Chicago’s Candy Wonderland — ALL CANDY EXPO 2009 RECAP

Today was Day 3 of Chicago’s All Candy Expo.  Day 3, the last day, is the most chaotic day. It is the day where full-grown adults let loose and tear down displays of candy. It is the day where adults in suits run around a room the size of 10 football fields, shoving anything and everything in their over-sized bags and purses. Some booths ran out of candy within 45 minutes.

Although this year’s Expo was just as sweet as before, most candy and snack companies were a lot less generous in terms of their free samples and the products showcased were less extravagant. Last year, an emphasis was placed on unique, bizarre and innovative products. This year, another important factor was added to the mix: price point. Despite the economy’s obvious effect on the candy industry, 2,000 new products were unveiled at the Expo.

One of the coolest products this year was a product called Le Whif – a cigar shaped device that shoots zero-calorie chocolate into your mouth. It is s bizarre yet innovative, I can’t wait until it comes to the US!

*edit* The National Confectioner’s Association is now giving a away gift bags from the Expo. Enter by clicking here.

Starting tomorrow, I will be reviewing the mountains of new candy and snacks that I got at the Expo — so check back daily! If you can’t wait, check out my slideshow of pictures from the Expo here.

Champagne Mango Sunday!

The Most Delicious Fruit in the World!

Recently my local  Whole Foods had a huge sale on their Champagne Mangoes. I recently discovered that I was no longer allergic to mangos, so of course, I bought 5 of these delicious mangoes.

Champagne Mangos are a unique type of mango grown in Chiapas, Mexico and Nayarit, Mexico. Unlike its red/orange/green-ish mango found in most grocery stores, Champagne mangoes are much sweeter and creamier, with a less fibrous feel.

After finishing 5 mangoes in a day, I went back to Whole Foods and bought 6 more for dinner. Although these mangoes were smaller than usual, they were so sweet and delicious. The velvety smooth texture of the mango was the perfect addition to my tarty Greek yogurt!

Even though the peak season for Champagne Mangoes is over, my Evanston Whole Foods still has a some left, so go buy them before they are gone!

It’s not too late to celebrate Chinese New Years!

As a frugal college student living in a dorm, celebrating Chinese New Year’s is often difficult. With only a microwave and a sketchy oven, making delicious snacks and food is extremely difficult so I often choose to go out and eat Asian food. With the 13% Chicago food tax, however, eating out is just way to expensive.

This year, instead of making the treck down to Chinatown, I decided to make a few of my favorite chinese snacks in my room. Although these recipes require only the use of a microwave and/or a stove they are quite delicious.

Microwave Egg Custards:

1/2 cup boiling water (or milk for a richer custard)
2 eggs
1 tbsp sugar

1. Beat eggs
2. Add boiling water while continuing to beat the eggs slowly.
3. Add sugar
4. Microwave on high for 1 minute or until the custard begins to rise.

Peanut Butter Satay Noodles*

This is an easy delicious noodle dish my mom used to make for me as a snack. However, by adding some chicken (or meat of your choice) and fresh cucumber, this dish would be perfect as lunch or dinner. The best part? Minimal cooking required.

2 cups cooked udon noodles
2 – tbsp peanut butter
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp warm water
1 tsp honey
1 tsp chopped basil (optional)
salt

1. Stir the peanut butter and soy sauce together into a thick paste.

2. Mix-in the warm water, honey and basil and stir until thoroughly combined. The mixture should now be a sauce like texture, if it is too thick, add more warm water/soy sauce (depending on how salty you want it). If the sauce is too thin, add more peanut butter

3. Pour the sauce over the noodles and mix well. Add salt to taste.

* There is currently a peanut butter recall, so make sure the peanut butter you are using is safe. I use Peanut Butter & Co’s crunch peanut

Microwave Mochi

Even though this type of mochi is japanese, rather than Chinese ‘nian gao’, it is delicious and one of my favorite late night snacks. In college I mix peanut butter and raisins into it, however, at home I make little red bean filled mochi balls. The recipe calls for glutinous rice flour, I’ve bought many brands in the past, however, my favorite is definately the Erawan Brand flour in a clear bag with green letters. You can usually find it in any Asian market.

2 cups glutinous rice flour
2 cups warm water
Up to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
1 cup of mix-ins like peanut butter, raisins, red bean etc.

1. In a very large microwavable bowl, stir the flour, water and sugar together until combined. I recommend a glass bowl or a heavy duty plastic bowl.

2. Cover the mixture with a microwavable lid

2. Microwave for 9 minutes. 3 minutes on high, 3 minutes on medium, 3 minutes on low.

3. Take off the lid and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes.

4. Stir in your mix-ins, or make small balls of mochi and stuff them with the mix-ins.

The Ultimate Dessert: Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake is the dessert connoisseur’s dream. I think its the perfect, but slightly sweeter, substitute for a slice of cheesecake.It is perfect straight out of the oven and even after a week in the refrigerator. The crunchy buttery crust is complimented perfectly by the rich gooey center.

If you have never been had Gooey Butter Cake before, this recipe is definitely a must try. It is extremely easy and simple, so make it for your next dinner party or just as a casual afternoon snack.

Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
2 sticks of unsalted butter
1 – 8oz box of cream cheese (softened)
1 – 16oz box powdered sugar (4 cups) + 1/2 cup for decoration
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Melt one stick of butter in a medium-sized bowl
3.  Mix in 1 box of yellow cake mix until there are no clumps.
4.  Press into a 13×9 inch baking pan.
5.  Melt 1 stick of butter
6.  Whisk in the cream cheese, egg and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
7.  Stir in the powdered sugar until thoroughly combined
8.  Pour over the crust
9.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the crust is golden and the center jiggles when the pan is shaken. If you prefer a gooyer center   then bake for less time.
10.  Let the cake cook for 30 min.
11.   Dust cake with the remaining powdered sugar.
12.   Cut into small squares and enjoy (warm or cold)!

Flying Food and Liquid Salad

Using liquid nitrogen and a blow torch, Chef Ben Roche transforms cake batter into an icy cold carrot cake ball.

Edible Paper? Lasers? Carbonated Fruit?
This is the new era of food.

It’s been called “avant-garde,” “postmodern” and sometimes just plain crazy. But for chefs like Ben Roche of Chicago’s Moto, cooking has transformed into a science and an unexpected art form.

“It’s more than just cooking, it’s conceptualizing the food. It’s how you start with an idea and turn it into something totally outside the box that no one has really thought of before,” Roche said.

Regardless of what the food is labeled as, this type of cuisine falls under a broader category called molecular gastronomy, the application of scientific techniques in cooking.

“It is basically using what we know about the science of food to make something new. It doesn’t mean that we are using the chemistry set to come up with a new dish but it’s just that we are thinking differently than people have in the past,” Roche said.

Although this term was first coined in the 1980’s by French scientists Hervé This and Nicholas Kurti, Spain’s Ferran Adrià was the first to serve food driven by the idea of molecular gastronomy at his restaurant El Bulli in Roses, Spain.

Since then, several chefs across America have opened up restaurants serving this type of cuisine. Two restaurants, Moto and Alinea, are leading the molecular gastronomy movement in Chicago. Moto’s executive chef Homaro Cantu and Alinea’s executive chef Grant Achatz are using everything from calcium chloride to methylcellulose to give their diners a unique culinary experience.

“It’s actually a really exciting time to be a cook. There are a lot of new innovations that are being developed all over the world,” Roche said.

Unlike their peers, these chefs often transform their kitchens into laboratories and mix chemicals to give their customers an entirely new way of thinking about food.

At Moto, Cantu and Roche are constantly inventing new texture profiles to challenge common perceptions of food.

“We take foods that people know like peanut butter and jelly or s’mores and serve it in a weird outlandish fashion with the presentation or texture of the dish,” Roche said. “Each dish offers at least one unique idea. You can’t really describe our food by any words that describe other people’s food.”

Chef Ben Roche creates a jellified combination of grapefruit and gin using sodium alginate gum and calcium chloride solution. This caviar-like ball of alcohol is served with coconut foam and a coconut cracker.

Using liquid nitrogen, Roche can turn carrot cake batter into hollow ice cream balls. Cantu uses lasers, commonly used by surgeons and welders, to infuse hints of oak and vanilla into wine glasses, enhancing the wine tasting experience.

“It’s a fusion of innovation and technologies to provide a new menu and new cuisine that involves more of the science as well as the creativity,” said Roger Clemens, the spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists [IFT].

Molecular gastronomy places a heavy emphasis on presentation and the dining experience. Chefs use different technologies such as polymer guns and helium to give their customers a multisensory eating adventure.

“We are working on a dish right now where we put helium inside of this edible polymer type shell that will levitate. The idea is that we’ll bring a plate to a table and as it warms up to room temperature, it will start to float and the diner has to catch it quickly or else it will float to the ceiling,” Roche said.

Although Roche has no background in science, he says he has always been interested in it.

“A lot of the things we find out and end up using in the kitchen is trial and error,” Roche said. “Sometimes I just like to throw things in the blender and see what happens.”

As a part of their ten course tasting menu, Cantu serves a bowl of Vietnamese hot and sour soup that turns into a boiling foggy cauldron when liquid nitrogen infused egg drops and field greens are added. Although cold air pours out of the bowl, the soup remains warm.

“This type of food is not just eating; it is an entire night experience. It is a theater for your mouth,” Cynthia Clampitt said. “The presentation, drama and excitement of what is to come lasts the entire night.”

Liquid greek salad shot.

Clampitt, a 56-year-old resident of Arlington Heights, has eaten at both Alinea and Moto. Although Clampitt enjoyed her experience at Moto, she was not completely satisfied by the food.

“Not everything was perfect. It was all clever and innovative but I think some things were too ‘gee whiz’ and the flavor suffered because of it,” Clampitt said. “There is a tricky balance that must be met between science and flavor.”

Neil Coletta, the coordinator for the Master of Liberal Arts in Gastronomy program at Boston University, has also heard similar complaints.

“I’ve known a lot of people who’ve made special trips to eat at WD-50 in New York and Alinea in Chicago so they can check it out and see what this movement is all about. They came back with mixed reviews but they all had a really good time.” Coletta said.

Molecular gastronomy has caused a particular divide within the professional culinary community. While chefs like Roche, Cantu and Achatz have been praised by many food critics for their innovative techniques and new perspectives on food, some chefs, such as Mike Riley, a teacher at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, are against the molecular gastronomy movement because of the added chemicals.

“I think the interest and appeal [in molecular gastronomy] is temporary. I just don’t think it’s real food for real people. It’s really experimental, and it’s interesting in its approach but it requires no personal skill from a cooking standpoint,” Riley said.
“It’s not really a meal; it doesn’t nourish us in any way. We should be fairly against chemicals in our food.”

Coletta, however, says that this resistance to molecular gastronomy is to be expected.

“If you look at any new type of movement, you’ll find that there will always be certain naysayers and people holding on to traditions for various reasons and downplaying the work of other people,” Coletta said. “The techniques are different, the ingredients are different and you have a very different philosophy and approach to how food is prepared, but it’s all cooking.”

Despite the criticism, molecular gastronomy has become so popular that suppliers such as WillPowder in New York are making many of the chemicals used by Moto and Alinea available to people at home. Ferran Adrià also offers do-it-yourself molecular gastronomy kits under a brand called Texturas.

Chef Ben Roche deconstructs the classical s'more by creating a milk chocolate ball infused with liquid graham crackers.

“There is such an interest in using molecular gastronomy at home because it is a novelty. It’s a way to entertain your friends,” Coletta said.

Riley also attributes the overwhelming interest in molecular gastronomy to the Food Network which he says has made the concept more accessible.

After watching an episode of “Into the Fire” on the Food Network, Shreveport La. resident Michael Oboyle started experimenting with molecular gastronomy in the spring of 2007. His first attempt was a peach caviar that he used to top an oyster dish for Easter.

“The basic framework for all of my recipes are from the Internet and some shows on the Food Network,” Oboyle said.

Oboyle writes about his experiments on his food blog titled “Chicken Fried Gourmet.” Not all of his experiments, however, are successful such as when he attempted to make fizzy cranberry vodka spheres with a reverse spherification kit that he purchased online.

“Trying new recipes opens your mind and gives you a new perspective on food. It makes you really think about food and where it comes from,” Oboyle said. “What you experienced in the past is not necessarily what you are going to experience in the future.”

Ironically, Oboyle said he “hated chemistry in high school.”

According to Clemens of IFT, all of these chemicals that chefs and home cooks are using are safe and FDA approved. He warns, however, that any excessive use of these chemicals is potentially dangerous.

“While I would encourage people to look at new opportunities to transform food into something new and exciting, I would advise that food safety is critical in all aspects of creating food,” Clemens said.

Because molecular gastronomy is a relatively new idea, Coletta says it is too early to predict molecular gastronomy’s place in food history.

“Molecular gastronomy is just the next step in the whole spectrum of food history and culinary trends. Only time will tell whether it’s important or not,” Coletta said.

Regardless of the criticism they have faced, Cantu and Roche continue to amaze their diners, leading a culinary revolution that they hope will influence other chefs and change the way Americans look at food.

Cacao Mass? Cacao Butter? Soy Lecithin? Can I just have a piece of Chocolate?

Next time you pay $10 for a “gourmet” or “premium” chocolate bar, ask yourself, are you really getting your money’s worth?

The rapidly expanding gourmet chocolate market has created a disparity between price and actual quality, so many consumers are simply paying more for the same quality of mediocre chocolate that is marketed as “gourmet,” master chocolatier Pat Karpowski of the Chocolate Grape said.

So, what is gourmet?

“There is not a definition for gourmet chocolate. Gourmet is more of a subjective perception. Usually the packaging denotes a higher quality of chocolate. It depends on how it is marketed,” said Susan Fussell, senior director of communications at the National Confectioners Association [NCA].

According to a study conducted by Mintel International, a market research group, over 42 percent of chocolate eaters buy some type of premium chocolate and this number is growing. In 2007, premium chocolate sales rose 28.5 percent, making a profit of almost $2 billion.

“Manufacturers have made more products available so consumers are finding gourmet chocolate in more outlets. They are becoming more comfortable with it so they are seeking it out more,” Fussell said.

In Europe, premium chocolate is known as couverture chocolate, which is chocolate made with a minimum of 32 percent cacao butter. However, in America, chocolatiers do not have to distinguish between the percentage of cacao butter and cocoa mass.

“The percentage of cacao refers to the total, but the amount of cacao butter will vary, which will completely change not only the taste but the texture of the product. The higher the cacao mass content, the higher the antioxidant properties the chocolate will have,” Fussell said.

Chocolate made from single origin cacao beans are more expensive because they are made from beans from a single country, giving the chocolate a distinct flavor profile. However, according to Christopher Curtin, the master chocolatier at Éclat Chocolate, a high-end chocolate store in Pennsylvania, single origin does not guarantee quality.

“Single origin chocolate is less romantic than most people think it means. It means one country, but you can have all these beans [from different plantations] in a blend of single origin chocolate,” Curtin said. “When you blend chocolate it’s because you have to fill in some of the holes of the flavor. Single origin isn’t necessarily better.”

Producers also charge more for organic chocolate. The problem with organic chocolate, however, is that quality is often sacrificed, Curtin said. Also industry standards on what is considered “organic” is vague.

“Organic is mostly for people who are more concerned about the environment. The problem is, a lot of high-end beans have a problem with mold and fungus and things like that,” Curtin said. “There is good quality organic, but they still haven’t produced an amazing organic chocolate.”

Many producers are also putting the percent cacao on their labels. This percentage refers to both the amount of cacao mass (which gives chocolate its flavor) and the amount of cacao butter. To Curtin, the amount of cacao butter does not add, but often takes away from the flavor of chocolate.

“Quality mostly depends on how much cocoa butter and cocoa mass is in the chocolate. It can still taste awful but usually that’s a sign of a better tasting [chocolate], unless they haven’t taken care of the beans or the fermentation process,” Curtin said.

High-end chocolatiers such as Valrhona, DeLafée, and Knipschildt sell their artisan chocolate for $40 – $90 per pound. Knipschildt even offers their customers a truffle called La Madeline au Truffe for $2,500 a pound and DeLafée offers chocolate decorated with edible 24 karat gold for $508 a pound.

“Some of the price difference may have a little to do with different tastes, but a good portion of it boils down to marketing. If you buy a Lindt bar and a Valrhona bar and put the two together you won’t be able to tell the difference,” Karpowski said.

Some consumers admit the differences in taste may actually be from the price they have paid.
“Gourmet chocolate is more satisfying probably because it costs so much,” said 62-year-old Lake Country resident Mike Mulherin.

As the gourmet chocolate market expands, mass chocolate producers are not only buying out high-end chocolate companies, they are also creating their own brands of premium chocolate.
“I think this will dilute the quality of the chocolate because large companies operate by different values. I fear that they will lose the attention to detail,” Mulherin said.

High-end franchises such as Vosges Haut-Chocolat are also gaining popularity; however, their products are not made onsite as they are in local chocolate shops.

“At Chocolate Grape, we make the chocolate by ourselves from scratch. We buy cacao beans after they have already been sorted, dried and shelled. We have complete control over quality,” Karpowski said. “Our quality is better and our prices are actually cheaper. You get more bang for your buck when you buy from local chocolatiers.”

Despite the lack of standards in what gourmet chocolate is, consumers say they will continue to purchase these chocolates.

“When you have a taste for chocolate the only that that will satisfy it is chocolate, and gourmet chocolate is just more satisfying,” Mulherin said.

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Welcome to Musings of a College Foodie!

In this blog, I will be writing about interesting topics related to gastronomy, good food and good eats. I will also post articles and recipes that I write for North by Northwestern and for my journalism classes.

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