I love reading Mia Kouppa, the Greek cooking site run by Helen and Billie Bitzas, who live in Montreal. Along with their recipes, which I’ve featured here, I especially enjoy the stories they share about their family.
Over Labor Day weekend (or Labour Day as it’s spelled in Canada), Helen and Billie got together with their parents and other family members for their annual tomato sauce making project.
It sounded like a messy, festive and ultimately productive event, and it struck me that you don’t have to come from a Greek family to enjoy the fun of group cooking.
Covid considerations have kept some of us from gathering in the same way we have in the past. But if you, your family and friends are vaccinated and no one is at risk, fall is a wonderful time to launch a collective project.
Tips For A Fun, Collective Cooking Event
I asked Helen and Billie to share some tips on how to pull one off in the most efficient and fun way.
First, decide what you’re making. Get everyone on the same page, by email, phone or text before they arrive. It’s a good idea to keep things simple. For instance, focus on tomato sauce, or apple sauce, and if you’re making cookies, stick to a few kinds.
Second, set up the kitchen or your work area in advance. Gather gloves, aprons, towels, cutting boards, knives, peelers, ingredient bowls, scrap bowls and pots and pans so that people can get to work as soon as they arrive.
Third, assign tasks based on peoples’ abilities. Little kids probably should not be wielding knives. And some older people with arthritis might have trouble peeling. But there’s always something to be done — those who don’t want to get messy can be dispatched to make or order lunch for the group.
Fourth, come ready to work. Wear washable clothes and comfortable shoes. Even if you think aprons are old-school, you’ll be happy to have one if you’re working with tomatoes or dealing with other drippy ingredients.
Fifth, build in extra time. The Bitzas family always estimates how much time it will take, and then adds an hour. Use your first batch as an estimator of how long it will take to make the next ones.
For instance, I’ve found apples lately can be very unpredictable. Sometimes, they cook down quickly; other years, I can stand stirring sauce much longer than I estimate.
Finally, remember that it’s supposed to be fun! Put on a play list to which people can sing along to pass the time. I’ve found Motown hits are great ice breakers (shades of The Big Chill). So are Broadway show tunes. If someone in your group takes part in pub trivia, you might designate them to lead a mini-quiz. Or, ask Alexa to play Jeopardy and see how you all do.
You can read even more about collective cooking projects in my story for The Takeout.
I’d love to hear your suggestions, too — what’s your favorite group cooking project?
A Chat With GCBS Judge Bruno Feldeisen
I’m taking a break from my Great British Bake Off reviews this week, which was German week, and not really up to the baking I experienced on trips to Germany.
Instead, I want to highlight another baking program.
Last Sunday marked the first episode of the new season of the Great Canadian Baking Show, which is an offshoot of the original.
This summer, I had the fun of interviewing one of its judges, chef Bruno Feldeisen, for my Washington Post column.
Bruno is from Clermont-Ferrand, France, in central France, south of Vichy.
He moved to the U.S. in the 1980s, becoming the executive pastry chef at Four Seasons Hotels in New York and Vancouver, and now divides his time between the western U.S. and Canada, and Toronto, where the show is filmed.
I told him how much I enjoyed the joie de vivre that the Canadian show displays, which is even sweeter than the British original. He said he and co-judge Kyla Kennaley, another pastry expert, concentrate specifically on the food, not on personalities.
“You have to have an open mind, an open heart to judge the competition,” he told me. “It is a huge time commitment” by the bakers. “We are grateful for that gift. There is no money to win. We never forget that they come here, they work very hard, and we want to be respectful to that. “
In contrast to the British version, where Paul Hollywood has honed a reputation for being intimidating, Bruno and Kyla are supportive of the bakers, many of whom are beset with nerves when they arrive.
“Bakers come in fear of me,” Bruno says. “Some of them actually shake. I don’t want the viewer to see” them in a negative light.
Instead, he wants viewers to feel they can attempt what the bakers are doing on screen. “You bake as a celebration,” he says. “Cooking and baking is a gift to give someone.”
SPOILERS AHEAD
Last week’s episode featured a truly innovative showstopper, in which the bakers were asked to create a fault line cake. I’d never seen one before, although I’ve since discovered you can find lots of photos of them on Pinterest.
The cake is crafted to make it look like it was split open, like a fault created by an earthquake. The height of a three or four-layer cake is needed to get the full effect. Many of the Canadian ones looked majestic, despite some epic failures.
This week’s star baker, Steve, crafted a massive cake meant to resemble a beehive, with homemade sponge candy — aka honeycomb candy — decorating the fault.
Seeing it was nostalgic for me because my mum loved sponge candy, and we’d always pick some up on trips across the Canadian border.
For the opening signature challenge, Steve baked a pound cake that was flavored with chai and mango. His recipe can be found here.
I hope you can tune in the show on the CBC, where it airs on Sunday nights, or find episodes online. If you’re unable to watch, you can follow the show on Facebook.
Congratulations, Dame Mary Berry!
Speaking of that other baking program, last week beloved judge Mary Berry received her dame hood. She was invested with the honor (or should I say, honour) by Prince Charles in a ceremony at Windsor Castle.
Dame Mary said she didn’t have elaborate plans after — she and her husband planned to go home and have a sandwich, then celebrate with the rest of the family in the evening.
She saw the damehood as an acknowledgment of her teaching abilities.
“My aim is to pass on the skill that I love so much, because everybody has to cook each day, whether it’s a student or whatever it is, you’ve got to feed yourself so why not learn to do it well and enjoy it.”
Well said, and well done!
Maybe we can
Find a place to feel good
And we can treat people with kindness
When I saw Harry Styles’ video for his song, Treat People With Kindness, I smiled and I got teary-eyed. It’s such a loving message, and it was an inspiration for my latest column.
Last week, I wrote in the Post about the difficulties that so many merchants and others are experiencing due to the supply chain hiccups. I suggested that to be considerate, people should dial down their expectations.
That did not sit well with some readers, but I was so grateful when USA Today columnist and novelist Connie Schultz mentioned it in her own essay. I enjoyed discussing my column on Detroit Today on WDET-FM public radio, and on a Post Opinions Instagram Live.
These are uncertain times, and that’s made it difficult for some people to adjust. But, if you can be flexible, this will pass soon enough. Meanwhile, treat people with kindness.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
Last week, I received some lovely book news. I’ve told you that there will be an audio book for Satisfaction Guaranteed, my upcoming book about Zingerman’s, and I’ve been invited to read the introduction.
It’s rather a big deal, since there’s an entire group of people who narrate audiobooks for a living. Unless you’re a professional speaker, or a public figure, authors generally don’t get to read their own books, because it’s a time consuming production process. I’m proud you’ll get to hear my voice.
We’re less than four months away from publication now, and there are plenty of options for placing a pre-order, so please check them out.
Also, if you’re interested in what’s going on around Ann Arbor, please subscribe to the A2View newsletter from the Ann Arbor Observer. We’ve been consistently breaking news about our community and we welcome news tips, too. I also encourage you to follow @aaobserver on Instagram and Twitter.
Meanwhile, you can follow me on Twitter and Tik Tok @culinarywoman, and on Instagram @michelinemaynard.
Please stay safe and healthy, and see you next Sunday.