Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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The Thrill Of Victory, The Agony Of ‘Lets Eat!’ [Food Brands Capitalize On Olympic Glory]

Posted Feb 19, 2010 by Jeff Houck

Updated Feb 19, 2010 at 02:55 PM

The attractive young woman in the ski cap? That’s Lindsey Vonn. She’s a downhill skier for the U.S. Olympics Team.

I wasn’t aware of that (I’m not that strong an Olympics fan) until I was notified of this earlier in February by Arnold Bread.

Their press release:

Hi,

The 2010 Winter Olympics are less than one week away and this year all eyes are on ski racer Lindsey Vonn.  As the most successful female American skier in World Cup history, Lindsey has her eye on the gold this winter season. 

In preparation for dominating the Vancouver slopes, Lindsey has been training intensely and following a nutritious diet. That’s why her partnership with Arnold Bread is no surprise. Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Bread gives Lindsey the energy to compete against the world’s best skiers.  I’ve also included the ingredients for Lindsey’s favorite go-to Olympics preparation sandwich below.

Additionally, your readers can visit www.arnoldbakery.com to enter a contest to win a trip to meet Lindsey at a ski resort in Colorado!  Please let me know if you would like any other information.

Actually, I did want to know the recipe of her favorite go-to Olympics preparation sandwich. Especially since she wound up winning a gold medal. I’m funny that way.

And here it is:

LINDSEY VONN’S FAVORITE SANDWICH

Ham
Swiss Cheese
Onion
Lettuce
Tomato
Honey Mustard
Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Bread

Pile ham, Swiss cheese, onion, lettuce and tomato on one slice of Arnold 100% Whole Wheat Bread.  Spread the top slice with a generous amount of honey mustard.  Put the sandwich together, slice diagonally, and enjoy!

A ham sammich? That got her to Vancouver?

Wait. It’s a whole wheat ham sandwich. Got it.

Cool. I love me some whole wheat. And I’m not just saying that in search of new, specifically targeted advertisers for this pro-bread, pro-carb food blog.

For the record, Arnold has plenty of company on the Olympics bandwagon.

Hi Jeff,

After watching Shaun White’s Double McTwist 1260 and injured Lindsey Vonn’s downhill gold last night, Olympic fever is has certainly reached an awesome, snow covered peak.

Stay in the “spirit” and shake those viewer nerves with some Olympic themed cocktails at your next get together.

The five Olympic rings represent the five participating continents, and were debuted in Antwerp Olympics in 1920. Please find a few recipes below to make up Three-O Vodka’s Olympic Rings, and feel free to contact me for high res images or any more info, thanks!

I felt free. So I contacted. And it produced this bounty:

I’m sorry, but that’s all kinds of awesome.

Here are the respective drink recipes:

Blue Skis

3 oz. Three-O Grape Vodka
½ oz. Blue Caracao
1 oz. lemonade

Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Mountain Mist

3 oz. Three-O Citrus Vodka
½ oz grapefruit juice
½ oz pineapple juice
Splash of Triple Sec

Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Black Ice

1 ¼ oz. Three-O Tripe Espresso Vodka
¾ oz. premium dark chocolate liqueur
½ oz. orange liqueur

Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Curling on the Rocks

2 oz. Three-O Raspberry Vodka
½ oz. Melon Liqueur
½ oz. Triple Sec
Splash of cranberry juice
Splash of orange juice

Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

Olympic Flame

3 oz. Three-O Cherry Vodka
½ oz. Triple Sec
1 oz. cranberry juice
Splash fresh lime juice

Mix ingredients in a glass with ice

I’m a big fan of espresso vodka, as well as chocolate and orange liqueurs. I am a friend of all alcohol. I discriminate against none.

But there’s no way I’m drinking the Black Ice. I have too much respect for my body, especially after eating the go-to Olympics preparation sandwich. I have a training regimen to think about.

Going back to the sandwich theme, when you think of the Olympics, you really should think of goat cheese:

A PANINI FIT FOR OLYMPIANS

NY, NY – With over 350,000 spectators from 80 countries attending Vancouver’s Winter Olympics and Paralympics, how do you accomplish feeding such massive numbers? One way is through generous sponsorships.  For example, Woolwich Dairy, a family-owned goat cheese company with facilities in Canada and the U.S., is providing over 330 pounds of fresh unripened goat cheese for a healthy Panini recipe served at the Ontario Pavilion. Located in downtown Vancouver, the pavilion is 13,000 square feet and situated in a prime location with close proximity to the Athletes Village, British Columbia and Canada Hockey Place.

While cheering on your favorite team with family and friends, feel a special part of this global experience and serve this super simple, tasty Panini treat. Buon appetito!

CHICKEN GOAT CHEESE PANINI

1/4 cup Chevrai unripened goat cheese, softened
1/4 cup fresh Ricotta cheese
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tomato, sliced
2 focaccia buns, sliced in half
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cooked or grilled boneless chicken breasts, chopped
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup shavings of Parmesan
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, blend goat cheese with ricotta and Italian seasoning.

Place tomato slices on hot grill to slightly char; set aside.  Brush one side of each focaccia slice with olive oil.  Place two focaccia slices oil side down on work surface covered with waxed paper and divide goat cheese mixture, chicken, spinach, tomatoes and Parmesan between each. Sprinkle with pepper and top with remaining focaccia halves, oiled side up, gently pressing to pack.

Place sandwiches in grill, close the top plate and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 2 sandwiches.

As delicious as that looks, I’d have been a whole lot more impressed if the panini was cut in the shape of the Olympic rings. And if it was a dessert. And if it was named for a city across the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island.

Speaking of which…

Hi—

Vancouver will be in the limelight this month with the start of the Olympics. Your readers might be planning to have friends over to watch and interested in a dessert that was invented in and named for a city that’s just across the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island - Nanaimo. Please see the attached.

Nanaimo bars consist of three rich layers—a chocolate-graham cracker base embedded with coconut and nuts; a buttercream middle enriched with vanilla custard powder; and a smooth dark chocolate top. The filling also lends itself to all kinds of variations, like peanut butter, mocha, or mint.

Aside from using instant pudding mix in place of custard powder (a common substitution in the States), the recipe Ann Clark uses departs from tradition in a couple of ways: For the crumb layer, rather than just stirring the eggs into the butter, sugar, and cocoa, the mixture is heated in a double boiler until the mixture reaches 160 degrees. Since the bars aren’t baked, this step ensures that the eggs are properly cooked. And for the topping, instead of simply melting chocolate and butter, this recipe also adds a small amount of cream, to make the chocolate layer easier to spread and cut.

The Olympic ring cookie cutter is available here. Other Vancouver-appropriate shapes include a bear and a fish.

I love the idea of a Vancouver-appropriate shape. Something about that sounds so ... Canadian.

Here’s the recipe for the bars:

NANAIMO BARS

You’ll need a little less than a full box of graham crackers to make the crumbs for these bars. Walnuts and almonds are both traditional, but pecans are also good in the crumb layer. Because these bars are not baked, the egg mixture is heated to 160 degrees for food safety reasons.

Stir together in a large bowl and set aside:
- 3 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 cups shredded coconut
- 1 cup nuts, chopped fine

Melt in the top of a double boiler over simmering water:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa

Add:
- 2 large eggs, beaten

Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until mixture reaches 160 degrees. Immediately pour over graham cracker mixture and blend thoroughly. (Once the mixture has cooled, you may use your hands.) Sprinkle evenly into a 12 by 18-inch jellyroll or half-sheet pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and, using the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup, press firmly into an even layer.

Beat with an electric mixer:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Add and beat:
- 4 cups confectioners’ sugar

Whisk together until dissolved:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding powder

Add to butter mixture and beat 1 to 2 minutes. Spread in an even layer over graham cracker mixture and refrigerate.

In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, stir until melted and smooth:
- 12 ounces (about 2 cups) finely chopped semisweet chocolate
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Cool until just barely warm but still liquid, and pour over vanilla buttercream mixture. Spread evenly and smooth the surface. Refrigerate until chocolate topping is firm, then cut bars with your favorite Ann Clark, Ltd. cookie cutters.

Makes about 12 large cut-out bars, or 72 small bars.