France - A Gastronomic Weekend in Talloires

Auberge du Père Bise and Lac d'Annecy

My wife and I recently spent a weekend with old friends at the famous Auberge du Père Bise in Talloires, on the beautiful Lac d'Annecy, which is near Geneva. The hotel, situated on a spit of land adjacent to the tiny port of Talloires, has views of the lake and surrounding Alps on all sides.

Talloires and neighboring Annecy (and Annecy-le-Vieux) also are home to a number of wonderful restaurants, and we did our best to sample them. The best of them is Marc Veyrat, which gets three stars from Michelin and the only 20/20 in France from Gault-Millau, is closed for the season due to the illness of its celebrated chef-owner. However, to say we ate well would be a serious understatement.
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Specifically, we dined in "downtown" Annecy at La Ciboulette (one Michelin star), whose 44-euro menu is one of the best buys in France. Simply excellent food prepared with wonderful ingredients, including a cheese platter specializing in local cheeses (the local tome crayeuse is a revelation).

Next was Clos des Sens, in Annecy-le-Vieux (two Michelin stars), where interesting molecular and other modern techniques are practiced. We found the decor to be a not very successful fusion of French and Japanese elements, and the food (and its presentation) to vary from excellent to over the top. See the pictures below of mushroom appetizer, tuna plat, foie gras and lime sorbet in a sugar bag.


















Another one-star restaurant that we tried was Le Belvédère, on a hill in Annecy with a lovely lake and mountain view. Here the food was a little less cerebral than at Clos des Sens, but still very imaginative and really delicious. See pictures below of asparagus and tomato appetizers.









Our last meal was at Père Bise itself, which is run by Sophie Bise, who has not changed since we ate there 30 years ago. She knows how to run a hotel and restaurant, to be sure, but we found the restaurant to be a little out of date and a mere shadow of the legendary three-star palace of the seventies (perhaps belied by the frogs' legs and lobster dishes pictured below). Still, if the weather is good (and ours was perfect), an elegant dinner with good friends on Père Bise's terrace is a memorable experience.









Bobby Jay

France - Perfect Goat Cheese

Tomorrow's Cheese Today

My wife and I recently stayed a couple of days with American friends who have a magnificent manoir about an hour west of Paris, near Dreux. One of the highlights of our stay was a visit to a nearby chèvrerie (goat farm), Bois du Louviers, in Marsauceux. All is open, and one can observe the happy goats as they chow down and make the milk that will become tomorrow's chèvre frais and subsequent days' crottins, pyramides, trèfles (four-leaf clover shape), tomes, etc.

Today's Cheese Today

At the small shop, the final products are for sale, and they are the best I have ever had, particularly the chèvre frais (mixed with fresh chives from our friends' garden) and the lightly ash-covered trèfle. You can do almost as well in Paris at a really fine fromagerie, or at a good open-air market, but there's something about seeing and buying it at the farm that makes the taste seem better.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Restaurants Revisited

Accompanied by my wife, I have had recently been able to revisit a number of restaurants that I have written up in the past. You can find my earlier descriptions, together with addresses and phone numbers, by clicking on the topic "Paris" or "Restaurants" at right.

Beaujolais d'Auteil and its pissaladière with escargots.

We went to Beaujolais d'Auteil with four friends, and can report, now based on a bigger sampling of their offerings, that this remains an excellent bistro and a great value (30-euro menu). The food is delicious and attractively presented in a classic bistro. We enjoyed this place so much that we returned twice during our stay, working our way through a good part of the menu.

We returned to Rôtisserie du Beaujolais, which we felt had been falling off a bit, and found it had returned to its former luster. Our favorite confit de canard aux pommes sarladaises was not on the summer menu, but a roast duck for two was fantastic. The girolle salad was excellent, as was my wife's pigeon rôti.
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Le Hide: St-Pierre with Risotto and Feuilleté au Chocolat.

Another restaurant that really stood up was Le Hide, which purports to serve classical French food but really has modern interpretations of French favorites. We both had fish -- bar over smashed potatoes for my wife and St-Pierre over saffron risotto for me -- and were more than satisfied. We also loved our shared dessert of feuilleté with very dark chocolate mousse and chocolate ice cream. At 22 euros for a two-course menu and 29 for a three-course, this remains one of the best buys in Paris.

Kunitoraya

I finally was able to introduce my wife to Kunitoraya, an udon restaurant near the Opéra. This is a branch of a restaurant in Shikoku, known throughout Japan for its udon, and would be an excellent find even in Tokyo. I had cold noodles with a rare natto (fermented soy bean) sauce; my wife had hot noodles with tempura. We returned later in our stay for cold tempura udon (tenzaru), and it, too, was superb.

We also went to Timgad, a Moroccan restaurant in a well-to-do neighborhood in the 17th, with friends who didn't know Moroccan food. As good as ever and a big hit with our friends. Timgad is expensive for a Moroccan restaurant.

With a foodie friend, I finally introduced my wife to Au Trouquet, an inexpensive, family-run bistro in the 15th that serves Basque food. The food was delicious, but it was hot and not air conditioned. Definitely worth visiting, but not on a hot summer's night.

Finally, we went to Accolade, which I had visited a few times on my own. While my meal was really excellent, my wife's was only good. Still, it's a pleasant, inexpensive place and I would try it again.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Food Isn't Everything . . .

. . . at Paris food markets. Look at these magnificent roses and peonies, available last Saturday at the wonderful open air market on the Avenue de Président Wilson, between Place de l'Alma and Place de Iéna.













Bobby Jay

Checking Out "Our" Farm

My friend Piglet and I share a share in Roxbury Farm, an organic community-supported farm in Kinderhook, New York. A share entitles the holder to 26 food drops per year, from early June through November, of whatever the farm produces. Like other farms, Roxbury has several dropoff points in New York City. It is a fun challenge to try to find things to do with the surprise package (often including things you've never seen before) before the following week's drop.
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A share also entitles the holder to visit the farm and make a pest of oneself, since the folks on the farm are generally working hard. But part of the local food movement is to know who is growing your food, so we drove the 120 or so miles to the farm on a lovely spring day last week, where we walked around and talked to Jody Bolluyt, who, together with Jean-Paul Courtens, runs the place.

It is still early in the season, but we enjoyed looking around and looking at the next six months' bounty in its earliest state. It's pretty amazing that the trays of 1/2-inch seedlings we looked at will turn into an array of beautiful lettuces and greens! Even if you can't join a community supported farm, you can have fantastic produce and support the local food movement (and, not incidentally, save the earth) by buying as much as possible at your nearest greenmarket. Not only for organic vegetables, but also for fantastic artisanal cheeses and pastured, ethically raised meats and poultry.

Bobby Jay

Cooking by Hand -- Paul Bertolli's Excellent Book

I first heard of Paul Bertolli's marvelous Cooking by Hand from an article in Edward Behr's The Art of Eating, in which Behr lists it as one of the nine cookbooks that he would keep on his shelf if he had to give up all his hundreds of others. Bertolli's book has many recipes, true, but really it is more a series of essays on Italian food than it is a cookbook. This is evident from the chapter headings -- "Ripeness," "Twelve Ways at Looking at a Tomato" and "Aceto Balsamico," for example, rather than meat, fish, pasta, etc. It is a splendid read, although you might want to skim through the very long chapter on charcuterie if, like me, there is no chance that you will put it to practical use. But even this chapter is full of interesting lore and information that will make you a more thoughtful cook and shopper.
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Cooking by Hand can at times be quite moving. I actually cried when I read this passage from a letter Bertolli wrote to his newborn son Antonio, which serves as the introduction to the chapter on Aceto Balsamico:

It is two months now that you have been alive and I have decided not to wait to tell you about a special gift we have received in honor of your birth. Your gift came in six separate boxes from our friends in Italy, Francesco, an artisan barrel maker, and his wife, Maura, whom you will soon meet and visit. Francesco has built for you six beautiful casks, Antonio's batteria he calls it, for making aceto balsamico, no ordinary vinegar, as you will see. When Francesco's sons were born he built barrels for them as well and if you were to climb to the very top floor of his house, there under the roof you would see them lined up in rows, one slightly bigger than the next, his sons' names . . . burned into the head of each. Next to these are casks that Francesco's father filled for him nearly 50 years ago! You would also smell something extraordinary as you approach the low door that leads into this room, called the acetaia, the place where vinegar ages -- an aroma that is dense and pungent and like no other that has passed under your nose. . . . Francesco has given to you, but also to our family, a rare gift and the wish of continuity.

By the time you are old enough to read this, the vinegar that I will soon start for you will have aged enough to draw. In it you will taste the years it has marked since you were born. It will grow sappy as you move into your teens, then deepen and thicken as you become a man. In your twenties its dark obscurity will mirror the complexities of life that dawn on you; in middle age balsamico may help you remember who you are and with whom you have belonged. When you grow old, it will be the nectar that you have waited all your life to sip, by then a kind of magic elixir. Like you, it will have become everything it has ever been for better or worse, an embrace of the "sweet and sour" that is life, a family keepsake to pass along to loved ones of your own. . . .

Wow! I still get misty-eyed just typing this, and I am not really a huge fan of balsamic vinegar.

Bobby Jay

Wonderful Vietnamese Sandwiches -- Bánh Mì

Baoguette's bánh mì

There have been a number of articles recently, including a major spread in the New York Times, extolling the virtues of, bánh mì, Vietnamese pork sandwiches served on a baguette. While it has been reported that they were invented by Vietnamese immigrants to the US for local consumption, one of my readers (see comments below) informs me that this is false; in fact they existed in Vietnam and were brought to the US by immigrants after the war.

In response to the publicity, my friend Piglet and I went to one of the best bánh mì places, Baoguette, at 61 Lexington Avenue (between 25th and 26th Streets), which has received awards from New York Magazine and Time Out New York. Our conclusion: the fuss is justified. Five dollars will buy you a sandwich consisting of pork, pork pate, pork terrine and pickled vegetables (including daikon and carrots) and cilantro with hot (or less hot) sauce. The flavors are just sensational! On a subsequent visit I tried a similar sandwich, but made with chicken; excellent, but doesn't match the layered complexity of the pork version. There is also a beef version (Sloppy Bao) which I have't tried. Baoguette also has branches at 37 St. Mark's Place and 120 Christopher Street.

There are other places to find bánh mì, and I hope to try as many of them as possible. Click more for the list compiled by the New York Times.

Bobby Jay

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AN CHOI 85 Orchard Street (Broome Street); (212) 226-3700.
BANH MI SAIGON BAKERY 138 Mott Street (Grand Street); (212) 941-1541.
BAOGUETTE 61 Lexington Avenue (25th Street); (212) 518-4089.
BAOGUETTE CAFE 37 St. Marks Place (Second Avenue); (347) 892-2614.
BA XUYEN 4222 Eighth Avenue (42nd Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 633-6601.
NHA TOI 160 Havemeyer Street (South Second Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 599-1820.
NUM PANG 21 East 12th Street (University Place); (212) 255-3271.
PARIS SANDWICH BAKERY CAFE 113 Mott Street (Hester Street); (212) 226-7221.
SAU VOI CORP. 101 Lafayette Street (Walker Street); (212) 226-8184.
SILENT H 79 Berry Street (North Ninth Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 218-7063.
THANH DA I 6008 Seventh Avenue (60th Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 492-3253.
THANH DA II 5624B Eighth Avenue (56th Street), Sunset Park, Brooklyn; (718) 492-3760.

Michael Ruhlman's "Ratio"

I have just finished reading Michael Ruhlman's fine new book, Ratio, which was inspired by what he learned during his studies at the Culinary Institute of America, chronicled in his excellent The Making of a Chef. Ruhlman became fascinated by the basic ratios that good chefs know by heart, which enable them to improvise with confidence rather than follow recipes. The book contains basic ratios for doughs and batters; stocks (and roux and beurre manié used to thicken them); farces, mousselines and other meat-related items; fat-based sauces; and custards.

The point of the book is not so much to provide recipes (although there are many) but to show how recipes are created and to give the reader the means and courage to make up his or her own in the same way that chefs do. For example, after giving the basic ratio for pie dough and then a recipe for tart dough using that ratio, he tosses off dozens of variations that can be made without significantly deviating from the basic ratio -- caramelized onion and compté tart, leek and walnut tart, potato and leek tart, tomato tart, peach and prosciutto tart, various sweet tarts and a number of fruit tarts, among others. This is really a new kind of cookbook!
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Another thing I love about this book is how Ruhlman's love affair with food and cooking comes through in his simple unadorned prose. Here is my favorite excerpt from the book, in which he is discussing batters:

. . . people who are gifted pastry chefs have simply seen the crepe-cake continuum more clearly for longer, rather than seeing crepe equaling one set of instructions, cake another, and so hav been able to improvise; they understand how small adjustments in fat, flour, egg and sugar can result in satisfying nuances of lightness and delicacy or richness in flavor and texture. It's all one thing.

Which is why I love cooking. It's all one thing.

I do have some gripes about this book, primarily the way in which Ruhlman switches back and forth between volume measures, counts and weights, which makes it difficult to follow the ratios and, more important, has led to a number of errors and inconsistencies. In the section of crème anglaise, for example, one recipe converts 4 ounces of egg yolks to 7 large yolks while two other convert the same 4 ounces into 8 yolks, and another converts 6 ounces into 9 yolks. I usually cook by weight, but often will use eggs by count; what am I supposed to do here?

This is more than a quibble, but there is so much great stuff in the book that I can forgive it.

If you love food, Ratio is worth reading.

Bobby Jay

Foolproof Baby Back Ribs

My friend Mark has a simple and foolproof method of making great baby back ribs, and he has graciously authorized me to share it.

Cap'n Mark's Baby Back Ribs

1. Preheat oven to 250º-270º F.
2. Rub each rack of ribs with about 1 TBS of your favorite rub. There are a million rub recipes available on the Internet, but it's hard to beat Cap'n Mark's Rib Rub. See below.
3. Heat rack on a pan in the middle of the oven. If using an outdoor grill, keep the ribs away from direct heat.
4. Cook for 3-4 hours.
5. Cut the rack(s) in half, wrap in tin foil, two or three racks together. Then place the foil-wrapped ribs in a paper bag, roll the top down tightly, then place the bag in another paper bag, roll the top down tightly.
6. Rest at least an hour.
7. Heat up some BBQ sauce. Cap'n Mark likes bone-sucking sauce, but whatever brand you like (or, better yet, whatever you make).
8. Open packages, cut ribs into one- or two-rib pieces, and drizzle with hot BBQ sauce.
9. Optional side: sprinkle cut vegetables with the rib rub, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 400º until done.

Bobby Jay

For Cap'n Mark's Rib Rub recipe, click on More.
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Cap'n Mark's Rib Rub

Mix together

1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon mild chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons celery salt
1 tablespoon ground oregano

Food Movie -- La Grande Bouffe

La Grande Bouffe, one of the best-known movies about food, has recently become available in the US on DVD, so I watched it again for the first time in many years.

Directed in 1973 by Marco Ferreri, La Grande Bouffe is a French black comedy about four men -- a pilot (Marcello Mastroianni), a chef (Ugo Tognazzi), a television host (Michel Piccoli), and a judge (Philippe Noiret, one of my all-time favorites) -- who go to a villa in France with the goal of eating themselves to death. What follows is an orgy of lavish food and sex (added to the festivities almost as an after-thought).

I found the movie to be black, indeed, but not comic. Indeed, it is profoundly sad and a reminder that food is not the be-all and end-all of life. Worth seeing, as any film with these four great actors would be, but not if you're expecting to laugh.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Flan Nature

L'Autre Boulange's Flan Nature

Figaroscope, the culture magazine published by Le Figaro, recently conducted a study to find the best flan nature in Paris (table of results set forth below). Flan is not something I eat often, but I was intrigued and determined to try some of the flans that Figaroscope considered the best. Besides, someone has to keep Le Figaro honest, however unpleasant the job.

I started with the winning flan, from l'Autre Boulange (pictured above), located in a working class neighborhood in the eleventh arrondissement, and it really is sensational. The dark color, thick, almost-but-not-quite-too-gelatinous texture and almost-too-strong vanilla flavor are extraordinary. This is a hearty flan, not to be confused with what we get in Mexican restaurants, which is much lighter (more like a panna cotta) and usually topped with a caramel sauce. (French flan is baked in a hot oven, not surrounded by a bain marie as is the lighter Spanish type flan.)
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Second stop was the runner-up, Poilane. Also delicious and quite similar. Perhaps a touch less vanilla and a touch less color on the top, but really the equal of l'Autre Boulange's flan, and in a neighborhood where you are much more likely to find yourself.

Next was a deviation from the published order, Gérard Mulot (ranked sixth). This had the best crust so far, was very dark (but a little too uniformly so) and somewhat less aggressively unctuous and vanilla-y than l'Autre Boulange's. Close call.

After this I tried Gosselin (ranked third), whose flan is very light-colored and more lightly (and pleasantly) flavored. However, I thought it had a really weak crust, flat and thin.

Tied for sixth with Gérard Mulot is Cohier, which also only had cherry flan when I visited. I tried this and found the taste and texture to be satisfactory, but the crust to be nearly tasteless. I presume the crust for the nature is similar.

Next, the Juliens. First, I then strayed from the list to try the flan of the excellent boulangerie/pâtisserie Julien at St-Philippe-du-Roule, which is not on Figaroscope's list. This had a mild taste but excellent crust, important because it is served in individual round tart crusts rather than in slices. Then the Julien that is on Figaroscope's list (ranked ninth), which was very light in color, delicious in taste but with a thin cardboard-like crust.

Julien's Flan Nature

Finally, I got to Dalloyau (ranked fifth), one of my favorite pâtisseries in Paris and one that, like Gérard Mulot, is good in all domaines of the field, including tarts; financiers, pâtes de fruit, chocolates, croissants. I was optimistic based on past experience, but was disappointed in the end. Dalloyau's is an individual flan in what I think is a puff pastry crust. It lacks the intense flavor and unctuous texture that most of the others displayed and would not make my list.

So, having tried seven of Figaroscope's top ten and one additional one, I have reached some conclusions. I agree that l'Autre Boulange sets the standard for flan nature; it is as near to perfect as I found. After that, I give more weight to the pastry than the Figaroscope judges; thus my second choice was Gérard Mulot on the strength of their excellent pâte brisée and fine classic custard.

In addition to being quite delicious, flan is a real deal. Seven of the ten top-ranked were 2.10 euros or less for a big slice. Only Gérard Mulot (2.70 euros) and Dalloyau (3.70 euros but for a whole individual flan) were more than 2.50 euros. So trying a bunch of flans (even eating less than half of most of them, as I did) is a good way to find a reason to go into those tempting little bakeries that you see all the time as you walk around Paris.

Here is Figaroscope's top 10 list (based on appearance, texture, taste, and value):

1. L'Autre Boulange, 43, rue de Montreuil, 75011
2. Poilane, 8, rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006
3. Gosselin, 125, rue Saint-Honoré, 75001
4. Carette, 4, place du Trocadéro, 75016
5. Dalloyau, 101, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, 75008
6. Gérard Mulot, 76, rue de Seine, 75006
Cohier, 270, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, 75008
8. Jacques Bazin, 85 bis, rue de Charenton, 75012
9. Julien, 75, rue Saint-Honoré, 75001
Blé Sucré, 7, rue Vollon, 75012

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Le Hide ("Koba's Bistro")

Talk about screaming bargains! I dined tonight at Le Hide, a small restaurant near the Etoile that is Pudlo's Rapport Qualité-Prix de l'Année for 2009. The food is excellent and at 29 euros for the three-course menu (or 22 for the two-course formule) is one of the best deals in Paris.

The chef-owner, Hide Kobayashi, trained with Jean-Pierre Vigato (Apicius), Dominique Bouchet, Joel Robuchon and at Taillevent, and this shows in his cooking. There is nothing Japanese about the well-prepared cuisine, which is French French French.

I tried to stay light -- everything is relative -- so went with the white asparagus starter and roasted chicken breast on risotto finished with truffled olive oil. Both were perfectly cooked, although the accompanying risotto evinced the normal lack of understanding of the Italian technique that bedevils even good French chefs. For dessert I had the "café gourmand," coffee served with a mini-crème brûlée, a mini-chocolate pot de crème and a little ball of caramel ice cream. There is a small but nice list of wines served by the glass or in 50 or 75 cl. carafes; I had the Chinon recommended by Pudlo and was not disappointed.

My neighbors had the very tempting foie gras poelé sur haricots verts and the rack of lamb and were very happy. I saw and heard oohs and ahs for the more substantial desserts. And a number of tables were filled with regulars who were greeted with kisses at the door. From all this, I am pretty sure that my own good experience is typical and therefore am comfortable recommending le Hide based on just one visit.

Le Hide, 10, rue du Général Lanrezac, 75017 Paris (Métro Etoile), 01 45 74 15 81.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Authentic Japanese Udon

The best udon noodles I have found outside Japan are at Kunitoraya, 39 rue Ste-Anne, in Paris. A Japanese friend who spends several months a year in Paris told me about this place a couple of years ago, and I try to get there once each time I am in Paris to enjoy the totally authentic kitsune udon. There is nearly always a line, but if you go after 1:45 you probably won't wait more than a couple of minutes.

Rue Ste-Anne, near Opéra, is home to dozens of Japanese restaurants, including the best ramen place I have found in Paris -- Sapporo -- which has a branch next door to Kunitoraya at number 37.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Caméléon

Upon the recommendation of a good friend, I went to the highly regarded Caméléon tonight and had a really good meal. This is a very classy Montparnasse bistro run by the chic Jean-Paul Arabian. The food is classic but yet new: imaginatively prepared and presented. Prices are high at dinner for this type of food (38 euros for my main course), although there are a 25-euro formule and 30-euro menu at lunch that are real bargains.

I had the signature pavé de foie de veau with gratin de macaronis au parmesan (calf's liver with macaroni and cheese), and it is a triumph. The pavé is an enormous piece of liver, about 2" by 2" by 4", that is perfectly caramelized on the outside and tender pink within. The mac and cheese, served in a piping hot Staub casserole, is also fantastic and would make a fine meal by itself. Knowing how huge the pavé would be, I had no starter, but for dessert I had the nougat glacé maison, served with a mixed berry coulis, which also was delicious. My friend had the pain perdu with bananas and caramel and reports that it, too, was excellent. Although I have only been there once, my friend is reliable and so are Pudlo and Lebey, both of which give Caméléon excellent reviews, so I am comfortable recommending it. Especially for lunch as long as you don't need to do too much in the afternoon.

Caméléon, 6 rue de Chevreuse, 75006 Paris (Métro Vavin), Tel 01 43 27 43 27.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Itinéraires

I have heard from a number of sources about Itinéraires, a relatively new "gastro-bistro" in the fifth arrondissement. It is a "coup de coeur" in the new Pudlo, which I believe is the best Paris restaurant guide. Also, a recent post by Barbra, of the excellent blog Serve It Forth (www.serveitforth.com), made it sound tempting. Based on these and other reviews, I went at the earliest possible time, which was last night.

I am sorry to say that I was quite disappointed. I started with asparagus with hollandaise "revisitée," served with some small slices of prosciutto di parma. I was excited at the prospect of my first white asparagus of the season, but they were seriously undercooked, and the very light and, I think, parmesan-flavored hollandaise (presumably this was what "revisitée" meant) didn't coat the asparagus; the prosciutto seemed to be an afterthought. In short, the whole didn't hang together due, I believe, to the hardness of the asparagus.

For my main course I had suckling pig (cochon de lait) rolled up, roasted to perfection and served with pureed potatoes in two textures. Perfectly prepared and delicious!

Dessert was a green chartreuse soufflé which tasted fine but had so much residual alcohol that it caught in the throat.

The place is nice and reasonable (36 euros for a three-course meal), and also creative and ambitious -- nearly everything on the menu sounded really good. However, based on my meal, consisting of one good dish, one bad and one near-miss, I really can't recommend this restaurant. I plan to try it again, though, on the theory that I just had bad luck, and hope to be able to report a better experience.

Itinéraires, 5 rue de Pontoise, 75005 Paris (Métro Maubert-Mutualité), 01 46 33 60 11.

Bobby Jay

Red Wattle Pig

My food friend Piglet and I recently ordered a quarter of a Red Wattle pig from Heritage Foods USA, a company that sells meat and poultry on behalf of small, independent farms and "exists to promote independent family farms, humane production, genetic diversity and traceability." (Piglet has bought turkeys through this company and has been very pleased with them.)

When I told people that I had ordered an eighth of a pig, they inevitably asked, "which eighth?" It was a little sad to explain that it was all butchered and packed in freezer ready heavy plastic bags. The quarter that came weighed in at about 40 pounds, more than the 35-pound estimate, and consisted of a leg, a shoulder roast, some ribs, pork chops, bacon, breakfast sausage, pork osso bucco, ground pork, etc. No exotic cuts or organ meats were included.

What attracted us to the Red Wattle pig was in part this description on Heritage Foods' web site:

Red Wattle meat tends to be a little darker than most other pork and is very tender. The variety boasts wonderful hams and sirloin steaks and a juicy and flavorful taste even though the meat is lean. The Red Wattle is perhaps the most severely at risk variety of pork in the United States. This pig, which gets its name from its red color and the wattles that hang under the chin, originated in New Caledonia, came to New Orleans in the 18th century and lingered in the forests of Texas. Larry and Madonna Sorell of Glasco, Kansas [whence our pig], lead a network of four families who are among the last in the world raising the Red Wattle."

In short, we were getting a pedigreed, appropriately raised and delicious pig.

So, what did we do with it and how was it?

I invited some friends to share a meal featuring this pig. We were nine. After hors d'oevres and guava/peach bellinis, we started with delicious fennel sausages that I made from the ground pork, following a recipe from Wolfgang Puck. I then cut the sausages into bite-sized bits, browned them, added 8 ounces of balsamic vinegar of not great quality and boiled it down to a dense syrupy sauce (recipe from Michael Chiarello). Served over v e r y slow-cooked polenta (recipe from Paul Bertolli), this was a nice start.









For the main course, I made Pernil, a Puerto Rican preparation (recipe from Ingrid Hoffman), accompanied by red quinoa and chopped collard greens. I marinated the pork overnight in a garlicky, citrusy adobo marinade that included Goya brand Mojo sauce, made with bitter oranges. Then I roasted the pork for 5 1/2 hours: 450º for 1 hour and 350º for the remaining 4 1/2. The sauce was delicious, but I found the pork a bit -- certainly not falling off the bone as advertised -- so the natural goodness of the pork was less evident than in the sausages. Next time, lower and slower after the first hour. The meal was completed by a wonderful flourless chocolate cake baked by one of the guests.

Piglet made pork chops and also found them a touch too dry. She tried again and was much happier. She also made some of the bacon and it was great.

So, the bottom line on the Red Wattle pig is that it can taste great, but one must be careful to avoid overcooking the leaner cuts. The description says this breed is naturally lean, and it's true. And in any event, it feels good to eat pork from a pig that is raised the way it should be.

If we ever get to the bottom of the freezer full of Red Wattle pork (now down to 10 pounds), I'd like to try again. Next time, though, Piglet and I have agreed to try to a fattier Berkshire or Duroc.

Bobby Jay

Chocolate II

Based on comments to my earlier post "Chocolate," most of which have been oral, I need to update it.

Walking by the Jacques Torres store on Amsterdam between 73rd and 74th, I felt compelled to go in and give it a try. I bought two bars, "Dangerously Dark," a plain 72% chocolate and "The Wicked Bar," dark chocolate with notes of ancho and chipotle chilies. The Dangerously Dark is very good indeed, the other less successful once the novelty wears off. A friend who is a good cook and serious about chocolate says that Jacques Torres' cooking chocolate is "hands down" the best available. I will certainly try this soon.

At the recommendation of two chocolate aficionados, I tried a bar of Pierre Marcolini's 72% Pure Origin Venezuela chocolate, and I must admit it is great. However, it is stupefyingly expensive: an 80g bar costs $11.00 plus tax! More than three times the cost of a 100g bar of Lindt. At these prices, it is easy to limit yourself to one ($1.30) square after dinner, so perhaps that's a good thing.

Bobby Jay

(Almost Healthy) Caramelized Banana and Chocolate Soufflé

I have been working on a banana soufflé recipe and finally gotten it to the point where it is ready to share. The recipe includes no egg yolks and uses agave syrup instead of sugar to caramelize the bananas. Agave syrup is better for you than sugar because it has a low glycemic index nearly as much, and therefore does not raise your blood sugar and trigger a large release of insulin to metabolize the sugar. The soufflés are easy to make, and can be made several hours before the 10 minutes or so that it takes to bake them (while you are on your salad course).

Click more for the recipe.
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Bobby Jay’s (Almost Healthy) Caramelized Banana Chocolate Soufflé

Serves 4

2 large ripe bananas, each cut into about 10 pieces
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs or so of light agave syrup
2 Tbs whole-milk Greek-style yogurt
4 extra large egg whites
2 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate)
Caramel syrup, preferably salted caramel (optional)

1. Melt butter over medium to medium-high temperature. Add bananas and cook until they turn golden brown.

2. Add the agave syrup and cook until bananas are well caramelized. Deglaze with the yogurt and cook until yogurt liquid disappears.

3. Beat the banana until smooth (or almost). Set aside to cool.

4. Whip the egg whites until pretty hard peaks but not dry.

5. Add 1/3 of whites to banana mixture. Fold in the rest. Fill four 8 oz ramekins halfway, add ¼ of the chocolate chips to each, then fill with remaining whites. Place on a pan and move to fridge until ready to cook (the soufflés will keep for a couple of hours).

6. Bake 10-11 minutes in 425 degree oven. (Check after 10 minutes; if toothpick comes out dry but for chocolate, they are done; if not, but top is done, cover lightly with a single sheet of aluminum foil.)

7. Swirl (optional) caramel syrup over the top of each soufflé.

Notes:

You could use regular yogurt, but should use ¼ cup because it has nearly double the liquid compared to Greek style yogurt.

I intend to try peanut butter chips instead of or in addition to chocolate, but haven’t yet.

Bobby Jay

Spectacular New Haven Pizza

My wife and I, along with two dear friends, went to New Haven last week to see a wonderful exhibition, "Tea Culture of Japan," at the Yale University Art Gallery. My wife went online to find a restaurant for lunch, and the two consensus choices of New Havenites were pizza places. She chose Frank Pepe, which has been making pizza for nearly a century. All the pizza was excellent, but the best was the clam (!) pizza, which came in two varieties, with mozzarella or without. We preferred without, because it tasted like clams for spaghetti alle vongole sprinkled with a little parmesan cheese. The mozzarella version was excellent, too. The crusts on all both of our pies were great, thin and slightly burned in the ancient coal-fired oven. \

It turns out that everyone in New Haven and everyone who has been to Yale knows this place, but it was a revelation for us New Yorkers. It is almost worth the drive from New York for the pizza alone.

Pending my return to New Haven, I've got to figure out how to make this, although it will certainly be a far cry from the original.

Bobby Jay

Are San Marzano Tomatoes Really the Best?

Yes!

The May & June 2009 issue of Cook's Illustrated arrived last week and included a nice recipe for "Best Quick Tomato Sauce," a 15-minute sauce enhanced with a little grated onion, garlic, and fresh basil. Their tasters recommend using Muir Glen or Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes, but I set out to do a comparative tasting. I made three batches simultaneously, identical but for the tomatoes. One batch was with the recommended Muir Glen organic tomatoes, the second was made with Muir Glen Fire Roasted organic tomatoes (recommended by a friend) and the third was made with San Marzano Italian tomatoes, which are generally reputed to be the best. I deviated from the recipe by using whole tomatoes which I crushed in my hands rather than already crushed ones. For the results, click more below.
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All three batches were good, but they were not equal. The clear winner, in terms of taste and texture, was the batch made with the San Marzanos. Second best was the batch made with the Muir Glen tomatoes, which had a nice bright taste but lacked a little of the richness of the San Marzanos. The fire roasted Muir Glens had a slightly smoky but somewhat muted taste, and were also considerably thinner in texture.

While the San Marzano tomatoes are not organic, I suspect they are made in a fairly traditional artisanal and responsible way, so I personally would not count that against them. If you insist on organic, the Muir Glens are a more than acceptable alternative.

Bobby Jay

Paris -- Bobby Jay's Restaurant List

People are always asking me for special restaurant recommendations in Paris, so I will share my list.

But first, a number of important disclaimers:

-- I have not listed places I don't like.

-- I have not necessarily eaten at the places on the list in the last couple of years, so the food may have declined (or improved).

-- There are many many more restaurants in every category; these are ones that I and my wife have gotten to and liked, and we are just two people. I have not included any restaurant based solely on others' opinions.

-- The restaurants are listed in random order. I don't think that the list is long enough to require categorization.

Still interested? Click more below.

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Granterroirs: centrally located in the Eighth on rue de Miromesnil, a wonderful place for lunch. Their open sandwiches and salads are superb. Try the Landais if you like foie gras (the cold, not the hot, variety). If you don’t like foie gras, think again: maybe you haven’t had the good French stuff. The daily specials are excellent if a bit pricey for lunch. Try to leave room for the dessert of the day. 30, rue de Miromesnil (Métro Miromesnil), 75008, Tel 0147 42 18 18.

Rotisserie du Beaujolais: a very pure restaurant, with really great confit de canard and rotisseried (à la broche) duck (canard or caneton), chicken (poulet) and meat (they make a magnificent piece of rotisseried beef (boeuf) for 2). Make sure you get the sauteed potatoes (pommes sarladaises) if they don’t come with your dish. The people are nice and English is OK. One of the great experiences is to take the Métro to Pont-Marie, on the right bank, and walk across the Ile St-Louis to the restaurant (two bridges: note the truly magnificent view of Notre-Dame). 19, quai de la Tournelle (Métro Pont-Marie), 75005, Tel 01 43 54 17 47.

Sardegna à Tavola: out of the way place with really interesting Sardinian food (it is not the same as Italian). Great pasta and fish (they are across the street from one of Paris’ better fish markets). A little expensive for what we think of as Italian food, but constant crowds show that it's worth it. 1, rue de Cotte (Métro Gare de Lyon or Lédru-Rollin), 75012. Tel 01 44 75 03 28.

Timgad: excellent Moroccan in fancy (and expensive) surroundings. Try the bastilla (somewhat sweet pigeon pie with raisins, cinnamon & powdered sugar) as an appetizer. 21, rue Brunel (Métro Argentine), 75017, Tel 01 45 74 23 70).

Etoile Morocaine: Very good North African cuisine in a nice setting. Despite proximity to the Arc de Triomphe, the clientele is not touristy; mostly locals who appear to be regulars. It is not very expensive. 56, rue de Galilée (Métro Georges V), 75008, Tel 01 47 20 44 43.

Mansouria: very nice classic Moroccan in plain surroundings, in a somewhat inconvenient location. The owner is like a Moroccan Madhur Jaffray, and the place is chic. 11, rue Faidherbe (Métro Faidherbe-Chaligny), 75011, Tel 01 43 71 00 16.

Noura: really good Lebanese food. The Pavillon is fancier (and better), the regular place is less formal (no reservations, come as you are) but still good, especially for lunch. The best tabouleh salad I've ever had. For the brasserie, 27, avenue Marceau (Métro Alma-Marceau or Georges V), 75016, Tel 01 47 03 02 20; and for Noura Pavillon, 21, avenue Marceau, Tel 01 47 20 33 33.

Ladurée, rue Royale: famous for its tea (and lunch) room upstairs and for its macarons (almond cookies, but not to be confused with our macaroons of the Passover variety). The rich ladies who lunch go there. Probably English is OK, but menu is easy to follow. Superb breakfast; the best scrambled eggs (oeuf brouillés) I have ever eaten. 16, rue Royale (Métro Madeleine or Concorde), 75008. Tel 01 42 60 21 79. (There are now Ladurées on the Champs-Elysées and rue Bonaparte, too, but we have not been to them.)

Violon d’Ingres: This is the flagship restaurant of Christian Constant, who has a number in the same neighborhood in the 7th. It was a chic and expensive fancy place, but bistro-ized a couple of years ago, with a 60 euro menu that I find a steal. Imaginative food, good but not officious service. NOTE: my wife disagrees and did not like the scaled-down version. 135, rue St-Dominique (Métro Ecole-Militaire or Pont de l'Alma), Tel 01 45 55 15 05.

Diep: good Chinese-Vietnamese, about 10 minutes on foot. The best spring rolls anywhere. Breathtakingly expensive for Americans, who are used to moderate prices at Chinese restaurants. No reason to go unless you really miss Chinese food. 55, rue Pierre Charon (Métro Franklin-D.-Roosevelt), 75008, Tel 01 45 63 52 76.

Le Rubis: the best wine bar anywhere. Especially for wine in the Beaujolais family, including Julienas, Morgon (***), Fleurie, Chiroubles, etc. The food is simple, traditional, excellent, like jarret de porc (pig's knuckle), petit salé (salt pork) aux lentilles, etc. Also excellent cheese, especially the brie. For lunch only, but try to avoid 1-2 pm. Probably English is OK, but menu is easy to follow (except that you won’t know what the stuff is: andouillette is a flavorful tripe sausage that is not for the faint of heart, petit salé is a kind of ham on the bone, jarret is also ham, coq au vin you know). 10, rue du Marché St-Honoré (Métro Tuileries), 75001, Tel 01 42 61 03 34.

Relais d’Auteuil: one of our favorites. Excellent food, at a “neighborhood” place near the Bois de Boulogne. They are just lovely people there, who are out to make you comfortable, not to show off. Lots of ½ bottles of wine from all regions and at all reasonable prices. This is a big splurge but worth it. 31, boulevard Murat (Métro Michel-Ange-Auteuil), 75016, Tel 01 46 51 09 54.

Apicius: one of our favorites. Very sophisticated food (** from Michelin), beautifully presented without a trace of snobbery. The chef and the help couldn’t be nicer. Try the hot foie gras with unsweetened chocolate sauce – really – or whatever is the hot foie gras of the day. This place recently moved a fancy chateau (yes, a chateau in the middle of Paris), increased its prices and become a huge power place; it is great. The best hot foie gras we have ever tasted. 20, rue d'Artois (Métro St-Philippe-du-Roule or Franklin-D.-Roosevelt), Tel 01 43 80 19 66.

Restaurant le Bristol. Just around the corner at the Bristol Hotel. Dinner is an enormous splurge, really expensive but worth it at this three-star restaurant. Several of the best meals we have ever eaten, period. Thet 85-euro lunch is a fantastic bargain. 112 rue du faubourg St.-Honoré (Métro Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau or Miromesnil), 75008, Tel 01 53 43 43 00.

Ze Kitchen: Elegant modern food served in small portions. Pretty informal, Asian-influenced design, but chic. 4, rue des Grands-Augustins (Métro St-Michel), 75006. Tel 01 44 32 00 32.

Mon Vieil Ami: an excellent new (2 years old) bistro on the Ile St-Louis. Really good food in a fashionably modern décor inside an ancient building. Chef is from Alsace, but the food is not particularly. Very popular among Americans, so be prepared to see lots of tourists. 69, rue St-Louis-en-l'Ile (Métro Pont-Marie), 75004, Tel 01 40 46 01 35.

Le Troquet: a really good family-run bistro deep in the 15th arrondissement, said to be Basque but a bit more general. Wonderful 30 Euro menu and warm welcome. Just what you want a bistro to be. 21, rue François Bonvin (Métro Volontaire or Sèvres-Lecourbe), 75015, Tel 01 45 66 89 00.

Astier: another excellent bistro, with very traditional food and a 30 Euro menu that includes an all-you-can-eat cheeseboard of very high quality. Even red checked table cloths. I have to say that my last meal there was not as good as earlier meals. 44, rue J.P. Timbaud (Métro Oberkampf or Parmentier), 75011, Tel 01 43 57 16 35.

Dominique Bouchet: an excellent upscale restaurant with a nice welcome and delightful ambience. M Bouchet is an up-and-coming chef who trained with some of the best. Not inexpensive -- dinner will likely be more than $100 per person -- but worth it. The place has been discovered: last time we were there the restaurant was full of Americans, a worrying trend. 11, rue Treilhard (Métro Miromesnil), 75008, Tel 01 45 61 09 46.

Chapeau Melon: a quirky organic wine shop in the 19th that also serves dinner based on a fixed menu that changes once a month. The food is interesting, well-prepared and a real steal at 30 euros or so for four courses. 92, rue Rébéval (Métro Pyrenées or Belleville), 75019, Tel 01 42 02 68 60.

L'Accolade: a wonderful little bistro in a far-flung part of the 17th arrondissement. The food - fish and meat - is very good, and the value (rapport qualité-prix) is extraordinary: a three-course menu for 32 euros, two courses for 28 euros. 23, rue Guillaume-Tell (Métro Porte-de-Champerret or Pereire), Tel 01 42 67 12 67.

Les Fougères: upscale bistro with excellent food. They have a very good menu for 35 euros, but there are only two appetizers and two mains to choose from. This is often fine, but if not, you can choose from the very nice à la carte selection. 10, rue Villebois-Mareuil(Métro Ternes), Tel 01 40 68 78 66.

Beaujolais d'Auteil: a recent great find. Non-touristy neighborhood bistro near the Bois de Boulogne, serving excellent food at very reasonable prices. 99, boulevard de Montmorency (Métro Porte d'Auteuil or Michel-Ange Auteuil), 75016, Tel 01 47 43 03 56.

Caméléon: traditional bistro dishes prepared with imagination with high quality ingredients and presented with style. A bit expensive for dinner, but a great buy for lunch (30-euro menu, 25-euro formule) 6 rue de Chevreuse, 75006 Paris (Métro Vavin), Tel 01 43 27 43 27.

Kunitoraya: The best udon noodles I have found outside Japan are at Kunitoraya, and I try to get there at least once each time I am in Paris to enjoy the totally authentic kitsune udon. There is nearly always a line, but if you go after 1:45 you probably won't wait more than a couple of minutes. 39 rue Ste-Anne, 75001 Paris.

Le Hide: excellent, somewhat modernized classics at incredibly low prices. Winner of Pudlo's meilleur rapport qualité-prix for 2009. 10, rue du Général Lanrezac, 75017 Paris (Métro Etoile), Tel 01 45 74 15 81.

L'Ecailler du Bistrot: great shellfish, especially oysters, and classic French fish dishes, extremely well-prepared, at this restaurant in the now-burgeoning 11th. Prices are not low, but fair for ingredients of such high quality. 20-22 rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris, Tel 01 43 72 76 77.

Bobby Jay

Chocolate

Caroline's question (see post "Paris -- Images of Holiday Food") has prompted me to make a first post on the subject of chocolate. This is certainly a huge topic; after all, who doesn't love it and have an opinion on which is best? It is also one of the most subjective topics I can think of, and I hope my readers will share their thoughts in order to start a debate that could continue forever. My thoughts below only scratch the surface, to be sure.

I divide the area into 4 topics: chocolate candies, chocolate bars, cooking chocolate and drinking chocolate. I will not comment on the fourth topic because I virtually never drink the stuff (you just have to draw a line somewhere, and that's it for me). I will only deal with first-class chocolates, not commercial products like Hershey's, Nestle's and Baker's or their much better French equivalents.
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Chocolate Candies

There are many great stores, but for me the best in New York is Maison de Chocolat. Of course, they are in Paris, too, but there is so much competition that they are just one of many fine players. Also in New York are Teuscher (justly famous for their champagne truffles), Pierre Marcolini (never tried), Richart (I don't love these), Vosges (made in the USA and really excellent), Godiva (seemed great in the 80s before the fantastic explosion of great chocolates), all the famous European houses and lots of small makers whose wares I have not sampled.

In Paris, I just love La Petite Rose, which also happens to make the best lemon tart in the world. (See my post "Paris -- Best Lemon Tart in the World.") But more famous (and 50% more expensive) are Michel Cluizel, Jean-Paul Hévin, Richart and the famous pâtissiers: Lenôtre, Dalloyau, Pierre Hermé, Christian Constant, Gérard Mulot, etc. And there are dozens, if not hundreds, of other chocolatiers and pâtissiers who make their own. And don't forget the great traiteurs, like the Grande Epicerie at Bon Marché, Hédiard and Lafayette Gourmet at Galeries Lafayette.

It is not really possible to reach a conclusion as to which of these is the best, or even which are the top two or three. You just have to try them all. For more information, an article on "The Hundred Best Chocolatiers in France" can be found at http://www.lexpress.fr/styles/les-100-meilleures-adresses-de-chocolatiers-en-france_474932.html.

Chocolate Bars

Again, there's no clear choice. There are hundreds to choose from, with a variety of intensities (I like 60-70% cacao; more than that and I find the bar too dry), origins (one-plantation varieties are becoming ever more popular) and fillings or flavor additions (I like these; I guess I am not a purist).

When all is said and done, I love Lindt Excellence in its many manifestations: Intense Dark, Intense Pear, Intense Orange, Intense Mint, Intense Red Pepper, and the various filled bars (praline, mint, etc). Lindt is Swiss and the French are pretty snobby about non-French chocolate, but there it is.

I generally am not a huge fan of Michel Cluizel, but they have a great Dark Chocolate with Chocolate Nibs (grués) that I am working on at present, and it is super. Their one-plantation chocolates leave me a bit cold. I like some of Bonnat's one-plantation bars, especially "Madagascar" and "Trinité."

I don't like Valrona, finding it too sweet even when dark. Also, it's way too expensive, nearly double the price of Lindt.

I have not tried Green & Black, which is all over New York these days.

Cook's Illustrated did a survey of dark chocolate bars in January/February 2008 and reached entirely different conclusions. Their winners: Callebaut (which I've never seen), Ghirardelli, Dagoba, Michel Cluizel and Valrhona. Their "recommended with reservations" included my beloved Lindt along with Hersheys', Guittard, El Rey Mijao (Venezuela), Scharffen Berger, Nestle and Baker's. Go figure; this proves my point on how subjective this area is.

Cooking Chocolate

I use Callebaut (from Belgium) when I can find it, which is nearly always. It is delicious and reasonable (about $7 per pound) and comes in chocolate chips, which I prefer because I don't like chopping chocolate. I use the bittersweet, but the semi-sweet is good, too. I haven't tried the milk chocolate because I never use this.

If Callebaut is not available, gourmet stores (e.g. Fairway) will often have excellent South American varieties in various strengths. In a pinch, Ghirardelli dark chocolate bits are fine.

Again, I don't use Valrhona, which I find a bit too sweet and more than double the price of Callebaut.

And I never really seem to use baking chocolate (0% sugar) either.

COMMENTS, PLEASE

As I mentioned earlier, this just barely scratches the surface of the subject of chocolate. I look forward to hearing from you. To comment, you don't need a gmail account. Just click on "Comment" below and check the third box (Name/URL) and put in your real name or nom de plume or internet address. If you are really shy, check Anonymous and submit your comment.

Bobby Jay

Thermometers

I can usually tell when a veal chop or burger is done by poking it with a spatula or my hand, but I have no clue when a roast is done without using a thermometer. Here there are three distinctly different approaches: (i) use a meat thermometer that you stick in the roast and check it from time to time; (ii) periodically take the roast out of the oven and insert a good digital thermometer to find out the temperature (see above at right); or (iii) use a digital electronic probe that connects to a device that sits on your counter and notifies you when the desired temperature is reached (at left above).

I strongly recommend the digital probe method for a roast, cross-checked if you are nervous with pokes in multiple locations with a sensitive digital thermometer. The probes are accurate and it is great to be able to walk away from your roast for long periods of time. If you get curious, you can always check the probe to find out the current taste of your roast. Digital probes are cheap, starting at about $20. Make sure you buy one that turns off when you aren't using it; the others waste the battery and, as a result, may not be there when you need them. They almost always come with a time incorporated, which in some cases has its own battery.

The Thermapen pictured above is the consensus choice for a digital thermometer. It is accurate and takes only 3 seconds to give you a reading rather than 30 seconds or so. It can be used to measure the temperatures of candy and oil, too. The one problem is that it is very expensive, listed at $89 and virtually impossible to find at a discount.

Bobby Jay

Easiest Fish Recipes

Two unbelievably easy, delicious and healthy fish recipes:

Black Cod Fillets with Prosciutto

Just season 5-oz black cod fillets with salt and pepper, wrap them with thinly sliced prosciutto, and saute in a little butter for 3 minutes a side, preferably in a non-stick pan. Prosciutto will be crispy and the fish moist and delicious. Any other mild white relatively flaky fish may be substituted, for example regular cod or daurade (sea bream).

Sole or Flounder Sandwiches

Season a 3-4 oz. sole fillets with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a light coating of flour (I recommend Wondra because you can get a very thin layer). Saute in a non-stick pan with a little butter for about 2 minutes on one side and a minute more on the other. Place on a warm roll (I prefer ciabatta but a kaiser, a slice baguette or anything else will do), sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice and, if you like (I do), a few drops of tabasco sauce. Delicious and amazingly sweet. I love this with lemon sole because the fillets are so thin, but any sole, or even fluke or flounder, will do nicely. You could put mayo or tartar sauce on the roll if you want, but I find it moist enough without.

Bobby Jay

Paris - Salon d'Agriculture

I recently went to the annual Salon International de l'Agriculture at the Porte de Versailles in Paris, where I spent 3 1/2 hours (about triple what I had expected). What a great time I had!

First, there are the animals: more than 4500 of the best sheep, goats, cows, pigs, horses, donkeys and mules that France has to offer; an amazing variety of breeds that are carefully preserved and cared for. Truly the best of the best. Some are for sale, but most are there as advertisements for the farmers that breed and raise them. The animals are amazingly well groomed and tended.

Then, there is the food. One pavilion contains international food, with lots of samples and also sandwiches and restaurants. I stupidly wasted some of my appetite on samples of delicious Swiss cheeses and Italian and Spanish hams and sausages, a porchetta sandwich, some gelato and a really bad mojito (I am not sure what possessed me).

The really great pavilion, though, is the one that displays (and offers) food from small artisanal producers from all over France, arranged by region. The quality is amazing, and the pride that the producers have in what they are growing and/or making is inspiring. I sampled an amazing array of foods, in no logical sequence, including a foie gras sandwich with a glass of Jurançon, a genuine cannelé de Bordeaux that I have to admit was better than my own, a fantastic looking andouillette sandwich (I just can't make myself like this stuff), a spoonful of caviar with vodka, innumerable samples of cheese and sausages, lavender and buckwheat honey (which I bought) and a small snifter of cognac as a digestif.

If you are in Paris in the last week of February, I can't recommend the Salon de l'Agriculture highly enough.

For some more pictures, click below.
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Bobby Jay

Another Excellent Paris Bistro

Just back from a really good meal at Beaujolais d'Auteuil, which just won the 2009 Prix Staub-Lebey for Best Traditional Bistro. Started with the best oeuf dur mayonnaise of all time, followed by an incredibly tender côte de cochon (very meaty spare ribs) that were braised and then roasted and served with sweet potatoes mixed with diced chorizo. For dessert I chose a creme d'amande aux fruit secs (almond cream with dried fruits): light and delicious. Service was competent and pleasant.

This is a local restaurant, off the beaten tourist track at the far end of the 16th arrondissement. I heard no English spoken, although that should not deter anyone from going there. For the quality, the place is a screaming bargain: 30 euros for the meal I described (but a good number of choices are available) plus coffee and a half-litre bottle of St. Amour for a total of 52.80 euros. It was Monday night so not crowded, but I recommend calling ahead. Beaujolais d'Auteuil, 99, boulevard de Montmorency, Métro Porte d'Auteuil or Michel-Ange Auteuil, 01 47 43 03 56.

Bobby Jay