Docsconz- The Blog

Goose Cassoulet - An Idea in Food

Goose was the one constant going in to the weekend. Knowing that Alex and Aki would be visiting and having had the good experiences that I have had with Mary Pratt's Elihu Farm geese, I thought it would be fun to cook one together. I was right.

The defrosted goose was left to dry uncovered overnight in the refrigerator. I then took it apart to Alex's specifications, separating the wings from the shoulder sockets and the hind quarters from the rest of the carcass while leaving sufficient skin behind to keep the breasts fully covered. I then cut out the neck and the rest of the spine and back, leaving the breasts on the sternum. 

While getting ready to cut the spine into smaller pieces for easier cooking to make a stock, I identified the iliopsoas muscles running along the internal spine and dissected them out. Otherwise known as the tenderloins, these lovely strips of muscle were too small to do anything with other than quickly pan sear them and share the bites as cook's treats. Tasty!

In the meantime, Alex and Aki had set smoked bacon bits to cook on the stove, chopped onion and fennel, cooked the wings and hind quarters of the goose and began their initial cooking of the Rancho Gordo cannelini beans in the pressure cooker. Submerged in water they were cooked on low pressure for 5 minutes in the Cuisinart electric pressure cooker with the pressure allowed to dissipate naturally. The water was drained from the beans and the rest of the ingredients including a large can of LaValle San Marzano DOP tomatoes, the onion, fennel, cooked bacon, picked goose meat from the wings and hind quarters and herbs and seasonings were put back in the pressure cooker with the beans. These were cooked at high pressure for 25 minutes and once again the pressure was allowed to drain naturally.

The goose breast was cooked in it's own fat along with some olive oil and seasonings that included fennel fronds and juniper berries. This was cooked in the CVap at 125ºF for about three hours then seared skin side down in a hot cast iron skillet. Alex then deboned the breasts and sliced them adding three or four slices atop each plated bowl of cassoulet. The result was rich, complex and delicious with plump, creamy beans - a perfect finale for a cold winter night's savory dinner.

Braised Bok Choy with Blood Sausage, Horseradish and an Onsen Egg - An Idea in Food

When Alex Talbot saw the blood sausage in the deli case at Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburg, he couldn't resist it. We had already bought the bok choy and eggs earlier that day at Kilpatrick Family Farm and had previously planned on cooking the goose that my wife and I had purchased from Elihu Farm. The dish came together rather easily and quickly in Alex's ever-whirring mind and became the second course at this dinner.

Alex peeled the sauseage and cut it into small chunks.

Goose bones were browned and made into a quick stock using the pressure cooker.

The bok choy was cooked with the goose jus from the pressure cooker along with horseradish and the blood sausage.

The eggs were cooked in a water bath at 75ºC for 13 minutes and peeled.

Chef Kevin London of Farm House at Top of the World in Lake George, a dinner guest, was enlisted to help plate the dish.

Perhaps my favorite dish of the night, this dish had it all. The bok choy was well braised, but still vibrant with enough horseradish to provide a little zing but not so much as to make it over assertive. It played a great supporting role. The jus was rich and warming and the blood sausage added spice, flavor and texture to the dish, which was unified by the silken coating of the perfectly cooked whites and the oozing European orange yolk of the egg. The dish was greater than the sum of its parts, but the ingredient that set it apart from other similar dishes I have had was the inspired use of the fortuitously found blood sausage. Later in the weekend, per a suggestion from Alex, I cooked some more blood sausage along with fresh eastern L.I.clams, parsley, onions, garlic and white wine served over linguine - another Ideas in Food winner!

Smoked Trout Brandade - an Idea in Food

Not every idea that comes out of Alex and Aki, the couple behind the blog and book, both called Ideas in Food is cutting edge. They are both as well versed with traditional cooking techniques and dishes as they are with the ultramodern. Their idea for the first course  of our Friday night dinner was just such a tradition based idea - a brandade, but instead of using salt cod, they would use smoked trout. I must admit, this was not an idea that I found initially appealing when Alex first proposed it, but I've learned to trust his judgement and skill. I'm glad I did. As with any dish, the quality of the ingredients is important. Here the key element was the smoked trout itself. Purchased that afternoon at Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburg, N.Y., it was of pristine quality.

The first step was breaking up the fish. Aki did that, reserving the skin and the head.

The skin and head was used to infuse a quarter pound of melted Cabot 83% butter.

The next step was cooking the potatoes (yellow potatoes bought that day at Kilpatrick Family Farm) along with the peeled garlic cloves. My son, Michael peeled the garlic. The potatoes and garlic were boiled in water in a standard fashion. Once cooked they were riced together in a warm pan and mixed with the trout, the trout=skin infused butter, cream and some minced parsley.

The end result was magic. I may not have found the idea all that appealing, but the actuality was wonderful - silky smooth potatoes, moist, smoky meat and sheer pleasure.

Dinner with Friends - Alex and Aki Come to Visit

TV shows like Iron Chef America, Top Chef and Chopped all riff on a theme of spontaneous cooking to varying degrees. Iron Chef America specifies a specific ingredient that must be showcased, Top Chef offers surprise scenarios that must be adhered to and Chopped supplies baskets of disparate ingredients that must all be utilized in a single dish. All of the shows incorporate time limits in their challenges as well. These elements often lead to some fun television, but what is really compelling is the opportunity to take part when true professionals create a delicious meal spontaneously based on what is available.

 

Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food have, over the years become very good friends of my wife and I. With a presentation and signing of their new book, Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work at Red Fox Books, Alex & Aki along with their daughter and pup paid us an all-too-brief visit, a highlight of which was an informal dinner they cooked for us and a few friends on Friday night.

Blood Sausage

This delicious blood sausage came from Oscar's Smoke House in Warrensburgh, N.Y. We ate it last night in a dish prepared by Alex Talbot and Aki Kamozawa of Ideas in Food. More detail's on the dish along with the rest of the dinner coming soon.

Identitá Golose 2011 - Part 2: Sat Bains and Paolo Lopriore

The British chef, Sat Bains from his eponymous restaurant in Nottingham, UK followed the charismatic Scabin, speaking of his difficult upbringing and how cooking gave him a life when his parents kicked him out of the house at age 18. Bains' goal at his restaurant to bring something familiar, to do it in a modern way, but without having "lost its soul." The most important thing for him is the ability to still taste the original ingredients of a dish.  He says, "The most important word in my gastronomy is flavor and I will sacrifice presentation to get flavor." Bains figures that in his kitchen, he doesn't try to "reinvent" things Rather, his effort is to "re-introduce." Bains talked about sustainability and demonstrated a dish built around mackerel, a "a very under-rated" fish  found "in abundance" in the British Isles and a "perfect antidote" to the problems of overfishing as it is a "a beautiful fish with great flavor." Crafting a vibrantly colorful dish, as an homage to Italy, Bains first removed the skin from the fish by brushing it with vinegar. This caused the skin to come off easily after about 15 seconds. He then sears the base of the skin leaving the top raw.He then uses acid from a beet ketchup to counterbalance the oily fat of the mackerel. He covered the mackeral with Lardo di Colonnata. The beet ketchup is layered on the bottom of the plate and topped with several slices of salt-baked beet and fresh, wild horseradish mixed with parsley oil and the lardo topped mackerel. To "add a little bit of luxury" he added some caviar and some croutons "for texture." The idea is to get "some soft, salt, fat, earth and acidity from the whole dish."  His second dish was one that he considered to be pure Nottingham, though some of its essential components are also seen in other cultures. For this dish, he "nurtured" beef cheeks by marinating them in Guiness to break down the fibers to make it tender. he paired the cheeks with oysters, reworking a traditional dish for a modern palate. The beef is served with an oyster emulsion, like a raw oyster mayonnaise to get a real flavor of the sea. He took this further by serving it with seaweed from the Kent coast. The dish is meant to be eaten by dragging the beef through the oyster puree combining freshness of vinegar from pickled onions with bitterness of beer. Bains invited a member of the audience up to sample the dish. His final dish showcased the strongly flavored mutton. He braised a salted  aged shoulder of mutton in a pressure cooker. He used capers to provide acidity, a combination that has been used in the UK since the 17th century. Playing around with leftover fat, bains made candles from pure mutton fat and lights them while serving the mutton dish so that the diner gets a sense of roasting mutton even before tasting the dish and then they pour the drippings from the candle into the sauce (made with capers and brown butter) to augment the flavor of the dish. The dish is finished with deep-fried capers, shallots and an onion powder, which adds depth and flavor to the dish.

Paolo Lopriore, chef of Il Canto in the Hotel Certosa di Maggiano just outside of Siena, took the Congress theme of "The Luxury of Simplicity" to heart. e preparec two dishes, both based upon few ingredients and presented very simply. The first was a torn piece of freshly made, crusty bread with a bit of butter and an immaculate raspberry while the second dish was a version of shabu shabu using raw saddle of goat and a broth made with tea roses. The presentation was simple but effective and well received by the audience.

Breaking News: Spanish Chef Santi Santamaria Dead in Singapore

It's a sad day. The culinary world has lost a true giant. Seven Michelin Star Chef Santi Santamaria from Catalunya, Spain has died from an apparent heart attack today at his restaurant in Singapore. Known as much for his feud with Ferran Adria as for his great restaurants El Raco de Can Fabes  in Sant Celoni just outside of Barcelona and Santceloni in Madrid, Santamaria was indisputably a great chef. I will never forget the meal I had at Can Fabes in 2004. The roasted leg of goat in partticular still gets my digestive juices flowing when I think about it. He was 53. RIP.

Lyon is for Lovers: Chocolate Heaven

 

Valentine's Day is a day that celebrates love, both of the romantic kind as well as the Platonic. The holiday has a few specific icons associated with it including Cupid, red roses and not least amongst them, chocolate. I happen to love chocolate and it is my favorite icon of all those associated with Valentine's Day.

 

Brodo - Villa Gaidello 11/11/2003

Having just returned from Italy and a quick visit to Modena, I was reminded of an earlier visit there with my son Andrew, then 12 years old, back in November of 2003. We stayed at the lovely agriturismo Villa Gaidello just outside the city. Like now, there was a chill in the air. This simmering brodo eventually made its way into our bowls and our stomachs along with some wonderful tortellini. I could go for some of this right now.

The Best Chef of the Year 2011

According to the prestigious International Academy of Gastronomy the Best Chef of the Year for 2011 is Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. Chef Bottura learned of his selection during the second day of the recent Identitá Golose in Milan. It has yet to be formally announced though.

I happened to have dinner at the Osteria Francescana the night following his notification of the award.  I am thrilled for Chef Bottura, a desrving soul, if ever their was one. His work is truly amazing and he couldn't be a nicer person. Congratulations to an outstanding chef and artist! Watch for my report on this outstanding dinner. For those in the United States who wish to get a sense of what Chef Bottura is all about, he will be presenting at the next Starchefs International Chefs Congress in NYC in October.

Bars, Brasseries, Bistros and Bouchons of Lyon

During my last visit to Lyon, I ate at some of the more well known temples of haute cuisine including Restaurant Paul Bocuse and La Mere Braziere. They provided an indelible glimpse into the world of French fine dining of the region. This time I opted to explore some of the less haughty dining possibilities of the area, some of the food and the spirit of dining that helped give Lyon the reputation it has as one of France's and therefore the world's best dining destinations. I, along with some friends and my son, sampled some of the bars, brasseries, bistros and bouchons of Lyon.

On the evening of my arrival in Lyon, I joined a group dining at Paul Bocuse's Brasserie Le Nord. In addition to his famed Michelin three star eponymous restaurant Chef Bocuse also owns and operates 4 more casual dining spots around Lyon. Based on their location, they are conveniently named Nord, Sud, L'Est and L'Ouest with additional description based upon their specific style.

 

At Brasserie Le Nord, located near the Hotel de Ville in the old center of Presque Ile, the island in the center of Lyon divided by the Rhone River, the fare was decidedly classic. Our dinner consisted of a set menu that started with a tasty terrine of foie gras with fennel and gelee. I was clearly in the heart of France. This was followed by a Supreme de volaille de Bresse over basmati rice with a not-too-rich (yeah, right) mushroom cream sauce. I received a thigh and leg, which was juicy and tasty in the best anachronistically guilt-laden way. As if that was not enough cream and fat, lusciously ripe and decadent St. Marcellin cheese followed. A successful interpretation of a tart tatin finished the meal. This was classic French food in a classic French environment – a perfect reintroduction to the center of classic French cooking.

With a taste of Paul Bocuse from both his haute cuisine restaurant from my previous visit to Lyon and the more casual bistro, I thought it interesting to try the same with the cooking of Matthieu Viannay. On my previous visit I had an unforgettable meal with the Bocuse d'Or USA organization and supporters at La Mere Brazier, the Michelin three star restaurant with humble beginnings now run by him. Viannay has since expanded his reach. At M, a sleek modern bistro located on the east side of the river on Rue Foch, Viannay offers a sleek take on the classic Lyonnaise bistro. Dining with my friend Lucy Vanel who lives in Lyon with her French husband and son and who publishes the wonderful Lyon-centric blog Lucy's Kitchen Notebook, we arrived for a late lunch. With the kitchen ready to close and prepare for dinner service, we gladly took what they had to offer us. A hearty foie gras and veal sweetbread ballotine with pickled vegetables was followed by beef cheeks topped with a very generous piece of seared foie gras. Having finished the foie gras, the short ribs were just too much for me at the time. Given the time and our remaining itinerary, we did not have dessert there. Instead, we opted to have chocolate, but that is a subject for another post.

 

Brasserie L'Est, another Bocuse spot is located not far from the Gare du Lyon Part Dieu. A rollicking spot, located in the beautiful old Brotteaux train station, that history is reflected by the model trains running along the walls of this busy place. Some fantastic olives, a little Jamon Iberico de Bellota, local red wine, a salad with crisp green beans and sharp cheese, perfectly cooked steak frites and a saturated baba au rhum made for a totally fun and satisfying evening.

 

The Bouchon Lyonnais is a legendary beast. Generally small, personal and notoriously with surly waitstaff, these small restaurants serving the classic dishes of Lyon, have been the backbone of that city's cuisine for years. Located in the oldest part of the city on the west side of the river, Chez Louise evokes an earlier time when the world may have been less or perhaps more complicated, but when the food was simple and hearty. Irresistible lardons arrived on the table along with wonderfully crusty and rustic French bread. The charcuterie platter, though not made in house, was very good as was the Salad Lyonnais. My Quenelle made with local river fish and a sauce flavorful with crayfish was deeply satisfying and the saucisson hearty and warming on a winter's night. Though more contemporary the desserts were well crafted and tasty. As for the surly and unfriendly waiters, alas, not here. No, the service was warm, friendly and inviting. So much for old times!

 

Thomas is a contemporary bistro located in the vicinity of Bellecouer on Presque Ile. Part of a mini-empire on the same street, the bistro offers a fine seasonal menu that is well crafted and artfully presented. The tourte de legumes oublies with foie gras and truffles and the scallop carpaccio were particularly attractive and tasty. The scallops were also delicious as part of a main course of scallops, monkfish and langoustine, though unfortunately if there was langoustine on the plate it was exceedingly small and the monkfish was a tad overcooked. Other mains were more uniformly satisfying, especially the Supreme de poulet noir and the rumpsteak of genisse Charollaise. Genisse, the female equivalent of veal, which comes from male calves extraneous to the dairy industry, is rarely seen on menus, at least not in the US. This also happened to be from the famed Charollaise breed. The cheese platter, presented for the table consisted of a selection of local cheeses. The dessert specialty , pain perdu, may be worth a trip to the restaurant in itself.

 

No visit to Lyon is complete without a visit to the justly famed Les Halles de Paul Bocuse. Unlike the restaurants that bear his name, the market is not owned by Bocuse. It, like many other things in this city is simply named for him. The most famous of chefs in a city that values chefs and great food, it is no wonder that so many honors have been bestowed upon him. No doubt that even without Bocuse, Lyon would have been a city known for its fine local cuisine, but it was Bocuse who made the city world famous as a destination for food and elevated it to become synonymous with fine dining. Les Halles certainly does justice to the legacy of Paul Bocuse and is worthy of his name. Though not a gargantuan market, it offers extremely high quality product both for retail sale and also to be eaten on premises. Amongst the restaurants are a number specializing in oysters and other fruits de mar. Though the city of Lyon is located near the Jura and Alps not far from landlocked Switzerland, it has the luxury of obtaining the freshest seafood from the coasts of France. When it comes to quality product Les Halles de Paul Bocuse is second to none. At Maison Rousseau, a seafood bar in the market, we sampled a variety of large, briny oysters from the coasts of Normandy and Brittany. Can anything taste more of the sea than freshly shucked oysters? Perhaps, extremely fresh sea urchin right out from the body competes. The only place I can imagine oysters being better than here would be eating them direct from the ocean.

 

This visit just scratched the surface of what is available to eat in Lyon. From the most straightforward fresh seafood at Les Halles to the bouchons, brasseries and bistros scattered about the city to the temples of haute cuisine, the food in and of Lyon justifies its reputation as a great place to eat. The definition of a three star Michelin restaurant is one that is worth a special trip. On that basis Lyon is a three star city.

 

Fondue Fun in Geneva

I'm not surprised that in Geneva, Switzerland, arguably the orological capitol of the world, the trains, trams and busses operate with reliable precision. Though charming, beautiful and undoubtedly a wonderful place to live and work, Geneva, at least in winter, is not exactly what I would call an exciting city, but then it is also arguably the center of the vaunted Swiss private banking industry, a business that requires a certain conservative aloofness, and is the city from which sprung John Calvin and Calvinism. At less than half million of total population, Geneva lacks the energy buzz of cities like New York, London, Paris or Barcelona, but as the home of many international organizations, the birthplace of The Red Cross and The Geneva Convention it does possess a certain gravitas and worldliness. 

I wasn't in Geneva for long, but I made good use of my time there, walking all over the city. I stayed with young, well-traveled friends, who were able to give me an interesting perspective on living in the city. Their perspective on food was particularly interesting to me. They do not eat out much. Geneva is an expensive city. It has many restaurants, but dining out tends to be very expensive. They note, however, that the general quality of the food available in markets and even supermarkets is quite high. As such they tend to cook and either entertain or be entertained by friends. When I suggested that we dine out, they couldn't really point me to any truly "special" or creative restaurants, nor could I identify a specific restaurant in the city that screamed for me to try. That's not to say that French speaking Geneva doesn't have plenty of very good food and very good restaurants. I have no doubt that that is the case. With warm personal memories and associations with eating fondue in the 1980's at the restaurant La Fondue in New York City in the 1980's (my wife and I shared our first kiss there after our second date), I thought it would be fun to try that traditional dish at its source. The place they brought me was perhaps the most well known fondue restaurant in the city, Les Armures, located in the Hotel Les Armures in the old part of Geneva set high upon a bluff overlooking the lake on the left side of the source of the Rhone River. The first thing to register as we entered the restaurant through the revolving door was the unmistakable aroma of rich, ripe cheese that permeated  the place. I sensed that I would not be disappointed.

With a multilingual menu, the restaurant is certainly not unknown to tourists, but it was still full with French remaining the predominant language heard around the dining room. Though the menu had plenty of traditional dishes to choose from, we opted to share three different types of fondue.

A Fondue à la tomate incorporated a tomato sauce along with the cheese and other flavor components. This was to be spooned over boiled potatoes. I had never had a fondue like this before. It's not that it was particularly novel, but I think this style is more prominent here than elsewhere. It was certainly tasty. but my least favorite of the three that we had. It was, however, the favorite of one of my friends.

More attuned to my experience and taste was a Fondue aux bolets, which incorporated porcini mushrooms in with the molten cheese, wine and herbs. Though very rich, the mushroom flavors  came through. This fondue was eaten with the classic technique of spearing torn pieces of  bread with a long fondue fork and swirling it around the oozy mixture taking care not to lose the bread in the mix (that's how I won my first kiss from my future wife - she lost some bread in her fondue and according to the menu that required her to kiss me. Who was I to argue?). I had always understood fondue was best handled using slightly stale, day old bread cut up into cubes. Here, though, the bread was still pretty fresh and brought to the table sliced, leaving it to the diner to tear off pieces for the fondue. I liked tearing off slightly larger pieces to be able to snare some porcini along with the cheese and wine mixture. The bread and technique certainly worked as the pot was ultimately mopped clean. As the visitor, I was the fortunate one to get the wonderful crusty bits from the bottom of the pot known as la religieuse. 

The third fondue we had was the Fondue Chinoise, a Swiss interpretation of the Mongolian hot pot. The broth was a beefy bouillon fortified with wood-ear mushrooms and other vegetable components. The beef, as is typical came thinly shaved. It was accompanied by four sauces including a mustard, a tartar sauce, a Mayonnaise and a Russian dressing. I preferred mine without any of the sauces. The meat platter was replenished twice, by which time we were all quite full. Though the Chinoise came with frites (cooked in olive oil) and a nice salad, it was still rather expensive at 48 Swiss francs and considerably more-so than the other fondues.

Given how cold it was outside with a strong wind adding to the chill, the fondues were a fun, relatively economical and  ideal way to relax, warm up and get a taste of the area.

Our meal was ably washed down with a nice, crisp, local Aligoté. All in all, it was a fine, fun and appropriate way to begin a visit to Switzerland.

 

Daniel Patterson's Coi - Culinary Poetry

Daniel Patterson of San Francisco's Coi is the chef in North America, who most reminds me of Rene Redzepi of Copenhagen's noma. It is not that Patterson is recreating Redzepi's food or vice versa. Although he sources the bulk of his ingredients locally from the cornucopia of the San Francisco Bay Area, much like Redzepi does from Scandinavia, it is not that that makes me equate the two. Sean Brock of Charleston's Husk and McCrady's, is probably closer to Redzepi in that way with his determination to find and resurrect the ancestral ingredients of the Old American South to build a new cuisine truly representative of the region, much like what Redzepi has done in Scandinavia. Nor is it the way Patterson highlights a single vegetable like Redzepi does with carrots and other vegetables. Blue Hill at Stone Barns' Dan Barber and his roasted parsnips, amongst other dishes, are more reminiscent of that. Both Patterson and Redzepi have become known for using local, wild foraged plants with a special emphasis on coastal products including seaweeds and beach plants, but it is more the sensibility with which they are used that unites the two chefs in my mind, how they make emphatic, personal culinary statements about their own terroir and about how each of them creates a very personal poetry with food. 

Finger Limes

I first noticed these wonderful little Australian citrus fruits in L.A. in early December. They appeared in dishes at a Wolvesmouth dinner, in cocktails at The Library Bar at The Roosevelt Hollywood Hotel and again at Providence, all to great effect, working like a burst of lime caviar to accent the dishes with both flavor and texture. Since then, I've noticed them n a number of menus and had them at Roberta's in Brooklyn. I bought some at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. The limes in the photo are some of the last remaining from my purchase. They held up well as I used them yesterday in a dish of piquillo peppers stuffed with turkey, chevre, saffron, peas and citrus and covered with Hollandaise. I would not be in the least surprised to see finger limes become the hot ingredient of 2011 much like hay and pine were in 2010.

My Top 25 Restaurant Meals of 2010

This is, of course, a subjective ranking. While great food is the single most important factor, the ranking is a reflection of the overall experience and the significance of that meal to me on a number of levels. The bottom line is that this was an exceptional year of dining for me with a number of meals that would have been top ten in many other years unable to be ranked so high this year. For my number one meal - noma - I am counting both the dinner and the lunch as one extended meal. I decided to not include special, guest chef or one-off dinners on this list, since they are special one-time events, not truly reflective of a specific restaurant or chef doing what he or she typically does. That is not to say, that they wouldn't have been on this list. Special mention goes to these special dinners: noma at Corton; The Alchemy of Taste & Smell Dinner; Aldea with Sam Mason, and Aldea with Pastry Chefs, each of which was simply sensational.

1. noma
2. Town House
3. Stella!
4. Restaurant AOC
5. The Oval Room
6. Providence
7. Roberta's
8. McCrady''s
9. Kiin Kiin
10. Elements
11. Blue Hill at Stone Barns
12. Wolves' Den
13. Coi
14. Urasawa
15. Ubuntu
16. Mathias Dahlgren Matsalen
17. Oaxen Krog
18. minibar
19. Herman
20. Hawk's
21. The Red Hen
22. Sorella
23. Recette
24. Jean-Georges
25. Pizzeria Mozza

The lack of reports on some of these restaurants is an indication of how backed up I am. I will post them as I can. 

My All-Time Favorite Dish

In the animated film Ratatouille, the feared food critic Anton Ego, was won over by a dish that transported him back to his childhood and to a dish made special to him by his mother. This is that dish for me. Bucatini with crab sauce was my favorite dish when I was growing up. My mother would make it for me on my special days, such as my birthdays or when I came home from college. The blue crabs impart a slightly sweet and complex flavor to the long simmered tomato sauce. I still love it more than any other dish. The very first time I ate at elBulli, I had a dish made with crab that reminded me of it. The crab dish made an already incredible meal that much more so, even though it resembled this dish in no other way. Do you have a dish that transports you?

Goose Prosciutto

Duck prosciutto is not uncommon, but I'd never seen or tried goose prosciutto before. The reality is that ducks and geese are really very similar birds, so why not goose prosciutto? When I butchered the bird I got from Elihu Farm (that also happens to be where Carlo Mirarchi sources his geese for Roberta's as I discovered this past weekend after dining at Roberta's), I cut out the breasts as well as the thighs and legs. The latter were confited, while one of the breasts was low-temp roasted. For the remaining breast, I decided to try my hand at making it into a prosciutto. Using Michael Ruhlman's approach for duck prosciutto as a guide, I salt-cured the breast, rinsed and dried it, wrapped and tied it in cheese cloth and hung it for 8 days from a pipe in my basement. It was surprisingly easy and the glistening, silky result is pretty tasty. I plan to share it with my family on Christmas Eve.

My Top Five Restaurant Pasta Dishes of 2010

It's in my blood that I love pasta. To me, pasta is one of the most satisfying dishes that I can have. I cook it a lot and I eat it a lot in restaurants. I had plenty of outstanding pasta in restaurants this year, traditional and creative. The three most memorable and most sensationally delicious pasta dishes I had in 2010 were:

1. Trofie, Squab & White Truffle - Roberta's - Brooklyn, N.Y. Pure decadence. Forget the freshly shaved white truffles for just a moment. This dish would have been killer without them. Carlo Mirarchi takes squab that he ages himself and minces the meat and the organs using the whole squab and then makes a Bolognese type sauce, which he uses to flavor immaculately cooked, perfectly al dente trofie to create an umami rich, textural tour de force of pasta. Now add an intoxicating, freshly shaved snow of white Alba truffle and the transport to heaven is complete. (No post yet).
2. Roasted Potato and Parmesan Gnocchi with Iberico Bellota Ham, Morel Mushrooms, Fava Beans and Local Scallions - Stella! - New Orleans, LA.  More decadence. Perfect, light and fluffy gnocchi, some of the finest ham in the world, fresh favas, Parmiggiano and incredible morels all executed without a flaw by Scott Boswell and his crack kitchen team - this dish simply rocked.(see here for the whole dinner)
3. Baby Goat Agnolotti, sweet carrot and spicy paprika - Brooks Headley (Del Posto) - Pastry Chefs at Aldea Dinner - NY, NY. If the pastry chef at Del Posto is making pasta this wonderful, what must the Chef Mark Ladner be doing? I must find out! (see here for the whole dinner)
4. Whole Wheat Pici, Shaved Matsutakes, Toasted Hazelnut & Rosemary - The Oval Room - Washington, D.C. Tony Conte's perfectly cooked and seasoned pasta supported the terrific, savory sweetness of the shaved mushrooms leaving the rosemary and hazelnut to play accent notes. (see here for the whole dinner)
5. Miso & Yuzu Kosho Casarecce with Crab - Alex Talbot & Aki Kamozawa (Ideas in Food) - The Alchemy of Taste and Smell Dinner at The Astor Center - N.Y., N.Y. Served with chopsticks that had been twice sprayed with a scent of coffee, black pepper and nutmeg, the combination of the perfectly ala-minute-cooked, bright tasting pasta, the lusciously rich crab and the pepper-rich scent made for an impeccably balanced, deeply delicious and soulfully satisfying dish. (see here for the whole dinner)

Goose, Sour Cherry, Juniper

I don't understand why goose is not more popular than it is on American dining tables whether it be at home or in restaurants. Like duck and ostrich, these are very meaty, beefy birds. The breast meat is every bit as red as beef or lamb and the fat is simply the best. If one considers the rich deliciousness of a goose egg too, I would think they would be amongst the most popular menu items out there. Somehow, that just isn't the case, though.

For the second holiday season in a row, I bought a freshly killed goose from Mary & Bob Pratt of Washington County's Elihu Farm (more information below *) at the Saratoga Farmers Market this past Saturday. Last year, I roasted it whole in my CVap. It was delicious. This year, I decided I would try something different. I butchered it to cut out the boneless breasts from the carcass and separated the wings and the thighs with the legs  as well. I took the skin and most of the fat to render the fat and make goose cracklings.  I used the fat to confit the thighs and legs and am making a prosciutto from one of the breasts. The carcass and neck are being saved to make a goose stock.

For the remaining breast, I cooked it in my CVap Cook and Hold for 2.5 hours at 135ºF on a cedar plank with browning off. I then finished it on the cooktop searing it in a little butter. The meat was perfect! To complement the rich goose I made a sauce using Red Sour Cherry Preserves & Topping from Chukar Cherries. The cherry preserves were too sweet to use on their own, but with the addition of a generous helping of freshly ground juniper berries, salt and the juice of half a lemon, they made an excellent sweet and sour sauce to complement the meaty goose.

Yes, when I eat something as delicious and reasonably easy to make (I realize that there are few CVaps outside of restaurant kitchens. The breast with skin and fat attached can be seared just like a duck breast to the same wonderful end), I don't understand why it isn't more popular. Is it just a question of opportunity? If so, then I suggest that opportunities be found or made. goose is that good!

*From Elihu Farm:

Raising the Geese. The goslings, all gray and white Toulouse (a heritage breed), arrived onelovely morning in May as day-olds, peeping away in four large boxes at our local Post Office. Right away,we dipped their bills in fresh water as we counted and transferred to larger containers. Then it was off tothe sheep barn for “goose starter,’ grain mix, and lights for warmth, and more water, water, water.

They soon learned we were t-h-e meal ticket, and chattered away when we were nearby. As theygrew, their pen grew, until they were large enough to explore the grass near the barn. Geese love grass,and are excellent lawn mowers.

In a short time, we ‘weaned’ from the brooder, and soon put them to pasture all the time,surrounded by electric netting for protection. Vigorous healthy birds, they love their grass, and love theirwater and more water and more water. They still eat some grain for carbohydrates to keep them warm.

Goose for Dinner. There’s nothing quite like the flavorful dark meat from goose, which is lower infat than beef or lamb. The fat is semi-solid, containing over 50% of the beneficial monounsaturated oleicfatty acid, an Omega-3. Rendered goose fat is excellent for sautéing vegetables or roasting potatoes. Weexpect our geese to be leaner than conventionally raised birds.

Ordering. The geese run from about 7-1/2 to 10 pounds, dressed, and cost $7.95/lb. Pick up onthe farm or at the Saratoga Springs Farmers’ Market. Delivery to Albany may be available. Contact Maryand Bob Pratt, [email protected], 518-753-7838, 518-744-3947.

Seared Scallops Over Parmesan Creamed Spinach

I have been reveling in the quality of both the sea and bay scallops that I have been getting at Pura Vida Seafood from Suffolk County, Log Island at the Troy Farmers Market. I made this as an appetizer course recently to celebrate my eldest son's being home from college.This would do well on a holiday menu.

Ingredients:

Sea Scallops (preferably diver) 1lb

Spinach  8oz cleaned

Parmiggiano-Reggiano 4oz in small chunks

Heavy Cream 2oz

Pine Nuts 2oz toasted

Pimentón 0.4oz

garlic 2 large cloves roasted or pan-fried until just brown

Butter 1oz

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Wilt the spinach over medium heat then combine with all the other ingredients except scallops and butter in a narrow container and puree with a stick blender or use a food processer to achieve a nice smooth blend.

Spoon the mixture into 8 small ramekins making sure that it is evenly apportioned.

Place the filled ramekins in the hot oven for 5 minutes.

While the ramekins are baking, pan-sear the scallops in the brown butter so that both sides are nicely seared and sprinkle with fleur de sel or other high quality salt and fresh ground pepper per your preference.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and portion the scallops evenly amongst them. For additional holiday cheer, halved grape tomatoes or julienned piquillo peppers can be added on top along with the scallops.

If one isn't comfortable using the cream, good olive oil can be substituted to make a variation of a spinach pesto. Both work well.