The Food Almanac: June 7, 2011
In The Food Almanac, Tom Fitzmorris of the online newsletter, The New Orleans Menu notes food facts and sayings.
Food Calendar
Today is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. This needs no explanation. A lady I once knew said, when I asked her if she wanted to go out for ice cream, "Sure! My three favorite things are chocolate, ice cream, and chocolate ice cream." For some reason, that line burned itself into my memory. My daughter has the same taste. The best chocolate ice cream I ever tasted was the chocolate mousse ice cream developed during the reign of Gerhard Brill as chef at Commander's Palace in the early 1980s.
Music Tt Drink Wine By
It's the birthday of Dean Martin, in 1917. A little-heard hit of his is That Little Old Wine Drinker, Me. Not only is it uncool to brag about drinking these days, but the commercial for Italian Swiss Colony Wines that inspired the song is almost completely forgotten. It depicted a little old Swiss guy answering the question of who makes Italian Swiss Colony wines, in the voice of Jim Backus: "That little old wine maker, me."
Edible Dictionary
frozen custard, n. — The original soft-serve ice cream, made by enriching a standard ice cream mix with eggs. This not only gives the resulting product a more opulent flavor, but softens it a bit. Frozen custard also differs from regular ice cream in not being frozen as hard as ice cream — which gets chilled down to as low as 40 degrees below zero F. The higher temperature at which frozen custard is served furthers its rich taste and mouthfeel. Frozen custard has become a rarity, as most soft-serve ice cream has gone over to vegetable-oil blends or frozen yogurt. If you find it anywhere, don't miss it.
Deft Dining Rule #181
While ersatz food substitutes sometimes lead to major new flavors (chicory coffee comes to mind), almost all the time its drop in quality is greater than the drop in price.
Gourmet Gazetteer
Cone is a small farming community in southern Michigan, 56 miles west southwest of Detroit. Flat fields of corn, soybeans, and wheat stretch to the horizon. A main line of the Norfolk Southern Railroad clips the northwest corner of the town. A dozen or so houses cluster together at the crossroads. But for a night out on the town, Coners must drive five miles east to Milan, where they can have lunch or dinner at the Old Shack.
The Old Kitchen Sage Sez
Everybody loves a good apple pie. So why do only a relative few restaurants serve it? Are they afraid of not seeming hip?
Music to Eat Pancakes By
"When the sun's coming up I got cakes on the griddle," sang John Denver, whose song Thank God I'm A Country Boy hit Number One today in 1975.
Annals of Banqueting
The Dinner of the Three Emperors was served today in 1867. The place was Paris (of course), at Café Anglais. The chef was Adolphe Dugléré, one of the most famous French chefs of all time (a classic sauce is named for him). And the emperors were Tsar Alexander II of Russia, his son Alexander III (who would succeed him), and King William I of Prussia. At La Tour d'Argent in Paris, the china and silverware used for that dinner are kept in the ancient restaurant's mini-museum.
Food Namesakes
Teresa Brewer, who had a few hits in the 1950s and sounded like she was 13, was born today in 1931. Chuck Berry was charged with tax evasion on this date in 1979. Football pro Goose Gonsoulin made his first kick today in 1938. Child actor Jordan Fry was a Fry baby today in 1993.
Words to Eat By
"When he's late for dinner, I know he's either having an affair or lying dead in the street. I always hope it's the street." — Actress Jessica Tandy, born today in 1909, about her husband Hume Cronyn.
Words To Drink By
"I once shook hands with Pat Boone and my whole right side sobered up." — Dean Martin, born today in 1917.