$17:99 a WHEEL ~ usually $14.99 for a 1/4 Wedge!

We went to the Epicure Imports Sale yesterday, with a small list of “essentials.”  Thanksgiving is coming up next week and I know I’m not going to have a lot of extra room in my already crammed refrigerator, so I was counting on my husband to “rein me in”, if I started getting out of control.  What I didn’t anticipate, was him going crazy, like a kid in a candy store!  We got to Epicure at 2:30 in the afternoon and didn’t leave until 5:30!  It was dark outside, as we were loading up the car.

I had planned a special meal last night, using the White Truffle Oil I bought, but it was late by the time we got home and after being inside in a warehouse all afternoon, FULL of French cheese, duck patés. wild mushrooms, wine, and Belgium chocolates, we were starving and decided to open and melt a tub of Cancoillotte (2 for $10.00 – an amazing deal), drizzle some of the Truffle oil on top and cut up a fresh baguette we bought there, as well.  That, along with a $7.99 bottle of French Pinot (on sale from $17.99), made for a very satisfying meal!

I was so happy when I walked in, to see my friend, Phillip, who is the man who turned me on to these Epicure Sales, months ago.  Phillip grew up in Europe, speaks fluent French and is an Epicure Import Sale veteran!  He introduced me to a few new items I hadn’t heard of before and we all spent a good portion of our visit at the Wine Tasting table – hence not getting out of there until dark!

Phillip and me and some Duck Paté

If you’re in L.A. and can make the trek to No Hollywood, they are open again today.  There will be another sale in December, in time for Christmas, which I’ll post – but you can call them and request to be put on their e-mail list and they will contact you whenever there’s going to be a sale.

White Truffle Oil

Epicure Imports:

6900 Beck Ave.

North Hollywood, CA 91605

818-985-9800

“convidar alguém significa ocupar-se de sua felicidade durante todo o tempo em que estiver sob nosso teto” (brillat-savarin). 1755-1826.

I appreciate the potato only as a protection against famine, except for that, I know of nothing more eminently tasteless.
~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste (1825)

Potatoes abound in food lore. These subterranean tubers were even the partial cause of a significant global migration, a diaspora of sorts. In the early 19th century, potatoes were grown extensively in northern Europe and certainly in Ireland. It was almost solely relied upon as the Emerald Isle staple owing to low production costs coupled with the country’s then undeveloped economy. In hindsight, this inflexible reliance on a somewhat singular foodstuff turned out to be a calamitous gamble.

Beginning in 1845, a pervasive blight occurred thanks to a wind born fungus, Phytophthora infestans, spawning the infamous Irish Potato Famine which destroyed most of the crop. The consequences were dire, causing widespread devastation, hunger, death and social upheaval—rancid, rotting fields in all directions. In Celtic, this disaster is referred to as an Gorta Mór meaning “the great hunger.” Some estimates have placed the numbers at 750,000 Irish dead, while hundreds of thousands emigrated to other countries, many to the United States, in search of new beginnings.

And before I forget, M. Brillat-Savarin, pillorying potatoes? Since your passing chef B-S, French cuisine has been brimming with captivating potato dishes in almost endless (and eminently tasteful) preparations: anna, dauphinois, galette, gaufrette, purée, etc. As for your assertion that potatoes serve merely as a protection against famine, well…supra? An esteemed cook you were, but you missed this call.

We have had a recent spate of November-like damp and chill which provokes yearnings for comfort soups. My youngest is a potato soup addict, which makes the stars truly aligned for bowls of this rich, creamy starch.

Make sure to clean and rinse the leeks thoroughly to rid them of sand and dirt, then slice only the white and light green parts of the stalks. Should you choose to go rustic, do not peel the potatoes, cut them in larger chunks, and do not purée the soup entirely—perhaps just loosely mash them—all of which underscores earth and texture. Should the soup be a tad thick in the later stages, simply add small amounts of stock to your liking.

POTATO-LEEK SOUP

3 thick strips bacon, sliced into 1/2″ pieces for lardons (optional)

3 T unsalted butter
3 leeks, sliced in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 plump, fresh garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2 bay leaves
20 black peppercorns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 C dry white wine
7 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 1/2 C chicken broth

1 C heavy cream
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (white or black) to taste

2 T chopped chives

Create a bouquet garni by wrapping bay leaves, peppercorns and thyme together in a piece of cheesecloth tied with twine.

Cook bacon pieces until crisp, then drain on paper towels.

Melt butter in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat then add onions, leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they are limp and just slightly brown. Discard garlic cloves before they brown.

Add the wine and bouquet garni to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Add potatoes to pot then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes or so.

Remove the bouquet garni and, working in batches, purée the soup in a food processor or blender. Alternately, use an immersion blender, and purée the soup directly in the pot.

Add cream and lardons, stirring, and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently. Pour into bowls, garnish with chives and serve.

Bon appetit, Carter!

Aphorisms of the Professor
To Serve as Prolegomena to His Work and Eternal Basis to the Science

I. The universe would be nothing were it not for life and all that lives must be fed.
II. Animals fill themselves; man eats. The man of mind alone knows how to eat.
III. The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they are fed.
IV. Tell me what kind of food you eat, and I will tell you what kind of man you are.
V. The Creator, when he obliges man to eat, invites him to do so by appetite, and rewards him by pleasure.
VI. Gourmandise is an act of our judgment, in obedience to which, we grant a preference to things which are agreeable, over those which nave not that quality.
VII. The pleasure of the table belongs to all ages, to all conditions, to all countries, and to all aeras; it mingles with all other pleasures, and remains at last to console us for their departure.
VIII. The table is the only place where one does not suffer, from ennui during the first hour.
IX. The discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star.
X. Those persons who suffer from indigestion, or who become drunk, are utterly ignorant of the true principles of eating and drinking.
XI. The order of food is from the most substantial to the lightest.
XII. The order of drinking is from the mildest to the most foamy and perfumed.
XIII. To say that we should not change our drinks is a heresy; the tongue becomes saturated, and after the third glass yields but an obtuse sensation.
XIV. A dessert without cheese is like a beautiful woman who has lost an eye.
XV. A cook may be taught, but a man who can roast, is born with the faculty.
XVI. The most indispensable quality of a good cook is promptness. It should also be that of the guests.
XVII. To wait too long for a dilatory guest, shows disrespect to those who are punctual.
XVIII. He who receives friends and pays no attention to the repast prepared for them, is not fit to have friends.
XIX. The mistress of the house should always be certain that the coffee be excellent; the master that his liquors be of the first quality.
XX. To invite a person to your house is to take charge of his happiness as long as he be beneath your roof.

Read here Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s infamous disquisition on gastronomy.

An oldie but goodie today on the occasion of a new edition of Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s The Physiology of Taste: Or, Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy, translated by M.F. K. Fisher and with a new introduction by Bill Buford, from Everyman’s Library. This book has never been out of print since it was first published in 1825, and it’s not hard to see why. What follows is one of Brillat-Savarin’s “Aphorisms of the Professor: To Serve as A Preamble to His Work and as A Lasting Foundation for the Science of Gastronomy.” Let it suffice to say that it took me far longer to choose which one of the twenty to pick for this post than it took me to type it out. And yet it is brilliant. Run out and buy this book immediately (and I never say that).

VII: The pleasures of the table are for every man, of every land, and no matter what place in history or society; they can be a part of all his other pleasures, and they last the longest, to console him when he has outlived the rest.

I came to find out that World Chocolate Day was being celebrated on September 4th through Radio One. And I immediately knew I had to do a post on it.

Unfortunately, it took me some time to decide what to write in honor of chocolate, only to find out that some of the best and brightest people in the world have already said it. So, here for your reading pleasure, is a collection of some amusing quotes about chocolate.

Enjoy

Random chocolate quotes taken from here:

• Man cannot live on chocolate alone, but woman sure can – Unknown author
• If one swallows a cup of chocolate only three hours after a copious lunch, everything will be perfectly digested and there will still be room for dinner – Brillat-Savarin (famed French gastronome)
• Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It’ll take the edge off your appetite, and you’ll eat less – Unknown author
• I have this theory that chocolate slows down the aging process. It may not be true, but do I dare take the chance? – Unknown author
• If you get melted chocolate all over your hands, you’re eating it too slowly – Unknown author
• Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies – John Q. Tullius
• Researchers have discovered that chocolate produces some of the same reactions in the brain as marijuana. The researchers also discovered other similarities between the two but can’t remember what they are – Matt Lauer
• Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get – Forrest Gump
• My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished 2 bags of M&M’s and a chocolate cake. I feel better already – Dave Barry
• Among life’s mysteries is how a two-pound box of chocolate can make a person gain five pounds – Unknown author
• Chocolate is a perfect food, as wholesome as it is delicious, a beneficent restorer of exhausted power. It is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits – Baron Justus von Liebig (1803-1873), German chemist

Hah! Since, I am currently engaged in literary pursuits (aka updating my blog), I think it entitles me to some chocolate. Off I go now…

And for all you readers, here is a belated virtual chocolate cake from me. Hope it tempts you enough to celebrate World Chocolate Day all over again today

Happy Belated World Chocolate Day Everyone!

Jean-Anthelme on the disadvantages of restaurants:

There can be no doubt that the availability and attraction of the restaurateur’s wares may lead many people to indulge themselves beyond the limit of their faculties, and that this may cause indigestion, in the case of delicate stomachs, and some untimely sacrifices to the basest of Venuses.

But what is far more dangerous in our opinion to the social order is the fact that solitary reflection breeds egoism, by accustoming the individual to consider no one but himself, to hold aloof from his surroundings, and to show no consideration for others; and from their behaviour before, during, and after meals, it is an easy matter, in an ordinary society, to single out from a party of guests those who normally eat in restaurants*

He goes on to add, in the footnote -

*Among other things, when a dish of ready-cut food is being handed round, they help themselves and put it down in front of them, without passing it to the neighbours whose needs they are unaccustomed to considering.

I’d say that this ‘danger’ of the solitary diner is no longer much of a threat to our society. Agree?

Brillat-Savarin writes that “when we eat, we experience an indefinable and peculiar sensation of well-being, arising out of an instinctive awareness that through what we are eating we are repairing our losses and prolonging our existence.” Wretched subsistence farmers the world over will tell you that nothing beats rice and beans for prolonging the existence of a human being for one more pitiful, meaningless day. I concur with both of these sentiments.

A one-pound bag of dried beans now costs around $1.50 in New York City, making this an ideal source of nutrition in lean times. Here’s how I prepare the beans:

1. The beans are soaked overnight. Today I ate red beans, but I am also fond of black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans, for the purposes of serving with rice.

2. Drain the water off, and boil the beans in a pot containing: stock, one medium chopped onion, a few cloves of garlic, salt, black pepper, and red pepper (or a chopped jalapeño, or whatever). I always begin with what I suppose could be called “crude” stock (by analogy with crude oil): I boil meat scraps and bones with onions, carrots, and celery, for at least several hours, then strain off the solids, leaving behind a cloudy, fatty liquid, and certainly not a proper stock (which, if you’re following Escoffier, is skimmed and sieved frequently over the course of around 18 hours of cooking). For these red beans I began with a stock made some time back from bones that I acquired attached to some pieces of pork belly.

3. Keep the beans covered until tender. The liquid surrounding them will start to take on their color as some of them break apart and some of their flesh dissolves into the stock. Keep the heat low, and keep stirring.  (If you’re watching TV, resolve to stir at every commercial break; but watch out for soccer matches and, in tennis, anything past a second Deuce.)  When the beans are ready, you can reduce the liquid if necessary. But there’s no problem if there’s “too much” liquid in the pot; just use a slotted spoon to serve.

4. The ratio of rice to beans should be up to the eater. The best way to serve rice and beans to someone else, therefore, is to offer a serving dish of beans along with a plate of rice.

Roger Federer droped a set to Lleyton Hewitt this morning, but by the time Federer had dispatched Hewitt (4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4), the beans were nearly ready and had filled the apartment with a delightful smell. I was pleased with the result (the beans ended up rich and earthy), and my existence continues.

Parce qu’il faisait pourtant encore très beau (et chaud) hier soir (même si la blonde de la météo s’acharnait à vouloir nous déprimer avec son temps de rentrée on s’en fout nous on rentre pas, mais c’est pas compliqué de lui rabattre son caquet à celle-là) et on a même diné dehors. Parce que comme le dit Chouchou tu te rends compte dans 4 mois c’est déjà Noël et puis de toutes façons on a rangé les maillots de bain (qu’on n’a mis qu’une seule fois parce que se faire griller le steak des deux côtés au bord de la piscine finalement c’est pas trop notre truc). Parce que ça faisait une bonne excuse pour y mettre encore plus de fromage et puis de toutes façons on a bien mangé une fondue en plein mois d’août, on n’a plus peur de rien.

Mais c’était sans se douter des terribles conséquences que pareille recette engendrerait (en plus du désastre sur la balance, le Brillat-Savarin c’est quand même du fromage de compète, triple crème à 75% de matière grasse, ça rigole pas ça ferait presque de la concurrence au mascarpone), on se réveille (avec 1 kilo de plus) sous une tempête de pluie qui nous fait hésiter à ouvrir le volet. Qu’on ouvre quand même pour se prendre une douche avant l’heure accompagnée d’un choc thermique ayant le même effet sur la bonne humeur qu’un avis d’imposition.

Pour un temps de m*rde et 4 (gros) ramequins il vous faut : 5 pommes de terre moyennes, 100g de Philadelphia (ou un mélange Kiri et mascarpone si vous n’en trouvez pas), 150 à 200g de Brillat-Savarin affiné (très important parce que si le Brillat affiné est une véritable merveille, le Brillat frais a tout juste le goût d’un vulgaire Carré Frais de supermarché), 50g de Gruyère suisse,  1 œuf battu, ½ oignon blanc, sel poivre muscade, et un chouilla de beurre pour les ramequins.

Préchauffer le four à 200°C.
Précuire les pommes de terre entre 10 et 15 minutes dans une grosse casserole d’eau, les éplucher et les couper en fines rondelles. Emincer l’oignon.
Mélanger l’œuf avec le Philadelphia, saler (pas trop) poivrer muscader.
Beurrer les ramequins et recouvrir le fond de tranches de pommes de terre, ajouter un peu de votre mélange, quelques lamelles d’oignon et une petite tranche de Brillat-Savarin, recouvrir de tranches de pommes de terre et ainsi de suite jusqu’à épuisement du stock.
Une dernière tranche de Brillat sur le dessus, on râpe le gruyère directement dessus pour que ça gratine, on saupoudre légèrement de muscade et on enfourne une 20aine de minutes.
Déguster en profitant bien des derniers rayons de soleil…

Je serais vous j’essayerais plutôt une salade caprese, ou du melon avec des fraises, je sais pas, un truc qui éloignera la malédiction le plus longtemps possible et retiendra le soleil, enfin c’est comme vous voulez…

What do we mean when we say that some food – some substance (pork, wood ear mushrooms, Nutella), some dish (tacos de lengua, bangers and mash, crème caramel), or some particular food object (this taco, this crème caramel) – is good? If food is like everything else, this question is richly ambiguous, as bonum est multiplex. Thus: are there a plurality of evaluative domains for food, and if so, what are they?

Brillat-Savarin writes that: “Gourmandism is an impassioned, reasoned, and habitual preference for everything which gratifies the organ of taste.” This yields one sense of “good food”: that which gratifies the organ of taste, i.e. that which tastes good.

Gourmandism is to be contrasted the gastronomy; the latter “is the reasoned comprehension of everything connected with the nourishment of man,” and “[i]ts aim is to obtain the preservation of man by means of the best possible nourishment.” Good food, from the perspective of gastronomy, is that which preserves a person’s health. (This terminology is apt: gastonomy is a science, an act of cognition; gourmandism is an ethics, a way of life.)

Brillat-Savarin believed in a created universe, with a divine order. The organ of taste has a function, namely, “the production, selection, and preparation of everything capable of serving as food,” where food “is whatever provides nourishment.” On this view of the universe and our place in it, gourmandism amounts to the natural pursuit of our own nourishment, through the use of the organ God gave us to seek out our own nourishment. Thus gastronomy is scientific gourmandism.

It is possible for the secularist to say something similar, at least if she can provide historical, evolutionary evidence that the selected-for function of the sense of taste is to produce, select, and prepare nourishing food. She is then free to commit the naturalistic fallacy and say that the proper function of taste is to find nourishing food. (Has someone said this: that the naturalistic fallacy is just the secularist’s divine command fallacy theory?) Good food, from the perspective of gourmandism, properly practiced, just is good food, from the perspective of gastronomy.

But there seem to be obvious counterexamples to this. There is unhealthy food that is delicious, and delicious in virtue of its unhealthiness (i.e. in virtue of containing unhealthy substances): fatty meats, coffee, sugar, Egg McMuffins, etc. And goodness vis-a-vis nourishment doesn’t entail goodness vis-a-vis taste: eating a block of unseasoned tofu is plenty nourishing. So gourmandism and gastronomy carve out distinct (if overlapping) domains of evaluation.

Some will balk at this, insisting that the bonum of food is one, not many. That healthy food “really” tastes best; that Egg McMuffins and lardo don’t actually taste good. That a simple, plain, nutritious meal is the best meal there is. Well, there is no accounting for taste, but it is hard not to posit bad faith for such critics of pluralism about the goodness of food. And a deeper diagnosis lies with the persistence, in our secular memories, of that picture from Brillat-Savarin: of a universe that is ordered and makes sense, where Nature rewards those who do what Nature intends. We secularists will be better off the sooner we abandon this picture, or else own up to the metaphysics that it requires.

It remains mysterious why contemporary atheists are willing to adopt this picture when it comes to food, but not when it comes to sex. Consider: “The biological function of the sexual organs is reproduction. Non-reproductive sex isn’t really sexually pleasurable, esp. sex acts that couldn’t possibly result in reproduction.” Every right-minded secularist laughs at this form of reasoning in the sexual domain, and brands it religious dogma; how come so many are taken in by it, when it comes to food?

OK, so two senses of “good food”: (1) food that tastes good, and (2) food that is healthy. To these we should add a third broad sense, based on the moral and political evaluation of food. Food is said to be bad when it comes from animals, or when it comes from far away, or when it was picked by underpaid migrant workers, or when its production caused lots of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. So let us add: (3) food that it is perfectly morally permissible to eat.

It is maybe obvious by now that, just as (1) and (2) aren’t coextensive, neither are (1) and (3). Consider delicious beef, a disaster in terms of carbon emissions, or foie gras, an animal-torture byproduct. But just as Brillat-Savarin’s theism, I proposed, lies behind the hope that all and only healthy food will taste good, so there is a deep and powerful philosophical picture that lies behind the hope (still clung to by some) that all and only moral food will taste good. The picture I mean is the one according to which morality and happiness necessary coincide; this beautiful and influential picture goes back at least to Plato, and finds expression in the work of many philosophers since. In many ways, this is the fundamental article of faith for many moral philosophers: that being good somehow, somewhere, in some way, benefits the individual who does the right thing.

As above, I think secularists should get over this notion. (Theists are free to believe in a rewarding afterlife.) And once you are over it, you’ll not be tempted to think that (1) and (3) are the same. You’ll recognize that in the domain of food, just like everywhere else, bonum est multiplex. This is a horribly difficult thing to face up to, as what is best, from one perspective, may not be best, from another, and it anguishes us to know that we may necessarily fall short of what is best, if only in some sense. We may have to pass up the best food, from the perspective of taste, because eating it conflicts with our moral values, or because our doctor insists on it; or we may have to accept that we are less than morally perfect, or that we may not live as long as we otherwise could, but that we are willing to make that sacrifice, for the sake of taste. In either case, we will be better off without the illusion that everything makes sense, that anything good is good in every respect, and that ethics (as in the study of living well) can be reduced to one simple unifying principle.

On tonight’s menu, we have a Julia-inspired dessert: Savarin with Ohio-Grown Tart Cherries and Seasonal Stone Fruit with Crème Anglaise. What, exactly, is a savarin? It’s a ring-shaped, doughnutlike, yeast-based cake, much like a denser form of shortcake, with a “bready” or brioche-like texture, served with a rum or Kirsch (cherry liqueur) syrup. The dish is named for the 18th-19th century French politician, writer and gourmet Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, one of history’s most influential food writers. Some of these types of cakes are also called “babas,” as in baba au rhum.

Our take on the Julia-style savarin will feature a syrup flavored by red tart cherries, grown by Patterson Fruit Farm in nearby Chesterland in Geauga County, flavored with Kirsch. When we’re done painting it with syrup, it will be topped with more cherries, apricots and toasted almonds.

If this sounds like something you could enjoy on our patio tonight with a good cup of coffee — maybe even after having dinner with us as well — we invite you to join us for a beautiful summer night’s meal.

Koffein Aufnahne ist ein nacktes, robustes Bedürfnis, das man befriedigt.
Der Genuss von Kaffee dagegen ist ein reflektiertes Empfinden, immer von Umfeld abhängig, vom Ort, von der Gesellschaft, vom inneren Befinden, abhängig von physischen und psychischen Zustand.

Wir Menschen – sowie Tiere – trinken und müssen trinken, doch wir bereiten ein Getränk zu, wir wählen den Ort, wo wir ihn zu uns nehmen, wir entscheiden mit wem wir trinken.

Der Kaffeegenuss wartet auf Durst nicht.

Und wenn es um Durst geht, erst wenn dieser gestillt wurde, fängt die Reflektion an, der Genuss.

Es ist unsere Entscheidung, wie wir uns im Genuss des Kaffeetrinkens bilden.

(frei nach Jean Anthèlme Brillat-Savarin)

Aujourd’hui j’ai écouté mon répondeur et j’avais un message de Raoul (datant du 7 juin, je me rappelle que j’ai un répondeur environ une fois par mois donc forcément..) qui me souhaitait une bonne fête. Sauf que moi je sais pas qui c’est Raoul et que ma fête c’est pas le 7 juin.
Il y avait aussi un message de Monsieur Technigaz qui disait qu’il ne pourrait pas passer demain nettoyer la chaudière comme prévu et indiqué sur le courrier que j’ai reçu blah blah blah. Sauf que j’ai jamais reçu ce courrier. Mouais mouais mouais…

Aujourd’hui ça fait 18 jours (et ça risque de durer bien plus longtemps que ça) que le nouveau Murakami est sorti au Japon et que ça m’éneeeeerve de devoir attendre une traduction pour le lire. Parce que vu que le truc fait à peu près 1000 pages (en 2 tomes), avec un peu de chance la trad anglaise sera dispo dans 1 ou 2 ans…

Aujourd’hui j’ai du avaler ma dose annuelle de cholestérol avec une Epoisses et un Brillat-Savarin (tout mangé y’en a plus, du tout du tout, la baguette est presque morte aussi). J’aurais pas du regarder ce docu sur le fromage la nuit dernière…

Aujourd’hui j’ai terminé un morceau. Reste plus qu’à lui trouver un titre, ce qui risque de prendre encore plus de temps que la compo elle-même. Comme d’hab…

My cheese of the week likely needs no introduction, but just in case the name doesn’t ring a bell I will mention that its namesake is none other than Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, perhaps one of history’s most influential foodies. (Okay, “epicures,” if you prefer.) A French lawyer who fled to the United States during the Revolution, he penned “The Physiology of Taste” in 1825 which contained the words that have most recently become the sustainable food movement’s rallying cry: “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” 

Brillat-Savarin is also credited with being one of the first low-carb dieters, so one assumes he would be honored to have a protein-rich, creamy French cheese named in his honor. Brillat-Savarin the cheese is a pasteurized cows-milk triple-creme brie-style specimen produced in Normandy. It is decadent indeed, delightfully creamy, with a bloomy natural rind. It is a touch more sour than your typical brie, with that subtle tang you’d find in the white parts of a bleu cheese. Best eaten with a spoon, or slathered over a nice fruit-studded bread. It is an ideal partner for a nice glass of French champagne*, if you’re so inclined.

*Speaking of celebrations, we’ve noted elsewhere but neglected to mention here the official cease-fire in the Roquefort wars. Americans can continue to enjoy Roquefort, Iberico ham and Pellegrino for the foreseeable future. Vive le Roquefort!

I picked this up from the Whole Foods on Fairfax. Looks kind of like ice cream, doesn’t it?

The only reason why this cheese exists is to over-indulge yourself. It’s a triple cream brie, which effectively means it has 75% fat content. If I recall correctly, when they milk the cow they take *just* the cream from 2 buckets of milk and add it to a 3rd bucket of milk + cream. The result is delicious.

While most triple cream cheeses that I like are a little more earthy, mushroomy, sweaty sock-y, this one is pretty clean and simple. It’s so smooth that texture-wise, it’s hard to tell the difference between this and butter. I like it.

You know, every time I come home late, I usually cook something rich and greasy because food tastes awesome when you’re drunk and also, it’s my method of avoiding hangover. But, when I come home to this, I can just cut a quick slice and be content. Another slice, and I’m happily ready to go sleep.

I Brillat Savarins klassiker Smagens Fysiologi fra 1826, hævder Professoren (Brillat Savarin) at: ”Næppe noget menneske ville driste sig til at omtale sin deltagelse i et måltid, hvor der overhovedet ikke var blevet serveret en eneste ret med trøfler”. Jeg er ikke så kategorisk, men jeg mener dog at jeg husker de fleste måltider hvor jeg har fået serveret eller selv har servere trøffel.

I begyndelsen af denne uge købte jeg tre sommertrøfler. Jeg lagde dem køleskabet, i et glas med ris i bunden. I glasset blev lagt 4 friske æg, der lige var blevet dyppet i kogende vand i 10 sekunder, for at fjerne eventuelle salmonella m.v. Planen var at udnytte trøflernes kraftige aroma, til at lave trøffelæg. Efter ca. 24 timer er trøflernes aroma trukket ind i ægget og ægget smager nu af trøffel. Det kan bruget til omeletter og til blødkogte æg mv. Trøffelæg er en fantastisk gratis sidegevinst ved friske trøfler.

Jeg har i den forgangene uge haft stor fornøjelse af de tre sorte diamanter, og har spist trøffel minimum en gang daglig. Det har været en fantastisk uge.

Non si mangia e non si beve più solo per sopravvivere, ma si cerca di farlo nel modo migliore possibile, affinché una “necessità” si trasformi in piacere “…il gusto…è ancora quello fra i sensi, che, tutto ben considerato, ci procura il maggior numero di godimenti” (Brillat-Savarin).

I profumi caratterizzano i luoghi, creano un’identità olfattiva e intervengono nella nostra esperienza quotidiana. Ma gli odori che più ci conquistano sono senz’altro quelli dei cibi.
Odori e profumi che in cucina vengono esaltati dall’uso sapiente delle spezie, che ci aiutano a rendere ancora più straordinari i nostri piatti e trasformano il momento del convivio in qualcosa di unico per il palato, gli occhi e l’olfatto.
Uno Smell food in cui identità olfattive ed esperienze palatali-visive si fondano, trasmettendo pace e tranquillità attraverso le fragranze delle tisane o infondendo energia attraverso le degustazioni di foglie d’oro e cioccolato. Nomi esotici, certo, ma sempre più di uso comune.

Le spezie in cucina devono sempre essere a portata di mano, dal curry allo zenzero, dall’anice stellato al pepe.
Profumano, aromatizzano, colorano e regalano un tocco vivace e insolito a ogni piatto. Le spezie non andrebbero mai cotte, ma aggiunte a fine cottura o direttamente nel piatto. Solo così se ne possono apprezzare al meglio aromi e sapori. Fanno eccezione il cumino e lo zenzero, che diventano più profumati se vengono fatti tostare o soffriggere prima di essere aggiunti alle ricette. Inoltre, le spezie mantengono più a lungo i loro principi aromatici se le maciniamo appena prima di essere consumate.

Non solo sapore e profumo, però, ma anche interazione “chimica” con l’organismo: mai provato a masticare chiodi di garofano per combattere un fastidioso mal di denti? Oppure lo sapevate che e bacche di ginepro allievano i sintomi del raffreddamento? Una cosa la sapete di sicuro: le spezie, in abbinamenti collaudati, possono avere un potere fortemente afrodisiaco.

A proposito di chimica voglio consigliarvi un libro molto interessante che parte da una semplice domanda: che cos’è la gastronomia se non l’arte dei processi fisici e chimici che avvengono durante la preparazione e la degustazione dei cibi?
Prova a rispondere Hervé This, l’autore di “Pentole & Provette. Nuovi orizzonti della gastronomia molecolare”, libro che sta riscuotendo molto successo nella gastronomia molecolare. Concetto nuovo? È l’insolita disciplina che studia la buona cucina dal punto di vista dei processi chimici, fisici e biologici che avvengono nelle pentole, nelle padelle e nel resto dell’attrezzatura gastronomica.
This mette alla prova i consigli della tradizione che a volte trovano conferma nell’indagine scientifica, a volte vengono clamorosamente smentiti dall’esperimento.

Dove comprare le spezie—> Indirizzi Utili nel Mondo:

NEW YORK
Dean & De Luca
Address: 1150 Madison Avenue
City, State: New York, NY
Zip/P. Code: 10028
Telephone: 212-717-080

LONDRA
The Spice Shop
1 Blenheim Cres
London, W11 2EE, United Kingdom
+44 20 72214448

PARIGI
Ahga
21, rue Montorgueil – 75001 Paris
Tel : +(33) 1 42 33 72 39

“En dessert utan ost är en skönhet som saknar ett öga” – “Un dessert sans fromage est une belle à qui il manque un œil.”

Upphovsmannen till ovanstående uttryck lär vara den franske gastronomen Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826). Han var advokat, politiker och filosof men har nog framför allt gått till historien som gastronom. Det han som osten Brillat-savarin blivit uppkallad efter, dock inte av honom själv och mer än 100 år efter hans död.

“När stora genier gör som minst är de som mest aktiva.”

Sagt av Leonardo  da Vinci men jag tar mig fräckheten att låna det för egen räkning. Skriverierna på ostbloggen  går på lågvarv denna vecka då jag har fullt upp med andra aktiviteter för tillfället.

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Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

On Starch:  An excerpt from The Physiology of Taste, Or, Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, translated by M.F.K. Fisher, The Heritage Press, New York, 1949

“Starch is a perfect food especially when it is least mixed with foreign matter.  By this starch is meant the flour or dust which comes from cereal grains, from legumes such as beans, and from many root vegetables, among which the potato at this moment holds first place.

Starch is the base of bread, of cakes, and of thick soups of all kinds, and for this reason forms a very great part of almost every person’s nourishment.

It has been observed that such a diet softens a man’s flesh and even his courage.  For proof one can cite the Indians, who live almost exclusively on rice and who are the prey of almost anyone who wishes to conquer them.

Almost all domestic animals will eat starch with avidity, and they are, in contrast, unusually strengthened by it, because it is a more substantial nourishment than the fresh or dry leaves which are their habitual fodder.

Sugar is no less negligible, either as a food or as a medicine.”

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Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin was born in Belley, in the Ain, in France, on the first day of April, 1755.  He lived and died a lawyer, like the other men of his family.  As Mayor of Belley he resisted the blood revolutionists in 1793, and was forced to flee his country, first to Switzerland and then to America.  He spent some two years in New York, giving language lessons and playing his violin in a theatre orchestra.  In 1796 he returned to France, and although he had lost almost everything, including his fine little vineyard, he was reinstated as an honorable citizen.  In 1825 he published at his own expense The Physiology of Taste, on which he had been working with amusement and pleasure for some three decades.  He died on February 2, 1826.  p. 23, (The Translator’s Glosses, M.F.K. Fisher).

Oh, we are in the midst of some gorgeous late summer weather. Finally. Here in the Pacific Northwest we’ve had a dud of a season, with many unseasonably muggy, gray, rainy, cold days and not days like these, sheer perfection in their dry, sunny warmth.  At last we can comfortably eat outdoors.

I notice everything tastes better and am reminded of something M.F.K. Fisher said a long time ago. She wrote while she was in sun-drenched Provence in southern France, about how the tomatoes, vegetables and herbs bought that morning at a market were overripe by that evening from the weather. This meant they had to be eaten right away and every juicy bit dripped with flavor.

There is in fact a physiology of taste, and most of us, myself included, don’t often think about it very deeply nor do we think about what enhances it. Sometimes, it can simply be the weather.

I’ve been indulging twice daily on fresh salad fixings, as I have before in other seasons. But this week, after stepping outside and being in the sun just a few seconds, I can taste a beautiful collison of mild perfume from the lettuces, punctuated with a dash of onion, sweetened with tomato and polished off by the refined tang of a vinaigrette. The salad sparkles in more ways than one.

A quickie – listing a few favorite sayings, proverbs and quotes that I’ve collected over the years…

“One barrel of wine can work more miracles than a whole church full of saints” – Italian Proverb

“If you live with wolves, howl like them” – Russian Proverb

“The mouse dreams dreams that would terrify the cat” – Armenian Proverb

“He who tells the truth will be chased from five villages” – Turkish Proverb

“If you wish to tell the truth, keep your horse near the door and one foot in the stirrup” – Russian Proverb

“I told the truth but no one would believe me, so I took to deceit” – Mikhail Lermontov

“I love my country, but with a strange love: my reason cannot fathom it” – Mikhail Lermontov

“Passion cannot be beautiful without excess; one either loves too much or not enough” – Blaise Pascal

“If you had a bite, played your fish, and the line broke, don’t waste your time asking questions” – Nikolai Gogol

“Why is it the bird, and never the bullet, that is stopped in mid-flight?” – Vladimir Vysotsky

“A job is not a wolf; it won’t run off into the forest” – Russian Proverb

“Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are” – Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

“Stranger, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure” – Epicurus (via Seneca)

“Let nothing be done in your life which will cause you to fear if it becomes known to your neighbor” – Epicurus

“Ty chto mumu yebyosh?” – Russian Drinking Toast (transliterated from the vulgar)