Suvir Saran

Diane Forley and Michael Otsuka Chef-Owners For nearly two decades, both Diane Forley and Michael Otsuka established themselves among those leaders of America’s culinary revolution who helped define a new American cuisine. It comes as no surprise that when the two chefs met at the Masters of Food and Wine Event in 1999, their shared passion for food sparked a romance that eventually led to their marriage in January 2001. Today, in a natural extension of their personal relationship, these highly successful chefs share their combined culinary perspective at the couple’s restaurant, Verbena. Diane and Michael remember being immersed in their families’ culinary roots from an early age. As Diane explored the foods of her parent’s diverse Egyptian, Guatemalan, and Hungarian ancestry, Michael—the son of a Japanese-American father and Viennese Jewish immigrant mother—learned to make traditional Japanese dishes with his paternal grandmother. Each credits their diverse family backgrounds with fostering an early appreciation for global ingredients and culinary sensibilities. Upon graduation from high school, Diane and Michael were fortunate to train early on with several prominent chefs—she with Alfred Portale and David Burke; he with Joachim Splichal and Claude Segal. After their American introduction to great cuisine, both Michael and Diane furthered their culinary education in France with such masters as Michel Bras, Jacques Maximin and Michel Guerard. Returning home, they each landed rewarding chef positions. Michael served as executive chef of several kitchens, most notably Patina in Los Angeles. Diane opened Verbena in New York City. Today, after seven successful years running Verbena on her own, Diane has joined with Michael in recreating both the restaurant’s menu and interior design. As co-executive chefs of Verbena, Michael and Diane showcase a collaborative vision they describe as a contemporary approach to fine dining in a relaxed atmosphere. They are also two of the sweetest people I have known. Their daughter Olivia Otsuka, is growing up into a precious young girl and is often found in her stroller in the Union Square Famers Market or at Verbena. She has added yet another wonderful dimension into the life of this fascinating couple. To learn about their restaurant click here You can register your emails at their site and recieve their monthly newletter telling you about all the exciting new things to are working on and with. THE ANATOMY OF A DISH by Diane Forley Catherine Young Diane Forley shows how to build a dish—and a menu—from the vegetable on up in this innovative cookbook that looks at flavors through a botanical prism. Forley's fascination with the properties and groupings of fruits and vegetables—in the garden, in the kitchen, and on the plate— suffuses and defines The Anatomy of a Dish, a classic collection of recipes that is interspersed with botanical information and charts. For Forley, vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes define flavor, texture, and sensibility in cooking. The progression of recipes reflects this attitude. The first part looks at vegetables one at a time, and details some of Forley's favorite ways to prepare them. All are wonderful dishes on their own, but they also form a foundation for the rest of the book. For example: Simple lentils are served with vinaigrette or made more substantial with the addition of shredded duck confit and diced roasted sunchokes, or paired with roasted monkfish. Other recipes include Baby Lamb Chops with Roasted Eggplant Salad with Sesame Dressing, Apple and Leek Hash, Roasted Winter Vegetable Stew, Sauteed Salmon with Corn Sauce, and 200 other recipes. Cooks who care to broaden their culinary horizons will find this unique approach as delicious as they'll find Forley's recipes, with their straightforward charm and exceptional soaring flavors. Diane will award three books at random to participants at the end of this Q&A. If, however, you're not lucky enough to win one you can purchase one here

Maybe Awbrig can arrange for you to have a special one on one class with CT. That could be his gift to you for the New Year. And also as a generous thing he did for a fellow eGulleteer. And then you could go and teach 201 what you learned from CT.. And 201 can share that knowledge with another.. and they with another and so on.. CT's fame would continue to grow.. and Awbrig would have done a great Mitzvah.. and he too would be thanked everytime someone learns how to cook great food.

All items are on the menu. The prices range from approximately $6.00 to $30 maybe. And if you ever do think of going there... do PM me.. and I can call and ask the chef to come out and say hello.. or even make something special for you. He is always willing to accomodate special requests. For that matter, you can always call Diwan, ask for Hemant Mathur and speak with him directly and plan a special meal. He loves spoiling people.

Jaymes, You may not be surprised to know that an ancient incredible edible made during religious ceremonies are a empanad like goodie called Gujia. They have the same crescent shape. They are filled with sweet mostly and also savory fillings. And the reason they have been popular since ancient times are exactly what you mention. So, in all cultures, I think the idea of having foods such as these were common. Deep fried makes great sense for in old times, deep fried foods had a longer shelf life. There is little if any reason to not understand then why that stuff was so popular. Same is true for cookies. Even in India, while we have a million indigenous sweets... cookies find a place of pride in Diwali Holiday Baskets. They keep well, look beautiful and TASTE DELICIOUS. How can you go wrong.

And I realize that Chanukah is not a holiday that may have been observed by the ancient Jews. So the potato connection does not have to be relevant to the ancient Jews. I made the reference above to potatoes and ancient Jews only to share the fact that potatoes are a new world discovery. Just like chiles and tomatoes. But they have all become quite deeply popular in all cultures that have seen them find a place in their kitchens. It is easy to see why.

Maybe we can have another thread on Empanadas? Please... I too would love to learn more about them. Jaymes will you start one for us Yankees? And going back to Latkes, they cannot be a food of the Ancient Jews for potatoes were not known in Europe or Asia till the discovery of the Americas. And that is a relatively recent happening. In terms of ancient cultures and religions. It is fascinating to note though that across religions and cultures and societies all over, potatoes have become a favorite and very few even realize they were introduced to most of the world very recently. But people, around the world always tell me in my travels how potatoes are a part of their countries cuisine and that their families have been eating them for generations. And then I tell them the shocking truth. All food is sacred.. and all customs are sacred and relevant. But what makes customs and rituals sacred is not what they become today, but what their lore is and what moral we are to take from them. People seem to worry too much about the ritual and little if at all about the moral of the story that comes with each religious holiday. But back to Latkes, I am still hungry for more of Fat Guys Latkes. They were DELICIOUS. And the table set by Ellen and FG was most beautiful. I wish more Christmas tables could learn from Ellen and Fat Guy. For if I am too believe that they were copying Christmas drama, they made it look surprisingly good. My favorite Christmas time memories go back to Nagpur, a small city in India that was once it's capital. At the young age of 6 I went for my first midnight mass. It was amazing. Also I saw a chicken get butchered the morning of Christmas in my best friends bedroom. The parents would buy a live chicken and then kill it in their home the day of Christmas. I also learned how to make nougat as a 6 year old from Aunt Julie (no blood relative, but addressed as such for my parents considered them family). Andrea and Darren her kids were my best friends. When I go to parties in NYC, I look at them as flashy display of capitalism at its best. And such is the case around the world today. Not just the US or NYC... everywhere. Darren, Christmas and Id are all being celebrated with much drama and garish display of wealth and chatchkas (sp?)... but little if any substance. Fat Guy and Ellen had a simple but very special dinner. Humble yet bold. Humble because it had their own unique style and signature. Bold for they did not have to worry about keeping up with the Joneses. And of course the Latkes were incredible. And what was even more special was that they had a Hindu and Christian sharing in their simple Latke ritual (not sure either one of them is too observant). And what was most memorable for me was the chant that was beautifully sung (apologies to all if I have used a poor word). It was foreign to me as can be and yet had some moving quality. I felt I was standing aside family in India, before eating a similar meat on a special holiday. And I would be a liar if I did not thank them both for serving those cookies. They were nothing exceptional, but you know, I took 4 of them. Maybe I was the only one that had any, and I was happy I took them... I could have eaten more. And as I ate them, the last thing on my mind was Christmas... Certainly we all were aware of the satire that was involved. Maybe that made them and the evening even more memorable and special. And also gave me a window into another religions beauty and tradition. And also warmth in my heart for it's people and also shared with me the similarities between us all. Here were were, 4 people, representing 3 religions and we were free of any drama. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Feel free to do the same for me.

Ditto!

Thanks Ed for a wonderful, thorough and personally revealing Q&A session!

And you know what, since you are talking about how good I am.... I should make a confession.. I did not eat these at Fat Guy and Ellen's home.. in fact they were made by an Indian friend in Jackson Heights... I just gave credit to FG. PS: Just kidding! The latkes were very good. I am no fan of Latkes made by my mostly Jewish friends... or at the restaurants where I have had them. Always too greasy and too mushy... These had the perfect crispness and just a very slight layer of mushy-ness but just so delicate that it did not annoy me as usually happens. My loss was that FG was not sure if the vegetarian in me would be willing to enjoy duck fat fried Latkes. So he used canola. I love potatoes fried in duck fat. Amazing combo.

I think what was in the oil could have been the last one from the first batch.. and then the first one from the new batch... Or maybe the Latkes had been turned... There were two skillets being used. And lots of Latkes made.. and all finished rather hungrily. I am glad you like the photo... Ellen and Steven have a good camera and Steven is a great cook. What can I say. I think they were cast iron skillets. Were they big? Not too big.. but a nice size. Maybe 8-10 inches... Steven could answer that.

Yes Mam.

Steven like most pros is able to make several latkes at the same time. And while one batch was being made, he had already started placing more into the oil. What you see in the photograph is one from the batch that was ready to be taken out.. and the white one is what had been put into the sillet just seconds before. No staging.. All real life and all wonderful. His Latkes are most amazing.

Slow cooking is essential. I keep adding cold water into the bath... My flans cook between the 1 1/4 - 1/12 hour range. And my Latin influenced flans are more cheesecake like and amazing.. and yes my French influenced ones are like having a diet flan... I love both... and find occasions to serve both... and often together. But I always make lots of caramel. That is my favorite.

Anything can be a ceremony Nina when it is done with attention to detail and every possible nuance that makes any moment special and memorable. Ceremonial is not always great.. and yet it is not always tedious... Ceremonies can be precious... And this certainly was. You would have been most proud and into the Latkes. They were SUPERB at the very least. And made by a man who is quite a modest man for he never let it be known to me before that he is quite the cook. There were chocolate coins... There were very chic (Maybe Tiffany borrowed their colors from this holiday celebration) blue and white colored M&M like candy. And yes there were shortbread cookies with relevant shapes and designs. Chanukah Ain't Christmas for sure... But many do celebrate it as such. Luckily our table last night was far from Hokey and Showy.... We had the real thing. A Menorah with candles ... the Menorah itself was amazingly crafted. Perhaps an antique, or just a beautiful Menorah anyways. And yes Menorahs do have candles.... when you are not using oil based ones... It is not all that uncommon. While they are not traditional, they are not all that out of the ordinary. When I worked in retail, I remember other competitors would buy Menorah candles... for people loved spending money on Chanukah... and this was a great way for many retailers to get even more business around the Holiday season. Again, not shocking to me, have you never seen Menorahs with candles? In fact I have seen several really tacky Menorahs with colored lights.... Just as ugly as colored light hanging around Indian homes for Diwali.. tacking lights seen in many homes around Christmas... So yes variety can be the spice of life... and also what makes the world so very interesting. Enjoy your Latkes. I am sure they will be great. Folksy has its own place. And in fact ours yesterday were no less folksy. Maybe we were folks that enjoyed the details that go into folksy stuff.. and in knowing every detail, we made folksy into something very special. Still not any better or worse off than anyone else. I envy those who taste your Latkes. I am sure you will spoil them with your Latkes. Have fun and and think good thoughts.... I wish you and yours the very best this Holiday Season. Mine came to a perfect start.. I had eaten some great Iftar meals to mark the month of Ramadan and also some great food for Id.. and with these Superb Latkes, I have now begun this great Holiday Season as best as I could have ever hoped for. I thank my hosts from last night (Ellen Shapiro and Steven Shaw) for spoiling me rotten with those Latkes and condiments and candy. I am not only off to a great start with this Holiday Season, but alas fattened.

Mine is closer to yours... In one recipe I also use condensed milk. In some I do not. In some I use cream cheese as well. In some I use half and half. But I use whole egss but not as many as Monica. I also use an extra yolk or two.

You must tell her at once that due to the "off-topic chats" she would not like eGullet at all, and that she must stay away. (Until after the book is published, of course.) She know eGullet rather well. Nothing is hidden from her.

Proud of you? I think many are proud of you.. and for many reasons. Glad to know the clotted cream worked. Post the recipe... Flan is very easy... Baking is my preferred way to make them.. The pressure cooker recipe is great for a quick and simple flan. It has its own unique plusses... But baking is far better.

Sorry! The quiestion was to Sonyz. Welcome to eGullet and the Indian forum Sonyz. Great to have you here...

Do add to Suvir's Raita, I would add KidnyBeans and Kachaloo to the Aloo Chaat. As for Raita, I love a Pineapple Raita. Btw, do we get Kachaloos there? Kachalu reminds me of Jammu / Vaishno Devi. You get excellent Kachalu chaat at Katra. - Sonzy Can you describe for others what "kachaloo" is And I thought you were the special contributor these next two weeks? I am vacationing sweet friend... the ball is in your court.

I love phirni. Divine when made well. Every trip to New Delhi I make my pilgrimage to Karims in Old Dehi (near Jama Masjid) and while friends eat the meat preparations, I partake in several servings of Phirni. Now I am drooling as well. Suvir, I don't know if you have been to Amritsar but there's this Kesar Da Dhaba and his phirni is heavenly. Ask any punjabi and he'll second my opinion. And if you are there, be sure to make a trip down to Lawrence road and try Novelty's Fruit Cream. Yes it is indeed very good at Kesar da Dhaba. Most anything at Dhabas takes a special flavor. Not sure what it is. What do you think it is??? Any thoughts? And yes Moong Dal Ka Halwa is superb. It is best eaten in the mornings. You then have all day to digest it.

I am famous for flans... and my cookbook has several of them. So I cannot give recipes just yet... but would be happy to work with yours and see why it does not seem to come out smooth. My editor is not too happy about me sharing so many recipes.... But I keep promising her I have many more up my sleeve. How do you make yours... what proportions are you using? What do you bake the flan in? And at what temperature... And do you do anything special when baking it? I grew up having a maternal grandma that could make a flan at the drop of a hat. Especially in the winters it was quick and easy as she would make them in the pressure cooker and serve them hot. Divine in the bone chilling winter of Delhi. (remember we do not have central heating in India).

How do you bake your flan? That has much to do with the texture. And of course yolks are better than whites.

Thanks Jaymes! Will look for parchment in a roll. Sounds exactly what I am looking for. The stuff I buy is expensive. I could be eating more desserts and cookies instead with that money. I use it so much that I really could save a lot of money.

Last night I ate the best Latkes of a lifetime. Deeelicious! Even plain ole sour cream was better than most I have ever eaten. The apple sauce... spicy, dark and tasty. And what was even better were the Chanukah candy and cookies that were also on the table. And of course the candied cherries. I was in my food heaven. Potatoes and candy and frying. I was in my element. The Latkes were savory with just a slight hint of sweetness coming with each bite. Not overly sweet as I have had them taste before. The sour cream was real. It had a plain taste of richness that lent a nice clean creamy side to each bite. The applesauce was spicy, but just enough to hit you only after you had enjoyed the crispy outside of the Latkes and the very think but certainly substantial softer mush of potatoes, onions and almost caramelized onions. Fried perfectly, these Latkes were not greasy, not too crispy that they became onion pakoras instead of Latkes. What was outstanding was the mix of the two kinds of onions added to them. They made for great texture and contrast of flavor. The diced raw onions certainly gave a nice bite. The almost caramelized onions that were added into the mix, caramelized ever so delicately upon frying and gave a perfect sweet note to the Latkes. The Prince Edward Island potatoes were it seems perfect to have enough personality of their own that they were not lost even for a moment in the overall enjoyment of the Latkes. They were robust and strong and a perfect partner for the other stuff that added to a most amazing Latke eating ceremony. It is now no mystery to me what a non-professional chef won the overall Best Latke award from the James Beard Society. The candle light lent by the beautiful Menorah, all lit in its ritual glory, also helped in the overall enjoyment of the Latkes. I hope for my own benefit and for those members that care, this amazing Latke chef and their muse would post the photographs from last evening.