Where caramel was born...

Ed Alcock for The New York Times

Everything I've read about making salted caramels points to Brittany in the northwest coastal region of France.That's confirmed again in this recent New York Times piece on the a few of the remaining caramel makers in that area. Once upon a time there were any number of shops that specialized in handmade caramels au beurre salé but nowadays only a few remain and of those even fewer are still making caramels by hand. But all seem to confirm that the highest quality ingredients are key and on that we all agree. The Hudson Valley cream and butter that we use here at Cooper Street Kitchen is superb and we still use do it all by hand. I like to think that the taste and texture of our caramel would compare favorably with what is made in the old country, but the best way to find out for sure would be to go there and taste for myself. Caramel tour, anyone?

How You Eat Is How You Live

The Local Food movement is growing faster than garden weeds, at least around these parts, and there seems to be no end to the sources touting this revolution and offering recipes, resources, advice and building a community based on relearning what cooking and eating is really about and creating networks of like-minded people who want to know what they're eating and what went into producing it.
Food52 is one such source that's recently come to my attention and their Cooking Manifesto was the subject of a recent edition of their newsletter. Short and to the point, it sums up why so many people feel that time spent in the kitchen cooking and time spent with friends and family eating is so important and I couldn't agree more.

 

our cooking manifesto

We love spending time in the kitchen, and we believe that memorable cooking doesn't have to be complicated or precious.

Because, if you cook:

Your family will eat dinner together.
You will naturally have a more sustainable household.
You'll set a lifelong example for your children.
You'll understand what goes into food and will eat more healthily.
You'll make your home an important place in your life.
You'll make others happy.
People will remember you.