A bunch of fragrant leaves tied together...
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Is Foie Gras a disease?
With the recent California ban on Foie Gras (like the city of Chicago a while ago), it might be worth correcting some misleading accusations which are erroneously spread by uninformed detractors.
Sometimes it is told that fattened ducks and geese suffer from a serious condition, that their liver is that of a sick animal and is akin to a cirrhosis.
Migrating birds which include ducks and geese have this ability to fatten themselves so as to store a lot energy before their migration. Egyptians in their time had already noticed that self-fattened bird livers were much tastier. From this knowledge, Romans had institutionalized the force-feeding of geese with figs to get fat livers outside of migration periods.
Now, one could argue that force-feeding is unkind to animals. But is that so much worse than slaughtering them? Is that so much meaner than to raise turkeys in small cages? or to lock pets in an apartment? That PETA fight against cruelty towards animals why not, but let consumers decide what they want to eat. It can be noticed that livers from animals which were fed too quickly are of bad quality as they do not hold the cooking too well; Those livers are difficult to sear or to cook in a terrine as the fat melts too quickly. So consumers can recognize the difference and select providers who take time to fatten their birds properly.
Sometimes it is told that fattened ducks and geese suffer from a serious condition, that their liver is that of a sick animal and is akin to a cirrhosis.
Migrating birds which include ducks and geese have this ability to fatten themselves so as to store a lot energy before their migration. Egyptians in their time had already noticed that self-fattened bird livers were much tastier. From this knowledge, Romans had institutionalized the force-feeding of geese with figs to get fat livers outside of migration periods.
Now, one could argue that force-feeding is unkind to animals. But is that so much worse than slaughtering them? Is that so much meaner than to raise turkeys in small cages? or to lock pets in an apartment? That PETA fight against cruelty towards animals why not, but let consumers decide what they want to eat. It can be noticed that livers from animals which were fed too quickly are of bad quality as they do not hold the cooking too well; Those livers are difficult to sear or to cook in a terrine as the fat melts too quickly. So consumers can recognize the difference and select providers who take time to fatten their birds properly.
 |
Cabbage and Pork Hotpot
Slowly entering winter mode...
Let's gently cook a cabbage, some carrots, a smoked pork shoulder, sausages...
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Joan, Josep i Jordi Roca i Fontané - El Celer de Can Roca
October 17th 2013
Another renowned place which struggles to live up to expectations? Whose fault is it? Is it the work of those very objectionable journalists who decided to compile a random worldwide list of 50 restaurants they've heard about? Is it me who had unrealistic expectations? Anyway, while I acknowledge the admirable work of the Roca brothers in setting up such a restaurant and to maintain a certain level of service despite the curious crowd of loud tourists coming from all over the world, I can’t help from being puzzled that this one restaurant is particularly celebrated.
There were many good things, like this admirable olive-tree bonsai which bore some caramelized olives. Some marvelous prawns, sea anemone and langoustines. There were also some solid mistakes like the clumsy repetition of a the cocoa-butter bonbon technique which we had at least 3 times in various flavours. This interesting technique permits the encapsulation of some once-frozen liquid (a broth for example) in a thin coating which melts in the mouth. This is clever but cocoa-butter it is and cocoa-butter it remains; if it is not perfectly executed and especially if the coating is too thick, this brings a very oily texture which is not the most pleasant or refined. And while once is fun, three times is really too much.
The other objection I would have over the whole meal is the overwhelming presence of the sweet taste in a number of the dishes. Not being a sugar-person, I was somewhat bothered with that.
El Celler de Can Roca
Can Sunyer, 48
17007 Girona
Phone +34 972 22 21 57
http://www.cellercanroca.com
Another renowned place which struggles to live up to expectations? Whose fault is it? Is it the work of those very objectionable journalists who decided to compile a random worldwide list of 50 restaurants they've heard about? Is it me who had unrealistic expectations? Anyway, while I acknowledge the admirable work of the Roca brothers in setting up such a restaurant and to maintain a certain level of service despite the curious crowd of loud tourists coming from all over the world, I can’t help from being puzzled that this one restaurant is particularly celebrated.
There were many good things, like this admirable olive-tree bonsai which bore some caramelized olives. Some marvelous prawns, sea anemone and langoustines. There were also some solid mistakes like the clumsy repetition of a the cocoa-butter bonbon technique which we had at least 3 times in various flavours. This interesting technique permits the encapsulation of some once-frozen liquid (a broth for example) in a thin coating which melts in the mouth. This is clever but cocoa-butter it is and cocoa-butter it remains; if it is not perfectly executed and especially if the coating is too thick, this brings a very oily texture which is not the most pleasant or refined. And while once is fun, three times is really too much.
The other objection I would have over the whole meal is the overwhelming presence of the sweet taste in a number of the dishes. Not being a sugar-person, I was somewhat bothered with that.
 |
| The world: Mexico: burrito with mole poblano and guacamole Peru: ceviche broth China: pickled vegetables with plum cream Morocco: almond, roe, honey, safron, ras el hanout, goat yogurt Korea: panco fried bread, bacon with soy sauce, snow peas, kimchi and sesam oil |
 |
| Caramelized Olives |
 |
| Carpano bombon with grapefruit and black sesame |
 |
| Truffled bombon |
 |
| Crispy Shrimp |
 |
| Zucchini omelette |
 |
| Boletus edulis brioche |
 |
| Vegetable stock with sprouts, flowers, leaves and fruits |
 |
| Fig leaf Fig leaf cheese, green almonds, physalis, fresh and charcoal-grilled fig, fig-leaf terrine with fig skin and rind, vinegar anfd fig ice--cream, cumin, fennel, tarragon and chervil. |
 |
| White asparagus and truffle viennetta |
 |
| Mackerel with pickles and mullet roe Mackerel sauce with white wine, lemon, capers and chillies in vinegar, fried tomato, mullet roe, mackerel marinated in sugar and salt. Mackerel infusion. |
 |
| Salad of sea anemone, razor-clam, royal cucumber and sea-weed in escabèche |
 |
| A whole prawn: Charcoal-grilled king prawn, head juice with seaweed, sea water and plancton sponge cake |
 |
| Palo Cortado-steamd langoustine, bisque velouté and Jerez caramel |
 |
| Grilled sole with black and white garlic, parsley juice and lemon |
 |
| Sierra Mayor Iberian suckling pig, melon, orange and beetroot |
 |
| Charcoal-grilled lamb breast fillet and sweetbreads with eggplant, coffee and liquorice |
 |
| Pigeon parfait and onion curry-caramelized walnuts, juniper, orange peel and herbs |
 |
| Sourdough ice cream with cocoa pulp, fried lychee and sherry vinegar macaron |
 |
| Viola A sphere of cinnamon and viola with coconut and honey toffee |
 |
| Hazelnut, lemon and ratafia |
Can Sunyer, 48
17007 Girona
Phone +34 972 22 21 57
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
A simple raw vegetable salad
Nothing fancy in the fridge?
Radish, cauliflower, pickles, tomato, carrots, yogurt and a few slices of garlic sausage.
It is still possible to produce a tasty and crunchy salad with a few raw vegetables.
Radish, cauliflower, pickles, tomato, carrots, yogurt and a few slices of garlic sausage.
It is still possible to produce a tasty and crunchy salad with a few raw vegetables.
Uzbek plov
August 3rd 2014
The national dish of Uzbekistan is the plov (or pilaf), a rice dish probably originating from antique Persia. Many variations of this dish can be be found across Central Asia from Middle-East to India.
The Uzbek version usually contains carrots, chickpeas and mutton. The rice can be cooked either with mutton fat or with cotton oil (to lighten the dish?!).
 |
| A home-made plov in Bhukhara, Uzbekistan |
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Yves Camdeborde - L'Avant-comptoir
In the previous post, we talked about the incredible foie-gras macaron from Mugaritz in which the biscuit was made of pig's blood in lieu of egg white. I thought it would be interesting to dig out the following blood sausage macaron from the talented Yves Camdeborde, sometimes called the father of bistronomy (or was it Michel Picquart from le Villaret?...). This macaron although not as subtle or sophisticated as the previous one is nevertheless tasty and comforting especially with a glass of red.
L'avant-comptoir where you can get this macaron is a merry and crowded place (no sittings!). There you can get a glass of wine with a few mouth-watering nibbles while you wait for a seat (or not) at the Bearnese Chef's restaurant next door .
A go-to place at any time of the day or night!
 |
| Blood sausage and Espelette pepper macaron |
L'Avant-Comptoir
3 Carrefour de l'Odéon
75006 Paris, France
+33 1 44 27 07 97
3 Carrefour de l'Odéon
75006 Paris, France
+33 1 44 27 07 97
Andoni Luis Aduriz - Mugaritz
September 1st, 2013
In the long list of amazing tables from Spain, Mugaritz clearly belongs to the top ones! It is located in the Basque region (a possible food-lovers heaven?) along with several other incredible restaurants such as Martin Berasategui or Akelare (and possibly Arzak even if my experience there was not memorable). Definitely worth the journey wherever you're from!
The restaurant is located in the country side in a very bucolic setting. The nice weather permitted a lengthy after-lunch on the terrace before hitting the road back.
The exquisite cuisine is collectively produced by a large staff that you can meet in the modern kitchen. The cuisine style borrows lightly from the trends of molecular cuisine but without too much emphasis. The molecular tricks includes: frozen food, witty mimetic eats (cocoa-butter wrapping in this instance), dried ingredients, low-temperature cooking, etc. This shall not in anyway scare the molecular cuisine detractors as the meal is perfectly balanced and follows all academic standards of a 3-star meal.
Mugaritz
Aldura Aldea, 20
20100 Errenteria
Gipuzkoa
+ 34 943 522 455
In the long list of amazing tables from Spain, Mugaritz clearly belongs to the top ones! It is located in the Basque region (a possible food-lovers heaven?) along with several other incredible restaurants such as Martin Berasategui or Akelare (and possibly Arzak even if my experience there was not memorable). Definitely worth the journey wherever you're from!
The restaurant is located in the country side in a very bucolic setting. The nice weather permitted a lengthy after-lunch on the terrace before hitting the road back.
The exquisite cuisine is collectively produced by a large staff that you can meet in the modern kitchen. The cuisine style borrows lightly from the trends of molecular cuisine but without too much emphasis. The molecular tricks includes: frozen food, witty mimetic eats (cocoa-butter wrapping in this instance), dried ingredients, low-temperature cooking, etc. This shall not in anyway scare the molecular cuisine detractors as the meal is perfectly balanced and follows all academic standards of a 3-star meal.
 |
| Foie gras macaron (in which egg white has been very cleverly swapped with pig's blood!) |
 |
| Tendon. Honey mead, yolks and dipping ash. |
 |
| "Fishbones" with nuances of lemon, garlic and cayenne pepper |
 |
| Smoked toast, 100% lobster |
 |
| Tanned lobster flesh and fermented rice. |
 |
| Tortoloxak! |
 |
| Edible stones |
 |
| Small crustaceans |
 |
| Grilled toast of bone marrow with herbs and horseradish ash |
 |
| Ice shreds. Scarlet shrimp perfume. |
 |
| Egg yolk tucked in with an anemone blanket |
 |
| Grilled squid with onion |
 |
| Cantabrian sea Bonito and dark Marmitako juice |
 |
| Loin of Hake, tiger nut starch and concentrated clam juice |
 |
| Red mullet in a buter of its own liver. Almonds and bread. |
 |
| Sweetbreads |
 |
| Iberian pork with sour leaves and crème fraiche |
 |
| The cow and the grass |
 |
| Iced rye cream with aged toffee |
 |
| Frozen almond turron |
 |
| Roasted peach and "Rock tea" |
 |
| Glass. Sugar and cocoa as a cookie |
 |
| Candy caviar |
 |
| Delicacy tower |
 |
| Flower, herb and vegetable garden |
Mugaritz
Aldura Aldea, 20
20100 Errenteria
Gipuzkoa
+ 34 943 522 455
+ 34 943 518 343
http://www.mugaritz.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)