My Kitchen My Table

Domaine Chandon Cookbook Launch Party

A few weeks ago I attended the launch party for the Domaine Chandon Cookbook featuring recipes from Etoile restaurant, the only fine dining restaurant within a winery in the Napa Valley. It was a joyous occasion and celebration where dishes from the book paired with Domaine Chandon wines took center stage.

Under the command of Chef Perry Hoffman – who grew up in the Napa Valley and is, by the way, adorable, humble and gracious, Etoile earned its first Michelin star in 2010. The restaurant is surrounded by redwood trees and grass and has a bit of an old school country club feel to it. Looking outside the wall of windows and beyond the patio I kept waiting for a rogue golf ball and holler of “fore”, but alas, there is no golf course, just a glorious setting for enjoying innovative and creative wine-inspired cuisine.

Pastry chef, Francisco Enriquez is one of the pillars who has graced the kitchen from the beginning. Since 1979 Francisco has been the force behind creating seasonal desserts often inspired by his Mexican grandmother’s cooking. During a toast he boasted that he has volumes of hand written recipes of all the desserts he has made over the years – that would be an interesting book in itself!

Several years ago he planted a Chinese Bitter Orange Tree on the Domaine Chandon property and the oranges it yields have been featured in Etoile’s signature dessert – Bitter Orange Crème Brûlée – a must have dessert on the menu – ever since.

Bitter Orange Crème Brûlée
serves 6

The simple addition of orange zest adds a delightful dimension to this French classic, with subtle, tangy citrus notes enhancing the creamy-sweet custard. Home cooks who don’t have a chef’s blowtorch can easily use their broiler to caramelize the sugar topping. But remember to leave the oven door slightly open and keep watch. A golden sugar crust can quickly turn black if left too long under the flame.

This dessert was born of a collaboration between the cellar and the kitchen. Some years ago during the creation of Chandon Riche—our “off-dry” sparkling wine, which has a hint of sweetness—our winemaker recalled the aromatics issuing from the orange tree that grew not far from the wine cellar. He ran to the kitchen with a bottle of the new wine and asked if the chefs could produce a dessert that evoked the same citrus impression. Bitter Orange Crème Brûlée is now a signature dish at the restaurant.

For a nice pairing with this dessert, add the classic ladyfinger sugar cookies, if you like; they bring a crisp element to join the silky custard and the crunch of the sugar. Make them in advance of the crème brûlée. (The recipe for the ladyfingers is included in the book)

2 cups/480 ml heavy (whipping) cream/double cream
1 cup/240 ml whole milk
5 tbsp grated orange zest
12 large egg yolks
1/2 cup/100 g sugar, plus 6 tbsp/75 g

Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C/gas 2.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, milk, and orange zest and heat until steam begins to rise. Do not let boil. Remove from the heat and nestle the pot in an ice bath. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until the cream mixture cools to room temperature, 5–10 minutes.

While the cream mixture is cooling, in a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup/100 g sugar. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and thoroughly blended with the yolks. Gently whisk in the cream mixture.

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a large glass measuring pitcher or bowl with a pouring lip to strain out any solids. Divide the custard evenly among six 4-oz/120-ml ramekins. Place in a roasting pan and add water to come 1 in/2.5 cm up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the custards are firm, 35–40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the water bath to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

To serve, remove the plastic wrap and gently lay a paper towel/absorbent paper on top of each custard. Gently press down on the towel to remove any moisture buildup, being careful not to dent the custard. Sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar evenly over each custard. Using a blowtorch, pass the flame above the sugar until it melts and turns golden brown. Alternatively, preheat the broiler/grill and slip the custards under the broiler 4–6 in/10–15 cm from the heat source to melt the sugar; leave the oven door open slightly and watch closely, as the sugar can scorch suddenly. Let the crème brûlée stand at room temperature until the sugar hardens, 1–2 minutes.

If serving with the sugar cookies, lay 2 cookies over each custard, leaning them on the edge of the ramekins. Serve at once. Enjoy any extra cookies the following day or with a sweet, dessert wine.

Brunch in Kellerville

Inspired by my new found appreciation of brunch and the upcoming cookbook club with Ad Hoc, MKMT headed to Kellerville, oops, I mean Yountville for brunch at Ad Hoc.

Ad Hoc is the most casual of Keller’s restaurants in Yountville with a more contemporary, low key vibe. The décor was very natural with tall vases full of flowering and soon to be flowering branches and smaller pots willed with green succulents, lemons and quince. Everything was so perfectly, yet naturally crafted, I felt like Martha had just finished a decoration demo there. Even the raised beds behind the parking lot growing beets and other little sprouting greens looked meticulous.

We walked in to a bright, warm room buzzing with diners enjoying Blood Orange Sangria, a seasonal specialty du maison and the menu du jour.

The format for brunch is the same as dinner – a prix fixe menu, three courses, one option for each course. If you have special dietary needs or are a high maintenance orderer, this may not be the place for you, although I was assured that with advance notice for vegans and others on the spot, the kitchen will and does go to great lengths to accommodate all who step through the doors. Thank GOD I eat it all and was ready for whatever the menu had in store.

The menu, prepared each day Chef de Cuisine, David Cruz is served family style. First was the Basket of Baked Goods – corn muffins with lemon butter, banana bread and the umbra (shadow) that was buttery cheesy goodness. All baked goods were served warm.

The second and main course was a platter with an Omelet with Fresh Herbs, Sliced Hickory Smoked Ham (piled high), and Biscuits and Gravy.

Dessert was Blueberry Cheesecake served in a glass jar. On the bottom was a layer of graham crackers topped with cheesecake, followed by more graham crackers, blueberries, cheesecake then topped with blueberries and graham cracker sprinkles.

What a perfect, leisurely way to spend a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon.

Fish, Sausalito

Trying to stay true to my New Year’s intentions I had lunch at Fish in Sausalito. Fish takes their mission of serving organic and sustainable seafood and doing their part to save the oceans, watersheds and fisheries seriously. Example, on Friday night they will be closing at 6pm for a special event, Fish and Flicks. Tickets to an evening of sustainable snacks, screening of the movie The End of the Line, and post-flick discussion will be served up to those who attend.

Situated next to the bait shop at the unassuming end of Harbor Drive in Sausalito before you get to the parking lot for the marina, if you’re hankering for seafood, Fish is worth the trip. The vibe of Fish is Marin Mom’s and their tots and dogs with a few people sans kids in the mix. There are several tables outside overlooking the water – making it a great place to go on a warm day. Inside tables are few and family style, we opted for seats at the counter which was the best call since we were served quickly and chatted it up with the staff.

We started with The White Chowder Bowl. “Award winning” traditional New England style white chowder swimming with hand-shucked surf clams, bacon, potatoes, onion, celery and a special blend of dried herbs. And of course, oyster crackers…

Tuscan White Bean and Tuna Salad is Fish’s spin of the old Italian classic, served with Iacopi bombaloni beans, house-poached albacore tuna, red onion, black olives, fresh lemon, olive oil and aged red wine vinegar. My lunch mate had The Fish Tuna Salad Sandwich. (The morsel shared with me is in the upper left of the picture) Line-caught, house-poached local Albacore tossed with niçoise olives, celery, red onion and a lemon caper mayo served on a toasted Acme torpedo roll. Served with shoestring fries or greens, (clearly we opted for the fries…).

One note – Fish is a cash only operation and the tab adds up quickly. That aside, count me in to make the drive across the bridge to Fish again soon. And rumor has it the Fifth Annual Fish Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras Party is taking reservations…

Aloha Haoles

Aloha! MKMT is in Hawaii for a few days. Yesterday found us speeding up the King Kamehameha Highway in the Jeep Wrangler convertible to the North Shore of Oahu in search of big waves – hello Bonzai Pipeline – and local eats. I had heard that there were shrimp trucks, shave ice and Huli Huli chicken not to be missed.

First stop, Giovanni’s Shrimp truck in Hale’iwa. We pulled the jeep off road and into the dirt lot where three food trucks and a kiosk to get a lomilomi massage were set up. Upon approach we realized that our lunch companions were ten big tattooed Samoan dudes riding shiny Harley’s. We bellied up to the heavily graffitied truck and browsed the menu. It featured shrimp in 3 ways – all extremely garlicky in varying degrees of spiciness over rice with additional garlic sauce and a garlic hot dog – served over rice or in a bun. I had a flash back of college days and Killer Shrimp in Venice Beach although eating shrimp in a dirt parking lot out of a truck is a bit different – and more of an adventure than eating shrimp out of a bowl in a strip mall in LA…..

We opted for the shrimp and rice, most popular style, which included 12 succulent shrimp with 2 scoops of rice and the garlic hot dog on a bun vs. rice which was served with crunchy toasted garlic sprinkled on the top.

Next on the stop was Aoki’s Shave Ice where we attempted to remove the garlic flavor from our mouths. I had the Hawaiian Local Favorite – how’s that for an original name, which was a combo of banana, pineapple, and guava. The banana was overpowering. I will try another flavor the next time. Our timing was perfect because we were able to walk right up and order. 30 minutes later when we passed by again the line was out the door and down the street.

Next stop… big waves…. until we drove by the daily Hale’iwa farmers market and did a big U-turn so we could go see the local flowers – orchids to die for, Plumeria, Bromeliads, Birds of Paradise, and on and on with stunning tropical flora. After the flora fascination and realization that buying everything in site was not a good idea we poked around the produce stalls and saw avocadoes the size of nurf footballs, little gem pineapples that smelled so sweet we were tempted to bite right in. We bought one for later and it was gobbled up in no time – core and all. All forms of imaginable produce – tropical and not were found in the stalls and everything was big, luscious, and healthy. It sure put the current production of my garden back home to shame.

The highlight of the market were the two Hawaiian guys sitting on a long plank of wood making poi the old fashioned way – rolling it out on the wood. Apparently due to health codes this technique is no longer used or legal (no photos allowed), but these guys still maintain the practice to preserve their heritage and tradition.

We finally made it to the big waves. They were BIG. In addition to the waves and surfers along the coast there was a surf competition that was taking place and the shore was full of onlookers.

Classic Hawaiian surfer girl image… she was jay-walking across the highway tanned skin, teeny bikini, a little dog under her arm and guitar across her shoulder on the way to cheer on her surfer sweetie and play some music in the sand….Aloha!

On the way out of the North Shore we saw billows of smoke off to the left and identified the smell as bbq… The Wrangler took a sharp left into another dirt parking lot where we found a line queued up for the Huli-Huli Chicken – slow roasted, over a bbq rotisserie style. This was my first experience with the Huli Huli chicken and it was entertaining to watch the production of preparing the birds, rotating them on top of the flat bead full of hot briquettes then chopping them up to serve.

We ordered the half chicken and pineapple slaw – the chicken was moist and slightly spicy and the slaw, while good in concept was runny and could have used some more pineapple chunks. By the time we sat down, the line was another 20 people deep – this place is a machine.

More photos to come, but here are a few from the iphone and a recipe I found for the shrimp. I haven’t personally tried it yet, but the reviews were good….

Shrimp Shack Garlic Shrimp
Add a scoop of rice to serve one as a meal.
• 1/4 c. olive oil (sub. butter for extra artery clogging power)
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 8-10 or more good sized cloves of garlic, minced. You can never have too much.
• 1 T paprika
• a dozen shrimp, the biggest buggers you can find
• sticky plastic tables, stray cats, graffitti (optional)
• lemon wedges (optional)
Sautee everything but the shrimp over medium-low heat until the garlic is a nice golden brown. While shrimp is cooking, spill soda on the plastic table to create authentic stickiness. Crank the sautee heat to turbo and add the shrimp. Keep stirring until the shrimp are just barely done. Remove immediately to prevent them going all rubbery and flavorless.
Serve shrimp over rice, scraping all the little garlic bits onto the rice. By now the stray cats will have been drawn by the aroma and your shrimp truck experience is complete!

MKMT Goes to France

MKMT is on the way to France to spend 4 days in Paris followed by a week long culinary tour in Provence with Culinary Getaways, a culinary travel company that specializes in cooking tours in France, Italy, and the Napa Wine Country operated by my friend and MKMT cookbook club participant, Sherry Page.

While in Provence, our small group will be staying at a farmhouse in the heart of the Luberon for a week of cooking, visiting markets and learning about making cheese, growing olives, and tasting wine. What could be better than that?

Here are some of the highlights of what I’ll be doing….

 A visit to a wine cave with a notable history in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
 Lunch at acclaimed Chef Daniel Hebet’s restaurant Le Jardin du Quai in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
 A day in Avignon with Chef Julien Charvet that begins with shopping at the Les Halles market followed by a return trip to his atelier where we will cook together using fresh, local ingredients.
 A visit to the Wednesday market in St. Remy (one of my personal favorite places in Provence)
 Exploring the chocolate creations of local chocolatier, Joel Durand, salt tasting, and seeing how the famous soap in Provence is made.
 A tour of an olive mill near Mausanne les Alpilles followed by an olive oil tasting.
 Cheese tasting with Claudine Vigier, a Master Cheese Affineur, who owns the best cheese shop in Provence.
 Lunch at Chez Serge, in Carpentras. Last year, Serge Ghoukassian was named 2008 Sommelier of the Year for France by Gault-Millau. The plan is to spend time in the kitchen with Serge where he will make a special lunch paired with regional wines.

A Bientôt!

Harley Farms

For years I’ve had this romantic notion of living on a farm with small animals – goats, sheep, chicken, maybe a pig; eating fresh eggs and making soap and cheese. So when the opportunity presented itself to take a field trip and tour the Harley Goat Farm I was in.

Harley Farm has been putting out award winning goat cheese for the past 10 years. Located in Pescadero, CA the goats live a simple and stress free life wandering around their ten acre pasture eating a blend of several types of grasses that have been refined over time and contribute to the smooth and mild flavor of the goat cheese.

The land was originally a dairy farm and 20 years ago Dee Harley bought it after moving to the area from the UK. She didn’t know what she was going to do with it and through a series of serendipitous events she is now a passionate goat farmer who practices sustainable methods and treats her goats with love and care.

The two hour tour is informative and lets the guest walk around the pasture and interact with the goats – they like a good head rub and ear scratch, test their hand at milking a goat – just like squeezing a pastry bag, learn the process of making goat cheese, make a herb and goat cheese round then enjoy the cheese in the top of the bard overlooking the farm with fellow visitors.

There are three categories of goats on the farm and they are kept in separate parts of the pasture. The kids who are born between Feb-March frolic and play with each other growing up and getting ready to be bred. The milkers have the babies and produce the milk and the retired milkers spend their twilight years well fed and taken care of. It is a good life no matter which category as everyone is well fed and watered and has ample room to roam.

The milking goats are milked twice a day and the yield is one gallon of milk per goat which translates into 1 pound of cheese. With 100+ goats in the milking category, making cheese is a full time job. And Harley makes several from a traditional plain smooth goat cheese, to ricotta and feta (personal fave), and then several herb and garlic infused varieties.

This goat farming business is a demanding 24/7 job, there’s nothing romantic about it other than the notion that is fading from my head. For now, I’ll pass on the farm but will seek out the Harley and have vivid memories of the process involved from goat to table that produces these scrumptious cheeses.

A fabulous bar story.

by Louie du Monde

The du Monde has found a wonderful bar story from Jeff Burkhart, an award-winning bartender and author.

It had all the symptoms of a first date. For her it was big hair, a slinky dress and new jewelry. For him it was gelled hair, an uncomfortable sport coat and a whiff of cologne. As soon as they sat, she excused herself to go to the restroom.

“Order me a drink,” she whispered as she leaned in close enough for her billowy coiffure to touch his gelled one. Perhaps she had a hair out of place, or needed a dab of powder or even because she needed to use the restroom. Who knew? But it was now her date, me and their drink order.

Read on at Here Magazine.

Crème Brûlée Cart

The food cart phenomenon hit San Francisco as hard as NY and Portland. Clearly, this is old news, but I am a fan of the food cart and have enjoyed their goodness, value (maybe not always), and convenience in all three cities. While people are tiring of the food cart, I am sure they are here to stay and will continue to support the good ones and the talented entrepreneurs who are giving their all out of making a living pursuing their passions.

Curtis “the crème brûlée guy” came to my office a while ago. Orders were placed days ahead of his arrival – brilliant on his part to know both how much to make and be able to prep in advance. When he arrived, all that was left to do was burn the sugar and garnish. The whole downstairs smelled like burned sugar – roasted marshmallows – YUM!

The flavors offered included Bailey’s Irish Cream, Dark Chocolate, Orange Cream, Lavender, and Vanilla Bean. It was hard to limit myself, I could have tried them all, but in the spirit of not being too gluttonous chose the lavender and was a satisfied customer! I hope he comes back soon so I can sample more flavors….

Please don't ask for my photo.

In San Francisco this week. One of the the bosses of the du Monde, Lynda Zuber Sassi, the owner of this blog, asked the du Monde to drinks and to meet the “must be met” Lou Lesko. She looking elegant and Parisian in a gorgeous dress and over the calf boots. He looking like a cliché Californian with a white t-shirt under a v-neck sweater. At least he had good shoes. Hardly a saving grace, but enough to keep the du Monde from feigning a headache and abandoning the whole affair.

We find ourselves at the Wine Merchant in the Ferry Building at the port of San Francisco. Ms Zuber, a citizen of the city, walked here. Mr. Lesko took the ferry in from Marin clearly afraid of the Gestapo-esque parking authority of the San Francisco.

The du Monde enjoyed the atmosphere of the Wine Merchant and moreover was incredibly appreciative of the vast knowledge and kind demeanor of the proprietors. Yes, the du Monde loves to drink, but when it comes to the flavors of the vine – well the choices in California can be overwhelming. The Wine Merchant is a comfortable place to learn more or to put yourself in the hands of the servers.

The evening went well. That is up until the point that Lou Lesko, the photographer, asked the du Monde for a date to shoot pictures. The du Monde sloshed his wine around a bit in the glass before taking the final swig. “The du Monde does not submit to the camera. There are too many international warrants displaying the name Louie du Monde.” I took my leave.

Picnic at Preston

For many years, Preston Vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley has been one of my favorite places to visit. A family operation, one truly feels like they are in another world after passing through the gate and driving down the dirt road lined with olive trees and vineyards. It’s like the feeling of security that Holly Golightly has upon entering Tiffany’s – nothing bad can happen to you here.

It is always a treat to spend the afternoon here, walking through the organic gardens, tasting wine, lounging lazily around one of the tables in the sun enjoying a picnic and connecting to being in that place for that time, not thinking about anything else.

Of course, there are the vineyard cats and kittens who provide limitless entertainment as they lurk around the property looking for a scratch and a nibble, passing by each table to see who has the best handouts.

On Sundays there is the Guadagni Jug. Available on a first come first serve basis, the Jug has become a local tradition since it first started in 2002 as a tribute to neighbor, Jim Guadagni. Today, people like me drive from a far to participate too. I envy the regulars who bring their jugs week after week so covered with labels (they give you a new one each time) that you can hardly see the glass anymore.

“Guadagni Red” comes in a 3 liter jug which is literally filled by the spigot straight from the barrel and when the barrel is dry, the ration for the day is complete. They say that it is a blend mostly of the grapes that Jim knew — Zinfandel, Mourvèdre, Carignane — and looks and tastes like the wines that he enjoyed as a young man. From the line up of people who stream in on Sundays, it is safe to say that those tastes of yesterday are equally enjoyed today.