Ratatouille!

I'm sure you're all on top of this, as it came out in the States a month ago, but if not ...

Go see Ratatouille!

I went to a sneak preview tonight with some LCB classmates (it opens in Paris tomorrow), and we laughed our way through two hours of great entertainment!

I know I loved it more because I live in Paris; and I know I loved it more because I love food and cooking and food criticism ... but it's great! It captures Paris, it captures professional cooking, it captures French chefs ...

I actually can't wait to see it again, and I never see movies more than once!

Who cares what they're wearing, on Main Street or

Anyone know where that comes from? I've always loved it, for obvious reasons, and when I happened by Savile Row yesterday, it brought a (fitting, isn't it, if you know the lyric I'm quoting) smile to my face.


(And no, of course that photo isn't in London. It's at Versailles. But I didn't have a picture of me smiling in London!)

So yes, I'm in London for the weekend. And it's been an interesting 24 hours so far! I have to admit that my first couple of hours here made me realize just how much I love Paris. Strolling around London felt nothing like strolling around Paris, and I was really missing my adopted European home's charm. But I went for a long walk regardless, in an attempt to familiarize myself with the city, and wound up at dinner at Maze, on Jarad's recommendation. Maze is one of Gordon Ramsay's restaurants, under Chef Jason Atherton, who completed a stage at El Bulli in Spain. I was expecting it to be good, but probably wouldn't have gone without a trusted recommendation, as I am no Gordon Ramsay devotee (and am generally skeptical of places that are receiving buzz due to popular television shows). Thank goodness I ignored my skepticism.

Because wow. All I can say is wow. I don't have an all-time favorite meal, but if I were making a list of some of my top meals, this one would definitely make the cut.

I settled in at the bar and was greeted by my perfectly friendly and attentive, yet not overbearing, bartender. "Care for an aperitif? A glass of champagne or a cocktail?" Yes, but what to have? I'm not a champagne fan, so thought I'd start with a cocktail, but wasn't really in the mood for my usual gin and tonic. So I asked for a suggestion, and the bartender came up with a Reformed Negroni - Miller's gin (reformed, apparently, because it uses Icelandic water), apricot brandy, Punt e Mes (dry red vermouth), citronge, and orange bitters. It was delicious, and I now know that I like my bitters diluted with gin (unlike a friend who won't drink negronis, because he doesn't like to dilute his gin with bitters!)

I sipped my tasty beverage as I perused the menu, comprised of two pages of small dishes meant to be ordered tapas-style, and another two pages of more traditional appetizer/entree dishes. I opted to order tapas-style, of course, so I could sample as many different dishes as possible, and immediately regretted that I was alone, because it was so difficult to narrow my choices down! After soliciting recommendations from the bartender, I made my decision.

First dish off the blocks was described on the menu as roasted Orkney sea scallops with Yorkshire ham, egg, and peas. I thought I'd never taste scallops that could rival those of Tom Power at Corduroy, but that day has come. The scallops at Maze were perfectly roasted, still barely cooked in the center, and garnished with rounds of potato cut to mimic the scallop shape, a sunny side up quail egg, pea puree, and a drizzle of a ham reduction. The dish worked well regardless of what combination of its parts you got in each bite -- I know, because I sampled all of the permutations.

Next, I turned to marinated beetroot, Sairass cheese, pine nuts, and Cabernet Sauvignon dressing. Sairass (a sort of ricotta/sheep's milk cheese) and a piece of marinated beet were sandwiched between two paper-thin slices of bright red beet, sprinkled with chopped pine nuts, garnished with microgreens, and drizzled with a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction. This was a flavor explosion -- it was sweet, creamy, and salty all at the same time -- I've had the classic beets and cheese combination a thousand times, and I always love it, but this rendition took it to a higher elevation. I couldn't help but think of my Dad at this point, because he would love this dish (and would love that I love it, since I used to wrinkle my nose in disgust when he ate borscht!)

Now it was time for another beverage selection, and my bartender brought me a glass of Alsatian Gewurztraminer, telling me it would pair well with the foie gras in my next dish. I took a sip before my dish arrived, and it was nice, but oh-so-much-better when I sipped it with ...

Honey and soy roasted quail with Landes foie gras and spiced pear chutney. This was amazing. If I ever return to Maze, I will find it hard to avoid ordering this, even though I want to try other flavors on the menu. This was like a sweet and savory duo of quail, as half of the quail was atop the pear and raisin chutney, and the other half beneath the seared foie, which was topped with a melange of chives, coarse salt, and crushed pepper (all the same size, I might add ... I notice knifework a lot more these days, and chives chopped to the size of coarse salt was a thing of beauty). But this was more than just precision knifework -- the flavors and textures were sublime.

My final savory dish was one from which my bartender tried to steer me, but I didn't listen. And while it was good, it didn't reach the heights of my other choices. I ordered Duart salmon, squid paint, micro squid, Kentish peas, and maple-roasted chicken skin -- I was intrigued by the combination of ingredients, all of which I love. This dish was good, and had I tasted it before the others, it might not have disappointed me. But after the amazing combinations I had already enjoyed, this one just didn't come together. Each part was cooked beautifully, but the combination didn't gel. (I did, of course, love that the peas had been cooked with mint. Fresh peas with fresh mint has got to be one of my favorite things about spring and summer.)

Next up? Dessert! Of course. I briefly entertained the idea of having a cheese plate and then dessert, but knew I probably couldn't make it through both, so I decided on Madagascan vanilla rice pudding, rasperry and lemon thyme jam, mascarpone and pecan ice cream. My choice met with the approval of my bartender, who enthusiastically told me that was "heaven in a dish". Really?

Really.

It's as if this dessert was made for me. A dish of rice pudding, specked with vanilla, topped tableside with a scoop of mascarpone pecan ice cream, a few candied pecans, and a light drizzle of thin caramel sauce. I momentarily wondered where my raspberry and lemon thyme jam was, but when I sunk my spoon to the bottom of the dish I found it, hiding there. I'm pretty sure I have no better words than my bartender's -- "heaven in a dish".

I knew at this point that mignardises were coming (and was unsure how exactly I was going to pop three more morsels into my mouth!), but I didn't know that before that, my bartender would scoot around the bar, pick up my purse, and ask me if I'd like to follow him back into the kitchen to see the inner workings and meet Chef Atherton. Um, of course! So we walked back and into the kitchen, where I saw a well-oiled machine at work. Twenty-five cooks on the line at any one time, with Chef Atherton in the middle, able to see everything at once. As the chef explained to me (while reviewing and okaying each dish as a cook brought it to him, before it went out to service), he redesigned the kitchen, removing all pillars and obstructions, so he would be able to see every part of it from his station. (A nice side effect is that the entire kitchen is viewable from the chef's table, where a lucky group of six was enjoying a meal.) Getting a glimpse behind the scenes, and a chance for a quick chat with the chef, was an exciting benefit to eating at the bar and befriending my bartender!

Back at the bar, I enjoyed my mignardises, a baked Alaska lollipop (pineapple sorbet topped with a lightly browned meringue), a basil-infused chocolate truffle, and a rose Turkish delight. I was full, happy, and ready to return to my hotel.

When I got back to my room, I sent a quick email: "Just had an amazing meal. Amazing." And proceeded to fall asleep, and sleep like a baby, my first good night's sleep in about a week. Absolute relaxation. That, as much as anything else, is the sign of a really good meal, no?

Catching up...

Wow, I am weeks behind on updating you guys on what we've been learning to cook at LCB! I guess Jackie's prediction that I'd be too busy having fun to blog is coming true! So let's catch up...

(I'm not even really in the mood to blog today. Am fighting off a cold and feel a little foggy. But I got an email from a friend asking me to post ... and since she could really use a smile today, I'm writing. Anything to distract her and make her day a little better...)

So, let me tempt you all with the food we've been cooking here in Paris!

A few weeks ago, we manned the grill for the first time. Unfortunately, it was to make grilled salmon. I'm sure it was quite good, as far as grilled salmon goes, but I'm a "the rarer the better" girl when it comes to salmon -- wave it near the heat and onto the plate it goes. So tossing a salmon steak on the grill for a few minutes was sort of like heresy to me. But I did it, and chef even commented on how good my grill marks were! (Yes, dad, they were on the bias...) The fish was served with an emulsified butter/chive sauce (underneath, never on top of, the fish -- show off those gorgeous grill marks!) and spinach.

We also made pommes Byron that day -- shown here with the roasted herb-crusted pork the chef made in demo -- a tasty little well of potatoes filled with bechamel sauce and gruyere, and baked. These were delicious (although I think I'm still a purist and would be just as happy with pommes purees) ... and even better reheated later in the week! In fact, my first dinner guest loved them when I served them that night, along with roast chicken and turned artichokes!

Funny story about the pommes Byron ... their shape is achieved by filling a piping bag with your potato mixture and piping the potatoes into a well (to be filled with bechamel and cheese). I had never used a piping bag before, and was having a bit of a hard time getting any control over where the potatoes were going on my parchment paper! Chef came over, took one look, and asked "gauche, ou doit?" When I told him I was right-handed, he laughed, and switched my piping bag to the correct hand. Sure enough, I got more control over it when I was using my dominant hand! (Melina, you have my permission to laugh and make fun of me...)

By the way, that was a great day in demo, because not only did we get to sample the salmon, spinach, pork, and potatoes, but Chef also made dessert. My sister's favorite (and boy, would she love this recipe ... I know what I'll be making the first time I visit in San Antonio, although maybe Josh can make the ice cream)!


So much more to write, but this is a good start, right? Maybe I'll regale you all with stories from forcemeat week later tonight...

Well, it seems like the sunny days, they're back again

No class today, and sunny and warm outside? This was a combination I had to take advantage of, so I woke up early this morning and went for a long walk through the city (after a quick coffee and croissant on the Seine, of course). It was a gorgeous day, and I wandered by the Musee d'Orsay, which I remember being one of my favorite museums from my last visit to Paris. I'm a little museumed-out after Amsterdam, so I decided to save that for another time.


Walked through Espace Pierre Cardin, and by the Grand Palais, built for the 1900 World's Fair (along with the Palais de la Decouverte and the Petit Palais).


Continued down Avenue Rapp, passing a building with a gorgeous art nouveau facade, and a few blocks away, passed by the restaurant we're going to tomorrow evening to celebrate a bunch of classmates' July birthdays.


By this time, I was getting hungry, so I stopped into a boulangerie to pick up a sandwich (and some caneles for dessert, I couldn't resist!). My picnic (and reading material):


My locale:


As an aside, this book is fantastic and anyone who has ever lived in Paris or wanted to should read it. I picked it up on the advice of my favorite source of book recommendations, and it was later mentioned to me by a few other trusted sources. I'm tearing through it, and loving it more with every passing page.

Interestingly enough, the section of the book I was reading over lunch referenced a culinary bookstore located just a few blocks away, so when I was done with my picnic, I headed over there to browse. Stopped into a lovely tea shop down the street, and then wandered over to Rue du Bac, a shopping street that ends at the Bon Marche and its Grande Epicerie. On my walk home, I decided I'd make dinner at home today (cobbling together some leftovers and some new stuff), so stopped along the way for groceries.

Now it's time to make dinner -- consomme with savory puff pastries, spicy burgers, and some leftover caneles from lunch. (I've been snacking on my apero of chevre on a raisin/hazelnut ficelle and a lovely glass of red wine as I wrote this.) Lesson #1: When a steak knife is the best knife you have in your flat, perhaps you should reconsider your plan to dice an onion.

Amsterdam, briefly

Just got home from Amsterdam, and I have so many wonderful food experiences to write about! For now, though, all I have is this -- until this weekend, I had never been somewhere where the Holocaust is such an integral part of the place's history and identity, and it was a lot to process. Even more because it hit close to home.

The Night Before Bastille Day

Twas the night before Bastille Day and all through Par-ee
LCB students were primping for their big sortie.

Reservations were made for the team dinner;
Le Boeuf sur le Toit was chosen (not really a winner!)

No chef's whites, no aprons
No cuts, burns, or spills
Tonight we wore makeup, and dresses with frills.


We ate and we drank and we chatted and laughed
until our numbers had dwindled by half.
"There must be better places to be, let's move on," we called!
"Why don't we go to the pompiers bal?"


The firemen open their houses each year
to revelers coming, all in good cheer.
There's music and dancing and all sorts of fun,
but perhaps it would be better were we only 21.

So on we went after surveying the crowd
to a nearby bar where the music was loud.
But not music for dancing, no that would be wrong;
this was music for singing along!

A karaoke bar we found right down the street
and some of us got into it, keeping the beat.
Pierre sang a French song, Anne sang a ditty;
Claudia and I were pop stars, and Amit rocked Paradise City.


But after a few it was time to change venue
to a club with less singing, a more mellow menu.
There we stayed for one more drink
until I said "I've got to go, I think.
It's a quarter to three and it'll be a real pain
to wake up at six to catch my train!"

Thus ended my night before Bastille Day this year,
eventful enough that I won't shed a tear
to be missing the festivities -- parades, fireworks, and crowds;
instead I am thrilled to be Amsterdam-bound!

(My apologies. Poetry was never my strong suit.)

A rose by any other name ...

So, I have stories ... I do! About butchering a rabbit, fileting a brill, experiencing my first snotty French service, day-tripping to Chablis and Versailles ... but for now, a photo of my breakfast this morning.

The saint-honore rose framboises at Laduree. Hey, a girl's allowed a treat every now and then, right?

Cardiovascular advice from a French chef?

"It's been proven that duck fat is good for your heart," Chef Clergue told us as he tossed a nice-sized knob of it into a saute pan.

Really?

In that case, what's been proven about daily baguettes and pain au chocolat, Chef? Good to keep you slim....?

It's about the people, part V

Another year passes, and it's still about the people. It always will be.

So it seems only right that yesterday would be one of the best days I've had in Paris yet. Someone's keeping an eye on me...

I woke up bright and early to finish up forcemeat week (more on that in a later post) and make supremes de volaille farcis, sauce et champignons (stuffed chicken breasts, sauce and mushrooms). Yum! I love this recipe, except for the (you guessed it) turned mushrooms. Later in the day I described it over the phone to my mom, and it seems I've been enlisted to make this upon my return stateside.


We finished class early (thanks to the helpful prodding of Chef Cotte, who likes us to feel the time pressure even when it doesn't exist!) and my classmates and I had a coffee after changing back into street clothes. Sitting with them in the Winter Garden, sipping coffee and comparing notes on the recipe, reminded me that I love being back in school ... I love the camaraderie of it, the constant learning, and the enthusiasm.

I left school and headed across the neighborhood to meet Chris and Carter for lunch at Le Banyan, as lovely the second time as it was the first. Except lovelier, because I had great company with whom to enjoy the food. A couple of new tastes that were delicious? A chicken/lemongrass/coriander sausage, lightly crispy spring rolls, and a spicy homemade ginger tea.

What next in this day-o-fun? A few errands ... a challenging quest to find index cards that, three stores later, ended in success (ever try explaining index cards in a language that's not your own?? les fiches pour ecrir des notes? s'il vous plait??) ... a ten minute review of my options in the laundry aisle of the Monoprix, in an effort to choose a bleach that is most likely to return my whites to, well, white (rather than the veal stock color they seem to have attained in spots) ... and a phone conversation with Mom.

And then it was time to head out to dinner with Adi, to celebrate her completion of the written exam in her intensive pastry course at LCB. I picked Le Timbre, based on the recommendations of a few friends, and Tom Sietsema. And I was enchanted from the moment I walked in the door. As everyone who writes about this place comments, "le timbre" means "the postage stamp", a play on words for the tiny spot that seats only 24 lucky guests. The decor is warm and inviting, with tables so snug that you almost can't help but get to know your neighbors. (More on that later.) The walls are decorated with beautiful black and white photographs, and the tiny one-man kitchen is open to the dining room. Warm decor, black and white photos, and an open kitchen? Yeah, I'm good.

As we settled in, Adi apologized to the server for seeming a bit frazzled, explaining that she had just finished an exam and was still decompressing a bit. "A good meal and wine will help that," the friendly sole server said to us. So true. She brought the menu board over to us and walked away. I began to translate the menu for Adi, since she has the patisserie know-how, but my knowledge of savory food words is better. But as I was translating the first entree, my eyes were already skimming down the menu, and I interrupted myself. "Ooh, I know what I'm getting!" I laughed and went back to describing the entrees, a terrine de campagne, a gazpacho with tomatoes and cilantro, an anchovy tart ... but we both wound up choosing the pea soup, served with lardons and a poached egg. With slices of fresh baguette alongside, this was fantastic. Of course, it's one of my favorite spring/summer dishes so I was unlikely to be unhappy, but the combination of flavors, atmosphere, and company was excellent.

On to the plats. I saw a filet of daurade served with pommes puree that looked phenomenal and almost made me regret my choice; the table next to us was raving about both the boudin noir and the sweetbreads dishes; but we chose pork with fava beans, and duck breast with caramelized shallots. I didn't get a taste of the pork, but it looked delicious, and the fava beans were slightly browned, which I'm sure gave them a great flavor. My duck came out perfectly cooked. And the shallots! I've spent a lot of time in the last four weeks caramelizing onions, and it takes patience to get them perfect. Chef Christopher Wright must be a very patient man, because these were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and I almost wanted more to spread as a jam on an extra piece of baguette.

If I had one (minor) complaint about our meal, it would be that, for me, Wright's pepper mill might be set to a slightly too coarse grind, as I bit into pieces of pepper in a couple of bites that made the seasoning a little bit off to my taste. But would I return tonight if given the opportunity? Absolutely.

Dessert offerings at Le Timbre are light -- a millefeuille, sauteed cherries topped with creme fraiche, peach compote with shreds of puff pastry, and an English cheese plate (in tribute to the Chef's British heritage). Anyone want to guess which one I had? I do love summer fruit season...

And, in a nice touch, at the end of our meal, our server, who had been pleasantly and efficiently taking care of a room full of patrons, stopped by our table. "Are you more relaxed from your exam," she asked Adi. So kind of her to have remembered, and Adi grinned and responded "absolutely".

**********

About getting to know your neighbors ... around the time we were served our dessert, the woman sitting next to me leaned over. "How're the desserts," she asked. We told her we gave them two thumbs up, and I think she took that as license to chat. Because all of a sudden, we were her long-lost daughters. "Where are you girls from," she asked us. When she learned we were from different countries, she asked how we knew each other. And when we answered that we were both students at LCB, her eyes lit up. "I spent three months studying at Le Cordon Bleu London a hundred years ago! It was the best experience of my life!" After she got the low-down on what we intend to do with our culinary training, and gave us her two cents (probably more like a full dime) on what she thought we should do, I decided I'd turn the table a little bit. "And where are you from? What brings you to Paris," I asked. And wouldn't you know, she was from northern New Jersey, and in Europe on an annual two week bike trip with her cycling club. Mike was in town earlier in the week for an annual two week bike trip with a cycling group, but I quickly verified that they were not on the same trip. Still, what a small world.

**********

After finishing our dinner, Adi and I set out on a walk back through the 6th arrondissement -- the weather was beautiful, and we were still chatting about something or other. About fifteen minutes into our walk, Adi turned to me and asked, "what would it take to get you to agree to stop for ice cream?" So clearly a patissier, as one dessert just did not suffice! Of course I obliged (have I ever been known to pass up dessert?) and we set off to find Amorino, a gelateria located throughout France (and Shanghai). Adi had been before, and I had heard good things. After passing a Ben and Jerry's and a Haagen Dazs along the way, we saw a long line snaking out of a storefront, and knew we had found our destination, and, that on the first warm Friday night of the summer, we were not the only ones with this great idea.

But it was worth the wait -- my cone of bacio (chocolate/hazelnut) and lampone (raspberry) was delicious, and in my opinion, tastier than the Berthillon I had a couple of weeks ago! I'll definitely be back to sample some of the other flavors ...

Le Timbre
3, rue Sainte Beuve
Paris 75006
tel: 01 45 49 10 40

Amorino
multiple locations

Fourth of July, Paris-style

It's kind of funny, I'm not a big Fourth of July fan generally, but it seemed only right that the LCB expats (mostly Americans, although we did have a Brazilian and a local in attendance...) celebrate in style, going to a traditionally American bar, complete with a special on Bud bottles and American music blaring on the jukebox.

Yeah, just my scene ...

But here's the evidence. Note Anne's t-shirt, expressing a sentiment I thought might be a little much, given politics of the last few years. But we all got home safely!

... enjoying by night!

So, I've been somewhat remiss in sharing stories of summer fun in Paris. Life isn't all turning veggies and filleting fish, shocking as that may be...

In three weeks here, I've already had two sets of visitors from the States! And they all seem to want to see me the day they arrive -- am I some sort of miracle cure for jetlag? On their first day here a couple of weeks ago, Garrett, Laura and I enjoyed drinks and bouillabaisse in Montparnasse, and shared travel horror stories (moral: always pack a change of clothes in your carryon when flying Air France). A few days later, we met up for an amazing dinner in le Marais, but that merits its own post, to come later this week.

And on his first night in town, Mike and I shared a wonderful dinner at Fish La Boissonerie (69, rue de Seine 75006 Paris, tel: 01 43 54 34 69). This place is very foreigner-friendly, something that I usually don't love, but there was something so right about the vibe of the space, I loved our bartender, and I can see myself stopping in regularly for a snack or a drink. And the food was very good! Despite the name, we had no fruits de mer (although we did have some boissons), but we loved everything we ate, particularly the seared foie gras, pork (highly recommended by the aforementioned bartender), and thyme panna cotta. I think this was my first foie in Paris, and won't be my last!












But there's fun and games with my LCB classmates as well -- ten of us got together for drinks a couple of weeks ago, and it was a lot of fun to get to know each other outside of the kitchen, and in street clothes. We all clean up pretty well!














A few days later, Anne, Claudia and I headed out in Odeon for a bite to eat and a screening of Ocean's 13. Better than 12, not as good as 11 ... but lots of fun! We're already planning another movie outing for when Ratatouille opens here in Paris -- what could be better for us than a movie about becoming a chef in Paris?!