Anatomy of a Dinner Party

[Vadouvan]

Bill, Chambolle was definitely not a miss, good stuff indeed

I have only used vadouvan with game, specifically squab and partridge.

It's very garam masala-ish.

Dont laugh but remember that spontaneous trip this spring to Paris on the Eurostar chunnel ?

I got it from .......Maison Thiercelin........ in Paris.

So far, no luck in the USA, even the dudes at kalustyans were looking at me like I just fell out of the sky.....

I became exposed to it while eating at this place....

http://www.sketch.uk.com/downloads/lecturecarte.pdf

It was with a squab but no longer on the menu.

PG uses a lot of exotic spices.

So far the only two restaurants with Vadouvan on thier menus I have seen so far are

Bastide in LA / Ludovic Lefebre.

Gilt in NYC / Paul Liebrandt.

I suppose one should just call and ask them but I wont expect success since Lefebre is French and Liebrandt is English, they probably bought it overseas too.

Obviously Liebrandt is influenced by PG.

Edited July 31, 2006 by Vadouvan (log)

[Diann]

But I'll concur with D and P, it would be interesting to know about some dishes that can be really dramatic, but made without long multi-stage prep, exotic gear, or special skills. What do we need to make something quick and good?

Allow me to second that suggestion, PhilA. With emphasis on locally available ingredients, being able to efficiently transform what is at your local whole foods or market beyond the after work weekday basic techniques would be awesome.

ie beyond the ubiquitous 9-5'er ....

chicken ---> bake it

fish ----> grill it

steak ----> broil it

vegetables ---->steam it

starch ----> boil it

Evan

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V,

Phil and Evan clarified exactly what I meant in my earlier request. What are your pantry staples? What are some good techniques for basic proteins, vegetables, and starches?

I really like that melon-cucumber soup, by the way. Do you have a good source for wasabi in Philadelphia or do you go to New York for it?

Evan -- I believe the basic method for the corn soup is: soak fresh corn in whole milk for a few hours (2:1 ratio of milk to corn). Puree the mixture with a hand blender, then use the chinoise to strain it, then bring it to a simmer (or a boil?). Add salt. I think that's it. Of course, you could then go on to make mushroom and chicken raviolis and truffled foam for the soup, and source some good amaranth as a garnish...

Somebody feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in my description of the soup.

[KatieLoeb]

I made corn soup tonight by a slightly different method. I cut the kernels off three large ears and then cut the cobs in half. I simmered both the cobs and the kernels in about two cups of water for about 15 minutes and then allowed it to cool. I fished out the cobs and then put everything through the blender on "liquefy" for about 4 minutes. I added about 1/2 cup of half and half, salt, white pepper and a bit of thyme and blitzed it once more briefly. I then passed it through a strainer and pressed down on the solids to extract all of the corn goodness. Reheated lightly with a very light slurry of cornstarch and had a very velvety and sweet corn soup.

There's still one more serving left for dinner tomorrow.

[Shalmanese]

Seasoning is the biggest culprit in well intended ambitious dishes these days, here is a tip for all cooks home or otherwise.....

"Liquid seasoning for minute flavor adjustment"

Squeeze bottles.

1. Rice wine vinegar.

2. 30 degree simple syrup.

3 Highly concentrated salt solution.

Most F'd up dishes (assuming texture and temp is correct) suffer from sweet salt or acid deficiencies.

←

Nice idea. I will definately have to steal that one. Why rice wine vinegar though? Is it just the most neutral one? I would also supplement that with a bottle of citric acid solution and a bottle of MSG solution. Acetic acid and Citric acid, although both sour, have radically different flavour profiles. Citric acid is very useful when you want the same sort of sourness as lemon juice except without the fruit flavours. MSG, is a contentious one but I think in moderation, it can only serve to enhance food.

[Shalmanese]

PS: Who is Diann and why is this thread for her?

[Diann]

PS: Who is Diann and why is this thread for her?

←

Since I am Diann, I figured I'd answer your question -- I think I was just the most recent person to ask Vadouvan a lot of questions about what he makes, how he plans dinner parties, and about cooking in Philadelphia.

[wkl]

chef v,

besides the excellent suggestions of pd, percy, shacke et al, could you comment on how pull off the multi course dinner party without collapsing into complete exhaustion? you do it effortlessly.

i know organization and prep work are key, but what's the trick to dashing back into the kitchen finishing and plating each course and still enjoying yourself. i haven't attempted sous vide cookery yet, but am thinking this could be key here.

do you ever just put everything out on the sideboard and have at it?

[percyn]

Percy, apologies....

I just read your question, probably a bit late to add any suggestions at this point but I get the point of the larger question. This thread wasnt devised to turn everyone into a professional cook, it more to illustrate the thought process and mechanics involved in concieving dishes.

No worries V.

I took some inspiration from your posts upthread and ended up making

Lancaster County Gazpacho w/Basil Infused Avacado Oil (adapter from the recipe here). I would be interested in hearing how this compares to your method of making gazpacho.

A pretty straightforward preperation for the beef : Dry aged Prime Angus Steak with red wine jus and mushrooms - Cuit Sous Vide with fresh marjorum and sage.

And since I had the water bath going, I decided to make

Sous Vide Rack of Lamb coated with shiro miso, maple syrup, maple garlic pepper and panko. Accompanied with yellow tomato puree and red wine jus. For me, this was an interesting combination as the sweetness of the maple accentuated the sweetness of the lamb, while the acidity of the tomatoes and saltiness the red wine jus kept it from being too sweet. Would be eager to hear whether it passes your "mental taste test".

More details on the meal at this post (I wasn't sure if it was appropriate here).

[Vadouvan]

V,

Phil and Evan clarified exactly what I meant in my earlier request. What are your pantry staples? What are some good techniques for basic proteins, vegetables, and starches?

I really like that melon-cucumber soup, by the way. Do you have a good source for wasabi in Philadelphia or do you go to New York for it?

Evan -- I believe the basic method for the corn soup is: soak fresh corn in whole milk for a few hours (2:1 ratio of milk to corn). Puree the mixture with a hand blender, then use the chinoise to strain it, then bring it to a simmer (or a boil?). Add salt. I think that's it. Of course, you could then go on to make mushroom and chicken raviolis and truffled foam for the soup, and source some good amaranth as a garnish...

Somebody feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in my description of the soup.

Gmorning..yesterday was a day without computers, brain needs a vacation now and then.

On to your questions.

1. You cant find wasabi in philadelphia.

Depending on which tunnel you are rolling into Manhattan with....

Lincoln.........MITSUWA in NJ

Holland........SUNRISE MART......Broome/West Broadway or St Marks Place.

2. Pantry staples.

The biggest 2 problems folks make with buying staples are

1. They dont buy enough of a variety of stuff to cover more than two cuisines.

2. The succumb to marketing and buy overpriced garbage instead of actual ingredients.

VARIETY

You just want to get the 3 or 4 basic ingredients that allow you to cook, Italian, Japanese, Frenchie stuff ect ect so you have variety if you supplement with a reasonable spice collection and the proteins of choice, salad greens and herbs.

MARKETING

I am all for free enterprise but if you are buying food ingredients based on the fact that there are famous faces on the bottles or jars, you are missing the boat........in fact you are at Chelsea Piers and the boat's in Madagascar. Famous people sell grapessed oil in 8 oz bottles for like $12 when you can buy a gallon of it for $15.............so dont waste your money, buy quality artisanal products, store them well and use them wisely, a little goes a long way.

Someone PM'd me yesterday saying they liked this thread but i should make it less "preachy".

To which I say first of all "preachy" is NOT an Adjective and people come to church on thier own free will, those who dont want to can stay home and watch Stephanopoulous.......but you cant come to church and complain about the preachers tone.......

With that said......here are a few goodies....

PANTRY STAPLES

Any serious home cook should at least have..

1. Olive Oil (s)

A good basic oil for cooking and more specialty oils for finishing dishes.

On the low end, the basic house brand at whole foods for example is great for marinara sauces and cooked applications for $7 and a pretty substantial amount.

There are good crossover oils in the mid range (around $15 for 16oz bottles) like Frantoia and Aguibal...

More special oils with pronounced Character for salads, uncooked food, finishing dishes.

My current favourites....

http://www.olissrl.it/en/oil.html

http://www.marquesdevaldueza.com/

A fabulous arbequina.....

and of course....

http://www.manni.biz/w2d3/v3/view/mannibiz...e--0/index.html

BALSAMIC

Villa manodori is my favourite balsamic vinegar.

You can buy at Reading Terminal downtown cheese, it is expensive but lasts about 4 months, roughly $9 per month.

Second favourite is actually the balsamic at the Olive oil store on Bleecker street in the West Village......and a fraction of the price.......

O and CO

Flavored Oils and Vinegars are also good.

Best flavored Vinegars are by.. Perel, Unio from catalonia and Gegenbauer.

Gegenbauer makes some killer flavors as you can see...

and then supplemented with other basics.

Apple cider vinegar (braggs)

Shery Vinegar (any jerez from spain)

Rice Vinagar (Mitsukan)

Verjus

white wine

red wine

madiera

port

Brandy.

Depending on how serious you are.......

The only flavored olive oil I use is lemon scented, currently bartolini

Dibruno

Cold pressed nut oils are delicious in vinaigrettes and vegetable purees

Keller Oil and Montegottero...

I would refrigerate these.....

Basic japanese staples..

Miso

Shoyu

Mirin /sake

Sansho

Togarashi...

Sometime I make Dashi.......

Most of the time for non actual miso soup dashi needs, I use Shiro -dashi..

Hahn Ah Rhuem...NJ

I always have risotto rice, Ferron is my favourite, Vialone and carnaroli.

Montsia's BOMBA rice is fabulous too......

I never use arborio rice....

More to come later...

Perhaps I shall upload my dinner tonight using all grocery store items and no fancy ingredients...

Toodle--oooo

Oh percy...your Gazpacho recipe seems right on but I use lightly toasted bread and almonds in mine and then chinois it......just gives it good body and adds that spanish-ish twist.

[hathor]

Wonderful thread. Thanks for making the effort.

Question: tell me more about the orange oil upthead. Its too far upthread to find it now, but you mentioned that you distilled one drop of oil.

I follow the Ideas in Food blog as well, and was also intrigured by the PhatDuck freezing post. I like what you did with the melon and cucumber, I might give that a try tommorow as the melons in the market have been excellent lately. But, the cucumbers are like rubber bats, the weather is too hot and dry, I think. Have to see what else looks good at the market tommorow.

Ciao!

p.s. You really can't get good wasabi in Philadelphia?

[Vadouvan]

Question: tell me more about the orange oil upthead. Its too far upthread to find it now, but you mentioned that you distilled one drop of oil.

Yo Judy, its Tuscany hot here, how goes it there ?

I dont distill anything, far too complicated. I but super high quality steam extracted food grade essential Oils and I use to amp up some flavors.

It is used extremely sparingly though....they sometimes use Latin names so its a bit cryptic to decipher.

The citruses I use are

Citrus Reticulata  aka Mandarin Orange

Citrus Sinensis aka blood Orange

Citrus Hysterix aka "combava" according to Gagnaire but basically Kaffir Lime.

Read Daniel Patterson's book, its a great place to start if you want to experiment...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-...8?redirect=true

He also just opened a place Called COI in SF.

Read the review to see how they use it....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1.DTL&type=food

p.s. You really can't get good wasabi in Philadelphia?

Powder Yes of course.

The actual root like horseradish.....No.

similar to the diff between using fresh and powdered ginger....

night and day.

[twodogs]

Try this for wasabi Pacific Farms

and since this is now a gospel thread, make your own vinegar

it appears I have not ordered from Pacific Farms in sometime for now they are no longer selling whole wasabi, time to sit back in my pew

Edited August 1, 2006 by twodogs (log)

[dagordon]

p.s. You really can't get good wasabi in Philadelphia?

Powder Yes of course.

The actual root like horseradish.....No.

similar to the diff between using fresh and powdered ginger....

night and day.

←

It's actually worse than that (as I'm sure you know, Vadouvan ). Most wasabi, either powdered or in a tube, contains no (or very little) actual wasabi. It's mostly horseradish (which wasabi isn't), mustard, and food coloring. Sometimes the ingredient list will include a bit of real wasabi (listed as "hon-wasabi").

I have recently been using powdered 100% real wasabi, available from www.realwasabi.com. You mix with water, and let it sit for a while. (This is really important -- I neglected to do this at first and was I tasted was vile. It changes dramatically over the course of 5-10 minutes.) They actually sell whole rhizomes as well. Also, perhaps most importantly, my order, at least, came with a RealWasabi.com bumper sticker.

Pacific Farms does have tubes of the real stuff. But it's much more perishable than the powder. (Once you open a tube it's only good for 30 days.) Of course, nothing compares to the freshly grated stuff. It actually has flavor.

[shacke]

Try this for wasabi Pacific Farms

and since this is now a gospel thread, make your own vinegar

it appears I have not ordered from Pacific Farms in sometime for now they are no longer selling whole wasabi, time to sit back in my pew

←

Alex

Great blog. I signed up for the daily updates. Thanks to the preacher man for the link.

Evan

[Vadouvan]

and since this is now a gospel thread, make your own vinegar

making Vinegar isnt easy....but you should have no problems if you listen to you MOTHER.....

[Vadouvan]

Dinner Tonight......Nicoise 101

Repeat after me......Knee-swas......

Ok here goes, this whole thing of cooking your dinner and shooting 50 photographs is getting tiresome quickly but this one actually is good, basically the same dish done 2 ways, one for the lazy or time constrained, the other for the ambitious, good thing is they both basically taste the same.

There is minimal skill needed here so hopefully this is easy.......

Diann, Shaq, Uncle Phil, Bill......

Red Snapper "Nicoise"

I basically bought everything for the Nicoise relish out of the bulk containers at whole foods and chooped them up.

First off...Fish

Red Snapper Reading Terminal.......

The fish was pretty fresh but the butchering was a bit on the lame side, you would think Dr Mengele worked there....but since we are getting our rustic on tonite, its OK.

REST of The Ingredients.....

Roasted Tomatoes Divina

Peppadew

Oil cured Olives

Capers

Bouquerones

Basil

Not that anyone needs to be reminded what basil looks like....

Cilantro

Olive Oil

Pastis or pernod

Chop it all coarsely, leave the capers whole and combine....

You get Zees..

Nicoise Relish

NEXT.....

get a Fennel Bulb

Finocchio

Shave it really thin so it cooks....

Speaking of shaving.....if you dont own a japanese mandoline yet, buy one.....best 30 bucks you ever spent....

Benriner

Lazy/time sensitive way out....

Layer everything "en papilotte"...actually "en aluminium foil" as it provides a better seal....

Splash with pastis, olive oil, white wine,,

Crimp the edges and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 to 20 mins...

Open it.....

Trasnfer to a warm plate with all the juices, serve with crusty bread.....

and in my case tonight.......some Albarino...

Quite tasty for a bunch of supermarket stuff, one could in fact make the Nicoise a day ahead and the flavors would blend even better......also makes a banging bruschetta.

The "less easy" way out.

1. Saute the fish and crisp the skin.

2. Put the fennel scraps in a pot.....

add milk, pastis, salt sugar to taste and infuse for 20 mins.....

Seperately warm up nicoise relish slightly...

Saute the shaved fennel and serve on a plate topped with fish and a nice scoop of the relish

Froth the strained fennel milk with lecithin.....

You get......zees

At the risk of appearing foam obsessed, the fennel foam actually enriches and cuts though the saltiness of the nicoise components.

Version 2 actually tastes better due to crispy skin and contrast/caramelization with sauteeing...although version1 is pretty solid and perfect for a weeknight quick dinner....

and no dishes......

Fata paper is a good alternative to foil and much less ghetto than bringing foil packages to the table.........sorta like 400 degree saran wrap....

Gnight all...

easy enough ?

You want easier ??.....

[Jeff L]

I always have risotto rice, Ferron is my favourite, Vialone and carnaroli.

Montsia's BOMBA rice is fabulous too......

I never use arborio rice....

I'm curious about these non arborio rices V. What is the textural difference between these and arborio and why do you prefer them to arborio? Finally, where do you get them?

Risotto is something I enjoy making frequently and I would like to know how to improve it if I can.

[Vadouvan]

jeff you can find Carnaroli at Dibrunos and Bomba at Downtown cheese.

Arborio just lacks the textural delicay of Carnaroli which cooks better.

I actually used Bomba rice out of neccessity a few months ago and now I use it almost exclusively for all risotto, cooks perfectly...is sometimes labelled "calasparra rice".

In the biz, we actually refer to it as "Arboring rice"

[Jeff L]

jeff you can find Carnaroli at Dibrunos and Bomba at Downtown cheese.

Arborio just lacks the textural delicay of Carnaroli which cooks better.

I actually used Bomba rice out of neccessity a few months ago and now I use it almost exclusively for all risotto, cooks perfectly...is sometimes labelled "calasparra rice".

In the biz, we actually refer to it as "Arboring rice"

←

Many thanks for this and other most useful things in this thread. V, I join others here in my appreciation of your opening up your culinary world to us. Speaking for myself, I find what you are doing extremely positive and not at all preachy.

My take on this whole EG thing is to educate and help one improve upon his/her culinary endeavours. Clearly you have gone above and beyond and you should know it is well appreciated. Ass kissing is officially over now

Edited August 2, 2006 by Jeff L (log)

[Vadouvan]

Thanks Jeff, we all benefit from understanding ....some people behave badly in restaurants, some restaurants treat patrons terribly, we just have to meet halfway.

In fact i got a book deal a few months ago, detailing little tricks that restaurant use to sucker you...

My working title is ..

"Dumas party of 4 , your table is ready"......

[Andrew Fenton]

Preach it, V!

The other night, I read this post right before going to bed, which was probably a mistake. As I tried to sleep, visions of frozen purees kept dancing through my head. When I awoke, the beets I'd gotten at the farmers market called out to me; and who am I to refuse?

Chopped them into large chunks, along with a couple of seeded cucumbers, then froze them. I let them thaw a little bit, and then pureed them. (This made more sense to me than freezing the puree. I figured, you're trying to break down the cell walls through freezing; that won't happen if the cells have been pureed.) It seemed to work. The beets gave out a lot of juice (and I didn't have to , though the cucumber helped increase the volume and keep the whole thing from being too beet-y. Let it drip through the chinois and served it with an orange-fennel sorbet:

Somewhere between a first course and a dessert, which in this brutal heat works fine for me.

The presentation sucks, though. Vadouvan, what guidelines do you follow in plating, etc? I've always tended to follow the "lunchlady Doris" school of food presentation. Efficient, but not exactly elegant; any advice?

[I_call_the_duck]

Thanks V, for showing us both the inspired and lazy/time constrained (I tend to fall into the latter category) ways to cook fish.

Now my cooking is more home-style than the likes of what you've showed us, but I have a few basic questions, so please bear with me everyone.

In your arsenal of oils, what do you use to sauté?

On spices…how much do you purchase at a time? I don’t usually use things like lecithin or fennel pollen, but for other spices, how much should I get, and how long will it last in my pantry if stored properly?

Edited August 2, 2006 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[Varmint]

I have a dinner party challenge for you, V. What do you (rather, I)cook for three chef friends on their night off? Don't try to impress them with the spectacular, as that's not possible. Simple, summery, and flavorful is what's needed. Creativity not necessary.

That's my personal challenge in 11 days.

[shacke]

Vadouvan

Do you froth your lecithin mixture in a contraption like an isi or is it done by hand?

While on the subject of chemical manipulation, Alex mentioned the use ofmethylcellulose above. Can you clue us in when/why this substance is useful? I know you are not a fan of horseplay with alginates but it sounds like lecithin and methylcellulose are things that have a place in your kitchen.

Thanks

Evan

[Shalmanese]

Somewhere between a first course and a dessert, which in this brutal heat works fine for me.

The presentation sucks, though.  Vadouvan, what guidelines do you follow in plating, etc?  I've always tended to follow the "lunchlady Doris" school of food presentation.  Efficient, but not exactly elegant; any advice?

←

Hrmm... I'm not Vadouvan but I'll give it a shot.

Do you know how to quenelle? If you do, a nice, tight quenelle looks very elegant. If not, then an ice-cream scoop will do the job. You should get rid of the foam on top of the beet juice. Spoon that off before service to give a nice, unmarred surface. Try use a gravy boat or some other cup with a spout to pour the beet juice. That way, you won't get unsightly splashes or smudges on the side of the bowl. Finally, that fennel frond is way to big as a garnish. Consider just using 1 branch of it. Those are the main technical things.

From a stylistic pov, I find that I like to serve intensely coloured liquids in deeper bowls to give it more body. I really like these bowls Vadouvan has:

.

With a soup of that intensity, the natural human inclination is to want to see just how dense the colour is. Our eyes are naturally drawn to the edges of the bowl in order to see the colour gradation. Unfortunately, your choice of bowl and the foam on the edge makes this impossible. Take a look at Vadouvan's soup, the edge has a nice curve and the soup is clear and unblemished so you get a very nice gradient.

Also, the blue rim on your bowl doesn't do any favors for the colour of the soup. Either go with nice, understated white or something which doesn't clash. Alternatively, you can try serving it in clear glass which is quite fun. Either martini glasses or the rippled glass bowls.

The next decision you have to make is whether you want to go with a more geometric/modernist style plating or organic/impressionist style. The sorbet and soup are already inherently geometric so the only thing you can really play around with is the fennel. Either place a single large fennel frond in the centre of your sorbet for a geometric look or gently place some snippets of fennel around your soup for a more organic and chaotic feel.

edit: With that an intense a coloured soup, you shouldn't really be serving that much. My natural instinct when I look at that much soup is that I just wouldn't be able to finish or enjoy it. Part of that is your choice of camera angle. For something that dark, only a spoonful or two should pack such a depth of flavour that I'm satisfied. Again, Vadouvan has roughly the right idea in terms of portion size (although I gather his meal has more courses). If you can, make the bowl deeper. Deep bowls makes it looks like you have less food. Or, you can do what I do is plate a smaller portion than I would eat for the photograph and then just have seconds.

In terms of photography, your lighting is not optimal. The light is mainly coming from above and to the front. What that means is that you've wiped out a lot of the texture of the dish. Take a look at the sorbet, it's a huge mass of orange on the front. Lighting from the side would have brought out the craggy, icy texture of the sorbet.

Thats all I got for now. Hope that was a help. But remember, plating should be fun. If it's not fun for you, don't bother. It'll still be equally as delicious.

Edited August 2, 2006 by Shalmanese (log)