RePuBLiC 21 / food + wine | GaSTRoNoMiCiTY

Cupcake Decor…

By duked | Published: June 11, 2010

The cool or should I say cold weather has finally arrived here in Sydney and to warm things up we’ve put together a super collection of heartwarming cupcakes to decorate any cold day event.

http://serendipitygreenwich.com/

Posted in EPONiMO.US, GASTRoNoMiCiTY, LUXE + BOUTIQUE | Tagged bistro, cafe, cake, charm, cooking, eat, enjoy, food, luxury, new york | Leave a comment

Become chef of the week ! Contest in Paris

By duked | Published: June 4, 2010

Aurélie Bertin, owner of Château Sainte Roseline, associated with the talented and surprising GIOVANNI PASSERINI, chef at the RINO restaurant, offer you the possibility of living an unforgettable cooking class at l’Atelier des Sens Bastille on SUNDAY 13 JUNE

Game-Contest : become chef of the week !

PLAY & WIN!

COOKING CLASSES

AND THE PUBLICATION OF YOUR RECIPE

Giovanni Passerini and the Sainte Roseline rosé

Please play on if your are available on Sunday 13 June

How to play?

All you need to do is share with us your fetish seasonal recipe that pairs up well with a rosé wine… You can draw your inspiration from recipes HERE

The criteria of selection are based on the originality of your recipe, how easy it is to make and the use of seasonal products.

Don’t forget to leave your name, surname and to give a valid email address. I will then contact you by email for more precise information.

CAREFUL : FINAL VOTES ON TUESDAY 8 JUNE AT MIDNIGHT

Who wins?

1er Prize:

- Publication of your recipe in Recipe of the Week on the Do it in Paris site HERE

- A cooking class at Rino

2nd and 3rd Prize:

- A cooking class at Rino

Cooking Classes on Sunday 13 June

Arrival begins at 9:30am

10h00: Course headed by Giovanni Passerini, Chef of Rino

13h00: Tasting of dishes to go along with rosé wines

(Value $173.63)

If you have not won you can always register by callling:

01 47 34 40 60 or by email on bernadette@bvizioz.com

***

Atelier des Sens

40 rue Sedaine

75011 Bastille

Metro: Bastille, Chemin Vert, Voltaire, Bréguet Sabin

http://www.atelier-des-sens.com/

http://www.sainte-roseline.com/accueil/accueil.php?LangueSite=fr

Game-Contest : become chef of the week ! | Do It In Paris Blog.

Posted in EPONiTOUR, FReNCH ReNDeZVouS, FRiPOU, GASTRoNoMiCiTY, LUXE + BOUTIQUE | Tagged bistro, cooking, culture, dine, eat, enjoy, EPONiTOUR, food, new, paris, quartier, resto, tourism, wine | Leave a comment

French Tomato Tart

By duked | Published: June 1, 2010

French Pastry Dough

One 9 (23 cm) tart shell

In France, I used type 65 organic flour, which is similar to American all-purpose flour. Paule says that her students report back, saying that the dough works beautifully with American butter, too. Small cracks in the dough are normal so I wouldn’t use this for a thin, custardy filling, although it works well filled with chocolate ganache and I would imagine it would be lovely filled with fresh berries resting on a base of pastry cream.

Do be careful with the hot bowl of butter. Not only will the butter spatter a bit when you add the flour, but it’s uncommon to have a very hot bowl on the counter and easy to simply give in the urge to grab it with your bare hands.

90 g (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used canola)
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
150 g (5oz, or 1 slightly-rounded cup) flour

Preheat the oven to 410º F (210º C).

1. In a medium-sized ovenproof bowl, such as a Pyrex bowl, combine the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt.

2. Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges.

3. When done, remove the bowl from oven (and be careful, since the bowl will be hot and the mixture might sputter a bit), dump in the flour and stir it in quickly, until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch (23 cm) tart mold with a removable bottom and spread it a bit with a spatula.

5. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, pat it into the shell with the heel of your and, and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the tart mold. Reserve a small piece of dough, about the size of a raspberry, for patching any cracks.

(take a fork and reinforces the dough to the sides)

6. Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork about ten times, then bake the tart shell in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven and if there are any sizable cracks, use the bits of reserved dough to fill in and patch them.

I find it best to pinch off a small amount of the reserved dough, roll it gently between your fingers to soften it, then wedge it into the cracks, smoothing it gently with your pinky.

8. Let the shell cool before filling.

Unlike other savory tarts, this one has no custard or cream added; it’s just sliced tomatoes, fresh herbs, and sliced rounds of soft goat cheese, which get browned on top. Without a rich custard, the taste and texture of the tomatoes doesn’t get lost. But the fresh goat cheese is wonderful, especially when it gets all crusty-brown on top, and warm and creamy-soft inside. You could swap out another cheese that you like, such as comté, haloumi, or fontina, or another favorite fromage which melts well.

But the real stroke of genius, I think, is the layer of mustard you spread on the tart, which provides a spicy back-bite to the baked tomato slices. You can go as easy or as generous as you want. The French love their Dijon mustard so don’t be shy: a layer that’s a thick as what you’d spread on a sandwich is just about right.

Posted in FReNCH ReNDeZVouS, FRiPOU, GASTRoNoMiCiTY | Tagged cooking, culture, food, new, paris | Leave a comment

Lemon Syrup, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes

By duked | Published: June 1, 2010

Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes (Gluten and Casein Free)

5 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs grated lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract (gluten free)

1 cup superfine brown rice flour

1/2 cup millet flour

2 Tbs tapioca starch

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 Tbs poppy seeds

1 cup olive oil (I used Arbequina)

Lemon Syrup

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

Whip the eggs, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract for about 5 minutes until they are light and thick.

In a bowl, whisk together, the flours, xanthan gum, salt and poppy seeds. Fold the dry into the whipped egg mixture. Be gentle not to deflate the batter too much.

Take about 1/2 cup of the batter and whisk it with the olive oil. Incorporate this to the main batter and fold gently.

Pour into baking cups and bake at 350F for about 18-20 minutes.

In the meantime, make the simple syrup by boiling the lemon juice and sugar. When the cakes come out and are still warm, poke holes on the top and brush them with the lemon simple syrup until well soaked.

via Cannelle et Vanille: Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Olive Oil Cakes.

Posted in EPONiMO.US, GASTRoNoMiCiTY | Tagged cake, cooking, eat, food, new, recipe | Leave a comment

Getting to Know Bordeaux!

By duked | Published: May 25, 2010

People are saying that Bordeaux is losing its prestige, but there's a whole new world of inexpensive and interesting Bordeaux wines

I read with interest Eric Asimov’s well-reported story in today’s edition of the New York Times, “Bordeaux Loses Prestige Among Young Wine Lovers,” and I felt sad that so many wine lovers in my country don't appreciate the good value that exists in Bordeaux. Moreover, most of these well-priced reds and whites are almost all made by people with dirt on their boots and wine stains on their hands. They are not suits. They are ragged jeans and t-shirts.

I understand many people's perception that Bordeaux is expensive. So much information on France's premier wine region is focused on the very top echelon producers. Many of them sell their wines for astronomical prices. So very few of us can afford to buy them.

I always tell the Bordelais that when I started visiting Bordeaux as a young reporter in the 1980s, they all said that the top estates of the region were the locomotives that pulled the train carriages. In other words, the top wines of Bordeaux grew the prestige of the region, enabling the lesser wines to be sold.

This has all changed. I argue that the top wines actually diminish the reputation of the region by giving the perception that all Bordeaux wines are expensive. Or looking at it another way, the top estates no longer promote the region as a whole, but only a tiny segment, maybe 2 or 3 percent of the total. In other words, the train left the carriage at the station a long time ago.

I am, of course, not talking about quality. The top names in Bordeaux are some of the best viticulturists and winemakers in the world. They have the knowledge and the resources to do just about everything to perfection. And they are examples to all premium winemakers in the world.

But it's a very small reality of Bordeaux. Most wine producers are struggling to make and to sell their wines, as prices for their simple reds and whites are at an all-time low. Something like 50 percent of all Bordeaux sells for $6, or less, a bottle from the cellar. Bulk wine is less, about $1 or $1.50 a liter. Bottles of French water cost more in the States. It's crazy.

Whatever the case, I am going to do my best to bring you closer to the reality of family-run, down-and-dirty winemakers from Bordeaux, and most of their wines cost from $20 to $40 a bottle. They are in areas such as St.-Emilion, its satellites, and a number of other less-known appellations such as Côte de Blaye and Côte de Bourg. I think these wines are worth knowing and worth drinking.

There's a whole new world in Bordeaux that's fun, interesting and making delicious wines, and they don't have to cost you a fortune.

via Get to Know Bordeaux | James Suckling Uncorked | Blogs | Wine Spectator.

Posted in EPONiTOUR, FReNCH ReNDeZVouS, FRiPOU, GASTRoNoMiCiTY, LUXE + BOUTIQUE | Tagged bordeaux, culture, enjoy, EPONiTOUR, food, luxury, new, paris, shopping, tourism, wine | Leave a comment

Is Bordeaux Earning My Love?

By duked | Published: May 25, 2010

I want to thank all of the people who took the trouble to comment on my recent post and column examining why some younger American wine drinkers are finding Bordeaux irrelevant. The column inspired quite a few interesting discussions, including lively ones on the Wine Berserkers bulletin board, and in James Suckling’s blog on the Wine Spectator web site.

I don’t want to go through the whole argument again, but I do want to clarify my own position. I love good Bordeaux! It was the first wine region that I seriously explored, as was the case for most people who embraced wine in the 1980s and for generations before me. I love white Bordeaux, too.

I am not assailing Bordeaux when I observe that the wine no longer plays the same crucial introductory role that it did for me and for people my age and older. And I am certainly not saying that nobody younger than 50 drinks Bordeaux. That would be an awfully literal interpretation of the article.

I will say that I drink Bordeaux far less often than I once did. Partly, that’s a function of what I eat – I don’t find that Bordeaux is always the best match for the sorts of foods I cook. As for restaurants, regardless of how many inexpensive Bordeaux are on the market, those are rarely the bottles that I see presented on many wine lists.

It seems disingenuous to suggest, as some people have, that since Bordeaux was good enough for Thomas Jefferson, it ought to be plenty good enough for young people today. Please. The world of wine is not at all what it was 225 years ago, nor is Bordeaux for that matter. The public today has so many more choices in good wine than it did even 25 years ago, so I completely understand why younger wine drinkers no longer fixate on Bordeaux as I did in my late 20s.

Rather than get defensive about Bordeaux, or attack younger wine drinkers, or older ones who feel the same way, I think it’s worth taking a deeper look at the region and its evolution to understand better both why it no longer appeals to some segments of the public, and where good values can be found. It’s something I plan to do over the coming months.

via Questioning Bordeaux, But Still Loving It – Diner’s Journal Blog – NYTimes.com.

Posted in EPONiTOUR, FReNCH ReNDeZVouS, FRiPOU, GASTRoNoMiCiTY, LUXE + BOUTIQUE | Tagged bordeaux, culture, enjoy, EPONiTOUR, food, luxury, new york, paris, tourism, wine | Leave a comment

Darley’s Restaurant – Lilianfels, Katoomba

By duked | Published: May 18, 2010

Newbie Carl Middleton was previously executive chef of the Four Seasons and is credited with steering Kable’s back from the fine-dining graveyard. It’s a tough gig, taking over the kitchen of this two-hatted Good Food Guide regional restaurant of the year but he sensibly keeps the menu produce-led and seasonally driven; with intriguing, rather than wacky, flavour combinations.

This is exactly how you want to eat in the Blue Mountains, where seasons are clearly defined: Summer is sunnier, winter is frostier, spring is leafier and autumn is mistier and mushroomier.

Middleton’s first menu is suitably autumnal; full of things like wagyu beef cheek lasagne, mustard grain pasta with forest mushrooms, walnuts and truffle cream; pressed guinea fowl and foie gras terrine with shiitake mushrooms and pears; Mandagery Creek venison with warrigal greens; and vanilla panna cotta with poached quince and quince and ginger sorbet.

The lasagne is a doozy, two silky sheets of house-made pasta strewn with fleshy mushrooms, good meaty lobes of cheek and a dob of rich truffle cream. It’s intensely flavoured but underneath all that is a lovely lightness of being – like a breeze fluttering fallen leaves – that makes it a perfect autumn dish.

more… Darley’s | Restaurant Review | Lilianfels, Katoomba.

Posted in EPONiMOz, EPONiTOUR, GASTRoNoMiCiTY, LUXE + BOUTIQUE | Tagged dine, dinner, eat, enjoy, EPONiTOUR, food, hotel, new, resto, tourism, wine | Leave a comment

Berthillon – Paris Ile Saint Louis : ice cream parlor

By duked | Published: May 15, 2010

All over the Ile Saint-Louis, many of the restaurants and bars have one common denominator: the incredible Berthillon ice creams, and with reason: this top notch ice cream parlor is set up in the main street of the area. We like to savoir our scoops on the terrace of the Saint-Louis en l’Ile! It’s one of the most famous spots in the area, Parisians and tourists often stand in line for their irreplaceable ice sorbets, and while the Saint Louis en l’Ile may have a rather staid reputation, one will nonetheless appreciate its small terrace as soon as the first rays of sun pop out of the sky or on warm evenings . Avoid having dinner there because only tourists get trapped in the restaurant, but we like to enjoy a tea with our girl friends or salted butter -caramel ice cream. Grant it at touristic prices, but the view is unique!

(enjoy your Berthillon ice cream on the terrace of the lovely Saint Louis en L’Ile)

Good Tips Shop Classic in Paris Ile Saint Louis : An ice cream parlor signed Berthillon at the Saint Louis en l’Ile.

Posted in EPONiTOUR, FReNCH ReNDeZVouS, FRiPOU, GASTRoNoMiCiTY, LUXE + BOUTIQUE, LeSHOPPiNG | Tagged arrondissement, cafe, cooking, culture, eat, enjoy, EPONiTOUR, food, luxury, new, paris, quartier, store, stroll, tourism, walk | Leave a comment

NYC Food Events For the Weekend (And Beyond) | Serious Eats : New York

By duked | Published: May 14, 2010

Foundation Rwanda Tasting Event and Auction

Thursday, May 13, 7:00pm-9:00pm

30 of New York's top chefs and mixologists will join Foundation Rwanda for a tasting event and auction (all proceeds going to support the education and well-being of women and children affected by the 1994 Rwandan Genocide). Tasting dishes will be provided from chefs such as Gabe Thompson from dell'anima and L'Artusi, Anita Lo from Annisa, Mike Price from Market Table, Patti Jackson from I Trulli Ristorante, Alain Allegretti from Allegretti, and more. The silent auction will be for luxury culinary items and photographs from leading contemporary photographers such as Eugene Richards, Steve Pyke, and Jonathan Torgovnik. $125 advance, $150 at the door. Bonhams, 580 Madison Avenue, New York, NY; event website.

Manhattan Cocktail Classic

May 14-18

All sorts of events, tastings, parties, and seminars bringing together the finest cocktail talents from around the city. More info here »

Taste of Tribeca

Saturday, May 15, 11:30am-3:00pm

Over 60 Tribeca restaurants will be represented at this annual tasting event. Tickets are good for six samples, free wine tastings from local shops will also be available. Proceeds benefit P.S. 234 and P.S. 150. $40 advance, $45 day-of. Duane Street (between Greenwich and Hudson Streets); event website.

Crawfish Boil

Saturday, May 15, 4:00-8:00pm, and Sunday, May 16, 3:00pm-7:00pm

Crawfish NYC presents the 5th Annual Crawfish Boil fundraising event. Taking place at Solar One, an outdoor venue on the bank of the East River, this event promises 2,000 pounds of live crawfish. The crawfish will be cooked with a variety of things like potatoes, corn, mushrooms, garlic, onions, and sausage. Six Point Brewery Beer and New Orleans Hurricanes will be on hand to quench your thirst. Proceeds go to Kids Need a Melody–a nonprofit that provides music programs to children living in shelters. $75. Solar One, 2420 FDR Drive (between 22nd and 23rd Streets); event website.

Japanese Food Cooking School

Saturday, May 15, 9:30am-1:30pm

DeGustibus Cooking School is partnering with EN Japanese Brasserie to host a Japanese cooking course with instruction from Chef Abe Hiroki and EN owners Reika and Jesse Alexander. Participants will prepare Kyoto-style appetizers and entrees such as the Clay Rice Pot with salmon & salmon roe and oshinko, housemade pickles. Afterwards, students can enjoy their dishes during a five course sit-down meal complete with wine pairings. $245. (If you are so inclined, stick around for EN's evening event—a tasting of 100 sakes, from 4:00pm-6:00pm, $40). EN Japanese Brasserie, 435 Hudson Street (at Leroy Street); 212-647-9196; event website.

Greenmarket Bike Tour

Saturday, May 15, 9:00am-12:00pm

As a part of Bike Month NYC 2010, the crew from Eat Well leads a bike tour of three NYC greenmarkets at this “Tour de Farmers' Markets.” The ride totals 6 miles over three hours and participants are asked to come with a bike, helmet, and cash for the greenmarket goods. After Union Square will be the Fort Greene and Grand Army Plaza markets. Free. Meet at the northwest corner of the Union Square greenmarket; event website.

Taste of Williamsburg Greenpoint

Sunday, May 16, 12:00pm-4:00pm

The neighborhood taste offers food from Pies 'n' Thighs, Rye, Diner, Fatty 'Cue, Van Leeuwen's Ice Cream, Walter Foods, and much more, plus beer from Brooklyn Brewery, a cookoff from The Food Experiment creators Nick Suarez and Theo Peck, and live performances all throughout the day. The event raises money for the capital campaign of the Northside Town Hall, in the former Engine Company 212 firehouse in Williamsburg, a future community and cultural center. North 11th Street, Brooklyn (Berry/Wythe); event website.

Big Burgundy Breakfast

Sunday, May 16, 11:00am-1:00pm

This non-traditional wine event was a huge hit in the UK and is making its NYC premiere. Virtual attendees are encouraged to log on to view the live streaming video and participate in the the conversation about Burgundy, one of France's most diverse and complex wine regions. Virtual guests will have the option to write-in questions and comments on the www.WineChap.com chat room wall or via Twitter @WineChapNYC and a panel of beverage media and sommeliers from some of NYC's best restaurants will answer those questions as they talk about Burgundy wine. Free. Go to event website.

Persian Celebration

Wednesday, May 19, 6:30pm

The American Museum of Natural History continues to explore the legacy of Silk Road trade routes at this lecture. Najmieh Batmanglij, author of Silk Road Cooking, will trace the movement of ingredients for baklava like rose water and walnuts between China and Italy. There will also be a tasting of the pastry with tea. $20. Linder Theater, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West (at 79th Street); 212-769-5200; event website.

via NYC Food Events For the Weekend (And Beyond) | Serious Eats : New York.