Thursday, February 24, 2011

Fricassee of Pork Cheeks Recipe


Pork Fricassee with Mushrooms and Carrots (serves 8)
Adaptation of original recipe from Gourmet Magazine, November 1992
Note: This fricassee may be made up to 2 days in advance (in fact, it tastes better if made ahead), and kept covered and chilled until ready to heat and serve.

3 tbsp vegetable oil
3-1/2 lbs pork cheeks (or if unavailable, use boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2” pieces)
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups dry white wine
8 large carrots, cut diagonally into 1” thick pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced thin
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

In a large pot, heat the oil over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking and brown the pork, patted dry, in batches, transferring it as it is browned to a large bowl. 

Pour off the excess fat and return the pork to the pot with the onion, celery, bay leaf, broth, wine, and simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 2 hours, or until the pork is tender. 

Add the carrots, simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the carrots are tender, and transfer the pork and the carrots with tongs to a bowl. 

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, return the cooking liquid to the pot, and boil it until it is reduced to about 3 cups.

In a large heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid the mushrooms gives off is evaporated, sprinkle the mixture with the flour, and cook it over moderately low heat, scraping up the brown bits, for 3 minutes. 

Stir in the cream, stirring until the mixture is combined well, add the mushroom mixture to the cooking liquid, and simmer the sauce, stirring until it is thickened. 

Stir in the lemon juice, pork, carrots, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice.

Fricassee of Pork Cheeks

Restaurant Le Verre Vole - 75010, Paris


You know that you are eating at a very good place when you see chefs on their day off eating beside you!
Le Dauphin staff enjoying their day off
Such was the case last Sunday, when we had lunch at Le Verre Vole, a fabulous little wine shop and bistrot near the Canal Saint Martin. Franck (chef), Sebastian (sommelier) and Aaron from the new restaurant Le Dauphin were at the next table tasting several different bottles of wine, which they shared with us! And, they tried nearly every first course on the menu critiquing positively as they tasted each delectable morsel.

The walls in the shop are shelves filled with an amazing selection of vins natures, which you can select to accompany your meal for a corkage charge of 7 euros. We learned that for these wines, the process is natural from start to finish with no preservatives or additives ever. Whereas organic wines are grown without pesticides but are not controlled at all during the vinification process. We selected a red Minervois 2008, Les Bois des Merveilles, Domaine Jean Baptiste Senat, and at 18 euros plus the corkage, it was perfect. It had a very deep, dense red color and was rich and velvety with hints of wood and spice.
A fantastic selection of wines line the walls
For the first course, two of us enjoyed the first green asparagus of the season in France from the Vauclause in Provence.
Premieres Asperges Vertes
They were lightly cooked, still a bit crunchy and bursting with flavor. An herb vinaigrette and an egg yolk on top added to our pleasure. My husband Kent dared to have a Cheval Tartare aux Champignons (which for those of you who don’t know, is horse!) 
Cheval Tartare
The sizable, tender chunks of meat were mixed with cornichons and herbs and topped with thinly sliced raw mushrooms, all of which worked perfectly together and it was surprisingly delicious. Our fourth dish was Saint Jacques Poelees aux Agrumes.
Saint Jacques
The scallops were sautéed with citrus and served with caramelized endives. This dish was fresh, light and the acidity of the blood oranges was a superb complement.

We moved on to two different main courses. Two of us had the Lotte de l’Ile de Yeu (monkfish) served with sauteed cabbage and citrus butter.
Lotte de l'Ile de Yeu
The lotte was cooked through but still moist and the caramelized cabbage and julienned orange and lemon peel made the dish a standout! The second main course was a Saucisse au Couteau d’Auvergne.
Saucisse
This beautiful sausage from the center of France was tender and brimming with flavor. It was served with mashed potatoes and a nicely dressed green salad.

After all this most delicious food, we were quite full but we shared two desserts.  A Crème Brulee au Zestes de Kumquat.
Creme Brulee
It was creamy with just a hint of kumquat and melted in our mouths.  In one word, yum!  The Gateau Breton St Pierre was a buttery slice of pastry on a bed of apples, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with orange zest and specks of vanilla beans. 
Gateau Breton
All of this marvelous food is created in a tiny open kitchen by a team of 3 chefs who rotate, since the restaurant is open 7 days a week for both lunch and dinner. 
The Sunday team with chef Ryotaro
We were completely satisfied and enjoyed the company of our chef neighbors enormously.  A must address!

Le Verre Vole, 67 rue de Lancry, 75010 Paris.  Tel 01 48 03 17 34.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

A Delicious Cauliflower Soup Recipe

My good friend, Toni Fyvie, who originally hails from New Zealand but lives in Paris full-time, is helping me with my blog.  We share a passion for great food and wine, both in restaurants and at home.  Since I know that most of you like to cook (as well as eat out), I have decided that every time I post on my blog, I will share a recipe with you.  Last night I made a truly wonderful cauliflower soup from Betty Rosbottom’s new soup cookbook, Sunday Soup.  I am giving Toni a taste of it today, and the recipe follows.  

Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan (Serves 6)

4 tbsp unsalted butter
3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only (4-5 medium leeks)
12 cups cauliflower florets (from 2 large heads; about 2 lbs each)
8 cups chicken stock
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup crème fraiche
Kosher salt
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

  1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy deep-sided pot (with a lid) set over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and sauté, stirring, until softened for 4-5 minutes.  Add the cauliflower florets, chicken stock, and cayenne pepper.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cover pot.  Cook until vegetables are very tender, for about 20 minutes.
  2. Puree the soup, whisk in 1/2 cup of the cheese and the crème fraiche.  Taste soup and season with salt, as needed. (The soup can be made 2 days ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate.  Reheat over medium heat.)
  3. Cut the prosciutto into julienne strips 3-4 inches long and 1/4 inch wide.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet set over medium heat.  When hot, add the prosciutto and sauté, stirring constantly, until crisp and brownded, for 4-5 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer prosciutto to paper towels to drain.
  4. Sprinkle each serving with some prosciutto, parsley, the remaining Parmesan and a touch of piment d’espelette.


Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Prosciutto and Parmesan


Enjoy!

Restaurant Ripaille - Batignoles, 75017 Paris

Well today is the day!  I am dropping my whisk and hitting the keyboard to begin sharing with you my culinary discoveries in Paris (and other places where my travels will take me), where I have lived between October and May every year since 2007.  We live in a wonderful old French neighborhood, Le Village des Batignolles, at the foot of Montmartre.  The streets are filled with ateliers (artist studios) as many artists from the Impressionists on have relocated here.  A lively mix of restaurants, traiteurs (cheese, wine, ready-made meals, chocolate) and boutiques are around every corner, and I am going to focus today on a restaurant I discovered within a week of moving here, and continue to frequent with great pleasure. 


I always pay attention to crowded dining rooms, as I believe it is a very good indication of delicious things to come.  Such is the case with Restaurant Ripaille, a small simple bistrot, which is on my way to the metro so I pass by it every day.  And every day, at lunch and dinner, the dining room is packed with people who are clearly enjoying the food and wine.  The owner, Philippe Favre, warmly welcomes all the diners, most of whom he knows by name, as the restaurant has a great many regulars.  The dining room is intimate and cosy, and Philippe, who is also one of two servers and the sommelier, moves between the tables and guests with ease and grace.  Philippe is a sommelier by training, having worked at Chez Laurent and Chez G Faucher in Paris before opening Ripaille in 2005.  Chef Brendan Labarre is from Brittany (and Philippe from Normandy), so fish takes center stage at Ripaille.
Owner of Restaurant Ripaille, Philippe Favre 
At lunch today, both my husband and I ordered the formule dejeuner, which is an excellent value at 15 Euros for two courses and 20 Euros for three.  I had the Pate de Foie de Lapin with a salad, which was delightfully warm and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  Kent had the Risotto de Anchoiade, which was perfectly cooked, creamy and had just the right amount of anchovy.
Pate de Foie de Lapin

Risotto de Anchoiade
I moved onto a Blanc de Poulet, Epinards avec Sauce Supreme, with a generous amount of spinach covered with the rich, creamy sauce supreme, while Kent had a Bavette de Flanchet (flank steak) with the most delectable Pommes Mitrailles we have ever eaten.  These tiny little potatoes come from the island of Noirmoutier, off the southern coast of Brittany, and they were delicious – I talked Kent into more than a few bites!  Neither of us felt like sweets, so we shared a Carpaccio de Elivaz, Tomates Confits, et Jambon d’Auverne.  The Comte-like cheese was sliced thinly and served with thin slices of delicious ham sprinkled with a little sherry vinegar and dots of sundried tomatoes.  It was really very tasty.  We each had a glass of Philippe’s red selection of the day, Domaine de L’Aigle, Pinot Noir, 2009 from Languedoc, which went perfectly with both the beef and the chicken.  We left completely satisfied and felt that we had been wonderfully taken care of by Philippe and his team.
Blanc de Poulet, Epinards avec Sauce Supreme

Bavette de Flanchet

Carpaccio de Elivaz, Tomates Confit et Jambon d'Auvergne

Ripaille, our little gem, is located at 69 Rue des Dames, 75017 Paris; tel 01 45 22 03 03.