Chef David's Culinary Tour: Day 5

Today was our last day in France. Tomorrow we drive to the Piedmont  region of Italy. There we hope to go truffle hunting and visit some vineyards. Today was a full day of visiting Nice -- we saw the beautiful Mediterranean beach, hiked up Castle Hill, went to the market, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Matisse Museum.

In the market I bought a huge head of purple garlic (pictured, top), which I would love to bring back to the US, if it wasn't an issue with customs. At home I grow garlic every year, and this year looks like a great crop.  My wish would be to split the French garlic and grow it in my back yard. It smells strong, so we are keeping it outside the hotel room window for now.  Maybe we'll get a chance to cook with it before we leave!

The big culinary delight today was discovered on our way into the Matisse museum. In front of the museum was a small festival going on in a park filled with old olive trees. The festival was featuring marionette acts, small plays and lots of food from street vendors. We were trying not to invade, but we could not help but smell the fresh made-to-order churros served with hot Nutella. And yes, they were as good as they sound.

Best regards,

David

Chef David's Culinary Tour: Day Four

Day 4 in paradise, and we decided to visit Antibes. By the time we got there, it was around noon.  There is a huge market there, which is bound to make anyone hungry. Our plan to visit the Picasso Museum was delayed in lieu of lunch. We have been eating in a lot of restaurants lately, so Lauren and I thought it best to eat various foods in the market. We bought fresh raspberries, a wheat baguette, farmers cheese, walnut salami, and two types of tapenades,  one with sun-dried tomatoes and bell peppers, the other with green olives and chili peppers. 

After collecting what we thought was enough food, we discovered a street vendor cooking Socca in a wood-fired brick oven on wheels. Socca is a savory chickpea flour flatbread, they cook in a deep dish pizza pan for a minute or so. You could taste the charred flavor from the brick oven making it a great treat with the farmers cheese we bought.

 

 We visited the Picasso Museum after perusing more of the markets that were selling antiques, clothes and cutlery. I was impressed with Picasso's artwork.  If you need some unique food paintings to hang in your kitchen or dining room, check out some of his work -- amazing!

Chef David's Culinary Tour: Day Three

 

 Today was another beautiful day in the lovely French Riviera. Lauren (my wife), and I spent the morning exploring Old Vence were there was some local producers selling food, clothes and souvenirs on table tops. 

We tasted olives, cheeses, and jellies, but the best was this honey from a local producer. He had all sorts of honeys that came from bees that pollinated different types of flowers. The best type, by far, was the Lavender Honey, but a close second was the "Miel de Tilleul,"  or Linden Tree Honey.  They also had honey from Pine Trees, Chestnut Trees, and Acacia. Each honey was very unique in taste. I suggest you get some of your own.  He has a website: http://www.miels-chailan.com/.

Afterwards we went to the Confiserie de Florian, http://www.confiserieflorian.com/ in a town called Gordon de Loup. 

 

Chef David's Culinary Tour: Day Two

This morning after having a basket of bread and pastries for breakfast at our hotel, we ventured off into the square across the street. There we found a beautiful market with tons of fresh seasonal product from local producers. We were happy to buy some fruit, but wished we had a kitchen to prepare some of the vegetables we saw.

After we took a brisk walk to see the Chapelle Du Rosaire, where famous artist Henri Matisse designed the decor and layout of the building. Many of his sketches and works were on display, including huge murals inside the chapel.

 

The highlight of our day was spending time with Jean-Claude Bayle, Manager of R&D at IFF's Laboratory Monique REMY (LMR) in Grasse. It was difficult navigating our way from Vence to Grasse, but after a few lucky guesses and we found our way. Once there, we met up with Jean-Claude who gave us an overview of what is manufactured from his facility, and how IFF partners with growers to secure the highest quality materials, and even has farms of their own. Many ingredients need to be extracted right at the farm, due to the short life of the precious volatiles, explained Jean-Claude. At LMR much of the work there is to purify the materials due to unwanted allergens or other compounds that are not friendly to people.

Chef David's Culinary Tour: Day One

Our own Chef David and his wife have embarked on a dream culinary tour of France and Italy and David has promised a daily update of his travels and adventures in words and pictures.  And so, our first missive from David....

We arrived in Vence, France at around noon. Relying on printed directions from googlemaps, we managed to find our way to the hotel, conquering 8 rotaries in a little Citroen.

I must say, the highlight of our day was having two scoops of "glace," from a street cart. The obviously homemade ice cream was super creamy with "parfumes," like Nutella, Caramel, and Violets, yum!

After sleeping off some jet lag, we had a pleasant dinner at Restaurant Les Agapes. There, we had the "Plate Discoverie," which was a tasting of Vietnamese Smoked Duck Summer Rolls, Grilled Mackerel served on a "pirinaca," which is a sauteed mixture of peppers, onions, shallots, olive oil, vinegar and sherry. And Creme Brulee for dessert.

A perk about this part of the world, is that everything seems cooked perfectly and all of the products are as fresh as can be. The highlight of the meal was the chickpea fries that came with the mackerel, they looked just like french fries, but taste like a falafel fry, minus the cumin.

In Case You're Keeping Score...

This is the kind of list we always love perusing!

Chopping Bok Choy at the CIA

Korean Pancakes

A good chef never stops learning.  I have always found pleasure in cooking things differently and trying new things. Culinary inspiration can come from many places, but some are just better than others.

Stir Fry

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a cooking course at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. The course was on Asian Ingredients and Techniques with Chef “Ski” Skibitcky.

Fresh Spring Rolls

The goal for Chef Ski is to make sure you can create a dish that represents each cuisine, and more importantly, that you understand the differences. Every day you learn a new cuisine, starting with Chinese, then moving on to Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Malaysian, and Indian. The class does not make you an expert in these cuisines, but if you’re looking to learn and be inspired, then you’re in the right place. 

 Massaman Curry

A Kitchen Essential

We have to share with you a book that we consider to be an absolute kitchen essential: The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs  by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.  It should be in every kitchen library.

Despite the title, it is about far more than flavors.  It is about learning to recognize the language of Food.  It is about understanding that elusive equation: Flavor = Taste + Mouthfeel + Aroma + The X Factor. 

For anyone who loves to cook, this book is a revelation!

Worth Checking Out...

Here's a blog we are adding to our "Tasty Links" on the sidebar.  Chubby Hubby is a website from a much-travelled food blogger from Singapore. The site features interesting articles on food, restaurant reviews, recipes, and has beautiful photos.  We also love the extensive blogroll with more fascinating links to Asian cuisine and beyond.

Enjoy!

Verjus, the Lemon/Vinegar Alternative

We're hearing more about the increasing popularity of Verjus or Verjuice, a sour, acidic juice extracted from unripened grapes.  Popular in the Middle Ages, it fell out of favor, but is currently enjoying a revival.  Typically, it is used wherever you might use lemon juice or vinegar and we hear it makes a great sorbet. 

We're looking forward to experimenting with this old/new ingredient and reporting back to you.

Salsa

Salsa Time by OakleyOriginals

It's fascinating to see how, once a food item migrates from its home country to a new one, the impact that the new culture has on that dish.  Salsa is a good example.  It careened into popularity in the US, famously leaving ketchup in its wake as the country's most popular condiment.

But what we know as salsa in the US seems to be a far cry from its origins in Mexico.  Which is why we appreciated this article that appeared in the New York Times a couple of weeks ago.  Not only is the article well-written and informative, it features some great authentic recipes, like this one for Salsa Ranchera.

On Restaurants and Near Misses

We are not restaurant critics and that is not the purpose of this blog.  But we are chefs and hope to share with you now and again thoughts we have on some that we particularly like, or maybe even the near misses. 

When in Phoenix recently, we, like pretty much everyone attending the RCA tried to get to the much-touted Pizzeria Bianco, recently voted as the best pizza in the country.  And, like so many others, we were daunted by the crazy lines that started to form at 3pm each day for a 5pm opening.  We didn't have enough beer and wine to wait that long, but maybe another time.  Being so close to NYC, it's hard to be disappointed for too long.     

We did want to share one restaurant that has become a real favorite of ours,  Vie near Chicago serves up amazing seasonal contemporary American.  Check out this menu!  Paul Virant is a great young talent.  And the wine list isn't bad, either.  It's nice to see a great selection at reasonable prices.