Culinary Artistry

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Re't.1urant Menus

Xt'

Acknowledgments

Xt'll

Preface

XIX

The Chef as Artist

1

Meet Your Medium

23

Compoing Flavors

37

Compo~ing a Dish

61

Why Food Matches?

87

Food ~1atche~ Made in Heaven ~ea'ioning Matche . . Made m Heaven

Composing a Menu

223

Common Accompaniment' to Entrees Evolvmg a Cuisine

196

260

289

The Evolution of Leading Chef' CUismes De~ert Island lists

323

Culinary Art as Communion Re (lurec,

399

BIOgraphies of Chefs

Index

403

409

Ahour the Authors

425

391

307

B\ krm and heauty, we're not referring strictly to Food IS very much theater [he IDL.leasmdv popular, and in some cases misguided, - Jam. Be" c; emphals that Sl'me chefs have placed on the visual presentation of food. In jetermll1U1g what form a dish will take, chefs have the opportunity to conve\ their own sense of beauty with every decision they make about a dish, from the selection of ingredients and their pairing with other ingredients, to Its cookmg techniques, to its presentation on a plate, to its order of presentation on a menu. Just as philosophers have suggested that art is "about" something, and conveys feelings toward that subject matter, so does Alice Waters tell us that "Being a really good cook has to do with having a point of view." Throughout history, great culinarians have likened the culinary arts to arts ranging from architecture to painting to theatre. The press has even used artistic analogies when describing particular chefs. For example, Los Angeles Times food writer Charles Perry once likened chef Joachim Splichal to the late rock musician Jimi Hendrix, who was known for his

artistic daring. "Cooking is indeed an artistry," says Bradley Ogden. "It's a form of creativity and expression, especially the more defined you become with your cuisine. The direction you decide to take It In-your per~onal styleusually depends on your background and your education. I grew up in Michigan, and my cuisine i more traightforward Amencan. Unheknownst to me, I wa developing a palate back when I wa five or IX year old, helng reared on organic blackberrie and wall-eyed pike" "We are certainly associated With the art," Gray Curnonsky's belief that "La cuisine! Thats when Kunz agrees. "There's no question ahout that. But the thmgs taste /Ike themselves· IS none other than affiltatlon hide~ an enormou am unt of hard work. the artist's precept. "Respect your medium This work I very stressful-hoth phy ically and on the transposed Into the world of food. mind. What helps the chef is the 'Imph: de~lre to cre- -RrchCi'd 0 ey ate di he that are con tandy on a very hlf~h le\'el. It' a ,hame you c, n't put me of them on canvas!" Wayne 1 1 i .h, who once tudled architecture, POint- out that "Architecture In the Middle Age wa~ the mother of the art. In or,ler to he t.l'l 10 a fourth who ,pent the pnor even 109 hem'! fed 'trawherrie' hy a 100'er! Cu,romers' level of knowledge WIll al,o color their percertLon of the chef' profe~,ion Ibdf. The ~ame popular cookbook and televi Ion ,how that have ,erved to catapult leaJmg chef. mto hoU',eholJ name~ have perhap, 10 turn, done chefs a db,ervlce. In leading chefs' well-meaning enCllur3!!emcnt to home Loob that the~, too, (an Look the chef' three- Ilt four- tar iood at home, the~ have rerhap, omitted any mentIon ot the Ve,lT of trainIn!? md expenence that are behmd the re Ipe ,md mdeed the p~dCtlCe (If pro~ lonal cookmo-, leadm o- to the genera I pu bl' ll: mt gUided VICW that "an~lxxh c n k .!reat food."

"Perhap~ heL,lll e e\ crybody edt, " If ClI Irure, somet h m ' look at a great rainting, for in'tance, it can mean something rrnfound to people all o\'er the world, Oc>es food eXist on a comparable le\'el? Is that what fine dining-haltte CltL ine-i~? Or is food Ie" expre,>SI\'e and, by necessity, does it ha\'e to stay rooted in the culture that it come from? I'm not ,ure we\'e rOll

come far enough to answer that l/ue"t1on, Perhars haute cuisine is Itke opera, which e\'el)'one Seem to rec(1l!ni:e a" an art form , albeit not uni\'ersal or easily accessible, In fact It\ pretty arcane, Though opera can be movinl!, it's an n Ilt~ and th II 111 ,lOd the I I In redl n , ulmdr}. rtl t Jitter do m th \' ~ th y pro h the pr e f c mp) IOtnt of c n III 1 n. There I cerof ere ttvlty that I a ch ( 1 d pte. I tl n to f tnl 11e • ut h or, I

ectlO the much

taml no c neath fr m

U ,

.... e don't mean t) ug 'e t ne In r enttn Ie dmg eh 'Idea on the [ pi dl eu d an chron I ~ of our own d \I mg-th t ( tartmg .... tth rh malic t elemen (the com iuon f t1 "l)r ) contanumg thrt u h their c rnhmatlon mto c mposed JI he nd menus-but It' g .... U} ) .... 1m \\ of to tart!

A MaHer of Taste

Both the r t\( n nd th enJ rn nt f center ar un th p tat Th UT tl3S1C ld~V' that can be per elve on the ton ue ar we t, It, ur mJ bitt r

ut. "In Chma, there are five-there's also 'hot.' In southeast la, th re' .11'0 'aromatic.' There's also 'pungent'-something like fish paste \\ hlCh I not ur or bitter. but its sour. bitter, sweet, and salty." ~ary Danko mentions yet another "fifth flavor": "It's called umami. Tne be-t \\ a\' to Illutrate it would be the taste of the combination MSG and \\ater. Thoe are amino acid-like protems. Or another example would be to fut a raW O\·ter in your mouth. The feel or taste is of the sort of numbness in your mouth. It's hard ro describe. "If 'ou close your nose when you start to eat, those five flavors are the only things you can taste," says Danko. "A pure taste is something that goes from your palate to your brain immediately, Without going through your olfactory sensors and then filtenng up. It' an immediate ensation from tongue to brain." How can chefs use this knowledge to improve their cooking? "You hear a lot about balancmg the four points of the tongue," says Danko. "There are people who ay, 'If you just add more lemon JUICe, you won't need so much alt.' But I would disagree with that. I look at it more as a balance-you need a little bit of thi , and a little bit of that, and these are all essential in satiatIng you. You can leave a huge meal 'hungry' if your palate was not atiated. On the other hand, you can be atl fied With Ie ... food if you've had good, balanced flavor coming Into your m uth." In thmking about food, cook houlJ 1m to become can, lOU, of what\ going on in a particular dt h. Wlllch 10 rediem r contnhutin J t the dish's weetne ,or Inne ,or ur on , r bitter n te ? Thr u_h un 1er t,mding a particular ingredient' fla' r pr r t I . a he can m re exp Ttly h. nJle that ingredient and c mhme It \\ Ith ther, hem w re ,·he t the ingredient I contributing

to (

dl h.

I ch, ngeThe natur u rmm r \\ mgr It!nt . . m w ~ that m tml:e n nl fla\'or but en)o ment. Ther • r two pnm r. w } t I thl: thr u_h the ppltc non 0 tim, I c 10 0 echnt u , n thr u h h rm III u mbmatlon 0 tl3\; r. \X'lule It c n be lea ur ble t e t. perfect ra\\ carrot, for exam Ie, 10 h mtddl winter It n be even m re tI rytn to e t th t am carr t h t, perhap ure or a up. An th wh en) y he tlav r of \.:. rr t may flO It e\ en m re appealin d ttl n p t f butter, or« quee:e a lem n or orange. h f mu take the e n e n 10 re(hent lOt Idln wh t to 0 WIth It It t \ Ital or che t bc·r n.... " nllllar With Iff, rent t hnl Ium d I r c UI tn "

Affec ing Flavors

I

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A

the process of cooking changes the flavor and textur avors but we do not have the fight of the ingredients being cooked. to destroy therr; Take sugar, for example, which 1 a recogntzable --,Ioel Robuct)OI flavor in and of itself. Yet if it is heated to a certain . 't wtll begin to brown and melt- the process of carameitzatlon • pomt, 1 " Through the application of cookmg techmques to sugar alone, new flavors and textures can be created. The same is true for nuts. Taste a walnut fresh from its shell. Then toast some walnuts in the oven, or in a saute pan, until they begin to brown slightly, and you'll find that a deeper flavor and crunchine are released. Toa tlng may also increase the perceived bitterness of walnuts as well as of aromatics such as caraway or mustard seeds. Roasting, on the other hand, can increase the sweetness of a dish through the carmeltzatlon process. "There's omething called the 'Maillard effect' that occur when the natural sugars in food are exposed to high temperatures in the pre ence of aCid, which reult in a natural carmeli:ation," explain Jimmy chmidt. "When you roa t thing like garlic or on ions, it creates broader flavor with more depth than the mgredlents would have raw or even cooked at a lower temperatun::. Through roa ring, certain gelatinous vegetable_, uch hallot and p.1r mp', break down. giving the dish a nawrally rich mouth-! el." Techmqu a tnt nly th ctu I flav r hut abo the perceived flavor of a I h. F rex mpl ,heatln n increa e Ib perceIved weetne s, whIle chlllm It mak I eeme er eptthle. A a ca c m point, the mIxture a ut to be poured Into n Ice ere III maker often tastes unbearahly weer. HO\ ever, once fro:en Into I e cre m, the arne ingredients taste merely plea ntly weet. A partl ular mgre Icn n I char tcn ttl: wtll metlme~ ug 'e t u~e of a particular re hOlque. "If )OU have perfect I h rcr, you prob hly J n't want to do anythmg m re than bOll r team It," ay J per White. "But If y IIr lobter aren't fabulous, au [TIl ht want to tum them into a bISque. To get the m t flavor out of the lob ter, I ' not mg to c me fr m the meat, which might be bland that particular time of year; It' g 109 to c me from I wly Immenng the carcasse and makmg a really tron br th With them. And If th season IS prmg, and it' chilly, wup I appropnate. Plu~, lob rer I an exp Ive mgredlent, and makmg a soup with it i a great wa~ to tretch It " Different bnds of fl h lend them lye to different rneth tion. "You can't gnll black cod, for example, lr Chtlean fall apart," explatn Mary ue MIlltken and u an Fem cr. "But the 'r rh great pan- eanng fl h. It' Just that their re ture I n t n hr r h nil nd you'd I all that JUice, mee the} 're th JUlq fl h. Tun n f h re k

we hav£, the nght to enhance or

Ir' Import.mt to u,e mgredlents In the way they are most naturally suited J .1 lum ~rlachal point~ out th,lt there are more than forty different types f porat e . "Mt ~t cu,wmer are only familtar with Idaho and Red Bliss," he ,3Y- "I u e Yukon Golds exclusively for mashed potatoe" for example, f:,ecau,e of their texture an~ golden color. And I'll use fingerlings [tiny potatoe the 'I:e of a fingertip] tor·alads."

Utilizing Kitchen Tools

Even the particular kitchen equipment used can affect the flavor of the finbhed product. Gray Kun: uses only the freshest herbs, and wants the same fre~hne~~ from hiS pices. "That's why we grind all our spices at the restaurant, u:mg a ,mall coffee grinder." says Kun:. ~dark Peel believe" that using simple tools often results In better food than b po~ible from high-tech gadgets. "If you take exactly the same recipe and }OU make pesta or an aiolt with a CUI L_ h Iegance of theLf form, tn eomhtntng telfI to tee vors not only harmoniousl b . h . . Y ut, In many case, ynergi ttcally, uch (hi t t whole I Indeed greater than the urn f th e Ind LVI dua I p res. Other cia Le di he range from cas oulet to paella, fr In coq au un t

steak au poll'l"e . "I n each 0 f t hem, all the IngredLent that are tht: re r th r for a reason-because they work," pomt out Terran e Br nnan Tht

A

t

,hl)uld b~ the aim _ when composing new dishes-in Brennan's wmds, "A rea I ~olid , [~oughttul marriage of ingre~ients resulting in high-quality cooking." RICk Bayless tends to agree. Too many people always worry about creattng something new," he believes. "I'm more interested in perfecting something for myself, and knowing it's perfect. Only then would I consider tweaking it. 'Mastering the classics' doesn't mean doing the same things the same way they've always been done-it means making them exactly right for you today. There's genius in those classic dishes that isn't always appreciated." Researching classic dishes can inform chefs of those food matches that history tells us are the most successful of all time and prevent them from having to start from scratch. Chris Schlesinger, like other leading chefs, looks to the past when creating food for the present. "I was reading a book on pickling from the 1950s. These people pickled everything-even grapes! That's what's so mind-blowing. You could name a decade and I could make a menu from old cookbooks from that decade, using only those recipes, and customers today would go, 'Wow-that's so creative! How did you think that up?' When we first served plantains at the East Coast Grill, not a lot of people had seen them and customers would say, 'Wow-these are unbelievable!' But plantains are so common that they're eaten like French fries in a lot of other cultures. "I was researching Brazilian cuisine and found that the northern part of Brazd has a lot of diverse influences with the slaves from Africa. For example, there's a classic combmatlon of mgredlent.!>-tomatoes, peanuts, and coconut milk-that's served in a relish, and I served it on some grilled lamb in the restaurant. Customers went wild over it and asked me, 'How did you ever think of combining those ingredIents?' I had to tell them that it' a classic dish of this region that' been prepared for hundred of year -." Wayne N Ish recalls expenmenting with pasta blankets embedded with herbs when he cooked at The QUIlted Giraffe. "ImmedIately afterward I came across a reference of the same exact technique in one of [Giuliano] Bugialli's books, which was referenced back to fourteenth century iena-l think that was the first time the technique shows up in any cookbooks or records," says N Ish. "So here I was, thinking I was domg thIS really neat new thing, only to fmd out that there had been people rolling the same thing out by hand six hundred yeac ago." Where is the lme between copying and findmg inspiratlon m a cUisine? And how far can that line be pu hed? Chris Sch lesmger points out, "My food, while not exact dupltcatLOn, is true to the flavors and mgredient of the culture that inspired It. If a dish i inspired by a dish that I had m Th Iland, for example, It won't ha\"t:! any mgredients that can't he

Borrowing from the Classics

c

9

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L nder tandim: a~ much as possible about a particular ingredient can heir 111(, rill \\'h"t ro do with it and which other ingredients to combine it with. m a kmd of culmary free -association. "If you're working with duck, and \ou know that ducks eat grains, like corn, then you can serve a corn cake wnh[Ole gras. because it's part of their environment. Serving grain with duck goes back ro duck' and wheatfields," says Brennan. "It's game, it's fall, there's mushrooms. The gaminess of game goes well with squash, because there's a nice sweetness to it. I lmoe purees in the wintertime; they go really well with game. So Just working with the seasons, you're half way there." After startmg with the seasons, "Good taste leads you to combinations that work," says Lydia Shire. She believes chefs can develop taste through eat1l1g out in restaurants and experiencing firsthand which combinations are pleaSlOg and which miss their mark. }"llchael Romano agrees that "a chef has ro have taste in terms of knowing how ro put things together. As in every human endeavor, you can improve to a certain extent through training and practice," he says. "But beyond a certain level, you either have it or you don't. You can give two people the same budget and send them into a clothing store, and one will come out looking like a frump and the other will look like a million dollars. The difference is taste." Classic dishes raise the questlon of recipe. Do It IS not Just a haphazard affair, a new dIsh. It is a professlOnal chefs ever follow them? "I think they can pondenng on a new combination of tastes and be likened to traming wheels," say ' Romano. "If you then a reconcJ/tatlOn with a techntcal base. follow a good recipe carefully, you ~hould be able to -The Trolsgros Brothers come up with something good. But as you gain more experience, you can take off the trainmg wheels. Then you look at recipe~ to get a sense of interesting combmations of ingredients, rather than a teaspoon of this or a cup of that." "Most of my experimenta-

Deconstructionism/Reconstructionism

tion is rooted in the past," admits Charles Palmer. "It's involved taking what I knew--dassic French cuisine-and applying it to great ideas in a modern American approach. And a lot of the products you find here, from beef to lamb, are even better than what you'll find m France, 0 it makes the experimentation that much more enjoyable." Simtlarly, Rick Bayless describes the CUisine he serves at his Chicago restaurants a~ "classic Mexican food with contemporary twists in a contemporary context." Bur, in hiS opmion, "the most Important thmg we do is und~r rand the soul of what's being done m the CUisine and capture that in our tOod. Flavor., -hould take you ro the heart of a cuisine." Bayle believes

$

g

.. Norman Van Aken on Inspiration In fir tl n Cdn Ll me \\ hen you're ,tuck at a red light. The crea[[ve pwce:,s I l meth\l1!:' that I ' n~r). \'er) difficult to de5cnbe. In some way" it'; kind t 'Ike 1 I \ er" quarrel that happen in your mind. I thmk some of the mt1,t I..reatlye moment~ I've eyer experienced made me a little ick like a k'ver' qu,lITel-and then suddenh, mcredibly happy, once there was a res"lutlo n

It. It" the marnage between thought and the ingredients-and what a child ot that marnage \\"Ould produce. I've trained myself to know my ml!redlent' really well, so that I canhuftle them in my mind. Certain m2reJlent' or combinatiom might trigger a memory, or trigger a hungerthe p::l't or the future. I gue s-that wl11 _et me into motion, and then Cfeatlve

to

thll1~

c::ln occur. I thmk it wa" Pa_teur who aid that "Chance fan)f5 the prepared mmd." There l~ a tremenJou . amount of preparatlon YOU have to ha\'e in order for thl' creativity to ,pawn, I t'- not jut like wmning the lottery, Jean-Franc;:oi Revel did. "To a gre,H.1 degree a~ ~exuahty. fnod i, m'l'parahle fwm Imagination." Im.1!!lIution tor me I Ju~t ,mother \\'llrd for ...rean\ Ity. '\' hen \ ou take the freed m to u > )our mngll1atl n. then the )rtal of cream'it h.we no lode. It' one of the true t hm ,m term f che . e ha e to h \ e .m extraorJlI1ary e1f-e hung pn e need t be IHe t( \\alk 111[0 till n tural ~arden th t CXI t ~ r It )ut ther 111 the \ rlJ- mJ. t e. JUr e, I htIcall) \\C ha\e to hdp prot t that n tuml arden. be au ,chef If \\e Jdn't, then \\c won't ha\e It-md e( p t ur own pc 11 lhtlc It tlll"" and get \litO tht: educk Grouper Hake Hallhut Herring

RllCkfbh Rouget Salmon ardInes Scallops Sea Urchins Seaweed Shad R

Pepper

Am hoke paragu-

Bean

CiUltfl"wer Broccolt Carrot Cde ry R.x.t

TERRINES Mushroom

.

,I-le

Cepe

Duck

Free, a more aciJlc;]uce with the salmon would balance out ,ome of the natural sweetne,~ and f;]tty characteritic~ of the -almon. "Then, you might grill the ,almon, or pan-roa r it, \)r dust it With ~rlce) and sear It. With each one of th()e different techniques, you're qUite able to bnng out more fla\'of., or potentlall) even c,lr,nneli:e some of the natural sugar 10 the pre cnce of acid and oudd cll1 ,1d,jltlern ,herhet," ~ ht're ,IY'. ' \\ hlt about Lhoull.lte 1 "Chocolate i, a real standhy 111 the Winter here \\hen the IIPllle' ot tnllt ,ue 1(1\\'," ':ly,> here. "In coming up with ne\~ d~, crt', we run experiment . . In the kitchen a lot, te~ting recipe . T here's a lot of prc"ure to COI11t' up with ne\\' Jessens, both pressure from our cllstomer~ and ,df-Ilnpo t.'d." Wht'n compO'In!; a Jbh, Gary Danko starts hy a,king himse lf, "What I' the mam tn(!redit'nt here? What b the center of the plate? b it a roast eggplant \\,Ith lamh Ie tn, or I~ it mast lamb loin With eggp lant? Ideally, I wi ll Lhoo e h the ,ea on. "When I cook with lamh, because I take all the fat and connective tis,ue ott the meat, I have to omehow in,ulate that meat. In the 'prang, I'll take dried morel mu,hnxlms and powder them, and use that with bread crumbs and aromatic" omon s , ~arlic, parle), thyme, and make a very delicate crust. I'll 'ear the lamh in a lIttle bit of hot oil. cool It dO\m quickly, hrush It With e!!!! white, and then roll it in this cru t. From that, I'll decide. 'What am I !!OLn!,! to put thi on?' I'll thtnk, 'Well. lamb like to !!ra:e on fennel. and fennel\ jut coming tnto ea on, ree=e when you have a white shirt on, and .. .forget it! "With nout'elle cuisine, it would take half an hour to decorate the plate, and by the time you got the food, it was cold," says Schomer. "A lot of presentation was done just to show off, and I have always been against just show-

Visual Presentation

ing off." Nancy Silverton believes that most diners are very heavily influenced by the elaborate presentation of a dish. "Ninety-eight percent of the population probably sits down and ays, 'Whoa! That's incredible! That chef is o talented!' Tho e are a lot of the chef who get the attention from the pre and are making the wave the e day aero the country. But because of that, we're getting a lot of muddled food. People who don't know how to do a lot of tho e very technical thing correctly are trying, and they're just falling on their face . It make it difficult for me to find place to eat the e day. "The more whim ical or the more complicated you get with your food, the more you have to do ahead of time, and the more you sacrifice the flavor. No matter what anybody ay, you can't do it all. All you can do Ii la minute ... " (" ... you have to be able to do in a minute," quip Mark Peel.) Silverton continue, "The more complicated a di h, the more spectacular a dish, the more tale it' going to taste. There' no way anyone can prepare all the element the arne day." "I think we've really achieved a great presentation when a dish looks as though that' they way it ought to be-and hould alway be," says Mark Peel. ilvenon agrees. "When we do it right, and we've done what we set out to do, you see the dish and you think, 'Yes, that' how that dish hould always be and why would anyone ever do it any different?' That's when we've hit the

mark." George Germon agrees. "I think that food should look as natural as ~ ble. And 1 hke food to look fresh, like it was born on the plate," he says. "I don't hke tall food, squeeze bottles, drizzles, or sprinkles." In terms cJ the pre. IentatlOll of food, he says, "Our an backgrounds are the best thinp that ever hawened to us. Presental:aon coma naturally to us. It' part cJ our vocahuLary. •

Compo.

nfl

_

D

E\'en If you know what look you'regomg after, It's ~ot alway ea y to communlL'ate It to those who will have to execute .it. "I tind that the mo t difficult dung to do IS to impart the concept of 'tree form .'" s a y~ Patuck O'Connell. "If you draw something on graph paper, cooks are very comfort_ able and say, 'I can follow this-this goes here and this goes there .' But to me, that's what we call 'tense' food. So I ,aid to this young man the other day, 'What we're trying to do here with this plate is to make it look like you picked the asparagus and you waltzed through the garden, and a little breeze blew the stuff across the plate.' "We have dishes where sauces are thrown, and some cooks think that means splat! No, no, no, no, no. It's a very delicate balance. If you're gOing to make It look wild and cra:y, you're going to have to have the element of total and complete control and precision there with it to balance it out. Some cooks don't understand It yet, what a dish is saying-[that it's] saying a whole bunch of things," O'Connell says. "l\.fichel Guerard has a very ltght touch, and since working with him in France, I've always carried that with me," says Michael Romano. "He taught me that If, plate loob ruo full, it's unappealing. The presentation of his food has a ccrtdin airine', and lightness to it, and I try to remain inspired by the same deltcarene ." [\'en , mon!.! leaJtn!.! eh ·f" there IS ,1 Wide array of optnion as to what con mure gre t pn: em tl n. "There ,1\\\ ay~ has ro be height in a dish," argue J lLhlm. pll h, l. "There h 1 to be a fllCLl~ In the way It\ placed on the plate. A dl h hould be a VI ual eXI eflence for the customer. It was with {Frenh chef Jdcyue J laxlmlO that I Ie rned pre,entation, how to get something t I - perfect." n the [her h nd, JO}CC G Id rem ,y, "I don't helieve in tall fooJ. There arc me cil he th t \OU have to cr.l h In order to eat. I don't helleve In quce:c hi: nle , an 1 I d n't belteve 111 Imlc lOb of alice dfOunJ the run of a plate. And I J n't \loam m} cu turner to Ic.lvC With par ley or cocoa on their leeve be a e omeone In the kitchen' g ne cr

n ema!) rum au'rkraut au I 'e hell") ur en: 1m U'H

vanilla vcnnouth \In' 'aT

~alnut "IOC,

red

gun

•

Many 0 these combinatIOns are considered clasSIC and are espeoaHy wide prac bced These are ndtcated by boIdtaw type

(Sprmg)

ARTICHOKES sausage thyme tomatoes truffle" white vinaigrette wine, white

hollandaise sauce lemon mayonnaIse Mornay sauce mousseline sauce mushrooms olive oil onIons Parmesan cheese parsley perrer, e-pecially black and red remolLiade auce

aloiI anchovies bacon bast! bay leaves bread crumbs butter cheese, goat chervil cream cumm fennel garlic hazelnut'

bake braise marinate TOast

steam

.

End v

parsley pepper peppers, green potatoes ratatouille salt scalltons shallots shrimp smoked salmon sorrel spinach tomato truffles watercress

caviar cheese chicken livers chives crab cream croutons fines herbes ham herb, hollandaise auce morels mu-hroom onion' Parm em chee,

App e nd Cre

nd B ue Chee~;e ~

tn H

tAp

FrJ'e

1

d

ESCAROLE apple, bacon . cheese, especially Fontina, ~1o:2arella, and Roquefort chiles cal'er~

(Winter)

currants eggs garlic olive oil olives onions vmegar

walnuts

braise raw

saute

FENNEL butter celery root cheese, especially goat, Gruyere. and Parmesan chesmuts coriander cream fruit garlic hearrs of palm

(Fall) lemon mushrooms olive oil oltves Onions oranges pancetta Parmesan cheese peppers Pernod

potatoes sherry thyme tomatoes truffles vmaigrette

braise raw

saute

Braised Fennel with Prosciutto and Parmesa~ Nor'l1an V(}."1 Aker Shaved Fennel and Parmesan with Summer Truffles-Alice Waters

(Spring)

FIDDLEHEAD FERNS bacon butter hollandaise sauce leels lemon

nutm~

deep-fry

oltve oil

steam

onlOn~

,hallob vinaigrette

(Summer-Fall)

FIGS almonds ant e hrwn ugar caramel cheese, e peclally blue and g t chOCOlate

cinnamon

creme fralehe

cinnamon basil cients reel, candled coconut cream Cointreau C rnmeal cream cream che e

Curai):ao ginger honey la\'ender lemon Marsala (conunued on ""XI page I

creme ang/mse

p

"

1

•

L

119

FI H SMOKED 3H. do, c~ra'

cr~Jm .: h~ese

cucumhers eggs, hard-hoiled horserad ish

lemon onions

FLOUNDER hutter C,'gn3c lerncm rnu,hro,lm s

mustard

braise broil

grill

poach Saute

Fiounder IS really, really mild I thmk you've gotto be I I d v. very careful when you cook "oun er rOU ve really got to keep It very very si I y: mask It qu ekly -.Jasper White mp e. ou can really

FOIE GRAS

(Fall)

all'pice apples

garbc

artlchok~ hearts

grapes

hlooJ range~ handy cabbage cel~r)' root , cel'es cherne Cinnamon clovt" Cognac curran eu tard Jalkon

t!reen

r:

gratn~

lemo n lo!- rer Madelf'\ mu hroom nutmeg nUb OnlOl1s pc he, pepper, bbc:k pi t. hi ), polent,l

pomegranates port \l'me Ljumces ral,m ~,1It

shallot 'tar ani,e t rragan truffles turml' vmegar, especi.llty sherry walnuts wme, espeCialty auternes

e l ness of 10 e gras s complemented by frUits wh ch add a tart or ae d c po ent , e served t w th toasted panettone wh ch has candled rmd m e Fo e Gra Au Po vre w th Organ c Gram Salad Carrot and nmO"'anate ~na grette-Terrdnce Bre r a Fo

G

w th FUj Apples Carme zed Omans VefJus Sauce Gras n F e h Herb and Back Pepper Gelee served

1 ounce lleeu lentilt 1/2 11th, blanched

.... 1_

ounce .._ _ n I ted in butter Iftd ra.Slid in .......... oil Ira ..

I

17 I

"'met'

GOOSE apples blrkl CJhb.1(:': (er('~

chestnuts n

mmt mu hroom mu tard onion

pancetta

,alt pork ,lu>,lgc Summer Beme~ In Almond Tuiles

, r

C'

tL

Ally

'J1

r

M usse',ne wIth NdtlVC Strawberries and WhIsked Cream

5

(Winter)

LENTILS bacon bay lea\'es cheese, Feta and goat

fDle gras garlic ham lemon mint olive oil P stB.

S

E Ir

f

onlOns parsley peppers pork fat prunes radishes sausages scallions sorrel

spinach thyme tomato sauce tomatoes vinegar, especially sherry or wine

puree simmer

Lent I and Prosc utto Sauce- G 0 q G rl""or & Johanre Killeen

r L Ilt I TOf71 tv (. nd lobster S lad served ,'/ th Cucumber Vma,grette Joe

(Spring)

LETIUCES anchone

avocado chee~e

egg yolk.

garltc lemon ma\Onnal e

ITIu't ch lime mang mel n mmt orang

apncots avocados b3con banana brandy coconut cucumber !!rapefrUl 15 ha:e1nu

A W flter compote made With s/Jces of pIneapple kiWI frUIt mango and papaya W th a I ttle passion fruit flesh and 8 few of Its dark seeds for contrast needs only a qrat ng of I me peel and a sprmklmg of rum or Kirsch. jOSI~"

S

Wa m P eapp e Tart TaM

th Coconut Ice Cream-Pat' c 0 Con ell

Car bbe n Coconut Wafer f, ed W th Fresh Pmeapple and Pma Colada Sa ce- ~ ,n-,," P yard 3PP £. Sh -rbet Bombe With Ktrsch Mousse- ~dsey S'lere

P

L

PLANTAINS he n (t,biak

b

tter Inn m n

nu,

and \\alnu pmeapple rum Uf

Cldlh almond

cr

m

deep-fT)' sauce szmmer (e munued on niXI patt)

PLANTAINS

(contin ued)

Plantanos con erema. Sweet Frted Plantains with Homemade Sour Cream and Fresh Cheese-Rick Bayless Black Bean DIp with Frted Sweet Plantams-Ct' ris Sch'esinger

PLUMS almonds apricots bananas brandy brown sugar caramel cherries cinnamon custard fruits, especially citrus

(Summer) Sauternes vanilla walnuts wine, red

ginger grapefruits honey lemon Muscat nectarines nuts oranges peaches rhubarb

poach raw stew

Gingersnap Ice Cream SandWiches With Plum Ice Cream-lindsey S"ere Plum Sherbet Bombe wdh Grand Marmer Moussf7 Ltndsey Shere Walnut Tart of Warmed Plums With Mascarpone Souff/f7 lydia Shire

POLENTA burrer

cheese, espUtn

pork port ralsm

"ddLl" ,herry :ucdul1l

f

---

-

-

Mignons of Cervena Venison Charlie Palmer AUREOLE N ew York , Ne w York

This recipe, 1 think, represents my style of food-complementary, big flavors; a bit complex in its preparation in some ways, but really a concentration of big, strong flavors. It's robust. It's solitude. It's the kind of dish that makes you sit up and take notice. That's what I really try to do with every kind of recipe I create. SERVES

4

For the squash 3 tablespoons butter 2 shallots, peeled and minced "2

medIum butternut squash. peeled, seeded, and cut into liZ-inch dice 3 1/2 (Ur' chIcken stock 1/2 tetl'pfHln nutmeg 1/2 tea'poon mace

Place the hutter m ,1 medium ~aure Pdn and melt over medium hear. Add the shallot and '-lute 2 mmute~. Add the yua~h Hnd toss together. ext, add all the remammg mgredlent'> and cook ~Iowly for ah,)Ut 12 to 15 minute" ,tlfnng occa I nail). Hold warm after almo.,t all the srock is absorbed.

For the pOl"tobellos 2 large porwJ-,e1lo mushroom caps 2 taJ-,le.,poons extra virgm olive oil 1 tahlespoon b.tbamic vinegar

---------

1 clove garlic. sliced thin

1 tablespoon salt and cracked pepper

ms with olive oil and vinegar. Top with garlic slices. season. Brus h mus hro O . an oven preheated to 500 0 for 7 to 8 minutes. Hold warm. an d roast m Fm· the "enison and sauce

2 cups Beaujolais wine 2 finely minced shallots 1 herb sachet including thyme. bay leaf. peppercorns 1 1/2 cups good venison glace or veal glace 8 3-ounce mignons of Cervena venison (cut from the Denver leg). 1-1 1/4 inch thick salt and pepper 2 tablespoons canola oil for searing 1/4 cup sun-dried currants (reconstituted in warm water) 4 tablespoons cassis for degla:ing

1. Begin by reducing the wine. shallots. and sachet to 1/2 cup of liquid. Add the glace and reduce by 1/2 (about 20 minutes at a mediumimmer). Skim the sauce and strain into a bowl. Reserve. 2. Season the Cervena venison with ·alt and pepper. In a very hot saute pan, heat the canola oil. Place the mignons in the pan and sear for about 2 to 3 minutes or till almost crusty. Tum the mignom and sear the other Ide for an additional 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from the pan to a planer and drain any grease. Add the cassis to the pan along with the drained currants. Finally, add the base sauce and bring to a boil. Adjust the seasoning and hold warm. 3. Reheat the -quash and poon into the center of 4 warm dinner plates. Set 2 mignons atop each bed. Slice the warm porrobellos and lay a few pieces over each mignon. Bring the sauce back to a boil and spoon generously over the meat. Serve very hot. .

__ _-_ _------- --- -----_ ...

..

c

p

s

.. _--_ ..

_-- ...

a

D

..

1 3

(Spring) WATERCRESS oranges oregano parsley thyme vinaigrette

beets chicory eggs endive mustard

YAMS (See also SWEET POTATOES) persimmons apricots butter

walnuts

puree raw

(Winter) maple

YOGURT honey mint nuts, especially hazelnuts oats OnIons peache,

apples bananas blueberries carrots coconut cucumber granola

194

A

radishes raspberries strawberries watercress

ZUCCHINI

anchovies basil bread crumbs butter cayenne cheese, especially Feta, Gruyere, Parmesan,

and Ricotta cilantro cinnamon cloves cream dill eggplant garlic hazelnuts lemon marjoram mint mushrooms olive oil omans oregano

.

(Spring- Summer) parsley pesto pignoli rosemary sage salmon tarragon thyme tomatoes vinegar walnuts

bake fry saute

Tinga de Verduras: An Earthenware Casserole of Grilled Zucchini and Woodland Mushrooms with Smoky Roasted Tomato Sauce, Fresh Cheese, Avocado, and White Rice-Rick Bayless Sauteed Zucchini with Sun-Dried Tomatoes-Susanna Faa Baked Eggplant, Zucchini and Parmigiano Tort'no-{v1lchael Romano Parmesan-Fned Zucchini with White Bean Hummus-Lyd a St -e

1

---S-E-A--::S:-::O:--:N~I::N:-:G~M;-A;:T;'Cr.:;H-';E~S:MMA D E -, N- H E A VE N ACHIOTE chicken fish

meat, white pork

rice

ALLSPICE beef beets cabbage carrots corned beef fruit pies game

grains lamb meats onions pumpkin rabbit soups

spinach squash stews sweet potatoes tomatoes turnips

pizza potatoe~

puttanesca tapenade

caulitlower ... _ert fl h

melon sauerkraut seafood

ANCHOVY Caesar salad pissaladlere

ANISEED heet breads cabbage carrOb

BASIL cheese, e pecially Mozzarella and Parme an chicken duck eggplant

omon~

pa ta ~auces peto pimiento pizza pork potatoes rabbit salad green , especially dandelion and rocket

egg

fish lamb liver olive oil

hellfish, especially crah and shrImp soups sweet peppers tomatoes turtle soup veal vegetable , especially Mt..Jiterranean vinegars zucchini

If I had to choose Just one plant for the whole herb garden I shou d be c tent WIth basIl Bast! enhances almost anythmg WIth wh ch t s coo ed -E zabel Da d 196

y

A

I

•

BAY LEAF reans game grains lentils

pates potatoes risotto shellfish

soups stews terrines tomatoes

BEANS, FERMENTED BLACK fish

poultry

shellfish

omons

tomatoes

pork potatoes sauerkraut sausage,

soups turnips

lentils meat

rIce qUd,h ,wcerme..J{'

CAPERS fish

CARAWAY bread, especially rye cabbage cheese, especially Muenster

CARDAMOM chicken coffee currIe, duck

pea,

CASSIA apple, chocolate

cou_cou,

lentil,

peas rewed fruit

fi,h

po[,)wes

lob,ter onions pepper

rlU.'

CAYENNE ch ee e JlIce~ Corn crah 'grlJnt

~arJmc

tomatoe

CEl ERY SEEDS eggplant eggs fish

peas potatoes

stuffing, tomatoes

fish peas potatoes salads sauces

soups spinach tomatoes veal venIson

CHERVIL asparagus carrots cheese chicken eggs

CHILES bananas heans chutney~

corn fruit, especially CItrus ketchup

pineapple nce

... alad~ hdlfl h

sole 'ours

CHIVES fl,h p(.ratoe)

CHOCOLATE, BITTER roultr~

rar!

game

It

CILANTRO (CORIANDER LEAVES) avocado chicken fhh Ice cream lamb lentils

m,,~unnal'C

pcpper pork nee root vegetable salads

aha., ,hellfi,h tl101at(}Cs Y°l!urt

I ve used fresh leaf conander. which IS vaguelyamsey. m fce cream w th a fig tart It s a very mce combmatlon d 6'f S

1

(;r

CINNAMON apples

at'goiemo no berries chicken chocolate

coffee custards fruit compotes lamb mulled wine

oranges pears rice tea zucchini

fruit

veal

CINNAMON BASIL creme angl aise

I use cmnamon basil to flavor poaching liqUids for frUlf.-Llndsey Shere

CLOVES apples beets game ham

lamb

mmcemeat pumpkin sausage

tea

tomatoes walnuts, candied wine, especially mulled

COCONUT chicken custard

fruit orange~

CORIANDER curry fish ham

lamb lentils pork

~tuffing

lamb lentib peas pickles pork

potatoes nee -ausages soups tew

tomatoeturke~

CUMIN beans chicken couscous CUlT)

eggplant fl h

-

mud

next

CUMIN

(continued)

Anyone who loves the food of MeXICO loves cumm which IS usually combmed with chiles and peppers in that country In Colombia and other parts 1')/ South America, you'll see cumin combined with cilantro and scallion If) Morocco. you 'll see it with cinnamon. red peppers. and saffron. And In India you 'lI see it combined with cardamom and coriander. So one spice can take you to many countries, depending on what you do with It It becomes a question of where you want to be what country you want to be m. when you cook with that spice.-Lydia Shire

DILL cream sauces eggs fish lamb pickles potatoes salmon

beets breads cabbage carrots chicken crayfish cucumbers

scallops seafood sour cream tomatoes veal

011115 not an herb I m crazy about. so I don't like chopped dill In a dish. But /'1/ cook something like salmon on a bed of It. and the fragrance It Imparts IS enough.-Dan e BOJlud

FENNEL boUillabaz se cabbage chicken cucumher duck eggs figs

fish goose

herring lenub pork mackerel olives pork poultry red mullet alami

sauerkraut sausage sea hass seafood soup suckling pig

legumes potatoe

rabbit

tomaroe~

veal

FENUGREEK chicken curries

A

GARUC

beets cabbage

chicken eggplant

fish lamb

rice

ehelIftIh .pnach

to'DatcM'"

zucc:hini

lentils

mushrooms pasta

beans

beef

pork potatoes

GINGER caaOll

chicken

cbaco'are

fruit giIiFlbread

ham ice cream

melon

pumpkin rice tometoe'

onions

pork

Each mgredient does a different dance. Each dish das, a .~ dE __ u"iNne anglalS6 with ginger does a soft. dreamY waltz. When , .hlnk d • spicy pork stir-fry with ginger. I get an IrIJIIgB 01 a big dtInt» IIoof will ,.,.. d '~Bnts doing a real ensrgstiC danCe with the gtttIiC IIIfd chII. - Bach oIher. and suddBnIy breaking out intO their own J..~""IkS"

m...

HorIIat van Aken

ahuji H.

LAVENDER fruit ice creams

lamb rabbit

stew

fish oysters

shellfish veal

pork shellfish

soups

LEMON chicken desserts

LEMONGRASS chicken

fish

LEMON THYME carrots eggs lamb

,

potato puree rabbit ;,alad

stews stuffings

lamb

mushrooms

haricot bean pork potatoe rabbit

oups tew veal

ham omons

pumplcms ribs

LEMON VERBENA dessert up ice cream

LOVAGE chicken cream cheese f1 h soup green

MAPLE SYRUP carrots desserts

fruit

NU MEG broccoli cabbage carrots cauliflower cheese custards eggs fruits

lamb mutton pasta potatoes pumpkin raIsIns ricotta cheese nce

OREGANO artichokes beans chicken eggplant fi"h and fhh 'Oup' lamh

mushrooms pasta peppers pl::a pork potatoe·

sausages, c'ipcClally blood and pork souffles spinach stuffings veal

quail rabbit sausage tomatoes veal zucchini

PAPRIKA cauhtl \\;cr chICken cr. b fish tC\\

~ ula

shellfish strogdnoff veal

h

1mb

n e

PARSLEY chi ken eggplam egg fih game lenni

mu hr mu el p ta pe

pot a toe poultry

In

nee ~cofooJ

snalb romatoe :ucchinl

PEANUTS beef chicken

noodle

shrimp

rc

PER, BLACK

cheese eggs fish game lamb pfefferniiesse

pork poultry roast beef salad sausages soup

PISTACHIOS asparagus chicken ice cream

leeks pasta

rice sausages

pates

POMEGRANATE SYRUP beef duck

steaks strawberries tomatoes veal

game lamb

walnuts

fruit noodles

nce

lamb mushrooms ontons oranges peas pork potatoes

poultry salmon spinach steaks veal suckling pig

POppy SEEDS breads curries

ROSEMARY beans, especially dried and fava chicken fish, oily (e.g., mackerel, sardines) game grains

I remember makmg a rosemary and muscat wme sherbet almost twenty years ago -lindsey Shere

ROSEWATER cream cheese cu tard

fruit salad ICe

ice creams strawberries

SAFFRON shellfish soup tomatoes

bouillabaIsse chicken curries fish lamb

mussels paella nce risotto sauces

SAGE duck eggplant fish game goose liver

offal peas pork poultry ravioli

roasts stuffings tomatoes tuna veal

lamb legumelentil meat , gnlleJ

peas poultry, grilled rabbit soups

fi h halvah lamb noodle

shellfish tahini

meats poultry shellfl h

soups stuffings

fruit

potatoe

SAVORY beans chicken liver egg goat chee

SESAME SEEDS bread chicken chickpe eggplant

SORREL egg

fih lentil

SOUR CREAM borscht caviar

A

STAR ANISE chestnutS duck eggs fish

SUMAC chicken fish

TAMARIND chicken curries fish

TARRAGON artichokes beamaise sauce carrots chicken crustaceans, especially lobster eggs

leeks pastry pears pork

kebabs

lamb lentils peaches

fish, especially salmon lobster meats, white mushrooms onions potatoes rabbit

THYME beef carrots chicken figs fish

goat cheese lamb lentlls onions peas

poultry pumpkin scallops shrimp

lentils

pears poultry nce

salads ole spinach stuffings tomatoes veal

pork potatoes soups tomatoes venison

TURMERIC beans chicken curry

lamb lentils meats, white

paella nce shellfish

D

20

V NILLA

apples apricots chocolate custards

fish fruit ice cream

plums shellfish souffles

VINEGAR, BALSAMIC steaks

strawberries

tomatoes

You can get tIred of balsamIc vmegar-It's one of those overused mgredlents. Many trendy restaurants use a lot more balsamIc vmegar than any Itahan restaurant ever would.-Mark Pee'

WASABI sashimi

sushi

--- --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - -AROUND THE WORLD WITH FLAVORS

-

If you'd like to cook with flavors and ingredients inspired by a certain part of the world, refer to this list:

AFRICAN chiles cumin

garlic grains of paradise

peanuts

chorizo com

cumtn nce

ARGENTINIAN beef chiles

ARMENIAN parsley

yogurt

AUSTRALIAN fish meats

shellfi h

tropical fruits and vegetables

paprika

poppy seeds

garlic limes

rice scallions

AUSTRIAN cream cheese omons

BRAZILIAN beans, black chtles cilantro

pineapple~

CAJUN chll

eray£: h

hot ~auce eafood

romatoe

209

CANADIAN maple

CANTONESE pork scallions

ginger mushrooms nuts

shark skin soy sauce

CARIBBEAN glI1ger gua\'3S Jerk lime.; mace

allspice avocad()~

hananas beam, e~peCially red chile· cilantro clI1namon clove coconut curry garlic

mangot.:~

mlI1t nutmeg okr.l papa)Ol pa ton fruit

pineapples plantains pork rum seafood sligar sweet potatoes tomatoes vanilla

CHILEAN onion orange plmlent


1,

INDONESIAN cumin curry garlic ginger lemongrass lime

basil brown sugar chiles cilantro cinnamon coconut

mint peanuts nee soy sauce sugar

IRANIAN almonds aromatics

rice saffron

yogurt

oysters potatoes

rye

olive oil oregano pancetta pasta r emary

spinach tomatoes vinegar, especially red wtne

jerk

pepper

scallions

ugar vinegar, rice wasabi wine, rice

IRISH cabbage oats

ITALIAN basil

cheese, e pecially rna • carpone, Mozzarella and Panne an garlic

JAMAICAN all pice gtnger

JAPANESE garlic gInger nce salce

14

sesame

shiitakes soy sauce

A

peanuts

oregano marjoram

KOREAN brown sugar chiles

soy sauce

sesame

LATIN AMERICAN achiote beans, red chiles

potatoes nee

corn garlic

plantains

LEBANESE bulgur

sesame oil

MAL YSIAN cardamom coconut

chiles

lemongrass

garlic olive oil

parsley tomatoes

com cumm

pork nce scallions tomatoes vanilla

MEDITERRANEAN anchovies coriander

MEXICAN avocados beans chiles chocolate cilantro cmnamon

epazote garlic lime peppers

21 p

n g

MIDDLE EASTERN anise chiles cilantro cinnamon coriander cumin dill eggplant fennel

fenugreek garlic h oney lemon mint olive oil oregano parsley pignoli

pomegranates poppy seeds saffron sesame sumac tahini tamarind tomato yogurt

MOROCCAN almonds chickpeas cilantro cinnamon coriander couscous

cumm eggplant fruit ginger harissa lemon, dried

mint olives onions saffron tomato

NORTH AFRICAN conander

garlic

mint

cumm

gram of paradise

rill

fenugret:k

lemon

saffron

hernng

sour cream

el hanout

NORWEGIAN cod dill

almon

PAKISTANI fruit legume

PERUVIAN chiles com

nce

spices

lime

tomatoes

omons

PHILIPPINE garlic rice

POLISH dill fish kielbasa

soy sauce

vmegar

mushrooms potatoes

sauerkraut sour cream

PORTUGUESE cabbage chiles chorizo cilantro

potatoes nee

cod eggs garlic olive oil

PUERTO RICAN achiote ginger

lime

plantains

root vegetables

tomatoes

dill mushrooms parsley

potatoes sour cream

ROMANIAN garlic

RUSSIAN beets cabbage caraway seeJs

SCANDINAVIAN butter chives cream

pepper potatoes vinegar

dill horseradish mushrooms

c

p

s

n

a

217

SCOTTISH oats

potatoes

SINGAPOREAN chiles cinnamon

coconut onions

scallion s turmeric

chorizo coriander com

fruits, especially tropical garlic rice

gmger

red curry

gmger lemongr nutmeg

scallions turmeriC

SOUTH AMERICAN allspice beans chiles

SOUTH SEAS coconut

SOUTHEAST ASIAN chtle curry leaes garltc

SOUTHWESTERN UNITED STATES chile clove amse cumin caJeta fruit • especially tropical cinnamon Jumper bernes

SPANISH almonds anchoVies

beans capers

chtles chocolate cinnamon

coriander cumin prIic: nuts olive oil olav OOIQI05

nuts

nce age

oranges papnka parsley

peppen pork nee

saffron

seafood

sweet peppers tomatoes

turmeric vanilla

SRI LANKAN cardamom

cinnamon

SWEDISH dill gravlax

SWISS bacon

cheese

SYRIAN peppers, especially red

juniper berries

reindeer

chocolate meats

sausages

pistachios

pomegranates

ginger

peanuts

pignoli

SZECHUAN chiles fathlaUCC

leeb

Szechuan pepper

prlic

mint

peanua

....

pewer

,.,.,ind umeric:

a single song but rflther the entire concert. Still, a menu IS more than merely a hst of . The' are, I believe, much more concerned With creating a eme of family, the bonding of food and [he SOCial rroce" and the menu Itself and how thmgs How from One thmg to the other. There's an emotional quotient to food that I thmk women understand better than men." In the earl) day~ of Che: Pan , M'll , I er recall, "It wa mc.e beca use e\ el)one came for

p

a

M

22

. h b' l' t order. There wa~ this feeling of shared (intlcl_ I without t ea I Ity a mea, , '0 t someth ing where they d'd I n ' t actU:1 II Y know

, 110 eople commg m 0 patLOnP , " he says, "Looking across the room, you'd ee h hey were gomg to get, d w at t ' h thing and everyone be ing surpnse ,and everyone everyone eatmg t e sa m e , , h h' Panisse experience rather t an t elf own expeTl_ 'Ch being a part 0 f a ez b ' 'Th ' d their own famil y, their own usmess meeting. ey ence- thelr own ate, were part of a larger whole."

Menu Planning in World History China

cold

France

entree cheese

Germany Great Britain,S

hot dishes salad dessert

feu: or no hors d'oellvres des:ert

cheese course

Iud) , U. S.

alad

entree

Japan

mIld

spicy dishes

The Principle of the Thing

The principles behind menu compo ition are useful to under-

-tanding how to de ign a meal for maximum effect. Even if doing so involve breaking the rule put forward, at lea tit' bemg done with con dous intention In tead of haphazard whIm, with the hoped.for result being the maxi· mizatlon of plea ure on the part of the dmer. orne of the key factor underlymg menu compo luon mclude the season, both for it Impact on the Ingredients that are at thear peak and the usual daily weatheT/temperature; the guests; the OCCasion or theme; and the availability of time and other resource . Grading (an ascension of flavors and texture from Irghter and milder to heaVier and stronger), conmuCS (m color, texture, and temperature, for example), and the non...,.epttUIO" of ingredient and gaml hes {unless for COnsciOUS effect} are all Important Gue ts should leave the table tWled, never hurriedly ruahed nor unc fortably full.

Examples of Grading Principles in a Menu light delicate

rich textures full-bodied consistencies

subtle

strong flavors

complex

simple flavors

white

brown meats

white

dark breads

white (simpler) light

'Tis the Season

red (more complex) wines dark chocolates

"Menu planning is something that people do at home, for themselves and when they're

cooking for family and friends," notes Altce Waters. "It's very, very important to understand the principles, I think. And a complex thing to do." For Waters, there's no question where the process start. The first factu, m ,.,Jttmg together a menu is the "Obviously, it's what's in the market, what' eason- season. With Its particular produce and style of a!. That's number one," she says. "I jmt go and look, cookmg the season provides the keynote for the and I really don't decide before I look. What If what whole meal I wanted wasn't ripe, or wasn't there! I have orne Currc SKy ideas, of course; when you get used to domg thl , YOU look through boob and get Ideas, and then go to the market. "When I'm doing a menu, I'm thtnkmg about what kind of day It is, what I feel like eating. If it's cold, do 1 feel like eatmg some w(lrm oup, or If it's hot outside, do I crave something \'ery ,irople hke a tomato ~alaJ? Then Immediately I think about what ete need~ to be with that," a):, Waters. Once cheL know the larder L)f ingredient that are availahle and of the bbt quality, they mu~t rrive to present them in ways that Will be~t plea_e their cu~tomeL. "The compO~ltlon of a menu should ret1ect who you are aHumg the menu for," ay· Dante! Boulud. Charlte Palmer belie\'c;s that chefs hould undeNanJ how their client feel and know \\ hat they like, and not assume that everyone in the arne party ha Imllar preferences. "For example, one of our good customer lo\'e~ to ~tart u; With fme gras and Sauterne. It' perfect for huu," say Palmer, "but hi Wile r . Iealad, ~erved with ~omethmg aCidIC. . Our . 1 w uld preler a Imp Job.I to r ea e each cu tamer."

The Audience

CHEFS ON THE ORDER OF A MENU (:arnru-

Cumumkv

E""fficl'

.1 (1/>,l1IC " ~

CicOTgt.? (]enll0n

kai"'k,

and Jo/llmnl'

111ai', 'This is unlike any menu I'm used to see mg, and 1 can t make up my mind.' And I'll say, 'Good I Come back again.' "

The Pacing of Courses

To begin a menu , Daniel Boulud like to begin with a soup. "1 love soup," h:

says. "In the summer, I'll start with a cold soup, and in the winter, a hot one. My restaurant menu will typically have twO or three soups ,~n it, and some. times I run as many as twO or three soups as dally specials. Next, typically, might come a salad. "Salads offer an opportUnity for different compositIons and styles," says Boulud. "In the spring I like doing a crab salad with mango and cucumber served with mint and coriander dressing and crushed peanuts. It's healthy and refreshing." The palate should be e

c. h •

~ased

"1 certainly have the French and Italian way of

surprised. excited ttJroughoul a mea

looking at a menu," says Alice Waters. "I like a llttle _p. rd 0 ey .omething w begin. I'd put fish before a meat COurse, probably. But I'm not ngid about that. I could imagine putting an appeti:er of sliced pro ciuttn and melon before a gnlled piece of fish with an olive sauce or something. And I \\ould eat a alad hdnre the entree as a first coure, or if I were hadng a lmle longer meal, I'd eat It ,lttcr. And , "Sometimes I'll get teamed with other chefs to prepare a meal fOf a "peCial event. In accepting, I

say I'll do so on the condition that we really work on the menu so that It flows beautifully. I don't want to ha\'e a spicy roo~ter gumbo opening up that meal when I'm planning to serve a delicate fillet of ,ole, r-ecause you're not going to taste the sale. Your palate is going to be anestheslzed by all those spices." Daniel Boulud believes it's important that dishes on a menu not overlap in l1avor, taste, or texture. "Each one should have its own identity, its own character and ta te," he says. When dNgnmg a menu, Lydia Shire sets the goal of achle\'ing a balance: "I look to see what can playoff the other elements, whether it's spicy rer,us sweet, hot versus cold, crunchy ver~m :>oft, astnngent ver'>us fatty. In transitionmg from one cour'e to another, you probably wouldn't want to lerVt two meat cnur .. es in a row, or two rich cour es 10 a row. You want one sensation and tlavor to play differently agalmt the next." Becau e her eclectic cui,me incorporates "uch disparate influences, she add, "I don't think I'J do a menu that rook you from France to Japan to uth Amenca, for eXdmple--dt once, then can be toO much. J think you hould~alT) through with a whole regional theme, But that doe n't mean you 235

Examples of Contrast s Between Courses in a M enu brown meat/white meat cold/hot cooked/raw creamy/crisPy dry/sauced heat'y/tight mild/spicy savory/sweet

' e:I'· t' FlJr example might serve one Japanese Ji~h, anJ the can ,t mo d ern I . , "au I ' next Indian or Thai-but we wouldn't ~er\'e any dishes u~lI1g cream (which is not native to A,ian cui,ine) a" part of that menu." Alice \Vater, belle\'e~ that c~)mbinll1g multicultural influence. wlthm a single menu I, JlffICult, "I thmk it' very hard to put a menu t~lgether when you have dl he .Ill over the menu th,lt are fr'lIn Llifferent cui,meR 0 Prondena , Rhode I land

Lageder w a vegetanan, we used very little meat on his menu. Also, the wines had extremely clean, clear flavors, we knew they'd be perfect vegetable . In the fIrst coo ,the whIte bea add a creamy texture to salmon, while the grapefruit pICked up the acidity of the wine. The anti.. to was a nes of dIfferent thmgs. mcludmg egplant and zucchml and a creamy cheese that went well WIth the WIne. whICh tough match With WIne (althoulh ) the glass of the - -

added aueam and The diIh; lOUIe wae . ._

Even if the table is a tap, and the food aad wine play tarring roles, the performance of a m:at would not be che . . . .,uhout its supporting players. If any of the playen are out of sync, JuIft &he efl'ect of an entire performance. An ill

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---

Alice Waters C H EZ PAN 1SSE Berkeley, CalIfornia

This menu was composed to ce lebrate the arri val of the 1971 vintage f h . . . .. 0 t e Domaine Templer wmes. The look of the Wild flce wIth the tiny green e was a wonderful acco mpaniment to the quail. It was at this meal :' decided that creme fWlche is ideally suited for serving with stewed figs. e

tha~

The Bandol Wine Dinner

Fresh DelicaCies from the Sea • • • A Bouillabaise of Salt Cod made u,lth Garlic, White Wine , Tomatoes, Omons Potatues, Fresh Basil, Orang-e Rind, Oln'e Oil and Fish Broth '

1973 Bandol. Domame Tempier

• • • Fre h QUail Roasted Protellfal Styl~ u Ith Branches of Fresh Thyme and Ollle Oil 'ened ulth \'CllJ Rice and Fresh Peas 197 I Bandol, Domwne Tem/)ier • • •

G

[ (he t: from rh ollth of France 1974 B rulol D mam Templer • • •

ked ulth H 11

and Band I Wme en d uith Creme Frdlche

In dd,u n t ~ me, hread I flen the only con tant wtthm an nttre me II. H we\er, I d n't hke the way bread I treated In m t Am n n re t ur Of , Ahce Waters. "When you get ned a bl pile bre d ~ lth pi te f butter the mmute y< u are seated 10 a re tau n It talc a~ th ppetlte And people u e It t) de n up the plate I thmk f, th m t p " we n ed t get b ck t It ht b guette belOg sen ed With me 1 And I d I v thm Itke t n n br ds Ned With Indl n dm'~

Bread

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pi

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an lOt

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irh"'rd

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in meals, and American the gap . , . some ot whom have the dlnCf:', ' n spans of three-yearatr entlo ' ed something to fill the 01 d5, n e , . B It I'm never qUIte sure gaps. l th 't belongs. To eat with e IV here I 7 To sop up the meat cheese. " 7 Ma"be that's why I forget JUices. I ,

It,

"

b I

Lindsey Shere e ieves that bread is an important accompaniment to a meal. She observes that "large flavors often need a background to hold them in place. And I happen to like the flavor of flour and yeast. I don't have a lot of interest in things like cheese bread, because I don't think they work well with dinner menus." In Shere's definition, a perfect bread is "the levain bread at Acme Bread," she says. "It's got a gutsy flavor, and is good with cheese, butter---or nothing!" Even leftover bread excites Shere. "I think a delicious crouton can add a really special touch to a dish," she says. Alice Waters echoes this: "A lot of our food is served with croutons, whether it's a garlic crouton with a fish soup, or a crouton topped with grilled leeks served as part of an antipasto." Shere believes butter or olive oil i~ the perfect accompaniment to good bread. To heighten the expenence of enjoying La Brea Bakery's wonderful breads, at Campanile Mark Peel and 1ancy Silverton offer customers an opportumty to order one-ounce pOrtions of variou, extraordinary olive oils, ranging from $1 to $2.50 per ounce, to clccompany them. Silverton believes that there ~hould he a progre~5ion of flavors 10 bread throughout the course d a meal. "White ~ourdoughs are appropriate for starting out, to be followed by header bread, like rYb," she qyS, Silverton also gives careful thought to pair10g bread With other courses. She once had to come up With a bread to pair with a fote gras dish by JeanLouis Palladm at an e\'ent. "1 selected a fruit amI nut bread, which will work With the dish If It\ sliced very, very thinly," ,he ,ay . "Duck i~ great With sour dried cherrie . . , pecans, candied orange, and the,e flavors abo work well with [ole gras," SImilarly, she's teamed a mu,hroom brea...i made of farro with a nsotto With chantereltes. and palred a i lormandy rye made wlth fermented arl'le Cloer with hearr~ f()()d, like cabba~e, Whde Silverton th10b that few foods can hold up to the strength dnd the ~ourne"s of a pumpernickel, she ftnds both o'jsten, and moke 1 hh - e jual to the ta~k. Even ,nd\l.lche can be omethmg ,altv. and ch ampagne. W h'Ie h together sen'e to cleanse the 1'a Iate. "I t can he caVlar but I't uOe.,n ,) 'h . ' t ave to he-ham. pork, or air-cured heef can a II he de I1CIOUS I J k to serve anythmg with butter, because it du II s t I1C I' on 't I I'C pa ate .... But I w()ulll n 't t urn down hi ml '" wit h caviar. . I" In Sume ca.,e , the fir"t cour,e .en'cd i a oup. "Even if people only want a few C I I Ollrse, a ways give them ,oup," says Jean-LouL Palladm. \I, I ?ut (,f re pect for 1exican tradltton, Rick Baylb> feel the 'arne. "You au '1 never h i " ave a mea m ~ lexlco where oup wa' not erved. he expIam.,.

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247

A particular favorite at his restaurants is one of fresh com anJ r():\ ted po blanos, WI"th a handful each of epazote (a fragrant, amse-flavored ' h"ht ... . herb which "gives the soup a light mouthfeel") and raw masa (the dough green " " ) "Th" . used for tortillas, which gives the soup Its creammess . IS soup IS tangy and tart, light and crunch y," says Bayless. "These ar~, s~ul-satisfying flavor,." On the other hand, A lice Waters argues, I m a soup-as-mam-di,h ptr. son. Soup is too filling, and I find it h ard to fit into a menu, unless it's a COn. somme., " Nancy Silverton knows exactly what sh e likes in terms of cheese after a meal. "Always a blue ch eese," she says, "and always a goat cheese. If the blue cheese is Stilton or gorgonzola, then a fresh goat cheese. If it's a mild blue, then I like an aged goat cheese. And I alway, like a strong-tasting cheese-even a Parmesan." If only serving one bread with cheese, Silverton would like to see It be a white bread, such as aourdough batard, while Lindsey Shere might opt for a whole wheat/walnut bread offering. "It's so good with cheese," Shere says. And wme I~ a mu -t to properly enjoy cheese, according to Charles Palmer. "I don't under-rand when people don't drink wine with cheese," he says. "It's hard to intrude on -omellne ,md mk m'lkmg them feel stupid in the re~t3urant b} n t urdenng It. But )metllne- I'll send over a little glass of port If I ee people e ung chee e \\ Ithout reu w1I1e or port." "I thmk thClt che certc1m thrtt the supply and quality I can get is consistent." Johanne Killeen says that seasonabty is probably the most Important thing when commg up with a menu. "In the summer, (Jur menu is just loaded with com and tomatoes. In the fall, we go into 'quashes. In the wlllter, cabbage. and sweet potatoes and a lot of pumpkin, and now [in the spring] we're beginnmg to see some green again," ~he -ay . "But going to the market IS a big influence. We market every day, and when we vi it our wholesaler occasionally we come l">ack loaded with tuff to experiment with." Once the basic menu has been established, chefs J~lIb,~e-check to ensure that their offerings mclude enough diverSity. I hke to gIve my cu tomer a broad varlet\'," ,a\'s Joachim Splichal. "You have to have h:ef, chICken, and veal on the menu; expected at a place like thiS. About four ~ear agO, \\e . add ed ' . Ad vegetanan and eafood offerings to t h e menu. n a couple of year' ago we added the category of 'Odd Things,'" whIch include~ rhchal' beloved offal.

Variety

it's

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255

With one week's advance notice, Restaurant Dan iel offer peciai ta tlng menu and classic dishes that can be ordered for the entire tabi e. These include:

US Menus sur un Theme

New York State Apple Menu Black and White Truffle Menu North Atlantic Seafood Menu

Wild Mushroom Menu Wild Game Menu

CHEZPA 1 E ~ CAJ;fomia

'Remember that dish we had " Can you imagme if AI 3t.·· . Forno took gnlled piz:a off their 1 I v,Jould cry. When I go to U men· A.I Forno, I'm having grilled pizza. ; have tWO pizzas, and it's great and that'S part of the identity of the restaurant. But you can be sure that George has got to be a little . I" tired of making those PIZZas.

. ht

"The best compliment you can get is when a custamer is leaving the restaurant after a several-course meal and says, 'I feel so good!'" says Hubert Keller. "The food doesn't lie." As we've seen, how chefs accomplish that feat is through applying basic principles of menu composition to achieve their desired affect on a customer, just as great composers and playwrights can hit the right buttons that they know will make us laugh or cry. Joyce Goldstein believes that as a chef, you must design the way a menu will affect the customer. "You have to figure out, with finger food and a threecourse meal plus dessert, how many orgasm do you have in a meal? You don't want to have four! Nothing Will have any meamng, because they'll all be the same," she says. "So it's, How do you want to play It? Do you start quiet and build to the second course, and then lay l(m and build to the third? Do you start quiet, quiet, quiet, and build? Do you hit them the first time, and let them recover? You have to choose where you think your big gun is, or the one that's going to cause silence at the table. And you can't do it at every course. So you Just have to plot your attack. Which dish is the killer? WhICh is nice? WhICh is another little crescendo? And where's the surpnse?" Norman Van Aken sa'-'s "Durin a"' a wine dinner there's an Inherent J , probability of gomg from light to rich, interposing It occasionally WIth a little preview of a little bit of richness before you get down to the very rich, and then a relief somewhere In the mIddle. "1 think of composing a menu a a lot like putting together a four-act play," Van Aken ays, before providing examples of the roles various ingredle~ts and di he, can enact. "Every now and then, the villain's got to jump out ot the do et and scare the -hit out of everybody. The 'villains' are only m the Wording, in the 'Co,tumlng.' I might de,cnhe ~omethlng 'chile-rubbed and rO~ted brea t of squab on a habanero sal~a'-but when it's eaten, It's not gOing to be VillainOUS. And at the end, the little girl comes out with a flower In her hand. he's afe, we're all safe-we've had chocolate!"

When It's Rig

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259

. ,. COMMON ACCOMPANIMENTS TO ENTREES O ver time, certa in accompaniments h ave become familiar companion to various entrees-liver and onions, meat and potatoes, pork chops and apple_ sauce, turkey and stuffing. This list includes other combin ations that, while perhaps not as well known, are similarly time-tested matches. Given that toda y vegetables are co mmonly incorporated as part of a dish itself rather than simply served as a side dish , there is some ambiguity as to whether the match should be included under "C omposing a Dish" or her e. Readers may wish to refer to both lists, whether co mposing a dish or a men u, for different inspirations. While this list provides suggested matches, a chef's poin t of view will inspire how they will be applied (or whether they will be rein terpre ted or ignored!). For example, the classic combination of meat and potatoes is open to

interpretatlon as:

• Pot-Roasted Beef Fillee tt'ieh

~fashed

POtatoc8

-George Germon & ]ohanne Killeen

• Grilled Fillet of B.:ef u lth Cracked Black P.:J)pcr and Cognac Mustard Cream , send u-ith Shoestrmg Potatoes and Gla"eJ Carrots and Beets -]o)ce ()old tem

• Brazsed hort Rib of B

4. Leeks , and Potato l'-follssdine-Gray Kun:

• Unlled C A.B Rlh·Eye teak lmh Red age teak Satlce and Ttdce-Baked Potato km -.1Jrk .1tller • PaLma moked BeejTenJerlom «11th liar eradl h'(Jlazed Potatoes and pmach Jo. chlln 'phchal BASS broccoli e.cgpl mt

endive

po tar .

elm"h Ike he. r bru eI prout

morel mu,hroom,

ratatuull ie

celet) mot

rnllu"h I that after \ u 12 t e rut t!ep t: ~. at the r nt .... her \ JU t ee I \\ here h ' no \\ .\) l tit, e\.e.,- "uu )u-r ere' , - kinJ of keer

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297

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' h e"en the most seasoned chefs keep pushtnl:: them I . ". eves. Th at s w Y • .I enu we tn, a new technique, says Lydia hire. In l'lred l "\X'lt 1 every m , .1 . ' . ('~ · hefs like Jean-Louis Pall adm , hire and her chef ' 11 BL other Iead mg c . • Ina, 'e prepared many speCialty foods from scratch. "We'v Susan Regis, h a\ . ". e an· beef and made our own proSC IUttO::' , Shire reports With . d , . l'rt'J·e dfie our own "And I recently made a wonderful cot~chmo sausage ,~v lth a recipe 1 got froll) Lidia Bastianich of Felidia re tau rant m Manhattan , "If you stand still, it becomes boring," agrees Joachim Splichal. "And we are not factory workers-we are artists."

The Chef as Owne busme~ , It can he difficult

For culmar)' artl t~ whme pasion for c ooktn~ b greater than t~elf passion for runntng a

balance the t\\"l. "It you're a chef without ~ our own husme ,5, then you can concentrate m\)fC on the cooking , But If you have your own re~taur(lI1t, then ,·ou have to be more of .l C lllaborator," say~ Daniel Boulud. "I won't let m) bu'me~ or my co km~ go entirely into () ther~' han,b, I have a lot of pe pie worklll ' wnh me, but I .lIn the epicenter of ,Ill of it." ann n Van Aken POlllt ut the Itfferencc, in his stylem e becom109 a chef· "ner, op d t r"lll d the hef f omeone el,c' re t,mr,lI1r. ". mu h hI r re t Unlnt. [At A Mana). I cooked )metime ut cl n f lpe; It haJ a tran 1 hold on me be au c I \\ n't the o\\ner nd I " ) mu\:h t ) be orne the owner of the re taurant. There \\ere urn \\h n It \\ mor ed ,I 'U . Wherea now, It' ltke ~tng m m) o"n h m , nJ I cd mu h m re m~mahle WIth my fexxl It' more b Ian ed, l\ er 1I When u're n t the wn r, ou're gOIng to take the opportuntty reach he nJ \\ h re )U hould r h)m tim hecau you're hell-bent on fmdm out tI all that ou nt t fmd out tn the creattve proc the "'ner, th re enatn rt c Imn th t com tn that allows t feel m lr bal nced about everythm ," Van Aken. RI k Sa I found that the p ures r tauranr own· ershlp tnltlall had an Wlden•• able tnflu nc on h food "When you put your entue • tnp and muemtnt

money

tl)

" "When I opened, I wasn't quite sure where

,ell"

B'l\' Ie'"

ng to ha\'e to end up for financial reasons , '

lI'ere gO! .

A chef S ' CUISine sWings on h t G ·the dolo Ih " W a ray Kunz calls n e I faclor "GeW . nght is wh t ' , ng every detail a gives CUIsine its g I " says Kunz 'Olh ' ,. rea ness, ' erwlse, II s Just good"

\I'e h I "IS very much commItted to trusting my h lUg \\, . ,1 It l ,J instincts about what good food really is. I ' 1 gut an c ' ,1\' I I "frer we were open lor SIX or eight months I relaxed int h'k t1ar " ' omyown (Ill d I knew that ir was something that people could appreciate." (yle an r aspects 0 f ace h f'S cUlsme " sOh may Iik e Iy change over tim e. Jeanr e " 11gerichten clearly moved consciously toward a less formal " Georges vO , CUlsme t his hotel kItchen at the Lafayette to open his own French b' f II,hen he Ie . ' . Istro, '0 "In the beginnmg, the menu was a lot lIke It was at Lafayette, incorpoJOJ' , etables juices. It was a lower-key restaurant, but the same food W rating \ e g . . e h d rhe same cooks, the same walters, but at a more casual price and atmos3 re," he says. "But five years later, the menu IS totally different. There are h pe . ' d'lents-m ' some cases only threetural flavors, an d far Clel\er mgre more na ,., . . ' e" Vongerichten descnbes JO)O s cUIsine today as "VerT loose We on a r lat . ., . might serve something one way one day, and it might be as much as ten per-

cent off the next day, " Still, Vongerichten admit~ that he misses the style of cookim~ demanded of a high-end restaurant. "I miss the rrecisene~, of things," he says. "At a high-end restaurant, the customers expect even more. And the more pressure you have, the hetter the recipe,." Vnngerichten announced plans to return to [hIS style of CUIsine with hl~ next re tau rant, scheduled to open In Manhattan's Lincoln Center area. Another one of hi, g()al, I hlnfllr1g b. ck '!fand erYlce. "LIke the

19305," he says. "When you're In the kitchen, ,ou have all the e great .,melb, but the customer doe,n't. I want the ell tamer to he dble to hedr the ~1::le, to see the fooJ as It \', cut into." He creJIt' ers. "Everyone wa 0 excited before a dl,h drfl\·eJ.

I thmk the appetite develop' more \\ hen, ou eat thl w"a)." VongenLhten ay' he plan, to cr'\'e hal the dhhe~ table, ide at hb next re taurant. "If we have a luhter aLld n the menu, a tech11lcal cook wtll cook the lobster, l>Ul It Will be Cut dt the table and to ed With 'pinach," he says. "AnJ then the people at the next tahl \\ til -.ce the lob ter, or the Juck be/lng carved. I'm not talkmg ahout h.W\11g t1ambe or putting on .how:'>. We're )U~t gom~ to hnng aroma~ hack intO the ,!tntng ro m anJ have people rartlClpate rna re m t he ·tOO\.l1 expenence. . " , bJla hire de cnbe Blba a .m ede tI Amencan re raurant "where \\e re free t ) do an} thing we \\ \11t," he. ,"Plgnoh, on the other hand, It itd\t n re t IUram, penod. And \\ e d )Oft ba,rarJl:e or Amencant:e. J n t e t pa ta fir t cour e, 0 W don't ofter I t . one.

t

.

A mericans are used to hav ing all. appetize r und all. entree, but Italians tat three :, maller courses: antipasto , then risotto or pas ta, then a sm, Th:yme-Roasted Vegetables and Port-Wine Essence Pepper-Seared Salmon Fillet with Grain Mustard, Braised Asparagus, and Roasted Creamer Potatoes or Simpl, Grilled with Select Steamed Vegetables Sesame-Glazed Tuna Steak with Roasted Fennel, Braised Boo, Bok CIury, and Potato-Onion CGIce Wood-Grilled Maine Lobster with Fragrant Truf/le Oil, Tiny Green Beans, and &sil-Essenced Potato Puree Garlic-Crusted Chicken with Sfow..Roasted Artichoke, a Puree of Barlitto Beans, Tomaro Oil, and Fresh Rosemary Veal Medallions with Wild Mushroom CarmdIoni. Tomaro Coofit, and Essence of Fmh S. Cervena Venison Pepper Steak with MusmOOln Spaettle, Butternut Squash FIdn, and Caramelized Parsnip Braised Pheasant with ChantereDe Risoao. Rodser' Cipollini Onions, and Sauce ofXiNnet SLilt Grilled Dtu:k Escalope with PreKrwd fill. CriIt Leg "Beicnet" and Gm,er..Qaw.IIiQI,J .!,,;,:

with Melted Leeks and Potato Crisps open Ravioli of Srrwked Capon and Wild Mushrooms in Sweet Garlic-Infused Pan Broth Trio of Mullard Duck Preparations Foie Gras Roulade, Confit and Chicory, Smoked Duck Sausage Sea Scallop Sandwiches in Crisp Porato Crusts and Citrus Juices A Service of Petrossian Ossetra Caviar in the Traditional Fashion Salnd of Seasonal Lettuces and Herbs CitTUS-Dijon Vinaigrette Saoory Celery Root Flan and Vegetables II la Grecque EsJenCe of Sweet Garlic and Kalamata Olives Mar/cet Select O,SteTS Over Shaved lee with ShoUot Mignonette and Caraway Crisps Oak-Smolced Salmon with Vegetable-Citrus Salad

SmoIctd Salmon Mousse and Michael's SouTdough Toasts (or sen.oed naturally) Seared Fait Gras Escalope with Roosted Plums Wild Mldlaoum Cripe and Baby Aruguja

charcoaled FiIlr Micnon .... Pinor Nair, eo..rur, Poe-. l'UIIIIi,," Mortis, and Crisp p....

C luis Schlesinger THE EA:-.T COAST (JRILL C wnr.ncigc, \l,,,,achmctt'

I traye\ed to diverse places-from Mexico to Thailand-and found that 1 really liked a lot llf the ,1"pect~ ,~f the fo,~d. \Vhen I opened the East Coast Grill, I tried to come to an understanding of what thifl\:' ,,1\ these di\'erse foods had in common. When I look at my cooking, I think there are three major themes: 1) Mv love of h 'e fire-woad-burning stuff. The dynamic of going into the kitchen every day and cook-

ing with ,omethmg that is as uncontrollable as fire, as opposed to just going in and turning the oven on to 350 or 375, is a constant challenge to me. Roasting whole pigs, grilling fish, or trying to keer something from sticking-that dynamic IS ~o soulful and extends so much character into the food. 2) My other love as a cook that I de\'eloped while cookmg with )lInmy Burke at the Han'est [In Cambridge, MAliS discovering and learning abnut new things all the time-getting a new food In and learnmg about It and readmg about it. 3) The ,)ther aspect develored out of 111\ travel..; I' a deqre for J..:cply'f1at'orea food. \X1hat 1 ,tarted tn work out was that, for a lot of Jlfft.'rent red dn,. cui. ine, th,lt are cb..;er to the equatm are m,lre flavorful; they have deeper flavor' or c\earl.:f tllvor or u..;e ll1l1re ~rlce~. There are different ll1utatl\. n at the Ea t Co.l,r l~nll \'1: r ll' The Rille Room. The Grill i, mme traight-ahead eyuatonal cUI-ine-\\arm-\\c, h r UI me, {led together h their concentratlnn llt tla\,or--wlth a Itght barbe ue onent.HI m. The Blu R 111 h ! )mc \ t th,lt, hut WdS prubably grounJed more In !t\·c fire, anJ loukm!.! It It\\: fife, r m r)t1 erie to h It tonc to 111.'. nh tll ~mllkt:r'! 01' .1 LOrnmonallty among cUI-me.

Original Menu Item., cl (I: mber 1 5

SpICY Black B an mtp tt1th Satt a c

r

ram

and Scallions Stared Rau 'Irlom ulth Gmger and \Xa.sarn Green alad ulth Cold 1annaced egctablc Cold Gnlled Eggplant alaJ ulth (JI11 er and aUzan e ame \'malgrette

keuer d Gnlled f nkflsh uuh mlthfield Ham and ( mentlne R " h ,,'''''' P d 1i hnmp u th ( hl/X tie Ma'i and UIU,i 1i u th (Jr (IuL auc.:

p,

u uh hTlln/J (lnd Monkfish 11 un Barb!: u d Pork [klrenh hrcdded. arch ( arulilla Pork BariJecHc Hlt.:kory, maked Duck ulth (;nlled PmeL pple and Tangy CllTI( ,Cilantro Ulaze (mlled Lamb With lin/led Vegetable and San FranCIscO . California

Caltfomia cuisine at its worst, .made by the people who'd imitate it. without understand In g It In ~';;0 _Cllled < ' , ' '

the first place, just got incredibly confusmg. At Stars, we ve always trled to fight agamst that "starch anU three \.egetables on every plate" mentality. There's certainly an instinct for chefs and cooks to want t () 'If) I that all the nme. At J.T.'s, since it's small and it's got my name on it, 1 can really do my vision of wha 1 like to do with food-which is to take the "with" off the menu. So, it will be lobster, braised lamb and black truffles. I don't say "with," "with," "with"-l've taken everything else off the plate. So it's a per-5 fect sauce, perfectly braised lamb shanks, some big slices of spring garlic, some black truffles-and that,> enough. I'm tired of seeing so many ingredients on the plate. That's where I came from in the first p\ace,

shan~

so I think I've come around full circle. Stars

July 1984

Specials of the Day First Course.

Texas Ham uith a Japanese E{!RPlant Salad Smoked Salmon with Gnlled Herb-Orl Bread Malpeque O)'sccr Sceu ULth Ancho hIli Butter awl Chenzl Puree Pasta uith Alaskan Blue Praum, Red B Its Tomatoes, Bmrl, and Garlrc Grilled almon t.lith \ 'egetable Brochette awl Ro emary MayonnaIse Frllet of Beef m Broch u rth a Hor eradl h. Mil card Tarragon Cream •

Salads and

Mixed Grct!n Salad with Vinaigrette and Tomatoes I hxed Green Salad tt'ith Blue Chec$e Vinaigrette (Inca Fe-Balboa Cafe (Jarden ~1ixed , alad tt'ith Ha~elntt!

011 (larhc o"p with

P 1 ta an I

Iced Oyster u1ch Pley Lam b au age ~Illetles of moked FI h uuh Bitler Greens alad I h Pro liard u~th Tomatoes. Cllancro. and Chl\:e BrIOChe U Ith Marroo, Lnb leT Sauce Poached (wruc and Chenil TUJI U Ith Ham LIL -r nau()15 J arra n and (haT

na

LlIJ'C

LeaH and Herb Proficcrules

Fl h

the \X hIm uf the Chef. rrict:~, Weacher, and FI hmg CnndW{)l1

ubJcct

(m II

to

nd 11 1I1 Com

ChI ken Appctt:er

l)UP

\lith

t.:

Tarragon. ,ream, Mu hr Jom . and

RadIcchIO Gnlled ueetm-eads \lIth Am hoke and a \"(Ild Mu hroom Butter Gnlled Aged eu York teak ulth Fne and a Tarrag m Colbert Butler Blanqueue f\ al ulth Summer \. e Ilble and Crlt"tfl h auce

J.T.'s Week of February 27-March 2, 1996

!-lors d'Oeuvre

Choice of Main Course B~d ~merican Snapper with Herb Vegetable Salad

Choice of First Course

Block rruflk Cusrard with Sunchcks Lirntswnt lettUCe with Ma,tag Blue Cheese and BrioChe Crouwns Warm Foie Gras Sandwich Osetra Caviar SenIice with Iced VodJca

Pnme Fillet of Beef with Duxelle Potatoes and Pecan-Herb Salad C~ Breast with Morels and Lobster Essence BraISed Lamb Shank with Fava Beans and Stwift .. Garlic Y"''6 Saddle of Venison with Truffled Celery Root and Cippolini Onions

Crab Ravioli with Block Truffles sceamed Mussels in a SheU{ish Tarragon Sauce Choice ofJ.T.'s Desserts

•

-

-

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Alice Wlters and Lindsey Shere CHEZ PANISSE Berkeley . Callfornw

Week of November 14,1971

Thursday Sunday

Hors d'Oeuvres Varies Steak au Poivre Salade Profiteroles

Hors d'Oeuvres Varies Daube d' Agneau Salade Lemon Mousse

Monday

Fnday

Hors d'Oeuvres Varies Manicotti and Meatballs Salade Biscuit Tortoni

Tartcleues aux Poissons Can-oe and Orang-e Soup RIS de \leaH or Swffed Lamb Salade Frozen Chuw/atc Marquis

Tuesday aturday

Hors d'Oeuvres Varies Pork Roast with Plums Salade Vanilla Bean Custard

Pate Matson Cream of \Vatercre.ls soup Puulet Valle d'Aug-e Salade Fruit

Wednesday

.

Hors d'Oew.:res Varies Lapin Saute Proven~al Salade Fruit and Cheeses

320

a l'Occitanienne

A la Carte

Dessert, Coffee, Estrresso, Steaks and Chops

y

A

r I

-Rick Bayless FRONTERA GRlLL and TOPOLOBAMPO Chicago. Illinois

INGREDIENT S:

1. Beans. In my cooking, that's kind of my meat. I live on them.

. d I Idn't Il','e without making tortillas, so I'd really need that. ne corn. cou D

.'3. Ancho chiles. Ancho has a deep sweetness to it. 7

4. Guajillo chiles. Guajillo has a really brIght spiciness and high acidity to it. 5. poblano chiles. Poblano is my fa\'orite of all the green chiles; it's got a trflemendous complexity of fla\'or, and I can turn it inside and out, doing e\'erything from using it as a

avoring to using it as a veg-

etable.

6. Greens. I like greens in just about any \\'ay, and if I chose something like chard, I could use it raw, braised, or mixed in with the corn or the beam and cooked that way.

7. Garlic. Garlic gives me a lot of different l1ptlOm fllr tlwor, whether It's raw or cooked or roasted. That is one of the things that i~ ab'oluteh' t'"entlal With the cht!e~, tll add a lot of depth. 8. Onions. I could do a\\'av With ol1lom bdore I coulJ ~arl!c, but I \\'anteLI ~\.llne fresh fla\'\.)[S and abl~ to add crunch and !I,'e!lne" to a cil h, '0 thdt' where {he onion, come in.

(0

he

I h,I\'e to ha,'c uoar. And I ,-oull even turn ~ome of these things into sweet dishem~ Th

IS

UCtll

fand rk ....au

IS

used

to

fmlSh the Sduce-

c

usn e

351

Start the sate< e

' ,. 4 ,'uart S3ucep3n and cook over high heat until a nch caramel c(llm 3 to 4 PIa e t h e ugar m a h ea\ \ -" .' min'tantl\' with '1 wooden spoon; be careful not to let It burn. Add the rhuhtrb ute,. tlrrmg a Im ('~ t co n ~ . < • tlr' '1 e well coated then promptly add the consomme (not fond de 'l.'eau) , carrot,. celery leek nnc untl I p\t~ce~ r . . '. allots' cook until mixture reduces to about 1 cup, about 20 mmutes, ~tlrnnCl {V'c onion .. turnip . and sh ' " "- a'e from heat and stram through chino is, using the bottom of a sturdy ladle to force as mu h , Iona II '. Remo\ ' C , ' bl Return to saucepan and cook over medium heat untll reduced to 1/2 CLIp ahout 15 m' t h rough a, p OS I e. " In, 'de (Thl's rna" be done LIp to two days ahead; keep refngerated.) utes. an ci ~et aSI . 1 L

.

L

'

_

L

To fini h the dish Heat oven to 350°. With a sharp thin-bladed knife. carefully trim away any green spots on the faie gras cau_ed by contact with the gall bladder. eason both sides of the foit? gras \'ery generously with salt and pepper; et a'>lde. In a medium ~i:ed bowl. combine all the mgredlent for this bral ing bed. Place the oil in a heavy 13 x 9-mch roasting pan and heat oyer hl\.!h heat on top of the ,rove (lbout 1 minute. Add the braisingbed mixture and .aute until It tart to brown, about 1 mll1utc". tining frequently. Add the consomme and continue cooking and ,nrnng ab ut ,mmute more, tht:n mOllnd tht:., vegetables in the center of the pan and place the fOle,g-ras on t p_ Rem \e rom heat nd c. I pm \\lth aluminum foil. pierce foil 2 or 3 time With the tiP of a p mted kmfe te me me dp dunn' ) kmg. Bdke In the preheated oven for mmute i then m mentaril~ n:m \ cpo fr m th )\ o. un )\ cr, <md turn fUle gras I ver with two turdy rubber patuia to prc:\'t:nt marring th fi I m )th uri ',b 'lOg \ CI) .ireful to keep It mtaer. Cover the pan and contmue bakmg until do, mmu c m rei do oot overcook, or the foie gras will 10 e It untque butterv texture. ("f, t t Jon , pi r \\!th I thm wood ( r metal kewer; then pre very gent!) ar,lund kc\\t'r hi. I JUIC. run It hd pmk, not clear and not hloody, it' done.} Tran -fer [ore gra to a plate and 0\ r I 1 \\ Ith f, II t ke p \\ Inn \\ hI! flO I hlOg the aUCe. To fml h the au e, pia e th r tin p n \\ Ith he br 1m' "quid n i vc et,lhle~ in it over high heat n t p f the t \e and bnn t II A d the nd return to a hod; then continue bot I109 until hqUld redu ed to about _ 3 cup. u mlOut m reo Hmo' ace Ion lty. tram brai ing It4uld through the chm I mt bo\\i I, u m the bot m turd 1 much through po Ible. lum all fat fr m urfa e and add rem 10m hyUld th r ned rhuh rb u e Reheat auce and. if needed, let It reduce t a thm auc COl ten n t t te \\ Ith It od pepper od erve Immediately

To cnc t

the ni

gras cr \\ilse mt i-m h-thlck he n the dlag mal. IX n 2 to 3 table poon ng pl te and arr n e a lice f fi gras n t p f uce.

uceon

h

Charlie Palmer AUREOLE )()rk, N~u

IVeu

York

. h' 'ifically tuna. It's \'ery universal. You can do a lot of different stuff with tuna . I. Fis ,spe~ Guinea fowl. AgalO, it's universal-and I'd get tired of eating chicken .

1

.

'

3. potatoe..S

I ((1uld live without rice or pasta, but not without potatoes.

1. Artichokes. There'~ a lot you can do with th~m-se~ve them with a \'inalgrette, or braised in broth \\Ith ream, l1r roasted. or mannated, And their flavor 5 great-they're almost sweet. j

Butter. From Egg Farm Dairy [the dairy in which Palmer i~ a partner], of course.

6. Spinach. It'~ wrsatile-I like it raw and cooked,

i. Chives. I'm era:y about chives, S. Eggs. It Ilwlld be hard to li\'e without egg', 9. Apples. I could do without them, hut I'd have to ha\'e apple, for my two ~om., who love them.

10. Foie gras. hery tIIne AliCIa [Palmer\ wife)

ha~

[Ole gras,

It

put her

10

a good mood,

Charhe Palmer commenb, "I could make ~alr from the ocean, 0 I wouldn't h,l\'e to bring it. The island II'QulJ probably ha\'e eoconut~" I could get milk from them. And there'd probably be some source of .;;ugar."

E v

"

I

n

9

C

l.

s

r e

353

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--

Fran~ois Payard RESTAURANT DANIEL Neu' York. Neu York

l\IAKING DESSERTS ON A DESERT ISLAND lr-;GREDIENTS:

1. Meyer lemons. They're ama:ing to eat whole, skin and everything! 1 Dark chocolate. Chocolate that's aboutffl 60-70 percent cocoa-not extra-bitter [over 70 percent] (S _.

Fran~ois Payard's Warm Chocolate Sou e recipe on page 355.)

3. Coffee. I dnnk about ten

to

twelve cups a day.

4. Nuts. I Io\'e pistachio nuts and macadamia nuts, which we don't use in France.

S. Red wine. A Burgundy or Bordeaux-I've only started to lo\'e white wine. 6. Armagnac. 1v1)' grandfather u~ed to eat prune" soaked in Armagnac. 7. Cognac. 8. Black figs. I prefer rhem

to

green fig .

9. Strawberries.

ll. Raspberries. 1 low t-erne!

------------_ -- -..

-.--...-. --_._-

•

)I

A

._-_.-

t

-. -- ---

. ee

Warm Chocolate Souffle by 10

Fran~ois

Payard

IN[)IVI[)UAL SOUFFLES

10 ounces sweet butter

7 egg yolks 6 ounces granulated sugar

12 ounces extra bitter chocolate. cut in small pieces 7 egg whites juice of 1/2 lemon 1 ounce granulated sugar

ten individual souffle cups. prebuttered and dusted with sugar

LIn a small pot over medium heat. melt butter and keep warm on the side. In a bowl. whip firmly the egg yolks and the 6 ounces of sugar until it become whiter and foamier {about 6 minutes}. Pour hot butter over the chocolate. mix well with a whip until chocolate is melted and then blend with the yolles and sugar mix.

2. Whip 7 egg whites with the lemon juice. When they become tiff. add 1 ounce of sugar. Whip for a few more minutes and then incorporate the chocolate and yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites. Gently fold the two together with a spatula to keep the preparation light and foamy. Transfer the mix into the cups.

3. Preheat the oven to 3500 • Place the cup in a pan of water and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove and unmold onto the serving plate. The souffle can be served with whipped cream or ice cream on the side.

,

.

•

- - - - - - -Mark - Peel - - - - - -- - CAMPANILE Los Angeles , California INGREDIENTS:

1. Salt. 2. Bread. [After first saying, "Definitely salt and pepper-you need some seasoning," Mark later gave up pepper in order to bring bread.]

3. Greens. Everything from spinach

to arugula ro collard greens-I love their flavor, their bitterness,

the

sharpness you get from their acid. In a diet, you need their vitamms and fiber.

4. Olive oil. 5. Potatoes. 6. Lemons. I'd take lemons over balsamic vinegar. Lemon is such a ba,ic flavor, and is so versatile; you can use it on a salad, on a piece of chicken, on fi h. 7. Chicken. I 100'e ic \'er~atlhty. An I

1(\ gT .\i~u \ink. Neu York

I C;RlIllE T":

1 Chocolate-covered pretzels. It', the perfect food-yin and yang, sweet and salty, crunchy and creamy-all at once.

2 Milk. It's the perfect drink with the perfect food. 3. Butter. \X'hy? I'm the butter queen of New York. It's an essential thing for good cooking. 4. Kasha. From my rootS-It'S a homey, ethnic thmg. ). Onions. Like hutter, It's a basic, es~entlal ingredient-and there are Itlt~ of ways to eat them. You can lise them (or f1an)r, or as a vegetable.

6. Lobster. It's my favorite protein nght n \\'.

7. Corn. I Just had ~ome roOl'ted corn •.H a 'treet ('Hr, ,lOd

It

\\'a~ gre,H~

Pasta. Eventually you'll get ttred (f eve!) hing e1,e, anJ ,all c, n h,we It With jw,t butter.

9. Tomatoes. I'll needome vegetahle , and the e r~ health} ,lOti Dood. 10. Steak. h\ my . econd-i. \orne protem.

It nJ perper, too--"llldtlen

Ro en:weig aid ,he\ neak .11 n

1 EUI IQl L Sauteeing. It' the mo~t fun, and} u

In

2. Roasting. It' a techOlque that bnng

lit fla\OT .

3. Grilling. It' e \. and It' fun

f

111 1l1} OOion

:

u (: a I [of flO

c. It'- ver~ Inllliecir,ltc.

!"

---

Chris Schlesinger THE EAST COAST GRILL

Cambridge. Mas.sachusetts INGREDIENTS:

1.

Salt. You can't make food taste good without salt.

2. pepper. I love pepper-salt, pepper, and ginger make things taste good.

J. Lime juice.

4. Hot sauce. I like it to spice up food-I'm not really impressed with subtlety in food. I'd take EI Yucateco (hot sauce].

5. Baron. I could make a salad with the bacon fat and lime juice-and some tomatoes.

6. Gnens. I like leafy greens, like baby collards and kale. I use it as lettuce as well as in cooking. 7. Ginger. It's a nice, fresh spice. 8. Oysters. It's my favorite type of seafood. I like the East Coast variety, which are salty and briny, as opposed to West Coast oysters, which are more ubtle. 9. Tomatoes. I like really nice, fresh tomatoes. I'd make a salad to go with the oysters. 10. Sweet potatoes. They're versatile and tasty, and you need a tarch to balance dinner.

Schlesinger also commented that if he caught, for example, a beautiful striped bass out of the ocean, "It's good to just cook that with salt and pepper and put a little bit of lime on it. A lot of food is good just as food; we're not obligated to do a lot to it. And if I had fish, I'd wish I had some mangoes, which are my favonte &uit, to go with it." TECH IQUE :

1. GriD; ........

15 k •

1 love it. To me, grilling means cooking. I love the connection to live fire.

Esco&ier def4w::a1ril1ina • 2. %t+fa or

a..

3. in hia pi

1"-__

~

"the remote starting point of our art."

fried fcoJi

_____L'_ _

J

.

apecially the crispy