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GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2015 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 6 BY LORRIE BAUMANN New research about the role of fats in the human diet, a look back at the weaknesses of older research and concerns about trans fats and partially hydrogenated oils have united to kindle a resurgence of interest in animal fats. Eric Gustafson, Chief Execu- tive Officer of Coast Packing Company, a manufacturer of animal fat and shorten- ings, is cheering the change. "I think that the tide is turning, and I think it's great," he said. "I think that peo- ple are starting to see the fact that animal fats are not really all that bad for you. The links between fats and cholesterol are start- ing to become more clear, at least that the links are not what we thought they were." He cites the 2014 release of Nina Tei- cholz's book, "The Big Fat Surprise" as a catalyst for changing common American misconceptions about the role of animal fats in human nutrition, along with the Food and Drug Administration's 2015 an- nouncement that it would no longer recog- nize partially hydrogenated oils as "Generally Recognized as Safe." Teicholz's book points out weaknesses in the nutri- tion research that demonized saturated fats as the most important single cause of coro- nary artery disease deaths in the U.S. and led to a spate of dietary advice calling for rigorous limits on consumption of animal products, especially red meat and eggs, based on the unproven theory that con- sumption of saturated fats inevitably led to higher cholesterol levels in the bloodstream and ultimately to the buildup of plaques in coronary arteries and therefore to coronary artery disease. More recent research and the discovery of so-called "good cholesterol" has called that conclusion into question and pointed an incriminating finger at the artificial trans fats formed through partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats that are liquids at room temperature into forms that are stable and solid at room temperature and therefore easier to handle. "The FDA's action on this major source of artificial trans fat demon- strates the agency's commitment to the heart health of all Americans," said FDA's Acting Commissioner Stephen Ostroff, M.D. as the agency announced its decision in January 2015. "This action is expected to reduce coronary heart disease and pre- vent thousands of fatal heart attacks every year." "That has caused animal fat to regain its place at the table," Gustafson said. "Artifi- cial trans fats have been found to be more dangerous with respect to coronary artery disease than animal fats." Nutritionists still caution against overdo- ing the use of animal fats as well as other animal products, and the 2015 Dietary Guidelines, when they are released later this year by the federal Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Serv- ices, are expected to recommend that Americans cut back on consumption of sat- urated fats in favor of polyunsaturated fats like canola or sunflower oil or monosatu- rated fats like olive oil, but they're not ex- pected to insist that Americans need to cut animal fats and proteins out of their diets altogether. That change in the signal from a red light to a yellow caution light plus the results they see from including lard in their pastries and frying with beef tallow is in- spiring many chefs, particularly those in Los Angeles, to put lard and tallow back onto their shopping lists, Gustafson said. "Not everyone's going to accept animal fats, but we believe when you look at the poten- tial consumers of animal fats and why it's regaining popularity, you come back to why we eat, and that's that we want to eat food that tastes good. Animal fats truly make food taste better." The shortenings and fats that Coast Packing is selling to those chefs are pro- duced by taking the fat from the animal, grinding that fat into smaller pieces, then using steam to heat it in a tank which melts and liquefies the fat. The liquefied fat or "oil" then enters through a cen- trifuge that whirls it around to separate out any remaining proteins and moisture. The process is a large-scale version of the fat-washing technique that some modern mixologists are using to infuse cocktails with bacon flavor, leaving the pork fat be- hind to be discarded. Pork fat is otherwise known as lard, whereas tallow refers to beef fat. In Coast Packing's case, it's both the original flavor and the fat component that are the means to an end. "The unique thing about our system is that we can manufacture beef tallow in a way that re- tains more flavor characteristics, if that's what people want, or it can have no flavor or odor at all," Gustafson said. "When you bite into a cake, you don't want it to taste like a steak. Conversely, if someone wants to fry traditional foods, we can leave a little bit of that beef flavor because it helps to accentuate the flavor of what you're frying. Minor flavor calibration aside, we're committed to the concept of 'minimally processed.' It's a way to remain true to the Coast Packing tradition, and it's a genuine differentiator when stacked up against manufactured (and trans fat- laden) alternatives." GN Putting the Fat Back into Food Lidia Cooks Continued from PAGE 1 Angelo Vivolo and a team of executive chefs that included Bastianich's children to carefully curate a meal plan that would em- body a homeliness for the spiritual leader. "For me, food – comfort food – is home, and I wanted [the pope] to feel welcome and feel like he was right at home," says Bastianich. Initially aiming to create a series of dishes reminiscent of Pope Francis's back- ground, Bastianich instead moved to lighter fare such as squash and other vegetables, rice and fresh fish to accommodate his diet better. "I wanted him to feel like he was in his mother's kitchen. We were going to show off American beef – a whole rack – for Argentinian beef meals, but we were told he wanted to eat light, so I cooked more seasonal fare like rice dishes... He loves risotto with some olive oil, lemon and parsley," she says. The first meal that would grace the pope's plate was Caprese di Astice e Burrata (Heirloom tomatoes, house-made Burrata and steamed Maine lobster) followed by Brodo di Cappone con Anolini (Capon soup with Grana Padano ravio- lini) and veal medallions 'Boscaiola', porcini, corn and fresh tomato – known as Medaglioni di Vitello alla Boscaiola. For dessert, Sobetto di Uva Fragola con Torta degli Angeli – Concord grape sor- betto with angel food cake. While the pope follows a very specific diet, Bastianich's capon soup was such a hit with His Ho- liness that he had leftovers the next day. "It was re- ally done from the heart...I made a big pot of capon soup and fed it to him twice. One day with lots of vegetables and one day with lots of rice," says Bas- tianich. Each morning started at 6:45 am with the pope coming down for a break- fast that consisted of a medley of frittatas, all kinds of yogurts, honeys and cereals and fruits of every type, recalls Bas- tianich, "He was rather simple on the breakfasts he liked and was very unde- manding of everything, but he loved his coffee." The pope never did business at the table – maybe with the exception of light sched- uling – and didn't stray from his routine of mangoes and pineapple, Melba toast and some jam, despite the abundance of jams, baked goods, crepes and freshly squeezed juices that were available. "Saturday was the last breakfast...and he greeted every- one's family before eating," Bastianich says. "It was very moving." Bastianich relied on her own personal garden to provide many of the ingredients in the vegetable-inspired lunch that was prepared for Pope Francis. Insalata Cotta e Cruda con la Nostra Ricotta, cooked and raw vegetable salad with Felidia's ricotta, comprised a veritable cornucopia of Bas- tianich's private vegetable reserve. "What- ever I had in my garden is what I made with...beautiful squash, string beans, beets, sage, basil, parsley, toma- toes...." she says, "We wanted the pope to feel the love of home." Next came the Risotto con Porcini e Tartufi (Risotto with porcini, summer truffles and Grana Padano Riserva) fol- lowed by Pere ed uva al forno con Gelato alla Vaniglia, roasted pears and grapes with vanilla gelato, for dessert. For dinner, Bastianich fo- cused the four-course meal on fresh striped bass, tuna and vegetables. The Tutto Tonno is tuna tartare made with a semi carpaccio preserve and tonnato sauce that was followed by the Cacio e Pere, pear and pecorino filled ravioli, aged pecorino and crushed black pepper. The main dish of the evening was Bastianich's signature Felidia dish, Spigola Striata al forno con Olio d'oliva e Limone, which is whole roasted striped bass, late summer vegetables, extra virgin olive oil and lemon. The dessert was a specially made apple crostata with local honey ice cream. "I think the focus is on the ingredients – the goodness of the ingredients. When making traditional Italian, stick to tradi- tional Italian products. I always say, 'Fol- low the recipe...don't be dominated by it,'" says Bastianich. Bastianich tempers any pride in who she serves with the humility that the Holy Fa- ther carries with him to the masses. "Food is not a luxury," she says with the inflection of an Italian matriarch, when asked why cooking for Pope Francis meant so much to her. "Food nourishes us all in about the same way." Amen to that. GN