The Original Flavor

What is the first sign of spring to you? Daffodils, birds singing, or is it the return of Major League Baseball? If it’s baseball, then that means there’s a seventh inning stretch with the legendary song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (by Jack Norworth 1908) accompanied by consumption of one of America’s oldest snacks. The popularity of that song, still sung today, with the line “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack” will be heard throughout baseball stadiums in America this month.

But Cracker Jack is so much more than candy caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. There is also that special little surprise in each box which still brings smiles to faces on kids of all ages. Did you know these one-of-a-kind prizes are sought after by collectors fetching north of 50k dollars? Hey that’s cool! - which by the way is the meaning behind the term ‘Cracker Jack’ in the 1890’s. I do think the name Cracker Jack is fitting, somehow ‘Cool Jack’ just doesn't have the same ring.

Watch this classic TV commercial from the 1960’s featuring Jack Gilford.

Pierre Ferrand: Plantation Rum

It' a perfect marriage between well-aged Cognac Ferrand oak casks, artisanal rum and France. And it makes perfect sense. Ferrand has supplied Caribbean rum producers with their coveted cognac casks for years. So why not combine the art, resources and passion to create a collection of the best rum and present it to market. Keep in mind this is the same house whose Collection Privee 1914 demands $1500. The Plantation Rum Collection consists of a range of ten of the finest English style, Spanish-style and Rhum agricole rums, from $40. Did I mention double aged? After the rum has aged in the ideal climactic setting of the caribbean the rum casks are shipped to France to age some more, 18th century style at Cognac Ferrand's Chateau de Bonbonet for an exceptional finish. Santé.

A Fruit or A Vegetable?

Yes, Rhubarb is a tart vegetable used to make tasty desserts and sauces. The mere use of the word rhubarb can have many meanings when not presented on a menu:

• A bench-clearing brawl in baseball
• A hubbub or irrelevant chatter
• A Rhubarb Patch as describing the Brooklyn Dodgers Ebbits Field
• “Out in the rhubarb patch”, meaning out in a far off area

Here’s an easier to swallow meaning. . .This recipe is always a crowd pleaser and that's no bunch of rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crisp | chefgeorgehirsch.com

recipe by George Hirsch | Makes 4-6 servings

4-6 cups rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
juice from one orange
1 Tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
1 cup Turbino sugar (sugar in the raw)
3/4 cup flour

Cover rhubarb with half of the sugar (1/2 cup sugar), orange juice, zests and marinate 1 hour. Mix remaining sugar and flour together and combine with marinated rhubarb. Grease a 9 inch ovenproof casserole or several small individual ramekins; add marinated rhubarb and sugar flour mixture to greased baking dish.

For the topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon.
3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
1/2 cup light brown sugar

Mix flour, butter, ground cinnamon until it makes a smooth pastry dough. Add oatmeal and brown sugar, crumble together and place on top of marinated rhubarb in baking dish. 

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is light brown, the top is crisp and rhubarb is tender. Serve warm with coffee ice cream.

Tip:
Mix apples, pears, peaches, plums or berries in with rhubarb for seasonal dessert variations. Mix in a hand full of pecans or walnuts for a crunchy addition.

Maple Gold

It just seems fitting, breakfast for champions. Congrats to Hockey Canada.

Maple Gold, pure natural syrup is tapped from maple trees in Quebec, Canada. Maple Gold is part of the CITADELLE Producers' Cooperative housing other familiar and coveted Canadian brands such as Camp, Citadella, Cleary's and O'Canada. Did you know Canada is responsible for nearly 70% of global supply of this golden maple nectar?

Well I hope this inspires you to have a side of My Steamy Belguim Waffles with that thick and rich syrup. This post brings back great memories of summers in Canada with my family and we would always return from Canada with a tin maple syrup. 

Maple Gold, Product of Canada

Calling All Cods

Buying food and reading labels can be a dizzying task. One can't help but be overrun with questions like - Is this good for me and my family? Is it safe to eat? Where did this come from? Is this sustainable? Reading labels can work most of the time, but what if there’s no label; as with fish? You would think if a fish has been around since the beginning of time and spawned billions of eggs - there wouldn’t be any problem, right? But not so fast, too much of anything can be harmful, even cod. 

click image for Seafood Watch List for 2010

Here's a solution - Seafood Watch, provided by the same folks who operate the Monterey Bay Aquarium; which by the way is a fantastic experience to visit in itself. I’ve had the occasion to visit for both leisure and as a keynote speaker and celebrity chef a few years back to kick off the Monterey Food & Wine Classic. 

Pardon me while I digress, I will get right back to cod...While I have you in Monterey, I want to mention a one degree of separation between John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row (the gritty side of life in this seaside post depression novel) and lovely Monterey. One of my friend’s families was the basis of a character in Steinbeck's tome. It is also that same good friend, Bert Cutino from the famed Tortilla Flat neighborhood on Canary Row who owns the famed Sardine Factory, a must stop when in town. 

Now, back to the cod. With it’s mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh, it's no wonder cod is one of the most common fish used for fish & chips along with haddock and plaice. But, did you know it is currently at risk from over fishing in UK, Canada and other Atlantic waters? So be in the know with Seafood Watch. Use this guide to find ocean-friendly alternatives to seafood on the Seafood Watch “Avoid” list. It’s a good thing to use discretion and follow their lead so in the future when we are calling all cods, there are still some around.

Avoid: Cod: Atlantic, Iceland and Northeast Arctic (trawled),  and Pacific (imported)

Best Choices: Cobia (US farmed), Cod- Pacific (trap, hook-and-line, longline from AK)

Good Alternatives: Cod- Atlantic (Northeast Arctic and Iceland), Cod- Pacific (U.S. trawl)