Jump to content

Moondog

legacy participant
  • Posts

    38
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  1. Puff-pastry topping, yes, glazed with egg and milk. Or a simple tea-biscuit topping, also glazed. Bottom crust only if you're making small, single-serving pies. I prefer corn-starch - I like its translucent quality... Now, fillings: peas and carrots, of course, but what else? Potatoes? Pearl onions? Mushrooms? Leeks? Parsnips?
  2. Could someone out there give us a more detailed description of the wine list? And Jonathan and Robert, you wrote that you started with Cava, then switched to white burgundies, followed by a red Ribero del Duero and another Cava. Were these switches in any way married to specific courses? I can't imagine that's easy to pull off. Did the sommelier suggest them? Or did you just feel like it was time for a big red? And, finally, who is the sommelier? Any info on him? And, finally finally, is Adria a wine drinker?
  3. Great stuff, look forward to upcoming adventures. But, please, could you tell us more about the "old-school peanut butter and chicken skin egg rolls?" Sounds like Elvis food. I KNOW my son would love them -- peanut butter and chicken skin are two of his favorite food groups.
  4. The tortilla trick: old potatoes; very, very little onion; not too much egg. Sliced potatoes, the thickness determined by individual taste. Fry the patas in lots of good, pungent Spanish olive oil till tender. Use more salt than you probably are accustomed to - the last thing you want is a tortilla which the Spanish call "sosa" -- insipid, unsalted, tasteless. Important: don't let the potatoes steam! Try to maintain a single layer of slices in the pan. Use two non-stick pans for the potato-frying sequence if making a large tortilla. I like to let some of the potatoes brown, even crisp up a little, but that's just me. Remove the finished patas into a bowl and let cool for 2 minutes. Add the beaten egg -- 4 eggs for 2 lbs -- mix thoroughly. Let sit a further 2 minutes, then mix again. If some of the egg hasn't become entirely incorporated into the potatoes, pour it off. Pour off the excess oil in the pan, then follow Jaymes' excellent instructions, but use a wooden spoon to sculpt and pack the walls of the tortilla as it fries in the pan. ¡ Ya Basta!
  5. Ganesha Corner, on rue Perdonnet in the tenth near the La Chapelle métro, is an excellent address for southern Indian cuisine. So good, I hate to tell anyone about it... Nothing fancy: authentic, cantine-style (most people eat with their hands, though forks are provided), but subtly spiced and delicious. And cheap -- 4 to 8 euros for a full meal with beer. And 1000x better than anything I've had elsewhere in Paris. I've been told that Shireen Mahal, on rue Faubourg Saint-Denis, also in the 10th and also an authentic cantine-style restaurant, does very good Punjabi cuisine. I haven't tried; I haven't needed to yet -- Ganesha Corner is addictively good.
  6. Moondog

    Flavored mayonnaise

    Aioli-style is always good. Does she like garlic?
  7. Moondog

    Scallop Roe

    The lime leaves - my brother in Vancouver (where lime leaves are apparently as ubiquitous as Big Macs) describes this thing he does where he slices the leaf along the seam without entirely cutting through either edge, then slips a scallop into the slit, creating a jacket. Then he flash fries both sides of the exposed scallop and serves it on a bed of caramelized onion sauce with a couple of scratches of nutmeg on top. Haven't seen it or tasted it, only had it described in an e-mail. Guess I'll have to try Tang Frères.
  8. Two great standards: The first, pan-fry (green or white, the tough skins peeled) in a little butter till slightly colored, throw in a cup of veal stock and the juice and fruit of one blood orange. Reduce. Add salt, chopped chives and white pepper to finish; The second, boil for 3 minutes, plunge in ice and serve with a dressing made of chopped three-minute eggs, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, finely chopped spring onion and chopped chives.
  9. Moondog

    Scallop Roe

    I made a quick appetizer -- scallop with a carrot juice, star anise, 5 spice powder sauce; scallop with sweet onion confit and nutmeg; scallop with pureed green pea and rosemary sauce. I thought the scallops by themselves would look nicer on the plate... BTW Loufood, I wanted to put a lime leaf jacket one the scallops--where might I find lime leaves in Paris? I tried Belleville and Arts et Métiers yesterday. Nope.
  10. Moondog

    Scallop Roe

    Any smart ideas out there for what to do with the orange roe (coral) of scallops? I've got some left over from a dish I did last night.
  11. On the Flo front-- the conglomerate also own the Hippo and Bistro Romain chains, both to be avoided. They also own Bofinger and Petit Bofinger. They have wisely decided to maintain Balzar's independence from the basic Brasserie Flo concept. The best Flos are Vaudeville, Terminus Nord, Julien, Coupole (late at night) and the original Flo in the 10th. Avoid the plat du jour, especially fish dishes, and stick to the raw oysters, seafood plateaux, andouille, and choucroute. The house wines are good value, as is the late-night "coup de faim" menu (after 10.30 pm I think).
  12. The terrasse of the Brasserie St Louis on a fine sunny day is a good spot. The waiters are fun and they do a great jarret with lentilles. It also kid-friendly, especially with Berthillon's ice cream across the street. In the 4th, everyone's nuts about the 18 tables at Hiramatsu, where they do a franco-japanese fusion thing. I haven't been - it's one of the toughest reservations in the city. Pricey, too, though not as expensive as the truly exceptional l'Ambroisie at Place Vosges, also in the 4th. Not too far afield is Le Pamphlet, in the 3rd on rue Debelleyme in the new art gallery district: tasty bistro food, not on par with Chez Michel et al but good value for money. And further up Debellyme there's a little worker's cantine run by a very sweet couple; the fare is straight-up, no thrills, but the ambience and welcome is wonderfully parisian. Remember, you can find good French food in most major cities nowadays, much of it much better than what's commonly available in Paris. What you won't find is what Arletty describes in the film Gare du Nord: "Atmosphere, atmosphere!"
  13. Café de Flore, Sunday morning or afternoon, inside or upstairs--7.6 euros Not 'great ' per se, but a great Paris moment. Follow it with their truly great tarte aux citron and a café allongé (long coffee) - at 4 euros for what amounts to 2 cups of coffee, that's a damn fine deal.
  14. Moondog

    Foie Gras: The Topic

    Has anyone been served a knockout version of this dish recently at a restaurant in France? Or somewhere else? Preferably with chasellas grapes, but not necessarily...
  15. E. H. Gombrich on art, or, rather the consumption of art. His great masters sound like most of the chefs I know. What if we bracket the critic/connoisseur's role for a second and concentrate on art-making as performance. Was Maria Callas an artist? After all, she followed recipes... And what about Duchamp, the great anti-artist, who I believe had a weakness for belon oysters... and orgasms.
×
×
  • Create New...