OFF4 - Ominivore Festival 2009 Deauville

This week I attended something called OFF4 2009 - Omnivore Food Festival that was held in the Normandy coastal town of Deauville. It's a relatively young event - it just had its 4th year. Deauville is an easy two hours by train from Paris and is better known for its annual American Film festival in September. However, I suspect that OFF will put Deauville on the map for another reason!

I love the Omnivore Food Festival. I think it's a great event. It's attended by professionals in the industry - chefs, cooks, vineyard owners, restaurant owners and the like - but it's also open to the public. The two-day schedule was filled with highly talented and creative chefs (young and old) who shared their savoir-faire (know how) and philosophies. The music was modern, the vibe was good and the stage was well-equipped with a mega-projection screen suspended in the air, allowing everyone to have a good view, even back row seats.

In each 35 minute segment (approximately), these guys (yes, all were guys...) either gave an actual demo (anywhere from 1 - 7 dishes) while being interviewed (not easy!) -- or -- they participated in a "one-on-one" talk, seated at the couch area over a cup of coffee (called Café Confidences by the festival).

Demo with Chef Laurent Chareau

Café Confidences, with Pierre Hermé

I appreciated the caliber of the demos. The chefs assume you already know the basics. My head got a little overloaded, however, just a couple of times, and not because it was mostly in French. The logic occasionally slipped into lapses of complexity when the more avant-guarde chefs explained their subject. I should say tried to explain. It actually became amusing in all its complexity, where, at some point, the explanations went around in circles, out there and back again, still not fully understood....finally, the interviewer, equally perplexed at times, reached out to the audience for help to understand some of the more obscure ingredients or ideas being used!

And I was at a momentary loss when occasional terms were used very casually, such as "yuba", "umami" and "methyl cell" (that's New York speak for "methyl cellulose", you know, because...well, it just is). These moments were rare however, and the caliber of what was shared was consistently high and extremely professional. I enjoyed the Café Confidences for different reasons. They were simple and straightforward: questions were asked; responses were given. The dialogue was all highly personal, anecdotal and refreshingly honesty. No recipes given here, but better than that, we gained an understanding of someone's philosophy and integrity.

I attended the festival one day last year with Ecole Ferrandi (as part of the Sup 2nd year class). Everyone was impressed. In fact, throughout the rest of the school year, we tried to recreate some of the ideas we had seen that day. This year we also came home equally inspired to try to recreate and reinterpret. I'd say this is definitely a sign of a good event.

The first guest was Pierre Hermé (of my macaron addiction), and it continued with others such as Alexandre Bourdas, Laurent Chareau, Bertrand Grebaut, Emmanuel Renaut, Jacques et Laurent Pourcel, Mads Reflund, Franck Cerutti, Peter Nilsson, Jaques Marcon (son of Regis), several Italians, one chef from New York (David Chang), and chefs from Denmark and Spain - including Adrian Ferra, last but not least. Here are a few highlights:

Pierre Hermé, Paris

Asparagus, egg, parmesan - Bertrand Grebaut

Chef Bertrand Grebaut - Agapè, Paris 75017

Salad Caprèse - Stephano Baiocco (Italy)

Brandade de Morue, PDT Vitelotte (Cod and Purple Potato)- Riccardo Camanini (Italy)

Eel, seared foie gras & mango - Katsumi Ishida (Lyon)

Explanation of how dish was created - Jordi Butron (Spain)

Ferran Adria - el Bulli (Spain)

The MC - who did an oustanding job! (Don't know his name though)

The take-aways for me were:

1. Figure out what inspires you - it's where you can draw creativity. The Scandanavian chefs highlighted this point with the greatest flare and enthusiasm. They are absolutely crazy about nature - the changing of the seasons, the first fish eggs of spring, the first onion greens pushing their way through the spring snow, feeling the water on your face at the beach, walking in the forest....these are things that have inspired their plates.
   
2. Stay open-minded. Always. Even if the idea sounds strange initially, or avant-guarde (examples: eel and foie gras with mango, or "dirt dessert"...it's not really dirt, it just looks like dirt since it represents the forest! Refer to #1 above...well, maybe you "had to be there" for that one, and unfortunately,no photos to help explain!).
   
3. Food artistry = a combination of perfectly executed technique + elevated artistic presentations.
   
4. Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Strange ideas or concepts can lead to "creativity". We saw some pretty amazing creations.
5. You won't suit everyone's taste, so don't even try. Do your own thing. I saw several chefs who seemed to embody this notion. They have launched new horizons by doing their own thing. And they have done it quite successfully, too, according to their own definition of success (ie, not necessarily financial).
   
6. Simplicity on the plate - people want to see & understand what they're eating (even in the molecular food world). Modern. Clean. Simple.
   
7. Push the limits of comfort zone, but bring us back to something familiar.
8. New ideas come from questioning everything without prejudice. No assumptions; no presumptions; no thoughts about why something can't work...a child's approach to seeing the world can perhaps lead to more creativity than a rational-minded approach!
   

Donc, voilà. These are my interpretations of the event. None are necessarily revolutionary, per se. Haven't we heard some of these thoughts before? (ie, "think outside the box"....stay "young at heart"....etc, etc). It still serves a purpose to me, however, and that is to refresh my memory - something I need from time to time. Looking forward to OFF5 2010, announced to be held again in Deauville. Bravo.

P.S. Wondering what Omnivore means? Click here to see if you were right!
P.P.S. There's also a wine expo at OFF, but I didn't have time to check it out...too bad.
For more information about OFF, see their website (in french): Omnivore
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Pâte de Fruit Pomme au Calvados

Les Confiseries (confectionaries) have been around for some 500 years, according to The National Syndicate of Confiseries. Confectionaries today in France include all of the usual suspects: suckers, caramels, marshmallows, chewing gum, marzipan, nougat, etc. There's also something called a pâte de fruit. The literal translation is "dough from fruit", yet another example where the literal translation gets you nowhere. So what is it? The closest thing I can relate it to is a gum drop, but it's not at all like a gum drop! Gum drops are cone-shaped, although I'm not very concerned about its shape. More importantly, gum drops tend to be very sugary, and to my knowledge are made with artificial fruit....and sometimes spices. At least this is what I remember from all my trick-or-treating days as a child.

A better translation for pâte de fruit is simply fruit jelly squares. They are firm but soft in texture, and have a very rich, intensely fruity taste. They are satisfyingly sweet without being overly sugary, if you know what I mean. And yet, they are rolled in sugar. Go figure. (Another french paradox.)

It's good to understand that they have their own appellation (codification). The name "pâte de" followed by the name of the fruit, is reserved for those pâte de fruits in which 100% of the fruit pulp used comes from the fruit cited in its name. And just to add a tiny bit of confusion, this equals at least 50% of fruit in the finished product (you'll see why later in the recipe). As an example, "pâte de pomme" (apple jelly square) is made with 100% apple pulp. A pâte de coing is made with 100% coing (quince), etc, etc. The second classification is identified by "pâte de fruit" followed by the name of the fruit. This indicates it is a pâte de fruit in which at least 25% of the fruit pulp used comes from the name of the fruit (which then becomes at least 12.5% in the finished product). Examples of this category include pâte de fruit au pomme, or pâte de fruit à coing. Or simply pâte de fruit pomme. The 3rd classification is called "pâte de fruit aromatisée à" followed by the name of fruit (a pâte de fruit with the flavor of...). The label can also use such words as pâte de fruit goût à or saveur à - all of these things are indicating that there's very little real fruit in the candy. Maybe this category is more like the gum drop afterall...

All of this might sound a little too complicated and maybe it's easier reading if you understand the language, but please bear with me. Such things are quite important in France. The confectionary professionals voluntarily codified it in 1965 to maintain standards of quality and tradition. I'm all for that, given the variation in how these confections can be made - something I hadn't realized until I started doing it myself.

But, what about making a pâte de fruit? I've only tried two times now. The first time was with fresh rasberries & they failed. I ended up with a really nice rasberry jam, but not a pâte de fruit. Yesterday they turned out perfectly, using apples this time. I used two different recipes - maybe this is why. Or maybe I just got lucky. Who knows. Regardless, from now own, I'll stick to yesterday's recipe:

Pate de fruit à Pomme
(Recipe thanks to Les Vergers Boiron)

500 g apple purée
50 g sugar + 13 g pectin jaune in powder form
508 g sugar
9 g tartaric acid solution
110 g glucose
10 g Calvados (optional)
extra sugar for coating

Steps:

1. Make a tartaric acid solution (50:50 tartaric acid to water) and heat until dissolved. Set aside. You can also use fresh lemon juice instead of tartaric acid (a natural acid found in certain plants such as grape, banana or tamarind and acts as an antioxidant while also adding a slightly sour taste).
   
2. Mix pectin jaune (13g) with sugar (50g). Set aside.
   
3. Finish the rest of your mis-en-place: weigh ingredients (all except glucose); place a metal frame on a cookie sheet with parchment paper underneath (for pouring finished product into at the end); Find heat resistant spatula and wisk, and place next to stove in a bowl of water; Have thermometer ready to go.
   
4. Heat fruit purée on stove top until hot. Sprinkle in the pectin/sugar mixture. Bring to boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring.
   
5. Add sugar in 3-4 steps, making sure it's well dissolved before adding the next addition.
   
6. Add glucose. I removed the pan from the heat & placed it on a scale & weighed the glucose directly in. It's too thick otherwise..a consistency like corn syrup.
   
7. Cook until the temperature reaches 107°C. This takes a good 10 minutes or so, so don't worry about measuring the temperature in the beginning. Do be worried about stirring or whisking constantly because this is the stage it can burn. It's going to get all hot & bubbly & reduce very slightly. Careful with this step....you're working with molten hot sugar.... Keep whisking. Remove from heat once you reach 107°C.
   
8. Add the tartaric acid solution & wisk.
9. Add the Calvados & wisk. Watch out - it can briefly bubble violently.
   
10. Immediately pour into metal frame. You don't have a whole lot of time here; it starts to thicken immediately. Let rest 2-3 hours uncovered.
    
11. Cut into squares, or whatever shape you want. Fill bowl with sugar. Toss in a bunch of fruit gels. Coat all sides. Sugar coating: optional but definitely traditional.
    

Can be stored a very long time. I read it's OK for 6 - 9 months. All that sugar helps preserve them. In fact, pâte de fruits were originally created as a way to preserve harvested fruit.

One question you might have is where to get the fruit purée. I made my own with apples. You can also buy fruit purées by the jar at nearby store, G. Detou. Or, you can buy them frozen. At Ecole Ferrandi, we used the brand Les Vergers Boiron - that's what most professionals use and what I would use if I could buy it without a professional's license. (Hopefully soon...)

You might also wonder if you need to use pectin if you make a purée with a pectin-rich fruit (such as apple or pear). I would say yes, if you want to get the right texture of a pâte de fruit. Otherwise, you might end up with a form of jelly or something that doesn't solidify like it should. Back in the middle ages when they couldn't buy pectin off the shelf, they surely figured out the right proportions to get it right...but still...I say use it!

On the subject of pectin, there are different types of pectins. Here in France, "pectin jaune" is the one specifically used to make pâte de fruits and other confiseries. In the US, I think it's called apple pectin. But, be sure to use the right kind!

Pâte de fruit pomme au Calvados de Normandie....a perfect mignardise. Another french treat worth understanding and trying.

Pierre Hermé Macaron - Caramel au Beurre Salé

Today was an odd day. Both good and bad. Ever have one of those days? I won't dwell on the bad...instead, I prefer to savor only the good: a macaron. I, like most people, just love these little almond-meringue biscuit treats. I'm partial to the small, little ones that are oh-so-easy to eat. On top of that, the small size doesn't make you feel like you are over-indulging, even if you have more than one, or two. Or three.

I followed a recipe today from the Pierre Hermé Macaron book (left). For me, he is the king of macarons. I really like what he does. I tried a favorite flavor, caramel au beurre salé (caramel made with salted butter). I'm thrilled to say that they turned out tasting pretty Hermé-authentic, if I do say so myself. He's got a great book, if this recipe is anything to go by.

I was in a bit of a rush making them this morning, when my day started out all nice & promising....so I don't have a single photo to share with you on the process. But, I can show you the end result. It might bring back a few memories to those who have visited Paris, or who have previously lived here... Hopefully, it will entice you to come back for another visit! Can a macaron really do that? Well, maybe. These little treasures really are that good. If squeezing a trip to Paris isn't in the budget or on the calendar, then having a macaron at home may be the next best thing. I'll post the recipe the next time I try making a different Hermé flavor. I think pistachio is calling my name. Until then, happy macaron-day to everyone.

Le Versance Restaurant - Paris 75002

We made a great discovery today: a restaurant called Le Versance. Before even going, I was expecting it to be good based on it's web-site. And it didn't disappoint. Le Versance has all the elements I like in a restaurant: a modern touch, elegance, a place where you can actually enjoy a private conversation, decent seating space (where you're not crammed side-by-side with your neighbors...), refined & creative dishes, and a good quality-to-price ratio. Wow, that's a lot to ask for in a restaurant! Well, not really. It's just kind of rare to find the combination all in one place.

I arrived a good 10 minutes early - it took less time to walk from our apartment than I anticipated. I was seated in the salon, a kind of waiting area with nice seats & tables. The other two "muskateers" arrived and it is here that we ordered our lunch and were offered an amuse bouche (a little something to whet the appetite):

Velouté de panais, écume d'orange (cream of parsnip soup, orange froth)

We then moved to a nicely decorated table. I had ordered the prix fixe menu, or simply menu (the proposed menu of the day at a set price, a very common thing to do in France), as opposed to 'à la carte'. The choices offered for the menu sounded good to me. I skipped dessert, knowing there was a creme brulée waiting at home, "needing" to be eaten! Here's what I tried that day:

Rouleau de poulet, salade verte (Rolled chicken, green salad with vinaigrette)

This was a really nice first course - a salad, actually, with chicken. The chicken was served just at room temperature - not hot, as I imagined. I wasn't into the skin, however. It was as opposite of crispy as it can get. The salad was perfectly stacked (I can assure you this is not a natural or easy thing to do...! You need volume, people, volume! If I heard that once at school, I heard it a million times. Now I only think of that when I see a salad. Funny, eh? BTW, the vinaigrette was excellent.

Filet du mulet, pois, risotto de parmesan (mullet, snap peas & parmesan risotto)

My main course was nicely prepared & nicely presented. I liked the idea of putting the ribbon of cucumber around the risotto and I'll have to remember that. The sauce was a little thin, but so was the sauce of my friend's dish (seared scallops), so we suspected this was done by design. It also probably means it was made with much less butter than normal. The flavor was very good & in fact, with the rich risotto, it was a nice complement. It would have been too rich otherwise. So, bravo to the chef!

All in all, I would go back. Definitely. I know my limited experience does not make this a review, but that's not what this is supposed to be anyway! I just wanted to share a new discovery. Let me know if you go there & what you think.

Le Versance
16 rue Feydeau
75002 Paris
Tél: 01 45 08 00 08
www.leversance.fr

lunch menu 32 € (first course, main course and glass of wine)
;)

Memories of Morocco

Our recent trip to Morocco was actually the tail end, and culmination, of the month-long celebration of Eric's 50th birthday. I think we did it proud!

It was a our first visit to Morocco (and my first time to Africa). We landed in Marrakech, a city of disorderly chaos, "faux guides" (fake guides willing if not imposing help for money where the "help" is not always so helpful), souks (markets), old Riads, scooters and pollution. Don't ever make a sudden move left or right while walking on the street, or risk creating a multi-scooter collision!

In the hands of a personal travel guide and a Toyota 4X4, we headed south, crossing 2 mountain ranges along the way (the Atlas and a sub-range called the Anti-Atlas). It took two days to get to our destination in the Sahara desert, given our leisurely lunches, breakfasts, tea breaks, and stops for photos or tourist shops. It was on this part of the trip that we bought our six ceramic mini-tagines....which was almost immediately regrettable due to the obvious pampering they would then require....

Anyway, we got to the Sahara where, unbelievably, it was raining. It only rains there 3 days out of each year...and we couldn't believe our bad luck as we drove in it that day with no foreseeable break in the weather. Someone even suggested maybe we should stay in a hotel instead of camping. I wonder who would've suggested that. Then, at the end of the day, almost in a sudden gesture, the clouds broke free, and we saw a patch of blue sky and a ray of sunshine. Immediately the truck came to a halt and we experienced our first sunset in the desert. It even came with its very own rainbow. Suddenly, we felt extremely lucky. Isn't it often the case when something negative turns into something absolutely positive...

We arrived at camp and met the three guides who would be with us the next six nights of our excursion in the northern Sahara desert. Picture in your mind tents & sleeping bags & a roll of toilet paper! Actually, we camped a total of six nights, but at different locations each night...meaning we hiked distances of 9-12 miles, even 18 miles one day, to get from one site to the next. Here's where the dromadaires (camels) come into the picture! All five of them! This could not have been possible without these amazing animals. I've never seen a camel before, up close and personal....maybe at a zoo, but not so close I could look it straight in the eye, and pet it behind its ear and feed it some shrubs or arugula (yes, amazingly, we walked through a green patch of wild arugula plants...which tasted just like arugula, only kicked up into high gear!). Back to the camels - I didn't realize how amazingly beautiful their eyelashes are! Really long. We even had a younger, black camel, who seemed to be in his teen-age years if you know what I mean....sometimes a bit fiesty, not wanting to "do as he was told", and definitely wanting to be on his own! All in all, quite the possee.

Our camels were the one-hump kind (called dromadaire in french, or dromadary in english), as opposed to a two-hump camel (called chameau in french or bactrian in english). I had to look up the english names.....after being asked several times what's the name for a two-hump camel? I'm thinking to myself, isn't "two-hump camel" good enough? And, no, it wasn't quite satisfying enough to the french-speaking crowd. I couldn't exactly google it then & there....it would have to wait. But it certainly reminded me how very precise the french language is and how very precisely it is practiced!

It's pretty obvious by now that I enjoyed being with the camels. Ours were well-groomed even. I heard it from a very good source that sometimes they can be a bit smelly...and luckily ours were not! Did you see how they sit on their legs? Really incredible. I'll get back to that a bit later.

We were navigated through the desert by the expertise of our guides, but our guides did much more than simply navigate our group of four. Mohammid, Said and Zaid also unloaded camels, set up camp, and prepared each meal, got the campfire going, and shared their local music and culture with us. Always with enthusiasm and a genuine smile on their face...even after hiking all day (which left us wanting to recuperate just a little!).

Each day before leaving for our hike, we were fitted with white turbans to protect our faces from the sun. They worked like a charm. Also helped deal with the perpetual "bad hair day" problem. It was inevitable, you know. Bad hair. However, with these magic turbans, no problem! (They also work for unruly whiskers! j.k. !)





Each day we walked with the rhythm of the camels, a rather brisk pace at that, surprisingly. And if the pace got to be too fast or too much, the camels were there to offer a ride. My first time on one was a little frightening, I will admit. Anyone who has ever ridden a camel before knows how jolting it can be to get on or off....To get off a camel, for example, their big, long legs simply seem to collapse suddenly underneath them, front-end first and then back-end. Boom, boom. You feel like you're going to go flying over his head! Then you feel like you're going to be ejected out the back way. It makes for a somewhat rocky descent! All part of the adventure.

We had several memorable moments on this trip and I can't begin to describe them all. I will share this though, our last night at camp in the desert....it ended with a surprise dessert. A birthday cake! It was a huge surprise. The hearing-impaired brother of Said carried it from the nearest town, 1 hour away, by foot. Can you believe it? One hour away by foot. He also brought a few friends along. At first, we thought they were simply performing some sort of berbère (local) song and dance. In almost complete darkness, they approached the campfire in a single file line. The sheepskin drum, empty bidon (plastic container), and hand-clapping were making the rhythm, and loud but happy sounding guttural sounds were making the tribal songs. Then we saw someone carrying something with candles. It turned out to be a sheet cake!! They brought it over to the birthday boy and & birthday girl (Eric's sister also had a birthday recently). Their names were iced on the cake. It was deeply touching. Here's a video, although admittedly, it's not great quality but it's better than nothing, right?



The surprise birthday cake was actually a really great-tasting cake! After a week of local dessert, consisting exclusively of fresh mandarin oranges (at both lunch and dinner), this vanilla sponge cake tasted like heaven!! (as good as the mandarins were...). Who would ever have thought it could be possible to have a delicious western style cake in the desert....certainly not me. It was Eric's cousin, with several of these trips under her belt, who made the suggestion....and it was our new berbères friends who made it happen. Amazing, isn't it?

I'll leave you with a few other pictures of our trip.


Words that come to mind when I think of Morocco:
spirit, good will & natural beauty - mountains, palm trees, desert sand, herds of grazing goats and sheep, tagines, couscous...and so much more. It was a humbling experience, and an enriching one. And a great inspiration all around.

I don't think this trip would suit everyone, but if you're interested, I can share the details. And let me know if you'd like to join us on the next one we take!


p.s our six tagines made it home safe & sound. Couscous, anyone?

Random Food Photos- Best of 2008

These are just a few of my favorite photos (or favorite tastes!) from last year - all from our home kitchen. Doing these things helps me "train" or fine-tune cooking techniques, create new dishes, or allows me to simply work with natural products. Bon appétit!


Filet de sole, feneuil, betterave, pomme de terre "Ratte" à la sauce orange.

Sole, sautéed fennel, beets, fingerling potatoes and orange sauce.








Les Cèpes en saison (environ Novembre).

Porcini mushrooms, in season (around November).








Rôti de boeuf sur un lit de girolles et des épinards, potiron et jus de boeuf.

Filet of beef on a bed of sautéed chanterelle mushrooms and spinach, with baked pumpkin and a light beef sauce.






Pâte de tomate, farci de chèvre et ciboulette.

Tomato pasta ravioli with goat cheese and chive filling.










Tagliatelles aux épinards à la maison.

Home made spinach linguine.









Recette de Yannick Alleno, Le Meurice (3 étoiles): Timbale de langoustines et èpinards, avec coques à la sauce nantua, cappucino de langoustine et truffe noire.

Yannick Alleno recipe (3-star chef of Hotel Meurice): Norwegian lobster in a macaroni & spinach tower, with cockle in two lobster sauces and black truffle.






Truffes de chocolate

Chocolate truffles












Croquettes de pomme de terre.

Potato Croquettes (elegant "tator tots" if you will - mashed potatoes rolled in a cylinder shape & fried in olive oil).











Macarons aux vanilles et ganache chocolat.

French almond cookie (vanilla-flavored) with chocolate filling. Not to be confused with the American version called macaroons (based on dried coconut)!