paul o' vendange

Yumm. Riesling hunter. I didn’t say a good one. French vocabulary is decent but I am mad for good Riesling. Descriptors?

Roast Muscovy (really enjoyed simple stuffing after Jacques Maximin), kale tossed with the liver rose as tapenade and sherry vinegar, fresh pappardelle. Integral sauce. Spanish garnacha.

Hope you like it! Universal French translator: The Gallic Shrug:

+1. I have a few by Paula and they are fantastic. Guerard - what a nut (in a good way. He and Bocuse in drag screwing around with the rest of the nouvelle crew. Cultural artifact!). I have his Cuisine Minceur and Cuisine Gourmande. Extraordinary how he used all his skill to devise a spa cuisine that didn’t suck. Vegetable purées as sauce thickeners in lieu of flour, butter, cream, etc. Truly ahead of his time, as far as I’ve been able to tell. Never cooked from it but hope to. Verge - love him! His fruit and vegetable books are gems and his « Entertaining in the French Style, » man, love that. Sumptuous when it calls for it, true light, vibrant, dancing, for other occasions. ALWAYS love menus from French Chefs (Olney; yes, love him. Have his Simple, Lulu, Menus. All, yum) and his Menys doesn’t disappoint.

I think they are good enough books respecting their core emphasis, which is the French curriculum that has been in place with Ferrandi for a century. Nothing really bad to say for what they offer but eventually, if you’re like me, there are a million “fundamentals” books - my deepest appreciation, mon Cher Jacques; L’Institut Bocuse, Ducasse, many others that cover similar fundamentals in similar ways. It’s easy, at least for me, to love shelf space taken up with books, even if they cover very similar ground. FCI takes the Ferrandi approach (you will see it in Jacques Pepin’s earliest books as well), namely, learning a mastery of 400 or so fundamental techniques considered necessary for entry into the profession via your “C.A.P.” If this is what you are interested in, I’d recommend more you obtain - and work cover to cover - Pepin’s flagship books, as well as the Ferrandi books, which I consider pretty top notch. Their “Grand Cours de la Cuisine” (only available in French, unfortunately), as well as their Patisserie and Chocolate texts. If nothing else, work off your pains au chocolats by lifting these things, as they are massive and imo more bang for your buck. My appreciation for the Ferrandi materials notwithstanding, a valid complaint is that they just sort of begin, throwing you in to fonds, jus, fumets, etc., with very little explanation or background info to each technique. However, the books really excel in giving bona fide recipes from MOF and other chefs at each of three levels of difficulty. Essentially, études of a central ingredient - the apple; John Dory; Saddle of lamb. One other I recommend in this vein is La Cuisine de Référence, which is sort of the national standard for young French cooking students, all over France. It is not as sophisticated as the Ferrandi materials - think exceedingly elegant old-school - but the techniques and information learned within are gold standard. The aim of this text, too, is to enable the culinary student testers to pass their CAP’s. Orthodox in the extreme - but I see only virtue in that for the purposes of training and building a foundation. The French has now been translated into English as The French Chef Handbook: La Cuisine de Reference. I am assured from the publisher the English is in every way a faithful translation of the original: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/2857086954?pf_rd_r=QSZBS6DN9ZGX166XF54R&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=01933476-554f-437b-bc1b-b368ee7ea8fd&pd_rd_w=qqU01&pd_rd_wg=bFno8&ref_=pd_gw_unk On FCI’s Italian materials, in full agreement with weinoo. Personally, I think Hazan and Buglialli are fantastic primary texts. oh, LaRousse Gastronomique. Oh, and Great Chefs of France. Oh, and a Cook’s Tour of France. Oh, and Anne-Sophie Pic’s book, Paul Bocuse’s “Market” bible, and the “recettes originales” séries of the frères Troisgros, Haeberlun, Meneau, Blanc, Robuchon, Chapel.., Oh, and Point, and Bocuse, and Verge, and Guerard, and Escoffier, and Nignon, and Careme, and Taillevent, and Waverly Root (France; Italy), and... and ... CAS. Cookbook Acquisition Syndrome. An ancient and virulent form of acquisition syndrome, wherein the cook finds comfort in the promise of mastery in the kitchen, measured by how many fundamentals texts she or he can amass in one’s cooking library. Terminal condition, I’m afraid.

Wow. Is that Daniel Leader by any chance? Do I have the right baker?

Thanks David, I’d forgotten that. I’ll never forget the touching episode of - can’t remember which show, but Tony Bourdain on a Scottish estate hunting red deer. That, and the equally touching episode where he spends time more or less stunned to dine on hare with M. Bocuse, then ventures out for an informal morning bird hunt with Chef and his almost comically hapless pup. I know these are somewhere in play.

Does anyone who watches the show remember Casey’s elimination on the chicken feet? Pretty disastrous service for everyone, not their best outing...

Wow, crazy provenance, weinoo. Pic below - these now are the top three of the holy of holies, the bedside stack. The reading light shows who sits atop all. I just flipped to her en vessie and love the description - « A good butcher may be able to find you a pig’s bladder. You could also try to cook the chicken sous-vide. » !!! Arguable, but pithy: « there is nothing new in cuisine » - Andre Soltner (paraphrased). I just saw in Point his simple hommage to Mere Brazier, p. 165. To be quite honest though I know the recipes in Point (or Escoffier, for that matter, or Waverly Root or any number of others) are sketches, shorthand, there are times I read through his book and flatly wondered, « really? This? ». To see the name « Poulet de Bresse » specified with her name, treated so exceedingly simply, I think, tells me so much more than I knew even a few nights ago. I can’t believe I’ve had her book this long and have yet to work it. Or, I can believe it, which is probably a teaching moment. I really can’t wait. (Btw - I love his vessie « Marius Vettard » a couple pages later. That at least is more familiar ground. Just got the Buford book today and the other bios bedside (incl. Pierre Franey’s, which I just got) are bumped. I see Anthony Bourdain gives a nod that at 53, the man went to Lyon « to learn to cook. » Perhaps there’s still time.

Great, thanks weinoo. I’ll have to try them. I haven’t seen the recipe yet but I’m guessing her recipe is the later named « poulet en vessie, » right? Can’t recall if I saw it first in Bocuse or Point (or maybe in one of the masterful twin biographies of poor Chef L’Oiseau?), but must do the dish at least once. Maybe along with Chef Bocusés Soupe Giscard D’Estaing? Go fund me campaign started!🙏 It’s a shame so few know just how tremendously important she was. Started in last night. Thanks again for jogging my memory. With truffled thoughts .... I think this might be in The Perfectionist, but an Alexandre Dumaine recipe kept on by Bernard (I think). Something Belle Aurore, a poultry en vapeur, truffled broth, something like that? The winter truffle dinner (I think maybe more than one!) as given in Jean-Louis Palladin’s opulent and drippingly gorgeous book. Sorry for the reverie. You just got me geeked with the generosity on your plate and the sourcing, since I’ve never used them but was excited to come across them from your earlier post. I agree with Keller's comment from TFL: if you’re going to go with truffle, or foie, or caviar - don’t hold back, don’t serve meanly. Inspired. Reminded of a great lesson given to me by the owner of a boutique coffee shop in Chicago, when I was on my way but still pretty threadbare as a working actor. Great black beard, thinning black hair. Very serious man, former Greek Orthodox monk. Dithering over a coffee or espresso, he simply leaned in, broke a rare smile and said « always leave a little room for luxury Paul. »

Need the Wow emoticon as well. Wonderful plate, weinoo. I’d never heard of Regalis before coming across a post of yours somewhere, so thanks for the resource. I don’t dive in to truffles mostly because I’ve not had occasion to use them all up. Do you store yours at all? While here, looking for decent preserved truffles. And peelings. Can’t recall if Regalis carries these but if any source comes to mind, I’d love to know of them. Also while here - I hope this isn’t OT, be glad to take it elsewhere - but anyone living in the Midwest, where do you go for your fresh seafood? I’ve always gone with Browne Trading, but I’d like to find alternatives that work well for land-locked midwesterners as well (trips to Chicago occasionally are one means). Thanks and mods, I apologize if this belongs elsewhere. Fully deign to your judgement of course.

Awesome! My post got zapped but suffice it to say you inspired me to dig up an old “baguette de tradition” recipe, wish I could remember where I got it but it’s been many years. Straight dough, 3 hours bulk, proof, bake. 20 g w/w flour 20 g dark rye flour 360 g bread flour 275 g ice water (I don’t know why. I used room temp. Maybe because it was originally machine mixed? No idea. I slapped and folded). 200 g 100% hydration levain (I think the recipe calls for discard, but in this case I used peak levain) ¼ tsp instant yeast Autolyse 30 minutes. Add 9 grams salt and mix through. Stretch and fold 2 hours, total of 3 hours bulk or until double. 1 hour before baking, 500F; drop to 460F; 20 minute bake. Thanks for the idea. Nice to have a couple loaves ready for dinner. Would love to have your oven size. My little things don’t do the form proud. My son is pretty keyed to build a mud oven out back this spring, so fingers crossed.

Gorgeous Ann. Overnight - do you mean the remainder of your bulk, or you proofed overnight? I ask, because my enemy is over proofing - even at room temp and with no humidity, I’m in the oven by about 1 1/2 hrs. Truly beautiful. Any polish or bif a process, or straight ferment?

I love rabbit. I grew up hunting them in my hometown (Ventura, then sleepy, seaside Ventura, CA.). Chaparrals scented with sage, bay, anise, even expat fennel. Garrigue be damned, this was it’s sere cousin abundant in rabbit and other small game. Alas, rabbit is impossible to get locally. I’ve only sourced from D’Artagnan, but hoping to find other possibilities. Sorry if it’s been provided upstream (haven’t yet read through the entire thread), but anyone have a good place to get them? This is probably a hard no - but any line on hare?

I went down a Mere Brazier rabbit hole, and picked up a number of other books on her contributions, as well as Lyonnaise culinary history, culture and cuisine.

I have the Brazier but like so many others a mountain ahead of it. Such an important chef I need to move her to what I call my “speed rail”, a few shelves of books bedside I feel are fundamental and/or important in a way central to me. (Useless, since my “speed rail” is ever growing - looking at another 5-shelf bookcase across the foot of my bed loaded with “highest priority” texts meant to take up the “speed rail” back flow). Going to grab La Mere and move her close bedside. The Lisbon book looks great. My FIL loves Portuguese cuisine. Somewhere we have a small book on cooking in the Algarve we got from him. Your book goes to my cart. I have a similar “speed rail” of books on my cart. Only hundreds long, lol. It’s how I remember them.🤔

Thanks Jim. I did come across it and have it in my cart. I have volume 1 singly (another publisher, don’t have it handy at the moment) may just gather the other 4 as the total (with another, Royal pastry included) would be about half the cost of this set - though it looks great. You’re right on the antique books - weirdly, none of the ones I found say if it’s all 5 volumes in the one book or not. Just being unduly weird about paperback, I think. I’m such a Luddite in so many ways and somehow feel more «all is right with the world » with a good, heavy hardcover in my hands. Don’t bring up smoking jackets and single malt.😁 Thanks for the thoughts.

I’m afraid my cooking expertise with the special ingredient has been limited to the highest possible expertise in butter infusion, deep layers in brownies. I don’t like it. I have tried to cultivate a clear mind. But it helps a good deal.

I find it to be a bit confusing between all the versions but I would like to gather Careme’s work, preferably in hardcover. With this series, preferably 1 book containing all 5 volumes. In French, preferably. Anyway know of such a book?

Not really a cookbook I know, but I’ve never read it. For one thing, at Berkeley I studied comparative political and economic development, specifically the dynamics of nationalism and nation-state development in 19th century W. Europe, with Germany’s development into a unified state my emphasis. I’ve read plenty on the Franco-Prussian war but never from someone who experienced it directly. That it’s given by Escoffier is nothing short of magnificent. The plethora of menus is gold, too, especially what he pulled together for his division under siege and terrible privation.

Have really missed squab, so straight from TFL, indulged in foie as well, son has had neither squab nor foie gras, opportune time. Seared breast, red chard and dried black mission figs, foie gras, squab sauce. Terrible plate wipe was not from TFL. Just wanted to clear that up. Neither is the sauce soup. My family likes sauce, esp. my MIL. Good idea I provide it.

I am holding off on a long story about an even longer night, brutal WI farm winter overnight low and outdoor brewing a decoction mash intended as a light (« helles ») bock, a failed lauter screen.... -and a beer my wife ultimately named Hellundback Bock.

Wow, that looks delicious, Patti.

Thanks Heidi!

Ditto on all counts. Was just going to ask as well - what a cool technique and the first I’ve come across it, using the pickling liquid to retard amylases. (!) An Algerian baker friend of mine vastly prefers rye to wheat, whereas I’m the opposite - mostly because I just don’t have a feel for working within the biochemical constraints of the grain. My wife is Estonian, rye is their flesh, and it would be awesome to learn more of this.