8/8/2019 CCT 12-29-2010: Playing with food

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Christmas was only a few days ago, and Ivealready had so many people asking me howmy Christmas dinner went.

I think it went great, though the timing of cook-ng my beef tenderloin did not gooff as I hadlanned, and then the meat shot up 20 degrees inminutes when it had barely been budging for aalf an hour, so theeat turned outedium instead ofedium rare.However, because

t was an amazingut of beef from myavorite butcher,ullocks Countryeats, even atedium it was in-

redibly tender andoist, though not

s pink-colored as Iould have liked. My initial frustration wasuickly overcome by the taste, and when my fa-her pointed out that he was having seconds (hes pretty regimented in his diet and portion con-rol), I knew that it really had turned out deli-ious. And the leftovers have been good as well,hanks to the horseradish and chive cream saucehat I madeto go with it.The Cornish game hens from Christmas Eve din-er were quite a hit as well. Only one of my guestsad ever had one before, and we all really enjoyedhe rich, gamey flavor and petite size of the birds.

e were a bit confounded though on how to cutsuch a small bird and eat it politely, so I broke thece and started eating it with my hands first, andthers soon followed. That really is my stylehough asmuch asI think I likethefinerthings,omfort and convenience almost always win out inhe end.I know its cliche to goon a diet in January, but

m actually looking forward to a more rigid di-tary routine next month after all the abundantood available (and impossible to pass up) duringhe holidays.I think I was good about limiting myself to one

r two cookies at a time. However, everywhere Iurned there was another plate of a different kindf cookie. Ive had major dessert overload, andfter New Years Day Im going to try and give upessert for a month.But not until after New Years Day. Ive got a

arty to go to New Years Eve, and Im sure thereill be some irresistible desserts there, and Newears Day were going to my parents house to seey fathers extended family.Ive still been really craving to try and make my

wn marshmallows, and probably coat them inhocolate and put them on kabob sticks for a party,ut I think, in light of my sugar overload, that I

should wait maybe until February.In the meantime, here are some holiday-ish

ecipes that I think would be good to make beforee all get in a diet zone. Enjoy!

Cranberry salsa and cream cheese spread

16 ounces cream cheese4 ounces unsalted butter2 chopped green onions4 ounces can jalapeno peppers, finely choppedto 1 fresh jalapeno, chopped cup sugar cup chopped cilantro

1 lime, juice and zest

Life&TimesC

Wednesday,

December 29,

2010

Robot waitersRestaurants in China turning

to Star Wars-esque helpers

C4

Adding to the registry

Confidence slides

Entertainment C8Also see: Talk Show Topics, Annies Mailbox

Business C5

For the family

Also see: Market Roundup, Stocks

Carroll Kitchens

Carrie Ann Knauer

Select your favorite recipes to share withour readers. To submit a recipe, e- mail it toCarrie Ann Knauer at carrie.knauer@carrollcountytimes.com, or mail it to CarrollKitchens, c/o Carrie Ann Knauer, 201 Railroad

Ave., Westminster, MD 21158. Include yourname, phone number, address, e-mail addressand the best time to reach you.

CALLING ALL COOKS

Holiday feastenjoyed by all

Please see Feast, C2

Playing with food

AP PHOTOS

A broccoli forest from the book Food Landscapes by Carl Warner is shown. In his book Warner con-structs lush forests from broccoli, evocative seascapes from salmon and pastoral Tuscan farm scenesfrom pasta and Parmesan.

Photographer creates landscapes from the things we eatBY MICHELLE LOCKE

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Carl Warner never toldhis kids not to play withtheir food.

Theyd make smileyfaces from onion rings,says the London-based

photographer. Its a won-derful thing to do. I do it allthe time.

In fact, hes made a livingfrom it. Warner, whosenew book is Food Land-scapes, constructs lushforests from broccoli,evocative seascapes fromsalmon, and pastoral Tus-can farm scenes from pastaand Parmesan. Clouds ofsoft bread or mozzarellafloat in the sky, rice peb-bles scatter walkways, po-tatoes become boulders. Bycombining the techniquesof classical painting and

the sensibility of SalvadorDali with some basic Pho-toshop, Warner deliversstill life art that is haunt-ing, playful and auda-ciously real.

It started a decade agowith a stroll through themarket and a realizationthat Portobello mushroomslook a lot like trees on anAfrican savannah.

Since that first photo,Warner has created a bodyof work that hovers some-where between art andcommercial food photog-raphy.

The jury is still out onwhether this is art or not,for me as well as others,he says. He regards hiswork as a celebration notonly of food, but of thehuman imagination. If Ican take the contents of my

fridge and make a littleworld out of it, he says,what can people do with awhole world full of stuff?

Warner approaches histabletop models as mini-theater sets, and uses sim-ilar tricks of perspective.Parsley fronds and spinachplants frame the fore-

ground, while diminishingpathways lead the eye tothe back of the scene.

He shoots in close, usinga lens that foreshortens thescene, creating remarkably3-D shots that look exactlylike what they depict

and what theyre made of.If Ive got something in

there that people dont rec-ognize then it defeats theobject, he says. Theyvegot to be able to realizethat everythings made offood.

Indigenous ingredientsalso contribute to the ef-

fect.A scene of a Chinese

boat and dock uses soybeans, mushrooms, fortunecookies and other Asianitems. Warner conjures theAmerican dustbowl withmeat, cereal and a loaf of

bread, the regions iconicingredients.

Theres somethingabout the authenticity ofit, he says. If I had somestrange kumquat in themiddle of an Americanlandscape, it doesnt fit.

Scene construction andphotography can take any-where from a couple ofhours to several days. ForFishscape, a photo madeentirely of mackerel, bass,whelks and other seafood,shooting had to take placein one day, for obvious rea-sons (fish at day two underthe lights? not a good idea).The London skyline think Big Bens tower out ofgreen beans took days toconstruct.

Warner keeps the itemsfresh throughout his shootsby keeping the studio cool

and photographing thescenes in layers: dress theforeground, shoot.

Dress the middle ground,shoot, then Photoshop allof the layers of the scenetogether.

Warner has taken hitsover the years for wastingfood. He notes that what isstill edible after shootinggets parceled out to thecrew and, if theres a lot ofit, to shelters. But he alsobristles at the notion thathis work wastes food.

There is a certainamount thrown away, but

you cant compare it towhat restaurants and su-permarkets throw away, hesays. And I dont considermy work a waste of food.Its providing joy and itsinspiring kids to try foodsthey havent tried before.

The book cover of Carl Warners Food Landscapesis shown.

Make fast food healthy at home

BY JIM ROMANOFFASSOCIATED PRESS

For too many of us, theholiday season isnt justabout spreading glad tid-ings and joy. Its also aboutthe spreading of the waist-line.

To keep the joy but battlethe bulge, consider makinghealthy homemade fastfood.

These diet-worthy disheswont tie you to the kitchen,but also wont weigh youdown.

Consider having a burger

night where you serve pre-made veggie burgers ratherthan the fatty beef ones.

Theres quite a variety

available in the freezer sec-tion of your grocer andbrands such as Boca offergreat meaty-tasting ver-sions.

Dont forget that mostfast food burgers are allabout the toppings, manyof which can be quitehealthy.

Arrange a platter oftomatoes, pickles, onions,shredded lettuce and othertoppings for your family toassemble their own burg-ers.

And be sure to includesome low-fat cheese and

reduced-fat mayo, as wellas ketchup and mustard.

Its providing joyand its inspiring kids

to try foods they haventtried before.

Carl WarnerOn his artwork

AP PHOTO

Crunchy fish nuggets are shown. To keep the joy butbattle the bulge, consider healthy homemade fast foodthis holiday season.

Fish nuggets an option for quick meal

Please see Healthy, C3