Tag Archives: food

Savoury Polenta Tart Tatin

3 Nov

Tart TatinOne of the things I love about reading great recipes is that they inspire me to create unique dishes of my own. For a long time now, I have been fascinated by tart tatin, the great French creation where you pour caramel into the bottom of a cake tin, layer over caramelised apples, and then top it all off with puff pastry. The pastry bakes at the top, becoming crispy and light, and the apples caramelise even further. When the tart is done, you flip it out of the cake pan, et voila! A perfectly crisp bottom, and sensuously caramelised apple.

I have always wanted to make a tart tatin that was savoury… but part of the trick is that sweet caramel sauce that you pour in first. How to make something savoury with that? And then… I read Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for a caramelised garlic tart – with goats cheese and puff pastry. I read the actual recipe for the caramelised garlic and realised that there is a sweet savoury caramelised sauce that coats those gorgeous garlic pieces. And then… I read a recipe for polenta with sauteed mushrooms. I do love mushrooms, and polenta is another obsession of mine. I fell asleep last night daydreaming of a perfect dish… and this morning, when I woke up, I knew what I needed to make a savoury polenta tart tatin.

I cant tell you how happy this makes me. Its like I have figured out some remarkable puzzle. It may have been made before (after all, in cooking, relatively little is new), but I have never read a recipe like this. I loved it from the moment it popped into my head, and I was determined to make it!

It took me more than 3 hours to make this today. Its a hell of a recipe, but … you could definitely do it in stages. Almost everything (even the polenta) can be made in advance and refrigerated until needed (though I would make the spinach mixture on the day). If you spend a day or two caramelising garlic, sauteeing some mushrooms and burnishing them with old thick balsamic, preparing some polenta, thickened with parmesan and butter … well, then this recipe would probably take you about 40 minutes from assembly to final stages of cooking.

And I am here to tell you… Its damn worth it! It is so good. Outrageously good. Celebration, birthday, vegetarian Thanksgiving, dinner party good. Its gorgeous and dramatic, and the layers of flavour are unbelievable. Fluffy yet creamy and cheesy polenta, with a crisp crust, is topped with creamy spinach, which in turn is topped with balsamic mushrooms and caramelised garlic. Its a beautiful tart, and very dramatic. If you want to add a bit of flair, you could probably decorate it with a few sliced cherry tomatoes stuffed strategically into place, but it really does not need it. This tart is a tour de force of flavours and textures … It is sublime, if I say so myself.

Feeds 6 – 8

Caramelised Garlic (from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty)

  • 3 medium heads of garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 220 ml (about 1 1/4 cup) water
  • 3/4 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp chopped rosemary
  • 1 tsp chopped thyme (I did not have any fresh thyme, so I used about 1/2 tsp dried herbes de Provence)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Break the heads of garlic up, and peel the cloves. I realised I had many different sizes of garlic cloves, so I chopped the larger pieces in half to make them all approximately the same size.

Place the garlic cloves in a small saucepan and cover with water. Place over medium-high heat and bring to the boil. Lower heat so the water is simmering, and blanch the garlic for 3 minutes. Drain well.

Wipe out the saucepan (make sure you do this well – oil and water sputter badly), and place the olive oil in the saucepan. Over high heat, saute the garlic for 2 – 3 minutes. You want the garlic just to begin to brown around the edges.

Add the balsamic and the water (be careful, it will spit and spew at you as the water hits the hot oil), and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Then add the sugar, rosemary, thyme and salt, and mix well. Simmer on medium heat for a further 10 – 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated, and you have a thick  dark caramel sauce and deep dark soft garlic.

Take off heat and set aside. If you are only cooking the tart in the next day or so, transfer to a bowl or container, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before assembly.

Balsamic Mushrooms

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tbsp truffle oil (if you have it – if not, use olive oil or any other flavouring oil that you like)
  • About 8 medium to small portobello mushrooms (about 250 g – 1/2 lb) peeled and sliced thickly
  • About 3 – 4 Swiss brown mushrooms, peeled and sliced thickly
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tbsp butter

In a large non stick frying pan, heat the olive oil and truffle oil over medium high heat. Add all the portobello mushrooms, and stir well to combine, and to ensure that most of the mushrooms have been slicked with a little oil. Leave the mushrooms in the pan, not stirring, and allow them to brown and caramelise on their own. The heat and the olive oil will do the trick – you just have to NOT stir! Once you start smelling a wonderful mushroomy smell (about 3 – 5 minutes – possibly longer if your heat isnt that high), flip the mushrooms over. You should see that the bottom side is well browned.

Add the Swiss browns, mix again, and allow to saute, undisturbed for another few minutes. Salt and pepper well, stir, and then add the balsamic all at once. It will immediately begin to bubble and coat the mushrooms completely. Slice the butter directly over the mushrooms, and allow it to melt into the mixture. The butter will flavour the mushrooms as well as adding a bit of needed oil to the balsamic coating.

Taste, adjust seasonings, and once you are happy with the mushrooms (they should be slightly burnt, sticky, gooey, balsamic-y and intensely mushroom flavoured), tip out into a bowl and set aside. Transfer to a bowl or container if you are making the tart in a day or two, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before assembly.

Creamed spinach

  • 2 cups baby spinach, tightly packed
  • 2 heaping tbsp cream cheese
  • 1 tbsp cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Lots of black pepper
  • 1/2 cup (or more, depending on your cheesiness) grated cheddar – I used an organic white cheddar which was phenomenal here

Wash the baby spinach very well, and then roughly chop it. Add the spinach to a large non stick pan over medium heat. You still want a bit of the water to be clinging to the leaves – this will help it cook. Saute the spinach briefly – a minute or two will do it – until it turns dark green. Remove the spinach from the heat, and place it in a sieve to drain the liquid from it. Allow to cool a little.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cream and egg. Add the spinach (squeeze it with your hands before adding to the mix to make sure youve gotten rid of as much moisture as possible). Using an immersion blender (or you could transfer the lot to a blender or food processor), cream the spinach until it has completely integrated into the cream cheese mixture. Add salt and pepper, and mix well.

Add the grated cheddar, and mix well. Taste and adjust for seasoning. Set aside until ready to assemble the tart.

Cheesy Polenta

  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 cup whole milk (low-fat will do, but its better with whole milk)
  • 1 cup polenta (cornmeal grits)
  • 1/2 cup mixed water and milk if you are making as below (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Loads of black pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • 2 tbsp butter

Polenta is usually made in a saucepan, but I actually like the quickness and control I get from making it in a large, non stick, frying pan. You need a good spatula or wide flat wooden spoon.

Place a large non stick frying pan over medium heat and pour in the water and milk. Bring just to the boil, and once it boils, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Pour in the polenta in a steady stream, mixing constantly as you do so. This will ensure that the polenta is smooth and creamy and without lumps.

Keep stirring, the polenta should begin to thicken almost immediately. I usually use an almost scooping motion – circular, and right at the end, I scoop some polenta, and flip it over itself. Almost like folding egg whites gently into cake batter. Keep stirring and scooping for about 5 – 10 minutes. If the polenta gets too thick, add the water and milk mixture in gentle dribs and drabs.

Taste the polenta – it should be uniformly creamy. Any grittiness, and you need to continue cooking.

Once the polenta has reached a creamy consistency of thick oatmeal, and there is no grittiness, add the salt and tons of black pepper. Stir well and combine. Add the parmesan and butter, and combine well. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Set the polenta aside (in the pan if you like) until it comes to room temperature. The polenta will firm up quite a bit but this is fine. Refrigerate if you are not making the tart immediately, but bring to room temperature when you assemble.

Polenta Tart Tatin – Assembly

  • Caramelised Garlic
  • Balsamic Mushrooms
  • Creamed Spinach
  • Cheesy Polenta
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan
  • Butter for the cake pan

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F), and prepare a 9 – 10 inch round cake tin. Butter the cake tin, and place a circle of grease proof wax paper in the bottom. Butter this as well.

Pour the syrup from the caramelised garlic, and cover the entire bottom of the cake tin with the sauce. Tilt to make sure you coat the wax paper completely. Arrange about half (or all if youre greedy – I like to keep some back for other uses!) of the garlic on the syrup, and arrange the balsamic mushrooms over the garlic. With the garlic and mushrooms, you will cover the entire bottom of the pan. Dont mix them up though, they should remain quite insular.

Pour over the creamed spinach, and use a spatula or knife to ensure that the spinach completely covers the garlic and mushrooms.

Bake the tart in the oven for about ten minutes, or until the spinach has firmed up and puffed a little – it will bronze a bit. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for about ten minutes or so.

Prepare the polenta. Sccop up a handful of polenta, and flatten it between your hands. It should be less than 1/2 inch thick. You will have a polenta patty – place this gently onto the baked spinach in the tin. Keep doing this until the spinach is completely covered. You can patch up the polenta if there are small holes or bits youve missed.

Grate the parmesan over the polenta, and bake again in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the parmesan has burnished and become a gorgeous burnt mass on top of the polenta.

YumRemove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes, in the pan, on a cake rack.

Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan to make sure that nothing is sticking to the sides. Place a serving plate over the cake pan, and using oven gloves (as the pan may still be hot), flip the tart over in one smooth move. Remove the cake pan, and the wax paper, and adjust any bits of garlic or mushroom that may have fallen off.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or even cold the next day. Any which way, its mind-blowing-ly deeeeeee-licious!

Enjoy!

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Flying

23 Oct

I have been most remiss about posting this week – but part of it is because I have flown back home to Malaysia. Leaving was really sad and traumatic. I miss baby Z and M and B and J and family a lot … but am trying hard to readjust and plan for the next time!

The flight from the US to Malaysia is also pretty brutal – total traveling time (from house to house) is about 27 hours. I have done it enough times to have certain tips and tricks to make the flight and the transition easier. Most of them have to do with food, so here they are!

Start preparing your body about a week in advance

Your body goes through immense stress when you take it 39,000 feet above ground – no matter the pressurised, canned air environment. Your organs get squished, pressure is put on your heart and lungs, and your extremities swell. You are also at much higher risk for a deep vein thrombosis. You can minimise your risks and increase your comfort levels on board by preparing your body for flight.

  • Drink water – at least 8 – 12 glasses per day – for at least a week before flying. This will ensure your body is very hydrated and will help it battle the dehydrating effects of being up in the air.
  • Take 2 aspirins every day for a week before flying (and 3 days upon landing). This will thin your blood and help prevent thrombosis.
  • For a few days before flying, eat carefully. For me this means no spicy food, no rich or milky food, and a few dates. The dates ensure I flush everything out of my system before I fly… and this is a good thing, believe me! I also try and eat an apple or some fruit every day.
  • The day I fly, I rarely eat anything. May be a piece of toast or some fruit or yogurt for breakfast, but after that, nothing but juice and water. I find it really helps to fly on an empty stomache! Seriously – much more comfortable all around.
  • Even if you dont regularly, try and take some vitamins for at least 2 – 3 days before you fly, and 2 – 3 days once you have landed. A good multi-vitamin is fine.

Drink, drink, drink when flying

When I fly, I mostly consume water. No coffee, tea, carbonated drinks or alcohol. These just wreak havoc on the system when it is under such intense pressure. Qatar (my new favourite airlines) has a wonderful lime and mint drink – but I ask the stewardesses to mix it 1/4 lime and mint, 3/4 water. And I drink glass upon glass upon glass. Its a good idea to ask for a bottle of water, but I also try and walk to the galley at least once every 2 – 3 hours for a refill on my drink. This enables me to get up and walk, and also ensures Im drinking loads!

To veg or not to veg?

When I fly, I used to pre-order a vegetarian meal. I once made the mistake of ordering an Asian vegetarian meal, and got beans – bean salad, bean curry, bean cutlet. I am here to tell you, beans and flying in an enclosed space are not a good match! So I used to order western vegetarian meals, and mostly, they were okay. But then I realised that when you order a vegetarian meal, you get a lot of food. And I believe that its not a good idea to eat a lot while flying.

So I now dont pre-order, and rather see whats available on the flight. Most airlines offer a vegetarian main course. The starter will usually have fish or meat in it, and thats great because then I wont eat it! I have nuts – great protein, and energy source, bread, and vegetarian main course if possible. I usually skip dessert unless its fruit (or chocolate!).

I find I dont miss eating a lot on flights, and when I land, my system thanks me for it.

Coming Home…

The first day I landed, I made a terrible mistake. I ate nasi lemak with sambal. Basically, rich Malaysian food with fried chili sauce condiments! Not a good idea at all. In my greed and pleasure at being home, I forgot the cardinal rule – tread lightly and gently for a few days.

Fruit, water, toast, oatmeal and some yogurt are all wonderful bites for home coming. Remember to keep your water consumption up as you will have been really dehydrated from the flight. Also, be vigilant about taking vitamins and dont forget the aspirin for a few days. I was in the air for a total of 22 hours – I really needed to be careful with myself.

Flying is a means to an end – it allows us to have amazing adventures in far flung places, and more importantly for me, it brings me home to my family, which is stretched half way around the world. But flying takes a toll on the body, and the single most important thing to do when flying is to be conscious and aware of how you are treating yourself. Being a healthy flier means that once you land, you can get up and go quickly and happily!

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Braised Brussels Sprouts

9 Oct

sprouts!If you dont like brussels sprouts, try this recipe. It is so phenomenally good, I dare anyone to taste it and not like it. Brussels sprouts are a much maligned vegetable, but thats mainly because they tend to be over or under cooked. They can be pungent, but treating them with respect, and cooking them in a time tested French manner (braising in cream – or coconut cream for vegans) brings out their nutty tenderness to perfection.

Tonight was a big meal night – polenta with a tomato spinach sauce, roasted kale, and brussels sprouts. My sister had purchased a branch of brussels sprouts. How gorgeous is that? Cooking in this way – literally picking the sprouts off the plant they had grown on – is so satisfying. Preparing brussels sprouts is easy. Trim the bottoms well, and take off two or three leaves – you want what looks like a tightly packed miniature lettuce.

These sprouts are wonderful as a side dish, or could even be given centre stage (Jules said she could just eat the sprouts and be happy). If I was serving the sprouts as a main course, I might gratinee them in the oven for a few minutes. Any which way, theyre surprisingly good. This preparation would also be great pureed as a soup.

Brussels sprouts are so good for you – they are anti-inflamatory, anti-oxidant, and detoxing. There are many studies which link regular consumption of brussels sprouts with a lower incidence of cancer. Related to kale, broccoli and cabbage, this tiny superfood is wonderfully healthy for you, and cooked well, sensationally tasty.

This recipe serves 6 – 8 people as a side dish, fewer as a main

  • About 2 lbs brussels sprouts
  • 1 cup cream (or coconut milk cream for vegans)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt
  • Fresh (if you have it) grated nutmeg (or if you are using the coconut milk, you could also use garam masala for a slightly spicier mix) – just a pinch
  • Black pepper

The most time consuming part of this dish is preparing the brussels sprouts. You need to check out each one, trim the ends and trim the loose leaves. Check to make sure that the leaves are tight. Once youre happy with a sprout, toss it into a large bowl of salted water. Keep prepping all your sprouts until you are done. You should have 4 – 6 cups worth.

Slice the sprouts in half and transfer to a large saucepan, which has a lid. Pour over the cream (or coconut milk cream) and sprinkle with salt. I usually use only about 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and then taste and adjust when I am done. I prefer to let the sweetness of the brussels sprouts shine through.

Bring the cream and sprouts to the boil over high heat. As soon as it all starts to bubble and roil, cover with lid, and lower heat to medium low. Braise the sprouts, covered, for about 12 – 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the root end of the sprout goes through softly. I usually check about half way through the cooking time, adjust the heat if I think its needed, and give the sprouts a good mix to make sure they all get heat time.

Take off heat, and grate or sprinkle over nutmeg and lashings of black pepper. Combine, taste and adjust. Add more salt if needed.

YummmmmThe sprouts will have soaked up most of the cream, and become voluptuously plump, bright green and delightful. They will shine, and beckon hungry appetites.

The sprouts can be prepared ahead of time and reheated gently.

Get ready to accept applause, and garner converts!

 

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Gnocchi with Gorgonzola, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

8 Oct

It was cold and rainy and wet a few days ago. We needed a hot comforting meal so I decided to make a sauce for the potato gnocchi I had bought at Trader Joe’s. Gnocchi are wonderful springy little pillows of potato pasta – easy to make and very filling and delicious. Theyre great for a cold day because they really demand a hearty strong sauce as an accompaniment.

You can make them at home (and they really are quick and easy to make) but if youre in a rush, store bought gnocchi are quite good. Just follow the instructions on the packet – boil in salted olive oiled water until the gnocchi pop up and start floating. Taste, and if theyre still a bit undercooked, continue boiling for a minute or so. Remember that you will put the gnocchi in the sauce and heat them up so its OK if theyre a little undercooked.

Drain and set aside until youre ready with the sauce. It should take about ten minutes to put the sauce together, so make sure the gnocchi are well oiled or prepare them at the same time youre making the sauce – otherwise, if you ask them to sit and wait, they might start sticking together out of rebellion.

I started with a bit of olive oil and truffle oil, five or six white button mushrooms and a portobello mushroom. Sauteed the mushrooms in the oil until they had given off their liquid and started to brown a bit. Seasoned with dried basil, salt and pepper, and then a whooosh of aged balsamic vinegar. There is something about mushrooms and balsamic that is just beyond delicious – its the perfect pairing.

Once the balsamic had been absorbed into the mushrooms, and they looked all glistening and sticky gorgeous, I added about a cup of roughly chopped baby heirloom tomatoes. The tomatoes gave off a lot of liquid, and I squished them into the pan to encourage them. I added a teaspoon of whole grain dijon mustard, and a few tablespoons of sour cream. About half a cup of gorgonzola (mainly the white bits because I didnt want it to start tasting too blue). Let the mixture bubble together, tasted and adjusted for seasoning.

Tipped the cooked gnocchi into the sauce, and let it heat up – the gnocchi plumped up even more and absorbed some of the delicious pan juices.

Served 4 and was comfy as a loving hug. Definitely not haute cuisine, but something fast and infinitely loving.

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Per Se – Part II

7 Oct

My companion and I, both vegetarians, decided to have the Tasting of Vegetables. I really wanted to see how the Chef thought about vegetables, how he would present them, and how a nine course meal of pure vegetable, served haute cuisine, would feel. It was truly the experience of a lifetime. Though they say the menu is nine courses, it is actually more like twelve, what with the amuse bouche to start and the flurry of mignardises at the end.

Every day, the menu at Per Se changes. With the changing of the seasons, with the new bouquets of fall, winter, spring and summer, different dishes are presented. The knowledge of food, the breadth and depth of passion for each vegetable and fruit is stunning. I am so glad we got to experience Per Se at the end of summer, and the beginning of autumn … the flavours were deep and rich, as resonant as a bass drum.

My companion had wine, and asked our waiter to chose. It was the first time in a long time that I wished I still drank. Champagne to start, a Pinot Gris that was so delicious I find words hard to express its complexity, crispness, delight… and finally a red which was soft and rich and full. Perfect pairings for our most phenomenal meal.

———

Amuse Bouches

The amuse started the meal out with a bang. Tiny, miniscule gougeres – so little, they seemed inconsequential. Two, one each, served on a crisp white plate. Eaten by hand, they were like a peanut… until their huge flavour exploded in the mouth. Crisp outer shell, mindshatteringly savoury warm cheese, melting like velvet on the tongue. That little gougere was like a wake up call. Sit up! Pay attention! Your mind, your taste buds, everything is about to be blown away. It was so good, I immediately wanted 20 more. I could have sat and eaten those gougeres forever – but of course, that would have lessened the power of that singular mouthful. I thought it was one of the most intense and delicious things I have ever eaten. And it set up the meal perfectly because we couldnt wait to see what was going to come next.

One of Chef Keller’s most famous amuse bouches is his smoked salmon, served like an ice cream, in a tiny savoury cone. We had the vegetarian version, with artichoke, a sublime couple of bites – creamy, astringent, crisp. Eaten with the hands as well. Astonishingly clever. And a perfect match for that intense gougere because it spoke of balance, sweetness and savoury, a sense of humour and adventure.

Caramelized Salsify “Veloute” Pomegranate Reduction, Medjool Date “Marbles” and Truffle Puree

Our first course was … how to call this a soup? A veloute is one of the four mother sauces that the great French Chef Careme classified as being the basis from which all other sauces come from – bechamel, espagnole, veloute and allemande. Veloute is made from roux, with huge amounts of butter, and uncaramelised stock. This vegetarian veloute was smooth like the finest silk, soft as a baby’s cheek. Salsify is a root vegetable – it looks like a thin parsnip but it has its own flavour, hauntingly expressive, with notes of oyster, earth, dampness.

Together, the salsify and the veloute created a dream. Sweet and voluptuously satisfying. And then… pomegranate reduction and truffle puree! Taking that smooth white emulsion, and bringing in dark notes. Truffle is one of those tastes that in and of itself is mesmerising. Married with the pomegranate and the salsify … it was like nothing I had ever tasted before. And the dates – literally marbles of sweet honeyed flavour. This entire course was about grounding, earthiness, the life force of the vegetables tangible and yet elevated together to a stunning resonance.

Both of us considered putting our faces in our bowls and licking them clean, but we did not want to embarrass ourselves quite yet!

Compressed Persian Cucumbers Slow Roasted Beets, Horseradish Panna Cotta, Mizuna and Gold Beet Glaze

Well, one thing is for sure. I will never ever look at a cucumber the same way again! After the earthy complexity of the first course, we had a “salad” – but honestly, it was something else entirely. The cucumber and the beets had been pressed and roasted – until some shattered on the tongue like delicate shards of flavour, and some had the caramelised roasted perfume of the Goddesses. Each delicate slice was presented with reverent perfection and each tasted completely different. The mizuna – Japanese watercress – added a burst of colour, and reflected the sharp contrast of the sublime horseradish panna cotta hiding under a golden sunshine sweet beet glaze.

This dish was composed like a painting. It was gorgeously lush, and so beautiful to look at. The gold beet glaze was almost unreal – an orange yellow slick of brightness. It was sweet, as were the cucumbers and beets. But the creamy panna cotta had the acerbic sting of horseradish. What a combination! Each mouthful was different and yet perfectly similar. I wanted to take a breath, to savour, but it was so sublime, I could not stop eating it. I just wanted to find another taste, another angle, another combination.

And this was the pure joy of the meal – to experience a Chef thinking about putting different tastes, textures and emotions together. The colours, the presentation, the rhythm of the meal was so seductive because it was at once intellectual, humourous and wantonly sensual.

Rosa Bianca Eggplant “A La Grenobloise” “Haricots Verts et Jaunes,” Parsley Shoots and Crystallized Eggplant Chip

After the black and white pleasures of the veloute, and the sparkling composition of the cucumbers, we were presented with eggplants. But not just any eggplant … Rosa Bianca, a beautiful heirloom variety, small and seedless, roasted to perfection. Sexy and rich, deeply moving. A la Grenobloise refers to a method of preparation which uses brown butter, parsley, lemon juice, capers and tiny croutons. This sexy salad had echoes of these flavours, along with beautifully prepared green and yellow beans, tender and subtle, and parsley shoots – tiny young shoots, sweet and gorgeous garnish – totally different in taste and texture from the older, full grown variety. So much contrast here, and so much to think about. The crunch of the crouton, the slickness of the green and yellow beans. The creaminess of the eggplant, highlighted by its preparation…

And to top it all off, a slice of eggplant. Sliced through from top to bottom, a slice gossamer thin, and crystallized. It was like a piece of stained glass art. So stunning I didnt want to eat it but then I allowed my appetite, and my interest its full rein. Sweet, perfect, crackly. Eggplant? Yes! Oh yes yes yes. Such a superb combination of presentation and flavour, and such deep connection to the first two dishes. A Chef at once thoughtful and playful. And so moving.

With this course, we were served our first bread of the meal – a small roll, a cross between a brioche, a croissant and Southern spoon biscuits. Utterly devastatingly satiny soft, like a pillow of richness. So good that on its own, it would deserve accolades and applause. Served almost nonchalantly with two butters – Vermont salted and California unsalted. Of course.

Butter Roasted Sweet Potato Brussels Sprouts, Pearson Farms’ Pecans, Frisee Lettuce and Blis Maple Syrup Emulsion

How to move on from eggplants? From that ripe earthiness? From the artistic exactness of that crystalized piece? A perfect square of sweet potato, roasted in butter until so unctuously soft, it was experienced like a toffee butternut! With a crisp coating that had saltiness and creaminess, and which stopped the sweet potato from going into the overwhelmingly ripe. Alongside, bright braised brussel sprouts, their acidity a counterpoint to the sweetness. Toasted pecans, artful tiny lettuce and a creamy maple syrup. Each element of this dish not only complemented each other but raised the tastes into an aria… sung a capella!

I know, I am verging on the obscene with the superlatives… but honestly. Harmony. Balance. Lushness. It was all there.

It just blows me away when I can enjoy a meal in such a way, and yet I can feel the thought and care, tenderness and intensity that has gone into preparing every mouthful. I love home cooked food because its really about love. When I eat a meal prepared for me by someone who cares about me, I sense it in every bite. Restaurant meals are more difficult, because there is rarely a personal connection between Chef and diner. More so with the superstar restaurants … and yet here, in every part of the experience, I was immersed in a depth of care. Every dish that was presented was done so lovingly, was prepared with honour and respect. You cannot fake that.

Mushroom Pot Pie “Matignon” of Root Vegetables, Ekerton Hill Farm’s Chestnuts, Watercress Salad, Fines Herbes Creme Fraiche and Madeira Cream

After five courses (including the amuse bouches), this was the pinnacle. A pot pie. Homely. Something that one would make to comfort and show love. A hug. Reassuringly familiar. Yes, and yet… Oh my good Goddess. This one, I did end up dipping my fingers in at the end and licking up the remaining juices.

Essence of mushroom, in all its complexity. Shadows and mustiness, dark thumps of flavour.

And with it, the matignon, which is a method of cooking vegetables slowly, softly, with butter and Madiera, until they are melted and melded with each other. Another essence, this time of root vegetables (and echoes of the salsify we began with). And chestnuts, sliced in perfect matchsticks with the mushrooms. Lush beyond belief. Creamy and earthy, so rich and intense. Crowned with a perfect crisp puff pastry, that was delicately sliced. A quenelle of fines herbes and sharp watercress horseradish cream deposited into the exceptional mushroom. A transcendent experience. It was perfect. Really truly, perfect. Every part of me resonated with that pot pie.

I could have laughed out loud with joy.

Mascarpone Enriched Parsnip “Agnolotti” Honeycrisp Apple “Parisienne,” Young Onions, Pea Shoots and Black Winter Truffle Beurre Blanc

Agnolotti are a form of ravioli,  plump squares of pasta from the Piedmont region of Italy. These tiny, thumbnail sized squares were stuffed with a silken parsnip puree. Amazing explosion of flavour from a small bite… echoes of our gougeres and that sublime first course. Remembrance and memory woven into a singular meal. Sweet honeyed apples, tiny rounds of contrast, mirroring the dates. And a beurre blanc of truffles (black and white again! And oh, what a taste to leave you gasping!) … another memory intertwined with this one.

So flawless…except for the young onions. For me, they were a dissonance. I understood why they were there – the counterpoint. The astringent to the creamy. But I did not find that they melded well into this course, and I did not eat them. This was noticed, of course, and I was asked why I had left them. I answered honestly… and it was accepted.

“Ticklemore” Thyme Sable, Compressed Figs, Belgian Endive and Watercress with Walnut Marmalade

or

“Smokey Oregon Blue” Per Se Graham Cracker, Poached Quince, Celery “Ribbons” and Tellicherry Pepper “Aigre-Doux”

Our cheese course arrived. Since we were two, we ordered one of each, and shared. Two completely different cheeses. Mine, the Ticklemore, was a goat’s cheese from Devon – subtle and creamy. Very delicate for a goat’s cheese, and served with a sweet thyme sable biscuit, ripe figs, a sharp melding of green and a luscious walnut marmalade.

My companion had the Smokey Oregon Blue – totally intense, smoked over hazelnuts for hours, and strong. What a forceful flavour! Paired with the Per Se version of a graham cracker – honeyed and gingery, jewel-like quinces and the sour sweet pepper.

Our two versions of the cheese course highlighted how completely different cheese can be. It was wonderful to be able to share.

Huckleberry and Buttermilk Sherbet Oat Crumble, Oregon Huckleberries “Demi-Sec” and Buttermilk Chantilly

Ahhhh the sorbet. A chance to take a breath. Cleanse the palate. Huckleberries and buttermilk. Again, that magical contrasting combination of flavour and sharpness, softness and creaminess. The oat crumble, a laughing nod to crunchy granola folks, but perfectly done. And those partially dried huckleberries – an intense fruity version of sun dried tomatoes or raisins.

Purple and white on the plate, with golden dusting of oats. How not to smile when you are presented with such a plate after such overwhelming courses as had come before. So clean. And yet so impeccable. Just when the appetite flags, when we thought we could not have any more… this perked up the taste buds, cooled down the heat and cleansed our souls.

“PB & J” Peanut Butter Parfait, Crystallized Lemon Verbena, Toasted Virginia Peanuts and Concord Grape Sherbet

or

“Glace a la Vanille” Cardamom Grissini, Bartlett Pears and Root Beer Syrup

Again, we shared one of each dessert.

I had the PB & J (Peanut Butter and Jelly). Playful, fantastical romp over every memory of pb & j sandwiches as a child. The peanut butter parfait – splendid little cakes, lathered with peanut butter cream. The crisp sweetness of the peanuts, and the sweet dark purple cleanness of the grape sherbert. And atop one of the parfaits, what looked like a single grape. Turned out to be peanut butter fudge encapsulated in grape jelly. How funny and light and sense arousing!

My companion had the vanilla ice cream – bold in its simplicity, and adorned with root beer syrup which highlighted the dusky note in the vanilla, and pears, which resonated with the creaminess of the glace. The only wrong note, for me, was the cardamom grissini (sweet breadsticks) – served with much reverence, but slightly stale and sticky.

“Mignardises”

We thought we had come to near the end of our meal. A little coffee and may be a piece of chocolate to finish.

Mignardises are small bites – much like the amuse bouches but sweet. Little desserts, tiny tastes.

I am not sure what happened but it felt like all the Chefs in the kitchen of Per Se were replaced by a very worried Jewish mother – worried that we had not eaten enough, worried that we had not gotten our fill. A veritable blizzard of little treats were showered down on our table. I actually did laugh out loud – I could not believe the extraordinary symphony of delectables that were presented to us.

Along with the best cup of coffee I have had in a long time, we were offered a silver platter of home made chocolates – about 18 different flavours. We each chose two, and reveled in the unique flavours. Curry buttercream anyone?

And then… Keller’s justly famous “Coffee and Doughnuts.” Brioche doughnut holes, light and yeasty, dusted with dusky cinnamon sugar, and a cappuccino  semi-freddo. Totally unannounced, this could have been a dessert in its own right. And it was scrumptious! So good in that down home haute cuisine sensibility that Keller has perfected. That semi-freddo was the perfect coffee ice cream – so smooth and light. And those doughnuts. Seemingly simple, I have read the recipe. This is a complex dish, and I was totally thrilled to be able to taste it!

And then… a silver triple layer container, hiding white, dark and milk chocolate truffles, pulled caramels, tiny hard candies. Chocolate covered hazelnuts. It felt like we were being buried in deliciousness. I could literally feel my stomache stretching to accommodate everything. And I wanted to taste it all, to feel it all, to be totally immersed in these sweet complex flavours.

And then finally. The last bite. A bookend to that phenomenal gougere. What looked like a white chocolate truffle – an impeccable bon bon which hid salted caramel pop corn ice cream (I kid you not) – a sweet salty explosion. A bang of a finish. A supreme hit of fireworks.

———

What a meal. What an experience. What theatre.

When we were done (almost four hours from when we started), I think we were both grinning like children who had had their first taste of joy. We had expressed our contentment and pleasure so clearly, that we were honoured to be invited for a kitchen tour. But thats another story for another time.

Throughout the meal, we were treated with such kindness and grace, with such happiness and pleasure that the total experience was sublime. This was special. It was unique. And I am thankful that neither of us is so world weary or pseudo sophisticated not to be grateful for the opportunity to experience Per Se in that light.

For right now… all I can say is, if you want a culinary education in a few hours, go to Per Se. If you want food that is cooked with love and laughter, joy and reverence, go to Per Se. If you want the experience of a lifetime, pure artistry in food, ephemeral and fleeting, and yet so clearly held in the memory that it is tangible… go to Per Se.

Thank you to Chef Keller for creating such an establishment, and such a wonderful version of American food. And thank you to our Chef, the Chef de Cuisine Eli Kamineh, for a meal that will live in in my memory for as long as I am on this earth.

 

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Favourite Food Websites

5 Aug

As a foodie, a cook, an eater, and a techie, I love the internet. Its such an amazing space, and its really wide ranging in terms information, inspiration and help. I have, as most people do, a few websites I visit on a regular basis. Some every day, some, as a treat, once a week, to catch up on. All these sites open me up to the food world. I thought I would share some of my best with you – and explain why I love them so. I have divided my websites into three major sections: Tools (my favourite conversion site, for example, or the best vegetarian food guide site); Recipes (the best, easiest to use and most informative recipe sites around); and Personal (blogs, rantings and ravings about food). Here are my top in each section.

Tools

I do like About.com … they have such a myriad of topics, and each one is quite in depth and detailed. I love their conversion calculator because when I need to figure out what fahrenheit is in celsius or how many cups in a specific number of millilitres, and I need to do it quickly, this is the page that does it for me. For conversions, I also use Google – on their home page, you can just type… “170 c in f” and immediately, it will convert 170 celsius into 338 fahrenheit without you having to do much else! Brilliant.

When I am cooking, and realise oh damn, I thought I had 4 eggs, but I only have 2 – or the recipe calls for a certain spice, or ingredient and I dont have it in my larder, I go to Cooking Thesaurus. It is an awesome site that helps you figure out what foods you can use as substitutes. Its got a great search mechanism, and is really easy to use. Thousands and thousands of substitutions. How useful is that? And they are very systematic. Take an egg for instance. When you want to substitute an egg for dipping before breading, its very different than if you want to substitute an egg in a cake – they carefully go through all the various permutations.

And for all things vegetarian, I love the Vegetarian Resource Group. Their page about Nutrition for Vegetarians is invaluable when you are thinking about the vegetarian diet, and thinking about  ensuring proper nutrition, proteins etc. They have a great link to a pdf file of a  vegetarian food pyramid that I refer to now and then. I do think that most ways of eating should be about balance. I am not going to try and get all my food groups in one day – but this helps me think about what I have (or have not eaten) in that particular week. Though, they need to add chocolate at the top of the pyramid! The Vegetarian Resource group also has a brilliant recipe page that I love scrolling through…Inspiration for the veggie mind. And their links page is truly comprehensive.

Recipes

For all around food extravaganza, there is nothing else online like Epicurious. It is seriously a huge, sometimes overwhelming website. Its recipe section alone archives the late, lamented and beloved Gourmet magazine, as well as Bon Apetit. It has forums, chatrooms, and you can sign up and have your own Epicurious profile with saved recipes. Its got video, shopping lists, mobile apps. Its truly epic. But I use it mainly for its recipes. Type in any search term – chocolate for instance – and thousands of recipes will be returned. The width and breadth of recipes and sources is truly astounding. I love to read the user comments – home cooks who actually have cooked the recipe before, and they are often spot on about substitutions, adjustments, baking times, etc. Such a great community.

I also love Saveur magazine’s website. Another extensive recipe resource, with wonderful sections on kitchen gadgets and technique. Saveur is definitely not vegetarian-centric, but its a great place for inspiration.

Food & Wine, on the other hand, has literally thousands of vegetarian recipes. I love their clean layout, easy to understand recipes and navigation. And their images are totally droolworthy.

And finally, I love The Kitchn – a satellite site from Apartment Therapy. Great recipes, articles, inspiration – in a very easy, modern, funky layout. I dont go to The Kitchn when I am searching for a specific recipe, but I include it here because it is such a wonderful place to go and read recipes. Everything has a story, and I want to try each and every idea they come up with. Small, but very readable.

Personal

I have so many personal favourite cooking websites, that I couldnt narrow them down to just a few. So here is my condensed list. I hope you enjoy!

  • Ballymaloe Cooking School – I often go to this site and just daydream. Its where I am going to cooking school next year. I cant wait.
  • Ruth Reichl’s blog – some of her great recipes, her wonderful food writing, and her clear, passionate voice. I love her blog – and also her Twitter feed. She was the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, and oh this woman loves food.
  • Huffington Post’s Food feed. A great, current collection of food news – I read this every day.
  • Oh I ADORE Dorie Greenspan’s blog. This woman is totally immersed in her passion for cooking – especially baking and pastries. Every day, every post, exhilarates the senses. Moving between France and the US, she is a nomad who writes about the world around her. She has written 10 cookbooks, including two with Pierre Herme (yes, macarons), one with Daniel Bolud, and one with Julia Child. Her blog is passionate, generous and so so tasty. I also follow her Twitter. Yum.
  • I love 101 Cookbooks’ blog too. Heidi Swanson is inspired by food – mainly vegetarian – and cooks from her extensive cookbook collection. She makes delicious looking, exciting dishes that seem at once wonderful and approachable. I love her stories and comfortable voice. I also follow her on Twitter!
  • Cannelle et Vanille – its just so damn pretty!!! I look at this site when I want to smile.
  • Three restaurant websites – mainly to drool over their menus! Chez Panisse (Alice Walters), The French Laundry (Thomas Keller), and El Bulli (Ferran Adria).
  • And the most accessible vegetarian eating guide – Happy Cow. I love this site, and whenever I visit a new place, I always check out whats good in the vegetarian scene through them.

I have others, but I dont want to overwhelm you 😉 I am sure I will do another favourite links post, but for now, enjoy these! I know I do!

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Happy Birthday Ayah

27 Jul

My Ayah and meToday would have been my beloved late father’s 74th birthday. I celebrated by going to learn how to make macarons, but I was thinking of him the whole day. I miss him more than I can ever say, and yet, I feel him with me all the time. When my sister had her beautiful baby Z, both of us felt his presence, and wished we could have him with us, so he could meet his gorgeous grandchild.

Everything I do, and everything I am, is imbued with his presence, his grace, his essence.

My father was a true epicure. He took great pleasure in all the sensual aspects of life – food, and drink, cigars, and yes, women. He taught my sister and I how to eat, how to enjoy food, how to taste and refine our ideas of what was good. He took much joy from having a meal and good wine with friends and family.

Ayah was a wonderful story teller, a brilliant mind, a sensitive and clever writer. He lived life to the maximum and he passed much too young.

From the time we were young, my sister and I were brought to beautiful restaurants, and ate “like grown-ups” – encouraged to try and taste and order for ourselves. It was an education in enjoying the fine things in life. But my father also was clever about what he consumed and how. He always had fresh fruits for breakfast, always made time for exercise, and when he indulged, he always made sure there was a balance.

One of my favourite Ayah food stories was his immense enjoyment and love of plain white toast, with melting butter, sprinkled with rough grain sugar. My sister and I used to tease him about it – how someone who ate at the finest restaurants would take such sweet happiness in a simple dish. He told us that during the war, when he was a child, he lived in the kampung (rural village) in Malaysia. There were not a lot of supplies and extras. Food and luxuries were scarce. On birthdays, or for very special occasions, children were given a piece of toast, butter (margarine more likely), and sugar. To the end of his life, he felt that one of the greatest indulgences was that simple dish.

This taught me two things. First, that food did not have to be rare or fancy or expensive to be appreciated. You have to know for whom you cook, and what resonates within them. And therein lies the second lesson – food is about memory  – it is so much more than the ingredients, and really about the emotional attachment that we give to what we eat. My father could have had chocolate mousse every day, but that did not make him feel like he was giving himself something special. But a cup of tea, and toast and sugar … now that was indulgence and love, and memory. He honoured himself, and where he came from, and where he was at that moment in time, to pause, to relish, to remember.

toast and butter and sugarSo today, for Ayah, this is my dish. I miss you so much. I love you always.

  • 1 piece of toast
  • 1 tsp softened butter
  • 1 tbsp roughly granulated sugar

While the toast is still warm, spread the butter so that it melts lightly. Sprinkle on the sugar.

Eat with remembrance and love.

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