paul o' vendange

You know, people asked me where I learned...and I always told them my mother's kitchen. She wasn't a distinctly French cook. But we grew up with, among other things, a kind of artichokes barigoule, lamb stews with wine, and so forth. Though much of what she grew up was out of Betty Crocker, our line's French blood found its way through generations of mothers, I came to fully realize on mounting my own venture. It occurred to me how much our food is our past, however latent. Wonderful post, Dave, as usual, thanks. I think you are asking the question that moves beyond "what drives us" to "what is the purpose of dining," a question I have asked myself over and over again in refining what I want to accomplish.

Hahah - Yep, I sure did. May we never lose this. Funny - there was thought behind the name of my bistro, Waterstone; stone, which held a sense of seriousness of purpose, I think, yet water - light, fanciful, dancing, and not taking ourselves too seriously. I error too far on the former side, and I will try to keep Grandma's dictum always close by. That was priceless.

Ha! Wow, that's great. It is always interesting when stuff like this happens - I forget what it was, but something about Chefs Bocuse and Guerard, I think, coming up with something at the same time, with absolutely no cross pollination -not a movement (i.e., nouvelle or minceur) but literally, a plate, and it was only discovered after the fact that both had come up with something at the same time, utterly independently. After my agonization over relevé, I am not even attempting to remember what it was...but I think this is fascinating when it happens.

Karen and Judith, thank you for your wonderful, thoughtfully generous posts. I am really intrigued by both your approaches (and would really love to eat your food!). I love the sense of play embedded in a solid culinary sense. I am not all that playful a cook, striving all these years for the mastery of a certain orthodoxy, so both of you have provided a wonderful vista. Thanks. Oh, Judith, by the way - You bet! I really have no preconceived idea - I am just fascinated how cooks come to what they do, and you put forward a beautiful example. Those artichokes look really good....For a winemaker dinner last year, one of the courses was a pan-roast halibut with artichoke vinaigrette, and a couple of anchovy fritters...your artichokes would have been a wonderful component.

Hi everyone - Inspired by some nice conversations on a France thread, I have been thinking a bit on what first grabs me when I cook, in terms of what I wish to convey to my guests by a given plate, or menu; and I am curious how others go about their process. I'll start. Whenever I begin thinking of a plate, it is an emotional start, with broad strokes, visceral connections, senses lit up that I seek to pass on, and little else - it may be a play of colors in my mind, or the seasonal, sense connection to a certain aroma, but this is where it starts. I use these broad strokes to continually go inwards, down to the execution of recipes and techniques - but it all starts with an emotional "theme," and a desire to infectiously pass on the first emotive impulse surrounding the memories, aromas, images, etc., that come to mind. One example may serve. At my former bistro, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, hunting life is very much a part of the autumn our way. While I love venison, the deer up here have a tough time - surviving on scrub pine, and little else, during the long, cold months; their life is harsh, and their taste is equally rough, tasting of resin and little else. I sought to provide some experience of the fall, while elevating what venison could be in people's minds. So - seared Cervena rack, delicata squash "barquettes," braised red cabbage; dressed with venison sauce, and lighting the plate, a duo of glazes - a pomegranate syrup (nothing more than reduced, clarified fresh juice); and a syrup made from juniper-infused late harvest riesling, highly reduced and clarified. The pomegranate - sheening, bright crimson - reminded of blood, of the hunt, of where this animal came from; and the riesling was golden-hued, reminding of fall leaves and the holiday season. Because of its play of color, I personally called it my "party plate," but I think it would have been more aptly called "a desire to pass on a walk through the fall woods." I'd like to invite anyone reading this - what drives your cooking? How do you compose a plate, or a menu?

Well, good morning Dave, and thank you for your kindness! However, I just read your recipe and it looks fantastic. I am certain your shanks are equal to mine...I wish I could claim something special; but as with all my food, I claim nothing but a keen desire to master simplicity. The shanks themselves are salted and peppered for several hours, seared well, set on a bed of very lightly caramelized mirepoix, and moistened with chicken stock, and a far lesser portion of lamb stock (too much, and I find the final jus well, too much, given the remouillage below). Good amounts of romas nestled amongst the shanks, thyme. 275F for several hours, then pulled and laid out; jus clarified, then split into two - one part, used as a remouillage for lamb neck bones, more romas, more thyme, some garlic, to a resulting sauce; the other portion, at service, used to glaze the shank in a hot oven. Between you, Lucy, Felice, and others, I am very warmed by your reception and grateful for your graciousness. Your work on this and your related sites is nothing short of inspirational. Thank you. I would love to pay a visit.

Lucy, thank you so very much. Your beautiful pictures and foodblog Lyonnaise of a few years ago sustained me even while mounting Waterstone, and I would love to visit when we get there. I am very appreciative, and will keep you posted. Best, Paul

Fantastic, thank you, Felice. I'm afraid I am wandering through the prickly fields of melancholic nostalgia. Some things from my former French bistro (as French as I know it, from a seed planted 35 years ago - M. Pepin, merci): A starter, a finisher: Onion tart, petit mache salad; chocolate rum torte, caramel sauce: Seared Ahi, with roast garlic jus, shoestring potatoes: Lamb shank - as I served it in the restaurant, braised, with confits of garlic and tomato, thyme oil, an integral sauce made from lamb, and great northern bean-gratin: A trio of quails: stuffed, with dried fall fruits, armagnac-quail jus, braised kale: Finally, an interior of our place: And part of the team of professionals we valued highest of all: -Paul

and, to be quite picky (you think you are the only picky person here?? ), even with your Google results, it was still something which had to be scrounged up to get the meaning ... most of the Google results even under food were not about food ... It is a highly esoteric term known best only to those who are in circles which interact ... such as in a Venn diagram ... my circle here (educators) ... so there ... Picky, persnickity Paul ... ← Well, I don't know if I was picky, as much as going insane - as I used it all the time, as did the many restaurants I worked in L.A. and Chicago. There, the word was quite common, in practice.

Undoubtedly, not in common usage (except, apparently, in my peculiar circle). However, Relevé food course.

It has long been my contention that there shouldn't BE a wine on any restaurant's list that doesn't have some particular merit or interest ← Fully agree. At the end of the day - no matter the price point - every bottle, every food offering, should be valuable: price paid was worth it, given the experience.

Godito - THANK YOU! Page 228, Culinary Artistry. This, I believe, is where I most recently saw it. And RachelD, apologies, as I do think this was the word, and you mentioned in on page 2 of this thread. Although it sounded exceedingly familiar, it didn't 100% leap out as The One. But I believe this is the word I am thinking of - thank you both. Collosal brain drop-off, everyone - embarrassing, to say the least - esp. given I use the word a good deal. Much like forgetting the name of a lifelong friend.

I agree. The assertion that all wine in Burgundy is of a similar high standard is ridiculous. Even worse some very poor wines from distinguished appellations are both very expensive and absolutely appalling. We stopped in Beaune recently and it was interesting to see the range of outlets offering wine - some excellent in range and price, others truly awful. It's a pity that your friends had such a disappointing experience but, for me, enjoying burgundy is a matter of a lot of research, a lot of money and a lot of luck. ← Beaune was one place they stayed. I do know they paid for a professional guide in Alsace, and, based on this guide's connections, they had some wonderful stops - including an impromptu stop at a winery that had just completed a tasting, and a noted wine reviewer the guide knew invited them back to the winery for a tasting of among 20+ wines. They were on their own in Burgundy, they may have just been overload, and they simply got some misses.

Thanks, WKL. I think a good many appellations are potential minefields, but this is part of the joy. This is the other thing I was surprised by - they indicated the price of wine was through the roof, much to their surprise and dismay. I would not think this is a general phenomenon.

Swiss - I don't have specific places, outside of Atelier (where they left feeling very disappointed). If I got her right, my friend indicated that she and her husband were almost universally treated to a kind of Burgundian "nationalism": My friend indicated they bought the (2 bottles) while on the road, so they couldn't easily take them back. She acknowledged that placing an overall assessment of French gastronomy based on experiences in Burgundy (or, as a consumer, on the zany overpricing on Bordeaux wines) isn't the best sampling. I do know they sought to avoid tourist traps, deliberately pursuing out-of-the-way places with good local report. I'm in an odd place. I've cooked French food since I was a young teenager - as ridiculous as it was, I was dog-earing La Technique as a 12 year old, and never stopped. I spoke French rather fluently by the time I was 15. I was a young Francophile, in love with the language, history, and gastronomic culture of France. I have worked in the industry many years, and have regularly and preferentially consumed French wine, as I believe it tends to marry better with food than its more supercharged cousins of the New World. But I have never been to France. As I mentioned in my opening post, part of this is all self-serving, as my wife and I intend on moving there next year. She was a winner of the WCR International Pinot Noir Festival fellowship, and I wish to fulfill a lifelong dream - though I've cooked these many years, and owned/operated the first French bistro our way, I have never formally studied and I intend on pursuing study at ESCF. My friends' report so flew in the face of everything I have known, I wanted to get the input of others. Thank you very much, by the way, for the link to Nicolas.

Thank you one and all - very apt points and much appreciated. I must admit some self service here - my wife and I are planning a possible move to France next year; I have enjoyed French food and wine for decades, but only from afar, and their report so flew in the face of everything I had come to know, that I wanted to get other opinions from people who either live there, or visit frequently. I wondered if they had set the bar so fancifully high that a couple of bad experiences unduly soured them, as you allude to, Lucy. As well, your market photo thread, read a few years ago, now, was enough to seal the deal. Felice, thank you, too, in particular - I had never thought of things from this angle. Thank you again, everyone, for your thoughts.

Hello all: We have some very good friends recently returned from France, who spent time mainly in Paris, Burgundy, and Alsace. While they enjoyed Alsace, and found its food and wine up to expectations, they were horribly disappointed with the balance of their journey - in particular, they felt Atelier was a wash, and Burgundian wines were, in her words, This does not square with my impressions at all. Regarding wine, it has always been my experience that French wines, generally, have always been done with an eye to food, while Californians, at least, experienced a rebirth on the heels of competitive accolades - and this necessarily drove an industry hell-bent on in your face presence, balance be damned. Much the same, for me, regarding other new world wines. I do love them, but usually as stand alone drinks - I don't find they marry as well with food, generally. This was all spawned, in part, by my surprise at their negative reports of their trip, and by her strong disagreement with Craig Camp's assessments in this forum, "Kissing the Frogs." Those with experience, please chime in. What is your experience of the state of French wines, and French regional cooking? I realize this is a huge question, but off-the-cuff responses welcomed.

Well, there are many I'd recommend, each for different things (raw materials selection and preparation, food combining, regional cooking, etc.). For the fundamentals of cooking technique, 30+ years ago now, when I was a young teenager, I was given the best gift I could have asked for: La Technique, by Jacques Pepin. I worked it cover to cover, and it put me in good stead for the decades to come. This book, with La Methode, has now been combined into Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques. I agree, the Madeleine Kamman book is great, as are a good many others. I believe Jacques Pepin's works were the first to almost exclusively emphasize French technique, over recipes, in introducing the popular market to French cooking. (Though Julia Childs' Mastering the Art of French Cooking long preceeded La Technique, the latter is much more heavily weighted to technique). Edited to add: After reading the above post, I'd love to read through Ms. Willan's La Varenne Pratique. It appears to be a substantial, exceedingly well done book. The editorial review indicates the book is, among other things, "close to an expanded version of Complete Techniques."

That's two plugs for Jamison now. What I found remarkable was how reasonably priced they were. I bought their loin and shoulder, and, especially given their attention over the last several years, I would have expected higher prices. Great family outfit.

Duck confit, cold smoke, grill.

I would agree with the above posts. There are differences, but within those general tendencies, so many other variables can come into play as to minimize or negate altogether the presumed tendencies of the two "terroir." That said, let me put a plug in for Jamison Farms lamb. We used them exclusively, and it was outstanding.

markk's website with photos of Restaurant du Faude .. thought he might add his link ... and, ahem, who first brought up trou normande in this tangled web .. thread? Moi ... ici, mes amis ... ← Thank you, Melissa. ← Thanks, too! There are actually lots more photos of the Faude food here, on the website that I maintain more carefully: more Faude photos from Markk's Eating in France Extravaganza Faude is in the Vosges Mountains in Southern Alsace, not far from Colmar, and it is an enchanted place - the hote/restaurant, and the area. I've sent other gulletteers there with an introduction to the chef and his wife, and they reported back that they had a fabulous time. ← Great, Mark, thanks. We have some friends that just paid a visit to Alsace, and I wish we would have know about this prior to their leaving. I'll tuck it away for future use.

You may want to excise the ribs, and treat the shoulder separately; if doing just the shoulder, it isn't pretty, but just follow the bone lines - the flat scapula, and the long bone - and you will clear the meat. I usually began by cutting midway the length of the scapula, which brings you to the ball and long bone. A flexible knife is really helpful, especially along the interior of the scapula, as you must bow the knife in the hollow to avoid losing a lot. My favorite way is to just bone it out, and marinate it overnight in (de-alcoholed/flamed) white wine, garlic, mirepoix and thyme. I then cover the inside with garlic, salt, pepper and (fresh) herbs de provence, gather the meat into a ballon, S & P the outside, sear, and braise on a bed of mirepox, with the marinade, a decent amount of romas, and a bit of orange zest, for 5-7 hours. "Gigot de sept heures," except it is "l'épaule de sept heures."

markk's website with photos of Restaurant du Faude .. thought he might add his link ... and, ahem, who first brought up trou normande in this tangled web .. thread? Moi ... ici, mes amis ... ← Thank you, Melissa.

We can only hope, Rachel. Yep, this was a truly enjoyable evening. I have never been hired to do this before, a "pop the question meal." (though started cooking this way when I was but a kid - oddly enough, I was catering these intimate dinners as a teenager - so, in some ways, last night was a life-cycle circle). Merci pour votre gentilité.