Why Social Media Counts, or How 140 Characters Scored Me 20K JetBlue Points

As a Culinary Hopscotch reader, you may be wondering why you're reading a blog post on social media. Trust me...read on and you'll see how this all comes full-circle. You may also dart to create your own Twitter handle.

Twitter is one of those things that has been around for awhile now. You have probably seen the icon on webpages begging you to follow along, but you might not fully understand what Twitter is, how it's useful, and why you should be on it. Facebook seems to reign supreme, and the young, old, and everyone in between know how to use it. To boil it down, Twitter is another platform where people can connect with messages that are 140 characters (letters and spaces) or less. Today, I want to share a personal anecdote about why social media is increasingly important, and how Twitter helped me score 20,000 JetBlue "Trueblue" points.

I follow @JetBlue on Twitter. Why? Because once a week on Tuesday they release their JetBlue "Cheeps," or cheap airfares that are only advertised on Twitter via their handle @JetBlueCheeps. I follow both because I like to travel and don't want to miss any deals that might apply to me. I've been following them both for a few months now, but haven't interacted with either account at all. Until yesterday.

Two days ago, there was a CNN travel article about Twitter and how airlines are using it effectively to resolve customer service issues, complaints, reschedules, and so forth. In some cases, it's an easier and quicker method of getting in touch with an airline than standing in line at the airport. I let my Google Reader stalk the CNN travel section for me (yay technology), so of course I read this article. They mentioned that JetBlue and Virgin America are probably the best Tweeters out there airline-wise, and that JetBlue specifically has resources dedicated exclusively to social media (i.e. there is a person manning the @JetBlue handle on Twitter).

So yesterday, I'm thumbing through Twitter on my iPad, and I see a message from @JetBlue about their CEO @DavidJBarger conducting an in-air contest for 20,000 "Trueblue" points. He was on a flight from JFK to somewhere, and this contest was taking place at their cruising altitude. "Rad!" I thought, and wished I was on that flight. I replied to the Tweet and said "Maybe you should think about having this same contest on Friday during your flight from LGB--PDX at ohhh, 3:10p.m.," a flight I'm going to be on. @JetBlue responded to me and said "Did you pull that flight out of thin air? Thanks for choosing JetBlue but we don't think the CEO normally flies that route." Clearly, this Tweet was just for me, and that was very cool. I wasn't after a handout, and was happy that what I had read on CNN was true: they do monitor their Twitter account and they respond.

I'd learn the next morning that their social media staff aren't the only ones who monitor the @JetBlue account. When I woke up, I had an @message from the CEO himself telling me he had copied the Director of Customer Loyalty via Twitter and asked him to deposit 20,000 "Trueblue" points into my account. I then had a follow-up message from @Tremdave requesting my "Trueblue" account number, which I gave, and less than 10 minutes later, the 20,000 miles were in my account, I was thanked for being a loyal JetBlue customer, and wished a pleasant journey on Friday. Now that's what I call customer service!

There are a couple of things to garner here. First, why would JetBlue do this? They're in the business of running an airline, not giving away free flights for no reason (the points they gave me are equivalent to two roundtrips, by the way). It's actually genius psychological marketing. Yesterday, there I was with 228 "Trueblue" points in my account thinking, "What am I going to do with these? It's going to be years before I collect enough points for a free flight." Now, I have more than enough for a couple of flights, and I'm inclined to fly JetBlue so I can continually add to my balance. Plus, they've shown me that they do listen, they care about their customers, and they are interested in maintaining my loyalty. I like that. And they'll like the cha-ching they get each time I book a flight with them from here on out, my plugs for them via Twitter, Facebook, this blog post, etc..., and the windfall of additional business that may come their way as a result. That's how and why social media works; it's a way to ensure your brand is consistently on the mind of consumers, that you organically pop up first when people Google your name, etc...

Before you rush out and create your own Twitter handle and try to pilfer miles or points from any airline, do realize that this was likely an isolated incident. I was at the right place, at the right time, and said something that resonated with someone who could make things happen. I don't maintain that this is the norm, and I doubt it will ever happen again. Ironically though, I received an email yesterday from a friend offering to give me additional Russian cooking lessons at her home in New York, home of @JetBlue and the place where all of this originated. If nothing else, with a short 140-character message, Twitter helped to condense my world a bit; I'm thinking of using these gift flights to reach my next few cooking classes for @CulinaryHScotch. Are you following me yet?

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Find Yourself the Spice Monkey

There has got to be a way for me to convince Nikita to open a Spice Monkey in the USA. First things first: convincing him to give me the recipe for the flat rice snack we had. I'm vowing to figure it out.

Today, I traveled far from Fulham to Alexandra Palace. My beginners Indian cooking class was at Nikita's family home, and I knew upon entry that I was in for a truly authentic experience. His adorable tiny mother, Mrs. G, acted as sous chef, and despite my early arrival, they welcomed me in from the impending rain. While we were chatting, I had a look at the table that was covered in an array of colorful spices, the nucleus of any Indian recipe. Clearly, spices were going to be a large part of our conversation.

Our class took place in their greenhouse, and there were just three of us and Nikita, which was fabulous from a learner's vantage point. We spent a solid hour pouring over the different spices, their taste, their texture, and their origins. He had everything, from dried coriander and two kinds of cardamom to mustard seeds, fenugreek, and ground red pepper. Let us not forget turmeric; my hands and nails are currently stained a gorgeous yellow hue. He even had fresh turmeric, which I had never seen nor tasted before, but it was amazing. I presumed it was ginger by it's looks, but as they say, "don't judge a book by its cover."

From these spices, we created a variety of masalas. Garam masala is probably the most common and widely recognised, and in a grinder, we made our own version after toasting the different seeds in a dry pan. We also created a version that we didn't toast at all, and it was great to be able to compare and contrast the two with our noses. Much of what we did today was sensory oriented. It was a wonderful way of getting familiar with so many spices that we have seen, heard about, or shoved to the back of our cupboards after using them just one time. One of Nikita's biggest points was not to get overwhelmed by the options; use what you like that day, and if you leave something out (like we did a few times), c'est la vie.

Our menu today consisted of aromatic rice, Mrs. G's chicken curry, cauliflower bhagi, potato curry, and shrikanda, an Indian dessert. I had no idea that Indians had such a sweet tooth, but evidently, that is the case, and randomly, I think the dessert may have been my favourite dish. Most people think of curry as blow-your-head-off hot, oily, and generally difficult to prepare, but I learned today that none of that is the case. In fact, with some thoughtful planning, I think an Indian feast would be the perfect way to entertain. We need to be more adventurous with our palettes in America, and it would be nice if you didn't have to drive ten towns away to find a decent curry. I always lament that when leaving London because there are about as many Indian places here as there are Mexican joints in California. Are all of them good? Now, I think we all know the answer to that one.

Point being, don't be discouraged when it comes to experimenting with Indian food in your own kitchen. Try your hand at it with a cookbook and only buy small quantities of the spices until you decide which combinations suit your taste best. Better yet, if you can swing it, make a trip to Spice Monkey and take a class. You'll be happy you did. I can't tell you how much easier it was to learn from an expert and see things firsthand. I will be back for another class with Nikita, mark my words.

For now, I'm hanging up my apron to head back to America. Next stop: California followed by a more permanent stop in Portland, Oregon. It may be time for a move into the culinary world, because with each of these classes, I realise more and more that this is what I'm meant to be doing whether it's stirring, writing, teaching, or otherwise.

The Spice Monkey
www.spicemonkey.co.uk
info@spicemonkey.co.uk

Rainy Day Tapas

I woke up this morning to find it was pissing down rain in London. And I mean pissing. A friend's house flooded overnight (sorry Megs!), and there I was with a pair of Havaianas and no umbrella. That's what happens packing-wise when you mix an Italian trip with temperamental England.

Nevertheless, V dressed me in some shoes and a jacket, and off I went in search of Books for Cooks near Portobello Road. I made it there just fine. The shoes, on the other hand, weren't so lucky. Drenched, I entered the cooking shop looking halfway homeless and certainly dejected; this was about to be some cooking class.

After killing about 15 minutes inside waiting for the class to start, we headed upstairs to a small loft-style cooking studio. 22 chairs sat facing the kitchen, and there was a rear-view mirror type apparatus so we could see what Chef Jenny Chandler was doing. This class was totally demonstration-based, which I can't remember if I knew or not, but nevertheless, I was happy to sit back and watch someone else do the dirty work after my trying morning commute.

Chef Chandler whisked around the kitchen and was quite a crack-up with her random anecdotes. She had worked as a sailing boat chef for eight years, and one of her funniest stories was when the captain rushed down to the galley, screaming at her in Italian about how she had created incest with the onions, the "big brother," and the garlic, the "little sister." The moral of his story was that you don't ever put both in the pan at the same time. The "big brother" should go in first and then the "little sister" can be added later. This little pun amounts to a recipe for not burning garlic. We all had a good laugh.

Today's menu was Spanish tapas, or small plates for the less iniated. In about three hours time, we watched her make Piquillos Rellenos de Queso de Cabra (Goat's Cheese Stuffed Piquillo Peppers), Calamares a la Plancha (Griddled Squid), Mussels with Chorizo and Cider, Tortilla de Espinacas (Spinach Tortilla), and Empanada (Galician Flat Pie). What took the full three hours to make took about 20 minutes for us all to devour; it was fantastic.

Some of the more random things I learned today are the following:

1. Madrid has the biggest fish market in all of Europe yet is approximately 400 KM from the sea.
2. The Spanish eat the 2nd most fish in the world per capita after the Japanese.
3. Pork is the most popular meat in Spain.
4. In Spain, they have special tortilla turners. It's like a plate with a knob you can use to flip the tortilla from the frying pan. They can be found in hardware stores.
5. Cider is extremely popular in northern Spain and there's a special technique for pouring it. Bartenders hold the bottle high above their heads in one hand and the glasses low by the opposite hip. They pour the cider without looking at either the bottle or the glass, and this whole dog and pony show allows the cider to breathe. Oh, and they drink it like shots!

Minus the rainy morning, today's class was really fun and informative. Tapas are such a great thing to have in your back pocket if you're entertaining or just don't want to create a massive meal, especially if you're cooking for just two. After finally drying out and warming up a bit, I was getting kind of antsy. Sitting through a demonstration-style class isn't for everyone, and I found myself shifting in my seat a few times because I wanted to get up and prep or clean up the dirty dishes. It's a great way to learn though because you can pay attention the whole way through, but I still I think I prefer the hands-on style of learning better.

Tomorrow, I'm off to India. Okay, not really, but the journey on the tube will seem like it since it's so far from where I'm staying. Once there, anything is possible. Curry in a hurry? saga paneer? Onion bahji? Soon, we will all find out!

A New Take on an Old Favorite: Fish and Chips Hold the Deep-Fry

Scene: Sloane Square, a rather posh part of London, where life is bustling around me. Range Rovers and Bentleys are dodging black cabs and double-decker red buses, whole Hugo Boss and Tiffany oversee things, half expecting their drivers to stop mid-roundabout and drop in. Although comical (the same Lamborghini has circled the square about four times), it's a welcome respite after Oxford Circus, perhaps the most abhorred place of all by London dwellers. Today has been a bit of an oddball adventure.

I woke up with nothing to do in a city where there is everything to do. Feeling a bit uncertain, I remembered something I was hoping to accomplish while in London: take another Ateliers des Chefs class. The first one I took with them was in Paris last year, and it was a fantastic and affordable experience. I had my sights set on checking out the London studio, but with their strict one-month in advance booking policy, I'd forgotten all about it. I hopped on the phone with them, they had room for one more, and I had something to do today.

So what is Ateliers des Chefs, you ask? Quite simply, it's a different version of Sur La Table. There are gadgets and Le Creuset for sale intermixed with those learning to cook. And one of their most genius cooking classes, in my opinion, is called Cook, Eat, Run. Instead of pony'ing up a bunch of money for a subpar lunch while at work (or in my case, in a touristy cross-section of London), you can actually take a cooking class, eat what you have made, and do it all for £15 and in under an hour. True story.

What we created today reminded me of a jazzed up version of fish and chips. There wasn't a deep fryer in sight, however, so if that's what you're after, I'd suppose you'd be quite disappointed with this menu. The food was tremendous though and it literally only took the 30 minutes that the class called for (look out Rachel Ray).

We started with a quick demo on chopping, which I think was more than half the class had bargained for. I don't consider myself an expert by any stretch, but some of these people looked dumfounded and afraid. Knives and apprehension: always a good combo. Alas, I took over for our table of five and held court with the knife and chopping board. We chopped up a shallot, mint, parsley, and a bit of lettuce; it was hardly rocket science.

Shortly thereafter, we sweated the shallot in some butter until it was sufficiently brown. The instructor added a splash of water to slow up the cooking process because the cast iron pans were quite hot, a technique I hadn't thought to do before. After that, we added in diced pancetta and the room was instantly enveloped in a smokey, bacon'y perfume. In went a good clip of peas, followed by the herbs, and perhaps a cup or so of chicken stock. It bubbled away for a bit and then we removed it from the heat to prep our frying pans for the fish.

You always want to start fish with the skin side down in a flaming hot pan that's been prepped with a bit of olive oil. When it starts to ripple, it is ready. In went the cod for maybe three minutes, we took them off the heat and flipped them gently, and then cooked them for about three more minutes before finishing them in the oven at 200 C. In my estimation, the entire start-to-finish cooking process took about 10 minutes total for the fish, and the pea and pancetta mixture about the same.

Meanwhile, some of the less adventurous boiled potatoes in the background and adjusted their seasonings. I stirred away while listening in amazement, firstly to some classmates who didn't understand what sea salt was, and then a brief argument between the chef and a couple who were confused about why we weren't all getting to cook each thing.  Ahem, the class was 30 minutes...total...and to be blunt, $hit needed to get done. They ended up being in my group, so I regaled them with where I'm from, sprinkled in a bit of food knowledge for them, their moods improved, we plated up our food, ate, and out we were in about 45 minutes prep-to-mouth.

It never ceases to amaze me that there is a takeaway from each of these cooking classes I take. Today, it was just how much some people need that carrot dangled in front of them when it comes to cooking. I guess it does pay to drag your children into the kitchen when they're small and give them the tasks that you don't want. I'm sure Sheila had me wielding a knife, and most certainly a potato peeler, at the age of four. Tomorrow, I'm venturing to Notting Hill for another class on Spanish tapas. Small plates, big learning...brilliant.

Wheels Up!

And we're off! Today is the start of another round of jetsetting and airport concourses. But I can't wait! SNA--ATL--LHR is first on the agenda, and I'm excited to test out Delta's "Economy Plus" on the ATL--LHR leg. 

This trip is bookended with stops in London, and on the second round, I'll be participating in two cooking classes: Spanish tapas and Indian food. I can't even tell you how excited I am to get back in a foreign kitchen! 

Be on the lookout for blog posts in the coming weeks. Cheers! Arrivederci!

Culinary Hopscotch Continues!

I cannot wait for June. I just can't. Not only are we heading to Capri to see our good friends tie the knot, but we will also be spending some time in London. 

It's an amazing city...a favorite in fact. And despite the stereotypes about the food, I'm planning to take some cooking classes while I'm there. 

Keep your eye on the blog for the latest and greatest!

"The Bold Fold"

I learned today that you don't have to fly to Brussels to find an amazing waffle. All you have to do is get on the 55, exit Chapman, turn right at the Orange Circle, and not park in a permit area. Enter: Bruxie. A friend recently changed jobs and works in the area, and turned our other friend onto Bruxie this weekend. She dragged me back there today.

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Waffle

The 15-minute drive was a full blown commercial about what I was in for. Savory and sweet waffle combinations, homemade 'pure cane' sugar sodas, and Peet's iced tea. Sold. Their menu is small, but their flavor big, and I'm disappointed that I wasn't the Magellan of this roadside waffle stand. There's no inside (or even a bathroom that I could find to wash the maple syrup from my hands), but the al fresco diner-style tables were the perfect pair to this hand food. 

For me, I went for the buttermilk fried chicken and waffle. Courtney had the bacon, egg and cheddar. And she decided we needed dessert after all that, so we shared the lemon cream and berries waffle. Oh, and the only side they have is, what else? Waffle fries. We had those too. 

Bruxie is caddy-corner to Chapman University, so don't be surprised if it's packed on the weekends or at random times throughout the day. Go stand in line though. You won't be sorry. I'll probably be there too because I now want the prosciutto and gruyere, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese, and if I can find the room, the s'mores waffle for dessert.

www.bruxie.com

Happy Anniversary!

It's hard to believe that last year at this time I was sitting on a plane, embarking on Culinary Hopscotch. My how the time flies! 

Here's to another year of culinary discoveries both domestic and abroad. Stay tuned for news about another abbreviated installment this summer!

Newport Beach Restaurant Week!

It's that time again...when restaurants all over town put together affordable prix fixe menus to get you through their doors. It's Newport Beach Restaurant Week!

Get out and dine this week at a variety of neighborhood hotspots on the cheap. I'm heading to Summer House tomorrow for lunch. Where will you be dining this week?

Brownie Sundaes with Burrata and Balsamic Glaze

This dessert came from a picture in my head, and sadly, I'm without photos of its fruition this past weekend. I apologize for that and the stock photos below, but I felt inclined to give you something to look at. It sounds weird, but brownie sundaes with burrata and balsamic glaze were the perfect end to a fantastic dinner with friends. 

Tasked with the dessert portion of the menu, I wanted to come up with something new and different. I started thinking about what to make, and easy and traditional just didn't seem right given the guest list. If you took attendance, you'd find that 2/3's of the table were foodies, worked in the food industry, or some combination thereof. In fact, in thinking back to the previous dinner party at our hosts' house, the burrata cheese appetizer she made came to mind. 

Much discussion had centered around that burrata we'd had a few weeks prior, so I wanted to incorporate it into my dessert. But how? Burrata is a traditionally savory ingredient, and I was to be making dessert. I mulled it over, and then over again, and thought, 'why couldn't this silky-in-the-center mozzarella from the water buffalo take the place of ice cream?' Made with milk and cream, it seemed like a perfectly suitable stand-in.

And it was. I was pleased that the dessert came together as I had imagined because I didn't have time for a trial run prior to arriving. Fortunately, it was perfect: a layer of the burrata over the sweet chocolate brownie base was topped with a touch of fleur de sel and a balsamic glaze I had reduced earlier in the day. The dessert touched three of the five basic tastes, sweet, salty and sour, and in my opinion, seemed like something you would find on a high-end restaurant's menu. Molto bene!

Happy Holidays from Culinary Hopscotch

I've been backed-up with holiday functions for the last five days. And being that I'll be out of town for Christmas and recently moved into a new place, I decided to have the girls over this evening for a home-cooked meal and a holiday gift exchange. 

The weather in California is dreary at best right now, and while looking out the window and thinking about what to make tonight, I'm realizing that this is the first break in the rain that we've had in a few days. What to make? Something cozy. Something comforting. Done.

On the Menu: 

• Mache Salad with Citrus Spring Onion Vinaigrette & Avocado
• Cornbread
• Goat Cheese & Chive Smashed Potatoes
• Mini Turkey Meatloaves 
• Homemade Chocolate Lollipops with Slivered Almonds, Peppermint-White Chocolate Dust & Fleur de Sel 

Salad

Mache is a tender lettuce also known as lamb's ear. I first used this in Bordeaux during my cooking class, and have been wishing for it ever since. Perhaps I didn't search well enough because I found it today at Trader Joe's in the bagged salad section. It's grown hydroponically so sometimes you'll find it in plastic cartons with the sponge still attached. Just snip it off. 

For the dressing, combine the juice of a lemon, 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup of spring onion, one small clove of garlic, minced, and season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and pour over the mache topped with slices of avocado. 


Cornbread


I cheated and used boxed cornbread mix. It's just as good and makes things simple, freeing up my time and attention for the rest of the meal.


Goat Cheese & Chive Smashed Potatoes

Before you get jumpy about how fattening these sound, just know that these potatoes are surprisingly figure-friendly. Goat cheese is lower in fat than you think, and I opted to use Yukon Gold potatoes that are a good source of Vitamin C. You can peel the potatoes, or leave the skin-on, which is what I did because I like the variation in texture. The goat cheese helps the milk and butter make the potatoes creamy, and the chives give it a punch of color and a punch on your tongue. 


Cover the potatoes with cold water and boil until fork tender, approximately 15-20 minutes. Drain and return to pan. Add in 5 ounces of goat cheese, 4 Tbsp of butter, and start with a 1/2 cup of milk. Season with salt and pepper. Mash with a potato masher, or you can mash them with a fork. Add more milk if necessary, and stir in the chives when you achieve the desired consistency.


Mini Turkey Meatloaves


One of the challenges of cooking for a group is that not everyone likes the same things. This person doesn't eat red meat, this person doesn't like mushrooms, and so forth. It's an ongoing challenge. Tonight, I'm making meatloaf work for everyone by using ground turkey. And I'm livening it up by making the mini meatloaves in a muffin tin. Charming, quicker, and a good way to portion the meatloaf: winner.

My meatloaf recipe is a combination of ground meat (turkey this time), garlic, shallot, onion, Panko breadcrumbs, egg, ground sage or poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper. Using your hands, combine it in a bowl until just mixed. Over-mixing will cause the meat to become tough. Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, making sure to coat it well. Drop the meatloaf mixture into each cup, taking care not to pack it down too much. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife emerges clean from the center. 

Chocolate Lollipops

This recipe came from Ina Garten as part of her 'Barefoot in London' episode on The Food Network. For people who hate to bake (myself included), this should be your new go-to dessert. It's incredibly simple. 

Take 12 ounces of semi-sweet or white chocolate chips and place in a microwave-safe bowl. In 30-second intervals, microwave the chocolate, stirring in between. Repeat three times, and add 4 more ounces of chocolate. Allow it to melt, and stir with a rubber spatula until smooth and completely melted. Spoon the chocolate onto a parchment-, wax- or Silpat-lined baking sheet, and insert a lollipop stick. Give it a little turn to make sure it's covered in chocolate. Decorate with nuts, dried fruit, or additional candy, and allow to harden for approximately 45 minutes to an hour. I chose slivered almonds, a sprinkle of fleur de sel, and I used a microplane to shave white chocolate-peppermint flakes over mine. They look like they sat out in the snow.

 

Bon appetit! 

I hope these recipes give you ideas for one of your remaining meals of 2010. And if you run out of time, give them a try in 2011. Happy holidays from Culinary Hopscotch! 

Apple Pie Stuffing

Apple Pie Stuffing

Nothing says "Happy Thanksgiving" like stuffing and apple pie, so I figured, 'Why not combine them both together?' I wrote this recipe last year, but in the mayhem of a smallish kitchen, cooking it got put on the back burner, as they say.

One of my favorite things about stuffing is that all you need is your imagination, and some cubed, day-old bread. The rest can literally be a combination of whatever you like. 

Prepped Ingredients

In this recipe, peppered applewood bacon counteracts the sweetness of the apples. And what's a good apple pie without the crust? Here, breadcrumbs, melted butter, and thyme lay the foundation for this melange of flavors and Thanksgiving staples.

Happy Thanksgiving from Culinary Hopscotch...enjoy!

Apple Pie Stuffing

Par-Baked Crust and Stuffing

Crust

• 1 Tbsp. Thyme, chopped
• 2 1/2 Cups Plain Breadcrumbs, plus 1/4 cup
• 4 Tbsp. Melted Butter, plus 1 Tbsp. 

  

Stuffing

• 1/4 Cup Sweet Yellow Onion, chopped
• 2 Stalks of Celery, chopped
• 1 Leek, chopped (white part only)
• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil 
• 3 Sweet Red Apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
• Juice of a lemon
• Dash of Nutmeg, Allspice, and Cinnamon
• 6 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, crisped and crumbed
• 1/2 Loaf of Day-Old French Bread, cubed
• 2 Cups Chicken Stock
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Oven-Bake Bacon for Easy Clean-Up

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Drizzle the breadcrumbs and thyme with melted butter. Combine until moistened, but not wet. Press the mixture into the bottom of a metal pie tin and par-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. After prepping the apples, cover them with lemon juice to prevent browning and set aside.
4. Saute the onion, celery and leek in olive oil with the additional 1 Tbsp of butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until tender. Add in the apples, and season with nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon. Continue to saute the mixture until the apples begin to soften, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat.
5. In a separate pan, cook the bacon slices until crispy. Drain them on paper towels, and reserve the drippings. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble it.
6. In a large bowl, toss the saute mixture with the crumbled bacon, cubed bread, and 1 cup of the chicken stock to start. This mixture shouldn't be very wet, so eyeball the consistency and add more if necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Pour the mixture into the crust, and cover with the remaining 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs. Drizzle with the reserved bacon drippings and bake for 45 minutes uncovered.

Stove-Slaving in St. Petersburg for Stroganoff & Kotlety

Today, our journey took us into the depths of St. Petersburg on the metro, and out of the historical city centre. Exiting the metro, we'd find architecture that triggered immediate ideas of Communism; we had ascended into the projects. Real estate prices here, however, fetch surprisingly high tariffs, and we still are at a loss for an answer as to how people pay to live in this city. It is incredibly expensive.

The food, on the other hand, is quite simple. Russian cuisine is hearty to a point of insulation, and it reminds me a lot of the cuisine I had in Poland earlier this winter. In fact, some of the words are even the same, however, their translations couldn't be farther apart. Take "pierogi" for example. During our city tour the other day, our driver, Alex, took Brady and I to a traditional Russian "fast food" restaurant for pierogi. We walked in, approached the counter, and looked around for the tender dumplings of various fillings, only to find exquisite golden pastries bursting with sweet and savory insides. Lost in translation? Apparently. Russian pierogis have nothing to do with the dumplings you'd find in Polish milk bars and in the frozen food section of Trader Joe's. They are bonafide pastries filled with everything from salmon to apricot jam. And quite good. But I digress. The cooking class is why you are reading.

Brady (or Buh-rian, depending on who you ask) and I jumped on the metro this morning and made our way far out of the city centre. You wouldn't believe how deep these metros are here. A picture wouldn't even do it justice (and we tried), and if that wasn't enough, we descended to find just a row of metal doors with people hanging about. Where were the trains? Behind the doors, of course. We entered the train, the doors slammed shut with a resounding clunk, and we were not getting out. Russian suicide prevention, or something else? We wouldn't find out, but this was unlike any metro either of us had ever seen. The train skated along the tracks briskly, and after about 40 minutes, we arrived at our stop, the 2nd to last on the line. 

The plan was to meet our host there at the exit, but as we waited and waited, we both questioned why I hadn't been more judicious in getting a description of this woman, or giving her ours. Clearly, we stood out; Brady, looking like a proper English gent in his camel overcoat, and me with flat boots and round eyes taking it all in. Everyone was staring. Suddenly, from nowhere, Polina appeared. 


An unforeseen incident with her electricity forced us to her mom's apartment around the corner where the three of us met her mom and Jack, the English Spaniel. Polina and I were about to be up to our elbows in Beef Stroganoff and Turkey Kotlety, so we got straight to work. Neither of these dishes required any special cooking equipment though, only time. The three of us had a chat before we got started regarding the American interpretation of Beef Stroganoff versus the Russian one. Being that it was invented by a chef in this city, I can without a doubt say, we've got it all wrong.

I didn't see a can of mushroom soup anywhere today, nor did I see a mushroom for that matter. Egg noodles need not apply, as they're not even a part of this dish. Our stroganoff included hand-pounded and sliced meet, an onion, olive oil, a bit of sour cream (save it people), Russian herbs (which Polina so graciously sent us home with), and salt and pepper. C'est tout. The dish truly could not have been easier and I can imagine having it on a cold winter's night, assuming we actually have a winter this year. Based on current reports, it sounds like a long-shot. We boiled off some potatoes for a mash on the side, and there, my friends, you have the real Beef Stroganoff. Where we ever came up with this concoction over noodles is beyond me. 

Next to our Beef Stroganoff and potatoes were massive patties called Kotlety. We ground the meat by hand, and passed all the other ingredients (garlic, carrot, onion, and a bit of white bread) through the meat grinder as well. Cinchy. Before forming the mixture into patties under water, we added in an additional Russian dried herb and salt and pepper, and then sauteed them in frying pans until they were golden brown. This was truly winter fare, and perfect for the flurries falling outside the window.

At the conclusion of our cooking, Brady, Polina and I sat down to a lovely lunch, and talked about all things everything. Polina has Russian citizenship, but was born in London so she's a British national above all else. We each shared our interpretation of St. Petersburg, discussed immigration in our countries, pondered what living in the Soviet time must have been like, and laughed about how Russians can't queue or drive for shit. She regaled us with some hilarious stories about being pulled over for driving on the wrong side of the road here (they drove over from London, and she drives on the opposite side in her car), and it was a really fun afternoon. 

If you're headed to Russia and fear the food, don't worry. It's really nothing more than meat and potatoes, just like my Irish ancestors noshed on in a similar effort to keep warm in blustery times. The cooking digs today were a real indication of what Soviet Era Russia must have looked like. From the austere apartment buildings with unfinished concrete hallways and stairwells, and the metro experience from start to finish, we were whisked away from European Russia and transported to decades of yesteryear. I'm realizing more and more that traveling through the lens of cooking is a fantastic way to move between countries. Fantastic and different. Really.

Mexican Picnic in Paris

There has been an idea brewing in the brains of two Americans in Paris, so we decided to perform some due diligence while we were here. A friend came in from London on Saturday who has been living there for the last year or so, and she was dying for a taste of Mexican food. Fine I thought. I had recently read a blog about a new Mexican place in Paris that had the word "authentic" attached to it on more than one occasion. We would be the judges. 

After a night out in Paris that looked more like a third-world tumbling routine, we needed a pick-me-up yesterday morning. Off we set for El Nopal near Canal St. Martin. It was a cinchy excursion on the metro, and when we hopped off, we took our chances, turned left and found the street: Rue Eugene Varlin. It was three storefronts in from the canal, and seriously the tiniest place you have ever seen.

A true Harlequin facade, we rammed ourselves inside three-men wide and we were all that would fit. We passed along our order, and the man, whose name we never even got (kicking myself right now), might have been the friendliest person ever. He shared the whole enchilada with us. He was from Monterrey, Mexico with a Columbian wife who was born in Paris, and despite an attempt to live in America and her protests about living in Paris, here they found themselves after not having been given visas in New York. He enrolled in school and learned French, and just five weeks ago opened up this veritable taco stand. And there were were standing in it.

It was en fuego. Quite literally. That's the thing with European Mexican food. Somewhere along the line, someone got the the idea that Tex-Mex was the all the rage. Mais non. We all had a laugh about that in El Nopal when he said, "You can't believe how many people come in and ask if I'm going to make chile con carne." There's a total misconception about what Mexican cuisine actually is in Europe. People think if you throw meat and tomatoes in a tortilla, voila...you have a taco or burrito. Ah hem...no. In any event, El Nopal was the  real deal with spice, verve, and a store-keeper with a personality that would make me queue there for lunch day-in and day-out in Paris provided I lived here. 

As luck would have it, we stumbled upon Mexican joint #2 today in the Latin quarter on Rue Mouffetard. We had just finished lunch, but couldn't pass up the opportunity to juxtapose two Mexican restaurants in Paris. We shared a chicken quesadilla, and for God's sake, it was another hit. Spicy salsa and well-prepared chicken in a bonafide flour tortilla. And Coronas. We couldn't believe it. Bon chance! 

Tomorrow, we're off to the Champagne region of France, and I think our lunch at Jardin des Crayeres will border more on avant-garde than internationale, but we'll see. It's fine though. We leave for Russia on Wednesday morning, and I can only imagine what the cuisine will bring there. I don't think we'll be having tacos and vodka, let's just say that. But who knows...only time will tell.

And We're Off!

The hopscotching begins tomorrow with a non-stop flight from LAX to CDG. From there, we'll try our luck with Air France onto Lyon and finally, Brussels. 

With the French strike that's been underway for the last week or so, things could get interesting upon touchdown. This isn't even a dedicated airport strike, and as we all know, French airport workers are notorious for leaving bags on the runway in favor of croissants and carafes of wine in cafes. Or so someone will understand their plight. Whatever.

Armed with Delta Platinum status, we're hoping we don't have to make a call to the bullpen. Stay tuned!

4 Days, 13 Hours and 13 Minutes

See that over there? Le tableau des departs? In a few short days, we will be seeing a number of them as we hopscotch over to Brussels, Paris and St. Petersburg. Nous ne pouvons pas attendre!