culinary

One of the most important, in my opinion, events in Cincinnati is happening this week – 7 DAYS FOR SIDS.

7 DAYS FOR SIDS was launched after the tragic loss of Tatiana de Cavel to SIDS in 2002.

The program, which is the largest fundraiser for SIDS research in the country, was started shortly after. Chefs from all types of restaurants in the Cincinnati area donate their time and talent to raise money for this vital research. Retailers and other interested parties also participate in various ways.

Check out the website (http://www.7daysforsids.com) for the complete schedule, and support it if you can.

Because when we put an end to SIDS, we all sleep better at night.

Full disclosure: I am a member of the 7 DAYS FOR SIDS planning committee.

I earned my Certified Culinarian!

The Summit Room at Midwest Culinary Institute
Sensational Wine Dinner
January 8, 2008
Chef Alan Neace
Wine pairings by Chef Neace & Laura Landoll, Vintage Wine Distributors. Wine commentary, below, provided by Laura Landoll.

Champagne Welcome

Smoke-Roasted Corn Chowder with Petite Blue Crab and Shrimp-filled Morel
FOOD: Wonderfully silky, smooth chowder with a flavor that rich and full (there was smoked cheese in there), yet a light texture, topped with a nice garnish of a slice of morel mushroom that had been stuffed with blue crab and shrimp, then poached.
2005 Joseph Drouhin Saint-Veran, White Burgundy
WINE: Saint-Veran is very close stylistically to Pouilly-Fuisse, with its golden green hue, its intense fruity, flowery nose and its refreshing flavors. It can be enjoyed very young (two to three months after bottling). An independent, family-owned firm that is 125 years old — this is very rare today! Eleven of the world’s leading wine families, each a recognized leader in its region, have created an international association, named Primum Familiae Vini (”Leading Wine Families”) or P.F.V.

Cobenerro Crusted Sea Bass with Quark Spaetzle and Cucumber-orange Compote
FOOD: A generous portion of sea bass crusted with cobenerro spices (a Guatalaman spice blend), served with spaetzle that were crisp on the outside with a tender chew on the inside. The compote provided a brightness and acidity to the dish, and it was a very nice, complete flavor profile.
2006 Domaine Sigalas Santorini, Assyrtiko
WINE: Assyrtiko is one of Greece’s finest white grape varieties and is planted throughout Greece. It was first cultivated on the island of Santorini, where it has developed a unique character producing excellent A.O.C. wines. Assyrtiko has the ability to maintain its acidity as it ripens. It yields a bone-dry wine that has citrus aromas mixed with an earthy, mineral aftertaste due to the volcanic soil of Santorini. A light yellow color with green highlights citrus flavors, and a lemon intensity, particular of the grape variety.

Quinoa and Black Bean Salpicon with Oven-dried Cherry Vinaigrette and Elfin Greens
FOOD: A flavorful bound salad (a Salpicon is a chopped, bound salad) with quinoa (oh, I adore quinoa), presented in a base of a cucumber ring, garnished with micro elfin greens (no hobbits in sight), and presented with a crescent-shaped cracker. The dressing was painted on the plate, and was very flavorful and a good acidic compliment to the salad. A very nice presentation and flavor.
2006 Chateau de Campuget Rose Rhone, Syrah/Grenache
WINE: Chateau de Campuget, which belongs to the Dalle family since 1941, is producing A.O.C. Costieres de Nimes wines. Their vineyard, of 160 hectares, is situated in the heart of the A.O.C. area, between Nimes and Arles, a few kilometers from the right side of the Rhone river. Grape composition: 30% Grenache noir, 70% syrah. Its color is an intense peony pink. Its bouquet is very aromatic, with scents of small red fruits such as raspberries or black currants. In the mouth, there is a perfect balance between vivacity and mellowness.

Sumac-rubbed Roast Pork Tenderloin Roulade with Ratatouille, Haricot Vert, aromatic infused pear, chive fragranced polenta cake, and sauce diable
FOOD: Gosh darn it, not enough people use Sumac when cooking. Its delicate, slightly citrus-y flavor was a nice addition to the pork tenderloin roulade. The tenderloin was trimmed & skinned, and the edible cut-offs were made into a farce that was placed atop the tenderloin (secured using powdered egg whites — “meat glue“, as Chef called it) and wrapped in caul fat before being seared off and roasted. Each of the components of the dish — ratatouille, pear, polenta, and verts — paired well with the tenderloin and, taken all in one bite were tasty, but sometimes the flavor profiles were muddy when mixing & matching components. For example, pear + pork == tasty. Pear + pork + ratatouille == less so.
2006 Willamette Valley, Pinot Noir
WINE: A beautiful wine that truly expresses the terroir of the red, volcanic earth where it was grown. Aromas of red fruits, violets, clove, and tea leaf. Flavors mirror aromas with juicy bing cherry, lavender, earth, and mineral followed by an elegant finish that lingers with spicy cinnamon and clove notes. The mouth-feel is round and generous with a concentrated mid-palate and good acidity. Appealing now, but will further reward those who cellar this wine. This wine is Salmon Safe, LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology), and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
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2005 Consentino Winery, Sangiovese
WINE: Spicy, exotic red and black fruit with hints of clove in the nose. A vibrantly colored, rich and concentrated, yet brightly balanced wine on the palate. A round, rich, and balanced wine that evolves into an intense mixed berry sensation with ripe tannins in the center. An elegant white pepper note finishes this richly textured wine. Grape composition: 92% Sangiovese, 2% Petite Sirah, 2% Early Burgundy, 2% Merlot, and 2% Alicante.

Delicate Pistachio and Cranberry Cake with terrine of cream medley, Tellicherry red wine sauce, and chocolate decor
FOOD: I enjoyed helping Chef prepare and refine this recipe. The original concept was modified to substitute almond paste for the tardy pistachio paste, and we bumped up the flavor of the cranberry center by rethinking the filling. Each cake — which was individually made — required that batter be added to the silicone mold, a filling of thick, red cranberry gelee added, then the mold ‘topped off’ with a bit more cake batter, sealed, and baked off. When opened, the cakes oozed a ruby red center.
2003 Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls
WINE: Les Clos de Paulilles is owned and managed by the Daure family, the preeminent wine growing family of the Roussillon. The entire vineyard is hand-harvested when the Grenache has reached exceptional degrees of ripeness — a minimum of 15 degrees. The grapes are crushed but not de-stemmed into stainless steel vats. Neutral grape spirit is added during fermentation — a process called “mutage” — after the wine is allowed to macerate for a full six weeks. The wines are pressed after maceration. Bottling occurs the Spring following the vintage, and the wines are aged in-bottle in climate-controlled cellars for a minimum of two years. Dark black-purple red with intense blackberry jam aroma and succulent, rich flavors. A superb dessert wine. Grape composition: 100% Black Grenache.

This dinner was very successful, and set the bar for meals to come.

The Summit Room at Midwest Culinary Institute
Sensational Wine Dinner
December 11, 2007
Chef Arthur Leech

Tuesday, December 11, 2007 marked the inaugural Wine Dinner at Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. As part of the planning team, I worked with College administration, Samantha Smith (from E&J Gallo Winery) and Carmen Parks (formerly of Rondo’s restaurant) to organize this, the first of our monthly Wine Dinners. It was gratifying to see this event come to life, and to have it so well-attended (somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 people attended the event).

Chef Arthur Leech provided the following menu, paired with wines by Samantha Smith.

Hors d’Oeuvres
Barefoot Brut Champagne

Spicy Asian Pepper Seared Wild Caught Salmon with a fresh thyme lemon vinaigrette
Martin Codax Albarino, 2006

Granny Smith Apple Chestnut Soup with Saffron Creme Fraiche
Bridlewood Reserve Viognier, 2006

Duck Confit & Roasted Mushroom Potato Lasagna resting on sauteed baby spinach and raspberry braised beets
MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir, 2006
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Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley, 2004

Cheese Sampling of Brie, Compote, French Blue, and Manchego drizzled with Mission Fig Syrup
Bridlewood Reserve Syrah, 2003

Peach, Apple, and Golden Raisin Rustic Tarts with moscato and honey reduction, creme anglaise
Moscato, N.V.

The meal was neither too conservative nor too ‘wild’, which was appropriate for the first time. We, as a planning committee, needed to begin to understand our audience and where their tastes are.

I recently started reading Charcuterie & French Pork Cookery by Jane Grigson, originally published in 1967. It is both an interesting historical document and an excellent introduction to charcuterie. The recipes are classics and, while rather uncomplicated by today’s standards, still yield excellent results.

I am reading it because a chef-friend of mine is opening a new place this year, and she’s very interested in preparing charcuterie in-house and has invited me to assist them in getting up and running.

On Saturday, June 16, 2007, I worked in the kitchens of Jean-Robert at Pigall’s. It was a good evening to work — the Chef de Cuisine and one of the line cooks were both out. Adequate plans for coverage were made, though — the sous chef from one of Jean-Robert’s other restaurants worked the “middle” (between fish and meat), I was there, and there were two high school-aged girls volunteering as well. It’s rare to see volunteers there because the kitchen is so small, but the girls stayed mostly out of the way.

Before service, I assisted with general prep. When Chef arrived, he pulled me downstairs to assist him (it was fun for me in a weird way to re-assign my mise en place to the high-school girls) with butchery & fish mongering. I worked my way (slowly, Chef would tell you!) through several skate wings and beef tenderloins. I enjoy butchery and fish mongering and have some skill at it (though I am a little bit slow, Chef would probably point out again, poking me in the ribs with his finger), and it was nice to give these skills a workout — not something I get to do often. An added perk was that Chef worked with me for much of the butchery. We had a good conversation while we worked, a rare luxury in such a busy kitchen.

After cleaning up from the butchery, I moved upstairs and shadowed Abby on Hot Appetizers for service. I helped with the soup and ravioli dishes, and helped Abby wherever I could. I didn’t start out the evening very helpfully — the first thing I did was drop a sizzle plate loudly to the floor (”it’s going to be that kind of night,” I thought). I messed up a couple other things that put Abby in the weeds, but she was cool and collected through the first turn. Or perhaps she was just relishing the quiet because she over-celebrated her 25th birthday the night before… I got my shit together for the second turn and feel like I contributed. Since morel mushrooms are in season, we sold a bunch of them — more than 20 orders, I think.

At one point during service, we ran out of prepared skate so Chef pulled me from Hot Apps and sent me downstairs to fabricate a few more. I busted them out, brought them up to Chef, and cleaned up. After service, Chef said that he was impressed that I jumped out, did what was necessary, and jumped back in.

After service, Chef asked if I wanted a soft-shell crab, which is currently on our menu. I said sure (it is bad form to say no when a chef offers you food!). The fish guy (Rob) told me that he’d cook it but I had to prep the crab. So, I followed the instructions Abby told me: “Step 1: Cut off the face with these scissors. Step 2: Lift up the skirt and cut out the gills. Step 3: Pull the tab (near the crab’s butt) and cut it off”. Abby has a hard time getting past the “cut off the face” part, but that doesn’t give me a problem. In culinary school, I went around behind the chef-instructor’s back and dispatched the lobsters of squeemish classmates. On Valentine’s Day (we call it amateur night) at the restaurant, I had to prep, dispatch, and par-cook 75 lobsters. The prep involved inserting a “booty stick” in the lobster’s, well…, booty (to keep the tail from curling when cooked) before dropping it in boiling water. After a few minutes, they were shocked in icy water and I broke down the bodies and cut their faces off for garnish.

Rob pan-fried the crab and served it with sauteed vegetables including fennel & fingerling potatoes and a caper buerre noir over top. It was delicious! I noticed that any time I’d turn my back on the plate, bits of the crab would disappear as my co-workers snuck samples. Fine with me.

After service was over, I helped everyone break down their stations and prepare to shut down the restaurant for their “weekend” — no service on Sunday or Monday. I was ready to go out for drinks, but owing to the over-celebration the night before, no one wanted to indulge, so I headed home, tired but happy to have helped out.

Upon reflection on the night, I feel like I passed a threshold in the restaurant with my participation during prep and service. I am not currently able to articulate what threshold it was exactly, but it feels like something very positive. I really enjoy working at Jean-Robert at Pigall’s.