The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook

how French women dun't get fat

FOR the past several weeks, David's been playfully jabbing me about who will cook for me while he's away at Cornell. He is partially correct though. Whenever David goes out of town for any extended period of time, my at-home consumption consists mainly of: cheese, crackers and wine (plus a little chocolate, bien sûr). It wasn't until he brought home from the library a copy of Mireille Guiliano's The French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook that I realized just how concerned he was about my équilibre.

I JUST finished reading the entire book, cover to cover and not only did I enjoy reading all of the recipes (along with Mireille's between-chapter musings), but I've also come up with enough cooking ideas to keep me busy cooking into winter. Additionally, in the case that my long-unused cooking 'skills' prove successful: I've come up with a proposed menu for a brunch, at my place, with my nearest and dearest...

Peeking over my shoulder, David said, You're in way over your head! But according to this video, found on Mireille's website, these recipes are "all made in twenty minutes or less."

And found in Mireille's 'between-chapter musings' are her always insightful tidbits on gastronomy, combined with well-being. (or équilibre, as Mireille puts it) I'd even learned from her a few new ones that I must say I was a bit surprised that I'd been wrong about all along!

For asparagus, artichokes, salads, and most cheeses, especially the pungent ones, skip Champagne, since its complex, elegant flavors will be overpowered. Stick to fresh goat cheese or light but not too creamy cheese types; my favorite Champagne and cheese pairing is with Parmesan (the fat and oiliness that makes it a good marriage). Slivers of Parmesan make for a simple hors d'oeuvre served with Champagne.

and

Popular perception to the contrary, Champagne is not the most dessert-friendly wine. What wines are? Mostly sweet wines, and a demi-sec Champagne works, but as with most sweet wines the sweetness alongside sweetness does not contrast or flatter either. ... Avoid chocolate with Champagne, since its strong and beguiling flavors destroy the taste and finesse of even an average bubbly...  I have never found chocolate or Champagne showing their best when served together.

But who's to say what's right or wrong when it comes to your own personal palate? "... personal preferences generally win in the end anyway." At least I can say Mireille defends my fondness for pizza with bubbly, and even steak! "A full-bodied rosé Champagne is Pinot Noir, after all."

Chocolates & Wine

Seemingly ubiquitous, but neither of us
have ever tried it

The good great news is: David's been accepted into Cornell's (fully funded) doctorate program. The bad news is: he'll be moving to Ithaca for at least three years. Tomorrow, David will be spending a little more than two days upstate in search of adequate housing before leaving for New Orleans/Florida for his annual family vacation (which I'll sadly be missing out on this year). I decided to bring him home something a little sweet... and bubbly to go along with dinner.

The first amusement I unwrapped for David and I was a bottle of Lamarca (DOC) prosecco ($13). I'd seen this particular prosecco a handful of times at the local liquor store and a handful more in advertisement form in culinary periodicals. On feature at PJ Wine, I decided to finally give it a try. Once home, I chilled the sparkling wine in our refrigerator for a little more than two hours before extracting its cork for a first taste.

Surprisingly, the wine was much mousse-ier (as in a crémant) than either of us had expected. I also found the wine to still be a touch too warm for my taste, so I placed the bottle in the freezer for a brief moment (even though Mireille Guiliano says, [the freezer is] like a shock champagne does not care for). Upon second taste, both David and I were surprised to find that its character had changed almost completely. Nearly gone was the warm, "mousse-y" finish, replaced with a much stronger acidity and crispness. I remarked to David, This wine is almost like a shape-shifter!

Assorted chocolates from Dean & Deluca

POST-DINNER I unwrapped a box of hand-selected, assorted chocolates from Dean & Deluca, SoHo. Keeping in mind David's fondness for dark chocolate, I judiciously selected four which I thought would appeal to both David and I equally. My selections (all dark chocolates): caramel with grapefruit juice; violet ganache with candied violets; fleur de sel infused caramel; and Alaea Hawaiian red salt caramel. My favorites were the salted caramels--the Alaea red salt was amazing! And our chocolates paired very nicely with the Lamarca... which we'd managed to save just enough of to pair with dessert!

Dean & Deluca SoHo, 560 Broadway @ Prince Street

Chateau Moncontour Sparkling Vouvray

made from chenin blanc grapes

Last night, I picked up a new sparkler for David and I to try: Chateau Moncontour brut vouvray. ($14) Ever since tasting it as a young boy visiting France, David's been quite fond of sparkling vouvray. As I poured out his first fluteful: Ah, this brings me back... 

the chateau's best

I, too, was fond of the dry sparkler which had good weight on the palate and some noticeably darker fruits. Was it as good as a champagne? No. But as a sparkling wine, I'd certainly rank it amongst those of a higher quality.

Try if by the caseful, if you like, from PJ Wine

First Taste at Slice

YESTERDAY was my first Monday at the new job that was not a double. I did, however, attend a three p. m. training session led by our coffee purveyor, La Colombe. At four o'clock I was free for an hour before I had to return for dinner service. Slice was next on my list.

Even sans a/c, I decided to take a seat inside (they also offer sidewalk seating). The waitress-hostess looked like she had been waiting for me all afternoon. She brought me to a window table, facing the bar and left me with a set of food and drink menus. Scrolling down, I was surprised to find so many whole wheat pizza options (fake pizza, if you ask me). Being my first time at Slice, I decided to choose a simple pizza (there were some rather exotic toppings, like chicken ṭikka masālā); I chose the novice pesto: herb crust, basil pesto, local fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and basil ($13 for a personal size).

As I waited for the pizza I wondered if they used a proper brick pizza oven, reaching 900° or if they cooked their pizzas on a pizza stone. I couldn't tell what was going on behind the open kitchen's secret curtain... When my pizza arrived, its plating revealed the answer.

novice pesto flatbread

I'm glad that at various points (at least), Slice refers to their pizzas as flatbreads. Because on a cookie sheet a pizza is not made. Perhaps I'm a tad over-passionate about proper pizza-cooking technique; I once worked for Donatella Arpaia from whom I'd learned quite a bit about the meticulous methods used in making authentic Neapolitan pizza. Getting past the shock of the cookie sheet, I dug in.

As a flatbread: the novice pesto was enjoyable enough, with o. k. flavor. Very crispy and easy to eat without utensils (a knife was not supplied anyway). I checked their wine list to see if they offered any sparkling wines. They do not. I certainly would return to try some of their other flatbreads, even though their pizzas seem more like a snack to me than they do a proper meal. However, Slice's pizzas do seem suitable for lunch or for sharing--along with a few other dishes--with a friend. (They also serve some salads and starters.)

And Slice does have a certain "cool" factor to it. My waitress--tattooed from what seemed to be head to foot--was so hip, I was nearly afraid to put my napkin in my lap as I sat down. I also noticed a slew of Connect Four games stocked at the menu station behind me and if you're into local beers, Slice has plenty of those as well. Towards the end of my meal, I even considered inquiring about a server position... just to befriend my waitress. She would certainly up my cool quotient.

Slice, 535 Hudson Street, West Village

My Favorite Instagram

[ @ ] pbradleyjr Somethin' good in tow...   4d

Watermelon: Williamsburg Style

watermelon, mint & feta salad

THURSDAY, Cynthia had David and I over for another one of her fabulous dinner parties at her home in Brooklyn. (see: I am cool, I have friends in Brooklyn) Cynthia would cover all the savory dishes if David and I simply supplied sweets and wine. I, of course, supplied the latter.

my latest favorite sparkler

I hemmed and hawed in front of the champagnes and sparkling wines at PJ Wine before finally narrowing down my selections to three. My first selection was a bottle of Chandon brut (in its limited edition 'Fourth of July' labeling). I recently tasted this American sparkler for the first time and was instantly wooed by its seemingly perfect balance. There's not a single quality in this wine that stands out more than another. (it would probably work well with a variety of foods) Cynthia, David and I began our evening with a Chandon toast before finishing up the remaining prep work for our first courses.

David cubing some watermelon for our salads...

While David was slicing the watermelon into cubes, I was helping Cynthia put the finishing touches on a delicious watermelon-tomato gazpacho.

absolutely brilliant!

The puréed tomato-watermelon soup was topped with feta, fresh black pepper and parsley just before serving. I could hardly believe that it tasted even more wonderful than it looked! Our next three courses were Cynthia's watermelon, mint and feta salad; rigatoni salad with feta and summer vegetables; and a homemade Spanish tortilla. As we moved from fruits to starches, we moved onto what I'd hoped would be a more "toothsome" wine. (it was my first time tasting a Schramsberg blanc de blancs)

always a fan of the house of Schramsberg

At first sip, David was an instant fan. (I knew he would be--he's a big blanc de blancs lover) I, however, was rather surprised to taste dark fruits... and a bit of yeast; blanc de blancs is usually known for its 'weightlessness' on the palate. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the wine throughout the remainder of our savory courses.

my only regret of the evening

My final wine selection at PJ Wine was a bottle of Renardat-Fâche cerdon du Bugey. I was having a fairly difficult time picking out "just the right wines" for Cynthia's dinner party; I was trying to follow the model of light to heavy as closely as possible. When I came across a bottle of cerdon, I remembered tasting one once before and not absolutely hating it. The thing is that cerdon du bugey (or bugey-cerdon) wine is a demi-sec wine. And who really cares for a demi-sec? I'm not saying that there's no merit to sweet wines, but you have to have just the right pairing (in many cases, a fig tart will do)... otherwise it can be cloyingly sweet. I knew I was taking a gamble, but I was hoping variety would trump taste. For dessert, David had brought a trio of cheesecakes from the nearby Junior's Cheesecake and needless to say my proffer did not pay off. Next time I'll pick up a bottle of champagne.

Late Lunch at Aria

herbed goat cheese in tomato sauce

Last Monday, I again ventured into the Village for something good and new to eat on my lunch break. I headed west on Perry Street and soon landed at Aria, just west of Hudson. The space was cool and quiet and being the sole diner in the restaurant, I decided to dine at the bar. The bartender informed me that all of their dishes are "appetizer size" and recommended selecting two or three. With his prompting (my first choice was 'eighty-sixed'), I decided upon herbed goat cheese in a rich tomato sauce ($9) for my first course. He also informed: It's really good to eat it with the bread.

gnocchi with fresh mozzarella

My dish arrived in a timely enough manner (nothing like the wait I had last week at Spasso) along with a generous bread basket. I pierced into the goat cheese with my spoon and scooped up a bit of the sauce. The warmed goat cheese was sumptuously soft and creamy (its texture was akin to whipped butter) and worked well with the rich tomato sauce. I took the bartender's advice and immediately began scooping up the delectable dish with the accompanying bread... until it was finished. In the end, I'd wished I had enjoyed some of the dish sans the bread.

For my main course, I selected gnocchi ($12). When the gnocchi arrived, I thought to myself that I could easily have done with just one of these dishes (especially the former with all of that bread); nonetheless, I wasted no time in tasting the morsels of pasta. I must tell you that I've never been the type to eat Italian as my first choice. (unless I'm in the mood for a pizza) And since I so rarely ever eat pasta, I didn't have much to compare it to when I'd tasted the gnocchi. But, I can tell you that it did taste hand made and that I probably would take someone that likes Italian to this restaurant. I also enjoyed the tender cubes of cool, fresh mozzarella interspersed among the gnocchi. (a nice temperature contrast)

the "best tiramisu" my bartender had ever had

After finishing my main course, I decided to try one of Aria's desserts. I chose 'the best tiramisu my bartender had ever had.' When it arrived, I was somewhat perplexed (and concerned) to see it sitting atop a pool of dark chocolate sauce. The tiramisu was still good, but I wouldn't say it was the best I'd ever had.

Aria, 117 Perry Street, West Village

A Super Salad at Spasso!

shaved vegetable insalate

It seems that Mondays has become my once-weekly day for working doubles at the new restaurant. I don't mind it though. It gives me the opportunity to check out all the new-to-me restaurants in the neighborhood. (Oddly enough, my subway stop is the street where I worked at my first job in the city... over fifteen years ago!) Also, it seems that I've started this new job in the midst of a quasi-heat wave here in the city. So, when I took my lunch break around four p. m. on Monday, I didn't want to venture too far. I ended up at Spasso on Perry and Hudson streets.

Having to make my decision quickly (I had to begin prepping for dinner service in less than an hour), I opted for selections from Spasso's $15 prix-fixe lunch menu. For my vegetable selection, I chose the shaved vegetable salad with white anchovies and herbed tonnato. ($9 à la carte) The salad took longer than I'd wished for it to arrive (I was the sole diner in the restaurant), but once it did any ill will was quickly squashed. 

First: it was larger than I'd anticipated from a prix-fixe menu; for a moment, I'd wondered if the bartender had only put in my order for the salad. Second: the salad was absolutely delicious! The white anchovies (which I'd wished the chef was a touch more generous with) were the most delicious anchovies I'd ever tasted. Clearly of a very high grade. And the tonnato (which I'd never tasted before) was a marvelous, lightly-creamy dressing, blending all the ingredients of the salad beautifully.

For my main selection I chose a prosciutto and fontina 'flatbread sandwich.' One thing you can be sure of at Spasso, is that you'll never feel rushed. By the time my sandwich arrived I only had about five minutes to consume it. (hence, no photo) It certainly didn't live up to the shaved vegetable salad, but perhaps that's why I never order sandwiches at restaurants. I'll leave those to the delicatessen.

Spasso, 551 Hudson Street, West Village