Petit Soleil

May 2010, Oradour-sur-Glane

2011-02-19T10:02:00.010-05:00

This sad and quiet place of remembrance marked the true beginning of our 2010 Spring trip to France.

The church where women and children hid, were then found and massacred.

more on youtube, this time in French

2010-10-27T20:06:00.005-04:00

I recently cleaned up my Youtube channel by deleting several of my early uploads, including the video linked a few posts down. My "new" camera captures better video than the ipod nano by a long shot. The audio, somewhat less so (painfully wanting actually); however, listenable.

Here's a video from my Youtube channel, sung in French. It's a version of the Kate Fenner song, Salamandre. I hope you enjoy.

Edit: Hey, sorry if the full screen cannot be seen. Click on the video while it's playing and it should take you to the Youtube upload. Cheers

Lyon and Dinner at La Tassee

2010-08-20T11:37:00.008-04:00

Lyon and Dinner at La Tassee

Before returning to Paris for our return flight to the states, we spent one night in Lyon, the second largest city in France. We left the sun behind in the Cotes du Rhone to find a light drizzle and clouds hanging over the old city, yet not enough to keep us from wandering from our hotel on Presqu'ile, the peninsular city between the Rhone and the Saone rivers. Below is a view of the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière from the Presqu'ile.

A view of the Saone.

We dined at La Tassee, a terrific restaurant just a short walk from our hotel on Rue Victor Hugo, just south of Place Bellecour.

Salade lyonnaise aux lardons et œuf mollet

a terrine de foie gras

We like Sancerre!

A vegetarian plate with perfectly executed vegetables!

Rabbit loin stuffed with kidney, crayfishes and tarragon, served with a sauce made of crayfish.

The cheese course with one of my favorites, epoisse.

Desserts!

A pretty building in a courtyard at the end of one of the Vieux cities' ancient, hidden passageways.

Blog Tragectory

2010-02-21T12:40:00.004-05:00

alternate directions

For some time now I’ve considered taking down this blog. My real life doesn’t require much of a cyber presence. Really I prefer to spend my hours in other pursuits. For the time being, however, it shall remain, if redirected. I may start posting about interests beyond those culinary. So don’t be too surprised when those pop up.

news

I still find my job rewarding in multiple ways. Let’s hope I can continue this indefinitely. Also, biggest news: we’re heading back to France. The last two weeks of May we’ll drive a smiley face across part of France beginning at Amboise then driving south through the Dordogne to Carcassone, then east to the Luberon near the town of St. Saturnin, and finally to Vaison La Romaine in the Cotes de Rhone. The trip should certainly provide some good blog fodder.

restaurants

L’Albatros in University Circle is our new Cleveland area favorite. We dined there for the second occasion before going to see Pierre Boulez conduct Mahler at Severance Hall. Everything about the meal was good from the wine recommendations to how well and quickly they handled our request to switch tables, to the timing of the meal. We were even treated to a sampling of some really terrific cheeses at the end of the meal. I can recommend the cassoulet heartily. On this last visit, I tried the skate. I think a real test of a cook’s quality is how he/she handles fish. My skate was perfectly cooked. Kudos the line for their excellent execution. If you haven’t been, overall the food is simple, very tasty, well prepared and true to tradition. I seldom ask for more than that, but it’s a real joy when well delivered.

Enough for now. I have some other pursuits to attend.

White Burgundies - part deux?

2009-12-23T10:19:00.004-05:00

love affair

The wine pictured below is the one responsible for beginning my love affair with white burgundies. It delighted my palate one early April evening during a celebratory dinner at Chez Francois in Vermilion, Ohio (some years ago). This 2001 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet is a Premier Cru from the southern part of the limestone ridge, defining the Cote D'Or, south of Beaune. This vintage was spectacularly dry and woody.

Pictured next is a more everyday white burgundy. It is very drinkable and satisfies my desire for dry minerality without being austere. I buy this unoaked 2007 Cave de Lugny from the Maconnais for 10.99 locally, a really good bargain, if you enjoy this style of wine.

Two Wine Recommendations

2009-10-23T12:49:00.004-04:00

another sauvignon blanc

My comsumption of whites falls mainly into two camps: French-style sauv blancs by a long shot (not those NZ style tropical bombs...yuk!), followed by a smattering of lower-end white burgundies. Recently I have been purchasing Ferrari-Carrano Fume Blanc on sale. This is a Sonoma wine labled with the marketing ploy of calling it a fume blanc instead of sauv blanc when the "smokiness" is added by way of oak, sur-lie aging...thank you very much Mondavi. The F-C is 33% French oak and 67% stainless. It's a nice wine, no doubt. However, every once in a while one needs the "real deal," the fume sans oak. Sure you can find that from Chilean producers, but it's great to stumble across an affordable neighbor of the Loire's premium appellations Pouilly Fume and Sancerre. If you're looking for that flinty, dry minerality with just the right amount of sauv blanc fruit, consider wines from the appellation Reuilly. I bought this Domaine Henri Beurdin et Fils at Mustard Seed Market in Solon, Ohio for seventeen USD. It's a really nice budget white.

In Praise of Roussanne

I'll buy more of the Reuilly and more of the aforementioned CA fume. Still, it's nice to take a break from the usual and refresh the palate with something else. Why do I forget about Roussanne? I love this varietal when from sunny, hot climes that give it body and color. Look to the southeast wine country of France young man! I can't afford Chateauneuf-du-Pape (their white is largely roussanne). No. I picked up this Verget inexpensively at Whole Foods. Verget, Jean-Marie Guffens' negociant company, which famously makes burgundies, produces wines from the Vaucluse as Verget du Sud (makes sense), trucking them up to Sologny to do this, but never mind. This wine does not have that bone dry minerality (structure) I adore. Rather, there is a bit of assertive straw and herb with a touch of sweetness, while remaining on the whole a dry wine. It hangs in the mouth a bit, too. I mean that it has good body and a pretty long finish for a white, but still clean. It may be somewhat limited for food pairings, not quite dry enough for rillettes de porc, but something less fattening, it should go well. Try it with roast chicken (if you've not already opened a lightly chilled Brouilly) or better yet, seafood. If you do give this Roussanne a try, let me know what you think.

Bob Waggoner Dinner at the CVI

2009-07-21T09:47:00.009-04:00

a celebration of friendship dinner, monday, june 8th, 2009

I can't keep waiting for others to supply me with photographic material for blog posts! So, it is with limited images, many missing pictures of deliciousness, that I upload an incomplete catalogue of the evening.

I assisted with the preparation of this dinner at the hosts' request. As I have mentioned before, it is my great pleasure to volunteer my time for Patricia Mowen-Ziegler and her husband, Jerry Ziegler. These gracious people help support Veggie U, a not-for -profit children's program, by winning auctions at the home of Veggie U, the Culinary Vegetable Institute. The auctions take place at the annual Food and Wine Event (the most recent of which happened to be Saturday, July 18th -- a post coming soon to this blog). At the Ziegler's dinner last October, you may recall from a previous post, the star chef was Lee Ann Wong. Bob Waggoner of The Charleston Grill was recruited for this occassion.

First, the menu. I was recruited to do the starters and cheese course. Bob Waggoner, star of the evening, did five courses. The lovely and talented Ann Blackwood (aka cocoa) was recruited to prepare dessert.

Gougere

Chevre Stuffed Strawberries

Foie Gras au torchon with Spiced Rhubarb

Tuna Tartar in Baby Tomatoes

Tomato-Yogurt Smoothie with Caviar

Iron Horse Blanc de Blanc Sonoma County, California, 1990

Bellecart-Salmon Brut Rose Champange, France

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Warm Maine Lobster Salad with May Tomatoes, Avocado and Young Arugula in Garden Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

Silex Blanc Fume de Pouille, Loire Valley, France, 2006 (Magnum)

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Zucchini Blossoms Stuffed with Wild American Shrimp Mousse over Fennel Mouseline in Chardonnay Caper and Opal Basil Butter

Puligny-Montrachet Les Combelles, Burgundy, France, 1999

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Pan Seared Carolina Quail Breast over Eggplant and Sweetbread Risotto in Calamata Olive, Sun-Dried Tomatoe and Rosemary Jus

Volnay Santenots-du-Milieu, Premiere Cru, Burgundy, France, 2001 (Magnum)

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Long Island Duck Leg Confit and Seared Breast with Goose Liver and "Cracklins" in Sangria Reduction Scented with Fresh Cherries

Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, Bordeaux, France, 1982 (Imperial)

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Sauteed Kobe Beef Tips with Salsify, Ice Onions and Butter Potatoes in Morel Jus Scented with Truffles

Chateau de Beaucastel, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France, 1989 (Double Magnum)

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Chevre, Brillat Savarin, Camembert, Sharp Cheddar, Roquefort

Dow's Porto, Portugal, 1970

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Dessert Trio

Berry Compote with Lavender Anglaise

Peanut Butter Mousse, Chocolate Ganache, Gold Leaf, Chocolate Mint

Chocolate Truffle, Star Anise Mousse, Port Reduction

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Ok, now the pics.

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The berries are stuffed with chevre and diced strawberry with a balsamic reduction. The micro herb garnish is anise hyssop.

This is the smoothie. It's made with dehydrated tomatoes and garnished with a dehydrated slice of baby tomato, American sturgeon roe and micro oregano.

Mixed baby tomatoes stuffed with tuna tartar and garnished with two types of micro basil.

Gougere (is what it is, but I love 'em).

One of the few courses Bob Waggoner did that I was able to photograph.

Here's Bob at the stove. He was perfectly enjoyable in the kitchen, very relaxed and mellow about the whole evening.

The kobe beef. Now that's a pretty plate.

Ann Blackwood doing her thing. Go girl! She and I were pretty much left to one side of the kitchen while three other chefs helped Bob produce the main courses.

A close-up of her dessert.

At the end of the long day.

Rewards!

Foie Gras au Torchon

2009-06-13T10:39:00.004-04:00

deliciousness!

I prepared this foie gras au torchon for Patricia's dinner (last Monday) at the CVI. I prefer this method (and also terrines) over the ubiquitous seared foie one sees on restaurant menus across the US. In this method the foie is lightly cured and then mi-cuit, meaning barely cooked, in this case, poached.

Here's a picture of the foie gras after curing. I broke apart the lobes and soaked the foie in milk with curing salt. After an overnight bath in the milk, I drained the foie and cleaned it of blood vessels. The cleaned foie was sprinkled with kosher salt, sugar, more curing salt, and freshly ground black pepper and allspice. I rolled it into logs using parchment paper and allowed it to cure in this shape. Foie gras is graded A, B and C quality. B will work absolutely fine, if well cleaned, for au torchon. Because this was for Patricia's special dinner, I used A.

In this picture, I am rolling the cured logs in dampened cheese cloth as tightly as possible. Even allowing some of the fat to press through the cloth. Here are the logs all rolled and tied, ready to be poached. The tied foie is lowered into barely simmering stock where it will poach for just under two minutes.Into an ice bath it goes to stop the cooking process. And here is where I stopped taking pictures. The next step is to tie it (still in the cheese cloth) as tightly as possible in a kitchen towel (torchon in French, and thus, the name of the method). This last step allows one to reshape and press the foie, guaranteeing that it will hold its form. Hang it in a cooler over night and that's it!

Here is the final product, sliced and trimmed with a small circular cutter. It's on mini toasts and garnished with rhubarb and anise hyssop. YUM!

Update Teaser

2009-06-10T09:32:00.004-04:00

overdue and coming soon

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I've got a couple posts to put up (not the Boston trip yet!), but some good stuff nonetheless. Last Monday, June 8th 2009, I cooked with Bob Waggoner at the CVI, again for Patricia Mowen-Ziegler. Patricia asked me to do the hors d'oeuvres and cheese course. Details and pictures will follow. I took some pictures and will post those, but I'm hoping to get some better shots from Bob's photographer/TV co-producer Mike Kirk.

So what's this post about then? Just to say I'm still here, still having fun with food, still enjoying my job, life is good.

Life is especially good when you get to sample fine wine. So, here's the teaser part. The only two bottles I photographed at Monday night's dinner.

First up Chateau de Beaucastel--this is a double magnum of '89 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, people. Need I say more?

Second up, and star of the show in my humble opinion, an Imperial (all beautiful six liters, that's one big bottle folks) of 1982 Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Easily one of the best wines I have ever tasted.

Cookie Time: an Interview with Chef Anna Kim

2009-05-01T09:08:00.003-04:00

from the interview desk

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This morning we reopen the Interview Studios to welcome Anna Kim, Chef at Sans Souci, and a dear friend. Keep an eye on this rising star. She has a lot of talent.

Petit Soleil (PS): Hi Anna, welcome to the Interview Studios at Petit Soleil. Did you bring us any food?!

Anna Kim (AK): My world famous, secret family recipe, chocolate chip cookies. I have had people try to marry into my family for this recipe!

PS: Now that’s what I’m talking about! I’ll get the milk. While I shake this un-homogenized Snowville Creamery local deliciousness, why don’t you tell us about your culinary passion?

AK: Much of it comes from my upbringing. Holidays and celebrations were always centered around a warm kitchen and everyone pitching in to put together a fantastic spread of food. As I got more into cooking, I discovered that food can be just as creative and artistic as a painting and as precise and measured as science. Art and Science are two subjects I have been drawn to my entire life.

PS: Gosh these are good. Hmm, slightly narcotic effect. What’s in these again? Oh, right, it’s a secret. You've been the chef at Sans Souci for quite a while now, but you've honed your skills elsewhere. If I remember correctly you were turning up the Arizona heat in some trend-setting joint?

AK: Yes, I spent my externship plus about two additional years at a French bistro named “Zinc”. I worked under a very classic French chef with the brigade system in place. Chef Matt Carter spent time with Thomas Keller as a sous chef. He held everyone at Zinc to that same level of perfection. Very high pressure, very male dominated (it had a reputation as “the seventh level of hell”), but very fair. I learned more there in 3 months than I did in my entire culinary school experience. It was rough, but I love those guys. They used to say, “if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”, and I believe that to be true.

PS: Sounds like a fantastic first restaurant experience. What have you carried over and put into play at Sans Souci? You’ve got some cookie crumbs on your jacket.

AK: Many of the skills I learned at Zinc I have brought with me to Sans Souci. Organization, sense of urgency, multi tasking. I learned techniques developed from people with vast experience, and have shared those tricks of the trade with my crew. I also hold myself and my crew to that same level of perfection I learned at Zinc. I do try to stay calm and politically correct at all times, something not so true at the bistro. It is a different environment working in an independent kitchen versus a corporate business. I am definitely not allowed to throw pans at people here!

PS: Yeah. Darn rules. Pan throwing has such a dramatic impact too. Sans Souci has been a strong player for years. With lots of really good, innovative competition popping up, how do you see Sans Souci fitting into the Cleveland restaurant scene?

AK: We have two different approaches that I keep in mind at all times. We are located in the historical Cleveland Renaissance Hotel, a gorgeous facility. We stay true to our long time patrons by keeping our signature dishes such as the angel hair pasta and bouillabaisse on the menu. As well as some other traditional and authentic Mediterranean items…our tapenade, osso bucco, etc. But, we must also take into account the changing times, and now, the economy. I am very supportive of using local, sustainable products whenever possible. We can achieve this by using such resources as the Chefs Garden. We have also begun to use organic protein items as well. Our menu now features a broader price range ($18-$32 for entrees, $7-$14 for appetizers), we can accommodate those going out for a special occasion as well as those just coming in for a casual pre game meal.

PS: We haven't visited the restaurant in quite a while, our spies report you've got a new promotional menu starting soon. Is it top secret or can you tell us about it?

AK: We have begun our spring promotion “Le Jardin”, it features the bounty of the French countryside in the spring. We are utilizing such produce as French breakfast radishes, baby carrots, beets, asparagus, ramps, and spring peas (just to name a few). All locally grown. The produce is used to not only accent the fantastic proteins we are featuring on the menu (lamb, strip steak, wild salmon, and scallops to name a few) but to star in the dish as well.

PS: That’s a great approach. I’m a big fan of plates without protein as the center focus or when it plays a supporting role. What's your favorite knife?

AK: Chefs knife, I use it the most.

PS: What's your single most memorable culinary experience?

AK: Gosh I have so many. That is what I truly love about my job. Every day is an adventure! I do have a funny one that pops in my head that I can share with you though. It was back at Zinc. I had been there for maybe a week or two, and I was really trying my hardest to impress and earn my keep amongst this very talented and judgmental kitchen. That meant eagerly attacking each command with enthusiasm and with an increased sense of urgency. Chef Adam, the chef de cuisine, was cutting fish and asked me to grab the halibut from the walk in. This was not a side of fish, or loin of fish, it was like, the entire fish, on a sheet pan. I didn’t realize he was just kidding around. That fish was half the size of me. I picked up the pan, pushed my back against the door, and muscled my way to the butchering station. The looks I got from the big guys on the hot line were priceless as I held that fish firmly between my chest and the sheet pan, not daring to even think what would happen if I let it hit the ground.

PS: I think I’ve filleted halibuts bigger than you! We happen to know that you're half of a dynamic culinary duo. Can you tell us what your talented husband is up to these days?

AK: He is working over at the Shoreby Club in Bratenhal. It is a private yacht club over on the east side. They are going to be unveiling a new menu in the Mansion dining room any day now. Unfortunately, the club is not open to the public. At home, we are really excited to be into grilling season. Eddie will make us breakfast, lunch, and dinner from the grill if given the opportunity.

PS: So what does the future hold for Chef Kim?

AK: I can’t divulge everything, but I can tell you that Ed and I hope to have our own restaurant one of these days. Our son is already in training to be one of our sous chefs.

PS: Do you have a time table for these plans?

AK: That will probably be determined by the economy these days, but I would say five to ten years.

PS: Do you get to try (have the time for) other restaurants? If so, where have you been and which did you like?

AK: We really don’t get to go out too much. I work too much (as most chefs do) and have very little spending money. I get to meet many of my culinary acquaintances at benefit functions, between those and reading local publications, I know of other restaurants I would love to have time to check out. When Ed and I eat out it is usually from one of our little known, ethnic places we have around the neighborhood. For a special occasion, I really like Lola’s. Michael Symon has a great crew over there, and I have never been disappointed.

PS: I really have to get back there, too. Who let that kid in here and why is he making weird noises?

AK: Oh, that’s Tommy. He wants to know why you are intruding on what he has deemed “mommy and tommy” time. I think he’s growling at you.

PS: Here, kid, have a cookie. Thanks Anna for stopping by. Anything else you want to share with the millions of readers of this blog?

AK: Millions? Now I’m nervous. Well, I guess I would like to share with them that I hope to see them down to Sans Souci soon. We have some really fresh, seasonal, and fantastic dishes on the menu right now. There is nothing I love more than to share my cooking with friends, and any friend of Ben’s, is a friend of mine!

An Affordable White Burgundy Recommendation

2009-04-30T09:36:00.003-04:00

Pouilly-Vinzelles

Pictured above is a white from the Maconnais. This middle of the road chardonnay drinks like its more famous neighbor, Pouilly-Fuisse, at a reasonable price. I picked up a case of this 2005 Pouilly-Vinzelles for 12.99 a bottle (before case discount). This wine normally retails in the sixteen to twenty-two dollar range, usually right around eighteen. I recommend locals hit the store before it’s all gone. I think there may only be a few bottles left. If you want to give it a shot, I picked this up at the Whole Foods on Cedar Rd in Cleveland Heights.

It’s ready to drink now and won’t really benefit from cellaring. As you can read on the lable, Louis Latour is the Negocient-Eleveur. This designation means either that Latour has contracts with specific growers or buys wine that has only begun to ferment, and refines/elevates it. This Pouilly-Vinzelles was bottled at the other end of the Burgundy region in Beaune.

Remember why I liked that Chilean sauv blanc so much (a few posts ago)? The lack of aging in oak allowed the terroir to shine through. With this wine one can expect much the same. While unoaked chardonnays are not always put through malolactic fermentation, Latour has for this wine. The result is a rather soft, medium bodied wine, easily accessible. It’s got nuttiness and a bit of honey with, as one might expect, enough acidity to make a great food wine.

a votre sante

Palatability Revisited - a dinner at Taste

2009-04-23T10:21:00.003-04:00

infamous cheesecake?

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On Saturday, April 11th, the evening before my last hurrah at Fire (Sunday Brunch), I went to dinner at Taste. This lively spot graces Lee Rd just two blocks from my home. It opened last autumn, yet it has taken me this long to get there. And for shame: I know the chef. Anthony Vicente, a Parisian transplant, interviewed with me for a position in my kitchen several years ago. I would have hired him in a heartbeat, but our hourly rate did not satisfy his requirements for compensation. We ended up working side-by-side for a short spell. I actually trained him for all of one (maybe two?) nights on the pantry station at Fire, before I switched to my favored Sundays only schedule. He patiently tolerated my extremely rusty French and endured some razzing as the new guy with a funny accent from the line cooks and sous chefs. For about half a year now (I believe) he’s been the chef at this new establishment.

I turns out that we have some food ideas in common. Ideas about small portions and flavor combinations that push our preconceived, socially constructed palates. Most of the food is innocuous enough in this regard. I opted for the prix fixe menu, and let Anthony send out whatever he wanted. What I ate was flavorful, well seasoned and presented nicely, if simply.
He started me off with Red Mullet. It was topped with black olive tapenade, set on a quenelle of sweet potato and surrounded by yellow curry, lightly foamed, a great combination. The fish was fine, properly cooked. The sweet potato-yellow curry combination (not a stretch by any means) was really delightful. My main criticism here (likely unshared by locals) is: too big! Cut back to less than two ounces of sweet potato. Also, I would have enjoyed an herbaceous counterpoint. Bring on the lemon balm or anise hyssop, brother! This was one of my favorite courses, which is why I have included it in this post.

What peaked my interest, gastronomically speaking, came in the form of dessert. Anthony sent out a cheesecake made with red bell pepper puree. The server who brought the dessert to the table referred to it as “the infamous cheesecake”. Uh, training anyone? Now, I’m a mellow kind of guy when I’m not in a kitchen, so the irksomeness of this declaration faded quickly. But, come on people, support your chef! Don’t make suggestive critique of the food (or leading commentary) in this form. Anyway, server’s blunder aside, I liked it. It’s actually pretty simple, two dimensional at best. Still, it satisfied my palates desire for savory flavors in dessert. Why are we so wary of using traditionally savory flavors in this way? I won’t revisit that discussion so much as to say, do try it. You might like it. After the meal, since I’m interested in these things, I asked the host (and Anthony) about sales and the future of the cheesecake (or others similar) on the menu. It remains undecided. Public reception of the dessert seems to fall into a love it or hate it dichotomy. Oh well. I’m in the middle ground again with decided leaning toward the love-it camp. I strongly encourage the powers at Taste to let Anthony free reign for a minimum of another six months. At the very least, it will allow me to eat some more food that challenges the status quo. My specific suggestions for this dessert: ditch the fried basil leaf. Basil might make a great garnish in another form. Fried, it has little flavor. Also, trim the portion size. I once overheard Trotter direct his pastry chef, Della, to make smaller portions. He said "put what you think would be the right amount...then cut it in half!"

quick update

2009-04-14T22:21:00.005-04:00

hello friends

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I've had a little more than a week at the new job. It's going very well; meaning, I like the family, I like the challenges, I look forward to the many meals and channelling my creativity. Every once in a while, I'll try to take some food pictures. So, this quick post is just to say, "All is well!"

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Lots of bloggers, with pages more elaborately garnished than mine, include a "what I've been reading" gadget. It's nice really (I enjoy it on other pages), but it's not for me. The times when I feel a link is important, I'll insert a hyperlink into the text (scroll through old posts for many examples, most of these are for reference). However, every once in an while, when I read something that I want to share, I'll put the link into a post (not a side bar) with an explanation.

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A post or two ago, I extolled the virtues of a Chilean sauv blanc. Sauvignon Blanc has become my favorite white (at least, for the time being). Of sauv blancs, I particularly like Sancerre. So, it is of special interest that I read this, which is not only about Sancerre, but references the region of which I wrote. With this post, I'll create a new, temporary, honorary award: good buy wine of the month. It's goes to the afore-posted Cono Sur Vision Sauvignon Blanc for being everything one might expect from a Sancerre, yet at 11.99. Try it, love it. And if you do try it, please let me know what you think.

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A votre sante.

Roasted Duck

2009-03-26T10:13:00.004-04:00

for a twist on moo shu preparations

I really enjoy cooking and eating duck. Here are a few pictures of a dish I made last week, based on the Chinese classic. I stuffed the duck with mirepoix, oranges and a little garlic all of which was tossed in a mixture of fresh thyme, bay leaf, five spice powder, fennel seed, whole cloves, chili flakes, cinnamon, black pepper and sea salt. I rubbed a little of the spice mixture on the outside of the skin, minimally trussed the bird, and used a skewer to "sew" for body cavity closed.
The neck, hearts and wings went into a sauce pan with a little white wine and some of the flavored mirepoix mixture. This barley simmered for a few hours until I had a perfectly clear, delightful stock. I reduced this stock and used it to moisten the shredded duck.
Here is the duck right out of the oven. I pricked the skin heavily with the tines of a dinner fork before cooking it. It was slow roasted at 325 for several hours until super tender. When it was well rested and cool enough to handle, I removed the meat and chopped/shredded it, mixing in a little bit of the most crispy skin. The five spice and orange flavors had infused the meat nicely.

Finally, it became this. Warmed, rolled into buckwheat crepes with hoisin sauce and served warm with a salad of Asian greens, bean sprouts and baby bok choy tossed in a simple orange and shallot vinaigrette. Delicious, if I do say so myself.

Tools of the Trade

2009-03-25T16:21:00.007-04:00

these are a few of my favorite things

Question: Why is it important for a chef to master knife skills?

Answer: Because it is the most commonly used tool in the kitchen.

Recently I've developed a fondness for Japanese knives. The steel, geometry and artisan quality of Japanese knives, far outshine the steel, geometry and quality of the German knives. If you know what you're doing, although it takes a lot of practice, you can get a wicked edge on a Japanese knife unknown to any German blade. And it will last. As I convert my knife set to mainly Japanese knives, I'll have to find homes for the German stuff. There are many types of steels and styles of manufacture among Japanese cutlery. Here's a little Show And Tell...

The knives from top to bottom are: an 8 inch shun gyuto, a 240mm Kumagoro gyuto, a 170mm Moritaka santoku and a paring knife that I picked up at Dehillerin. I love all of these for different reasons. The Shun was a gift from a former executive chef at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, the Kumagoro I ordered from The Epicurean Edge, and the Moritaka I ordered straight from the maker in Japan (click here).

Next is a closer look at the Kumagoro gyuto. It is made of Blue Steel #2. It is the sharpest knife of the bunch currently. It's high carbon, so one has to wash and dry it lovingly. If cared for properly, it will develop a wonderful patina. The handle is made of Ho wood. It's untreated and must be specially cared for. I'm using a mixture of beeswax and mineral oil. See pictures and a description below. The ferrule is water buffalo horn.

This next picture is of the 170mm Moritaka. This style of knife, santoku, is becoming very popular in western kitchens. Santoku refers to three virtues; it's a knife designed for meats, fish and vegetables, kind of your all around-multi-purpose kitchen knife. This one has a rosewood handle and water buffalo horn ferrule. It's also made of Blue Steel #2. I think I waved the knife over these veggies and they just fell into these cuts, terrified by the sharpness of the knife.

In this picture, you can see that the high carbon blade of the Moritaka is forge welded to a stainless steel tang (the metal part that goes into the handle). This is supposed to give the knife a longer life.

Here are the three lined up so that you can see the heels.

The Shun is by far the most western of the bunch with the metal bolster. All three have a D-shaped handle for ergonomics. The Shuns handle is impregnated with resins and, therefore, needs little special care.

Here's what I am now using to treat my knives' wooden handles (and also my cutting boards). I make a mixture out of beeswax and mineral oil. I learned this from a terrific spot for knife talk: Fred's Cutlery Forum. The beeswax is from a local bee keeper. This pound of wax cost me five bucks. It feels and smells fantastic.

The mise en place for my mixture.

For melting the wax into the oil, I used a double boiler method so as not to overheat the wax.

There's the finished product along side the knives. I first made a blend of about 25% beeswax, which turned out to be too hard at room temperature. I found that 20% seems to work well, but I might even go a tad lower next time.

Two Wine Recommendations

2009-03-23T10:14:00.004-04:00

two good buys

A few years ago I participated in a food and wine event for which the emcee was a local food writer/wine critic personality. He awarded some prize bottles (as thank-yous, really) remarking that one could buy a really great wine for sixty dollars. Was his tongue firmly planted in his cheek? As just about every sane person knows, there are some fabulous wines for less than half that price point. The wines I buy for daily enjoyment mostly fall into the ten to fourteen dollars a bottle range. It's easy to spend more, but there is a certain satisfaction (not to mention financial incentive) when one finds a really pleasing bargain. In my ever so humble opinion, the following wines fall into this category. Each cost 13.99. Hint: buy mixed cases to benefit from the ten percent discount.

First up, a Chilean sauvignon blanc, produced by Cono Sur and wine maker Adolfo Hurtado. Cono Sur (an intentional cross-lingual pun?) means southern cone, a reference to the shape of its continent of origin. Established in 1993, they have become a major producer and particularly focus on pinot noir. This sauvignon blanc comes from their Vision line, which uses grapes from selected vineyards to show off the terroir. I've been enjoying the 2006, although I believe the 2008 is available and ready to drink. The whites of Cono Sur have screw caps. Good for them! The Vision sauvignon blanc is all stainless steel, no oak anywhere near it, no malolactic fermentation, so the terroir shines through (it's not masked). It's not over the top floral. What I love about this wine is how well it balances the floral qualities with minerality. I like to taste a bit of the earth in wine. As you might imagine, knowing the style and manner of production, it makes a really good food wine. I've got one bottle left, but I will be buying more.

Next up, one of my all time favorite (maybe my all time favorite) wine region and style: the Cotes du Rhone. California reds have moved mostly beyond the price point I target for everyday consumption, especially the pinots, which I so enjoy. I've been looking to Chile, Argentina and France for my reds, keeping Mexico on the radar. This 2008 Cotes du Rhone, Belleruche, by M. Chapoutier, might benefit from another year or two in the bottle. Perhaps I'll cellar some. It shares one similarity with the Cono Sur: no oak, all stainless steel fermentation and aging, no interference with the terroir. This wine, too, strikes a wonderful balance of fruit and earth. Here we can speak of garrigue, a term specific to the flavors of Provence, it's terroir and the associated herbaceous flavors. This wine's got it, and I like it. Again, a bargain at 13.99. Try it yourself and let me know what you think. Cheers everyone!

New Job

2009-03-22T16:31:00.003-04:00

lost sailor

...

Yes, no one knows better than I. I've been far too long at sea. However, despite strange currents, some of fate, some of my own manufacture, I seem to have landed. Friday night at about eleven o'clock, after cooking a six course meal, I accepted a job offer. Starting in about two weeks I will be the private chef for a family on the east side of Cleveland. I am very, very pleased. The family and those others who work in the house seem extremely welcoming. I will have an outstanding kitchen in which to work, better than some profession kitchens I've seen (that's not saying much really). I will be an employee of the house, their Private Chef. This is distinct from Personal Chef, a position I might cultivate later in life.

I will, of course, keep my commitment to the Hospitality Management program at Tri-C where I teach as an adjunct instructor. It would be unfair to the students and the department, if I were to leave half way through the semester. My other two jobs are another story, although I will miss both: teaching at the Viking Culinary store (I do love teaching) and my weekly restaurant fix (Sunday's at Fire).

I've got a good reason now to open that champagne we'd been saving. But not on the side of a ship. I've had my fill of sailing.

The Balut Incident: an Interview with Jeremy Esterly

2009-03-03T16:35:00.004-05:00

from the interview desk

In my last post I mused about culinary preferences and sensibilities. There are items which might make western stomachs reel and the gag reflex give us the quick kick and heave. Seaweed ice cream, I have made perfectly clear (I hope) is not one of these. What about duck embryo? Think you could chow down on a seventeen day embryo with a little salt and pepper or a dash of lime juice? Not me. Not yet anyway. It’s not that I am afraid. It’s that my socially constructed preferences make it seem very unappealing. I’m just not ready to make a leap so far. This isn’t the case with Jeremy Esterly, Executive Sous Chef at Fire Food & Drink. We all know that it’s the chefs de cuisine and sous chefs that are often the backbone and driving force of day-to-day success, productivity and creativity of professional kitchens. Jeremy and Fire seem a good mix: the uncomplicated, big tasting food done exceptionally well weds with Jeremy’s love of charcuterie, his dedication to meat and his passion for all things food. His hunger for knowledge and food experiences seems to surpass my own. This was highlighted recently when a kitchen practical joke turned foray into a novel taste and texture incident. I write “incident” because even he had a little difficulty downing the balut. (Click here, if you don’t yet get what a balut is.) I’ve got to hand it to you, Jeremy. To put it kitchen vernacular: you’ve got balls! And so, we’ve opened the Petit Soleil Interview Room and invited Jeremy for a little chat.

Petite Soleil (PS): Jeremy, can you tell us, briefly please, where does your culinary passion come from?

Jeremy Esterly (JE): My passion comes from the fact that neither of my parents were accomplished cooks. I always wanted to provide better meals for my family. A lot my passion come from being able to do what I want with my job. We always strive to do as many interesting things daily as possible. A job in the culinary field is super rewarding. You learn something every day, literally. I am also extremely inspired by Martin Picard in Montreal. His food is so playful and over the top. I don't think it gets much better than him.

PS: We heard you were going to be interviewed by a culinary magazine (of much less stature than this blog, I'm sure) about your pig tattoo. Is it also true what they say, that you can't remember the basic parts of the pig so you had them tattooed on your forearm?

JE: The magazine in question is Meatpaper. Everyone should check it out. The pig tattoo will be featured in their March issue. Getting the tattoo sure didn't help me remember the pork primals, since the diagram on my arm is from a 17th century woodcut illustration. Too late to cover it up now. Maybe I'll update the cuts one of these days (feature 21st century retail cuts perhaps)

PS: You and one of the other guys at Fire do a lot of charcuterie in house. How do you manage to pull it off for the volume, when the kitchen is not really set up for charcuterie?

JE: The charcuterie project has been put on hold for awhile, aside from our small scale bacon factory that we have running right now. It is very hard to produce charcuterie in a kitchen that isn't set up to do what we have done. Dave Treaster (one of the guys) rigged a deep hotel pan so that we can smoke 5 slabs of bacon in our tandoor. Before that, it would have been a slow process, smoking one slab at a time. We are getting ready to introduce “private label” bacon in the coming months that should be awesome.

PS: We're vexed trying to balance a feeling of immense respect for you with nauseous revulsion. So we'll get right to point. What possessed you to eat the duck embryo? And for the millions of readers of this blog, please describe the experience.

JE: It all stemmed from a trip to Asiatown looking for some tamarind paste. One of the cooks and I decided that it would be funny to buy "balut" and trick one of the other cooks. At Fire, we offer sieved egg as an accompaniment to our Caesar salad. We placed one of the eggs in the pot with his other eggs. When he peeled the balut, he got a disgusting little surprise. After this, I decided that I had to eat one. Gagging this down was pretty hard. Part of the embryo felt like it was calcified, and I couldn't seem to chew it no matter what I did. After a couple of minutes, it finally went down and I was victorious over the lil' embryonic treat.

PS: Our researchers have discovered there exists a video of your experience (I've even seen it). Any chance of a YouTube appearance?

JE: We are thinking of doing a Cool Hand Luke style balut eating contest. So far, no one has signed up. If we get around to it, we will definitely put it up on YouTube.

PS: Are you planning to add duck embryo to the menu at Fire?

JE: We'll try to run it as a special with duck testicles. Coming soon to a plate near you.

PS: What's your favorite knife?

JE: Shun 8" Chef's Knife with a granton edge

PS: What was your single most memorable culinary experience (aside from this recent experiment)?

JE: So far, I would have to say being photographed for Meatpaper and getting promoted to Executive Sous Chef. I feel like I have come a long way in a short time. I went to New England Culinary Institute 3 years ago without any experience in the field, and am loving every minute of it.

PS: Wow, didn’t realize you were still such a babe in the woods. You're doing very well at Fire and may be there for some time, but we assume it's not your final destination. What's the next move?

JE: I hope to open up my dream restaurant.....The Little Pig. The restaurant will be pork-centric and feature quality ingredients from some of our finest local farmers. I also want to open up a soul food restaurant called Greens. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.

PS: Thanks for stopping by our studios. By the way, it's customary to bring some food with you. Next time how about some of that delicious bacon you cure and smoke in house?

JE: For you Mr. Fambrough, I'll bring a whole slab!!!!

On Palatability -- Seaweed and Ice Cream

2009-03-02T13:45:00.004-05:00

from the contemplations desk

It may be obvious to say that each person’s cultural inheritance heavily influences his or her dining preferences; that is to say, culinary sensibilities. While I deeply love the tastes associated with umami, I am not necessarily in love (or even used to) some of the slimy-soft textures slurped, sucked and swallowed by the Japanese. Had I been born Japanese, however… You catch my drift? And it follows that the more foreign a texture or taste, the more difficult it may be to swallow. Of course, this is not always the case. I remember with dreamy reverence the first time I melted monkfish liver au torchon on my tongue; or the subtle caress of uni across my taste buds; or standing in a walk-in cooler dumb-struck by the taste of a chocolate truffle powdered lovingly with curry. Epiphany! Dare I liken those experiences to the first time one makes love? I digress. These eye-opening (taste bud opening?) experiences intrigue me to no end. When I dined at L’Avant Gout (July 19th, 2007) I ate a dessert of alternating layers of chocolate and roasted red bell pepper mousse—sweet and savory together in perfect harmony. Union. Two together as one. Sentence fragments. It’s like that. At least the first time.

And THEN, then one begins to play. Flavors reposition themselves. Or one repositions them. And so it was recently when I decided to inflict my demented sensibility upon witting students. They were so good, so tolerant. It was the dessert that was my weapon, my gyuto to cut across their culinary assumptions and sensibilities. Poor students. They enjoyed the chocolate truffles, these infused with cardamom, clove, star anise and cinnamon. It was the ice cream they politely tasted and left unfinished.

When I catered for my brother and sister-in-law, she took me shopping in Boston’s Chinatown. One of the ingredients I needed was furikake, a variable mixture of seaweed, toasted sesame seed, bonito and a few other ingredients. There are several varieties with slightly differing combinations. Maybe someday I’ll learn to use each appropriately (whatever that might mean). Furikake is used commonly to dress rice. And I did that. I also coated some salmon skewers, which were then seared. As I tasted the furikake, I noticed a delicate sweetness to the bonito. It pairs well with the perfume of rice. My mind began to wander, imagining some possibilities untried, untested. A month later I was making vanilla ice cream, folding furikake into the churned, but not frozen cream. Was this a flash of limited brilliance? (Is it possible to have limited brilliance?) Alas, I did make a common error, forgivable for a first offence. I tasted the churned, partially frozen sweetened cream with furikake…and liked it. But it wasn’t quite “there” with the effect. I added more not considering that the ice cream would need time to absorb the flavors of the furikake. I think two tablespoons would have sufficed for the quart plus we made, rather than the three I added. Still, the flavors were new and in concert (at least, if you ask me). I know, I know…no one else is going to try this, right? “Eew, yuck… seaweed and ice cream" (never mind the bonito!). All I can say is “give peace and chance.” Oops, sorry, wrong post. All I can say is that my mind and tongue were satisfied. It IS possible. It’s not for everyday. It’s not for everyone. However, a primary goal had been achieved, a primary thirst quenched, a fundamental need addressed: I have expanded my palate. Joy.

And now I must meditate (actually, I’ve got to go preheat an oven for homemade pizza). Thanks for reading. Stretch your ears with Ives and Schoenberg; expand your culinary palate with ice cream and seaweed.

Just for Fun

2009-01-26T13:47:00.006-05:00

While I'm waiting...

on pictures of the Boston trip from my sister-in-law, I thought I'd post some food related pictures from a few years ago. When we went to France in 2003, we stayed in an apartment on Place de la Victoire in St. Germain-En-Laye, a medieval (and very chic) town just west of Paris. It afforded me the luxury of being able to shop in the markets and cook chez nous. Here are some pictures from that tiny kitchen. The pastries were purchased in one of the several shops tout pres.

Pasta with fresh artichoke, mushrooms, haricots verts and bulb onions sauteed in beurre d'Isigny.

Poire cannelle
Apricot Tart

Apple Tart

In the Spring of 2006 we found ourselves in the same apartment for a week long taste of Paris after spending an equal amount of time visiting the coast of Normandy. So, three years later, here are potatoes being sauteed in butter. We enjoyed them with a chilled Cotes du Vivarais.

Checking out the pommes de terre and tomates. This market was in Place de la Victoire, right below our windows.Finally, two tarts to end this post. We had these in a cafe just outside Versaille.

Kalua Pork

2009-01-03T14:55:00.003-05:00

kalua pork preparations

In a few days, I'm flying to Boston to cater a party for my brother's family. Part of the celebrations are for his 10th wedding anniversary. My brother and his wife were married in Hawaii; therefore, we've adopted a Hawaiian inspired theme. Part of the menu includes kalua pork, a dish traditionally made by wrapping pig in banana leaves, stuffing it with hot lava rocks and cooking it in a wood fired pit, nearly buried. No, it's not kahlua, that's something else. The result is smokey and tender. Here is my method for accomplishing very similar results. I bought Niman Ranch pork shoulder, a tad over seven pounds. In this first picture, I've got it on my grill with a hard wood fire. The pork is not directly over the coals. I shut the lid and smoked the beast for a few hours, until the fire was out and the winter evening chilled it enough to bring in.

Below is pictured an essential ingredient, Hawaiian pink salt. Yum. This is a great finishing salt. On the second day, I seasoned the pork shoulder liberally with this salt. The next step is to wrap the pork in banana leaves, a necessity that took me down to our Chinatown. Back home with the banana leaves.

Here's the pork wrapped in the fragrant leaves and secured with twine. Next comes the slow cooking.

So, to finish the kalua pork, I've put it in an enamelled, cast iron pot with a tight fitting lid, French cookware, Coussance, great stuff. I added some smokey pork jus that I had in the freezer (left over, expressed from other versions of smoked, pulled pork). It's in a 300 degree oven, and will stay there for more than three hours, until it becomes falling-off-the-bone tender. I'll shred this, reseason it and voila! When I get it to Boston, this will become tiny sandwiches on mini, soft buns.

Lee Anne Wong Dinner

2008-12-09T12:38:00.008-05:00

It was my great privileged to work for Patricia Mowen-Ziegler again this year. It's a case of when she calls, I jump. So one rainy late October day found me out at the CVI again, reporting to rock-n-roll superstar chef wonder-woman Lee Anne Wong. Wow, she's something. I had a fabulous time. The food was beautiful and delicious. Patricia made sure I was able to sample most of the wines. First I'll run down the menu, then I post some pictures (I didn't get a shot each plate, alas).

(many hors d'oeuvres)

~Domaine Carneros by Tattinger, Napa Valley, 2003~

(amuse bouche)

Egg Florantine with Buttermilk-Chive Biscuit & Crispy Prosciutto

Yellowtail Nicoise Tartare with Lemon Confit & Fingerling Potato

~Dagueneau, "Pur Sang", Sauvignon Blac, Loire, 2005~

Deconstructed Chowder with Shellfish, Milk & Thyme Emulsion

Steamed Black Cod with Smoked Onion Broth & Bok Choy

~Etienne Sauzet, Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Chardonnay, Burgundy, 1999 (Magnum)~

"Duck & Celery" with Grape Salad & Sherry Vinaigrette

~Echezeaux, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Pinot Noir, Burgundy, 1991 (Double Magnum)~

Slow Poached Pork Tenderloin with Fennel & Buttermilk Emulsion

~Domaine du Pegau, Chateauneuf de Pape, Rhone, 1995 (Methusela)~

Herb Roasted Rack of Lamb with Olive Farro Salad & Cucumber Yogurt

~Chateau Ducru Beaucaillou, St. Julien, Bordeaux, 1995~

Bleu d'Auvergne Soup with Roasted Beets & Candied Walnuts

~Fonseca Vintage Port, Portugal, 1997 (Magnum)~

Chocolate Ganache with Billionaire's Bacon & Sour Cream Ice Cream

the gougere

starters lee anne cooks pot stickers

maggie plates a starter

the amuse bouche

mise en place for the deconstructed chowder

tuna tartare

the dining room

the black cod

pork in the thermo-circulator

pork two-ways

lee anne, patricia and me

What Restaurant?

2008-12-09T11:51:00.002-05:00

shifting gears

It's easy enough to say that 2008 held many changes for the US. It's also been a year of dramatic change and development for me personally. Those two facts directly result in news relevant to this blog. In light of the downward-spiralling economy and a tug in a different professional direction, I have returned the money raised and withdrawn the financing for a restaurant. I would like to thank the many people who gave me great encouragement and support. And I can tell you that were the economy different than it is, I would be in a much different place. Do all things happen for a reason? Perhaps. What remains true is that life tends to hold answers no matter what fortunes or misfortunes befall us. My new direction is not yet completely shaped, although I hope to have news of that in the Spring. What I will tell you is that it should allow me to enjoy a much more diverse life of activity (I have many interests), the likes of which I have not been able to enjoy since leaving Ithaca more than seven years ago. The time has come, the Walrus said...

Dining at La Locanda di Pietracupa

2008-11-08T10:53:00.011-05:00

La Locanda di Pietracupa

Six months later, I am finally getting around to loading pictures from this fabulous ristorante. Perched on the higher ground of San Donato, their dining patio looks west across a valley of olive groves. Somewhere, not far beyond this valley, lies another, Val d'Elsa, the medieval hilltop town of Barbarino, and the rustic tranquility of La Torre di Ponzano, our refuge for one week. We enjoyed the food and service so much that we dined here twice!

Here is my view from our second visit, May 26th, 2008. The picture at the top of this blog shows me (D's view) from the same visit.

The pictures that follow are my best shots from both visits. Hope you enjoy!

Vernaccia di San Gimignano. Always sampling the local specialties.

Tomato Soup

Fava Beans and Salami in a fold of crispy Parmesan. Notice the tiny favas are not peeled.

Artichoke Flan. Outstanding!

House made Spaghetti with Squash Blossoms and shaved Truffles. Even Better!!!

Lamb Ravioli with Pea Broth

Risotto

Frito Misto

Recent Press, Internet Style (or Beer Recipes for the Holidays)

2008-11-04T15:22:00.003-05:00

beer ice cream, anyone?

Ivan Sheehan (Associate Editor of Food & Dining, Northern Ohio Live) sent me an email last month asking for some beer recipes or pairings for two holiday menus: Thanksgiving and Christmas. Keeping in mind that Great Lakes Brewing Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary, I had to oblige using their absolutely fantastic product. They brew, hands down, my favorite malted hops, bar none. While the micro brew market has blessedly burgeoned and I have tried only a fraction of what's available, I have yet to find a brewery that outshines GLBC. No, I have no affiliation with them. I just LOVE their beer. And, I confess, I consume quite a bit of it. Now, of course, I could not leave well enough alone with this. It's too easy to have simply paired beer with courses. I had to cook with the beer. This is the kind of fun challenge that chefs love. You can click here to read some recipes. For those of you who don't "click" that far, here are the menu items.

THANKSGIVING MENU:
First Course: *Pumpkin-Dortmunder Chowder
Second Course: *Roasted Turkey Breast and Sausages Brined with Commodore Perry IPA
Third Course: Baked Apples with Burning River Caramel Sauce

CHRISTMAS MENU
First Course: *White Ale Lobster and Cod a la Nage
Second Course: *Porter-Lacquered Lamb with Eggplant and Roasted Shallots
Third Course: *Spiced Christmas Ale Ice Cream

June Photo Shoot

2008-10-29T09:56:00.005-04:00

playing with food

You may remember that I was interviewed for an article in Cleveland Business Connects magazine. The article (July 2008) pondered the current state and future of molecular gastronomy in Cleveland. With the clear caveat that I don't practice much molecular gastronomy, I agreed to be interviewed and photographed. Ryan Divita shot the food and a few pictures of me for the magazine. Here are some of the results.

The first two are of me, designing the plates in my friend's kitchen (thanks, Doug!).

These next images do, in fact, represent some of the cuisine I like to practice. The first plate does include some "transformations" of product: carrot into both a cube state and a powder, beet into ravioli and foam. The beets for the ravioli were cooked in the bag method discussed in posts below. I filled the ravioli with goat cheese. For the record, I generally do not like to put food on the rim of plates. I'm not sure what possessed me to put the stripe of carrot powder across the edge like that. It looks cool, I guess, but it's not something I would do in a restaurant.

The language of love and food are often intermingled. We hear chef's refer to food as sexy. I don't often see plate design as a fundamentally sexy endeavor. The actual experience of eating, however, can be another matter entirely. Yet I have to admit, I find the following photograph sexy--the spoon and foam suggesting movement and touch, also the color and suggested textures.

The second item I prepared for the photo shoot was a terrine of sous-vide white asparagus and shiitake mushrooms, garnished with mushroom crumbs and red wine mignonette. This dish is not strictly vegetarian. I used gelatin to bind the terrine. However, I have stepped away from the notion that meat must be the focus of a well centered dish, a practice I would like to continue should I ever get a restaurant together!

Lastly, here's one from a series Ryan shot in my friends dining room. I wanted to shoot a bunch that were a tad more playful, not so serious. This one is neither too goofy nor too serious.

plastic bags and "sous vide" cooking

2008-08-26T14:59:00.003-04:00

I recently posted a method for cooking beets in what might best be described as a faux sous-vide technique. A reader asked me about the safety of this. You can read the comments yourself in the comments section (where else?) of that post. Scroll down to the July 17th post, Beat-the-Heat Cool Summer Dinner. Fortunately I was able to put that question directly to food science guru Harold McGee through a NY Times question and answer session. His answer was short and affirmative. Here is the text of my question and his reply:

Q: Are conventional zip-loc bags safe for sous-vide cooking? If so, up to what temperature? There seems to be a lot of guess work and misinformation (?) about this one on the Internet. Love your books! Thank you.— Posted by Ben Fambrough

Harold McGee replies: Heavy-duty Ziplock bags are made from polyethylene and are approved for contact with hot foods. True sous-vide cooking involves vacuum-packing the food, which zipping a bag won’t do for you. But you can certainly use the bag to immerse food in a water bath whose temperature you control carefully. It can be hard to squeeze out all the air, so the bags tend to float and heat unevenly unless you weigh them down. Sous-vide cooking generally involves water temperatures between 120 and 180 degrees, which the heavy-duty bags can take.

Click here to read the reply and related questions and answers in their original context.

2008 Food & Wine Celebration.

2008-08-15T09:37:00.006-04:00

A Benefit for Veggie U

On Saturday, July 19th, The Culinary Vegetable Institute hosted the 2008 Food & Wine Celebration. This event took place the day after the Chef Summit (see posts below). More than 700 people attended to sample food and wine, watch demonstrations and participate in the auction. The event raised funds for Veggie U, a non-profit program developed by the Chef's Garden, designed to fight diabetes and obesity among children. Veggie U teaches fourth grade students in classrooms across the country how to live a healthy lifestyle. For more information on Veggie U, you can write to them at Veggie U, 12304 State Route 13, Milan, OH 44846.

...

The day was intensely hot and humid under a threatening sky. Fortunately, storms did not materialize and little rain fell. D and I arrived to find the main food tent crowded and hot. We waited until the emcee, local star Michael Symon, kicked off the show under the demonstration tent. When most people cleared out to watch him and a host of other celebrity chefs (including Jon Ashton, Lee Anne Wong, Bob Waggoner, Marcel Vigneron, Celina Tio and Don Yamauchi), we ventured in to sample the food and wine. I have to admit, I totally skipped out on the demonstrations and cook-off. What follows are select pictures from the food tent with a little commentary. I hope you enjoy.

...

I tasted almost everything (a real feat!) and thought I should begin with my top choice. This bean salad was hands-down my favorite item of the evening, among what was a decidedly protein-heavy showing for an event at a vegetable farm. It had everything going for it: multiple textures, bright and bold flavors, good color...just terrific all around. It gets my gold star.

Summer Bean Salad, Currant Tomatoes and Black Olive Oil

by Chef Craig Deihl of Cypress, Charleston, South Carolina.

Chef Deihl and crew.

One of the foods vying for second place was this combination of Tea Smoked Currant and Teardrop Tomatoes, Sour Cream and Long Onion Pound Cake with Candied Fennel presented by Chef Kirk Gilbert of Ballantyne Resort, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Another runner-up was this Slow Roasted Molasses Lacquered Pork Belly with Tomato Marmalade by Chef Anne Hart of Provence Market, Bridgeport, West Virginia.

This Quail Breast served with Bacon, Carrot and Mustard Cress also really good. Thank you, Chef Aaron Deal of Tristan, Charleston, South Carolina.

These southern chefs were really stealing the show in my humble opinion.

A Baltimore son, Beej Flamholz, had a lovely tuna tartar.
This beet and horseradish cured beef was pretty interesting. Presented by Chef Patrick McElroy of the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at Union Station.

And here is the friendly Christopher Lee of Gilt (NYC) serving up a delightfully chilled English Pea Soup with Pea Falafel and Cucumber Yogurt.

The soup. He made a mousse out of the cucumber yogurt using gelatin and a nitrous canister.

Chef Jeff Slough of North Hills Country Club, Menomonee Falls, WI served this intriguing Veal Cheek Lasagna.

This Utah Lamb with Huckleberry Sauce, Corn Cake and Weed Salad was great! Presented by Chef Zane Holmquist of The Glitretind at Stein Eriken Lodge, Park City, Utah.

Some local boys made a good show, too. Dante Boccuzzi made this Pork Belly with Santana Eggplant and Basil Salsa Verde.

Dante's a great guy. And a fellow chef that I can talk with about guitars!

Another local boy who really likes to play with food, Johnathan Bennett of Exec. of both Red and Moxie, offered up Kettle Corn and Pork Cracklin's. Yum.

You can always count on Anne Blackwood for chocolate. She's terrific. These chocolate martinis were the bomb.

Finally, if I had to offer another gold star, I would award it to Jeni's Ice Creams. The line for this stand stretched more than twenty people deep. I had the Sweet Corn and Blackberry Ice Cream. All I can say is WOW!...just fantastic, maybe not for everyone, but right up my alley. Where have you been? And why haven't you entered my life earlier? Please get a store in Cleveland.

Chefs Summit Part Three

2008-07-29T09:55:00.004-04:00

In two of the demos (described in posts below) I mentioned the use of "bloomed" basil seeds. By bloomed, I mean soaked in water until they swell. This photograph shows dry seeds on the left and bloomed seeds on the right. The bloomed seeds are strained and used as textural garniture. Not surprisingly these taste like basil, but do not have a particularly strong flavor.

Lee Ann Wong graced the stage next with Chef Jeremy (also of the French Culinary Institute) to perform a mixology demo. She discussed molecular gastronomy research at the French Culinary Institute and a man named David Arnold, Director of Culinary Technology. Their mission is to learn how science and technology can improve the taste of food. I took this to mean, improve the enjoyment of food. For the mixology demo they prepared a cocktail of celery vodka with clarified grapefruit. Some fascinating techniques were at play here. First, to clarify the grapefruit, they dissolved gelatin in a small amount of grapefruit juice (to insure dissolution) and then mixed it with a large quantity of juice to make a solution that was .5% gelatin by weight. This they frozen and, finally, slow thawed over a fine meshed cloth. The gelatin binds all the solids (impurities) as it freezes. Slow thawing draws out a raw, crystal clear juice, leaving the impurities and gelatin behind. Very cool. She demonstrated all these steps, yet had product ready to represent each stage. The clarified juice is cocktail-ready. Next, she used a sous-vide machine (really a kryovac machine, a machine designed to vacuum pack foods in plastic) to decompress a pan of vodka and raw, sliced celery. She mentioned it is critical to keep all components as cold as possible before, after and during the process. In fact, she recommends storing the infused vodka in the freezer. Otherwise, high temperatures will cause the flavors to "brown out." The machine is run until it reaches zero atmosphere. The air in the celery is sucked out. It actually looks exactly like the vodka is boiling. When most of the air is sucked out the bubbles become slowed and fine. At this point the machine is shut off. The vodka celery mixture is allowed to sit at zero gravity for one hour. Then the machine is turned back on and allowed to finish its cycle. This process is repeated once to draw the vodka back out of the celery. The resulting infusion is strained through a coffee filter and kept very cold.

Here is Lee Ann Wong working the kryo-vac machine.

Before assembling the final cocktail, Chef Jeremy used a CO2 tank and two-liter soda bottles with specialized tops to carbonate a one to one mixture of celery vodka and grapefruit juice. This was not exactly a simple process. It involved three injections, shaking the containers to get the CO2 into the liquid and releasing pressure after each injection. Finally, they get a sparkling cocktail with a fine bubble quality, not unlike champagne, that will hold on ice for six to eight hours. The cocktail was garnished with lemon stick and various mints from the Chefs Garden. They had plenty to go around. It absolutely wonderful, very refreshing, very flavorful.

Celery Vodka and Clarified Grapefruit Cocktail

Lee Ann Wong then discussed some other mixology applications of this process, including one of her personal favorites, infusing gin with cucumber. She saves the cucumber and serves it as a "boozy snack." Yum.

Lastly, Chef Paul Del Favero of Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace. Faveros demonstrations was the most traditional, using no techniques borrowed from the realm of molecular gastronomy. He discussed the running of a kitchen that does between twenty to twenty-five thousand covers a month. Mind boggling. The food was simple and beautiful: fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with house made ricotta, corn and basil on a pools of yellow bell pepper coulis, spiked with habaneros, a starter that has remained on the menu since the inception of the restaurant. Thanks, Paul, for brining us back down to earth with this beautiful dish.

Chef Summit Part Two

2008-07-22T09:56:00.004-04:00

(for part one, see the post below)

The third chef to take the stage was Celina Tio, who recently departed The American Restaurant to build her own. She was joined by a former sous chef, Jonathan, and the two followed suit behind Christopher Lee and his sous in that Chef Tio left most of the "molecular" persuits to her second in command. She made her version of a New England lobster roll. Instead of the roll, she substituted a bread crumb panna cotta. The lobster salad was topped with celery pearls. These pearls demonstrated what is perhaps the most wide-spread use of molecular gastronomy in restaurants today. One may transform any liquid (celery juice in this case) into a pearl by utilizing sodium alginate (or sodium citrate) and calcium chloride (or calcium lactate) in solution. This process, sometimes called spherification, results in a "pearl" with a gelled outer layer and a liquid center. Ferran Adria pioneered this technique with his famous olives. Jonathan had a very cool little tool that allowed him inject many drops into the solution at one time.

Celina Tio makes mayo for the lobster salad.

The finished plate with celery pearls. She made enough lobster salad for everyone to have a bite.

Next up was Giuseppe Tentori, a nine year veteran of Charlie Trotter's (two of those nine as chef de cuisine) now chef of Boka. Guiseppe is all about love and details and spoke with a passion and respect for food unparalleled. He told a brief story about one of my idols, Jean-Louis Palladin. Giuseppe was working a benefit with Palladin. Jean-Louis tossed a small salad so gingerly and lovingly with both hands that he drew looks askance from a host of other chefs. Giuseppe understood this level of attention. He brings this to all the food he touches. He demonstrated making a "skin" out of tomatoes by slow roasting tomato, sliced into petals, and pressed between layers of parchment and dried in a slow oven. He also "bloomed" basil seeds in water to achieve a texture not unlike caviar with a basil flavor. These were arranged with other components (copa, buffalo mozz, tomato powder, and balsamic ice cream) to complete a complicated version of the BLT.

Chef Tentori gives a dissertation on love and sexy food.

The BLT.

After Tentori, Bravo Top Chef, Marcel Vigneron took the stage with close culinary friend. I ate lunch across from Marcel later in the day. I didn't admit that I don't watch TV (what's Bravo?). Recently he had been in Alaska working on boats. He's trying to immerse himself laterally in all aspects of food, both harvest and production, and remains unchained to the restaurant world. That may change, as he and his buddy spoke of opening a place with a third friend in NYC. Marcel's demonstration had many elements. First, he made a gelee with melon juice with agar agar and some gelatin. Agar agar with set warm. Gelatin will not. Both together make a good result, the use of gelatin cuts the required amount of agar agar, which has a flavor of its own. Lowering the amount of agar, allows for more purity of the melon flavor. He also made a mousse out of gazpacho by adding gelatin to it and using a nitrous oxide canister. The fundamental center of this dish is the union of melon and tomato. Garnishes included king crab, cucumber, a toasted mix of ground celery and coriander seed, fleur de sel, nasturtium blossoms, basil flowers, bloomed basil seeds and a brunois of fava beans with rice wine vinegar.

Another beautiful plate, although he covered up the lovely melon gelee with gazpacho mousse and other garnish.

More to follow in Part Three of the Chef's Garden Second Annual Chef Summit at the CVI.

Second Annual Chef Summit at the Culinary Vegetable Institute Part One

2008-07-21T14:56:00.007-04:00

I was very lucky to be invited to attend...

the Second Annual Chef Summit, the brainchild of “Farmer” Lee Jones of The Chef’s Garden, held at the Culinary Vegetable Institute last Friday, July 18th. It had been many months since I was at the CVI (or, for that matter, had visited the farm). To quote Lee, “This is an experience that brings the missions of The Chef’s Garden and The Culinary Vegetable Institute to life.” I had an absolutely fabulous time and learned a great deal. Also, I got a big heartwarming bear hug from Lee. Many of the chefs took tours in the morning, which I skipped. Not only have I toured the farm several times, but it’s almost an hour and a half drive and it’s such a luxury to sip coffee and read the morning news at leisure. I arrived just in time to enjoy lunch provided by the CVI (good timing, eh?), after which the real fun began.

Chefs get busy inside the CVI preparing for demonstrations.

More activity, and the CVI team preparing lunch.

First, Lee took the stage to give some words of welcome and talk about Veggie U, a program for 4th grade class rooms that’s in 1400 schools across the country. (I’ll write a little more about this program in another post). He then talked about the first summit. Having seen many talented chefs across the country doing really cutting edge work, he decided to bring as many as he could together for a summit where these innovators could demonstrate their work and inspire others. The summit dovetails with a benefit for the CVI and Veggie U, held the following day.

Farmer Lee Jones addresses the attendees.

The summit featured demonstrations by Will Goldfarb (a pasty chef with credentials that would humble anyone in the culinary arts), Lee Anne Wong (a Bravo TV producer and personality and chef at the French Culinary Institute), Christopher Lee (a culinary power who now runs Gilt Restaurant in the New York Palace Hotel), Marcel Vigneron (a young culinary nomad whose globetrotting experiences include some tutelage at El Taller under Ferran Adria and a second place finish in season two of Bravo’s Top Chef), Paul de Favero (a La Varenne graduate, now Executive Chef of Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill), Celina Tio (former chef of The American Restaurant, now building her own place) and Giuseppe Tentori (former Chef de Cuisine at Charlie Trotter’s, now Executive Chef at Boka). In attendance were many culinary personalities and industry types, including Bruce Seidel a producer for the Food Network and famed chef Bobby Waggoner who was busy shooting pictures.

Will Goldfarb demonstrated first with a little help from his daughter, Lulu, and a local culinary student. He dismisses the “false idea that technology and natural cooking and slow foods don’t go together.” He made a pomegranate-beet mousse with xanthan gum (a natural byproduct of fermentation of glucous by a bacteria found in cabbage). The xanthan gum eliminates the needs for egg white and thereby considerably lightens the end product. He also used Versawhip, a soy-based whipping agent. When properly mixed with an immersion blender, he passed the mixture through a sieve and the whipped it in a Hobart mixer. He thickened some apricot kernel oil with tapioca maltodextrin in a one to one ratio by weight to achieve a powder used to perfume the final assemblage. He also made a coulis consistency sauce with orange juice, sambuca and ultratex, a version of tapioca starch. To complete the dish he had some hazelnut ice cream made with a gelato base and garnished the ensemble with baby fava bean leaves, crystal lettuce and micro yarrow. He concluded by putting all of this into a freeze-stable bag as an example of a “to-go” dessert. Funky. Tons of great info on the use of these products, which he sells through his company Willpowder.

Will Goldfarb and assistants.

Will with the dessert in "take-out" form.

Next to take the stage was Christopher Lee with his sous chef, Justin. Together they demonstrated their spring radish salad from the menu at Gilt. Chris Lee brought a very down to earth sensibility to the stage, claiming to prefer traditional methods while allowing his younger, more adventerous chefs to bring molecular gastronomy to the menu. The salad featured radishes pickled, blanched and raw. As accompaniments, they made a crumble out of sesame seeds and almond flour, a greek yogurt mousse (mixed with milk and lime juice) using a nitrous oxide canister, and, finally, a cold gelee "noodle" out of white soy and yuzu using agar agar and locust bean gum. The locut bean gum gives the noodle it's flexibility. The agar agar alone would make it too brittle they said. The final item for the dish was a cucumber-shiso sorbet, which they had made ahead of time.

Chris and Justin on stage.

Justin injects the mixture into tubing and sets the noodle by diping the tubing into an ice bath. He then extracts the noodle by using an empty syringe to push it out with air. The finish plate. Looks great!

The rest of the day will appear in parts (in posts) to follow.

La Sosta di Pio VII, Barberino, Val d'Elsa

2008-07-19T08:48:00.006-04:00

An osteria in Tuscany

Recommended by our hosts at La Torre di Ponzano, the osteria La Sosta di Pio VII, turned out to be a great place for local, inexpensive and rustic cuisine. It is located 3km north of Poggibonsi, and maybe a 1/2 km downhill tumble west from La Torre di Ponzano, along the road that cruises through Val d'Elsa, which parallels the superstrada connecting Firenze and Siena. It's just inside the western tip of Chianti Classico DOCG region. We so enjoyed this meal that we attempted a return visit later during our stay only to find the place closed due to driveway and parking improvements. Inside the main dining room you can see a trough along the wall and short walled stalls that once separated animals in this former manger. La Sosta is run by a family (a common thread to our experience). The husband runs the front of the house and sources much of the product; the wife is the chef; the son waits tables. I had many questions for the husband about the beefsteak fiorentia. With his little English he graciously explained as much as he could regarding the aging or lack of aging the beef and it's origins. According to him, the beef he uses is bred in the Limousin region in France, then transported and raised in Tuscany. In the end, I ordered boar. The beefsteak is meant for more than one person. It would have been too much for me.

The dining room of La Sosta di Pio VII

Happy to be dining in Tuscany.
This was a very interesting dish of cucumber warmed with a local, salty cheese and garnished with chives. We don't often think of eating cucumber warm like this, but it was quite good. I ordered this pate. It was coarse, like meatloaf really, and spiked with white truffles. Very good.
This is homemade pasta with basil, tomatoes and local cheese.
This was a generous side dish of sliced tiny zucchini with herbs and shallots. Here is the "wild" boar. All the cinghiale is really far raised. It has tremendous flavor, but is a little tough. Roasted new potatoes.
Not a riserva, but yummy.
An apple "cake"- very good.

A Beat-the-Heat Cool Summer Dinner

2008-07-17T11:46:00.004-04:00

Cold Cucumber Soup and a different method for cooking beets

While the weather here is mostly mild, Cleveland is seeing some temperatures in the upper 80's and pushing into the 90's, albeit rarely. When this happens, a cold summer menu can be very enjoyable and refreshing. D and I recently prepared an evening meal of cold cucumber soup and salad of mixed greens accompanied by baguette peppered goat cheese. Since I've not posted any recipes here yet, I thought this might be a fine time.

To make the cold cucumber soup (serves four):

3 cucumbers

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 clove garlic

2 Tbsp fresh dill

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

1 tiny pinch nutmeg

1 pinch cayenne (or to taste)

sea salt to taste

Peel, seed and chop the cucumber. Put the cucumber and the remaining ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Adjust the consistency by adding more milk (or water) as necessary. Taste and adjust seasonings. I didn't measure my ingredients exactly, so play with the herbs and amount of yogurt until you are satisfied with the flavor. I have conservatively estimated the herbs, so you may need more. The table set with some napkins and place mats we picked up in Provence.

Not a bad wine, especially when on sale at Whole Foods for about half the regular price. I confess to liking a slightly oaked, sur-lie sauv blanc.

Now, who in their right mind would crank up the oven just to roast a few beets in this hot weather? Here's a great alternative. I used this method for our Bastille day dinner (see post below this one).

Peel and cut the beet into whatever size and shape you wish to serve. Place the cleaned beets in a zip lock bag with fresh herbs, olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a small dash of good vinegar. I used fresh thyme and oregano. A little minced shallot would help, too. Seal the bag and drop it into a small pot of simmering water. I used the pot/same water that I had on to blanch the peas. The beets will probably need about twenty minutes cooking time or less, depending on how small you cut them. Check for doneness by lifting the bag out of the water and giving the beets a gentle squeeze with your fingers. Yes, it's going to be a little hot. Hey, toughen up. Are you a cook or what? Allow the beets to cool in the bag. When the beets are cool, drain them into a container for storage in the fridge. Or you can save them in their juice, if you have used very little vinegar. And now for some pictures of the meal.

Beets in the bag, going into the pot.Beets simmering along side some peas.The finished product. Yum.Prosecco should be three things (in my humble opinion): inexpensive, chilled and delightful!Here's a fine example.

La Jour de la Bastille

2008-07-15T09:57:00.003-04:00

Bastille Day

...also happens to be our wedding anniversary! We made full use of the beautiful weather yesterday by strolling along the beach and dunes at Headlands State Park. The surf was a bit more rough than usual. The crash of the water tumbling small stones into sand filled our ears, the sun warmed our skin and the wind kept us cool. It was almost like being at the ocean. We picked up a pasta machine on the way home and made raviolis filled with fresh peas, ricotta and parmesan for dinner. I sauteed these with crimini mushrooms, sage leaves and shallots in olive oil and butter. I topped this with a little bit of sauteed spinach. We also enjoyed a small salad of mixed greens and beets and washed all of it down with Presecco. Yum.

Here are a few pics from last year, our pivotal trip to Provence. We spent the day in Isle-sur-la Sourge and the evening watching fireworks from our hotel room over-looking the Rhone.

Check out the clarity of La Sourge.

Dianna in silhouette.Feu d'artifice over the Rhone.

Vixseboxse Art Gallery will remain open!

2008-07-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

My possible future location for Petit Soleil is currently a well established, thriving art gallery called Vixseboxse. It seems there has been some incorrect and misleading information about their future spreading on the Internet, related, I am sure, to my intentions for Petit Soleil in this location. Please be aware that this highly successful business is not closing! They may close this location, but will remain an active business. It is certainly true that I myself have been misinformed and may have fostered this regrettable confusion.

Let me absolutely clear about two things: one, while I am moving forward as if all is settled, I am still waiting for a Letter of Intent from the owners (who are waiting on cost figures of their own). Two, and most importantly, Vixseboxse has not made any public announcement. They may close the location, but will not close as a business. If you should encounter information to the contrary, please correct it at every opportunity. Thank you! These are terrific people. I apologize to them for my responsibility in creating and contribution to the confusion and misinformation.

Firenze (aka Florence)

2008-07-05T09:37:00.010-04:00

Firenze

OK, back to the core of this blog: food, wine and restaurants! I'll refrain from commenting much on Firenze except to say we had a fabulous three-night stay at Il Bargello B&B (the website does not do it justice). Firenze is a wonderful city we certainly plan to revisit. So, on to the food pictures. I consumed a decent amount of gelato in Firenze. This first shot is not great, but shows me enjoying a cone of pistachio, one of my favorites flavors. We tried gelato from a number of stands and while all of it was pretty good, there were stands clearly superior to others. I judge this first in the texture. Gelato should been more meringue-like than ice cream. I think some readers will take issue with this observation. Consider than gelato has substantially less air churned into it than ice cream. However, gelato, normally made with milk rather than cream or a mixture or milk and cream, has a lower fat content than ice cream despite additional egg. The effect on the tongue is much different. Gelato has more staying power, it melts a little less readily. I find it less rich due to the lower dairy fat, yet more luxurious in it's creamy mouth feel. Confused? The solution: eat some gelato and forget about it! Yum! The second aspect by which to judge gelato is...you got it, the flavor. The more intense the flavor, the better. I'm getting a hankering for some just thinking about it.

We ate dinner the first night at Birreria Centrale, a moderately priced restaurant serving traditional, rustic cuisine. We were given a little extra attention, Il Bargello having made the reservation for us. So we were treated to Prosecco at the start of the meal and a pour of grappa afterwards.

Cured goose breast with truffle oil, shaved pecorino tuscano and lemon on greens. Fantastic.

D's dinner, tortelloni (ricotta and shallot) in a rich hazelnut sauce. Yummy, but not pretty.
Gnocchi with pesto. These were a disappointment: tough and lacking in flavor.

Rustic, but tasty: roasted pork loin stuffed with apple and pear.

Lunches we took on the cheap: sandwiches or pizza. The pizza at a place called Yellow Bar was really good. Yellow Bar is a young, somewhat hip, family friendly place with a wood fired (what else?) pizza oven. When it came to sandwiches, I opted for speck. It's essentially a boneless variety of prosciutto that's been cured with juniper berries. Mmm, so good. It's a shame we can't get speck in the US.

Our second dinner was at Trattoria Anita, another traditional and moderately priced restaurant in a back street behind the Uffizi. It had it's pleasures and disappointments as well. The highlight was ravioli in sage butter, the let down: osso buco, decent flavor, but poor texture. Sorry, no pics for this spot. For our third meal we decided to raise the bar. So, we visited one of the better known spots in town, Cibreo. No, not the extremely expensive fine dining room, but their trattoria, a different room, entrance, menu etc., delivering food out of the same kitchen. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong about that). The food was outstanding. I wish I had taken more pictures. It was not presentation perfect, but it was spot-on taste-wise. D started with a tomato timbale (presented like a vegetable flan, but made with gelatin, not custard). Fabulous flavor and texture. She also had a pureed soup of yellow peppers, very yummy. I took the fish soup, a brownish concoction, thickened with bread which was out of this world. I also enjoyed the brandade (aka salt cod...I forget what the Italians call this stuff, maybe it's something like bacalao). It was served cold with toast and pickled beets on the side. We skipped dessert. I had an espresso and we got gelato on the walk back to Il Bargello B&B.

The salt cod.

Dining at Cibreo's trattoria.

Finally, I'll post a few pictures from the Mercato Centrale, Firenze's indoor market. Enjoy.

(Yep, this is tripe.) Beefsteak Fiorentina, anyone?

Venice

2008-07-05T08:58:00.004-04:00

Venice

We've been back just over a month now and I still haven't posted much from Italy. Time to fix that! While I used the camera extensively, I came away with fewer food shots than you might imagine. Our single-night stay in Venice included good, convenient, however unremarkable food. The best were simple sandwiches from one of the better stands near Piazza San Marco. Still, I'll offer four non-food photos. Now, I'll say this for Venice: it may be one of the most unusual places I've visited. The maze of narrow canals and tall buildings is certainly transporting. Also, the basilica's ceiling may be one of the most awesome sights of Christendom. Yet there seems to be little Venetian culture beyond what is maintained for tourism. I am glad to have visited, to have seen this unique place and enjoyed it's sights, but I'm also glad we did not spend more time there.

A view from the Rialto Bridge

This building houses the Venice Fish Market

A typical view of a little canal.

Riding the vaporetti.

Magazine Article Photo Shoot

2008-06-06T17:21:00.003-04:00

So, I get this call...

...from a young editor of a relatively new Cleveland journal called Cleveland Business Connect. She's writing an article on molecular gastronomy. Oh, boy...in Cleveland? The community here is pretty small, so I referred her to the few chef's I know who play with this stuff. I do not...not much anyway; however, I am very interested in borrowing a few techniques toward my own ends. Of course, I can't pass up an opportunity to be interviewed and I've no shortage of opinion. It will be interesting to see what she makes of my comments. Of couse, I'll report here with a transcript or a link. More interestingly, the magazine photographer followed up the next day, asking to do a photo shoot. So early this morning, I met the guy at my friends restaurant (Doug Katz is a gracious man) and I plated a couple things. What follows are the pictures I took with my point and shoot. Fortunately, I should have some of the pro shots to post in the near future. Enjoy these for now.

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Carrot Cube and Sous Vide Beet Ravioli (Goat Cheese) with Carrot Power and Beet Foam

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Pictured below is a Terrine of Sous Vide White Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms with Mushroom "Crumbs"

Prague, non food pictures

2008-06-04T14:09:00.005-04:00

...the non-food picture post...

Many times I've been asked to model for GQ, Vogue, etc. I told my agent to stop taking their calls. But here I am anyway (posing for some silly web log) outside Hotel Anna, which I highly recommend (the hotel, I mean).

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Some pretty person looking forward to a meal at U Zavoje.

Below is a shot looking across the Old Town Square toward the Tyn Church.

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This is a view of the Little Quarter taken from the grounds of the Strahov Monastery.

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Looking across theVltava towards Prague Castle from The Old Town.

Prague Food

2008-06-04T13:07:00.007-04:00

Prague

We had mixed food experiences in all parts visited on this trip and Prague was no exception. What remains true is that most guide books fail to direct readers to those really good restaurants we foodies crave: the authentic, lovingly prepared eats of side street and small town venues or even some of the places that aspire to a Michelin rating. One of the best places to turn for information is eGullet on the web. I can recommend a few of the places we tried. Before I do that, however, let me offer up a toast with the king of beers, Budweiser. No, not that whimpy rice beer thousands swill in the States. I'm talking about the real deal, the pride of the Czech Republic: Here's to you!

(One of our first evenings...exhausted, but enjoying the good brew in our hotel room. Sorry for the informal evening wear)

Now for the restaurants: First up is U Zavoje (they don't have the english version of the webpage ready yet). We ate in this venue twice enjoying a live jazz trio in the Vinny Bar (the Wine Bar) area. It's not uncommon for restaurants to have more than one seating area with various levels of formality, menus adjusted to meet those levels in terms of complexity and price structure, but have the food coming out of the same kitchen. The food was decent. Below are two examples: duck confit and vegetarian lasagna. On the first night I ate braised rabbit, which was superb. However, the best dicovery of this dining experience was the wine, the Moravian reds. I particularly enjoyed Vinarstvi Cebau, Tvdonice, Modry portugal (the grape variety) pozchi sber 2006 (sorry I can't do all those funky Czech accent marks). Dianna mostly stuck to the whites, particularly liking a fruity French sauvignon blanc, Domaine Peiriere 2006.

Next up is a great French place in the Little Quarter (across the river from The Old Town). I recommend it as a lunch diversion, Cafe Savoy. I could not fine a website for the restaurant, but it is reviewed in multiple places on the web. We relied on quiche and salad to fortify our bodies and spirits against the miles of walking Prague's old roads and side walks. Here's a shot of the interior.

Finally, we splurged a little at an Italian joint with pretentions to greatness, Aromi: Enoteca con cucina. We had a rookie server who made some mistakes. Also, we weren't the jet-set crew buying expensive champagne and wine and the timing of the kitchen reflected a reduced priority to our table. However, we weren't in a hurry and had a very good meal. Highlights included the amuse bouche ravioli (mortadella) in butter with fresh sage, the white asparagus soup with squid, and the palate cleanser of prosecco and lemon sorbet. The entrees were pretty good too, but it was getting too dark for outdoor photography. This was out last meal in Prague and an excellent foreshadowing of our travel to Italy. Thanks for reading. The report from Tuscany will follow later in the week. Cheers!

Home again

2008-05-31T10:22:00.006-04:00

Ok, I admit it...

I am totally in love with Tuscany! Should I have expected otherwise? While the dry, stony hills of Les Alpilles draws me with a fierce attraction, the lush and peaceful hills of Tuscany feel like Heaven. I'll update with some particulars of trip related mostly to dining. (This isn't a travel blog afterall, although it is up to me to define.) We're still in recouperation mode and busy with the mundane chores of restoring the house and affairs to order. So, I'll leave you with a couple pictures for now, d'accord? Je reviens apres demain.

(chillin' at Voltera)

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(La Torre di Ponzano, our paradisiacal home for five days)

Petit Soleil The Restaurant News

2008-05-09T09:33:00.003-04:00

...the second location...

The VixseBoxse Art gallery on Cedar Road in the Heights Center Building (Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood) will close it's doors this fall. (Edit 7/11/08: please note the business is not closing! Vixseboxse will remain an active business.) I've toured the space twice and met with the managing partner/owner to discuss the possibility of installing Petit Soleil in this delightful location. He supplied for me a letter of intent which outlined in very straightforward terms what looks and feels like a wonderful opportunity. Just yesterday I visited the space with my architect/project coordinator, Joe Hanna. Joe's a terrific guy who, I believe, has a very good sense of my vision for Petit Soleil...not to mention his knowledge and experience doing restaurants (I think it's this month he sees four of his restaurant projects opening their doors!). Having seen some rudimentary architectural drawings of the space, Joe had expressed concerns of square footage and seating capacity. These were alleviated during the walk-through. He seemed very optimistic about the possibilities for the space and it's size. This was, of course, music to my ears. He will be working on drawings, a proposal for the build out, to submit to the owners for their review. I hope to present them with this and more when I return for Europe. June will be a busy month, if this stays on track and the owners interest remains constant. I should be able to sign the LOI and start work on lease negotiations in June. Also, I've made some new, very promising bank contacts that should help me wrap up the financing. They've already made some good suggestions that I plan to adopt.

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And with that, my friends, I must say a bientot. We leave on Sunday and there is still much to do. The excitement builds as hours fall by. Prague! How cool is that? I can't wait!

Take a Step Back

2008-04-25T11:44:00.002-04:00

Alright, now we're going to play everybody's favorite, fun game, Move Back. Now, when I tell you to take a step back, everybody take a step back, alright? Right. Ok, take a step back. And take another step back. And take yet another step back. And another; take a step back... Everybody feel better? What do you mean, "No" ?

(Bob Weir, Barton Hall, May 5th, 1977)

Today, I backed out of the Larchmere deal. There were several, mixed small and large factors that, combined, led me to revise my intentions. So...this sets me back at least one year. Big ouch. Still, with as much personal emotional and financial investment as such a venture takes, one should own and exercise one hundred percent commitment and conviction.

In related news, there is another property that I saw not long ago, which is an equally good, if not better, location. Of course, as things unfold and new opportunities present themselves, I will update here.

My trip to Europe begins in less than two weeks. We have only to reserve a car for traveling around Tuscany. Oh, and we found such a cool looking spot between Firenze and Sienna. Check it out: http://www.ponzano.wide.it/ It will be our base for explorations when we give up the cities for the country.

Europe Travel Plans

2008-03-28T17:50:00.005-04:00

...Europe, but not France...

No, not France, alas. Instead we fly to Prague for week... Prague, one of the cities where no allied bombs fell, an old city still in tact. D will be in a conference part of the time, leaving me to wander the city and surrounding area. We'll then go by train to Vienna, a city we fell in love with in 2005.

The traveler in Vienna.

We'll have just a day there, but it will be nice to walk the ringstrasse around the old city again. Then it's a night train to Venice. YEAH! Italy! A day or so there then it's off to Florence. We'll have a bit more than a week to explore Tuscany. I am very excited about this. Many people to whom I tell my love for France tell me that Italy is better. I will be venturing with extreme bias, but I know it's going to be simply wonderful. We'll be gone for half of the month of May. I'll be sure to post some food pictures when I get back.

Recent Press

2008-03-25T09:54:00.004-04:00

...it's always a pleasant surprise to...

...get some press you didn't know was coming. After I got back from Baltimore, my friend Doug Katz called to confirm my shift for his Easter Sunday brunch. As an aside he mentioned reading about me again in one of the local weeklies. I'm always the last to know (because I don't pay proper attention). I quickly figured out where he saw the press and who wrote it. Elaine Cicora, food writer for Cleveland Scene Magazine, called me last week on other pretenses. She's planning a review of my former restaurant, Sans Souci, and it's current chef, the fabulous Anna Kim, who used to be my sous chef. Anna is awesome. Her promotion to my old job couldn't have been more appropriate. Check out her bio at the Sans Souci web page. Did I mention that Anna is awesome? Anway, Elaine and I chatted a while, catching up, mostly me talking about my plans and recent developments. Little did I know she would make a side bar of our conversation. I really should know better! Click here to read what Elaine wrote.

Just for fun, here's a pic of Chef Kim and Chef Fambrough at the 2006 Fab Food Show at the IX Center

Catering in Baltimore

2008-03-22T11:34:00.006-04:00

... a Spring Dinner...

I made another trip to Baltimore to do three dinners for my dad. I kept the menu simple for this trip: hors d'oeuvres and four courses. We started with mushroom toasts, mussels with mango salsa and smoked salmon-american sturgeon caviar canapes paired with Monmousseau Brut Etoile, a sparkling wine from France. Courses one and two (listed below) were paired with Joel Gott 2007 Sauvignon Blanc; courses three and four with Costentino 2005 Sangiovese il Chiaretto.

Course One

Potato-Cauliflower Soup with Chive Oil, Fried Shiitake Mushrooms,

Nori Ribbons and Salmon Roe

Course Two

Baby Mixed Greens with Citrus-Raspberry Vinaigrette, Cypress Grove

Purple Haze Goat Cheese and Curried Bread Sticks

(I used a blend of baby lettuces for The Chef's Garden)

Course Three

Peppered Strip Loin with Baby Bok Choy, Rice Noodles and Black Bean Jus

(I used grains of paradise, black pepper, kosher salt and togarashi on the steaks;

sorry,no photo of the plated course; the beef is strip loin)

Course Four

Chocolate Souffle Cakes Vanilla Ice Cream and Candied Cara Cara Navel Oranges

(the mint is chocolate mint from The Chef's Garden)

yummy chocolate (this is 62% semi sweet, I often use 70%)

Northern Ohio Live article

2008-02-08T14:21:00.000-05:00

in print

Ivan J. Sheehan, Associate Editor/Food and Drink for Northern Ohio Live, wrote a short piece on me in their February '08 issue. Here's what he wrote:

Home Haute Cuisine

We've all dreamed of having a five-star dinner party in the comfort of our own home--blithely working the room with engrossing witticisms, free to be the life of the party as a chef sweats it out in the kitchen. Fortunately, one veteran chef was dreaming of the same thing: making your gourmand party dreams com true in your kitchen.

During his fourth trip to france [I probably misinformed Ivan on this point, it was my fifth, but who's counting!?], and his first stay in Provence, Ben Fambrough, the chef who helped make Sans Souci in the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel an award-wining restaurant, had an epiphany of sorts. "I blame this trip--in part-- for my recent life change," says Fambrough. "I returned to Cleveland and worked with my head somewhere far across the Atlantic. I could still see the color, and sense the heat, smells and tastes. The realities of day-to-day work diminished in importance to me. I sensed something greater for myself."

Embracing his emotions, Fambrough left his post as executive chef of Sans Souci and created Petit Soleil, a catering operation that allows him to work directly with clients to create specialized dinners and events, a venture in which he can pour all his "culinary passion, life experience and joy," he says. The chef's culinary inspiration comes from comes from places like Fance and San Fransisco, and culinary icons Daniel Boulud and Jacques Pepin. He finds seasonal illumination in the spring, citing ramps, morels and peas; summer produce, namely tomatoes, corn and chanterelles; and fall, incorporating cepes [boletes], apples, hard squashes and warm spices into his dishes. "Also, I really enjoy Indian food and using some Indian spice sensibilities," he says. "They are underutilized, and--while I have often derided fusion cuisine--I do plan to use some of these elements in my food." He is also excited to incorporate traditionally savory items in dessert preparations. "In France, I ate a chocolate and red bell pepper mousse duet that really pushed the palate," he says. "Of course, now familiar examples can be found in the variety of chocolate truffles: chili, cayenne, curry."

While his head may be in another country, Fambrough's heart is in Ohio. He has been a longtime friend of the The Chef's Garden in Huron, and the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio, often using their produce and participating in many of their fund-raising events and other events. "I am an admirer of their mission, their simultaneously innovative and ancient approach to farming," he says. "They are not afraid to harness technology, and they apply it in sustainable ways without manipulating the earth and what it will yield...what they do goes well beyond the current notion and legal definition of 'organic'."

It is Fambrough's flair for the exotic, grounded in local, personal and approachable foundation, that deftly guides his creations, and what he hopes to deliver with Petit Soleil, and later with a contemporary French and Mediterranean restaurant of the same name that he plans to open. "I am a one-man show that values the close chef-guest relationship." For more information, visit his blog at [you're already there!]

--Ivan J. Sheehan

Petit Soleil, The Restaurant News

2008-02-02T10:15:00.000-05:00

...the next moves...

January saw a few nudges forward. February should bring more. I met with the owners again, and the artichect again. For the first time since conversations started, I will be sent a bill for his time and minimal work so far. However, now begins the "real" work for me, negotiating the responsibilities for the demo and renovations, working on the build out, securing the financing, and negotiating the lease terms. So far all the numbers look in line. Aside from "soft costs" (legal and artichect fees, etc.) We are looking at a total project cost in the neighborhood of 300,000 dollars. That's from demo to build-out to plates, tables and chairs. I am asking the owners for a responsibility and contribution for much of the demo and renovation work, covering a bit more than a third of the projects costs. Funds from my backers will cover more nearly half of the total project costs. The remainder for opening and operating will come from loans (if I can get one, or a line of credit, or both--these are tough times as we all know). The steps in a project like this one are not linear and the numbers my architect/project coordinator gives will be fluid by necessity, although bound by a budget. It is, altogether, very exciting. The immediate next steps are the critical ones: securing the financing and laying out the project costs in detail.

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You know, I have been so slack with updates, I'm not sure what I've written about the place. I think I've got a photo or two of the place to dig up. Let's see what I can find....

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The front corner (pans for a patio beside the building)

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The interior (view from kitchen towards street entrance)

There is a lower level with private dining room, office and prep kitchen.

Petit Soleil The Restaurant News

2008-01-10T11:23:00.000-05:00

moving forward in the new year

After little forward momentum at the end of '07, it's good to be back on track. I have visited a few locations, keeping an open mind. However, I have not found a location I like better than one on Larchmere Ave., near the corner of N. Moreland. I think I mentioned in a post below that the place (although I did not mention it's address) needs a daunting amount of work. Also, that the kitchen floor plan leaves much to be desired. Yet it remains the best spot for many reasons: an up and coming neighborhood with good restaurants; excellent parking; easy to find; was historically a fine restaurant remembered fondly by many; it's close to my home.

Here is an outline of what is scheduled for the near future: the architect will work on detailed plans; the owners, a development firm, will meet with contractors to determine the costs of a much needed renovation (not the cosmetic work, but ceilings, walls and bathrooms and the like); the owners will come back to me with a revised proposal; Ben takes his ideas and proposal to his attorney and the negotiations begin. We, the owners and myself, would like to have an agreement by mid February. While I am freshly optimistic in this new year, the remote and dusty pragmatic part of my mind tells me to expect the inevitable delays and possible stumbling blocks. Do these things ever move on schedule or as planned?

Future update posts will always be titled Petit Soleil The Restaurant News

Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T10:50:00.001-05:00

What does a chef eat for Christmas dinner?

He and his spouse start with some Champagne. We have a tradition of drinking Moet White Star. This year we tried something a tad less expensive, Nicholas Feuillate. It is dry (our preference) and decidedly fruiter than the White Star. The kitten, Jinx, wonders if I am about to play with her. We munched on French bread toasted with Camembert as we sipped the bubbly.

I bought part of a leg of lamb to roast, bone in. I first marinated the meat in a paste of rosemary, garlic, thyme and black pepper that I pulverised in a morter. A touch of red wine completed the marniade. Being somewhat of a lunatic, I split some wood and got the grill going with natural hardwood charcoal. The Cleveland weather was really not too bad this Christmas, cold but not freezing. I cooked the lamb half way on the grill and finished in indoors in a low temp oven.

We uncorked the last bottle from our cave, a Flora Springs Out-Of-Sight Vineyard 2002 cab that we picked up on a 2005 trip to Napa. It was better than I remembered. Really yummy with the wood-roasted lamb. To accompany the lamb, and for my vegetarian spouse, I made saffron risotto and steamed asparagus.

I hope you all had as wonderful a day as we.

What's been going on...

2007-12-17T08:11:00.000-05:00

Want to build a restaurant?

I do. I've looked at a few properties since leaving my former post, one of which has caught my imagination. It meets a lot of my requirements: close to home, the right size, good location, room for outdoor dining, parking, etc. However, this place needs a huge amount of work, very costly work that other locations might not. Also, the kitchen work space is not well designed and is spread/divided between two floors. It's never a perfect world. While I'm not eager to continue the tradition, we chefs are famous for negotiating space restrictions. The status lingers in conversation loaded with intent, but no commitment on paper. I believe it is in my best interest to still consider other locations. Either way, without an agreement, I will refrain from posting details. When I negotiate a lease, whether in this location or somewhere else, I promise to chronicle the progress here.

Recent Activity

I should apologize for not updating the blog in three weeks! It's a failing common to the blogging world, I suppose. As my local contacts know, I've been helping my chef friend Doug Katz at Fire Food & Drink. I've done a couple of catering gigs with and for him. Also, I work the line during Sunday brunch. It's really enjoyable. Doug is a great guy and he has an amazing culinary staff--I mean that his cooks are very competent and knowledgeable. They are a pleasure. My wife and I enjoy dining at the restaurant. In fact, we haven't been out to eat in months, but have a reservation for Wednesday night (it's dinner and a movie night, the new Cohen brothers film is at Shaker Square).

What else? I've had a few successful catering gigs of my own. Also, I teach classes at the Viking Culinary Store a few times a month (upcoming class dates include December 22nd and 27th). Alas, I have not photographed much of my recent work. When you're putting out a dinner, serving nicely plated, hot food to paying clients and their guests supersedes the need to document. But what is a food blog without pictures, I ask you? So, here are some pictures from the 2007 Five Star Sensation event, a large event for the University Hospital Systems organized by Wolfgang Puck.

Five Star Sensation, Summer 2007

gee whiz, that's my name!

Tuna seared with Grains of Paradise, Slow Roasted Grape Tomato, Fava Bean Puree and Micro Anise Hyssop

Lobster Sausage with Baby Lettuce and some green sauce that I can't remember...sorry folks, most likely an herb based vinaigrette, could be tarragon or basil...

My help for the event.

I had to say hello to the man responsible.

Trip to Baltimore

2007-11-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

I had a great trip to Baltimore for a family catering job hosted at my parents house on November, 16th, 2007. The people were terrific and the food was fun to do. My brother-in-law was recruited to help (pictured, left). He also took a bunch of pictures, which I did not have time to do. The only food picture we didn't get was of course one, the soup/amuse bouche course of Lobster Bisque served in a demi-tasse with a side spoonful of pear chutney.

Lobster Bisque with Pear Chutney, Basil and Spiced Oil

St. Vincent Brut NV

Hearts of Palm and Lobster Salad with Sous Vide Asparagaus and Shiitake Mushrooms

L'Uvaggio Vermentino 2006

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Seared Sea Scallop with Apple Sauce, Swiss Chard and Rosemay Emulsion

Wellington Roussane 2004

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Curried Black Bass with Broccoli Puree and Carrot-Cumin Cream

Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc 2006

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Veal Sweetbreads with Pistachio Puree, Butternut Ravioli and Red Wine Mignonette

Ten Mile Broken Road 2005

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Caramelized Duck Breast with Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Ginger-Braised Cabbage

Jewel Firma 2004 ...

Roasted Lamb with Braised Fennel, Onion Three Ways (Roasted Cippolini, Fried Onion Rings and Red Onion Confit), Pomegranate Reduction and Mustard

Castle Rock Mendocino 2005

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Spiced Creme Brulee

Coffee Service

"Celebration of Life" dinner September 8th, 2007

2007-11-13T07:59:00.000-05:00

"Celebration of Life dinner" @ the CVI...

In late august I was asked by the Culinary Vegetable Institute to be the chef (menu and food) for a dinner of six people, three doctors and spouses, who gather annually to celebrate life. The dinner took place in the small dining room at the CVI. Here is what I prepared for them:

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Amuse course: Sweet Corn Shooter with Butternut Squash Confit, Curry Oil and Micro Chives

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Course one: Heirloom Tomatoes with Frisee, Tempura Baby Orange Cauliflower and Wasabi Creme Fraiche

In the photograph on the left, you can see white sheets of paper I use to map out the plating for each course. These read a little like a recipe in that they list ingredients, garnishes and particular instructions in addition to a hand drawing of the food. This is chef Greg Bastien assisting.

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Course Two: Sauteed Trumpet Royale Mushrooms with Vanilla Bean Oil, Carmellini Beans, Parsley Coulis, Petite French Breakfast Radishes and Baby Tatsoi

(Carmellini Beans, named by the Chef's Garden for Andrew Carmellini, are tiny haricots verts)

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Course Three: Seared Sea Scallop with Purple Potato Mousseline, Reggiano Parmesan, Balsamic Reduction, Potato Crisp, Anise Hyssop and Micro Oregano

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Course Four: Seared Tuna with Baby Dragon Carrots in Szechuan Glaze, Braised Exotic Baby Kale, Pickled Baby Red Onions, Fennel Pollen and Petite Bronze Fennel

(I seasoned the tuna with taragashi, grains of paradise and fennel pollen before searing.)

Here is Greg helping plate the tuna. Notice the wine glasses

in from of him. We tried a taste of the wines course by course.

Course Five: Goat Cheese Ice Cream with Fraise du Bois, Balsamic Syrup, Mint Salsa Verde, Coriander Tuille, and Grains of Paradise. (Grains of Paradise are a unique spice from the Congo, I believe. They have two tastes: one, very much like black pepper; and a second, distinctly floral. I have a pepper mill full of these and use them like pepper, but achieve more flavor dimension). I served a watermelon palate cleaner between the tuna and the dessert courses. The guests were a lot of fun. I really enjoy interacting with small groups.

Harvard Business School Club Dinner September 15th, 2007

2007-11-04T17:37:00.000-05:00

A "recent" event at the CVI..

My last post was largely pictures from a dinner for which I was merely an assisting hand. With post this, however, I return to my own food. In late August I was asked by the my friends at the Chef's Garden and Culinary Vegetable Institute to write a menu and execute a dinner for forty-two. They had a somewhat limited budget, but required as much attention and care as any other group contracting the CVI. I limited the menu to four courses with three passed hors d'oeuvres and a little palate cleanser between the main course and the dessert. My guests were members of the Harvard Business School Club from the east side of Cleveland. I had two assistants for this dinner, Chef Greg Bastien and a local culinary student. Also, local chef and friend Jeff Fisher helped with much of the prep. The menu follows. It should go without saying that all the vegetable products were from the farm.

This is the first of three passed starters. It's a shooter of sweet corn puree, topped with chili oil and micro arugula.

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This sweet potato tempura with chives and tentsuyu (the traditional tempura dipping sauce) was another of the passed hors d'oeuvres.

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I made a paste of pureed edamame with wasabi, put it on mini toasts and topped it with flying fish roe. Micro bulls blood (a beet) adds color and flavor.

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Soup Course (course one): cauliflower and saffron soup garnished with parsley coulis, paprika oil, tagarashi, arugula chiffonade and micro burgundy amaranth.

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Salad Course (course two): heirloom tomatoes with mixed baby greens, with sherry wine vinaigrette and spicy sesame cracker. Chef Greg is on the left. Thanks, Greg!

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Main Course (course three): Sesame Roasted Salmon with melted leeks, olive oil crushed fingerling potatoes, dragon carrot-red wine reduction, mustard emulsion and red malabar spinach. The culinary student just finished making an adjustment to the garnish.

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Intermezzo, palate cleanser: Watermelon with lemon citronette, micro lemon balm and balsamic reduction.

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Dessert Course (course four): cinnamon and star anise apple crepe with crumble garnish, goat cheese creme anglaise, micro cinnamon basil and sweet aztec.

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Here's a close-up of the crepe.

It was a fun day. Not overly long and rewarding. The guests were very pleased.

Trotter-Adria Friendship Luncheon March 2nd, 2006

2007-10-26T17:30:00.000-04:00

On March second of 2006...

Charlie Trotter held a Friendship Luncheon for Isabel and Ferran Adria at the Culinary Vegetable Institute of the Chef's Garden. I live and work not far from the Chef's Garden and have enjoyed a good business relationship with the farm dating back six years. It is my good fortune to have an open invitation to capitalize on this proximity (tours, use of the CVI, etc.) including an occasional request to participate in top tier events. I was one of many local chefs recruited to assist Trotter's staff to execute the meal. Without spending too much time on the details of the event beyond the menu, suffice it to say that Charlie Trotter was instrumental in design and raising donations for the CVI.

The menu was themed for each course to highlight a different cooking method and offal (excepting the dessert courses) as well as showcase the Chef's Garden products. There are a few inconsistencies in the menu verbiage due to last minute, plating, component, and preparation adjustments (e.g. the kohlrabi dish did not have many recognizably dehydrated components and the rabbit kidney dish does not mention the parsley coulis, a major component).

POACHED: Celery, Granny Smith Apple, Wasabi and Monkfish Liver

This was my first opportunity to try monkfish liver. I am totally converted. It is fabulous!

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SOUS VIDE: French Breakfast Radishes, Horseradish, Grains of Paradise and

Veal Heart

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JUICED: Dragon Carrots, Cilantro, Tagarashi and Crispy Pouladre Skin

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DEHYDRATED: Kohlrabi, Anise Seed, Cider Vinegar and Lamb's Tongue

Can't say I recall what was dehydrated about this one.

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SAUTEED: Cauliflower, Cumin, Saffron-Sherry Vinaigrette and Veal Sweetbreads

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GRILLED: Turnips, Red Wine Reduction and Rabbit Kidneys

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STEAMED: Garlic, Garlic Shoots, Bitter Chocolate and Duck Liver

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ROASTED: Bull's Blood Beets, Candy Striped Beets, Veal Reduction and Veal Brains

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BRAISED: Fingerling Potatoes, Shallots, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Tripe

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FROZEN: Fennel Bulb with Pollen

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BAKED: Celery Root and Celery Root Cream
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FRIED: Okinawa Sweet Potato with Milk Chocolate

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The chefs assembled. I'm in the front row to the right of Trotter.

More food pictures from the past

2007-10-20T09:23:00.001-04:00

...photographs, still looking back...

Alas, it seems I lost oh so many of my food photographs from my tenure at Sans Souci. It could be that I remain unconcerned. Really there were only a few lost I wish I had. The rehashing of the past in this venue will not last much longer. It serves as foundation. And it gives me something fun to do as I enjoy the morning coffee. The food photographs posted so far are a few years old. Interestingly, I don't even remember some of the components. I do not bring a sensibility of permanence, or longevity, to my culinary creations. You eat your food and it's gone. It lives as art for so short a time. I find that I work best when I concentrate on each idea and plate mostly as a new entity, unencumbered by predecessors successes and failures, which is not to say building and improving on past ideas is foreign or shunned--not at all. However, it is with a sense of urgency and uniqueness that I approach each dish. All of this is to say it's no surprise to me that I don't remember everything about these foods. Take the first photograph, for example: I can see the components well enough to identify them. I recognize it as a style of food I once did. However, the fish really looks like sturgeon to me, yet that pairing of sturgeon and beurre blanc seems wrong. I would have been much more likely to pair something like halibut. But who knows? Enough rambling. Time for the pictures.

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yawn, old school

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These are duck confit ravioli in a butternut broth.

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sea bass with bourride and basil oil (avec aioli crouton)

Provence

2007-10-19T09:12:00.000-04:00

la source

Photographs capture much; however, they carry so much less than the actual impact of being in a place like Provence. Seeing photographs of Paris, for example, transports one more readily than these--where the intensity of the sun, the press of the wind saying "Je suis l'enfant de le mistral," and the dry, clean air conspiring to invigorate the senses do not present themselves.

Les Baux

Ca c'est obligatoire, ne c'est pas?

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Le Marche, Place Lamartine, Arles

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Typical lunch scene of me with vin rose in St. Remy-de-Provence

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Pont du Gard

Still from the past

2007-10-18T09:03:00.000-04:00

Pictures of food gone by...

A few photographs from my tenure at Sans Souci follow. Remember I'm a chef, not a photographer. These first four are all appetizers. Bon Appetite!

History first and a view to the future

2007-10-17T17:56:00.000-04:00

For the last six years...

Having reached the threshold of the second half of my life, I find myself charged with new liberty, hopes and dreams. I quit my job to embark upon the path of self employment, and so am understandably at peace and full of trepidations. Wish me bon chance!

For the last six years, I was the chef at Sans Souci, a Mediterranean restaurant in the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel specializing in the cuisine of Provence. It remains a great restaurant. I will upload some pictures from my tenure there in a little while. Being the chef of Sans Souci afforded me many wonderful opportunities, not the least of which was working with a talented staff for a beautiful dining room, putting good food on nice china. I intend to elaborate on a few of the many facets of that job. Now, however, I would like to introduce you to my recent endeavors!

Petit Soleil comes to life...

This past summer, as we do every year, my wife and I vacationed in Europe. This was our fourth trip to France, yet our first to Provence. We spent a week soaking up the sun and sights from our base camp, Hotel Regence, in Arles. I blame this trip (in part) for my recent life change. I returned to Cleveland and work with my head somewhere far across the Atlantic. I could still see the colors, and sense the heat, smells and tastes. The realities of day to day work diminished in importance to me. I sensed something greater for myself. And so I created Petit Soleil, a catering operation that allows me to work for myself, directly engaging clients and creating specialized, multi-course diners and events. A venture into which I can pour all my culinary passions and life experience. Moreover, it acts as a precursor to my restaurant plans, which I will describe here in future posts.

I must beg your forgiveness for my inexperience with writing a blog. There are too many things to say, yet I believe this format lends itself more to short entrees, not to directionless rambling (is that redundant?) or memoir style installments. So I will leave it at that for now. As soon as the site allows me to post a few pictures, I will. Thanks for stopping by.