January-February 2008 Food
RESTAURANT OF THE MONTH:
FARM at the Carneros Creek Inn, Napa
WINE OF THE MONTH:
Nickel and Nickel Regusci Vineyards 2006 Cab
COOKBOOK OF THE MONTH:
Lynette Shirk’s Wild Women Throw a Party
PUBLISH YOUR OWN COOKBOOK: www.tastebook.com
EDIBLE CRAFT OF THE MONTH:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dTAOvW_ZB8
QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“I think that food is to give pleasure rather than to impress. And in many ways it’s probably easier to impress people than to give them pleasure.”
— Nigella Lawson
MENU FOR MARCH 5 CENTRAL MARKET COOKING CLASS
- Salad of Leeks and Baby Zucchini with Prosecco Vinaigrette
- Cornish Game Hens with Lemon-Spice Dressing
- Roasted Parsnips, Pears and Potatoes
- Strawberry Champagne Floats
First of all, thanks everybody for the terrific feedback on Trish and Darin’s holiday dinner. I’ve had a ton of requests for some of those recipes, so see below.
My latest foodie adventures happened last week in the Napa Valley on a winery tour. I’m embarrassed to admit some of the things I learned that I never knew before – for example, that a person who makes barrels is called a cooper, and that the place where you fill and plug the barrel is called a bung hole. Bungs, of course, are the stoppers that fill the holes. I decided that making a premium wine must be about as complicated and dicey as making premium guitars, and that if either one isn’t sublime perfection when it’s completed, it can get thrown out. Great wine is even more compelling when it’s paired with great food, and in Napa they aren’t kidding around. We ate some spectacularly thoughtful food, and with both food and wine it’s pretty easy to geek out depending on how much you want to know. Even at the roadside burger joint, Taylor’s Refresher, the burgers are, well, well-thought-out. Mine was a turkey burger with apple-onion chutney and cheese, and sweet-potato fries on the side. I dunno. It’s just hard being a Texan when it comes to hamburgers. I pretty much like mine old school. But I’ll probably never see a roadside burger joint in Texas with a full premium-wine list. Napa’s kind of like France that way. Well worth a visit.
I TRIED IT:
FARM at the Carneros Creek Inn
Tra Vigne
Restaurant at Auberge du Soleil
Oakville Grocery
Taylor’s Refresher
On the way out I stopped in San Francisco to see one of my favorite people on earth, Gerard Choucroun late of famed Houston foodie band Banana Blender Surprise and brother of Conrad, currently touring in Bob Schneider’s band. Gerard still noodles around musically with his mini-me child Benjy, between BBS reunion shows, but mostly he never fails to restore my faith in the power of optimistic absurdity as a general worldview. He’s pretty smart.
And I can’t close the Food page without an honorable mention of the rock-solid restaurants I ate at in Jefferson TX last weekend. The pies at the Hamburger Store are legendary, the kind with meringue as big as a hairdo; but they keep their catfish poorboys a deep dark secret. Never, ever visit East Texas without eating some catfish. It’s the local bomb. I totally loved the spaghetti and meatballs at Lampeche’s. And at the McKay House they fed us a proper big-ass Texas breakfast every morning, the kind with eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy and cheese in endless variations. Thank you Darla and Hugh. And Atticus.
OK, so how about some recipes. Recipes, anyone? I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to. I really miss it. But here are some things you should try before the weather gets all warm and balmy. Eat a lot while you still can.
BISTRO STYLE ROASTED CHICKEN WITH Lemon Parmesan Dressing
Serves 6-8
Cook a whole chicken next Sunday and you’ll practically have world peace. It’s the easiest, most goof-proof way to cook chicken and makes an impressive meal for company, or a comforting supper with your family. And the flavor is just spectacular.
1 free range organic roasting chicken, 2-½ to 3 lbs or larger
2 lemons
olive oil
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons flour
2 tablespoons Vermouth
½ to 1 cup water
Preheat the oven to 450F. Rinse and pat the chicken dry, making sure the cavity is empty. Place it in a roasting pan that can transfer to a stovetop burner later.
Rub the chicken with olive oil and coat it completely on all sides with your hands. Dry off your hands and sprinkle it with the salt, adding more if needed to coat it visibly on all sides. Take the herbs in your hand and shake them over the chicken with your fist, coating the top and sides completely. Quarter the lemons and fit as many pieces as you can into the cavity without crowding. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature down to 425F and cook it an additional 45-60 minutes or until the top is a deep dark brown.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and place the pan over the stovetop burner on medium-low heat. Add the Vermouth and whisk it in, scraping the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk vigorously until any lumps smooth out. Add the water, ½ cup at a time, and simmer until the sauce is smooth and silky. Allow it to cook down if it seems too thin; it will thicken up as it evaporates.
Remove the leg and thigh quarters, wings and breast portions from the body of the chicken. Serve the legs and wings whole, and slice the breasts crosswise into small serving pieces. Arrange on the platter, spoon a bit of the sauce over the chicken pieces and serve with the remaining sauce to pass around the table.
Lemon Parmesan Dressing
Serves 6-8
1 large loaf fresh French or Italian bread, with crusts
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teasoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon allspice
1 lemon
½ cup finely diced celery
½ cup finely chopped green onion
2 eggs
2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
pepper and kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 325F. Butter or grease a 3 or 4 quart casserole dish that has a cover. Melt the butter and sautee the celery and green onions until wilted. Set aside to cool.
Cut the bread into 1” cubes and place it on a large baking sheet. Place in the oven and toast briefly for about 10 minutes or until bread is dry and has begun to color. Remove and transfer the bread cubes to a large mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl combine the cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Grate the peel of the lemon with a fine zester and add it to the spices. Combine well and mix the spices in with the bread.
Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl and pour them over the bread mixture. Add the celery and onion along with their cooking fat. Mix gently until the bread is moistened, then add 1 cup of the broth. Mix gently with your hands – mixture should be very moist but not soggy. Continue adding a bit more broth if needed until you have the desired texture.
Transfer the dressing into the prepared dish and bake for 1 hour or until the top is golden brown.
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