bide (n.m.) : belly, gut (slang)

This past weekend I went to the Slow Food conference in Tours (the biggest city in the Loire River Valley, near all the châteaux).  To say the least, on a bien bouffé- just to the point where Saturday evening I was really quite mal au bide from all the cheese I was eating- but with so many free, delicious repas and a whole salon full of free, delicious, bio European specialties- how could I resist?

So just incase you don’t know, Slow Food = manger bon, propre, juste, et local; “eat well, clean, fair, et local”- it’s a movement that started in Italy in 1986, to protest the opening of a McDonald’s near the Spanish Steps in Rome.  (Why is it always McDonald’s? haha).  The French chapter opened in 2003 and the New York chapter in 2000- so the Italians really were ahead of the game.  Every 4 years there is a particularly large Slow Food festival in Turin, where the siège of Slow Food International is based.

I was there with the CPP (Culture, Politique, Patrimoine – “Culture, Politics, National Heritage”) program from Paris IV (the Sorbonne), because I have a few friends in the alimentation program (who essentially study the anthropology of why and how we eat what we eat).  We were there for the convergence of three events:

(1) There was an academic colloque at the University Francois Rabelais, talking the naissance of regional food identites in France (which was essentially born out of automobile-driven tourism at the début of the XXe siècle, and the creation of new food guides like the guide rouge – the Michelin food guide – first published in 1900).

(2) A Terra Madre (Mother Earth in Italian) conference for youth interested in the Slow Food movement, so we got to meet a range interesting SlowFood characters, including Carlo Petrini, the president of Slow Food International- who is so carrément Italian and charasmatic in his over-the-top-ness that you cannot help but love him.  The most interesting thing he pointed out was that French people within the last 6 years have gone from spending 30% of their income on food to about 13% of their income…a figure that makes me understand why the dairy farmers in France are complaining about how it costs more to produce milk than it does to buy it in the supermarché.  I also got to chat over spiced vin chaud with chef Oliver Rowe, who sources his Kings Cross restaurant with 85% local produce, meat, etc. from within a 25 mile radius of downtown London (essentially the limits of the Tube map). -And that’s including spices.

(3) The Slow Food EuroGusto Salon: this is where the fun really started…and where my bide met its match.  With organic producers from Italy to Slovenia, to Norway, Morocco, Austria, Uzbekistan… – it was a gastronomic tour of the best bio that Europe and its neighboring countries have to offer.  And as far as France goes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much (or such a large variety) of cheese in my life.

So! (drumroll please) – I present to you les 5 meilleurs mets que j’ai dégusté ce weekend (the 5 best dishes I ate this weekend):

(1) Gwell : this incredible yogurt like product made with lait fermenté has a freshness and a tang that I have never tasted in any other milk product.  (No wonder its name means “mieux” en Bretonne, the local patois of Bretagne -in northwestern France)

(2) Salade de choux à l’huile de truffe blanc : This simple cabbage salade in white truffle oil was just a side dish to an entrée, but I literally could have eaten just that the whole weekend and been happy.  Absolutely indescribable.

(3) La piada romagnola : This flatbread made in Emilia Romagna was simple, warm, and honestly made me never want to see a baguette again (sorry France).  I’m not even a pain person… I have to try to make this myself.

(4) Tourteau fromager au chevre : This blackened goat-cheese “cake” was like the best cheesecake you could ever imagine.  With a texture somewhere between pound cake and ricotta cheesecake, (light and fluffy and dense and moist all at the same time- I have no clue how that’s possible) – it was the most beautiful taste of clean, lactic, cold freshness- like un verre du lait, ice-cold, first thing in the morning.  oh, la vache it was so freaking good.

(5) Vin chaud :  I have never had hot wine before, but this deep red, robust, épicé, sucré concotion was absolutely irresistible.  Even the British chef went back for seconds.  And in the chilly dusk light outside the Chateau de Chambord (known incidentally for the eccentric prince who raises 300 types of tomates on the property) – there was nothing else that could have rendered me more blissfully calm and reconnaissante.

So I guess all this wasn’t a bad way to spend Thanksgiving…at bit more gastronomic than turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce (oh my gosh how I miss cranberry sauce!!!)- but since I managed to stuff every available coin of my stomach with delicious nourriture for 4 days instead of one, I don’t really think I can complain.

—vocabulaire—

châteaux > large palaces in the French countryside

on a bien bouffé > we ate well

mal au bide > sick to my stomach (slang)

repas > meal

salon > large room for expositions

bio > organic

siège > headquarters

alimentation > what, why, how one eats

naissance > birth

début > beginning

XXe siècle > 20th century

carrément > perfectly, as in the case of the perfect example of something

supermarché > supermarket

vin chaud > hot wine

lait fermenté > fermented milk

mieux > better

patois > dialect

entrée > appetizer

pain > bread

un verre du lait > a glass of milk

oh la vache > literally “oh the cow” – an expression means essentially “oh my gosh” but can be used randomly in any conversation to describe strong sentiments

tomates > tomatoes

reconnaissante > thankful

coin > corner

nourriture > food

En baguenaude à Bruxelles,

Kam Yuen (Ancien Sun Wah), Rue de la Vierge Noire, 2-4 .

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Un sachet de fleurs, au milieu des légumes du rayon frais.

Fascinant.

L’étiquette de traduction indique sobrement :

Orka Flowers

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Exploration : Le coeur de la fleur est très dur, et contient des graines souples comme des pois, au goût simplement végétal.

Les pétales, en revanche, ont une saveur étonnante, acide, à mi-chemin entre le chou et la cranberry …!

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Tentative de cuisson : Plongée dans l’eau bouillante, la fleur cuit lentement, s’amollit, et colore son bain d’un rouge violacé …

Les saveurs se modifient assez peu, seul le goût des pétales est intéressant, pour son acidité fruitée.

En fait, un goût d’hibiscus !

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Bilan : De toute évidence, la fleur d’Orka est une cousine de l’hibiscus…

Ses pétales peuvent certainement s’utiliser dans une salade de fruit, pour faire une confiture, un sirop ou dans une recette à base de chocolat.

Et pourquoi pas en salé, avec une viande de gibier ?

Et vous, vous feriez quoi avec des fleurs d’Orka ?

Voir aussi la fleur d’Orka dans la galerie imaginaire

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Jeudi 19 Novembre de 18 à 22h, Venez goûter un vin pas comme les autres…

Elaboré par Jean-Paul Brun à partir de vignes centenaires, ce Beaujolais Nouveau a une particularité : il est excellent !

Dégustation puis le verre à 3€ (ou bouteille à 7,5€), grignotages et bonne humeur compris.

34, rue Charles de Gaulle – 94140 Alfortville – Tel. 09 81 63 64 77

(November 2009 Cocktail Night menu – theme is Belvedere vodka)

Last week my baby girl KJ came to town. So where’s better than taking her to the most fabulous cocktail event in town?* Nowhere! The Cafe Vue** Cocktail Night is hosted weekly on a Friday. For $75 over the space of 3 hours, you get the most fabulous cocktails and matching degustation plates from Vue. Bargain, I say!

(scallop linguine with cucumber)

The night started at about 7.30pm when the first cocktail was served (yes, they ran a bit late) and concluded at around 11pm (we left at 10.30 because we were starving) when people cleared off. So you’ll understand, I’m sure, the degradation of the picture quality due to lack of lighting and sobriety.

(Cytrus Pegu)

Our very first cocktail was called Cytrus Pegu, which was Belvedere vodka with err… lots of citrusy, orangey things done to it. The lovely waitstaff did announce every course and explained the logic of each make up of each cocktail. Suffice to say, they thought about it a lot. And we drank a lot. So I’m really sorry I can’t tell you more. What I remembered though was the lemon curd that lined the glass. It was so yummy I attempted to lick it clean. This lovely this little cocktail was served with a perfect little scallop served with buttery linguine and cucumber. Yum. But then we were starving. A tip: get some food in you first. The 5 courses served there were just not sufficient.

(Apple & Chilli Martini)

Our second cocktail of the night was by far the winning horse – the apple and chilli martini. But it wasn’t a normal apple & chilli martini, no, no. They started with 50% alcohol vodka and steep all the yummy flavouring fruits: apple, pear and chilli. It was intensely apple. It was intensely pear. And it was intensely chilli. No, it wasn’t hot at all. But it did taste every bit chilli. No only that, they attempted to turn it into a frozen cocktail by freezing it with liquid nitrogen rather than blending in ice (cos that would be too easy and ‘we would lose too much alcohol concentration’) so as delicious sounding as that sounds, it was lethal at about 50% alcohol. But oh my god it was yummy. They also topped it with deseeded chilli and a slice of dehydrated apple.

(rainbow trout sashimi, smoked salmon mousse and croutons)

To go with the fabulous cocktail, we were served rainbow trout sashimi, smoked salmon mousse and crouton. It was quite good too but when you were enthralled with such a fabulous cocktail, this took the back seat. The poor thing.

(Balsam Sling)

Our next up was a pretty little thing called ‘Balsam Sling.’ To be perfectly honest, I couldn’t remember anything other than cranberry juice and vodka (naturally). By now, I have realised that three full strength cocktails are wayyyyy too much for little lightweight me. So I began to off load this to Jacqui, who was the champ for the night. KJ who is even more lightweight than me, had begun to palm off most of her cocktails since cocktail number two to Jacqui.

(the balsam sling being served)

It was served out of this whipping implement thingie – the kind they use to whip cream? Sorry he did tell told what it was called but remember the previous 50% alcohol cocktail? Me neither.

(Confit pork waffle, tomato fondue and gruyère cheese)

This was, in essence, a toasted sandwich. Cafe Vue is rather well known for their toasted sandwich and waffle – they make it an art form. As far as toasted sandwich goes, this one was rather good. But it was definitely the most welcome dish because it seemed the most filling so far. Maya doesn’t eat pork and they forgot and served us four servings anyway so I scored the spare. Maya got something with tuna instead. I was too drunk and Maya was too hungry for photos to be taken. I asked why it was called ‘waffle’ and the waiter had mentioned ‘artistic license.’ Too drunk to argue.

(Black Raspberry Julep)

This was the black raspberry julep. Vodka, obviously. Raspberry stuff. And mint. Let me describe a little bit of my physical condition to you, I had the most terrible hay fever but this point and together with the cocktails, it rendered my nose entirely useless. I couldn’t smell a thing (or taste a thing) But guess what? I could taste the mint and the raspberry in every sip that I took, which was three. I gave up after three because I know I would totally be sick in the toilet, which would have required me to walk through the lovely Bistro Vue, past all the lovely rich people dining there and through to their lovely toilet. So no. That wouldn’t do! I palmed off the rest to Maya, while KJ palmed hers off after one sip to Jacqui. What a champ.

(Ewe’s milk cheese, almond toast, fennel and cherry salad)

The little platter served with the raspberry julep was comprised of ewe’s milk cheese (French and strong, and at the right temperature), almond biscotti (yes they called it toast) with raspberry jelly, and cherry and fennel salad. They were all really yummy especially the salad. But again, having my nose not working full well, I can’t rave more about it. I would have otherwise, I’m sure. But I have to consider the possibility that we were absolutely starving as well. And yes, I was too drunk to notice the flash wasn’t on. I have a little point and shoot. So yes, flash is sometimes mandatory for me. Stop turning your nose up at me, SLR-ers!

(Textures of pistachio)

Unlike the other courses, our dessert arrived first. It was called textures of pistachio. I only vaguely remember one blob to be cold, sweet thingie with almond in it. The other blob was not as cold but much sweeter. The green crunchy bits were sugary pistachio. Yeah. Did you expect a better description? Bad luck!

(Choc Vanilla Martini)

Our last cocktail felt like a bit of a disappointment as everyone was looking forward to it. Description went something along the line of vodka with steeped vanilla seeds and dark chocolate. It was topped off with a cherry that had been submerged in Kirsch, which tasted seriously strong and it was the only thing on the night that tasted seriously strong. I do have a flashed picture but the fact of the matter is, it wasn’t a pretty looking cocktail (that was probably why it was served at 10.30) it was kinda dark muddy brownish with a bit of red. Not pretty. It tasted too sweet to me. None of us liked it very much – and all everyone could think about was dinner/supper at this point.

So we sauntered off to the only placed that seemed to be open at 11pm. Your Thai. I know. Believe me it went down hill from there as we eventually ended up at Charltons. So you know what I mean when I said down hill.

So I guess the question on everyone’s mind would be: was it worth it? Paying $75 for cocktails you couldn’t drink half of and food that still left you hungry? My answer is a resounding ‘Hells yeah!’ We loved it. I’m going back and I’m taking Jacqui with me. What a champ.

I also ran into Fergei from What I Ate Last Night. We both noticed each other taking photos and she asked a lovely waiter whether I ran a blog and the lovely waiter came up and asked me. So I ran up and drunkenly introduced myself. Seriously, I hope I wasn’t being too embarrassing because I really can’t recall what I said to her.

Cafe Vue, Normanby Chambers, 430 Little Collins Street (between Queen & William Streets)
03 9691 3899, Cocktail Night every Friday, reservations essential.

* Yes, it’s a sweeping statement. No, I haven’t been to any other cocktail event. Yes, I see the flaw in the logic. Yes, I had five cocktails. Yes I am a lightweight. So yes, I stand by my statement.
** See my previous visit at Cafe Vue in October 2009.

Soirée dégustation Caviar des Pyrénées  sur invitation,

Aux Vins 4 Canons le 18 nov à partir de 18 heures * 24 Bis bd Clemenceau 66000 PERPIGNAN

A DIY Degustation is the the mixtape equivalent of food.

Why not throw your good mates a dinner party with a multiple choice element, or have a jam party and layout your most favourite spreads of all time.  Lee Tran Lam shows you how right here.

Our wedding anniversary was fast approaching and I decided to surprise Erin by cooking a 7 course meal by using mushroom as my main secret ingredient (obviously this is heavily influenced by Iron Chef America). “So now America friends, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: ALLEZ CUISINE!!”

For starters, it was freshly shucked oysters. Since I can’t go with the usual kilpatrick or mornay style, I used a ceviche instead. Hence, Oysters – Mushroom Ceviche. The ceviche actually substituted the need of lemon.

First up for entree was ‘Portobello Mushroom and Beef Carpaccio’. This was really simple as everything can be pre-prepared except the rare beef. After pan frying the beef for 1 minute on each side, you will need to cut the beef as thin as possible and pound it with the back of your knife.

Next was ‘Mushroom Soup’. This soup was unbelievably easy to make and it was made from scratch. Best served with dinner rolls but I only had multigrain bread that night. It wasn’t too bad after I toasted it.

Final entree for the night was ‘Prosciutto Wrapped Enoki Mushroom’. This entree was improvised from a recipe I saw on a cooking channel. He made bacon wrapped asparagus instead. This was the simplest dish to make and it looked impressive.

After 3 wonderful and delicious (quoting myself) entree, the main was served. For a mushroom themed night, I can’t get away with not making stuffed mushroom as one of the dishes. Since Erin loves seafood, the stuffing I chose was seafood based. It has prawns, scallops and crab on a big flat mushroom and two little fresh mushrooms.

My last savoury dish for the night was ‘Mushroom Seafood Risotto”. This took me the longest to prepare and cook. It was also my first time cooking any type of risotto but guess what, it turned out to be really nice (or maybe Erin was too nice to give me any negative comment).

Last but not least, it’s dessert time. As everyone would know, using mushroom in dessert is quite impossible. Finally after a lot of researching and many hours of looking through the internet, I made ‘Mushroom Ice-Cream’. It’s not what you think it is. The closest I could get to match with the night’s theme was to make something that resembles a mushroom.

If I have to judge my own food, I would give myself 10/10 for every single dish because I am bias. That’s why I will leave it to Erin for constructive criticism.

Well, we had a wonderful night of wonderful food with absolutely wonderful company. By the end of the night, we were as stuffed as the mushrooms. LOL!

Anyone who is interested in any of the recipes, just drop me a line in the comment. I am more than happy to share it with you. It was just too long for me to type out every single one of it.

Mardi 3 novembre, il pleut à Paris…

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Automne – hiver : Saison des soupes

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Et le soir où l’on n’a pas envie de la faire soi-même … mais qu’on préfèrerait éviter de donner dans la brique ou le lyophilisé ?

Que penser des soupes surgelées Picard ? .

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Compte-rendu de dégustation / exploration de six soupes Picard

Mode opératoire : Chaque soupe a été dégustée par deux personnes, après trois minutes au micro-ondes (test en conditions réelles : a priori, rares sont ceux/celles qui font chauffer leurs soupes surgelées à feu doux…). Aucun assaisonnement supplémentaire n’a été ajouté. Afin d’éviter toute influence, la liste des ingrédients des soupes n’a été consultée qu’après dégustation.

Un superbe pain de campagne a été utilisé pour ‘vérifier’ les fonds de soupe qui le méritaient !

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–é,

Soupe 1 : Potage aux trois légumes verts : haricot vert, brocolis, épinard. (2€70/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe est très bonne !

La texture est très veloutée, sans être crémeuse. Le goût dominant est clairement celui du haricot vert, avant l’arrivée en renfort du brocoli, en fin de bouche… La soupe est également relevée par une pointe d’oignon. Pas trop salée.

Remarque :  Mais où est passé l’épinard alors ? un peu à la trappe. (Je vérifie !). En y mettant du sien, on le devine, mais il faut avouer qu’il reste extrêmement timide. – C’est bien le seul qu’on puisse faire à cette soupe : à quoi bon créer un effet d’attente sur l’épinard, alors qu’il est quasi absent cette soupe (3%) ?

Ingrédients : Eau, haricots verts (25%), brocolis (2o%), crème fraîche (5%), épinards (3%), oignon, sel, lactose, protéines de lait.

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Soupe 2. Velouté de légumes du potager : carotte, navet, pomme de terre. (3€50/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe est plutôt bonne, mais tellement sucrée…

La texture est plus liquide que la soupe précédente. L’attaque se fait sur une saveur sucrée de navet, avant le développement du goût de l’oignon. La carotte est surtout présente dans la couleur de la soupe, et en fin de bouche par une note légèrement terreuse. Sur certaines bouchées, le goût d’une herbe inidentifiable surgit (après examen de la composition, je crois que c’était le poireau) L’ensemble est suave, sucré, agréable mais assez rapidement écoeurant. Disons qu’on ne s’en resservirait pas un second bol.

Remarque : La pomme de terre, qu’on attendait pour épaissir l’ensemble, est assez neutre, et la soupe reste vraiment liquide (c’est la plus liquide des soupes testées ici).

Ingrédients : Eau, carottes (12%), courgettes, oignon, pommes de terre (5%), navet (5%), poireau, beurre (2%).

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Soupe 3. Velouté de cresson, pomme de terre, crème fraîche. (3€95/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe a du caractère, et restitue vraiment celui du cresson.

La texture est veloutée, crémeuse, sans être écoeurante. Le goût du cresson est agréablement restitué ; son amertume est parfaitement maîtrisée par la compagnie de la crème et de la pomme de terre. Le persil joue par petites touches, sur certaines bouchées. L’ensemble conserve un côté brut, à peine assaisonné. (Qui se marie très bien avec l’acidité d’un bon pain de campagne…!)

Remarque : Pas trop salée ; à la limite, plutôt légèrement sucrée par la crème mais cette fois sans excès. Equilibre impeccable entre sel, sucre, amertume et acidité de la soupe (apportée par le poivre – ou plutôt par l’arôme naturel de poivre, qui me laisse perplexe : pourquoi ne pas utiliser du bon vieux poivre plutôt que d’en extraire l’arôme? Peut être pour mieux en maîtriser le dosage… )

Ingrédients : Eau, cresson (26%), pommes de terre (16%), crème fraîche (14,9%), persil, sel, amidon de riz, arôme naturel de poivre.

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Soupe 4. Velouté fève, épinard, cuisinée à l’huile d’olive. (2€90, vendu en sac de 600g)

Bilan : Cette soupe est écoeurante.

La saveur des légumes est couverte par un goût d’huile d’olive industrielle rance, type Puget de grosse cavalerie. Les fèves arrivent à se faire un peu remarquer, les épinards restent sur la réserve. Quant à la texture, elle se rapproche de celle du mouliné de légumes, et conserve de la mâche. Mais elle possède aussi un côté visqueux, assez désagréable.

Remarque : Cette soupe est trop salée, trop marquée sur l’huile, sans aucune finesse de l’ensemble. Tout cela est très écoeurant. (Je ne la sauce même pas, elle gâche le pain!)

Ingrédients : Eau, fèves (12%), pommes de terre (12%), huile d’olive vierge extra (5%), feuilles d’épinard coupées (4,5%), feuilles de blette coupées, pois chiches, extrait de levure, ail, sel, sauce piquante (piment, hile d’olive, sel, ail).

Soupe 5. Potage au champignon, pomme de terre, crème fraîche. (3€65/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe est une vraie gourmandise !

Le petit goût de sous-bois du champignon est bien là, dans mon bol, et se développe gentiment en bouche. Au même moment, une saveur de caramel au beurre salé surgit, et ne vous quitte plus. Incroyable.  L’ensemble est assez liquide, et légèrement sucré.

Remarque : Le côté beurre noisette de cette soupe se marie très bien avec les saveurs du champignon!

Ingrédients : Champignon de Paris (43,8%), eau, pomme de terre, oignon, crème fraîche, carotte, céleri rave, beurre, sel, ail.

Soupe 6. Velouté d’asperge verte, pomme de terre, crème fraîche (4€95/kg)

Bilan : Cette soupe joue bien le jeu de l’asperge.

On retrouve vraiment le goût de l’asperge verte, avec son côté terreux, si caractéristique. La texture est bien veloutée et crémeuse (sans être lourde ou écoeurante).

Remarque : L’assaisonnement est discret, mais bien dosé. Ce qui faut de sel et de poivre à mon goût.

Ingrédients : Eau, asperges vertes (29%), pommes de terre précuites (11%), lait écrémé en poudre, crème fraîche (3%), beurre, sel, poivre blanc.

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Bilan général de l’exploration : Que penser des soupes surgelées Picard ?

Sur les six soupes dégustées, quatre sont vraiment réussies, et mériteraient qu’on s’en resserve un second bol… Les deux autres (soupe 2 et 4) sont plus écoeurantes : la soupe carotte navet (2) est plutôt agréable mais trop sucrée ; le palais en est vite saturé. Quant à la soupe fève épinards à l’huile d’olive (4), elle est décidément sans finesse, trop salée, lourde, au point qu’on a du mal à finir son assiette !

Elle est en réel décalage avec le reste des produits testés : de façon générale en effet, les soupes Picard restituent bien le goût du légume, avec un côté brut, légèrement assaisonné.

Côté ingrédients, ils sont plutôt rassurants, simples et naturels. Un peu d’amidon de riz, et des protéines de lait se baladent dans certaines soupes ; et puis ce mystérieux arôme naturel de poivre qui vient mettre son grain dans la soupe de cresson…

Côté prix, selon les ingrédients, ils vont du simple au double. Les sacs étant souvent conditionnés par kilo, ils restent plus attractifs que ceux des soupes en briques, etc.

Ma préférée ? La soupe aux légumes verts ! Et celle de ma mère !

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Vous les avez goûtées ? Vous connaissez d’autres bons (ou mauvais) plans soupes ?

N’hésitez pas à laisser un commentaire !

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Compte-rendu à mettre en perspective avec l’article Warhol, c’est de la soupe!

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Le Laboratoire c’est quoi?

C’est un lieu de création basé sur la rencontre d’un artiste et d’un scientifique.

Qui?

Le Fondateur = David Edwards, professeur de l’université de Harvard

Le Laboratoire a aussi ouvert ses portes au collaboration du plasticien Fabrice Hyber et du chercheur et professeur au MIT Robert Langer, du designer Mathieu Lehanneur (et sa tentante invention de purificateur d’air naturel!).

Le photographe James Natchwey a collaboré avec la scientifique Anne Goldfeld, co-fondatrice d’une clinique au Cambodge consacrée au traitement du sida et de la tuberculose, ainsi qu’avec d’autres chercheurs en médecine des pays en voie de développement.

Enfin, le chef étoilé Thierry Marx et son projet Foodlab propose des expériences culinaires inédites où la cuisine destructurée rencontre la science. Ainsi c’est ce qui a retenu mon attention et je vous invite à consulté le LaboShop où vous pouvez acheter du chocolat à aspirer. Deux fois par semaine sont organisées des démonstration-dégustations par groupe de 4.

L’adhésion au club, soit un peu cher je l’dmet, vous permet aussi d’assister à de nombreuses visites privées de Beaubourg, du Palais de Tokyo ou du musée d’Orsay.

En ce moment: Exposer l’innovation, l’innovation dans l’air du temps.

Le Laboratoire et sa boutique valent bien le détour:  c’est au 4 rue du Bouloi dans le 1er!

Des couleurs, des formes, des textures d’une diversité proprement incroyable.

Des saveurs délicates, qui requièrent toutes les nuances de la langue pour les apprécier, toutes les ressources du langage pour les restituer.

Je vous propose ici une exploration du royaume des agrumes !

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Il existe en effet en France un couple de pépiniéristes passionnés, Bénédicte et Michel Bachès, qui cultive plus de 450 variétés d’agrumes, là-bas, dans un verger catalan.

Kabossu, yuzu, main de boudha…

Autant de produits qui constituent aujourd’hui une véritable source d’inspiration pour des chefs comme Pascal Barbot (L’Astrance) ou William Ledeuil (Ze Kitchen Galerie).

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Beau comme un citron Bachès

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Le célèbre Citron Cobawa : Tout vert, et fripé comme une cervelle de shar-pei … ne vous fiez pas à l’aspect de ce citron! Sa peau dégage une exquise odeur, proche de la citronnelle ; elle parfume un plat avec une infime délicatesse. Le jus* du combawa est également très intéressant pour les carpaccios, son acidité permettant d’équilibrer les notes de citronnelle développées par le zeste.

* Attention, on notera, sur une remarque de M. Bachès, que les combawas thaïlandais ne possèdent pas de jus. Seul un travail attentif a permis au pépiniériste d’obtenir une variété de combawas juteux.

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Le fameux Citron Caviar : Comme une tirelire, remplie de petites billes rosées qu’on fait péter sur son palais en se léchant les doigts! Attention, c’est quand même du citron – côté saveur, c’est moins spectaculaire. Une note légèrement sucrée quand le fruit est bien mûr, avec une peau tendre à croquer!

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Le Cédrat ‘Main de Boudha’ : Spectaculaire agrume !  Originaire d’Asie du Sud-Est, ce cédrat fantastique développe des saveurs relativement douces, à mi-chemin entre l’orange et le citron …  Il prend des nuances d’un jaune d’or lorsqu’il arrive à maturité.

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L’Oranger trifoliata ‘Dragon Volant’ : Derrière le nom totalement kitsch de cette bestiole, se cache un phénomène étrange. Voici en effet une orange dont la peau a la texture d’une peau de pêche. Quant à son parfum, elle dégage une odeur agressive, verte, légèrement pétrolée, tout en vous annonçant quelque chose de la mangue… Or, à peine l’orange ouverte, cette dernière odeur se confirme. De la mangue mûre à point,mais avec l’acidité de l’agrume qui revient en fin de bouche. Etrange véhicule gustatif que ce dragon volant!

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Le Kabosu : Variété de citron vert très populaire au Japon, et sur les tables des chefs français les plus ‘trendys’!

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Le Yuzu : Encore une agrume japonaise qui a la côte dans les cuisines françaises! Il faut avouer que ses notes de mandarine et de pamplemousse sont d’une puissance extrêmement intéressante, dès lors qu’elle est bien maîtrisée.

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L‘Orangequat : Un merveilleux compromis entre l’orange, le kumquat et … surprise, la mandarine! (A vous d’essayer de former un mot prononçable avec les trois d’un coup !)

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Le Limequat : Ici pas d’entourloupe, on est bien à mi-chemin entre le citron vert et le kumquat!

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Centennial Kumquat (ceux-là hélas, je n’ai pas eu l’occasion de les goûter !)

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Le Kalamansi : Le fameux cousin du citron, aux notes de fruits exotiques.

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Le Cédrat de Corse : Pas Corse! Mais il s’agit bien de la variété cultivée traditionnellement en Corse, en Sardaigne et en Sicile. On notera, si l’on veut avoir quelque chose à raconter, que le cédrat fait lui aussi partie de la famille des Rutacées (comme toutes les agrumes).

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Voilà. Je ne vous montrerai pas les 440 autres variétés, sous peine d’ulcère de l’estomac (!)

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Merci à Michel et Bénédicte Bachès, pour les merveilles qu’ils font pousser dans leur “jardin des Hespérides”…*

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* D’après certaines théories en effet, les pommes d’or du jardin des Hespérides n’étaient autres que des oranges… Toutefois, après ce que nous venons de voir, on est en droit de se demander si ce n’était pas plutôt des kalamansi, des dragons volants, ou autres rutacées ! - Le débat n’est toujours pas clos à l’université…

(en construction)

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Da che mondo e mondo  c’è sempre la prima volta per ogni cosa…

Quest’anno ho avuto l’onore e l’occasione di partecipare a fotovendemmia, evento annuale organizzato dalla Casa Vitivinicola Zonin presso le tenute del gruppo Zonin Vineyards.

Ho accettato ben volentieri l’invito a) perchè l’anno scorso per problemi lavorativi avevo rinunciato b) perchè amo la fotografia in ogni sua forma d’arte c) perchè da qualche tempo ho iniziato ad amare il vino e tutto ciò che gli sta attorno.

La prima cosa che ho notato all’arrivo, presso la Tenuta il Bosco, è stata la quiete del posto, un’atmosfera calma e rilassante  degna di una cantina, dove i vini giovani invecchiano con serenità e quelli vecchi si preparano ad essere stappati.

Una volta acclimatati, dopo 121 chilometri di viaggio in auto, abbiamo iniziato il nostro tour dal cuore pulsante dell’azienda. Lì dove tutto ha inizio, dove la materia prima può assaporare il soffio del vento tra le colline, dove può beneficiare dei raggi di Horus e nutrirsi dell’energia vitale. Lì dove professionisti del vino, supportati dalle tecnologie più all’avanguardia, possono trarre i frutti migliori che madre natura offre, un bel vigneto di Bonarda su superficie collinare di circa 54 Ha.

In seguito, abbiamo potuto assistere alle operazioni preliminari di produzione e stoccaggio e avuto l’onore di visitare la Cantina. Un mondo magico dove processi alchemici trasformano la materia prima in nettare divino.

Infine, una degustazione degli spumanti “Il Bosco” e “Philèo” , del bianco “Brera” e  del rosso “Pinot Nero Poggio Pelato” del 2005.  Quest’ultimo dal sapore molto ampio, morbido ricco e vivace.

Una giornata diversa dal solito, rilassante, piacevole e ricca di  novità e di sapori.

Per ulteriori informazioni:

Tenuta Il Bosco

i due post sul blog di Francesco Zonin:

articolo1 e articolo2

i miei scatti realizzati durante questa fantastica giornata:

fotovendemmia09 @ Tenuta il Bosco

Das lange Warten hat ein Ende! Nach unzähligen schlaflosen Nächten und heftigem ausbrüten des Rapperswiler Pfauenbieres, ist es am 10. Oktober endlich soweit und die ersten paar Fässer Pfauenbier stehen für euch am Start!

Ihr seid alle herzlich eingeladen vom neuen spritzigen Lagerbier aus Rapperswil zu probieren. Komm am Samstag den 10. Oktober beim Stadthofplatz 3, zur Metzgerei Nussbaumer vorbei und bring all deine Freunde mit!

Dauer des Anlasses: 11Uhr bis 18Uhr.

Artikel in der Zürichsee Zeitung

Fêtes des Vendanges de Montmartre 2009

Rendez-vous à Montmartre, du 7 au 11 octobre 2009, pour déguster des vins de pays et de terroirs, tout en dansant le bal-musette, dans un esprit très Paris vintage…

Le site Internet de l’événement : http://www.fetedesvendangesdemontmartre.com/

Prochain cours : Une idée des vins rouges, le 22 octobre à 19 heures.

Une soirée à la découverte du vin rouge ou nous aborderons les différents cépages, les appellations, les arômes du vin, les sensations en bouche,…

De nouveaux thèmes de cours arrivent bientôt !

 A birthday bite to remember at Oscillate Wildly, Newtown for Mr L and moi

 

Verdict

“Oscilatte Wildly” = two words. Upfront, our verdict in one word: brilliant.

Preamble ramble

I had read that Oscillate Wildly, the one hatted restaurant in Newtown was generally booked out for two months in advance, so I knew it was a long shot when I phoned last Wednesday hoping for a table. I spoke with Adrian, the friendly-voiced fellow on the other end of the phone and said “Hello Adrian, I know it’s an incredibly ridiculous long shot, but is there any chance at all that you might have a table for two available this Friday night?” The response was “No”, followed by “But we did have a cancellation a moment ago for a table for two. We do have two other couples on the wait list for that table, but I’ll phone them, then phone you back, okay?” Absolutely!

We exchanged numbers and I carried my phone with me all night in the hope my new friend Adrian would phone me back…

I heard nothing that night, so I phoned at about 9:30 the next morning. Listened to the answering machine tell me to phone between 3-6pm for bookings, and set my Outlook to remind me. At about 3:30 I phoned through and spoke with a lovely, equally friendly lady. I explained the conversation that I’d had with Adrian and she said “Well I’m sorry we didn’t get to phone you back last night. I’m still waiting on another lady to phone me back about the table for two, but let me just check on something….” (insert hold music here) She came back onto the phone and said “You know what? You seem so enthusiastic that I’m just going to give you the table, it’s your lucky day.” I gushed my thanks and we agreed that Mr L and I would arrive for an “early sitting” at 7pm.

I had a spring in my step from the moment I hung up the phone… I don’t know how I’d done it, but with a combination of luck and sheer enthusiasm, I’d sweet talked my way past a two month waiting list into a table at Osciallate Wildly for Mr L’s birthday. Brilliant!

On Friday afternoon, Mr L was extremely excited but had no concept of why… Our destination was a secret you see, which meant I was in charge of getting us to the restaurant on time.  Let it be noted that noone has ever accused me of being too punctual.  I figured we’d need about half an hour to get to the restaurant – and therefore needed to leave home at 6:30.  At about 6:40 we pulled out of the drive way.

Mr L had been requested to find directions to Australia St, Newtown, and given no other detail. I put my foot down on the accelerator and we fanged over the Harbour Bridge, through Glebe and to the back of Newtown. We were running late. It was my fault (as per usual) and, like David Bowie and Queen who were aptly playing on the radio, I was under pressure. My palms were sweating. I couldn’t let my restaurant friends down. Normally he would have been scalding with his criticism at a time like this, but given the circumstances, Mr L was providing calming encouragement. For that, and for his deft Google Maps operation, I was thankful.

Somehow, we managed to get from Neutral Bay to Australia Street, Newtown in about 17 minutes flat. That included the packed, peak hour traffic on the Harbour Bridge and sitting behind inconveniently sensible drivers slowly moving off Anzac Bridge! I must have really been driving fast. In any event, when we were pulling onto Parramatta Road, I figured I’d need to tell Mr L where we were going in case he needed to go in to meet my new friends while I parked the car.

I found a spot around the corner. Perfect. Now for the main game.

The main game

I sort of calmly walked a bit, then excitedly ran a bit to get to the restaurant. I was greeted by none other than Adrian, and then found Mr L sitting in the back, right hand corner of the restaurant. A glass of Squawking Magpie Sav Blanc was poured for me (yes, I had a glass of wine) and Mr L had a coopers in hand. We settled in for the fiesta.

Oscillate Wildly's 8 course degustation menu - well worth the price, and if you have one, the wait

First up – the bread rolls. Sour dough. Just right. Hot from the oven. Delicious. We had to remind ourselves that we had eight courses, so not to peak too early. Still – the rolls were gone before they even had a chance to announce their arrival. All that remained of them was a lingering fresh bread aroma.

Adrian arrived around the corner with elegant glass bowls filled with jerusalem artichoke soup, topped with walnut crumble. It was smooth and flavoursome. Just as a good soup should be. Down the hatch it went.

The second course was our favourite.  On the menu it’s simply called “scallops, picada, foie gras“.  Essentially, two perfectly seared, plump and juicy scallops sit on top of a perfect smear of foie gras, accompanied by a strip of crumbly, nutty praline-ish goodness (that was the picada.)  When the three elements sat on the palate at once, they reminded me of a Guilian praline.  Soft, creamy, delectable.  Microherbs sat amongst the picada.  The dish was a masterpiece.

I borrowed the following shot from Foraging Otaku. I felt weird taking photos in such an intimate restaurant, so I didn't get many shots. My thanks to Foraging Otaku who own the full copyright and have also written an excellent piece on Oscillate Wildly

The next course was described as “bantam egg, Ortiz anchovies, rye” on the menu.  Adrian told us that the “bantam” is a small chicken.  It is used in this dish because the egg is very rich and brings an extra volume  of flavour to the dish.  The egg is slow poached on a very low heat.  It was wobbly and I could tell that it would run like a proper poached egg should.  It sat on a bed of dark, rye noodles which were about the same size as thin hokkien noodles.  I don’t know where the anchovy lived within the meal – perhaps it was infused in the noodles?  Along the top of the egg ran a thick line of “parsely powder”, designed to intensify the flavour of the dish.  It did.  The dish was amazing – like nothing I’ve ever tasted.  Too hard to explain.  The textures and flavours mixed to make something I could not make sense of.  But I liked it, and I’d have it again!

A break in our programming to examine the situation…

We sat there waiting for our fourth course feeling a bit dazed.  I was starting to feel a bit like I was sitting in Willy Wonker’s Chocolate Factory and Daniel Puskas, the Head Chef was Willy Wonker.  I was Veruca Salt (the character, not the band) and I had just put something in my mouth which was created in a lab.  I couldn’t believe my palate.  But I had no concern that I was going to get sucked up a tube, or inflate and turn into a giant, round, purple beast.  I was excited to see what would come next.

Back to the game

Our next dish was described on the menu as “mulloway, fennel, speck, black sesame pearls“.  Mulloway is another name for jewfish.  I like jewfish.  I think to myself that I’m not really that keen on fennel.  I know I like speck.  The pearls intrigued me.  In we both went.  Seems I like fennel.  What’s more, I love the combination and I’m SO going to be crisping speck in the future!  The whole lot sits in a fennel veloute (fancy word for foam) it’s light, but satisfying.

Thanks again to Foraging Otaku - this is your pic of "mulloway, fennel, speck, black sesame pearls"

I know I’ve said a lot already and we’re only at course four, but I’m clearly excited about this experience!  I just want to tell you quickly that I asked about the black sesame pearls.  One mustn’t ask where to buy these things..  It seems one doesn’t go to a shop and buy a black sesame pearl.  One makes the pearls using some sort of roasted sesame extract which is eye droppered into poaching liquid (? – don’t quote me on that) and cooked at a certain temperature..  Eventually, someone clever within the Oscillate Wildly kitchen determines the pearls are ready, and the pearls are ready!  Amazing…  Remember what I said about the Chocolate Factory?

Dish five: “chicken, celeriac, puffed grains” – from above, the chicken looks to me like thick slices of bread roll, browned on top with roast sesames.  It’s sitting on a bed of charred grains and a celeriac puree.  I taste the grains first – they pique my interest.  I taste them again.  They taste like burnt popcorn, but they resemble something like dense, puffed rice in texture.  I think I love them.  I cut the chicken.  It’s so tender, but so perfect and round and so evenly and expertly cooked that I feel like it’s a trick.  The celeriac is a good plate fellow for the chicken and grains.  It works. 

Foraging Otaku's pic of "chicken, celeriac, puffed grains" - thanks again!

Break time…

We’re feeling a bit full and voice that to our hosts.  They tell us not to feel obliged to eat everything.  (Does not compute for me, but Mr L takes note.) 

We also notice that they slow down the service to give us a breather.  While we’re catching our breath, we notice a steady stream of diners arriving to fill up the tables around the restaurant.  We’d originally thought that they must do two sets of sittings per night, but after asking the lovely lady that also served us with Adrian (I’m so sorry – I wish I caught your name – you were so tremendous with us!) we determined that they just stagger the bookings throughout the evening, starting from 6pm and with the last table seated at 8pm to ensure diners get the best from their degustation dinner.

The pork

I broke the rule of not taking photos when the pork came out.   It just looked incredible on the plate.  Sitting to the left of the pork, and on top of the round kartoffel knodel (the round potato dumpling) were dehydrated cabbage leaves.  They looked so elegant on the plate, and quite despite my distinct lack of love for cabbage (aka “kale”), I wanted to eat them!  So I did – like the parsley powder previously, they were intensely flavoured, and we went on to discover that everything else on the plate was too.  The pork did not have crackling, which was a bit disappointing for a crackling lover like me, but the meat itself was bursting with flavour and had just enough fat on it to almost make up for the lack of crackling.  A salad accompanied the dish, which was helpful for breaking up the richness of the pork, cabbage and potato. 

The "pork, kartoffefel knodel, kale" dish - our sixth course.

The extra dish… if only we had the power, captain!

At this point, we were offered the option to take up an extra course – a platter of delicious sounding cheeses.  Knowing our (read “my”) propensity to overlook our capacity, we (read “Mr L strongly recommended that I”) took the adult approach and regretfully declined the offer of the extra dish.

 Deep breath… time for dessert. 

After a while our “calvados, custard, jasmine, pink lady” dessert dish (one of two!) arrived.  Sitting on top was a good dose of persian fairy floss which provided Mr L with comical inspiration that had me laughing my head off!  When I wasn’t watching, he picked up a piece of the fairy floss (who says one can’t play with one’s food on one’s 34th birthday?) and stuck it to his top lip.  He then impersonated Brad Pitt’s hillarious Italian pronounciation of “bongiorno” and “grazie” from Inglourious Basterds.  My raucous laughter didn’t raise an eyebrow, for by this stage, the restaurant was filled with diners maintaining a steady buzz of chatter and giggling.

Anyway – back to the dessert!  The combo was going to be interesting for the birthday boy does not love custard nor cooked fruit.  I looked on with baited breath.  Somehow, Willy Wonker worked his wonderous ways with this particular dessert and it got a big, smiling thumbs up from Mr L.  Hoorah! 

We had the finish line in sight.  We’d seen, tasted, touched, smelt, listened to and learnt so much.  We almost didn’t want it to end, but then we were getting oh so full, and bed was calling.  The final dessert was “pear, chocolate, celery sorbet” – sounds strange, I know.  Adrian told us that the trick with this one was to not try and separate the elements ”put some of everything in your mouth at once.”  His tip paid off – together, it worked.  Separately, the celery sorbet was intriguing, but a bit weird.  The ganache was made of 71% cocoa chocolate, so was bitter in taste  - but still moreish for a chocolate lover like me.  The round title at the bottom is poached pear.  Swimming around the outside of the pear are basil seeds.

By this stage, I’m not planning on asking if the basil seeds are actually seeds that come from a basil plant.  I don’t know if they do or not, but I don’t really care.  It all works, and again, I’m blown away by the brilliance of the unexpected group of flavours.

It wouldn’t be right for me to wrap up without telling you that Mr L had a great sticky with dessert.  I think it was Italian (?)  I had a sip, it matched perfectly with the first dessert.  Just like Adrian’s counterpart assured us it would.  Mr L was in heaven!

Coffee and tea is included in the cost of the $95 degustation.  I asked what kinds of teas they had and I was given a long list which appealed to my tea loving side.  I set out to get a black tea and ended up with some sort of burnt grain sencha.  I’ve been thinking about it ever since, and feel I might have to go back just for the tea

The low down

Oscillate Wildly is located at 275 Australia Street, Newtown (02 9517 4700) it is open from 6-10pm Tuesday to Saturday.  Phone way in advance if you’re looking to book for a special occasion. 

I believe they also hire out the entire restaurant, but you have to be willing to pay the equivalent of $95 x 28 (number of seats) + incidentals - ie. booze or corkage; tips; etc.  If it’s still there, maybe I’ll hire it for my 40th – hopefully it will still be as magical in eight years!

Thank you to Foraging Otaku for unknowingly allowing me to borrow your photos.  They are terrific and I love your blog post on this topic too!