Cooking the Tree of Life 2011
The popular Cooking the Tree of Life series will be back at the State Museum this February. The series -- which pairs chefs with biologist sous chefs -- is a commemoration of Charles Darwin's birth.
This year's topics: pork, potatoes, beer (well, yeast). Hard to go wrong there. (We've heard you have a better chance or scoring samples if you get there a little early and sit near the front.)
The schedule is after the jump.
Descriptions from NYS Museum site
Swine and Dine
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 - 7 p.m.
Pigs and their porcine relatives are used as food sources in many cultures, and 7,000 years of artificial selection have resulted in the domesticated pig that we farm today. Dr. Jason Cryan, an evolutionary biologist at the State Museum, discusses the evolutionary origins, current distribution, and biology of this ubiquitous animal, while Chef Tony Destratis of Lake George Club prepares and presents inspired dishes.
Potato: The Perfect Human Food
Wednesday, February 9, 2011 - 7 p.m.
For the first few million years, the potato tuber was just a nifty adaptation to help plants store a bit of energy underground. Then humans discovered how nutritious it was, started experimenting with its evolution, and created the perfect human food. Dr. Roland Kays, curator of mammals at the State Museum, gives the evolutionary back-story to the tuber that changed the world, and the Food Network's Chef David Britton cooks up examples of cuisine it has inspired.
Loving the Bubbly: Bread, Wine, and Beer
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 - 7 p.m.
The variety of breads and fermented beverages developed by cultures around the world are made possible by one species of yeast that has evolved into hundreds of specialized strains. This microscopic fungus has been intertwined with human evolution over the last 10,000 years, helping certain cultures to flourish. Join Museum Scientist Dr. Jeremy Kirchman and Chef Stephen Topper of the Copperfield Inn, North Creek, N.Y., as they discuss the fascinating natural history of yeast and prepare delicious dishes.
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Comments
Will you guys be recapping any of these? I wish it was on the weekend instead of middle of the week!
... said Nicole on Jan 18, 2011 at 12:59 PM | link
i love potatoes! mashed with butter, fries, baked with sour cream, chives,butter.boiled with corned beef,and cabbage. potato kugel, in pierogi's! don't forget potato pancakes! pure potato heaven!
... said mg on Jan 18, 2011 at 3:41 PM | link
My birthday's the 18th. I'm going on the 16th. Done and done, thank you very much.
... said Leah the Nosher on Jan 18, 2011 at 9:17 PM | link
oh, i forgot mr.potato head!
... said mg on Jan 20, 2011 at 6:21 AM | link