mikeycook

I use WineAlert to check retail prices in the U.S. and U.K. Here are a few that I found (can't vouch for shipping costs). These are the cheapest prices in the U.S. for these (if you want to know the merchants for any, let me know.) Croft - £359 - Antique Wine Co. in Norwich Dow - $650 Graham - $937.50 Quinta do Noval - $1,019.83 Sandeman - $640 Taylor - £480.00 - Fine & Rare Wines, Ltd., London, £516.00 - Antique Wine Co in Norwich Also, I remember when I visited Graham and Taylor in Villa Nova de Gaia (sp?) they had a number of older vintages available. Not sure if a 1945 was included, but you might want to check. At least storage should be less of an issue, wouldn't it?

1990 Chateau Latour - I have still never tasted this wine (can't afford it), but seeing it on the cover of Wine Spectator's top 100 in 1993 made a distinct impression on me. Latour is still my favorite wine label for that reason. 1990 Chateau Lynch-Bages - The first bottle I ever bought for my collection. Still have it, although I have enjoyed a number of Lynch-Bages since. 1994 California Cabs/Blends - Hard to choose a specific wine, but 1994 was the first vintage I bought (and drank) heavily. It would be a shame to have to chose one, but some of my favorites at the time were Caymus, Arrowood, Silver Oak, Stag's Leap, Whitehall Lane, Phelps Insignia, and Chateau Montelena 1986 Chateau Talbot - A disappointing wine in most vintages, the 1986 Talbot is amazing. Had my first bottle with some friends who kept in an old chimney they used for storage. The taste was a revalation of almost pure strawberry. It was the first wine that seemed to me an incredible thing to make out of grapes and wood. I have bought it several times now and although not as great as that one experience I have always found it a great value. 1994 Teofilo Reyes - My introduction to Spanish wines, in generally it opened me up to countries beyond France and the U.S. for my wine consumption. Spanish wine is still one of my favorites and a key part of my collection. 1994 Chateau La Nerthe - I am not 100% positive, but I believe this was my first Chateauneuf-du-Pape and my first Rhone in general (at least that I made note of). Since then, Rhones have made up a larger (some would say disproportionate) part of my collection. 1990 Paul Jaboulet-Aine Hermitage La Chapelle - Now this is the wine that sent me hurtling over the line (and probably doubled the average bottle price of my collection). On our honeymoon in 2000, my wife and I went to La Beaugraviere in Mondragon (Rhone Valley), based on the frequent mentions by Robert Parker. After looking through an extensive Rhone list, I was torn between the 1990 Chave and the 1990 La Chapelle. I initially opted for the Chave, but was pointed to the La Chapelle, which was the same price and, he thought, better. I still haven't tasted the Chave, but I can't imagine a better choice. La Chapelle is still a wine I buy in every vintage, despite its sometimes underwhelming nature. Nevertheless, this triggered in me a strong interest in Hermitage (still my favorite to drink and collect) and made me want to collect (I also collect Chave and Chapoutier). I have had many wonderful wines since, but this is still my favorite. And if you haven't been to La Beaugraviere, it is a must-eat-drink pilgrimage for Rhone afficionados. 1990 Chateau Rayas Pignan - Bought a 3oz. tasting of this recently (late 2004) for some ungodly amount because I had never tested a Rayas before. Absolutely delicious. I am hooked. Recently bought my first Rayas (a 2000) and see myself overpaying in the future for a Jacques Reynaud bottling or two. Not to mention by the glass if I see it again (for the record, it was at Cru in NYC).

Canteloupe is a good choice as well. I think I am going to try candying one of each (Canteloupe and Charentais) and see how that works. Thanks for all the input.

I know I have made parsley sauce for salt cod, which is common in Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. I think I may have gotten it out of one of Penelope Casas's books.

My vote is for Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia. I pick it up and look through it all the time and one day hope to be able to cook from it, but I am not there yet. I would recommend buying it just to look at it, though.

I could crystalize my own melon, couldn't I? I would just need a good book on preserves. I imagine getting the Cavaillon melons would be a trick. I would have to choose a similarly flavored melon. Any ideas on close matches (Charentais?) Here is a recipe I found today in French.

We served the regular Saintsbury pinot and it matched well with a Vermont ham from Harrington's. The ham did not have any sort of glaze or gloves or anything.

I was wondering if anyone had a recipe for Calissons (English preferred, but if necessary I will translate). There is one in the recent Larousse Gastronomique, but it is somewhat generally written.

Ironically, it's the UC Davis crowd that Parker is particularly opposed to on this issue.

I live in a house without a basement and have been looking for ways to do both raw cured as well as smoked products. For long aging, I have read that around 55-60 deg F and 75% humidity is perfect. A tried some air-cured duck hams in my 50 bottle Eurocave and it generally worked well, although the humidity couldn't be controlled (a few spoiled, but most were ok.) I do not want to invest in a larger unit and have been considering putting in a wine cellar, but ommitting the racks and putting bars in the ceiling from which to hang hams and sausages (i.e. on hooks or string). I know most of the cellar compressors have humidity as well as temperature control. As far as smokers go, I have smoked a number of items on the side chamber of my brinkman grill, but am looking for an electric smoker so I can do more controlled smoking over time. I am looking at a Bradley Smoker, although over time I would want to get a larger (probably small commercial) model. Anyone have other recommendations on a sub-$1,000 smoker that could handle a large ham?

I would certainly purchase a copy.

Not sure about that; but, I believe it is a pretty common practise, especially among volume wine makers whose wines never see the inside of an oak barrel. Doing a quick google for "wine oak chips", I find the rules for French mid-market (vin de pays) wines were changed in 2004 to allow the use of oak chips, wider geographical sourcing of grapes, and smaller amounts of named varietals in their wines. ← While I've not been following every development in this story, I recall reading about a catch that's still preventing French winemakers from using wine chips. I think it was that although oak chips have been authorized for non-AOC wines, what constitutes an oak chip has yet to be defined. If so, not only would their use not be common practice, it would be illegal. In any case, they are definitely not authorized for AOC wines like Figeac. ← Sorry to keep correcting myself. It's Giscours, not Figeac. But the same applies (a third-growth, no less).

Not sure about that; but, I believe it is a pretty common practise, especially among volume wine makers whose wines never see the inside of an oak barrel. Doing a quick google for "wine oak chips", I find the rules for French mid-market (vin de pays) wines were changed in 2004 to allow the use of oak chips, wider geographical sourcing of grapes, and smaller amounts of named varietals in their wines. ← I think I owe the folks at Figeac an apology. It was actually Giscours that was accused of using wood chips.

The Chez Panisse books, especially Bertoli's Chez Panisse Cooking, are among the most used in my collection. Wells/Robuchon's Simply French is simply excellent. Frédy Girardet's Émotions gourmandes (can't recall the English title) is inspiring and useful. Some of Trotter's books — in particular and somewhat to my surprise, Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home — have kicked my cooking's butt into the 21st century. Kochhar's Indian Essence has opened windows I never knew were there. I'm really looking forward to delving into a recent acquisition, Aquavit. And many friends, virtual and otherwise, swear by The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. ← Have considered buying a Chez Panisse book several times, but it just hasn't happened yet. I have the Trotter book at home, but I personally haven't been inspired to cook from it much (seemed like more of a recipe book to me). I know Girardet has an English translation book called "Girardet: Recipes from a Master of French Cuisine" that is in print and an out of print book called "The Cuisine of Fredy Girardet". Don't know if either is a translation of Émotions gourmandes (there is nothing with a similar English title).

I am very interested in charcuterie and have made a few different items (sausages, confit, smoked pork products). A ham is something I have been wanting to try, but don't have the facilities for at home yet. Out of curiousity, what kind of facility do you have available to you for the long-aging of the ham? Do you like in an appropriate climate to hang the ham naturally or do you have a temperature and humidty controlled room?

Until the last several years, it seemed that, on average, the French used less new oak in their wines than Americans, but I know that has changed in some areas, such as burgundy, where the percentage of new oak has been increased in recent years. As such, I am not sure if there is as much difference between French and American plonk as there used to be.

Oak chips? Maybe I haven't drunk enough cheap wine. EDIT: Cheap American wine that is. ← Cute, but wasn't it Chateau Figeac that was accused of using oak chips?

The only two chef books (i.e. a book related to a specific restaurant) that I find consistently useful are The French Laundry Cookbook and Les Halles. Most of the rest I have bought are a waste of money.

I would say Oui! At least as far as English translation goes. To be sure, there is a lot of ground that has already been covered, but I have definitely found more regional texts in English to be lacking. Also, I think books that are about how techniques have changes are lacking. The reason I wanted a Bernard Loiseau book was that I was hoping his rapid reduction techniques would be more fully explained. I bought Pierre Gagnaire's book and was very disappointed. Too many of the offerings are a) just collections of recipes or b) dated - i.e. refer to more outdated approaches (e.g. escoffier, novelle cuisine). I have more interest in contemporary french techniques that is currently represented in translated cookbooks.

I'm asked for recommendations by homecooks of different skill levels. Even a kids cookbook recomendation would be welcomed. ← Wish I knew a good children's french cookbook (if anyone knows please respond, as this would be a perfect gift for my niece). A few thoughts: Bocuse's In Your Kitchen has very simple recipes. It's pretty light on technique. His Regional French Cooking varies in complexity. Still light on technique. The Wolfert book is too complex for a novice (could probably do a few dishes), but appropriate for intermediate or higher. MAFC is a good book for all levels, IMHO. I have cooked from it a ton. However, it lacks pictures/illustrations of a lot of its techniques. Here I would go with Pepin's technique book (I would definitely recommend it. The only thing better would be actual video.) Most of the others I mentioned were mainly recipes of varying quality, most of them intermediate level).

Reading your post I first thought that you might have searched the Internet using the name "Oiseau" and found nothing... But I searched on amazon.com with the correct name "Loiseau" and, surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be any English translation of the late chef's books. However, I can recommend this book in English. ← Typo on my part. I had originally searched for Loiseau and didn't find anyway. Thanks anyway. I had almost bought the Guy Savoy book and one point and held off. But now you've convinced me. Another question since I have the right audience... I have some regional cookbooks that I like (such as the Wolfert book on SW France and the others I mentioned), but have been looking for particularly good books on the cuisine of the following regions in English. - Alsace - Burgundy - Lyon - Normandy and/or Brittany (I only have one by Marie-Blanche De Broglie which could be better) A couple of other authors whose books I have not read in English are Ducasse and Girardet. Does anyone recommend either one (or not)?

I keep a small collection (about 5 cases) and this was one of the few 90s I bought on release. On reading Parker's revised note a few years ago I opened it and your taste note describes it perfectly (a true disappointment). Still have a 90 Lynch-Bages that I am optimistic about (I was hoping it was in your tasting.) Nevertheless, thanks for the great post. I am looking to add a couple of 90s at auction and your notes have given me a lot of good info.

I think if you can get a wine you would drink for under $10 that is the way to go. To me, the varietal or region is probably more important than price. There are some dishes that work better with Beaujolais and others that work better with Cotes du Rhone. However, if it is a $10 Cotes du Rhone or a $20 Cotes du Rhone doesn't matter to me unless it tastes horrible. Unless I need a whole bottle of wine, like in Coq au Vin, I usually take a glass of whatever I am preparing to drink with dinner. I generally cook for 2 and opening a whole bottle of wine means wine will be going to waste (I HATE putting wine in the fridge and my wife only drinks one glass on average, so that leaves me with 4 for myself), so I usually open the bottle, put aside the amount I need in the dish, and decant the rest. For nights that I don't want to drink, I usually keep a couple of half bottles on hand (I find Guigal Cotes du Rhone half bottles are good for most of my red wine dishes).

Are you specifically looking for books that teach classic techniques or a particular region or aspect of french cooking? Novice, intermediate, expert? I would second the Julia Child MAFC Vol. 1 recommendation and Paula's The Cooking of South West France is probably my favorite cookbook I own (have cooking through about 1/3 of it). I also recommend Olney, but I have French Menu Cookbook, not Simple French Food. I have worked on a bit of collection of French cookbooks in translation (and a few not in translation) and here are a few of my favorites. Modern French Culinary Art by Henri Pelliprat - For me, the best of the Encyclopedia cookbooks and the pictures are just great. I have found it more generally useful than Larousse or my Escoffier books (even made my Thanksgiving oyster stuffing recipe from it). Ma Gastronomie by Fernand Point - When I first got it, I was skeptical because it wasn't like most of my cookbooks, but over time I realized I have incorporated a lot of the advice in my dishes. The Cooking of Haute Provence by Georgeanne Brennan - For me, this is the best of the provence cookbooks (although others may like the Patricia Wells book(s)). Cuisine Minceur by Michel Guerard - One of the particular areas I have been trying to collect are cookbooks by the Nouvelle chefs. There are two Paul Bocuse books are ok (Paul Bocuse's French Cooking and In Your Kitchen) depending on your level, and the books by the Troisgros Bros (The Nouvelle Cuisine of Jean and Pierre Troisgros) and Roger Verge (Roger Verge's Cuisine of the South of France) have some interesting recipes, but this one is the best to my mind from the 70s. In addition, although they are really American (specifically NYC) books, I am currently fond of both the Balthazar and Les Halles cookbooks. Les Halles is a little more technique oriented, but both have good, reliable brasserie dishes. I would choose Les Halles if I could only pick one of them. However, if I could only choose one book, it would be Paula's book on the Southwest. Not to divert the subject, but I have been looking for an English translation of any of the books by Bernard Oiseau. Does anyone know if they exist?

If you think about it, your effectively rudimentrally canning the food. The procedure is pretty similar. If a procedure can keep food sterile for 6+ months, I'm pretty confident it can do it overnight. ← Just to be clear, I am not advocating everyone buy a blast chiller or follow restaurant procedures or even that they dismiss your approach, only that peole not put gallons of hot liquid into their refrigerator, which will potentially make other foods unsafe (milk, etc.) and wear out your refrigerator more quickly (because it will work harder and longer to get back to temperature). The only issue I would personally have with your process is being able to keep other people from lifting the lid on your pot to see what's inside and ruining your seal (people are nosy in my house).