Never Apologize: Things I Learned from Julia Child

I think I will always, in one way or another, be a student.  I love to learn and gain knowledge, so that I can share it with others.  When I was in the restaurant marketing world I was young and I was focused on finding a mentor.  That's what many chef's do- if you look at the bios that are sent forth from their PR agencies you will see their resume does not list things such as, great knife skills, amazing palate, people personality, etc.  It lists where they've worked, and especially which chefs that have worked under.  The understanding is that just by being in a great chef's orbit and airspace you have gleaned something of value.  (By the way, the word chef, in French means "chief," so if you tell someone that you are a chef, they may ask you what you are chief of, so you must say you are a chef de cuisine, if that is the case. )  In my search for a mentor I asked some people to mentor me.  No one stepped up, and it was disappointing, until I realized that you don't need to formally declare a mentorship relationship with someone, you just have to ask the rights questions.

While I was in France I read Julia  Child's memoir, "My Life in France," which the movie Julia & Julia was partly based on.  I know several people in Boston who were in direct contact with Julia when she lived in Cambridge, and by all accounts she was an amazing, larger than life person.  One thing I learned from her was to never apologize for your food, even if it''s obviously terrible.  If you look at cooking as a creation, then you must never apologize for it.  Number one, it's probably not as bad as YOU think, and it puts the person eating your food in an uncomfortable situation.  When I read that part in the book, I vowed I would never demean my own cooking again.  You make mistakes all the time, some things are out of your control, you might think you made the best souffle to ever grace this planet and your guests will still not like it cause it brings them bad memories from their childhood.  Just remember, every time you get into the kitchen and cook, it's a gift.You must always honor that gift.

A Letter from France

Notes on the French Riviera:

I have been working on this e-mail to update you on my trip, but I have become seduced by all of the sights, sounds, smells of the French Riviera, and there seems to be so much to take in that it leaves little time to sit and contemplate how it is changing me as a person.  It just seems that I am living my wish, that I made at Kripalu at the end of last year to see the world with a beginner's mind, as if I were a child with fresh eyes and an unspoiled mind. 

I am working as a private chef in Cap d'Antibes.  The house is on a hill, hence the "cap",  right next to a lighthouse with gorgeous view of the many yachts drifting in the harbor. When I first arrived I was very anxious to learn how to get around, to shop for food that I would be cooking, to deal with the day to day things that I required to achieve my standards of success for work.  After all that is the primary reason why I'm here, to cook-in France. I decided to take baby steps, first venturing to the marche provencal, where you can get fresh tomatoes that taste so sweet they could be mistaken for candy, cheeses from the fromager, seafood with the head and eyes bulging out at you, all kinds of meats, which are done in the charcuterie format, or whole cuts, which if you're not careful to ask (in French) you might mistakenly buy cheval (horsemeat), which looks very similar to skirt steak.  The problem with the market is that it's located in vielle Antibes (old town), which has tiny, narrow cobbled streets, jammed with scooters, trucks, and pedestrians.  It is a nerve racking affair trying to squeeze through through these ancient passages without leaving a scratch on your car.  So far so good, even for a girl inherited her driving skills from the intrepid driving culture of Massachusetts,  and now can freely switch among the 6 lanes on the 405 in California!

To say that the French take great pride in their food is an understatement.  They take their time to show you their produce, and there is absolutely no rush, even if there's 20 people waiting behind you.  Marketing is a daily part of their existence, which is evident in the mornings when you see everyone up and early with their market baskets and carts, bumping along the uneven streets.  They have a different sense of personal space, so cutting is good French form, which, being determined to do as the French do, I have mastered completely.  Except that I shop for food for a large number of  people, so I pity those who get stuck behind me.  Every morning at 7 AM I go to the boulangerie to buy croissants and baguettes for work bringing my own boxes so the pastries don't get squished.  I get about 20 different pastries and at least 8 baguettes, and it takes a while to pack them into my boxes and inevitably there is always a guy behind me who just wants one croissant.  While there certainly are regular grocery stores, I generally avoid them and only go there for things like yogurt, cereal,olive oil, and wine.  Otherwise you have to go to the fishmonger for fresh seafood, the boucherie for meat, the marche for produce, the boulangerie for bread and pastries and so on.  It is an involved processional from shop to shop, but as a chef half of my job requires sourcing the best possible ingredients and I quite enjoy it.

The food here is Mediterranean food, which complements my own style of healthy, flavorful Asian influenced cooking.  Fresh produce, seafood, herbs and spices, influenced by North African foodways, olives, garlic, parsley, the bounty of the sea, and the pastas and pizzas from nearby Italy all abound.  Meat, if you noticed in French food  needs to be "worked"-- it's either cured, charcuteried, or stewed and braised in wines and stocks, because it isn't as good as you would expect, but the seafood is just as good as New England.

As for fun, I have 2 days off which I take advantage of to the fullest.  I've been to Monaco, which is straight out of a James Bond novel, mega yachts, $money, $money, $money.  The yachting scene is the thing here.  I've been to Cannes, which is 2 stops on the very efficient local train- great shopping.  Nice is the biggest city, which has everything, it's about 25 minutes away on the train.  I've taken the ferry to St. Tropez, which has a great Saturday market where you can buy paella, Provencal lavendar, sausages, scarves, and vintage Hermes and LV bags.  There is also Grasse, the perfume capital of France, and Italy , which is only about 1 hour away on teh local train.  I'm planning a trip to San Remo, Italy for my last week here. 

Last week I decided to get out of this LA of France and headed to Aix en Provence, which is 3 hours away by train.  I stopped in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France, and the namesake of their national anthem.  Marseille has a different vibe than any other city in France because it is the largest port city in the south, and has through its history been a gateway for Muslim immigrants from French colonies in North Africa, it is more multicultural, working class, and a melange of languages.  Marseille is also the hip hop capital of France, and I met a young man who was listening to Tupac on his ipod.  The train ride from Antibes to Marseille follows the Mediterranean coast, with views of the nooks and crannies where people plunge into the teal Mediterranean, then gives way to the fig trees, and lush, green vineyards, then approaching Marseille you see more humble villages with graffiti along the train tracks for miles, like a moving modern art show.  Aix en Provence is a 30 minute train ride inland, famous for being Cezanne's home and inspiration.  It's a university town, which was not unlike Cambridge, full of students, and professor types.  I enjoyed it immensely.  Well, there's another 3 weeks of work, then Tim is coming out here.  We will be traveling to Cassis, Avignon, Cote Rotie,  Condrieu, Chateneuf de Pape, Burgundy, Champagne and then on to Paris before we get home on August 10th.  I'm looking forward to having someone to share all of this with.  I'll keep you all updated on our wine travels.

Miss You & Love You

From France

xoxo

Minnie

Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite and... Cuisine

One of the major rites of passage for a chef is to pack up their knives and to hit the road. In many ways you are a journeyman, an adventurer, and though you don't know where the road will take you, you embrace it all-the good, bad and the ugly-because you know in the end you will learn and grow as a human being and as a chef.

I'm precisely at that point in my life right now, and happy to be here.

Today I am leaving for France for the summer, where I will be working as a private chef.  When I started this blog 4 years ago, my intention was to explore my lifelong passion for food, cooking, and writing.  I never expected it to lead me to Los Angeles, where I finally achieved my dream of getting paid to do what I love, which is to feed people.  Now I am heading to the culinary mecca of the western world to experience the French foodways and I couldn't be more excited to soak in each moment into my culinary DNA.

Whether you want to be a better cook, or pursue a career as an award winning chef,  you can approach every moment of contact that you have with food as an exciting adventure.  Explore new ingredients and techniques; expand your taste buds by eating something you've never dared to eat; use your  all your senses and above all your imagination. 

I will be sending my dispatches from France throughout the summer, so thanks for coming along on this amazing journey with me!

Malibu Family Winery: AMGEN Festival

A few weeks ago Malibu Family Winery hosted one of the best food and wine events I've ever been to.  Although I belong to their wonderful wine club and frequent their al fresco tasting room often, I had no idea that they had a huge ranch directly across the street.  Unequivocally this place is the prettiest winery in all of Southern California!  We were greeted by alpacas, horses, camels and even zebras as we drove up to through the breathtaking property.  There is an amazing view of the valley, framed by rolling hills of grapevines- this is what California living is all about.

The food and wine festival featured huge jumbotrons for people to watch the AMGEN cycling race, and provided a place for food and wine lovers to eat and drink to their heart's content.  I even got a massage from the Westlake Four Seasons Spa!

Here are some pictures of the fabulous food and some Chef friends I ran into that day.

 The very talented and friendly Chef Alberto Vasquez from Mediterraneo Restaurant in Westlake.  He made my favorite dish of the day.  A crispy flatbread with sunkissed cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, caperberries, olives, and fresh herbs.  A good chef like Vasquez can elevate a simple, unfussy dish into a sublime eating experience by taking into account the setting, the seasonality, the textures and colors of a dish such as this one.  The flavors just burst in my mouth and catapulted me into summer in this gorgeous setting.

And of course I saw my favorite Top Chef, Fabio.  I just love this guy!  This is his second time I've accosted him to take a picture with me and he's been duly gracious every time.  Go visit him at his restaurant, Cafe Firenze, in Moorpark.

The Blind Leading the Wine

 

Recently our friends Pat and Cynthia McKeever invited us to celebrate Cynthia's birthday by hosting blind wine tasting party.  The rules were simple: each person brings a bottle of wine, which is whisked away by the hosts upon arrival and then assigned a brown paper bag and number.  Collectively, we taste and rated the wines on a point system from 1-5.  1point was deemed "trash," a 4 rating "Damn this is good, " and a 5 signified "perfect."

The best part of the night was the "reveal," and we were all shocked by the results.  Here they are:

1. (49 points) Shenandoah "Special Reserve" Amadour Zinfandel, 2008, $9.99, K&L
2. (48 points) Fetzer Merlot, 2008, $6
3. (44 points) Wakefield Cabernet, Clare Valley, 2006, $35
4. (43 points) Chateau St. Michelle Riesling, 2008, $12, Target
5. (41 points) Charles Shaw "Two Buck Chuck" Cabernet, 2009, $2, Trader Joe's

5. (41 points) Brunello La Rasina, 2004, $58, Cinderella Wine
6. (40 points) Jaffurs Mouvedre, 2008, $27, Jaffurs Wine Club
7. (36 points) Deloach Pinot Noir, Sonoma, 2008, $16
8. (35 points) Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah, 2007, $3.99, Trader Joe's
9. (34 points) Sanctuary Pinot Noir, Santa Maria, 2006, $30
10. (32 points) Fattoria dei Barbi Rosso di Montalcino, 2006, $30
11. (23 points) Frei Brothers Syrah, 2006, $23
12. (22 points) Turning Leaf Chardonnay, 2008, $4.99, Ralphs

Here are some tips to hosting your own blind wine tasting party:

1.  Keep your invite list limited to under 12, or you will all be seeing double by the end of the evening.
2. As with all soirees involving drinking, provide food beforehand, so no one has to taste on an empty stomach. 
3. Create a scoring sheet and have plenty of pens.
4. Make sure you have a spit bucket for those "trash" wines. 
5.  Have plenty of plain crackers on hand for palate cleansing, as well as pitchers of water handy for rinsing and sipping.

Video: Mother's Day Meal, Coriander Roasted Salmon Salad

Video: Mother's Day Meal, Rosewater Mint Lemonade

Video: Mother's Day Meal, Cheesecake

Mother's Day Meal: Cheesecake with Strawberries & Lemon Curd

Graham Cracker Crust Cheesecake with Lemon Curd & Strawberries

20 (small) graham crackers, crushed

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

1 1/2 cups white sugar

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 lb strawberries, sliced

¼ cup sugar

1 jar lemon curd

Macerate by mixing sliced strawberries with ¼ cup sugar,  and small pinch of salt.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Grease a 9 inch springform pan with butter.

In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.

Serve each sliced with a drizzle of lemon curd and some artfully arranged strawberries.