An Earth Celebration Menu
(Page 2 of 3)
March/April 2009
By Roxanne Hawn
Parsnip Flan with Roasted Beets
Serves 8
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Parsnip Flan
1 cup cream
4 egg yolks
1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg
1⁄8 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1⁄2 tablespoon salt
3 ounces boiled, peeled and pureed parsnips (about 11⁄2 medium parsnips)
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Whisk together cream, egg yolks, nutmeg, cheese, salt and parsnips. Let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
2. Lightly whisk after resting to reincorporate ingredients. Pour into lightly oiled 4-ounce ramekins.
3. Cover ramekins with foil and place in a shallow pan. Fill pan with water to half submerge ramekins. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, or until flan is firm when tilted. Cool and unmold.
Roasted beets
¼ pound baby beets (yellow, red, candy stripe, chiogga)
11⁄2 cups water
1⁄2 cup sweet white wine, such as Riesling
1 sprig thyme
1⁄2 shallot, chopped
3 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place beets in a small Dutch oven. Mix in all other ingredients.
2. Cover and cook for 60 to 90 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork.
3. Discard roasting liquid. Let beets cool.
4. Using a dry cloth, wipe off beet skins.
5. Slice beets and chill until ready to plate.
To plate: Place one flan on plate or in bowl and cover with beet slices.
Local = Low-Carbon? Not Always
Many factors, including flavor and community economics, make eating local foods a great idea. However, local doesn’t necessarily mean low-carbon.
“If you’re looking purely at the filter of carbon emissions, the food miles most often talked about in local eating are not a good proxy for carbon emissions,” says Maisie Greenawalt, director of communications and strategic initiatives for Bon Appétit Management Company, which launched a Farm to Fork program in 1999. “I think a lot of us would like it to be that simple, but unfortunately, when you’re looking at carbon emissions, there are a lot of other factors at play.”
Dairy cows and beef cattle, for example, release methane gas through digestion. Methane is 20 to 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of global warming, and conventionally raised livestock accounts for 18 percent of global greenhouse emissions. Livestock allowed to graze naturally actually improves carbon storage in the soil, but that’s rare—most livestock is raised in a feedlot. “So, if you’re looking to eat low carbon, one thing you should look at is reducing the amount of beef and cheese that you eat,” Greenawalt says. Look for beef and cheese produced by free-range cattle.
Here are more low-carbon food suggestions:
■ Stop food waste by eating leftovers or cooking smaller portions. Wasted food means all the energy it took to grow and transport that food goes to waste, too.
■ Eliminate air-freighted foods that travel long distances fast, including shipped fresh fish and out-of-season berries. How food travels (not just how far) makes a difference.
■ Reduce tropical fruits and processed sugars. They’re not local to most of us, and they require harsh processing and long transport.
■ Choose seasonal foods. For example, eat vegetable soups in winter rather than fresh salads, which are out of season unless they are grown locally or at home with season-extending techniques.