Jennifer could not resist sharing her favorite bread recipe with us. Also known as New York Rye or Jewish Rye, the scent is so overwhelmingly mouthwatering that many eager noses have been burned just trying to get a whiff.

Yields 2 large loaves

Ingredients

1 ½ cups rye bread pieces (see Preparation)
3 cups Rye Sour (see below)
1 package dry yeast
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp caraway seeds
4 cups bread or unbleached flour, approx.
1 egg, beaten, mixed with 1 Tbsp water

Preparation

Soak in water half a dozen crusty slices of a previously baked loaf of rye (store-bought is fine). Squeeze dry. Set aside 1 ½ cups for this recipe; the balance can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

Using the plastic dough blade, place the bread pieces and the sour in your food processor work bowl. Pulse several times to make certain the two are thoroughly blended. Add the yeast, salt, and 1 Tbsp caraway seeds. Pulse, and leave for a minute or two for the yeast particles to dissolve.

Add the flour, ½ cup at a time (pulse quickly after each addition), until the batter becomes solid and is carried around the bowl by the force of the blade.

Keep the machine running and knead for 45 seconds. If the dough is too dense for your machine (this is likely for smaller mixers), turn it out onto a floured surface and proceed by hand.

Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured work surface. Divide into 2 pieces and form either round loaves or long plump ones. Place the loaves on a baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal.

Cover the loaves with wax paper and put aside to rise for 30 minutes to proof three-quarters in volume (not the usual full proof of double in volume).

Preheat the oven to 450˚ (if using a convection oven, 400˚) 20 minutes before baking, and prepare 1 cup hot water to pour into a pan on the bottom shelf a few minutes before putting in the loaves. This will create the steam needed for a beautiful, crisp crust.

Cut the top of the loaves into a pattern with a razor blade or sharp knife. Try a tic-tac-toe design or diagonal cut across the top. Brush with the egg-water mixture. Sprinkle with remaining caraway seeds.

Place in the hot oven. Midway through baking, turn the loaves around so they brown evenly. The loaves will bake to a deep brown in about 40 minutes. Turn one loaf over and tap the bottom crust to determine if it is done. If it is not hard and crusty, return to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Place on a metal rack to cool.

[Ed: Try not to burn your nose as you inhale the luscious scent.]

Rye Sour
Yields 8 cups

2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cups rye flour, stone-ground preferred
3 1/2 cups hot water (120˚-130˚ degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
1 Tbsp caraway seeds
Length of cheesecloth

Tie the onion pieces into a bag made with the cheesecloth. Put aside.

In a large bowl measure the rye flour and water. Stir to mix. Sprinkle on the yeast and work it into the rye mixture. Add the caraway seeds.

When the mixture is thoroughly blended, push the onions down into the center of the sour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and put aside overnight (no more than 24 hours). Do not refrigerate.

Lift out the onions, scrape the sour off the cloth, and discard the onions.

The sour can now be used as part of the sponge in all sour rye breads, or refrigerated for later use. (May be kept alive in the refrigerator for several weeks with occasional stirring and feeding.)

Recipes adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads. Copyright © 1995 Bernard Clayton, Jr.  Tested for The Gilded Fork™ by Donna Marie Zotter. Photo by Donna Marie Zotter.

Originally published March 2005, a time when Jennifer could still eat gluten

Our Pennsylvania Wine adventure concludes with a visit to the charming Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, close to Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City, and rife with great wineries and picturesque towns.

The wine trail comprises nine family owned wineries in Eastern Pennsylvania. Here we visit Clover Hill, Vynecrest, Blue Mountain and Galen Glen Wineries.

Along with tasting wines, we visited charming towns like Bethlehem and Jim Thorpe, sometimes referred to as “The Switzerland of America”, and “Gateway to the Pocono.s”

The Lehigh Valley Wine Trail is one of eleven unique wine trails in Pennsylvania. Check out LehighValleyWineTrail.com to learn more. Learn about the other trails at PennsylvaniaWine.com.

You can also get trip ideas for your Pennsylvania getaway at visitPA.com.

Disclosure: This video series is a paid project for our client, the Pennsylvania Winery Association.

Our Pennsylvania Wine adventure continues with a jaunt along the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail, which offers a perfect getaway for people who want to combine wine tasting with outdoor activities like hiking, biking and boating.

The wine trail comprises seven wineries in Central Pennsylvania, just north of the state’s capital in Harrisburg.

Along with tasting wines, we visited charming towns like Lewistown, Mifflinburg, Selinsgrove and Lewisburg, which are all a short driving distance from State College, PA, home of Penn State University.

The Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail is one of eleven unique wine trails in Pennsylvania. Check out pawinetrail.com to learn more. Learn about the other trails at PennsylvaniaWine.com.

You can also get trip ideas for your Pennsylvania getaway at visitPA.com.

Disclosure: This video series is a paid project for our client, the Pennsylvania Winery Association.

If you’ve been paying attention on Facebook or Twitter (because we’re the center of your universe), you might have noticed that Chef Mark and I spent a lot of time in Pennsylvania recently. We’re now delighted to share with you Part I of our project, for which we shot a video series for the Pennsylvania Winery Association, featuring 4 of their 11 wine trails throughout the state. Did you know they had wine trails? Now you do.

We started at the farthest point west, on the shores of Lake Erie, which is home to the largest grape-growing region in the U.S. outside of California. Also known as a region for growing Concord grapes, used in jellies and grape juice, the winemakers there have worked tirelessly to show they can grow wine grapes, including specialty hybrids from Europe that are producing some great wines.

We’ll let the winemakers tell you themselves.

The Lake Erie Wine Trail is one of eleven unique wine trails in Pennsylvania. Check out LakeErieWineTrail.org to learn more. Learn about the other trails at PennsylvaniaWine.com.

You can also get trip ideas for your Pennsylvania getaway at visitPA.com.

Disclosure: This video series is a paid project for our client, the Pennsylvania Winery Association.

This week I’m live from Broadway in New York City. We have had so many great food experiences here in NYC I just had to tell you about them. We visited old haunts and some newer ones like Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles. Come with me as we take a journey around Midtown Manhattan. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next week from Chicago.

This Week in Food #234: Chicago Restaurant Favorites

This week I am all alone in the podcast loft. Often, I am asked which are my favorite restaurants in Chicago. My wife and I visited one of our those restaurants last night and I decided to talk a few of the restaurants I visit the most. They are Tavern at the Park, R.J. Grunts and Mon Ami Gabi. These three represent the best in food and good service. When you visit Chicago, I think you should try them.

ReMARKable Palate #237: Finger Lakes Wines with Steve Shaw

This week, we speak with Steve Shaw, owner and winemaker of Shaw Vineyard in the Finger Lakes Wine Region of Upstate New York. We met at a lunch at Savoy Restaurant in SoHo to taste Finger Lakes wines paired with seasonal winter foods. Steve spoke a bit about his Cabernet Sauvignon to those gathered, adn then he sat with me to tell me about what drew him to the wine business and what he sees for the future of the Finger Lakes.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Chef Mark pays a visit to Kauai Coffee Company, the largest coffee plantation in the United States. Marty Amaro shows us around the fields, explaining the growing process, and into the factory, where we see some of the roasted coffee being packaged.

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Travel & Accommodation provided by the Hawaii HTA as part of the “So Much More Hawaii” tour.

ReMARKable Palate #234: In The Kitchen Cooking School

This week, I speak with my old friend Kathy Gold, who owns and runs In The Kitchen Cooking School in Hadonfield, NJ. Kathy is a former personal chef who branched out into running her own school, which gives scheduled classes, private lessons, and corporate team-building exercises. I visit her there, and we speak about what it’s like to run a cooking school.

www.inthekitchencookingschool.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Chef Mark Tafoya visits the Sumida Watercress Farm in Honolulu, Hawaii, where Celebrated Hawaii Chef Mavro shows us how to make one of his signature dishes: Watercress Salad with Maitake Mushrooms, Sunchokes, and Watercress Essence.

A production of the Culinary Media Network.
www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Travel & Accommodation provided by the Hawaii HTA as part of the “So Much More Hawaii” tour.

Our first Brooklyn Cookin’ Workshop this past October was such a huge success, we decided to do it again this summer! I’ve teamed with Chris Marquardt from Tips From the Top Floor, one of the most popular photography shows on the web, to develop this parallel track workshop. Chris leads the photographers, sharing tips and tricks of photography in general, and food photography in particular. I lead those interested in cooking as we explore the kitchen, learning foundational cooking techniques, and several great recipes that help us practice these techniques. Then every once in a while we get together to shoot the food we made, and then enojy the fruits of our collective labor.

This is the perfect (and rare) workshop where couples can learn together, even if they have different interests.

There are still a few spots left. Learn more about the workshop and register at www.tfttf.com/bk2010

Brooklyn Cookin’ – Be a Chef! Be a Food Photographer! And bring someone to share… from Chris Marquardt on Vimeo.

Theme: Food Photography & Cooking
Date: July 16-18 2010
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Price: starting at $699
Language: English
Instructors: Chris Marquardt (photography) & Mark Tafoya (cooking)

http://tfttf.com/bk2010 – This workshop is for couples, or for friends who share different interests. One’s a cook, one’s a photographer. And finally they can share a great workshop experience together. Personal Chef Mark Tafoya (http://culinarymedianetwork.com) and photographer Chris Marquardt (http://chrismarquardt.com/) share their knowledge about their respective fields with the workshop participants to make them great Chefs and perfect Food Photographers. Extend your horizon and upgrade your knowledge.

Here’s my AUDIO PODCAST from this past year’s workshop, inlcuding words from many of the participants.

And the Podcast we did for TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.

“I can not say enough about how much I enjoyed the cooking workshop — learned a lot and use what I learned all the time: Pork Adobo, poached pears, and having fun in the kitchen!”
-Jacqui North, 2009 Participant

“Mark was great. He is so patient, understanding and knowledgeable. Very easy to talk to.. He showed us how to pick out the proper cuts of meat and ripe vegetables. He was very helpful to anyone who asked him questions, even if they were not in the class. He was a very understanding instructor and made cooking seem simple. This was my first cooking class and Mark made me want to take another one.”
-Sally Lovers, 2009 Participant

“Mark adds so much more to his classes than “just” his expertise and love of cookery. Mark can take you through the full culinary experience, from sourcing the ingredients at local markets through to magazine-cover presentation at the dinner table. His style is informal and entertaining, but still professional and extremely knowledgeable. And if you get the chance to be out and about with him in New York City, his knowledge of the area is encyclopedic!”
-Martin McNeil, 2009 Participant

To Register, CLICK HERE

It’s been an intriguing couple of months. I originally posted this on Food Philosophy, but realized that some of you may read my stuff here instead of there, so I wanted to share it here, too, because it sets up a lot of things to come this year. Hee.

At BlogWorldExpo in Las Vegas, I found myself being introduced in the following manner: I’d like you to meet Jennifer. She does “Sex on a Plate.” To my pleasant surprise, many people already knew about it — or wanted to. Marsha Collier and I talked about it on her radio show for KTRB in San Francisco, and 4 million more people were let in on the secret. I loved that.

I then spent a few days with Kelly Cline, the early inspiration for turning my blog into something more. I am drawn to her food photography like a bee to honey, as she is the only person on earth who can see inside my mind and bring my thoughts to visual, four-color reality. We’ve had a magnificent five years of collaboration, and I’m coming away from my time with her newly inspired. It also turns out she takes more than good food photos…but more on that another time.

Kelly and I breathe a tandem rhythm of sensual stimulation, but we don’t want to be the only two in on the melody — and it looks like many of you feel the same way.

On Facebook, in e-mail and at events, people are asking me what it all means. So what kind of food should I eat? What dish gets you really hot? But that, my friends, is the result, not the cause. Let me explain a bit.

On Food Philosophy #87 I talked about experiencing Zumanity, the Sensual Side of Cirque du Soleil. I’m eternally grateful to Jess Berlin for offering me a ticket, because seeing the show brought all my recent thoughts together in a flash of inspiration. Zumanity artfully and powerfully evokes the sensual desires in our minds — even the ones we hide in the light of day — and strikes a chord so deep it’s impossible to leave the theater without an overwhelming need to satiate them. Whether we shiver at the sight of light blue silk rippling in the breeze, or feel a rush of desire at the crack of a whip, something in that show triggers our senses until the hunger in the room is palpable. Every body shape, every sexual preference — every fantasy — is captured on stage, drenched in perfect lighting and pulsating rhythms.

I found myself in such a heightened state of sensory indulgence, I actually purred. Out loud.

After walking out of the theater I realized that if the world could step inside my head in that moment, they would get the idea of Sex on a Plate at its core. It’s not the food, you see, though that is a magnificent component of the satiety; it is what I’ve awakened inside that enables me to feel that kind of passionate arousal in such a moment, and see the world exploding with color and texture all around me. Imagine feeling like that on a regular basis. Oh yes.

The good news is that I’m not an anomaly — I’ve worked to get my senses to this place, but there are lots of you out there, even if you don’t know it yet. I’ve discovered that some of you took my tips to heart in getting started, and are beginning to see food in a whole different way. That excites me. Some of you have taken the tips into the bedroom. That excites me more.

If you haven’t yet started on the road toward Eden, I’m putting out a personal challenge to you, because it’s no fun here with just a few of us: Do something today to satiate your senses. Take a few extra seconds when you nibble that bite of chocolate, and feel its silkiness as it melts on your tongue. Run a finger down your lover’s spine. Drink in a moment of beauty, whether it’s a perfect flower or an exquisite woman.

Do this and you will soon be rewarded in the Garden, because things are in motion to bring Sex on a Plate to life, off the digitized page and right in front of you. Do you want your senses to be tickled? Titillated?

If the answer is yes — and I hope it is — I’ll need you to prepare.

Top photo: Kelly Cline
Bottom photo: Cirque du Soleil

ReMARKable Palate #227: Christmas Food Traditions

On this week’s show, Jennifer and I discuss our family holiday traditions, and what it was like growing up making our favorite holiday foods. I grew up in New Mexico, and talk about my love of posole, tamales, and biscochitos, and Jennifer talks about making both lasagna and Cloutie Dumpling for Christmas growing up in an Italian and Scottish household!

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

ReMARKable Palate #226: The Red Wines of Long Island

On this week’s show, we take a trip out to the east end to visit 4 different wineries in Long Island. We tasted a couple dozen red wines in one day from just about every producer in Long Island, and got to meet the folks from the Merlot Alliance, as well as get tastes of Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and even BlauFrankish!

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

ReMARKable Palate #224: History in a Glass – New Orleans Cocktails

Chef Mark visits the Museum of the American Cocktail, part of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, for the History in a Glass seminar. Elizabeth Pearce led us through the history of New Orleans as told through the stories of 3 of it’s most celebrated cocktails, The Sazerac, The Hurricane, & The Cafe Brulot. Of course, we just had to sample them while we studied!

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Pineapple Meets Big Apple

I had the pleasure of being the special guest this week on “From Hawaii With Love” a podcast hosted by Jenny Fujita and Joy Koerte which celebrates the beauty and culture of the Aloha State.

The topic was “Pineapple meets Big Apple”, and we spoke about my recent adventure discovering the foods of Hawaii, and how Hawaiian cuisine has influenced foods on the mainland. I also spoke about our Gilded Fork Cookbook and offered some entertaining tips.

You can find all their shows on www.fromhawaiiwithlove.com

ReMARKable Palate #220: Innovative Japanese Cuisine

This week, I go from Maui to New York City as we speak with 2 restaurateurs about their modern Asian style eateries. First, I chat with Chef DK Kodama of Sansei and other restaurants all over the state of Hawaii about his modern Pacific Rim style cuisine, and his support for local farmers in the state of Hawaii. I then speak with James Du, co-owner of Akai Lounge on New York’s Upper West Side, which is doing it’s part to offer innovative sushi and interpretations of Japanese classics.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

I travelled to Hawaii as part of The “So Much More Hawaii” Press tour sponsored by the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and my travel expenses were paid for by the HTA. My meal at Akai lounge was a complimentary tasting menu. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

ReMARKable Palate #219: Food and Photography

This week, I bring you special audio from the participants in my
Brookyn Cookin’ food and photo workshop. You heard me talking about it the past months, well it finally took place this past weekend, with Chris Marquardt from Tips from the Top Floor co-teaching with me. We speak with the participants, and then afterwards I speak with my good friend and fellow food blogger Jaden Hair from www.SteamyKitchen.com about doing the food photography for her own cookbook.

photo by Chris Marquardt.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

CHIC Podcast #200: Chef Herve Chabert

Chef Herve Chabert joins us this week for the CHIC podcast. He has a strong resume in pastry and education. He gave us demonstrations on brioche and puff pastry. We talk about his upbringing and his career. He also tells us what to look for when visiting Chicago.

There’s a whole lot happening in this episode, from my trip to BlogWorld & New Media Expo in Las Vegas to my journey through the Cotswolds in the UK. I’m also continuing my Sex on a Plate adventures, so please do join me for a little stimulating conversation.

Among other things, I was invited to see Zumanity in Las Vegas — the sensual side of Cirque du Soleil. Suffice it to say, the show’s sumptuous, erotic display gave me much inspiration for what is ahead. Today’s show also features interviews with Sally Jarrett from Prince Charles’ Highgrove shop and Chef Shane Kisby from The Priory Inn, both in Tetbury, England.

I’m also sharing a little love for my dear friends C.C. Chapman, Laura Fitton and Jen Kushell, who were all with me for some tasty meals in Las Vegas.

And hey, have you purchased your signed copy of the Gilded Fork cookbook? (shop.gildedfork.com)

Music: Beau Hall (www.beaurocks.com), George Fletcher’s Bourbon Renewal (www.georgefletcher.com)

Food Philosophy is a production of the Culinary Media Network (www.culinarymedianetwork.com)