Monday, March 9, 2009
Bust a move
Leaving Paris tomorrow and heading south to a small town just outside of Minerve, sort of between Montpellier and Toulouse. I will work for a while learning how to make cheese. The farm I'll be at is called Cravirola. Sort of a communal farm where I work as a volunteer in exchange for room and board. Should be interesting.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Les Halles
Currently, la forum des Halles is a large underground mall and a tranportation hub in the center of Paris close to the Chatelet district in the 1st arrondissment. Up until 1971, it was a lively market that I can only imagine (unfortunately!!) would have been a center for high quality food products from all over France.
Les Halles was created in 1137 and survived for almost 800 years as a bustling marketplace, undergoing various architectural changes throughout it's history, the most notable being the construction of an iron and glass complex by Victor Baltard in the mid eighteen hundreds.
As the city grew and traffic congestion from the trucks bringing food to and from the markets became a problem, the market was moved in 1971, to the Rungis in the outskirts of Paris.
Click here for some good photos of the new Rungis marketplace.
Click here for the Rungis marketplace website.
And here for some old photos and/or art of les Halles.
Les Halles was created in 1137 and survived for almost 800 years as a bustling marketplace, undergoing various architectural changes throughout it's history, the most notable being the construction of an iron and glass complex by Victor Baltard in the mid eighteen hundreds.
As the city grew and traffic congestion from the trucks bringing food to and from the markets became a problem, the market was moved in 1971, to the Rungis in the outskirts of Paris.
Click here for some good photos of the new Rungis marketplace.
Click here for the Rungis marketplace website.
And here for some old photos and/or art of les Halles.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Steak Tartare
I am here in my apartment trying to dig up information on steak tartare. It is a dish that I have tended to associate with France and with Paris in particular but it's history is long in the making and it seems that many countries have a version of this popular dish.
From what I can discern, the name Tartar refers to a group of Mongolian warriors in the late 13th century who were called this by the people in the villages that they attacked. The sound of the horses hoofs as the warriors approached made a "trrtrr" sound and villagers would use this as a cry of alarm and terror when they could hear this oncoming attack. As the story goes, these warriors would place long thin strips of meat under their saddles as they rode. Some historians claim that this practice was to tenderize, season and marinade the meat which was chopped finely and served with caper berries when the warriors stopped riding. (Thus the origin of the dish steak tartar.) The counter argument to this theory is that the meat would have been placed under the saddle in an attempt to heal the wounds of the horse and would have been inedible after being used in this way.
The Tartars were seen to be fierce and powerful warriors and it was a commonly held belief that eating raw meat could be the source of their great strength and endurance, therefore, this practice was adopted by other cultures and was adapted to local tastes.
Here in France, steak tartare is typically finely diced raw meat, bound with egg yolks and served with capers, shallots, small dill pickes, sea salt, ground pepper. Hot sauce and worcestershire sauce are served as condiments on the side and diners may add these as they wish. It will often be served with a raw egg yolk on top as a garnish.
I tried steak tartar at the restaurant I was at here in Paris and I quite enjoyed their recipe.
Steak Tartare, a variation
100 g lean, fresh beef, diced small
1 T diced shallots
2 t diced ginger
2 t chopped parsley
1 t chopped tarragon
2 t diced dill pickle
1 T capers
2 T salad oil
2 t soya sauce
1 t mayonnaise
1/2 t dijon
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything together and serve with a salad and some nice crusty french bread!! (Warm is always nice...) This is a rough estimation of amounts, so adjust as necessary to your taste!
From what I can discern, the name Tartar refers to a group of Mongolian warriors in the late 13th century who were called this by the people in the villages that they attacked. The sound of the horses hoofs as the warriors approached made a "trrtrr" sound and villagers would use this as a cry of alarm and terror when they could hear this oncoming attack. As the story goes, these warriors would place long thin strips of meat under their saddles as they rode. Some historians claim that this practice was to tenderize, season and marinade the meat which was chopped finely and served with caper berries when the warriors stopped riding. (Thus the origin of the dish steak tartar.) The counter argument to this theory is that the meat would have been placed under the saddle in an attempt to heal the wounds of the horse and would have been inedible after being used in this way.
The Tartars were seen to be fierce and powerful warriors and it was a commonly held belief that eating raw meat could be the source of their great strength and endurance, therefore, this practice was adopted by other cultures and was adapted to local tastes.
Here in France, steak tartare is typically finely diced raw meat, bound with egg yolks and served with capers, shallots, small dill pickes, sea salt, ground pepper. Hot sauce and worcestershire sauce are served as condiments on the side and diners may add these as they wish. It will often be served with a raw egg yolk on top as a garnish.
I tried steak tartar at the restaurant I was at here in Paris and I quite enjoyed their recipe.
Steak Tartare, a variation
100 g lean, fresh beef, diced small
1 T diced shallots
2 t diced ginger
2 t chopped parsley
1 t chopped tarragon
2 t diced dill pickle
1 T capers
2 T salad oil
2 t soya sauce
1 t mayonnaise
1/2 t dijon
salt and pepper to taste
Mix everything together and serve with a salad and some nice crusty french bread!! (Warm is always nice...) This is a rough estimation of amounts, so adjust as necessary to your taste!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Nougat Glace or Frozen Nougat
I made this recipe at the restaurant today. It is quite tasty and a nice dessert that is frozen and therefore has a long shelf life.
Yield: 1 - 9 by 13 inch pan (probably will yield approximately 15 generous servings )
Ingredients
Nougatine:
80 g sugar
35 g honey
100 ml water
2 cups chopped nuts
Nougat glace:
150 g sugar
water , enough just to cover sugar
200 g honey
6 egg whites
1 tbsp sugar (for the whites)
1 litre 35% cream
1 cup roasted nuts
1 cup candied fruit
(or two cups nuts if candied fruit is just not your thing...)
Methodology:
Nougatine:
1. Ready a tray by covering it with parchment paper.
2. Heat sugar, honey and water over medium heat until the sugar takes on a light amber color. ( blond caramel stage)
3. Add chopped nuts to caramel and mix quickly.
4. Pour the mixture out onto the tray and spread quickly.
5. Place tray in freezer or fridge for 10 or 15 minutes so that the nougatine hardens. This makes it easier to break apart to use.
Nougat Glace:
1. Ready a 9 by 13 inch baking tray by lightly greasing it and lining it with plastic wrap.
2. Place the sugar and water in a small pan over medium heat and heat to 121 degrees celsuis. If a thermometer is not available then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and boil for two or three minutes.
2. At the same time, begin to beat the egg whites and the 1 tbsp of sugar to a firm peak. Ideally, the sugar syrup and the egg whites should be ready around the same time.
3. Add the honey to the syrup and bring the mixture back to a boil.
4. Add the hot syrup to the egg whites in a steady stream while continuing to whip. Whip until cool. (This is evidently easier with a machine, but if one is not available then beat the mixture for a few minutes and let it cool beating every once and while to distribute the heat.) This is the same as making an italian meringue.
5. Whip the cream.
6. Combine the cool meringue and the whipping cream.
7. Break apart the nougatine that was made earlier. Combine with the roasted nuts and the candied fruit and add it all to the meringue mixture.
8. Pour into prepared tray and spread evenly. Freeze for a minimum of three hours.
Cut and serve with fresh fruit or a fresh fruit coulis!
To make a quick coulis:
Dilute a little sugar in water over low heat. Place fruit in a blender (raspberries or strawberries would work reallt well) , add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little of the sugar syrup. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary, depending on the consistency that is wanted. Pass the coulis through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
Yield: 1 - 9 by 13 inch pan (probably will yield approximately 15 generous servings )
Ingredients
Nougatine:
80 g sugar
35 g honey
100 ml water
2 cups chopped nuts
Nougat glace:
150 g sugar
water , enough just to cover sugar
200 g honey
6 egg whites
1 tbsp sugar (for the whites)
1 litre 35% cream
1 cup roasted nuts
1 cup candied fruit
(or two cups nuts if candied fruit is just not your thing...)
Methodology:
Nougatine:
1. Ready a tray by covering it with parchment paper.
2. Heat sugar, honey and water over medium heat until the sugar takes on a light amber color. ( blond caramel stage)
3. Add chopped nuts to caramel and mix quickly.
4. Pour the mixture out onto the tray and spread quickly.
5. Place tray in freezer or fridge for 10 or 15 minutes so that the nougatine hardens. This makes it easier to break apart to use.
Nougat Glace:
1. Ready a 9 by 13 inch baking tray by lightly greasing it and lining it with plastic wrap.
2. Place the sugar and water in a small pan over medium heat and heat to 121 degrees celsuis. If a thermometer is not available then bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and boil for two or three minutes.
2. At the same time, begin to beat the egg whites and the 1 tbsp of sugar to a firm peak. Ideally, the sugar syrup and the egg whites should be ready around the same time.
3. Add the honey to the syrup and bring the mixture back to a boil.
4. Add the hot syrup to the egg whites in a steady stream while continuing to whip. Whip until cool. (This is evidently easier with a machine, but if one is not available then beat the mixture for a few minutes and let it cool beating every once and while to distribute the heat.) This is the same as making an italian meringue.
5. Whip the cream.
6. Combine the cool meringue and the whipping cream.
7. Break apart the nougatine that was made earlier. Combine with the roasted nuts and the candied fruit and add it all to the meringue mixture.
8. Pour into prepared tray and spread evenly. Freeze for a minimum of three hours.
Cut and serve with fresh fruit or a fresh fruit coulis!
To make a quick coulis:
Dilute a little sugar in water over low heat. Place fruit in a blender (raspberries or strawberries would work reallt well) , add a squeeze of lemon juice and a little of the sugar syrup. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary, depending on the consistency that is wanted. Pass the coulis through a sieve to strain out the seeds.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)