Some Thoughts on Eating Healthy in Restauratns

ScienceDaily.com recently published the results of a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research that examined the effect of nutritional labeling on food choices in restaurants. When nutritional information was provided for items that contained a claim to "great taste" consumers didn't change their choice because they expected items that taste great to be higher in calories. Most of us don't realize how many calories are in food consumed in restaurants and would change our selections with the numbers in front of us. Start by reading the nutritional info available in fast food restaurants. Some burger contain an entire days worth of calories.

Here are some tips for making wise choices when eating out. Choose broiled or grilled entrees as opposed to sauteed, and ask for sauces to be omitted or served on the side. I always ask for salad dressing to be served on the side as most salads contain too much dressing for my taste. Ask to replace French fries with a vegetable or plain baked potato. Avoid emptying the bread basket and dip bread lightly in olive oil as opposed to butter. It helps if you don't arrive so hungry that you eat everything is sight.

What is Sustainability ?

Last week at IACP the topic of one of the keynote sessions was sustainability. Dan Barber, whose restaurant in New York city relies completely on organic foods produced by local farmers, stated that good natural systems are actually very simple. He spent most of his time talking about fois gras (a touchy subject these days) He traveled to Frane to spend time with a goose farmer who doesn't force feed his geese but rather treats them gently and feeds them differently to fatten their livers just before they are killed. He said that we tend to "take more, sell more and waste more" and the we need to look to nature for solutions.

Walter Robb, the CEO of Whole Foods, discussed Whole Foods approach to making "natural, organic" food available to all. One definition of sustainability is "to develop and fulfill the needs of the present without compromising the environment". Whole Foods are looking for simple, healthy, fresh, clean and local sources. Everything depends on the interaction of the customer, chef, seller and farmer.

I am in favor of using organic foods and local foods but don't think this is a way we can feed our population or the starving millions. In MN is it is impossible to rely completely on local foods because our growing season is short. We need to find creative solutions.

A Cooking Class with Anne Willan

When I was in Denver at IACP last week I took a class from Anne Willan, the founder of La Varenne Cooking School. Her class, French Country Cooking and the Centennial State, related to the IACP theme "Pioneering a Sustainable World". At the beginning of the class she talked about the effect of geography on local foods and culture. She stated "you should get a sense of place on the plate". Country cooking is all about living off the land.

The discovery of French regional cooking really began in the early 1900's when a foodie was sent out on the road and told to drive until he wore out his Michelin tires. Today chef's are still competing for those coveted Michelin stars.

For class she prepared Daube of Buffalo with Green and Black Olives, a one-dish meal related to a Provencal daube. Braised Chicken with Colorado Beer is her interpretation of a classic dish from northern France. We also enjoyed a taste of Vineyard Baked Beans, using dried kidney beans, and finished with a robust red wine. These are not American baked beans!

A bouquet garni was in all of the savory dishes. She uses bay leaf, fresh thyme and parsley, tied in cheesecloth. when I asked she said that bay, thyme and parsley are the standard but other possible additions are oregano and celery leaves.

We ended with a "Quick Tart Tatin". She prepared with pate sucre by hand on the counter top, working the butter and egg yolks into the flour until the dough formed. The filling consisted of gala apples cut into 1/4 inch cubes and cooked in a buttery caramel sauce. Because the apples weren't peeled, they turned a delicate rosy pink as they cooked. When the apples were cooked they were spooned into the prepared tart shell. I liked the idea of making the small cubes that cooked quickly but she had the students from Johnson and Wales doing all her chopping and prep. I'd be doing it myself.

"Never warp pastry dough in plastic wrap to chill it, because it sweats" and then you have to add flour to work with the dough. I have always wrapped pastry dough in waxed paper and now I know why!

Here is a link to her web site. http://www.lavarenne.com/books.htm