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Thanks and don't miss Marie-Eve Berty's cooking lessons in participation with the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)!


Take care and eat well.

Bread and Cherry Tomatoes

Summer is ambling to a close and the garden’s offerings are fresh and fragrant. Cherry tomato plants are welcome invaders, who entwine themselves everywhere. Looking for the red spots and gathering them is a feast for the nose before becoming one for the palate. It makes me want to bathe in the sun and stock the heat. Nothing is better than a lazy lunch, where the picking takes longer than the preparation. Such Provencial classics as pan bagnat (literally wet bread) furnish the inspiration. At every corner of the streets of Nice, you find sandwiches made out of tuna, tomato, salad soaked in olive oil and vinegar. I prefer a salad made of cherry tomatoes, beets and peaches seasoned with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Do not forget to soak your bread in the juices left over.

Summer Salad

Ingredients:

6 beets

1 lbs (500g) cherry tomatoes

4 ripe peaches

Basil leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Several slices of fresh country bread

Material:

Aluminum foil

Salad bowl

Remove the tops of the beets and rinse the roots.

Wrap each root in a foil. Add a drop of olive oil and bake in the oven at 360F (150C) for about an hour or until easily pierced with a knife. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and slice the vegetables.

Wash the cherry tomatoes and remove the stems.

Peel and slice the peaches. Discard the pit.

Toss the fruit and vegetables in a salad bowl. Add oil and vinegar.

Layers the washed basil leaves and roll them in a tube. Snip with the scissors over the salad bowl.

Serves 2.

The longer the salad stays in the sun, the better it will taste.

Healthy and savorful barbecue

With summer comes the urge to barbecue. I must qualify this statement by precising that some people are immune to the temptation, most notably my husband. I have recently checked one of his excuses for not falling prey to the quasi universal appeal of outside cooking and found it sorely lacking. Barbecues, according to him have nothing on ovens. To prove him right, manufacturers have been rolling out barbecues that are in effect exterior ovens. Their only advantage, to my eyes, comes from the rotisserie they are equipped with. Unfortunately, they do not provide the incomparable flavor that only comes from cooking on red embers.
I now seem to contradict myself, as, in previous postings, I have been cautioning against Maillard reaction and its potential carcinogenic effects. Keeping this in mind, I propose two methods to evade the threat while keeping the taste. The first and essential rule is to never place the meat directly in contact with a flame. Should it happen, when the grease from the meat falls onto the embers and provokes a flare, it is imperative to remove the meat, and sprinkle a handful of coarse salt to put out the fire. You have to be careful not to stand to close to the pit, as the grains of salt jumps around and may hit you. The second technique borrowed from Japan is even healthier. Use the leaf of a tree to protect the meat In Takayama where I ate Miso Beef grilled on dry chestnut tree leaves, the server brought an hibachi to the table and let us each grill the marinated beef. My inclination to barbecue albeit with a protection has a second more practical origin. Two years ago, foraging in some vegetable garden catalog, I foolishly purchased some raifort roots. Since then I have been cursed with the invasive plant. Being a persistent cook, I force fed cooked raifort leaves to my unsuspecting family with mixed results. Even I had to concede that the leaves remain tough. This is how I struck on to the protective but non-edible usage of the plant. The leaf actually adds a mustard flavor to the meat. If you do not have raifort leaves, kale or vine leaves are good substitutes. The best cut for this dish happens to be cheap and to contain the right amount of marbled flesh: beef sirloin tips emulate pampered Japanese beef for a fragment of the cost.

Japanese Miso Beef grilled on raifort leaves

Ingredients:
One sirloin tip
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Raifort, kale or vine leaves
1 Miso tablespoon
1/4 cup (60 ml) Mirin sauce
1/4 cup (60 ml) teriyaki or thick soja sauce
1 spring onion (scallion)

Material:
1 sharp carving knife
1 blender
1 big plastic bag
1 Hibachi grill or barbecue
1 set of tongues

Place the meat in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Place all the other ingredients except for the raifort leaves into the blender and mix well. The sauce should be thick. If the consistency is too watery, add some miso.
Carve the meat as thinly as possible and place in the plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag and shake until well coated.
Prepare the barbecue and light it half an hour to an hour before cooking the meal.
Place the leaves on the embers. Lay separately each slice of meat, add a little sauce on top. Turn each slice over after two minutes. After another minute, remove the slice and place on a warm plate. Repeat until you run out of meat.
Serve on top of sushi rice.

One pot thai fish

I have a particular fondness for the one pot meal approach, especially on a casual weekday. Having decided on the method, I only have to pick the ingredients. I happen upon a flounder fillet frozen a month ago when an expected guest canceled. I stocked earlier in the week on fresh peas and I always carry carrots and fresh ginger in my refrigerator. An inspiring basis is the filtered leftover broth of the clam spaghettis I made earlier in the week. To complete the stock in which I shall simmer my concoction and to give it an exotic Thai leaning, I open the can of coconut milk I keep in the pantry. Because we turn out to be 6, I buy 3 dozens of clams and 12 shrimps.

Thai fish casserole

(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:

1 cup fish or clam stock

1 cup white wine

1 onion peeled and cubed

1 1-inch piece fresh ginger peeled

1 tablespoon sesame (or other kind) oil

1 stalk of lemon grass (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1 bunch cilantro leaves

1 can coconut milk

1 teaspoon pepper flakes

1 large fillet of flounder

3 dozen clams or mussels

12 unpeeled and uncooked shrimps preferably with their heads on

Material

1 heavy-bottom saucepan and its cover

Wooden spoon

Place the tablespoon of oil in the saucepan. Heat it up for 1 minute on high. Add the onions and soften for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the wine and broth. Add the lemon grass, red pepper and ginger when the liquid boils. In the meantime, remove the shells of the shrimps keeping the heads and tails on. Add the coconut milk. When the boil resumes, add the clams. Cover. Check after 3 minutes, the clams should have opened. Lay the fish on top, cover and lower to a simmer. After 3 minutes add the shrimps, cover again and turn off the gas. After 10 minutes check the fish for doneness: a knife should enter easily into the flesh but the fillet should not disintegrate, the shrimp should have turned pink and all the shells should have opened.

Serve with white rice in soup bowls.

Spring Tuna Salad and Rhubarb Lunch

On a recent foray in Union Square market, I almost tramped on a school of third graders. Walking two by two and well chaperoned, the little gourmets took in the seasonal bounty as I did. There were a wealth of greens, nicely bunched in bouquets, green asparagus a galore as well as ramps, the new darlings of the in chefs and all the variety of potatoes produced in America. On the sweet side rhubarb stems and apples were nicely tucked under bright awnings. But the palm for diversity went to the florists. The season after all has just started and is still low-key. I came home happy with just the right mix to toss a spring tuna salad for 4. Instead of my usual pairing of rhubarb and strawberries, I decided to be a pure locavore and to forego the berries for the apples. I was happy to find on my way back a tiny shop, called Macaron on 36^th street between Broadway and Seventh and splurged on lychee and rose macarons as well as chocolate. Yum!

A Versatile Sauce and Lobster Soufflé

A sauce can transform a dish drastically. To celebrate her 90^th birthday in style, my mother asked for a beef Wellington. I usually cook it for Christmas or New Year and insert a mushroom, foie gras and truffle mixture between the crust and the meat. To make it really special, I decided to add a Perigourdine sauce and to insert the mushrooms and shallots, which flavor the sauce in place of my usual mixture. What gives the sauce its name is a generous addition of black truffle pieces, an import from the Southwest of France, hence the regional attribution, to a Cognac, wine and cream emulsion. More than happy with the sauce and enamored with its voluptuous Cognac taste, reminiscent of a lobster bisque, I then decided to put it to another creative use: the basis for a lobster soufflé. Forget the black truffles, cut one-inch pieces of lobster and replace the milk by the richer Cognac-cream emulsion. The dish will serve 4 as a starter or 2 for lunch with a green salad on the side.

Lobster in a Spring Vegetable Emulsion

The east coast of the United States enjoys a lovely spring. For once Paris is not one month ahead in terms of weather. Magnolias, forsythias, wisterias, and all the fruit trees are flowering for more than the three days generally allowed in our region. It is cause for celebration. So little else is: simultaneously, an Icelandic volcanic eruption has wide ranging consequences for millions of people varying from simple travel inconvenience to subsistence threatening issues. And as usual, my way of breaking the gloom takes the form of a dish suggestion, using the vegetables available in my garden: asparagus and chives. The inspiration comes from Paris, where I have been feeding on emulsion, and where the play on cooked and raw, when asparagus is concerned, has gone mainstream. Peas, lobster and asparagus are complementing flavor and create a lovely light lunch for 2 or starter for 4.

Slow cooked baby back ribs

The East coast is still hovering between winter and spring. Fortunately, within the greenhouse the climate is temperate and seeds germinate in anticipation of their planting mid May. In the freezer, I still have some of my fall tomato sauce. Although the cycle has not gone full circle yet, I derive inspiration from the promise of the fruit and the reality of the stock. Always one to anticipate the good things to come, I am preparing baby back ribs the easy (and healthy) way of the slow cooker. To retain both moistness and grilled taste, I first sear the ribs before adding the tomato sauce, vinegar and ketchup.
The slow cooked baby back ribs recipe serves 4.

Another (good) reason to slow cook

I have already made obvious my love of slow cooking. Until now there were two reasons: taste and convenience. The faculty is now confirming this choice and adding a medical component. New studies on advanced glycation end products, AGEs in short, indicate that those compounds, which form when meat is seared at high temperature, the famous Maillard reaction, increase inflammation (i.e. risks of heart disease, artherosclerosis, diabetes and arthritis) in human bodies. Because we love this charred taste and smell, the food industry has added a lot of synthetic AGEs to their products. The usual suspects are the good guys in our fight against AGEs: we should eat more vegetables and fruit, use fresh products AND cook at slow temperature. In other words, favor boiling, steaming and poaching over grilling. My recipe of the week respects all this criteria and more. A pork rib roast gains flavor from an association with cumin and citrus fruit. A long simmering in the natural juices from both meat and fruit insures a not too sweet taste. Served with rice, it is a perfectly satisfactory dinner for four to be enjoyed without guilt.

Sophisticated Jerusalem Artichoke

The few spring days we were blessed with were just enough to dig out a few Jerusalem artichokes from my garden to use in a sophisticated soup. I first got the idea from a Paris restaurant. Their recipe combined sun chokes, chestnuts and foie gras. As I do not particularly care for warm foie gras, I picked instead bay scallops, which are much cheaper and in season. Their delicate slightly sweet taste adds a nutty texture to the smooth soup. Pancetta brings the dish together. I like the fact that the soup relies on four ingredients only to provide a fairly complex taste. An extra advantage is the time saved by preparing the soup ahead. As it is the only time consuming operation, the meal can be assembled in less than ten minutes, provided the soup is made ahead of time.
The quantities are enough for four people as a main course or eight appetizers.

Sunny jerk lamb

Winter shows its might on the East coast of the United States and blankets prettily country sights and city views. It is a great time to slow cook meats and concoct yet another twist on old favorites. While away in the sun, we came across a Caribbean jerk mix. My friend Michael integrated the spices in a wet rub to enhance a baked quartered chicken. Back home, I craved lamb and decided to use the mix to modify an old Moroccan dish: the seven hours slow cooked lamb, the only dish men traditionally prepare. Part of the fun came from guessing what was in the mix. After adding oil to a teaspoon of the coarse powder one can taste the ingredients: rosemary and thyme, allspice, red pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. I added turmeric and cumin seeds. To round up the savors and sweeten the kick, I put in a tablespoon of honey. For the same reasons, I decided to serve it with buttercup squash chips and creamed French flageolets, the French version of dry beans.

Light Sea Casserole

A sea casserole is one of the easiest and most impressive dishes you can serve. Flounder fillets, shrimps and minced vegetables steam together above a ginger seaweed broth perfumed with clamshells and oysters. No half-shell treatment required as the heating will naturally insure the opening of the shells. The same broth is used in a reduction finished with a dash of heavy cream and a generous sprinkle of pepper. The secret is all in the timing of the different cooking stages from immersion of the shells to the steaming of vegetables and then the fish. The taste is naturally briny. The earth vegetable needs a generous sprinkle of salt to match the one naturally contained in the sea products. I like to soak my bread in the sauce. If you feel more Japanese than French, sushi rice will fulfill the same function.

The dish feeds 4.

Sea casserole

(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:

4 small flounder fillets

1 inch (2.5 cm) ginger root piece

8 oysters

8 clams

8 raw shrimps shell reserved

1 cup Japanese seaweeds (Hiziki, Arame)

1 Kombu sheet

2 leeks

Several leaves of Chinese cabbage,

8 carrots

¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream

Salt and Pepper

Material:

1 fish steamer

1 food processor mincing attachment on

Salad bowl

Strainer

Saucepan

       Place the seaweeds in a salad bowl and cover with cold water.

       Carefully clean the oysters shells and clamshells in cold water.

       Cut off the greens from the leeks. Slice off the bottom and immerge in cold water. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and wash 6 of the internal leaves. Peel the carrots and slice off the bottom part. Grate all the vegetables in the food processor.

Fill the steamer ¼ of the way with water, the sliced ginger root and a Kombu sheet (the basis of dashi soup in Japan). When the water boils, remove the kombu sheet and add the reconstituted seaweeds. At the boiling point, add the oysters, clamshell and the shells of the shrimps. When they open, remove oysters and clamshells. Reserve until ready to serve.

Strain a cup worth of broth and place in a saucepan to reduce with the cream.

Return the bottom part of the steamer with its remaining content to the gas stove. Insert the upper part of the steamer with the minced vegetables and a spoonful of salt in the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Add the fish and shrimps. Turn the gas off after three minutes.

Place a layer of vegetables on each plate. Top with the fish fillet, clams and oysters meat and shrimps. Pour generously the creamy broth on top and serve.  

Not So Traditional Fast Skate

As you well know, I am always intrigued by variations on old classics. When they give birth to new dishes, which can be made in less than ten minutes, my enthusiasm is unbound. Add to this a lesser fat content than the original and the timely use of seasonal vegetables and I am totally sold. Taste matters. Whereas, skate bistro style is traditionally cooked in butter and dressed in a sharp lemon and caper sauce, I have been toying with a meatier but lighter version. To add richness, I like to sauté onions, or in this case, shallots in butter or olive oil. Balsamic vinegar and red wine are added to obtain a wine reduction. At this point, the sauce could equally be at home on a rib eye steak. When my daughters were young and could not be made to eat “smelly” fish, I layered that sauce on top of white breaded fish fillets. The plate was emptied without a groan. For a more adult palate, I like the fish to be just grilled. The crispness of the shallots goes well with the skate flesh texture. Butternut chips, besides being in season, complement the sweetness of the balsamic reduction.

Skate “wine merchant”, a literal translation from the French, which emphasize the use of wine in the recipe, and its garniture serve 4 and is elegant enough for guests and equally enjoyable in a less formal dinner.

Skate wine merchant

(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:

2 lb (1 kg, 2 pieces) skinned skate*, bone in

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 shallot peeled and finely sliced

¼ cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 cup (230 ml) red wine

 Material:

1 frying pan

1 saucepan

       Sauté the shallot slices in a little oil until soft. Add to the saucepan the vinegar and the wine. Reduce until about ½ (120ml) a cup is left.

       Sauté the skate in a large frying pan for about 3 minutes on each side. Cut each piece in two and place on a warm plate.

       Pour the sauce on top and serve with butternut chips

Butternut chips

(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:

2 medium butternut squashes

Vegetal oil

Coarse salt

Material:

Potato peeler

Grapefruit spoon

Slicing meat machine

Deep Fryer

       Peel the squashes and halve them. Slice them as thinly as possible in the slicing machine. Put ½ in the frying basket.

       Set the deep fryer at 375F (190C). When it has reached the right temperature, immerge the basket for 5 minutes. When the chips are crisp, place them in a salad bowl lined with paper towels. Repeat the operation a second time with the remaining chips.

* If the skinned version is not available at the seafood shop, cook the skate wings in boiling water to which 3 tablespoons of white vinegar have been added for 2 minutes, until the skin starts to come off. Strain the wings and  peel off and discard the skin.

   

Worldly tapas

Light meals are in. The Spanish have a tradition we can borrow from. They eat “tapas”. At first it was a way not to drink on an empty stomach and consisted of little more than a garnished piece of bread. But soon the vast array of Spanish cuisine came to the rescue and contemporary tapas include any food preparation in smaller quantities. A bar fare generally includes 4 to 6 different preparations. It is not necessary to confine oneself to Europe and Asia has much to offer to enrich the repertoire. Here is my selection of 6 worldly dishes. They bring to mind countless hot afternoons spent leisurely sharing good conversation, wine and food under the shade of a tree. The memory sustains us in the long cold winter, while the food miraculously lifts our spirit.
To prevent last minute panic, start by the marinade for the lamb chops, continue with the Japanese vegetables, which you can ready and then reserve in the oven until dinner is served. Prepare the ham and cheese rolls, which can also be kept warmed in the oven. Make and refrigerate the chocolate sauce. When the guests arrive, prepare the truffle quail eggs crostini and grill the Asian chops. It will take about 5 minutes.

Spanish Meatballs
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, A little pricey)
Ingredients:
½ lb lamb meat from the shoulder
2 slices of bread
2 tablespoons of milk
1 egg
Dusting of flour
½ lb Spanish cheese (Manchego)
1 slice foie gras
Material:
1 food processor
1 frying pan
1 ovenproof dish

Remove the crust from the bread and soak in the milk.
Grind the meat and the bread in the food processor with the sharp blade on.
Add the egg and mix well. Dust a plate with flour and roll out bite-sized meatballs.
Fry them on all faces and place them in the ovenproof dish. You can refrigerate them until ready to serve.
Turn on the oven at 360F with the grill option on. Place the partition in the oven on the upper tier.
Add a shaving of cheese on the top of the meatballs. Cut the foie gras in small pieces and add to the meat. Cook until cheese and foie gras have melted.
Serve immediately

Asian chops
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Marinade: 2 hours plus, Reasonable)
Ingredients:
6 tiny lamb chops
1 slice ginger
1 garlic clove
2 stems cilantro
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcester sauce
Material:
1 salad bowl
1 blender
1 frying pan

Place all the ingredients except for the lamb chops in the blender and run the machine.
Marinate the lamb chops in the blended sauce for at least two hours.
Stir-fry the lambs for three minutes on each side and serve immediately.

Truffle quail eggs crostini
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
6 quail eggs
6 slices of baguette
Truffle oil
6 asparagus stems
Salt and pepper to taste
Material:
Toaster
Frying pan
Sprinkle truffle oil on top of the bread and toast until crisp and gold.
Add the olive oil to the frying pan and sauté the asparagus until lightly charred. Set the asparagus on top of the bread.
Crack the eggs in the lightly oiled pan and cook them sunny side up. Place each egg on top of the bread. Add salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Ham and cheese rolls
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 40 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
6 thin slices cooked ham
6 slices Gruyère
1 tablespoon cream
2 tablespoon scream cheese
1 potato peeled and cubed
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Olive oil for frying
Material:
Saucepan
Whip
Frying pan
Toothpicks
Place the potato cubes and milk in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the butter, cream and cream cheese. Whip into a purée. Bring to room temperature.
Lay down a slice of ham. Cover with the Gruyère slice. Top with a little purée. Roll up and secure with two toothpicks. Refrigerate until ready to eat dinner.
Dip the roll in the beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs.
Fry in abundant oil. Serve immediately.
Japanese vegetables
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Resting time: 60 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
¾ cup (180 ml) soda water
2/3 cup (105 g) all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1½ teaspoons salt
1 sweet potato
1 broccoli stem
Red pepper flakes
Vegetable oil for deep frying
For the sauce (facultative):
1 tablespoon Daikon radish grated
2 tablespoons Mirin sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons soy sauce
Frying oil
Material
Tongue
Fry maker or a deep saucepan
Ovenproof dish
Paper towel
Salad bowl
Bowl
Sifter
Pour the soda water in the bowl. Sift in the flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk until blended. Cover and refrigerate for 45-60 minutes.
Put all the sauces together in a little bowl. Add the grated daikon and red pepper flakes.
Peel and form fries out of the sweet potato. Cut the broccoli florets, keeping the broccoli stems for a soup. Wash and dry them.
Heat the oil to 375F (190C). Dip the vegetables in the batter. With the tongue, remove each piece and fry four at a time for about two minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof dish lined with paper towel in a low (200F/95C) oven while you finish up frying. Prepare in the oven and keep until ready to serve.
Serve with or without the sauce.
Strawberries dipped in chocolate
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
18 strawberries washed, stem on
3 oz dark chocolate
¼ cup heavy cream
1 pinch Espelette powder
Material
1 bowl
Melt the chocolate with the cream. Whip in the powder. This can be prepared ahead and can be micro waved before serving.
Serve surrounded with the strawberries to dip.

Dressing a soup

I love soups. They bring warmth to the body in winter and require about as much cooking talent and equipment as a smoothie. A good blender, any fresh seasonal vegetables and you are 3 minutes away from a healthy meal. To give body to high water content vegetables such as spinach, zucchini, asparagus and leeks, you can add a potato, boil in some cream or blend in the yolk of an egg before serving. My secret ingredient: sauté some onions in butter or olive oil and put them in the mixer along with the cooked vegetables. What you might not imagine is that soups can also be elegant. You can dress them up with croutons (that’s French for baked stale bread) bits of bacon, boiled eggs, dried fruit such as apple and pear or even sautéed mushrooms. The only limit is your imagination. The only requirement: cut as finely as possible the chosen ingredients. I generally love to pair sweet (pumpkin) and salty (bacon), or build on commonly associated tastes (eggs and asparagus or leeks). Another good combination is crunchy (toasted bread) and creamy (spinach). You can serve a bicolor soup for a starter. Pick two color-contrasting soups such as the pumpkin and spinach featured in this issue, pour each in a carafe or a measuring beaker and pour both at the same time in a soup bowl. You have leftovers? Not to worry, they freeze beautifully, or better they make tasty light appetizers in shot glasses. All recipes serve 4
The essential butternut squash soup (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
1 onion
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Material:
Blender
Grapefruit spoon
Paper towel
Beaker
Place the onion in the freezer.
Cut the butternut squash in two. Remove the seeds. If you want to save them, clean and dry them before baking them on a cookie sheet.
Line the microwave with a paper towel and place the butternut squash halves on top. Microwave for 20 minutes or until soft. When the squash is cool enough to handle peel and place the flesh in the blender.
In the mean time, remove the onion from the freezer, peel, slice and cube the onions prior to sautéing in a little olive oil or butter depending on your taste. Add to the content of the blender
Cover the content of the blender with hot water. Add a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Blend, taste and pour in a beaker. If the consistence is too thick, add water.

Creamy spinach (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
2 bunch spinach
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large potato or the yolk of an egg
1/3cup (60 ml) crème fraîche or heavy cream
Material:
Colander
Saucepan
Set of tongues
Blender

Wash, cut off the end and dry the spinach in a colander. Place the blade of a knife flat on each garlic clove and strike the blade with the fist of the other hand. Discard the skin of the cloves.
Place the oil in a saucepan and add the spinach and crushed garlic. Sauté until the spinach is wilted. Place in the blender. Peel the potato and slice finely. Place in the saucepan, cover with water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil. When the potato is tender to the knife, add to the content of the blender. Cover with hot water and blend until smooth. Return to the saucepan, add water if needed, cream and pepper and bring to a boil. Alternately, remove from the stove and add the beaten yolk of an egg instead of the cream to the spinach purée. Place in a beaker.

Garniture (Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
Stale bread cubed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Thyme leaves
5 Pancetta slices cubed
Material:
Frying pan
Paper towels
Salad bowl
Place the bread cubes in a salad bowl. Toss with the olive oil and the thyme leaves.
Set the frying pan on the high setting of the stove. Turn the cubes when they are golden. Reserve on a paper towel
Use the same frying pan to sauté the pancetta. Reserve on another paper towel.

To assemble, pour at the same time the two beakers. Sprinkle the bacon bits on the pumpkin soup and the croutons on the creamy spinach soup.

Fast after a feast

My weekly culinary comments have been running for over a year now. It provides a snapshot of what my family and I have been eating. As any record, journal or photograph, it provides its author with a snapshot of the past. For example, in 2009 I did not feel the need for a change of diet before February 16th. This year, I am speaking of a break one month earlier. The holidays take their toll. The emotions run high. The days are long and culminate in good meals charged with calories and lack of sleep. After all the excitement, it is necessary to restore good sleep patterns and food habits. A twenty minute nap after lunch will not interfere with the night rest and will help the organism restore itself.
I propose, in addition to the previous year recommendation, which is still valid, a three-day or a week fast. The principle is simple: eat mostly barely cooked vegetables and salad or soup, add a little fish or tofu in the evening, drink only water with a little cider or lemon juice and some green tea. The three-day schedule starts with a fresh apple, carrot and parsley juice and a cup of green tea. For lunch alternate between the following three salad recipes. The dinner should consist of steamed vegetables and either tofu or a grilled 3-oz fillet of fish. The weekly menu includes my favorite kefir recipe for breakfast along with some green tea or a rosemary mint infusion. For lunch a bowl of cabbage soup and one of the three salad recipes. Dinner is another bowl of cabbage soup, steamed vegetables and a seasonal fruit such as pear, apple or clementine. To your health!
Broccoli and fennel salad
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
2 broccoli stems
1 fennel bulb
1 tablespoon walnuts
Sauce:
1 shallot
The juice of a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
Material:
Steamer
Blender
Meat slicing machine

Cut the florets from the broccoli and drop them in clean cold water. Keep the stems for a soup. Clean the fennel. Using the slicing machine, slice the bulb finely. Place the vegetables in the steamer basket and steam for about 10 minutes.
Drop the peeled shallot in the blender with 1 tablespoon of lemon and the olive oil. Blend well.
Place the vegetables on a plate. Add the walnuts and sprinkle with the sauce.

Beet salad
(Easy, Preparation: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 40 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
3 beets
3 oranges
1 black radish
Sauce:
1 tablespoon orange juice
3 tablespoon walnut oil
Material:
Silver foil
Grapefruit spoon
Salad bowl
Small bowl
Preheat the oven at 360F (180C)
Cut off the foliage of the beets and reserve for a soup. Wrap each beet in a silver foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.
Cut the oranges in two and remove the flesh with a grapefruit spoon. Place in the salad bowl.
Extract the remaining orange juice in a recipient. Beat the olive oil with the orange juice.
Peel the black radish and grate it in the food processor. Add to the salad bowl
Remove the beet from the oven, unwrap the foil and cut in sticks. Mix with the orange.
Pour the sauce in. Sprinkle with the radish and serve.

Vegetarian pot-au-feu salad
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
2 leeks
2 carrots
2 potatoes skin on
2 turnips
1 green onion minced
Sauce:
Foolproof Dijon vinaigrette
Material:
Steamer
Salad bowl
Peeler
Place the potatoes in the bottom of the steamer, cover with water and bring to a boil.
Remove the tops of the leeks and crisscross the top before dropping in cold water. Once the sand is off, place in the top basket of the steamer. Remove the tops of the turnips. Peel and place in the steamer basket. Peel the carrot and place in the steamer.
When the water boils, place the steamer basket on top and cover.
After 20 minutes, remove from the gas. Cool all the vegetables under running cold water. Cut all the vegetables in small pieces and place in the salad bowl. Add the Dijon vinaigrette and mix well. Sprinkle with the green onions

Cabbage soup
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes, Cheap
Ingredients:
Cabbage cut in quarters and blanched
4 garlic cloves
3 onions
5 carrots
1 celery root
The broccoli stems and beet tops leftover
Chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Material
4-quart stockpot
Peeler
Blender

Peel the garlic cloves and the onions. Slice. Peel the carrots and celery root and slice. Put all the vegetables including the broccoli stems and beet tops in the stockpot. Cover with the chicken broth. Add 1 teaspoon coarse salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Put in the blender and mix coarsely.

Breakfast kefir
(Easy, Preparation time: 5 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
1 apple
The juice of a lemon
1 cup kefir
1 tablespoon nuts
1 tablespoon raisins
Material:
Food processor
Peeler
Peel the apple, grate them and place them in a bowl. Add the raisins and mix in with the lemon juice. Add the kefir and sprinkle with the nuts.

Eric Ripert's New Year appetizers

Le Bernardin in New York is a three-star restaurant where the specialty is fish. Maguy Le Coze and Eric Ripert are solidly at the helm and, under their direction, their team faultlessly deliver their passengers to Cythère. I first went to it when it was in the Paris street, which gave the restaurant its name. Itself derived from the convent, which stood there before the Revolution. The ruins have since been beautifully restored. Maggie’s brother was the chef before his untimely death. Then as now, the cuisine was memorable and the service impeccable. The New York successor is much bigger but the quality is unchanged. The menu offers four courses including a dessert. There are also two more extensive tasting menus. The categories you choose from are “almost raw”, “barely touched” and “lightly cooked”. There can be no clearer indication of the philosophy at work: the ingredient is foremost and the cuisine is at its service. Le Bernardin does not serve Chilean sea bass or any other endangered specie.
On a recent visit, I asked for one and received two recipes of my choice. The first one is the almost raw tuna, which uses foie gras au torchon (see December 11th ) on a baguette with raw tuna layered on top. The second is the barely touched scallop, another subtly enhanced savor. In both cases the magic comes from the just combination of a few notes. The recipes serve 4. I cannot think of a better start for the year 2010.

Le Bernardin Tuna (Layers of thinly pounded yellowfish tuna, foie gras and toasted baguette, shaved chives and extra virgin olive oil)
(Easy, Assemblage time: 5 minutes, Expensive)
Ingredients
¼ recipe torchon foie gras
8 oz (250g) yellowfish tuna
½ baguette
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Shallots minced
Chives snipped
Lemon halves
Material:
Meat slicer on #3 setting
Rolling pin
Plastic film
Brush
Cut the tuna in 8 pieces of 1 oz each respecting the grain of the fish. Place each piece between two larger layers of plastic film. Pound with the rolling pin until the tuna is as thin as smoked salmon. Reserve in the fridge until ready to assemble.
Slice thinly the foie gras.
Halve the baguette half for another usage and slice each quarter lengthwise. You should get 8 thin pieces of bread.
To assemble, place the foie gras slices on the bread. Place the bread in the center of the plate. Remove the top plastic layer from the tuna and place the tuna over the foie gras. Season with salt and pepper. Brush the tuna with olive oil. Sprinkle a few shallots and chives over it. Squeeze lemon juice at the last minute.

Le Bernardin scallop (ultra rare scorched scallop, garlic chive goat milk butter emulsion)
(Easy, Preparation time:20 minutes, Reasonable)
Ingredients:
1-Emulsion
¼ lb (113g) garlic chives bud
Kosher salt
6 oz (177g) goat’s milk butter cubed
Fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
2- Relish and garnish
¼ lb (113g) garlic chives buds
4 teaspoons olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
16 pieces (113g) hen of the woods mushrooms
1 tablespoon canola oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon cut in half
3-Scallops
¾ lb (340g) sea scallops (8 large)
2 teaspoons olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Material:
Medium stockpot
Strainer
Salad bowl with ice cubes
Blender
Small saucepan
Eggbeater
Iron pan or griddle

Gently pull off the muscles off the scallops and discard. Season the scallops with olive oil, salt and pepper. (This operation can be done as soon as you purchase the scallops.)

1- Bring salted water to a boil in the stockpot. Cut the garlic chive buds into 1-inch pieces and blanch for about two minutes. Strain and place the strainer in the salad bowl filled with ice cubes. Blend the chives with a couple of ice cubes and purée. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl and reserve.
Bring two tablespoons of water to a simmer in a small saucepan and whisk in the goat’s milk butter, 1 tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated with an eggbeater. Beat in about 4 tablespoons of the garlic chive bud purée and season to taste with salt and pepper
2- Trim the tough stems off the remaining garlic chive buds. Place them in a salad bowl and season them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set the iron pan or griddle on the gas at the high setting. When it is very hot, add the chives and cook until they are tender and lightly charred. Transfer to the cutting board and set aside 8 garlic chive buds. Chop the rest. Transfer back to the salad bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Reserve.
Heat a sauté pan in which a little bit of canola oil has been added over medium high. Sauté the hen of the woods mushrooms until golden brown and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3- Heat the cast iron griddle until very hot. Remove the scallops from the marinade and sear quickly on both sides about 1 minute. The scallops must remain rare.

To assemble, spoon a line of relish down the center of the plate, slice the scallops in half and place the rare side face up. Garnish each scallop with a charred chive bud, add 4 pieces of mushrooms over and around the sliced scallops. Squeeze a drop of lemon juice over the scallops and spoon the emulsion over and around. Serve immediately

Festive beef filet two ways

Meat has become for me a special occasion meal. Among the variety offered, beef filet retains its cachet. I propose two cooking methods, boiled or baked. Both will treat the special cut appropriately, leaving the meat rare. I suggested to the Japanese guests who tasted the first version that it was a French rendering of Shabu Shabu. The buttery béarnaise, which accompanies the minimally processed vegetables and meat, turns it into a richer although still light fare. Foie gras plays the same role for the second recipe. Both are appropriate for a sophisticated Christmas or New Year’s dinner depending on the number of your guests. I like to cook the string filet for 6 people. When accommodating a larger number, 8 as the recipe is written, beef Wellington is the way to go. Everything can be prepared in advance. Finishing the dish takes 20 unattended minutes, once all the guests have arrived. The side dish of boiled string beans can be prepared at the same time. As a bonus, I am suggesting my baked fries. They can also be prepared in advance and warmed up during the last 20 minutes. With foie gras or smoked salmon toasts as a starter and a Christmas log at the end, the festive meal can be enjoyed by all, including the hostess.

String filet*
(Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 45 minutes, A little pricey)
Ingredients:
1 lbs ½ beef filet
4 cups of chicken broth
4 medium carrots
4 leeks
1 Chinese cabbage
1 lbs (500g) turnip
1 bouquet garni
4 tablespoons coarse salt
Sauce:
2 yolks
¼ cup (70 ml) wine vinegar
¼ cup (70 ml) white wine
Pepper
1 shallot
1 stick (130g) butter
Material:
Plastic bag
Peeler
4-quart pot
Small saucepan
Strainer
Paper towel
Eggbeater

2 hours prior to cooking place the filet in a plastic bag with the salt. Refrigerate for two hours.
Peel the carrots and turnips. Keep the whites of the leeks and clean them. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and cut it into four. Clean it.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Plunge all the vegetables in the broth and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the meat and cook for another 10 minutes.
Prepare the sauce during the cooking of the meat and vegetables. Start by cooking the butter. When it has melted, place the towel over the strainer and dispose it over a measuring pitcher. Strain the butter to obtain clarified butter.
Use the same saucepan to sauté the shallots. Add the minced shallots, the pepper, white wine and wine vinegar and reduce by half. Bring to room temperature. Reserve in a bowl.
Beat the two yolks in the same saucepan. Place the strainer over and filter the cold reduction.
On a very slow gas, beat the content of the saucepan constantly until it foams and doubles. Remove from the gas and beat in the butter. Add salt and minced chives.
*The string in the name comes from the kitchen tie around the roast which can be attached to the handle of the saucepan to help remove the meat after its 10 minutes soak. I prefer using a set of tongues.
Beef Wellington
(A little delicate, Preparation and cooking time:1 hour and 1/2, Expensive)
Ingredients:
2 thick slices foie gras
½ lbs (250g) Paris mushrooms
4 lbs (2 kg) beef filet
Salt and pepper
1 pastry sheet (unfrozen)
1 egg beaten
Material:
Rolling pin
Frying pan
Ovenproof dish
Brush
Parchment paper on a baking sheet

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
Place the beef filet on the ovenproof dish. Salt and pepper the meat.
Wash the mushrooms and clip the extremities. Slice them finely. Season them with salt and pepper. Set the frying pan on the lowest setting of the gas, melt one tablespoon of butter and sauté the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Strain the mushrooms and reserve.
Bake the filet for 25 minutes. When the 25 minutes are past, remove the filet and bring it to room temperature. Lower the oven to 360F (180C)
Roll out the pastry sheet so that it is wide enough to wrap around the meat. Place it on the baking sheet covered with parchment. Sprinkle the mushrooms and pieces of foie gras on the pastry. Place the cooled meat in the center and fold the pastry sheet over the meat. Seal the pastry well and brush the exterior with the beaten egg.
Bake for twenty minutes.
Serve with buttered string beans.

Baked fries
(Easy, Preparation and baking time: 30 minutes plus waiting time, Cheap)
Ingredients:
2 lbs (1kg) Idaho potatoes
4 tablespoons duck fat
1garlic clove unpeeled
1 tablespoon butter at room temperature
2 yolks
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon minced parsley
Material:
Peeler
Towel
4-quart stock saucepan and cover
Set of tongues
Strainer
Ovenproof dish

Peel the potatoes and cut each in eight long and fat pieces. Immerge in water. Strain and pat dry with the towel.
Place the duck fat in the saucepan. When it starts smoking, add the garlic clove and the potatoes. Lower the gas. Turn over each potato until all faces are golden. Cook for another 15 minutes covered. Strain the potatoes. Put them back in the pan and sprinkle the butter on top. Make sure that the butter coats each fry.
Beat the yolks and mix the yolks and the fries with your hands. Place in the ovenproof dish. Add the salt and parsley.
Place the ovenproof dish in the oven preheated at 360F (180C) until ready to serve.

Christmas Log: a French tradition made in America

Before a clever 19th century pastry chef created the now mandatory christmas cake, the Christmas Log burnt brightly in every French fireplace. When Santa Claus took to passing through the chimney to offer his wares, the log jumped from its normal place to the table for everybody’s pleasure. It is one of the few French holiday traditions. Germany is responsible for Christmas pine trees, Great Britain for the bank holiday and the subsequent extra money as well as the stockings that it goes into. The Scandinavian nations brought the reindeers and the elves. But who is counting? What’s important is that we end up with a smorgasbord of international customs: to everyone, her favorite. I was extremely happy to find this French treat in Wainscott. Brad produces a realist and tasty chocolate raspberry log at Bradzilla. He graciously provided me with the following recipe, which I adapted for home cooking.

Chocolate Christmas log
(A little delicate, Preparation and cooking time: 60 minutes, Waiting time: 60 minutes, Cheap)
Ingredients:
1-Chocolate sponge base
¼ cup (60g) sugar
6 eggs
¾ tsp cream of tartar
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate melted
2-Raspberry mousse filling
1 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup (60g) fine sugar
3-Frosting
8 oz. (237 g) bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup (158g) heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
½ stick (60g) cold butter
Material:
Whip
2 salad bowls
Saucepan
Eggbeater
Silicone spoon
Silicone brush
Cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Toothpick

1-Preheat oven at 300F Crack and separate the eggs in two salad bowls. Mix the sugar with the yolks until light and fluffy. Set aside. Melt the chocolate with a tablespoon of water over low heat. Mix well and cool down. Whip whites until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar and chocolate into yolks. Gently fold whites into yolks. Spread evenly on prepared sheet pan with the silicone spoon. Bake at 300F (150C) degrees for 16 minutes, rotating at half term.
2-Heat in a pan at medium range the raspberries and sugar till juicy and bubbling. Cook while mixing until you obtain a paste. Cool completely.
3-Boil the cream until it bubbles. Remove from the stove and add the chocolate broken in small pieces. Add the cold butter cut in small pieces and the vanilla. Blend and chill to proper consistency.
Wait until everything is cool before assembling.
Spread the raspberry filling on the sponge and carefully roll up the cake. Place it on the serving plate. Cut one slice and position it on top of the cake about 2/3 of the length, to simulate a stump. Brush the frosting over the cake. The brush will naturally create texture over the log. Using a toothpick create pretend bark and circles on the stump. Sprinkle the confectioner sugar through a fine strainer to create a snow effect.

Foie gras:the best pâté

Foie gras is a favorite starter for Christmas or New Year festivities. It is not new: geese are represented while force-fed in Egyptian tomb frescoes. The current polemic about whether it constitutes animal cruelty is old news as well: Alexandre Dumas under the entry “foie gras” in his Great cooking dictionary of 1870 recalls the petition written by a French gourmet but virtuous aristocrat in defense of the rights of geese. It was presented to the chamber of Lords with no effect whatsoever. The production method is ingenuous. By constantly over nourishing ducks or geese, their liver is enlarged to 10 times its normal size and reaches a fat content of 50 to 65%. It is the dispersion of the fat within the liver cells, which creates the incomparably rich taste of the transformed organ. Very little remains to be done to finish this walking pâté. A well-grown liver is pale pink and uniform in color. When poked with a finger it will give but retain its imprint. There are two ways to prepare it: you either sauté thick slices of liver in a hot pan or you cook the whole liver and refrigerate it for a few days before eating it cold and sliced on pieces of bread. The second technique has my preference. To cook a liver you have again several choices. They have to do with flavorings and shape. If you want round slices, you will prefer to make a torchon of foie gras simmered in stock. If you like terrines and want to add your own flavorings you will marinate the duck liver in a terrine with some cognac and spices and bake it in a water bath inside the oven. Whatever you choose, you will need a thermometer to monitor closely the temperatures. The secret of a good pâté is to minimize fat loss. To attain the best result you need to raise progressively the internal temperature from 110F (45C) to 160F (70C).
Start your preparation three days before you intend to serve it. The taste of the foie gras will then have had time to develop. Buy the best possible ingredient from a mail order company (D’Artagnan or Hudson valley foie gras) and use one of the three following recipes. which will provide roughly for 15 people.

Basic preparation
(Easy, Time: 15 or 3 hours unattended, 10 minutes preparation, Expensive)
Ingredients:
1.6 to 2 lbs foie gras
Material:
Large salad bowl

Place the foie gras overnight in salted ice water in the refrigerator. If you are short on time, you may place it for 3 hours in a temperate salted bath.
The next day, remove the foie gras from the water and bring to room temperature for 3 hours. The whole process is needed to expose the veins. Pull the exposed veins out. The foie gras will part into its two lobes.


Torchon foie gras (courtesy of Eric Ripert executive chef of Le Bernardin)*
(Easy, Preparation and cooking: 35 minutes, resting time: 24 to 48 hours, Expensive)
Ingredients:
Foie gras from basic preparation
10 to 12 g. of salt
3 g white pepper
2 cups (500 m) chicken stock
Material:
Plastic film
Wet cheesecloth
Kitchen twine
Large stockpot
Large ovenproof dish
Thermometer
Perforated sheet over a baking sheet.

Weigh the foie gras and season it on both sides (60% on the rough side, the rest on the smooth.) The right proportion is 12 g per 2 lbs (1 kg). Let the foie gras cure for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Roll the foie gras in saran wrap to get proper shape and remove air bubles. Each roll should be approximately 3 to 4 inches wide and 11 inches long.
Place the roll in the middle of a wet cheeseclothe. Remove the plastic film and roll again in shape. First tie the shorter side and continue to roll tightly before securing the other side.
Preheat the oven to 300F (150C)
Bring the chicken stock to a boil, transfer to the rectangular ovenproof and allow to cool to 160F (70C) and add foie gras rolls to the stock. Place the large ovenproof dish in the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the internal foie gras temperature of 90F ( 30C) is reached. Let them cool and drain in the fridge by placing the rolls on a grill over a baking sheet.
When cool, remove the cheesecloth, roll again in saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
*This recipe is part of the subtle Tuna recipe Eric gave me to share as a New Year’s Eve recipe, which will be featured in my blog on December 25th.
Two variants for a foie gras terrine
1-Bain-marie (Easy, Preparation and cooking:60 minutes, refrigeration:2 days, Expensive)
Material:
Foie gras from basic preparation
10 to 12 g. fine salt
3g white pepper
2oz(60ml) Cognac
1 teaspoon sugar
Material
Ovenproof terrine with a cover
Larger ovenproof dish
Thermometer
Place the 2 lobes on the large dish. Sprinkle the salt sugar and white pepper on both sides and pour the Cognac over them.
Marinate in the refrigerator for 12 hours, turning them over at half time.
The day after, one hour prior to cooking, remove the liver from the refrigerator. Place them in the terrine, keeping the curves on the outsides. Clean the large ovenproof dish and fill it with water
Preheat the oven at 300F (150C) place the ovenproof dish in the oven and bring the water temperature to 160F (70C). Check with a thermometer. Place the uncovered terrine in the bain-marie and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the terrine from the bain-marie, cover it and let it cooled naturally for 2 hours. Refrigerate for at least one night before serving with toasted country bread.

2- Baked (Easy, Preparation and baking time: 2 hours, Refrigeration :2 days, Expensive)
Ingredients:
Foie gras from basic preparation
10 to 12 g fine salt
3 g white pepper
Material:
Plastic film
Paper towel
1 cookie sheet
1 terrine
1 lbs (500g) flour or sugar package to use as a weight
Weigh the foie gras and season it on both sides (60% on the rough side, the rest on the smooth.) The right proportion is 12 g per 2 lbs (1 kg). Cover with a plastic film and let the foie gras cure for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven at 160F (70C) and bake until the center of the livers reaches 113F (45C) approximately 1hour and 50 minutes.
Pat the two lobes dry and place in the terrine, curves on the outside. Place a plastic film loosely on top and use the flour or sugar package on top to weigh down the pâté. Refrigerate for 2 days before serving.