Pork Belly

If you are interested in the cooking of Michel Bras, by all means go if you have a chance. He offers a very personal dining experience that is not for everybody. I had an excellent meal there three summers ago. I love the way he uses vegetables and herbs, some courses by themselves; others paired with seafood and meat. And all his ingredients are top-notch. I agree with the previous post about the service and the wine being very expensively priced. The service was not as polish as some of the other 3- star restaurants, probably dued to the fact that his restaurant is seasonal, open only from April to October. The staff was friendly and cheerful but lack the warmth and generosity of other great family restaurants like Arzak, Troisgros, Pic and L’Auberge de I’Ill. Another reason to go now is that Michel Bras is in semi-retirement. He is still very much involved though the kitchen is run by his son. Try to book a room because the hotel and setting are spectacular.

By just pureeing the strawberries and adding it to the custard releases too much water into the ice cream base, causing your ice cream to be icy. I've had luck with either one of the following methods: Crush the strawberries and mix it with some of the sugar and let it stand room temperature for about an hour to allow the berries to release some of its juice Chill and add to the cold custard. I use all cream for the custard. or Quarter the berries and cook it with some of the sugar for about 20 minutes until jam like. Chill and mix in with the chill custard. I generally use 1 part milk to 2 parts cream for the custard. Hope this will give you a smooth rich ice cream.

There is also the believe that cooking meat and fish on the bone gives it a better flavor.

I have to agree with you there in terms of robert linx. It's all about balance with him. most other chocolatiers don't have the right balance, and are using too strong of flavors which overpower the chocolate. I'm not familier with michel chaudun or patrick roger. can you tell me more? Luis ← Michel Chaudun has been making chocolates probably as long as Robert Linx. His chocolates are similiar to La Maison du Chocolat, a touch sweeter than most of the newer chocolatiers. His shop in the in Paris 7e has a friendly old-fashioned feel, unlike many of the newer designer shops. I really like his Palette d'Or, his pralines and his bittersweet truffles. Patrick Roger's studio/shop is in Sceaux, a suburb of Paris. He recently opened a shop on Blvd St. Germain, between Carrefour de l'Odeon and Blvd St. Michel. His chocolates are a little more bitter than those of Robert Linx and Michel Chaudun, but are balanced by his wonderful fillings. I love his dome shaped caramel with various fruit juice, chocolate covered almonds, almond and pistachio pralines. thyme and citron ganache. I generally do not like herb flavored ganache but his is very subtle and perfumy rather than artificial and medicinal.

I have to agree with you there in terms of robert linx. It's all about balance with him. most other chocolatiers don't have the right balance, and are using too strong of flavors which overpower the chocolate. I'm not familier with michel chaudun or patrick roger. can you tell me more? Luis ←

In all my experience eating at Michelin starred restaurants in France, Spain and Italy, I have not found one that offers a Vegetarian Tasting Menu. In Paris, the 3-star Arpege has a Vegetable Menu because of the chef’s love of vegetables that he grows himself. He uses eggs, butter, cream and cheese but I don’t know if it is vegetarian because he might also use chicken or fish stock. There are a couple of 3-star restaurants in France, Michel Bras and Marc Veyrat, where vegetables play a prominent role. Although there is a general trend toward vegetables and grains, the starred restaurants still very much put their emphasis on meat and fish. I am sure the restaurants can accommodate your fiancée but that would seem to miss the whole point of dining in them. But at least, it would give you a chance to eat in them. I don’t think being a vegetarian is “strange” in France. It’s just the starred restaurants don’t cater to them. One can choose some wonderful non-meat/fish items off the menu, especially in Italy where there is more emphasis on vegetables and grains; but having a Vegetarian Tasting Menu? nada

Robert Linx of La Maison du Chocolat, Michel Chaudun and Patrick Roger. I find their chocolate have the right balance of sugar to chocolate. Because of the current trend toward more and more bittersweet, chocolates made by many of the newer chocolatiers, such as Michel Cluziel, Pierre Marcolini and JP Hevin, taste a bit sour and dry in my mouth.

I love that book for many reasons. ← Wish it had pictures. I'm full of cornmeal crepes with Meyer lemon curd, salad of lemon and lime zest, creme fraiche and warm caramel sauce and pistachio tuile. Tuiles always taste like hot silpat to me, but everything else, Not bad... ← I am not sure we are talking about the same book. I have the originally 1985 edition and it doesn't have any of the recipes that you referred to. There was a revised edition published couple years ago but I don't believe they are in that version either. Nor are they in her other book, Sweet Miniatures, which has photos.

Sorry that I got into this post so late. Here is my take on genoise. I always grease and flour the cake pan. Parchment paper is necessary only for easier removal. (I only bake Angel Food type cakes in a dry, ungreased pan because the need for extra volume and greasing the sides will hinder this.) Heating the eggs with the sugar in a water bath until the sugar is just dissolved will give a higher volume during beating. After beating, the egg foam should have tripled in volume, very thick and light. Don't sift the flour too soon ahead of time. This might cause the flour to compact again. I always add a little salt for better flavor. Cornstarch is very difficult to fold and has a tendency to lump. From this point on, work rapidly. I find the tall shape of the Kitchen Aid bowl not the best for folding. Using a wider, shallower bowl makes folding easier. Sprinkle about half of the flour on top of the egg foam and gently fold. Repeat this process. Fold until there are no traces of flour in the batter. As stated in previous posts, folding a small amount of batter into the warm butter will lighten the butter, making for easier folding. Pour the lightened butter back into the batter. Fold the mixture until there are no streaks of butter. Get down to the bottom of the batter as the tendency for the butter to sink. The problem with your cake is underfolding. The butter has not been completely folded into your batter, causing the heavier part of the batter to sink to the bottom during baking. Because the dire warning in recipes of "do not overfold", I think most people do not fold their batter thoroughly. If you use the correct folding techneque, don't worry about overfolding. Just fold until the flour and the butter mixtures are well incorporated into the egg foam. It is natural for the egg foam to deflate and lose some of it's volume. Bake immediately and you will have the perfect genoise. The amount of syrup to use will depend on when you plan to eat the cake and the type of filling. I use less syrup if I am serving the cake soon. I use less syrup for fillings that are on the moist side such as mousses, whipped cream, pastry cream, and fillings that have fruits; more syrup for firmer fillings such as ganache and buttercream. That is just my taste as I find most genoise cakes a bit too wet. A suggestion: one of the best book on cake baking is Flo Braker's The Simple Art of Perfect Baking. There are some wonderful recipes but the sections on basic cakes are terrific. Happy baking.

Every chef I know, including myself, would appreciate your gift. And especially if he is Andre Soltner or Jean Banchet.