Purée Georgette

Many long years ago, I had a chef instructor at the California Culinary Academy by the name of Lars Kronmark. Chef Lars’ kitchen was upstairs, and the restaurant it supported was a less formal, brasserie style of restaurant. Lars provided me with some of the very best recipes in my repertoire, including this, Purée Georgette. His memory aid for the name of the soup was that it shared a name with Jean Michel Jeudy’s wife, so, as a result, I invariably remember it as having been named after her, though the recipe dates to several centuries before dear Mdme. Jeudy. What makes this soup stand apart from the typical Escoffier lexicon of soups is that it is thickened with croutons. This is an ancient technique contrived to use up stale bits of bread rather than waste it. Like all great high cuisine, it began in the hands of the peasants.

I have long since lost Lars’ recipe, but this version from James Peterson’ wonderful book is very similar if not identical. Make a big pot of this on a cool spring night when the artichokes are still fresh, and you will want for nothing.

Purée Georgette

 From Glorious French Food: A Fresh Approach to the Classics by James Peterson

One of the great things about this soup is that it captures all the flavor of artichokes but it’s effortless to eat. And unlike a lot of French artichoke dishes that involve turning artichokes, thereby wasting the leaves, for this recipe you use almost the whole artichoke and strain out anything that’s tough or fibrous. Most recipes have you rubbing the raw artichokes with lemon to prevent them from turning dark, but if you really want artichokes that are pale green with no gray patches, you need to marinate the cooked artichokes overnight with a little lemon juice to bleach them.

Ingredients

• 6 medium-size or 4 large artichokes (about 25 pounds [1.1 kg] total weight) Transcriber’s Note: This is an obvious proofreading error on the part of the original publisher. 1.1 kg amounts to about 2.5 lbs., not 25 lbs. I just go with 4 big ones, or 6 smallish ones and call it square.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 slices firm-textured white bread, such as Pepperidge Farm
• 4 tablespoons butter
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 4 cups [1 l] cold chicken broth (page 209)
• ½ cup [125 ml] heavy cream
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

Cut the top one-third off each artichoke and discard. Cut off the stems and reserve. Trim off and discard the outermost leaves by rotating each artichoke against a sharp paring knife or by just pulling away the leaves. Cut the artichokes vertically in quarters and peel the outermost fiber from the stems. Simmer the artichokes and stems in a non-aluminum pot with plenty of water to cover and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Put a plate on the artichokes to keep them from bobbing up.

Cut the crusts off the bread, cut the slices into quarters, and cook the quarters in the butter in a sauté pan, over medium heat, turning once, until the bread is golden brown on both sides.

When the artichokes and stems are easily penetrated with a knife, after about 25 minutes, drain in a colander and toss with the lemon juice and the remaining olive oil.

Purée the artichokes and stems in a blender with the toasted bread and 3 cups of the cold chicken broth for about 1 minute. Start on slow speed and gradually increase the speed to high. Work the purée through a food mill or work it through a coarse strainer with the back of a ladle. Strain a second time, ideally through a fine-mesh strainer. Combine the purée with the rest of the broth and the heavy cream. Bring to a simmer just before serving and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Variation: Escoffier has a version of artichoke soup that includes hazelnut oil. I sometimes dribble a little hazelnut oil (made from toasted nuts) on each serving.

Filipino Fajitas with Home Made Rice Wraps

Our old friend and collegue, the brilliant Chef Wayne Despues, provided this week's recipe to Greg's Kitchen Shelf. Keep an eye out for his forthcoming FoodieTube videos! Many links will be provided on Brass Chef when they start coming out. In the meantime, here is a teaser that will keep your palette pleased in the interim!

Serves 4 - 6

Rice Wraps:

2 cups                  Flour

1 cup                    Rice Flour

¾ cup                   Tapioca Flour or Corn Starch

2 ea                      Eggs

2 tsp                     Sea Salt

4-1/2 cups           Water

½ cup                   Oil

Mix all together; the consistency should be as a runny/loose pancake batter. Best cooked results are with a non-stick flat skillet is used. Spray vegetable oil to a medium pre-heated pan, pour in approx. 2 oz of batter mix into the pan, i.e. Just like you are making crepes. Cook for approx. 45 to 55 seconds; one side only. Stack cooked rice-crepe after they are cooled. Cover with a lightly moisten towel to prevent drying out.

Filling:

4 pkgs                  “Orientex” Brand Beef Tapa, grilled then Julianne

2 ea                      Japanese Eggplant, Julianne

2 ea                      Green bell pepper, Julianne

1 ea                      Red Onion, Julianne

1 lb                       Chinese Long Beans, 2 inch cut

1 lb                       Bean Sprouts, cleaned

½ cup                   Soy Sauce

2 Tbs                    Olive oil

1 Tbs                    Garlic, Chopped

½ bun                  Cilantro, Chopped

3 pkgs                  “Manila Gold” Brand Pure Calamansi Juice

In a large pre-heated sauté pan, Griddle the beef tapa; do not over crowed the pan; cook in batches. When beef are done, slice into strips and set aside.

Add in the oil, garlic, bell peppers, onions, long beans and sauté on med-high heat for 3-4 mins. Then add in the sprouts, soy sauce and cilantro and sauté for an additional 60 seconds, then add in the sliced beef and Calamansi juice. Stir and serve into each home made rice wrapper.

Bon Appetite

Masarap!!!

Book Review: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
Jennifer Dorland Darling, ed.
Ring Bound, 608 pages
Publisher: Wiley (August 23, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0470556862
Rating (1 to 5 *): ***

I love cook books. I grew up in a house full of them. My sainted mother collected them and I do too. Many in my collection are mainly for reading – representatives of a distant past. Yes, I do cook from one or another periodically, but, for the most part, they are for my amusement. Then there are the cook books that are filthy and dog-eared. Cook books that get pulled off the shelf three times a week to look up little things. Cook books that get used. In Mom’s kitchen a red and white plaid 1940s edition of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book was the go-to guide on all things. I know, others prefer the tonier Joy of Cooking or Betty Crocker, but I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the simple three-ring binder that was the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book.

Now in its 12th edition since 1930, it still has the feel of the old one. The price? Phenomenal. See, some smart cookie over at Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) came up with the sweet marketing idea of producing a Bridal Edition and a Breast Cancer Awareness Edition as well as the normally fairly expensive standard edition. The price tag is typically around $29.95. Imagine my joy when I found a slightly smaller format version on the bargain book table at Border’s for $12.95! I could not pass it up.

The ring-bound format serves a couple of functions. Originally, BHG magazine printed recipe pages that you could add to your cook book, if you so desired. I do not know if they still do so, but it is not something that particularly interests me. Secondly, and more importantly, the book lies perfectly flat and open on the kitchen counter. This is huge. When you are referring to a cake recipe, for example, you can double and triple check proportions without having to find the recipe every time because the book flipped pages whilst you were mixing.

The content of the 12th edition seems familiar, and much of it is, but it has changed a good deal since Mom’s edition. I do not have the old one in hand to spot check, but I do recall the mulled cider recipe from the old version had a bit of orange and lemon juice added at the end, and the new version does not have that. On the other hand, the new book does seem to consider health benefits a bit more than the old one did, including nutritional information on each recipe with fat and calories included. No, it is not a diet book, but it has the ready information to integrate into your healthy eating plan.

The recipes are fun, but the real value of this book is the reference material. There are equivalency charts for converting measurements, discussions of the characteristics of different slow cookers and microwaves and the basics of grilling. No, this is not the Bible of classic cuisine, but it is a handy reference for just about anyone. The original BHG Cook Book was aimed at depression era housewives who learned a bit of cooking from their mothers, then were sent out to raise families of six on a shoestring budget. The new book has evolved from that, but it still has that practical backbone. I am sorry to say that it has lost something in abandoning some of the depression era recipes, but it has likely broadened its market. This is not a book that was created for the Food Network era, but it has made strides towards embracing that audience whilst not leaving its originally intended audience behind.

Would I snag this at full price? Probably not. Off the bargain table, however, it is not to be missed!

From the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, p. 339

Winter Pot Roast

Prep: 30 minutes  Cook: 2 hours  Makes: 6 to 8 servings

1 2 ½ to 3 pound boneless beef chuck arm or shoulder pot roast
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 14 ounce can beef broth
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon peel
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 to 8 medium carrots and/or parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 cup pitted dried plums (prunes), halved
½ cup dried apricots, halved
1/3 cup cold water
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 to 4 cups hot cooked noodles

1.    Trim fat from meat. In a 4 to 6 quart Dutch oven brown meat in hot oil. Combine broth, lemon peel, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over meat. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 ½ hours.

2.    Add carrots, onion, plums, and apricots. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 30 to 40 minutes more or until meat is tender. Transfer meat, vegetables and fruit to a platter, reserving juices in Dutch oven; keep warm.

3.    For gravy, measure juices; skim fat. If necessary, add enough water to juices to equal 2 ½ cups. Return to Dutch oven. Stir cold water into flour until smooth. Stir into juices. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Season to taste. Serve with meat, vegetables, fruit, and noodles.

Oven Directions: Trim fat from meat. Brown roast as directed above. Combine the broth, lemon peel, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over roast. Bake, covered, in a 325°F oven for 1 ½ hours. Add carrots, onion, plums, and apricots. Cover and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until tender. Transfer meat, vegetables, and fruit to a platter, reserving juices; keep warm. Prepare gravy in a saucepan and serve as directed above.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 604 cal., 23g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 140 mg chol., 476 mg sodium, 58 g carbo., 7 g fiber, 42 g pro.
Daily values: 335% vit. A, 15% vit. C, 8% calcium, 41% iron
Exchanges: 1 Vegetable, 1 ½ Fruit, 2 Starch, 5 Lean Meat, 1 Fat

Book Review: The New Sonoma Diet

The New Sonoma Diet: Trimmer Waist, More Energy in Just 10 Days

By Dr. Connie Guttersen RD, PhD

Hardcover, 400 pages

Publisher: Sterling; 1 edition (January 4, 2011)

ISBN-10: 1402781186

Rating (1 to 5 *): *****

I have said it before, and it bears repeating, I despise diet books. They are hideous things aimed at people who hate the food they eat and who hate themselves for eating it.  I love food and I do not need to reprioritize food in my life. At its best food is art, and I am a connoisseur. The food recommended by diets is horrid, contrived to make dieters despise the food that they eat. It is not for me. But The New Sonoma Diet is different.

Much of the overweight problem in the United States today is directly related to the view of food as nothing more than fuel. Many of us do not consider the labor and love that went into making what we eat, we view it simply as coal to be shoveled into our furnaces. The diet subculture does not change this view – quite to the contrary, it reinforces it, then tells us how wicked we are for shoveling in too much fuel. In order to accommodate the need to moderate that fuel intake, they (the smart money-makers in the diet marketing industry) provide pre-packaged frozen foods, akin to the Swanson Hungry-Man meals that we have supposedly been glutting ourselves with up to now. 

The New Sonoma Diet does not do that. As discussed before, much of the Sonoma Diet concept has to do with fresh, seasonal food, prepared with love and care. It is the new and expanded version of The Sonoma Diet Plan, reviewed here about a year ago, despite the title, this is not a “diet” book in the traditional sense. This is a book about healthy eating, aimed at devout foodies. This book is for people who love to eat and love to cook. In fact, if the original Sonoma Diet Plan had any failing it was that you really had to plan your meals. There were no shortcuts – everything was about fresh produce and high quality proteins and taking the time to cook them. Lunch on day two depended upon having leftover grilled flank steak from day one, and you had to keep a healthy stock of fresh herbs on hand.

I, for one, love to cook, but I have lots to do in my life and often do not have the time to stand in the kitchen for an hour preparing good quality fresh food, so my darling wife and I often fudged, applying the principles of The Sonoma Diet, but not getting the variety of produce that Dr. Guttersen recommends.

The New Sonoma Diet has solved this problem. The diet is unchanged, and the principles remain the same as in the earlier work, but now, in addition to the wonderful recipes and menus from the original book, there is a selection of more convenient and easy to use recipes. She has also expanded on her section of valuable power foods. Ultimately, The New Sonoma Diet is not so much a recipe book, though there are a number of excellent recipes included in it, as it is a book on how to eat. It leverages the wisdom of Mediterranean eating habits, and applies them to the modern American eater. To benefit from this book, you do not need to eat her Nectarine, Arugula and Goat Cheese Salad (p. 286), though you may be sorely tempted, but you simply need to understand how to balance your plate, what to eat a quantity of, and when to stop. This is not a diet that relies on denial. Quite the contrary, when using Dr. Guttersen’s recipes and her recommended menus, my wife and I never felt hungry or deprived.

The tag-line on this book describes it the best: “A Simple, Healthy, More Delicious Way to Live.” And it truly is a way to live. So get out to the farmers’ market and have a field day, then come home and eat like a king! You will feel better immediately.

Spanish Roast Pork Tenderloin with Chickpeas and Spinach

The New Sonoma Diet, p. 260

Start to Finish: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound pork tenderloin in Spanish Marinade (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup onions, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1 ½ teaspoons Spanish paprika

1 can chickpeas, drained; reserve liquid

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half or chopped tomatoes

4 cups baby spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and pork tenderloin. Cook until lightly browned. Turn tenderloin over and move to the side of the pan.
3. Add onions to the side of the pan where the pork had browned. Add 1 tablespoon of the bean liquid. Add garlic and paprika to the onions and stir. Let pork continue to brown. Once brown, remove pork from pan. Add chickpeas to onions; stir to coat. Place pork on top of chickpeas and place in hot oven. Roast for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the pork is 143° F (turn at 8 minutes).
4.  Remove pork from pan and let rest in a warm spot. Sprinkle cherry tomatoes on top of chickpeas. Place in oven and roast for 10 minutes until slightly dried. Stir in the spinach and 1 tablespoon chickpea liquid. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Slice pork ¼ inch thick on the bias.
5. To serve, place 1 cup of chickpea mixture on the plate and top with 4 ounces of sliced pork.

Nutritional Facts per Serving: 450 calories, 35 g protein, 19 g fat (3.5 g saturated fat), 39 g carbohydrate, 11 g fiber, 60 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 6 glycemic load)

Spanish Marinade for Pork Loin or Chicken Breasts

The New Sonoma Diet, p. 179

1 teaspoon garlic, mashed to a paste

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon ground cumin, roasted

¼ teaspoon ground coriander, roasted

1 teaspoon Spanish paprika, smoked or plain

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice and zest

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix ingredients together
2. Place in a leakproof container or resealable bag, such as a Ziploc bag. Add pork or chicken. Let sit for 15 minutes to overnight. Grill or sauté the meat.

Book Review: The Plank Grilling Cookbook

The Plank Grilling Cookbook

By Dina Guillen, M. Everly, Michelle Lowrey and G. Bernsdorff

Paperback, 192 Pages

Publisher: Sasquatch Books (March 17, 2006)

ISBN-10: 1570614741

Rating (1 to 5 *) *****

The Plank Grilling Cookbook is a very special and unique addition to the Kitchen Shelf. Among the numerous advantages of living in the paradise that is Northern California is that the backyard barbecue season never ends! Sure, we have a few days of rain now and again, but the weather bounces back and we are right back in barbecue weather. This is why we all either have or covet sprawling outdoor kitchens and dining areas! And for this reason it is not only acceptable but it is practically required that I call your attention to a book that will bring you the true joy of your outdoor kitchen (or you Webber Kettle) throughout the year. So I present to you the Plank Grilling Cookbook!

Plank cooking is not a new idea. I have a favorite recipe for a planked Porterhouse that dates from the 1930s. Furthermore, high priced grilling planks have been available through high-end, specialty cooking stores for many years. The sad part, however, was that most of the guidance that you got for using those planks was in the single page brochure that came shrink-wrapped with them. 

The Plank Grilling Cookbook to the rescue! This is a wonderful work by the same ladies who brought you Cooking Club, reviewed earlier in this blog. Like Cooking Club, The Plank Grilling Cookbook is a work of passion, written by talented amateurs who really know how food goes together. Because this is not written by a staff of French chefs, the recipes are very approachable, and because it is written by consummate foodies, the recipes are excellent!

The recipe that every set of planks came with was for planked salmon, and for good reason: salmon plays excellently well with cedar smoke. In fact, when the planks were first hitting the market a decade ago, I even saw one set of them labeled as “Salmon Planks”. 

But there is so much more that you can do with wood planks on the grill, and that is what the Cooking Club ladies demonstrate in The Plank Grilling Cookbook.

From The Plank Grilling Cookbook, p. 56

Lamb and Potato Kebabs

6 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

1 pound boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 16 one-inch cubes

6 small red potatoes, halved

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, cut into wedges

4 skewers

Soak plank according to instructions on page xix.

To make the marinade, combine the garlic, onion, wine, vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and lemon juice in a large resealable plastic bag. Add lamb to bag, seal, and marinate in refrigerator for 2 to 12 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Remove lamb from bag and discard marinade. Put lamb in a large bowl and set aside. Put potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until barely tender. Drain and set aside.

Add lemon zest, rosemary, cumin, salt, and pepper to lamb. Toss gently to coat. Thread lamb, potato halves, and onion wedges alternately onto skewers.

Prepare plank for grilling according to instructions on page xx. Place kebabs on plank. Close lid and grill for 4 minutes on each side, or until lamb reaches desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings

Book Review: The Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout

The Nero Wolfe Cookbook by Rex Stout and the editors of Viking Press
Hardcover: 215 pages
Publisher: Amereon Ltd (June 10, 1987)
ISBN-10: 1848800575
Rating (1 to 5*): ***

Nero Wolfe is probably the greatest foodie in all of crime fiction. His collection of adventures will be handled in another post, but suffice to say that the novels that feature the rotund detective are filled with fine meals. The meals range from midnight snacks for late working associates to grand spa feasts for convocations of gourmand icons. The reader is assured of some fine quality and well educated food discussion in every novel and just about every short story too.

The reason for the high quality dining sequences is because Rex Stout, the creator of Nero Wolfe, was an authentic gourmet himself. He loved good food. Every dish described in the Nero Wolfe stories is genuine and authentic. And so The Nero Wolfe Cookbook was born. Though the back of my paperback edition claims, "Real recipes from America's greatest fictional detective," in the introduction Rex Stout says that he is responsible for none of the book's content with the exception of the excerpts from the stories that are included before most of the recipes. The full byline on the cover says, "Rex Stout and the editors of Viking Press," and Stout gives the credit for the recipes to Barbara Burn. In fact, most of the recipes included are very classical French and French style recipes. In the novels, the bulk of the cooking is credited to Fritz Brenner, Wolfe's French-Swiss chef, so the recipes are deeply rooted in the European tradition.

The recipes in this little work are not particularly original, and most of them may be found elsewhere. A modicum of cooking technique is a valuable skill in attempting the more difficult of these, but none of them are beyond the skill of a decent home cook. The Nero Wolfe Cookbook was first published in 1973, and it spans an era of Nero Wolfe mysteries that begin in 1934 and were still being written when this work was published, so many of the recipes are of an older style, and some may find that they appeal to older tastes. There is a good deal of cream and butter in here, and rich sauces and ingredients abound.

There are a couple of editions of The Nero Wolfe Cookbook currently available, though I suspect that the Cumberland House trade paperback that I have is out of print. It is an exceptionally nice edition because it is rich with black and white photographs of New York throughout the Nero Wolfe era, including architecture and restaurants from the 1930s. That adds a good deal of personality to this edition, and it draws readers into the world of Nero and Archie. The edition that is currently available is a great looking period style hardback that I rather covet, but it does not have the great photographs.

From The Nero Wolfe Cookbook [Cumberland House, trade paperback edition], p. 189

Roast Duck Mr. Richards

The roast was young duck Mr. Richards, by Marko Vukcic. This was one of Wolfe's favorites, and I was well acquainted with the Fritz Brenner-Nero Wolfe version of it. [Attributed to the fictional character, Archie Goodwin]


1 large duck, 4 ½ to 5 pounds
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 sprigs parsley
½ teaspoon salt
Few grains cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup strong chicken broth
½ teaspoon fresh tarragon (or ¼ teaspoon dried leaves)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
½ teaspoon fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried leaves)
¼ cup cognac

Preheat oven to 500°. Remove giblets and liver from the duck, and chop with the shallots and parsley sprigs. Season with a little salt and cayenne, and put back into the duck, which has been well cleaned and rubbed with salt and black pepper. Truss carefully, pricking the skin in several places, and lay on a rack in a roasting pan in the very hot oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 400°, and continue cooking until the duckling is done, 70 to 80 minutes, and basting occasionally with the chicken broth, which has been seasoned with tarragon, parsley and thyme and from which the herbs have been strained. Also baste with the pan juice. There should be at least ½ cup or more of basting and duck juices in the roasting pan when the duck is done. Arrange the cooked duck on a hot platter, pour a little warmed cognac over it and set fire to it. As the flames die down, pour over it the pan juices, from which you have skimmed the fat. Carve at once. (Serves 4)

Book Review: Cooking Club by Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey

Cooking Club: Great Ideas & Delicious Recipes for Fabulous Get-Togethers by Dina Guillen (Author) and Michelle Lowrey (Author)
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Sasquatch Books (May 5, 2009)
ISBN-10: 1570615608
Rating (1 to 5*): *****


Review

As my good friend, the brilliant chef Brian Quinn, says, "The fundamental ingredient in any recipe is love." In every way, that is the truest thing I know about cooking. And eating. It is reflected in the care and consideration put into cooking, obsession with only the best quality ingredients and with the interaction that we have with our friends and loved ones over the dining table. The breaking of bread is a fundamental concept of Christianity, but, conceptually, it predates Christianity and may well go back to the earliest times.

These ideas are entirely lost in this go-go fast food era. There is no love in a Big Mac.

These ideas are not, however, lost on Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey. In their book, Cooking Club, they offer not merely a collection of recipes. Recipes are certainly here: excellent recipes in a broad range of difficulty and complexity from the very simple to the seriously advanced. But that is not what Cooking Club is about. This book tells the story of the founding of their cooking club, a group of friends who meet regularly and cook and dine. They gather about the table at one of their homes or at a destination, and they eat and drink together, sharing the joy and laughter, wonderful food and friendship. This is what the art of cuisine is all about.

I was lucky enough to do a brief interview with Dina and Michele about a year ago for Style Magazine in Folsom, California. The joy that these two ladies share is evident. To borrow an image from The Unsinkable Molly Brown, life is their buffet, and they eat in big bites! This is the kind of book that excites the reader, in this case, to entertain. After reading through, I wanted nothing more than to have all my friends over for a feast.

Buy this book. It is an absolute treasure. If you are very lucky, it will help you to found your own cooking club, and set you on your way to a life of joyful dining.

From Cooking Club, p. 92

Grilled Artichokes with Herb Vinaigrette
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

8 large artichokes
1 lemon, cut in half
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon salt
_____________________________
1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup palsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method

To prepare the artichokes, cut the stem flush with the base, and cut off the tight top leaves to remove the prickly tips. With a pair of scissors, trim each side leaf to remove the prickles. Rub the cut parts of the artichokes with the lemon as you work to prevent discoloration.

Put the artichokes in a large pot and add cold water to cover. Add the 1/4 cup of salt to the water, then weigh the artichokes down with a heavy dish or bowl. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a paring knife easily pierces the heart of an artichoke. Drain the artichokes upside down and allow them to cool. Cut the cooled artichokes into quarters and scoop out the choke with a spoon. Set the artichokes aside.

To make the herb vinaigrette, combine the oil, vinegar, basil, parsley, garlic, pepper and the remaining teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the artichole quarters and toss to coat. Let the artichokes marinate for 1 hour.

Prepare and heat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove the artichokes from the bowl, reserving the vinaigrette. Grill the artichokes until they are lightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange them on a platter, and pour the reserved herb vinaigrette over the artichokes.

UPDATE: Dina and Michelle will be signing copies of Cooking Club and their first book, The Plank Grilling Cookbook on  Saturday, August 21, 2010 at Borders Books in Folsom, California. If you are in the neighborhood, please come by and visit!

Book Review: Le Guide Culinaire by Georges Auguste Escoffier

Review
Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery [Hardcover] by H.L. Cracknell (Translator), R.J. Kaufmann (Translator)
Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 15, 1983)
ISBN-10: 0471290165
Rating (1 to 5*): ****

The bane of every cooking school student, Le Guide Culinaire  is the aptly named textbook for all who aspire to greatness in the kitchen. I have known chefs who say, with a sense of casual aplomb, that they disposed of their copy the day that they graduated cooking school, and others who claim that they have not seen their copy for years, but that does not raise my estimation of them. For this guide to cooking encapsulates all of what we consider "classical French cuisine".
I will grant that we no longer have need for butter laden sauces on everything we eat, and the animal fat content of many of these recipes is not in line with our current lives, and that limits some of its applicability to our era, but the codification of the greatest cuisine in the world more than makes up for this shortfall.

Le Guide was first published in 1903. It went through some updates until the iconic 1921 edition came out. It only took 76 years for the 1921 edition to be translated into English, though outtakes and summaries have been available longer. The edition that is generally embraced by cooking schools is the Cracknell & Kaufman translation, which is a wonderful work in itself. It is a bit cost restrictive, but, when it comes to the apex of the art of fine cuisine, what is money? The binding is fairly heavy, to withstand years of steady use in the kitchen, the print is clear and the margins are suitably wide for rich annotation by the owner.

If you really want to know how to build a Fond Blanc de Veau or a Glace de Viande, this is the indisputable source. You may find simplified methods elsewhere, but if you want the authentic article, Le Guide is where you go.

Le Répertoire de La Cuisine: A Guide to Fine Foods [Hardcover] by Louis Saulnier
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (December 31, 1977)
ISBN-10: 0812051084
Rating (1 to 5*): ***

One of the extraordinary things about Le Guide Culinaire is the fact that there is a simplification of it available in the form of Le Répertoire de La Cuisine. If Le Guide is aimed at serious cooks who know the craft before attempting the recipes therein, Le Répertoire is aimed at the very experienced cook. This book uses the same numeration of recipes that Le Guide does, and it gives ingredient lists, but no proportions and no methods. It is an all-encompassing memory aide for the cook who really knows how to make the recipes, but who cannot remember the 5012 ingredient lists in the book. I have seen this amazing little book, dog-eared and oil stained, in the tool boxes and knife rolls of cooks at nearly every restaurant where I have worked. This is a truly indispensable tool for the professional, and it is a handy accessory for the experienced home cook as well.

Le Guide Culinaire: Do you need it? Probably not. If you are a devout foodie, you will enjoy reading it and you are bound to learn much from it. No, we do not eat the fantastically ornamental foods of the turn of the 20th century anymore, but for that very special dinner, if you produce some element from Escoffier's repertoire, you will firmly establish yourself as the king or queen of your local food circle.

The dish that follows is not in Le Guide Culinaire, as such. The sauce, however, is. It is recipe number 112, Sauce Currie à l'Indienne – Curry Sauce (Indian Style). Bear in mind, this book was written before the era of readily available international cuisine. Escoffier was adapting traditional Indian curry recipes for the tastes of his primarily British patronage. I am a curry aficionado, and this one, though inauthentic, fills a niche among my favorites. This is a curry for when you want to impress the in-laws. If you have any curry haters in your acquaintanceship, serve them this and they will be well on their way to getting over it. Escoffier recommends that this sauce be served with fish, shellfish, poultry and egg dishes. Because of its strong flavor, I am a huge fan of it served with grilled chicken. Serve with a good quality chutney and pilaf and a cold rosé wine, such as a Sancerre. Summertime eating never had it so good.

Poulet a la Currie à l'Indienne

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 chickens
• 1/2 oz. good quality butter (such as Kerrygold or other European style butter)
• 2 1/4 oz. finely sliced onion
• Bouquet garni of parsley stalks, thyme, ½ bayleaf, mace and cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder, or more to taste
• 1 cup, coconut milk
• 1 cup, rich chicken stock
• 1/4 cup, heavy cream
• Fresh lemon juice

Method:

Butcher the chickens into quarters, leg and thigh and boneless breast and wing. Remove the bones from the thighs and remove the end portions of the wings, leaving the drumettes attached to the boneless breasts. Season with salt and pepper and put aside.

Prepare a grill for the chicken.

To make the sauce:

Heat butter in a saucier or sauté pan; add onion and bouquet garni; cook together without color until the onion is translucent and the herbs and spices are fragrant.

Sprinkle with curry powder and moisten with coconut milk and chicken stock. Simmer together, very gently, for 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve and finish with cream and a few drops of lemon juice.

Cook the chicken:

Grill the chicken. Cook skin side down over high heat, monitoring carefully. You want strong grill marks and a touch of char, but you do not want it to burn. Turn the chicken to the cooler side of the grill and cover, allowing to cook to an internal temperature of 170°F on the breasts and 175°F on the thighs.

To serve:

On each plate, put down a base of a good pilaf. If it has a sweet element, such as a touch of fruit, that marries excellently with this sauce. Place a breast/wing and a leg/thigh just below the pilaf, crossing the bones over the rice. Ladle 2 ounces of the sauce over the thigh and breast section, allowing it to pool beneath. Finish with a sprinkling of chopped flat leaf parsley, if desired.

Notes: 1) This recipe calls for chicken stock because we are serving it with chicken. It may be made as effectively with fish stock, veal stock or lamb stock to marry it with the dish being served. If serving the sauce with a variety of meats or with eggs, veal stock is the most neutral. 2) Coconut milk may be manufactured by soaking 1 ½ lbs. of grated fresh coconut in a pint of lukewarm milk, then strain through cheesecloth. If coconut is unavailable, this may be done using chopped almonds as well.

Book Review: The Sonoma Diet by Dr. Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D.

The Sonoma Diet: Trimmer Waist, Better Health in Just 10 Days [Hardcover] by Connie Guttersen (Author), Stephanie Karpinske (Editor)
Publisher: Meredith Books (December 27, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0641975678
Rating (1 to 5*): ****

I have dealt with a significant tendency toward overweight for all of my life. This comes from my personal burden of loving food mated with my fundamental laziness. Now, as it happens, my darling wife also loves food, but she is a dynamo, and she tends to work excess calories off readily. In addition to that, through the years, she has tried a variety of diets and life-plans that are conducive to losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight. But I hate diets. I do not like the frozen diet foods and the fodder that diet books try to convince you to eat – I am a foodie! I really want good quality food.

Worse than the diets are the "healthy living plans" that forbid all things delicious. They instruct that you should become accustomed to eating construction paper and that all things tempting and delicious are for short-lived fatties. They do wisely recommend vigorous activity on a regular basis, but the eating aspect is hellish.

So, one day, at one of these travelling book fairs, on the bottom shelf of the cookbook rack I spotted a book called The Sonoma Diet. Since I am a fan of all things associated with the lyrically beautiful Sonoma County, and since I also love to ridicule diet books, I picked it up to give it a quick once-over. In perusing its pages I found that much of it is based on the very reputable South Beach Diet, which is, in turn, heavily influenced by the Mediterranean Diet Plan. OK, so far, so good. The South Beach Diet, whilst much of the food is convenience oriented, is a well balanced approach to eating for life – it does not deny much of anything. Like the Mediterranean Diet Plan, it is more about finding balance in what you eat, and less about cutting things out, with the notable exception of garbage. There is no room in any of these plans for much of anything made by Hostess, but that is alright by me.

Then I got to the recipe section of the book. The diet and the recipes are laid out in three phases – Wave 1 is the acclimation portion of the diet, Wave 2 is for continued weight loss, and Wave 3 is the way to balance food for your life. If you fall off the wagon for a bit – go on a cruise or opt for the butter poached lobster at The French Laundry (and who wouldn't?) – it is easy to back off to an earlier wave to drop a few, or a number of, pounds, and you are back on track.

And the recipes are fantastic. Everything in Dr. Guttersen's book is about fresh ingredients. We really leverage our local farmers' markets heavily to acquire the fresh and ripe vegetables, fruits and herbs that we eat in this diet. Since we live in the northern end of the beautiful Sacramento Valley in California, we are blessed with fresh local fruits and vegetables no less than ten months per year.

The fantastic food is, however, both the best thing about this diet and the stumbling block that some dieters may find with it. Since real cooking is involved, much of the food requires preparation of fresh ingredients and, as such, it may be more time consuming than many wish to, or can, devote to preparation. The way menus for Phases 1 and 2 are written, however, is such that much of the prep for two or three days may be done at once. Additionally, there are times when leftovers from the previous day's dinner are used in the next day's lunch. For example, on one day we had marinated flank steak for dinner, and the following day we had steak & blue cheese wraps using the leftover steak.

I do not always like Dr. Guttersen's recommendations. Omelets, for example, are a staple of The Sonoma Diet in all three waves, which is great – I love omelets. She, however, wants them to be cooked in extra virgin olive oil, and in my view, that undermines much of the joy of a good omelet. I would use extra virgin olive oil as a first choice substitute for whole butter, but, because of the temperatures at which omelets are cooked and because of how wonderfully butter and eggs mate, I really like to cook my omelets in butter. I understand the virtues of olive oil, and the generally exaggerated evils of good quality butter, but that does not matter. I want butter with my eggs.

The good doctor, however, is looking after my health, so I adhere to her rules. And, despite that fact, on this diet I have no significant cravings. Yes, periodically I jones for a Porterhouse cooked rare over charcoal and seasoned with freshly cracked black Tellicherry peppercorns, a generous pinch of fleur de sel and lemon wedges, a side of Johnny Schmitt's Potatoes au Gratin and maybe a scoopful of the roasted carrots and onions the way that they do them at Izzy's; but I crave that stuff when I am normally eating badly.

If I give into those temptations now and then, that is alright – as a wise man once said, "It's not what you eat on Sundays that makes you fat. It's what you eat every day that makes you fat." This diet is an amazingly good way to eat every day. It is appealing to people who love good fresh food and who love to cook, but who need to watch their food intake.

Here is an example of one of our Wave 1 friendly recipes from The Sonoma Diet, p. 180: 

 Beef and Mushroom Kabobs 

Prep: 25 minutes Marinate: 30 minutes to 1 hour Grill: 8 minutes Makes: 6 servings 

• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 teaspoon minced)
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin or boneless sirloin, cut into 1 inch pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms
• 12 cherry tomatoes

1. For marinade, in a medium bowl combine vinegar, oil, the water, shallot, oregano, thyme, garlic, the ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and the ½ teaspoon pepper. 
2. Season meat with additional kosher salt and pepper. Place meat in a self-sealing plastic bag set in a shallow dish. Pour half of the marinade over the meat. (Reserve remaining marinade for vegetables.) Seal bag; turn to coat meat. Marinate meat in refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour, turning bag occasionally. 
3. Place mushrooms and cherry tomatoes in another self-sealing plastic bag and set in a shallow dish. Pour remaining marinade over vegetables. Seal bag; turn to coat vegetables. Marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes. 
4. Drain meat and vegetables, discarding marinade. On twelve 10-inch skewers*, alternately thread beef, mushrooms and tomatoes, leaving a ¼-inch space between pieces.
5. For a charcoal grill, place kebobs on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Grill until desired doneness, turning kabobs once halfway through grilling. Allow 8 to 12 minutes for medium-rare doneness (145°F) or 12 to 15 minutes for medium doneness (160°F). (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place kabobs on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.) 

 Nutrition Facts per serving: 220 cal., 11 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 70 mg chol., 177 mg sodium, 4 g carbo., 1 g fiber, 25 g pro.*Note: If using wooden skewers, soak them in water at least 1 hour before using.
Broiler method: Place kabobs on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat until desired doneness. Allow 8 to 12 minutes for medium-rare doneness (145°F) or 12 to 15 minutes for medium doneness (160°F), turning once halfway through broiling. 

When we do this recipe, I opt for the tenderloin. This goes against my natural inclination when it comes to kabobs, as they are traditionally a peasant food, but this is so delicious with tenderloin that I just cannot resist. Because I am using good quality tenderloin, I prefer to undercook it a bit. Also, we have access to some high quality baby portabella mushrooms, so we use those instead of white mushrooms, and they are fantastic on the grill.

In short, this is the best diet I have ever encountered for those who like to eat. It works, and there is no feeling of deprivation.

Book Review: Clémentine in the Kitchen, by Samuel Chamberlain

Clémentine in the Kitchen by Samuel Chamberlain (Author), Ruth Reichl (Introduction)
Publisher: Modern Library; Revised edition (February 20, 2001
ISBN-10: 0375756647
Rating (1 to 5*): *****

Samuel Chamberlain (aka, Phineas Beck) and his wife, Narcissa (aka Diane), were fascinating people. He wrote a number of books on architecture and on historical interiors, and, with his wife, he produced three travelogue/cook books published by Gourmet Publishing in the 1960s. He also wrote a wonderful little book called Clémentine in the Kitchen that is again available through the Modern Library Food series of books.

Clémentine in the Kitchen tells the story of the American Beck family living in France in the years prior to World War II. Because they live in France, they fall in love with food, and once their appreciation of the local food begins to blossom, they are blessed with the presence of the talented French cook, Clémentine. Through her years of service to them, the entire family quite falls in love with her and they are utterly spoiled by her wonderful cooking and her delightful demeanor.

This book is a delightful read, and readers will fall thoroughly in love with Clémentine and with the Beck family, and they will share their heartbreak when they part. It is a short book, good for an afternoon's read, and the special treat is that the last third of it is recipes! Much of the mouthwatering food lovingly described in the book has a recipe offered as well, making this a treasure trove for lovers of real French cuisine. Please note, however, that the recipes are written in an old-fashioned style, instructing the method of preparation and giving ingredients as the method progresses. As a result, cooks will have to read through the recipe and make notes in order to prepare their mis-en-place. This style of recipe writing, though antiquated, is one that I am quite fond of, though it does not lend itself to speed in the kitchen.

From Clémentine in the Kitchen, p. 89:

 Boeuf Bourguignon

For four people: In an iron cocette or heavy casserole, bubbling with 2 tablespoons of hot butter, brown 2 pounds of good lean stewing beef cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, a few pieces at a time, until the meat is "closed." Remove the pieces to a bowl as they are browned. Stir a tablespoon of flour into the juices in the cocette and simmer, stirring, to make a roux brun. Add salt and pepper and 1 1/2 cups of good red wine.

Brown apart in a skillet 2 coarsely chopped onions in 1 tablespoon of butter. Return the beef and its juices to the cocette and add 1 carrot, another onion, 1 clove of garlic, and 2 shallots, all finely sliced, and a bouquet garni, a piece of cracked veal knuckle, and the browned onions. Add then 1/2 cup of Madeira and enough water to bring the liquid just to the level of the meat.

Put the lid on this poetic ensemble and allow it to simmer very gently, covered, for 2 1/2 hours or more, until the meat is tender and the sauce is a rich, dark brown. One half hour before the dish is done, add a liqueur glass of brandy and 1/4 pound of raw mushroom caps. Finish the cooking with the lid on the cocotte, unless you judge the sauce not to be reduced enough.

Steamed new potatoes are the best companion piece, and so is a vigorous red wine, such as Corton Pommard, or California pinot noir. A cold winter's night can be brightened in many ways, but rarely in a more earthy and satisfying manner than this.

Ruth Reichl, the last editor of the now defunct and much missed Gourmet Magazine, wrote an introduction that not only prepares the reader for the joyful reading experience at hand, but ties it to her own life in such a way that readers experience the story that much more personally.

I love this book. It is one of my favorite summer afternoon reads, and it breaks my heart that it is so very short. It is a true gem of foodie literature, and it should not be missed. Read it – you too will fall in love with Clémentine!