Fat Cat Chef

The American Institute of Wine and Food is compiling a memory book of Julia Child's life, which you can contribute to.

The press release has more details (go to the homepage and click on "National News"):

"Those who wish to contribute to the memory book, "In Celebration of Julia Child: Our Memories," are encouraged to send their written remembrances, photographs, and other graphic materials to The AIWF via email to AIWF@sethney.com, or by mail to "In Celebration of Julia Child: Our Memories," The AIWF, 304 W. Liberty Street, Louisville, KY 40202. Memories may be viewed on the National News page at www.aiwf.org, and will be updated regularly.

The AIWF is planning a national event to celebrate Julia Child's life in Washington, DC, in early October. Details, including celebrations in many AIWF chapters throughout the United States, will be announced on www.aiwf.org."

We flew the apron at half-staff over the weekend here in the Fat Cat Kitchen in memory of Julia Childs.

What an amazing woman. She was a trailblazer with her cooking show -- the first of its kind -- and always made delicious food seem within paw's reach for us aspiring Fat Cats. And she did it all in a fun, unpretentious way.

Plus, she rescued us from the sinister encroachment of SPAM casseroles and Tang.

And what did you say Julia? Fat is good!? It adds flavor? Oh yes, you will be missed my friend, you will be missed.

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What other food bloggers say:

Cooking with Amy -- info about Julia's kitchen at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History (which Amy visited) as well as Copia, the institute that Julia founded.

NYC Eats -- the most comprehensive tribute we've found

Confessions of a Foodie -- tons of great comments

Our resident liquor consultant Suzanne Brown finally staggered walked over to a table at the Iron Horse Grill, after a couple of dinner trips that were spent at the comfy bar (reservations can sometimes be tough at the Iron Horse Grill, so call ahead, 914-741-0717).

She tried the Timbale of Peaky Toe Crab and was so impressed she made the recipe at home.

Suzanne's advice: find lumpy crab meat, this recipe is worth it.

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Timbale of Peaky Toe Crab from the Iron Horse Grill.

Fat Cat Chef review of the Iron Horse Grill.

Here in the Fat Cat Test Kitchen, The Best Recipe from Cook's Illustrated is our trusted workhorse when it comes to cookbooks.

But my favorite and most meaningful cookbook is a gift from my grandmother, Joy. As you know, it's those small, thoughtful things that always make the best gifts.

With handwritten recipes of Down East Maine cooking, I find myself reaching for it quite often. Granted, these prized recipes aren't tested as rigorously as The Best Recipe, but they're still no-fail recipes that Joy has made year after year, plus these dishes bring back fond memories of my life as a Little Fat Kitten.

The best feature, though, is the cooking tips that Joy tucked into the front:

Fat Cat Joy Swan's Cooking Tips

1. Cake or muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes away clean.

2. When making donuts, make the dough as soft as you can handle. The temperature of the fat (we love that word!) is the key to good donuts. Make sure oil is really hot to begin frying, then lower the temp and cook slow. (Bonus tip: fry one donut first to check temperature of fat.)

3. To sour 1 cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon vinegar.

4. To steam pudding or brown bread, put mixed ingredients in steaming dish or coffee can. Put coffee can in large cooking pan with water (+/- 5 inches) in bottom. Then steam on very low heat, just high enough to produce steam. (Bonus tip: watch carefully so pan doesn't go dry).

5. All recipes need salt and sugar (hear! hear!).

6. Most recipes need oil or shortening (around here, we call it "fat").

Joy's cooking tip every Fat Cat can live by:

You can almost always make your own recipes. Just remember: every recipe needs a rising ingredient -- 1 tsp baking powder to 1 c flour or 1/4 tsp baking soda to 1 c flour.

Final advice: Experiment, just remember the rules!

:: The Fat Cat Skinny ::
Ossining Farmers' Market
Ossining, New York (Westchester County)
914-923-4837

When: Saturdays, June 5 until Dec 18. Rain or shine, all the stands are under tents.
Hours: 8:30a - 2p
Where: Market Square, corner of Main and Spring in Ossining, NY -- directions and map
Parking: There is plenty of parking along and across the street.
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This is one of the best farmers' markets in Westchester County. There is a great selection of vendors and parking is easy... not to mention free.

The Bakers Wife -- bread and pastries

Bobolink Dairy -- grass-fed cheeses and wood-fired breads. Only at the market June 19 and July 3, 17 and 31

Bombay Emerald Chutney Co. -- hot and sweet chutneys. Only at the market June 26; July 17, 24; Aug 14; Sept 11, 18; Oct 9, 16; and November 6, 13 and 27

The Peta video of chicken abuse at Pilgrim's Pride -- a Kentucky Fried Chicken supplier -- isn't a big surprise to us here at the Fat Cat Animal Welfare Institute.

We haven't watched the video and don't plan to (it makes our hair stand on end), because we've known all along that factory farms are disease-ridden industrial machines that have a shameful legacy of animal mistreatment.

But the thing that you factory farmers haven't figured out is that your product -- chicken, beef, lamb, you name it -- tastes lousy. And it's due to the way you raise your animals and the mechanized processes they're exposed to.

That's right, when you jam animals into cramped, unsanitary cages and pump them full of hormones and antibiotics, you're going to produce flavorless chicken and meat. Oh, and you're going to set the stage for the very abuses that occured at Pilgrim's Pride when your misguided beancounters focus on "production units" and not animals.

So our beef (so to speak) with the Peta video goes beyond the animal welfare issue -- as humans we have a moral obligation to ensure that our food supply is treated humanely -- and focuses instead on the taste issue.

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We always buy Bell & Evans chicken. It's all-natural and tastes like, well, chicken. And the chickens look just a tad bit happier than ol' Bo Pilgrim's chickens.

And here are some happy feel-good photos from the Moorefield, WV plant where the abuse took place. No word on whether anyone in the pictures took part in the abuse (like I said, we didn't watch the video).

And of course the "shocked and appalled" press release. (Haha, you guys crack us up...)

And what visit to a factory farm wouldn't be complete without the Pilgrim's Pride story! Hasn't been updated yet to include the PETA abuse video, but stay tuned.

Finally, in case you were wondering: No, we don't eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken; I'd rather take a backside dropkick from one of those Pilgrim's Pride hoodlums.