Sunday, March 30, 2008

Rutabagas?


"Are those rutabagas?" I thought, looking at a purple, circular root vegetable. Turns out they were, and I would be getting to know them quite well before the end of the day at Lacroix.

I peeled all the rutabagas (must've been 30!!!) in the walk-in fridge. Sliced a few about 1/2 inch thick, seasoned them with oil, salt and pepper, then roasted them at 325 for about 25 covered in foil, then took the foil off for about 10 more. Now, before I go on, I must mention what a pain in the neck rutabagas are to cut. Oh my goodness, I managed even slices only after cutting a slice then evening (not night time) out the height for five minutes. I can feel caluses coming in on my knife hand, and fingers growing back on the other. Anyway, roasted rutabaga is quite tasty, now I was to make some soup!

I love a good soup. I hate a good Campbells. With time-crunched (or so they say) parents, the atrocity that is Campbell's chicken noodle has been rearing its ugly head in my kitchen since the beginning of my time! Battles have been fought, and lost, by me, because no matter how much I express my distaste, my pantry stays chock-full of it. There is nothing better however, than a good homemade soup on a chilly day. I was told that though it's tough to cut, rutabagas make a fantastic soup.

I diced the rutabagas that I hadn't used for roasting to about 1 inch squares. I sliced four onions, and crushed a handful of garlic cloves. I threw these in a large pot with the rutabaga cubes and covered this with water, then added two quarts of cream (we were making a lot of soup don't worry), and let this cook down. Unfortunately at this time, it was about 8:30 and my mother was there to pick me up, so I was unable to see the end product. I do, however fully intend to make rutabaga soup at home someday. For the home kitchen, I would peel and dice about 5 rutabagas, slice one onion and add a few cloves of garlic. Cover this mixture with water then season with salt and pepper. Cook until the rutabaga offers no resistance when pierced with a fork, then puree and pass through a fine sieve. Check the consistency, and either further reduce to thicken, or serve as is, but first check the seasoning, and add more salt or pepper as necessary. Add some chopped chives, whipped cream, or maybe even drizzle some olive oil on top. That should give you a perfect, luscious creamy soup perfect for a chilly day.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Eggsperamentation


Do you see this? Why am I showing you an egg? Well, it is in fact a duck egg. How did I come across such an item? Very exclusive purveyor as a matter of fact. That purveyor being my friend. Yea, he has two pet ducks, and despite numerous offers, I am his only client. In fact, I just received a shipment of four dozen!

The quality of this ingredient excites me, for I am receiving egg quality that few restaurants can hope for. These eggs are 100% organic (though not certified), cage free, and100% void of added chemicals or hormones. Most importantly, they are fresh out of the ducks!

So how did these eggs stack up against the common chicken egg? The duck egg is slightly bigger, about the size of extra-large chicken eggs, with a very large yolk. It is subsequently richer than the chicken egg. Maybe this reflects the quality of the egg, but the yolk had a depth of flavor not attained with chicken eggs. I cooked it sunny side up once, then scrambled. The downside of duck eggs is that they have less water, so the white dries out more quickly. This was evident in the sunny side up egg. I then cooked it, as if I was going to make it over easy, but I poked the yolk with a fork, and spread it out across the egg. The results were far superior. The rich yolk flavor was distributed throughout the potentially dry white, and it tasted phenomenal. The scrambled egg was much richer, and had a more complex flavor than that of a scrambled chicken egg.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Best Meal of My Life


Hello reader, would you like to know what I just spent six months of saved allowance on? No, it wasn't the IPhone, nor was it an Xbox 360. If you've been reading my blog (especially the last post) it should come as no surprise to you that this money was gone in 4 and a half hours of pure bliss. Lunch at Per Se.

Why would I spend half of my yearly income on a restaurant? Well this is no ordinary restaurant (read more here). I would not even degrade my time at this restaurant to the title of a "meal." Experience is much more appropriate.

Ok a few notes before we begin, I'm hitting myself now for this, but I was not able to take pictures because I was unable to turn the flash off my borrowed camera. 2nd, I will not be including every course in my review, it's already past my bedtime. Now, check this out, "When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy. That's what cooking is all about." That's a quote from my hero, Thomas Keller (wow he's smart, and he's a chef), my English teacher would love him. It was indeed true, that my meal was not perfect, however the flaws that I describe to you deserve size 6 font, and had little effect on the overall experience (NOT MEAL). Keller's goal is to make people happy, and he has undoubtedly succeeded.

I waited impatiently as I stood behind a young couple on the escalator to the fourth floor of the AOL Time Warner Center. Per Se is, essentially in a shopping mall, however upon entering the grand room, dominated by muted browns, you are swept into a world away from the boutiques below. I tried, desperately, to surpress a grin as I walked through the sliding glass door, yet the childish glee welling up inside, got the best of me. My breath heavy, I greeted the hostess, and a waitor from my previous visit. No questions were asked about my reservation, and I was greeted by a flurry of "welcome back's" by the floor staff, as I was led to my table. The table presented a grand view, overlooking Columbus Circle, and the rest of the dining room, which would be useful if I was to spot any celebs (my waitress told me they had had Tom Brady come in a week ago).

Waiting at my table, was a letter. I tore it open, eager to examine its contents. It was a letter from Thomas Keller wishing me a wonderful afternoon full of special memories!!!! I was not poured champagne upon arrival, neither was I poured water. I was given some fancy Sparkling Cider! I met my waitress, Sandy, soon afterwards, and was told that rather than the regular 9 course meal, I would be prepared a 20 course feast! Can you imagine my excitement.

The meal started off playfully with Thomas Keller's signature salmon cornet. Keller got the idea for this while eating an ice cream cone in Baskin Robbins. The cornet is a tuile (kinda like a waifer), shaped like an ice cream cone, filled with creme fraiche and topped with salmon tartare. This course, served to every diner since Per Se's inception, is relavatory. With such a playful course to start, this fancy, high end restaurant becomes suddenly less pretensious.

The cornets are followed by Gruyere Cheese gougeres which are cheese puffs. No, no, no, I'm not talking about Cheetos (though the gougeres are "dangerously cheesy"), these present a much more refined "puff." A layer of light choux pastry juxtaposes a layer of rich, melting cheese. Give me more, please!

I thoroughly enjoyed a tumeric-scented eggplant soup, with toasted cardamom and icelandic yogurt. The eggplant soup, delicious on its own, was elevated to new heights with the addition of the slightly sour yogurt. Often a common reference point is necessary to understand something. Have you ever had blinis, caviar and creme fraiche? It being a classic combination, there is a good chance you have. I have too, and for this reason, I was able to determine that Keller's blini with creme fraiche and caviar, are far superior to all previous versions of the dish that I, or even you have ever had (don't argue with me, I'm right).

Now comes the part where you say, all literature has its conflict, or if you are a "Rock of Love" fan (TV show for you dinosaurs), every rose has its thorn. Such was true in the Butter Poached Lobster with kumquat confit, avocado puree, and citrus mousseline. The lobster was more rubbery than my liking, and the avocado puree seemed out of place. Another dish, called "Smoke," came to the table in an orb filled with smoke. The top was removed, allowing the smoky aroma to permeate my nostrils. The dish, sardine with a chickpea puree and pimenton oil, was rather bland, and other than the "wow" factor, the smoke contributed nothing to the finished dish.

On a lighter note, perhaps the measure of a great chef is not what he can do with luxury ingredients, but how he can transform lesser ones, as was displayed in the salad of Hawaiian hearts of palm with carmelized bananas and curry-banyuls vinegar gastrique. Rather bland hearts of palm were brought into realms of excellence. The sharp gastrique picked them up, adding unique and unexpected flavors of sweet, sour, and spicy (sugar, vinegar, curry), that presented an intricate yet flavorful playoff of different tastes. Did I say a great chef transforms lesser ingredients from slime to sublime? Oh, well I guess it can't hurt if he can deal with luxury too. A foie gras (my favorite food) terrine with pistachio buter, a poached fig and toasted brioche was so wonderfully rich that rather than argue with them, I believe Keller should give foie gras protestors free samples of this stuff. Unlike most overly sweet foie gras courses, the fig lended a gentle sweetness, which did not overpower the delicate richness of the foie. The perfectly golden brioche came from the hand of Midas. In addition, seven salts (maldon, fleur de sel, sel gris, 2 red ones, and 2 infused with volcanic ash), were given for this course, and for future courses. Due to my unfortunate age, my waitress was not able to pour me the traditional sauternes with my foie gras. Instead I received a Gewurtziminer grape juice! (Which I totally forgot about because I was so immersed in eating my foie) Attention to detail is really what seperates Per Se from other restaurants.

One of cooking's greatest challenges is the perfection of simple food (trust me, I know). With such simple food, pristine ingredients are necessary, as was apparent in the following courses. Tataki of Wagyu Sirloin with edamame and scallion salad was simply raw slices of kobe beef (doused in soy sauce) with scallions and a few edamame. The beef was well marbled and silky and was complimented traditionally with the scallions. A dish of hand cut tagliatelle with black winter truffles was likely the standout of the night. The pasta was exceptionally rich (clearly because of the high ratio of egg yolks to flour), and provided more than just a vehicle for the robust, heavenly, truffle flavor.

Other standouts included a veal sweatbread, over a scrambled egg and truffle coulis. The scrambled egg was scrambled just until the curds began to form and lended itself beautifully to both the sweatbread and the truffle. The sweatbread was crispy and flavorful, without the off-putting texture commonly associated with offal. A dish entitled "Pork and Beans" was nowhere reminiscent of its canned namesake. It was composed of a 24 hour braised pork belly, and a cassoulet of pole beans with veal jus. The skin was infinitely crispy, while the meat remained tender. The veal jus connected the pork and the beans, creating one hell of a culinary combination.

Ok, now I must talk about the secret life of my sweet tooth. Ever seen that show on the food network, the secret life of...? Well this tooth right here deserves an episode. Sweets are guiltlessly devoured when no one is watching, and I have disappointed my mother on numerous occasions when she has left her fudge unattended. Anyway, I was quite excited to get my dessert! "Shirley Temple," my waitress told me that because I was underage, they would serve me this. It was ginger sherbet, grenadine "confetti," sour cherry bread pudding, and tonic water foam. This was presented on one of those one bite, mini chinese spoons and was delicious. I don't even know why it was good, but I took one bite and loved it. The best dessert of the night by far was a Per Se signature, "Coffee and Doughnuts," cinnamon sugared doughnuts with cappuccino semifreddo (almost ice cream). Let me say, Per Se could run Dunkin Donuts bankrupt with this. This comes to your table with one doughnut, and its hole, and the semifreddo in a coffee mug with foamed milk on top (it looks like a latte). It takes but a glance around the room, to see other diners experiencing the same awe, upon receiving this dish.

The service at Per Se, can simply be described as amazing. Every detail is accounted for, and you can be sure that your water, wine, or in my case sparkling cider glass will remain full. Your bread plate does not remain vacant for long and the check is brought before you must ask. The waitors are like transformers, changing their approach and formality to suit the guest (I witnessed this transformation by watching the tables around me). Most importantly, the overly pretensious mandate for high end waitors is nonexistant. I felt comfortable talking to my wonderful waitress Sandy, about well, anything.

How does this meal stack up against my other adventures in fine dining? Well remember, unlike my other adventures, this was no mere meal. This was an experience, putting my time at Per Se in a league of its own. Asking me to describe the pleasures experienced here is an unrealistic request, for this meal stretched to otherworldly boundaries. In a time dominated by fast food, quick fix meals and Sandra Lee, such a relavatory, four hour experience at Per Se seems like a savior in this era of shortcuts.

As the meal came to a close, sadness was inevitable. I struggled with my bursting stomach, pushing its limits in an attempt to savor every last bite. Finally, after all the desserts were presented, I was brought the check. $298.03 was the final bill. Now, you might think parting with that money was difficult, but I can't think of a better use for it then perhaps, spending it on Thomas Keller's Napa Valley Restaurant, The French Laundry. I even threw in a few extra bucks for the superb service. Afterwards I was taken back to the kitchen to meet the chef (Thomas Keller was not there). In the kitchen, certain reminders, and motivators for the chefs are posted on the walls. Below the clock, a label reads "Sense of Urgency," in a walkway, the Michelin 3 star award is posted, most notably, above the door to the dining room a sign says "Finesse- Refinement and delicacy, in performance, execution, and artisanship." I was led out of the kitchen and to the door, but before I left, I was presented with a signed menu, a box of chocolate truffles, chocolates and other goodies, and a signed French Laundry cookbook which is a 50 DOLLAR COOKBOOK! They told me that "Thomas thought you should have a signed copy." I left still brimming in the excitement of the experience. As soon as I walked out I paused to see what Thomas had written. Scribbled in big letters, on the title page was "It's all about finesse," and you can believe me, those words will not be easily forgotten.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Excited!

Considering this week was spring break for me, and that I was skiing with the family, I had few chances to post on my blog. That said, you can be sure that a big post will be coming up shortly. How can I make such a guarantee? Tomorrow I'm going to Per Se. Yes, the famed famed temple of Thomas Keller, where a single meal is guaranteed to set you back $275. 39 days ago I wrote this post and now the eve of my lunch at Per Se has arrived. My sleep will be scarce tonight. Anyway, I'm bringing my camera of course, and you can expect an account of the meal by Monday. The last time I got this excited was the night before my last meal at Per Se. Well Ok! Wish me luck!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Pi Day!

Ahh pi day.

Or what could more accurately be called Pie Day.

I have no clue what pi does, but I know that pie fills the house with sweet smelling goodness.

Pi day happened to be on the day before Spring break for our school, and you can assume that means party. It was rather easy to convince my pie-loving math teacher of this notion.

I planned to make it with my friend, on Thursday after school. We peeled and cut eight apples (we only need seven but you can assume that we will eat about one) down quite small (i dont like the taste of raw apple in my pie) then added generous amounts of cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, lemon juice and melted buter. We then strained the apples, and reduced the juices just to thicken, before mixing them back in with the apples. I pulled out my already defrosted, home-made pie crust (I make a big batch once in a while then freeze it and put in the fridge one day before use) and rolled it out to the dimensions of a pie plate. I poured in the apples and covered with another crust. I brushed egg wash on the top and sprinkled some sugar. My friend and I tried to write some algebraic expression on the top, but that didn't come out too well.

Anyway, pi day was awesome. I filled myself with apple, peach, chocolate, and blueberry pies before surrendering to the groans of my stomach. Our pie went over quite well, with a multitude of compliments from various people. My taste buds and I will be longingly awaiting 3/14/09.

We just pretended that that ripped part was an accident hehe.

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Personal Chef?

Almost all of my money is spent on eating in restaurants and I'm always on the lookout for ways to "increase my revenue." Shrewdness often plays a part in my schemes, and it was on full display yesterday, when I picked up a few quick bucks for nothing. My mom and I were driving in the car at about 6:00, and her exhaustion was evident. "I don't want to make dinner!" she said, exasperated. "I'll do it for you!" I exclaimed, and just before her glee had settled in, I said "for 5 bucks." "Deal" she said, clearly happy to have that weight off her chest.

Now let me straighten things out a bit. I rarely, if ever cook dinner for the family. My sisters are extremely selective, and their likes and dislikes change faster than broccoli cooks. I do however, cook for my parents rather frequently. So now that I was cooking for the family, I had to find some middle ground. I knew that pasta would satisfy everyone, so I decided on that. I also chose to make some broccoli because of the vegetable requirement placed by my mom. It's like gym in high school. It's really stupid to take, and no one does anything in it, but it's a requirement. Broccoli is stupid to cook, because no one will eat it, but it's required.

I simply boiled water while simultaneously heating up some pasta sauce, to which I added some salt, olive oil, parmesan cheese (not the stuff in the green can), and a small amount of champagne vinegar to balance out the acidity. I cooked the pasta to a minute underdone, then tossed it in a pan with the sauce and some of the pasta water, then served it.

Wow! That was fun, and possibly the easiest five bucks you ever made. So if you ever are so lazy that you want me to come over and boil some water and throw some pasta in for you, don't hesitate to call. Rates are still low.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

More Cheese!


Yes, yes I'm so sorry for the long time sans posting. I've been rather preoccupied with things such as school, and eating cheese. Yes, cheese. In the time that I haven't been writing I've sampled two of the stinkiest, yet most wonderful cheeses you could imagine. I had my mom go into Dibruno Brothers and ask them for the two stinkiest cheeses they had. I of course was at school, and upon coming home, I asked my mom why she hadn't washed my gym socks, before I saw the cheeses sitting on the kitchen table, stinking up the house in the most appealing way. I quickly turned the fan on in the room, and began munching at my cheese.

I would definitely say that if you can get past the aroma, you will be fine. The aroma however, is quite a large barrier to break. The taste of both is creamy, rich and luxuriously salty. I however preferred the Cow Girl Creamery "Red Hawk" which is on the left. The Robiola di Bosco from Piedmont, Italy had a slightly off-putting texture in the rind.
I urge you, go to Philadelphia make a stop at Dibruno Brothers and sample some cheeses. Even if you don't wanna go for the stinky ones find some that is right for you. The staff is knowledgeable and the cheese plentiful. I buy something from there whenever I'm in the area, and when I'm broke, I'll go in just for the cheese samples (shhh).

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

New Blog

Looks like I'm not the new blogger on the block anymore. Phoodie.info has just launched a Phili food blog and that's exciting. We don't have a great abundance of bloggers here in Philadelphia and I tend to read New York blogs more often. I am therefore thrilled that such a blog has been created. Below I will talk about some of my current favorite blogs.

Grub Street
New York Magazine food blog that is updated daily Monday through Friday. If you really want to know what's happening in the food world read this blog. I read this every day, even on Saturday when I will re-read what was posted on Friday. You will get links to the occasional restaurant review from the big critics, but mostly you hear about what's going on around town.

Chuck Eats
I don't know how he does it. This guy has been everywhere and has a plethora of restaurant reviews for your reading pleasure. This blog however is not for people trying to find a place for dinner tonight. First of all, he doesn't have Phili reviews, second, the places he does review tend to be far out of the price range for all but the most special occasions. Anyway, it's a great read.

Amateur Gourmet
Who doesn't like this guy. He's hilarious, witty and energetic. His personality makes his blog interesting and enjoyable. His popularity has rapidly increased since he started blogging and he has recently landed a job for an online show with the Food Network called the FN Dish. Check it out on his website.

Fahrenheit 825
Matthew Levin is the head chef at Lacroix at the Rittenhouse, and this is his blog. If you want to learn what goes on in the Lacroix Kitchen read this. It has some great pictures of their dishes also.

Opinionated About Dining
This blog is very similar to Chuck Eats in the sense that this guy has been everywhere. The blog is very informative, and has almost a formal feel to it. This guy seems like a real food critic and believe me, I don't want him eating at my restaurant. Reading his opinions on others however provides an intriguing and informative insight to the world of dining.

Michael Ruhlman
If you're not as interested in food as great writing, read this. Being a phenomenal writer himself, Ruhlman blogs about anything related to food, cooking, or chefs. Read his books also, I must've read The Soul of a Chef at least 5 times.

The French Laundry at Home
Have you ever seen the French Laundry Cookbook? If not, it's a huge elegant book, filled with 100% authentic recipes from the best restaurant in America. That means they are quite complicated. And so when I heard that an amateur home cook was attempting to complete each and every recipe in there, I doubled over. More than just the recipes is Carol's fun and witty commentary which is what really brings the recipes to life. Check it out!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Gnocchi

Yep, it's that time of the week. My favorite and least favorite day of the week is here yet again, and that means I'm cooking. Generally, Sundays are lazy days without much going on, and the food I like to cook on Sundays reflects that. I don't feel like doing real messy food with tons of things on the plate, I just want a simple, straightforward approach to great food. A braise is the perfect meal for a Sunday in Winter; the aroma permeates the house, and the warm flavorful meat brings the family together (yea call me Martha Stewart), however getting up at 3 does not allow much time for such a project. Instead I decided to make some much less time consuming Potato Gnocchi.

Nyucky? Nyoky? I really don't know, but I don't want to hear yucky in something that I'm making, so I pronounce the latter. Anyway, Gnocchi are something that I've been making for a long time. I pride myself in my gnocchi, rather, I pride myself in executing Thomas Keller's gnocchi. With roots in Italian simplicity, it seems wrong to serve them with more than a few other ingredients. I didn't really plan what I was going to do with them beforehand. A sprinkling of good parmesan would be enough.

See that? That's my baby. Isn't she beautiful? I want my kid to look like this. This wooden cutting board was passed down from my great-grandmother, to my grandmother to me (not to my mom, she would have never used it) and I love it. No one touches this but me. It is one of the few things I will willingly clean, and I only use it for pasta and gnocchi, because that is what my great grandmother used it for (call her old reliable). It is quite difficult to clean, but I guess all babies have their ups and downs.

Ok, back to the dish. I baked my potatoes then peeled them and passed them through a strainer. I made a well in the center then added egg yolks and flour then "chopped" them into the flower. When this mixture came together I rolled it into a ball, then pulled off small sections and covered them with flour then rolled them into a snake. I cut 3/4 inch pieces then blanched them in boiling salted water.

After I blanched them, I took the ones that I wasn't going to use and put them in well sealed plastic bags to freeze them. When frozen, no defrostation (is that a word?) is necessary, just toss them in your pan heated with some oil till golden brown.This is great for the time crunched mom hint hint.

I put the gnocchi that I didn't freeze, in a hot pan with olive oil until they were golden brown. Afterwards I just tossed them with some parmesan and some julienned ham. "Parmesan and julienned ham!? That's all?" you might say. "Damn right," I might say, and the conversation would end awkwardly, until you tasted it for yourself, and discovered the elegant simplicity that is gnocchi. You will never call them Nyucky again.