child Center in their department of nutrition.
With balance, nutrition and attractiveness as guiding principles, six Southern chefs focused their creativity on using local and regional ingredients in some of the most imaginative, delicious dishes ever devised. Among them, Ben Barker of the Magnolia Grill in Durham, N.C., prepared spicy grilled shrimp with grits cakes, country ham, mixed greens and redeye vinaigrette.
Elizabeth Terry from Elizabeth on 37th in Savannah, Ga., fixed mustard barbecue quail with Vidalia onion and black-eyed pea relish. Wild mushroom consomme was demonstrated by Albert Schnarwyler, executive chef from the Homestead in neighboring Hot Springs.
All of the dishes from both Master classes were prepared by the Greenbrier chefs and served for Saturday's lunch and dinner. Under the direction of Executive Chef Walter Scheib, a lavish array of more than 45 Southern dishes and 14 desserts was offered for the welcoming buffet on Friday night. Regional vintners provided wines and champagne for the meals.
A seasonal "Ramp Festival," featuring more than 42 hot and cold buffet items, captivated everyone's tastebuds at the Sunday morning farewell brunch.
Following are two recipes from the weekend:
Prepare this soup at least a day ahead and chill it thoroughly so the fat solidifies on the surface and can be skimmed off. Anne Willan's Oxtail and Barley Soup
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
5 lbs. oxtails, cut between the vertebrae
3/4-lb. carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
-lb. pearl barley
1 1/2 lbs. onions, sliced
-cup flour
1 lb. tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
2 quarts beef or chicken stock
2 cups fruity red wine
2 quarts or more of water
bouquet garni
salt and pepper
1/2-cup dry sherry or Madeira
Heat oven to 300 degrees. In a large casserole, heat the oil. Add the oxtail pieces and brown thoroughly on all sides. Remove oxtails and discard all but 3 tablespoons of fat.
Add carrots and celery. Cook gently until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove vegetables and reserve. Add half of the barley; saute until grains absorb the oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove barley and reserve.
Add onions. Cook gently until lightly browned. Add flour and cook gently, stirring, until it and the onions are well-browned. Stir in tomatoes, beef stock, wine, water, bouquet garni and seasonings. Bring to a boil.
Return oxtails to soup. Cover casserole. Cook in oven 4 to 5 hours or until the meat is falling from the bones. Stir from time to time during cooking and add more water if the liquid evaporates rapidly. At the end of cooking, the soup should be rich and dark but not too thick.
Let the soup cool to tepid. Remove oxtails. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones and fat. Chop the meat and return it to the soup. Add all the barley, sauteed carrots and celery. Cover and continue cooking in the oven until barley is tender, 40-45 minutes.
Discard the bouquet garni and taste soup for seasoning.
To serve, skim off fat and bring soup to a boil. Spoon soup into deep individual bowls. Add a tablespoon of sherry to each bowlful.
Julia Child's Cinnamon Toast Flan
This flan is baked in a shallow dish, and it's the kind of first-class grown-up dessert that even a child will enjoy. Serves 6 to 8. 6 or 7 slices white sandwich bread, about ]-inch thick
4 Tbsp. soft butter
4 Tbsp. sugar mixed with 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 egg yolks
5 large eggs
3/4-cup sugar
3 3/4 cups hot milk
1 1/2 Tbsp. pure vanilla
pinch of salt
Equipment: 1 1/2 quart baking dish, 2-inch deep, fine mesh sieve, roasting pan large enough to hold the baking dish.
Use half the butter to spread on the bread. Arrange bread, buttered-side up on the rack of a broiling pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar over each slice and set under the broiler until the sugar bubbles up. Cut each cooled slice into four triangles. Smear the baking dish with the remaining butter. Crowd the toast triangles into the dish, sugared side up.
Make the custard by slowly stirring eggs, yolks and sugar in a bowl with a whisk. Gradually stir in hot milk to dissolve the sugar completely, taking care to minimize making foam. Stir in vanilla and salt.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Ladle half the custard through the sieve over the cinnamon toast. Let it sit for 5 minutes while the toast absorbs the custard. Ladle on the rest.
Place the dish in the roasting pan and set it in the lower middle of the oven. Pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the custard dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, regularing the heat so the water in the pan never actually simmers. Test for doneness if a trussing needle emerges clean when plunged within an inch of the sides and nearly clean when plunged into the central section.
Serve as is, hot, tepid or cold. Accompany it, if you wish, with strawberry or raspberry sauce, caramel sauce or cut-up fresh fruits.