Piquant

Skin care expert gives anti-aging tips

Today's post introduces skin care expert Vladimir Byhovsky, who will be appearing as a guest columnist with tips on how to better preserve and care for your beautiful skin.

Even if  you don't see it happening, your skin sheds 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells roughly every minute. 

Daily the skin loses a layer of these dead cells and renews itself about every 28 days.

While it is the body's largest organ, our skin is often taken for granted.  We forget beautiful skin is not merely an accident of genetics, but can be cultivated through proper nutrition and nurturing.

Skin care expert Vladimir Byhovsky says any anti-aging regimen starts with sun protection. "If you want to prevent premature wrinkling or skin discolorations, you need to first stop exposing yourself to the sun," says the medical professional and spa owner.

Byhovsky, whose Studio Esthetique is a premier NY medical spa and skin rejuvenation center, recommends limiting your time in the sun and using the highest SPF sunscreens in addition to a routine skin maintenance regimen.

"If you do not protect from sun, you are jeopardizing your skin’s health," says Byhovsky.

Skin cancer, wrinkles, freckles, age spots, dilated blood vessels, changes in the texture of the skin, blotchiness, and the prune-like skin texture you see in elderly sun worshippers are all results of an overexposure to the sun, he says.

The sun produces ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays that are responsible for such common skin problems as sunburns, premature aging, pigmentation and skin cancer.

UVB and UVA rays are part of the sun’s spectrum wavelengths that are shorter than visible light. UVB rays are more active in the summer months. UVA ray are more constant throughout the year.

The shorter UVB rays quickly burn the mid layers of the skin. Depending on the skin type it takes anywhere between 10 – 30 minutes. The damaged cells send signals to the bottom layer of the epidermis, which responds by forming melanin. Melanin is what makes the skin look "tan".

To be effective, Byhovsky says, sunscreen - minimally 30 SPF - should be reapplied at least every two hours. 

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends seeking shade when possible, avoiding sunbathing, and wearing wide-brimmed hats as well as sunglasses and protective clothing.

Fancy Food Show a feast for food industry

My feet felt like ground beef yesterday after a day roaming the crowded aisles of the Fancy Food Show. 

Did I wear practical shoes? Of course not! 

Would one walk the food equivalent of Piazza San Marco in Keds?  Not with all those gloriously well-dressed Italian men on hand to demonstrate their  country's fantastic cheeses, pastas, cured meats, olive oils, balasmic vinegars, mushrooms, rice, etc.

Did I mention there seems to be an inordinately large population of attractive people associated with the preparation and purveying of fancy food? 

Food is a great aphrodisaics, so maybe it was something I ate.

At any rate, the Fancy Food Show really should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. From savory to sweet, there were tastes, textures and flavors for all palates. I was delighted to speak with representatives from locations as diverse as the Southern United States to South Africa.  I sampled spice blends, premier chocolates, dry cured hams, gelati, wines, olives, finishing butters, olive oils - the list is endless. 

The Fancy Food Show is for the trade, a place for vendors to exhibit their best products, to educate about their offerings and to sell.  For attendees, it's a huge opportunity to learn about what's hot and what's new, but also to become reacquainted with familiar food products. 

I'm always amazed at the range and quality of something as seemingly simple as say pasta.  Crafting quality food products is never quite as uncomplicated as we novices imagine.

I had one lovely love affair after another (with food, with food - wink, wink).

Watch for upcoming posts about new tastes, flavors and textures from around the culinary world.

Read more here...

Red Velvet Cake perfect recipe for a rainy evening

Yesterday I was feeling like a bit of cake, so I made this Red Velvet Cake. 

I wanted savory with my sweet, so I sprinkled a little Soul of the Sea Haleakala Red salt on top for a pretty natural garnish that added terrific flavor.

While I was savoring this treat last night (and again this morning for breakfast), I started dreaming about re-inventing my Red Velvet Cake.  I've always loved the spicy heat of chiles and chocolate, so I think next time I make this cake I'm going to experiment with increasing the cocoa content and adding a little heat with chiles, maybe some Datil pepper.

But for now I have a whole old-school Red Velvet Cake to consume.  Cake anyone?

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Chez Lucienne Harlem's ambitious French hideaway

On a rainy early evening last week, we stumbled quite literally upon Chez Lucienne (308 Lenox Avenue at 125th St., NY, NY 212.289.5555).  The cozy French bistro helmed by Daniel alums Jerome Bougherdani and chef Matthew Tivy in Harlem is classic bistro from its simply elegant menu to its subtle decor featuring powder blue banquettes.

The  menu is straight-forward French with Lyonnais chef Thomas Obaton presenting typical bistro fare from Salade Nicoise and Terrine de Fois Gras to Coq au Vin.  Obaton formerly cooked with Guy Savoy in Paris and Jean-Claude Teulade at the shuttered Long Island Louis XVI. 

We had the Soup du Jour which was a velvety asparagus ($7), the Assiette de Charcuterie ($14), centered by a lightly dressed salade mesclun concealing a generous portion of housemade Pate de Campagne, and the Coq au Vin ($17).  We split the ample Profiteroles ($9) for dessert.

Arriving early for dinner, the bistro bubbled with activity, the tiny bar and restaurant filling up rapidly while we dined.  The service was graciously attentive and accommodating.  Our table was near the open door (an unfortunate choice we'd made ourselves), but without our asking, the maitre d' closed the entrance to prevent the cold and wet gusts of wind from chilling us to the bone.

My only quibble with the decor were the awful picnic table-type white plastic cloths.  Certainly it's more economical than table linens and possibly saves time in set up, but they are dreadful.  Butcher's paper would be as efficient and certainly a better aesthetic fit.

For more information:

Reservations may be made online through www.chezlucienne.com and OpenTable.com

Brunch	Sat urday & Sunday     11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Lunch	Monday - Friday          11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
Dinner	Sunday - Thursday       5 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday - Saturday         5 p.m.-midnight

Average dinner entree $18. Dinner for two with drinks $6o, sans gratuity.

Around the world wine tasting with Bottlenotes

Enjoy 80+ wines plus award-winning cheeses from Artisanal Premium Cheese at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art tomorrow night.

Taste wines from Italy, France, Austria, Spain, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Washington State, California , Israel, and Lebanon with Bottlenotes.  The online wine community and boutique takes you Around the World in 80 Sips.

Tickets $50 in advance, $75 at the door.

For more information:

Friday, June 26th, 2009, 7:00-10:00 PM
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611

Buy tickets here

Fancy Foods Show predicts hot food trends

The Summer Fancy Food Show starts Sunday. We are hungry already!

For three days, over 600 companies display natural and organic items, including the sofi nominees (and winners) for specialty outstanding food inovation for 2009.

The Fancy Food Show shapes the hottest trends in specialty foods and beverages from the U.S. and around the globe and the popular “What’s New, What’s Hot!” showcase will feature 1,000 offerings.

Filling 316,000 square feet of the Javits Center with 2,300 exhibitors representing more than 70 countries, the show features the world’s finest cheeses, olive oil, spices, teas, chocolate and ethnic specialties.

Can food photography be unobtrusive?

I'm one of those annoying diners who feel compelled to photograph and catalogue every memorable morsel consumed.

But even I draw the line somewhere.  It's one thing to snap a few quick shots in a noisy bistro and quite another to pull out the Nikon and all the props in a high end venue.

Serious Eats considers food photo etiquette.  When, where and how to be a considerate photographer when dining in public.

We're wondering where Miss Manners stands on this one.

Picholine is perfect for special occasions

There is a reason Terrance Brennan's Picholine (35 W. 64th Street, NY, NY 212-724-8585) was nominated for a James Beard Foundation award for the country's Outstanding Restaurant in 2007.

Actually, there are many reasons - superior food and service, classic decor, an amazing wine list, and attention to detail.  One can't forget the cheese cart - homage to silky, stinky and savory fromage. 

I was treated by a wonderful friend to birthday dinner recently at Brennan's NY Times three-star rated restaurant.

The way to my heart is clearly through my palate.

From my first birthday when I dived face first into my cake, I've loved celebrating my day.  Opening the menu at Picholine, I was delighted to see it had been customized with a birthday greeting to yours truly.

The flute of Taittinger Prestige Rosé ($24), aromatic with berry flavors and full of crisp, tiny bubbles, set the tone for the celebration. Service was seamless and subtly attentive, although our server seemed to suffer ever so slightly from ennui.

Nevertheless, nothing detracted from Chef Brennan's menu, a $98 three-course prix fixe menu.

Brennan, a New York culinary fixture, opened Picholine 15 years ago. The restaurant and menu was redesigned in 2007.

Brennan introduced diners to the bliss of cheese after dinner with his amazing artisanal cheese service featuring an array of goat, sheep and cow's milk cheeses in textures ranging from hard to runny and flavors from mild to pungent.

With brief stints at Daniel and Cipriani, Chef de Cuisine Carmine DiGiovanni, has been a presence at Picholine and Brennan's other restaurants since 2001.  He made a brief appearance in the dining room to chat with guests the evening we dined.

I started with the Chef's signature prelude, Sea Urchin Panna Cotta, richly flavored with the tastes and textures of the ocean. Sea urchin roe and lobster stock anchor the silken chilled panna cotta, topped with a lavish dollop of farm-raised oestra caviar and delicately wreathed with nori for a lovely contrast in texture. 

My dinner companion selected the Soft Shell Frites served with Chickpea Fries and Cucumber-Mint Glass. The softshell crab was delicately and lightly fried, a perfect blend of tastes and textures.

My friend and I both adore rabbit. We each happily ordered the Hudson Valley Rabbit with fresh tagliatelle, and wild burgundy snails. The immensely earthy snails and the tender game were sublime; each bite of the  tagliatelle was lush perfection. I accompanied my rabbit with a glass of Dashe's 2007 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel ($14), a voluptuous and velvety mouthful bursting with fruit.

For dessert, my companion opted for savory, choosing three very different artisanal cheeses from the fabled fromage cart, while I succumbed to my sweet tooth with the Tiramisu Napoleon with Marsala Ice Cream, White Coffee Sabayon, and Coffee Glass.

As impressive as the cuisine is, the meticulous attention to detail is stunning. At the end of the meal, we were presented petit fours as well as a simple and elegant chocolate cake garnished with a white chocolate oval and enscribed in dark chocolate with the salutation Happy Birthday. I was sent home with a souvenir menu exactly like the one I'd ordered from too - a nice touch for a foodie.

I couldn't have been more thrilled.

NC's Polka Dot Bake Shop introduces CrispiThins

It's no secret that Southerners know how to whip up some tasty grub.

From my home state comes a new and savory cracker, CrispiThins, made from sweet potatoes.

Polka Dot Bake Shop, an award-winning North Carolina bakery, introduces its new line of gourmet crackers, at the Fancy Food Show  next week.

CrispiThins are the first cracker made with real sweet potatoes and are available in four flavors including Original, Cracked Black Pepper, Rosemary and Smoked Chipotle.

I can't wait to try them.