This Week >> 7/10/2008
This week on Let's Travel! Susan and Michael are at the 2008 NASFT Fancy Food Show in New York once again savouring tastes from around the world. After an interview with Ron Tanner, VP of the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. which mounts the show, we travel to Chile to give you a sample of the diversity and richness of Chilean food and wine. Bon appetit!
Where we'll be exploring
The NASFT and the 2008 Fancy Food Show
The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade is a not-for-profit business trade association established in 1952 to foster trade, commerce and interest in the specialty food industry.
The NASFT is an international organization composed of domestic and foreign manufacturers, importers, distributors, brokers, retailers, restaurateurs, caterers and others in the specialty foods business. The organization has more than 2,500 current member companies throughout the U.S. and overseas.
The NASFT is the preeminent trade association in the vibrant specialty food industry. In addition to the top business-building programs, services and networking opportunities, you'll find a community of over 2,700 passionate companies that benefit from the NASFT's leadership, information and representation.
To view the official site of the NASFT, click here
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage at the country's southernmost tip. It is one of only two countries in South America that does not have a border with Brazil. The Pacific forms the country's entire western border, with a coastline that stretches over 6,435 kilometers. Chilean territory extends to the Pacific Ocean which includes the overseas territories of Juan Fernández Islands, the Sala y Gómez islands, the Desventuradas Islands and Easter Island located in Polynesia. Chile claims 1,250,000 km of territory in Antarctica.
Chile's unusual, ribbon-like shape —4,300 km long and on average 175 km wide— has given it a hugely varied climate, ranging from the world's driest desert - the Atacama - in the north, through a Mediterranean climate in the centre, to a snow-prone Alpine climate in the south, with glaciers, fjords and lakes. The northern Chilean desert contains great mineral wealth, principally copper. The relatively small central area dominates the country in terms of population and agricultural resources. This area also is the cultural and political center from which Chile expanded in the late 19th century, when it incorporated its northern and southern regions. Southern Chile is rich in forests and grazing lands and features a string of volcanoes and lakes. The southern coast is a labyrinth of fjords, inlets, canals, twisting peninsulas, and islands. The Andes Mountains are located on the eastern border.
For more info. on Chile, click here
Guests
Pilar Rodriguez, Chef
Following a fast track, 15-year fashion-marketing career, Pilar Rodriguez has quickly moved to the top of the culinary scene.
Steered by the roots of her native country of Chile, Ms. Rodriguez forged a unique path by using her passion for wine, along with innovative culinary techniques to ultimately develop a brand new style of cuisine that is inspired by some of her country's best wines. This unique concept of "cooking for the wines" results in food reflective of a philosophy of flexibility, balance and harmony of flavors and textures.
Ms. Rodriguez today focuses on selling Chile's "table" to the world and is currently researching and writing a cookbook that celebrates the foods and flavors of Chile's wine country. She obtained her "Diplôme de Cuisine" from "Le Cordon Bleu" cooking school of Paris after leaving a position of Director of Marketing for Latin America and the Caribbean for Tommy Hilfiger USA in 1999. Returning to her Chilean roots, Ms. Rodriguez settled down in the Colchagua wine region where she established a catering and consulting company called Comida y Vino (Food and Wine). In December 2006, she was selected Chef of the Year by Placeres, Chile's prominent food magazine.
Seared Salmon with Merkén, fleur de sel (sea salt) and Coriander Seeds crust over avocado tartar
(Serves 6)
Ingredients:
6 x100 grams boneless, skinless salmon fillets
4 tbsp olive oil
Crust:
½ cup fleur de sel (coarse sea salt)
½ cup of cilantro seeds
1 tbsp Merkén
1 tbsp cochayuyo molido ahumado (smoked sea weed powder)
Avocado Tartar:
2 cups avocado cut in small cubes
¼ cup finely diced red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp finely diced yellow chilli pepper
Salt to taste
Pepper
1 pinch sugar
½ cup cilantro leaves
½ parsley leaves
½ tsp lemon juice
Lemon zest
Preparation
- Coarsely grind and mix the salt and all the spices for the crust, reserve in shallow bowl.
- In a non-stick pan, sear the salmon filets with olive oil on both sides just getting a nice golden color. Do not over cook. The center of the fillet has to be raw.
- Press one side of the salmon into the salt spice mixture and set aside.
- Mix all ingredients for avocado Tartar in a bowl and check seasoning
- Finishing: Serve the salmon fillets over the Tartar. Serve immediately.
Alicia Frohmann, Director of Trade Promotion
ProChile
Alicia Frohmann is the Director of Trade Promotion (ProChile) at the Ministry of Foreign Relations of Chile. She is the former Chief of the FTAA and North America Department at the Ministry, and is responsible for the implementation of trade agreements. Ms. Frohmann is the coordinator of the Chile-US Free Trade Agreement negotiating team, as well as the lead labor negotiator of the FTA. Between 1983 and 1997, she served as Research Professor at the Latin American Faculty for the Social Sciences (FLACSO-Chile). In addition, she was the Vice President of the Chilean Association for Political Science from 1991-1992.
Ms. Frohmann is an historian and has done extensive research and contributed to publications on Inter-American political relations and economic integration, as well as labor, gender, politics and trade. She teaches International Investment and Trade Law at the University of Chile/University of Heidelberg M.A. Program, Regional Economic Integration at the University of Andalucía M.A. Program, and Regional Integration at the Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar M.A. Program in Bolivia. She is a visiting fellow at the Universities of Bergen, Lund, Syracuse, North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and at the Institut für Iberoamerika-Kunde in Hamburg, Germany.
Her areas of expertise include trade promotion, international trade negotiations, implementation of free-trade agreements, globalization and civil society, as well as gender and labor.