Where did I work this weekend?

Let me give you some hints: it’s located just outside the peripherique of Paris, but still accessible by metro. You will find it on an island. You can only get there with the little boat taxi service. It has a couple of very nice terrasses (outdoor dinning patios) which were put to full use this past weekend.

Despite missing out on all the nice weather, I’m glad I took this assignment. First, I met a fellow cuisinière americaine (american female cook) who also does temp work but she does it in addition to her full-time job at a 2-star michelin restaurant. I must admit it was a breath of fresh air and we were "sisters" for the day, as everyone said. We were the only female cooks there....and we were both Americans! "What is with this?" they all asked. "We have two americans here? Why do all the americans want to come here?!" It was cute.

Second, I got a chance to practice my knife skills. And how. I got my callous back in a mean way! Many in the kitchen world look at "the callous" as a source of pride – it shows you've done a thing or two with the knife. It forms at the place where the top of the blade of your knife rests (rubs really) against your index finger. Shake a cook’s hand, and you’re apt to understand what I’m talking about.

Third, I got to see a service for over 400 people. (This explains my callous!). To put it into proportion, at school or at prior restaurants where I worked, the highest number of covers I saw was 70 (that's kitchen speak for # of seats). This weekend was an absolutely beautiful day & everybody seemed to come to the island. Sunday's lunch service never wanted to end. It was order after order after order after order....nonstop....like a marathon. Unbelievable. And on top of it, there were no order tickets. All orders were called out verbally. Think about that! We went through kilos of coquilles saint jacques (scallops), gambas, truite (trout), etc, etc. Yes, I worked the fish station. There's some karma out there that knows this is my preferred post. High volume, high turnover of stock, high level of intense activity. Fast and furious. Actually, I got a charge out of doing it.

Fourth, I worked in a kitchen that had a great ambiance. Dare I say that there were smiles on their faces. Even the chef-second was smiling & laughing (he's the guy in charge when the real chef is away, on vacation as was the case). He was jolly for pete's sake. I never met a jolly "chef" before. I thought they were all grumpy, stressed out or above the fray (I'm talking Paris here) . Despite the intense work load, everyone at this restaurant was easy-going and at ease.

Oh, and here’s another first: I heard several compliments throughout the services. "Bravo" whenever I brought a plate to le pass (the counter where the servers pick them up). "Très bien'" often at the poste de travail (station). And, at the end of service the chef said “Bonne service tout le monde" (Good service everyone). And I even received a few extra kind words, “beautiful” work, bravo, and merci. Can you believe it?

With the weekend behind me, working those crazy hours of coupure (double shift), I felt total exhaustion like I hadn't felt in a while. But it’s a good tired - when done in short spurts. I would gladly go back there. Interestingly enough, for the high workload involved in preparing the mis en place and producing the service, I actually worked less hours per day than I had last year. I would even describe the hours as reasonable. For example, we finished at 11:15 on a Saturday night. And we started at 9:30 am each morning... So there's hope on the horizon - a kitchen with good esprit, good team, good hours, can exist.

Any guesses as to where I worked this weekend? OK, I'll just tell you: Le Chalet des Iles. Located on the Lac Inferieure in the Bois de Bologne (Lac Inferieure, curiously enough, is not "inferior" at all - it is the bigger of two lakes and it actually sits on top of its small neighboring "pond"...yet another example of the french logic! I don't try to figure it out.)

Address:
Le Chalet des Iles
Lac Inferieur du Bois de Boulogne
Porte de la Muette 75016

Today I voted in the most important US presidential election of my lifetime

Maybe a little dramatic? Maybe not. I am 4000 miles away but I still want my vote to count! Today is the day that I mailed in my official ballot, voting for my presidential & vice-presidential candidates. Today, then, is my November 4th! No one handed me a little flag sticker afterwards. I had no sense of active participation - no discussions around the water cooler, and no live television with minute-by-minute coverage of what’s happening state-by-state. There was none of the usual Election Day excitement. Just me and my ballot. Very quiet and still I feel good about having voted. I'll just have to tune into CNN World on election day, and I'm sure I'll get the full brunt, I mean, sense of it then!

The voting process from abroad was actually fast and simple. If I was a registered voter at our last residence (which I was), then I was simply required to send in a request for an absentee ballot. In less than two weeks, I received it by mail. The official ballot was much bigger than I anticipated - can you believe it took up almost half my café table? And, surprisingly, or not, it was bi-lingual (spanish and english) which I can imagine angers some people to no end. I'm totally fine with that, by the way, and let's not go there. To fill out the ballot I had to use ink, either black or blue....and fill in the entire box in ink. Let's hope there are no more dimple problems, or chads to worry about.... although in all reality, I have no idea how my vote gets processed once it arrives at the Kane County Clerk's office. I trust (I hope) someone is going to look after it well.

I wanted to tell the world THAT I VOTED! I keep hearing that this is expected to be the highest voter turn out ever. I hope that's true. I hope EVERYBODY gets out & votes. That includes all the first-timers (like Grant, my 20-year-old nephew, who actually, I have no doubts about!), and absolutely everybody. Despite the debacle of the 2000 election, I still want to believe that every vote counts. I think the candidates may be right about at least this: it may be the most important election of our lifetime, given the current issues we are facing.

I won't tell you which way I voted. I will only say that to those who know me, it's no surprise. ;)

Terrine de Foie Gras Mi-Cuit

It's been said that making a good terrine de foie gras mi-cuit is actually very simple. You only need to control two things:

1. The quality of the foie gras (livers)
   
2. The cooking of it (temperature & time).

That simple, eh? Almost. It's the control of the cooking temperature & time where I ran into a few surprises. Once you understand those variables, however, it actually can be simple to do at home. What's more, it doesn't have to be scary anymore. For anyone making a terrine of foie gras, it's a small investment. To fill a terrine the size of mine, I need to buy two 2 foies gras, each weighing about 600g, and that puts me out around 50 euros, or $75. It's pretty nerve-wrecking to think of the possibility of not doing it right when so much money is at stake. So this post is for anyone who is already familiar with terrine de foie gras, has already worked with it before and might be interested to see another experience. No step-by-step recipe this time! (but let me know if there's any interest in that).

There are several different techniques for cooking a terrine of foie gras (sous-vide, poaching, oven, and en croute de sel or in salt) and each has its own little quirks, or I should say, "ways of doing it". At Ecole Ferrandi we learned how to cook terrines using the sous-vide method (under vacuum pak), and it didn't even have to be in a terrine per se. It could be wrapped in plastic wrap like a sausage & put in a sous-vide sac & then cooked to 66°C in a bain marie. At a two-Michelin star restaurant where I worked last year, the foie gras lobes were poached in goose fat to a temperature of 40°C and then stored for a long time before serving. See how variable it can be?

So what about cooking a terrine of foie gras at home? Seeing as we don't have a sous-vide machine....how do I best cook a terrine in my regular, old oven?

Let me share with you my recent experience. First the easy part: I prepared my foies de canard (duck livers) by de-nerving them & marinating them overnight in white port wine, cognac & some "foie gras spices" (typically lots of salt, pepper, some sugar, and 4-spices). Then I put it in the terrine. Now comes the tricky part: actually cooking it! A very reliable reference book of mine said to preheat the oven to 150°C & to cook the terrine in a bain marie for 20 minutes. It sounds so easy, doesn't it?! Well, it's not as straight forward as that. I came across the following variables which I believe impacted my actual cooking time.

• Oven temperature. Differences in temp do exist and size matters! A reading of 150°C was actually 165°C inside the oven. This is easily corrected, but something to be aware of and to check. As for size, when I open the door of my small oven, the temperature drop is much more significant than when I open the door of a large commercial oven. So, when I'm messing around with my terrine & bain marie here at home, I've got to be quick! This is probably only something to consider if you keep opening & closing the oven, like I did, when my terrine wouldn't finish cooking!
  
• Bain marie. Make sure your water is hot before you put your terrine in the bain marie! Using water from the tap without heating it will extend the cooking time considerably. My reference book doesn't say anything about this, but from experience I knew the water needed to be hot. Even then, I don't think it was hot enough. Next time I'll make sure it is ~ 70°C.
• Type of terrine you're using. Ceramic, cast iron, or glass - the type of material used will impact how long you cook your terrine. A cast iron terrine will take longer to come up to temperature in the bain marie than say glass or ceramic ones. Mine is cast iron. And I had stored it in the fridge before cooking it. Imagine what it did to the water temperature of the bain marie, and therefore the cooking time. Trust me, it lengthens it!
  

OK, with all of these factors noted, what happened? Well, my timer went off after 20 minutes & theoretically, my terrine should have been done, like my book said. Luckily, I have a very reliable food thermometer & I measured the temperature at the center of the terrine. It read 13°C!! That means it was cold on the inside (13°C = 55°F)! I promptly put it back in the oven and re-checked the temperature every 10 minutes. Each time, I opened & closed the oven & messed around with my water bath & terrine which are not really sized to fit together perfectly! Imagine water sloshing around a bit...and a slight awkwardness with handling...(we have very small ovens here and my roasting pan just barely fits)...so the bottom line is that some oven temperature variation was inevitable...!

In the end it took me a total of 45 minutes. I removed the terrine from the oven when the temperature at center measured 30°C. At this point, my terrine looked like the one pictured in my reference book (ie, a good layer of melted yellow duck fat on top of the terrine), and as the book said, it may look undercooked, but that's the way it's supposed to be. I only wish I had a picture of it at that point. Too bad!

I removed the terrine from the bain marie, and let it sit on the counter top where it did continue to cook a bit. So, that reminds me that there's actually one last factor: the rate at which you cool down your terrine. At school, we cooked it until the center temperature was 66°C, but we immediately stopped the cooking by cold shocking it into an ice bath. Here at home, I let it sit on the counter a few hours.

I put weights on top to compress it. After a while, I removed them, wrapped the terrine in plastic and then let it rest in the fridge 3 days. (Letting it rest 3 days is critical.) Only then would I know how well it was cooked , or not. And, I'm relieved to say that it turned out delicious! Honestly, I wasn't sure if 30°C would actually be a good end temperature or not. It's just that my terrine looked like the picture of the terrine in my book. Unfortunately, my book doesn't define a target end temperature. I later read a few other blogs and found one that says to remove it at 38°C... so I leave it up to you to decide when you want to pull yours out of the oven!

My conclusions: (1) You're bound to run into variables that will affect the cooking process of a terrine of foie gras in the oven, and its successfulness. But, that shouldn't throw you off, if you're aware of the variables, and if you're able to adjust yourself to them. Blindly following a recipe without taking into account variables can lead to disaster no matter what you're preparing. And when you're cooking something costing a small fortune, it's even more important to pay attention to what you're doing. An overcooked terrine is simply a waste of money. I've done that before. Let me just say that it makes me not nice to be around for a few hours! You end up with a lot of rendered duck fat since most of the foie is melted away. What's left is a minuscule terrine. Still edible, but minuscule. An undercooked terrine is equally bad - it will look unappetizing (too pink/red) & that's enough to make it a turn-off. Plus, it is probably not the safest, bacterially-speaking. (2) Make sure you have a good food thermometer so that you can measure the temperature at the heart of the terrine. For me this is key to making a good terrine of foie gras, especially for beginners. Because this way, no matter what variable is thrown your way, you'll have a way to reassure yourself that it's going to be OK. (3) Finally, think about how these variables can occur, and try to mitigate them in the first place....then you'll really be on the road to cooking like a pro! Because after all, these are the same principles used in a professional kitchen for cooking n'importe quoi (no matter what)!

So voilà! I share the lessons I learned recently about making a terrine of foie gras at home. Long-winded, but hopefully, helpful. This one's for you Robbin! And please let me know what you've experienced in doing this yourself.

Day trip from Paris to Champagne Region

If you like early fall, Saturday was your day. The temperature was crisp in the morning yet mild in the afternoon, the fall colors were starting to appear, and the sun was poking its head out from time to time. It was a perfect day for a get-away to the Champagne region of France.

We headed to a village called Epernay. It takes less than 2 hours to get there if you go directly. However, we took La Route Touristique du Champagne, a scenic drive through the region, with winding roads and magnificent views of vineyard patches and small villages lining the Marne River. About 3 1/2 hours later, we reached Epernay just in time for lunch.

But where to go? We had no hard rules except to steer clear of brasseries receiving bus loads of tourists. We ended up finding a small 40-seat restaurant in the square next to the church, a charming place called La Table Kobus. We would gladly go back. The serious young waiter was especially knowledgeable about all things regional. In fact, this rather surprised us and entertained us. He gave us a map (who needs GPS?!) & explained how to get to Hautvillers, our next stop. He also answered our question about why we were still seeing some grapes on the vine when the harvest must have already happened last month. Yes, "the vendage (wine harvesting) is certainly past, and the grapes are harvested 100 days after the first flowers blossom on the vine. Therefore, those that are remaining had late-blooming flowers and cannot be used." OK, then. Good to know. And lucky for the birds, Eric said.

When we asked where Dom Pérignon was buried, wasn't it next to a monastery? "Non, not at all. It is an Abby, not a monastery. And he was buried in a church." He continued, "But the monastery is not open to the public unless you have", and at this point he showed us the palms of his hands, before adding "pattes blanches". Surely this must be an idiom because the literal translation just wasn't working! Literally, "pattes blanches" means white paws or legs (like a cat, dog or chicken). Eric explained it means that you are acceptable because your "paws", or hands, have never been dirtied before. In this context, it must surely be related to holiness (as in getting into heaven's gates), n'est ce pas?

Could our lunch have really taken two hours? Yes! And we enjoyed every leisurely second of it. We then drove a short distance to Hautevillers. I had previously been there with the Ecole Ferrandi class, and from that brief visit, I knew it was a place I wanted to see again. It's quaint and charming. It's quiet, even on a Saturday with tourists here and there. It is a town of rustic elegance that only the french paysage (countryside) can offer you.

We visited the church & Abby where Dom Pérignon first discovered how to make a fizzy wine back in the 17th century. Little did he know then how much fuss we'd be making today over his discovery! And he never could have imagined how famous his name could become centuries later!

All in all, we spent an hour in Hautevillers just wandering around & exploring. We walked by the vineyards of Moet et Chandon, and found this staircase. I like this picture because it's almost an optical illusion. Which way are the stairs going? Up or down? We took these stairs - it's a hilly area - and they lead us to a path around the Abby, to a park, with a beautiful view on the valley. That's the spot where I took this video. From my previous post, we all know I'm video-challenged....but I'll keep working on it, I promise!


There's one last thing worth noticing if you go to Hautevillers. Several homes have painted metal decorations hanging on their outside walls depicting a craft of some sort, presumably that of the owner. Take a look at a few, aren't they cute? In Richmond (Virginia, that is), it was flags. Here, it's metal plates!



Finally, it was time to head home. On our way, we stopped at a champagne house to do a tasting with hopes of finding a good bottle at a decent price. We didn't find either, but that's OK. We'll be back to the champagne region, and meanwhile, there's plenty of bubbly to be found in this city!



Address:
La Table Kobus
3, rue du Docteur Rousseau
51200 Epernay
Tele: 03 26 51 53 53

Blue Eiffel Tower

Here she is, the Eiffel Tower, all blue and twinkly. For six months, Paris' "iron lady" will sparkle in blue and be adorned with twelve gold stars from the European Union flag, to symbolize France's 6-month role as president of the EU Council. Presiding over the EU Council is a rotating role among the EU member countries (currently numbering 27), and France took the helm on July 1st.

I happened to walk by the Eiffel Tower Friday night on my way home from watching a re-broadcast of the vice-presidential debate (Palin & Biden). We didn't get up at 4am this time to watch it live, like we did for the 1st presidential debate! However, the rebroadcast turned out to be a great evening. It was hosted by Democrats Abroad and held at the CinéAqua which is exactly as its name sounds: a cinema and an aquarium all in one! I highly recommend going there for any movie or occasion. CinéAqua is located just next to Place du Trocodéro, which is where you will find the best view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, in my opinion.

I went to the debate with a fellow American friend and we were thankful to see it. Being an American living abroad at a time like this can feel odd. You are an American. You are trying to keep up with all the news happening at home. And yet you're thousands of miles away. I know very well that my physical presence on home soil would not change the present economic situation one bit, and I will do my part in the November 4th election by voting with an absentee ballot....so how to explain it.....it just feels weird to be watching this from afar. Like you're NOT part of it, and yet you ARE... OK, my thoughts are starting to scatter, even hinting at getting off track. Maybe what I'm really expressing is a fear about what's happening to our country in this moment and time of history. It's probably just as simple as that. Maybe I'd feel the same if I were there. Please let me know how you are feeling.

And please allow me to get back to the point: I simply would like to share with you a beautiful moment that I experienced the other night....the breath-taking and sparkling-blue Eiffel Tower....

Here's a video....my first upload. It is so amature-ish, it's funny. Let's end this post on a laugh, shall we? She still looks good, though, don't you think? Even on her side? As much as I like photography, I think I'll stick to my day job! That should explain why you find the video on its side! And next time I attempt this, I'll try to remember to record on "landscape" view, and not "portrait"!

Working for a temp agency specializing in Restaurant work

I started doing temp work recently as a way to continue working professionally, while at the same time, allowing me to search for a good job fit. I stopped waiting for the perfect job to fall into my lap (silly dream!), and started seriously looking for a position in the right kitchen, meaning one doing cuisine gastronomique, having a good team, small restaurant, respectful environment. I know I'm asking for a lot. And, I'm a little more discriminating these days on what I'm accepting....which not surprisingly is extending my job search time line!

Temp work seemed like the perfect solution. It's been kind of a strange experience to say the least, but that's not to say it's negative. Not at all. First, let's just say that doing this in a foreign language is a challenge....but, OK, my french has improved enough to receive a work contract from the temp agency. They tested me out on my first job - I guess to see if I'd show up because the job itself wasn't interesting at all. I only did mis en place all day, however, it gave me entrée into an Alaine Ducasse bistro/restaurant. Another reason I wanted to do temp work is to see other professional kitchens and their organization. I was impressed with this one: good lighting, lots of work space, and good control of ingredients. A good point of reference.

Every job I go to throws me into a different adventure. Certainly variety is one of the benefits of doing temp work, but you also need to be extremely flexible to handle whatever situation you're thrown into! Let me tell you about my last few days....

Well, I think I'll have to do another post on my adventures with a top traiteur (caterer) in Paris. I just got home from work, and don't have the energy to put any more words together coherently. I'm exhausted after working 10.5 hours straight...

So, à bientôt (see you later),
dma

Flour Tortillas

This is not at all french....but
I can't help my American cravings from time to time. The cost of El Paso brand flour tortillas is ridiculously high in Paris. At the little food store below our apartment, a pack of 8 runs ~3.69 euros (they are the big size at least). At today's exchange rate, that's an outrageous cost of $5.48!!! I don't remember what flour tortillas used to cost us....but wasn't it pennies on the dollar? Half a dollar maybe?

A high cost of something I really crave is the perfect motivational tool for trying to make it myself! So, I found a recipe on YouTube and guess what...making your own tortillas turns out to be really simple, easy and fast. Really. Even if you don't have one of those spiffy tortilla presses (which is now something I added to my gadget wish-list!). And the cost: maybe 30 cents?

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening*

* Since I can't easily or cheaply find Crisco here, I substituted goose fat.....which I did have on hand, oddly enough....and which is not that expensive when you buy big quantities of it. This is just one of the things that has changed in my life. NEVER, EVER before would I have dreamed that I would be buying 5 liter cans of goose fat & gladly using it!

Steps
1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Let dough rest.
3. Portion off the dough into equal-sized balls (I think I made 10 x 6" tortillas)
4. Roll out until it's thin (or use tortilla press)
5. Heat pan until its really hot & cook dough ~ 1 min per side or until you see light brown spots
6. Store in cloth-lined pan, stacking them on top of each other until all are cooked. Wrap in towl.

2 Things worth trying with your home-made tortillas:

1.) A quesadilla pie -- this is simply a tortilla that has piled on it various ingredients (such as sauce, some cheese to bind it down a little, some vegetables like tomatos, red peppers, shredded carrots, some sliced proscuitto, and topped with more shredded cheese). Then broil until golden & bubbly. Serve with arugula salad on top. OK, so my version is a slightly european-ized by using french gruyère cheese (it's similar to a swiss), basil pesto for the sauce, and serving it with a nice red bordeaux wine!

This has a high yum factor, and guess what? It's easy & fast, which makes it a great meal to pull together when you're hungry & need to feed the family & kids in minutes (assuming the tortillas are pre-made). I think even the kids would have fun building their own pies! 2 quesadillas/person.

2) Tortilla Chips - Cut the tortillas into 1/8ths and fry in oil at 180°C until done (30 sec - 1 min). Sprinkle with salt. This is a really CHEAP way to make tortilla chips, and they are much, much better-tasting than the small packs of chips they try to sell here! When you do them yourself, the chips are light & fresh & have a nice crunch. Next time I'll try to flavor them with lime juice...will let you know how that turns out. It helps to have a deep fat fryer in your kitchen, which I do, thanks to the insistence of my Belgian husband, aka, master frite maker (master fries maker, who can't stand the fact that they're called "french fries" when it was the Belgians who invented them!! At least they're not referred to as "freedom fries" anymore...) :)