Comestiblog

Omni's Flavors of France

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of schmoozing with executive chefs from Omni Hotels & Resorts along with food-and-beverage representatives from France at an interactive cooking, tasting, and wine-pairing reception in SoHo.  The event celebrated the October launch of "Simmer Sauté Santé - The Flavors of France," the seventh installment of Omni's nationwide Flavors of the World culinary series.  Evoking the authentic essence of French food, wine, Champagne, and cocktails, recipes include Sautéed Sea Scallops prepared Provençal Style; Duck Breast with Roasted Vegetables in a Raspberry Balsamic Reduction; and Steak Frites with a Black Pepper and Cognac Sauce—available through the end of the year.

The menu also blends classic French culinary tradition with updated flavors, as reflected in dishes like Seared Sea Bass with Fingerling, Morel, and Fallot Black Currant Vinaigrette; Trilogie de Gougères filled with Zucchini and Mint, Gruyère and Comté, Brie and Sun Dried Tomato, accompanied by Sweet Bell Pepper Coulis; Wild Mushroom Ragoût with Chervil Butter Sauce; Filet of Beef with Housemade Short Rib Ravioli, a Platter of Cured Meats and French Cheese; and Small Pots of Mocha and Valrhona Chocolate Cream.  Also featured are innovative French libations, including three Chambord-infused cocktails.

In early September, 45 executive chefs and culinary leaders embarked on a tour of France to immerse themselves in French culture as well as to hone their Gallic cooking skills.  They visited renowned vineyards, food producers, and restaurants.  Starting in Paris, the Omni group attended Palais des Thés tea training; visited caves at famed Champagne maker Nicolas Feuillatte and winemaker Maison Champy in Burgundy; toured vineyards and participated in the harvest in the Loire Valley and Bordeaux, including Domaine Pascal Jolivet, Domaine de la Perrière, Le Club Mouton Cadet, Château Belgrave, and Château Cantemerle; and learned about mustard preparation with Moutarde Fallot.

Left to Right: Daven Wardynski, John Brand, and Ron Ulczak

Three of Omni's top executive chefs—Daven Wardynski of 676, Chicago; John Brand of Las Canarias, San Antonio; and Ron Ulczak of Fireside, New York—demonstrated their craft, and served up a delicious selection of flavors from the new menu.  Below is a taste of my dégustation.

A great way to whet one's appetite and wet his whistle is with a glass or three of Champagne.  I've always enjoyed the bubbles of Nicolas Feuillatte and am particularly fond of the rosé.

Nicolas Feuillatte Champagnes: Rosé (left) and Brut (right)

I began with the gougères, one of my favorite hors d'œuvre.  It always seems impossible to eat just one of these savory little cheese pastries.  With perfect texture and just the right degree of cheese intensity, these gougères went quickly, and provided a good indication of what was to follow. 

Gougères

The Butternut Squash Soup, made with apple cider, was simple and seasonal.  The cream on top made it smooth and sinful as well.  What a fine dish to warm an autumn day.

Butternut Squash Soup

I found the Salad with Duck Confit and Roasted Beets to be incommensurate with the other offerings.  The fowl was slightly chewy, and its flavors lacked the richness I expected from a preparation of this sort.

Salad with Duck Confit and Roasted Beets

Chef Daven Wardynski discusses the preparation of his Wild Mushroom Ragoût rolls

Combining several varieties of mushroom within fried feuilles de brick, the Wild Mushroom Ragoût rolls with Chervil Butter Sauce were a wildly appetizing starter.

Wild Mushroom Ragoût Roll with Chervil Butter

Chef John Brand describes his Magret de Canard

One of the highlights of the afternoon was the succulent  Magret de Canard (duck breast).  Flavorful and cooked to perfection, it paired beautifully with berry-and-black currant flavors of the Maison Bouachon Côtes-du-Rhône Les Rabassières 2009 (60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre).  Très bien.

Magret de Canard

Perhaps the most successful dish that afternoon, however, was the Short Ribs of Wagyū Beef.  Braised in red wine with pearl onions and baby carrots, this exquisite adaptation of the classic Bœuf Bourguignon played like a symphony on the palate.  Nowhere are the benefits of slow cooking more evident than in this flavorful, tender, melt-in-the-mouth concoction.  Merveilleux!

Braised Short Ribs of Beef

Chef Daven Wardynski talks about preparing Loup de Mer

The next tasty preparation came from the sea.  The Loup de Mer (Mediterranean sea bass; literally, "wolf of the sea") was flaky, with skin that was seared to a delicious golden-brown.  While I found the dish to be nicely seasoned, some might have deemed it a bit salty.  In any case, the fish and its accompanying confit of baby potatoes, morels, and Carmellini beans benefited from the slight acidity of the Fallot mustard sauce.  Délicieux.

Loup de Mer

And more from the sea.  My loyal reader will recall that, owing to a food allergy, scallops are, alas, not part of my diet.  Who knows, these may have been the best sea scallops I never ate.

Seared Sea Scallops

Beyond discussing French cooking, Chef Daven Wardynski talked about the importance of local sourcing and preparation.  He implements the farm-to-table concept at the most local level by using his rooftop garden in Chicago to grow the produce for his restaurant.

Chef Daven Wardynski discusses the importance of local sourcing

Before advancing to the sweet course, I sampled the cheeses—all eight of them.  The selection from Murray's included the malodorous Époisses, the pungent Pont-l'Évêque, the aromatic-yet-mild Morbier, the regal Comté Saint-Antoine, the assertive Bleu d'Auvergne, the pyramidal (goat's milk) Valençay, the triple-crème (75% butterfat) Brillat-Savarin, and the nutty Secret du Couvent.  It was hard to pick a favorite.

Left to Right: Bleu d'Auvergne, Valençay, Brillat-Savarin, and Secret du Couvent.

Finally, it was time for dessert.  The rich, creamy, Valrhona Chocolate Pot de Crème with fresh berries afforded a decadent ending to this epicurean extravaganza.  As in France, the finish was sweet without being cloying.  Supremely silky and satisfying.  Magnifique!

Chocolate Pot de Crème

I saved one of the custom-crafted cocktails for last.  The creamy blend of Chambord, Chambord Vodka, fresh raspberries, half-and-half, and a touch of ice cream was a playful variation of a milkshake.  It was a veritable second dessert.

Chambord "Milkshake"

Omni created this program through a partnership with the French Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, represented by Sopexa USA, an agency dedicated to the promotion of French food, wine, and lifestyle in the United States.

Omni's "Simmer Sauté Santé" package, available at select hotels and resorts, offers a culinary immersion weekend including deluxe accommodations, a wine-and-cheese welcome, a cooking and wine-pairing demonstration with an Omni chef, an all-inclusive French dinner, and a thank-you gift with aprons, French wine, recipes, and a micro-planer.  Another guest package—"French Toast!"–is offered over New Year's Eve only, enabling guests to enjoy a French dinner with Champagne to ring in the New Year, breakfast with a Champagne cocktail, and a late check-out upon request.  Both packages range from $299 to $700.

To learn more about "Simmer Sauté Santé - The Flavors of France," including menus, wine lists, photos and videos from the trip and recipes, visit Omni's Culinary Stirrings website.  Guests can also visit omnihotels.com or call 1-800-THE-OMNI.  Follow Omni Hotels & Resorts at twitter.com/omnihotels or at twitter.com/omnihotelsPR.

Please click here to view the recipes.

Hellmann's Brings Out Bobby Flay and Lori Loughlin

If you're a parent who won't cook because you feel it's too time-consuming or that your children are "picky eaters," listen up.  Hellmann's (yes, the mayonnaise people) developed The Real Food Project to help you prepare quick, simple, and delicious meals for your family.  (Real mayonnaise, real food—get it?)  To spread the word, they've teamed up with celebrity chef Bobby Flay and actress Lori Loughlin to help bring easy recipes and cooking tips to life.

In addition, Hellmann's will donate up to $75,000 to fight childhood hunger through its virtual Sandwich Swap 'n' Share initiative.  For every sandwich you build, as well as for ones you share with friends, Hellmann's will make a donation to Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit organization committed to making sure "no kid in America grows up hungry."  At present, 16.7 million children—roughly one out of four—are at risk of hunger in this country.  As that number continues to rise, every little bit helps.

Bobby Flay and Lori Loughlin

For this event, Bobby Flay prepared three delicious snacks: a Chicken Gyro; Egg Salad, Cheese, and Bacon on Toasted English Muffins with Tomato; and a Mini Fish Taco.  (Because links to the recipes are provided below, my remarks are limited to a few additional salient preparation notes.)

Left to Right: Mini Fish Tacos, Egg Salad on English Muffins, Chicken Gyro

First up, the Chicken Gyro.  Bobby uses Hellmann's Light (made with cage-free eggs) to produce a mayonnaise-infused variant of tzatziki, a Greek yogurt sauce.  After dicing the roasted chicken breast, he grates the fresh garlic, using kosher salt as an abrasive to dissolve the garlic into a paste.  He emphasizes the importance of straining the cucumber thoroughly to avoid excess water.  (View recipe details; view video.)

Chicken Gyro

Next is the Egg Salad, Cheese, and Bacon on Toasted English Muffins with Tomato.  Hard-boiled eggs are, of course, the basis for an egg salad.  For the sake of texture, Flay advises against chopping them too finely.  To further emphasize contrast in texture, he uses chopped turkey bacon for its crunch as well as for its smokiness.  The poultry variant, though not the chef's favorite, is the bacon of choice owing to its health advantages over its porcine cousin.  Celery, the sine qua non of any egg salad, rounds out the texture and flavor.  Finally, he adds cilantro (one of my favorites) as a garnish.  Again, Bobby prefers seasoning with kosher salt for its clean flavor.  (View recipe details.)

Egg Salad, Cheese, and Bacon on Toasted English Muffins with Tomato

Mini fish tacos conclude the offerings.  With Tostitos Scoops! serving as the taco shells, this recipe calls for tuna, although other fish such as salmon, halibut, or snapper may be used instead.  "It's like a fish salad on a tortilla chip," he told Erica Hill that morning on the Early Show on CBS.  (View video.)  Bobby Flay uses diced green onions enthusiastically for what he calls their "fantastic flavor."  He hastens to add that, because of their pungency, "a little goes a long way."  Lime juice, cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapeños deliver additional flavor and heat.  Chef Flay played down any concerns about spicy foods and children: "Don't be afraid of a little heat," he reassured us.  (View recipe details.)

Mini Fish Taco

Finally, I've saved the dessert for you, dear reader.  Hellmann's invites you to spin the Wheel of Real for your chance to win one of hundreds of instant prizes and a shot at a $500 grocery gift card.  (Your email address is required to play.)

By teaming up with Bobby Flay, and making some of his videos and recipes available online, Hellmann's is making real food really accessible.  And by partnering with Share our Strength, they're helping to fight the rising problem of childhood hunger in America.  If their Sandwich Swap 'n' Share proves successful, wouldn't it be nice if Hellmann's would bring out the best by upping the ante?

Relevant links:

http://www.hellmanns.us/
http://strength.org/
http://therealfoodproject.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hellmanns
http://twitter.com/hellmanns

Inductive Reasoning in the Kitchen

My previous post concluded with a turkey-carving demonstration by The River Café's executive chef, Brad Steelman.  Normally, when the turkey is carved, we eat.  But Brad had more interesting plans for these slices.  Before revealing his creation made therefrom, however, he offered a few tips for preparing his Mushroom Risotto.

For this recipe, Brad uses three types of mushroom: portobello (also called portobella), trumpet royale, and maitake.  He likes the trumpet royale for its appearance and its aptness to be julienned.  He also recommends the maitake, or hen of the woods (whose name derives from its resemblance to the plumage of a hen), for its nice, meaty flavor.

After peeling the mushrooms and removing some of their gills, it's time to start cooking.  Brad cautions against salting beforehand:  "When you add salt to an item before you put it into the pan, it pulls out some of the moisture; it then cools the pan down."  That, in turn, diminishes some of the color, caramelization, and, ultimately, the flavor.

Start the risotto with water (to make it light), and finish it with stock, seared mushrooms, mascarpone, truffle butter, and of course, Parmigiano Reggiano—"life is impossible without it," insists Brad. 

"You should think of each little grain of rice being cooked … that's what makes a good risotto," Brad declares.  A common pitfall is to cook it too slowly.  When this happens, the risotto becomes mushy and fails to cook evenly.  To aid in selecting the proper cooking temperature, Chef Steelman uses an Electrolux Induction Hybrid Cooktop.  Unlike gas or electric stoves, induction cooktops use electromagnetism to convey heat directly to the cookware without losing heat.  To wit, the cookware—not the cooktop—is the heat source.  Not only does this abate the heat in the kitchen, it affords more responsive temperature control, greater energy efficiency, and easier cleanup than does the older, radiant technology.  Induction cooking has been used in commercial kitchens for some time, with well-known chefs like Daniel Boulud among its pioneers.  "There isn't a high-end restaurant in New York that doesn't have an induction cooktop," says Brad.  Keep in mind that ferrous, induction-rated cookware is required, however.

The results are most impressive.

So, what became of the bird?  Brad created a beautiful Thanksgiving slider, replete with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce.  Delicious!  As with sliders in general, one is never enough.  But alas, my solitary sandwich had to tide me over till dessert.

Ah, the final course.  Who doesn't love crème brûlée?  To add a Thanksgiving twist, Brad presents his in diminutive (Jack B' Little) pumpkins.  Jack B' Littles are not merely decorative, they're quite eatable.

Chef Steelman starts by slicing off the top and removing the seeds and pulp (all of which can be used for making soup).  He then rubs in autumn spices and places the shells into a preheated, 350°F oven.  After roughly 20 minutes of convection baking, Brad waits for the little pumpkins to cool, and fills them with the crème brûlée mixture.  (Not wanting to exaggerate the flavors, he opts for the classic vanilla-bean recipe instead of one infused with pumpkin.)  Back into the oven they go for 45 to 50 minutes, whereupon, they are refrigerated several hours.  Brad serves the tiny pumpkins with his signature pecan shortbread.

Simply marvelous!

The Perfect Turkey Made Simple

It was my great pleasure to meet with and participate in a cooking demonstration by Bradford Steelman, executive chef of Brooklyn's famed River Café this past Tuesday at Relais & Châteaux.

My fellow foodbuzzers and I were welcomed with wine and some of Brad's tantalizing hors d'œuvre: roasted suckling pig with kabocha (Japanese) squash and marshmallow, and crostini with goat cheese and black-olive tapenade.  The evening was off to a propitious start.

After the hors d'œuvre, it was time to talk turkey, however.  "Every Thanksgiving morning, the phone starts ringing off the hook at 8:00 A.M. with panicked people," declares Brad.  "How long should I cook it?" and "what's the ratio?" come the anxious queries.  "I'll just tell them to buy one of these," says Brad, referring to Electrolux's wall oven.  Indeed, the oven, with such whiz-bang features as the Perfect Turkey™ Button, takes the guesswork out of roasting a Thanksgiving bird.

Of course, there's more to preparing a turkey than pressing a single button.  Chef Steelman begins by brining the bird overnight (6-8 hours) in a solution of brown sugar, kosher salt, allspice, cinnamon, garlic, and other ingredients (please click here for specifics) using a clean, insulated beach cooler.

When the brining is complete, Brad places some of the vegetables and aromatics from the solution into the bird's cavity.  He then ties the gobbler and rubs it with with butter.

Next, Chef Steelman inserts the probe into the thickest part (near the bottom) of the thigh, making sure to avoid any bone.  Thereupon, he places the turkey onto the Luxury-Glide™ rack, presses the Oven and Perfect Turkey buttons, and closes the door—the oven does the rest.  Once the turkey is fully cooked, the oven switches to a keep-warm mode, holding the temperature at 170°F until the stuffing can be added.  That's it!

When carving the turkey, Chef Steelman removes the thighs first.

He then cuts along the sternum, following the contour of the bird, and makes a final incision by the wing bone.

He then slices the white meat across the grain.

Continued in the next post …

Feed Your Memories

Memorial Day allows us to devote a little extra time to reflect upon the loved ones who are no longer with us.  So many memories can be triggered by sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches.  Each of us has different ways of processing senses; some of us even do it with a sixth one: cooking.  As a way of celebrating the memory of a very special lady in my life, my friend prepared a variation of a dish that I used to enjoy with her regularly: Frico di Asparagi.  I can't think of a better way to keep my beloved's memory alive than to share the recipe with you.

We had to start with great ingredients.  The Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts is justifiably famous for its asparagus.  We snagged some of the area's best from Mike, of Mike's Maze (no joke!) in Sunderland (sold at Millstone Farm Market across the street).  He grows a mighty tasty stalk.  It has a deep, rich, mineral quality we've not found elsewhere.

Except, perhaps, for eating it plain with a bit of salt, the ultimate way of conveying asparagus to mouth is to prepare it enveloped in a cheese that's cooked until golden brown.  For reasons of texture and flavor, the cheese must be Montasio—a mild, tangy hard cow's milk cheese from Friuli, Italy.  It's not widely available; we bought ours ($11.16 a pound) at Fairway in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Ideally, what is presented to the diner is a bundle of spears wrapped blini- or crêpe-style by a blanket of Montasio cheese.

 

Frico di Asparagi

Serves 2

(NB Please read all steps before beginning.)

You will need:

Non-stick skillet (do not attempt this recipe otherwise).  (We use Circulon Commercial.)
Large spatula
1 standard-size bunch of asparagus
Water to just barely cover spears in skillet
1 TB (or to taste) any type of flavorful salt
Paper-towel-lined plate
2/3 lb. Montasio Cheese, coarsely grated

In skillet bring to boil water and salt.

Add asparagus, and simmer a few minutes, until al dente, but not droopy when held.

Remove spears to paper-towel lined plate. Rinse and dry skillet.  Return to burner.

Warm skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Do not oil skillet!

Sprinkle cheese evenly in skillet.  It will sizzle.

Add dry asparagus to top of cheese in a single layer.  Try to arrange them as compactly as possible to one side or another of the pan (but don’t fuss too much over this).

Every stove is different, so cooking times will vary by a few minutes.  The objective is for the bottom of the cheese to be lightly golden and crispy.  This can take anywhere from 2 to 7 minutes.

When the cheese is properly golden, start from the side of the pan that has the most asparagus, and gently lift the edge of the cheese with a large spatula, folding the asparagus and cheese about 2/3 of the way across the pan.  Fold the cheese from the opposite side on top of the first.

Remove the entire bundle to a serving plate, seam-side down.  Serve immediately.  Cut in half lengthwise to serve.