What is Truly Artisan?

You've probably noticed as I have that products on grocery store shelves have increasingly featured the words "Artisan" this or that.

So what does it mean to have artisan pizza, bread, chocolates, etc.?

There is no guidance or oversight for the use of the word "artisan", so technically a food company could use it on whatever they choose.

A generally accepted description of an artisan product would be one that is handmade (you would probably know the person or at least where the business is located), contains whole unprocessed ingredients,  prepared using traditional methods of cooking/baking, and usually in small quantities.

If the item doesn't fit the generally accepted description above, (and almost all of the grocery store stuff won't), it just isn't an artisan product.

For the real deal, check out local bakeries, farmers markets, and off-the-path restaurants.  You'll know when you've found it.

Mortar and Pestle -- Old School

Jamie Oliver Mortar and Pestle

Not many modern home kitchens have a mortar and pestle, and if they do, it's more for decoration.

I really like my mortar and pestle and purchased it about a year ago.  My favorite cookbooks are those of Jamie Oliver and he uses a mortar and pestle frequently in his recipes to crush and grind fresh herbs and spices, mix oils and create fresh mayonnaise and pesto.

There are plenty of sources for buying a mortar and pestle, including grocery stores and World Market, but I chose to order the Jamie Oliver brand and have been completely satisfied.

Look for one that holds about a cup or cup and a half -- bigger if you plan to really create a lot of creations.  Find one that is solid (stone) and that has a good amount of weight to keep it steady.

Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker

Jamie's "Flavour Shaker" is a bit more limiting, but can still quickly crush herbs and spices and easily create flavored oils and dressings.  This would be a good option for those who have more limited space, have less ability to use heavy objects, or who want something a bit more modern and basic.

The mortar and pestle or shaker are great ways to grind whole and fresh herbs and spices and really create something nice for your recipe.

The aroma from your creation and old world connection to your food preparation will bring extra pride to your finished dish.

I highly recommend this addition to any kitchen.

School Food in France and Bringing up Bebe Book Review

While we in America argue whether to include "pink slime" in our beef products, the French are preparing truly farm-fresh organic produce for their children with in-school chef's and a real kitchen.

They use real utensils and real plates (highly sustainable) and are served at their round tables to facilitate discussion.  And, they get adequate time to enjoy their food and socialize compared to the typical American school kids 20 minute lunch with which to scarf down whatever processed food he or she can.

I thought we were the country with the most resources?

I finished reading Pamela Druckerman's (She's a American raising her family is Paris) book, "Bringing Up Bebe", and was impressed with the level of service French parents receive when raising a child.  Particularly of interest was the three days of menu options Pamela shared in her book at the French daycare for her three-year-old.

She writes of the meals, "An in-house cook at each creche (day care)  prepares lunch from scratch each day.  A truck arrives several times a week with seasonal, fresh, sometimes even organic ingredients.  Aside from the occasional can of tomato paste, nothing is processed or precooked.  A few vegetables are frozen, but never precooked."

So here are the menus (served in four courses of salad, main meal, cheese and dessert) she observed.  And remember, this is a daycare/preschool:

Day 1 (Page 112):
Course 1:  Bright-red tomato salad in vinaigrette
Course 2:  Flaky white fish in a light butter sauce and a side dish of peas, carrots and onions
Course 3:  Crumbled blue cheese
Course 4:  Whole apples slices at the table

Day 2 (Page 112):
Course 1:  Hearts of palm and tomato salad
Course 2:  Sliced turkey with rice in a Provencal cream sauce
Course 3:  St. Nectaire cheese with a slice of fresh baguette
Course 4:  Fresh Kiwi

Day 3 (Page 204):
Course 1:  Shredded red cabbage salad and fromage blanc
Course 2:  White fish in dill sauce and a side of organic potatoes
Course 3:  Coulommiers cheese
Course 4:  Baked organic apple

The French have a commission where parents can provide meaningful input into their children's menu.  They stress visual and textural variety along with nutrition and suggest offerings such as mousse of sardines in cream sauce, duck mousse, spinach, green beans, smoked pork, monk fish, tuna fish, salmon, yogurt cake with carrots, etc.  The parent food meeting Pamela attended lasted more than two hours.

I found this documentary from CBS (below) that highlights some of the French school cooking.  They manage to do it for $2.50 per student, about what many of our schools pay for mostly processed trash.

So I wonder, what would our school lunch program look like if each school got to create its own menus with parent-driven input and the kid actually had the time to enjoy their meal and have conversation during their day?  Our kids deserve so much better than our schools are giving them.

As an additional resource, check out the movie "Food Beware:  The French Organic Revolution" on Netflix or buy at Amazon.com.

Bare Fruit

Our family loves fruit in all its forms, including dried.

My struggle with buying dried fruit is that it often has added sugar and preservatives.

Short of drying fruit ourselves (which we do sometimes), our only option was preservative laced dried fruit -- until now.

I came across Bare Fruit the other day and it is nothing but bake-dried organic fruit.  No added sugar or preservatives.

We bought the dried mangos, but the Washington based company also sells dried cherries, pears and Fuji, Granny Smith and cinnamon apples from Washington State.

The taste is fantastic and you can feel good knowing that only organic fruits are entering your body.  Find them at a grocery store near you or on Amazon.com.

Why You Need a Butter Keeper

Real butter will tear apart any soft slice of bread if you try to spread it straight from the refrigerator.

The solution for those like me who forget to bring butter to room temperature an hour ahead of a meal is a butter keeper.

Essentially, it is a container that holds the equivalent of one stick of butter that is flipped upside down into a small jar of water.  The jar is light-proof and the water* keeps air from spoiling the butter.  Butter stored this way on the counter can last a week or two and is always ready and easy to spread.

There are many brands with slight variation in size, but a lot of it comes down to personal choice in appearance.  We chose this one ($7.69) from Norpro and are very happy with it, but a friend really likes hers from King Arthur Flour ($14.99).

Keep real butter around and enjoy it on your timing by using a butter keeper.

*Replace the water every other day.