Blog-TOWER OF BABEL

I went to India on a 20 day trip. I had never really spent any time there, actually one night in Bombay, but it was an 18 hour blur. I research India before I left. I bought "INDIA”, by Lonely Planet books. It is a series of books on every country you can think of. A great read, although very bulky(you will have to give up packing a pair of shoes, to get this in your bag. 

Sorry peeps. But reading did not prepare me well enough for India. I went to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Udaipur, Mumbai and Jaipur. There is a high risk of terrorism in all of India, especially in 2008 and 2009 and especially around India holidays and US holidays. I was there on dec 24-25, 30 and 31. Bombings and attacks are perpetrated on a regular basis by extremist groups in the state of Assam.

There are police checkpoints everywhere and they check under your car with mirrors and dog teams prior to entering hotel properties. In order to check in to a hotel, you go thru the the same things we go thru when you fly commercial. This is for all of our safety. Security is heavily enforced in Rajasthan, which is on the border of Pakistan. 

On New years eve, we were staying at the Mumbai J W Marriott. There were armed guards on every floor, at least 10 per floor- with high powered machine guns.

Make sure your shots are up to date. You must do this 6-8 weeks prior of departure. I tried to get an H1N1 shot prior to leaving, but CT is completely out of it. Now, when I got back, it is offered in every pharmacy (CVS and Walgreens), you should have cholera, tetanus, Hepatitis and malaria shots.

I took Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) everyday for 20 days while there as a precautionary measure. Dengue fever is prevalent and you should have DEET and where long sleeve shirts. Anywhere there is open stagnant water pooling should be avoided. I did not get sick over there, but my stomach since India has been a bit off. 

love the food in India, with a lot of diverse spices and use of many vegetables. The diet is mostly vegetarian. Cows walk freely in traffic wearing garlands of flowers. I was seriously craving am in and out burger by the end of the trip. They use Tamarind a lot which is one of my favorite flavors. I went into a kitchen, and they use pound and pulverize the spices in a "stone bowl, mortar and pestle type" contraption. 

They simmer and cook the food all days in the spices. The Indian Brahmins,(the highest orders of caste), avoid onions, garlic, root vegetables and mushrooms. It interferes with their spirituality. Garlic interferes with my popularity. If you see a typical Indian family, the eat from a Thai, (a metal plate with their hands. 

They always put out little bowls of spiced vegetables, curd(dairy) and something sweet, like chutney. After the meal, the eat yogurt and banana to "put out the fire" They also eat a lot of pumpkin and lotus root instead of meats. All this food increases the blood flow in your brain for meditation, and eating of this food combats flu and illness, so they say. They use nuts, cardamon and coconut as well. Alcohol consumed in India is for "medical purposes." They have their own vineyards as well. 

I did not do much shopping there, but I did by a lot of wraps or scarves with sequins, a few wall hangings and some carvings. Pashminas come from Kashmir and can range from $30 -$120 US dollars. India is filled with many contrasts and mysteries. You cannot help but be curious and this forces you to learn with an open mind. 

As far as catering goes, I brought a lot of the food and froze it thanks to Molly at Executive Cuisine on Elm In New Milford, CT guiding me as to what will last the longest. I was a bit rusty at self containment. BUT there is a deli at the JW Marriott in Mumbai that was very helpful; for the leg back to the US, just bring your foil pans and tupperware. 

They have great baked goods, muffins, croissants and fresh sandwiches with an assortment of cheeses parma hams, crusty breads crackers, amazing homemade desserts and drinks. 

The people are very polite and really helpful. Yes, there were a lot of beggars, especially around the Taj Mahal. They range in ages from 4 -90 years of age. It was a bit daunting, and they chase you down the street. It was an amazing experience and I would go back for more.

I want to share recipes that I have used recently on corporate jets. They got a lot of compliments; they are summery, inexpensive and easy.

 

I love peaches, fresh white or yellow peaches. You can get them for fruit stands all over the US right now. I was grilled veggies the other day and I bummed into the peaches in the crisper of my fridge. I like to one task thing so I cut 8 freestone peaches in half. put them in a ceramic bowl with 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice and one tablespoon veg oil, coat them well put peaches on a piece of parchment lined foil. Stir together 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons water, 3 tablespoons’ pure Madagascar vanilla extract, or any van extract, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Brush over peaches. Make a foil packet, like a mailing envelope, and crimp edges closed. Put on grill, med, for 15 minutes. Remove peaches, let cool a bit. Put over vanilla or Cherry Garcia ice cream

I love tuna and I am always experimenting with it. I also like to clean out my fridge every 2 weeks of veggies and fruits and make salads with the leftovers
Mediterranean tuna salad
1 large can water packed tuna drained
1 celery stalk with leaves chopped
2 tablespoons lemon zest grated
6 tb toasted almonds or pine nuts
2 tb extra virgin olive oil
2 tb chopped capers
1/4 cup dill sprigs
12 oz salad greens


red beet and pear salad
6 red beets cubed
8 red pear cubed
2 cup gorgonzola crumbles
toss the above together
place over a bed of summer spinach
toss with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
salt and pepper to taste

watermelon and arugula salad
8 cups arugula
4 whole avocado
3 cups cubed yellow or red watermelon
2 cups chopped warm bacon or Serrano ham or prosciutto
2 cups feta or gorgonzola
grilled chicken breast -3- cut in strips
add the above ingredients
top with warmed raspberry vinaigrette

Well, I attended Molly Sproung's catering class at "EXECUTIVE CATERING ON ELM" located in CT.  The class was on wed morning, i was not hungry again till Friday afternoon. I save up all my caloric intake for the feasts. 

So, I am calling this class "hello, gorgeous!" Everything looked great, pretty and perfect. It was called Spring Metamorphosis, aptly monikered. My favorites were:

Hors d’ oeuvres - mini raw Nori Spring Rolls, made of sushi, kale, bell pepper, haricots Vert, with sesame and soy - fresh and innovative/could be ordered mini or large/appetizer or lunch dish.

Soup - Asparagus Cappuccino with grilled shrimp. A delightful green soup for St. Patrick Day and Spring with a proper infusion of seafood and light creamy vegetables. Can be served in a 3 oz. Shot glass with the watermelon and yellow beet salad served in a martini glass. The blend of chopped basil and mint made this awe inspiring. The tounge was very happy.

I have a 3 way tie with the entrées. 

Steamed Sea Bass in Savoy Cabbage - Healthy, pretty, great taste with Forbidden Rice - a dark rice with a light fruit flavor and course sesame sugar snaps and to op off with spaghetti squash.

Tandoori Turkey with Peach Chutney - Shook my boots off!

Steamed Thai Basa rolls (related to the catfish), I felt as if I was in thailand eating this.

Molly’s is not like a restaurant, because EVERYTHING is great. All the chefs have a combination of amazing palates, the love of the culinary experiment, and a wanderlust of pairing food, that never ends badly. the FOOD ends up happily nestled in my stomach. I have flown a lot of people, rich, famous, notorious and critical. Her food is the only food they has gotten me 2 job offers and some room for the ever imminent salary negotiation. The pax have said "Oh, my god" I cannot get an oh my god from any other caterer. is Elm Street godlike? they save saved me more times than aspirin. 

They also had Sid Wainer & Son (specialty produce, food and cheeses ) from New Bedford, MA. 800-423- 8333 come in and give us a much needed artisanal cheese demo with fatima. I never gave cheese a second look. I want a lifetime final vow with L'essence du Fromage Rouge Affinee Cheese. I thought cheese came from cows. My lack of knowledge shocked me. There is cow, goat, and sheep based cheese. Different ages, wax covering, paper covering and way to store it. Some cheeses taste like butter. If I learned to love and understand cheeses, I would swill more wine. I think I am going to have a new vocation. 

I did not stay for dessert. But Carrie Omeara did, and I will get her report soon. I do not know how Molly and the staff do it. I know they all love what they do. Why have a caterer who suffers from drudgery? They really pop.

This weeks blog is a continuation of the ELEGANT YET ECONOMICAL CLASS performed by Executive Catering on Elm, Owner Molly Sprong, New Milford CT. I must say that all of Molly’s chefs are very well schooled and very happy to work there.

Here are the highlights: (you will get very hungry) It is the winter menu.

Garlic Braised Short Ribs (cheaper than meat) served with pea spaetzle with tomatoes and mint, great for winter.

Polenta crusted chicken breast with balsamic caper pan sauce - holds well in the oven, super tasty

My favorite is the west african vegetable cobbler , a medley of sweet potato, pepper , yukon jack potato, cumin, red pepper. great for vegans and vegetarians. would make a really great side with jerk chicken or bbq.

Desserts. my favorite!
You can make this one on the aircraft. 6 oz ramekin. put tab of butter in bottom. tear up a croissant, blueberries, more croissant, sugar brown or white, bake called a blueberry croissant puff.

White chocolate strawberry tiramisu
 
The best one was Mango Napolean (you can cut phyllo dough into triangles, mango jam, caramel topping and whipped cream, stack and serve). Yum!
 
Strawberry , banana and chocolate bundles, cut pie crust into 4 inch squares, take a dove chocolate, cut banana, strawberry, fold the crust closed, bake 350 for 10 minutes 

Here are some winter dishes on the menu.

Roasted butternut squash and apple with clove Crème Fraiche Soup.
Grilled pork chop with caramelized pear brandy sauce.
Lobster pot pie
Beef wellington with gorgonzola sauce
Curried couscous with pine nuts and raisins
Cranberry crumb pie

I just finished flight safety in Teterboro, NJ. I was thinking of how FlightSafety can prepare you for the next year. Brace, Brace, Brace, Evacuate comes this way, Follow my voice, come to the light. Can I face the economic mess, shrinking 401K, possible layoff and do an emergency? I dunno. I dunno.

I was wondering how much I could get for a kidney? I do not need it, but I think the 80’s may have ruined my chances. Maybe it is spoiled by now. I upped my life insurance policies because the way I am driving lately. I may need this as well. I have a affliction for strays; people, dogs, cats, birds, ex husbands and ex boyfriends, excommunicated family members.

But I cannot afford them now. I have to say no more than yes. Sounds like marriage. I am sad, angry is gone, resignation has come to sit and possible become a boarder. Gone are the pedicures, the botox, the giving to the police department for bullet proof vest. Can anything protect us?

Our mood during the recession and the onslaught of the holidays. I hang on to my son’s innocence, the boy smell in his tussled brown hair. I hang on his dirty socks too long before I toss them into the wash. When I get stressed and sad, I bake. I have 2 carrot cakes, 1 lemon coconut cake, one pumpkin bread, 1 sheet of caramel brownies, 1 sour cram cinnamon bundt and orphaned partially eaten oatmeal cookie laid a limbo.

When friends come over and peek into the 9 X 12 kitchen, the whisper, “she is having a bad day, let’s forage”.  My day trading, over, substituted for shopping for cheap antiques on craigslist. My ace in my back pocket is gone right now.