Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Sunday, April 05, 2009
On Rue Tatin
I have written about Susan Hermann Loomis, her cookbooks and her cooking classes in Normandy before. But sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words -- especially if the picture is of the moving variety and in spite of the words being in French. To soak up some of the atmosphere, have a look at this video. If you're like me, you'll be dreaming of French markets and cooking classes in no time!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Charcuterie Window in Paris
Here we are in Paris, in the 16th arrondissement. I was on my way, on foot, from my hotel in the 15th. A nice, morning walk, past the Eiffel Tower, over the Seine, through the Trocadero gardens (all the while admiring the gorgeous fountains).
Through more streets of this pretty section of Paris -- quite residential -- on my way to the Marmottan Museum. I had been to the museum on an earlier trip and found it to be a delightful experience. A small museum, in an historic mansion, with lots of Monet paintings for me to ooh and aah over.
In Paris, getting there is often half the fun. Especially when you enjoy shop windows as much as I do. Here is the lovely display in the front window of a charcuterie, which is sort of a combination butcher shop and delicatessen. The day was a bit cloudy, so the photo isn't very bright. But the memory of those tasty items shines brightly in this tourist's heart!
Friday, September 08, 2006
Speaking for Monet
Monet House, Exterior, Giverny, France
"I paint because there are flowers in the world." These are the paraphrased words of Claude Monet, renowned artist and superstar of the Impressionist Movement of painting. His famous works are displayed in all of their splendor at Paris' Orsay, Marmottan and Orangerie museums. To see a LOT of Monet's works in one place, those are the places to go.
If not in Paris, we can savor the beauty of one, or a few, of his paintings in virtually any large museum in the world. His legacy of art speaks for itself, worldwide.
In addition, the house and gardens that provided the environment for so much of his work are today a sort of Monet museum unto themselves. The vibrant colors throughout the house and garden beckon to current-day visitors in the same way that they spoke to Monet over 100 years ago.
Recently, I discovered a book that took me back, on a virtual visit, to the Monet house and gardens in Giverny, France. Color photographs leap from pages, splashing vivid memories of gardens, dining room and kitchen onto my reminiscing mind's eye!
How stunning, to be in Giverny, a short ride from Paris, in Monet's Garden. It is a place that draws you in and helps you to FEEL those words of Monet's about flowers. In the shimmering light, always so intriguing to the artist, the landscape still seems to be calling out to be painted.
MONET'S TABLE, by Claire Joyes, Simon and Schuster Publishers, 1989,takes us to yet another dimension of Monet's world. He appreciated cooking -- loved it, in fact, enough to create his own collection of cherished recipes by persuading his family and friends to commit them to paper. The recipes, like Monet's interests, reflect international dishes and ingredients. Just as so many of us do today, he returned from international trips with a headful of favorite food memories -- and often, a handful of recipes.
Recipes from A to Z, from appetizer to dessert, have been selected by Monet's descendants from his collection and compiled by Claire Joyes, the wife of his great-grandson, in this delightful book. Imagine the aromas of these dishes, wafting through the rooms of the charming house in Giverny. Visualize steaming plates being carried to the dining room table, set in its tones of yellow and blue, harmonizing beautifully with the chrome-yellow walls, creamy-yellow chairs and blue-toned Japanese-art-prints decor of the dining room.
All of that imagining is facilitated, of course, by the multitude of photographs of garden, house, foods and handwritten recipes in the book. Fortunately for we cooks, the recipes have all been translated into English, converted into American weights-and-measures by well-known French chef Joel Robuchon, and faithfully word-processed so that we won't have to struggle to read the rather artistic handwriting of the original collection (even if we could read French!). How delightful, though, to be able to see an original, yellowed, recipe page from the master artist's kitchen.
Bringing to mind, once again, how much charm -- how much of the real person -- is brought to bear by the handwritten word. Somehow, it's hard to imagine future generations looking at a USB memory stick of great grandmother's recipes and exclaiming, "Oh, can't you just SEE her at the stove?" (Yes, I CAN hear you saying, "Put a photo of grandma on the memory stick with the recipes!")
Monet lived to a ripe age and spent most of his years surrounded by an extensive family and many friends. The weekend meals in Giverny, especially in the summer, included many art, government and literary friends from Paris and abroad.
At that time, Monet spoke to the world in his art, through his gardens and by means of his devotion to shared food. By means of all three of those elements, that legacy continues. Today, as then, his art, Giverny gardens and recipes all speak for Monet.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Eating on Stilts in San Clemente?
There are so many great things to eat and drink, so much pretty scenery to see, all over Southern California. What a fabulous thing it is to combine all three in one experience!
In the city of San Clemente, for example, a well-known and well-patronized surfing beach offers plenty of entertainment for those who are less water-inclined than the blond and bronzed surfers! Oceanfront streets feature restaurants for a wide variety of tastes and budgets.
Slices of pizza, assortments of sushi, and pita sandwiches are just a few of the "ingredient" options available for beach picnics. Curving slightly, the street facing the San Clemente Pier is hilly and picturesque. Grassy areas, complete with picnic tables, are available for impromptu picnics! Wide-and-sandy beach is also ready and waiting for picnic-basket (or carryout-sack!) dining.
For restaurant dining, complete with all the trimmings, additional restaurants may be found along the oceanfront street and throughout the city. On the pier itself, two restaurants even offer above-water dining! What a pleasure it is to listen to ocean waves lapping underneath you as you sit at your table, perched high above the water.
Look east while you eat and see steep hillsides, palm trees and pastel houses. Look west to find surfers, sailboats, possibly a dolphin or two if the season is right and, of course, the blue Pacific for as far as your eye can see. Look north or south and enjoy visions of miles and miles of sandswept beachfront. There really isn't a bad side of the table, scenery-wise, in this setting.
It's kind of like gazing -- and eating -- on stilts. But, even better, your hands are free for knives, forks and goblets!
Happy travels and bon appetit,
Marilyn, The Ingredient Sleuth
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Cross the Tracks in San Juan Capistrano!
Just across the train tracks from the Amtrak station in San Juan Capistrano, the Los Rios Historic District lies waiting. It's not a long walk -- some of the buildings back right up to the train tracks.
Charming indoor/outdoor restaurants -- one of them complete with English Tea Service as an option to its regular menu of lunch and dinner choices -- and small gift shops comprise the "retail" spaces. Housed in houses (is that redundant?), the historic charm of these establishments is palpable.
Next door to retail spaces, more houses from San Juan Capistrano's early days, many still occupied by families, round out the neighborhood. One homestead even allows visitors to tour its barnyard areas and enjoy viewing the animals.
If the adobe construction and design didn't tip one off, the huge trees and other greenery (from cacti to bougainvillea) would leave no doubt as to the historic nature of the block-long district.
It is always a joy to "follow the swallows" to Capistrano -- and to follow them across the tracks to the Los Rios Historic District!
Happy travels & bon appetit!
Friday, August 19, 2005
The Soup of Seville -- via Sheboygan!
The Generalife Gardens at the Alhambra Palace near Granada, Spain are a splendid sight. Verdant, lush vegetation covers hillsides and terraced, level areas. In the geometric, structured gardens, archways are covered with roses of many colors. Their exotic scents blend and waft through the air.
Birds flutter overhead, attracted to the beauty, twittering to each other in a flurry of activity. Water, including river and streams and fountains, babbles everywhere. Tourists from around the world smile and murmur in delight.
The Moorish emirs of Granada wanted to recreate the Garden of Eden at this location. They diverted a river to provide water and set in place a garden of visual, olfactory and culinary delights. Generations of visitors have been appreciative of their efforts.
In this corner of Spain, today’s Andalusians continue to recreate the Garden of Eden – in a soup bowl! Gazpacho is Andalusia’s best-known dish and probably originated in a different format (no tomatoes or peppers, which came to Spain after Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” to the “New World”) during the time when Spain was part of the Islamic world in the Middle Ages.
Today, the most-familiar versions of gazpacho are probably those from Seville and Cordoba. However, most cities and towns throughout southern Spain’s Andalusian region have their own, slightly-different versions. The common, distinctive ingredient among all the versions was, and is, bread. Originally, like so many wonderful dishes, gazpacho was peasant food. It was eaten by workers in the fields: vineyards, olive plantations, citrus groves, wheat fields and cork (tree) farms. It was field-travel friendly – and still is today!
Gazpacho was popularized outside of the Andalusian region in the 19th century and finally worked its way to popularity in northern Spain around 1930. It became quite fashionable there and continued its wanderings worldwide as the 20th century progressed. How many of us, after visiting Andalusia, return home with visions of hillsides in our hearts and yearnings for gazpacho in our taste buds? The Ingredient Sleuth, for one.
The following “gazpacho interlude” comes from the wonderful, new book BIRO: EUROPEAN-INSPIRED CUISINE by Marcel Biro and Shannon Kring Biro (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2005):
"Marcel Biró’s Gazpacho
Originally a laborers’ dish, Gazpacho was the standard fare of Andalusian muleteers who carried it in earthen pots on their travels. Today the soup contains vegetables and differs from city to city within Andalusia—each version claiming to be the original. Arguably, the first recipe came from Córdoba and consisted of bread, garlic, olive oil, and water. Today Córdoban Gazpacho is thickened with cream and cornmeal. In Jerez it is garnished with raw onion rings, and in Malaga it is made with veal bouillon and sometimes garnished with grapes and almonds. In Cadiz Gazpacho is served hot in the winter, and in Segovia it is flavored with cumin, basil, and aïoli.
This recipe is inspired by that of Seville, a city that, of course, also lays claim as home of Gazpacho.
Serves 6
1 pound vine ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
½ cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
½ teaspoon dried leaf marjoram
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Purée all ingredients in a food processor or blender. You may need to process it in two batches. Blend until the soup is the consistency you favor. Some people prefer chunks, others a completely smooth soup. I prefer my Gazpacho somewhere in between: with some bite and the consistency of heavy cream.
2. Pour the soup into a large stainless bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When the soup is well chilled, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Presentation
Gazpacho is traditionally served with a selection of garnishes including chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped cucumber, chopped onion, chopped green and black olives, and diced green bell pepper. This soup is therefore best served family style, and I prefer to use earthenware dishes, as the recipe was originally prepared in clay bowls.
Quick Tip: Other uses for Gazpacho
I’ve used Gazpacho leftovers as a pizza sauce, a warm pasta sauce, a sauce for a goat cheese tarte flambée, a cold and warm garnish, and even as a cocktail sauce by adding a bit of horseradish. Be inventive with this versatile soup and know that the longer you keep it, the more complex and intense the flavor will become."
*Copyright Note*: Marcel and Shannon Biro specifically authorized this excerpt and recipe reprint, by the Ingredient Sleuth, in this posting.
A huge part of the pleasure of any travel experience is the representative food of the visited location. This book steps right up and puts the know-how to recreate those dishes into the reader’s hands.
For me, this gazpacho is filled with my memories of Andalusia. As I taste the soup's bright, fresh and snappy flavor, I am transported to Alhambran gardens and striking hillsides and flamenco performances with bright, fresh and snappy music – sometimes I even jump up and do a little fancy footwork of my own in celebration!
The book’s recipes are representative of the favorite regions in which Marcel Biro has worked: southern Germany, Alsace, Tuscany and Andalusia. The recipes are meant to take you to – or back to – those wonderful destinations as you cook up the wonderful dishes at home.
As one of the youngest chefs in European history to achieve the title Master Chef de Cuisine, he is acclaimed for winning several coveted European awards, for his accomplishments in Michelin-starred restaurants, and for his dedication to demystifying classic cuisine.
As a European Certified Chef Instructor, Biro has fed those with a hunger for professional culinary knowledge throughout France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Italy and the United States. He has worked at internationally acclaimed restaurants and was personal chef to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Biro is host of the new national PBS (Public Broadcasting System) reality cooking series “The Kitchens of Biro.” He is also chef/owner of Biro Restaurant and Wine Bar and of O – a Biro Restaurant, both in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In addition, the Biros (Marcel and Shannon) offer a bonanza of culinary events and activities (see http://www.kitchensofbiro.com/) for culinary enthusiasts. Trips to Europe, cooking classes, entrepreneurial consultation and more are available.
Mr. Biro came to appreciate the value – the precious nature – of good ingredients at a young age, in East Germany. He has based his career on bringing wonderful, healthful ingredients to new heights in dishes that will be available to all. What really warms the heart of the Ingredient Sleuth is the following sentence from the book’s introduction (reprinted with permission) as Biro says:
“Whether you prepare the recipes as outlined or put your own unique spin on them – which I encourage – I hope that you take a moment to really touch the ingredients, to inhale their wondrous scent, and to appreciate their beauty. In my life and career, I have come to fully comprehend the value of freedom and the great privilege I have to work with food. For me, it is an honor never to be taken for granted.”
Birds flutter overhead, attracted to the beauty, twittering to each other in a flurry of activity. Water, including river and streams and fountains, babbles everywhere. Tourists from around the world smile and murmur in delight.
The Moorish emirs of Granada wanted to recreate the Garden of Eden at this location. They diverted a river to provide water and set in place a garden of visual, olfactory and culinary delights. Generations of visitors have been appreciative of their efforts.
In this corner of Spain, today’s Andalusians continue to recreate the Garden of Eden – in a soup bowl! Gazpacho is Andalusia’s best-known dish and probably originated in a different format (no tomatoes or peppers, which came to Spain after Columbus “sailed the ocean blue” to the “New World”) during the time when Spain was part of the Islamic world in the Middle Ages.
Today, the most-familiar versions of gazpacho are probably those from Seville and Cordoba. However, most cities and towns throughout southern Spain’s Andalusian region have their own, slightly-different versions. The common, distinctive ingredient among all the versions was, and is, bread. Originally, like so many wonderful dishes, gazpacho was peasant food. It was eaten by workers in the fields: vineyards, olive plantations, citrus groves, wheat fields and cork (tree) farms. It was field-travel friendly – and still is today!
Gazpacho was popularized outside of the Andalusian region in the 19th century and finally worked its way to popularity in northern Spain around 1930. It became quite fashionable there and continued its wanderings worldwide as the 20th century progressed. How many of us, after visiting Andalusia, return home with visions of hillsides in our hearts and yearnings for gazpacho in our taste buds? The Ingredient Sleuth, for one.
The following “gazpacho interlude” comes from the wonderful, new book BIRO: EUROPEAN-INSPIRED CUISINE by Marcel Biro and Shannon Kring Biro (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2005):
"Marcel Biró’s Gazpacho
Originally a laborers’ dish, Gazpacho was the standard fare of Andalusian muleteers who carried it in earthen pots on their travels. Today the soup contains vegetables and differs from city to city within Andalusia—each version claiming to be the original. Arguably, the first recipe came from Córdoba and consisted of bread, garlic, olive oil, and water. Today Córdoban Gazpacho is thickened with cream and cornmeal. In Jerez it is garnished with raw onion rings, and in Malaga it is made with veal bouillon and sometimes garnished with grapes and almonds. In Cadiz Gazpacho is served hot in the winter, and in Segovia it is flavored with cumin, basil, and aïoli.
This recipe is inspired by that of Seville, a city that, of course, also lays claim as home of Gazpacho.
Serves 6
1 pound vine ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
½ cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato juice
½ teaspoon dried leaf marjoram
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Purée all ingredients in a food processor or blender. You may need to process it in two batches. Blend until the soup is the consistency you favor. Some people prefer chunks, others a completely smooth soup. I prefer my Gazpacho somewhere in between: with some bite and the consistency of heavy cream.
2. Pour the soup into a large stainless bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When the soup is well chilled, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Presentation
Gazpacho is traditionally served with a selection of garnishes including chopped hard-boiled eggs, chopped cucumber, chopped onion, chopped green and black olives, and diced green bell pepper. This soup is therefore best served family style, and I prefer to use earthenware dishes, as the recipe was originally prepared in clay bowls.
Quick Tip: Other uses for Gazpacho
I’ve used Gazpacho leftovers as a pizza sauce, a warm pasta sauce, a sauce for a goat cheese tarte flambée, a cold and warm garnish, and even as a cocktail sauce by adding a bit of horseradish. Be inventive with this versatile soup and know that the longer you keep it, the more complex and intense the flavor will become."
*Copyright Note*: Marcel and Shannon Biro specifically authorized this excerpt and recipe reprint, by the Ingredient Sleuth, in this posting.
A huge part of the pleasure of any travel experience is the representative food of the visited location. This book steps right up and puts the know-how to recreate those dishes into the reader’s hands.
For me, this gazpacho is filled with my memories of Andalusia. As I taste the soup's bright, fresh and snappy flavor, I am transported to Alhambran gardens and striking hillsides and flamenco performances with bright, fresh and snappy music – sometimes I even jump up and do a little fancy footwork of my own in celebration!
The book’s recipes are representative of the favorite regions in which Marcel Biro has worked: southern Germany, Alsace, Tuscany and Andalusia. The recipes are meant to take you to – or back to – those wonderful destinations as you cook up the wonderful dishes at home.
As one of the youngest chefs in European history to achieve the title Master Chef de Cuisine, he is acclaimed for winning several coveted European awards, for his accomplishments in Michelin-starred restaurants, and for his dedication to demystifying classic cuisine.
As a European Certified Chef Instructor, Biro has fed those with a hunger for professional culinary knowledge throughout France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Hungary, Italy and the United States. He has worked at internationally acclaimed restaurants and was personal chef to German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
Biro is host of the new national PBS (Public Broadcasting System) reality cooking series “The Kitchens of Biro.” He is also chef/owner of Biro Restaurant and Wine Bar and of O – a Biro Restaurant, both in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In addition, the Biros (Marcel and Shannon) offer a bonanza of culinary events and activities (see http://www.kitchensofbiro.com/) for culinary enthusiasts. Trips to Europe, cooking classes, entrepreneurial consultation and more are available.
Mr. Biro came to appreciate the value – the precious nature – of good ingredients at a young age, in East Germany. He has based his career on bringing wonderful, healthful ingredients to new heights in dishes that will be available to all. What really warms the heart of the Ingredient Sleuth is the following sentence from the book’s introduction (reprinted with permission) as Biro says:
“Whether you prepare the recipes as outlined or put your own unique spin on them – which I encourage – I hope that you take a moment to really touch the ingredients, to inhale their wondrous scent, and to appreciate their beauty. In my life and career, I have come to fully comprehend the value of freedom and the great privilege I have to work with food. For me, it is an honor never to be taken for granted.”
Friday, July 15, 2005
Friday, April 01, 2005
A True Fish Story
So many fish, so little time! I am fortunate to live in an area that is ocean-close. Near many harbor areas, up and down the California coast, there are clusters of specialty shops. Within those clusters, there are often fantastic little fish markets. One need only walk a few steps, along the harbor-front sidewalks, to see the fishing boats unloading the precious day’s catch. You can’t get any closer to “whole food” than that! At the same time, as one of nature's little bonuses, you have the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with a variety of ocean birds – they are always there, watching the fish being unloaded too!
Baked, sautéed, poached, fried, grilled … the preparation options for fish are myriad. I use them all, often as I can. There is one recipe, though, that maintains a special place in my heart. As so often happens in such cases, that preparation method is linked to memories of my youth.
Summertime visits to Door County, Wisconsin, whether a day or a week in length, were always a special event for me. Small cities, with names like Sister Bay, Egg Harbor and Fish Creek are replete with water views – some of Lake Michigan and some of Green Bay (the body of water, not the Packer's football stadium).
In fact, surrounded by water for virtually its entire perimeter, the Door County Peninsula has always been fish-friendly. A highly-touristed area, the county is filled with interesting gift shops, excellent restaurants, great golf courses and friendly people. And those friendly residents have a longstanding fish preparation method that has come to be emblematic of Door County – and a necessity for my visits there. Let's go there, for a short fish story --
Now, as then, as the sun moves lower into the afternoon sky, the summertime crowds begin to gather and the preparation for the evening’s meal event gets underway. In progress: the Door County Fish Boil. Huge iron cauldrons are suspended over an outdoor fire, then filled with water to the appropriate level. To peer into the giant cauldrons, one would have to be tall enough to ride the height-restricted rides at Disneyland!
As the fire is stoked, the water begins to boil. People in the watching crowd (many holding frosty glasses of beer in hand) begin to applaud as the stainless steel buckets of unpeeled, whole potatoes are carried to the awaiting cauldron and emptied with a flourish by the muscular cooks. The boiling proceeds for some time, as the steam rises to the skies.
The next round of applause greets the onions, peeled but left whole, about the size of the potatoes. They too leave their stainless steel containers as they join the potatoes in the boiling cauldron. And finally, after the potatoes and onions have continued their cooking for awhile longer – and perhaps the second round of beer has been delivered – the gleaming, white fillets of fish are added. The fish, of course, cooks very rapidly and soon thereafter it is time for the “big finish.”
Pounds of salt are brought to the cauldron with much pomp and circumstance, then lifted overhead by the attending cook. As the crowd becomes quiet – at least as quiet as possible, given the beers-in-hand – the salt is added to the mixture. Immediately, the salt works its magic. All of the froth that has been created by the boiling rises to the top of the cauldron and spills over the edges.
This salt-induced boil-over not only seasons the fish and vegetables. It also removes cooking residue from all the wonderful ingredients and spills water onto the fire which, hissing and sputtering, creates the final “splash” of drama that is the trademark of the event! You don’t have to be an ingredient sleuth to appreciate the theatrics! The crowd roars and then immediately heads to the rows of waiting tables. Finally, it’s time to eat!
A small army of servers is on hand to receive the dozens of plates that have been filled by the cooks. Steaming servings of well-drained potato, onion and fish (each with its own mini pitcher of hot, melted butter) are then whisked to the waiting diners. All of the accompaniments, waiting at the tables, are already well in-hand by the hungry eaters: coleslaw, various breads, sauces and condiments … all the trimmings. Soon, the boisterous sounds of happy diners fill the land and the slanting rays of days-end sun reflect all-too-soon from well-emptied plates.
Dessert follows, as naturally as the setting of the sun, and provides several choices, much emphasis being focused on fruit pies made from locally-grown cherries and apples. Dessert was always secondary to me, though. Perhaps my appetite was already satiated – because I always used every available drop of my melted butter? For me, the fish was the thing.
Once home, Door County visits well behind us, my mother decided that there was no need for us to go into fish-boil-withdrawal. She set about recreating a year-round method of imitating those tasty feasts. Certainly, the wood fire, giant cauldron and bubble-over conclusion were foregone. But, with a large stock pot and the carefully-timed addition of potatoes, then onions, then fish – and mom’s signature addition of celery stalks and leaves, at the same time as the onions, for added flavor – our mini fish boils were almost as eventful around our kitchen table as they had been in Door County. From time to time, we even had beer and applauded!
Today, my at-home fish boils have moved to the West Coast and are made with any firm, white-fleshed fish that looks good at the market. Whether fish from streams, bays, lakes or oceans come my way, there is always something compelling about them – as if they are calling to me with those little fish lips. I am even drawn to them at markets when I am traveling. Hence: today’s photo is from the outdoor market in Rouen, France. Maybe I wasn’t able to take those fish back to my hotel room and cook them – but I certainly did ooh and aah at them at the market. Bon appetit – and cheers!
Baked, sautéed, poached, fried, grilled … the preparation options for fish are myriad. I use them all, often as I can. There is one recipe, though, that maintains a special place in my heart. As so often happens in such cases, that preparation method is linked to memories of my youth.
Summertime visits to Door County, Wisconsin, whether a day or a week in length, were always a special event for me. Small cities, with names like Sister Bay, Egg Harbor and Fish Creek are replete with water views – some of Lake Michigan and some of Green Bay (the body of water, not the Packer's football stadium).
In fact, surrounded by water for virtually its entire perimeter, the Door County Peninsula has always been fish-friendly. A highly-touristed area, the county is filled with interesting gift shops, excellent restaurants, great golf courses and friendly people. And those friendly residents have a longstanding fish preparation method that has come to be emblematic of Door County – and a necessity for my visits there. Let's go there, for a short fish story --
Now, as then, as the sun moves lower into the afternoon sky, the summertime crowds begin to gather and the preparation for the evening’s meal event gets underway. In progress: the Door County Fish Boil. Huge iron cauldrons are suspended over an outdoor fire, then filled with water to the appropriate level. To peer into the giant cauldrons, one would have to be tall enough to ride the height-restricted rides at Disneyland!
As the fire is stoked, the water begins to boil. People in the watching crowd (many holding frosty glasses of beer in hand) begin to applaud as the stainless steel buckets of unpeeled, whole potatoes are carried to the awaiting cauldron and emptied with a flourish by the muscular cooks. The boiling proceeds for some time, as the steam rises to the skies.
The next round of applause greets the onions, peeled but left whole, about the size of the potatoes. They too leave their stainless steel containers as they join the potatoes in the boiling cauldron. And finally, after the potatoes and onions have continued their cooking for awhile longer – and perhaps the second round of beer has been delivered – the gleaming, white fillets of fish are added. The fish, of course, cooks very rapidly and soon thereafter it is time for the “big finish.”
Pounds of salt are brought to the cauldron with much pomp and circumstance, then lifted overhead by the attending cook. As the crowd becomes quiet – at least as quiet as possible, given the beers-in-hand – the salt is added to the mixture. Immediately, the salt works its magic. All of the froth that has been created by the boiling rises to the top of the cauldron and spills over the edges.
This salt-induced boil-over not only seasons the fish and vegetables. It also removes cooking residue from all the wonderful ingredients and spills water onto the fire which, hissing and sputtering, creates the final “splash” of drama that is the trademark of the event! You don’t have to be an ingredient sleuth to appreciate the theatrics! The crowd roars and then immediately heads to the rows of waiting tables. Finally, it’s time to eat!
A small army of servers is on hand to receive the dozens of plates that have been filled by the cooks. Steaming servings of well-drained potato, onion and fish (each with its own mini pitcher of hot, melted butter) are then whisked to the waiting diners. All of the accompaniments, waiting at the tables, are already well in-hand by the hungry eaters: coleslaw, various breads, sauces and condiments … all the trimmings. Soon, the boisterous sounds of happy diners fill the land and the slanting rays of days-end sun reflect all-too-soon from well-emptied plates.
Dessert follows, as naturally as the setting of the sun, and provides several choices, much emphasis being focused on fruit pies made from locally-grown cherries and apples. Dessert was always secondary to me, though. Perhaps my appetite was already satiated – because I always used every available drop of my melted butter? For me, the fish was the thing.
Once home, Door County visits well behind us, my mother decided that there was no need for us to go into fish-boil-withdrawal. She set about recreating a year-round method of imitating those tasty feasts. Certainly, the wood fire, giant cauldron and bubble-over conclusion were foregone. But, with a large stock pot and the carefully-timed addition of potatoes, then onions, then fish – and mom’s signature addition of celery stalks and leaves, at the same time as the onions, for added flavor – our mini fish boils were almost as eventful around our kitchen table as they had been in Door County. From time to time, we even had beer and applauded!
Today, my at-home fish boils have moved to the West Coast and are made with any firm, white-fleshed fish that looks good at the market. Whether fish from streams, bays, lakes or oceans come my way, there is always something compelling about them – as if they are calling to me with those little fish lips. I am even drawn to them at markets when I am traveling. Hence: today’s photo is from the outdoor market in Rouen, France. Maybe I wasn’t able to take those fish back to my hotel room and cook them – but I certainly did ooh and aah at them at the market. Bon appetit – and cheers!
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
Andalucian Hillside with Olive Trees
Andalucian Hillside with Olive TreesThis is the image that was browsing languidly through my brain as my tastebuds sent messages from yesterday's marinated mushrooms recipe. Suddenly, I was back in the Andalucian hills, learning about olive oils -- no airline ticket required.
Extra virgin olive oils are taken from the first pressing of fresh olives. To receive this designation, the oil must have less than one percent oleic acid. "First Cold Pressed" indicates that no heat was used in the crushing process, allowing the maximum amount of fresh, true scent and flavor to be retained.
Wonderful, fascinating olive oils are produced in many countries of the world. France, Italy and Spain jockey for positions of predominance. In any given year, one or the other country will produce the most, or export the most, or do something olive-oil-significant the most!
The tour guide in the Spanish olive oil mill was quick to point out that not all olive oil shipped from Italy is actually from olives grown and pressed in Italy. Only those labelled "Product of Italy" adhere to that requirement. A significant amount of olive oil that is marketed by Italian olive oil companies is actually Spanish oil that has been shipped to Italy for packaging and export. Based on my tasting of Spanish oils, this olive-oil globalization seems to be a fine thing indeed, for we consumers. All of these countries -- and others -- produce superb oils and provide an extraordinary ingredient base for our use.
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