Every once in awhile a train leaves to a place where lost recipes are remembered, but no one has ever returned from foodopolis - except me.
This post is as belated as it is important. This is also being dedicated to Gabe who's suffering culinary oppression, in hopes that the spirit of improvisation and creation of great food will transcend him. A few weeks back I was invited by David and Sarah to partake in one of my most interesting and satisfying culinary adventures. The evening started at 8 and went until around one. Food was being prepared and served as it was finished, the gaps lubricated with an abudance of wine. I can't really take credit for any of the creations. Two highlights included a rustic mussel soup made with a chili paste, mussel broth and cream and a braised cod with onions and patty pan. I didn't pay close enough attention to the cod preparation, but this is what I remember. The food was original, delicious, inspired, simply beautiful.
I also want to take this moment - since my postings have been so few and far between - to mention some things I think are really cool.
Sourdough starter: it's a living that you bake into your bread. It can be sustained indefinitely and has flavor characteristic of geographic location due to the wild yeast - the air-oir.
Jean-Robert Pitte said in his book on french gastronomy, "The success of a gastronomic event owes as much to the appeal of sensations already familiar and known by heart as to the effect of surprise, novelty, exoticism in the raw materials, how they are used and the surroundings.
Jacques Pepin wrote about serving Indian diplomacy while he was chef for the head of state. He said he would not try to replicate traditional Indian dishes because the diplomat's own cooks could do that much better, obviously. However, he would sprinkle a little garam masala over the roast chicken. This is really minor, I just think it's an awesome diplomatic move.
Braised Cod Pierre
1# cod filet
onion, diced
fennel, diced
garlic, chopped
white wine
touch of cream
bacon and mushrooms
patty pan
sliced onions
Render the bacon in a sautoir and sweat the mushrooms in it. Set aside for another preparation. Drain out most of the rendered fat at add the onion, fennel and fennel, sweat until cooked slightly. Add the white wine and water, enough to poach in. Bring to a boil and place cod filet in the pan. Cover and place in a 350 oven until cooked tender, should not take long. Meanwhile sweat the onions and patty pans together in oil. Reserve. Remove the fish and reduce the cuisson slightly. Add a touch of cream to finish the sauce. Plate the fish with the onions and patty pan as a garnish, pour the reduced sauce over.
This dish is heavenly, easily the best preparation of cod I've ever seen.
Mussels in Adobo Broth
1# mussels
1/2 onion, sliced
1/4 fennel bulb, sliced
1 serrano chili, seeded and chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 cup dry white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
~1 cup ancho-guajillo paste (recipe follows)
salt and pepper
1/2-1 cup cream
water as needed
Combine all ingredients except cream and mussels in a pot with a lid. Bring to a boil and cook 5-6 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse and clean the mussels. Add them to the pot and cover. Cook 5 minutes or until most of the shells have opened. Spoon the muscles into a serving bowl. Add the cream to the broth and bring to a simmer, cook 1-2 minutes. Pour the finished soup over the muscles. Garnish with fennel fronds.
Ancho-Guajillo Paste
8 grape tomatoes, halved
2 Tbs olive oil
2 ancho chilis, toasted and seeded
2 Guajillo chilis, toasted and seeded
1/4 cup white wine
2 tsp honey
salt as needed
juice of half a lime
2 Tbs chicken stock
Sweat the tomatoes in olive oil until softened. Add the white wine, chicken stock and chilis. Cook until the chilis are softened. Transfer to a blender and puree with the lime juice and honey. Mixture should be a thick paste that's very spicy and slightly bitter.
