John Winfield Joins The Team At US Foods San Francisco

US Foods San Francisco is introducing John Winfield who will be joining their team on Monday, January 30th. John  joins US Foods with over 15 years of strong experience in the food and beverage industry. He worked for Pebble Beach as the Beverage and Retail Wine Manager for 10 years and then ventured to his most recent position with the Monterey Bay Aquarium where he held the title of Director of Operations.

John will primarily be working as a Territory Manager in the Monterey area.

John’s experience is enhanced by his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and his Associate of Occupational Science in Culinary Arts from the California Culinary Academy. He enjoys motorcycling, snow skiing, cooking and traveling. John currently resides in Carmel Valley. 

January 2012 Bean and Rice Update

Beans: 2012 Crop is the major topic of discussion. Competing grain markets have decreased slightly and dry edible beans look more competitive. Although it is still early to predict what the growers will do, the consensus appears they will grow beans only if they can get a contract that is equal to or better than grain and soybeans. With little or no carryover on most varieties, the weather will also play a major factor this spring.

Rice: The overall quality of the rice production is rated good to excellent. Compared to the 2010 crop, milling

yields are slightly above normal. Competing markets bear watching on the rice market also as producers look

at other alternatives.

Blackeyes: Prices continue firm and import values are also rising. No pricing relief is expected until 2012 crop beans are available.

Black Beans: News from Mexico has not improved. The Mexican government has agreed to take beans from any sources available including China. The domestic market is holding steady and dealers are offering 2011 and 2012 crop into the Mexican market. Time will tell if the less expensive Chinese product will have an impact on overall prices or if the need far out strips

availability.

Baby Limas: Values remain steady.

Great Northerns: Slightly higher prices reported with growers holding for higher prices.

Green Split Peas: No change.

Lentils: Unchanged.

Large Limas: Prices are steady and are expected to maintain current levels.

Light Red Kidneys: Slightly higher values reported with a few quality issues surfacing in the Midwest.

Navy Beans: Unchanged.

Pink Beans: High values continue to be the norm with no pricing relief expected.

Pintos: Mexican buyers have been very active and are purchasing as much product as they can get to ship within the next 90 days. As predicted, prices have risen to reflect the increased demand. Growers continue to hold for higher prices and with nine months left to go in the marketing year and no carryover, they hold the cards.

Small Reds: No change.

Yellow Popcorn: Values continue to increase as the full extent of decreased production is reported.

Long Grain Rice: Market continues to soften slightly as no unexpected export sales have materialized. Although the US crop is at least 25% down from the previous year, the world production is one of the highest on record. Processors are very concerned that unless the values to producers stabilize or increase, the US production for the 2012 crop could be down even more this coming season.

Medium Grain Rice: Prices remain relatively stable. As with the long grain crop, there has been no unexpected export activity.

Seeded Flatbread Crackers

I started making these about a year ago for a party and they have been a staple ever since. They are really good and the original recipe came from some appetizer magazine that Amanda gave me. 

It's almost New Years Eve so I'll make a batch of these and some wonton crackers tonight. 

Topping:
1 Tbs. sesame seeds
2 tsp. poppy seeds
2 tsp. fennel or caraway seeds
3/4 tsp. kosher salt

Dough:
1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. table salt
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

Make the topping:

In a small bowl, stir the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and fennel or caraway seeds. Fill another small bowl with water and set it aside along with a pastry brush and the kosher salt.

Make the dough:

In a large bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, and table salt. Add the olive oil and 1/2 cup water to the flour; stir with a rubber spatula until it collects into a soft, crumbly ball of dough. Use the spatula or your hands to press the dough against the sides of the bowl to gather all the stray flour.

Set the dough on a lightly floured work surface and portion it into thirds. Pat each portion into a square. Set two squares aside and cover with a clean towel. Roll the remaining dough into a rectangle about 1/16 inch thick and 7 or 8 inches wide by 14 or 15 inches long.

With a pastry brush, brush the dough lightly with water and sprinkle about a third of the seed mix evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of the kosher salt. Cut into roughly 2” x 4” pieces

Bake about 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.

Watermelon Jello Shots

We had a party recently and were looking for something different to bring to the table. Amanda suggested Jell-O shots and I remembered reading an article about various Jell-O shot ideas. While I couldn't find the exact article I did find a nice watermelon shooter on That's So Michelle. Amanda picked a couple Margarita versions too.

We went looking for Watermelon Jell-O but apparently it is not the best seller as none of the stores we checked had any in stock. We chose a cherry instead as the color was about right.

Ingredients:
10 Limes
1 6oz box Cherry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1 cup Booze (I used silver tequila as it was out for the margarita Jell-O shots as well)

Method:
Cut limes in half lengthwise.

Using a paring knife seperate the flesh of the lime from the skin down to a 1/4" or so.

Slide your finger in at one of the ends and "peel" the flesh out of the skin creating a cup. Do this over a bowl to save any juice. Save the flesh in the same bowl for later.

Mix boiling water with gelatin mix until dissolved. Add booze and mix.

Fill lime cups to rim and place in fridge for a couple hours to set up. After they are firm cut each half lime in half again to create watermelon wedge effect.

Squish lime juice from flesh and use for margarita Jell-O shots or to make a Lime-Aid for your house margaritas.










http://www.drinkstreet.com/searchresults.cgi?drinkid=916

Savory Cranberry Brioche Bread Pudding

Makes one 9 by 13-inch bread pudding

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cranberries


1/2 cup toasted pecans

Juice and zest of 1 orange


1/4 cup brandy, divided


1 tablespoon olive oil


1 cup sliced shallots


1 loaf brioche, cut into 1-inch cubes


1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped


1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups cream

4 eggs


1/4 cup chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Soak the cranberries in the orange juice and 3 tablespoons of the brandy for 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.



Preheat oven to 350ºF.



Drain the cranberries and combine with the pecans, bread pieces, apples, butter, and sautéed shallots in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the cream, eggs, chicken stock, cinnamon, coriander, orange zest, and remaining tablespoon of brandy. Whisk until well incorporated and pour the mixture over the bread and fruit, mixing until well coated. Refrigerate for an hour.



Transfer the entire mixture to a buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for an hour. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for at least an hour before serving.