It Must've Been Something I Ate

La Bigarrade

2011-06-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Excellent lunch at La Bigarrade, a great 2 michelin star restaurant in the 17th arr of Paris.

bread and olive oil

Deep fried soft-shell crab

mussels and japanese mustard

octopus

clam and bacon oil

quail egg and seaweed

calamari, pressed caviar, peas

mackerel, green tomato, dried tuna and fresh almonds

turbot, coriander flower, peanuts and onion

anchovy crusted lamb

goat cheese 3 ways

melon shaved ice, lemon cream, red fruit, apricot

ice cream and peach

chocolate cake

macarons

106 Rue Nollet, 75017 Paris. Tel: 01 42 26 01 02

http://www.bigarrade.fr/

Food we made at Ferrandi

2011-06-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

A selection of dishes that we made during the last 3 months of school ...

Chateaubriand

2011-05-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

Yet another great restaurant experience in Paris. This time, the very hyped Chateaubriand. This was our menu de jour:

We got 4 amuse bouche, lots of bread refills and these cheese puffs:

Amuse bouche 1: mackerel ceviche. (This was the best amuse bouche)

Amuse bouche 2: barely cooked rouget fish with olive purée

Amuse bouche 3: bacon-infused milk, rhubarb, asparagus

Amuse bouche 4: chicken soup, raspberry

Entrée: Bonito, cucumber and seaweed. This dish was excellent. There were cubes of celery, raw fava beans and lots of fresh greens

Fish: Cod pil-pil, potatoes, herb salad. Fish was barely cooked (just how I like it), but still had a nice crispy skin. The herb salad totally elevated the dish.

Meat: Wagyu beef, eggplant purée, artichoke chips. The very black smoky eggplant purée was the most surprising element of the whole meal. I could eat a bowl of it!

Dessert 1: strawberry, green peas

Dessert 2: Sabayon, cherry, olive and tamarind chips!

When we left there was a crowd of people waiting and hoping to be seated ...

Patrick Roger's Amazone and Cafe Coutume

2011-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

This is a gift that I got the other day from my friend Anne. Patrick Roger's famous 'Amazone' chocolate with lime caramel filling:

I consumed it at cafe Coutume (7eme arr.) with a nice latte, while studying for my pastry test ...

View vs. Heat

2011-05-22T11:21:00.000-07:00

The electric kitchen on the 4th floor at Ferrandi has this view:

The view is alright, but it's just too hot in that kitchen and the dishwashers on that floor are not nearly as nice as the ones on the 1st floor!

Frenchie

2011-05-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

There are way too many blogs that have been analyzing Frenchie's food in the past 2 years. So, I'm just going to post pictures of our great dinner there on April 26, 2011.

Smoky salted butter

Smoked trout, avocado, pickled cucumber

Veal sweetbread, wild herb salad, brown butter

confit banka trout in lemon oil, kalamata olive, fennel

Lamb, peas, mint chutney

Bleu de causses cheese, lemon zest, amarena cherries

Lemon tart, salted butter caramel

This was by far the best restaurant experience of my life! The fact that I will be working at Frenchie as an intern (stage) for 6 months makes me quite content!

Dan Barber's foie gras parable

2011-05-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

I've been consuming a lot of foie gras lately. Let's see what Dan Barber have to say about sustainable foie gras farming:

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_barber_s_surprising_foie_gras_parable.html

Amsterdam Food

2011-05-02T10:21:00.000-07:00

Food I've Been Making Lately

2011-04-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

Cuisine Program at ESCF-Ferrandi

2011-02-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

I started my culinary program at ESCF-Ferrandi about 2 weeks ago. A few of my classmates/friends have started blogs on their living experience in Paris and their day to day life at school (see links below) ... but as this is a more general blog, I thought I would create an entry on some overal specifics of the program that I'm enrolled in and have found myself in love with!

The cuisine program has been designed to train individuals intensively for 5 months to obtain professional cooking skills in order to gain a Stage (internship) at a restaurant in Paris or elsewhere in France for 6 months, and upon completing the program to obtain an entry level position at a french kitchen. We have been warned many many times that during our stage and after that, our lives as chefs are not going to be easy. You have to be very passionate for this profession or you wont survive ...

On the first day of school, during the orientation, it was explained that the program has two main philosophies: Le Savoir-Faire (the know-how) and Le Savoir-Etre (knowledge of being). While le savoir-faire is gaining the means of how the tasks are done, le savoir-être is the knowledge of your presence in the kitchen, the flow of tasks and the relationship with the other staff (team work). Both philosophies are practiced on a daily basis in our kitchens at the school and are getting us ready for our real-life kitchen experience.

Our cuisine program has 20 students which are divided into two groups: Anglo A with chef Sebastien and Anglo B with chef Stephane (my class). Students are from all over the world! USA, Canada, Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain, England, Ireland, Romania, Australia, Philippines. In our schedules we have a variety of courses: TP Demo (practical classes), Technologie Applique (theory classes), Pâtisserie (pastry), Boulangerie (bakery), Oenologie (wine science), French and a bit of French geography and history. TP Demo is what takes most of our time (and energy). 5 hour practical classes in which we learn techniques, recipes, and cook along with our chef. Once the cooking is done, we have to clean our mise en place (personal space/set up), the kitchen and the garde manger (the big pantry attached to the kitchen)

In the first two weeks, we have had 2 boulangerie classes (start time 6:30 a.m) in which we're made many different types of bread including: baguette regular, baguette tradition, petits pains, pain viennois

2 pastry classes: in one we made tarte aux pommes (apple tart) and in the second we made mille feuilles and a strip tart

And in our TP classes, we have made many different types of soups and stocks. After soups, we will start making the basic sauces and I'm hoping after that we will do more fish/meats.

Every other friday, we have a regional menu meal, in which an area of france is chosen, a 4 course meal is prepared by us and at the end we sit with our chef and eat and drink that region's wine! The first region is Provence and me and one of my classmates are making lemon sorbet and lemon macarons for desert!

There are other fun extras that come with this program: boucherie and charcuterie classes, a visit to Marché d'intérêt National de Rungis (largest wholesale food market in the world) and the best of all, a three-day excursion to a region of France (still a secret ... last term, the students were taken to Bretagne in north west of France)

Of course there is much more to the program, but unfortunately I can't summarize everything in one post. So please, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask! Here are some more blogs for your information on Ferrandi:

Emily: http://www.thegirlwhoateparis.com/
Cassandra: http://oysterbeat.tumblr.com/
Diana: http://www.dianaisnotachef.com/

Jade (she went to school right before us and I don't actually know her, but her blog is as detailed as a blog could get!) http://onespoonfulatatime.blogspot.com/

I'm Going to ESCF-Ferrandi to Become a Chef!

2011-01-31T15:46:00.000-08:00

It took a long time ... but I finally made it!

About 4.5 years ago I found my passion for cooking. That was it ... I decided that I wanted to become a chef. But first I needed to take a few steps; I had to finish my Aerospace degree, get a job, make enough money for the tuition and living costs, apply for school (which I came to decide it had to be in Paris!), get accepted, get a visa, quit my job and move to Paris! All those are now accomplished and I'm starting my cooking classes in less than a week at Ecole Gregoire-Ferrandi. The past few years have been challenging and hard at times but nonetheless very exciting. Now, Meg and I are in Paris and are starting our new lives here. The feeling is surreal.

Fresh warm baguette - Paris 2011

Baked Eggs with Tomato and Feta Cheese

2011-01-11T22:49:00.000-08:00

Best of All Falafels!

2011-01-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

I followed this recipe and just added a bit of lemon juice. The result was excellent:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/My-Favorite-Falafel-231755

I also made two spreads to go with the falafels. One was a simple humus (canned chickpea, half clove of garlic, 1 tbsp tahini paste, 1 tbsp yogurt, olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper) and also a spicy tahini sauce (1 tbsp tahini paste, 1 pinch of cumin, 1 tbsp yogurt, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, some chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper).

Toppings: slow roasted eggplant, coleslaw, tomato, onion, etc

Tahcheen - Crispy Rice with Chicken, Safferon and Yogurt

2011-01-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

whole chicken legs x 2 skinned
onion x 1 chopped
basmati rice x 2 cups
turmeric x 1 pinch
full fat yogurt x 1.5 cups
egg yolk x 1 large or 2 small
saffron x 1/3 tsp diluted in 1/2 cup of boiled kettle water
slivered almonds x 1/4 cup
oil, salt, pepper

Wash and rinse and soak the rice in salted water for 2 hours (I let it sit over night). Fry the onion with salt, pepper and turmeric. Season the chicken and add it to the onion, brown both sides, add a bit of water, cover, turn down the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Take off the heat, cover and let it rest. While chicken is cooking, beat the yogurt, mix with egg yolk, saffron and add salt and pepper. Pre-heat the oven to 250 F. Bring a pot of water to boil, salt generously. Drain the rice and cook in the boiling water just until a bit soften. Make sure not to overcook the rice, it should still be hard to eat. Drain the water and rinse the rice. De-bone and shred the chicken. In a casserole type baking dish, cover the bottom with oil and a few spoons of the yogurt mixture. Add a layer of rice, a layer of chicken and onion and a sprinkle of slivered almonds. Continue this until everything is used up, finishing with some oil or some chopped butter. Place in the oven for 2 to 5 hours (I baked it for 4 hours). Serve with yogurt and Persian style pickled vegetables.

Lamb Shank in Tomato, Onion and Eggplant Sauce

2010-12-29T16:11:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

lamb shanks x 2
cherry tomato x 1 pint
crushed tomato x 1 cup
red onion x 2 roughly chopped
garlic x 4 cloves
eggplant x 1 chopped in rings and then in half
herbs: rosemary, thyme, parsley
red wine vinegar x 3, 4 tbsp
chili flakes x as much as you want
salt and pepper
feta cheese x 1/4 cup

Marinade:

garlic x 3 cloves chopped
shallot x 1 chopped
red wine vinegar x 2 tbsp
olive oil x 5 tbsp
herbs: thyme, rosemary, parsley

Marinate the shanks overnight, then cook it slowly in the oven on 300F with onion and stuff and serve on top of some mashed potato!

Orange Chocolate Cake

2010-12-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

butter x 125 grams (1 stick)
coco powder x 3-4 tbsp
salt x 1 pinch
vanilla x 1 tsp
baking powder x 1.5 tsp
all purpose flour x 1 cup
brown sugar x 3/4 cup
orange juice x 2 tbsp
orange zest x 1/2 tbsp

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Mix egg and vanilla, until frothy. Mix butter, sugar, zest of 1 orange well. Mix with the egg mixture. Then sift flour and coca powder. mix well. Add a pinch of salt and baking powder. Mix until very smooth. Pour into a buttered and flowered baking pan. bake for 40 to 50 mins or until a tooth pick comes clean. Take out and cool on a baking rack.

Filling/Icing:

butter 30grams
crushed pecan 1/4 cup
icing sugar x as much as you fancy
dark chocolate x 150 grams
orange juice x 2 tbsp
orange zest x 1/2 tbsp

Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Mix in the sugar and pecans. Slice the cake vertically. Fill in the middle and put the halves on top of each other. Pour the extra filling on top of the cake. Let it cool in the fridge for an hour.

Orzo Salad

2010-12-27T15:03:00.000-08:00

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France

2010-12-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

198 East 21st Ave, Vancouver
http://www.chocolaterienouvellefrance.ca/

Meatball Pasta Sauce

2010-12-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

good quality ground beef x 0.7 lb
good quality ground pork x 0.3 lb
garlic x 3 cloves crushed
dried chili flakes x 1 tsp
dried oregano x 1 tsp
dried rosemary x 1 tsp
grated Parmesan cheese x 1 tbsp or more
egg x 1 large
salt x 4 tsp
peppercorn x 3 tsp
lime juice x 1/2 tbsp

Sauce:

onion x 1 small chopped
garlic x 1 clove chopped
oregano x 1 tsp
red wine x 1 glass (chose a wine that you enjoy drinking)
crushed tomato x 1 big can
basil and cilantro x a handful chopped

Mix all the meatball ingredients very well. Massage the mixture with your hands. Shape into small balls (wet your hands using cold water to shape them easier). In a large skillet, fry on medium heat until all sides are browned. Put aside. On the same skillet, add onion and then garlic and saute for 2 minutes, add oregano, then add red wine and deglaze the pan. Let it reduce to its half, approximately 5 minutes. Add tomato and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Add fresh herbs. Return the meatballs to the pan, coat with the sauce and let it simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve with tagliatelle or fettuccine. Garnish with a few small basil leaves and shaved Parmesan.

Tuna Tataki

2010-11-21T09:43:00.000-08:00

Crust the tuna loin with salt, pepper, black and white sesame seeds. Sear in a hot pan to form the crust, for not more than 10 seconds on each side. Let it rest for a few minutes. Slice thinly, dress generously with ponzu sauce. Garnish with chopped green onion.

Pork Belly Confit

2010-11-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Leftover Salmon Sandwich

2010-11-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

salmon, avocado, greens and a lime/olive oil dressing

Dijon and Lemon Chicken Drumsticks

2010-11-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

Marinate the chicken in shallot, cilantro, lemon, garlic and dijon mustard. salt and pepper. Fry in a skillet until brown, bake in 300F oven for 30, 40 minutes.

Brunch at Locus

2010-11-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

Huevos Rancheros

Tomato Basil Benny

Traditional Benny

4121 Main St, Vancouver
http://www.locusonmain.com/

Egg Meg Muffin with Left Over Roast Beef and Hash Brown

2010-10-12T22:42:00.000-07:00