chefzadi

I really need to get a new digital camera next week. I will start posting photos of some Algerian couscous dishes then, along with some recipes. I'm still very keen on this online couscous project.

I know I read somewhere in some Egullet thing, maybe it was the Mission Statement or something that egullet is interested in or does organize cooking classes for low income people. It was something about some culinary education outreach. Did I imagine reading this? Does anyone know anything about this? I'm asking because I've been wanting to get involved in something like this for a long time. Maybe I should I email one of the site administrators, but I have no idea who.

So the activa has a "taste" and you add MSG to mask it?

esbovoda- RE: Is there a contemporary equivalent to Mastering the Art of French Cooking? Where do French home cooks look for guidance? I don't know. I teach French technique to professional students I do a lot demos and lab classes. I did it for so long professionally it's in my blood. It's like walking. When I teach recreational cooking classes (to non-professionals) I write my own (my wife helps alot with this) own teaching materials. I don't know if there are any modern versions of what Julia did. Also cookbooks aren't so popular in France. French homecooking is usually passed down from generation to generation. And French housewives get new recipes from women's magazines.

A little anecdote... You know it's the French way to use very sensual metaphors for describing food. My wife told some French women, "my husband says my skin is sweeter and smoother than the cream and butter from Normandie" They gasped and proclaimed "Your skin is THAT good!" We REALLY like our dairy from Normandie. And I enjoy the simple dishes of Brittany They don't have too many "signature" dishes. I would like to move there when I retire. I'll have to convince my LA wife that 72 degrees F isn't freezing and that 50 degrees F is slightly chilly. I think once she tastes the oysters there she won't want to leave.

Viking please visit http://www.lamachonnerie.com/ . They serve traditional cuisine du terroir there. If you are in Lyon you must try at least one of these types of restaurants and La Machonnerie is quite good. Please tell Chef Felix or his wife Martine that Chef Zadi recommended the restaurant to you for a little extra attention. (I hope )

Yeah, and look how long she lived while some of those who adhered strictly to the low cholesterol, low fat, low sugar and no fun diets, died 20 or 30 years younger! ← I'm a good example of the French paradox. I eat a big piece of usually fatty beef everyday, smoke, drink wine, too much coffee... But I don't eat processed/packaged foods (which have alot of preservatives, additives, hidden fats and sugars) . I never get stressed either. Well almost never. My wife says no matter where I am I look like I'm taking a stroll in the French country. I'm 6' tall and weigh 165 pounds. Flat stomach. And I'm not a young guy anymore

What's up with it? It's lighter and simpler in both preparation and presentation. But it's not "new" to me. Julia Childs learned how to prepare French food a generation or two before me. Also, now I realize that even though alot of American chefs mention her, she was really targeting the American home cook.

Normandie butter made from raw milk. I could eat it like cheese. EDIT: To remove "wub" emoticon. I had to try it. But it just looks weird!

My wife took me a couple of Islamic Chinese restaurants. One in Rowland Heights, another in Torrance. They served an interesting bread with scallions in it? It was so long ago. I guess I should answer some of my own questions. I was born in France to Algerian parents. I grew up on Algerian and French food. The first "ethnic" food that I tried and actually liked was Korean, but that took a long time too. But now I eat it several times a week. I had a typically chauvinistic "French" palate untill I met my wife. (Algerian food is pretty common in France and this style of couscous is one of France's favorite foods). And I haven't been in Los Angeles long enough to know which ethnic restaurants came first. They were all pretty much here by the time I arrived. I will post later though about different areas of LA that have a concentration of certain cuisines.

Let's talk about regional differences in California. More specifically "ethnic" influences. That includes everyone. Even if you are a "born in in this country, tanless American" you are to some others here "ethnic". So these questions can apply to all of us. (note the overuse of the word ethnic) Some questions: 1. What type of cuisine did you grow up eating? 2. When did you first try another ethnic cuisine? 3. When did you start noticing ethnic restaurants? 4. Do you remember which types of ethnic restaurants first opened in your neighborhood? What came after? And so on and so on. 5. What was the first ethnic meal that you had an ethnic friends house. Come on, we can write a bit of personal history here as well Californian history.

We still like the fat, butter, cream and wine. I have to say that the use of roux as a thickener is considered very homely though. The interpretations and presentations are different now. It also depends on the level of French cuisine one is discussing. Cuisine Gastronomique is hotly debated. Cuisine du terroir is a simpler topic. There is also French home cooking We can do this in steps over a period of time. I'm not much of a theorist though. I describe my experiences and what I see. A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some photos of "contemporary" versions of French Classics. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...cmd=si&img=8622 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...cmd=si&img=8619 http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=mo...cmd=si&img=8623 Note: the sauce underneath the pan seared fish is a mustard cream sauce, but the fish isn't swimming in it. And the Veal Chop was grilled, the sauce is a veal stock reduction. No pat of butter to finish it. Not revolutioanry changes, but lighter and simpler. We can do this in steps over time. I can't imagine sitting down to explain contemporary French cuisine in one fell swoop. EDIT: To add link to roasted tomato soup. The tomatoes are slow roasted in an oven to concentrate the flavors. The result is a sort of tomato "demi-glace," intensly flavorful. There is a swirl of creme fraiche, but it's a garnish and not a thickening agent.

This whole thread is turning into an interesting cultural lesson for me. I'm also understanding why Americans still have certain impressions of French food. As someone mentioned I do care to enlighten about what contemporary French food is. But it's just not a can of worms I want to open casually here. I'm apprehensive about starting a laborious argument, when it is not my style to even argue casually.

I just noticed the part about sauces thickened with "pure starches"? Do you mean cornstarch? arrowroot? This technique is a non, non, non in Cuisine Gastronomique. I've never served a sauce like that even casually. Also reduced sauces were known and used by the French well before the obscure Japan trip.

I've been searching in French. NOTHING. I'm wondering where you came up with your statement: "There he sees dishes with sauces that do not include butter, cream, or roux. The presentation is small and simple. Upon his return he begins to create what will become known as Nouvelle Cuisine. The sauces he creates return to regional and seasonal ingredients, and are lighter in body and thickened with pure starches or reduction." Is this your own thesis? Fernand Point trained alot of chefs, including Paul Bocuse one of the "instigators" of nouvelle cuisine. It just doesn't seem plausible that this trip to Japan affected his cooking so much, if at all. If it did he sure kept it a secret. Also sauces without butter, cream or roux were already known to French Chefs at that time. Japanese sauces tend to combine salty and sweet flavors, as well as fermented ingredients. The combination of these characteristics is not considered so desirable to the French palate especially at that time. In a larger context the French already had contact with Asians via Indochine. They would have seen at least a smaller and simpler presentations over there as well. Although not in the same vein as the Japanese style. Remember the French were an Imperial force, they had contact and close relations with a lot of "ethnic" groups. So if you see a Tuna Tartare on a French menu, the inspiration for it is not necessarily Japanese or Asian-American or an American trend. As a matter of fact many French chefs point to a Tahitian influence. Epiphanies can easily be pinpointed. Influence is a combination of many factors, including historical context.... Just my tuppence of observations...

Thank you all for enlightening me about Julia Childs. I really appreciate your stories.

Horseradish and radish are related plants. I'm not a linguist, but if you did a little research the source of the name Radis de Raifort is probably because of that. Also because it's a radish with a strong horseradish scent in the leaves. But basically what you have in front of you is a radish. Wasabi, often called Japanese horseradish, as I understand it is not related. Anyway, if the Radis de Raifort is mild and tender you can use it in a salad. Belgium endive would go well with it. So would tomatoes. You can also blanch them than sautee in a little butter.

Krys- I've never been to the Korean Market that you're referring to. But I have been to plenty in Los Angeles (also in Korea). As a non-Korean initially I was a bit overwhelmed. The smell was quite strong to me and the first time I tried kimchi I thought my tongue was burning off. But now I eat more kimchi than my wife does. Actually that doesn't say much, because she doesn't really eat kimchi. I'm not sure what to suggest since I don't know what your tastes are. As for the prepared foods I find that they will let you have a taste of something before you buy it.

Gayot.com has some interesting bits of information on Nouvelle Cuisine.

Bleu- I grew up on raw milk. I don't ever recall seeing it packaged like that though. It just came straight from the farm to us. I do remember that we drank it up immediately. But then we didn't have a frigo. Now my mama has a frigo so when I visit we can take a little more time to finish it.

I had Paella at a Spanish restaurant on Lombard Street a few blocks south of Van Ness. If you turn left from Van Ness onto Lombard it's on the right side of the street. The place is owned by a very charming Spanish lady. It was ean enjoyable meal. I cannot remember what it was called, but it shouldn't be that hard to find.

Chef Corelli- When I read your thoughts on Haute Cuisine (Cuisine Gastronomique) and terroir based cuisine (Cuisine du Terroir) and mama’s home cooking, I am instantly reminded of Lyon. As I mentioned it is the center of cuisine du terroir in France. It is also a city with a tradition of female chefs (les meres) who introduced home cooking to the restaurant scene. The most famous female chef from Lyon is probably Eugéne Brazier who earned her share of Michelin Stars. Although Paris is renowned for it’s Haute Cuisine, it doesn’t have a tradition of cuisine du terroir. Lyon on the other does have its share of Haute Cuisine. So it is possible for these strains that you mentioned to come together. I apologize for bringing up France here, but the example was too obvious for me (at least in my litte French mind) to resist. I can visualize your techniques for ragù for Tagliatelle. Your description is perfect. I see it as more of a Cuisine Gastronomique method and result. Bravo! Therein lies an example of your mastery and confidence. I understand that you are involved in the education of the next generation of Italian Chefs. What is your advice to them about the work and the business? What qualities does a successful chef have?

Although I wouldn't consider SF to be one of the great restaurant cities. It's a fun place to eat out. You don't get any of the attitude, even at the better places, that you might in LA or NYC. The last time I was with there I was with the kids so we did alot of kid friendly dining. If you get hungry during the show, the Metreon has a food court. There a place called "Long life noodles" in there that serves some pretty tasty stuff. Union street has a great pizza place, I can't remember what it's called, but it's a landmark. I think that SF's chinatown can be a bit of a crap shoot for outsiders. I had some pretty good Spanish Paella on Lombard street, near Octavio stree (I think?). It's the only Spanish restaurant in that area so it should be easy to find. I can't recommend the Wharf for food, but it's great fun for kids.

I'm not actually that familiar with her. I've only seen a few of her very early shows on PBS. Maybe I will get in trouble for saying this but I watched them with a sort of morbid curiosity. How could I not? I was born just a few short years before so called nouvelle cuisine "shocked" the old guard in France. By the time I started training and attending culinary school in France nouvelle cuisine was not so nouvelle anymore. I was taught lighter sauces, simpler presentations, the importance of pure flavors, etc... I have a very tattered copy of Escoffier's book, but I don't recall ever following one of his recipes. I use it more as a reference like a dictionary or encyclopaedia. Anway, I often hear from American cooks that this is the way Julia did it! Or this is Julia's recipe! I'm sometimes even asked what I think of Julia's recipes and methods? (Always struck me as a silly question, I mean why would I be studying her recipes or methods. Not that she didn't have anything to offer. But obviously her recipes and methods would be of no interest to me). I understand that she is an American icon. And as I mentioned I only saw a few of her VERY early shows which seemed archaic, if not positively ancient. Did she "lighten" up her recipes and simplify her methods later in her teaching career? This question is more directed to the home cook or food enthusiast. Does Julia Child's take on French cookery still inform your ideas about what contemporary French cusine is? If so what do you think it is? I thank you in advance for your input.

FG- I have a tuppence to contribute. Please start a thread on it. I would myself but you are much better at these things than I am. Drop the bomb!