Fall....and some new *fishes*

Its been a while, that I didn't write in my blog, when I was addressing to my priorities--work and then relax. Also, I didn't write any new menu, though, I had numerous preparation of pork belly, pork steak & beef at home-which were quite simple in nature--one being Braised pork belly in apple-prune puree, blue potato chip, succotash, celeriac puree & an apple crisp. For beef it was just rib eye[a cut that I love to eat, especially I enjoy the fat in the rib-eye, which makes the cut more tender & juicy] with peppercorns or in french as you may say, "Steak au poivre" with gratin potatoes & pepper sauce.

This time, I am being a little fishy, since I enjoy fish a lot, specially when it is fresh

Filet de bar poele ala Marseillaise

Panfried baby seabass, saffron mashed potatoes, clams-mussels ala provencale, white asparagus and sauce bouillabaisse

-

Rouget ala Nicoise

Grilled red mullet nicoise style & provencal vegetables

Filet de Bar poele ala Marseillaise

Concept: Bar, i.e. sea bass is panfried and served in Marseille style[south of France, home to the king of all soups, Bouillabaisse]. The accompaniments are being mashed potatoes with the hint of saffron, clams-mussels ala provencale--i.e. cooked with some tomatoes & their own juices. Sauce bouillabaisse is the reduction of bouillabaisse soup & further thickened with the addition of some rouille. It is a wonderful marriage of flavours & all pretty much go well together. Especially the sweet sauce & the subtly butter white asparagus.The recipe is given below:-
Ingredients:[For one portion]
Seabass filet- 160 gm
Seasoning-to taste
Olive Oil-20 ml
Butter, cold-20 gm
For the sauce
Prepared bouillabaisse-100 ml
Rouille-1 tsp
Seasoning as required
For the clams & mussels provencale
Littleneck/Manila clams-4 nos.
Fresh mussels-3 nos
Prepared Tomato sauce- 50 ml
zest of 1/2 lemon, seasoning as required
For the saffron potato mash
Russet potato-100 gm, boiled & sieved
Milk-30 ml
Saffron-1/2 pinch
Butter-25 gm, chilled
Seasoning- as required
For the white asparagus
Fresh white asparagus tips- 3nos.
Butter-10 gm
Seasoning- to taste
Method:
For the Clams & mussels provencale
Open the clams & mussels separately. Reserve the juices & remove the shells. Keep the mussel & clam meat separately. Heat the juices with the tomato sauce till half & heat the seafood meat in the sauce & keep warm
For the Sauce
Heat the bouillabaisse till half[dont burn]& keep warm. When ready to plate, add the rouille.
For the saffron mashed potatoes
Blend the potatoes with hot milk, butter & saffron. Season & keep hot.
For the Asparagus
Peel & blanch the tips in salted water. Strain & saute in cold butter. Season & keep hot
For the Fish
Make few slits on the skinside & season. Saute in a pan with olive oil, till crispy on one side. After three minutes, cook on the other side & add in the cold butter & keep on basting the fish, for two minutes & rest in the pan.
Assembling/Arranging on the plate

Put the mashed potato on one corner of the plate & put the clams-mussels on top with the sauce. On another corner put the white asparagus & rest the fish on top. Drizzle the sauce around

***

Rouget ala Nicoise

Concept: One day I was just going through a book, "Le Repertoire de la cuisine", which precisely describes the famed french classics from starters[you call it "Hors d'oeuvres" in French, by the way!!] till the savories. In the fish section, which describes the french classics on Fishes, I was just looking at the red mullet, a fish that is readily available here & present it with a twist. One recipe that enthralled me was "Rouget ala Nicoise", which is from Nice, south of france again. The recipe mentions of including chopped tomato, tossed in butter, decorate with anchovy fillets and black olives. Give it a twist???Turn the tomato into a sauce, as you'd do & blend with anchovy fillets. For the olives???Well, make some slits on the fish & stuff with slivers of black olives...how does that sound? Well, for the vegetables, I wanted to go for Ratatouille, another Nicoise vegetable stew & butter fondant potato for starch.
The fish itself is of course, who mostly lives on crustaceans...here is the recipe.

Ingredients:[For 1 person]
For the Fish
Red Mullet-1 whole, around 300 gm
Seasoning-As required
Black olives- 2 pieces
Oil-20 ml
Butter-10 gm, cold
For the sauce Nicoise
Peeled chopped tomatoes- 100 gm
Canned anchovies in oil-2 fillets
Garlic-1/2 clove
Butter- 20 gm
Seasoning- As required
For the ratatouille
Shallots-1/2, very small dices
Garlic-1/2 cloves, finely chopped
Fennel, Carrot, Zuchhini[Green], Bell Peppers[Yellow & Red],Eggplant all small dices-10 gm
Olive Oil-30 ml
Tomato Paste-1 tsp
Chiffonade of Basil-of two leaves
Seasoning- As required
For the Butter Fondant potato
Potato-1 big, peeled and then trimmed to make into a square shape
Butter-30 gm
Chicken stock-50 ml
Dried Thyme-1 pinch
Seasoning-As required
Method:
For the Butter Fondant Potato
Make the oven ready at 180 Deg C
In a hot pan add in the butter & when melted, add the potato, with the thyme. Nicely brown on all sides[Don't burn] & and then add in the chicken stock & seasoning. Put the pan in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Check the doneness-if ready, keep it hot or else, continue to cook, until the potato is fork tender.
For the Nicoise Sauce
Saute the garlic in butter & when lightly colored add the chopped tomatoes. Cook until almost dry, add in
the anchovy fillets  & then blend till smooth. Adjust the seasoning & keep hot.
For the Ratatouille
In a hot pan, individually fry all the vegetables, except onion & garlic, till nicely colored. Take another pan & saute the onion, garlic till lightly colored & then add in the fried vegetables. Add the tomato paste & cook until vegetables are soft--moisten with a little water, if required. Add the basil chiffonade & season. Keep hot.
For the fish
Scale, gut [reserve the liver] & fillet the fish. Season both the fillets[one fish will fetch you two fillets] & make slits on the fish & stuff with slivers of olives. Saute in a hot pan with olive oil, first with skin side down for 1.5 minute & then on the other side for 1 min, whilst basting it with butter, cook the mullet liver in the same pan. Once cooked, allow to rest in the same pan, while you mix in the liver with the sauce.
Assembling for the plate:
Rest the fish on the spool of the sauce & put the ratatouille around the fish. Put the potato on one end & drizzle some more sauce around. You may garnish with zest of a lemon.

And for the time being, Bon Appetit, but check out soon..for some more tantalising recipes...from my kitchen.

Cheese...milk's another leap towards mortality....

"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be over sophisticated. Yet it remains, cheese, milk’s leap toward immortality.” - Clifton Fadiman(May 15, 1904 - June 20, 1999)
My childhood was gone through some fancy sandwiches, albeit with some processed cheese, thanks to Amul, still a giant producer of dairy products in India. When it first came up with the idea of "processed cheese", yes, everyone was amused. Even I forced my mother[who has always been tough to my wants & needs]to buy some for me & taste how does it taste like. First taste, creamy, secondary taste, a little salty[but still ok for a palate, who used to hate salt, once upon a time]& the tertiary tastes of creamier texture. Often, it was being grated for my sandwiches[cheese slices were still not produced then!!!], which were often had with loads & loads of ketchup...or have it as it is....
Despite, loving it initially, I started loathing cheese in the meantime, till I got admitted myself to hospitality institute & started cooking with cheese. Thankfully, Kolkata started shedding its much outdated outlook[perhaps, it is still carried over now..in spite of the globalisation everywhere] with more and more supermarkets having a dedicated dairy section, including some imported cheese--prime ones being parmiggiano reggiano, gouda, emmenthal, cheddar, boursin & some other cheeses.

Back those days, since my fascination has always been to cook the one & only Italian cuisine, I treated myself by buying a chunk of grana padano[a reasonable alternative to expensive Parmiggiano Reggiano, parmesan cheese otherwise] & use it judiciously over my pasta dishes, or while making some mushroom risotto...at home...whilst, when I joined hotels, as a professional, for the sake of tasting, I tasted a dozens of cheese or perhaps more than that. Coming to Dubai, again it is a blessing in disguise, as here I have tasted cheeses, which I can never taste in India.
I will not tell you there are how many cheeses & how many types of cheeses in this planet, neither, how they are made. My first attempt for using cheese as dessert was using Danish Blue cheese for making some pannacotta at home--the Italian dessert with a little twist--with pineapple & blue cheese & nutmeg foam on top. The combination to you may be weird, but it is really interesting combination---it was sweet vs. salty. Thereafter, playing with cheeses for making canapes, or sometimes, adding them to meat--mortadella for example & come up with some interesting canapes[there were critics to it also!!!]..
There are some of my favorites, with some combinations, that I will always serve to my friends, guests alike...and they are..
Brie de Meaux, goes well with apples, pears, figs & of course green grapes
Taleggio, excellent with pears, figs
Camembert-serve it same like you do with brie
Gorgonzola..a classical combination is walnut & pears, also pineapple
Goat cheese--with olive oil[???], berries, mango jam
Mozzarella--beetroot [if you are having for salad or as it is...it goes well with roasted beetroot]
Cheddar--onion marmalade
Parmesan--crackers, cantaloupe
[Note:Almost all cheeses can be served with crackers or pane carasau, the Sardinian specialty crackers. Fruits as indicated, can be served in various forms, like compote, stewed or even carpaccio. Roasting the beetroot, actually intensifies the flavours]

I always feel that it is a luxury, to have some cheeses at the end of your meal, especially if the menu is european..a couple of well-ripened cheese, and a bottle of wine...and there you go. But for heaven's sake..never ever, have cheese with water!!!
And finally if you didn't know, the vegetarians of India swear by it, Paneer, like the firm ricotta is India's version of cottage cheese!!!

The magic of slow cooking....

"We are now living in the Mcdonaldised Society"
My college professor said this, during our final year classes. Actually, we had a subject on "McDonaldisation" in our final year classes, versus "De-McDonaldisation". Actually it was quite opposed to what we were taught than what the concept of McDonaldised society is..a movement started by Carlo Petrini, popularly known as "Slow Food Movement".
It was the concept of how fast food chains are conquering [or ruining] our palates whilst restaurant--fine dining, casual dining, speciality restaurants are losing their charm. Since, F&B was not my interest[though it was a major], little do I remember about what we were taught. Truly, the fast food restaurants have exploited our appetite with some fried patty, some french fries & some condiments in a couple of seconds. Its tasty, it gives satiety to stomach..& for sometime...you are no more hungry.
I remember trying McDonald's in the year 2001, that too in Delhi [Unfortunately, McDonald could not enter Kolkata-The city of Joy before 2007, due to strict Anti-American Communist regime!!!] & I was blown away that I had one more...

Not drifting from our topic of the day, these fast foods have done more damage than it did any good.On the other hand, slow cooking has been forgotten by many patrons who are admirers of fast foods[Burgers, Sandwiches & so on & so forth]. Now you will find many people queueing in any fast food restaurant than any casual dining or speciality restaurant. Of course, who has been praising slow cooked food for long, will remain to be the loyal consumer [and there are exceptions to it].

Mutton is a meat that I learnt to cook with utmost reverence. Reasons, being its tough connective tissues, which makes it difficult to cook. In spite of having pressure cooker at home, I preferred cooking in slow temperature, especially in an oven. The advantage of cooking in the oven is that you can graduate the temperature, which is a little difficult in stovetop. The end result??Of course melt in the mouth. Another example of slow cooking is our very own Mutton Biryani.

Now slow cooking, is definitely applicable for tough cuts--I am yet to learn any slow cooking recipe of tenderloin or rib-eye steak--the only exception being sous-vide however. Slow cooking methods like braising, stewing can be applicable for beef cuts like chuck,short ribs, flank, shank. Cuts of Lamb like shank, blade etc & similarly stew meats from pork, veal. However, shank of all the meats receive equal treatment, i.e. braising.Another of the pork cut, which I always prefer to braise for at least 2-3 hours, is Pork belly--unless, I am cooking in sous vide process for about 8-10 hours at a regulated temperature of about 72.2 Deg C.

But today, I am going to share a favorite recipe of mine, the last lamb I cooked at home.It is Lamb Shank. Well, there are two types of Lamb Shank you can get from one lamb--the hind one & the fore one. Generally, what you get in your supermarket is the fore shank.As with any cheap, inexpensive cut, like lamb shank the basic procedure remains the same--sear in a hot pan, after seasoning, with some oil until nicely browned. Once well browned, saute the basic mirepoix in the same pan, add some flour[adding flour is completely optional--when I cook, I rarely add any!!]& allow it to brown for sometime[an important part of caramelisation, as once it will simmer, it will release all its flavours to the braising liquid] followed by addition of braising liquid[generally a flavourful stock--try not to use just hot water]& cook slowly for about 2-3 hours, to get a tender meat, with a quite pronounced flavour of the meat[In this case, it being Lamb].Keep the meat aside, while you can strain & finish the sauce with the addition of lemon zest, garlic and parsley[yes, the gremolata seasoning goes well with any braised meat--not limited to only osso bucco!!] & serve with some root vegetables--pearl onions, potato, parsnip & always the classical accompaniment for lamb--beans & peas!!!
Here is the recipe...
Braised Lamb Shank[for 1 portion]
Ingredients:
Lamb Shank-1 no.
Seasoning- to taste, a sprig of rosemary & thyme
Lamb Stock-300 ml[preferably, homemade]
Shallots-50 gm(chopped fine)
Garlic-2 cloves(chopped fine)+4 garlic cloves, roasted & then peeled & roasted
Carrot-100 gm(chopped fine)
Olive Oil-25 ml
Bouquet Garni- 1
Butter-10 gm, chilled
Gremolata seasoning- zest of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 clove garlic chopped and 5 gm of chopped parsley
Method:
1. Season the lamb shank with thyme, rosemary & also salt-pepper. Heat a pan, when it is fairly hot enough & add in the olive oil until very hot. Sear the lamb shank on all sides, until well-browned. Once done, keep it aside in a colander and reserve the juices & drippings.Set the oven temperature to 160 Deg C.
2. In the same pan, saute the shallots, garlic, carrot until nicely browned. Deglaze with the lamb stock & add in the lamb shank & any drippings/juices from the shank & bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil,add the bouquet garni cover & cook in the oven for about 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the bouquet garni & add in the pureed roasted garlic & cook for a further 1.5 hour. Check the doneness, by trying to pull the meat or pierce with a fork--if it is easy to pierce or pull the meat, it is done!!Another method--check if the meat has pulled away from the bone. If it is, then it is done. Once done, remove the shank from the liquid & reduce the liquid in the stove top, until it is of syrupy consistency.
3. Strain the sauce, check the seasoning & add in the gremolata & pour the sauce over the lamb shank. Serve with assorted root vegetables--pearl onions, parsnip, carrot. Alternatively, blue potato puree, sauted beans & peas are good combinations too...


Bon appetit!!!

Too-sweet Arabic sweets...and Arabic Food

Part I
Okk..you know that I am in middle-east for almost 2 years now, Dubai to be exact & have been trying the Arabic foods..which is again controversial. Turks will claim that all arabic food actually originated in Turkey[do they still believe that entire middle east is under the Ottoman empire?], whilst Greeks also have similar food[cold mezze especially] and a growing disputes amongst arabics too--this is lebanese or syrian..that is from Saudi arabia or palestine & so on & so forth...but I don't care as long as I have food to eat, provided its good.

Caveat: When I came here, I was a little taken aback by the arabic [namesake] food. If someone would ask me, if I liked arabic food or not, I never took time to think--the answer was straight, "No, it doesn't appeal my palate."

But now things have changed, when I just tried to taste---instead of rejecting something outright, why not try?If it is unpalatable, well, that is another thing. Gradually I developed a taste for Arabic foods, but again I am selective. I love the fried mezze[kebbeh, sambousek], hommous, moutabel[and I honestly, dont like Labneh]. I am being selective on Lentil soup...since, I cannot eat all lentils!! And if you talk about main course, bring on as long as you make sure they are good--though mostly meat--Lamb Chops, Lamb Kofta[kind of Indian Sheekh kabab], Shish Kebab[okk..Arabic version of Chicken Tikka, but with Beef], & Shish Tawook[Arabic version of Chicken tikka, except Indian spices], or the grilled seafood--Sabream[i.e. Sea Bream], Sultan Ibrahim[threadfin seabream, like a baby red-snapper], Sultan Hedi[i.e., Red Mullet] or can be other local fishes like Hammour[a local grouper] or Shrimps. But there is more arabic food than what has met my eye & now I have developed a keen interest to make arabic food....is it possible to take it to the next level?Or it is best in its rustic form??



Okk...you know that I love sweets too...sweets of all kind from any corner of the world, provided it is upto my palate.Years before, when I saw Baklawa being made, in one the television channels, especially when hot honey was being poured over the freshly baked filo pastry...it was really appealing. Well, honey is good..isn't it?I always used to ask myself, "When will I be able to taste Baklawa?", since, I could never make filo pastry--the excuse being it is difficult to make at home, so I was waiting for the day to come...the day I would be in middle east or to some Greek islands or even Turkey, to taste this heavenly sweets.
So now I am in Dubai & tasted at least 4-5 types of Baklawa[well, there are many types, if you dont know that]--from excellent to disaster. Baklawa, a little crisp on outside & inside sublimely soft & delicious--the making of it is more than what meets the eye...for those, who think that buying a packet of filo pastry from the supermarket freezers & then making the Baklawa is just like a five-minute handjob, again, you will be very wrong my friend--unless, you are an expert.Another favorite of late, is the Umm Ali pudding- a variation of bread pudding, but on a lighter note, since it is solely based on milk[to make more exquisite, use camel or goat milk] and/or cream...and some nuts, but puff pastry is used instead of breads. And then baked!!!

For over the past few weeks, I was craving for some Baklawa & ultimately, I made one...the result was good..and the taste was getting better over time. So, today, I will share with you a recipe...no...two recipes. One is Shish Tawook [Chicken Kebab] & another being my favorite, "Baklawa", with assorted dry fruits.
For the time being, Baklawa for you...
1 lb package phyllo dough, defrosted
3 sticks (12 oz) butter or 1 1/4 cups ghee
2 1/2 cups nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon each rose and orange blossom water

1. Clarify the butter: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it boil gently without stirring just until a layer of foam has risen to the surface and the white solids have sunk to the bottom (do not let the solids brown). Remove from the heat and skim off the foam as best you can. Then carefully pour the golden liquid into another container, leaving the solids behind (I normally strain it through a cheesecloth while doing this). Discard the solids. Skip this step if using ghee.
2. Make the syrup: Place the sugar, water, lemon, and blossom water in a pan and bring to a boil so that the sugar dissolves. Let boil 5-10 minutes until syruppy. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and grind until they form a coarse meal.
4.Brush the pan with clarified butter or ghee & put a sheet of phyllo, trimming off the edges to the fit the pan. Brush with ghee or clarified butter & put another sheet of phyllo, brushing the top with ghee/clarified butter. Continue doing this, until you put 8 sheets of phyllo pastry. Add in the crushed nuts in an even layer. Top with a phyllo sheet and again brush with ghee/clarified butter & do like this, until you top it off with at least 4 sheets.Using a very sharp knife  score the top of the phyllo in a square or diamond pattern.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until deeply golden and crisp but not overly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cool syrup over the hot baklava. Set aside to cool and absorb completely.Use a knife to cut all the way through the score marks to the bottom of the pan. It is really best if you let it sit overnight, covered with foil, before serving.This will stay fine upto 3 weeks
 

The Trauma

The Trauma
Part II
The Trauma of Four Months...

I remember it was December 25, 2008. I was busy at home, cooking for a festive menu for my mom & bro. In the midst of the cooking in the evening, I called up ACE employment services, a career consultant in Mumbai [I was in Kolkata then] to follow up about the date of joining[and also an update on the visa status] for Atlantis, in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai--since I was supposed to join there. I dont remember the person's name I spoke to, however, the news I got from the agent was disappointing, "Sorry Gaurav, Atlantis is no longer in a position to hire people--due to recession in Dubai. Like you, applications of many people have been cancelled." I was speechless for sometime...
I told my mom about it. I dont remember what she said, but she didn't react to it. It was so expected, I felt from the way she behaved. Well, I left Mumbai on October 26th, 2008, for Kolkata for two reasons-1)to fix my passport, which was valid through only till December that year & for applying visa, the passport has to be  valid for the next 6 months and 2)to meet my family members--I was missing them so much.

After coming back to Kolkata, I headed to the passport office & applied for the re-issue of my damaged passport....although after initial hassles & the reluctance of the officials there, it was fixed in a couple of weeks & I sent the new passport copy to the agent[Fortunately, the agent never charged me money!!!] and I was eagerly waiting for a reply from them.... "Do you have any update on my visa?", & the immediate answer would be, "Nothing as of now". In the meantime, I clearly remember, Atlantis had a grand opening & we saw that in the television. It was fascinating to see such a grand opening in the middle of crisis & then what happened, you all know that....

Almost all hotels are busy around Christmas & New year's time, so knocking their doors for a job that time, would be futile. Some would suggest me "Send us an email with your CV" & then never revert back whilst others would reject my plea outright, "We dont have any opening right now". I was getting frustrated..though my mother could understand my emotions & feelings..being jobless !!!

Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & other cities, where I can get a job, at least a good job!!!That's all I wanted & when things improve, I can try abroad again, I used to tell myself. Finally, there were rays of hope & it was in Chennai....and then one in Vizag. Don't forget, I was almost penny less since almost my savings were spent & I was living on my parents' contribution, which means, I will have to minimise my expenses, to accommodate my needs. No going out with friends [even if they asked me], eating less outside, more at home & no more luxury cooking on weekends, rather eat what is being cooked at home.

***

The first call was from ITC Chola Sheraton, first property of ITC in India looking for a Kitchen Associate but what suprised them[and still people me ask me that same question when they look at my CV], "Why such a short tenure in Grand Hyatt, Mumbai?", I could say nothing else than personal reasons, until I really came to Dubai & revealed the real reason, which I wrote before.  Anyways, coming back to our discussion & after some 30 minutes interview over the phone, with the Executive chef, he called me to Chennai for a food trial. It was good...I made a warm pasta salad, a mushroom soup, grilled fish with pomme de terre ecrasse, asparagus & pomegranate jus & for dessert, white chocolate pannacotta with glazed strawberries. He liked my presentation [which was still disastrous those days!!!] & asked me when can I join? I was a little perplexed since, I could make it & I said, "Only after 1 month,", which meant not before March 3, 2009. I was almost starving till 5 pm..since I had only a cup of tea in the morning, around 9 am!!!

I went out...informed my mom & had some food...and wrote in a friends' networking website, "At least Sun has risen in the South", which was confusing, since Sun rises in the east.

The Park, located in Vishakhapatnam[Vizag in short] also accepted my application for a position but as a Kitchen Assistant & my food trial was good, which was again their menu, a simple grilled chicken with mashed potato & pepper sauce. I was offered that job also. But less salary...so I had to judge which one to go for...the one in Chennai was giving better salary & also accommodation[which I needed anywhere else than in Kolkata], whilst Vizag was disastrous--less salary & that city is expensive to live in.

So finally, I decided to settle in Chennai for the time being....

Yes, another dark spot in my CV for having no job for four months..those four months have been traumatic...God, I dont want such setbacks again in my life....and later I used to think, "Are all these incidents, actually a lesson/blessing in disguise???

Fish & seafood...once again

As I said before in one of my postings that I love to cook [and eat too] Salmon, and this time, I am cooking[and ate thereafter] some Norwegian Salmon, which I brought yesterday. And yes, one more recipe for you, the oyster ravioli I cooked last week.
So the menu for you, will be :

Oyster Ravioli

Fin de clair oysters, seaweed caviar

-

Panfried Salmon

Orange braised Fennel, Tartare of confit tomato & mustard beurre blanc

First we come to talk about the oyster ravioli:-
I wrote somewhere before, about a menu for your date, where I advised scallops & oysters for ravioli & this time, I am making it without any scallops. Just poaching the oysters in fish stock for only 30 seconds & then stuffing them in thin pasta sheets. Traditionally, oysters in their very raw form is eaten with few drops of lemon juice---squeezed freshly[though, purists will have it as it is].So the for the accompaniments for this pasta, that is the sauce is lemony, but without any tartness from the lemons/lime. I am using a reduction of cream, fish stock, the juices from the oysters[which was reserved after shucking the oysters] & all these have been infused with lemon & lime zest...interesting..isn't it?
Oysters & caviar are considered to be good partner & signs of luxury[hell, both are aphrodisiacs too!!!]. A little touch of mock caviar around the white creamy sauce & the ravioli looks good ain't it? A couple of parsley sprig or chervil here and there..makes it simple & sexy!!!



Panfried Salmon 
I was really craving to have salmon, since I dont remember when was the last time, I had a proper cooked salmon[I think it was in February this year, even that was cooked by me]. So this was the time, when I wanted to have salmon badly, accompanied by three key ingredients-fennel, tomato & mustard which I felt, should go well together, alongwith the salmon. The salmon was usually panfried with olive oil & then basted with butter. Fennel got a classical treatment--braised with orange juice, honey & star anise. I made a tomato confit & then chopped it up to make a tartare, mixed with balsamic vinegar & some chopped shallots--seasoned of course. For the sauce, it was beurre blanc with some dijon mustard. Whoever said that mustard is a good accompaniment to fish, I must say that he is bloody correct about it. In Bengal, we cook fish with mustard paste albeit, mustard oil is the cooking medium...dont we? Fennel is definitely, a sweet compliment to any fish.

Recipes????Send me mail :)

Bienvenue au French Cuisine

Bienvenue au French Cuisine


Date: Some unrecorded date of December, 2010
Place: Kitchen, in some anonymous hotel
Time: Around 2000 hours

The Chef was teaching me how to make a proper wild mushroom soup, since my previous attempt was disastrous & was intimidating to him. He was sautéing the porcini mushrooms in a pan & after sautéing them, he was deglazing the pan with chicken stock & was reserving them separately. “Once you deglaze the pan, you get the juices, bits left behind in the pan & you don’t lose any flavor”, he was telling me. Well, kind of flashback for me, since this is what we learnt in culinary college; “deglaze” with wine, stock or water or whatever, one of the many basics in the French cuisine. The same thing perhaps we do at home, specially using the same pan or wok, when my mother makes the fish curry, after frying the fish. And yes, I thought, I should revisit all the basics of French cuisine. In college, we made all those classical French cuisine [or haute cuisine] “Poulet sauté champignon” or “Tournedos ala portugaise” or simply, the “Poisson meuniere” [substitute of the most popular Sole Meuniere, since Sole is difficult to procure in India].

However, in between the cuisine of Italy seemed to be more attractive & simple than the complex haute French cuisine, when I’d satisfy myself with pasta, risotto, antipasti & all Italian desserts, tiramisu & pannacotta primarily, for example.
But The Chef’s training just reminded me, why I should start focusing again in French cuisine & for the time being, stay separate from la cucina italiana. All the good things in French Cuisine – foie gras [which I have eaten more than I have sliced], butter [And I love a good, buttery mashed potato], fruits de mer [and I love seafood], demiglace, the tenderloin, croissant and dozens of other French cuisine essentials.

Seeing Anthony Bourdain:No reservations & its 1st & 100th episode [both being shot in Paris, by the way], just evoked the feelings of cooking French, not necessarily, haute cuisine, but putting the old ones in a new way, in a simpler way, using different ingredients, substituting fresh tomatoes with sundried ones or cherry tomatoes, for example or the simple button mushroom with some Chinese black mushrooms or shitake mushrooms. I remember once cooking poulet sauté chasseur [i.e. hunter’s style] in one my employment in India, when I used to handle the western kichen, alone for 15 hours a day & sometimes for 16 hours!!!There we needed to cook for 60 reservations for the lunch & dinner buffet, apart from the ala carte orders. Preparing two vegetarian options & two non-vegetarian options apart from the soup[ either veg or non-veg, after consulting with the Chinese kitchen], was really a pain in the ass…sometimes, cooking the same old & boring “crumb-fried fish”, or vegetables in thai red or green curry & sometimes, when time permitted tried cooking the French classics in my way. Poulet sauté chasseur, also known as “Pollo cacciatore” in its Italian form, is a chicken dish, cooked with white wine, shallots, mushrooms, tomatoes & the demiglace of course[i.e. components of Chasseur sauce]. So I changed the form of mushrooms & tomatoes in this case-I used Chinese shitake mushrooms, which gives a meaty & earthy flavour, compared to the less fragrant button mushroom. I used sundried tomatoes in this case, instead of fresh tomatoes, per se. Well, the results…even the executive chef was wondering what was I upto but he couldn’t say anything else. Yes, it was good & better than what I expected..it was robust!!!
Again, mostly French foods are named as per their garnishes, for example, Poisson clamart, where clamart stands for green peas or printanier, which are spring vegetables; thus giving you scope with names & putting the vegetables or sides accordingly. I remember once cooking at home, “Poulet Roti Forestiere”, here forestiere stands for the bounty of forests, primarily mushrooms and potatoes [ideally parmentier potatoes, small dices of potatoes, by the way], bacon apart from that. But, I was a little flexible with potato-- I used pureed potatoes, mushroom ragout & bacon bits.
And that few days before I made a classic, typical from Provence [South France], Marseille to be exact. And it was Bouillabaisse, commonly known as the Mediterranean fish soup with saffron. The fish used is rock fish, rascasse or known as “scorpion fish” is the ideal fish for making this soup, but if I don’t have access to this fish, can’t I enjoy having other fishes from the Mediterranean, which are also added? I will not get into details how it is made in Marseilles, but I will tell my way I made it & here is the recipe. But make sure, you have enough baguette & rouille to finish up the soup. Don’t make it small portions, make at least 4-5 portions & entertain your guests with this soup—no guests??? Well, freeze it then & consume within a month, the way I do…



My Bouillabaisse [For 6]

Ingredients:

For the basic broth

Assorted Mediterranean small fishes- 1.5 kg [I used baby sea bass, large prawns, red mullet & seabream—you can use John Dory, turbot, monkfish tail, if you get]

Olive Oil -200 ml

Leek-1, white part only, thinly sliced

Onion-200 gm, roughly chopped

Garlic- 6 cloves, crushed

Fennel Bulb- 1 whole, roughly chopped

Very ripe Tomatoes- 400 gm, roughly chopped

Bouquet Garni- 1

Fish Stock- 3 liter

For the Soup:

Assorted fishes, the same ones used to make the broth- 1 kg

Garlic-1 clove, finely chopped

Basil- 1 sprig, finely chopped

Tomato – 2 pieces, peeled, deseeded & chopped

Saffron- 1 generous pinch, soaked in 1 tbsp hot water

Olive Oil- 100 ml

Fennel bulb- ½ bulb, finely chopped

Seasoning- to taste

Cayenne Pepper- to taste

Rouille- as required

Baguette- as required



Method:-

The Basic Broth:

1. Gut the fishes, clean & chop them roughly. Devein the prawns but don’t peel. Keep the heads intact of all the fishes, but remove the gills.

2. Heat the oil in a stockpot & sauté the leek, onion, fennel, garlic until lightly colored. Add in the chopped tomatoes, followed by the fish & sweat the vegetables & fish for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the fish stock, bring to a boil & then lower the heat & simmer for about 40-45 minutes. Remove from the heat & leave it to stand for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

4. Pass the fish through a foodmill/ mouli or through a drum sieve, rubbing with the back of a ladle. Discard the bones & other debris. If you want to make it more refine, pass it through a fine sieve. Now this is the broth or the base for making the soup, which will carry quite sweet flavour. If you want to have it as it is, you may or finish with a touch of cream. For the Soup, see the next step.

The Soup:

1. Clean the soup for garnishes-cut them into fillets, deboned & cut into bite sized chunks.

2. Heat all but 25 ml of olive oil & sauté garlic, tomato, fennel until lightly colored & add in the broth & bring it to a boil. Add in the reserved fish chunks, saffron & season and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the fishes are cooked.

3. Serve with the reserved olive oil, drizzled on top & with enough baguette & rouille[mayonnaise with garlic, cayenne pepper & saffron] sauce on side.



In Marseille, also known as the fishermen’s stew/soup, since they made the stew out of the fishes they couldn’t sell [the ugly scorpion fish being the typical addition] is served in two ways—the broth in one bowl & the fish chunks on the other, but I deviated from it. Former Chef Marco Pierre White went a step further---he reduced the broth further & named it as “Bouillabaisse sauce”…isn’t that creative??

[Note to Self: Make plans to visit France—this year or next year, especially Paris, Lyon & Provence.]

There are more to come..and for the time being Bon Appétit…