The Observer! - Canton Public Library

KMKLY WVOOMJK. ENM»a
MONDAY. DECEMBER 5,1994
CHtf LAHHV JANFS
Veal is flavorful
yet controversial
o longer content with traditional veal
dishes that do nothing to dress up this Ndelicately
flavored meat, today's chefs are
tampering with the classics Whether opting for
mild, somewhat bland Lasting milk fed veal, or
the more flavorful meat from naturally raised
animals, chefs are using veal in colorful dishes
thst help enhance its flavor and tenderness.
The best veal preparations are credited to
Italians who treated veal very much the way
they do pasta or risotto - as a flavor carrier for a
variety of sauces and ingredients You might
think it's the veal that makes a great piccata.
but experienced foodies know that lemon and capers
carry the dish Using veal as a canvas.
metro Detroit chefs are creating dishes with
broad strokes of flavor.
Past practice*
But, veal has a distorted past, one that many
Americans would just as soon forget. Milk fed veal
wss introduced to the United States in 1962 by s
Dutch company that developed Provimi feed < PROteins
Vitamins Minerals) which incorporates dairy
by-products into the feed Pnor to Prwum veal,
white veal was veal from calves slaughtered nght
slier birth, snd calf veal was frocn calves allowed
to nurse a few weeks before being slaughtered
To this day. calves are still tethered in wood
en stalls only slightly larger than their bodies
which restrict movement, preventing their muscle
tissue from toughening. Advocates say there
are alao other reasons for the cramped quarters
"Farmers who use their stalls have belter
control of feeding and health Farmers can
watch individual calves better, make more frequent
inspections of the stalls and help control
sanitation," said Dr. John Albright, a professor
of animal sciences at Purdue University.
Now. Tm going to go out on a limb and profess
that 1 am a great fancier of veal. It's my belief
that the animals are allowed to live for any
length of time only because they provide meat
Nevertheless, there are alternative ways to raise
veal calves in which the animals are kept in
small herds, suckled and allowed to walk and
forage freely .
The meal produced by these methods is not white
but pink. Although "pmk" veal is more expensive
than milk fed veal its flavor can be superior. I speak
of flavor because it is my opuuon that pink veal has
more taste than white milk fed Provimi veal.
This story really haa two sides, and it's the
veal farmer who's in the middle straddling the
fence. White, milk fed veal outsells pink veal
three to one. and in order to supply the demand,
farmers have to do things that some people find
very objectionable.
Basic cut*
When you see veal in the supermarket or
butcher shop, it's helpful to know the basic cuts,
and what they're beat used for.
Veal shoulder is usually parchssed boned before
fyfc'n, and makes a flavorful roast. TTie
veal rack ia usually cut into rib chopa. The real
breast, ia the most economical for braising The
veal shank, synonymous with Oaso Buco, can be
used for stew or ground mest with the marrow
inside the shank considered s delicacy The veal
loin is by far the most verastile and can be roasted
whole with the bone in. cut into chops or
boned and cut into mdsllions for sautooing.
The veal rump is bast roasted with the bones intact
to prevent it from falling apart when roasted
A vesl hind lag is usually cut into roorts or steaks
Purchasing pmk or naturally raissd veal ia aa
easy aa finding it in the meat caee of your local
grocer Look for chopa for grilling, steaks for
broiling, and momma always added "a good
hunk of ground veal for flavor and tenderness"
when preparing her signature meatloaf
Then, there ia her always requested " city
chicken." It's made from veal stew that is
braised until it literally falls off ths skewer
The trick ia to think of veal aa two totally sep-
the ether hand, to a bit
HIS to locate
My favorits way to cook Pronmi real to to
. it in an equal Mend ef butter i
olive oil I serve it with a flavorful
ing of garlic.
I buy pink, naturally raised veal, for
rnsshag and grilling
liMM j
8m Larry Jaaoo'famdy-Mod
Chat Larry is a free lane* writer be the for C
A Rcewntne W To leave a voice mail
foe him dial (313) 963-2047 on a Umch
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number IMS
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TASTE
Gadgets am
•
Chefs dish up holiday wishes
BY LAKRY JANES
STAFF W arras
You would think thst people deeply involved
in the food business would hsve state
of-tbe-srt kitchens, nouvesu cookwsre snd
every gadget known to God and man
When the holidays roll around. I would assume
that the last thing on Betty Crocker's
Christmas wish list would be s rolling pin.
Ah. but being deeply immersed in Metro
Detroit's food scene doesn't automatically
qualify you to the world of copper cockware.
built-in marble slabs for cooling chocolate
and truffle slicers
1 recently polled s csche of our areas top
foodies about what's hot. and what they hope
to find nestled under the tree on Christmas
morning.
You might be surprised st some of their
responsee.
Take for example Chef Marcus Haight, executive
chef for eight years at the venerable
West Bloom fie Id eatery. The Lark. Haight is
in the process of moving into new digs, with
s custom-built kitchen thst most of us could
only dream about.
Aaked about hia favorite kitchen gadget.
Haight said: "I really search out my super
fins, stainleoe steel sieve/strainer whenever 1
cook becauae it does everything from drain
pasta to strain sauces snd purees."
When asked what he needs or hopes to
find under the tree, the young chef Isughed.
took a dsep breath and snnouncsd: "A $2,000
gift certificate from Kitchen Glamor, so I can
»« offrnr.fi gif.
catsa far Haghfs sstssmed cooking They
feature a flvo-couras meal and wine for I7S.00
-810)
People who think the reetaurant business
to sxciting and glamorous would really appreciats
Joame Sindairs yob as manager at
Ds Pa) ma's Restaurant in Livonia.
Sinclair haa worked at DsPslms's for flvs
years Hsr normal workday bsgina at S s.m ,
and aha never leaves before $ p.m.
Asked what her favorite kitchen gadget to,
Sinclair immediately rsspondsd: "I would be
lost without my alow oooker. 1 put something
on before I leave, ifs waiting for me when I return,
Mid the heuee smells grsat whan I <
From simple items like squirt bottles and spatulas
to slow cookers, sharp knives and cookware.
You'll be surprised at what area chefs
want for Christmas. Take a hint from them
when shopping for people who love to cook.
When Sinclair was asked what she wanted
for Christmas, she yelled - without even
thinking - "A bigger slow cooker, msybe coupled
with s Cutoinart Food Processor to make
the preparation a tittle faster and easier."
Visitors to the stylish Cafe Bon Homme in
beautiful downtown Plymouth would never
realise that cheTowner Greg Goodman's favorite
kitchen gadget ia a set of those kitchy
plastic catsup and mustard squirt bottles.
I thought Goodman might have been
standing a little too cloee to the broiler with a
response like that, but I waa amazed at what
the Bon Homme chefs can do with them.
"We fill one with red pepper purees and
another with chocolate sauce and use them
to squirt on a plate as a garnish or embellishment
that really makes the dish presentable."
Goodman aaid.
In addition, he said his favorite electric
kitchen gadget ia a Cutoinart hand-held immersible
blender that "can go in everything
from soups to sauces "
Santa had better maks room under the
Goodman Chnstmaa tree because the chef
would love to get his hands on a small
counter top "aalamandre" • what you and I
would call a broiler - "juat to finish off a glaze
or a fancy dessert." he said.
Not all of us are wonderkids in the kitchen or
the restaurant industry. So I thought it would
make an interacting comparison to find out
what a grill cook haa and wants for Chnstmaa
I thought about my favorite diners and it
was obvious that 1 juat had to talk with
Marie McOregor of Parmington. the day
"hamburger flipper/grill c55* at Batee Hamburgera
at Nina Mil* and Middlebelt in
Parmington.
McGregor haa been flipping thoee great
Bates burgers for almost two yesrs now Not
an avid cook "becauae who wants lo cook after
you've been flipping burgers all day." Mc-
Gregor aaid she enjoys going out to eat aa
often aa poaaible
But when the fire lights up the McGregor
r
fry pan. aha claims her favorite kitchen gad
ft is a spatula.
It flips, it stirs, it beau and does s multi
tuds of jobs around my houes," she explained
- _ _ _ _ _
lutaoe:
Tuscan Bean Soup
Veal recipes
B
Gifts are -
toast of
the season
While there's probably nothing
wine aficionado* like more than a
great bottle of wine, they alao appreciate
learning more about their
beloved beverage. Filling this bill
are recently published wine books,
some in stocking stuffer size snd
others ss heavyweights to place
under the tree.
For connoisseurs and novices
alike, Alexis Bespsloff s "Complete
Guide to Wine" (Signet, New York
1994, $5.99, paperback) covers
wine territory by country, region
and varietal Tightly written, each
paragraph is filled with essential,
no nonsense informstion. A great
stocking stuffer
At the other end of the spectrum
is the 1,088 page, five-pound, cloth
bound volume of "The Oxford Com
panion to Wine," (Oxford
University Press, New York, 1994.
$49.95), edited by Jsncis Robinson.
It is the definitive, everything one
ever wanted to know. 3,000-entry
wine encyclopedia. In editing this
work, Robinson, one of the world's
great wine authorities in her own
right, sought out contributions and
advice from over 70 other experts
worldwide. Complete with maps, illustrative
photography and cross
references, this volume is s library
in itself.
The World Atlas of Wine."
fourth edition, Hugh Johnson. (Simon
and Schuster, New York,
1994, $501 is the most complete
guide to the world's vineyards published
in any language. Serious
wine lovers who want to know the
origins of wines they purchase will
appreciate the well-written text
snd impeccably detailed maps. ,
Ideal as s planner for s trip to
Germany's wine regions or a fireside
brush up on German wines,
"The Wines of Germany" $10, can
be obtained by sending s check to
the German Wine Information Bureau,
79 Madison Avenue. New
York. NY 10016. Shipping is extra
and charged on a UPS, COD baais.
No other source offers such indepth
informstion shout Germany's
wine regions
"Lulu's Provencal Table,"
Richard Olney, (Harper Collins,
New York, 1994, $30). not only
tells the story of the Peyrauds, one
of the great wine families from
See 2B
Win* Selections
of the Week
Wmrmmr Wnrrwo:
• 1993 Bemardus Sauvignon Blanc
$9
• 1993 Ckx do BCMS Barrel-tormented
Chardonnay $12 50
• 1991 Dry Creek Vineyard Reserve
Chardonnay SI5
• 1992 Galto Estate Chardonnay
Northern Sonoma $30 (Burgundy
lovers take notice )
• 1992 Newtan Chardonnay $14
• 1992 Round H* Reserve
Chardonnay $11
• 1993 Zaca Mesa Chardonnay
Santa Bart>ara County. $12
• 1992 Ctoa du Bois Mertot $15
• 1993 Feas Parker Pwx* No* $15
• 1992 Gundfoch-Bundschu Mertot ;
$16
• 1992 Newtan Pmot Now Estate
Boffled $18
• 1992 Robert S**key Loa
Cameras Mertot $19
• 1992 Round H* Reserve Mertot ~
$11
• 1992 Rutherford Ranch Mertot $10
• 1993 Napa Rrige FVW Now $8
• 1993 Monterey Vneyard
Chardonnay $6
• 1992 Bonvorre Chardonnay $7
mm