Food for the heart

[Christopher Haatuft]

Im holding a cooking class for some heart specialist this week and I was hoping you had some ideas on food I could teach them to cook. It has to be about beeing able to make good food without to much dairy, fat and salt.

For the menu I plan something like this;

Welcome dish;

Saffron and liqurice root chicken soup

Snack during the course;

Trout sashimi with soy/sesame/sherry dipping sauce

First course;

Spiny lobster carpaccio

Main course;

Stockfish poched in chiliinfused oliveoil

Dessert;

Marinated fresh fruit with lime granite topped with vanilla-vodka

So if you have any input on something else I could make, ingredients thats good for the heart, ingredients thats bad for the heart or just a comment on the menu, your thoughts would be appreciated.

[therese]

Exactly what comprised a "heart healthy" diet is by no means settled, but your no red meat/lots of fish/fruit for dessert formula works well.

I can't quite get my mind around the saffron/liquorice root chicken soup, and might switch that out for something more vegetable-based.

Fiber's important, so whole grains should appear somewhere in the meal (and may well---you don't menion accompaniments to any of the course).

[Susan G]

Spring greens? Roasted asparagus? Steamed fiddleheads? Braised ramps?

I thought lobster was high in cholesterol? How big a portion are you serving? Is there another meat you can use?

Good luck with your class!

[Smithy]

Are you trying to show your class that good heart-healthy food can be had when cooked by a chef, or that they can do it themselves? I don't know how it is in Norway, but I think your menu would seem so exotic as to be intimidating for most people here where I live (northeastern Minnesota, USA, small town). You might want to consider at least one dish with something more commonplace - a chicken and rice dish, for instance. I also like the previous posters' suggestions about vegetables. Don't forget that olive oil is supposed to be heart-healthy. You might consider a whole-wheat pasta dish. Mind you, I'm not knocking the menu, but I'm considered rather odd in these parts.

That being said, I confess that I'm not that familiar with Norwegian cooking. Maybe what you're proposing is not at all exotic to you!

[Genny]

In the states, they tout 'cruciferous vegetables' like broccoli as being heart healthy as well as oatmeal.

[Abra]

Don't forget red wine and dark chocolate!

[Smithy]

Don't forget red wine and dark chocolate!

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Abra, you're a woman after my own heart.

[Mooshmouse]

First course;

Spiny lobster carpaccio

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I thought lobster was high in cholesterol?

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Lobster is quite high in cholesterol. For your carpaccio, perhaps try using salmon or tuna which have roughly half the cholesterol content of lobster; additionally, the Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon aid in overall cholesterol reduction. As another cold-water fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, trout is an excellent choice. Good call on staying right away from shrimp which has cholesterol through the roof. Other heart-healthy fish choices are snapper, cod, halibut and mackerel.

Certain plant foods such as soy (tofu et al) and those with soluble fiber (cruciferous vegetables as Genny mentioned, apricots, beans) have been shown to actually lower cholesterol.

[Christopher Haatuft]

Are you trying to show your class that good heart-healthy food can be had when cooked by a chef, or that they can do it themselves?  I don't know how it is in Norway, but I think your menu would seem so exotic as to be intimidating for most people here where I live (northeastern Minnesota, USA, small town).  You might want to consider at least one dish with something more commonplace - a chicken and rice dish, for instance.  I also like the previous posters' suggestions about vegetables.  Don't forget that olive oil is supposed to be heart-healthy.  You might consider a whole-wheat pasta dish.  Mind you, I'm not knocking the menu, but I'm considered rather odd in these parts.

That being said, I confess that I'm not that familiar with Norwegian cooking.  Maybe what you're proposing is not at all exotic to you! 

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Well its more for fun than beeing educational. The people Im having the class for probably knows more about whats good for the heart than what I can teach them, as its their field of work But yes, it has to be something they can take home with them. When I hold my courses I want to teach them techniches and fundamentals so that they can apply that to their homecooking, but I belive its also nice to show some stuff they feel they couldnt come up with themselves. For the exotic part, most of the ingredients are local, and Im on a stockfish crusade

[Christopher Haatuft]

Don't forget red wine and dark chocolate!

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Abra, you're a woman after my own heart.

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dark chocholate is good for the heart? How? But that takes care of the dessert

[Christopher Haatuft]

First course;

Spiny lobster carpaccio

←

I thought lobster was high in cholesterol?

←

Lobster is quite high in cholesterol. For your carpaccio, perhaps try using salmon or tuna which have roughly half the cholesterol content of lobster; additionally, the Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon aid in overall cholesterol reduction. As another cold-water fish high in Omega-3 fatty acids, trout is an excellent choice. Good call on staying right away from shrimp which has cholesterol through the roof. Other heart-healthy fish choices are snapper, cod, halibut and mackerel.

Certain plant foods such as soy (tofu et al) and those with soluble fiber (cruciferous vegetables as Genny mentioned, apricots, beans) have been shown to actually lower cholesterol.

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Ill try to steer away from the lobster then...

[vinelady]

Saffron and liqurice root chicken soup

I would recommend that you not serve anything to Licorice in it. It causes a substantial raise in blood pressure.

[Patrick S]

Don't forget red wine and dark chocolate!

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Abra, you're a woman after my own heart.

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dark chocholate is good for the heart? How?

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It is thought to have a beneficial effect on some risk factors, such as serum LDL and platelet reactivity, which are associated with coronary artery disease. Chocolate is also rich in antioxidant compounds which, theoretically, can reduce the risk of cancer by binding to oxygen radicals which would otherwise be available in cells to causes genetic mutations. I say "theoretically" because results from actual randomized trials of antioxidant supplements have given conflicting results, often showing no benefit with respect to cancer risk.

[Christopher Haatuft]

wow, thanks for the info. I had the first of two courses yesterday and it went great. Made a killer Brie de Meaux-strawberry-pepper-74% chocolate-reduced port sirup dessert....Im drooooling....ohh-I stole the Idea from another thread on this board...hehe

Dropped the liqurice soup, made a Tom Yum soup instead. Also made a halibut ceviche with mango and avocado instead of the carpaccio