AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: A Point of Clarification DATE: 1/22/2010 09:55:00 AM ----- BODY:

Most cooking techniques involve some form of fat or oil. Marinades have oil, sautés and stir-fries require a thin layer of fat in the bottom of the pan, and broiling works better if the food has a thin sheen to protect and also help brown the exterior. Steaming and poaching are low-fat methods that usually require no added fat.

But back to the fat…the question becomes, which fat do you use when? And how can you effectively substitute if you do not have the required ingredient on-hand?

There are three ways that fat/oil is used in recipes: as a cooking medium, as a flavor enhancer and as a moisture additive (I just made up that term). Each way requires a different way of looking at the issue.

Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire
Most of you have heard of smoke points, right? This is the temperature that oil begins to smoke… not to be confused with the flash-point, the temperature when oil will catch fire. So when choosing oil for sautéing, frying or other high heat cooking you want to choose an oil with a high smoke point – oils with lower smoke points turn bitter and lose their lubricating qualities when over-heated.

In general, refined oils have a higher smoke point than unrefined. This holds true for olive oils as well. What does this mean for your cooking? Using extra-virgin olive oil for high heat cooking destroys the flavor. It’s a waste of a high-priced, high-flavor oil. Better to use 100% pure olive oil, which is from the second or third pressing and has a higher smoke point.

Many people use olive oil for cooking because of its purported health properties. It’s ratio of mono and polyunsaturated fats make it a better choice for raising HDLs and lowering LDLs. Canola oil is rivals olive oil in this area.

Similarly, butter has a higher smoke point when it’s clarified. The milk solids in butter (which make up 5%-15%) burn at a much lower temperature than the butterfat. By removing the milk solids, butters smoke point increases to 400F.

Oils for High Heat Cooking
Peanut, Canola, 100% Pure Olive, Clarified Butter, Grapeseed.

I use canola oil when I don’t want any flavor from the oil. When I’m frying banana spring-rolls, or another dish where I know it will absorb the flavor of the oil, I use clarified butter. I avoid peanut oil because (1) I’m allergic to nuts and (2) lots of other people are too, and it becomes a hidden allergen.

I save the extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings and low-heat cooking where I want that distinctive flavor.

Photo Credit: Ellen Callaway

Banana Spring Rolls with a Drizzle of Chocolate and Ginger

Spring Rolls
3 bananas
6 tbs. brown sugar
¼ cup clarified butter or plain oil
12 spring roll wrappers
melted dark chocolate

1. Cut banana in half lengthwise, and then in ½ again width-wise
2. Lay a spring roll wrapper on a work surface with a point facing towards you. Put a piece of banana on the wrapper a little bit off center, and ½ tbs. brown sugar on top. Roll the spring roll like a burrito – pull the sides over and then roll it up.
3. Repeat process to make 11 more spring rolls
4. Heat oil or butter in a large skillet to medium high. Cook spring rolls until brown and crispy on all sides. Serve with crème anglaise and a drizzle of melted chocolate.

Crème Anglaise
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup half -n- half
3 slices of fresh ginger

Scald half -n- half with ginger. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and sugar. Slowly add half -n- half, stirring constantly. Return to heat and continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the custard thickens. Remove from heat immediately. Strain out ginger.

Labels: cooking tips, desserts, food styling, oil

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Reeni DATE:1/22/2010 10:58:00 AM These sound absolutely delicious! I have spring rolls that have been hanging around - what a great idea to make a sweet dessert with them. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

noble pig DATE:1/22/2010 06:07:00 PM Wow, this sounds fabulous, I mean FABULOUS!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

grace DATE:1/24/2010 04:28:00 PM what a wonderfully informative post! it's all useful knowledge, but my favorite little portion is the part where you include the recipe for a phenomenal treat. excellent write-up, julia! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

PG DATE:1/24/2010 07:16:00 PM Thanks for the short lesson. I rarely notice the flavour of oils unless it's in a salad dressing. I also don't notice the difference between butter and margarine in baking, unless the recipe calls for a lot of butter. I should probably pay more attention. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lori Lynn DATE:1/25/2010 05:55:00 PM Very helpful post. Thanks Julia.
LL ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Simply Life DATE:1/27/2010 08:07:00 AM wow those rolls look DELICIOUS!!! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Nirmala DATE:1/27/2010 05:24:00 PM I like your cooking philosophy. I'm trying to do the same in the Bay Area. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Kathleen DATE:1/27/2010 09:23:00 PM These sound incredible! I've had something similar at Thai restaurants with coconut ice cream! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Good Photography DATE: 4/13/2009 07:35:00 AM ----- BODY:

Even the best food stylist needs a good photographer. I am neither, but Ellen has a way of making my food look delicious.

Take for example, this plate of braised shortribs with beet puree and broccoli raab. The colors are spectacular - the electric fuchsia of the beets, the bright green raab and the contrastingly dark braised short ribs.

Can you tell which photo was taken by the professional and which was taken by me? In both cases, I cooked and plated the food.

And perhaps, when Ellen's behind the camera, I spend more time plating and less fussing with my own camera.

In the end, we decided not to add this photo to the portfolio because it still wasn't the best showcase of either of our works.

Labels: food styling, photography

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Anonymous DATE:4/13/2009 10:02:00 AM Julia,
I quite agree, that Ellen's photography is excellent. You are lucky to have her to capture the wonderful food you cook, and show to best advantage.
A devoted fan. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Heather DATE:4/13/2009 10:25:00 AM wow, ellen is really talented. i've never thought about pureeing beets but now i have to. i love beets SO much. i did make a potato and beet "fritter/cake" onetime to go under some lamb and it was delicious. beets are so wonderfully tasty! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:4/13/2009 03:39:00 PM I've been struggling with my food photography for the past six months, trying to make my food look good enough to eat. It's really tough, and I so appreciate the talent of photographers who can make food look wonderful without resorting to things like painting Elmer's Glue on something to make it shine. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

PG DATE:4/13/2009 04:30:00 PM Is Ellen helping with your website? Where do the pictures go?

It certainly makes a difference. I mean, I'd eat both...but I'd pay for the first one in a restaurant. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Reeni DATE:4/13/2009 09:36:00 PM I can see that their both delicious! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Marshall DATE:4/13/2009 11:30:00 PM Well, yeah, we can tell, but you did kinda give it away. Bigger light source, from back right. But of course there's more than that to it. Ellen's work does make the food look good. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

noble pig DATE:4/14/2009 02:19:00 AM Very nice...it's all in the presentation. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:4/14/2009 07:06:00 AM Mom -- Ellen really does a great job, doesn't she!

Heather -- I'm glad you were able to see that the beets were really the star! I have to be honest, they tasted fantastic (pureed with roasted onions and bacon and a scootch of olive oil)

Lydia -- I'm heartened that you struggle too. I think yours are great and strive to be able to do that on my own.

Psychgrad -- right now they're just in our portfolios, and I use them for notecards with recipes on the back. Want some? :)

ChristyACB - Thanks!

Reeni - Very diplomatic of you.

Marshall -- you're very adept at picking out the fine details (lighting) that just escape me. Thanks for visiting and I hope you see the pasta and spring mushroom recipe. I posted it for you and your chanterelle harvest!

noble pig -- I guess the lesson is that I need to be more patient with my presentations, too, when I'm taking my own pictures. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lori DATE:4/15/2009 02:37:00 PM The photo looks stunning. You stick to your amazing cooking- very yummy and Ellen can stick to the photography. With practice you could do some good photography too! ----- -------- AUTHOR: Julia TITLE: Food Styling (Recipe: Fettucine with Spring Mushrooms DATE: 4/08/2009 07:05:00 AM ----- BODY:

Growing up, I cooked mostly from the Time-Life Cookbooks. I loved the pictures in The Good Cook series that guided me through the techniques of each recipe. When I tired of those, my mom bought me the Healthy Home Cooking series and then the Great Meals in Minutes. To me, these books were far more interesting than Judy Blume or Nancy Drew. I would browse through the pictures, and ask my mom to buy the ingredients of the most enticing photos.

On the cover of Fresh Ways with Fish & Shellfish was the most enticing photo of Shrimp and Asparagus Wrapped in Sole. I read the recipe once, twice and then after the third time, I finally queried my mom – how was I going to wrap the fish around the shrimp and asparagus to look like the photo? She couldn’t figure it out either, and so she got on the phone to call the editor. I guess at this point in the story, I should mention that she worked for Time-Life Books so it wasn’t completely over the top that she should pick up the phone.

It was at that moment I discovered what food styling is all about: making food look enticing and succulent for the camera. Realistic and edible are not required.

Every once in a while, I will style food for local photographer Ellen Callaway. Together we created a portfolio of food shots. Unlike the recipes I create for my blog, we pick dishes that inherently will work for the camera. Because of that early childhood trauma, I refuse to stage food that is not created according to the recipe accompanying the shot.

For a recent photo shot, I wanted to create a pasta dish with chanterelle mushrooms, but only hedgehogs were available.

Fettuccine with Wild Spring Mushrooms and Parmesan

½ pound fettuccine
3 scallions, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces each
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
½ pound chanterelle or hedgehog mushrooms, brushed clean and cut into quarters
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
¼ cup dry sherry
Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste
Freshly grated parmesan

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. One minute before it’s done, add scallions to the water. Drain pasta and scallion together and toss with olive oil.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high flame. Add butter. When it’s melted, sprinkle the mushrooms in one layer in the pan. Top with a sprinkling of garlic, shallots, thyme, salt and pepper. Let cook for 3 minutes without stirring. Stir and then let cook for another 3 minutes.
3. Deglaze the mushroom pan with sherry. When mostly reduced, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
4. Toss pasta with mushrooms. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Some other photos, Ellen took of my food:
Braised Artichokes with Creamy Risotto

Beets and Goat Cheese Napolean with Buttered Walnuts

Cappuccino Petit Fours

Labels: food styling, pasta, photography, vegetarian

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sara DATE:4/08/2009 09:05:00 AM This pasta sounds so good. I haven't seen any great looking wild mushrooms yet, but I'm eagerly waiting for them to show up at the market! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Heather DATE:4/08/2009 09:26:00 AM i absolutely adore that your mom called the editor. how great!

i love fettucine! it's one of my favorite pastas! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) DATE:4/08/2009 04:33:00 PM As a food blogger, I often grapple with the challenge of taking photos that make people want to eat the food I'm writing about. Sometimes I think that "styled" photos go too far, making the food look intimidating to the home cook, or sometimes making it look artificial. These photos are lovely; they really strike a balance. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Reeni DATE:4/08/2009 07:53:00 PM The photos are beautiful. I came across some pictures in one of Tyler Florence's cookbook that weren't true to the recipes. I was kind of perturbed! How cool that your Mom called the editor. Your pasta looks divine! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Bren DATE:4/08/2009 10:43:00 PM i love this dish!! i'm not the best at taking pictures and bear little patience for high quality styling. i know it makes a difference! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

adele DATE:4/08/2009 10:57:00 PM The pasta looks beautiful. :)

Food photography for the blog still drives me up the wall. If I could get away with it, I'd be strictly text-based, but I'm told that I need at least a few shots... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types DATE:4/09/2009 08:09:00 AM I love the simplicity of the pasta dish, and lovely the fettucine looks looped up so nicely. Your story really underscores how important the visual element is in food. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Dewi DATE:4/09/2009 11:52:00 AM I love the simplicity of your recipe. Delicious.
Cheers,
elra ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Julia DATE:4/10/2009 07:51:00 AM Sara - I was hoping to see them by now too. Maybe it's been a dry spring in the mushroom regions?

Heather -- She's always been very supportive of my cooking efforts.

Lydia -- Yes! It's the balance. I definitely struggle with it, and admire all your photos because I think you've found it!

Thanks, Reeni! I credit the photographer.

Bren -- I'm with you.

Adele -- maybe we need to start a movement for text-based blogs. For me, photos are definitely the hardest part.

T.W. - the loops are actually quite easy to do with a turning fork.

Elra -- Thanks! ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener DATE:4/11/2009 09:14:00 PM That does look god, both the recipe and the picture. and I am so eager for spring mushroom, next week I think the woods may willingly give some... ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR:

Maris DATE:4/15/2009 12:20:00 AM This looks really, really good! It;s been way too long since I've had great fettucine. ----- --------